SEE FINISH BY TREASURE EZURUIKE EPISODE 7

SEE FINISH  BY TREASURE EZURUIKE EPISODE 7

 (KIRA’S POV)

Kenny went out to run an errand, two days after our marriage and did not return by evening which was unusual. 

He didn’t call me which was also more unusual because he hadn’t gone two hours without reaching out to me since I met him. 

I tried to call him but his number was unreachable and it got me even more scared and worried. 

I panicked but I did not want to raise a false alarm just in case he had misplaced his phone and will still come back home. 

He never came back home that day and for the whole week Kenny did not come back home and I didn’t hear from him. 

Immediately I concluded that he had set me up just like I feared. He just married me to teach me a lesson I said to myself. 

If not, what other explanation could there be for the reason for which I have not seen my husband for the past five days? 

I had just been with him for 2 days after marriage and since then I’ve not seen him or heard from him. 

I reached out to his family and they asked me what I meant by I couldn’t find him? I told them he left to run an errand and since then I’ve not seen him or heard from him. 

While I was cooking I heard Gerald’s voice and I panicked. I said to myself, “the children, my goodness. 

I hope they’ve not destroyed anything in the sitting room. I rushed out and met Gerald.

I could see the look on his face. He had a look of surprise. He looked at me and said are these your children? As my children stared at him wondering who he was. I said yes. 

They asked me why I didn’t contact them immediately. I did not because I feared he had run away and left me. 

Probably he was trying to teach me a lesson for giving him a hard time and playing hard to get before finally accepting to be in a relationship with him. 

I feared that he would do that to me so when he didn’t come home I immediately concluded that my fears had come to life. I thought they knew where he was.

The search for Kenny began. They reported it to the police and they couldn’t find him. It was noticed that his friends were missing as well. 

It looked like a mirage as no trace led back to them, no one could find them, no one had seen them, no one knew their whereabouts. 

I cried myself to sleep for a whole month wondering what would have become of Kenny and wondering what would become of me. 

I had just gotten married and had only been with my husband for two days and now I couldn’t find him. What should I do now? I said to myself.

Would I have to remarry? I was so confused running from pillar to post.  Missing person posters of Kenny were all over the place. 

Each place I went to I was haunted by a poster of Kenny and yet we couldn’t find him. 

One year ran by and I still hadn’t seen Kenny. He hadn’t been found. 2 years rolled by, 3 years rolled by and I hadn’t found Kenny. 

His family was no longer communicating with me; they shut me out and I wondered why. 

My parents were scared that I would hurt myself because I was going crazy. By the fourth year, I was officially tired of looking for Kenny and waiting for him. 

I felt that even if he had a side chick somewhere or had another family he could at least have reached out to me by now. 

To tell me that he was teaching me a lesson by leaving me alone but I never heard from him. 

I reached out to my family and told them I was tired of waiting. I told them I just wanted to move on with my life because it was clear to me I will never see Kenny again. 

Probably he had been killed, probably kidnapped, and used for a money ritual. So many evil thoughts occupied my mind. 

I longed for Kenny to hold me. At some point, it was just any man. I reached out to my father and told him about my frustrations. 

I couldn’t use a dildo. It just wasn’t for me. I had been intimate twice in my life and it was with Kenny. I told my father I couldn’t take it anymore.

Do what you’d like to do sweetheart, he said. Are you saying I should cheat? Sweetheart, I never said that. At this point, I can’t be so rigid with you. I don’t know how exactly you feel. 

I hissed and threw tantrums, went home, and cried myself to sleep again. One evening while I was lying on my bed sorrowfully I received a message on Facebook Messenger. 

I immediately clicked on the message and to my shock, it was from Kenny, at least it was from his account. 

I wasn’t sure if it was him behind the screen but I knew it was from his account. 

Since he went missing I had gone to his social media handles every day hoping to see an update from him that would give me some hope that he was still alive. 

The message said hello Kira. I didn’t respond because I wanted to be sure if what was going on was not a dream. 

The next message said how have you been? I have missed you. I wanted to respond angrily but I controlled my temper and waited. 

The next message said I am sorry for disappearing as I did. My anger was slowly building but I decided to remain calm. 

The next message after that said everything that happened was beyond my control. I didn’t do it intentionally. 

I went out that day to run an errand and found myself in an unlikely place I never imagined I’d find myself in my entire life. 

Every day I thought about you and what you must be going through thinking I might be dead. 

It was thoughts of you that kept me alive and kept me going. I looked forward to the day I’ll see you again, to the day I’ll hug you in the flesh and kiss you like I always dreamt of doing. I am sorry for disappearing on you like that but I didn’t plan it.

I know you must be thinking I did it intentionally to teach you a lesson like you always feared but it is nothing like that. 

I will never intentionally hurt you. I was never mad at you for the way you treated me early in our relationship. 

