Thorn between episode 71

TITLE: TORN BETWEEN

WRITTEN BY OGECHI ALABI

URENNA’S NARRATION 8

I enjoyed my time in O&G before I was moved to Paediatrics. Dealing with sick children was not fun, but I had to deal with it. I was posted with Monique one of the weeks there and we were forced to work together. We bonded during a case we worked on overnight. A child was brought in a medical crisis. The child almost died, but both of us worked on her together and we stabilised her even before the Resident got there. We were highly commended for our work. It was the first time we talked because we were excited. It made us work better with each other.

“I didn’t like you,” she said to me during one of our breaks. “ I saw you as pompous and rude, but working with you has changed my perspective.”

“I am glad it has.”

“You dress well and have encouraged many of us to do the same. That’s what I like about you and that you keep to yourself. You have not gotten into any fights or arguments with anyone at the lodge, and you mind your business. What people talk about the most is the boyfriend. You are lucky to have a man who worships and adores you.”

“Thank you.”

“We have been together for four weeks and it will be evil of me not to tell you the truth. Your boyfriend, Stanley, has been coming to the campus with another vehicle to see Peace and I.”

“What are you talking about?”

“That black car that parks out of sight in that corner, that’s Stanley. After the way he treated me at his company’s party, I cut ties with him. How can he invite me over and when he saw you, he did not even acknowledge me? We had a misunderstanding that night that Peace had to be brought into it. What I am telling you is not for you to break up with him, but for you to know who your real enemy is. It is not I or Peace, it is your man. He told me things about you. You are still a virgin and want to remain one until after marriage. He spies on you through Peace. She told Dr Paschal about you and Stanley. She did not end there, she showed him both of you together. I stopped everything with him after our last fight. Peace is still at his beck and call.”

‘Why are you telling me this?”

“I just wanted you to know. If you want proof, I will call him and you will see for yourself.”

I was not interested in finding out anything. I suspect it was my coping mechanism. Stanley came to see me often and nothing had changed between us. I felt Monique was envious and trying to get me jealous and then I would leave Stanley. But in the weeks that followed, she was her happy and cheerful self. She never said a bad word to me and even defended me when it was needed. She couldn’t pretend for this long.

I had seen the black vehicle twice since she mentioned it. I was tempted to find out who was inside, but I did not make any move. One day I saw the vehicle from my balcony as I was talking to someone and saw Peace entering it. I went back inside the room, made myself decent and went outside. I used the back of our building to avoid detection. I arrived alongside the vehicle and almost crawled to the back of the vehicle, I took pictures and moved towards the driver’s side. I noticed the vehicle windows were slightly tinted so I used the element of surprise. I went to the window and peeped inside. I saw Stanley, and when he turned and saw me, he drove off and hit a pole in the process. He didn’t stop, rather he reversed and drove off. I stood in shock a his reaction. I snapped the licence plate and the entire back of the vehicle.

I received a call from him a few minutes after he got away. He sounded out of breath and I pointed it out. He claimed to be fine. He asked where I was and I told him I was at my lodge. I asked if he was at my lodge, but he denied it. I saw him, I was certain he was the one. I felt stupid. The vehicle looked very familiar, and I was happy I took pictures of the plate and some stickers on the back of the vehicle. I suspected a lawyer owned it.

I was devastated by my findings and I called Dumebi to share with her. She was also surprised he could have done something so terrible. She asked me some questions which I had to answer.

“Are both of you having sex?” she asked.

“No! I am saving myself for marriage.”

“That’s the problem. He won’t be faithful until after marriage, but there are no guarantees. If he cannot be committed before marriage, he cannot be after.”

“It’s the deception.” I shared with her what he said in Portugal and having a cure for my stubbornness.

“He is a nice guy, but he will want you always. He could have had his fix anywhere else, why your lodge? Is it the thrill of the danger or what? Doesn’t he realise he is disrespecting you? What do you want to do about it?”

“I want to end it. I would be making a fool of myself if I did not. I liked this guy and thought he was the one, but not anymore. How do I cope with a liar and a cheat? Why couldn’t we be faithful to each other? He loved to show me off; was that all I was to him?”

“You are naive, all of us were. My husband explored before marriage and taught me how to make him happy. I understood why Daddy did not let Mummy go even when he was with Nma Ejima. Daddy was her first and he taught her all she knew. He owned her as no one else had shared a bed with her. He knew many men would have come for her if he had mistakenly let her go, and what he held precious would be stolen from him. It is the same with my husband. The difference is the level of disrespect.”

