The Returnee (4)

  The door was opened by a scantily clad Jemima who, on sighting me, smirked and flounced back into the house. I followed her, all kinds of thoughts going through my mind. The uppermost being - what she was doing here in my fiancé's house at 10 pm in a tiny towel!

 

 I found Kolly in the bedroom, lying on the bed naked as the day he was born. He sat up on seeing me, clearly surprised.

  "Erica, I was not expecting you! What are you doing here?" he queried. 

 "I should be the one asking the questions. What is she doing here at this time of the night? Or, are you having a business meeting? In bed?" I stated sarcastically.

 He did not respond but pulled on his boxers, all the while looking at me warily.

  Just then, Jemima came into the room. She had changed into a pair of bum shorts and a sleeveless top.

 "Honey, should I still prepare the rice or is it plantain you want?" she asked.

  "Any of the two will be fine. Just give me a minute," Kolly said. 

 After she had gone, I turned to Kolly and said:

  "So, it's true. All the stories I've been hearing about both of you but I chose to ignore. You've been cheating on me with that woman all this while. Kolly, how could you?" I stated angrily. I felt a mix of hurt, anger and other emotions.

 He sighed and sitting on the bed, said.

 

  "Look, Erica, I'm sorry you had to find out this way. I have been planning to tell you that I can't continue with this relationship. Truth is, I'm in love with Jemima. And she loves me too. It wasn't planned. It simply happened. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you," he said quietly.

 "Can you just hear yourself. It wasn't planned! But you denied it when I confronted you about the rumours circulating about both of you! You deceived me and I cannot forgive you for that," I said hotly.

 "Try to understand, Erica. These things..."

  "Understand what?" I screamed at him. "That's the only way you could pay me back for all the years we've been together- three years of love and devotion, down the drain and you sit there talking about understanding!" I added furiously. 

 "As I said, I'm sorry I hurt you. But you know, I'm a very ambitious person. I want to make it in life, be very successful. I think I stand a better chance of making it with Jemima. She's rich, well connected and comes from an influential family. Her father is even a traditional ruler. I'm sorry, things didn't work out between us. But that's life, nothing is certain," he said with a shrug.

 I glared at him for a while, too upset at his words to speak, nearly close to tears. Then, composing myself, I stated:

 "It's now I see the real you- you are nothing but an unreliable, wicked and money-hungry bastard! God will judge you for what you have done to me! And if think you are going to get away with this, then you are mistaken! You can go with your rich Jemima, but remember this: you will never have peace in your life because of what you have done to me!" I said furiously.   "Take it easy, Erica! It hasn't come to this!" Kolly was saying but I ignored him, and picking up my bag, marched out of the room. 

 

 On my way to the front door, I met Jemima coming from the kitchen. An urge came over me to pounce on her and give her the beating of her life. But I restrained myself. What will be my gain from fighting her, I reasoned. 

 But I could not resist throwing one last jab at her. 

 Giving her a hard look, I said with all the scorn and hatred I felt towards her:

 "You are feeling 'cool' with yourself thinking you've won. But let me tell you, this is just the beginning. You've not seen the last of me. Bitch! Ashawo! (prostitute)."

  Tough times

 That was how my three year relationship with Kolly crumbled before my eyes. I thought we were altar- bound but it was not meant to be. It was a painful, heartbreaking time for me especially whenever I remembered the good times and all the promises he made to me. That our love would last for ever. It only lasted three years till he dumped me for a rich lady. Sam, his friend, who liked me a lot, tried to patch things up between us but it did not work.

 Kolly insisted it was over, that we were done.

 Grace, my friend who was a rock to me during this time, did her best to console me.

 "Perhaps, this is for the best, that he showed his true colors now. It would have been worse if this had happened after you got married. You might have ended up a divorcee at a young age," she stated.

 The most frustrating thing was that despite what he did to me, I still loved Kolly and there were times I felt like going to plead with him to take me back. But my pride and Grace held me back.

  "Beg him for what? You did no wrong. He dumped you for that stupid woman, remember?" she said one evening when I had expressed the desire to see him, that I missed him so much.

 Then, over two months later, when I was coming to terms with the break up with Kolly, I found out I was pregnant. My period had been late, but thinking it was because of the stress and emotional trauma I was going though then, I did not think much about it. Then I fell sick, with fever, nausea and vomiting. 

 A visit to the hospital confirmed what I had begun to suspect, that I was pregnant. Almost three months.

  

 "You will have to tell him," Grace, who had accompanied me to the hospital, said. I did not know how Kolly would react when I broke the news to him that I was pregnant with his baby.

 "Maybe he will change his mind and beg me to come back to him," I said as I headed to his house one morning.

 But Kolly wanted nothing to do with the baby. 

 "I have nothing to do with this pregnancy. So, you go and sort it out yourself," he said when I broke the news to him.

 "Kolly, I can't believe you are saying this to me. You are denying responsibility. You know I've not been with any other man except you since we started dating," I told him.

 "I don't care. You left all this while, then showed up months later, saying you are pregnant for me. Look, I don't want to be involved in this. I'm getting married soon to Jemima and I don't want any distractions. So, I think you should just leave," he said, opening the door for me.

 "I never knew you were this wicked, Kolly. God will judge you for all you have done to me," I swore before leaving.

   Eight years later

 All these happened eight years ago. I later had my baby, Tessy, who has been my world and everything. Raising her all alone with no man to support me has been tough. But I'm doing my best to bring her up well. I left my job and with the help of a church member, I started doing supply jobs to some companies and I began to make money. 

 I make a good living and Tessy and I live well. She never asks after her father and I had all but forgotten he existed until some months ago when he resurfaced in my life. This is a man who denied being responsible for my pregnancy and practically chased me out of his house.

 He has now returned and wants the same child he rejected! Imagine the guts!

  

 He has never shown interest in her wellbeing, whether she was doing well or sick was none of his business. So, why does he want my daughter now?

 In the letter of apology and forgiveness he wrote to me, he explained that he had had an accident which had affected him badly, even damaging his reproductive organs.

 "The doctor says my chances of having children are next to zero. Since we got married, my wife and I have not been blessed with a child. Now, this accident has destroyed my chances of having a child. You are my only hope now, Erica with the baby you had for me. Please find it in your heart to forgive me. I'm ready to do anything as compensation, to make up for what I did to you. All I ask is to be a father to our child..."

 I should forgive him after the terrible way he treated me? He humiliated me, treated me like trash. I can only forgive him when hell freezes over. The bastard! A thief that wants to reap where he did not sow! 

 

 The End