A WIFE FOR HIRE
Episode 21
By AMAH’S HEART
For a few minutes, I still stood transfixed at the spot speechless after Angie left the room.
Tessy on the other hand slowly went to sit on the bed, she was equally speechless for some minutes unable to fathom what went wrong with Angie for her to say such spiteful things, but for me I already knew that Sophie is behind everything
” don’t let your thoughts wander too much Tess, it’s clearly Sophie who is trying to instigate Angie to hat3e you… God! that woman is so shamelesxs that it stinks!” I said pacing around the room
” Yes Ton, I do know that but I’m kind of speechless .. I can’t believe a mother can actually instigate a child as young as Angie to say or do bad.. I understand that she views me as a home wreckerr but hearing it from Angie’s mouth, makes it hurrt differently!” Tessy replied and I stopped pacing around
” Tess that’s exactly what she wants! Sophie knows already that you love Angie as you would love your own daughter.. she knows that you would be more hurrt and moved by Angie’s words, hence she’s trying to use my daughter for her selfish gains… But don’t worry Tess I will fix this today, enough is enough!” I said slowly pacing around again
” Ton maybe you should just let everything be the way they are, at least for Angie’s sake… I’ve realized that somehow Angie is right, yes I do know she loves me as a mother, but she loves and needs her real mother the most… so please let her be Ton!” Tessy pleaded looking at me but my mind is already made up, I can’t take this anymore
” I’m sorry Tess but I won’t let everything be as they are when it is clearly inconveniencing me… even though Sophie is Angie’s biological mother, she is clearly a bad influence on my daughter and you know what? I refuse to be manipulated by her.. besides you women are all the same in deceit so please excuse me!” I concluded as I took my phone on the stand where I kept it and walked out of the vistors bedroom ângrily, on my way to the bedroom Sophie stays.
Before reaching the bedroom I made sure my phone was kept in a voice recording mode, since Sophie wants to be playing games with Tessy and I using Angie, I need to be extra careful
When I finally reached the door of the bedroom, I ângrilly opened it without knoccking
I came in to see Sophie putting on a towel sitting on the chair that faces the dressing mirror on the wall, seems she had just finish taking a shower
” you should have at least knockedd Tony… what if I was nak3ed? it’s not like I would have mind since you’ve actually seen my bare body several times over and over again.. and I believe your hired wife wouldn’t mind either” Sophie said looking at me romantically
” Don’t you have some shame Sophie? you don’t need to answer that because I know that you lost it a long time ago!.. Anyways I’m not here for that, what exactly are you trying to do with my daughter Angie?”
” You talk like Angie isn’t my daughter too.. I am her mother so I share equal rights to her, I can do whatever I want to do with our daughter Tony.. so if that’s why you are here, then I’m sorry but I have no answer for you” Sophie answered shrugging and I stood there looking at her in amusement
” Wow! you are now claiming entitlement to a daughter whom you never cared for?… Sophie you kept depriving Angie of every motherly love she needed at an early age, almost every single year our daughter kept begging for your attention, time, calls and visits yet you turned her down and made it seem like she was asking for too much…” I vented out in angerr, paused to take a deep breath and then continued
“… Sophie you deprived us here in Nigeria but rather you were unrepentantly frolickiing with your lovers in the States while you kept using work as a cover up!.. for close to five years Sophie you kept prioritizing your work more than us, only for me to find out that it was actually your lover and bosses that you had prioritize and choosen over us” I retorted scoffing in disgustt
” That’s not true Tony.. Forget what Benny said yesterday, he actually lied against me.. he is blackmaillling me and wants to soil my reputation in front of you because of the one night stand we had at the States when I was drunk.. you know me too well that I can never cheat on you with my right senses intact” Sophie said standing up to walk towards me and in the process of doing so, her towel fell to the floor exposing her núdity, I know it was a deliberate act but Sophie never seemed to bother as she walked pass it and stood in front of me in her nude state
“..do you like what you are seeing? common Tony it’s been a while we made love so lets do now that my body is craving for your touch!” Sophie continued romantically touching me on my chest.
I stood where I was as I stared at Sophie not moved or even fascinated by her nâkedness anymore, if only she can open up my mind eye to see how much everything about her disgustts me now then I bet she would have quickly covered up her núdity and forget all this sëducing schemes of hers.
