The unfaithful wife episode 11

THE UNFAITHFUL WIFE
By: Ebube Nwuze

Episode 11

Both of them, John, my driver and Efe,
my maid, were standing just a few feet
from my door. They rushed to my side
before I could retreat into my room.
“Wait, sir. Please sir, don’t do this to us,”
my driver began to plead as he held me
back.
“So the two of you tricked me, right?” I
asked for want of any other thing to say.
“Sir, we cannot resign from your
employment. We only pretended we had
quit and had left because we needed
you to come out of your room. You have
locked yourself up for hours now. You
have not eaten anything,” Efe said. With
that, she went down on her knees with
tears beginning to trickle down her
cheeks. To my surprise, John too began
to shed tears.
I was touched; really touched. These two
were showing that they really cared
about me. I asked Efe to get up as I
began to fight back tears. She got up. I
led her and my driver to the living room.
We all sat down.
For a while, no one talked. I could not
say anything for fear of bursting out in
tears. Finally, however, I got a grip on
myself, cleared my throat and addressed
them.
I told them I had felt despondent and
depressed after the second test showed
I was not fertile enough to father a child.
I then confessed I had begun to
consider suicide as the only option left
to me. John and Efe were shocked at my
confession.
“But what more would I be living for. My
wife has betrayed me. As if that is not
enough, tests have proven that I am not
the biological father of my children,
Peter and Pamela, whom I love with all
my heart. Then came the news that I am
not fertile enough to father a child. So,
what am I then living for?” I asked.
“ Daddy, we know how you feel. In fact
we are all devastated by all that is
happening. But seriously, suicide cannot
be a way out. You have preached to us
several times about how evil suicide is.
Why resort to it now?” my driver asked
me.
For the first time, I could not look into
his eyes. I felt stupid ever contemplating
suicide.
“You are right, John. I am sorry. It will
never happen again” I said
Then John spoke again. He said he did
not think all was lost for me. He had
heard of fertility centres where men
who could not father children are
helped to become fertile.
“Yes!” Efe responded, brightening up
immediately. “Fertility centres could help.
I know two of them. John, you are right”
she said.
I could see from the way she had
brightened up suddenly, that they had
been really affected by my plight. But,
indeed, what John said made me
brighten up too. There was nothing I
would not do to become a father, a
biological father.
Despite the truth having been made to
me, my heart still yearned for Peter and
Pamela. Yes, they may not be my
biological children but I still loved them.
It was going to be very difficult for me
to turn my back on them.
Memories of happy times with Peter and
Pamela often came rushing back to me. I
could remember very well my trip with
them to Egypt where we went visiting
the pyramids.
Pamela had been scared initially but had
later on overcome her fear of the
pyramids. We had a very good time.
Then also was my trip with them to
Zambia. We had visited the Niagara Falls
and later were at the Game and Wildlife
Park to watch the wild animals in their
natural habitats.
Sometimes, I could hear their laughter,
their innocent laughter. All these made
me hate their mother the more. She had
shattered the unity and happiness of the
family.
“It’s time for supper, sir. I have prepared
your favourite for you” Efe announced. I
knew what she meant by my favourite.
wonder woman
“Well, today, no supper in this house. I
am taking both of you out. We are going
to have our supper at the Super Maxi
Restaurant” I announced.
John beamed with delight. I noticed that
Efe immediately wore a crestfallen look. I
knew she did not like the idea of us
eating outside.
“Efe! Come on. We always enjoy your
food but it is not every time we have to
eat at home and it is not every time that
you have to cook. I am giving you and
John a treat because you have remained
my best friends in my moment of need.
So, come on. Let, everybody go and
prepare!” I said.
The two left for their respective rooms. I
left for my room too. I had my bath, a
hot bath and then got into a simple
sleeveless light blue shirt with a blue-
black khaki trouser to match. When I
emerged, I found that John and Efe were
already waiting for me.
Efe was in a simple purple dress while
John was in a white T-shirt and a blue
jeans trouser. wonder woman
“Good. The two of you look superb.
Now, off we go,” I said. To John’s
chagrin, I insisted that I will be the one
to drive. He protested. Efe supported him
– they could not imagine how me, their
employer, will drive them to town.
