Thorn between episode 65

TITLE: TORN BETWEEN

WRITTEN BY OGECHI ALABI

URENNA’S NARRATION 2

Mmesoma married a rich man from a wealthy family. He was obsessed with her and did not want to share with anyone. It was not funny at all. They worked with the same organisation, and he insisted she worked with his team at all times. She didn’t like it and told him to back off making her look like she was enjoying favours from her husband. He refused. He said it was either that or she resigned and stayed home.

Our mother did not support the idea. “A woman should not be completely dependent on a man. What if he decides to pull the rug from under your legs? Your father thought I was poor that was why he believed if he stopped supporting me while I was in school, I would come running back to him. When I did, he felt I was proud. I wasn’t. He accused me falsely and I stood my ground. You are beautiful and you have a bubbly personality. You are also free with everyone. It can make a husband uncomfortable, especially an insecure one. Your husband is obsessed with you. He will do everything within his power to own you. Be your own woman, but never be found wanting. He met you at home, and he wants to be the only man who has access to your body. It is his right.”

Mmesoma asked me to excuse them so she could talk to our mother privately. I left and entered the bathroom through my father’s room. I listened to them from there. “Mum, he likes sex too much and wants me to do crazy things with him. I have told him I would not do them. How can I come back from work and he wants sex before I can see my son? I am hot, filthy from the day’s work and tired, what Eddy wants is to pull up my skirt or pull down my trousers in the sitting room and have a quickie. It is a daily occurrence. It is too much for me that I hate sex so much now. I feel used most of the time. When I try to talk about it, he takes offence.”

“Mmesoma my daughter, a man that desires you always is a blessing to a wife. Some wives do not have sex with their husbands for months and even for years. But yours desires you every day, you are lucky.”

“Lucky? He has a quickie and would still have sex before we sleep, and then in the morning, he wakes me up with it. It is too much. My body can’t take it. He is not bonding with my son, he doesn’t allow me to bond with him. He wants us to be together always. If I make a new hairstyle, we must celebrate it. He doesn’t want more children; he says one child is enough. I want more. Mummy, I must confess, I told him to have an affair. If he meets a freak like him, he can be with her so I can have my peace.”

“God forbid you share your matrimonial bed with a strange woman. Do not use your mouth to speak evil against yourself. This is not so big a deal, what you can do is create a timetable for sex. The days that he wants them, he would have them to his fill with your co-operation. On other days, he would let you be. Both of you can spend time together doing other things. It is a communication issue. Talk to your husband, another ear is not supposed to hear what you have said.”

“Ok, ma. He wants to bring another couple into our bed. How do I do that?”

“What are you talking about?”

“He said it is called swinging. He has some friends who are married or in a relationship. They meet with their spouses or girlfriends in someone’s house or a hotel and the two couples can share a room and share partners. He swore he had never done it before but wanted us to try it out. He begged me to agree. I met the other couple and saw how the man looked at me. The wife was too touchy for my liking. It was later he made the offer. I refused and told him to get another girl for all his crazy fantasies. I am not that adventurous. I can’t discuss this with my sisters or friends, but it is worrisome. I do not think Eddy loves me, I fitted one of his fantasies and now he believes he owns me. He has refused to speak to me since the day I refused this craziness, but he did not stop him from having sex with me, even aggressively. I think I made a mistake and want to leave the marriage.”

My mother was speechless. From where I stood, I could imagine what was running through her mind. It was too much information to process. Eddy looked innocent and gentle. You would never believe he would be involved in crazy things. I knew my mother could not dismiss Mmesoma’s fears anymore. As a Christian, she could not share a bed with another man even if her husband commanded her. The aggressiveness worried me as much as my mother. I had heard enough. Mmesoma was strong, but she wasn’t one to fight. She is an explorer and dreamer, not a fighter. Eddy knew this and took advantage of it.

