Chapter 1 Pre divorce

"I am not getting a divorce!" Yelled Xandria as she flung the papers in her hands, she held her head and slowly sank to the floor, she sobbed hard as flashes of her childhood came rushing.

Nostalgic moments like these are the worst for Xandria cause everything about her early years haunted her, she remembered the horrors, traumas, pains and torment she experienced as a child growing up in a broken home, she had to shuffle between parents who were extremely busy to give full care and attention to her, some weekends were spent alone in a large house with just a nanny and most times by herself, she cried herself to sleep most nights as no dada or mama were there to tell bedtime stories or keep the boogy man away...

"Mommy" came the voice of her 4 years old daughter, Lunar from the stairs. She wiped her face hastily as she turned to the child with a forced smile. "Hey baby" she said in a shaky but soft tone.

"I can't sleep" said Lunar in a drowsy tone

"Did you lose your toot toot again?" Xandria responded in their familiar play tone.

"Toot toot is fine, i want daddy, where is he, he's not in his room" whined Lunar.

Even though the words were that of an innocent four year old demanding her father's attention, the words cut Xandria's heart in two, she forced a smile while seriously fighting back the ripples that were about to come pouring down and said to her daughter "Daddy isn't here cause he's on a job"

"What's a job mommy?" Asked Lunar

"You'll know when you're older, come on, let's get you back to slumber" she picked her daughter up and made for her room, her room is a typical nursery with lots of colors and cartoon drawings on the wall, she placed her on her princess framed bed and lay beside her. "What story do you want hon?" Asked Xandria

"Story about dad" answered Lunar. If palpitations caused sudden deaths, Xandria died at least four times today and her daughter isn't helping, she sighed cause she knew the connection Lunar has with her father and she really didn't blame the girl for her requests, she would too if she were in the girl's shoes.

"What story about your daddy do you want to hear about?" Asked Xandria in an endearing tone.

"Um...when daddy puffed the flour and made the kitchen look like snowland!" Replied Lunar with giggles.

Xandria giggled too cause she'd told this story countless times, Lunar just can't have enough and this is the funniest dad moment she's experienced. "I'm telling it one time, okay?"

"Hmm...ok!" agreed Lunar

"It was Brown's 11th birthday morning and daddy wanted to make him a three layer cake so he could have more than enough to share with his friends and classmates and you bon, daddy had set all ingredients aside and was set to get a bakey when he remembered he hadn't grated the...?"

"Nutmeg!!" Chorused Xandria and Lunar

"Good girl, you remembered...and just as he reached for the nut cracker, a balloon popped and he knocked the bowl of flour in shock, down came the bowl and the flour on his face, on you, on Brown, on maxine, and the kitchen indeed looked like snowland..." Xandria giggled, she smiled as she saw that Lunar's already fallen asleep. "Everytime, it gets her everytime" she stood up quickly like one who was suddenly pricked by a needle, adjusted the covers on Lunar and walked out of the room, she couldn't afford to weep before her daughter and corrupt her innocence with worries. She walked past her son's bedroom and peeked into the room, as usual Brown is asleep with his racket under his arm. She smiled and shut the door, the next door further the hall was theirs, "theirs" that word would soon be in the in the past. She walked into the room, a room with sadness lurking in places laughter once occupied and emptiness in a place love and romance once dominated. She remembered all the romantic and love making moment shared on the bed, the corners of the room, even the bathroom. She took a long deep breath, stared hard at the room, took another long deep breath then she sat on a sofa that had a large teddy bear by the side, she squeezed the teddy's hand and it started singing a love song she's loved back in the day and still do till date, it was her favorite cause it was released the same year she fell in love and it happened to be his favourite love song too, she sobbed as she held the teddy tight, how can something once precious and lovely go sour in a short moment?. She cleared off the thoughts that were almost going wild in her head, It's nothing compared to the problem she's facing in real time. After a series of thoughts and careful strategizing, she concluded on the next line of action to save her marriage.

she laid on the bed facing the ceiling as events of the past came playing over and over in her mind, she searched through the images displayed in her mind to spot any flaw or problem that might have led to her current demise, all to no avail. she sighed and concluded that fighting would be the only option, if there was love before, there still can be love again and she would fight hard, really hard to make sure her home is saved,

"No kids of mine will shuffle amongst parents"

.....