The House Wife
Episode 5
“This is our housemaid.” Ali tells Kassandra as soon as he entered his house with Nancy following him from behind. Before then, he had followed Nancy to her village and she introduced him to her parents so as to make things official. After then, Nancy had packed all her property and loaded them in Ali’s car and followed him to his house. Kassandra was wondering what was happening but Ali has an explanation.
“You know you have been complaining of too much work in the house. So, I decided to travel to the village last weekend to look for someone who would be helping you to do domestic work. I travelled without telling you because I wanted it to be a sweet surprise to my darling. I’m sure you will like the girl. Her name is Nancy.” Ali said, pointing to Nancy who was standing in front of Kassandra submissively.
Nancy was shocked when she heard Ali introducing her to Kassandra as the house help. Ali did not discuss this with her and this made her to feel very terrible.
“Why is he now calling me a house help? I’m her co-wife and not a housemaid.” Nancy tells herself in her heart. Her heart was p******g very fast in anger but she decided to maintain her cool so that her relationship with Kassandra, her co-wife will not start with a fight.
Kassandra was sitting in the living room, and she was drinking wine and watching Zee World as usual. Her relationship with Zee World is so deep and tight that it could take death to stop her from watching the station. The wine in her glass cup has a red colour and she used the cup to gesture as she opened her mouth talked.
“But she is pregnant. How can you bring a pregnant woman into the house to work as a maid? Didn’t you see any other person? Is she the only person in the village?” Kassandra asked.
“This one is related to me. Nancy is actually a daughter to my late uncle.” Ali said. He knew he was lying but he continued to talk anyway.
“An old man of 75 years got her pregnant and the elders in the village wanted to hand her over to the man. This is why I said I won’t let that happen when I can actually help. Please honey, imagine as young as you are, someone asks you to marry a 75 year old man? It’s unfair, and that’s why I had to bring her to the city.” Ali told some more lies. It seemed to work because he was appealing to Kassandra’s conscience with the lies and she was starting to cave in.
“Nancy is very resourceful. She can help you a lot in the house. There is nothing she cannot do even with this pregnancy. She is very agile and I have never known her to be lazy.” Ali said. All these while, Nancy was standing respectfully like a true housemaid. She refused to properly lift up her face to look at Kassandra, her co-wife.
“Hmmmm! Ok, if you insist that she can work, then I’m fine with your decision. She can stay.” Kassandra said. Ali heaved a sigh of relieve as he went and hugged Kassandra with joy. He kissed her passionately and this made Nancy to be very jealous.
“How can he be kissing her in my presence? Doesn’t he know I will be jealous?” Nancy said in her heart. She was very sad but she decided to keep calm. She knew that somehow, she has the upper hand in the house because she is the one who is carrying Ali’s baby, so she decided to be as gentle as a dove, but as wise as a fox. She will discreetly plant her feet in the house such that it would be difficult to uproot her.
“Please, follow me.” Kassandra tells Nancy and she followed very respectfully. Nancy was taken to an extra room outside the main building. The room is part of the security house. The security house has two small rooms. While the security man occupies one, Kassandra said Nancy should take the second one as her room.
“You mean this is my room?” Nancy asked with disgust written all over her face.
“Yes! This is your room. Each day when you finish doing domestic work in the main house, you will come here and pass the night. Or don’t you like the place?” Kassandra asked. She was clearly marking her territory because she has heard stories of house helps snatching their madam’s husband and she doesn’t want to experience such.
“Of course I like it. The room is very nice. Thank you so much ma.” Nancy said. The things she said did not come from her heart, but already, Ali has introduced her to Kassandra as a housemaid and not a co-wife, so she had little rights in the house. She decided to play along until she plants herself firmly. She decided to make Kassandra feel free with her.
“Ma, I promise to be very obedient to you. Thank you so much for accepting to live with me despite my pregnancy. You have actually saved my life from the hands of that old man in the village. Women like you are very few in this world. I promise you will never regret accepting me into your house.” Nancy said. This made Kassandra happy and she smiled.
When Ali discovered that Kassandra took Nancy to the security house, he was very angry but there was nothing he could do to help.
“So all these rooms in this big house, Kassandra did not see anyone to give to Nancy. It is the security post that she wants a pregnant woman to stay. The security post where there is plenty of mosquitoes. Kassandra is even more wicked than I thought. I actually married a witch without knowing it.” Ali said to himself. He had gone to a nearby bar to drink one bottle that evening.
“How am I going to explain this to Nancy? How can I convince her to stay in the security post in a house built by her husband? I have boxed myself into a very difficult corner. Why didn’t I summon the courage to tell Kassnadra that I have a new wife since she didn’t allow me sleep with her? This would have been a very good ground of argument. But I have messed things up in my bid to cover up.” Ali said. He drank the last drop of beer in the green bottle and then stood up and left the bar.
That night, he decided that he will go and pass the night at the security post with Nancy.
“I hope she will accept me and allow me to do something.” Ali said as he tiptoed out of the bedroom, leaving Kassandra alone in the big house. When he got to the security post, the security man flashed his torchlight and the bright light captured Ali’s face.
“Ah! Oga, I’m very sorry sir. I didn’t know it was you.” The security man said. Ali did not answer him. He passed quietly and pushed Nancy’s door. Fortunately for him, it was not locked. It was as if Nancy knew he would come. He entered and locked it from the inside.
“I hope I’m welcome here?” Ali asked Nancy.
“No you are not.” Nancy declared with an angry voice. Deep down, she was no longer angry, but as a woman, she needed to pretend to be angry so that Ali will beg her. She likes it when she is begged.
“I know you are angry but I did what I did to protect you. I don’t know what would happen if I told Kassandra you are my second wife. She could harm you. Please, do this form me, I promise to stand by you.” Ali said. He pleaded with Nancy to see reasons with him and keep her head down for a while.
“How can I be a house help in my husband’s house? That’s unthinkable and even despicable. But I have always being a fool to love. I will do it because I really love you. But you must promise me I will never lack anything good. And that you will come here each night to attend to my needs as a woman.” Nancy said. She drew closer and started kissing Ali. Soon, they fell on the small student’s bed that was dropped on the floor of the room. They made love passionately.
This became the tradition because each night, Ali leaves Kassandra in the bedroom and comes to Nancy’s room to come and do something. But one day, the security man caught them red handed and all hell was let lose.
Written by Israel Usulor
Watch out for episode 6.
