Vivian being back in hospital made Wilson sad; seeing her body with all the tubes tied on her body.

“Are you family?” a man asked standing at the door.

“Yes… Are you the doctor?” he asked.

“Yes. This young woman is suicidal. She took an overdose of paracetamol pills,” he answered writing inside a file.

“First it’s rat poison, now paracetamols,” Wilson said.

“She needs to see a psychologist. She might be stressed. She needs counselling,” he instructed and left.

“How will I do it? Those counsellors need money,” he sighed.

Vivian will only be discharged the next day so Wilson went back home. He sat on the sofa when Charmaine entered laughing with her daughters.

“Where is Vivian? Why is the room dirty?” she shouted!

“She is not here,” Wilson answered.

He stood and went to check the children. They were playing on the veranda. He called them. They were sad. He wanted them not to worry but be happy and enjoy their childhood days.

“Mama will come back home tomorrow. Don’t worry a lot,” he consoled them.

Charmaine helped her daughters to clean the house. She was not happy that Wilson didn’t say where Vivian was. In some way she felt guilty and kept quiet. Marvellous and Susan were talking about music and dancing. Charmaine didn’t know how she will fix her relationship with her daughter.

Vivian woke up seeing the white colour and light. She thought she was dead until she saw a white woman. It was Mrs Adams.

“Vivian, what happened to you?” she asked.

“I don’t remember,” she answered.

“The doctor said something about an overdose,” she said holding her hand.

Vivian felt ashamed of what she was doing to herself.

“Talk to me. I can help,” she persuaded.

Vivian started her story from when she fell pregnant and when she got raped. Mrs Adams was filled with sympathy and tears were in her eyes. Vivian told her about how her mother and sisters treated her at home, her dreams which will never happen. She’d hoped to finish school and further some courses like Hotel Management and Hospitality.

“I can help you. Come stay with me with your daughters,” Mrs Adams said.

Vivian’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe Mrs Adams was requesting this. She felt as if something had been offloaded. She was happy and worried at the same time. She didn’t know what to do.

“Are you sure?” she asked doubting her joy.

“Yes. You are being discharged today. I will go with you and take your daughters to my home,” she answered.

Mr Adams called his wife by the door and Mrs Adams called him in with hand signals. He walked close and looked at Vivian.

“Hi my dear how are you?” he asked smiling.

“I am fine,” she answered.

“This is Vivian, the woman who cleaned the house,” she said and went to tell her husband about Vivian moving in the cottage.

“Thank you. This means the world to me,” Vivian said sincerely.

The doctor came and gave her her discharge paperwork. She signed it. Vivian felt relieved because now she will finally be at peace; she could see her life in a positive way. Better things were ahead of her.

Vivian entered the car, her family never came to collect her, she wasn’t surprised either. Her father was scared of Charmaine and her sisters did not respect her. They saw her as an outcast. Had her father not been bossed around by her mother, things would be a whole lot different. Charmaine was the man and the head in the family. Wilson went to work and Charmaine and her daughters spent the hard earned cash her father worked hard for.

***

Tell us what you think: Why do you think Wilson lets Charmaine abuse him and Vivian like this?