HEART MADE OF STEEL

I want mommy

Danika left the table while shaking her head. These ladies were her family in this new and big city. They were a group that came together because of one thing.

A broken marriage.

She was really happy that she had found them. The healing process was better, having people that could understand her pain. That was a great relief. It brought her immense joy that she was making huge progress in her sessions with her doctor. It meant that she had moved on.

She could see the chefs going about their business. There were a few people sitting around the shed. Many had dishes infront of them on the counter. Most of these people were alone for a breather from the speedy lives they led.

When she was a few feet from the kitchen she felt something hold her ankle. Looking down she saw a small figure clinging to her leg. She was so startled she almost kicked it off. That was when she realised it was a small child.

Her infertility had caused a strong resentment that resulted in her avoiding children like a plague.

She was stuck in that position. When she had been about to raise her foot to move forward that's when the child had clung onto her causing her to halt that motion. The little girl looked just under two years. She estimated she was eighteen or so months old. She looked a little frail.

What the little girl said shocked her so much she trembled.

"Mama"

That one word shook her so much she would have collapsed had it not been for the little girl holding onto her like her little life depended on it.

"Mama" she repeated. It wasn't a question but statement. The girl struggling to her feet held onto Danika's long throw over blouse. Inside she was wearing shorts and a small tight top.

A pregnant woman who was walking by witnessed the scene. When she saw that the lady who was being pulled continuously did not respond she came over.

"Excuse me, can't you see that your child wants you to hold her. How can you stand like that and stare at her"

Danika looked at the pregnant woman not knowing how to handle the situation.

"No. She's not my child"

"What!"

"I mean this child, she's not mine"

The woman looked like her eyes would pop. She looked at Danika like she was from Mars.

"What nonsense are you sprouting. I know that children call most women mom but this is obviously your child. How can you reject her like that. Infront of her? How heartless"

The woman looked at the poor child an felt pity. She was dirty from crawling around. Her pink romper smudged with a bit of mud.

"Poor thing. Your mother had you when she was too young. Now she wants to get rid of you and act as if she is single."

"No no no. Its not like that at all"

"Do you know how many people out there wish to have such a beautiful daughter and yet... here you are kicking the poor child away. She is begging you to carry her. What is wrong with young mothers of today" She puffed holding onto her swollen belly. Soon the pregnant lady's eyes started welling up with tears. On the other hand the tiny child kept calling 'mama'.

This whole situation was slowly overwhelming her. She looked at the child but couldn't bring herself to hold her. It felt as if she was stuck.

"Sam!" the pregnant lady called. "SAM!!"

A man came running holding a plate of chicken salad.

"Baby whats wrong. Are you in pain." he began fussing.

"Yes I'm in pain"

Alarmed the man dropped the plate and held the woman, trying to support her.

"Where does it hurt. Is the baby coming?"

"My heart hurts. And if this woman keeps at it my baby may come prematurely." she sobbed.

Sam turned to Danika with an ugly expression.

"What did you do to my wife?"

"No-Nothing"

"How can a woman reject her own child. Do you know that I almost had a miscarriage a month ago. This baby was difficult to conceive. This child means the world to me yet... here you are kicking away a beautiful daughter like that."

Her cries were heart wrenching. Danika felt her heart constrict.

"Ma'am that not it"

"Honey she's saying that this child is not hers"

The man then looked at the child clinging to Danika. He looked at Danika then the child. He repeated the process and then looked at Danika with disbelief.

"I've met so many men that denied and rejected their children even when they looked like they came from the same mould. This is the first time I'm seeing a woman do it"

This stunned Danika. She looked at the child with wide eyes. The child looked like her?

Then she figured the woman was pregnant so her hormones were making her overly emotional. The husband would obviously support his wife. She decided she wouldn't be the reason why the lady ended in the ER.

"Joe, look at this lady she's saying that this child isn't hers "

Joe, who seemed to be Sam's friend came over.

"That's bullshit. They look so much alike. Is she crazy?"

Danika quickly realised how the situation was getting out of hand. She got down and picked the little girl up.

"I'm sorry everyone"

She didn't know what else to say. Her eyes watered. The crying pregnant lady was making things difficult. The tiny girl was so pitiful it made her feel horrible inside.

Just then Ian and I.J got to the scene.

"Ayana" Ian called to the girl. Ayana clung onto Danika's neck and looked the other way. Ian was shocked. He looked at the scene and figured something must have happened.

"Thank you so much for finding my daughter. Ayana"

"Oh. So you are the dad. You are the one that has a wife who rejects her child?" the woman questioned.

By then a small group had gathered.

"He's acting like they are strangers. This isn't as simple as it looks" Sam said.

Finally Danika thought.

"It seems she still wants to be a fee bird despite having two kids. Look at how she's dressed. I'm sure she told the poor guy that they had to act like strangers in the future." Sam

What!

