World Politics

Thinking hard.

"If women ruled the world there would be no wars. Just a bunch of jealous countries not talking to each other!"
Wouldn't you say If Hitler was a woman maybe all that happened then may not have happened?

separation

How could I say good bye?

 Written by: Michael J. Apire

Charlie was a nice man, a good guy who everybody dearly loved. His neighbours on Covert Street, workmates at IMG, a PR firm, even strangers who always found it irresistible to smile and say hullo to a man who whenever they met always wore a smile followed by a soft and gently pronounced hullo. Charlie couldn’t be hated. He was a likeable man but the nice Charlie whose smiles some thought never disappeared from his recognizable face lived a secret life that was about to cost him his greatest loves.

He dreaded the present day. Occasionally asking God and himself, “Why am I still alive”? “How did I come to this day”? Almost immediately finding the answers to both questions without help from anyone.

The day was September 23^rd 2011 and it was Charlie’s discharge day from Welcome Rehabilitation Centre, forty miles from his door step at Covert Street. “Do you have someone to pick you up sir”, a nurse at the centre asked Charlie who returned no response. “Because if you don’t”, she continued, “I…”. “Someone is coming”, Charlie interrupted the nurse before she could complete her suggestion.

Having his multi-colored backpack resting on his thighs and continuously stamping his feet on the floor one after the other, he anxiously sat and waited on one of the well arranged black leather sofas that formed a triangle at the centre’s lounge for someone to come pick him up. In his mind he managed to convince himself that in a world of six billion people, someone out there was destined to pick him up. “I couldn’t have pissed off everybody”, he refuted. But then, he would recall his last encounter with the humans outside of the centre. It’s then that he would defrost like ice on fire and realize that maybe there’s no one out there coming for him.

“Charlie, Charlie”, the nurse called again as she approached. Motioning to face his caller, Charlie heard the words that brought happiness and calm to his heart. “Your wife is here to take you home”, she told him. With a simple smirk, Charlie stood up and moved for the exit where he met his wife, Stephanie. “Hullo, thanks for coming”, he said in an otherwise pleased voice, with gratitude and happiness clear in his voice.

A nurse had earlier told Stephanie of how Charlie did very well at the centre and that she was optimistic he was now a changed man. “Hullo”, Stephanie answered and continued to say, “come on, the car is over there”, straightening her middle finger, she pointed to the car. We have a long drive to take”. Walking just behind her, he followed Stephanie to the car. “Seatbelt please”! She told him, forcing Charlie to fasten his seatbelt before she could drive away.

The drive back to the city bore boredom and silence between the once inseparable couple.

A few hours later, the car came to  a halt at Broadway street, looking left then right, Stephanie did not take the turn at Bluesville avenue that eventually led to Covert street where Charlie stayed after the divorce. Instead she drove through Broadway, eventually turning at Royce road where the car slowed and stopped at the IDG building that housed the Family court. “What are we doing here?” Charlie inquisitively asks. Stephanie, her face wreathed in sorrow, told Charlie why she had moved his release date from the centre to that day. When he heard her out, Charlie started rubbing his brow with his left hand as if trying to fight off a sprouting headache while the other rested motionless on his right thigh.

Before he could respond, Stephanie in a rather soft voice said, “we should go, the session begins in fifteen minutes”.  Her sorrowful self had subsided to seriousness and however much she wanted to believe the nurse of the centre where Charlie had spent the last three months of his life that he had changed, she couldn’t find the courage even though he was the father of her only child.

Inside the courtroom, Judge Baker Nyakairu was the presiding judge in the custody case; Stephanie Naguru Vs Charlie Kilama. “Mr. Kilama, do you know why you are here”? Judge Baker asked. “Yes Your honor I do”, Charlie answered. As the session came towards the end, Judge Baker asked Charlie and Stephanie if there was anything they wanted to say personally to the court before he passed judgment. “Yes there is Your honor”, answered Charlie as Stephanie maintained her silence. Charlie who had resigned to the truth told court how a changed man he had become and asked for a chance to prove to the world that he can be a good father. As he talked, he turned right to look at Jenna as if telling her, “sweetheart, everything am saying is not for the judge or this court but you”. Raising her small hand, Jenna, looking at her dad, waved and moved her lips to simply say hullo. Charlie did the same.

