THE PERFECT WIFE

Chapter Four

Amaka's end of school year graduation ceremony was fixed on thesame day as Nonso's traditional marriage with Sandra and it got Nonso really worried. He had always wanted to be there to see his beloved daughter leave kindergarten class.

"Sweetheart, I think we should re-fix the date of the traditional marriage. Amaka's graduation is on that day and I can't afford not to be there." He said as he laid with her in bed that fateful evening. He had told Ebere that he had something important to do after work and won't be coming home early.

"See babe, I know you love your daughter and want to be there to see her leave kindergarten but there are many other graduation ceremonies that you can still attend. So I'm sorry, we are not changing the date for a kindergarten graduation ceremony." Sandra said blatantly.

"Babe, even if it's a day before provided I'm able to attend Amaka's graduation ceremony. Please try to understand me. It's her first graduation and I need to be there as her father."

"Then what about our honey moon? You'd leave me to attend a petty graduation? Why not ask the school to change their own date since you badly want to attend. I'm not changing the marriage date and that's all I have to say. Enough of Amaka and her graduation. Let's talk about something else." Sandra said and this time around, she wasn't smiling. Nonso decided he'd come up with another lie as to why he won't be able to attend Amaka's graduation ceremony even if he really wanted to be there to cheer her up. He was caught in his own web of deceit and there was nothing he or anyone could do about it.

As agreed on the set date, Nonso finally paid the bride price of Sandra and took her home as his wife. He did all these without the knowledge of his wife Ebere. He had forgotten all the vows he made before God at his altar on the day of his wedding with Ebere.

Ebere had always been a good wife to him. The company he was managing was Ebere’s suggestion. She had given over 70% of her inheritance from her dad to establish the company for Nonso. She had done all of that because of the genuine love she had for him. Even her monthly allowance from her late dad’s pension scheme still went to Nonso. She was submissive to him and never allowed the fact that she had more money than her husband get the better of her.

Nonso had lied that he was travelling for a business meeting for one week which was more important to Ebere than Amaka's graduation and Ebere had believed him. Ebere had always wanted Nonso to be a standing figure in the business world and seeing how committed he was towards his business, Ebere stood by him one hundred percent. She even helped in packing his luggage for the journey and prayed for journey mercies for him. She kept praying for doors of business opportunities to open for her husband but what she didn’t know was that her husband was going to get the bride price of another woman paid.

She would call him as often as she could during the time he was away saying how much she misses him and can’t wait to have him in her arms again. The last time she called was the day of the traditional marriage and Nonso was smart enough to switch off his phone. He spent the other days with Sandra as the honeymoon after the marriage while Ebere was still of the opinion that her husband was away on a business trip.

When he returned, he made it appear to Ebere that the business deal he wanted to close didn’t go as planned and that he lost few of his clients. Ebere sympathized with him and encouraged him. She knew how poor Nonso had been from the very beginning and how he had to complete his university education under debt. She had helped him back then relieving his mother the trouble of being in debt just to send Nonso to school.

Nonso’s sister Chinyere was in the university in her final year and Ebere had been of massive help to her. Neither Chinyere nor their mother Mrs. Nnonye had any idea about Nonso’s cheating attitude. They were really grateful to know that Nonso met a girl like Ebere and that he wanted to marry her when he brought her home to introduce her to the family as the lady he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. The marriage between Ebere and Nonso was a sponsored one. Ebere called her relatives abroad and they helped in making the marriage a success. Though Ebere’s elder brother Ndubisi who was in the UK was against it, he had no choice because Ebere was madly in love with Nonso. And being the youngest and only daughter of four children, he allowed her to get married to Nonso.

The marriage was colourful and everyone had enough to eat and drink. Nonso back then was speechless because he never knew Ebere loved him that much. Even the house they were currently living in was bought by Ebere’s twin brother Ebuka who was into real estate. He used it as a wedding gift for Ebere because she was their pride. The car Nonso drives was also a wedding gift from Ebere’s father. After his death a year after the marriage, he willed his properties to Ebere. The older ones were already well to do so they gave everything to Ebere who was the youngest since their mother was no more. Ebere had to include her husband too because of the love she had for him.

Soon after Nonso returned from the marriage with Sandra which he had lied about to be a business trip, Ebere started noticing that her husband was now always sleeping outside. He would either go for a business meeting or get stuck in traffic when he comes home late. In her desperation to find out what was actually going on, she decided to go to the office and pay him a surprise visit.

Nonso left the house that morning as usual that he was going for work. He had planned to take Sandra to the hospital for antenatal and didn’t call to notify his secretary about it. Ebere got to the office and was told her husband hadn’t reported for work. Nobody in the office knew what was going on between himself and Sandra though Mr. Felix the sales manager was becoming suspicious. He noticed Sandra wasn’t around too. It was then it occurred to him that something was inter playing between Sandra and Nonso. The two of them had gone on the business trip together about a month ago. Not to create doubts that he couldn’t defend, he told Ebere to go home and that her husband might have been held back by something.

