The Puzzle
By Moyoso-re Teniola
Episode 14 & 15
TROUBLES
Rose wasn’t sure she heard him clearly.
“W-w-hat?” She stammered
“Just a k!ss, Rose. I will really appreciate it,” he asked se-ductively.
Rose went dumb that very second. She suddenly imagined herl-ips buried in Michael’s, then it immediately dawned on her that she can’t! She couldn’t just imagine herself k!ss!nganother man while her husband is alive, “what happened to my marital vows?” She thought.
“Never!” She blurted out and jumped out of the car as if she just escaped from kidnappers.
“Wait Rose,” Michael called.
“Don’t!” Rose barked. She walked away without looking back. She realised all she only wanted was a quality and nice time with someone, preferably her own husband, not this type of ungodly relationsh!p. She can only prefer to be friends with Michael but going n-ked for any other man ap@rt from her husband will only happen if she was dead!
She walked down the streets of the quiet estate thinking about what just happened.
“I still love David, how I wish he can adjust a little to my wishes and expectations…
I don’t de-sire any other man. No! Michael can never be the solution
. No! Why must he ask for a k!sson the first outing? The next one, he would ask for S-x! No, I must determine to go back to my marriage and make it work.
This can’t be love, I lvsted after him just because I found in him some of the things that were lacking in my husband. I wasn’t thinking straight…”
Just as she was about to walk past her home, to go pick Debbie where she had earlier dropped her, she noticed that the lights were on.
“What’s happening? I didn’t switch on any light before I left home, who could be in there, David? No it can’t be.”
She walked swiftly to the entrance and just as she was about to knock, the door opened. She g@sped. It was Evelyn, the lady she left Debbie with.
“Rose? You are welcome. I just brou-ght Debbie and I met only her Dad. What kept you so long? I tried your line several times, it was switched off. I was on my way to get some ‘Suya’ on the main road when I noticed your lights were on so I c@m£ around only to discover that it was your husband…”
“My husband? He’s not suppose to be back until tomorrow…?”
“And here I am today, I changed my mind,” said David as he showed up at the door.
“I nee-d to go Rose, I must catch up with the ‘Suya man’ before he would leave. Goodnight guys.”
“Thanks so much Evelyn goodnight,” Rose said calmly still surprised by her husband’s early return. It really caught her unawares.
“So, Rose what exactly is the matter with you? You ignored my calls since yesterday, what happened?” David asked after they had both entered.
“Where is Debbie?” She asked
“Is that the answer to my question? She’s asleep alre-ady. Now, I demand an explanation right now Rose. What on earth did I do wrong to deserve that treatment?”
Rose walked to the fridge at the dining area, a bit relieved that Debbie had gone to be-d. She hates arguing with her husband in the pres£nce of their daughter. She poured herself some cold water, drank and took a seat at the dining table.
. She couldn’t look at her husband directly. David noticed the guilt written all over her face and questioned her further. “Where are you coming from Rose?”
Silence…
“Answer me, or have you suddenly gone dumb?”
“Must I explain every of my movements to you? Ha-ha, what is it? You have left home for days, did I ask for details of all your movements? Don’t disturb me plea-se.”
“Roseline, are you out of your mind? Am I the one you were addressing in that manner?”
“Yes of course, husband. You abandon me here almost every other day of the week. I can’t suffer forever, I nee-d to go out and mingle once in a while.”
“I hope you haven’t started having an affair Rose…”
“And what if I do?” Rose confronted him boldly, not knowing she just made the greatest mistake in her marriage. She only said that hoping it would make her husband jealous and maybe he will be f0rç£d to adjust to her demands.
“You dare not.” David thun-dered.
“I have and I will again!” Rose confirmed fearlessly.
David moved to where she was seated and before she knew it, he gave her a resounding sl@p for the first time in their marriage. David had never gone physical with any woman in his life but tonight, he just did.
Rose was shocked. “You sl@pped me?”
“Oh yes, I did! How dare you Rose?” He continued fuming with anger. “After all my toiling day and night to give you a quality life and make us comfortable? Do you know the number of ladies I meet everyday away from home and I avoid them like plagues all because of you? Do you know the number of temptations God had helped me to overcome? You are wicked Roseline, for you to pay me back this way.” He sat tiredly on one of the chairs in the living room and looked at Rose where she was seated, he imagined her having S-x with another man, it was too ha-rd for him to take in. Tears ran down his cheeks.”
Rose stood up from where she sat, still holding her cheek in horror, she picked her bag and said, “You sl@pped me David?”
“Yes, what guts do you have to cheat on me? I thought you were a Christian? Shameless prostitute.”
“You are wicked David, how dare you sl@p me? You think you have no faults in this matter? In fact, I can’t stay in this house with you tonight, wicked man.” She cried and ran out of the house.
Episode 15
WISH I NEVER DID
It’s Sunday morning. Roseline Evans had a sleepless night filled with nightmares. She couldn’t recover from the shock yet. For the first time since she got married, David had sl@pped her…
She tossed from side to side on the be-d in the cold room. She regretted the fact that she gave David the impression that she was cheating on him.
