Sisterhood episode 58
TITLE: SISTERHOOD
AUTHOR: OGECHI ALABI
CHAPTER 57
Then, there was a knock on her door. She stood up to check who it was, it was Efe. She didn’t want to see him. He kept knocking. She heard him say, I will not leave until you open the door. He kept knocking. For another five minutes, he remained there. She didn’t have a choice but to open the door.
“Why did you leave?” he asked her visibly upset.
“You were on the phone. I didn’t want to disturb you.”
“You didn’t want to disturb me? Esther, I wanted to be with you. My kids called and I always take their call whenever they call. I was talking to them. Why would you leave? The call didn’t last up to five minutes. Esther, what exactly is going on, this isn’t you.”
“Efe, I had fun this night but that’s that. I can’t do it. I have never cheated on Jake and when I do, it is with you. I love Jake. We have built a family and business empire together, I don’t want to destroy that.”
“Has Jake cheated on you since you got married?”
“That is irrelevant. I will honour vows even if he doesn’t.”
“You are right. I haven’t gotten over you. I threw myself to my work when I found out you were married. I was told you married a big man. I knew you liked the money but for you not to wait for me…”
Read – Even if i don’t find peace episode 1
“Wait for you? You never contacted me after you left my house. You travelled and forgot about me. Efe, it was you I was in love with but you abandoned me. Jake came back and begged for forgiveness. I refused to forgive him thinking you would come back and make things right. Efe you knew my course, did you ever send someone to me to get my number? Even send a message to tell me what happened? I refused to dwell on the hurt. I chose you over Jake from the beginning. He begged me and I forgave him. I didn’t want to but… that’s bygone. I am married now. Being an adulterous woman isn’t what I desired. I had a good time but I can’t be friends with you.”
“Why? Because it will happen again. Because we can’t resist each other?”
“Stop all this.”
“Esther, I never told you how I felt about you. I loved you so deeply but you were after material things.”
“Efe, you didn’t love. If you loved me when I told you I had broken up with Jake you would have done everything in your power to contact me.”
“Esther, I lost my phone. I didn’t have any means of communicating with anyone. I went to your hostel but it was closed. Who was I to ask? I travelled and came back for you only to hear you were married. I tried. I felt I could not give you what wanted.”
“You felt I was with Jake because of what he had to offer. I was with Jake because he was good to me and he was the guy that disvirgined me. He was my first lover. You were my second and the guy I truly liked. I had one other guy and then went back to Jake. I came to you. You made me believe we could be together when you came to Sapele. You kissed me and told me you will keep in touch. That ship has sailed, Efe. Go back to your wife and kids. I have a husband and children too. Too many people will get hurt if we continue this. I don’t want that. I don’t feel the same way about you.”
“So, how come you were ready for me when I touched you? You are still sexually attracted to me. I know what we are doing is wrong but I can’t help it. I want you so badly. I want to go down on you again and watch your body vibrate before you release the fountain. I want to feel the warmth of your inside as I slide in and out to a rhythm you can adjust to. I want you to hold me down when you are about to explode. I want to have the experience all night and then tomorrow, we go our separate ways. We will never have to interact again. I promise you this.”
Esther was aroused by his words and the way he said them. He knew what he was doing and he sensed she was weak. Why was she weak with Efe? This Efe was different from the one she experienced. This Efe knew what he wanted and how to get it. This Efe wouldn’t take no for an answer. This Efe knew how to work the magic. She liked this new Efe, the problem was that she was different from that Esther. Esther had a lot to protect and was determined to do so. She didn’t want to be like other women who cheated on their husbands. But here she was doing it. She was so drawn to Efe that she couldn’t resist him and he knew. He kissed her and it went downhill from there. They were at it all through the night. They couldn’t have enough of each other. They even had a bath together. It was crazy. They finally slept in each other’s arms. Esther slept naked with Efe and they slept peacefully.
Read – Even if i don’t find peace episode 25 – finale
It was a phone call that woke them up. It was her phone. She picked up the call before checking who was calling.
“Esther, I have been calling you. Why didn’t you pick up?” Jake asked.
“I was asleep. I slept early. Is there a problem?”
“I was just checking on you. When is your flight back? What time?”
“It leaves by 8 pm. Why do you ask?”
“I will be travelling tonight too. I have to be in Austria tomorrow so I am leaving tonight. Business deal. I wanted to be sure you were not extending.”
“I wanted to because I haven’t rested. I would have stayed two extra days. Who are you travelling with?”
“Esther, you have started. I am travelling alone. I know you don’t like to leave the children alone without family members supervising. Can I ask your stepmother to come and stay until you return? You can stay as long as you want.”
“How long are you staying in Austria? Maybe I should join you there.”
“Don’t join me. It is business. Focus on resting in SA. I will ask your stepmother to come. Do you need some money? I can send someone to give you cash.”
“I don’t. I will stay longer then since you won’t be around.”
“Enjoy your stay.”
Jake sealed his fate with that phone call. Esther called his travel agent and found out he was travelling with a girl, She felt stupid feeling guilty about having sex with Efe when Jake refused to change.
“Who was that?” Efe asked as he pulled her close.
“My husband. He is travelling to Austria and asked me to extend my stay and rest.”
