CHAPTER 8
SWB: Akinsehinwa Oluwaseun.
I kept thinking of who the strange man could be.
Suddenly my mind went to Smith, Dunmininu’s fiance.
Could he be the shameless man behind this message? I remembered when I walked into Dunmininu’s room yesterday,I saw him stark naked on the bed, then he winked at me before lazily covering himself with a bed cover. No, that’s not possible.
He can’t be this crazy. Though I don’t have any doubt that he’s unfaithful to my friend but I’m sure even if he wants to do his rubbish, then he’ll move faraway. Moreover he was at my wedding, he wouldn’t want to disgrace himself.
Could he have sent the message?
My phone rang minutes later, it was the same number with which that awkward message was sent. Everything in me wanted to hurl insults and curses upon the sender but I knew I had to play wise to be able to know who he was. I picked up the call and for the first one minute, neither of us said a thing to the other, until I decided to break the silence.
“Hey dear” I said trying to play along.
“Hum, hello” he answered with a baritone voice.
“I read your message , I would have preferred you didn’t send a message, you know I’m in my matrimonial home, my husband might have read the message had I not been careful” I said cunningly.
“Oh I’m sorry” he said with a baritone voice and I knew immediately that it was no other person aside Smith, the pig. That’s his voice.
“So tell me you like it? You wanna give me a trial?’ he asked rather shamelessly.
“Hmn you are sounding so cool and I’m beginning to like you already but I’m sorry I still don’t know who I’m talking to” I said trying to play the games well
“Like seriously? From the content of the message you should know who I am already”
“I don’t really know”
“Babe you know, you just want to be sure it’s me, I know how the game goes. I’ve played it with several married women, some of them pretend as if they are interested just to know who the secret admirer is, once they know, they begin to rain curses and insults on the admirer, some even set the admirer up in an hotel after pretending like they were interested. Others pretend not to be interested but at the end they come back calling with a strange number to say yes they are interested. Some just give a straight Yes or No”
“This guy must really be good in the game” I said in my mind.
“So tell me which of the group do you think I belong to?” I asked still trying to make him spit out his name, though I already knew it’s Smith.
“I know you are not an easy nut to crack but I still want you though. You can ask from your friend she’ll tell you how great I am “
“I said it, it’s you nasty dirty pig!” I blurted out angrily.
“What! Me, a pig? Do I look fat to you?” He said.
“You think I don’t know it’s you all this while? Smith, you are so shameless!”
“Which Smith? My name is not Smith Babe, my name is Girls’ man”
“My friend must hear about this,she must see the message”
“You will just disgrace yourself, your friend trusts me with her whole life, she will call you a liar, after all I didn’t send the message with my number. No evidence girl”
“You wait and see, She knows I don’t lie. She’ll believe my words over yours”
“Yes she will, it’s so obvious you don’t tell lies, that was why you lied to me that you are beginning to like me already at the beginning of this conversation. What’s that to you? A white lie?”
“You wicked soul! I knew it from the beginning that you were the greatest error my friend ever committed. But mind you this marks the end of your relationship with her”
“Says who?” He laughed sarcastically. “Babe let’s chat whenever you are ready to do my bidding. I know your likes, you’ll soon come back to beg me”
“I reject…..” Before I could finish my statement, he had already hung up. I was so furious. I stood up immediately forgetting about the hunger I was feeling. I picked up my car keys and drove down to my friend’s house. I alighted from the car immediately I got to the compound and gave the door a rough knock.
I knocked on the door and to my surprise, it was Smith who opened it. He was in his boxers, no shirt, his muscles vexing out like that of a boxer. I was speechless, I didn’t know what to say. Is this a set up? Was he making the call in the presence of Dunmininu.
“Hello Mrs Thomas. Please come in and wait for your friend, she isn’t back from workplace already” he said with so much hypocrisy that no one would ever have known that he was the same Smith I just finished having a hot conversation with on phone.
“What’s all these?’ I asked angrily.
“All what?” He asked feigning innocence.
“Don’t you dare pretend like you don’t know what I’m talking about. Moreover what are you still doing here, didn’t Dunmininu say you’ll be leaving this morning?”
“It’s my fiance’s room not yours , I can decide how many days I want to stay with her” he said with his tongue stuck out at me.
“How many ladies have you been sleeping with?”
“Several, maybe ten, twenty and I’m still waiting for you to join the queue” he said winking at me.
I didn’t know if it was my impulse or something else but I knew my hand went up and while it was coming down it landed heavily on Smith’s face, that he staggered. I gave him a factory resetting slap.
“What! Nifemi!’ I heard my friend’s voice from behind. Dunmininu was already back from work. She ran up to meet us, Smith was staring angrily at me as much as I was too.
“How could you lay your hands on my man? Have I ever disrespected Richard?”
“That’s because Richard is not a dog!”
