Thorn between episode 33 – 34

TITLE: TORN BETWEEN

WRITTEN BY OGECHI ALABI

TROUBLE 2

Adim and Eucharia were conferred with Chieftaincy titles. Adim was referred to as Chief Adim and Eucharia as Lolo. It was supposed to be a joyous occasion, but something happened there during the event. The same lady came for the conferment of Chieftaincy. She was very well dressed which was what caught Eucharia’s eyes. She dressed as though she was also receiving a title, but she was not. She stood because of her attire.

Eucharia believed she knew the lady from somewhere but could not pinpoint where she knew her from although her face was very familiar. She went about her duties as there were many people at the occasion, her husband’s friends, associates, colleagues and bosses, and Eucharia’s friends and acquaintances she invited.

When they were dancing, some people came out to spray them. The over-dressed lady came out to dance with the couple. Adim had a straight face as she ‘sprayed’ them with high currency notes. She danced and stayed with them longer than most people, including family members. She quickly rushed out of the dance floor when Eucharia’s group of church members came to dance with her. One of them stopped her and asked why she was leaving the dance floor, but she withdrew her hand and left. Eucharia asked the lady quietly who she was she said her name was Thelma and she attended the same church with them. She was in the initial weight loss group but left sometime after. That was when Eucharia remembered her. She hadn’t seen her for a long time. She wanted to know more about her and wondered who invited her to the function. Thelma avoided Eucharia.

Adim left the house after they had returned from the function. Eucharia thought he went downstairs to see his parents but when she got there, he was nowhere to be found. His car was also gone. She was uncomfortable with the fact that he went out without telling her. She stayed outside and waited for him to return. She was worried when no one could tell her where he went. Adim came back about an hour later. He was surprised to find Eucharia sitting outside.

“Where did you go?” Eucharia asked him as he returned.

“I went to see my friends and colleagues at the hotel. Is that why you are staying outside? Mosquitoes will bite you here, let us go inside.”

“I was inside the house with you before you left, but you did not tell me or anyone that you were going out. It is wrong. What if something happened to you, where would we have looked for you?”

“I am sorry. Let us go inside.”

When he went inside he went in to take a bath. She picked up her husband’s clothes to put them away. She emptied the pockets of his trousers and found an envelope inside. She saw when he took out the envelope and went downstairs and he came back with the envelope almost empty. She knew they had paid for the accommodation at the hotel so what did he do with all that money? She decided not to ask because she knew he would have a good excuse. They stayed for an extra week before they left for Port Harcourt.

Adim’s father suffered a stroke. Adim called Eucharia to travel down to the village to meet them in the hospital with money and all they needed. Peter was unavailable because he was offshore and Njideka did not have a driver to pick up her children from school. Eucharia left Port-Harcourt with Flora to the hospital in Owerri where he was rushed to. They stayed there for a week before they returned to the village. Adim came around that weekend with Peter to see his father. Flora could not stay any longer because she had examinations the following week. She appealed to her siblings to bear with her while she completed her education.

Njideka agreed to stay for a week and then returned to Port Harcourt to care for her children and business. Eucharia stayed back with her father-in-law. Her nursing background helped her to take care of him properly. She spent most of her time in the village with him and helping him recover from his illness. She went back to Port Harcourt two weekends in a month while Flora was in the village and Adim came the other weekends she was. Njideka also came around on the weekends. It was well structured but Eucharia did most of the work with him especially his physiotherapist appointments and the exercises he had to do at home. She was dedicated to his recovery.

Eucharia returned on a Friday evening because Peter and Njideka came to the village in the morning to relieve her. She was excited to be home for that weekend which was the weekend Adim was to visit. She caught up with what was going on, made a nice meal for her husband and waited for him to come home, Adim did not return until very late at night. He was surprised to see Eucharia’s vehicle in the compound when he drove in. He went to the bedroom to see her/

“Where are you coming from so late?” Eucharia asked.

“I went to the recreational club with some of my bosses, we were there until very late. I was not expecting so I relaxed to travel down tomorrow. What are you doing here?”

“Nda Peter and his wife came to the village this morning to relieve me and so I came back home. What will I be doing there? There will be no need to travel to the village tomorrow.”

“Ok. But I wanted to see my father too. Maybe I will visit next week when you go back, welcome.”

