CHAPTER 35 –
© OPEYEMI OJERINDE AKINTUNDE
I can’t remember how I drove back home; all I remember is walking into our house and feeling relieved that Reuben was not home… I sobbed like a baby, whose mother was not around to rock her to sleep.
My phone beeped and though I was not in the mood for a call, I checked what the notification was. It was a chat from Daniel… There was a video attached… My heart raced… I downloaded the video praying it was not our sex video. Thankfully it was not, but the content was not less painful…
I saw Daniel with three girls on his bed.
“Pastor Mrs, I am giving some good girls the three and a half rounds you couldn’t complete…” He said in the video.
He sent a chat following the video
“I thought you were smart, but clearly, I overestimated you. I decided to stay back in my HOUSE, before returning to the States to meet my faithful wife and kids… I have 3 kids and you have none! CHECKMATE”
To make me more mad, he posted a family picture of himself, a white (American) woman, and three Biracial kids. Immediately, he deleted it.
“I had to delete the pictures immediately, just wanted you to see the life you missed”
I broke down, shattered. I had been fooled. Obviously, the house was not a self-service apartment, it was his. He only told the lie to chase me out…
I became enraged…
“No… I didn’t miss anything good, in fact thankfully, I missed the biggest mistake of my life, I am grateful I missed marrying a heartless wicked, womanizing, lying bastard. I am grateful I didn’t miss the loyal, loving, compassionate, God-fearing man I have. Good riddance to bad rubbish…” I was about to send the message when I heard Reuben’s car horn… I quickly deleted it and deleted all the previous chats. I blocked his contact immediately to avoid him sending more messages. I deleted our call history and turned off my phone…
I dashed off into the bathroom, I wanted to scrub out Daniel’s smell from my body.
“Darling, where are you?”
The words “Darling, where are you?” sounded so familiar. I knew where those same words had been used before
“Adam, where are you?”
Yes… I believe at that very moment, I was experiencing the same emotion, Adam and Eve experienced after their disobedience. Just like they hid in the garden, I was hiding in the bathroom trying to gather my thoughts and composure.
Just like Eve, I had listened to Satan’s suggestion that I needed Daniel to break the curse after God spoke against it through Amara.
“I am in here” I replied quickly.
Reuben was always quick to know when something wasn’t going well with me.
“Should I tell him and ask for his forgiveness?”
“Yes you should, don’t let him find out the wrong way”
“Don’t tell him, after Adam and Eve confessed, they were sent out of the garden. If you tell Reuben, he will send you out of this beautiful garden of yours, remember you don’t even have kids together” A voice I couldn’t differentiate its source said to me. I was not sure if this was God or the devil speaking.
“This is no coincidence,” Reuben said laughing sheepishly
“What?” I asked faintly
“You being naked in front of me when all that kept flashing in my mind throughout the church was the picture of your naked body”
“Wow,” I said in fear. Reuben also had the gift of visions like his father. I was afraid God had revealed my atrocity to him.
“Yes Beauty, I kept thinking about you naked and making love, I believe it’s no coincidence, I believe our bodies have missed each other…”
Reuben was already taking off his shirt.
“Oh No!” I said to myself
I was exhausted physically and emotionally. Reuben walked into our enclosed shower. His one touch sent relief to my soul. His miracle hand felt like healing to my soul.
I lost it and tears flowed.
“My Beauty, what’s wrong?”
I shook my head in the negative denying all shades of wrong that was happening to me.
“Is it still about the baby matter?’
I quickly nodded.
“I am in the mess because of the baby matter” I wanted to cry out but I didn’t have the liver to.
“Come here” Reuben drew me in his embrace under the shower.
‘This is where love lives” I cried out in my soul. I wanted to stay there forever. I regretted the few times I thought about Daniel in our 7 years of marriage. Daniel was an insult to a man like Reuben…
As I journeyed in my world of regret, Reuben’s hands caressed my body soothingly. His touch was like therapy for my soul. My tears dropped like heavy rainfall, but thankfully the shower was doing a good job of hiding the tears.
For the first time, in 7 years, I fully released my body and soul to Reuben. It was at this point I realized, I had not been giving him my full self. A part of me had been yearning for Daniel and thinking sex with him would have been better than what I was having with Reuben.
As I relaxed and let Reuben lead me unreservedly to the land of joy, I realized sex was not what I was having with Reuben, it was a beautiful soul connection, it was blissful, joyful, enjoyable, relaxing, ecstatic. I could feel us holding hands together in our minds, moving together towards a great height, and together blissfully with utmost satisfaction, we got to the peak of our joy…
“Jesus!” Reuben couldn’t help but shout and interestingly was followed by tongues…
“Ha! My Good God!” I exclaimed as well, as Reuben released his power into me. It was like our first…. Never had I had it that sweet and memorable in my life.
“Beauty… I love you” Reuben said
We laid in the bed cuddled up together, my mind blank because of lack of the direction my thoughts should take. Reuben was staring at me…
“What’s different today?’ Reuben said
I knew what he was asking.
“About?” I said faking ignorance.
“About our lovemaking… You were different in my hands, you were relaxed, vulnerable, and I could feel your total surrender” Reuben perfectly articulated the emotions…
“Let’s say, I am falling more in love with you”
“Keep falling, please… I would give you anything to enjoy more of this… I think the last time I felt close to what I feel was the first time we made love, after reading my letters to Nwala. Beauty, I love you and I want you to fully give yourself to me… Please” Reuben said staring into my eyes and I couldn’t help but see the tears that fell on the pillow
“I am sorry,” I said and I meant it.
“No more reservations,” I told him…
Three weeks later, I missed my period… At first, I was elated, but remembrance hit me… I slept with two men on the same day, and Daniel had enough time on me… Although, after my pledge of no reservation, Reuben and I had made love a few more times…
“It’s Reuben’s baby,” I said convincingly to myself.
“How are you sure” Don’t you think it will be Daniel’s baby”
“No… God forbid I carry his baby… God please I need to erase the pregnancy, so you can start afresh. After the act, I prayed for forgiveness and I know you forgave me, so please Dear God, take back this child to heaven and let my husband and I retry.”
To be continued…