Chapter 46 - You Just Blew Up My World

Chapter 46: You just blew up my world

Jason picked up his phone. He needed to call someone. Someone that can make dinner for Kara and tuck her in without sobbing like a child. Someone that can do all that for his baby girl without failing miserably at it. 

Jason knew it couldn't be him. The little girl was smart and the last thing she needed was feel responsible for breaking up his marriage. 

It would be too much responsibility for anyone let alone a six year old who was recently uprooted from the only country she ever knew to another country.

He could never do that to a child he loves and so he picked up his phone and he dialed Chike's phone. He would have called his mother but he wasn't ready for a million questions and Elixir was out of the country anyway.

"Hey, man. Hmm..." Jason cleared the fog at the back of his throat and forged ahead with his request "I need...I need you to come...to the house. I need you to take care of Kara"

Chike's chuckled like he made a joke. He had zero working knowledge of Children. He can be the cool uncle that sweeps in every now and then with awesome gifts and great conversations but Children eluded him.

"Sorry, Jason. I can't do that. Get a nanny man" 

"Yeah, hmm... I will. I just hmmm... I just need" Jason was trying to form his sentence but he kept forgetting the right word. What does he need anyway?

Jason needed a plate of food in front of his daughter. He needed another god-damned bottle of liquor and most importantly, he needed the love of his life to un-leave him!

That was it, he needed a time machine to go back that morning and redo everything.

"Jason, are you okay? You should...heavy"

"Yeah, I think it's because...I think it's b-because my hmm... Mckenna left me"

"Mckenna left you to go where?" Chike sounded confused.

"My wife left me" It was the first time he formed a full sentence without stuttering. Well, It didn't help with the pain.

"I will be in your house in a minute" Chike finally understood.

Kara was watching TV when she heard a knock on the door. She could get the door or grab an adult but her Umma left by the side door and maybe she forgot her keys.

She placed her legs on the SpongeBob SquarePants slippers and walked slowly to the door.

"Who are you?" She asked as she placed her hand on the doorknob but didn't open it.

"Sweetie, it's me"

She recognized the voice.

"Uncle Chike?"

"Open the door, Kara"

And she did. He was holding pizza and she was overjoyed. Nigeria was turning up great. She could have literally anything she wanted unlike in Malawi where everything is a rule including Tv time.

"Pizza!"

"I brought your favorite, teddy bear" 

"I don't have a favorite pizza, Uncle"

"Well, now you do!" He took her hand and urged upstairs.

"Time for bed, shower and brushing...not necessarily in that order"

Kara obeyed but she had a bad feeling.

"Where is Dad?"

****

Mckenna looked at the rearview mirror. What has she done? After the argument, she vaguely remembered going to their room and packing a bag. Then she slipped out through the side door into her car and now she was parked outside of Elena's house and she was unable to move.

Her hands shook like she had tremors and She needed to get her heartbeat back to normal.

Slowly, she opened the door and stepped out. She was surprised to see that her legs could carry her body weight especially after she felt wobbly while sitting down earlier.

She felt the hard surface of the door as her knuckle suddenly had a mind of it's own and was knocking on Elena's door.

Elena looked at the time. It was barely eight in the evening and she wasn't expecting anyone. She looked herself over, she was decent enough. The yellow dress was short but it wasn't sexy or anything.

She opened the door.

"Mckenna! What are you doing here" it was a surprise to Elena. Mckenna usually calls before visiting.

"I think I just blew up my marriage" Mckenna whispered to her in tears.

Elena took the little bag she was holding and asked her inside. Mckenna sat on the sofa and folded her legs into each other for comfort. Then she stared at the folded legs for a long time. She was no longer crying, she was calm.

It was a calm like she had never felt before. Her chest still hurts and she had this stabbing pain on her upper left abdomen but she didn't pay any attention to it. Just like she ignored the pain on her neck and gut, the headache that felt like someone was digging around in her head with a chainsaw. The only visible thing Mckenna did was swallow her saliva.

Elena hid in her room under the pretense of dropping McKenna's bag in her wardrobe. She didn't mean to hide from her hurting friend but what do you tell a friend that just showed up at another friend's house with words like 'I think I just blew up my marriage'?

Certainly not hiding in the bedroom! A tiny voice of reason in Elena told her.

Her eyes wandered towards the mirror standing opposite her. "Don't you dare judge me!" She whispered to her reflection.

How long was it ethically and morally normal to stay in her bedroom without being considered a coward? Elena had no answer to her question.

Then her phone started ringing, she quickly took it out of her pocket and stared at the caller's ID. Great! It was Jason.

"Nope!" Elena didn't pick up. Then he called again and again, the man was unrelenting.

Finally, Elena pressed answer.

"Is she okay? Did she arrive at your house safely?" Jason's voice was calm and collected.

"Yes, she did. Jason what the hell happened?"