If you haven’t read the first part of this story, here’s the link. Kindly read it before starting this one.

One day he called my phone. He said, “Pamela, we have to meet.” As usual, I gave him excuses. I told him I couldn’t travel. I told him if he accepts to come around, I wouldn’t have the time to meet him because of the demands of my job. I said, “I run a shop. Currently, I don’t have anyone who helps around. I can’t leave the shop and come and see you. He said, “But I can come to the shop?” I said, “It’s not a good idea. I’m constantly on my feet. You let’s see, one day when my mother gets the time, I will leave the shop for her and see you.”

I just didn’t want to see him so each time he called, I took my time before picking up the phone so I can cook up lies to cover for why I couldn’t see him. One evening he called me. He said, “Pamela, I’ve been having dreams. Dreams about us. Sometimes I see a baby crying. I try to get closer to it but each time, an invisible hand snatches the baby away from me. I haven’t paid attention until last night. In the dream, I saw your face. You were that invisible hand.” I laughed. I asked, “What did you eat last night?” He said, “Please it’s not a joke. I believe it’s our past that’s chasing after us.”

I asked, “Us? How do I come in? I haven’t seen you in ages and I’m not the one having those dreams so how do I come in?” He said, “The past is trying to communicate with us. Maybe, from me, it will come to you.” I said, “I’m ok. Don’t take dreams seriously. They are just passing winds.” 

I was laughing and playgoing around with what he was saying but when I hang up the call, I thought about everything that he said. “Has it gotten to this?” Maybe, I should not talk to him again. It’s because I’m talking to him that’s why he keeps making up cases.” I blacklisted his calls. I blocked him on Facebook. I blocked him on WhatsApp. Wherever he had access to me, I blocked him. For a very long time, I didn’t hear from him. I was at peace.

I’ve been dating  Yoofi for about three years now. He had been the pillar in my life, helping me through all my troubles. The first day we met, I told him about my son. He said, “You look too young to have a child this old.” He thought I was joking. He thought I was using a child to scare him off. So I told him the full story. Of how I got pregnant. How I left town to my mom. How I lost touch with my son’s father and how life had been ever since. He didn’t say much. He fell in love with my story just as he fell in love with me. 

When I found my son’s father on the internet, I told him about it. He said, “I knew this would someday happen.” He asked me, “So have you told him?” I said, “How could I tell him? I haven’t said anything and I’m not ready to tell him anything. Our son is dead to him and long will that remain.” So the day he told me about the dream, I told Yoofi. He was sympathetic but I didn’t care. He said, “Tell him. Things of this nature have spiritual connotations. You can’t just disregard it. I was resolute in my quest not to tell him.

One day, He called with another line and I picked, “He asked, “What did I do wrong?” I said, “You’ve done nothing wrong.” He asked, “So why are you running from me?” I said, “You’re married now. I don’t want issues with your marriage that’s why I’m  keeping my distance.” He said, “Sorry to bother you but the dream hadn’t stopped. I was worried especially when I wasn’t hearing from you. So I told my wife about us. She too is of the view that it’s the past that’s knocking on our door. We need to do something about it. Maybe, that will open the doors for my marriage and it will also save you from future distress.” 

I asked him. “So what exactly do you need from me? What do you want me to do?” He said, “We can talk to a powerful man of God to give us spiritual direction to break off with the past.” I said, “Then go and do it. Why do you want to involve me by all means?” He said, “Who said I haven’t tried it? Even my wife had tried seeking intervention but they say you ought to be involved since it happened between both of us.” I said, “Give me some time to think about it.”

I spoke to Yoofi again. He said, “It’s the truth that’s finding a way to come out. If you tell him the secret, that dream will never come again. Why did he start having dreams only when he met you? It’s the connection with him that’s bringing all that. So speak to him. If not now, have a plan. Meet him with family. Tell him everything. You were young when it happened. He was young too. Youthful inexperience caused all of us some problems. Help him, you’ll end up helping yourself.”

I told my mother about it. Surprisingly she was happy. She was the person I thought would give me the greater resistance but she was so happy she said, “A son needs a father. Even if that father is irresponsible, it’s better for him to know so in the future, he can point to his father and say, “That’s my father but he didn’t take care of me.” That’s better than no father at all.” 

After series of plans with him, we finally met one afternoon under a shed close to an eatery nearby. He couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw me. I asked, “How many years now?” He answered, “I can’t count. It’s been ages.” Then he started talking about the dreams and how important it was for us to meet his spiritual father. I said, “It’s not spiritual issues, I believe. It’s a matter of us facing the truth. I had a son after we separated.” He said, “Oh that’s why you don’t see the urgency in what I was talking about. You have a son already?” I said, “Yes, I have a son. That means you have a son too?” His look turned stern. He asked, “How do you mean?”  I said, “My mother didn’t allow me. I couldn’t tell you because there was no way I could. But you were happy moving on, so I didn’t bother.”

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For some seconds he lost his speech. He asked, ”So where is he now? Why is he not here?” How do I see him?” I also lost my speech. We both sat quietly for some time. He said, “Everything is beginning to make sense now. The invisible hand in the dream. The one snatching the baby.” He kept nodding his head. I told him, “He’s with my mom. Talk to your wife about it. Come with family. I don’t know what you’re supposed to do but do what’s necessary. Then you can see him. After all, he’s yours.

The next time my son saw me he asked, “Grandma says my father is coming for me. Where is he?” I said, “This woman and rushing. She won’t give me time and space to go through the process with my son before saying anything.”

The day he came with family to meet my family, his wife was among. I tried not to look at her. Through it all, I was avoiding eye contact with her because I didn’t know what she was thinking. After everything, she came to me and hugged me. She said, “You’ve been through a lot raising a boy on your own. Forgive us.” A tear dropped down my cheeks. I said, “I’m Ok. Thank you.”

School vacated a week ago. He packed his things and waited for his father until he came for him. His father told me, “Soon he’ll have a brother or a sister.” I smiled because I understood what that meant. I said, “We thank God.” I’m losing my son to him but it’s alright. He can’t wait to go to him every day. He had told me once or twice that he would like to live with his father and his wife. I don’t mind. If his father asks for it, I will oblige. It will give me the needed break to begin a new life with Yoofi.

–Pamela

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