Mmesoma did not go back home that night. She called her husband and told him she was not coming home. She explained her mother was unwell. She needed a break. Luckily, our father was not around. We had settled down to eat and were gisting when the security man came to inform us that Eddy was outside. Mmesoma panicked, but my mother was not moved. When he came with their son. He saw my mother eating and was surprised.

“I came to visit since Mmesoma said you were not feeling well,” Eddy explained.

“Her presence has made me eat, I haven’t eaten since morning. Come and join us.”

“No, thank you ma. Mmesoma, can I see you.”

They went outside to talk. I passed through the kitchen to the side of the house to listen to their conversation. My mother encouraged me.

“She is fine, why don’t you want to come home? It is wrong for a married woman to sleep out without her husband’s permission. Because I asked for an adventure you decided to run away. Where I come from, a woman does not take our children from us. So either you come back with me now or forfeit seeing your son. Decide, I will be waiting for you at home.”

I was shocked at his tone of voice. Eddy is a sweet guy and acts as if he could not hurt a fly. He is a charmer. I was surprised to hear him sound so authoritative. I observed that my sister was scared of him. She didn’t say anything and I depended on my mother’s wisdom to see her through this process.

When I snuck back in, I called my mother aside and told her what I heard. She was mad. She came back into the sitting room calmly and waited for Mmesoma to enter the house. When she came in, Eddy stood up to leave and asked Mmesoma if she was coming with them.

“No,” she replied “I want to take care of my mother. I will be here until my father gets back. I will come around tomorrow to pick a few things.”

I saw how shocked Eddy was by her reply. She hugged and kissed her son and let him go with his father. She did not see him off. She went back to the dining to continue eating. Eddy nodded and left. From outside, he called her. She picked up, he asked her to follow him home, and she ended the call. He called several times, but she did not pick up. I wondered what made her so bold. She looked weak when they were alone, but in the house, she sounded so strong.

She later confessed that her confidence came from our mother as she was not shaken when Eddy came in. I was worried about her son and I asked her.

“He will be fine. If Eddy can’t handle him, he will send him to his mother. She loves him and will take good care of him. She will allow me to speak with him. I have no fears. Urenna, you will accompany me to the house to pick up my clothes and items for work. I can’t do this anymore. I have realised I did not love him or what I thought was a major attraction was not real. I can’t continue to live like this.”

It was a good idea. Her phone wouldn’t stop ringing, all the calls were from Eddy. He was uncomfortable and couldn’t sleep, he was back in our house late that night. The security man came in to announce his presence. What was he doing in the house that late? Mmesoma asked me to tell him she had retired for the night in our mother’s room. Eddy insisted on seeing her. I watched how agitated he was and felt sorry for him. The person pacing the sitting room did not look like who Mmesoma described to our mother. I advised him to go home and come back the following day.

When he left, Mmesoma came out of her room. She laughed because she knew why he came back. She believed it was because he couldn’t sleep without having sex. It sounded funny to me. The man I saw did not look like someone interested in sex. He called several times before he stopped calling.

The following morning, Mmesoma got ready and asked me to follow her to the house. She expected him to have left for work but was surprised to meet him at home. He was elated when he saw her, but the smile quickly melted when he sighted me.

“What’s going on here?” he asked.

“I came to pack a few things,” Mmesoma replied.

‘Why? What’s going on? What has gotten into you?”

“Eddy, I do not want to be used as your plaything any more. I am a person with real feelings and I do not want you to play with my emotions, it ends now.”

‘What are you talking about?”

“Eddy, you need help. You really do need help.”

Mmesoma asked me to go with her to pack her things. Eddy did not want her to leave so he tried stopping her from leaving. While they argued, she pointed to her wardrobe for me to pack her things into a bag beside it. I did that. Eddy could see he was losing and his countenance changed, he became aggressive. He told her if she left she should not come back to the house. She then turned to me and helped me pack some of her other personal belongings. She opened two suitcases to pack while Eddy paced the room. He was confused and he brought out a joint to smoke.

“Not in here,” Mmesoma told him.

