I listened intently, my heart going out to Tann. I could sense the pain in his voice as he spoke. "We had a child, Dannie," he whispered so softly that I almost didn't hear it.
My surprise must have shown on my face because Tann looked at me, his expression pensive. "You have a son?" I asked, curiosity getting the better of me. I wondered what had happened to Suzy and Dannie. Did they get a divorce?
"Dan and Suzy were the light of my world," Tann said, his voice choking with emotion. "Every day, I went to work with my family in mind. When I remembered coming home to them, it filled me with so much joy. Dan was the brightest boy. At four, he was a light-bringer to his mother and me." His voice trailed off, and I could see the pain etched on his face.
I reached out and took Tann's hand in mine, giving it a gentle squeeze. I could feel that his hand had gone cold, and I knew that he needed my comfort. "What happened?" I asked gently, wanting him to know that I was there for him.
Tann took on a faraway look as he spoke. "One morning, three years ago, Suzy gave me the news that we were going to have another baby. It was one of the best days of our lives. Suzy was so happy, and I was just as happy. Even as we hoped for a girl, we still bought unisex things." His voice had gone hoarse, and I could tell that the memory was still painful for him.
Silence descended, thick and dreadful. I waited patiently for Tann to continue, knowing that whatever he was going to say next would be
Finally, I broke the silence and asked him gently, "What happened?"
He took a deep breath and looked at me, his eyes filled with pain and sorrow. "I can still remember that day like it was yesterday," he began. "It was the 30th of June, on a Saturday. Suzy was seven months pregnant by then, and we had planned to go on a picnic. We hadn't had a chance to spend time together in a while because we had been so busy with work. I work at the company, and Suzy was a grade school teacher."
He paused for a moment, and I could tell that he was struggling to continue. "That morning, we had an argument. A very nasty one," he said finally. "We quarreled and shouted at each other."
I leaned forward, intrigued. "What did you two quarrel about?" I asked curiously.
He looked away, his eyes distant. "Dannie's PTA meeting," he replied. "I was trying to get Suzy to attend because we had new investors coming in at the office, and it was going to be a busy week. Suzy said she couldn't attend because she had been doing all the attending. Dannie's school is different from the school she teaches, and she was heavily pregnant. She said she couldn't bear the stress."
He took a deep breath, his hands trembling. "It was a very unreasonable argument, nothing important," he said, shaking his head. "But then again, couples quarrel for less."
I nodded sympathetically. As he spoke, I couldn't help but think about my own marriage. Dale and I never quarreled, but not because we didn't have differences of opinion. It was because he would beat me anytime I tried to express myself, leaving me too afraid to speak up.
Tann's voice brought me back to the present. "We agreed to set our disagreement aside and go for our picnic," he continued. "But the picnic was no fun at all. We were fighting. Suzy wasn't talking to me, and I was angry too. No matter how hard Dannie tried to get us to have fun with him on the beach, we just couldn't."
He looked down at his hands, his eyes filled with painful memories. I reached out and gently squeezed his hand, offering him silent encouragement.
"Finally, I declared that we were going back home," he said, his voice trembling. "I cut the picnic short, and Dannie protested loudly, pouting his mouth and pleading. But I was adamant. Suzy got up and silently walked back to the car, her hand protectively on her swollen belly."
Tann's voice cracked, and I could see tears forming in his eyes. "She went to the car and got into the driver's side. I told her to allow me to drive, but she gave me the silent treatment. Suzy always keeps silent when she's pissed," he said with a sad smile. "She said she prefers that to screaming and shouting and saying awful words she would regret later. I allowed her to drive, going to the passenger's seat."
Tann's voice shook as he took a deep breath, his words barely audible as they escaped his lips. "On our way home... on our way home, the silence was suffocating. I needed fresh air. I told her to stop the car. At first, she refused but I was adamant, I really needed the fresh air. S-She stopped t-the car." His voice faltered, the weight of the memory heavy on his shoulders.