A FATHER'S PAIN 8,9, and 10

???? A FATHER'S PAIN EPISODES 8????? That was how I came to find myself in my wife’s lawyers’ chambers only to be told by him in the presence of my wife and his brother and in the presence of my lawyer that I was not the biological father of my two children, Peter and Pamela. For me, it was unthinkable that anyone would suggest that the two kids were not my children. Yes, it is often claimed that “only mothers know the real fathers of their children”. However, as far as I was concerned, I did not need even my wife to tell me Peter and Pamela were my children. Peter was my first born and was ten years old. Pamela was my second. Both children were the joy of my life. Determined to give them the best in life, I worked myself to death, sometimes coming home very late. When Peter was born, often, I would wake up in the night and spend time just staring at him as he sleeps. Seeing him peacefully asleep were some of my special moments. I would stare at him as if I had not seen him before. Sometimes, I would spend at least thirty minutes by him, praying for him. I would sometimes pray until tears came to my eyes. Often, at work, I will so much miss him that I rush home the moment I close in order to see him, hold him, and cuddle him in my arms. I cried when he first learnt how to crawl. I cried again when I saw him take his first step. At weekends, I would spend time playing with him till tired, and he would fall asleep. I cried again, shedding tears of joy the first day he went to school. He was very enthusiastic about it. I told myself, as I walked him to school, that my son was about to begin his journey to greatness. Then Pamela, too, was born. She was so cute and so adorable that once, one would think she was a doll. In fact, at night, after her mother had fed her, I would cuddle her in my arms till she fell asleep. Pamela was a joy to behold and, like her brother, grew rapidly. My wife and my children were the centre of my life. Sometimes, I took them to the beach to have fun. At other times, I would take the children to the playground and sit around to watch them play with other kids. I was determined to be a good father to them. I watched as our two children grew, moving from class to class in their school. And, they were brilliant too. Anytime any of them came first in class, I would take them either to London, New York, Paris or Johannesburg for holidays. This encouraged them to keep on doing well. Now, my wife had not only shattered the joy of the family but also had the temerity to tell me Peter and Pamela were not my biological children. Talking about my wife, Nora, I loved her with all my heart and did everything a husband should do to keep her comfortable and happy. She did not lack anything; she had two cars, had staggering amounts in her bank accounts, and travelled at will to any country of her choice at my expense. She was the envy of her friends. When it came to bedroom matters, as far as I could tell, she was having more than enough of me. On average, we made love twice a week. And, from all indications, my performance was more than she could bargain for. I sometimes leave her shaking all over, Once every year, she would organize a party for her friends. And, she never ceased to tell me how she appreciated all that I was doing for her. She often said I had made her the crown of her family. Nora and I ensured that we brought our children up according to Christian values. We attended church service every Sunday. My wife was a key member of the women’s fellowship while I was the treasurer in the men’s fellowship. Nora soon became a deaconess in our church. In spite of all these Christian values we imbibed into ourselves and our children, Nora had no qualms about cheating on me with my best friend, staining the sanctity of our matrimonial bed. She was now adding insult to injury by telling me I was not the biological father of our children. Lying in bed, I reflected on how hard I had tried to make my family comfortable and happy. It was so unbelievable that Nora would, in spite of all the love I had shown her, was capable of opening her legs for another man. In fact, if somebody had come to tell me that my wife was cheating on me, I would have told the person he or she was a blatant liar. But, I had caught her myself in the act with my own friend in my house and on my bed! I got up from bed and walked out of the room. All was quiet. It was drizzling outside. Hitherto, my house had been one full of activities and the laughter of children. Now, however, it was quiet. I walked up to the children’s room and opened the door. The beds of Peter and Pamela stood in the middle of the room. Their shoes were neatly arranged on the shoe rack. A storybook lay on Peter’s bed while a huge teddy bear, which Pamela always went to bed with, lay sadly on her bed. My heart was heavy. I had strived to bring up a very happy family, but my wife, through her infidelity, had shattered everything. Now, she wanted to take away from me what I treasured most; my two children. With an aching heart, I returned