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Eight years later...
The eight years Chief
and I have been together have been truly remarkable ones. I must admit that the
first few years were not bad. I was even happier then, especially when I gave
birth to my only child Junior. While Chief
"Eight children are
enough for any man. I don't need more at my age," he had stated at the
time. My argument that nearly all the children were from his other wives and
that one was not enough for me did not make him change his mind. I felt bad
because my dream was to have at least three children when I got married. And here
I was now stuck with just one because my husband did not want more babies!
That was not all. While
Chief
"I love to
work," he would say whenever I complained of his frequent trips and
absences from home. "I didn't get as rich as this by sitting at home and
staring at the ceiling. You say I'm wealthy enough already and don't need more
money, but my sweet girl, money is
I did not find it funny
at all. This was not my idea of what my married life would be like. I wanted a
man who was there for me when I needed him, who spent time with his family and
not one who junketed all over the world making tons of money he did not even
need. He was more like an 'absentee' husband than anything else.
Later, he
explained to me that it was because of his workaholic ways that he did not
allow any of his other wives to live with him.
"They were always
nagging and complaining about my being away all the time. And there's nothing I
hate more than a woman's nagging. It drives me crazy. So, they had to leave for
my peace of mind. I provide everything for them that money can buy so why could
they not be satisfied? Why are women so difficult to please?" he had
wondered
What he failed to
understand was that money was not everything in a marriage. There was
companionship for instance. When Junior was old enough for school, I would look
at other women who sometimes came for poshier
***
Despite his promise to
be around for Junior's school anniversary programme called I
"We will go to
Florida to spend the summer. My very good friend and business partner in the
States, Mr Benny has invited us to stay with him during the holidays. So,
prepare for that," he announced.
I was not too excited at
the news because knowing my husband, his plans could change at the last minute
and the trip would be cancelled.
"I'm just tired of
the situation," I grumbled to my friend Queen who was on a visit.
"He's never home. All he does is to make promises he never keeps. Sometimes,
I feel like a widow," I said. It was a month since Chief travelled on his
last business trip and there were no signs that he would be back soon.
Queen shook her head
before stating :
"Alice, you don't know
how lucky you are to have all this," her hands spread wide to indicate the
large, exquisitely furnished upstairs living room where we sat. "Many
women would kill to have all this wealth at their disposal, yet you are not
happy. You are always miserable. What's your problem, girl?"
"You won't
understand. I'm the one wearing the shoe, so I know where it hurts. I've come
to realize that money is not everything. Agreed, it makes life more comfortable, but there are a lot of things money can't buy like peace of mind and happiness.
I have all this wealth, this lavish lifestyle yet I'm so miserable," I
pointed out.
"Well, my friend,
you should have known what you were in for when you married a man like Chief
with a business empire to run. He has to keep an eye on things so that means
being busy all the time," stated Queen.
"Thanks for
reminding me. But you know the circumstances under which I married Chief. It
was my family situation back then that made me do it. Now, I wish I
hadn't," I said sadly.
"Ah! It can't be
that bad," said Queen, coming up to my seat and placing her hand on my
shoulder. I felt so lonely and sad that to my surprise, I began to cry. Queen
sat consoling me, assuring me that things would get better with time.
"Don't worry. I'm
sure one of these days, Chief will have to slow down and spend more time with
you. He's not a young man anymore and age will definitely catch up with him
soon," she stated.
****
Brenda was one of my
close friends who often visited me at home. We had been friends in secondary
school and had kept in touch after we left school. A few days after Queen's
visit , she came to see me. She looked really excited as if she had some
important news to tell. She had just returned from her annual vacation, which
she had spent in the U.K with her mother who lived there.
"Guess what?"
she began as soon as we had exchanged greetings and she had sat down.
"What's it Brenda?
You know I'm not good at the guessing game," I replied.
"You remember Nick, who was our senior in school? That boy that used to chase you all over the
place and said he would marry you when we grew up?" stated Brenda.
"Of course, I
remember. He never gave me breathing space and kept pestering me to be his
girlfriend," I recalled. "So, what about him?"
"I met him in
London, at a party. He had been in Germany for some years and just relocated to
the U.K a few years ago. He has his own business and is doing quite well. He
even took me shopping at M and S on Oxford street. He bought me a lot of stuff
and he asked after you," she stated.
We sat chatting about
Nick for a while. Brenda disclosed that he had been married to a white lady in
Germany but they were divorced.
"When I spoke about
you and how rich your husband was, he did not look too happy," said
Brenda.
"Why? My marital
status should not be his problem," I noted.
"Are you dumb? Nick
still loves you. He said he still thinks about you all the time," she
declared.
"What? After all
these years? He should be over me by now!" I said.
"Well, its obvious
he isn't. I gave him your number and he promised to call one of these
days," stated Brenda.
"What for? I'm not
interested in speaking with an old suitor from my school days," I said.
"What's the big
deal? It's just for old times sake," she said.
It was a few weeks later
that I got a call from Nick. He was a year my senior and after he left school,
we had only run into each other a couple of times. Then, after he finished his
degree programme at the University, I heard he had left for Europe and had been
based there ever since.
We chatted about old
times, our school days, his life abroad and other stuff. After that day, Nick
called regularly. At a point, I began looking forward to his calls as talking
with him helped relieve the tedium of my days of idleness and loneliness. I
also started phoning him too, especially if I did not hear from him for a long
time.
With time, Nick
confessed his love for me again, stating that though he had been in other
relationships and had even married, he still loved me.
"But I'm married
now," I reminded him.
"I know, baby. I
was planning to return to Nigeria to look for you after my divorce when I heard
you had married that old man," said Nick.
"Wow, sorry about
that. But it's late now," I pointed out.
"Is it?"
he asked in a wondering tone.
To be continued...
Names have been changed to protect the identity of the narrator and other individuals in the story.
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