Chris and Mabel were everybody’s perfect couple, as they could do no wrong. Chris is handsome, the chief executive of his own company and Mabel beautiful and head of department at the university. Everybody wanted them at their parties, and so it was until Valentine day when they were invited to Opukiri and his wife’s anniversary party.
The party was great, everybody ate and drank and smoked and talked all at once. At the end of the party, a small group of close friends made up of four couples were left behind for the after-party. The conversations were about everything, marriage, children and life until Mabel brought up the issue of the President not doing well. Somehow nobody wanted to discuss politics, so nobody showed interest. Mabel would not give up and kept bringing up the topic. After a while, Chris had to shut her down, telling her to cool off with her President’s talk, and everybody laughed. That did not go down well with Mabel; with her ego bruised, she got up and left the room.
After a long while, Chris went in search of his wife and found her brooding outside. He tried to embrace her and she shrugged him off. ‘Now what?’ Chris asked. Is it because I told you to cool off with your topic of conversation? Surely you must have seen that nobody was interested. ‘I want to go home’ said Mabel and so they went. For the entire drive home, Mabel did not utter a word with Chris apologizing and making all kinds of entreaties. This indescribable mode of behaviour of Mabel was new to Chris. In the end, they drove home not talking, their eyes looking straight ahead.
Once they got home, Mabel rushed into the quest room locked the door and that was it for the night. It was horribly late to make any further entreaties, so Chris went to bed. He figured out that it was best to give her space, as there is nothing a good sleep won’t solve. So deeply did he sleep that night from the drinking that when he woke up the next day, he had to think for a moment before realizing where he was. As his recollection of yesterday started flooding back, he got up precariously to his feet and staggered out of the room in search of his wife.
Mabel on the other hand like the dutiful wife got up early, made breakfast and was seated when Chris came into the dining room. You can imagine his elation seeing his wife seated for breakfast. Things were back to normal, he thought and went to embrace his wife and again she shrugged him off. How are you darling he greeted and got no response. She just sat there and feigned to eat. At intervals, she would glance at him with strange intensity as if of hatred.
He took no notice of her, sat quietly with his own thoughts. He could not comprehend that just saying ‘cool off with your President’s talk has brought on this silent treatment.