On Saturday Eucharia was in bed with Adim resting after a tiring week of caring for her father-in-law when one of her daughters told her she had a visitor. She asked who it was but the person did not disclose her identity. Eucharia left her husband in bed and went to attend to the person.

She met her sister from the church, she was waiting to talk to her outside. They exchanged pleasantries but the woman refused to enter the house. She asked Eucharia where her husband and Eucharia told her.

“I have something important to share with you but you must promise me and swear to me you will not disclose this to anybody.” Eucharia was surprised and promised to do as she had instructed. “Go and tell your husband you are stepping out for a few minutes and come back. Look for what to tell him, I will be waiting at the estate gate for you. I do not want him to see me otherwise he will know who told you.”

Eucharia knew it was serious so she went back upstairs, took her bath, collected money from Adim who went back to sleep to go to the market and left the house. She drove to the estate gate, parked her car and joined the woman.

“Remember when we came for the Conferment of Chieftancy title that you asked who the lady that walked off without acknowledging us was.”

“I remember. Someone said her name was Thelma.”

“Good! Uk, that lady has been avoiding you for a reason. She was in our exercise group first and then attended our church, that’s how most of us knew her. I was reliably informed that your husband is her lover.”

Eucharia could not believe what her ears just heard. She asked, “What? What do you mean?”

“You have not been around that is why you have no idea. That night after the reception, your husband went to her hotel. They met outside and there was an argument, I do not think he approved of her coming for the ceremony. After the argument, they went into the hotel and her room together. Some of us lodged in that hotel and they saw him entering her room. Much later they went downstairs to drink and chat and they saw her seeing him off. They were surprised. They did not allow her to see them. I can tell you who saw them together to confirm but they will ask you to reveal who told you. It is more than this now and it is the reason I had to tell you. Your husband is hiding a secret from you, ask him to reveal the secret. The women are making a mockery of you because they know about the scandal. They have refused to disclose what it is because it will ruin you and your home. Thelma deliberately targeted you so she could control your husband. She wants what you have and wants to be treated the way your husband treats you. She sees herself …” Eucharia was not interested in the rest of the story. She was numb at that point and was too confused to cry or react. She just sat there and stared into space.

When the woman finally concluded her talk and advised her, Eucharia thanked her and got into her car. She could guess what the issue was but she decided to find out more about it and the woman. But first, she had to make Adim uncomfortable and restless just as he had made her. She had suspected Adim was up to no good but she felt as long as it did not affect she had no course for alarm. But now, alarm bells were ringing. She was devastated at this point. She went into the house and sent the maid to the market instead. She went into the spare room and laid down to cry her eyes out. She wept at Adim’s betrayal.

Read – Shadows of the unknown episode 13 – 16

TITLE: TORN BETWEEN

WRITTEN BY OGECHI ALABI

TROUBLE 3

Later in the day, the maid knocked for her to make food for Adim. She washed her face and went to make the food and served him. After about an hour, he dressed up to go out. Eucharia allowed him to go. He came back at about 9 p.m. He settled in for the night with Eucharia.

On Sunday morning, she decided not to attend their usual Mass. She changed the time to 8:30 a.m. Children’s Mass. That was the Mass Thelma attended and she wanted to see her. She saw her after service as she was talking to someone. Eucharia left Adim and walked up to Thelma. She tapped her on the back and she turned around. She had a shocked look on her face when she saw Eucharia.

“I know your face, but I could not picture where I knew you from. I saw you at the conferment of our Chieftancy title and wondered why you did not come with the church group.”

“I did not move with them,” Thelma replied.

“Well, if you did not get an invitation from the church, who invited you?”

“Ask your husband; he knows who invited me.”

“Exactly, he invited you. I have nothing against you messing around with my husband; he is the one who chose to desecrate our family, but I have a problem with you coming for me. The height of disrespect is to be called a strange woman, and you prove yourself shameless by attending his family function where his wife received a title with him. I cannot tell Adim not to mess around, but I won’t accept the disrespect. Everyone knows about your affair with my husband, and you boldly attend service. Since you came for me, I will come for you. We will see who wins in the end, lets bet.”

“Okay,” was the reply Thelma gave her. Eucharia smiled; she was truly shameless. What she did was not for Thelma but for Adim. He saw them talking and Eucharia knew he was panicking.

She walked to the car and he immediately asked her if all was well. She ignored him, picked up her handbag and walked away to the friend that gave her the information’s car. She hitched a ride home with the woman. The woman asked questions, but Eucharia was not willing to respond. She was not interested in Thelma; she was more interested in Adim. She was silent until she got home. Adim came inside the house and asked her again what happened.

