CHAPTER 6
SWB: Akinsehinwa Oluwaseun.
My eyes were really red and swollen when I got to my parents’ house.
Our gatekeeper noticed it immediately and started asking questions out of concern for my welfare.
“Aunte Nefe” that’s the way he calls my name,I think he has problem pronouncing the ”i” sound.
“You cryeng? You seck? Uncle Rechard ko?”
“I’m fine, nothing is wrong with Richard.
Is Dad and Mom inside?”
“No o, Dad , Mom go evenen fellowshep”
“Thank God” I said in my mind.
“Please don’t inform them that I’m around whenever they are back.
I mean it. I want to surprise them, so please don’t ruin it for me” Now I just lied, I wasn’t planning to surprise them at all.
My thought was to go straight into my former room, lock myself up and sleep if I can catch any till tomorrow morning.
I’ll get dressed up as early as possible before they wake up, so they won’t know I’m around and then I’ll go to my place of work.
I still have some of my corporate dresses that I left behind in my wardrobe, thinking they were not useful again. They are going to be useful now.
I’m not expected to be at my place of work until next week Monday, I was given a week off from work.
My boss, Mr Jude was extremely nice to me because the norm in the company was to give just three days off to anyone planning for his or her wedding. Several people murmured, some even said it to my face that Mr Jude was being unfair by giving me preferential treatment but none of them could blurt it out to his face. I once heard them rumoured it that I was having an affair with the boss and that was why he was unnecessarily nice to me. None of them could face the truth that Jude likes me for being industrious.
Now when they see me in the office tomorrow, what will my explanation be?. For now I don’t care about what anyone says or thinks , I just need to be far away from Richard until I decide on what next to do.
“Aunte Nefeme, you okay?” Our gatekeeper asked me bringing me back from my reverie.
“I said I am fine, just don’t tell them I’m in” I said almost shouting at the kind man.
“But e your car nko?” He asked.
Oh! I forgot, that’s true, my parents will see my car outside and will definitely know I’m around. I didn’t give him any reply, I just went towards the door to open it and get inside but the door was locked.
“Did they drop the key with you?” I asked
“No o” he replied.
I went back into my car and decided there was no other place I could go aside Dunmininu’s house. But that didn’t sound like a nice option. I know Dunmininu to be very inquisitive and sensitive, she’ll not rest until she knows what the problem is. I may be angry with Richard but I would never expose his secret for the world to know. I won’t subject my husband to an object of ridicule.
I got some water to wash my face before getting back into the car. Wiping off my face with a face towel, I checked it in the rearview mirror but my eyes were still red and swollen. Maybe I’d cried too much.
“Don’t bother telling my parents that I came, I’m leaving now” I said and without waiting for any response, I drove off to Dunmininu’s house.
“Greeee” I rang the doorbell and it took almost five minutes before Dunmininu came to open to me. She had a small towel tied round her body.
“Oh Nifemi, sweetie, how far now? You suppose dey moon dey enjoy honey now, wetin you dey do here” she said smiling still standing by the door. Thank God she didn’t notice my countenance. I pushed her out of the way mildly and walked in, only to meet her fiance, Smith completely naked on her bed.
“Shameless thing” I said in my mind.
Smith winked at me before reluctantly covering himself with the bed cover. I looked angrily at Dunmininu who was smiling sheepishly, not finding a single word of explanation to give me. What does she even want to explain to me? That after teaching powerfully in the Sunday School today against premarital sex, quoting Bible verses upon Bible verses,she still had the gut to open her legs wide for an idiot, who doesn’t even seem ready for marital commitment, ten years from now.
I hissed and walked out angrily, Dunmininu held her short towel and followed me.
“Calm down now Babe, that’s my fiance Smith now. You want to say you don’t know him? You couldn’t even say hi to him”
I stopped abruptly, I wasn’t sure if I was angry at Dunmininu for this shameful act of hers or if I was just transferring the aggression from the secret I just discovered on her.
“Next time, tell that boyfriend of yours that it is rude to wink at married women, especially when you are naked”
“Pele o married woman, we too we go soon marry. Sha come inside let’s gist”
“Come inside where? I’m sorry I don’t have any gist and I’m not going back there”
“Nifemi calm down now ehn”
“Since when has he been around?”
“Since yesterday , now, didn’t you notice him at your wedding reception?” Dunmininu asked.
“I didn’t, how many people do you think I would be able to notice?”
