Joy took a seat at the Chief Medical Director's office. She rehearsed what she had planned to say in her mind. She unconsciously did a headcount; one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight and she included herself. Eight people stood between her and the CMD (Chief Medical Director). She resented people that cut lines in places like this, especially in banks because they know one or two people at the place. But today, she knew an exception will be made because she needed to pick up her husband's suits from the dry cleaner's and she will have to go to the market for her weekly shopping for groceries. "Excuse me ma," she called out to the secretary as she was making her way to the CMD'S office with some files;
"Yes, Ma", the secretary answered.
"Please, could you tell him that it is Mrs Joy, a friend of his wife?"
"Okay, Ma!" the middle-aged attractive woman replied and walked away. When the person that was with him came out, she was asked to go in. She saw the look on the face of the person who was next in line, she smiled as she walked past and clasped her palms together as in a plea. "Good afternoon ,Sir," Joy greeted and that got his attention. He looked up from the file he was studying, "Joy, Joy, I'm totally surprised but pleased to see you!"
He gestured her to the cushion by the glass window. His view of the hospital was different from his wife's. He was overlooking the accident and emergency wing of the hospital.
"You have a very big and beautiful office", Joy said, trying to form a conversation. "Thank you, Joy", he said.
"But I'm very sure you didn't come here to compliment me on my big and beautiful office", he said, his lips forming a warm smile. "I came to discuss something with you. I don't intend to take much of your time. Your waiting room is full, so I will go straight to the point."
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Valerie woke up and checked her watch. She had been asleep for an hour. The meeting Valentine was in took longer than she expected. One thing was sure; she will not step out of this room without her bag. Valerie thought about where life had taken her, all the plans she and Valentine had made were dashed to pieces by fate. Before she met Valentine again, she often wondered if she made a good decision by marrying Alfred. Her mother's caution that day often rang in her ears; the advice she gave her to think about the future implication of marrying Alfred. Even now, she often wonders what the quality of their life would have been had she not chosen Alfred as a safety net. Who would have been a father figure to Zeal? Alfred had kept his word and showered her and her family with love and affection. Her brother was now a well-to-do civil engineer, needless to say, his contracts are from Alfred's contacts.
Barr. Richardson, Alfred's mother had made it clear to her son and to Valerie that she was not in support of their marriage. She told her once to her face that she thinks she is an angelic-faced gold digger. Over the years, her opinion of her hadn't changed but at least she had become less hostile towards her. But she did try to contact Valentine. She wasn't certain if Valentine was aware of the incident that made her resolve to marry Alfred. She hoped for his sake that he never finds out. Her train of thoughts was halted by a knock on the door. It clicked and he stepped in. She quickly got to her feet, their eyes locked and for a few seconds, neither of them spoke.
“It is time you heard my own side of the story, please sit down. I sent the phone to you, I wrote letters. One of the letters contained my address and phone number, but you never called or replied to my letters. I sent everything through Patrick since where you stayed would be difficult to locate by a postman. I trusted Patrick to deliver the letter; I had confidence in him because he knew the depth of my feelings for you. One year into my course I became very worried. I had not heard from Patrick and when we finally communicated each time I asked about you, he would become evasive of the question. I was really worried. Immediately we were given a break from school, I decided to come home. I was so shocked at what I found out.
Most of these apartments, what most people call, face me, I face you compounds have addresses but the entry points are usually covered with stalls making it very hard to locate using an address. That was why I decided to send the letters and parcels through my friend, Patrick. When I arrived, I immediately dropped my luggage at home. I went to your house. The whole area is usually noisy; from the loud music blaring from the speakers at the beer parlors to the children playing on the streets, to the noise from the apartments which most times is caused by generator sets. The whole place is usually alive. On this fateful day, the whole place was quiet, except for the soft music coming from a beer living room nearby. Valentine checked his watch 12 0clock, pupils would be in school, parents at work and so would every young responsible man or woman. Convenient, he thought the last thing he wanted was to run into Valerie’s parents. He stopped by a stall beside the compound to greet its owner, Mama Nneka, a heavily built woman in her early 50s who was very fond of Valerie and me. She usually called us Romeo and Juliet, most times VV. I greeted her and when she looked up, she was all smiles. “Romeo, no de stand for my door greet me, come inside my shop jare “, she exclaimed in Pidgin English. I walked in. She gave me a bear hug and offered me a sit.