“Go and ask her what happened.”

“But I do not know her,” Adim claimed.

“Really? So how did you invite her to the ceremony and why did you go to her hotel room? Your friends stayed in the Prestige Hotel, but you went to see her at the Oakland Hotel. Explain it. I have witnesses that saw you there with her, so drop the act. She said you invited her and dared me to do my worst. So, while I was taking care of your father, you were messing around with a morally bankrupt woman. If you desired such ladies, why did you come for me? You keep disappointing me. Everybody knows about your affair that I am ashamed to show my face in public. Please hire a nurse for your father’s care, I will not return to the village while my home is under siege.”

Adim was surprised. He wondered how she found under in such a short time. She was unaware of anything when she came in on Friday, so when did she hear about this? He suspected it was at the church. He wanted to save face and said, “Those women you frolicked with have poisoned your mind about another woman. They are lying to you. Let them come forward and accuse me of anything. It is all lies.”

“It is all lies? I believe you Adim, but she made a bet with me. Our bet is to see who wins. I have nothing to say to you. I have her picture from the ceremony and other details. Woe betide you if I find out she was the woman who came to fight you at my home, then I will decide what to do.”

“Eucharia, stop this! I have told you I do not know her as you claimed, and I did not invite her or go to her hotel. How can I prove it to you now?”

“There is no need. My prayers will reveal all.”

Adim was uncomfortable. He tried to pacify Eucharia but she was not having any of it. She attended to him as always but kept her distance from him. He could not wait for Monday to come for him to confront Thelma for revealing everything to Eucharia. He had warned her and told her repeatedly he was never going to leave Eucharia no matter what, and she had accepted. Why was she putting him in a precarious situation?

He went to her house early on Monday morning. Thelma was surprised to see him. He was not ready to be pleasant, and so he asked her, “What did you tell my wife? What were both of you discussing?”

“She confronted me about attending the Chieftancy title ceremony and asked who invited me. I told her to ask you.”

“You told her to do what? Why would you do that? Don’t you know you gave her room for suspicion? I told you I can never leave her for you or anyone.”

“She confronted me, and she knew too much.”

“Is that why you made a bet with her? Why would you do that? I thought you were wise, but I have concluded you are not. If she is around, how would I see you? Don’t you reason? You should have denied it to her face and moved on, but instead, you bet with her.”

“I did not bet with her, I just said okay. Please, you are accusing me falsely because of Eucharia. Where was Eucharia when I was doing the things I did to satisfy you? Why couldn’t Eucharia do it for you? You are keeping her but using me for your secret pleasures. Why? Am I not lovable?”

“What you are saying is not the issue here. I do not want my wife to find out anything, and that is that. If she finds out, there will be issues.”

“What are the issues? She has found out about us, what has happened? It is best she knows and stops carrying her nose up. There is nothing special about her….”

“Thelma, I can see you did this deliberately. You made Eucharia hear about us, and I will not forgive you for it.” Adim stormed out without looking back.

Thelma was furious. Adim had put Eucharia above everything that concerned her. He told her he loved Eucharia but he still came to her, for what? They had been together on and off when he first moved to Port Harcourt. They became serious when he was posted to Nnewi, and she sought a transfer there. She stayed with him there until he was posted back to Port Harcourt and she also moved back. She moved with him because she loved him but he did not reciprocate the love the way she wanted. Eucharia always came first.

When Eucharia found out he was back in Port Harcourt and was staying in a hotel, Thelma had to move out of the hotel so she could stay with Adim. Why did she have to do that? Why didn’t Adim stop Eucharia from staying there? Instead, he threw her out and only saw her in her house. It hurt Thelma badly, and he was doing it again. He was doing everything to keep Eucharia happy to her detriment.

Eucharia was worried and cried when Adim left the house for work. She knew he could not go out on Sunday to see Thelma, but he would be there to see her that Monday. She was tired and felt betrayed. She put her life on hold for a man who could not respect her enough but brought his mistress to their ceremony and still went to sleep with her after the ceremony. It was Thelma’s effrontery to bet with her that surprised her. Thelma was younger, but she showed her no respect. How would she respect her when she had seen her husband’s nakedness? Thoughts flooded her mind and all she could do was cry. She felt the world was unfair to women.