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Kola returned home at about 3:15pm and made straight for the guest room. He knew that Jumoke would be somewhere; in the kitchen, the bedroom or just anywhere. He was happy that he didn’t meet her in the living room. How on earth would he face her with guilt written all over him? She would know because his actions would betray him. A guilty conscience is a troubled conscience.
How will he face her now? How long before she discovers? Will he be able to open up that he had defiled his marriage bed? He had shared what rightfully belonged to her with a strange woman. He had broken his marital vow. He had stained his garment.
The warning signs were there. How he wished he could undo all that he did today? He might have to live with the guilt for all his life. Guilt. Regret. He might never be able to face his wife to tell her that he slept with Deaconess Beatrice.
When the two of them were on fire, it was like nothing else mattered but the need to mate. They were like animals on heat. The intensity of Kola’s need was so much that he feared that he might burst if he didn’t carry out the act.
Regret came immediately he withdrew from her. The veil of lust that had all along been on his face was torn away. The s@xual act that tasted sweet on his tongue became bitter the moment it got into his gut. He remembered the bible passage that spoke about being satisfied with the wife of one’s youth in Proverbs chapter 15
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Kola had never been dissatisfied with his wife’s body. He loved her the way she was. More so, he’d never had any problem with lust. He wasn’t a womanizer. What then did Deaconess possess that lured him into the dance of shame? What made him lose his sanity?
The moment their eyes cleared after the act, Deaconess quickly covered her nakedness and hid behind several pillows. On his part, Kola zipped up his trouser and grabbed his bag. He glanced at her and shook his head in disgust. There and then, He decided not to take her job, even if she would offer him the whole world. He won’t even collect the wage for the auditing job. He didn’t need a constant reminder of the day that he fell. He vowed that the day would be the last time that he would step into Deaconess’ house.
“Ha! God I have failed you. I have failed my wife.” Kola cried as he drove home. ” Maybe I should have told her of my dealings with the Deaconess from the onset. I shouldn’t have hidden anything from my wife. I shouldn’t have accepted that I would do the job at Deaconess’ house. I should have taken my wife as my confidant.
——
Kola heard his wife moving around the house. Quickly, he drew the door and locked it from within. He also stripped and rushed into the bathroom. He wanted to rid himself of every scent of deaconess. He would burn the clothes he wore to her house to the last item. He wouldn’t leave anything to remind him of this terrible day. He would remove every physical traits of his infidelity. Not that he could remove the imprint in his heart anyway. It can never be erased. He will always remember. The more he sees the deaconess, the more he will remember his shortcoming. Now he has begun to hate her like shit. He never want to have anything to do with her again.
Jumoke drew the door handle from outside. Quickly, Kola rolled the clothes into a single ball and threw it under the bed. He wrapped a towel around his waist and braced up. What would be his excuse for locking the door? Jumoke would ask him. Stylishly, he removed the inner lock and opened.
Jumoke entered and frowned. ” Why did you lock yourself in?”
” I think the door is beginning to give problem.”
” When did you even come in?” She asked and moved farther into the room.
He turned his back to her. ” A while ago. I thought that you were sleeping since I didn’t see you in the living room. So I just decid…”
Suddenly, Jumoke held her stomach and rushed for the toilet. He followed her and watched as she vomited into the bowl.
” What’s happening? When did this start?” Kola asked with concern.
” It started after I ate breakfast. I have vomited up to ten times today. I perceived a kind of strange scent when I entered this room that brought another urge to vomit.” She looked around as if she was searching for something.
Kola held his breath. ” You should have called to inform me that you are not feeling fine.”
” And disrupt whatever you were doing with your sugar mummy?”
Kola’s heart jumped. He turned his face away. He could give himself away if he continued to look at her. Jumoke was suprised that he didn’t pursue the matter. He didn’t even show anger that she called deaconess his sugar mummy. They will come back to it. Now she’s feeling weak.
” Let’s get you to the clinic,” Kola said.
