A WIFE FOR HIRE
Episode Twenty
By AMAH’S HEART
” May I come in?” Tessy inquired sticking her head beside the door of my bedroom and staring at me who was laying on the bed, thinking about how today has been filled with painful revelations.
” you can come in Tess if you want to come in.. but please I will rather love to be left alone because I am in no mood to talk now!” I said slowly as I adjusted upwards on the bed to face the celling, still in thoughts
I heard the door close gently and just when I thought that Tessy honored my request of being left alone, I felt her sitting on the bed sighing heavily
” I can’t leave you all by yourself in this state Ton… I know you are hurt but you need to vent and let it all out… keeping it all in is not healthy for your emotional health Ton!” Tessy said but I quietly laid there completely ignoring her
” ..you didn’t seem surprised by what you heard at the sitting room, so I have every reason to believe that maybe you knew about Sophie cheating on you earlier before Ben came.. am I right?” Tessy asked and I nodded with tears slowly streaming down my eyes
” I got to know about it today but I never knew that it was your ex, Ben… and I didn’t even know that there were more men she was sleeping with in the States!” I vented and Tessy heaved before responding
” I understand Ton.. I am shocked myself, I know that I kind of assumed that there is more to her loving the States more than here in Nigeria that her family is.. but I never knew that it was going to be this filthy and complicated!” Tessy said shrugging and I nodded my head in affirmation
” I couldn’t believe it myself, that’s why I came to the sitting room to confront her directly… yes, I no longer love her as a wife but all those wasted years still hurts Tess… I mean she kept deceiving me and Angie for close to five years with no remorse whatsoever, Gosh!” I shouted sitting up from the bed
” Calm down.. I was equally shocked finding out that Ben was dating your wife and also sleeping with his fellow men abroad yet he had the nerve to come back here to try claiming Chiom and I.. God have mercy!” Tessy resorted gently circling her hands around my waist with her head on my shoulder
” It’s still very hard to believe that the woman who did everything I found out today, is the same Sophie whom I married, trusted and loved with all of my heart.. Tess I gave her pratically everything I had but she took it for granted… why?” I resonated emotionally drained
” I don’t know because I am not her Ton.. and can you please stop already? you are beginning to sound like you still love her and it scares me that I might end up being a rebound or being compared to her” Tessy said and I adjusted in a way that I could get to look at her
” No Tess you will never be a rebound and you already know that I no longer compare people… thanks to meeting you, I changed and realized that every individual is different and so therefore should not be compared with another” I slowly said and then paused to wipe my tears with my palm before I continued
“..I am happy I met you Tess and if there’s anything I will remain thankful to Sophie for… it is the fact that she made the suggestion of me hiring a wife which of course connected us.. Tess as a human I am hurt by her past betrayal but please don’t doubt my love for you as that will break me even more” I said and Tessy nodded in understanding before saying
” I’m sorry Ton but I just couldn’t help it.. now you’ve reassured me of your love for me, I am happy and no longer doubt it… so about Sophie issue, what do you intend doing next?” Tessy asked and I heaved
” I don’t even feel like talking about or laying my eyes on Sophie again.. I guess I will just tell her to leave my house while I send her the divorce papers either tomorrow or next!”
” I’m not against your decision Ton.. but have you thought about Angie’s feelings?.. you know she only really got to see her mother with her two eyes this week so to separate them again in so short a while is going to hurt her” Tessy said and I stared at her in confusion
” So what would you have me do? to continue keeping Sophie in my house after everything she did to me?” I asked Tessy who sighed heavily
” I don’t know Ton.. I’m only talking out of worry for a young girl whom I have grown to love like she’s my daughter.. I think you should just let her stay”
” That woman is leaving my house tomorrow morning and that is!.. if you ask me, I think my daughter Angie is actually better off without a negligent mother like Sophie!” I concluded as I released Tessy’s hands that were still on my waist and laid fully on the bed
” It’s okay Ton, I respect your decision.. it seems you really do want to be left alone so I will leave you to rest now, hopefully by tomorrow you will feel much better emotionally!” Tessy concluded and stood up from the bed to walk out but I held her hand halting her movement
” Please Tess for tonight stay here in this room with me.. I don’t want to continue fuming or sulking over a woman that is a part of my past since you came into my life.. instead I will love to cuddle you and look at your beautiful face as we sleep on this bed” I said to Tessy who looked at me shocked at my sudden change in mood
” Okay I won’t argue with you sir Ton.. I will sleep on your bed for tonight but you remember that we agreed on no sex right?” Tessy said and I nodded in affirmation before replying
” Yes I know that and I promise that there will be no intimacy between us until our wedding night… It’s just going to be cuddling that’s all, you do know that I am a man with self control and I do keep to my words so you have absolutely nothing to worry about Tess” I said to Tessy who smiled as she climbed the bed and laid wrapped in my arms.
