Living in Regret
Episode 1
You didn’t tell me you were getting married again.
Uche’s wife sprang out of the room with pestle in her hands.
“you can’t tell me what to do woman, he retorted, I can marry who ever I want and why should you care?
Atleast I have done you a favour by telling you now.
When last did I eat a proper meal in this house you are always either here or there painting your face with I liter of palm oil or what ever you call it”.
She dropped the pestle then muttered some words and spat to the ground then she turned at him and said
“Nnayi, I will not support you getting married to another woman,
I am more than enough for you and I know my place”. She stamped her feet and went inside the hut.
Uche sat down on the bench outside deep in thoughts .
” What manner of woman is this?
Isn’t it enough that since I got married to her she has been starving me?
She stopped cooking after giving birth to Ikenna, our only child.
Besides I want to father a female child and get dowries on her head”.
He shook his shoulders then said
“how will I listen to a mere woman, I am a man and it’s her duty to listen to me”,
He got up from the bench then shouted”
eh woman, you are to listen to me and not the other way round, I am your husband.
I’m getting a second wife and that is final.
He stood for a second and there was no response, he knew his wife had already made up her mind.
“Are you not hearing me”?
He screamed again and still no response.
With anger, he stumbled into the hut and found his wife fast asleep, snoring.
He shocked his head and went outside again.
Sitting on the bed, he remembered what his father had told him before he died.
“Uche, on no circumstance should you marry two wives because it is just like inviting problems to yourself.
I, your father got married to your mother and your stepmother
and you could see what I didn’t have peace in this house.
I will not want you to repeat the same mistake I made”.
He shook his head and folded his arms, then he said
“Uche, you are a man now and you should make your own decisions in life.
Father is gone and it is my life now, I’m taking a second wife and no one will talk me out of this.
Before I embark on the journey to Umuada, the neighbouring village to search for wife,
I need to meet with my friend Emeka and ask for his counsel.
Emeka is good when it comes to giving good counseling”.
He got up from the bench “let me visit him in his house”,
he said as he took the bush track to Emeka’s house.
Living in Regret
Episode 2
Halfway to Emeka’s house, he stumbled on him on the road.
“My good friend”, he said”where are you going by this time of the day.
with a smile, Emeka responded “to the forest of course, I want to start setting traps for the animals before it gets dark.”
Curious, he asked “this one you are rushing to my house, I hope everything is fine.
The last time you rushed this way to my house was when your father was about to give up the ghost”.
Uche was panting heavily like he has just ran a race. “Adimma”, he retorted, “all is well my good friend.
As you can see, I’m on my way to your house,
Let’s go to your house and have palm wine while I tell you what has befallen me”.
They both went to Emeka’s house which was just few miles away from where they met.
Emeka was a bachelor and his house clearly defined him.
He lived in a thatched house with broken wall and had refused to renovate because he would only do it when he gets married.
They both sat down on the bench outside the hut silent, then Emeka broke the silent by saying;
“Relax my friend, while I go inside to bring palm wine for us to share.
As he got to the door, he mistakenly hit his leg on a small stool that was just close to the door, he gave a loud sigh.
“My chi is giving me a sign that something bad will happen”, he said.
He went inside and carried the palm wine with two cups then he carried the stool to drop the cups.
He kept it on the floor and then sat on the bench pouring the palm wine on the cups as he gave one to his friend.
” This tastes like a new palm wine, where did you get it from”?
Uche asked pouring the drink into his throat while he poured more palm wine into the cup.
Emeka poured out the remains of the palm wine in his cup after a fly flew into the cup.
“What is it you want to tell me my friend”, he asked.
Uche cleared his throat as he started” my friend, I know you are very good when it comes to offering wise counseling and I have come to you to help me out.
Well, since when my wife gave birth to our son, she has refused to do any house chores.
She doesn’t cook or even clean like she used to. She just sits in the mirror all day applying things on her face while I starve.
I feel her plan is to stárve me to death. I have decided that I will take a second wife”.
He didn’t finish pronouncing wife when Emeka got up on his feet, rebuking him he said ” You are so ungrateful my friend.
That woman has suffered a lot for your sake, she was with you when all wasn’t well, now you have enough yams in your barns.
is this how you want to pay her back? Besides I was there when your father asked me to warn you that you should not get married to two women.
Your wife is enough for you. He shook his shoulders, as he said tuifiakwa (Godfòrbid).
“Sit down my friend, it hasn’t gotten to this” Uche said as he tried to calm his friend down.
” I have not taken a second wife yet,but I can’t cope with my wife either.
Besides in our land you know a female child is more respected than even a male child.because she is her father’s means of getting rich.
I want a female child that I will give out in marriage to a rich suitor who will in turn give me many yam barns and lands.
Emeka’s face suddenly turned dark like a dark cloud had covered it and his brows raised, he said;
Every child is valuable, be it a boy or a girl.
Whatever you wish to do you can do it, but I won’t be in support you marrying two wives.
Remember how your father suffered from the same fate. Due to too much thinking, he got hít by a car which led to his deáth.
” Emeka replied aggressively folding his hands, he went to his hut, shot the door and he came to where his friend was sitting.
” I’m late for my hunting my friend, the forest calls and I need to set the traps in time.
do whatever works for you, please let’s walk together so that I can see you off while I go to the Forest.
They both went out of the compound without saying to one another.
Uche felt defeáted as his friend didn’t support him, “could it be that he is jealous because he is not married”, he thought.
They finally broke the silence as they bid farewell to one another and they took separate paths to their different destinations.
© Thessycute Ekene
