Chapter Eight

Greg hurriedly picked up his phone and sat back on his seat, Marianne came closer to see what was up with him and he pretended to reach for something in his pocket so he could hide the card.

“What was that all about?”, she asked him about burst in laughter because it looked like he was about to sweat his hair off.

“Nothing, you just startled me, a whistle would help you know”, he said so agitated yet trying to keep his cool.

Marianne couldn’t help but laugh at the scene, he looked like a child trying to hide a piece of meat in his mouth while being interrogated by his mother. It was really amusing for her.

“Anyway, sorry”, Marianne apologised as she exited the kitchen still chuckling.

Greg let out a breath of relief thinking he had handled that well, most women would be on their man’s neck trying to get the truth out of him.

“But she didn’t seem to care”, he thought to himself with eyes squinted and fingers pressed to his chin. He also wondered how he was going to fix his phone that evening, having no technical skills. He would have to wait till the next day to take it to a professional.

The next day...

Left alone in her and Greg’s room, Marianne just finished packing the last bag that contained Rose’s clothes. Rose was at her friend’s place playing, left with instructions to come back as soon as possible.

Marianne had so much to do, one of them being figuring out how to tell Rose that they were leaving her father.

She tried to imagine what it would feel like, never knowing her father since birth was far fetched from what Rose was about to go through. But she couldn’t change her mind due to that specific reason,

“A child knows and feels when their mother is not happy and it affects them in every way”, Marianne remembered one of her mother's wise sayings and continued to wind up.

“We need to leave before I change my mind, no amount of good memories can keep me here much longer. It’s all behind me now”, she tried to convince herself.

“Mummy, I’m back as soon as possible”, she giggled as she shut the door and ran to Marianne’s room. She saw bags packed and wondered what was going on.

Marianne noticed the confusion in her eyes and decided to work up the courage to tell her what was going on, she sat on the edge of the bed and patted the bed near her to signal Rose to go sit next to her.

Rose did as she was signalled and sat next her mother, Marianne put one arm over her to bring her closer and begun to explain.

“You know daddy and I love you, right?”, Marianne asked her.

“Yes mummy”, she answered.

“And you know we want to see you happy all the time, right?”, Marianne asked another question.

“Yes...”, she answered with suspicion in her tone

“Sometimes mummies and daddies have to leave each other because it’s good for their children, when parents fight or don’t love each other it makes children sick and they have bad dreams. So we have to leave daddy because we don’t love each other anymore, but he still loves you very much and he will come visit when we move to another place okay?”, she tried to simplify it enough for Rose to understand.

“I don’t like how daddy talks to you mummy, he’s always rude. I want to go now”, a shocking answer left her lips and left Marianne speechless.

Marianne just squeezed her lips inwards, rubbed Rose’s arm and helped her up so they could start putting their stuff in the hallway to make things easier to load. But just as she was about to reach the front door to put the first bag, Greg walked through the door.

Marianne’s heart dropped under her feet and she froze for the moment Greg looked at her caring the luggage, obviously to leave. Greg slowly entered and closed the door behind him.

“I knew something was off with you since yesterday, you want to leave? That’s your solution?”, he said with such a calm voice and tried to make her feel guilty and irrational.

“You leave me no other choice Greg, I’m so tired of this treatment. You don’t love me anymore, you don’t want to take the honourable step with me so why should I stick around any longer? I deserve better Greg, my child deserves better, the children we could’ve had deserve better. My mind is made up and nothing you say will hold me back”, she stood her ground and spoke her heart with tears rolling down her cheeks while still holding her suit case.

Greg moved aside, put his coat up on the coat hanger, threw the keys on the kitchen table and finally responded to Marianne’s heart felt confession. He raised his shoulders and said without an ounce of sympathy or regret,

“what are you waiting for? You must be eager to leave right? Go”.

Marianne could not believe her ears, she thought he’d at least try to stop her or use some excuse to keep her from going like he’s fallen ill or something.

But no, not a single effort. Her heart tore even more, she almost got down on her knees and started crying.

“Finish what you started Marianne, his hatred won’t hold you back”, her inner self tried to speak some encouragement into her, and it worked cause as soon she opened her eyes she felt her strength come back more than ever.

Rose appeared behind her carrying only what she could manage, Greg looked like he was about to start with Rose so Marianne acted quick and got the keys from the table with the declaration,

“MY car keys”, gave them to her and told her, “wait by the car I’m right behind you okay.

Marianne gave her a little push while looking back at Greg with that “back off” kind of look.

Greg sat in the kitchen and waited for them to finish up loading the car, thinking that along the way Marianne would come running back. Stuck in pride mode, Greg did not notice that Marianne shut the door behind her and started the car.

By the time he got outside on the porch, she was driving off and out of the drive way. There was so much luggage in the car he couldn’t even see them from the back, he felt like he just scored himself some freedom. Not feeling a little guilt, he went back in and locked the door behind him.