The President’s Wife episode 8

TITLE: THE PRESIDENT’S WIFE

WRITTEN BY: OGECHI ALABI

CHAPTER 8

Lere frequented Abeokuta to see Zara. He picked her up on Fridays, checked into a hotel and left very early on Monday mornings for his work. If he was in the vicinity due to work, he stopped to see her or stayed the night with her.

They talked every day, at least five times a day. Lere loved hearing her voice; he loved her for who she was. Zara enjoyed telling Lere about her day. He listened to her with complete attention. He didn’t find her boring. When she was angry and needed to vent, she called him. He allowed her to pour out her hurt and then he advised her on how best to handle the situation. She knew he had her best interest at her. She loved him too.

She had a serious falling out with her branch manager. He tried to pimp her to a politician who had the ears of the government. She had refused the man’s advances calmly but he didn’t relent. The politician bought her the latest mobile phone. She rejected it, the manager received it and gave it to her. He invited her to a party, but she declined. The politician liked her because she wasn’t easy. She was a conquest he had to win.

The Branch Manager tried to make her life a living hell in the office. He had called her personally and asked what her boyfriend did for a living. When she told him, he told her she deserved better. These men that were hovering around her could make her. He bragged about the connections they had even with the Federal Government. She could get a good job after her service if she considered them. She smiled as she listened to him.

Zara told her Manager she wasn’t going to sell her body for any connections. She was happy with her boyfriend and was content. She asked him, “if the connections are powerful why haven’t you pimped your wife to these men so she could get a much better job for both of you?”

The Manager was livid. He claimed she insulted him. He issued her a query and sent her on a two weeks suspension without pay. She was upset and left the branch angrily.

She called Lere, but he was unavailable. She packed her bag and left for Lagos. She had no intention of going home but to Lere’s house. When she got to his place at about 6 pm, she didn’t expect him to be home. She had planned on waiting for him until he got back. She dropped her bag by the entrance door of the flat. She heard the television. That meant there was someone in the house. She rang the bell.

A lady answered the door. “Hello, how may I help you?”

“I came to see Lere,” Zara replied, sizing her up.

“Sorry, he is not home. Have you tried calling him?”

“Severally, but he is not answering the call.”

“I am sorry about that. He didn’t tell me he was expecting anyone. So, if you can reach him, let me know so he can instruct me to let you in.”

At this point Zara was upset. She picked up her bag and left. She met Lere’s neighbour at the gate. He stopped her, seeing she was upset and asked what happened. Zara refused to say anything. He insisted she should wait until Lere returned. He took her to his flat. She refused to enter in,side. He took her bag into his flat and brought a chair for her to sit on. He went in,side to get her a drink while continuously calling Lere. Finally, he picked up.

“Guy where you dey? Your girl dey here and she dey vex.”

“Zara? What is she doing there?”

“I don’t know but she is angry and wants to leave the house”

“Please go to my flat, I want to talk to the girl there.”

“You get babe for your flat?”

“Just use the back and let me talk to her.”

His neighbour gave Zara a drink and excused himself again. He went through the back to his flat to Lere’s flat. He met the lady there. He called back Lere and gave her. Lere said to her, “My girlfriend is around. Please let her into the flat, give her food to eat. I am on my way home.”

The lady replied “Ok,” and handed the phone back to the neighbour. She asked him where Zara was and he told her she was at his flat. She came there to meet Zara.

“I just got through to Lere now and he said I should let you in. Please come in. I am sorry if I offended you by locking you out.”

When Lere came home, he came to Zara and hugged her. She was withdrawn. He took her bag into the room and asked her to join him there. He didn’t bring up the topic of the lady. He asked her what she was doing in Lagos. She showed him the letter.

“What happened?” he asked her calmly. She told him the story. He shook his head. He laid down on the bed and dragged her to lay with him. She resisted. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Who is she? She kept me outside. Who is she?”

“She’s my friend. She came in from Port-Harcourt for a course. To save on hotel accommodation, she stays with me. She is here until Friday. She is leaving on Friday evening.”

“You never told me about her.”

“I didn’t think it was necessary. She would have been gone before you came here on Friday.”

“But she was here and you didn’t tell me. If I had a guy in my room for a week without informing you, would you be happy?”

“How can you have a guy in your room? It is not the same scenario. She is in the guest room as you can see. Nothing happened between us.”