“You have lost the right to tell me that, I am waiting for you to leave.”

“I will be out soon, you know the smoke disturbs me.”

“It calms me down. You are leaving me because I want to be a bad boy with you. You are the reason many men cheat on their wives. I thought you were like me, but I can see I made a mistake. Why did you come with your sister, you know what would have happened if you had come alone. This good girl routine isn’t working for me.”

“Eddy, please be with other women, but leave me alone.”

“But you are my wife, and I love you.”

I wondered why Mmesoma was engaging him. I wished she had ignored him until we left, but she said if she had not engaged him, he would not have let her go. She was packing as they were talking. She moved out two suitcases, three suit carriers and a bag of shoes and handbags. We got back home and Mmesoma went to her former bedroom. She lay down on the bed and cried. I left her alone.

She went to work the following day from our house. She was happy and relaxed. She came back in high spirits. She told mummy that Eddy tried to talk to her, but she appealed to him to give her some time to either find another job or relocate. He hadn’t been the same.

When Daddy came home, he was surprised to see Mmesoma there. My mother had to tell him what happened and he was heartbroken. Since the harassment stopped, Mmesoma has been different. She was seriously seeking a job in another firm so she could completely be over Eddy.

Daddy said that was not how marriages end. He asked her to be patient while he had a serious discussion with him. Since he had not come to the house begging, I assumed he had moved on. I wondered why it was so easy for him to let go. That was when I heard from Mmesoma that he calls at least twenty times a day and sends several messages to her asking her to come home. I was surprised. I liked Eddy, but what I heard about him scared me.

Read – Stuck With An Obsessed Girlfriend episode 60 – 61

Daddy invited Eddy over. That day, Mummy, Mmesoma and Mama had gone on a condolence visit to Njideka who lost her father. Daddy knew they would spend the entire day there, so he asked Eddy to visit. I listened to Daddy talk to Eddy and I was impressed. He asked him questions concerning Mmesoma’s accusations. He did not deny them. He said he felt since she was his wife he could fulfil such fantasies with her. He was surprised she was a virgin and was glad they would experiment together, but she was rigid and complained about too much sex. He said he loved her that was why he was turned on by her.

“When she complained, what did you do to make her happy?” Daddy asked.

“She shouldn’t complain. She is married and has a responsibility to please me and I to please her.”

“Eddy, she did not complain about other things you. She does not mind cooking, cleaning and tending to you after a stressful day at work. She never complained that you hit her, did not give her money for upkeep or skipped your son’s fees. Her only complaint is your incessant demand for sex and the wildness you want to indulge in. She is a good girl from a Christian home, she would never lay with another man. Never suggest that to her. I understand wanting her, but I would advise you to get involved in other activities than sex three times a day. Join a gym and transfer the energy there.”

“I should go to the gym instead of having sex with my wife? I love Mmesoma, but if I have to stop being with her to make her happy, then I would rather we go our separate ways.”

“See a therapist before you consider reconciliation. That’s my advice.”

Mmesoma got a job with the firm Uncle Peter worked with. She was elated because she was on a higher level and the salary was very impressive. Most of all, it was a field job, and she didn’t have to be home most days of the week. She was away for days at a time and she was happy.

Eddy came to the house to see Mmesoma when she missed work for three weeks. It was at the house he discovered she had changed jobs. Mmesoma did it quietly and asked Human Resources not to disclose it to him. He felt terrible. He felt betrayed. It was visible he was heartbroken. He did not want her to leave the company. Unfortunately, she was onsite when he visited. No one disclosed the company she worked with, but it was easy for him to find out.

Mmesoma worked for two months at her new job. She was onsite when she collapsed and was rushed to the hospital. It was at the hospital it was confirmed she was pregnant. She had not missed her period and had not had intercourse for almost four months. How could she be pregnant? She went for a sonograph and it was confirmed that she was almost twenty-five weeks pregnant. She could not believe it. How could she land such a good job and now lose it due to pregnancy? She was also surprised and at the same time disappointed. One child was enough with Eddy, she didn’t want more children.

