Episode 20
Husband Material ๐
On our way home from the village, I sat at the back seat of the car thinking about my life while Eric drives at his low speed.
“Madam, no kill yourself oo”. He said, watching me from the rear mirror.
“Why is my case different. Why do I get being betrayed by people I cared about?”. I asked.
“No be you be first”. He replied.
“What are you talking about?”. I said.
“You see. I get one friend wey dey like this. Em papa get money, em be the only son. Em no dey lack anything at all. Na only one thing wey em no fit get”.
“What’s that?”. I asked.
“Love. E dey hard for him to see woman wey go love am”. He continued.
“Is he disabled or something?”. I was curious.
“No oo”. He replied abruptly.
“So why is it hard for him to find love?”. I asked.
“Every woman wey dey come around am na money dey want”. He explained.
“Just like me. Every man coming around me now is only after my money.They don’t care about me, even my family”. I lamented.
“The last one wey happen, my guy don plan wedding finish, na so dem come kidnap am for hotel we dem dey do last bachelor party. As em dey dey wait make em people bring the money, em come discover say na the babe em wan marry arrange the kidnapers come”. He continued.
I knew I have heard that story from him before just that I wasn’t interested the first time.
“That is bad. So what did he do then?”. I asked.
“After em people bring the money come, they shoot am”. He continued.
“What?, what kind of wickedness is that?. taking an innocent man’s life after collecting ransom?”.
“Na so we see am oo”. He said.
“Thank God Alicia came out alive oo, though we didn’t pay a dime. And I must really appreciate you for that. If not for you Diana and Oliver would have succeeded”. I said.
“I just dey do my job”. He said.
“But how did you find out about Oliver?. The police said you were shot, is it true?”. I asked.
“That police dey very funny”. He laughed, and changed the topic instantly.
We talked about so much that day. I never knew I could actually talk with Eric for long without him getting me angry.
It was 7pm when we we got home. We had to wait extra fifteen minutes at the gate before Alicia answered.
“How is mama?”. She asked, after closing the gate behind us.
“She is fine”. I replied.
I was tired to start explaining anything to her. I just went straight to my room.
When I came back from work the next evening, I met Divine sitting in the living room with Alicia. She looked pregnant.
“What are you doing here?”. I asked.
“It’s my husband”. She replied.
“God, is this what I come to do in this life?. I asked.
….You see anything concerning Dennis, biko, count me out of it”. I said, and made to start going upstairs.
“Sister, please you need to hear me out”. She pleaded.
I thought for a second, then stopped, and turned to face her.
“I’m here”. I said.
“The thing is he has been in the police cell for four days now.”. She lamented.
“Okay?”. I asked.
“A woman got him arrested. She accused him of duping her of a very large sum of money . She is planning on taking the matter to court”. She sobbed.
“There is something I need to understand here. Are they accusing your husband or he committed the crime?”. I asked.
She bent her head, and started crying.
“He committed the crime”. She replied.
“Then allow him face the consequences”. I said.
“No sister. Please, I don’t want my husband to go to jail. Look at me, look at my condition. How will I survive, where will I tell my baby that the father is?”. She sobbed.
“I see. So why are you here now?”. I asked.
She started moving uneasily on the couch like there was fire under her.
“You see, the thing is… the police said we should make restitution payment as fast as possible if we don’t want the case to go to court”. She explained.
“Why are you telling me that?. What do you want me to do?”. I asked.
“Sister. I know you’re still angry with him. Please, I’m sorry about what he did to you”.
“What did he do to me?”. I asked.
“He has confessed everything to me”. She.
“This is serious. So you finally believed?. Because it was coming from him?. I smiled.
… After all you did. I booked a flight for you from Abuja to Anambra, so I could explain things to you. You looked me in the face and called me a liar. The next thing you did was to call mama and tell her that I am not happy with your marriage, making me look like a jealous sister”. I said.
She sled to the floor, and continued pleading.
“It’s not me, it’s Stella that was confusing me. Please, help me. I’m sorry”. She continued crying.
I left her there and went upstairs.
When I opened the door the next morning, she was sitting at my door.
I made to ignore her, but she held unto my leg, crying. It was a great struggle trying to free my leg from her grip.
This repeated itself for two days before I was moved to pity her.
I brought out my checkbook while coming out from the room on the third day. And sure enough, she was sitting there at the door with tears streaming down her cheeks.
“How much are we talking about here?”. I asked.
“5 million naira”. She said.
“I will give you 3”. I said.
“No sister, where am I going to get the remaining 2 million?. Please, help me, I am helpless, you’re the only one I have, please”. She pleaded.
“Come oo, this your husband, does he not have family?. Run to them, tell them their brother is in trouble”. I said.
“He is an orphan and an only son”. She cried
“That is none of my business. I can’t give what I don’t have, 3 million or nothing”. I said, with my pen held up.
She leaned her back on the wall.
“Hmmm”. She hummed.
“Are you doing or not?”. I asked.
“Do I have a choice?”. She replied.
I signed the check and dropped for her.
She was gone before I came back in the evening.
Mother called again that night. It has been three days I stopped picking her calls since all she talks about after that meeting in the village was ‘forgiveness’ .
That night, I decided to pick up.
“Mama good evening, please, I said you should give me time to think”. I began before I even heard her voice.
“No, I’m not talking about Stella now. Let’s talk something else”. She said.
“What?”. I asked.
“When is he coming to see us?”. She asked.
“Who?”. I asked.
“The young man you brought home to us, who you didn’t even introduce properly”. She said.
“Eric?”. I asked.
“That is his name?. When is he coming to visit us officially?”. She asked.
“Hmm, mama”. I just did not know what to say. I had almost forgotten that Eric went with me to the village.
“Make him to hurry up, there is no time”. She said.
She called again the next evening to talk about it. Then I decided to come clean. After all, if I don’t open up, Stella might.
“Mama, there is something you need to understand”. I began.
“What?”. She asked.
“Eric is just my gateman”. I said.
“So?”. She asked.
“We are not dating. We have nothing going on between us”. I explained further.
“Then make something to go on. There is something about that young man….I think he will make a good son inlaw”. She said.
“Mama, do you not understand what I am saying?. Eric is a gateman in my house!” I repeated
“And what is wrong with him being a gateman?. Let me remind you, incase you have forgotten. Your father once worked as a gateman before his demise. Does that make him less human?.”. She asked.
At this point my head is full.
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