to my bedroom and cried myself to sleep... ? A FATHER'S PAIN EPISODES 9? I woke up very early the next morning, well determined to go to any length to take my children back from my wife. I swore that nothing was going to stop me from having them back. After I had my bath, I skipped breakfast and got ready to go see my lawyer. I was driving out of my compound when a car drove up and pulled up beside mine. A young fellow got out and came up to me. “Good morning sir” “Good morning” “Are you Mr. Ofori-Mensah?” “Yes” I replied “I have this for you,” the young man said, handing me a document. I recognized it immediately as a court summons. Immediately, I knew where it was coming from. “So, Nora thinks she can get the courts to compel me to give her money, eh? We shall see”, I said as I opened the document. The young man, having already made me sign for the receipt of the document, got back into his car and drove away while I read through the court summon. “Jesus Christ!” I found myself exclaiming. My estranged wife, Nora, was not out to compel the court to make me give her money. She was praying the court to subject our children to a DNA test, which she said would prove I am not the biological father of the children. I could hear my heart beating violently in my chest. I knew I had to calm down. I took some deep breaths and then reclined the seat of my back, so I lay somewhat supine in it. Then, I began to analyze the matter. Within seconds, I came to the conclusion that the DNA test my wife wanted to conduct was in my interest. It would establish beyond every reasonable doubt that I was the biological father of my two children. Quickly, I phoned my lawyer and told him about the court summons. He said he would come over to the hospital during his lunch break to take the summons. With that agreed, I headed for the hospital, my workplace. I suddenly was in high spirits as I drove towards the hospital because I was more than confident the DNA test was my best chance to have my children back. Once the test proves they were my biological children, the courts will order my wife to return them to me.Even without the DNA, anyone who looks at them will see some resemblance to me though admittedly, they resembled their mother more. In the afternoon, Carl Lomotey, my lawyer, turned up, and together, we poured over the court summons and my wife’s demand. Carl said that sooner than later, the saga would come to an end. “I can tell that Nora is so confused; she does not know what she is doing,” he said. I nodded confidently. Then he left to begin preparing my defence. We were in court two weeks after I received the suits against me. I arrived in court that day with Carl Lomotey to find that Nora was already present. I took to the dock to the left of the judge while Nora stood in the one on the right. His brother, Nana Kweku, was present in court. So also were one of his sisters, two aunts and an uncle. Her lawyer, Prof. Solomon Laryea was also present. She, however, did not bring the children to the court. Somehow, she looked very confident and honestly, very beautiful.She also had a defiant look about her. However, neither her beauty nor her defiant expression had any effect on me. All I wanted was to have my children, Peter and Pamela, back. “Court rise!” A court clerk suddenly intoned. Everyone in the courtroom got up. A very slim man led the judge into the courtroom. The court clerks and the lawyers in the court all bowed their heads to him before he took his seat. Then everybody sat down...... ? A FATHER'S PAIN? EPISODE 10 Thankfully, our case was the first to be called. My lawyer and Nora’s got up to introduce themselves as our respective counsels. Then I was asked to go stand in the dock to the left of the judge while my wife stood in that to his right. We both swore by the bible to speak the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth. Then another clerk at the court read out why I had been summoned to the court. When he was done, the judge took over. He went straight to the point and said my estrange wife was claiming that I was not the biological father of our two children; she wanted a DNA test carried out to prove her claim. Then the judge asked if I had any objection. “No, my Lord” I said calmly. The judge nodded before announcing that the DNA test would be done at the Central Government Hospital. He directed that it be carried out within 48 hours after the court’s order. The Registrar at the court was appointed to be the independent observer who will be present at the hospital when our respective DNAs are being taken. Having spelt out what he wanted done, the judge then asked if there was any objection. Both parties said they were okay with the arrangement. With that, the case was adjourned. As soon as we walked out of the courtroom, my estranged wife, followed by his brother and two other men, walked to her vehicle, got in, and drove away. She had evidently come to the court with bodyguards to prevent me from attacking her. I smiled to myself. I had no intentions of attacking her, especially as we were in court, though