Taking in the Cards on the Table Pt8

 Oh my goodness. I couldn't tell you how happy I was to be back at the hospital. I walked in to find Uncle Mwaria awake and seeing people. Dad, Mum and my Aunt were in the room and they were cracking a few jokes with him. 

"Mwaria you are something else! You got us all here running wild, worried sick because you were wrestling Mali? You're such a rascal. Next time you and your wife better spill the beans so that the match is fair. Don't want Mali fainting," teased Mum.

"Ha ha Mwaria, you never cease to surprise us. Well at least the element of surprise was achieved so Happy Birthday. Truly you and your wife are like Bonnie and Clyde...ride or die like literally! It is well. We forgive you...but no more secrets, " joked my Dad as he hi fived my Uncle.

"You can't blame me. When my husband here plays super hero and is as discreet as Batman, what's a lady supposed to do? Of course you know we love you Mwaria, especially your darling right here," said my aunt with a wink. "Just don't go scaring us again," she finished as she gave him a playful little pinch on the cheek followed by a little kiss.

"Wow! You guys don't hold back. Hahaha well, let's remember the facts. It was him that fainted and is still recovering ...from a sore loss! I beat you at the match Uncle. I am now the tickling wrestling master!” I said amidst laughter as I flexed my mighty fingers in joke. Whew! It felt good to laugh after the crazy run of events.

"Alright, alright family. I hear you. No more secrets. To my darling wife, don't worry. We still got long way to go, together, I love you too,” he said as he held her hand tenderly. 

Of heart melting moments, this was one of them. To observe love so rich, so tender whose foundations stood firm made my heart swell. I almost had something like this, at least at the building blocks to say the least but we broke up. Oh well, that's life ay? Better to have loved and lost than not to have loved at all?

 I figured I'd switch the mushy - mushy atmosphere with a change of topic that may be of light humour to them. The thought of how I bumped into Gathoni still persisted. Her passing statements echoed louder though I tried to ignore it. Either way, I was super proud of my reactions and responses. I didn't let situations get the better of me.

"Enough with the mushiness, you will never believe who I bumped into as I was taking a walk. Take 3 guesses," I asked.

"Your brother," said mum.

"Nope."

"Your cousin," said Auntie.

"Nope, try a little harder," I joked.

"Hmmm, your old time classmate that you had been looking to reconnect with?" guessed Dad.

"Good guess but no. That reminds, me I need to keep checking for them. You're all wrong. It was Gathoni." I said.

If their faces were capable of turning white, they most definitely would have. They tried to maintain composure but their facial expressions of shudder was so evident. 

I guess they feared any potential negative impact from the meet, and the chances of me slipping back into depression. Perhaps it might have been the memory of how low I had been during that season and what it took to get me to where I now was. All my suppositions stood unconfirmed. I chose to stop overthinking it.

"That's quite eventful Mali. My birthday clearly came with surprises. How did it happen? How are you?" asked Uncle Mwaria as he sat up better to listen.

"I'm fine. I think your quote and quote surprise really got to me. I ended up speaking to myself loudly on the street. She saw me and came to check up on me, so she says. In my mind she should have just kept walking. It was so weird," I mused.

"Continue, you have us at the edge of our seats," said Uncle Mwaria as Dad nodded in agreement. Mum seemed to slightly drift off in quiet thought but was still very present.

"It was weird because I had always pictured what I'd do, and how I'd retaliate when I saw her but I didn't. I was livid and irritable but it wasn't in me to react in a way that would harm her. It was more words to let her know I wasn't interested in engaging. That said, she was very different in her demeanor," I said as I recollected the scenario piece by piece.

"How now? Mali spill it all, the suspense is at fever pitch!" said Auntie

"Well first she persisted in spending time with me despite me trying to end our conversation severally. She used every opportunity to touch me in one way or another...oh, she even pulled a line saying she had tried to reach me. That she tried to reach Dad, Mum and my Uncles, even you Uncle Mwaria, but to no avail. 

She kept insisting we meet up but I wasn't having it. Hadn't we been the ones who tried to reach her but to no avail? Her twisting of the truth almost got me furious but I took off. She kept telling me to ask you all and I told her to stop lying. She's crazy, right?" I finished.

As I looked at their faces I saw mixed expressions, worry, fear and disgust. Probably at how reaching Gathoni's statements were, however nobody responded to my rejoinder that she was cuckoo.

“I said she's crazy, right?” I repeated.

“Ehm, Mali.  The whole event is crazy. You still need some space but good on you. In the spirit of no secrets there is something we need to tell you,” started Uncle Mwaria, for some reason his breathing began to sound belaboured.

“Mwaria, don't do this now. Get well first then we shall discuss more,” said my dad.

“Njama, we need to tell him. There is no perfect time. It's better now rather than later, otherwise it wi ...will b..b be t too late,” whispered my uncle before passing out.

My dad quickly rang the nurse’s bell as my mum dashed to the corridor to get a nurse. What was all this and what were they talking about?

"Mwaria, why do you keep doing this to us," lamented my aunt as she tried to tap him conscious, "come on...relax and breathe steadily. You can do this."

"Mali, you have to stop with all this surprise pre - empting," yelled my dad, just before the nurse came in.

Dad, Mum and I were whisked out rapidly as they tended to Uncle Mwaria. Apparently he was asthmatic as well. The pressure of the mild stroke, the discussion and all had affected his breathing so he got a mild attack which thankfully the medics arrested. 

We were requested to go home and return the next day but at different times to avoid stressing him.

The car ride home was mum minus occasional condescending statements by dad. I figured it was his way of processing his anxiety over his beloved brother. We had never really experienced loss as family or anything close. I figure the stress got to him, the thought of losing his bestie was unthinkable.

"Mali, try stick your head out of trouble. Why did you have to bring up such a topic when you could see the situation Uncle Mwaria was in? Why couldn't you just wait till later or tell us first then we could share it as a joke later?" growled dad.

Wait, why was I to blame? They all asked me to continue in sharing, each digging to find out more. People are capable of speaking messily in times of emergency.

"I'm sorry. I thought it would be a funny light story. I said I was fine, didn't I so what's the problem? Why are you overreacting? Or do you also have high blood pressure and you're not saying?" I shot back.

"You two, simmer down. This is all unnecessary. Can't we be happy and positive that all has worked out well?" said mum as she tried to rescue the situation.

"Mama Mali, speak to your son. He had one type of surprise to help us pull, not the kind to put people in hospital and cause them to deteriorate. Speak to your boy," dad fired.

"Dad, I know you're stressed. I'm sorry. I didn't mean any harm but you cannot speak like that to me or about me. I am not a boy, I am a man so let's maintain the respect, kindly," I said. 

I was now starting to get irritated. Why was my dad acting weird and why did Uncle Mwaria react like that to the information? Wonders never cease. 

“You had one task and that was to get Uncle Mwaria home. Not wrestle him or take him to hospital because of some childish wrestling. The surprise we were anticipating was at the party, not in getting to hospital nor keeping him there. Tread carefully otherwise you shall see," finished my father.

Oh wow. Now we were at threats. Were we now verbally fighting because I said I had seen Gathoni? What did that have to do with me? I didn't go looking for her. She came looking for me and I was just sharing. On top of that, what was dad withholding my uncle from sharing...or was it a safety measure to avoid my uncle exhausting himself. 

Perhaps there was some truth to her statements, probably not...but then again, what if...or was dad just acting on a high of the day? What was it Uncle Mwaria wanted to share? Was I being too nice or too naive? 

I chose to pause it there because I knew if I let my mind run, I wasn't sure I could close that pandora's box.