Daddy asked her to inform Eddy about the pregnancy, but she refused. She wanted to do it on her own. Her biggest fear was losing her job, but Uncle Peter took care of that. She still went onsite but she was more careful. Immediately she was six months pregnant, she was placed on desk duty until she delivered her baby. She began antenatal. She would have been excited if the circumstances were different, but she had to make do with what she had.

Eddy found out about the pregnancy and came looking for her. Daddy let him in. He asked Mmesoma who the father of the baby was, and she confirmed he was the father and showed him the sonograph report.

“I will get better for you. Your father asked me to see a therapist, I think he is right. I have some issues which I use my fantasies to mask. Since you left, the desire for sex has died. Now I am with you, the desire is there again. I am sorry for all I did. I will seek help and hopefully, you will forgive me and allow us to try again.”

Eddy kept his word, he saw a therapist and the therapist requested to speak with Mmesoma. They had a video discussion and he assured Mmesoma that Eddy was better. She agreed to give it another chance.

She moved back with Eddy when she had the baby, a girl. Everything was fine for a couple of months until Eddy couldn’t have enough of her again. He tried not to have sex three times a day, but he wanted it daily. He insisted and they had a serious falling out that Mmesoma had to move out with her two children and remain with my parents. Eddy came for the children but Mmesoma resisted this time. She went to court to ask for sole custody of her children while they were separated.

Eddy left the country for two years. His mother asked him to get help when she heard all he had done to Mmesoma. He did, he saw a specialist and he got better. He lived on his own and got a job where he was. He was scared of seeing Mmesoma but he saw and talked to the children almost every day all thanks to Mummy. She said the man had a right to see his children. She bore no animosity against him. She told him that too. Mmesoma had not filed for a divorce because she said one marriage was enough for a lifetime. My mother did not pressurise her to divorce Eddy.

Eddy returned to resume a job in Port Harcourt he was headhunted for from abroad as an expatriate. After he settled down, he called Mummy and asked if he could visit the children. He came with suitcases of clothes, shoes and toys. His daughter recognised him from the videocalls, but she did not know him. He felt terrible about it. He wanted them to visit him for a weekend. Mummy discussed it with Mmesoma and she agreed as long as a family member was there with them. The boys were on holiday so they went for the weekend along with the nanny.

He came to pick them up most weekends. Some weekends, Mmesoma would request for them and he picked them up the following weekend. She avoided him. She had become a workaholic because she had my parents to help her with her children. She was not home for more than two days a week.

After a while, Eddy was no longer coming for the children as he did before. He called them often, but he saw them once a month. Then Mmesoma was onsite longer than usual, which included weekends. I came home and noticed Mmesoma was different. On the days she was around, she went out and came home late. I suspected she had a suitor, nothing prepared us for what we discovered.

She left her phone in the sitting room and I saw several messages coming in. I called out to her and she asked me to bring her phone to her. Then I saw a message from Eddy. There was no way it was a mistake. I knew how his number was saved on her phone. I gave her the phone and said, “When will you tell your parents you have reconciled with your husband?”

“Shh. It is complicated. I want to be sure it is for real before I tell them. I don’t want what happened before to happen again. I missed him so much and so far, he is much better. He is caring and honest with me.”

“Does he still want sex often?” I asked. This was the main problem.

“He does, but we have days we have sex and days we just cuddle and love each other. He doesn’t need to react every time the desire arises. He is better and the relationship has been amazing.”

“Tell your parents so they know. You can spend time together with the children instead of keeping them away. What do you say?”

“It is a good idea. I will tell them about us, but not now. He will pick up the children for the weekend.”

Well, she was pregnant again and that was how my parents found out they had reconciled. Eddy moved his family back with him. He came to thank my parents for taking care of his family with gifts. My father advised him to stick to his recovery because if Mmesoma comes back home again, he will not allow any form of reconciliation.”