by Emma Easter
Ethan struggled to get out of Audrey’s arms, and Audrey put him down. He walked over to Ruby and took his cousin’s hand. Trisha watched them run over to some toys in the corner of the living room and immediately pounce on them.
“They are so cute,” Audrey said, her expression both wistful and delighted at the same time.
Frank and Ken were already seated on the couch and had turned on the TV to watch a football game. Trisha asked, “Where are Sienna and Bryan?”
Audrey answered, “They are still in their room.” She stood up. “Let me go get them.” Just as Trisha started to walk out of the living room, Sienna and Bryan walked in. Trisha hugged both of them and then sat on the loveseat facing Ken and Frank.
Ken turned down the volume of the TV.
Trisha looked down at Molly, who had already fallen asleep in her arms. It was just like Molly. The children’s teacher at church had told Trisha that Molly had been very active in the class and had played around with the other children. She usually fell asleep after she had exerted herself from a ‘busy’ play day.
Bryan looked around the living room and announced, “So, you know we told you all that we were soon going to be transferred somewhere else, but we didn’t know where.”
Trisha’s heart sank. Who knew where else her sister was going to be transferred to? Hopefully, it would not be some remote place where Sienna would not be able to be contacted from the United States. Just like Faizan.
Bryan looked at Sienna and she picked up from where he stopped. “We received a call from Dr. Lincoln yesterday.” A huge smile appeared on her face and Trisha knew immediately that Sienna was about to share good news. She continued. “Dr. Lincoln said we could come back to the United States anytime we wanted. He said we had stayed away from home for too long and he understood we missed our family.”
Trisha squealed with joy and Audrey immediately sprung up from her seat. Audrey was the first to hug Sienna and Bryan, and then Trisha stood up, feeling overwhelmed with happiness. She laid Molly down on the part of the couch she had just vacated, and then hugged Bryan and Sienna. “I’m so happy,” she whispered in Sienna’s ear. “Thank God you guys are finally going to come back home.”
After everyone had settled down again and the initial excitement had died down, Audrey said, “So when do both of you plan to return permanently?”
“We’re not sure yet,” Bryan answered. “After our vacation, I still have a few things to do in Peru and then we will hand over our small church and the orphanage to someone else. However, I am sure in a month or two, we will be back here.”
“Wow! I’m so happy,” Trisha could not help saying again. She was perched on the edge of the couch as Molly was lying asleep on the spot she had been sitting on. “We should celebrate,” she said.
Audrey nodded. “We should.”
Trisha said, “Talking about celebrating, I guess I’m the only one going to North Africa to mark Mom and Dad’s anniversary. But you guys will celebrate here, won’t you?”
“We will throw a small party before you leave. Don’t worry about it,” Sienna said. She sighed loudly. “I wish I could come with you, Trisha.”
“Then come,” Trisha said.
“I can’t.” Sienna pursed her lips.
Trisha said to Ken, “You still haven’t received any news from Faizan about whether his idea worked or not?”
“No, I haven’t,” Ken said. “I tried to call yesterday and this morning, but I didn’t get through. I’ll try to call again tomorrow. Hopefully, I will be able to speak to him then.”
Trisha looked over at Ruby and Ethan, who were still playing in the corner of the living room, and then turned back to listen to Sienna.
Sienna talked about how she would miss the orphanage she ran in Peru. She talked about the place with so much passion that Trisha knew it would be hard for her when she finally left.
They all stayed in the living room, chatting and laughing, and bemoaning the fact that they couldn’t go see Faizan for different reasons. Trisha knew, however, that the main reason why her sisters were not going was because their men couldn’t go. Audrey had told her she wasn’t going to go without Ken as they were trying to get pregnant. Even though Trisha was not sure exactly why Sienna could not go, she knew it had something to do with Bryan not going. However, Trisha was sure there was something more. Trisha was worried about Sienna. She had to find out what exactly had been bothering her before she left for Africa.
