Christmas was around the corner, but unlike everyone else,
Nenye was not preparing for the yuletide celebrations; matter-of-fact, she
dreaded the Christmas season since her marriage to Uwem Ekpo, five years ago. Nenye had long come to the
conclusion that Uwem might not be the man she was destined to be with, ever
since he stopped defending her cause whenever his mother and sister called her
barren , even when several doctors had told them they had all the chances in
the world to have babies. Wasn’t it pointless cooking for Christmas, when it
was certain that her Mother-in-Law, Ima Ekpo,
who always visited them during the yuletide, would not eat whatever she cooked, for fear of being
“contaminated by her fruitlessness”?
As usual, Madam Ekpo was seated on the Fuschia sofa, next to
the television, shaking her legs and hissing simultaneously, like the world was
her foe, and she was set for a long battle with her. “Yes….yes o, she has
come”, she screamed, as she sighted Nenye walk into the living room. “The
baby-eating witch that has refused to leave my son.” Uwem looked away, and
concentrated on the Tele Novella on TV, feigning oblivion of the brewing
tension in the atmosphere. His only reaction was a short stare at her, and a
shrug of despair, before proceeding to his bedroom. At that moment, Nenye could only imagine how unpleasant her Chistmas would be.
Many a time Nenye suggested adoption to her husband, who
would not have it. According to him, adopting implied testing the waters and
doubting God. She even went as far as requesting a divorce, so that he could
marry someone else who would bear him the children he always wanted.
Apparently, divorce was not an option for Uwem either. Through it all, Nenye
remained steadfast, and carried her falling cross, without any grudge. However,
her pain was always aggravated, in moments when Uwem couldn’t show his
solidarity, by standing up to his family. If ever spilt milk could be scooped,
she would have rejected Uwem’s marriage proposal, five years ago, and as her
sixth wedding anniversary approached, her disposition remained the same. She
most certainly had to get a new hobby, or perhaps, make a new friend, to
distract her from the remainder of her marital years, and death couldn’t come
sooner, to finally put an end to this facade of a marriage. Her thoughts ended
abruptly, with the surprising call from her family doctor.
Amidst chats and pleasantries, Dr. Tayo, the Ekpo’s health
consultant of years, cleared his throat and spoke in a baritone, that would
have been sexy, but Nenye had to ignore, because of the already rising tension
in the room. “Mrs. Ekpo, I have asked you to come because I thought to
divulge some information, that might jeopardize my career as a doctor”, he
sighed” I am about to break an ethical code of confidence , but I couldn’t live
with myself if I didn’t. But first, I need to ask some questions. Has your
husband had any important discussion with you lately?” Nenye was composed enough to reply that he
hadn’t, even when her whole body was already a whirlwind of emotions, her head
reeling with incoherent thoughts, her heart racing, almost to her mouth and her
twitched legs, hitting the floor, in a melodious rhythm. He looked at her face,
which was riddled with fear, held her hands and blurted out” Your husband has a
chromosome defect. Instead of the typical X and Y chromosomes, he has an
additional X chromosome, which he was born with. Because of this chromosome
abnormality, likelihood of him ever fathering a child is near impossible. There
might be a ray of hope, if he judiciously comes for his treatments, when due”
he stuttered” I told him…..I told him to tell you, that I could only protect
him for so long, but I knew his ego and pride won’t let him”……The rest of his
words were incoherent to Nenye, who had longed blanked out at “near
impossible”. Uwemedimo Vincent Ekpo! The horror and pain she had endured for
the past five years. Her first instinct was to pull out the pen knife in her
bag, and shred Dr. Tayo to bits, but a flash of thought came to her. “Dr. Tayo”
She called out in her most calm tone “please do me a favour. Do not let my
husband know I have been informed. I would confront him in due time. You have
been amazing at keeping secrets”, she said,
sarcastically “an additional one shouldn’t
be hard for you”. As she picked up her handbag to leave, she took a last look
at his eyes, and mused subtlety, at the fear in them. Most certainly, she would
deal with him, when the time was right.
Time, they say, heals all wounds, but for Nenye, time would be
fast tracked, while she could. A fortnight after her visit to Dr. Tayo,she
picked up her phone and scrolled to the C section on her contact list, in
search of Chinonso’s number. Chinonso, but for his philandering ways, would have
been her husband. Oh well, it was all wishful thinking when she caught him
naked with her best friend, Bella, on his bed, on an unannounced visit. Thereafter, he had used all the
words in the books, including intervention from family and a few close friends,
but she had long signed off that road. However, one look at his perfectly
sculpted nose and his crimson red lips that gave way to a set of sparkling
teeth, as she stood at his front door explained why she stuck to him, even when
she should have left him when the ovation was loudest.
At first he expressed
his shock at her presence, without his usual “leave your husband” begs, or the
pleas to have at least, one rendezvous with him. However, he threw his
mannerisms to the wind, when she slid her red Karen Miller vintage gown to the
ground, revealing two rotund mounds on her chest, and a body to die for. In the
heat of the moment, Chinonso reached his sexual peak, with a temporary quench
to his insatiable thirst, while Nenye simultaneously moaned in satisfaction,
that all would go well as planned. The timing of her August visit with her
ovulation period couldn’t have been better. She was getting her revenge, to be
dished out piping hot, ice cold. Inherent in a scorned woman lies an untapped
reservoir of terror, begging to be unleashed, and Nenye was just about to show
the Ekpo’s how filled-up, her terror bank was. (To be continued).