” Clinic? No! It’s just common vomiting. It’s because of what I ate in the morning.”
” I disagree with you. You said you’ve vomited up to ten times. You are losing body fluid. It’s not wise to keep you at home.”
” Hmmm,” Jumoke grunted. ” As if you care.”
They drove to the nearest pharmacy and Jumoke laid her complain. The lady that attended to her asked a question that sounded funny to Jumoke.
” Madam are you pregnant?”
” Pregnant?” Jumoke turned to her husband. ” I saw my menses about three weeks ago. Though it was very scanty and lasted for just a day. I presumed the scantiness was because of the fertility treatment that I’m taking.”
” Are you sure?”
” Of course, I keep my records. I’m on some drugs and I monitor my period closely.”
” Do you mind if I carry out a pregnancy test on you?”
” Pregnancy test? I said that I menstruated three weeks ago.”
” That might not really be your menses. It might be that you are pregnant and your baby is trying to implant itself to your uterine wall, hence the light bleeding. We call it implantation bleeding. With the signs you are having, there’s every possibility that you are pregnant.”
” Jesus,” was all Jumoke could say. Kola looked ahead like a statue. He was trying to digest so many things at the same time.”
” Please follow me to our mini lab,” the pharmacist said.
Jumoke produced her urine. It was tested at three different times. All came out with double purple lines. ” Jesus!” She shouted and grabbed her husband. ” I am pregnant. It never crossed my mind. She was already crying. Kola drew her to his chest.
The pharmacist smiled at the couple as they moved back to the counter. Kola tried to express joy, for himself and for his wife. He had to put in extra effort. Jumoke noticed his uneasiness and shrugged.
The pharmacist gave them instructions. ” I advise you to go to the hospital and do confirmatory test as soon as possible. In the foregoing, I will give you something for the vomiting.
——-
Two week later, Jumoke snuggled close to her husband on the bed. They’d retired for the night. Kola looked at her and smiled sadly. She was snoring softly, oblivious to his inner turmoils and struggles. If he could only relax the way his wife is relaxed. God has answered their prayers. He should be happy, but his guilt wouldn’t allow him.
The test at the clinic confirmed his wife’s pregnancy. She was in her 7th week. Jumoke is always happy now. She constantly sing all over the house. She even smiles more. All her conversations now revolves mostly around the pregnancy. She had stopped talking about Kola’s closeness to deaconess Beatrice. She only mentioned her two days ago, when they were watching a program on TV.
Kola almost jumped out of his skin as he heard the name.
” You didn’t tell me that Deaconess travelled to Ghana,” Jumoke said.
” Hmmm.” Kola grunted. He looked into the distance.
” Did she travel for a course or something?”
” I don’t know,” Kola replied.
” When is she returning?” Jumoke pressed on.
” I don’t know either,” Kola replied in same nonchalant voice. Unconsciously, he frowned.
” You seem not to know anything about her lately. What happened? Is there something you are not telling me?”
Kola started looking for an imaginary object on the floor. He couldn’t look at his wife’s face. ” I think we should not talk about her. It was you that had a chip on your shoulder about her. Now that she’s not here, you won’t allow me to rest.”
” Are you angry? ” Jumoke asked, peering into his face. ” I’m sorry.”
” It’s okay.” Kola passed his arm around her shoulder and drew her closer. She inturn rested her head on his chest. She’s always apologizing for everything these days. Pregnancy is bringing out the best in her. She offered her lips for a kiss. Kola obliged. He felt a special sort of tenderness for her; his wife. Love welled up in his heart for her and for her alone. He vowed that nothing will ever make him cheat on her again.
He wished he could come clean about what happened between him and Deaconess. He never wanted any secret between him and his wife again. He will always be plain to her, but for the secret. How will he go about telling her?
TO BE CONTINUED
Β©BOSEDE FAGBEMI
Which is better? Should Kola tell his wife about what happened or he should keep the secret with him forever and ever?