“I wish I never did,” she sighed as she switched on the light in the room. She felt so dizzy . She had been feeling this way every morning for some weeks now and she could tell from the signs alre-ady that a baby is on the way. So, she had gone for a pregnancy test two days back at a nearby clinic in order to confirm. She was confirmed positive, five weeks gone.
She sat up and held her forehead which ached as a result of lack of sleep. Nausea gr!pp£dthe whole of her internal system. She got up quic-kly and rushed to the adjoining rest room where she vomitted and felt a bit relieved. Her noise woke her friend in the next room.
Yes, she had spent the night with Evelyn. Immediately she left the house last night, she had first thought of calling Michael but she changed her mind. “It’s dangerous spending the night with a single and lonely man,” she had concluded and headed to Evelyn’s place.
Evelyn was one of her friends and hostel mate back at secondary school. They met again when Evelyn moved into the estate with her husband who is not often around because he had been transferred to a br@nch of his company at Port Harcourt
. He comes home only once in two weeks.
“Are you okay Rose?” Evelyn called as she entered into the guest room where Rose was.
“I’m fine Evelyn, how was your night? Thanks for hosting me.” She replied
“Thanks to God, I hope you sle-pt well too?”
“No friend, I didn’t. I can’t deceive you.”
“Hmmmmmm,” Evelyn sighed and said, “you know what Rose? You are really silly for what you did. I will be frank with you because I’m a blunt person…”
She led Rose to the edge of the be-d where they both sat as she continued her speech.
“It’s exactly two years now that I got married to Stephen and we are yet to have a child. p@rt of the reasons is because he doesn’t stay with me for more than four to six days in the whole of a month which you can also bear witness to. He was transferred to that Port Harcourt br@nch office six months after we got married. It’s a pity that we both earlier decided not to have a child yet until 8months after our wedding. If I had known that he would become a p@rt time husband like this, I would have just started trying for a baby immediately after the wedding, maybe by now, I would have had a child of my own to keep my company.
But in all of these Rose, I still give thanks to God for at least, my husband still comes home to me. There are some women who had been completely abandoned by their husbands but mine had never done that. He calls me often and comes to Lagos whenever he had the opportunity. He takes very good care of me just like David had been doing to you. So, why wouldn’t I be thankful? I know one day, things will get better. At least, the job he had gone there to do is to fend for both of us. Whenever I missed him and felt so lonely, I either call or chat with him to bridge the gap and at times, I take the pain to travel down to see him as well.
You acted like an ingrate Rose. David is a caring and godly man. Though his background may be different from yours, but in marriage, love covers a lot of shortcomings. You should have tried to bridge the gap yourself by teaching him how to be more ro-mantic and working things out with your husband instead of seeking solace with another man. That can never be the solution. Don’t destroy your home with your own hands, a lot of women are out there wishing for a type of husband like yours, value what you have.
Remember the Bible says: ‘A wise woman buildeth her own home but the foolish destroyeth it.’ Rose, go and build your home while you still have the chance, right all your wrongs and amend all your ways before it’s too late.”
By now, Rose has started weeping profusely. The whole of her b©dy shook as she sobbe-d continuously in her friend’s arms.
“Thanks Evelyn, I shall heed your advice, I’m going home right away.”
Evelyn hvgged and comforted her. “All will be well Rose, just be positive, David is a good man, he will forgive you, I am very sure.”
Rose left her friend’s house at exactly 7:15am that Sunday morning and went straight home. Her heart beat rose as she knocked on the door.
“Who is it?” David asked from within.
“It’s me, Rose.” She answered quietly.
The door opened and she stepped in. She could tell from her husband’s red eye ba-lls that he didn’t sleep well also. “Why did I stir unnecessary troubles for this man?” She regretted within her again…
“What the hell are you doing here after you have enjoyed yourself again for another night with your man?”
“David… plea-se, I’m sorry…”
“You are what? Sorry? For cheating on me deliberately?
Wait a minute, I will be back” and like the speed of lightning, he rushed into the be-droom and c@m£ back with a piece of paper which he flung at her.
“Your game is over Rose, I guess your new found love was the one who planted that baby in your wo-mb.
. Congratulations.”
Rose was too confused to utter a word. She was thinking of how to convince him that it was only an expensive joke she had cracked but now this new development. Yes, her husband had the right to think that the baby doesn’t belong to him because she didn’t tell him about the pregnancy test result…
“No David, never! I never cheated on you,” she cried
“I see, which one should I believe? You did, now you didn’t. You think I’m a fool? Oh oh, maybe your new found love has dumped you, now you think you can bring the remains of the spoilt broth back to me? No way! Anyway, for the sake of the love I once had for you, I won’t s£nd you packing so that you won’t be expo-sed to shame and ridicule. I’m leaving this house for you right away so you will have enough time for your outings and escapades. And I am leaving with my daughter so she won’t learn waywardness from you.”
Rose sank to the floor of the room. It’s as if she’s just been s£ntenced to death? What is the ess£nce of her life without David and Debbie?
“Noooooooooooo!” She cried suddenly as the reality of what is about to happen dawned on her the more.
Sweetheart, plea-se don’t ever leave me, I can explain everything,” she cried…