- Now my home is in disarray!
Kel came back from work one day, looking very sad. When I asked
him what the problem was, he was silent for sometimes, not saying anything.
"Honey, what's wrong? You have been so quiet since you came
home. You barely answered my greeting," I said when I followed him to the
bedroom.
"There's no problem," he replied brusquely, taking off
his shirt and going into the bathroom. Later, after he had eaten and was
relaxing in front of the TV he opened up a bit, stating that it was some issues
he had in the office that was bothering him.
"We lost a huge IT contract to a rival company and my
Chairman is mad at everybody," he said.
"That's too bad, dear. Don't worry too much about it. I bet
another one will come," I said reassuringly. I went to sit besides him on
the couch and cuddled up to him, placing my head on his shoulder.
"Thanks, love. I felt really bad because we put in so much
effort for us to get the job, but all was in vain," Kel stated glumly.
"As I said, everything will be alright. Another one will
come," I said. We watched a popular soap opera on TV for a while before
retiring to bed.
Due to the experience I had with my last pregnancy, I was very
careful this time around. I avoided things that might pose as a risk such as
doing strenuous things like the doctor advised.
That night in bed, when my husband wanted to make love to me, I
pushed him away gently, giving the baby as an excuse. By then, I was about six
months pregnant.
It did not go down well with Kel who grumbled about being denied
his marital rights.
"This is the second time you are pushing me away this week.
How long will you deny me sex?" he said irritatingly.
"It's for the sake of the baby, Kel. I don't want to lose
this one too," I explained.
"Excuses, excuses! That's all you ever give," he
grumbled. He turned his back on me and soon I could hear him snoring softly.
The contract
Two months later, I was in the kitchen preparing dinner when Kel
came home from work. He was earlier than usual and I could see a glint in his
eyes that he normally had when he had great news to tell.
It turned out his company was involved in a bidding for a contract
with a major Telecoms outfit in the country.
"It's the same company where your Uncle Thomas is a
director," he announced. Uncle Thomas was one of my late mother's
brothers. He was quite wealthy and had been very good to my siblings and I
after our Mum's death.
"That's good. I pray you will win this one. God will use this
contract to compensate for the last one you lost," I prayed.
"Thanks for your prayers, dear. But we also need your Uncle's
support to facilitate things for us," he said.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
He shrugged.
"Well, since he is one of the directors, we could meet him to
put in a word for my company; that will definitely give us an edge over our
competitors," he said.
I shook my head before stating:
"I don't think it's a good idea. You know how Uncle Thomas
is; he is a very strict and straight forward man and likes following the proper
procedures when doing things especially when it comes to official matters.
Remember what happened to Mike," I stated. Mike was one of my brothers who
had applied for a job in my Uncle's company to fill some vacancies. Despite
Uncle Thomas's position in the company, Mike did not get the job, much to his
annoyance. Later, on being asked why his nephew had failed to secure the job,
my uncle had explained that he did not perform up to the required standard the
company demanded.
'The fact that he is my nephew is not an automatic license for his
getting a job in the company. He failed in the interview. Period,' he had told
me bluntly back then.
"So, dear, I don't think you should put too much hope on my
uncle for his assistance. The best thing is to ensure your company puts in a
strong bid and with luck on your side, you will win the contract," I said.
But Kel still persisted on going through Uncle Thomas, stating
that the contract was too important to leave to chance. "We really
need to win this contract. The Chairman has given us a mandate to do all it
takes to win it and if that includes seeing your uncle over it, then we have to
do that. He has even promised to make me the M.D of the company if we clinch
the contract. You know the present M.D will be leaving us soon. So, dear, let's
meet Uncle Thomas, ok?" I was still not convinced but not to make it
look as if I did not want to help, I conceded to his demand.
***
As I had predicted, Uncle Thomas was unwilling to involve himself
in the bidding process, stating ethical reasons. "We have foreign
affiliations and our bidding process follows the high standard of our foreign
partners. So, I cannot influence it. Besides, I believe in fairplay for all the
parties involved in the bid. Jessica, you should have explained the situation
to your husband, that it's something I can't do. If you are lucky to win the
bid, then I can help with facilitating payment of the money or anything to do
with the execution of the contract. But till then, all I can do is wish you
goodluck," he said with finality. Kel was unhappy with my Uncle's stance,
believing it was selfish on his part not to assist him, his niece's husband.
I tried to pacify him, stating that his company might get
the job considering the strong bid they had put in. Unfortunately, my optimism
was misplaced. Kel's company lost the bid to a rival. That evening when he came
home from work, he looked furious and barely acknowledged my greeting on
entering the house. He blamed the loss of the contract on my uncle, pointing
out that if he had put in a little effort on his behalf, the contract would
have been theirs. "Your Uncle is such a wicked person. A simple thing to
do to help a family member is too much for him. What kind of man is that?
Selfish bastard!" he stated angrily. I took exception to his calling my
uncle names over a matter that he had no control over and when I told Kel that,
he got even angrier. This led to a full blown quarrel between us, one of the
biggest quarrels since our marriage. "Stop blaming my Uncle for your
failure! There was nothing he could do about the bid and he explained it to
you. The man is innocent. And stop calling him names! He's not your mate,
remember?" I said equally angry. "So, are you now calling me a
failure? How dare you!" he shouted at me. He then slapped me and grabbed
my neck in a vice choke. I tried to scream, struggling to extricate myself from
his grip but it was nearly impossible as he was much stronger than me. Then,
abruptly, he flung me against the wall and I slid to the floor. I must have
fainted for when I woke up, I was in...
To be continued
Names have been changed to protect the identity of the narrator and other individuals in the story.
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