Hostile Takeover

Chapter Thirteen

Arista was in deep thought.

‘As simple as that, my friend, you have cracked it.’ The doctor replied, staring straight in his eyes.

There was a long moment of silence.

‘Today the session has taken a long detour, huh?’ Arista finally spoke.

‘Let me ask you something, do you think this is real?’ Dr. Isudik asked.

‘What do you mean?’ Arista asked with interest.

‘This, this office, this prison, everything you’re seeing here, do you think it’s real? Is it reality?’

‘What kind of question is that?’

‘Just answer the question, do you think it’s real?’ Dr. Isudik insisted.

‘Yes, I can see it and experience it.’ Arista replied.

‘So by your answer, what you cannot see and experience is not real?’

Arista was forced to ponder again.

‘Everything that you see and experience, is made from the unseen and unexperienced.’

‘The unseen creates the seen.’ The doctor spoke.

‘However, this prison, this office, everything you’re experiencing here in the moment, although very real, are merely representations.’

‘What do you mean representations?’ Arista asked.

‘Some may call it a vision, others call it a mirage.’ Dr. Isudik said smiling widely.

Arista was laughing.

‘I can prove it.’ The doctor claimed.

‘Prove what, that this is a mirage?’ Arista said with a chuckle.

‘What do you want Arista, what do you really want?’ Dr. Isudik asked with a straight face.

‘I want to be out there with my girl and my baby, I want to be free and happy.’ He replied.

‘And how bad do you want it?’ Dr. Isudik asked.

‘Really bad,’ he replied.

‘Close your eyes.’

‘Now think about everything you just said, think about where you want to be, visualise it, feel it, see yourself there.’

‘What do you see?’ Dr. Isudik asked.

‘Water, I am at Samfya beach. Patra has always wanted to go. We’re holding hands, walking on the wet sand.’ Arista replied.

‘Smell the beach air, feel the wet sand squashing between your toes, feel the warmth of Patra’s hand.’

Arista was breathing steadily and slowly painting a vivid mental picture, a smile developed on his face.

‘Now open your eyes,’ Dr. Isudik said.

As his eyelids were opening, bright rays shot through them and made it challenging for him to see clearly.

‘Arista!’

A soft voice called in excitement.

‘Arista!’

‘I know that voice,’ he thought.

‘He’s awake!’ she shouted.

There was a lot of chatter and excitement in the room.

When his eyes were fully open, all he could see were bright downlights and a ceiling fan, he attempted to turn his head but he couldn’t.

‘Mr. Arista, my name is Dora, I’m your nurse.’

‘Please relax and stop moving, there’s a brace around your neck.

...

The chirping birds, rustling tree branches and the billowing wind happened to be in tune. That, coupled with the damp forest aroma made the ambience heaven he had never experienced. It had been two weeks since he had woken up.

‘You have a beautiful place.’ He spoke.

‘Well, I am glad you like it, Mr. Loma, nature is very important to a human being.’

‘Here at Mindville we treasure nature and believe that human beings mustn’t exist outside of it, so don’t be alarmed if you see a chimpanzee somewhere in the trees.’ He said smiling,

‘My name is Doctor Phiri, welcome to Mindville Mental Health Center.’ Doctor Phiri introduced.

‘Thank you, I’m glad to be here.’ Arista replied.

‘Do you know why we are drawn to pets, Mr. Loma?’

‘Why do we desire trees, rivers, the beech, and fauna?’ Dr. Phiri asked, getting comfortable in his seat.

‘Not really, no.’

‘It’s an innermost attempt to return. Man was created to exist in nature. Instead, we have cut down trees and have built concrete and steel structures and industries and automobiles.’

‘Man should spend at least sixty percent of his time in nature,’ he highlighted.

Dr. Phiri was short and chubby, a little grey on the top and around his chin. He was dark and slightly wrinkled, probably in his mid-fifty’s. He was wearing a white cotton pair of shorts, a white cotton short-sleeved shirt and a pair of brown sandals on his feet. He had a very peaceful and awe-striking aura around him that arista found relaxing.

‘It makes sense.’ Arista responded.

His eyes moved around, and the place was simple, one might even say primitive. It was as if he had time traveled centuries back. They were sited on armchairs woven from dry sea weeds, the shelter under which they sat was made of bamboo sticks and the ceiling was thatch grass.

‘I could live here forever,’ he thought.

‘So, I was told a story when I spoke to your family, and they laid a fascinating narration on my spirit, and I also read the one that you narrated on paper.’

‘I’ll recite what I know so far and afterward you’ll tell me what I don’t, right? Let’s start from there,’ Dr. Phiri said.

