Edem x Akweley; The Cold Between Us (II)

Part Two - The Cold Between Us

Edem took a week off work, refusing to leave Akweley’s bedside. It was a slow, agonizing process. Akweley didn't speak a single word to him. Every question he asked, Are you hungry? Do you need a pillow?, was met with a stony silence or a look that felt like a physical blow.

One afternoon, he retreated to the hospital bathroom, a place that had become his only sanctuary. He stared at his reflection in the mirror. His eyes were bloodshot and weary. "God, what is happening?" he whispered to the empty room.

The ride home was even worse. The silence in the car felt thick, like something you could touch. Once they were back in the house, Edem tried everything. He cooked her favorite meals, he cleaned, he even helped her bathe when she didn't have the strength to stand. But Akweley wasn't eating. She was wasting away, and had grown as thin as a stalk of wheat. She stopped brushing her hair; she stopped looking in the mirror.

"God, I am so tired," became Edem’s nightly mantra.

He didn't recognize this version of his wife. She was a shadow. She hadn't cried once since the hospital, and that lack of tears felt more dangerous than a breakdown. He eventually went back to Dr. Richards’ office, desperate.

"She won't eat anything I make," Edem said, his voice cracking. "She won't even bathe unless I literally take her to the shower. She’s lost so much weight, and she won't talk. Our house feels like a graveyard. Is this normal? When does this end?"

Richards, who was as much a pastor to Edem as he was a doctor, listened calmly. "I think your wife is deeply depressed, Edem. I can refer her to a specialist, but right now, she needs you to be her covering. You cannot give up on her."

"Please, come to the house," Edem pleaded. "Maybe she’ll listen to you. She won't even look at me."

When Richards visited, he pulled Edem aside. "Edem, when was the last time you prayed together with your wife?"

"Not since it happened," Edem said. "She won't let me get close."

"Don't wait for her to join you," Richards advised. "Start praying again at your usual time. Let her hear you pray for her. Don't make her feel condemned, just let her hear your faith."

Richards then turned his attention to Akweley. He spoke to her gently, eventually trying to ease the tension by reminding her that the loss wasn't Edem’s fault, that the pregnancy had been high-risk from the start. Akweley just looked away, maintaining a cold  silence. Richards finally managed to convince her to see a therapist. It was the first time Edem had heard her voice in weeks, a mere, "Okay, I will."

A few days later, Akweley stood on the porch, squinting her eyes against the sun. She hadn’t been outside in weeks. The fresh air hit her lungs, but it brought no relief. In fact, seeing the world moving on, neighbors chatting, cars passing, felt like an insult to her condition.

Inside, she was a storm of numbness and rage. The anger toward Edem was a living thing. “A traumatic event”, the doctor had said. She couldn't get past it! If he hadn't thrown that stupid surprise party and scared her half to death, her baby would still be here. It was his fault!

She thought of the sacrifices she had made, cutting out her favorite foods while he ate whatever he wanted, the exercise, putting her career on hold. And then there was God. Where was He when the blood started? Where was He during that agonizing wait for an ambulance that never came? He had promised never to leave nor forsake them, yet her marriage was rotting and her arms were empty. She felt trapped in a hollow place, wondering if God was even listening. That evening, Edem tried to bridge the gap. He was in the hall and had tuned the TV to what used to be Akweley’s favorite show. He caught her eye and tried his luck by cracking a small joke.

For a split second, the atmosphere shifted. He heard a slight chuckle. He watched as the corner of her lips curved up in the warm smile he had missed so desperately.

"Ha, thank you God oh! Progress!" he whispered to himself.. He didn't push it. He was just satisfied to see a spark of the woman he loved.

But the victory was short-lived. By the next morning, Akweley had retreated entirely. The wall was back up, higher and colder than before, and Edem was left wondering what had gone wrong.