“I am to fly back on Sunday, we can go back together. You have to check out from here and stay in my room.”
“I’m not.”
“It is a waste of money. Ok, I will check out and move in with you or transfer the other room to your name.”
“Efe…”
“It’s just a weekend, let us enjoy it. I had the most peaceful sleep I have ever had in years. I want to enjoy that for the remaining days. We can go out and have fun. We have started, let us finish it. Another couple of days doesn’t matter or change anything.”
She spent those days the way Efe suggested. Immediately after the conference ended, he had to see some people. He met her in her room later that night. They spent the night together. The following day, he took her away from Johannesburg to Sun City. They spent a night there. It was a beautiful experience. Esther wished the days would never end. She felt loved and fulfilled. It was never like her experience with Jake. Jake never travelled with her or the kids. She had to go on her own or with the kids. It was never a fun time for them. He insisted it was safer that way.
The night she left for Lagos, Efe was to leave for New York. They went to the airport together. She was flying business class, the same as Efe. They checked in together and stayed in the lounge. When her flight was called, he hugged her and they kissed passionately. Esther had tears in her eyes. Her heart beat differently. Efe dried her tears and told her he was a phone call away.
“Just call me anytime. Whatever you want, I will be at your service. It has been a crazy weekend. I will cherish it for the rest of my life. I love you,” he hugged her one last time and then saw her at her gate. They couldn’t publicly hug and kiss anymore. He wanted her to leave before he walked back to the lounge. He felt a piece of him had taken a walk. He knew he would miss her.
Esther had a new experience and she wanted more from life. She had to make Jake do better. She sent him the evidence he had travelled with a female. She sent it with a caption, “You can do better. Please use a condom. Also, know this, two can play.” She switched off her phones and settled for the six hours flight to Lagos.
When she landed and turned on her phone, she saw several missed calls from Jake. She didn’t bother to call back. She called her driver who came to pick her up. She went to the house feeling exhausted. She plugged in her phone, took a bath and went to bed. When she woke up, she saw her children and stepmother. She gave them the things she bought for them and then she went back to bed. She just wanted to be alone. As she was unpacking, she observed an envelope in her bag. She had never seen it. She brought it out and opened it. There was money in it. It was dollars, two packs of $100 bills. She knew who dropped the money. There was a note. It read:
What do you give someone who has everything?
I couldn’t think of what to give you to express my feelings towards you.
Think of me when you want to buy something.
Make sure it is significant and a part of your life.
Below is my private line, you can reach me at any time.
I miss you already.
I wish we could turn back the hands of time.
I still believe, someday we will be together.
I love you, Esther.
Esther couldn’t believe her eyes. Efe wasn’t making this feel like a fling. He was making her crave him. She missed him too. She wished she could be with him. She had to remind herself, it was a mirage. Her life was here with Jake and their babies.
Jake called again. She didn’t hear what he was saying because she honestly didn’t care. She wanted to lie down and reminisce on the past three days of sexual and emotional bliss she had. She wanted to relive each moment. Efe made every moment memorable. How was she supposed to carry on after this? She ended the call with Jake without hearing what he said and wallowed in her world.
When Jake returned, he was full of excuses for why he didn’t tell her about the lady he travelled with. He claimed he felt Esther would be upset. He was surprised when she didn’t dwell on the issue. He tried initiating sex but she declined. She said he had to get tested before they could commence. Jake was upset with her but she was adamant. Finally, he went for the test and came back with the result. She made him wait three months. When he was declared clean, she allowed him. It was such a boring experience. Even Jake sensed something was different. Esther had lost interest in her husband. She had sex with him as a chore and she made no effort in pleasing him or being pleasured. It was boring. After a while, Jake preferred to be with his girls than the log of wood at home. He tried to be discreet. The truth; Esther didn’t care.
It took her four months to speak with Efe. She sent him a message asking how he was doing. It took so much for her to do that. She was in bed very late at night when she sent the message. He replied almost immediately. “Can you talk?” she told him she could and then he called. They spoke for more than an hour. They talked about everything except themselves. Then Esther asked, “How is your family? Resolve issues with your wife?”
“She left. She didn’t take the kids though. She believed I wouldn’t be able to tend to them. I am doing it effortlessly. I have a housekeeper who cooks and cleans. I close early, by 5 pm and continue my work from home while we do homework. I have structured it well. She went on vacation. I financed it for her. She can’t get much from me in the divorce. She just realised it. My salary goes to buying shares and currently, my shares are negative. All my assets were bought in the name of the company so they aren’t marital assets. She doesn’t care. I promised to finance her trips and we are good. She has a new lover. He is a nice guy.”
“So she left. You are free,”
“I am. It is left with you. Say the word and I will be in Nigeria in less than seventy-two hours.”
“I can’t. I can’t even make love with Jake again. I feel terrible. What about you?”
“I want to be with you. I don’t care about any other person. It is just you.”
“You don’t have other lovers? I don’t believe that.”
“Believe whatever you want to believe. I have only one lover and that is you.”
“I have to go now. It is very late here.”
“I know. When can I talk to you again? You can call me at any time.”
“I will let you know.”
“I love you.”
“Goodbye Efe.”