‘Yes please.’ Arista responded.

‘So, it all started on a luckless day you and your fiancée had an altercation. It was apparently a huge fight that you decided to storm out.’ Dr. Phiri started.

‘Yes.’ Arista confirmed.

‘May I ask what the altercation was about?’ Dr. Phiri asked.

‘Yes, it wasn’t about one specific thing, it was something that had been building up for quite some time. Patra and I have been together a long time, and it has been a long difficult time; lack, misunderstandings. Things became even more difficult when she got pregnant.’ He started,

‘Both of us still in college, our families broke, it was not easy, but I have always loved her, sometimes I feel too much. So, I told her if it kills me, I would strive to take care of her and our baby, and together we told our families.’

‘Upon that, her family decided we leave our dormitories and find a simple apartment where we could stay together, near the College, so I could look after her, and I found a part-time job for sustenance.’

‘I would go for classes from eight in the morning till four-thirty in the afternoon. Then I’d wait for her on campus, her classes always ended at five. Then we’d head back to the apartment and eat and refresh, then at eight in the evening I’d go to work, and return at midnight.’

‘This was the routine every day, and it was difficult for us both. The pay wasn’t much, couldn’t make ends meet, we were lacking too much. I became too focussed on both the job and studies, trying to fight for better chances and mostly became absent from her. And that started drawing us apart bit by bit, we spoke less and less to each other and both of us knew the heavy air always hanging over our heads was as a result of not having much.’

‘On this particular luckless day, I was at my lowest. I had been dismissed from work the previous day but hadn’t told her yet. I was feeling suffocated, bleak, helpless. And little did I know she was feeling guilty. She was under the impression that by falling pregnant, she had stunted our progress, she was blaming herself internally for the longest time and she finally spoke out.

‘But her words rolled off her tongue the wrong way and I got triggered. I misinterpreted everything. I took it that she was being unappreciative of my efforts and insensitive to my struggles, so I scolded at her and stormed out in the night.’

‘About an hour or so later she started calling my cell, but I ignored, I was too suffocated to talk, but she kept calling, so after five missed calls I finally answered my cell, all I could hear, was wheezing and gasping; little did I know she had attempted to change a light-bulb that went dim and felt off a stool, she was six months pregnant.’

Arista’s face became a mask of regret and self-loathing shame.

‘That must have been very difficult.’ Dr. Phiri said empathising.

‘Devastating.’ Arista responded.

‘And so you rushed home and found her hemorrhaging, and rushed her to the nearest clinic.’

‘We sat in the pool of blood for minutes. I had nothing on me; no change, and my phone had just died. I called for help but no one could come. It felt as though we were the only ones left in the whole world. I was terrified. All I could do was cry. By this time, she had even unconscious, then a man came in upon hearing my cries and helped us to the nearest clinic in his vehicle.’ He alliterated with a struggle.

‘And moments later you were told the baby is no more.’ Dr. Phiri spoke.

Arista just nodded; his eyes watery.

‘And that very night, you went and hung yourself.’

‘It wasn’t an instant thought. I hated myself for what had happened. I was supposed to be the protector, but instead I was too weak to handle my responsibilities and I snapped. I failed them and, because of my weakness, I lost my baby. I killed my baby.’

‘Oh Mr. Loma, you’re only human, weaknesses are only human and there’s only so much a person can take.’ Dr. Phiri comforted.

‘I left the hospital at three in the morning. I couldn’t look Patra in the eye without hating myself, I couldn’t even look at my own reflection. I told Nolan to escort me home. He had come after hearing what had happened. Along the way, I asked him for a drink and he got three whiskey bottles. We drank two together, then he fell asleep. I couldn’t.’

‘Everything kept replaying in my head, the argument, the scene I found, the blood, the muffled moaning, I couldn’t take it, so I sneaked out, cut down the rope we used to use for hanging cloths to wring, headed to a thicket on campus and hang.’

‘Tragic, very tragic indeed,’ Dr. Phiri said. There was a long pause, then he spoke.

‘And that is when you had the vision.’

‘Yes, I don’t know if it was a dream or a vision, it felt very real though,’ Arista said.

‘When I woke up, they told me I had been unconscious for two days. I can swear it was months in the dream.’

‘So wait, how did they find you when you hang yourself?’ Dr. Phiri asked.

‘I don’t remember any of it, but apparently, this lady found me minutes after I did it. I am told she revived me and called for help. Coincidentally enough, I went to kill myself when she prays from.’ Arista answered.

‘Wow, I do not think that was a coincidence, Mr. Loma.’