Adam's Step-son

Chapter 2

“I poured my heart and soul into that project, designing every detail of it as I would have wanted my wishful-life home to be, so that every time daddy came by, he would be proud. The cost was chocking us, but he had decided to let me win. ‘Maybe he has a plan’, often time I thought because throughout all my project, the man did not complain, even when I thought this time, this is it!”, she’d laughed as she narrated.

Finally, after even longer than a year, the project was complete. Mother handed the keys over to her visiting advisor so he could go inspect and critique which he did and even appreciated; she had made a heaven of the place, even daddy agreed. He promised he would get it on the market and onto the next one, they’d marched, in better unity than ever before. Like daddy had long prophesied, the house did not get many interested prospects and stood unvisited for a while but he did not complain, most probably because that had been much anticipated. Of course the guilt was punching on her but there was no more going back. About 8months after the unveiling occasion was mother’s birthday and for her gift, daddy handed the keys back to her, telling her that for all the hard work and time invested, the house would be her new home, whenever she would have wanted it to. The joy that mother felt that day, she described as that from the most beautiful dream, one she forever feared to wake out of. She’d been right all along, her husband had had a plan, he said he’d only allowed her to win, knowing their current home would play the business role, after the new one was complete. He’d then put her solely in charge because he’d wanted her to make her home everything she wanted it to be. At a point, after it all stood tall, mother had actually wished it was, she had even thought of suggesting everything that daddy said as he handed the keys back to her, but she’d feared he’d think it had been her real reason from the beginning. At the time, the project had bruised them enough so she’d painfully handed over the keys, but along with a fragment of her heart.

“At that moment, I wondered what in life I would ever give him but nothing came to mind. Then I decided I would LOVE him, through thick, thin and possibly the impossible, I would remain.”, she said and that love beamed in her eyes once again, young, youthful and free.

The couple soon moved into their new home, renovated the old one and put it on the market to play the other role. The house warming was as glamorous as the house, friends and family graced the occasion, mother remembered a few of her friends confessing they wished it was their lives that were being celebrated. Oh you should have seen and heard her tell the story, because I don’t think I am doing a fine job. Nothing else mattered at the time, not even the other struggle that I know you are thinking of. She was alienly yet genuinely happy, so much that she too started wondering why; maybe it was the blessing that she had received from the elderly lady, after they finalized with the purchase of the land, she always thought.

“I am grateful to you, my child, for helping me save my children’s lives… Thank you, may the Lord God almighty abundantly bless you, may this piece be more than just a project for you.”, the elderly lady had told her, a few months after which they heard that she passed on.

Her words remained, it was so fulfilling for mother to have helped somebody depart happily, just the memory of the elderly lady’s smile that day, had forever made mother smile too. Roselyn Katumba, was her name, the elderly lady that made mother wear silent inner warmth for the rest of the time that she lived.

About 2months of occupying their house from the future, when nothing else mattered save for enjoying her excitement, aunty Daisy fell ill. Her body was generally weak, her stomach revolted against everything that she fed it with, yet her glow was only magnified. Friends came by to check on her but it was almost impossible for many to believe when she told them how hard it was to get out of bed on certain mornings. Being a hater of medicines and anything chemically engineered, mother survived on hydration and fruits, believing the unpleasant feeling would pass like many in the past had. For weeks though, it lingered around, getting better on some days but intensifying on others, the dynamics happened a while until uncle Gram himself dragged her to the hospital. Luckily for mother, the specialist there did not have to perform any of those dreaded body-piercing rituals on her to let her know she was with child. Years of vain trials and grown frustration, then at the one point they weren’t even paying attention to trying, life brought forth a beautiful gift. 6weeks into it and she had not even thought it could have been pregnancy weakening her immunity. The looks on both their faces reflected the swelling overwhelm in their hearts; the frustration that uncle Gram had gone to the medical centre with was magically turned into joy and mother’s weakness to unprecedented strength. The following many months were of course the happiest of their lives, the couple together nurtured the gift until it was time to bring the bundle of joy into the world.

