Chapter 4

Jessica looked at the clock. It read 10:45 p.m. This was the umpteenth time that her husband, Liam, has stayed out late. She finally heard the sound of his car as it drove up the driveway into the garage.

“Hello dear, you are welcome back,” she said to Liam when he walked into the living room. He reeked of alcohol. Once again, he had gone drinking.

“Hello. Why are you still awake by this time? I’ve told you not to wait up on me,” he said in reply while slumping down into the sofa.

Jessica sighed in desperation, “How can I go to bed when my husband hasn’t returned from work? How do you expect me to sleep when I don’t know where you are, and you don’t pick up my calls either?”

“Well, I’ve told you not to worry about me, haven’t I? Just pretend that I don’t exist.

Jessica began to sob, “Why are you doing this, Liam? What have I done to deserve this?”

“What have you done to deserve this? Are you seriously expecting a reply to that? How can you be so dumb?”

Jessica continued to cry even harder.

“Here comes the water works! Always playing the victim. Why are you crying this time around, cry baby?” Liam said in mockery.

“It’s been 4 years since we got married. You promised to love me with all your heart. That is not what I’m seeing. You shun and despise me and never listen to what I say,” Jessica said.

“Whose fault is it? Every man’s dream is to have a family—a wife and children—to come home to. You have refused to give me children. Why, then, should I come home early? What exactly am I coming home to, exactly?” Liam retorted.

This was the first time Jessica had heard this. She never thought that her inability to bear children since they got married was the reason for their marital problems.

“But we’ve been to several hospitals, seen a lot of gynecologists and taken every medication recommended. I’ve done everything on my part. How is this my fault?”

“I don’t know,” Liam countered, “and I don’t care. All I need is a child. How you go about it is none of my business. We got married before my best friend, Eric. Eric has 2 kids already. Who cursed me to be with you?”

“A curse?” Jessica cried out in heart break, “Liam, is that what I am to you know? A curse!”

Liam chose to be silent. He stared straight at the wall ahead of him and ignored Jessica. He was getting irritated by her consistent complaints and groanings. Their fights had started approximately a year after their marriage.

“Talk to me, Liam,” Jessica said in persistence with tears streaming down her cheeks, “am I a curse to you?”

Liam stood up and headed to the bedroom. Jessica reached out to grab his legs as he passed by her.

“Please stop doing this to me, Liam. This is not the man I fell in love with or married. Please turn back to me.”

Liam stood there, indifferent and with a hardened heart. He was no longer moved by her tears. He forcefully jerked his leg away causing Jessica to slump on the tiled floor. He continued towards the bedroom, hardly looking back.

“Liam!” Jessica cried out after him.

“Come to bed when you are done crying. I’m tired. I need to get some sleep,” Liam said as he slammed the bedroom door.

Jessica lay there in shock. If someone had told her that this is how her marriage will be in such a short time, she will never have believed it. If someone had told her that the love of his life, Liam, will one day say these things to her, she would have laughed it off as a complete joke. She stood up and walked to the bedroom.

“Should I microwave your food for you?” Jessica asked him as she stood in the doorway.

“No, I’m not hungry,” Liam replied.

“You need to eat something, Liam. You hardly eat at home now. You have even lost weight. Please allow me to serve you some food today,” Jessica said.

Liam lay on the bed in silence. Just when he thought he was going to get some peace and quiet from her whinings. Apparently not, she had followed her here.

“Leave me alone, woman. Let me sleep in peace,” he said as he turned away from her toward the opposite wall. Jessica was not ready to give up just yet.

“Liam, dear. Please look at me. You know you used to enjoy my meals, baby boy. Just one more time, babe,” Jessica said, using his pet names in a bid to make him smile and responsive.

Liam saw through this. He was not going to fall for her tricks. Such words from her no longer hit any mark in him, neither did it yield any reaction too.

“The doctors said there was nothing wrong with any of us. They’ve told us to keep faith and keep trying. Hopefully, I’ll become pregnant one day. We had sex last week. Let’s keep trying, Liam.”

“I’m tired of trying, Jessica. I can’t continue this conversation. I need to sleep. I’ve got work tomorrow.”

Jessica wasn’t ready to relent just yet. This was the first time she had got him to talk this long. She hoped to get through to him and win his heart back.

“What about us going away on a vacation, dear. We haven’t been anywhere interesting since our honeymoon trip when we got married. Just me and you. Let’s get a change of scenery and spend some time together. We can leave all this behind us and pretend it never happened,” Jessica said.

“Pretend it never happened?” Liam said as he sat back up. “But it is happening. There is a problem and we can’t keep ignoring it. That is what you don’t seem to understand. I need a child!”

“But having a child or not should not be the definition of a successful marriage. Even though I'm trying my best, there are things that are beyond my control. There are still people who are happy in childless marriages. Why should you use that as a reason to spite me?”

“Oh so now, it’s ok to be childless? You have resorted to being content in our current situation? Is that what you are saying?”

“NO!” Jessica said in defense. “What I’m saying is that, we can still remain happily married while we wait. There is no need to keep treating me like an enemy or a stranger to you.”

“And how have I acted like a stranger to you?”

“You leave the house early in the morning without so much as a hello or good morning to me, you hardly look me in the eyes, always quick to anger and you are not even concerned about my welfare as your wife,” Jessica said.

“Should I continue?” Jessica asked. “You are always out with friends, you don’t answer my calls and most times you come home drunk. When that happens, you go straight to bed without talking to me, not having seen me the entire day. The list is endless, Liam. This is not the happy marriage I envisioned when you asked me to marry you. It’s been problems and tears.”

Liam felt a slight pang of remorse and guilt at her words. To be frank, he was just using their childless marriage as a smokescreen for the actual reason he had fallen out of love with her.

It all started one year into their marriage. The first time he met Gwen, his ex-girlfriend, since she last showed herself, uninvited to their wedding. Yes, his affair with Gwen! She was the cause of the breakdown of this marriage. And it all began 3 years ago on that day.