“What did you just hear that Dunmininu? Your friend slapped me and called me a dog because she came visiting and I told her she should wait outside for you because you aren’t around. I mean I was only trying to be careful. What kind of bad temper is this? Maybe she has an ulterior motive who knows. She had better be grateful that I don’t beat girls,if not, ehn!” Smith lied. The guy must really be a perfect game player.
Dunmininu wasn’t happy with me and I could read it on her face but I didn’t care, as long as I was trying to save a friend.
“Nifemi I don’t like it. You may dislike Smith but at least show him some respect for my sake”
“Dunmininu believe me this guy doesn’t love you. He’s a bloody pretender. He sleeps around with anything in skirt. If you marry him, don’t be shocked, when he begins to sleep with your sisters”
“Nifemi that’s enough!” Dunmininu shouted covering her ears with her hands.
“I love you and I don’t want you to make a horrible mistake”
“Have you ever caught Smith with another woman, why are you so bent on ruining my relationship?”
I brought out my phone immediately and showed her the message. She read it and kept staring at the phone. Suddenly she hissed slightly like someone who was weary and returned the phone to me.
“This is not Smith’s number, go and find out who your secret admirer is dear” she said looking away from me. I glanced at Smith and I could see him smiling victoriously.
“Dunmininu I don’t think you are in your right senses? How could you be so blindly in love? This pig comes here to sleep with you for fun, for the past five years or so, it’s been the same routine and you still stick with him. Think about your future even if you are not concerned about your spiritual status again . Think about your health,think about the womb he wants to damage. Do you know how many abortions you’ve committed. You have drifted far away from God. People think you are still standing, they see a fresh Dunmininu from outside but from within you stink. You have covered your dirty linen with an hypocritical beautiful dress. A perfect Sunday School teacher in the church but something else outside the church, all because of this dog.”
“No Nifemi , it is you who is not alright. You are the wicked one. You are twenty eight, married with a bright future ahead, yet you are trying to stop me who is thirty years already from getting married. You are the hindrance I need to deal with”
“Dunmininu please don’t let this guy ruin our friendship”
“Nifemi this friendship is ruined already, please once you are out of here, don’t ever come back again. Now I know the kind of person you are and thanks for reminding all my sins, Saint Nifemi. Good riddance to bad rubbish”
“Gbam!” That was how Dunmininu and her fiance walked in and shut the door at my face. I didn’t leave the spot for a while, I wished I had recorded my conversations on the phone with Smith. But now it’s too late.
“Well good riddance to bad rubbish. I have done my own part” I blocked the number with which Smith sent the message before returning to my matrimonial home.
It was already evening and the worms in my tommy had begun to warn me that they were seriously hungry.
“Welcome honey” my husband greeted and yet I refused to answer him.
“Guess what? We are having dinner out today. I got you a nice gown, it’s on the bed and it’s your favorite color, teal” he said happily
“Richard please just let me be, I’m not going anywhere, you can do whatever you like with your time” I walked into the kitchen to prepare some noodles, my husband came there to meet me but I pretended as if I didn’t notice his presence.
“What can I help you with?” He asked with a calm voice but I didn’t respond.
“Ni….fe…mi” he called my name with an emphasis, smiling sadly
“What is it?” I asked angrily.
“I love you” he said and my heart beat to confirm it. I knew this guy loves me deeply like he has always been saying but I was angry at him for deceiving me. He hid me in the dark about his impotency. That alone is really painful, who knows how many other secrets he’s still hiding from me?
“I told you there’s no woman or child anywhere else, why are you still angry at me?”
“I know there’s no child anywhere, I know there’s no concubine anywhere and I know there can never be” I said almost giving my husband the lead.
He took a glance at me as I was chopping the onions into smaller bits.
“So why are you still angry? Is it because I haven’t fulfilled your expectations? You know I want you as much as you want me”
“Then what’s stopping you from performing your duties? I’m married and it’s my legal right Mr.” I responded scornfully.
Richard scratched his head before responding.
“I will, I promise you , I will but em you know I’ll be starting a seven days fasting and prayer tomorrow. If not I would have …..”
“Oh so it’s no longer headache again? Abih? Your excuse for not touching me has suddenly moved from headache to fasting and prayers?” I scooped the noodles into a plate , added a chicken wing, set it on a tray and made to leave.
“Nifemi we are still having a conversation, please don’t go yet”
“Excuse me sir, my noodles will get cold. All I know is that seven days will soon be over. After that seven days please find another stronger lie to tell me. Let me lend out one to you. Tell me you are going on a trip to Japan for a conference meeting and it will last for a whole year. Mtchew!!!” I hissed angrily and walked out of the kitchen, leaving my husband speechless.
I was angry that he still had the gut to cover up with the excuse of fasting and prayer. I had better see a counselor before this guy makes me go crazy. I picked up my phone and sent a message to my boss, Mr Jude.
“I will be willing to see your cousin, the marriage counselor. Can we go there once we close from work tomorrow sir?” It was after ten minutes that I received a reply.
“Alright dear. Good night”