The Mad Man
Episode 9
“I’m obviously not in the position to question anything, but I think it was so wrong to have told Nzube that Lucy is your house girl who you brought from the village. That was why he slept with her. You can’t blame him completely. Lucy is too beautiful to be a house girl.” Ikechi said while trying to persuade Ndidi to allow Nzube to marry Lucy given the circumstances they found themselves.
“Even at that, it was still wrong for him to have slept with my daughter while also sleeping with me. I can’t allow them to get married. I feel so ashamed. It’s a taboo for a man who slept with me to marry my daughter. It is culturally unacceptable.” Ndidi said. She was fuming with anger. They were at the house were Nzube had kept Ikechi when he found him. He has also gifted the house to Ikechi to live in with his wife, Ndidi.
“You should have thought of this before telling your boyfriend that a beautiful girl you brought into his house was your house girl and not your daughter. I mean, what were you up to? He never knew what he was dealing with. What you did delivered Lucy to Nzube on a platter of gold. But like I said, I’m not really in the position to question anything. However, I still insist we allow them to get married. That is the best for us. Besides, you cannot marry him again now that I’m here.” Ikechi said. They were in the living room.
“That will never happen. I cannot in all conscience allow a man who slept with me for a long time to also marry my daughter. How does that sound in your ears? That’s terrible and I can’t stomach it.” Ndidi said.
Ikechi left the room and went back to Nzube’s house. He met Nzube and Lucy in the balcony where they were drinking wine.
“Lucy, I know we have not had any relationship in the past, but I hope you will forgive me for the many years of absence. I hate the fact that I’m just making my way into your life under this circumstance. I plead with you to accept me into your life and love me as your father. Please, don’t cast me away. You are all I have got and I have lived all my life hoping to be with you.” Ikechi said. He was standing with his head bowed as if he was talking to his boss. He spoke as if Lucy was the only one seated before him. Nzube was also there and he listened with silence.
“Your mother is against your relationship with Nzube. Look, I understand her pain and I hope you do too. Personally, I cannot stand on your way to happiness. It was not your fault that you got pregnant. If you have decided to spend the rest of your life with Nzube, then I can’t stand on your way. But when have to convince your mother first.” Ikechi said. A soon as he said that, Lucy jumped up from her chair and hugged her father so tightly. She started crying.
“I’m happy to have you back dad. I have waited for so many years. I’m glad you are back into my life. Today is my happiest day on earth. I have been called a bastard by my friends because I never knew my father. But all that is over.” Lucy said. Ikechi then turned to Nzube and spoke to him like a close friend. They have actually become friends and very familiar with each other.
“As for you, you better stand up from there let us go and plead with your future mother-in-law to give you the consent to marry her daughter.” Ikechi said. The three of them left the scene and headed for the other house where Ndidi was. When they got there, they found her dead. An empty bottle of ‘ota pia pia’ lay beside her and she was fuming from his mouth and nose. She had poisoned herself. There was a written note in her right hand. Lucy picked it up and started reading.
“Dear Lucy, if you are reading this, it means you found me dead. I’m sorry for setting you up with Nzube. I actually knew he was going to sleep with you. I did this because I love him so much and he wanted children which I could not give to him. I know you are surprised to read this but it is true. I cannot give birth anymore. The reason is that my womb was removed to save my life when I gave birth to you. After was raped when I was pregnant with you, my womb sustained a lot of stress because you tried to come out two weeks before the delivery date. My womb was ruptured because of delay before I was taken to the hospital and it could not be repaired. The doctors decided to remove my womb as it had started to smell. It was acutally a miracle that you survived. I thought I would die. I stayed in coma for two weeks after my belly was opened so as to pull you out. After that, I became incapable of bearing children. Then I met Nzube. He was not aware that I had no womb. He wanted children so desperately and even wanted me to get pregnant before our wedding, but I lied to him that I wanted to wait till after marriage. The truth is that I have no womb and could not possibly get pregnant. As our wedding date drew closer, I did not have the courage to let him know the truth. He is such a good man and I didn’t want to hurt him. I cried every night when I remember that I cannot give him a child. That was why I brought you so that through you, he could have child. I knew that you people fell in love and I knew you were sleeping with each other. I’m so happy that you are pregnant and he can finally have a child through my own daughter. I feel so happy about this. I’m so sorry for putting you through this Lucy. Forgive me. Please, take care of my grandchild and make sure you marry Nzube. Do it for me as this would make me happy. Take care of your father, Ikechi. Assist him to find another woman to marry. Goodbye.” Lucy was crying all along as she read the letter. Nzube and Ikechi sat and listened with heavy hearts. They did not cry out, but the hot pain in their hearts could boil yams.
The revelations in the note written by Ndidi shocked all of them and they were all shaking like a hen beaten by a heavy rain.
A year after Ndidi died, Lucy and Nzube got married. Ikechi was Nzube’s best man on the wedding day. Lucy had earlier given birth to a baby boy.
THE END
What a shock