“Oyah come inside now Babe, look he’s leaving today, that’s why he insisted on having a taste before leaving”
“So you have now turned to soup abih? Soup that a man has to taste before…..”
“Nifemi it’s not my fault, I can’t resist his touch, we have gone too deep in this act. I want to stop but I don’t know how, and Smith is not even making it easy for me to stop. He said he can’t hold himself and if I don’t want him to be sleeping with other girls I have to satisfy his urge so well. So well that I’d be the only one he thinks about. I know it’s not right but what can I do, I’m thirty already Nifemi” Dunmininu said almost at the verge of tears but I didn’t feel any iota of pity for her instead I resented her foolishness.
“And you believe him? You think he’s not sleeping with other girls bah?”
“I don’t know but I ….I….Look we are getting married soon , what does it matter? Afterall we are all sinners, it’s not like I’m happy doing it but I have no choice. I love Smith and I don’t want to lose him. I pray for forgiveness and God forgives me. Stop judging me Nifemi, the fact that you were able to keep your virginity till your wedding night is just by grace. I’m not sleeping around, I’m doing it with my man, my fiance and it’s only him. Do you think I too don’t want to be like you, virgin till marriage?” she said as tears flowed uncontrollably from her eyes.
I looked at her for a while before speaking.
“I’m sorry if it looks like I’m judging you. You know I care so much about you,I don’t want you to fall into the hands of a pretender, I don’t just trust Smith”
“Thanks but I’ll be fine. I love him and I feel secure with him” she said.
“Will you at least come in now?” She asked but I declined. The sight of Smith pisses me off.
“I need to go Dunmininu, we’ll see later. Bye” I walked out of the compound and got into my car. My friend didn’t even notice my red and swollen eyes. Well she has something better that has captivated her attention. Smith was there naked and eating her raw, what other things matter again?.
There was no other place to go, I needed to go home, whether I like it or not, home was my only option now.
My phone didn’t stop ringing, Dolly too has started calling but I did not pick her calls. She has hurt me badly and I needed sometime to myself before I decide whether or not I want to speak with her.
I opened the door and went into the living room, my husband was pacing up and down like someone in a deep mess. Well, Is he not truly in a deep mess?. He turned and saw me walking in. I pretended as if I didn’t notice him. I was going to mount the stairs , go into the bedroom, take my shower, sleep if I can and then get up so early tomorrow morning to get back to work.
“Nifemi,you scared me, I’ve thought of calling Dad and Mom but I didn’t want to get them worried” he said as he stood in my way trying to get my attention.
“Nifemi please I’m sorry, it’s not what you think, I don’t have a side chick or any child outside, please you are the only one I love” Richard doesn’t know his secret has been revealed to me already. Maybe if he does he would have found a shell to creep into to hide his shame. Deceiver! I thought within me.
I kept staring angrily at him,I didn’t utter a word. He held me but I withdrew from him. “Don’t start what you can’t finish” I said in my mind. I wanted to say a lot of things to him but I didn’t even know where to start from.
“Please let me explain to you, what Dolly meant by that message she sent to him the other time ” he said and I kept calm trying to see if he’s now ready to spit it out with his own mouth.
“Actually the secret she was talking about is the terrible mistake I made years back. While in the University I joined a cult group and I was expelled, so after that Dad had to send me abroad to finish my studies…….” he was saying several things but I wasn’t listening again.
“Eh! As in, for how long has he been thinking of this lie? Kai, Richard is an unrepentant liar” Those were the thoughts running through my mind. If only he knew I know more than enough already, he wouldn’t be wasting his time on this ugly lies.
“Good night Richard” I managed to say as I pushed him mildly out of my way.
Neither of us ate that night, the whole house was silent except for the barkings of the dog we kept in the cage. We laid on the bed with some space between us. My back was turned to him, I could feel there were times he wanted to touch me or talk to me but he was too scared to. He probably didn’t know what my reaction would be.
At exactly six thirty the following morning, which was on a Monday,I was already prepared to step out for work. I didn’t bother to make any food for Richard or myself.
“Where are you going?” Richard asked but I didn’t give him any response, I walked out, got into the car and drove off to my office. I know I’ll have several questioning looks to ignore, several unguarded comments especially from Damilola but I didn’t care. Work was the only escape route from home at the moment. But Jude, what will I tell him? I just pray he won’t be back from the conference he went for in London. I don’t have the energy to begin to deal with questions now.