Unfulfiled promise 2 episode 12 – 14

Unfulfilled Promises
Season 2
Episode 12

“What’s going on here?” Mrs. Sokari
queried when she got to them.
“What does it look like, mum? I’m
throwing this slut out of my house.” He
glared at his wife in disgust.
“Why? O my God! She’s pregnant! When
my friend told me yesterday that she was
pregnant, I thought she was
hallucinating.” she acknowledged with
amazement and did what surprised the
three of them by going down on her kneesNto hold her daughter in-law.
“Dave! This is no way to treat a pregnant
woman.” she scolded.

“O please spare me the lecture on
manners As for her being pregnant, the
bastard isn’t your grandchild.” he
commented with growling satisfaction.
“What?” she exclaimed, ignoring the
gateman’s gasp.
“The baby is not mine. She’s an unfaithful
wife. Remember that my childhood friend, Eric, I mean the half-caste?” He waited for
his mother’s slow nod before continuing,
“Well, he’s also her ex-boyfriend. The
minute he came back to Nigeria, she
jumped into bed with him.”
“That’s not true.” His wife spoke for the
first time. “Shut up! Mum, you and my sisters were
right after all She really is an unfaithful
slut I regret marrying herBI want her out
of my house because the sight of her and
her pregnancy sickens me.”

“Isn’t that too rash, Dave?” his mother
quietly asked.
Both Dave and Oleng looked at her,
thunderstruck.
“Mum, I can’t believe you just said that. I
thought you would even concur with me.”
He looked bewildered.
“Did you tell her what you told me a while
ago?” She studied him coolly.

He looked away with a frown. “No…I
mistakenly told her the day I found out
about her pregnancy for her to know I’m
not responsible.”
“But why? I told you to tell her. You
promised to tell her.” she accused.
“I don’t owe her anything. My not telling
her does not justify her unfaithfulness.”
“But that probably pushed her to it.”
“No, she has it in her She was just
looking for an excuse…My friend, what are you doing here? Will you go back to yourBpost! Idiot!” He suddenly noticed that Chike was still there as they washed their
dirty linens. Chike ran back to his post to avoid theNfury of his boss.

“Get up my dear.” Mrs. Sokari softly told
her daughter-in-law and helped her up
“Where are you taking her to? Mum, it’s as
if you don’t understand the gravity of her
offence or what I’ve been saying I want
this…this…thing out of my house right
now.” He fumed, blocking her path.
“What’s wrong with you, Dave? This is
unlike you.” she condemned bitterly.
“Yes, she has brought out the worst in
me She has unleashed the beast in me I
can’t stand her anymore What woman
would get pregnant for her husband’s
friend? A slut that is I want her out of this
house and I’m sorry, mum but nothing
you say will change my mind It’s already
made up. Imagine her aunt dared to call
me a sterile bastard.” He breathed
heavily, his black eyes impatient.
“Then I’ll take her home.” His mother
ass**ted with derisive cool.

Shock w¡dened his eyes. “What?”
“Yes, I’ll take her home since you don’t
want her anymore You can see she is
heavily pregnant. Do you want her to have
a miscarriage?”
“I don’t care if she does.” He said with
blunt frankness.
“Well, I do. I realize I haven’t been the
best of mothers-in-law but I can correct
that now. Moreover, I’m a woman and I
cannot watch my fellow woman suffer like this no matter what she has done.”
“Such a philanthropic gesture won’t
change my mind but know now that if you
take her with you, you have just lost a son
because I’ll never set foot in that house
again.” he protested vehemently and went
in,side slamming the door after him,
leaving his mother and his wife transfixed.

“Please ma. Please don’t take me with
you. I don’t want to be the seed of discord between you and him. I’llNmanage. I’ll look
for where to stay.” Oleng pleaded.
“No, my child, in your present condition,
you’re not supposed to be undergoing any
form of stress whatsoever. Don’t worry
about him. He’ll come around. Thank God
I came with my car…Chike…come and
take the box to my car outside.”
Chike ran towards them to take the box
outside. Mrs. Sokari led Oleng slowly.
“Mum,” Dave called as he came to the
door. “I meant what I said.”
His mother turned around to look at him
and shook her head.
“I know you don’t understand why I’m
doing this right now. I pray you will
understand some day.” she sadly
informed him.