I knew that not even these tough looking sunglasses-wearing men were capable of coming between me and my children. I got into my car and drove to the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) club house with my lawyer in tow. There, we had brunch. I took Milo and brown bread with baked beans while he took a bottle of lemonade and chicken. “Nora is very interesting. I am surprised at her. It is as if I have never known her” my lawyer, Carl Lomotey, said. I was not in the mood to talk about my wife. Talking about her only brought back painful memories of seeing her in bed with my friend. All I wanted now was to get my children back. I changed the topic. Carl realized this and understood I did not want to discuss Nora. After the brunch, we parted ways. I headed for the hospital while he headed for his chambers. Back at my workplace, I immediately began to attend to patients. I worked hard as though it was going to be my last day at the hospital. Burying myself in my work enabled me to forget the pain of my wife’s infidelity. Finally, when it was almost five O’clock, I saw off the last patient. My work schedule for the day, too, had come to an end. I was about to leave my consulting room when my phone rang. The number that appeared on my screen was that of my wife. I wondered why she was phoning me. I decided not to pick up the call. The ringing continued till it ended. Then, after about three seconds, it started ringing again. I still refused to answer the call. However, when it began ringing the fifth time, I picked it; I was going to tell her off, warning her never to call me. But as soon as I answered the call, I heard my son’s voice. “Daddy! Daddy! Is that you?” Peter asked. The sound of his voice brought back nostalgic feelings of the good old days when we were a one big happy family. “Peter! Yes! It’s me! How are you! How is Pamela? Where are you?” I asked, my heart aching and yearning for them. “Pamela is here. Daddy, we miss you. When are you coming for us? We miss you. We want to…”Suddenly, I heard their mother’s voice interrupting. “Peter! Who asked you to use my phone? Who are you calling? Let me see,” I heard her say. “I was talking to Daddy,” I heard my son reply. Then I heard my wife say “that man is not your daddy…” Then the line went dead. I could not believe it! My wife was telling my son that I was not his father. Immediately, my entire being was gripped with anger. Quickly, I phoned my wife back...... ??A FATHER'S PAIN EPISODE 11?? I was virtually choking on my anger as I listened to the tone of my phone indicating that the call had gone through and her phone was ringing. It rang and ended. Nora would, however, not answer my call. I tried again and again, but she refused to answer it. When I tried the fifth time, I found, to my chagrin,that she had switched off the phone. I was sweating. I reminded myself of the need to calm down; I had, on many occasions, advised others on the need to control their anger. Now, I was the physician who must heal himself. I took in deep breaths and turned to other issues. At about 4:30pm, I closed from work. I realized I had developed a migraine. I chastised myself for getting so worked up; getting my children back was not about being angry. The sound of my son’s voice as I spoke to him earlier on kept coming back to me. I yearned to have him and his sister in my arms. I longed to cuddle them. I longed to have my daughter, sitting on my shoulders, holding on to my head and giggling.I longed to engage in the pillow fight I sometimes had with Peter in the evenings after I had supervised him to do his home-work. As I drove home that evening, tears began to stream out of my eyes and meander their way down my cheeks before dropping on my shirt. My grief was deepened by the fact that coincidentally, the radio station I had tuned in to was playing UB40’s “Tears" from my eyes.” I knew the words very much, but they had much more meaning to me at that particular time. I sang along with the reggae band. “Tears from eyes keep on falling Because you are leaving, leaving with another Things that we’ve done together I’ll always remember, though, you are with another” I did not make any attempt to dry my tears, though I realized I was not only singing for my children but also because of the way my wife had betrayed me. She had been the centre of my life but had killed my spirit by cheating on me. Suddenly, I felt the urge to take in something strong. I felt I needed something that would ease the pain I was going through. And, this brought another UB40 song to mind. I lowered the volume of the car’s radio and sung UB40’s ‘Red Wine’. In fact, I virtually screamed the word out as tears continued to trickle down my cheeks. I looked out for a place where I could buy some hard liquor that would kill the pain I was experiencing. Finally, I found a drinking spot. I parked the car, got down, and entered. There were people in all men except two women. I could tell that many of the men were already tipsy or drunk. Since I was going to drive home, I resisted the urge to drink