Finally, however, they caved in to my
demand. I got behind the steer with
John by my side and drove off.
We had a nice evening at the Super Maxi
Restaurant. Everything at the restaurant
was very expensive. While a bottle a
bottle of coca cola was selling at GH¢3.00
in town, it was selling at GH¢10.00 at the
restaurant. It was so priced to keep
some elements from patronizing the
place.
We had an exciting evening. A live band
played some local songs. I did not dance
but I encouraged John and Efe to. At
10:30pm, we left the place and returned
home.
“Thank you for a nice evening sir,” Efe
said, beaming with a smile when we
arrived home. I returned to my room
feeling a bit cheerful. I went to bed with
a smile.
I woke up the next morning at 6:30am. I
was surprise to find lawyer Torto
waiting for me in the living room.
“I have brought back $30,000 out of the
$35,000 you paid us for our services.
Since the result of the test showed you
are not fertile, and therefore incapable
of fathering a child, it will be useless to
continue with the case. My chamber
therefore decided that we return the
$30,000 out of what you paid to us” he
said. wonder woman
I was surprise by the move. It showed
honesty. I collected the cheque and
thanked him. That morning, after we
had had breakfast, John and Efe set out
in search of a fertility centre. They were
back later to take me to one that they
felt will help – the Royal International
Fertility Centre. The doctor on duty was
one Dr. Paul Quansah. For twenty
minutes, I was with him. He took me
through the line of treatment they were
going to give me. Finally, we scheduled
that I begin the programme in two days’
time. I left the hospital feeling confident
that I had found the solution to my
infertility. Soon, I would be able to father
a child. But, it felt as though I was
starting life all over again.
When I returned home, the two persons
who had become my confidants, John
and Efe, sat with me to discuss the latest
development. Everyone was enthusiastic
about the fertility treatment I was going
to go through.
“I cannot wait for you to complete it, sir.
Then you can have your own children,
your own flesh and blood,” John said.
“Well, I must be grateful to the two of
you. Without you, it would not have
been possible. The doctor there has
assured me that within a month, the
treatment will be completed,” I said.
Efe said what excited her most was the
fact that the whole treatment will not
involve orthodox medicine or injections.
I was going to be on diet and will be
taking some herbal drinks and food
supplements. I nodded in agreement.
We all, in our moment of excitement, did
not think about who was going to be
my partner to give birth to my children.
We had very light supper that evening.
Then we relaxed in the living room to
watch TV. After watching the latest
Ghanaian film, I left the two for my
bedroom. But before I could enter, I
suddenly felt urge to have a look at Peter
and Pamela’s room. I retraced my steps
down the corridors, virtually tip-toeing
because I did not want to alert John and
Efe about where I was going. They
would definitely have followed me there
if they knew I was going there. But, I
wanted to be there alone.
I got to the door and gently opened it.
Immediately I did, the scent of my
children reached me. With my heart
beating wildly, I pushed open the door
and entered. Their presence was
everywhere.
Their picture, mounted on huge frames
looked down at me from the wall.
I stared back at them, their smiles. Their
innocent smiles were everywhere. And
their eyes bore into me as if they were
appealing to me not to let go off them. I
opened their wardrobe; they dresses
hanged in there while their shoes were
arranged on the shoe rack. Pamela’s
teddy bear lay quietly and sadly on her
bed.
I fought back tears. They were the two
children I had known as mine for the
past years. Those were the children I
had hugged, kissed and cuddled as a
father. But in a twinkle of an eye, I had
discovered that they were not my
children – at least DNA tests had proven
they were not my children.
It was so unbelievable. How could I live
the rest of my life knowing that they
were not my children? I sat down on
Pamela’s bed. Memories of nights I used
to come and sit on their beds and chat
with them came flooding back to me. I
felt the tears swelling up in my eyes.
Then I realized that I was trembling.
“I still love you, Peter. I still love you
Pamela. You are my children! You will
always be my children, I promise,” I
heard myself say.
I reached for Pamela’s bed sheet and
wrapped it around my body. It felt like
having her wrap her arms around me as
I carry her.