She turned around to lead Oleng but the
latter stopped her. “Please ma. Please let
me tell him something.” she pleaded.
“Okay. I’ll be waiting in the car.” she
replied and with one last sorrowful look atNher son, she walked to the gate.
Oleng walked slowly to where her
husband was standing by the door. He
continued to look at her with disgust until
she got to a few feet before him.
“Dave what happened to a reason to live?
You said I gave you a reason to live.
Where is that reason now or do you want
to die since you told me I’m the reason
you’re alive today and if I ever left you,
you’d die?”
“For your information, that reason died the moment I found out about your infidelity.

What bloody reason did you even give me
to live? I’m alive today because I chose to be not because of you. A man decides if he wants to live by himself and not
because of someone else.” he harshly
informed her.
“So that was another of your many lies?”
she remarked in a hurt tone “I gave up so
many things for you I gave up my best
friend for your sake She kept telling me
you were not the angel I perceived you to
be but I refused to listen I made her and
Eddy my enemies because of you I even
went to the place that got me in this
predicament today because of you I did
all these because I loved you I did it for
love but what am I getting in return?” she
questioned furiously. “I’m not trying to
justify what I did I’m ashamed of what I
did If only I could turn back the hands of
time but I’m only human; liable to
mistakes I have apologized continuously
for what I did but you have never for once
said sorry for deceiving me. I wept for five miserable years over nothing.”
“Why should I apologize to a slut like
you?” he countered.

“You promised you’d never hurt me! You
promised you’d never break my heart! You promised me so many things, even
children! So many unfulfilled promises!
Why are men always making promises to
me that they never fulfil?” she lamented
with great bitterness. “Alright!” She
nodded her head in sorrow. “Alright, I’ll go.I’ll leave your house for good but know
this; you’ll never find a woman like me
again. You’ll never find someone who will
endure all I endured for you for five years.

You’ll live to rue this day. Well, I guess this is goodbye.” Her eyes were glazed with pain.
“Indeed it’s goodbye because you’ll hear
from my lawyer very soon about the
divorce proceedings.” he jeered and his
words cut her like a knife.
She turned abruptly and walked away
faster than when she had walked towards
him She didn’t even reply the gateman’s
teary goodbye.

Unfulfilled Promises
Season 2
Episode 13&14

Oleng had stayed with her mother-in-law for a week before Zinny came to see her Her Aunt Vien wanted to come for her but they were undergoing a screening exercise so she wasn’t able to come but she promised to come and take her away to Calabar the moment she was free.
“Oleng you mean you’ve been going through all these yet you didn’t breathe a single word of it to me? I’m disappointed in you, Oleng. Why? Wetin I do you? Are we not friends anymore?” Zinny was clearly agitated.
Oleng just gazed at her with sorrow and shook her head slowly. “I was ashamed of myself I thought I was right about Dave You all tried to warn me, to tell me he wasn’t the angel I thought him to be but I didn’t listen.”

“That’s not an excuse…O Dave! How dare you treat my friend like this? How dare you? God punish you ten times a day.” she lamented.
Oleng’s eyes reflected sadness.
“I’m so sorry. So sorry.” Zinny said and hugged her friend.
“I’m not a slut I don’t know what got into me.”

“You’re not a slut He’s the loser How could he have kept such a thing from you? This is what happens when you channel your love to the wrong person.”
“Zinny, please don’t start. I even hate Eric now more than ever He got me into this awful situation.”

“No, he didn’t If anything, you should love him more because if this hadn’t happened you wouldn’t have known the monster you’ve been living with.”
“All I feel for Dave right now is pity.”
“Pity? You even can spare a feeling of pity for him? I can’t believe you can still feel any emotion for him apart from hatred. The guy jazz you?” she asked in astonishment. “He betrayed you by not telling you about the true situation of things. He has been betraying you, Oleng. It didn’t start with that.”

“What do you mean?”
“I’m not in the best position to tell you. You’ll have to find out from Eric He betrayed him also.”
She got irritated. “I don’t know why you keep bringing Eric into everything we discuss.”

“Because your lives are linked together whether you accept it or not Dave only came to interfere but I dey happy now say wind don blow and we don see wetin c*ck dey hide.” she joyfully said
“But Eric hasn’t even called me He hasn’t shown any interest that he wants me back.”