there. So, I bought a bottle of brandy and returned it to my car. My head was still aching as I drove home. Finally, I arrived safely. The gate man opened the gate for me. I drove through the gates, parked, and got out with my bottle of brandy. There was light in the kitchen. I checked to find Efe, the house-help there. She had taken a week off and was back. I guessed she was unaware of what was going on. I was glad, though, to see her. “Daddy, welcome,” she said. “Thank you. When did you come?” I asked. “At about 5 o’clock, sir” she replied. I nodded. She asked about my wife and the children. It must have been weird for her to come meet an empty house. “They are not around. Let’s talk about them tomorrow,” I said, anxious to get to my room so I could drink myself to stupor. “I have prepared yam with corned beef stew. Can I serve you, sir?” she asked me. I shook my head and lied that I had already eaten. I said I was tired, so I was going to have my bath and then go to bed. With that, I left her and headed for the bedroom. As soon as I entered the bedroom, I locked the door, opened the bottle of brandy and holding it to my mouth, and gulped down a mouthful. The drink stung my stomach as it hit my system. I grimaced. This was my second time taking an alcoholic drink. I took some deep breaths as I felt what I had taken began to have an effect on me. I took another mouthful and grimaced again. The drink was really strong. I found nothing sweet about it and wondered why people take it. Yet, I took a third swing as I sat on the bed. Soon, I felt the room spinning. I tried to get up, but my legs were not studying. I told myself I was drunk. I took the bottle to have another swing, but the bottle dropped from my grip. I sighed and slumped on the bed. A few minutes later, I was fast asleep..... ?A FATHER'S PAIN EPISODES 12?? I slept so deeply that it had to take very loud bangings on the door by the maid the next morning to wake me up. “Sorry sir. It is past nine, and you had still not woken up, so I came to wake you up. I have been knocking on the door for the past fifteen minutes” she began, apologizing for knocking very hard on my door. “Sorry, Efe. I went to bed so tired. Wow! It is past nine. I am very late for an appointment” I said. From her expression, I could guess I was reeking of alcohol and she was trying very hard to bear the bad odour from my mouth. Smiling, I closed the door gently, shutting her out. Then I went to the bathroom. One look at my face in the mirror, and I realized how badly I looked. Alcohol certainly does things to a man. I went back to the bedroom and tidied up the place. The bottle of brandy I had brought into the house was lying on the floor with only a little of the content left in it. I could not believe that I had almost gulped down almost half the bottle. What was I thinking? I could have killed myself. I finished tiding up the place, went to the bathroom, shaved, brushed my teeth, and then had my bath. Then I dressed up. Efe was waiting for me when I came out of the bathroom. She was standing by the dining table. “Sir, your breakfast is ready” she said. I was about to tell her I was not hungry but then I changed my mind and came to sit at the dining table. She served me coffee and biscuits. “Coffee, Efe?” I asked, puzzled. She knew I hardly had to take coffee. “Yes sir. You need it to keep you awake. You still look drowsy, sir. This morning, I realized you have taken alcohol so I thought I should give you something that will keep you awake, especially as you will be driving yourself” she said I knew she was right. I smiled at her and said “thanks”. Then I decided to let her know what was happening in the house. I proceeded to ask her to take a seat and listen to what I was going to tell her. She complied. While eating, I told her what had happened in her absence. I told her everything, leaving out no details. She stared at me in silence as she listened with rapt attention. When I got to where I caught my wife and Edwin doing it on my marital bed, her jaw dropped. She stared at me as if I were a lunatic. Nevertheless, I continued with my narrative. Efe was so shocked that she could not utter a word. I understood why she was shocked. No one, in his or her right senses, would have even imagined that Vivian would cheat on me. As I said earlier, Nora was not only the epitome of beauty but a strong Christian woman well respected in the church. She was a role model for many young girls in the church where we fellowship. “No! I can’t believe this!” Efe suddenly muttered. Tears began to flow down her cheeks when I started telling her about my wife’s claims that I was not the biological father of my children. “Oh no! Sir! Please stop it!” she cried out as if I was the one claiming I was not the biological father of my children. I paused and allowed her to cry for a while as I continued eating. I had no appetite to eat, so I concentrated on the coffee. After a while, I resumed telling her about my estrange wife and her claims, winding up with why I brought home a bottle of brandy. Efe could, at this