Their conversation went on until Trisha casually glanced at the clock on the wall, and then shook her head in surprise. “Guys, it’s ten p.m.” She looked at Frank. “We’ve forgotten that we brought the kids along. We need to go now.”
She looked over at Ruby and Ethan. She wasn’t surprised that they were both asleep on the floor. Thankfully Molly was still sleeping, but then again, that might not be so good. She would probably wake up in the night.
After Trisha and Frank hugged everyone, Frank gently picked Ruby up off the floor, while Trisha lifted Molly into her arms. After they had buckled the girls into their car seats, they got in and Frank started the car.
“I can’t tell you how happy I am,” she said to Frank as he drove out of Audrey and Ken’s driveway. “Sienna is finally coming back home.”
Frank turned to her and smiled. “That is great news,” he said, and then focused on the road again.
Trisha looked back and smiled at her daughters, who were still fast asleep. She reached out to smooth down Ruby’s hair and tuck a stray strand behind her ear. Turning around again, she looked out the window. Frank took her hand and she turned to smile at him.
“I love you, baby,” he said to her.
“I love you too, Frank,” she said, beaming at him. She looked back again at her precious daughters and her heart flooded with joy. She had a beautiful marriage and two gorgeous daughters. Her life was as perfect as it could possibly be. She sighed in contentment, lifted Frank’s hand, which was still clasping hers, and planted a kiss on the back of it. “Thank you for loving me and for being such a great father, Frank,” she said to him.
“No, Trisha. I should be the one thanking you. I have never been as happy in my life as these past few years married to you. I get to be a father to Ruby and then Molly.”
She grinned at him and said, “I can’t wait until we get home so we can make out.”
He laughed out loud and said, “That, my sweet wife, is a great idea. I would drive much faster now so we can get home quickly if it weren’t for our precious cargo in the back.”
Trisha chuckled and looked out of the window again. Peace flooded her heart and once again she thanked the Lord for her great life.
They got home about ten minutes later and put the girls to bed. After that, Frank winked at Trisha. “Are you still up for making out?” he asked her with a mischievous grin.
“Yep!” She said. She took his hand and said, “We can make out on the couch while we watch a movie.”
They made their way to the living room. Just as they settled on the couch, the doorbell rang.
Trisha frowned. “Who on earth could that be?”
Frank said, “It’s eleven already and we just left everyone now. So, who could possibly be at the door?” He stood up and went to the door.
Trisha sprung up from the couch when Frank yelled, “You! What are you doing here?” She went to the door to see who it was and then her eyes widened in surprise and her jaw dropped. She glared at the unwanted visitor as her surprise was replaced with rage. “Why are you here, Stan?” she asked, looking him over and hating the smug smile on his face.
He looked at her with disdain and then his eyes turned to Frank. He sneered. “I filed a custody case. I want full custody of my daughter!”
Anger boiled within Trisha, threatening to spill out at his words. He had disappeared for years again, even though she’d told him he could see Ruby whenever he wanted as long as he didn’t try to take her away. Now he was back, not only wanting to see Ruby bu
t to take her away.
Trisha laughed harshly and shook her head. “You’re not serious, Stan! No court is going to grant you full custody of the daughter you abandoned for years.”
“We will see about that,” Stan said.
Frank, who was normally a gentle and laid-back soul, got in Stan’s face. “You’re not taking Ruby away! You haven’t been here for her all these years and now you come back declaring you want full custody of her? It’s not going to happen. I am not going to let that happen.”
Stan pushed Frank back and Frank charged at him.
Trisha got between them before a fight could break out. “Please, Frank, let me handle this.” She took his hand and squeezed it. “Please.”
He backed away slightly and folded his arms across his chest while he glared at Stan.
Livid, Trisha said, “Stan, just go back to where you came from and don’t bother us anymore!”
