Matrimony Of Secrets – Episode 16
© Jennifer Godwin
Georgia went to visit Evelyn as early as 8 in the morning, she had prepared a delicious meal for her, with all the latest discovery she knew that her best friend would not let any food pas-s down her throat, she entered into the living room and everywhere was as quite as a grave yard, she went straight to Evelyn’s room and shouted immediately she went inside, lying on the floor was Evelyn’s lifeless b©dy and in her hand was a bottle of sniper, she shouted again letting the food flask fall from her hand, on t©p of the drawer was a piece of paper with something written on it, she gr@bb£d it and stuffed it in trou-ser pocket meaning to re-ad it later, with tears in her eyes, she dailed korede’s number.
“Georgia, how are you doing? Korede asked.
“Am not fine doc, will you be at the hospital today?” she sniffed.
“Am off duty today, what happened?”
“It is Evelyn, she drank a whole bottle of sniper, am taking her to the hospital right away, plea-se meet us there” she said trying to carry Evelyn.
“Jesus Christ, she did what? I will meet you guys at the hospital and plea-se hurry up” he stood up and rushed towards the wardrobe.
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“See what Thomas reduced My daughter to, I feel like strangling him right now” Mr Humphrey said balling his palm in a fist.
“Let’s just pray nothing happens to her because drinking a whole bottle of sniper is not funny at all” Korede shook his head.
Just then doctor swavey c@m£ out of the theatre with a gloomy face and a shrinked shoulder.
“What is it Swavey? How is my daughter?” Humphrey asked with the fear of uncertainties clearly visible in his eyes.
“We were able to extract the poison from her b©dy system” he said with a sigh.
“Oh thank you Jesus” Korede said all smiles.
“Don’t thank Jesus yet, she is still unconscious and I don’t know when she will wake up, let us just pray and watch” he patted Mr Humphrey’s shoulder and left.
“Do you think something can be done for her?” Mr Humphrey asked with an expressionless face.
“Doctor swavey said we should watch and pray, let’s do that, sniper is a very dangerous poison, am surprised she didn’t die” Korede replied with a sigh.
“I don’t mean the poison Korede, I mean her loss of wo-mb, is there any hope of her having a baby?”
“Of course sir, I gave her ex-husband a catalogue to go throu-gh with her, she has two options of having a baby” Korede said raking his hair with his hands.
“What are the options?”
“The first one is known ECt©pIC PREGNANCY also known as TUBAL PREGNANCY, it occurs when a fertilized egg implants outside the uterus, most often in the Fallopian tube, although the condition can be life threatening as the fetus continues to grow stressing tissues not intended for pregnancy and eventually causing a major rupture and internal haemorrhage. The first sign is usually an excruciating pain at the abd0m£n.” He st©pped talking and looked at Mr Humphrey to know if he was un-derstanding him at all.
“What is the second option? He asked as tears gathered in his eyes.
“The second one is IN-VITRO FERTILIZATION SURROGACY or RENT A wo-mb, this one is the process where by we get someone with the same b©dy system with your daughter, the person helps carry Evelyn’s baby throu-gh the infusion of the sp-erm of any man your daughter will want to be with and Your daughter’s eggS into the b©dy of the surrogate mother, her work will be to help carry the baby for Evelyn, and the person will be someone she trusts and knows very well” he concluded.
“All hope is not yet lost, we will go with the second option, I don’t want her going throu-gh another painful ordeal, she has suffered enough” he closed his eyes in pain as the tears freely roll down his face.
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Evelyn woke up with an excruciating pain around her stomach, she looked around and noticed she was in a strange environment, she wondered what happened but she didn’t wonder for long because everything c@m£ crashing and she remembered all that happened, just then Georgia rushed into the room with Korede and Mr Humphrey.
“Who brou-ght me here?” Evelyn asked weakly.
“I did Eve, you wanted to kill yourself, thank God I c@m£ right on time” Georgia replied letting out a sigh briefly.
“Why did you bring me here? Didn’t you re-ad the note I left for you?, I want to die, am tired of this life, you should have let me die” she shouted at Georgia.
“Oh yes, the note, I saw it but I didn’t re-ad it, wait, are you really angry that I saved your life?” Georgia asked bewildered.
“Yes, am angry, you should have left me there to die, I am tired, I want to die and have peace of mind” she sobbe-d weakly.
“Oh no Evelyn, don’t talk like that, you have to be alive, once there is life, there is hope, don’t ever think of killing yourself again, death is not the solution to your problems” Korede scolded her softly.
“What am I living for? Answer me, I don’t have a wo-mb, I don’t have parents, I can’t have a baby, is it not better I kill myself?” she sniffed.
“But am here baby, am your father, I know I made a mistake by leaving you alone as a kid, but I did it for your own good, and I never ever thought that Thomas would be this heartless” Mr Humphrey replied walking towards the be-d.
“St©p right there this minute, I don’t know who you are, you left me in the hands of a beast, and you are telling me that you are my father? You are as heartless as my foster father if you don’t know” she sobbe-d the more.
“Am sorry Evelyn, that is why am back, I will never let anyone hurt you ever again, I will protect you, I will make sure you never get sad or suffer again”
“I don’t want to see you, I don’t know who you are, I don’t even trust anyone right now, how sure am I that you are my father? My father might be out there looking for me, or he might not be looking for me, I just don’t trust anyb©dy, plea-se stay away from me” she eyed the old man severally
“Evelyn calm down, he is your father, he has been fighting for you in your abs£nce but you don’t know, he s£nt me down to Nigeria because of you, all those while he was in the states, he calls me everyday to know how you are doing, he was worried about you” Korede said calming her down.
