MY FATHER'S WIVE'S

I want to marry another wife. ‎ ‎The moment those words left my father’s mouth, the smile on my mother’s face died instantly. ‎ ‎If you ask anybody in our village about my father, Chief Richard Okafor, they will tell you he is a very rich and respected man. ‎ ‎But if you ask me… ‎I will tell you my father’s wealth came with too many tears. ‎ ‎Growing up, I watched my mother suffer for that man. ‎ ‎My mother’s name is Margret ‎ ‎She married my father when he had absolutely nothing. Back then, we lived in one small room with a leaking roof in Diobu, Port Harcourt. ‎ ‎Whenever rain fell, all of us would carry buckets and stand awake till morning trying to stop the room from flooding. ‎Sometimes, we slept hungry. Sometimes, my mother pretended she was not hungry so me and my brothers could eat. ‎Yet she never complained. ‎ ‎Every morning before sunrise, my mother carried her basin of akara to the roadside. ‎ ‎Meanwhile, my father worked as a gateman in the house of a wealthy called chief Donatus ‎ ‎Life was hard, very hard. But my mother believed in him. I remember one night clearly. NEPA had taken light again, and we were sitting outside because the room was too hot. My father looked at the sky and said proudly, ‎Margret, one day I will build a big mansion for you. ‎My mother smiled immediately. I know,.she said softly. God will answer us. And somehow… ‎God truly answered him. ‎ ‎Everything changed after chief Donatus gave my father a supply contract. ‎Money started entering. One contract became two. ‎Before we knew it, my father became rich. ‎He stopped the gateman's work and started driving big cars. We moved from that one-room apartment into a massive duplex in the heart of town ‎ ‎People respected him everywhere. ‎Even those who insulted my mother before suddenly became her friends. ‎ ‎At first, life became sweet. But my mother did not know peace was slowly leaving our house. ‎Just one week before that night, my father bought my mother a gold necklace and called her “the only woman who stood by me.” I still remember how happy my mother looked that day. She kept touching the necklace and smiling like a young girl in love. That night, she even told my aunt proudly, No matter what people say, Richard can never betray me. But she had no idea her heart was about to be broken. ‎It started the evening when my father came home smiling strangely. ‎I was sixteen years old then. I was in the dining room reading my notebook when he called my mother. ‎Magret , come let us talk. ‎Something about his voice made me look up immediately. ‎My mother came out from the kitchen wiping her hands on her wrapper. What is it? she asked. ‎My father adjusted his expensive gold wristwatch before speaking. You know a man at my level needs a bigger family. ‎Immediately he said that, my heart skipped. ‎ ‎My mother laughed nervously. What do you mean? ‎Then my father dropped the bomb. I want to marry another wife. ‎Silence, complete silence. Even the wall clock sounded louder. ‎ ‎I looked at my mother’s face. The smile on my mother's face died instantly. At first, she thought he was joking. ‎ ‎ Richard stop this nonsense. ‎ ‎But my father did not laugh. Instead, he said calmly, Her name is Sandra. The introduction is next week. ‎The moment he mentioned another woman’s name… something broke inside my mother. ‎You want to marry another woman after everything I suffered with you? she asked weakly. ‎My father frowned immediately. Must you always bring up the past? ‎The past? my mother shouted suddenly. That past was my life. ‎I had never seen her like that before. ‎Tears rushed down her face instantly. ‎I sold akara for years because of you. I starved because of you. I wore torn clothes while helping you build our lives ‎My father stood up angrily. Enough! Stop embarrassing yourself ‎Embarrassing myself? my mother cried. Richard, you are about to destroy this family ‎But my father no longer cared. The decision has been made. Then he carried his car keys and walked out. ‎My mother stood there shaking. ‎I ran to hold her immediately. ‎But she pushed me away gently and sat on the floor. ‎That night was the first time I saw my mother cry like a child. ‎And honestly…‎that was the night peace left our house forever. ‎After my father announced he was marrying another wife, our house changed immediately. ‎The laughter disappeared, ‎the peace disappeared. ‎Even food started tasting different. ‎My mother stopped talking too much. ‎She only focused on cooking, praying, and taking care of me and my brothers. ‎But I noticed something painful. ‎Every night after everyone slept, I would hear her crying quietly inside her room. ‎Sometimes she called my father’s name while crying. Richard… Why? ‎And each time I heard it, my chest would hurt. ‎Meanwhile, my father behaved like nothing happened. In fact, he became happier. ‎He started pressing his phone and smiling alone like a young boy in love. ‎Sometimes he would spray perfume before leaving the house at night. ‎One afternoon, my elder brother Obinna got angry and confronted him. ‎We were eating in the dining room when my father suddenly announced, the introduction ceremony is this Saturday. ‎Obinna dropped his spoon immediately. ‎ Are you really doing this? ‎My father looked up slowly. Mind your tone when talking to me. ‎But Obinna was already boiling. ‎Daddy, mummy suffered with you for years! Why are you doing this to her? ‎My father cleaned his mouth calmly. ‎A man can marry more than one wife. It is not a crime. ‎Obinna laughed bitterly. ‎No. The crime is forgetting the woman that suffered with you. ‎The entire dining room became silent. ‎My father stood up slowly. What did you just say? ‎But Obinna was no longer afraid. ‎I said you are wicked. ‎Before anybody could stop him ‎PAAAH! ‎My father slapped him hard across the face. ‎My mother screamed immediately. Richard... ‎I froze in fear. ‎That was the first time my father ever slapped Obinna. ‎Obinna touched his face slowly and looked at my father with disappointment. Then he said quietly, One day, this decision will destroy this family. Especially you and he walked out. ‎My father hissed angrily and adjusted his shirt. ‎Saturday finally came. ‎That was the day Sandra officially entered our lives. And from the very first night, blood almost spilled ‎