SEE FINISH BY TREASURE EZURUIKE EPISODE 9

SEE FINISH TREASURE EZURUIKE EPISODE 9

 (KIRA’S POV)

Kenny had been missing for four years, could It be he was truly in prison I said to myself. He said that when Kenny went running the errand he met his five friends and as they were talking a police van stopped by and rounded them up.

They arrested them accusing them of being a robbery gang that has been terrorizing the neighborhood. They tried to protest but they were bundled into the police vehicle and driven away. 

No one was willing to come forward to reveal what they witnessed for fear of being arrested so everyone kept quiet and pretended like they never saw what happened. 

He told me it took Kenny’s family one year to find the prison where he was along with his friends. And it has taken them another 3 years to get him out as they kept going back and forth with the police.

Kenny and his five friends were released after they were cleared of all wrongdoing. What wrongdoing I asked in Anger. 

Do you mean I’ve been lonely and deprived of my husband for four years because he was in prison for a crime he didn’t commit? It just didn’t add up.

They arrested them accusing them of being a robbery gang that has been terrorizing the neighborhood. They tried to protest but they were bundled into the police vehicle and driven away. 

No one was willing to come forward to reveal what they witnessed for fear of being arrested so everyone kept quiet and pretended like they never saw what happened. 

He told me it took Kenny’s family one year to find the prison where he was held along with his friends. And it had taken them another 3 years to get him out as they kept going back and forth with the police.

My husband and his friends were soft-spoken, cool, calm, and collected. They didn’t have dreadlocks or tattoos or earrings on their ears or piercings anywhere. They just didn’t fit the profile of criminals.

How does anyone just arrest people standing on the road with no evidence and accuse them of being robbers terrorizing the neighborhood? How can we live in such a lawless country? I asked in anger as I wept. 

Doctor Ike told me that Kenny couldn’t return to me when he first reached out to me because he was not in good health and needed lots of medical checkups to ascertain his health status.

He handed me an envelope that contained all the checkups Kenny had gone through. They are tested for various kinds of STDs and other health-related diseases. 

He told me he was pleading with me to take Kenny back because he knew I must have written him off.

He apologized to me for all I’ve been through and told me to imagine what Kenny would have been through in prison.

I did not know what to think or what you believe but Kenny was looking so sober. Kenny was still on his knees gesturing with his two hands saying please forgive me I’m sorry. 

At some point, I started to cry because everything going on was just too much for me to handle. I cried out my heart. 

My parents tried to console me but I told them to just let me be. I needed to cry. Soon everyone stood up and told me they would let Kenny and I talk. 

They told me to go easy on him but the truth was that I had no energy left to even yell at him. 

Once they left he crawled down to me on his knees saying he was sorry as I stood just looking at him. I asked him to get up instead of just looking at me. 

He took off his shirt and I almost threw up because of the marks and injuries he had on his body. 

I was with my husband. I had been intimate with him for a few days before he disappeared and his body did not look anything like that. 

Now his body has been destroyed with all kinds of marks and scars. I felt the marks and scars on his body and I saw him shut his eyes as I did that. 

He looked into my eyes and said I’m so sorry. I told him to stop, just stop apologizing to me. 

He told me he went through hell with his friends and he was thankful that they all made it out alive even though their life will never remain the same again. 

He told me he survived because of me, he promised himself he wouldn’t die in prison he had to come out to see me again. 

He told his family not to tell me he was in prison when they finally found him. 

I asked him why he told me he didn’t want me to panic and worry because he knew I would imagine what he would be going through in prison.

He did not want me to go through that. I asked him why he couldn’t let them tell me he was alive. 

He told me there was no explanation he would have given me for which he’d be alive somewhere and couldn’t see me. 

He took the hard decision of not letting me know where he was and what he was going through. I cried a little more. 

I told him I’d been so lonely without him each time I saw a baby. I will imagine how I could have been pregnant and had our own children at least two or three children now. 

But here I was not even being intimate with anyone. He offered me his hand and I took it. 

CHIKANMA’S POV

Take care of them as who, I asked? As a friend who wants to help, Gerald said. 

I’m a little uncomfortable with this. I don’t want a problem with your girlfriend. 

She has no say over this Gerald said with a harsh tone. Look, put a smile on the face of your children.

