I had no cause to refuse my mother-in-law. She had been nice to me ever since she came over to Port Harcourt to stay with us. My only worry was that I had not met the said brother before, and I was a bit uncomfortable staying with someone whose source of income I knew nothing about. But then, I thought that my mother-in-law and my wife could not do anything that would jeopardise our safety. So we all looked forward to his arrival.
I went from work to pick him at the airport while the women stayed at home to prepare for his arrival, food and all that. On our way back from the airport, we attempted to know each other better, but hard as I tried to figure out his exact mission in Port Harcourt, I couldn’t place my fingers on a particular reason. He just kept on apologising for missing our wedding, saying he was outside the country at the time.
We got home, and the real story began. My mother-in-law greeted this man, who she claimed was her younger brother, like some god. It was glaring that she was not as free as a sister would be to her brother. But quickly, they adjusted and she started asking about his wife and children, saying they had to come and visit soon. But my wife appeared very close to this visitor. They hugged each other like long lost friends and almost forgot that two other people were in the living room with them.
Then I asked to take the man to his room and make him comfortable. He willingly followed me, thanking me for not allowing him to spend money on hotel bills.
The next day, I expected ‘my uncle-in-law’ to go out to see the business partners he had come to see, but came back to find that he had been sleeping all day.
My wife had gone to work (she usually stayed late), so I had to ensure that he felt at home. But, again, I noticed that my mother-in-law was in the living room all through and was not “catching up” with her beloved brother. I thought that this was strange, so I began to feel really uncomfortable.
When my wife got back from work that night, she went straight to the guest room to apologise to her “uncle” for coming back late and I could make out that he almost shouted at her. When she came out and saw me by the door of that room, she was too startled to even say anything. Then, thinking that I might have overheard something, she said, “My uncle has always been stubborn. He was angry that I left my mother all alone in the house and didn’t come back until this time. He’s too fond of her; that’s his problem.” I just nodded and went into my room.
At that point, I knew something terrible was wrong, but I couldn’t say exactly what was happening. I had not heard from my people for a long time. They decided to give me a break, mainly because of their initial reservations about the marriage. But I knew I needed someone around me that I could actually call my own in the midst of what I perceived to be a plot.
It was not easy getting my siblings; but when I confided in my bossom friend that I needed someone to keep my company because of reasons I spelt out to him, he said he would take permission at work to go for one-week casual leave. I almost jumped up for joy, though I knew my wife never really liked him coming around. But since they could take someone I didn’t even know in, I thought taking in someone they knew very well should not offend anybody.
That move turned out to be the best I could have thought of. It was a big house, so we had two guest rooms facing each other. This meant my friend had an extra room to stay. I also made work around that time very light for myself so that I could stay more with my friend, who had sacrificed so much to be with me at that crucial time. What I told my wife was that he had come through Port Harcourt on his way to Calabar, and that I would want to go with him to Calabar to strike some business deals.
Ordinarily, my wife would have kicked against such because she always wanted to wrap me in her wrapper. But she welcomed the idea with glaring happinness and became unusually nice to my friend.
My wife had already sought permission to be away from work before my friend’s arrival, apparently to prevent her “uncle” from getting angry with her again. But she never knew that we were going to have another visitor. So the next day, I left for work. I had not spent an hour at work when I received a call from my friend, who said we should make our “planned” trip faster; that we had to tell my wife that we would travel the next day. I knew he had a reason, so I did not object.
We set out like we were going on a long trip the next day, and my wife was all over me, packing even things that I did not need. I had told her that we would be back in three days.
Instead of travelling, we went to a hidden joint to take peppersoup and returned to the house at about 9pm. The big generator was on, so no one heard when I opened the gate with my key. I also opened the gate to the living room entrance, then knocked at the door.
My mother-in-law never expected us back, so she thought it was the gateman. She opened the door and called his name, but was shocked to find me standing there with my friend. It was obvious she was alone in the living room, so I went straight upstairs and opened the door to the guest room. I caught my wife, naked in bed, with her so-called uncle. I almost fainted.
But my friend consoled me and said he planned the quick make-believe trip because he wanted to get the fact. My wife, according to him, had stayed for too long in that room the previous day and he was suspicious that something very bad was going on. We decided that the three devils – my wife, mother-in-law and ‘uncle’ could plan to kill me if I didn’t leave immediately.
That night, I packed a few things, left the house and stayed in a hotel for one month. I later begged to be transferred back to Lagos. I got back on my feet through the help of my friend and my immediate family. I stayed in my friend’s house until I got my own apartment.
It’s four years now. I have, by the grace of God, built my own house. I heard later that the man was actually the one who bought the house we were living in Port Harcourt for my wife, now ex. But I leave all of them in the hands of God. My only regret is not seeing my son. I know, one day, I shall find him. In all, one thing is clear – marriage, for me, has been a curse, and so I must stay on my own.
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