"You see Pam. Not all men are bad. This poor man is having a difficult time" Joe

Despite trying to explain noone was willing to listen.

"How can both of you say she isn't her child. They look so much alike i'm getting angry because of you insisting she's not her mother"

Thats when Ian looked at Danika properly.

What he saw shocked him so much he kept staring.

Just then Noli spotted Ian and hurried over in her heels. She was in a beautiful sexy mini dress and was turning many heads.

"Ian!"

Everyone looked over. Noli stood near Ian and it was clear that they weren't just acquaintances.

"Ha. I see. Joe...What did you say about not all men being bad. This is clear now. This home-wrecker here came and destroyed this family. He is busy with a hoe completely abandoning the mother of his children. Poor thing she must have been chased out of her home" Pam continued crying.

"Hey whom are you calling a home wrecker. Ian doesn't have a wife. His wife is dead"

Load gasps were heard

"You see Joe. You see what this man has done. How despicable! Claiming the woman who has risked her life twice to give you such amazing children dead"

Negative comments circulated as the people continued to analyse the situation.

"You people don't know anything." Noli tried to say something when she saw how frozen Ian was. He was staring at Danika and it made her uneasy. Had he lied?

"Shut up you marriage breaker. Aren't you ashamed of yourself."

"Calm down Honey. This isn't good for the baby"

"Oh so its good for me? Why are you concerned about the baby only. Are you going to replace me also just like this stupid man?" she wailed.

"What? No! You mean the world to me. Please calm down. If anything happens to you I will die in jail"

"Why would you die in jail"

"Because I going to hunt this man down and kill him if anything happens to you"

"Alright I think this issue is easy to settle." A tall scrawny man said "This scene is unhealthy to the mother-to-be as well as the children present."

He looked at I.J

"The young man over here is old enough to know what is going on. Young man whats your name"

"Ian Junior." the boy stepped forward.

"Tell me, where is your mother?"

Ian closed his eyes already seeing where this was going.

"That's mum over there" he pointed at Danika who had her jaw hitting the ground.

"Why are you shocked. Although the boy looks much like his father we can all see his yours too" the man shook his head.

"No matter how bad your relationship is, it should not harm the children" . The people around echoed in agreement.

"Dad?" I.J called

"Huh?" his father was still dazed.

"Remember your promise"

"What promise was that young man" Joe asked

"Dad you promised that once we found mum and Aya you would chase Miss Moli away"

Just then Danika heard a shrill voice.

"Dani!" it was Tessa. And she wasn't alone. The whole gang had come over.

"What the hell is going on"

Ayana who was stuck to Danika's neck looked at the new arrivals. When she did, gasps were heard.

"OMG! So all this while you have been lying to us. Is this The STEVE, you have been going on about. These kids??"

"They look just like her so she's been lying about being infertile, My God!" Fiona

"Ladies maybe there is a perfect explanation" Didi

"His name is Ian not Steve. It looks like your friend has been lying to you just like her husband has been lying to this woman saying his wife is dead." Sam explained.

"That is horrible. But why did you leave your kids behind Dani. Regardless of how much of a womaniser this deepsh!t is you can't abandon your children"

"Language" someone said "There are kids here"

"Sorry" Tessa continued "So this is the woman who has taken your place. She wants to take your kids too? And you are just standing there. Hey you w***e, what are you still doing here?"

Noli wanted to defend herself but Ian stopped her. He knew what mob justice looked like, he had seen it countless times. The situation had escalated to new heights. There was a pregnant lady, there were many mothers here and many feminists who would not hesitate to thrash a home-wrecker. They were not willing to listen. They had a picture that they were seeing and noone was going to tell then otherwise.

They would call the police afterwards. Noone would go to jail because the home-wrecker would be in the wrong the husband would be in the wrong while the wife would have gotten justice. The battered person would be sent to the hospital then case closed. The police would look the other way because... most marriages are ending in divorce, who wouldn't want to see a w***e getting a beating. In some cases the husband would be beaten too.

"Wow! You dare hold her in front of Danika how dare you" Tessa shouted.

Ian, who had meant to stop Noli from speaking,let go of her arm like a hot potato.

"No! I'm sorry"

"Dad you promised"

"What did your father promise you my love" Didi lowered herself to his height. She found the boy so beautiful it made her angry the father could not keep it in his pants.

"He promised that once we found mum he would send Miss Moli away"

Instant chatter started. Many were criticising Ian.

"Man are blind, how can he destroy his marriage for such a girl. Look at the wife, all those assets yet he still prefers bland soup"

"They are never content. Give him the most beautiful woman in the world and he will still cheat"

"Thats disgusting"

Ian knew he was between a rock and a hard place so he played along. He had to get the people away from his kids. Get the woman alone so that he could apologise properly.

"Noli its time to leave"

"What!"