I never took it to her so I have no reason to punish you. I think it’s just crazy getting married to a woman just to teach her a lesson. I am not that man. 

I have been thinking about ways to make it up to you but I just don’t know how. I know you don’t trust me anymore but I just wish you would. 

(NICOLE’S POV)

Bernard walked into the kitchen and checked the pots and they were all empty. The hot water jug had no hot water. There was no water in the kettle like I usually make available. 

I had not chosen any outfit for work for him. I had done nothing for him. 

He went into the laundry room to drop the clothes he wore in the laundry basket and noticed that the clothes he had dropped two days ago were still unwashed. 

He called me immediately and asked, “Why are my clothes still unwashed in the laundry basket? 

They are still unwashed because it is your job to wash them this month. It’s not so hard I said.

We have a washing machine, it is not like you are washing it by hand. Please put your clothes in the washing machine while you’re still there and open up the tap, water would enter the washing machine. 

Then add a little detergent and switch on the washing machine. It will wash your clothes and dry them and your job will be to bring them out and spray them outside to dry. 

It’s easy to start and simple to do, it’s not complicated. You do realize that the clothes I put in the laundry basket are the clothes I’m supposed to wear this morning to work? Bernard asked. You do realize that today those are the clothes that we wear? 

I’m sorry I didn’t notice that, I’m not aware you have specific clothes. I said. I’m aware you always insist on wearing that one on that day but I had no idea it was your uniform to work today.

Since you know it is, how come you didn’t wash it when you know we have switched roles?. It looks like you’re taking the switching roles like a joke. I said to Bernard.

You are not taking it seriously and I wonder how you expect that we will switch roles then I will do your job and do mine while you do nothing. I don’t think that’s going to work. 

But you know I don’t know how to operate the washing machine Bernard said. Just make sure you’re right in that room. You will see the manual for the washing machine right there. 

I kept it close to the washing machine. You can go through it and follow the steps and do your laundry. 

It was you who bought the washing machine and as such you should be able to operate it.

There is nothing complicated about it. I’ve told you what to do already. Put your clothes in the washing machine, and add some water and some detergent.

Go through the buttons and you would see the one for switching on the washing machine. 

Switch it on, it will wash when it is done. It will Spin and dry and you can spray it outside. 

How do you expect me to do all of that this morning and still get to work? Well, I don’t know. 

If you cannot do it this morning, do it later in the day but just know that it’s your job to do our laundry and yours.

You should do our laundry because I’ve been doing the laundry for everyone in this house. 

Bernard got angry, hung up, went to the bathroom, and took his bath with cold water straight from the shower.

Then went to the wardrobe, to pick out whatever clothes he could find and noticed that all the clothes were not ironed. 

He got upset because even if he could iron them there was no electricity. He found the most manageable clothes he could find, put them on, and left for work. 

When he came back at night his clothes were still not washed in the laundry basket. There was still no dinner served and all his clothes, none were ironed and there was still no electricity. 

He angrily recharged electricity through the mobile app on his phone. He switched on the television and the tv subscription had expired. 

He turned to me and asked me why our subscription had been exhausted and I told him it had not been subscribed because we had switched roles.

I told him I was always the one recharging the cable, because of our children. Each time I told him about it he gave a clumsy excuse.

I decided to keep recharging it each time it expired. I recharged it since I’ve been doing it, you should do it now as you’re now performing my responsibilities. 

You mean you’re going to deny your children the joy of watching television just to get back at me he asked? 

Get back at you? Do you think that’s what this is all about? Me getting back at you? I’m not getting back at you, we are simply switching roles so we can appreciate what each other does and stop feeling like the other is doing the other a favor. 

Maybe we’ll realize they were a team and as such, we shouldn’t keep score. Our children are watching cartoons on my laptop through Netflix.

If you want to watch TV I suggest you recharge it because I won’t be recharging it. If you haven’t noticed, I don’t watch TV. 

Even though you accused me of it, all I do is not sit at home and watch TV. I never switch on the TV when you are not home or the children are at school.

I have other things to do with my time other than sit and watch TV. I don’t watch TV. We can remain like this forever and the cable is not subscribed and I will not blink. 

Bernard angrily recharged the cable. He asked for his dinner and I reminded him that he was supposed to make dinner so I didn’t make dinner. 

Are you saying that even the children are starving in this house because we switched roles? Our children can’t starve because they are not part of the switching of roles. 

I will not let them suffer for any reason. They are not starving. I made them dinner. If you’re hungry you make dinner because that is what I will do. 

You do realize that the way you are going about this role switching would end up splitting this family. 

If the family splits, you will be held accountable because it was your idea that we switch roles. 

If only you are fulfilling your part of the bargain there won’t be a problem. You would have been doing the things I do and this family will be running smoothly.