I have heard stories of women in labor rooms, but aunty Daisy’s was a tale so different, Dana had gone about 3weeks past expected delivery date, but mother still happily carried, enjoying every moment, even those that were not very pleasant because she believed it was all part of the answer to her prayers, meaning there was no room for complaining, just thanksgiving. At last the day dawned, maybe it was the excruciating pain she waited for that never came, but mother said Dana’s appearance was not as painful as those before her had made her believe it would be. It could have been the preparation for the worst or the swollen anticipation for the best that numbed her, no one knew for sure, not even herself. The excitement there was when their miracle finally smiled up at the lovely couple, that one I am sorry I won’t attempt to describe, because even I who heard it from the horse’s mouth, just did not fully comprehend it. But some day, I believe we all will finally experience it.

In calculation, Dana might as well have been conceived during the first month of occupying the new home. A beautiful unanticipated gift of a little princess, fragile and tender, that mother was eager to show the world and teach the ways of kindness and goodness; a job she executed much more than excellently. Joy after joy, mother had then labelled their new dwelling the shelter of good luck. Later, mother-nature gifted the family with an addition of two boys, Mark and Jude and they were complete. She and her husband had asked for a single fish the entire time but the Lord gave a rich pond, what more could they have wanted apart from the gift of life to watch their treasures grow. The happily ever after had left the fairy tales and moved into her life at the time, it was everything she ever wanted, aunty Daisy, a chance to shower her warm love on the fruits of her own womb. Nature was faithful because that happiness stayed a while until of course, the moment of uncle Gram’s passing. They that were familiar with the story of the Lukomas did not think mother would even survive months without her husband. But well, maybe because he’d left behind parts of the fraction that she’d had to nurture and groom, mother had hang in for a few more years, just to try to complete what the two of them had started...

Dana accepted her gift, a gift that I could tell she did not really want, she never said why, but I guessed it was the responsibility that scared her the most. She had taken the deeds and titles and kept them away in a bank only known to herself, the only sign of possession and ownership that she had so far showed. Even with the knowledge of how pointless it was to pay rent and other bills, it took a while convincing her to move back into the house. For many months, it stood empty, with no life in it because the one that should have resurrected it was still stuck on the belief that it wouldn’t feel like home without mother in it. Her absence would most definitely scream loud, but maybe it was her presence that Dana was most afraid of running into. Dana’s reservations were understood, without a doubt, but I was worried what the house would become after being unused and unoccupied for too long. I could have sworn people were about to relate it to the haunted houses that we saw in horrors and thrillers.

#2

“I still want to quit.”, Dana said to me one evening. She’d long thought of quitting work but we’d agreed that it was better to take some time on it but there it went again.

“Perfect time to move into a house with no bills, don’t you think?”, I quickly replied, remembering mother’s gift to her dear daughter, still stood empty. Among the projects that the Lukomas put in place was a resort whose earnings majorly went to the maintenance of the house, an account had been created and it presently stood with an outrageous balance from non-use.

“I was actually thinking of auctioning it or maybe putting it up for rent and it could be my source of income.”, she said hesitantly, she’d known I would go there for I never gave up any opportunity to bring up the house discussion whenever it presented itself.

“Could be something to consider…”, I replied thoughtfully.

“But?”, she wondered, looking straight at me.

“What if, just what if the payments don’t come through like you are expecting?”, I asked.

“And what if they do?”, she countered.

“Well, that too is a possibility, but honestly I wouldn’t advise a sale.”, I finally confessed.

“I don’t want to sell it either but I need money.”, she lied. Dana might not have wanted to sell her family house, but she definitely wanted to get rid of it, not out of a money need but maybe out of the frustration of having to keep a portion of her parents yet she could no longer hug or hear them. A part that constantly reminded her that they were no longer with us; a number of months had gone by after mother passed but it still hurt like it did that day. She and her mum had been best friends, that she did not know how best to handle life without her yet, was not at all surprising. Dana had lost an important portion of her life, and at the same time been loaded with a heavy responsibility. That she was not sure she would be able to handle it well was okay, we all have moments of second or even third guessing ourselves.

“I believe mother would have done what Roselyn did back in the days before her demise, but there was a reason she didn’t.”, I painfully reminded.

“Times I think it’s the reason they made both the boys other projects…”, she exhaled softly but seemingly in agreement. At the time we thought the girl child was being ignored and excluded because she would soon be married and have more binding responsibilities, but the inheritance of the family house had made us understand why none of the projects in the past was ever Dana’s.