Some Easters Ago 1

Some Easters Ago

Davis increased his speed and ran ahead leaving Chichi panting behind him. He laughed out loud , his jollity filling the atmosphere as he increased the gap. Chichi had no intentions of catching up with him and continued to jog at a steady pace behind him. It was a cold morning and she shivered involuntarily as she remembered her life before Davis. There were times she regretted the decisions she had made with her life. Overall she had a good life and lacked nothing. She felt safe, in her familiar little world that Dave provided which revolved entirely around her.
Davis had taken a gentler pace in front of her looking straight ahead at their house. It was a beautiful, manor home that Davis had purchased shortly after he and Chichi married. The house stood on a high ground and dominated the surrounding landscape. Some jacaranda trees formed a circle around the house and in Octobers when they were in full purple bloom it was a sight to behold. The house radiated serenity and peace all around it yet Chichi found herself feeling lonely in it sometimes especially when Davis went on his endless business trips. So much had happened in the last eight months since discovering she was pregnant. Quitting the job she loved, a rushed customary marriage and uprooting her life from the city to settle at the country house that Davis had acquired. It had been so overwhelming for her.

Davis came to a complete halt before turning his head and fixed his gaze on Chichi.

“Need some help?”, he said outstretching his hand for her.

“I can manage”, Chichi said disregarding the outstretched hand but Davis paid no attention to her and put his strong arm around her pulling her towards him. Chichi sighed. Accepting she had no other choice Chichi slid her arm in his and together they walked to the house.

A morning walk was a routine. It was good exercise for a pregnant Chichi. Besides she loved the beautiful scenery . She loved meeting the locals who lived in the surrounding villages. An occasional “Good Morning?” from the villagers she met on her morning walks made her more alive .

The manor house though she loved, had absolutely isolated her and shut her from the world.
Once Dave and Chichi entered the house they felt the warmth of the house surrounding them . Chichi sat in front of the fire place and started warming her hands.

She secretly hoped Dave would join him but he didn’t. She knew at once that he was leaving the very same day . He had only been home for the night and already preparing to leave .

“I will ask Nina to bring some hot tea”, she said. “ It’s freezing. We should have just stayed in today.”

“ Tell her to pack it for me. I won’t have time to sit “, he answered glancing at the clock . It read 7:02.

Chichi shook her head and sighed but said nothing . She was lost in thought , contemplating her next move.

“Have you told Alice yet ? “ she asked but she knew the answer to the question.

It was a question she had asked a hundred times and the answer had always been the same . Dave did not respond. Chichi inclined her head towards his direction then stood up. “I will ask Nina to pack some lunch for you darling.”

She hurried off to the kitchen. Chichi loved her husband but her life was taking a direction she least expected. The dreams she once had were no longer significant to life as she knew it. The life she shared with Dave now was what he wanted, his vision for her. She had a comfortable life and often thought at only five months into the marriage she was losing interest pretty quick. But then again hers was quite an odd marriage.

Chichi had worked as a broadcaster with a local radio station before her marriage. There she had won awards and praises across the country and used her voice and influence to champion societal issues ranging from domestic violence, human trafficking, sexual abuse and gender equality. She was respected and adored all over. When she looked back to her radio days she wondered what had happened to her. Where had that girl gone with her wild free spirit?
She had gotten pregnant and quickly married Dave suggested it was best if she resigned and settle in the countryside. Although she had protested the idea initially it seemed like the ideal thing to do at the time. They both felt she needed to lay low. There she was pregnant with a married man. She knew better than to embarrass her mother and so Dave went on ahead and married her unbeknown to anyone. She wondered sometimes late at night if she had made the right decisions , getting into polygamy and resigning her job. Now what she saw in her future was a life of diapers, breastfeeding, and appointments to the gynecologist or pediatrician . Yet she knew with perfect clarity that her shenanigans would have been the end of her career if anybody found out. She had had to choose between resigning and settling in the country or being humiliated in a society where single motherhood was shunned.