I understand how your children feel and the struggle of growing up without your father. 

I lost my father at a young age. It wasn’t easy. I struggled until recently. 

Please I’m not asking you to sleep with me. I’m just trying to help okay.

Thank you for your kind gesture but you’ve done more than enough. 

Each time I met Gerald he had a gift for my children. Clothes, shoes, snacks. Just something.

I complained to my mother and she said to relax, your children need that love if you don’t.

Mum, he has a girlfriend I said. And so my mum shot back. Mummy, I screamed. What! she responded, don’t you want to get married again? 

Don’t you want to be loved again? He has a girlfriend mummy, didn’t you hear me the first time? I don’t care, my mum screamed. 

As long as they are not married he is very single. Mummy! what my mum asked. 

Chikanma go and sit down, she said. Give me that man’s number, let me call him and tell him to send me any gift for the children since you don’t want it. 

Mum, are you suggesting I snatch someone’s boyfriend? Snatch what? My mum asked. 

That man has helped you. He was God-sent. Let God use him in the life of your children. Haven’t you noticed how happy they have been these days? 

A father figure is important. Even if you don’t marry him, let them feel his presence. 

I know you want to remain single. It should not stop your children from being happy. Mum, I give up. I said. 

You better do, my mum responded. Because you never win she stared at me. You think you are smart, she said. I gave up arguing and stopped talking. 

I stopped taking my children to Gerald’s house for a while because I was becoming more uncomfortable. 

One day my mum traveled so I took them to his house. While I cooked I went around the house and did other chores like laundry and mopping. I wasn’t asked to but the house was so dusty.

Ijeoma showed up and said who are these people? Who are these children in my home messing up my sofa and watching cartoons? 

She switched off the TV and yelled at my children. My friends, would you get out of here?

My children ran down to me in the kitchen. She followed them down there and said you never give up, do you? 

From being a chef now you’ve turned my home into a creche. I ignored her and continued cooking. 

She called Gerald and put the phone on speaker. Gerald, what is the meaning of this? She asked angrily. 

I left your house angry for over 6 months. For over 6 months you never cared to reach out to me. Well, welcome back Gerald responded. 

Now the chef you hired has turned my sitting room into a creche. 

Which your sitting-room Gerald asked her angrily. When did my sitting room become your own?  

I don’t have time for this rubbish, Ijeoma said angrily. What are these children doing in my home? 

Point of correction, that is my sitting room, not yours. I authorized Chikanma to bring her children to my house each time she had to cook. 

I asked her to switch on the TV for the children to watch cartoons. 

Her children? Ijeoma asked, looking at me and my children in shock. 

Gerald said yes they are her children. She’s a widow, so leave those children alone. 

It is not fair, Ijeoma said. You did not apologize to me for disrespecting me. Now you do this, what have I done to you? 

Gerald said I owe you no apology. You left angrily, so I let your anger cool off. I believe it has. 

I have tolerated all your excesses and you’ve gotten so comfortable misbehaving. 

Tell yourself the truth, did I disrespect you? I got us a chef, cooking you should do but you won’t and then you get upset. 

Cook for what she asked? Am I your maid? No, you are not Gerald said, so I got a chef. You don’t have any reason to be upset. 

Ijeoma hissed and said since you met this useless chef you don’t care about me anymore.

Gerald said you are the one who doesn’t care about yourself. We discussed it before I met her but you refused to do the needful. 

Just don’t bother those children. Allowed them to play in peace in my sitting room.

Gerald ended the call and called me and said if you let my Ijeoma harass your children I’ll be so upset and disappointed with you. 

I asked him what he wanted me to do. I don’t want any problem with your girlfriend. I said.

(NICOLE’S POV)

Bernard stood up and said so you’re saying you will not do anything for me in this house again? 

You won’t iron my clothes, you won’t cook for me, you will not wash my clothes, you will not do anything that I would benefit from is that what you’re saying? 

I think you got that right I said, I will not do any of that until we have seen out this one-month switching of roles out. 

Then I suggest you start putting your things together and leave my house because I will not have you in my house usurping authority, Bernard said angrily. 

I’m not usurping authority and I’m sure you know that I am only acting within the confines of the deal we have in place. 