“If you don’t see anything wrong with you having a girl in your house without informing me, then there is a problem. I am not comfortable sleeping here tonight. I want to go home.”

“You are making a big deal out of nothing. I have explained this to you, and I expect you to understand. Ok, I am sorry for not informing you. Is that better?”

“It is not. I want to go home tonight and then go back to Abeokuta tomorrow.”

“Why? I have apologised; what more do you want? Ok, it is late already. I will take you back to Abeokuta myself tomorrow. I want to see the Branch Manager. How dare h…”

“You don’t have to. I am tired. I need to bathe and sleep.”

“Let me make food for you; she said you refused to eat.”

“I am not hungry. Thank you.”

She went to take her bath while Lere went to eat. She could hear him talking to the lady and she felt betrayed. Why would he have a conversation with her when she is upset? She ignored him and went to bed.

He tried to talk to her but she pretended she was asleep. He took his bath and joined her on the bed. He made attempts to touch her but she removed his hand. He knew she was still angry and he let her be.

She woke up as early as 5 am. She took her bath and was ready to leave. Lere saw her all dressed packing her bag. He asked her, “Where are you going?”

“To Abeokuta.”

“I said I will take you. I have today off from work. Let me rest a bit more before we leave.”

“Don’t worry, I will find my way to the park.”

“Why are you behaving like this? What crime did I commit? Did you see me with another girl? Why would a man prove to you he loves you and then you behave? I apologised for not telling, why take it too far?”

Zara didn’t wait to hear the rest of his excuse, she walked out of the room with her bag. She opened the front door just as the lady came out of her room, and Lere came out in boxers. She asked, “what’s happening here? Where is she going?” Lere didn’t answer her but went back to make himself decent. Before he came back, Zara had left. He entered his car and went after her.

At the park, he saw her. He begged her to come back with him, but she refused. He asked her to enter his car so he could take her to Abeokuta, but she equally refused. He was confused. What else could he do?

A man came to meet him, and he said to him in Yoruba, “she is a girl, and she is doing shakara. Leave her and go. You can visit her when she cools down.”

He paid for her to sit by herself at the back of the car. He tried to give her money, but she ignored him. He left her and went back home, he was upset with her. He called her to know if they had left but she didn’t pick up. He sent her a message, but she didn’t answer. He was a bit restless. He wondered what he did wrong.

When Stella, his guest, came back that evening, she asked him what happened in the morning. Lere explained to her. Zara was angry because he didn’t tell her Stella was at his house.

“I know you are a player but she seems to be important to you.”

“Stella, she is. I love this girl. Is this why she’s treating me with disdain? It is because confessed my love for her. Why would she do this to me?”

“I would be upset too if I had come to my man’s house and seen a woman there. She was very calm when I told her I couldn’t let her in. She never announced to me you were her boyfriend, she just left. If I was the one, I would have fought the girl. There is no way I would have allowed the girl to get back into the house; the man will meet both of us outside and she must leave that night. So, she is calm and well brought up. I was going to tell you how impressed I was with your choice. I tried to have small talk with her and she was very polite. Go and see her tomorrow and apologise again. Promise her it won’t happen again.”

“Tomorrow is too far, I am leaving right now. You are correct; she respected me by not creating a scene. I owe her a sincere apology. She came to spend her suspension with me, and I made it worse.”

“Suspension for what?”

Lere explained to Stella. “What nonsense? She should write a complaint to the head of Human Resources of the bank explaining what transpired. She will be transferred from Marketing to Customer Service where she was originally posted. He should pimp his wife instead of her. I understand why she is upset. Go and meet her.”

Lere got to Zara’s place at 8 pm. She had been in her room all day. She was upset and refused to talk to anyone. There was a knock on her door. She ignored it. It became persistent. She angrily opened the door and saw Lere. She didn’t know when tears fell from her eyes. Lere came in and held her tight. He said repeatedly, “I am sorry.”

When she was calm, he sat with her and held her to himself. He calmly explained what happened and asked for her forgiveness with a promise it would never happen again. He assured her of his faithfulness and commitment to their relationsh¡p. He promised never to do anything to hurt her or make her cry again.

They spent the night together in each other’s arms. He gave her Stella’s advice which Zara agreed to do. Lere was convinced beyond any doubt that Zara loved him. He was ready for the next step. Whenever she gives her consent, he would see her family and take it from there. There was no way he was going to lose Zara.