“Pamela my princess! My love! My baby! I
love you so much,” I said. By this time, I
was weeping. The tears were flowing
liberally down my cheeks. My heart was
burning, burning for my children.
I began to wonder where they were at
that material moment. Were they
missing me too? Were they being
coached to call another man ‘Daddy’?
How will their young hearts assimilate all
that was happening around them?
I looked up once more at their pictures
hanging from the wall. They were all
smiling and their eyes were beaming
directly at me. I began to think of the
future I had planned for them. Before I
knew it, I had fallen asleep on Pamela’s
bed.
It was a sweet sleep for me because I
dreamt about Peter, Pamela, their
mother and I having fun at the
countryside in England where we had
gone visiting relatives. We went horse
riding and swimming. I woke up later to
find that it was all just a dream.
I took a look at my wrist watch. The time
read half past four in the morning. I lay
still on the bed, thinking about the
tragedy that had rocked my family. Then
I thought about the prospects of me
becoming a biological father soon after
my fertility treatment. That gave me
something to be cheerful about.
However, being in Peter and Pamela’s
room and feeling their presence all over
made it very difficult for me to stop
thinking about them. Despite the results
of the DNA and the fertility test later on, I
still found it difficult to accept that Peter
and Pamela were not my biological
children.
Didn’t they have some resemblance to
me? On countless occasions, many
people had talked about how Peter in
particular resembles me. Yet, tests had
proved that he was not my biological
child. Even worse, I was not fertile
enough to father a child. I sighed,
feeling very depressed.
At 5:00am, I finally left the room and
sneaked back to mine. I quickly had a
shower after which I phoned a private
detective I knew. I told him about my
estranged wife and my children. Then I
asked him if he could trace where my
wife now lives with the children.
“No problem boss” he replied. His name
was E.C. Otoo. He had been my friend for
years but I had never taken his business
seriously. Private Investigators thrive in
advanced countries, not in countries like
Ghana. At least, so I thought. Now, I
needed him desperately.
We discussed how much it will cost me
and quickly settled on a figure. He,
however, will receive payment only after
he had successfully carried out the task
entrusted to him.
That morning, I told John and Efe that I
was going to teach them how to play
tennis. They were surprised. Efe’s
countenance indicated that she was not
enthusiastic about the idea. She was a
very reserved person.
“Efe, all work and no play will make you
a dull person. Let us get out and have
some fun. Tennis is fun” I told her.
Reluctantly, she went to change into a
sports wear. We all immediately set off
for the tennis club.
Only a few people were present when
we arrived. This enabled me ample
opportunity to teach them how to play
tennis. John grasped the rudiments
faster than Efe. Within an hour, they
were playing against each other.We
spent two hours at the tennis club
before we finally returned home.
Hardly had we reached home when my
phone rang. It was Otoo, the
investigator. He said he had spent the
entire morning in search of my wife and
the children and had discovered that the
children had been flown out of the
country.
I was crestfallen and heartbroken. Nora
had sent the children beyond my reach. I
went to my room, fell on the bed and
burst into tears. I was still crying when
Efe came to knock on the door.
“Food is ready, sir. Yam and palaver
sauce!” she announced cheerfully.
Steadying my voice, I told her I will be
out soon. I went to the bathroom, had
my bath and later emerged from the
bedroom to dine with John and Efe. I
could see they were in high spirits. The
tennis had done them a lot of good.
We had our meal together. Over the
meal, John popped out the multi-billion
dollar question.
“Sir, I am confident that your fertility
treatment will yield positive results. Who
will be the lucky woman to be the
mother of your biological children?” he
asked.
The question took me by surprise. I
could see it took Efe too by surprise. I
paused for a while and then shrugged,
saying if we get to the river, we will
know how to cross it.
The idea of me marrying again was not
that which appealed to me. I loved Nora
so much so after what she had done to
me, I did not see the need to fall in love
with another woman.
After that question, there was silence as
we ate, each person buried in thought.
Finally, we finished eating. I returned to
my study to read but just as I was
getting engrossed in what I was
reading, my phone rang. I picked the call
to be greeted by a familiar voice.
“Peter!” I screamed out, dropping the
book in my hand”.