“I let my guard down, but it won’t happen again. I will keep seeing him. He will be oblivious that I know his game. I will no longer be used for show off. I want a man who would love me for who I am and be faithful to me. There are so many STDs and STIs that it is dangerous to have multiple partners. I want someone who would want just me.”

“I agree with you. That is why I told my husband once I suspect he is cheating, I am leaving. It is not worth it.”

I was down for days when I found out and surprisingly, Stanley did not call. I was still grieving my lost relationship I had put my hope on when I was posted out again to work in Accident and Emergency. This was my last place to be posted and I was happy that my housemanship year was almost over. What I did not realise was the kind of work there. I worked so hard. I tried to listen to my patients, my superiors and my colleagues. There were times I had to rely on my faith.

The Resident-in-charge in the department went on leave and Paschal assigned himself to relieve him. We worked together again and I was happy about that. I lobbied (for the first time) to be posted with him. I loved the way he worked and I was happy I could work closely with him on emergency issues.

We had worked for only three days when Stanley suddenly appeared at the hospital. He had never been there before but he was this time. He called me and asked me to come outside to meet him. I let him know I was busy. He agreed to wait until my shift was over. It was going to be a long wait. I had to attend to someone in the ambulance towards the end of my shift and I saw his vehicle driving in. I got busy and when my shift was over, all I wanted to do was take a bath, eat and sleep. I was fagged out.

I came out and that was when I remembered Stanley was waiting for me outside. I tapped the window and he woke up. He unlocked the door for me to get in.

“I went out to get you some food. How are you this evening?”

“Fagged out. How are you doing?” I asked him as I unpacked the food. I was so hungry I did not care about anything at that time. He watched me eat and he smiled. As I ate, I saw Monique walking out of the hospital. We were no longer in the same department but we still related. “Isn’t that your friend Monique? Why aren’t you calling her?” I asked.

“I am with you right now, I do not want any distractions. Let me take you to my place, run you a hot bath, massage your body and you will sleep like a baby.”

“Sounds tempting, that is what a husband does for his wife.”

“I am willing to do it for you. I am your husband and you are my wife.”

“Prove it!”

“How?”

“Show the evidence that I am yours?”

“You are funny. I can see you are back to working with that doctor. Why did you lobby to work under him? What is special about him?”

I was perplexed. I had wondered how he knew I was there, but knowing I lobbied work with Dr Paschal was on a whole different level. “Am I being watched? Is someone spying on me for you? Because I do not get this. Would you want me to stalk you too? Would you be happy if I knew your every move? Two can play this game. Thanks for the food,” I tried to open the door but it was locked.

“See, if I did not have feelings for you would I do all this? I know this is training but I would rather open a hospital for you than allow you to work with predators who will take advantage of you. He is aware you lobbied to work with him and he felt you were a puppy following him around. He believes you were throwing yourself at him, but he is being careful. How can he say that about my woman.”

“I don’t believe he said so because we don’t relate even casually. I know nothing about him and he has never asked me personal questions. It is all about the job.”

“I have told you how he feels. The most sophisticated girl is throwing herself at a man who doesn’t want her. It does not sit right with me.”

“Noted. What were you doing with Peace in the black Xterra two weeks ago?”

“What?” he asked.

“I thought it was you?”

That was when he exposed himself without realising it, “I called you and told you I just left work. Why are you accusing me of being where I was not?”

“That’s true. Your phone looks just fine, why didn’t you call me?”

“My phone fell and I had to fix the screen. It took them a while to repair it.”

“And you couldn’t call with another phone or come over to see me? How did you conduct your business? But you are here today because I chose to work under Dr Paschal who is passionate and excellent at his job. I don’t know why you are insecure when I should be the one worried. You surround yourself with friends who sexualise and demean women, but I do not complain. I expect better from you after relating with me. But I do not ever think you are using me or that you are cheating on me. My work schedule is a lot for now and I will learn under the best resident doctor in this hospital.”

“He likes you but hides it under his comments about you. I am a man and I know when a man likes a woman.”

“Have you ever interacted with Dr Paschal before? How do you then know? I am confused.”

“Urenna, I love you and I will protect what I love. He must know you have a serious relationship. After your NYSC, we are getting married. I am serious about that.”

“That’s about a year and a few months. It’s too close.”

“You are not getting any younger and so am I. I want to get married to you before these hawks steal my precious gem away.”

“If you didn’t feel threatened by Dr Paschal you wouldn’t have married me?”

“No one else can marry you except me. I will kill the person before such can happen. You are mine.”

I laughed. I knew his game and he played it well. He received phone calls and I heard him saying he called them last week, with which phone? He must think I am a fool but I am not. Two can play this game. I decided I would shake it up a little.