“So because your Juliet no de live here again, you no go come greet me abi” she queried. “Mama Nneka no be like that I been travel go Yanki”, I explained.
“Romeo, you no soft o. Nah that side you de stay now”,
“No o, nah for school o”,
When I asked mama Nneka of Valerie, her face changed, she was quiet for a while. I persisted, “Mama Nneka, what happened to Valerie? Where she de stay now?”, I enquired.
She finally answered.
“Romeo” as she fondly calls me, “Forget about that girl”.
She tried again, “Look school go. That girl don marry. In fact, she de carry another man pikin”. The words she spoke reverberated in my ears. I walked out of her shop and then I sat on the pavement, my legs just couldn’t carry me any longer. I must have sat there for about five minutes. It was like some kind of joke. How could Valerie be married? She was supposed to have started higher institution; she is supposed to be in her 100level reading Nursing Science. How could Valerie leave that, what she had always dreamed of to get married. The idea seemed unbelievable. Mama Nneka came over and put her hand on my shoulder giving it a gentle squeeze, “her papa die, after the burial they park”.
“Mama Nneka, you know her new address?”, I asked.
“My dear, I only de see am for market. I no get her new address”.
I stood up, dusted my backside, thanked her and left. All through that afternoon, I kept praying for someone that would tell me where I could find Valerie. I decided to get myself a phone and activate my line. Where else to go apart from Etta Agbo, where there are many phone shops and their service providers. While waiting in a queue, my attention turned to a lady in a bright yellow gown. What I thought was, women and colors, then she gave me a knowing wink and I instantly remembered her, Joy, Valerie’s best friend. I realized why I didn’t recognize her at first; the hairdo, the fringe she had on made her face look different. My prayers have been answered, I thought. Finally someone who will know where she is. Joy walked up to me and we shook hands. We had to move to a place where we could talk without obstructing other customers.
“Valentine, when did you get in? Last I heard you travelled out”, she stated, obviously surprised to see me. I sensed a little anxiety in her voice. When I asked her about her friend she started stammering. Her reply was, “s s sshe is fine”. Joy looked me in the eye and said the most painful words, “Valerie is married, she has a child and if you wish her well you will stay out of her life”.
I pleaded with her, “just give me her contact or any clue on how I can reach her”. Joy refused to help me, “Valentine, that girl has been through a lot and I know where she lives now but I will not be the one to destroy her home”, she said.
“I am not going to destroy her home. I just need some answers”, I pleaded. At this point, I knew she was not going to give in.
“If at the end of the day you intend walking away why not do so now. It’s not just about you, she now has a home for herself, her mother and brother. Think about it. A lot is at stake. Some things should be buried and forgotten”, she stopped to look at her wristwatch.
“I have to go now, I have a tutorial to attend if you must see her then go ahead but I will not give you any information on her whereabouts”, she said. Before leaving, Joy added, “ be happy, she’ll want you to be”.
When I got home, I decided to call Patrick. Sitting on the couch in my father‘s luxuriously furnished living room, I braced up for another bad news. The whole day had been full of it, from my meeting with Mama Nneka and my encounter with Joy at the phone shop, I knew nothing could be more terrible.
