Chapter 5

The morning sun had shone its brightness heralding the dawn of a new day. The birds chirped in unison across the sky earmarking the goodness of the day.

Broad smiles elevated the looks on the faces of people walking the streets of Purple City. A sign that it was a good day. But inside the Parker house, the story was different. The day was far from good. 

The past few days have been filled with pain and disappointment. And Tracy’s exit from the Parker house made Mr Parker worried. A lady he considered his daughter had left his house even before he could talk her out of her decision. 

Everything had happened so fast that he wondered why Tracy left without first consulting him. But his son Charles was to be blamed gravely for the turn of events.

He stood in the living room looking at his son. The kind of look that registered anger, disappointment and betrayal.

His son had not only betrayed his trust but also set their family up for public ridicule.

“Oh. Charles! You disappoint me.” Mr Parker finally turned to his son who was seated in a chair across from him. Charles was still in the blue wrinkled shirt he wore to the exclusive lounge with his friends the previous night. 

He had obviously gone to the lounge from the office.

“Dad, what did I do?” he queried. “Do you actually think that your actions have been fair? I mean how on earth would you set me up for a marriage that I had no interest in?” he further asked.

“Listen to me. Whatever I did I did for your own good.” he counted his query. But his demeanor was not convincing and put him across as someone who had something to hide.

“For my good? Are you sure about this? Because I was old enough to know what was good for me. I did not need you to take up that role” he retorted. Doubting his father's claim.  “And now see where that got me. An unhappy man who had to lie to the world that I was the happiest man on earth” Charles added.

“Regardless of what was or what was not, you don’t say stuff like that about a lady. The words you used on Tracy not only hurt her but also crushed her soul. And do you know what those words did to me? They perforated my ability at fatherhood and signalled my failure as a man” his dad said as tears rolled down his face. 

“And when did you start drinking? Last night you were a total mess when your friends brought you home,” he asked and further probed. “At my age, you do all these to me. Do you want to kill me?”

 “I don’t want to kill you, I only did what was right Dad,” he said as Mrs Briggs walked in with tears streaming down her face. When Charles saw her face he knew it was about Tracy again.

“Mr Parker, I just watched on as Tracy exited this house. She is unwell and needs care. Please do something about this” Mrs Briggs said as she went on her knees.

“Please get up.” he implored her and assured her that he would do something about the situation. 

Charles had already had enough and looked away while they both talked. He faked a phone call and left their presence unnoticed.

“Where did he go?” Mr Parker asked after he realized his son was not in his seat anymore. “We barely had breakfast and instead of using the little energy we have to sustain ourselves while we wait, Charles has made me lose it all,” he confessed.

“Mrs Briggs, would you be kind enough to set the table?” He asked politely and assured her that he would do something about Tracy’s exit. “I will do my best to bring Tracy back”

“Right away sir,” she said and rushed to set the table for breakfast. 

***

Tracy appeared in front of her friend Louisa’s house. 

Louisa had been out of town on Tracy’s birthday. She tried to call her friend and wish her good fortune but Tracy’s phone was switched off.  Thus, she knew nothing about the divorce and her wounded right hand.

Louisa stood behind the door and when her friend opened, she shouted, “Happy belated birthday, Tracy” Immediately, Tracy broke down and started to shed tears.

“Tracy, is everything okay?” Louisa asked softly, putting her arms around her friend’s neck. She saw her bandaged right hand and the blood was getting deeper again due to the stress she went through. 

“Oh, my goodness. That is a lot of blood. Tracy, what happened ?” she asked as Tracy kept crying. She would not say anything.

Louisa took her friend in and put her bag in the guest room. Minutes later, Tracy was calm and ready to talk. 

“Louisa! Oh, dear Louisa, your friend is done for” Tracy finally said something. 

“What do you mean by that?” she asked. 

“First and foremost, My phone was off on purpose. I needed to maintain my peace of mind” she revealed.

“Oh come on Tracy. Of all the days your birthday should be the last day to switch off your phone. People would want to call you and wish you well” her friend bantered.

“You do have a point. I have read a couple of messages to that effect but it was a necessary evil my friend” she hinted. “But that is beside the point,” she added. 

“Louisa, My heart is pained and my mind is spinning like a helicopter blade. Something happened and as a result, I am left empty,” she told Louisa. 

“Something? What could that be” she asked as Tracy stretched her left hand to show her her wedding finger. But Luisa was not getting the clue. 

“Oh Louisa, you still don’t get it? Well, you were right all along. Charles may have a thing for Fiona. He divorced me” she announced.

“What! No wait, what did you just say? And when did all that happen?” she queried with her eyes widely opened.

“Now you understand why my phone was switched off?” She asked and gave further details. 

“Well, all of that happened on my birthday,” she said pointing to her wounded right hand. “Including this. It was so bad that I had to be rushed to the hospital. I almost died.”

“Unbelievable. I am so sorry to hear this. But wait, divorced?” she asked again echoing what her friend had just said. She struggled to make sense of it. And thought it was sudden. 

Tracy shook her head in the affirmative as she tried to make herself comfortable. The blood had stained her bandage once again, but she did not notice due to the conversation they were engrossed in.

“I don’t like the idea of you coming to my office uninvited. I do understand that we have to make the world buy ‘our perfect marriage’ but that does not mean you can just walk into my office at any time of your choosing.  Exercise some restraint and respect my boundaries. Let this be the very last time this would ever happen.”

She recalled the exact words Charles said to her one time she had gone to surprise him at the office. But she did not take his words seriously and repeated them again. 

But this time, the whole office could tell something was going on in his office. But due to the soundproof nature of the office glass, his exact words could not be heard.

Pained and hurt, she vowed to never let that happen again.

She was just a woman in love and would want to do anything to please her man.

One time she had gone to a drink-up organized by Charles and his three other friends. She blended in and tried everything to make her husband look good in the eyes of his friends.

One of Charles’ friends, Chris, proposed a Truth or Dare game to keep them interactive.

“My husband is the most loving and caring man any woman would wish for. I could not have asked for a better husband. He is the best.”

Tracy said when it was her turn to say the truth about her husband.

Charles stood there and said nothing as his friends poured praises on him over his wife’s claim. But deep down he knew none of that was true. Tracy had lied just to make him look good in the eyes of his friends.

But this gesture was not enough to make Charles have a change of heart. He was bent on cutting ties with Tracy.

Louisa felt sorry for her friend and wiped the tears rolling down her face as she recalled some past events.

“But here I am today, Louisa. My efforts amounted to nothing and today I have not only been shattered emotionally but bruised physically with this cut on my right hand.” She said and turned her attention to her wounded right hand. It was then that she realized the blood had gotten deeper. 

Louisa went inside to get her First Aid Kit and upon her return, Tracy was lying on the floor.

‘Tracy, Tracy.’ she screamed her name and dropped the First Aid Kit, but she didn't respond.