Stan laughed and then glowered at her. “You don’t get it, do you, Trisha?” He shrugged. “Anyway, I’ll see you in court.”
Trisha’s eyes blazed as she stared at him. “You know you won’t win this battle, so I don’t know why you even want to try.”
He looked her up and down and said again, “We will see about that.” He turned around, walked to his car, which was parked in front of the house, got in and zoomed off.
Trisha fell into Frank’s arms, shaken. Just now she had been filled with so much joy as she thought about how beautiful her life was. But within just a few minutes, it had turned from beautiful to turbulent. Ruby and Molly were her world, and if anyone tried to take one of them, she would fight that person tooth and nail. And Stan was no different.
Frank rubbed her back soothingly and said, “He really has no case, Trisha.”
She nodded and looked him in the eye. “No one is going to take my daughter away. No one. I won’t let it happen.”
“He won’t take her away,” Frank said. “Not on my watch.”
Trisha nodded again and settled her head on Frank’s chest. Even though she knew Frank was right and Stan didn’t really have much of a chance of winning a custody case, she couldn’t help feeling a small sense of impending doom. She whispered a prayer to God, asking that it would all go away soon and that the court would throw out Stan’s request for custody.
“Everything will be alright, Trisha,” Frank said, kissing the top of her head.
“I hope so,” she sighed wearily. “With everything in me, I hope so.”
Chapter Six
Malik hugged his six-year-old daughter, Fanta, and smiled as he drew back from her. She clutched her doll while she looked up at him with eyes full of love and a slight worry that bothered him. He took her hand and led her to the new house he had just built. He was full of joy. He was finally out of his father’s clutches. For the past two years, he had been saving money, hardly spending anything on himself except for his basic needs.
With the money his father paid him as his salary on the farm and also money he had been paid from working as a farmer on several other farms around Dogon, he had saved enough to start a small farm in a tiny village near Dogon. He had built a small house, not unlike the one he lived in on his father’s farm.
Finally, he could break all ties with his father now that he had his own farm. Most of all, his daughter would be able to come and live with him in the house. That was partly due to his independence from his father, but most of all because he was soon to be wed.
They reached his house, a yet-to-be painted single bedroom bungalow, sitting on the corner of his acres of farmland. For now, he could only afford to hire two workers, but that would have to be enough.
He opened the door and entered his new house with his daughter. Yesterday, he had gone to Nira to get her from his father’s house and they had only just arrived. He looked down at her and asked, “What do you think of the house?”
She scrunched up her face in her usual peculiar way and said, “It’s empty, Papa.”
He chuckled. “Yes, for now it’s empty, but before we move in, I will get furniture for it.” He led her to the small kitchen near the living room and then to the single bedroom. His plan was to furnish the house as soon as possible so that by the time he got married in a fortnight, he could move his new wife and his daughter into the house. For now, Fanta would be staying with his fiancée and her grandmother.
He led her out of the bedroom to the tiny storeroom, which he planned to convert into a bedroom for her. There wasn’t a window in the room, but he would make one for her. They left the storeroom and he led Fanta to the back of the house. He said to her, “You can play here, Fanta.”
She didn’t say anything, but he wasn’t surprised by that. She was a quiet child and very well behaved; maybe a little too well-behaved for her age. He wanted her to be a little more playful, more open; but he couldn’t force her to be what she wasn’t. Growing up without a mother hadn’t been easy for her. It was the only reason he was getting married now. With all his heart, he wanted her to have another mother to love and take care of her. Yes, he was lonely a lot of the time, but if it was just him, he would simply continue to bear his loneliness.
Thinking about his loneliness caused his mind to travel back to Leila and the last time they were together. His heart still hurt every time he thought about her and how they had broken up. She’d wanted to change him, to make him who he wasn’t. She wanted him to convert to her faith or she would not marry him. He had been so disappointed and hurt by that. He missed her terribly and would give anything to see her again, but he knew it was best that they stay apart. He could never be who she wanted him to be.