……………to be continued………UNFAITHFUL WIFE

Episode 11

Both of them, John, my driver and Efe,
my maid, were standing just a few feet
from my door. They rushed to my side
before I could retreat into my room.
“Wait, sir. Please sir, don’t do this to us,”
my driver began to plead as he held me
back.
“So the two of you tricked me, right?” I
asked for want of any other thing to say.
“Sir, we cannot resign from your
employment. We only pretended we had
quit and had left because we needed
you to come out of your room. You have
locked yourself up for hours now. You
have not eaten anything,” Efe said. With
that, she went down on her knees with
tears beginning to trickle down her
cheeks. To my surprise, John too began
to shed tears.
I was touched; really touched. These two
were showing that they really cared
about me. I asked Efe to get up as I
began to fight back tears. She got up. I
led her and my driver to the living room.
We all sat down.
For a while, no one talked. I could not
say anything for fear of bursting out in
tears. Finally, however, I got a grip on
myself, cleared my throat and addressed
them.
I told them I had felt despondent and
depressed after the second test showed
I was not fertile enough to father a child.
I then confessed I had begun to
consider suicide as the only option left
to me. John and Efe were shocked at my
confession.
“But what more would I be living for. My
wife has betrayed me. As if that is not
enough, tests have proven that I am not
the biological father of my children,
Peter and Pamela, whom I love with all
my heart. Then came the news that I am
not fertile enough to father a child. So,
what am I then living for?” I asked.
“ Daddy, we know how you feel. In fact
we are all devastated by all that is
happening. But seriously, suicide cannot
be a way out. You have preached to us
several times about how evil suicide is.
Why resort to it now?” my driver asked
me.
For the first time, I could not look into
his eyes. I felt stupid ever contemplating
suicide.
“You are right, John. I am sorry. It will
never happen again” I said
Then John spoke again. He said he did
not think all was lost for me. He had
heard of fertility centres where men
who could not father children are
helped to become fertile.
“Yes!” Efe responded, brightening up
immediately. “Fertility centres could help.
I know two of them. John, you are right”
she said.
I could see from the way she had
brightened up suddenly, that they had
been really affected by my plight. But,
indeed, what John said made me
brighten up too. There was nothing I
would not do to become a father, a
biological father.
Despite the truth having been made to
me, my heart still yearned for Peter and
Pamela. Yes, they may not be my
biological children but I still loved them.
It was going to be very difficult for me
to turn my back on them.
Memories of happy times with Peter and
Pamela often came rushing back to me. I
could remember very well my trip with
them to Egypt where we went visiting
the pyramids.
Pamela had been scared initially but had
later on overcome her fear of the
pyramids. We had a very good time.
Then also was my trip with them to
Zambia. We had visited the Niagara Falls
and later were at the Game and Wildlife
Park to watch the wild animals in their
natural habitats.
Sometimes, I could hear their laughter,
their innocent laughter. All these made
me hate their mother the more. She had
shattered the unity and happiness of the
family.
“It’s time for supper, sir. I have prepared
your favourite for you” Efe announced. I
knew what she meant by my favourite.
wonder woman
“Well, today, no supper in this house. I
am taking both of you out. We are going
to have our supper at the Super Maxi
Restaurant” I announced.
John beamed with delight. I noticed that
Efe immediately wore a crestfallen look. I
knew she did not like the idea of us
eating outside.
“Efe! Come on. We always enjoy your
food but it is not every time we have to
eat at home and it is not every time that
you have to cook. I am giving you and
John a treat because you have remained
my best friends in my moment of need.
So, come on. Let, everybody go and
prepare!” I said.
The two left for their respective rooms. I
left for my room too. I had my bath, a
hot bath and then got into a simple
sleeveless light blue shirt with a blue-
black khaki trouser to match. When I
emerged, I found that John and Efe were
already waiting for me.
Efe was in a simple purple dress while
John was in a white T-shirt and a blue
jeans trouser. wonder woman
“Good. The two of you look superb.
Now, off we go,” I said. To John’s
chagrin, I insisted that I will be the one
to drive. He protested. Efe supported him
– they could not imagine how me, their
employer, will drive them to town.
