S3: Narrator
They say children are a blessing, and what the story of Esme, Danai and Tinashe forces us to confront is if this is an immoveable fact, or if there are shades and levels to it. Can we really blame Tinashe for wanting the ultimate physical embodiment of legacy, before the forces of biology and science conspired to thwart it? Or Danai for resenting the overriding of her autonomy in a birthing that theoretically she wanted anyway? Irrespective regardless, the collision course was set, there was a fantastic crash and Esme arrived. And now we’re presented with a different dilemma.
Esme was here but did Danai or Tinashe fully graduate from the location of their desires, to the actual reality? And if children are a blessing, does that fact rely solely on the existence of the child, or does it require an intentional mind-shift into that realm of thinking? There are people in this story like Felicia and Eric who choose love and joy above all, even extending it outside of their nuclear unit. So again that raises the question of if children are a blessing, maybe a caveat needs to follow — something like “for those whose hearts are open, willing, capable and tolerant of the unexpected”. Perhaps if Esme’s parents had explored those extra nuances of the predicament, then she wouldn’t have existed. Or maybe she would have, but in a better set of circumstances.
Another thing this story forces us to confront is the will. Tinashe’s vs Danai’s. Expectations vs Dreams. Plans vs Reality. The all-consuming and cavernous depths of resentment, disorder and consequence these clashes brought to their family. And how Esme despite being loved, became the burning core absorbing all the conflict and all the pain, the one person in all of this who never had a part to play in her own dismantling. It begs the question of what kind of love Tinashe and Danai thought they had for their daughter. Does love do this to a child? Pride certainly does. As does selfishness, lack of compromise & consideration. Maybe if Tinashe had waited, Esme wouldn’t have been deprived of the fullness of desire and love Danai was always willing to offer. Maybe if Danai had recognised the shards of resentment shredding her in time, she would have made more effort to redirect them into threads of love wrapping Esme in unquestionable love and security.
It’s a complex situation and as always I refrain from judging our protagonists, I merely ask questions that interrogate their actions, their intentions and the fruit of them. No-one is perfect, and these stories strive to explore the nuances of human relationships and motivations. I do wonder what you think, but as always I’m staying in my lane and making you…ride the wave.
Originally posted: September, 2021