“Even at that, I want to die, nob©dy will ever get married to a woman without a wo-mb, my life has just been ruined” she looked at Korede daring him to say one more word.
“All hope is not lost Evelyn, there is something we can do for you and you will give birth to your own child” Korede said looking at Mr Humphrey.
“Are you sure doctor? I will have a baby? But how? I don’t even have a wo-mb, are you talking about adoption?” Evelyn asked all at a time as her eyes lit in expectation.
“you will not literally carry the baby in your wo-mb but it will be your blood that will run throu-gh it’s vein” Korede explained the more.
“plea-se doctor, explain better for me”
“Get well first Evelyn, we will sort everything out” Mr Humphrey replied giving korede a gesture not to continue with the discussion.
“Your father is right Eve, you nee-d to rest, when you get discharged, we will talk about you” korede said letting out a smile.
Episode 17
© Jennifer Godwin
TWO WEEKS LATER
Evelyn applied the mascara lightly on her eye lashes as she sang along to Teni’s Askamaya blasting loudly on her home theatre, she finished and looked at herself in the mirror, she let out a smile as she was plea-sed with the work she did on her face, she was going out on a d@t£ with Korede, just then, her father c@m£ inside the room to meet her.
“You are all set Evelyn, where to? ” he asked picking up the remote control to decrease the volume of the song she was pla-ying.
“Am going out with korede Dad” she replied smiling, it took many lectures and preachings from Korede and Georgia, before she agreed to move in with Mr Humphrey and she started getting used to calling him Dad.
“I think Korede likes you” Mr Humphrey said with a smile.
“Oh no Dad, he is just my friend, nothing more, besides who would like a woman without a wo-mb” she said feeling sober.
“Don’t say that Evelyn dear, the person that is meant for you will still like you, don’t cry” he said patting her shoulder.
“Do you think so Dad?, I mean, will I ever find love again?” she sniffed.
“As a matter of fact I think you have found one alre-ady, but you are not believing it” he said with a sm-irk.
“Dad, if you are talking about Korede, forget him, he just sees me as a friend, that’s all” she sighed.
“Why do you think he has been going out with you for the past two weeks you got discharged from the hospital, he has been trying to keep you happy, he loves you my dear” he concluded with a grimace.
“Common Dad, he has been going out with me because he is my friend, he wants me to be happy and forget the past” she rolled her eyes.
“Children of this recent generation that doesn’t see what is there to see, I wonder how you are not seeing that korede has feelings for you, he looks at you the same way I looked at your mom when I fell in love with her” He said with a sigh on remembering his dead wife.
“Dad, it is the old people that see what is not there to see, korede sees me as a friend, nothing more” she whined.
“You are in love with him aren’t you?” he asked folding his hands against his che-st.
“Honestly Dad, I am in love with him, madly, but it is of no use, nothing will ever happen between us” she closed her eyes in pain.
“I don’t know what else to say, but soon you will learn the truth about his feelings for you, that aside, I just c@m£ back from the police station” he said letting out a heavy breath.
“Is it about my foster father and his son?” she asked.
“Yea”
“What about them?” she narrowed her eyes.
“They have been s£ntenced to death by firing squad” he replied sadly.
“In as much as I want them to be punished, I never wished them death, how will Angela survive without a husband?” she shook her head sadly.
“That is not a problem at all, I will continue with the project left behind by Thomas and his son at Bayelsa state, once it is completed, I will hand it over to Angela, but before then, I will take care of her and the children” he replied giving her hand a little squee-ze.
“Alright Dad, I will get going now, take care of yourself” she stood up cleaning an imaginary dirt off her dress.
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JASMINE DAZZLES EATERY
Korede smiled as he saw her from inside, she looked beautiful, he smiled again, he watched her say something to the security dude at the door and watched him point towards his direction, she walked slowly towards him and let out her breathtaking smile.
“You are welcome dear, how are you doing?” korede asked with a smile.
“Am fine Doc, how is work at the hospital?” she asked with the smile not leaving her face.
“Work has been fine Evelyn, there is something I would want to talk to you about.”
“Go ahead, am listening”
“Am not saying this out of pity, but believe me because I mean every word that I will say to you today Eve” he said taking her hands in his.
“You are not saying anything yet doc” she said, her heart beating loudly that she feared it would explode.
“I love you Evelyn and I would want to have you as my wife, I really love you too much, you might think am saying all these because am pitying you or because of your situation, but no, that is not the reason, am sincerely in love with you, all those while we met and talk and laugh, I have come to love you, if you would complete my life by accepting to be my wife” he knelt down and brou-ght out a ring from his pocket then continued almost immediately “Evelyn Chisomaga Godson, would you be my wife” he asked on one knee.
“But I don’t even have a wo-mb, I can’t give you children” she cried.
“There is a solution to that which we have discussed, just say yes to me baby” he pleaded.
“Yes, I will marry you korede, I love you too” she smiled as he sli-pped the ring on her f!nger.
“I have a surprise for you” he said after taking his seat.
“What is it? She asked c@r£ss!ngthe ring.
“Georgia has agreed to be a surrogate mother to your baby” he announced happily.
“Oh my god, Am going to bur-st with too much happiness, I feel special and loved” she sobbe-d as tears poured down.
“Of course you are special to me, so how do you want our wedding to be? He asked.
“Something simple with few people around? She answered all smiles, her father was indeed right.
The End