Finally, however, they caved in to my
demand. I got behind the steer with
John by my side and drove off.
We had a nice evening at the Super Maxi
Restaurant. Everything at the restaurant
was very expensive. While a bottle a
bottle of coca cola was selling at GH¢3.00
in town, it was selling at GH¢10.00 at the
restaurant. It was so priced to keep
some elements from patronizing the
place.
We had an exciting evening. A live band
played some local songs. I did not dance
but I encouraged John and Efe to. At
10:30pm, we left the place and returned
home.
“Thank you for a nice evening sir,” Efe
said, beaming with a smile when we
arrived home. I returned to my room
feeling a bit cheerful. I went to bed with
a smile.
I woke up the next morning at 6:30am. I
was surprise to find lawyer Torto
waiting for me in the living room.
“I have brought back $30,000 out of the
$35,000 you paid us for our services.
Since the result of the test showed you
are not fertile, and therefore incapable
of fathering a child, it will be useless to
continue with the case. My chamber
therefore decided that we return the
$30,000 out of what you paid to us” he
said. wonder woman
I was surprise by the move. It showed
honesty. I collected the cheque and
thanked him. That morning, after we
had had breakfast, John and Efe set out
in search of a fertility centre. They were
back later to take me to one that they
felt will help – the Royal International
Fertility Centre. The doctor on duty was
one Dr. Paul Quansah. For twenty
minutes, I was with him. He took me
through the line of treatment they were
going to give me. Finally, we scheduled
that I begin the programme in two days’
time. I left the hospital feeling confident
that I had found the solution to my
infertility. Soon, I would be able to father
a child. But, it felt as though I was
starting life all over again.
When I returned home, the two persons
who had become my confidants, John
and Efe, sat with me to discuss the latest
development. Everyone was enthusiastic
about the fertility treatment I was going
to go through.
“I cannot wait for you to complete it, sir.
Then you can have your own children,
your own flesh and blood,” John said.
“Well, I must be grateful to the two of
you. Without you, it would not have
been possible. The doctor there has
assured me that within a month, the
treatment will be completed,” I said.
Efe said what excited her most was the
fact that the whole treatment will not
involve orthodox medicine or injections.
I was going to be on diet and will be
taking some herbal drinks and food
supplements. I nodded in agreement.
We all, in our moment of excitement, did
not think about who was going to be
my partner to give birth to my children.
We had very light supper that evening.
Then we relaxed in the living room to
watch TV. After watching the latest
Ghanaian film, I left the two for my
bedroom. But before I could enter, I
suddenly felt urge to have a look at Peter
and Pamela’s room. I retraced my steps
down the corridors, virtually tip-toeing
because I did not want to alert John and
Efe about where I was going. They
would definitely have followed me there
if they knew I was going there. But, I
wanted to be there alone.
I got to the door and gently opened it.
Immediately I did, the scent of my
children reached me. With my heart
beating wildly, I pushed open the door
and entered. Their presence was
everywhere.
Their picture, mounted on huge frames
looked down at me from the wall.
I stared back at them, their smiles. Their
innocent smiles were everywhere. And
their eyes bore into me as if they were
appealing to me not to let go off them. I
opened their wardrobe; they dresses
hanged in there while their shoes were
arranged on the shoe rack. Pamela’s
teddy bear lay quietly and sadly on her
bed.
I fought back tears. They were the two
children I had known as mine for the
past years. Those were the children I
had hugged, kissed and cuddled as a
father. But in a twinkle of an eye, I had
discovered that they were not my
children – at least DNA tests had proven
they were not my children.
It was so unbelievable. How could I live
the rest of my life knowing that they
were not my children? I sat down on
Pamela’s bed. Memories of nights I used
to come and sit on their beds and chat
with them came flooding back to me. I
felt the tears swelling up in my eyes.
Then I realized that I was trembling.
“I still love you, Peter. I still love you
Pamela. You are my children! You will
always be my children, I promise,” I
heard myself say.
I reached for Pamela’s bed sheet and
wrapped it around my body. It felt like
having her wrap her arms around me as
I carry her.