” I thought I did but realized that I don’t know you at all Sophie and please have some shame and cover yourself up! nothing about you moves me anymore… and about what Ben said yesterday, I’m sorry but you can’t talk your way out of this one.. tell me Sophie! why do you think I came to the sitting room and was looking at you in ánger before Ben’s knóck came?” I asked pushing Sophie’s hands off my chest and when I got no response from Sophie, I continued undeterred
“… It’s because I knew about your escapadess and wanted to confront you about it… do you want to know how I knew? I will tell you, yesterday in the bathroom of this room, I heard all of your phone conversation with your Benny… to top it up I saw some of your WhatsApp messages with him, abørtions and a**l sëx Sophie? aren’t you scared for your health at all?” I asked looking defiantly at Sophie and saw her visibly shaking as she moved backwards, picked up her towel on the floor and tied it back on
” I guess you know everything and there’s nothing I can say now that will change anything… So tell me Tony, what now?” Sophie retorted going back to sit on the chair, with no remorse whatsoever on her face
” I will give you two hours to pack up your stuffs and leave my house!… tomorrow I will file for a divorce and serve you the divorce papers so we can sign it and peacefully go our separate ways!” I said and Sophie said to me smirking
” You want us to go our separate ways so that you can marry that hired wife of yours.. am I right Tony?” Sophie inquired looking at me frowning
” Even if Tessy wasn’t in the picture I would still not stay under the same roof with you Sophie… as for me and Tessy, if I love her enough to marry her then I don’t think that is any of your business!” I retorted almost raising my voice
” No problem, I will go away from your life if that’s what you want Tony but not without my daughter Angie… as you know, just like you I am financially buoyant enough to legally fîght for her custody” Sophie said nonchalantly which got me laughing for a short while
” Quit the emotional blaspheemy Sophie because it’s actually craccking me up.. you want to fîght for Angie’s custody knowing too well that you can’t cater for her emotional and even physical needs?.. which law court would even grant custody of a child to a negligent mother like you after everything you’ve done?” I asked still staring at her
” Well the court of Law favours a mother more when it comes to a child’s custody.. moreso they don’t know anything about me so Tony I’m still on the safe side” Sophie answered smiling sheepishly and I scoffed bringing out my phone to play the voice recording
Sophie was shockedd to hear that all what we said had been secretly recorded by me
” See? I can easily play this recording in the court if my words isn’t strong enough to defend me… But common Sophie, lets quit with the back and forth! we both know that you are only going to be fightTing for Angie’s custody in other to spite Tessy and I, not necessarily because you truly want to be a mother to Angie… So for once Sophie please stop being self-centered!” I said to Sophie who nodded her head nonchalantly
” Well you’re right Tony.. you know that I don’t fancy children because of the stress involved in keeping them, I never even wanted any but you kept insisting that you can’t get married without a fruit of the womb to show for it… anyways Angie is going to be a baggagee to me which I don’t want, so yes you can have her all you want!” Sophie uttered nonchalantly and got up to start packing her stuffs into her traveling boxes.
” Sophie I am not going to take our daughter Angie away from you.. you are still her mother so you can visit her anytime you want to, I won’t stop you so long as you don’t try to negatively influence her thoughts like you did today” I said gently and she nodded in understanding
” No problem Tony I understand… well, your consideration of me is actually cool but no thank you because I don’t think I will have the free time or strength to visit her… and certainly not here in this house where I will get to see that ugly bïtch hired wife of yours!” Sophie retorted still packing her clothes, shoes and bags to throw it into the open boxes
” No problem Sophie.. you can suit yourself, but please before going make sure you erase whatever fabricated lies you told my daughter about Tessy!”
” And what if I don’t? what would you do Tony?”
” I will erase it myself using this voice recording as a back up… you know how children can be and I bet you won’t want to be remembered by Angie as a bad mother… so please reserve some dignity to yourself and don’t push me Sophie” I warned turning to walk out of the room but Sophie threw a pillow at me
” Fùçk you Tony!” Sophie shoute3d in rage3
” And you too Sophie!” I retorted and completely walked out of the bedroom.
I went to the kitchen to fix breakfast for everyone and met Tessy already there preparing Marconi and tea for breakfast.
” How was your confrontation with Sophie? and what have you two decided?” Tessy inquired the moment I sat down on the kitchen counter
” She is packing up and would be out of my house in the next two hours… tomorrow we will sign the divorce papers and peacefully get done with this whole facade I called a marriage!” I answered looking at the pot of Marconi on fire
” Oh okay, no problem.. I’m glad everything has been peacefully settled between you two” Tessy said and continued cooking in silence obviously not in the mood to talk further with me.
I know she is still hurtt by what I said about her and Sophie being the same in deceit, deep down I regret saying that to her and want to tender an apology but at the moment I am not in the mood to talk to anyone either.
She soon finished cooking and together we set the cooked food on the dinning table and Tessy called the children out of their bedroom for breakfast.
Tessy, Chioma, Angie and I were on the dinning room taking our breakfast when Sophie ângrilly walked out of the house with her traveling bags without even saying goodbye or giving Angie a second glance.
We kept eating in silence until Angie spoke up, therefore putting an end to the silence in the dinning room
” I’m really sorry mummy Tessy for what I had said to you this morning… my mummy Sophie came to my bedroom a while ago before I came down for breakfast and said that what she told me about you were only for joke purposes… she also said that she doesn’t want daddy anymore so she is going away to the States and might not be back to Nigeria again this time around!” Angie said with tears already streaming down her eyes while Chiom and I looked at them in silence not wanting to interrupt
” It’s okay Angel, I was never ângry with you in the first place.. and don’t worry about mummy Sophie, I am here for you and promise to be your mummy from now henceforth” Tessy replied using her palm to wipe Angie’s tears, since she was sitting the closest to her
” Thanks mummy Tessy.. I know that I will miss mummy Sophie but since you’re here, I believe that as usual I will still be fine without her presence” Angie said and Tessy smiled before saying to her
” That’s my Angel.. so now lets start with you calling me just mummy like before instead of mummy Tessy.. can you go back to doing so?” Tessy asked and Angie nodded now smiling
” Yes mummy..” Angie said and turned to Chiom smiling
” ..you see Chiom, I told you before that we will be sisters”
” Yes you said so the day I first came here with mummy… but uncle Tony can I call you my daddy too?” Chioma asked smiling as she turned to look at me for a reply
” Sure Chiom you can call me daddy afterall you are my daughter too..” I said smiling and turned to look at Tessy
” Tess I’m sorry if I hurrt you with my response earlier… please Crystal can we put everything behind us and start afresh without grudges?” I asked hoping that Tessy forgives me
” It’s okay Ton I have forgiven you.. so now lets give a toast to a new beginning!” Tessy said and together we gave a toast and continued eating happily as a family that we now are.
Suddenly there was a heavy bang on the door, startling everyone and cuttitng off our happy moment.
We all turned at the same time with shocck to see who it was.
