Maltida

"Tilda! Tilda!" I heard Maxwell call me from behind.

" What is it Max?" I asked, turning to face him.

" Tilda baby, you have been avoiding me."

"Oh am I now? Max, have you forgotten that you are the one who is married?"

"Matilda, please don't be like that."

I chuckled a little.

"What do you want Max? "I asked, wondering to myself.

"My marriage is in a mess girl and....."

"And what Max? What am I supposed to do about that?" I asked, wondering again.

"Girl...."

"Please don't call me that!"

"But you have always been my girl, Matilda."

"Yet you stood there and let your wifey humiliate and haul insults at me...." Maxwell looked confused.

"You don't remember?" I asked. "Oh how could you...." I said, but Maxwell still looked confused.

"What are you talking about Maltilda? Have you and Ella met?" He asked, looking honestly confused, and I was stunned that Maxwell had no clue of what we were talking about.

"At the party. Skin by Nature's annual get-together. Do you remember now?" I asked with sacarsm.

"Oh...oh Maltilda I am so sorry" Maxwell said, rubbing his head. "It's just that a lot has happened ever since then that I could not keep track of...."

"You don't need to explain, Max. Let me be on my way."

"Are we ever going to see you again?" He asked.

"Sure...."

******

ELLA

"Hello."

"Hello."

"Maxwell, you have been avoiding me! I have called several times, but you have refused to pick my calls."

"Says the woman who moved out of her husband's house and abandoned the family's company." Maxwell replied to me with so much sacarsm.

"Max...."

"Anyway, how have you been doing?"

"Dad is back!"

There was a thorough silence at both ends for a while.

"What do you mean Ella?" Maxwell asked, confused.

"Maxwell, my dad is back! Mr Mathew Roberts."

"Ohhhh.....when was that?" I could hear Maxwell gasping in excitement.

"Just a few days back."

"And I am just getting to know now?"

"I am so sorry Max....but I tried to call you ..." I muttered feeling ashamed of myself, but Maxwell ignored my flimsy excuse.

"It's fine Ella. Where is he now? "

"At home here with me. At his old house."

"I will be there in a second."

He hung up the call.

*****

I signaled to my father......

"How did it go, child?"

"Beautiful, just as planned. He is coming over now."

"Now that is very good."

"You go put on a dress. Remember what we talked about, you have to look your very best."

"Yes dad."

MOMENTS LATER

I heard a knock on the door and ran towards it. I really hoped in my heart that it was Maxwell, after all these days I had missed him so much, and I didn't really think he was going to see me.

"Who is by the door?" I asked.

"Max!" He said simply.

I slowly pulled open the door, sucking in my breath.

"Oh Max...." I whispered.

"Where is father?" He asked me, not caring if I existed or not.

"He is in." I replied, feeling a little hurt.

Maxwell walked past me into the room and I felt pain in my heart that he did not at least acknowledge my dress. I did this much for him.

"Oh Max! Max!!" Echoed my dad as he walked towards us to greet Maxwell.

"Mr Mathew Sir!" Maxwell gave a little bow, but my dad pulled him up into a big hug.

"I have missed you Max!" He said, patting his back.

"I have missed you too Sir," Maxwell replied, smiling sheepishly.

"I came as soon as I could. I did not know you were back!"

"I know that son. I know that!"

I stood behind and watched all these pleasantries being exchanged before me, and I was beginning to feel a little jealous.

"Oh dinner?" I asked awkwardly out of nowhere.

"Yes Maxwell, my daughter here prepared dinner for us, and luckily it is your favorite...come join us." My father said saving me from my awkwardness.

"Oh of course...." Maxwell remarked, eyeing me viciously while I gave him a cheeky smile before I looked away.

My father led us both to the dinning.

"Oh it is this way, my children. Come here both of you...." He held us with both hands and led us to the dinning.

****

During dinner, my father left no stones untouched, he narrated everything that had happened while he was away in captivity.

I closed my eyes and took in deep breaths while he spoke. He had already told me what had happened to him while he was away, and I was so scared that I never wanted to hear of it again.

"Wow...." Maxwell gasped. He looked terrified.

"Mr Mathew, I am so sorry. You did not deserve to go through that, no one deserves to go through what you went through....." He paused for a moment. "How about Kole, Billy and all the other men?" Maxwell asked.

"Well, they all escaped. I ran back home as soon as I could because I was scared, so I did not have a chance to meet with them by the time they were free."

" Yes Sir, I could only imagine."

"Kole called me though. That was immediately he got the chance and was ranting about how amazing the air smelt, he wanted to meet up with me."

"Mr Mathew, I actually think you and Kole should meet up. I think he is a good friend regardless of his mood swings."

"Sure he is son."

We all have our food in silence for a few more moments before .....

"How about Huncho?" Maxwell asked suddenly out of nowhere.

I froze on my seat. "Would this conversation ever end?" I thought to myself.

"He escaped!"

"Oh really?" Maxwell asked.

"Yes son, immediately the soldiers found out that I had escaped they alerted him. He knew it was a big hole in the nest that one of the slaves had escaped. He knew in no time their hideouts would be recovered, so he ran away with all his soldiers, leaving behind the slaves.....that is how they all escaped."

Maxwell stared at his food which he had barely eaten because he was listening to dad.

"There's still a lot to do then, Mr Mathew. A dangerous man is still out there on the loose," Maxwell replied thoughtfully.

"I know that son, but for now I am more concerned about the wellness of my daughter. She is married, but I met her here at home, at her father's house. She was crying and was miserable when I met her." He blurted out.

I picked my hair strands nervously, "This was not the plan." I thought I never expected my father to embarrass me like this.

"And did your daughter let you know that she was the one that ran away from her matrimonial home?" Maxwell asked.

"Yea, she did son alongside so many other things."

I cleared my throat as a signal to my dad, telling him to stop, but he did not care to listen.

"Well, I am glad she did. It only implies I do not have much to explain then." Maxwell said, filling his mouth with spaghetti. He has since gone back to eating up his food.

"But you do, son."

Maxwell dropped his fork on the plate abruptly. He looked intently at my dad.

"Did you just forget son, the story I just told you? How I was able to escape, which eventually led to the rest of us escaping??" Father asked.

"My daughter has made lots of mistakes, and I am fully aware of that, but yes, it is marriage and in marriage both partners cover up for each other. How do you think it was going to be if those men insisted that it should be them that should escape first. Do you think any of us would be free by now?" Father asked, and Maxwell shook his head.

"No, right? So it is the same with this. You both have to work together to make things work. If you say it's Ella's fault and let things get spoilt, it is both of you that have lost! But if you say yes, it is Ella's fault, but she is still my partner for life, and I am ready to work towards making this work out. Do you not think that it is going to be of benefit to you too?"

"Yes Sir, I do."

"I have known you for many, many years son, and I know you to be a good man, which is one of the reasons I had the confidence to leave my daughter in your care. Please make this marriage work for both of you." He said as he also looked at me.

I and Maxwell stared silently into thin air. My dad has said it all and to be honest I was touched. I turned towards Maxwell slowly and found him already staring at me.

"I am so sorry Max!"