Stop threatening me with putting my things together because I will not do that. I’m going to sit tight in this house. 

You are going to do what I usually do and I will do yours. I just want to remind you that the weekend is almost here.

You have not given me the list of things we need for the market so I can provide you with the money so you can go to the market and shop for all the items. 

I hope you will not let us starve this weekend by failing to perform your responsibilities. 

Bernard left the sitting room to his room, put all his washed clothes that were not ironed in a bag, and left. 

He dropped them off at the laundry service along with his dirty clothes in the laundry basket. 

He drove by to a nearby restaurant and had dinner and stopped by to pick up a few clothes the dry cleaner had ironed so he could wear them to work the following day. 

By the weekend he did not provide a list for the market. He left early in the morning to go to the gym with his friends. 

He returned later to take a shower and get dressed and went out again to hang out with his friends. 

I asked him for the list but he ignored me and drove away. I went to the market by myself and did some shopping. 

I got back home and cooked and packed all of it into the chest in our home. 

I went to the laundry room and did the laundry and ironed the children’s clothes and hung them in the wardrobe. 

I sorted out their clothes for Sunday morning so we could go early to church. 

The following morning I got dressed with the children and left to take a cab while Bernard was still asleep at home. 

He arrived at the church a little later. After church service, I returned home with the children. 

Bernard returned later to ask for lunch and I told him I didn’t make lunch that included him. 

He left angrily and called his mother and complained to her that I was denying him his rights. 

He told her that I was not doing any chores at the house anymore; I was not cooking for him or doing his laundry. 

I had refused to do anything in the house and he was suffering in his own house. His mother said that is strange. 

“Your wife I know cannot act like this. There is something else you are not telling me and I want to know what it is”. 

Mum, there’s nothing I’m hiding from you, Bernard said. I just told you how she is suddenly acting. 

Probably she has made some new friends who have told her she’s been slaving herself.

Recently she told me that her friends’ husbands take their clothes that have been washed to the dry cleaner to iron. 

But in her case, she had to wash my clothes and iron them. Probably she’s now comparing our homes to that of others and honestly, it’s affecting me. 

Mum for two weeks I’ve not eaten in my own house. I have been eating in a restaurant. I have been taking my clothes to the dry cleaner to wash and iron. 

She doesn’t do anything for me anymore and I’m thinking about sending her back to her family because I can’t be married and live like a bachelor. 

Just listen to yourself, his mother said. You cannot be married and live like a bachelor?

So you mean you can’t iron your clothes if your wife has washed them? Do you have to take it to a dry cleaner to wash and iron it? 

I thought you have a washing machine in that house. Why can’t you put your clothes in it and wash them? 

Mum I’m not going to answer that question because I am a married man with a wife and I should not be doing chores. 

My job is to provide the money and it is my wife’s job to do chores. 

Well, I’ve heard you, his mum said. I will reach out to your wife to understand why she is denying you your rights.

Once I’ve gotten an answer from her I will reach out to you as well.

Till then I think it is important for you to cut down on the money you’re given to dry cleaners by washing your clothes in a washing machine and iron. 

Think about it, how many women run laundry services and iron clothes? 

Laundry services are usually run by men, especially the ironing, it is not women. 

I think you should consider yourself lucky that your wife irons your clothes. If she can wash them, I suggest you iron them. It’s not that hard. 

I kept shouting and telling you to do chores while growing up but your father always said it was not a job for men. 

Your other brothers and sisters learned to do chores. It was just you who refused to consider it your job now, you can see how it is affecting you. 

You are calling to complain to me that your wife is not doing chores and you’re living like a bachelor. 

Wow, let me talk to her and get back to you about what she has said. 

His mother lived close by in a nearby town. She decided she was going to visit and sit down with me to talk to understand what the matter was. 

That night I told him I wanted to be intimate with him. He told me he was tired and was not in the mood. 

I told him I was not willing to listen to his excuses. I said if it was you asking and I said no you get upset. 

Don’t let me get upset because you always want what you want and right now I want what I want. 

Since this whole thing started and we switched roles you’ve not touched me and I can’t take it anymore. 

Just give me what I want to avoid any misunderstanding in this family tonight. 

To be continued

© Treasure Ezuruike.

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