Before passing his judgment, Judge Baker highlighted Charlie’s past which was not more than a pleasing tale to tell and cited Stephanie’s resolve to raise Jenna in a good, morally endowed loving home.  

“It’s the decision of this court that the plaintiff be awarded custody of the named child, in this case, Jenna. The plaintiff is expected to provide a loving home, food, clothes, an education for the child and raise her into a good and obedient citizen. As she does this, she will allow the defendant a maximum of twenty four hours every week with Jenna, however, in the first six months; the defendant’s visits will be monitored and supervised by city authorities from Child Services. If the defendant proves to be a changed man and good father before the six month period ends, Child Service’s officials will be withdrawn and he will be allowed unsupervised visits from then on. The defendant will also give the plaintiff a sum of one thousand two hundred dollars in child support every month until the child reaches maturity, that is, twenty one years of age”.

Moments later, court was adjourned and Jenna was gone. Just like that. Standing outside the courtroom in readiness to say goodbyes, Charlie hugged his daughter and did well to avoid the word ‘good bye’, instead assuring her that he would see her next week.

“Don’t cry dad, I’m still your child and you’re still my father”, Jenna bravely told her father. “That’s right sweetheart and it’s never gonna change no matter what”. Charlie, who was struggling not to shed a tear infront of his daughter replied. “You promise”? Jenna asked “I promise”. Her father with a hint of happiness in his voice answered.

“We have to go”, Stephanie interrupted. “oh, ok”. Charlie replied, this time with a hint of sadness in his voice. Their backs facing Charlie, Stephanie and ten year old Jenna walked away hand in hand, step by step, they walked further and further away from a motionless Charlie.

Even though he sought satisfaction in the fact that he would see her next week and the week after that, he hated the thought that he wouldn’t be there to wish her good night or wakeup her up in the mornings for school. He didn’t like it that he wouldn’t be there to see her run from her room to theirs and demand breakfast just like she used to do before the divorce. He missed them both and wished he could turn back time to correct all his mistakes.

Wearing a solemn figure, Charlie walked home, his mind only thinking about the coming week when he would get his time with Jenna and also see Stephanie, even though for a minute.

Email:- jm.apire@hotmail.com

Hillarious

Protest in the North Africa, the Middle East and spreading means human being is turning against each other. Killer weather storms inform of tornadoes in North America, tsunami and  earthquake in Asia, severe drought in North Africa and rapidly extending south could mean the one above is pissed off. The rising water levels in the arctic. Nuclear disasters and the impending risk it carries plus whatever else is to come that will definitely lead to human deaths...yeah that's right, this world of ours is crushing, it's ending but I only wonder whether Mars, Pluto, Satan e.t.c are also experiencing some kind of end. Just wondering, that's all.

happy dreams

*In my mind

By Michael J. Apire

Happy Dreams

Tom woke up and looked at the clock besides his bed. It read 12:31a.m. The phone’s constant ringing had him up. He answered and a terrified voice said, “Hello…hello…Tom, is that you, please say something?” “Hello Jenny, yeah ofcourse it’s me…” Two weeks earlier life was bliss for Tom and Jenny. They hugged, kissed and laughed. They did all the things couples their age do. They were happy and couldn’t ask for more.

On the 15^th day, Jenny did something that she later entirely regretted; even the thought of having had the thought of doing it haunted her so bad because she believed it’s the thought that made her do what she did.. She never intended to hurt Tom. She would never do that to him.  “I didn’t know what I was doing”, she constantly told herself.

