One of the few of my many childhood friends that remained friends with me into adulthood came to Lagos on a business trip from his base in Port-Harcourt. As was expected from one “Governor” visiting the domain of another, before the trip, he called me up, informed me of his intended visit to Lagos and inquired whether I was in town and disposed for us to hookup. Of course, I was disposed. I always look forward to such meetings when they come up.
The agreed day came and after the day’s business had been settled, I went to see my friend in his hotel, somewhere in Lekki phase one. After we exchanged pleasantries and I congratulated him on the birth of his first child, he ordered Hennessey and some small chops for us.
As we slowly but surely reduced the content of the bottle, while emptying plates of "asun", piece by piece, I asked after his family, older brothers and some of his cousins who also became my friends back then. As I mentioned one name after another, he briefly told me what he/she was up to, where the person was and how life was with him or her generally. The stories, to my happiness were all positive until I asked after a particular cousin of his whom for the sake of this narrative will be referred to as Charles. I felt so sorry for Charles and have tried to rationalize the whole drama without any success. I am therefore telling this story here to solicit discussion as to whether there are justifiable reasons why things like this should happen.
Charles has been married for over fourteen years and has three kids with his wife. He has been based in Lagos for over eighteen years. However, he suddenly moved his family to Port-Harcourt to the consternation of his relatives. Everyone saw that he was doing well and believed he was well settled in Lagos. They were therefore surprised that he was coming back to Port-Harcourt to virtually start afresh. They later found out that he was still operating more in Lagos and shuttling between Lagos and Port Harcourt generally. Everyone thought it was stressful but believed when he was well settled; most of his operations would be in Port-Harcourt since it was his plan to make it his base.
He operated like this for a while without issues, until he returned from one of his frequent trips after being in Lagos for over a week. Bear in mind that because of the fact that he was hardly around and the very private life he leads, he was not yet well known in the neighborhood. On this fateful day, in the evening, he told his wife that he wanted to take a look around. He took a long walk just to have a feel of the area and on his way back, decided to stop at some bar not too far from his house and cool off with an ice cold bottle of beer. As he took the first glass of beer, almost in one gulp, he felt life coming back to him as every nerve end in his body tingled in excitement. As he went on with his drink, his mind took in the details of his surroundings while simultaneously working on thoughts around his business.
Suddenly, he heard one of the two guys seated at a table in front of him say something like “Oh boy! I like this woman too much, I go scope her oh!” The other replied, “She don marry oh! I hear say the husband na correct man, but business dey always carry am travel”. He raised his head to see the lady they were talking about, lo and behold; it was his wife who had gone to buy something from a nearby shop. The first then said, “Even though she don marry, I hear say she dey do. In fact, she dey do Mr. XXX.” After she passed, the guys started discussing something else. Not long after, he left. He was badly shaken. Could this be true?
What he heard that night troubled him greatly. He kept replaying it in his head, “…..I hear say she dey do ……” A day or two later, he traveled again to Lagos. It was here he conceived his plan. He bought one of these Chinese phones with a voice modulation function (I didn’t know about this) and got a new sim card. He then called his wife. After singing praises of her exceptional beauty, told her that he was the contractor that was in charge of a nearby road project. He went on to tell her that he had admired her since she moved to the area and that he would love to have a relationship with her. He thought about her every day and all. He expected her to say she was married and not interested. She did not, instead she played along.
He called her frequently and after a while, she started asking for little money which he gave. He said he was out of town and would see her when he returned. She then asked for fifty thousand naira and he promised to give her that when they would meet on his return.
Charles then went to Port-Harcourt and told another of his cousins the story and it was planned that they would get somebody who would act as the contractor – they got one. His aim was to see whether this would go through. They briefed the guy on the plan and he just asked, “How far should I go”? Charles said “all the way”. He wanted to get undeniable proof and at the same time praying it would not happen.
They then went to his part of town, took a room in a hotel that was not too far off, called his wife and told her to meet him in the hotel. He had informed her of his coming – speaking in the capacity of the contractor. He then agreed with the guy not to lock the door and to call him if he gets her compromised.
Charles and his cousin stayed where they could see the entrance of the hotel. They saw his wife alight from a taxi cab and walk in. They waited for the agreed call for some time and when it didn’t come, decided to go and see for themselves. Before going in, he called his wife with his real number. After exchanging pleasantries, he asked where she was and she said that she was at home. He then asked to speak with the kids and she said one had a fever and she had gone to a nearby pharmacy to get drugs. He asked to speak with the pharmacist to have an idea of nature of the drugs since pharmacists can say anything just to sell. She said she had left there and was on her way back to the house but it was just paracetamol that she bought. So, at this point, he moved in. He had no issues going past the reception since he was the one that paid for the room. While on the stairs, a text message came into his phone. It was from the guy acting as the contractor, telling him to come quickly.
They got to the door, he opened it gently and the sight that greeted him was shocking to say the least. She was spread-eagled on the bed, but with her legs raised to the heavens, moaning her head off as the ‘contractor’ rammed into her with thrust after thrust. Charles just brought out his phone and took pictures, as much as he could even though he was shaking. Now, the guy had positioned her in such a way that their heads were towards the door. So, being on top, he saw them come in. He hid his face when Charles started taking the pictures. After a few clicks of the camera and the apparent change in rhythm, she knew something was different. On looking around to find out what was happening, she exposed her face to be properly captured in her show of shame. The words that escaped her lips were “Ah! Charles set me up and I fell for it!” There was no remorse!
He left the scene with his cousin and the “contractor”. After weeping for a few days (my friend said he wept like a baby), he summoned courage and packed her things. He took them to her parents, told them what had happened and that it was over. He later said that, this was one of the reasons that led to his leaving Lagos for Port-Harcourt. He didn’t want to break his family on account of the things he found out in Lagos, but wanted to try his best to make his marriage work despite having had STDs a few times without knowing where they came from and hearing so much talk about his wife and her unfaithfulness. Her story was common knowledge in their neighborhood in Lagos and he was the last to know that his wife was a serial adulteress. He talked with her and she denied vehemently. He had lived in shame from the period he found out to when they left Lagos. He believed the change of environment will make things different. He never expected it to start again, at least not so soon. She was unrepentant! It was in her blood, he concluded.
Later, her brothers came to take the kids. They said he should give them the kids since he didn’t want their sister anymore. He refused, the argument turned into a fight and he raised an alarm. The guys in the neighborhood, who were well aware of what had happened, came out and beat the living daylights out of them and finally took them to the police station for attempted kidnap.
I was really saddened by this story which sounded very much like a script from a Nollywood movie. We know that similar cases abound and even religious leaders that are supposed to be moral beacons now fall to the temptations of the flesh. What is really happening in our society? Can anybody give a rational explanation or a justifiable reason why a woman who took vows of holy matrimony will be this loose? I guess it is a case of, “he whom the gods have chosen to destroy, they first make mad.”
September 19, 2014
No comments:
Post a Comment