“Weren’t you the one who kept rejecting his calls and refused meeting with him? Anyway, That’s he’s in grief right now He just lost his beloved grandmother.”
Oleng was sorry to hear that. “O Zinny! I’m so confused I don’t know what to do I want to go back to Dave simply because of my family history It seems the females in my family don’t stay married.”
“But aren’t Aunt Vien’s children all married?”

“Yes but she told me one of them, Emem, is already having problems with her husband Zinny, I don’t want that for my own daughter I want to break the jinx by going back to Dave even if that’s not what my heart wants.”
Zinny held both her hands then “Oleng, you’ve already made a mistake in marrying him Don’t make another one by going back to him He isn’t your soul mate.”

“O Zinny! Please leave that soul mate thing jor Simply because things worked out between you and Eddy, Marvy and Kelechi doesn’t mean it must work out for everyone. How many people are married to their soul mates today? Besides, where is the so-called soul mate? He slept with me for revenge and took off”

Zinny glared at her as if she’s gone mad. “Don’t tell me you’re still as stupid as ever where Eric is concerned When you go get sense na? What the hell was he supposed to do? Go and fight Dave? Dave told…I really shouldn’t be telling you this but your marriage to Dave hurt him a lot He got drunk that night He nearly ended his friendsh¡p with us for not telling him, for allowing him to waste his li…” Zinny stopped when a sob caught in her throat.
Oleng was at loss for words She didn’t know what to say to her friend. She just stared at her. She was the cry baby not her strong friend, Zinny.

When she had gathered herself together, Zinny looked into her friend’s eyes.
“You can either go back to the mistake you made which is Dave or wait for your true love to finish grieving and come back for you.”

“The same way I foolishly waited for his reply after I told him I was pregnant years ago?”

Zinny wanted to say something but thought against it. “The choice is yours.” was all she finally said.
The following week, Aunt Vien came to take her to Calabar. She was sorry to leave because her mother-in-law had been kindness itself to her but her aunt was sick and tired of what they had done to her niece.

“Please let her stay here until she gives birth and the baby is old enough to travel She’s not fit to travel. She’s almost in her ninth month The stress might be too much for her.” Her mother-in-law tried to placate her.
“There’d be no stress at all I’ve booked her flight and mine already Please let her goNWe’re tired of your family Your family has caused us so much pain Let her go so she can be happy again.” Aunt Vien countered impatiently.
“I understand how you feel in-law but think of her first before your bitterness.” Mrs. Sokari advised
“Bitterness? Me? Bitter? You don’t know the meaning of the word I had the mind of going to arrest your son and have the keys to his cell thrown in the ocean but I changed my mind because of my niece yet you call me bitter?” Aunt Vien was infuriated.

“Aunt Vien pleaseBShe has been very nice to me Please, I don’t want you to quarrel with her. Let’s just go. Please ma, don’t be offended She wants what’s best for me.” she said while her aunt hissed and left the house.
“It’s alright my dearNI understand but please let her know I’ve had a change of heart.”

“I will. I’m going to miss you ma. Thanks for everything.”
“I’m going to miss you too.” She hugged her. “Please take very good care of yourself and the baby. Everything will turn out fine. Just continue praying to God and He’ll sort out everything.”
“I will ma. Thank you very much.”
“You’re welcome, my dear.”
Oleng finally went to join her aunt in the taxi that was to take them to the airport in Omagwa She explained everything to her but she wasn’t moved.
“I want us to forget about them Forget about them totally! I don’t want anything to happen to you and the baby.”
“Nothing will now that I’m going to stay with you again. I’ve missed you.” she said smiling and hugged her.
“I’ve missed you too. Thank God you’re back.” She hugged her also.
##########

Eric stared at the ceiling and wondered where he wasNHis head ache, his mouth felt as dry as a des**tNHe tried to move but couldn’t What the hell was wrong with him? His brain was fuggy for some minutes.