This marriage will break because you are not fulfilling your part of this deal.

You’re sitting tight crossing your legs and expecting that I will cater for all the financial responsibility of this home.

Then do all the chores ever since we switched roles 4 days ago without giving me a dime. 

You want me to perform your responsibilities perfectly without help but you won’t do mine. You should have thought about it before you suggested it. 

So you are saying I’ll keep going hungry in my own home? Bernard asked. You would keep going hungry as long as you don’t cook. 

If you want to eat you have to cook, so all of us can eat. You should be lucky that now we are no longer waiting for you to cook for us, we are waiting for you to cook for yourself and eat. 

All my clothes are not ironed and there’s none for me to go to work with. l went to work today in rumpling clothes. Well, I’m sorry about that, I said. It’s your job to iron your clothes, not mine, remember. 

I usually iron your clothes but I won’t do that anymore because it’s no longer my job at least within this one month.

If it is so difficult for you to do I suggest you take them out to a dry cleaner at least there’s one that lives close by. 

He could iron your clothes and you put them up in the morning but I won’t be ironing your clothes till we switch our roles back to what we usually do.

That is dependent on when you cooperate with this deal that we have currently running. 

CHIKANMA’S POV

I got other cooking gigs on the side. Gerald reached out to me a few months later when his establishment was hosting an event for a whole week. 

It was a great opportunity and so overwhelming that I needed my brother and my mother to assist me. I even had to hire additional help.

It brought me so much money and more cooking gigs. Gerald needed a five-step cake for their anniversary in the same event his company was hosting. 

I gave it my best shot and got lots of contracts for wedding cakes and I made so much money.

It felt so good that finally, things were looking up for me after Nkem passed. I could give my children a better life and provide for my mum. 

I had to start an organized catering business and hired staff because the demands were a little too much for only me to handle.

My mother ran the business for me to ensure I wasn’t cheated or ripped off by my staff.

The business was booming thanks to Gerald. I continued to cook his meals and never met Ijeoma in the house again. 

I imagined she was still upset with Gerald but it was not my business. 

One day my mum was out of town and couldn’t pick up my children and I had to cook for Gerald. I picked them up and took them to his house. 

I didn’t know if I was allowed to do that. I hoped it wouldn’t be a problem. I pleaded with them that I had to work so they could help me not to destroy anything.

I switched on the television to a cartoon channel so they could watch. My son immediately said this looks like Daddy’s house while he was still alive. 

I smiled but it hurt me deeply. It has been over two years since Nkem passed. My day was almost ruined but I just had to put up a brave face and did my job. 

While I was cooking I heard Gerald’s voice and I panicked. I said to myself, “the children, my goodness. 

I hope they’ve not destroyed anything in the sitting room. I rushed out and met Gerald.

I could see the look on his face. He had a look of surprise. He looked at me and said are these your children? As my children stared at him wondering who he was. I said yes. 

Wow, I didn’t know you had children, he said. I said I’m sorry I didn’t know it was important. 

You look so young I could have never imagined you had one child let alone two children. 

I said I’m young, I’m 26. I married at 18 but lost my husband two years ago so I’m a widow. I could see the shock on his face. 

He started apologizing saying I’m very sorry. I hope I’ve not reopened your old wounds. I said it’s okay, it’s been over two years so I’m okay.

I am so sorry I brought them here and switched on the TV. I didn’t know if it was allowed if I’m allowed to do that. 

Are you serious right now? You are free to bring them here and switch on the TV.

I told him my mum looked after them for me but she was out of town, he said it’s fine. 

I was going to shoot my shot, you know. Gerald said. I looked at him surprised. Relax he said I’m just kidding.

I love children. He said. I went back to the kitchen to finish cooking. I heard the children laughing and screaming. 

I peeped and Gerald was playing with them. They were chasing him around and he was running and hiding.

At some point, he lay down and said he was tired. They jumped on him. 

It made me so happy because it had been a long time since they played like that with any man. My brother played with them but he was out of town. 

There was no one to fill the void Nkem created with his passing. I went back to the kitchen. 

I heard Gerald asking them their names and their class. They told him, he told them they were welcome to play in the house each time mummy came to work. 

I finished cooking, served the food, and cleaned up. When I was done I left with my children. 

Later that night I received a bank alert from Gerald. He sent me 400k. I was surprised and wondered what the money was for. 

It was just the beginning of the month and he had already paid me for the previous month. 

I called him immediately to ask what the money was for. He told me it was for my children. 

I asked 400k? He said it’s for their school fees and other needs. Really? I asked.

Did I tell you they needed money for their school fees? 

Relax Gerald said, my mum, is a widow so I understand your challenges. 

Please don’t blow this out of proportion. I love children and I just want to take care of your children if you let me.

To be continued

© Treasure Ezuruike.

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