UnSeparating: The Resolve

I don’t know where all the energy came from today, but as I swept my room this evening I entered a strong resolution within myself. 

You see, my parents are separated; have been for the past 2 years. When they first called my younger brother and I to their room on that warm Friday afternoon after they returned from work, we thought it was a joke. Daniel actually tried to record it so we’d laugh about my parents’ crazy acting skills later on. After our dad slapped off the phone from his hands, we knew it was not a joke. 

I remember my dad trying to be the first one to speak. They were both seated on their bed, but the bed could have passed for the top of a volcano rumored to be primed for eruption. They sat on the edge of the bed; on the frame, and sat very far away from each other. My mother, she was still wearing her light blue office jacket and skirt. And my dad was in his singlet and office trousers. My mom cut him mid-sentence and said, ‘Bode, I’ll address them.’ 

Then she cleared her throat and said, ‘Daniel, Diana, your father and I have a big news for you. But before I tell you what the news in, I am sure both of you are not children anymore. I mean, Daniel, you’re 17 and Diana dear, you’re 19. You must have noticed that there have been a little bit of friction and tension between your dad and I lately. I would not ignore the fact that you have heard us arguing late at night in time past – maybe we even woke you up. You have heard either one of us pass a nasty remark to or about the other person. You have you seen me cry. You have heard your daddy storm off in rage. I think it is necessary to tell you that that’s not how a normal family should live. When both of you get married and are with your spouses, please do not think that this is the normal way couples live. Yes, you will have misunderstandings with your spouse, but they should be resolved without hate-induced actions and reactions.‘ 

She sighed and continued ‘Anyway, this leads me to what we want to tell you. Your daddy already spoke to your elder siblings in America and they insisted that they will come home so we’ll have a meeting in the matter.’ 
Then as though she was talking to herself , she said ‘Utterly wasted money. Useless to travel down.’ Then she continued ‘They will arrive tomorrow, yes. So…. Erm… Darlings… Your dad will not be living in this house for a while. Just for a while. We’re not divorcing, but we are separating… For now. Okay?’ 

At that moment, I had heard a sharp ding in my inner ears and felt a simultaneous pain in my head. 

Since that day, I have had to shuffle between living with my mom and staying with my dad. At first, I thought it’d be for like 6 months, but then, a year passed, and now two have passed. It only seems like they are drifting more and more apart. 

Daniel cares but he acts as though he does not. Dipo and Dewunmi seem to have given up. 

But as I swept my room, I came to a strong resolve in my heart never to give up on my parents. 

Hence, I’ll take out the next two days to talk to both of them and document what I get from them. I don’t have the highest hopes but I want to try to bring them back together again…