“Pamela my princess! My love! My baby! I
love you so much,” I said. By this time, I
was weeping. The tears were flowing
liberally down my cheeks. My heart was
burning, burning for my children.
I began to wonder where they were at
that material moment. Were they
missing me too? Were they being
coached to call another man ‘Daddy’?
How will their young hearts assimilate all
that was happening around them?
I looked up once more at their pictures
hanging from the wall. They were all
smiling and their eyes were beaming
directly at me. I began to think of the
future I had planned for them. Before I
knew it, I had fallen asleep on Pamela’s
bed.
It was a sweet sleep for me because I
dreamt about Peter, Pamela, their
mother and I having fun at the
countryside in England where we had
gone visiting relatives. We went horse
riding and swimming. I woke up later to
find that it was all just a dream.
I took a look at my wrist watch. The time
read half past four in the morning. I lay
still on the bed, thinking about the
tragedy that had rocked my family. Then
I thought about the prospects of me
becoming a biological father soon after
my fertility treatment. That gave me
something to be cheerful about.
However, being in Peter and Pamela’s
room and feeling their presence all over
made it very difficult for me to stop
thinking about them. Despite the results
of the DNA and the fertility test later on, I
still found it difficult to accept that Peter
and Pamela were not my biological
children.
Didn’t they have some resemblance to
me? On countless occasions, many
people had talked about how Peter in
particular resembles me. Yet, tests had
proved that he was not my biological
child. Even worse, I was not fertile
enough to father a child. I sighed,
feeling very depressed.
At 5:00am, I finally left the room and
sneaked back to mine. I quickly had a
shower after which I phoned a private
detective I knew. I told him about my
estranged wife and my children. Then I
asked him if he could trace where my
wife now lives with the children.
“No problem boss” he replied. His name
was E.C. Otoo. He had been my friend for
years but I had never taken his business
seriously. Private Investigators thrive in
advanced countries, not in countries like
Ghana. At least, so I thought. Now, I
needed him desperately.
We discussed how much it will cost me
and quickly settled on a figure. He,
however, will receive payment only after
he had successfully carried out the task
entrusted to him.
That morning, I told John and Efe that I
was going to teach them how to play
tennis. They were surprised. Efe’s
countenance indicated that she was not
enthusiastic about the idea. She was a
very reserved person.
“Efe, all work and no play will make you
a dull person. Let us get out and have
some fun. Tennis is fun” I told her.
Reluctantly, she went to change into a
sports wear. We all immediately set off
for the tennis club.
Only a few people were present when
we arrived. This enabled me ample
opportunity to teach them how to play
tennis. John grasped the rudiments
faster than Efe. Within an hour, they
were playing against each other.We
spent two hours at the tennis club
before we finally returned home.
Hardly had we reached home when my
phone rang. It was Otoo, the
investigator. He said he had spent the
entire morning in search of my wife and
the children and had discovered that the
children had been flown out of the
country.
I was crestfallen and heartbroken. Nora
had sent the children beyond my reach. I
went to my room, fell on the bed and
burst into tears. I was still crying when
Efe came to knock on the door.
“Food is ready, sir. Yam and palaver
sauce!” she announced cheerfully.
Steadying my voice, I told her I will be
out soon. I went to the bathroom, had
my bath and later emerged from the
bedroom to dine with John and Efe. I
could see they were in high spirits. The
tennis had done them a lot of good.
We had our meal together. Over the
meal, John popped out the multi-billion
dollar question.
“Sir, I am confident that your fertility
treatment will yield positive results. Who
will be the lucky woman to be the
mother of your biological children?” he
asked.
The question took me by surprise. I
could see it took Efe too by surprise. I
paused for a while and then shrugged,
saying if we get to the river, we will
know how to cross it.
The idea of me marrying again was not
that which appealed to me. I loved Nora
so much so after what she had done to
me, I did not see the need to fall in love
with another woman.
After that question, there was silence as
we ate, each person buried in thought.
Finally, we finished eating. I returned to
my study to read but just as I was
getting engrossed in what I was
reading, my phone rang. I picked the call
to be greeted by a familiar voice.
“Peter!” I screamed out, dropping the
book in my hand”.

To be continued