“Guy, welcome to Naija!” Patrick exclaimed;
“When did you get in?” he asked in his usual excited way. “I got in, this morning, first flight to be exact. How u dey ?”, I asked. Most young people feel comfortable speaking pidgin English. Patrick added,” I see, you’ve been busy. You’ve activated your line. I was shocked when your caller Id showed on my screen. I was so eager to pick the call and speak to you”. After exchanging pleasantries, I asked him of Valerie and he became silent for a while. I decided to let him know what I had found out; “Patrick, I heard she is now married with a baby boy. How come you never mentioned this to me”, I asked. Patrick apologized telling me that he didn’t know how I would take it. He just wanted me to face my studies, talking about Valerie would have been a distraction, and he didn’t think there was anything I would have been able to do to salvage the situation from there. Somehow, I knew he was right because if I had heard sooner, I would have come home, irrespective of what I was doing. After my discussion with Patrick, I decided to board a flight and return to school. I felt really betrayed. It was as though I was the only one that was in love. I could have sworn Valerie loved me, but I guess experience is the best teacher.
Joy waited patiently for the young mother to finish up and drive out so she could park well and go into Watt Market to shop. The young lady in her late twenties had her hands literally full with bags she was packing into the trunk of the car. Her baby could be heard from the back seat squealing. She smiled apologetically at Joy and Joy waved at her to go on. She sank back into her seat and her mind drifted to the conversation with Alfred. She hoped she had done more good than harm to her friend's relationship. She hoped her friend would be pleased with the outcome of her conversation with Alfred. She couldn't tell his state of mind. His face was expressionless.
Valerie drove in. In her state-of-the-art Range Rover Sport, not even the beautiful driveway nor did the scenery of her mansion distract her from her thoughts. As she made her way out of the car, she resolved to come clean with Alfred; she wouldn't lie to him anymore, at least not with what has happened. Valerie knew her marriage was now shaky. Just as she was about to place her hand on the doorknob, the door swung open. "Welcome, Dear!" Alfred said with a smile. Valerie was tongue-tied. It was hard to tell if the smile was genuine because there was a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I can see that you have retrieved your bag." When she didn't respond, he continued, "let me help you with one bag”.
A few minutes later, she felt refreshed after a cold shower. Getting to the dining room, the table was already set; Alfred's eyes were on her all through dinner. Zeal was not aware of the tension at the table because he ate and chatted heartily. When the plate of spaghetti was cleared and fruit salad served, Zeal asked, "Mummy now that we are all here, let's watch a movie." The grin on his face was wiped off when Alfred said, "Zeal, not tonight. Your mom and I need to talk." Valerie felt as though a bomb had landed in the room. "Okay, I will watch my movie," Zeal said.
Zeal was the first to leave the table. After Zeal left the table, Alfred left and a maid came in to clear the table. I felt like a child that knows she will be punished for something and because of that refuses to go home. Recognising how I felt, I jumped off the seat as though I was stung by a bee. Maryann, the maid, on seeing my sudden movement asked, "Madam, is everything alright?"
"Yes, goodnight," I replied.
I strode to the staircase. What I am about to tell Alfred will definitely end our marriage but I hope he doesn't hate me for it. In the room, Alfred was already under the cover. From his body language, he was not asleep even though his eyelids were shut. I sat on the bed as far away from him as possible. He must have felt it because he opened his eyes and sat up. His eyes were fixed on my face; his face was void of expression. He was always good at keeping his feelings from reflecting on his face. "Alfred, there is something I have to discuss with you, but since you already have something to say, go ahead."
Valentine raised his head from the document he was reviewing to look at his wife. In a champagne coloured nightgown, she looked like a goddess. He knows even without her saying that her love for him is unconditional and boundless. Hurting her is something he has done so many times not because he wants to but loving him is something that has cost her more than she bargained for. But he will have to hurt her one last time. Oh God, Valentine thought how he hated to have to hurt her again. His mind drifted to another place at another time. He had never seen her like that before. Susanne had always been a quiet, calm and reserved woman. Her slim figure and fair complexion added to make her look fragile. Things were flying about in the kitchen; he had to dodge to prevent the frying pan from colliding with his head.
