Something more important than love

Getting to work, he saw Manfred, a German national. The previous time he lodged, he gave him a gift. A table clock with studs of pure gold.

He gave it to Laila. That was the only thing she could say she had benefited from their relationship.

Each time they bickered, she would ask," Do you want your clock back?"

Yet, she held unto it.

Mr Manfred took him to his chalet and gave him a hundred dollars tip for his service.

He looked up in prayer. He had been thinking about what to buy for Laila and where the money would come from. It was March 20 and the meager salary with hungry lists lined up for it was still far from being paid.

Now this money, whatever it could afford, he will reserve for their 3rd marriage anniversary outing tomorrow but he needs to see Laila and know the outcome of their gathering in the sitting room.

Laila had come back from the office and had arranged a separate bedroom for him.

Divorce is on the way but for the time being, he has to be sleeping separately.

" I loved him. He was handsome, the first quality I wanted, but his future turned out not brighter," said Laila.

She waited for David to return from work but unknown to her, her mom had cornered David as he stepped in through the gate.

"Useless son-in-law." she called him."See how you are walking" she imitated him walking like a loaded lorry plying on a rough road.

The soles of his shoes had bent so that one side was higher than the other.

He dragged David going to the laundry shed.

They had expanded the shed and furnished it with four industrial fans lined up for clothes drying, and a family-sized washing machine stationed for David.

Laila's mom sat in a rubber seat deriding David as she watched how he was ironing. " Everyone complains...common, is that how to iron a suit? " she yelled at David.

"How do they iron it, mother-in-law?" asked David, his face red.

"Are you going to eat me, Evid?" Dina asked. " From this night, you are no longer going to sleep in that room. My daughter has regretted marrying you," she told David.

David, rounding off his ironing, ran out and came back.

Fred had written the divorce paper and both had waited for David before he fell asleep.

She pushed the divorce paper she went in to collect into David's hand. " Take! Sign! "

David opened the divorce paper closer to his face, reading it. He read it again and again.

Dina would have punched him but she was unusually patient.

David had heard of son-in-laws and divorce papers.

" I will not sign this," he told his mother-in-law. Signing it means it is over. "Over? Marriage that cost me the love of my family, that made me a fool in this house?"

Her mother-in-law did not wait for Laila to sign first. Laila was in between David and the son of her director.

"Evid. Sign this paper!" Dina blocked David from passing.

"My wife can't leave me like that."

"Your wife? Useless Evid!" She slapped him. It thundered. David yelled.

Laila ran down. It was then she knew David had been back.

"Mom. Stop! Stop!"

She took David up. " David. This is where you will be sleeping till you sign the paper," she said, as she opened the room she had prepared for him.

"Laila, Why? Me Romeo?" asked David. "Laila. It was not about money. Remember our love." he went further in surprise.

"Something more than love has come up. Sign the paper." Laila informed her.

"Okay. Can I crash with you just tonight?" pleaded David

" No" She damned him

" What of our outing tomorrow?" he asked.

"I will call you. But, come with the paper," she told him.

"You are serious as such, Laila?" David found it hard to recover.

Laila, he was dying for? Who for her sake he was made useless?

"David. For my career." Laila, seeing the doubt in his countenance, took time to explain the situation of things to him." If I marry the son of our director there is the likelihood, I am going to be a manager at AB Corp and our family company will benefit a lot doing business with AB Corp. Gerrit?" asked Laila

David shook his head as Laila left the scene. If a man has a last option after a last option, he will continue to lay claim to his wife.

But how possible? It takes two to tango.

But would Laila later change her mind?

"