stage, not control herself any longer. The tears flowed liberally down her cheeks. I did not feel any urge to console her. She needed to cry to get the pain out of her system and begin to live with the fact that Nora and I would no more be husband and wife. But to my surprise, she got up from where she was sitting and came to kneel in front of me. “ Sir, I beg you…please….please…I know what madam has….has…has…has done isbad but forgive her…please…You have a beautiful family…it must not collapse…the children, …Peter…Peter and Pamela need both of you. Sir! I beg you” she said as she began to plead with me to forgive my estranged wife. Efe’s moved shocked me. But she was crying and pleading in vain, and I told her so. “ No man will forgive the sin my wife committed against me, Efe. First of all, she opened her legs for another man. Secondly, it was no other man than my own best friend. Thirdly, she had the effrontery to bring him to my house to do the abominable. Number five, they chose my bedroom for their illicit s*x session. Number six, it was on my bed that they were having their orgy. And you want me to forgive this? And, to add insult to injury, she is telling me I am not the father of my children! Which man will forgive her woman for that?” I asked her. Efe did not respond to my queries for obvious reasons. I had completed having my breakfast, so I took my briefcase and left the house, leaving the maid weeping at the dining table. I drove out of the compound and headed for my lawyer’s chamber to discuss with him issues concerning the DNA test... ??A FATHER'S PAIN EPISODES 13?? I held a one hour meeting with my lawyer, Carl Lomotey, who assured me that once the DNA test proves that the children are mine, he will ensure I have full custody of them. He was confident that the judge grant that request. I did not go to the hospital that day. From my lawyer’s chambers, I went to my children’s school with the hope that I find them there. But their teachers told me they had not been to school for two days.It was obvious my estranged wife was keeping them away permanently. I assured myself that soon, I would have custody of them. I went home early that day. On arrival, I found Efe at the kitchen; she was still crying. I asked her to follow me to the living room where I had a twenty minutes talk with her. She listened amidst tears. “Such is life, Efe. can only move on. You will see Peter and Pamela soon. I can assure you of that,” I told her, hoping that would cheer her up. The next day, I was up very early. If my Nora and the children had been home, we would have had the usual early morning devotion. But, alas, they were not at home so I had it alone. Then I prepared and headed for my lawyer’s place. Carl Lomotey was waiting for me. Together, we drove to the Central Government Hospital where the DNA test was going to take place. We arrived there to find that Nora was already there with her brother and the men she had obviously employed as bodyguards. Her lawyer, Prof. Solomon Laryea, was also present. I sat down with Carl Lomotey as wait for George Oteng, the court Registrar who was going to be the Independent observer, to arrive. Five minutes later, he did. We were then all ushered into a consulting room. The medical doctor who was going to perform the DNA was not somebody I knew. He was called Dr. Clement Adu. When he said all was set and asked of the children, my wife asked his brother to go fetch them. Nana Kweku went out. He came in later with my children. Peter and Pamela. “Daddy!” Pamela screamed on seeing me. She wanted to dash to my side but Nora stopped her.. “Pamela! Have you forgotten what I told you?” she sternly asked the little girl. I could see my son, Peter, wanting to come over to me. I felt like grabbing them and cuddling them in my arms. But I restrained myself, assuring myself that sooner than later, they will be back in my arms. “Hello Peter and Pamela. How are you?” I asked them. Cowed by their mother, none of them replied but I could see how much they wanted to. The doctor led the way to the laboratory. We all followed him. Two laboratory assistants were waiting for us. The DNA test began. Ten minutes later, it was all over, and we were told to go back to the consulting room. Back there, we all waited. The doctor soon came back with a report sealed in an envelope. He gave it to the Registrar, who got all of us to sign on the seal. Then he asked us to come back to the court the following day where the envelope will be opened and the contents known. With that, we all filed out of the place. Once outside, both Peter and Pamela began to cry that they wanted to come to me. However, Nana Kweku and his sister, Nora, will not let them. I looked on with a heavy heart as they were dragged towards the vehicle they had come in. A few minutes later, the car was driven away. I felt broken within. Suddenly, I began to wonder whether Nora was the same loving, God-fearing, humble, and caring woman I met years ago, fell in love, married. “It is okay, Mr. Mensah. Let us go,” my lawyer told me. I felt like going back........