MY MARRIED GIRLFRIEND
CHAPTER 5
“Are you sick, Steve? Blackmail Larisa?”
“Yes, Bro. Wise up. We could make lots of money from her. She is extremely rich. The amount we would get from her would just be a token. She has tons of cash.”
“You are mad. Do you know the kind of woman Larisa is? She is not just rich; she is also highly connected. With just a snap of her finger, both of us can be taken out immediately. I don’t want to die now.” I explained to Steve.
“Alright, then, stay away from it. I will handle it myself. Just give me the necessary details.” He proposed.
“So, you really think I will let you get close to Larisa?” I asked.
“Why not?”
“Listen up gentleman, that woman has pure and undiluted love for me. She is also carrying my child, my baby, the first seed from my loins. I will make sure no harm comes to her. Leave her alone and never bother me again about this. Do you understand.”
The last message was sent as a voice note and Steve didn’t respond. I wondered the kind of upbringing that Steve had. He was always looking for ways to swindle people and make illegal money. I prayed he doesn’t end up in a police cell sooner than later.
The next day, I called Larisa and told her she should come to my house in the evening. It was around 5:00 PM when she came. She looked very beautiful in her pink dress. I offered her a drink but she turned it down. She didn’t seem very happy, no thanks to our last conversation and the way it ended.
“Welcome Larisa. I just want to say I am sorry about my tone the other day.”
“I thought you broke up with me already.”
“No, I didn’t. I was just pissed because you put me in a precarious situation. You didn’t tell me you were married. By not doing so, I was walking like a blind man into a ditch. I don’t know who your husband was and how he would react to a situation like this.”
“I understand, and I am sorry for that too.” She spoke.
“It’s alright. So, what is the way forward?” I asked.
“I have come up with a plan.”
“A plan? Please, tell me.” I said excitedly and sat up in my chair.
“I have called my husband to come back to the country. I have told him there is someone trying to drag our land.”
“But why? That is instead dangerous for us. How can you ask your husband to come back at a time like this?” I was worried instead.
“Don’t you think? The pregnancy has not yet developed. In fact, no one knows I am even pregnant now. So, it is only prudent for him to be around now.” Larisa explained.
“What is your plan, Larisa?”
“Do you know the story of David and Bathsheba in the bible?” She asked.
“Who doesn’t?”
“Good, when David got Bathsheba pregnant, didn’t he call for Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah to come home so that he could sleep with is wife and it would be like it was Uriah who had gotten Bathsheba pregnant?”
“Now I understand you. You husband will come back into the country, sleep with you, and you will pin the pregnancy on him.”
“Exactly”
Larisa was smart. That was a perfect and foolproof idea. However, I felt jealous that she would be sleeping with another man, even if that man was her husband. Again, my child, my unborn child, would be given to another man. It made me feel bad, but what could I do? I should be grateful that things were even moving this way. I decided that I would leave everything to time. Someday, I know I will take my child back.
Life had returned back to normal. Larisa and I were back in good terms, and Steve hadn’t bothered me again with any of his devilish plans. Larisa had still not shown any signs of pregnancy. She still looked normal to the eyes of everyone. The only three people who knew she was pregnant were Me, Steve and herself. I cursed under my breath for allowing Steve to know.
On Monday, the following week, I had just closed from work and decided to stop at Larisa’s bakery. As I got close, I noticed that there was a huge modern-looking Highlander parked in front of Larisa’s shop. I had never seen that car before. I checked to see if there were any customers drinking in front of the shop. There were customers no doubt, but none of them looked like they owned that kind of car. I also noticed that there was no sign of Larisa. I came close, got into the shop, went to the counter and…that was when I saw him. He was back. He was in town. Larisa’s husband was back in the country. Now I understand who had parked that expensive car outside.
The man looked good and handsome. He was tall, fair-skinned, bulky but not portly. He grew a nicely trimmed grey beard that made him look important and sophisticated. He had a kind but firm stare that made me feel guilty. There was a general aura of wealthiness around him. He realized he had gotten my attention and came forward.
“Anything you want, young man?” He asked in his rich and foreign accent.
“No, Sir. I mean, yes. Emmm, actually…I came to get a hamburger and some yoghurt.” I babbled.
“Serve the young man.” He told one of the sales girls.
As the girl served me, I stood there shivering. I felt so intimidated by his presence, and guilty that I had been sleeping with his wife and even gotten her pregnant. As the girl handed me a plastic bag containing what I had ordered, Larisa came into the shop, saw me and smiled.
“Mr. Val, meet my husband.” She spoke. “Honey, this is Mr. Valentine Babalola. He is a private teacher I contacted to teach our girls at home.”
“I have met him already. He seemed like a fine young man, though just lately, he was looking at me as if he had been caught cheating in an exam.” He said and they all laughed. I laughed too, nervously.
“Good afternoon, Sir. I am glad to make your acquaintance, Sir.”
“You are teaching my kids?” He asked.
“Yes, Sir.”
“Hope you are doing a fine job?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Alright, I just came into the country yesterday. I have some businesses to do in town. I will be seeing you around. Bye.” He said, pecked Larisa, went into his car and drove off.
Phew!! I felt relieved when he left. I turned and looked at Larisa and she told me to calm down, that everything will be fine. I hoped so. With the amount of money her husband had, he could put me away forever if he found out about our secret.
Since Larisa had introduced me as the teacher to their kids, I now went to her house freely. Her husband was always happy to see me. Each time I was in his house, after I had finished teaching the kids, her husband will invite me to the table and we would drink wine and discuss about a lot of life’s issues. He once asked me if I was married, and I said I wasn’t. He told me to get married as soon as I was able to. Everything was moving smoothly.
I was earning extra cash as a tutor to the kids, I was still sleeping with Larisa secretly, sometimes in her car and sometimes in my house and she had already told her husband that it seemed she was pregnant. Her husband hadn’t suspected any foul play yet.
I was home one fine Saturday, reclining on my favourite Sofa, sipping wine and watching a movie on MBC 2 when my phone rang. I picked the call and it was Larisa. She sounded urgent.
“Hello, Mrs. Adewale.” I had to use her husband’s name, just in case he was around.
“Val, where are you?” She asked.
“I am home, is anything the matter?”
“Yes, there is trouble.”
“What is going on? Please, tell me.”
“Val, I am in trouble. Have you ever given my number to anyone?” She asked, scared.
“Of course, not what are you talking about?”
“Someone called me and told me he knows about my relationship with you. He threatened me, Val, he threatened me. He even sent a picture of us to me. He said he was going to tell my husband everything if I don’t give him a hundred million before the end of this week.”
“What? Is he crazy? How did he …wait, did he tell you what his name is?”
“Yes, Val. He did.”
“What’s his name?”
“Steve”
TO BE CONTINUED…
