The President’s Wife episode 15

TITLE: THE PRESIDENT’S WIFE

WRITTEN BY: OGECHI ALABI

CHAPTER 15

Lere didn’t know where the new house was. He sent Zara a message which she ignored. He called Adanna, and she sent him the address. He went to his in-laws’ house. He was surprised to discover Zara wasn’t at home. Her parents told him she went to visit a friend. Lere was uncomfortable. He called Zara several times but she refused to answer the call. He was getting agitated and it was becoming obvious.

Zara’s father could sense there was something wrong so he invited Lere to sit with him outside so they could talk. He asked Lere what the problem was. Lere was too distracted by calling Zara to answer. His father-in-law had to take his phone from him and ask him what the issue was.

“Sir, Zara wants to kill me. She has ignored me all week; she refused to talk to me, refused to give me food and even moved out of our room. She didn’t ask permission to come to your house yesterday, she just sent me a message. I came this morning so we can resolve the issue but she has gone out to meet other men. Why will she do this to me? She even went in the car I bought for her.”

“Calm down, son. What you are accusing Zara of is very unlike her. Zara is a very reasonable girl. What happened?”

“It is what happened. Zara has changed since she started this job. She doesn’t have regard for me. She is so demanding, comparing me to Andy just because he opened an account with her bank. She is ungrateful.”

“I will have to ask you to calm down. My wife is cooking, we will eat and wait for Zara to return from her outing. I will call her now to come back home. Is that ok?”

“Ok, sir.”

They were waiting for the result of the test when the call came through from her dad to come back home. Zara waited for the result before leaving. Andy was on the phone as we waited patiently. He didn’t appear upset. He was glad to see Zara with Adanna; she needed the emotional support.

The nurse called them to see the doctor again. She told them, “Adanna, you are pregnant. Seeing three of you in this room, I hope it is good news.”

“It is,” Andy answered. He looked happy and was smiling. “How old is the pregnancy and what is the s-× of the child?”

“To know how long we need to do a scan and compare it with the last menstrual period. So, I will send you to the sonographer to do the scan today,” the doctor gave them the form.

The scan took them about an hour to do. It was clear the pregnancy was nine weeks. It was too early to know the s-× of the baby. Andy couldn’t hide his excitement after seeing the baby on the screen. He k!$sed Adanna and promised to buy her an SUV if it was a boy. He dashed Zara money. Zara went home while the latest parents-to-be went to celebrate.

Adanna was very happy when she saw how pleased Andy was. Andy was ready for them to get married since her parents were active members of the Catholic church and didn’t want them to be shamed.

The trip back to her parents’ house was saddled with numerous calls from both her father and Lere that made Zara anxious. She wondered why they were calling her so frequently. It was hot outside and it was affecting the air conditioning in the car. The frequent calls increased her temperature.

As she entered the house, she saw Lere sitting down with his head bowed. Her phone rang and he was the caller. She allowed it to ring while she walked past him to go upstairs. Lere couldn’t believe his eyes. She ignored him completely. She took a bath, changed and came downstairs to answer her father. He had sent her brother to call her.

“Zara, your husband has been here since morning. He has complaints against you that I find baffling. Did you take permission from him before coming here?”

“I didn’t take permission from him, I informed him. Why do I need to take permission from him? He doesn’t take permission from me to travel or go to see his family; he just informs me. Why is mine different? Because I am a wife?”

“Yes, your husband has to permit you to sleep outside your home. You don’t have a right to do that without his permission even if you came to my house. Also, you walked past him and didn’t say a word to him; is that how we raised you? Did we raise you to be disrespectful?”

“Daddy, I am not interested in talking to Lere.”

“Ok, my daughter, tell us what the problem is.”

“Daddy, Lere is too insecure. He suspects my every move. Because of his insecurities, he discourages me from looking good. He wants me to look horrible so that men will not ask me out. Didn’t I see those men before I married him? I rejected Andy for Lere still, Lere will not rest. Andy opened a big account to support my career. He told me his partners were not impressed with my look. He sent me a new phone and some money to buy clothes instead of the cut and sew I wore to see clients. No wonder I couldn’t bring in new clients. Lere seized the phone with my sim in,side. I seized his phone, laptop and car keys. Because of that, he asked me to move my things out of our bedroom, stopped eating the food I suffered to cook for him and called Andy to threaten him. Since he displayed a childish attitude, I decided to come home and ignore him. When he decides to act like the adult he is, then we can talk. I am tired of being treated with little or no respect. The reason he bought the car for me was because I was going to work and coming back with my boss. He felt threatened, stopped me from going to work with him and bought me the car. He doesn’t want me to look good so I don’t attract men. But he looks good, who does he want to attract? I am tired of all this rubbish.”

Lere jumped in, “Sir, you can hear her. She never apologised for what she did and she expected me to eat her food? She told me she was ready to leave the marriage than her job. How can a married woman choose her job over her marriage? She is very arrogant now she has a means of income.”

“Lere, it is enough. I want you to go back home. Give me some time to talk to my daughter. You are upset and so is she. If we allow both of you to keep talking, you will say things to each other you will later regret.”

“I can’t leave here without her.” Lere insisted.

“Lere, take my advice and go home. Cool off. I will call you when I finish talking to her.”

“Ok, sir.” Lere took a final look at Zara and he left. He felt so humiliated having to bring the issue to her father and she boldly defended herself. She has no humility in her. He loved her and had missed her. But he didn’t expect her to disrespect him in the presence of her parents.