"Just go. I need to be with my family right now. I realise my mistake and I need to fix things. Please go"

"But...I came in your car"

"Go catch a cab" someone shouted

"You want him to leave his wife and kids then drive you to your house before coming back for his family?"

"I can't believe how shameless you are"

"Just leave before we make you" Yolanda who had been quiet moved forward.

Thats when Noli realised that she had been taken for a ride by Ian. The lying b*stard.

"You will regret this you lying piece of sh!t"

she then turned around and left.

"Watch your steps, those heels look like they can break a leg" some laughed at that statement.

"I need to fix things with my wife, can I please have time to talk to her" Ian pleaded.

"Whom are you fooling. You sent the w***e away so that we couldn't do anything to her. Do you think we will believe you. Say what ever you want to say right now." Pam

"He thinks there are no protectors of the weak in this society" Sam supported his wife.

Ian didn't know what to do. Seeing how difficult the situation was for the guy Danika decided to say something.

"Thank you everyone for fighting for justice for me and my kids. I thank you very much. I also want to hear what he has to say"

Ian looked at the woman in disbelief. Wasn't she going to help?

"I..I.."

"Sam! You see..There was no apology. He wants to go and shout and abuse her in a private and secluded place"

"No.No ma'am I want to apologise. I am ashamed of my actions" He knelt on the ground.

"Dani.." her name had been thrown around for a while he now knew she was Danika. Regardless the use of that nickname felt natural.

"Dani I am so sorry. There's nothing I can say to take your pain away, there's no excuse for my behaviour. I'm not asking you to forgive me and forget about it. Im not asking you to move back right away, all I'm asking, is for you to be with the kids. Please spend some time with them, they miss you. Aya hadn't spoken a word since you left. I'm shocked she called you mama today. I.J keeps having weird dreams about you. Please"

He sounded so sincere the people around were touched. Many women were wiping tears as they witnessed a man put aside his pride and beg a woman.

Danika thought of Steve and the pain he brought her. She had wanted him to apologise like this but he never did. She thought, if she had to move on she would just imagine this man as Steve. She would accept his apology and finally put the painful past behind her.

"You hurt me Ian" She almost said Steve.

"You hurt me so bad. All those nights you spent out saying you were working, you were with her?" her tears started falling.

"Because I chose to leave you introduce our kids to a stranger?"

Ian was shocked at her tears

What the fvck is going on

"I'm sorry. Please. I'm begging you to sit down so that we can talk. I know that no amount of words can assure you, nothing I say will give you any assurance but I'm begging you for the sake of our beautiful kids to atleast here me out. I won't see her again. I will stop fooling around right this instant "

"Ha. He's just talk. Once she forgives him, like we know she will. He will call Noli and we know the rest." Pam

"No. I'm am telling the truth she won't be in my life ever again"

"And you made that decision just like that?" Didi

"When Aya was missing, when I could not find her anywhere i thought my heart would stop. I thought that my life was about to end. At home its chaos, my son wants his mother and my daughter doesn't talk. I have been a mess and when she crawled away to look for her mother it hit me. I was ripping my own family apart with my own hands" he looked at his hands with bloodshot eyes. He looked up at Danika. The people around could feel his anguish.

"When you left i sent them to my parents, they have returned them because they can't control them anymore. I know i have messed up. All they want is their mother. Because I was too proud to come look for you I ignored them. I'm sorry it has taken these strangers to call me back into line. I realise now that I did not value you like I should have. When I was with you I did not see your worth. When I was with her I didn't see how much she couldn't measure up to you. Today, when you were both standing side my side I felt like a fool for going for someone like her and letting you"

"Get up" Danika said wipping her tears.

"Come on...family hug" Didi.

"I think we need to give them time to talk. She hasn't seen her kids in a long time." Tessa

"No matter how hard life becomes dont ever abandon your children, don't reject them and call them not your own" Pam

"Yes ma'am " Danika said.

"Alright everyone let's go they need to catch up. Danika, this is the last time you will be seeing us. We won't come to Lalita's again. You have a family and don't fit in the group anymore. Here is your bag."

"No..." Her friends were ditching her because she had a family. If only they knew. She could not explain and didn't know what to say.

"We won't keep you waiting. Go to your kids. Look at the little guy, he can't wait to talk to you. He's been staring at you the whole time"

The group slowly left the family of four. When Ian held out his hands to take Ayana from Danika the girl tightened her hold.

"I want mommy"

Ian paused. This was the first time hearing his daughter speak. He didn't know how he was feeling or how to react.

"Mum" I.J called expectation clear on his cute little face.

Ian pinched the bridge of his nose.

Danika looked down at the boy. She didn't know what to do so she held out her hand for I.J to take.

"Come on Junior, let's find a place to sit"

The smile on I.J's face would have made the sun envious. It shined so bright Danika couldn't help but smile back. When they smiled at each other like that Ian thought he was about to pass out.