Tom, Jenny called out from the other side of the phone, “yeah”, answered Tom. I…I…need to talk to you, I’m twenty minutes away from home, see you later. Jenny, Are you ok?  Hello…hello, Jenny had hang up. Tom looked at the phone with sleepy eyes after placing back the receiver and wondered what’s wrong with his wife. He remembered that she had told him earlier about some office farewell party for her boss that she had to attend. He picked it up again and dialed Jenny’s cell phone. It rang continuously but no one answered. He hang up and decided to wait for her.

01:05a.m, Tom heard Jenny’s car approach the drive way. He stood up right away and walked towards the bedroom window, drew the curtain a little and looked outside. Jenny was walking into the house. He decided to wait for her in the bedroom than run to her downstairs.

Moments later, the bedroom door opened, it was Jenny. Tom rushed to her, raised his arms and held Jenny by the cheeks. He looked her in the face and realized Jenny was teary. “What’s wrong honey? What happened out there? Did somebody hurt you?” Tom questioned with raising rage in his voice. Jenny looked up at her husband and thought about what she had done for a second, then she said, “I’m so sorry Tom, please forgive me. I didn’t know what I was doing”. “What are you talking about? What have you done sweetheart and why are you apologizing?” Tom asked inquisitively.

Jenny walked away from Tom and further into the bedroom, turned and looked Tom in the eye and said, “I…I…” “You have what honey”, Tom impatiently asked. “I…have just cheated on you with another man, I didn’t like it at all and hate myself so much right now. I don’t know why it happened because I would give anything to take it back”. Jenny said as she hurriedly walked towards Tom as if asking for mercy from an army general ready to execute her. 

Tom was speechless with rage enough to kill a pride of loins. He looked at his wife in disbelieve not sure about what to say. He wished she was lying and that it was some kind of game she came up with but when he looked into her eyes, his fears were answered. She wasn’t lying. He walked towards the bedroom window and sat in the chair next to it. Tom felt crushed like a tomato run over by a car.

Honey…honey, Jenny whispered as she cowardly walked towards Tom, please say something. Tom felt so disappointed he couldn’t find himself to speak. Instead, he stood up, put on his blue jeans, white shirt and walked to the bedroom door, turning his back to it as he approached looking at his wife, Jenny. He couldn’t stand looking at her even for one more second. Where are you going?” Jenny softly asked. Tom did not answer. Then Jenny said to him, “I will do anything Tom, anything you want, but please, don’t go”, as tears ran down her cheeks. Tom looked at her intensely as he fought back tears he couldn’t hold and said, “go away Jenny, just leave me alone, I want to be left alone”.

Tom’s choice of words pierced through Jenny like lightening does to air. She couldn’t feel her feet, she couldn’t stand but she was standing. She watched him turn the knob of the door, opening it and walking away as his shadow, caused by the corridor lights also disappeared into the corridor walls. She couldn’t find herself following him though she wanted to very badly.

There was nothing she could do or say to bring him back, nothing but cry and hope. She cursed that day for leading him away because he was her life and without him, she felt dead. As she lazily undressed preparing for bed, she heard Tom’s car screech and speed away to a place she couldn’t guess. Tom was gone.

After undressing, she decided to wear one of Tom’s shirts and headed for bed. She lay there, looking up the ceiling and trying to figure out what had just happened to her in the last couple of hours. She thought about Tom and wished him good night, wherever he was. She wished him to be safe. Putting on his shirt made her feel close to him, she felt like he was in her arms and all over her.

06:38a.m, suddenly Jenny rose from the bed, breathing hard and sweaty as if she had been drowning. She needed a moment to relax and then looked at her side, Tom was besides her, sleeping like a foetus in it’s mother’s womb. That sight gave Jenny a smirk. Tom opened his eyes lazily and saw that Jenny was already up, seated besides him on the bed. Hey, he said. Hey, she replied as she bent towards him and kissed him. “Good morning, hmm…somebody had a good night”, Tom said. Jenny just smiled at him and replied, good morning sweet heart.” She was happy to see him next to her.