Who holds the key to my heart

Chapter 12

Lisa and Edward:

Edward: “Sugarplum, I’m home!”

Lisa: “Hi, Handsome, why are you in such a good mood?” I come out

to meet my husband at the door.

Edward: “I couldn’t wait to get home! Where are the boys?”

Lisa: “Your sons are with their girlfriends as usual, so, what is the

surprise?”

Edward: “I booked us a holiday; we are leaving in three weeks. I wanted

it to be a surprise for you, but I need your help.”

Lisa: “Oh Ed, that’s so sweet. Thank you. We need some family time.

What do you need me to do?”

Edward: “Everything is arranged. Sam was amazing, as usual, but I know

this week is the week you do shopping so I didn’t want you to

get things you can’t use at the beach. Get some comfy clothes

and shoes and swimming gear and let the boys do their own

shopping. Have did you cooked?” I know we have a nanny and a

security detail and a maid who cleans and does the laundry, and

we are probably rich enough to hire a cook, but that is one thing

I asked my wife to agree with me on. I love my wife’s cooking.

When we got married, so many years ago, we had barely known

each other for six months when we made the decision to get

married. I asked her to make sure she always makes our meals,

and she asked me to always make sure I was a good father to our

unborn children. When we eventually had children, I messed

up and didn’t keep my promise to her, but things are better now.

Lisa: “Yes, I did, are you hungry?” Hello? I wave my hand, signalling

him. Edward is acting strange; he goes off to La La Land

sometimes, and I can’t get him to pay attention tonight.

Edward: “Yes, sorry, Baby. I am starving. I am going to take a shower; will

you have supper ready when I get out? I will pour us wine and

we can have a nice dinner together, just you and me.”

Edward’s POV

The next day, I come downstairs and find everyone around the breakfast table;

Lisa is listening to the boys telling her some stories about their day yesterday.

They have such a good relationship with their mother, I envy it sometimes. We

enjoy breakfast together and it seems very strange to me, everyone is in a good

mood, and I can’t quite get used to all the chatting and laughing and debating.

I feel so detached and I know now for sure that the holiday I booked is long

overdue and much needed, so I decide to tell everyone seeing as they are so happy

this morning. I might not get this moment again.

Edward: “Guys, can I have a minute please?” Everyone settles down and

pays attention to me, so I continue, “I booked us a vacation in

the Western Cape.” I smile and wait for everyone to react but it’s

quiet.

Romeo: “For how long?”

Lisa: “Almost three weeks, we will only be back in the new year.”

Dillan: “Are you crazy? Three weeks! Mum, I can’t be away that long.”

Edward: “Guys, you have your own rooms, Romeo, you have a studio

upstairs with your own entrance so you will have privacy, and

it’s a beautiful place.”

Romeo: “I’m not going. What about the two weeks at Aunt Kate’s?”

Lisa: “We are all going.”

Dillan: “Mum, you and Dad can’t just make decisions like this. You

have to speak to us first.”

Edward: “First of all, you are underage, so you don’t have a choice, but I

really want to spend time with all of you before you get married

or move away. Come on, guys, at least google the place, have a

look at it, think about it. We are right at the ocean and there is

so much to do.

Romeo: “Can I bring Lilly?”

Dillan: “Can I bring my girlfriend too?”

Edward: “Okay, everyone, listen. I haven’t always been a good father and

I haven’t always been around or considered everyone, but I have

been trying. I work on my marriage every day because part of

being a good father is respecting your children’s mother, and the

one thing I feel still needs improvement is spending time with

my family, so please, grant me this?

Dillan: “Fine. I’ll go.”

Edward: “Romeo?”

Romeo: “Okay, yes, I’ll go too. “

Lisa: “Thank you, boys.”

Edward: I kiss Lisa goodbye, but she offers to walk out with me. I don’t

know why, she has never done this before, but when we reach

the door, she says she needs to talk to me. We walk outside

and she says maybe I should look at making the vacation two

weeks instead of three in case we get fed up with the place.

Three weeks is a long time. It takes me a few minutes, I always

think about things before I decide on them or just agree with

someone, but reluctantly, I know she’s right. I got carried away.

Three weeks is a long time for us to sightsee in one place. “I will

let Sam work on it today,’’ I say, eventually. She smiles but the smile isn’t in her eyes. I know there is more she wants to change

so I tell her to make a list and send it to Sam.

I just want her to be happy, so even if she wants to go on holiday for two days,

so be it. She also surprises me and says that next time we should book a holiday

just for the two of us, the boys are grown. I drive to work thinking about how far

I have come and how happy I am, and I know that this is how I want things to

be, so I am going to work, day and night, to keep things this way. The day flies

by and I don’t even realise it is time to head back home. Sam told me today that

he is happy with the new me because there are no more long hours and work on

weekends. He explains that his boyfriend is very happy, and I didn’t even know

that he was into men. I have nothing against gay men, I have nothing against

anyone’s sexuality, but it came as a shock because Sam is basically… wait… now

this makes sense.

I always say he is so efficient and a great assistant, which just

makes so much sense now that he has told me he is gay. I laugh out loud alone

in my car, thinking that a year ago he wouldn’t have been as comfortable telling

me such things or even talking to me at all. Even our relationship is different and

better. In fact, all my colleagues have recently made comments or said something

while in conversation about how I have changed. I told Lisa that it is as if they

needed to get off their chests that I was a real asshole and a pain when I was so

cold and closed off to the rest of the world. I get home and rush inside. I can’t

wait to see my family. While taking off my tie and removing my jacket, I am

calling out to Lisa. The house is quiet, so I start searching room by room, but she is no where to be found.

The intercom phone rings and the security guard at the gate calls the house. “Sir,

we have a problem. I need you to come down to the gate immediately.” I am

instantly annoyed and ask him if he has seen Lisa. He says he last saw her walking

the grounds and she had her cellphone with her, so I say I will come down to the

gate in a few minutes, and I call Lisa. She says she will meet me at the gate, and

we can take a walk after, and maybe we can make out in the garden. She giggles

like a teenager, and I thank God silently that this woman loves me so much.

I meet her halfway down the path and we walk hand-in-hand down to the gate

when we see a young man standing at the gate. Neither of us knows who this is,

or why our security called us to the gate. He knows the rules. This is dangerous.

I call to Peter, our security guard, and we make sure it is safe before getting any

closer. Peter says he has searched the young man for weapons, and he doesn’t even

have a cellphone, he doesn’t seem dangerous, so we walk closer to find out what

he wants.

He introduces himself as Miles and there is something in his eyes. I

can’t quite tell you what it is, but it stands out to me, and I am distracted by my

wife’s sobbing. She has just started crying, like full-on tears. I am half in shock

and half paralyzed. “Baby, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?” I am so confused,

but she continues crying. I try to hold her upright, but she has fallen to her knees

on the floor, and she is crying so much that she can’t even speak. The boy is just

standing there, and I ask her again to say something, or at least just try to calm

down, and she finally manages to speak in between sobs. I try to kneel down to

make out what she is saying but it is difficult because she is crying so much, so I

crouch down, right next to her with my ear close to her face and I see her point

to the young man, and I hear her whisper,

“My son.”