"Valentine, you are so selfish, all you think about is yourself. You told me when we were about to get married that you were not ready to have a baby immediately. You never mentioned the fact that I could never be a mother".
"Sweetheart, I didn't know you were going to take in so soon. I tried to avoid it".
"No wonder you were so interested in my menstrual cycle. So you were busy counting to make sure we never had sex while I was ovulating?" She exclaimed. Valentine got a bit close and that made her smash another of the ceramics. "Don't come close to me, you wicked demon."
"There is no point in calling me names. You have to terminate this pregnancy. I am not ready to father a child and I don't think I'll ever be ready." That caused her to smash another plate. "Susanne, stop it! You will hurt yourself," Valentine screamed. That made her scoff; "my husband is worried that I might cause myself physical pain but he is oblivious to the pain in my heart".
With that, another plate joined the rest on the floor. "Susanne, please let's reason like two mature people. If you insist on keeping the baby, I won't stop you but you know that we can't be in each other's life anymore." That made her angrier. "Why can't I have both? What about children offends you that you don't even want your own blood? Does this have anything to do with that girl that got pregnant for another man and left?" Immediately the words came out, Susanne regretted saying it because Valentine's face changed. He looked so upset, more like an angry lion. "Why would you bring that up? I told you I don't want to talk or hear about her again." Susanne refused to back down, now that the sacred topic was brought up, she would discuss it. "You gave that woman your heart and never got it back. So are you saying that as your wife, I can't even have our baby?" She sat on the floor and wept bitterly. Valentine who before now had never seen her so upset was surprised to see that
she was now so broken when a few minutes ago, she was destroying things. Sensing it was safe, he approached where she was sitting, careful not to step on any of the broken plates and glasses. He gathered her into his arms and placed soft kisses on her neck while she wept.
"I try to be honest with you because you are a beautiful soul. You loved me when I couldn't love myself." It made her cry the more, he continued; "I have never lied to you nor deceived you. In fact, I have nothing against children. But after what happened, anytime I see one, I remember what happened." Her sobs subsided. "Maybe someday I will be ready for it but not now. I can't promise you anything but when I am ready, you will know."
"Sweetheart you are staring, not th
at I am complaining," she smiled, bringing Valentine out of his reverie. "Oh God," Valentine said under his breath, how would she react if he told her.
The air conditioner was on but beads of sweat trickled down her stomach and armpit. "There is something I have to say too but you can talk first," Valerie said, surprised at how calm her voice sounded. Alfred started; "This morning before we got intercepted by an emergency at the hospital, we were talking about an issue. You told me you were settling a family squabble at your friend's place but your friend sent me a text telling me that she was at a church service with her husband"
"About that," Valerie cuts in, "there is something I need to say"
"If you would not interrupt me again, I will tell you about your friend's visit", Alfred said. "I must confess that I doubted you this morning for the first time. You were evasive and constantly stuttering when I told you about your friend's text message".
“I’m sorry, Sweetheart, I can explain," Valerie chimed in. Alfred got impatient and raised his voice; "you will have an opportunity to talk when I'm through." Feeling remorseful, he added,
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to raise my voice". Valerie nodded, acknowledging his apology. "Your friend came to the office today and explained everything. She said that you were really at her house last night. You left two hours before then and she thought you might have gotten home. She didn't want to go into her family problems, that was why she didn't tell me you were there earlier. She apologised for any problem she may have caused for not being totally honest with me”. Valerie had turned her back to Alfred so he won't see the emotions that she felt because her face always betrayed her. If he had asked her to face him, he would have seen the guilt on her face and the shame she felt for the lies that have now become their bed mate. "Valerie," he called out, startling her. "ye es s... dear" she stuttered. "You don't have to stutter, I now know you lied to hide your friend's family problems from me. I wish you didn't, but is there anything else apart from this issue that you may have emm," Alfred didn't want to use the word 'lie' so he opted for something else; "any issue you may have shaded the truth a little about?"
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