Amaka’s new class teacher who was also pregnant had gone to the hospital too that morning for antenatal and was surprised to see Nonso with another lady who wasn’t Ebere. On the first day of Amaka in primary one, both Nonso and Ebere drove her to school and had introduced themselves as Amaka's parents. Nonso was shocked to see teacher Juliet and from his expression, Juliet sensed something was wrong and she decided to let Ebere know about it.

Nonso could already smell trouble coming because she knew teacher Juliet would definitely tell Ebere what she had seen.

"Honey is something wrong?" Sandra asked on their way back to the office.

"No, everything is alright." He replied.

"Are you coming over tonight?"

"No dear, I have to be with Ebere and Amaka."

"You are always spending time with Ebere and Amaka and not me."

"Not now Sandra please. Ebere is my wife."

"Who am I to you then?"

Knowing that the argument would yield nothing, Nonso turned on the car stereo ushering in an uninvited silence to take over Sandra's running mouth.

The following day when Ebere went to pick Amaka up from school, the class teacher Mrs. Juliet told her what she had seen the previous day at the hospital.

“I am not accusing your husband of any crime oo, I’m just telling you what I saw.” she said.

Ebere was greatly disturbed after what Juliet told her. She remembered what her friend Benita had told her before from the boutique and she was beginning to get convinced that her husband was up to no good.

Like a stray dog who has refused to go home, Nonso never saw reason to open up to his wife and kept living in secret sin with Sandra in the guise of matrimony. He spent more time with Sandra and even Mr. Felix had begun to see for himself that Nonso was cheating on Ebere. He had caught them kissing on one occasion and had walked into them flirting in Nonso’s office. It pained him to see Nonso behaving that way because he had been a friend of Nonso for long and knew how good a wife Ebere had been to him. He owed his job today to Ebere because it was her act of generosity that established the company.

“Nonso if you are not ungrateful, you will know that Ebere doesn’t deserve the way you are treating her right now.” He said.

“I know Sandra is your mistress because from the very first day she set foot in this firm, you have changed.” He added. What he didn’t know was that Sandra was now his wife and that she was already pregnant.

Nonso paid deaf ears to Felix’s warnings and did not seem to bother. He had sunk in too deep to come out now. He wanted to tell Ebere about it but he didn’t know how to present the issue to her.

When Nonso got home that evening, Ebere attacked him as she always did when she was angry. She couldn’t control herself and demanded an explanation for what he was doing at the hospital with the sales promoter Sandra.

“Is she the reason you are behaving this way? She is your mistress isn’t she?” You are cheating on me aren’t you?” she thundered.

Ebere kept ranting and demanding an explanation but Nonso wouldn’t answer a thing. When the nagging got too much Nonso asked her to leave his way. She refused and kept demanding for an explanation.

“If I don’t leave what will you do?” She asked.

“You will beat me right? You will beat me for another lady right?" Ebere asked still fuming in anger.

“Don’t make me do something I will regret.” Nonso said in between angry breaths. “Get out of the way let me pass. I am tired and I need to rest.” He added.

“You won’t go anywhere until you tell me what you were doing at the hospital with another lady. Ante-natal for that matter.” she said.

“It better not be what I’m thinking.” She added.

Nonso got angry and threatened to push her if she doesn’t leave the way but Ebere was stubborn and wouldn’t leave. She just wanted her husband to say something that would clear her doubts. She wouldn’t mind if it was a lie provided it cleared her doubt. But Nonso being ruled and controlled by rage pushed Ebere and she fell hitting her belly on the floor so hard.

As Nonso was about marching upstairs, he noticed Ebere was bleeding. It was then it occurred to him that he pushed her too hard and it has affected the three months old pregnancy. He quickly ran to her and rushed her to the hospital. Nonso arrived at the hospital early enough to save Ebere’s life but the doctors couldn’t save the baby.

“What really happened to your wife?” The doctor asked Nonso.

“She slipped and fell.” He lied.

The doctor found it hard to believe but had no choice.

“Sir I’m sorry to announce that the impact was so hard and it really affected her womb. Your wife won’t be able to give birth again and if she does, it would only be a miracle for it to happen.” The doctor announced.

Nonso felt really bad for what he had done. Since he knew Ebere even till when they got married and after, he hadn’t raised his finger on her. He couldn't believe he was the one who had hurt Ebere and felt really ashamed of himself.

“Doctor how is my baby?” Ebere asked after she regained consciousness.

The doctor couldn’t utter a word and just looked at Nonso as if to say,

“I think you should tell her yourself.”

Nonso didn’t know where to start from because he had rendered his wife barren for the rest of her life. He thought of how Ebere would feel if she finds out that not only had she lost her pregnancy but may never be able to give birth again for the rest of her life.