” Thank you Ton.. I love you so much!” Tessy said wrapping her hands protectively around me
” I love you too Crystal!” I said smiling sheepishly
” So you still remember the special name you gave me in the kitchen? I thought the whole drama of today would make you forget everything” Tessy said childishly which got me cracking in bouts of laughter
” I will forget everything in just one day? like someone who is suffering from amnesia abi?” I answered still laughing heartily and Tessy shrugged dramatically
” We never could tell.. anyways I am so glad to see you laughing just now.. you see what I’m saying? you will surely be fine Ton, I know that for sure” Tessy assured me palming my cheeks
” Yes Tess I will be fine.. and you know why? because God gave you to me as a hired wife” I replied kissing Tessy on the cheek and she blushed shyly without saying anything more.
I don’t know for how long we laid there in silence but we soon slept off in each other’s embrace.
********
The next morning we were awoken by a knock on the bedroom door by Angie.
She opened the door and came in without even waiting for me to give her the permission to come in.
That’s unusual because my daughter only does that when she is agitated or in a hurry and from her facial expression, I believe the former is the case
” Good morning Angie.. this one you came into my room looking this way without even waiting for me to permit you to come in… hope daddy is safe?” I asked slowly getting up from bed, careful not to wake the sleeping Tessy up
” All isn’t well at all daddy.. why do you want to send my mummy Sophie away?” Angie shouted looking at me and I was taken aback by how she knew or did she eavesdrop on my conversation with Tessy yesterday?
I quickly discarded such thoughts knowing vividly well that I’ve never trained my daughter to be one who eavesdrops on adults conversation and if she has never done so in the past, why would she start doing so now?.
I thought inwardly but then I kept my cool equally looking at her, as I asked in a gentle voice
” Where did you hear that from Angie? I don’t remember telling you anything like that or did you just assume it?” I asked in other to indirectly get words out of her and thankfully it worked
” No daddy.. I did not just assume it, mummy Sophie came to my room this morning and told me herself that you want to send her away because of mummy Tessy” Angie said moving her glance to Tessy who kept stirring from her sleep probably disturbed by the whole noise we were making
” Sophie came to your room to tell you that?” I inquired to be sure of what I was hearing
” yes she did and she also said that she did something wrong to you, that’s why.. daddy you’ve always taught me about forgiveness and not bearing grudges.. so daddy if you are planning to send my real mummy away, please don’t do it anymore.. you know how much I missed her and how I want to spend more time with her here” Angie said pleadingly pulling at my fingers but I wasn’t focused on that, my focus is on Sophie
I don’t understand what exactly she is planning to do, is it to manipulate and take advantage of our daughter’s love and emotions to her favour?
Can this woman really go to such an extent with a child?
God, who exactly did I get married to? I was inwardly flooded with thoughts until Tessy’s voice brought my mind back to the room, I didn’t know she was awake until she spoke
” Angel, my baby I think you should let things be… for now let daddy and Sophie sort themselves out as adults okay” Tessy said trying to soothe Angie who ignored her and continued pulling at my hands
” Please daddy don’t send my mummy Sophie away.. she said she loves me a lot and even apologized for leaving me alone with you in Nigeria… daddy she is sorry so please forgive her for whatever she might have done to you” Angie said to me but I still kept quiet while Tessy heaved before standing up from the bed and walked towards where we stood
” Angel did you hear what I said earlier at all?.. I think that we should let daddy be for now since he doesn’t want to talk about mummy Sophie… baby just give him some time okay, come let me carry you to your room, breakfast will be ready soon” Tessy said and came over to carry Angie up but Angie surprisingly refused to be carried by Tessy
Another thing I found unusual because Angie loves to be carried up but for her to refuse such offer from Tessy without a second thought, it only means that whatever fabricated lies Sophie must have told her was truly bad and well constructed
Her next words and reaction shocked both Tessy and I
Angie left my hands and immediately ran to the bedroom door and stood beside it, in such a way that will enable her walk out easily
” Leave me alone, I don’t want you to carry me again!.. mummy Sophie said that you are a bad person and that you want to take daddy away from her so that he will send both of us away from this house” Angie said eyeing Tessy in a way that gets me very worried for my daughter’s innocent heart
I understand that Sophie is only trying to mislead Angie in other to use her against Tessy and I but I wasn’t liking this one bit
“.. she also told me that you are a hired mother who wants to harm me and daddy so I should stay far away from you or else she will not talk to me again… I don’t want my real mummy to stop talking to me, so please leave my daddy alone and stop acting desperate. go away from us, I don’t need a hired Mom or step mother” Angie concluded as she ran out of the door leaving me and Tessy in a state of shock and dilemma.
Tbc