That was exactly what her father said to Zara; she could ask for advice privately but should never openly challenge her husband. “He didn’t want to leave without you. Don’t take his love for granted, men can change. He feels less than a man if you are receiving gifts from other men richer than him. I know your complaint but it is the truth. Insisting on keeping the items is rubbing it in. See, he bought you a brand new car while he continues to drive the official car. I don’t know where you people are learning all this nonsense. Your husband asked you to move out of the room and you did. You didn’t beg him. He refused to eat your food, and you stopped cooking. Where is it done? What you have done is wrong. Coming here without his permission is wrong. I want you to go back home and trash the issues out with him. Try to be the bigger person by calling a truce when there is a misunderstanding; a good woman builds her home and does not destroy it. Also, never appear arrogant because of your job. He can stop you from that job and I will support him.”

“Daddy, you see the job aspect, forget it. I will give up the marriage if he attempts to stop me from working. I had a plan before I married him and I intend to follow that plan whether he is in support or not. Let him know my career is not negotiable. If I leave my job, he must leave his. That’s my stand.”

“Zara, lovingly convince him your job is not a threat to your marriage. It is the job that is causing all the problems now. Think about it.”

“Daddy, it is not the job; it is Lere’s insecurities and possessiveness that are causing the problem. I will not apologise to him because I didn’t offend him; he offended me. He should maintain his room, I will maintain mine. Any day I come back home from work, cook for him and he refuses to eat, I will never cook for him again. I am dead serious.”

“You are talking like the child you are. Lere is your husband, you will have misunderstandings and you will settle them. He is still very much in love with you. If it were our Igbo brothers, he would have returned you home himself and demanded a divorce. Love is still ‘sharking’ this one. Go and eat, I will call him and also talk to him. But, you have to go home to him.”

“I came to spend the weekend and some days in the week with you, why send me away?”

“Your husband wants you in his house. He misses you. Do you know how many times he called you? He was so restless when he couldn’t reach you. What did you do to this man?”

“Ignore Lere, he will learn by force.”

Lere asked Zara to come home with him; she declined. She told him she had some work to do and would come later. She didn’t want to go home with him. She was reluctantly going back to that house. She wanted until very late before the driver took her home. Lere had called her but she didn’t answer. He was getting updates from the driver which infuriated him more. Why was she determined to drive him nuts? What pleasure was she deriving subjecting him to this torture?

When Zara came into the house, she went into her room and locked the door. Lere was angry but said nothing. He sat in the sitting room so she would see him whenever she came out of the room. When she came out, he allowed her to enter the kitchen, he rushed to her room and removed the keys. He sat back in the sitting room.

Zara observed what he had done. She stayed in,side her room and used a stool to block the door. She wasn’t ready to discuss it with him. She took her phone, made a call She was laughing with the person on the line.

Lere heard her and came closer to the door to find out who she was talking to. He couldn’t get much of the conversation. He was tired and wanted to talk to her. He tried opening the door but something was wedged against it. He pushed it and the stool moved sufficiently for him to look in,side. “I want to see you, Zara.” Zara did not acknowledge his presence or respond to his request. “I am talking to you, drop that phone and come out here let us talk. I don’t want to come in,side there and drag you out. Please respect yourself and come out. Let’s behave like the adults we are.”

Zara eventually ended her call, she dropped her phone and came out of the room. She sat a distance from him in the sitting room. Lere was watching her, with a confused look. This wasn’t the Zara he married. This person is acting so childish. “I am here, can we be fast, I have service early tomorrow morning.”

“Zara, it is clear to me you don’t love me. For how many days I did not set my eyes on you. You stopped packing food for me because I rejected your food, is that how to behave? When I asked you to leave the room you packed all your belongings out. Are you determined to scatter this marriage? Are you tired of me? Have you met another person? The person you spent your day with today, has asked you to divorce me, is that why you do not want reconciliation? If you do say I should free you now, I will. That I love you doesn’t mean I am stupid. Andy has given your parents a big house and now our home isn’t good enough for you.”

“Are you through? I want to sleep.”

“So I am talking rubbish?”

“I don’t have time for this. Can I go and sleep?”

Lere couldn’t believe his ears. Everything he was saying fell on deaf ears. His wife had become very hærdened. She stood up to leave the sitting room, Lere rushed to her and said, “Zara, it is I, Lere. Why are you treating me like this? You know I love you and I can’t do without you. Is this why you are doing this? Ok, I apologise for my behaviour. I am very sorry. I get carried away with your love. I confess I am jealous, but who won’t be if they have a damsel like you. For one week, Zara, I haven’t touched you and you are happy. I am not. I want to be with you every day. I can’t imagine any other person enjoying what I am enjoying.”

“Lere, please allow me to go to sleep. Your apology is not sincere. You blame me and blame yourself; I am not falling for gimmicks and emotional blackmail. You took the key to my room, does that show a repentant person? My parents encouraged me to come back, I obeyed them as a good daughter but it ends there. Lere, work on your insecurities, it has nothing to do with me. Do I ask about the ladies you deal with? I am not interested because I trust you to be responsible. The day I find out you cheated on me, I will cheat on you and the marriage will scatter.”

“Ah! You cannot give your body to any man except me. I won’t cheat on you. I swear, I won’t so far you do not starve me. Why would I look at another woman when you have all I need?”

“Lere, good night. We can continue this conversation tomorrow.”