He bent down to look into Fanta’s face and said softly, “You remember I told you that you would soon have a mother, don’t you?”
Fanta nodded as she gazed intently at him.
“Would you like to see her now?”
Fanta shrugged and Malik sighed. He knew that would be the only reaction he would get from his daughter for now. Hopefully, when she met the girl he wanted to marry and they got well acquainted, she would be much more excited about his upcoming marriage and about having a new mother.
He stood up once more and took Fanta’s hand. As they made their way to the bus stop, he talked to Fanta about his upcoming wedding and tried to prepare her to meet his fiancée. Since she would be staying with his soon-to-be bride and her grandmother, he hoped Fanta would like them. He would keep visiting her and his wife-to-be until he got married, and then he would move Fanta and his wife into his new house here.
They got to the bus stop, quickly found a bus going to Dogon, and got on.
Throughout the journey, Fanta said nothing, while Malik tried to coax her out of her shell. When they finally got to Dogon, his heart raced with anxiety as he and Fanta walked toward his fiancée’s house. Hopefully Fanta would like her.
They finally reached the hut where his fiancée and her grandmother lived and Malik knocked on the wooden door. Seconds later, the door opened and Hauwa’s cheery face peered out. A huge smile broke out on her face as she looked at him, and then she looked down at Fanta and whooped. “You brought your daughter!” she said, smiling down at Fanta.
Malik reached out and gave her a quick hug, and then entered the house with Fanta. Hauwa bent down to grin at Fanta, but Fanta hid behind his back. Malik smiled and said, “She’s a little shy, but once she gets to know you, she will open up.”
Hauwa shook her head. “No problem,” she said, looking at him. “Do you want anything to eat? I just finished preparing lunch.”
Malik said, “No, I won’t eat anything now. I just ate not too long ago.”
Hauwa looked down at Fanta again and said, “You will eat now, Fanta, won’t you?”
Fanta didn’t answer and Malik looked at her. She had settled on the stool beside him, playing with her doll. He asked, “Will you eat now, Fanta?”
Fanta shook her head.
Hauwa said, “You have to eat, Fanta.”
“Do
n’t trouble yourself, Hauwa,” Malik said. “She ate with me before we came here. I guess she’s not hungry yet. Since she’s staying here, she will eat later.”
Fanta took Malik’s hand and held on tightly to it. He smiled at her and faced Hauwa again. “Where is your grandmother?”
“She went to the candy factory in the next town. She will probably be back in the evening.” Hauwa looked at him. “Even if you won’t eat anything, let me get Fanta some candy. She will like that. Won’t you, Fanta?”
Fanta nodded and continued to play with her doll.
Hauwa smiled, stood up, and left the living room.
Malik stared after her and sighed. She was still so young and sometimes he forgot he was going to marry her. She had been just like a little sister to him since he came to Dogon and he still, in a way, thought of her as that.
He looked at Fanta playing with her doll and his mind traveled back to a year ago, when Hauwa’s grandmother had first brought up the idea of marrying Hauwa. She had just turned twenty. He came to the hut to give her the small gift he had bought for her. After he had given her the gift, he lamented once more to Hauwa’s grandmother about the fact that he had to leave Fanta again with his wicked father. “I can’t wait until I have my own farm and get my own house. Then I can have Fanta live with me.” And then he frowned. “What am I saying? I still won’t be able to have Fanta live with me even if I have my own farm. Farm work is so stressful. I would be gone all day. I can’t leave Fanta alone in the house.” He sighed sadly.
“Why don’t you get married again?” Hauwa’s grandmother had asked.
His mind had immediately gone to Leila and a shaft of pain ran through him as he thought about her. He pushed her face away from his mind, along with all the pain that thinking about her caused him. Not even when his late wife, Fanta’s mother, had died, had he felt such pain as he did after breaking up with Leila. He had loved her dearly.