… Less by a Fraction
Personally I never knew the guy, but his story is one that is worth telling. The following events take place in a span of 5yrs…
*
Joyce and Mark were the ideal couple. They simply had it all. They both met at a local university where each was pursuing a different career path. Joyce was doing law, while he was doing Business Administration. It was one of those busy moments to class when the bumped into each other, or rather he bumped into her. And instantly, there was something that felt alive in him after a long time. She too must have felt it for after both their classes, in the evening, both were sharing a few laughs and a cup of coffee at a local coffee place. And just like that, a friendship between them started out.
After a month or so of fun, friendship and joy, they decided to date. And that is simply how the two came to be.
In this new relationship, each one of them came with their own baggage. A month prior to their initial meeting, Mark had ended a 3yr long relationship with Angela. The two were practically soul mates. Those who knew them had seen a marriage at hand. But oh what a sad day when the two broke up. It was a shattering experience, not only to them but also to those that knew them and looked up to them. Joyce on the other hand had been in a relationship too where she had been lied to and cheated on leading to a nasty break up and a painful scar in her heart. That was a year before she met Mark. And although she had sworn never to get involved with another man, at least not in the near future, Mark proved too good to pass for her.
And so it was, the relationship that happened by pure accident so happened to blossom in a way none of them had predicted.
On the other side of the world was Angela. She could not come to terms with the break up and two years down the line, she still wanted him back. By this time Mark and his girl had made it to the almost-proposing state. Both had finished school and both were working.
All was well until one day Mark walked in Joyce’s house, looked at her dead in the eye and said,
“I cannot do this anymore, I am leaving you.”
And with that he left.
Needless to say, Joyce sat on that same seat till the paramedics came to pick her up, a week and a half later. How she was still alive has never found a living soul that could explain it. So 3 months in intensive care, 2 months out to normal ward and 6 months in physiotherapy made her walk again. But even the best doctor could not fix her heart. This time it was torn beyond repair.
When finally she got out, she was not the same Joyce everyone had come to know and love, that girl seemed to have died in that hospital she had spent an eternity in.
To add insult to injury, Joyce came to find out that Mark and Angela had gotten back together, got married and she was now 8 months pregnant. Just when it was thought that she would actually get better, she worsened. She quit her job and locked herself up in her house, only coming out when she needed something or late evenings when she went to church to pray. After so long, people stop paying attention and move on. Joyce stopped being somebody people bothered about and she soon became whispers in the estate and soon afterwards, a distant horizon memory. Nobody knew what she spent her time in the house doing, and nobody cared anymore. Question still was, how can one man ruin her life this much?
One day, a couple of days later, she decided to take a walk. It was as if she had decided enough was enough. That day she woke up, cleaned the house as usual, took a bath and dressed to perfection. She then took to the streets and walked like she had never done before. Along the way, she even said hi to all the people she had known and socialised with when she was still herself. It was truly a moment that nobody had seen coming. But they were all glad.
At the local supermarket, she did her shopping. Slowly, but majestically, she walked around and picked all she needed as she threw it all in the trolley. All was well until her trolley bumped into another customer and when he turned, Mark it was, in flesh and blood. For a moment both their minds drifted to the first moment they met; way back in campus.
He still looked good, she said to herself.
She still looked amazing, that thought came with a smile. But it vanished faster than a blink of an eye.
“Hello Mark?”
It was barely a question, barely a statement.
All of a sudden it all came back to her. How she had almost drowned in her sorrow over him and how much she resented him. She left her trolley right there and walked away, heading to the exit, tears almost busting out of her eyes. He placed his basket down, ran to her and held her on her arm. As she turned, she saw Angela behind him at a distance walking towards them.
“Joyce wait. Don’t go yet. Just wait.” He begged.
And for a split second she looked at him and saw something she had not seen. He looked different, so different. His eyes always had a glow, it was not there anymore, and then as if by shear miracle it glowed on her but vanished as soon as Angela’s voice came to their ears.
“Mark! What is this?”
He turned like a little kid and said nothing. She gave Joyce a stare worth a million words as she held his hand and they walked on. As he was passing her, he whispered, almost inaudibly, faintly and in a voice she never knew he had, “Pray for me sunshine…please.”
She turned in time to see them take a corner and vanish. In her mind, she did not understand a thing that had happened right in front of her eyes.
Later that night, she couldn’t sleep. She went to her knees and prayed. And she never stopped doing it every single day for the next 4 months.
*
*
“You are the devil herself you piece of shit. Since you couldn’t stand seeing me so happy, you made it your calling to do something I cannot comprehend to date. Well today it ends.”
It was Mark, he was holding a gun and Angela was on the floor bleeding, her clothes drenched in blood.
“Mark stop, plea…”
He did not let her finish. A kick to her stomach made her change her voice to a yell. This had gone on for an hour now, and it was clear that she was fast dying out and she could not take any more of this. But the neighbours had tried getting past the double grilled steel enforced doors to no avail. The police had been called but they were not here yet.
People could just here her scream and yell, but they could do nothing. He beat her up repeatedly as her voice died out and all she could do was just hope for the best. Pointing the gun at her, he moved closer and bent to her level.
“It ends today Angela, it ends today.”
Before he could pull the trigger, the door came crashing down as a dozen police officers stormed in and pushed him over, he bang his head hard on the wall and let a spatter of blood. But before he passed out, he reached for his gun and aiming at her head, shot her twice without missing as the last bullet claimed the life of a paramedic standing over her. By the time the paramedic let off his last breath, Mark had passed out.
*
*
In court he never spoke a word. His sentence was read to him and he never, not even once, said a single word in his defence. It was a short trial, the judge was in and out in an hour, as the nation watched the youngest CEO to ever head the national port authority get sentenced to death by electrocution. Joyce just watched from the back row. All the time he was in there he never looked her way and she never let her gaze on him. When the sentence was passed, tears flowed off her eyes uncontrollably. And as he was being escorted out to the prison van in chains and with a heavy detail on him, he seemed to notice her and smile slightly before he vanished from her sight.
*
*
A week later, as she was preparing to go the prison to witness his execution, the door was knocked. In those 7 days, Mark could only be visited by immediate family and a priest. No one else could see him. So Joyce was in a bad place. She couldn’t see him and that killed her inside. She wanted to ask him so many questions, she deserved answers at least.
At the door were two well-dressed police officers as she opened it in shock.
“Really sorry ma’am for this but we have some news for you. Earlier today Mark was found dead in his cell. He had hung himself with his beddings. On his bed was this letter addressed to you. I know you were supposed to go to his execution, but not anymore. Do have a lovely day madam.” And with that they left.
*
*
Later that evening Joyce was found dead in her kitchen. She had slit her wrist and bled to death. Beside her, were two letters, one from her, one from Mark.
*
*
For so long, nobody said a thing. Nobody spoke of what happened, and I doubt anybody ever will. Till today, nobody speaks of that story, 27yrs later, and nobody still wants to say a thing. Joyce house was never sold, it grew old, alone in the furthest corner of the ever quiet Brighton Estate. Perhaps they all are still hoping that she is going through one of those hard times and she will come out someday and her smile will be the joy they had once felt, but it is only hope…just hope.
(Y’all have yourselves a lovely day.)
Peace!