Then he remembered the car crash Gosh! He’d had a ghastly motor accident with a truck coming in the opposite direction on a rainy night He could still feel the head lights in his eyes, hear the screeching of tires and the shaky motions as his car summersaulted over and over again. The taste of bl0*d was still pungent in his mouth.

d# #n ! He remembered everything now The accident had occurred on the freeway on his way to the airport for his trip to Nigeria After burying his grandmother and waiting for her will to be read, he’d given up hope on Oleng but Zinny had called him to come back to Nigeria immediately for Oleng’s sake She hadn’t given him details and he hadn’t askedNHe just booked for a flight to Africa. His plans of going back to see the one woman who wouldn’t stop haunting his dreams was foiled again due to the accident Were they destined not to be together again? He mo-ned.
Just then, a Caucasian nurse walked into the room with his motherTheir eyes w¡dened when they saw his eyes were openedThe nurse rushed out of the room. Tears poured out of his mother’s eyes like flood.

“O my God! Baby, you’re back,Thank God. After being in a coma for two months, you’re finally back. Thank God.”
Coma? He’d been in a coma for two months? So the life he’d been living with Oleng, his son and his daughter was just a figment of his imagination?
##########
“Eric…Eric…your baby…see our baby.” Oleng muttered in her sleep.
“Oleng…Oleng. Wake up.” her aunt gently shook her.
Oleng woke up slowly She was surprised to see her aunt standing beside her on the sofa.

“Aunty, hope no problem.” she said as she slowly sat up and wiped her face with her hand. Her aunt sat beside her.
“You were dreaming of him again.”
“Dreaming of who?” Oleng was confused.
“Eric. Ever since you came back here, you’ve been muttering his name in your sleep.”
Oleng was silent at that. “Maybe it’s because I’m carrying his child.”
“Or maybe because you still love him.”
“No!” she denied vehemently. “Why does everyone keep saying that? Sleeping with him in the first place was a big mistake not to talk of falling in love with him again.”

“Would it be so bad, after all, he’s the father of your children?”
“One is dead and they were both conceived mistakenly; first fornication, then adultery. Loving Eric will complicate things because I intend going back to Dave once the baby is born.”
“What? Go back to that bastard ? Do you want him to kill you?”
“He’s my husband, aunty. My place is with him.” “That was exactly what you told me when I asked you to come with me and what did he do to you? After locking you out of the house in the night, he threw you out also. Now you want to go back to him, so that he’ll poison you, hmm?”

Oleng became angry. “If you hadn’t gone against my wish by calling him, you wouldn’t have ignited his anger which resulted in his throwing me out.”
“I can’t believe this. So it’s now my fault, ehn?” “No, it isn’t your fault but I don’t want to live the life you and Mrs. Akpan live or your mother and grandmother. Alone! I want to be with my husband because Eric is nowhere to be found.” she yelled sternly.
Her aunt was so hurt she couldn’t say anything for a while. She surveyed her niece steadily.

“You think I want you to end up like me? I have your best interest at heart; that is why I said you shouldn’t go back, at least not yet I want to see you stable but with the right person Do you think Dave will ever accept you and the baby? He might accept you back but not the baby While you were in the hospital, he told me you would have to choose between him and the baby and I pleaded with him not to do that because you needed both of them If he takes you back, you’ll have to give up your child Think of that before you decide to go back.” she firmly told her and was about leaving when Oleng held her wrapper.
“Aunty, I’m sorry. Please forgive me for what I just said. Aunty, I’m so confused. I don’t know what to do. Please don’t des**t me too Please.” she begged.

Her aunt looked at her before she sat back and held her in her arms. “It’s alright dearieTime, all we need is time. If Eric doesn’t show up after you give birth, then we’ll think of what to do. Everything will be alright.” she consoled.

In the early hours of the morning of the following day, Oleng’s labor pains started. Aunt Vien rushed her to the hospital amidst her scre-ms that the labor pain was worse than the first. While she was in the hospital, still in labor, her aunt rushed home to get the baby things she had sent someone to go and pick for her from Dave’s house a week before.

Oleng finally gave birth to a very beautiful baby girl the same day she had given birth to her first child.Everyone; the midwife and nurses commented on the baby’s beauty. Naturally, the baby inherited her father’s coloring When Oleng was woken up to feed her baby, she cried while she did it She had been waiting for this for five long years; even more so because she had been waiting for this after she had lost her first child.

She wished Dave was there to share her joy She wished for the umpteenth time that she was Dave’s daughter because of his sterility She couldn’t help wishing Eric was there also He would have been joyous because from what Zinny had said, he wasn’t married and didn’t have kids.

TBC