My Ex Almost Broke Me

This is it...

I parked the car outside Sibu’s house. I’m reluctant to leave the car. But her elders asked to have a meeting with both of us. I never thought I’d be back here. I left 2 days ago. I don’t know how her other family members heard the news. But they requested a meeting. We didn't all want to be here but we decided that I needed to hear what her family had to say, even though we had nothing to say. It’s the least we could do after all, they all they are trying to solve the matter. Even though I know that Sibu and I will never get back together, I appreciate this gesture from them. A lot.

“They are waiting for us,” said my aunt in a whisper, patting my shoulder softly. She’s the softest person I know. I nod and I unlock all the doors to the family car and we all get off. There are 8 of us. My parents, my brother, my 2 aunts and 2 uncles and myself. I dragged myself to the porch. I rang the door bell.

“Why are you ringing the bell?” asked my uncle from my mom’s side. He sounds confused.

“It’s no longer my house. There’s a new man,” I told him again. I know my parents explained the situation to him. He must have forgotten. My aunt, my mom’s little sister, shouted at him for not remembering this piece of information.

“Who are you to make noise in my daughter’s house?” shouted my mother-in-law, opening the door. The man standing besides her, her ex-husband looked so embarrassed. If he could hide, I bet he would.

“You’re a rude and bitter woman, no wonder you got divorced,” said her brother. He pushed her aside and he gave me a hug. We always got along. I don’t know if our relationship will be the same. I hope it doesn’t change, but we’ll see. He’s one of the people in Sibu’s family who called me as soon as they heard the news.

“You’ll always be family,” he tells me, patting my back. I thank him, this means the world to me. He lets go and he greets my family. I went inside the house after greeting Sibu’s father. We found the whole family in the sitting room. They looked exhausted. I feel bad for them. They drove from all over the country for nothing. Things won’t be resolved, not today, not ever. I greeted them and I shook their hands before sitting down. Sibu isn’t here, but what did I expect? My family is right behind me. After we have all exchanged pleasantries, one of Sibu’s aunts shouts from downstairs for her to come down. She takes forever to come down and when she gets here she gives me a nasty look. She looked annoyed as if I was the one who called this meeting. If it was according to me, I wouldn’t have seen her, not this soon.

“Wow, you brought an army with you,” commented Sibu as she sat down. It looked like my parents and brother wanted to say something, but I subtly shook my head no. We all agreed that we weren’t going to say anything, especially to Sibu. I know this is hard for my family. But I’ve never been one to talk, so I’m okay with this.

The couches feel nice. Now I know why they cost a fortune.

“Son-in-law, what happened?” asked Sibu’s father. And I told him what happened. They keep looking at Sibu in shock.

“So you came home and there was a man who had already moved in and your clothes were in black rubbish bags?” asked one of the uncles. He sounded shocked. I nod. He turned to Sibu, “Why would you treat this young man like that?” But Sibu was typing on her phone. Sibu has always had a bad attitude, since we were young. I always thought she’d outgrow it. I eventually stopped trying to get her to change her attitude. And for the past few months it has gotten worse, especially towards me. And now I know why. Her father snatched her phone. He looks at the screen and he shouts, “So we are in an important meeting and you’re texting on w******p?” He’s furious. Sibu rolled her eyes in annoyance. “We are trying to fix this.”

“Who said this needs to be fixed?” Sibu asked her father. All the elderly in the room gasped. There’s nothing new here. She’s not wrong, this doesn’t need to be fixed, but she should have been polite to the elders. Sibu has always had a problem with her attitude, but I still loved her. It was a minor flaw in personality. She also loved me with my flaws. But right now I’m not so sure.

“What went wrong?” asked my aunt softly.

“I don’t know,” I told her honestly. She asked the question again, but this time she was asking Sibu.

“I got tired with how things were. Bukhosi couldn’t afford even the basic things . I always wanted new couches and a new fridge but I had to wait for months. Sam bought both on the same day without complaining. “

“So this was about money?” asked Senkosi, pissed.

“I wasn’t finished,” said Sibu, giving him a nasty look. And then she sighed and continued, “Bukhosi is just too soft for me. He never fights or even shouts. I can’t be with a guy like that.”

“How long have you been married?” asked her father.

“Five years today,” I answered him. Everyone in the room looks at me with eyes full of pity and I don’t want that.

“I hope you cancelled the anniversary restaurant reservation. And on your way out, there’s an envelope on the counter. That’s your anniversary present. You’ve been served. You aren’t getting anything from me. This house? I worked hard for it.”

“Divorce papers on our anniversary?” I couldn’t help but laugh, even though nothing was funny. But what can I do? “I wasn’t expecting anything, I’m okay with the clothes I left with.” And I’m not lying. Even though I’m the one who was paying for the house, the main reason I couldn’t afford the couches and fridge was the ten thousand I paid monthly for this house. But it’s okay, it’s not like she can’t afford to pay for it.

“Why couldn’t you sit down with him and tell him you aren’t happy?” Asked her aunt.

“I did talk to him, but did he change? No he didn’t. Bukhosi is a grown man, he’ll get over this.”

“You’re right he’ll get over this. I hope he finds a girl who will treat him better than that. Why didn’t you divorce him before you fell pregnant?” asked my mom, sounding emotional. We all agreed not to ask Sibu any questions. We are here because her family called this meeting. That’s all. I was waiting for the divorce papers, but I didn’t expect them today. Sibu doesn’t answer her. Instead, she stands up from the couch and she heads upstairs. Her family looks embarrassed. And we assure them it’s okay, and we all leave later when it's clear that we both don’t want to work things out. I thank her family for treating me like their son. Of course, they keep saying we are still family, but we aren’t, and that’s okay too. I took the brown envelope on our way out.