Unfulfilled promise 2 episode 1 – 2

Unfufilled Promises
Season 2
Episode 1

Oleng stared at the paper again and wept. She really felt suicidal now,All the joy she had felt at going to the hospital had abated She felt like tearing the paper to pieces but knew she had to show Dave first How disappointed he would be She had missed her monthly period some weeks back and because she had thrown up twice when she was ill some days back which was unusual for her, she had suspected she was pregnant though she didn’t feel the way she had felt when she was pregnant some years back. She had kept hoping and hoping and had decided to go for a pregnancy test that day and had insisted on waiting for the result only to be told that the test had turned out negative; she wasn’t pregnant and the doctor had told her some mumbo jumbo story as to why she threw up and missed her period and said something about hysterical pregnancy. Because she wanted to have a child badly, her body had mimicked the symptoms of pregnancy. She stared at the paper again and regretted telling Dave about it It would have been better if she had borne this alone She sat helplessly on the sofa thinking of how she would tell her husband when he returned from the office.

That was how Dave met his wife when he came into the living room.
“Angel, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?” he asked with concern as he sat beside her on the sofa.
For an answer, she t—-t the paper of her failure under his chin.
“Oh! Angel,” he cuddled her after reading its contents. “I’m sorry to say this but I knew your anxiety was for nothing I didn’t want to dash your hopes but I knew you weren’t pregnant.”
“How?” she enquired.
“The symptoms were too poor I hoped also but inwardly, I knew it was a false alarm.”
She sniffed. “O Dave! I don’t know what to do anymore. I desperately want a baby.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll have one.” he soothed.
She jolted out of his arms in anger. “When? You keep saying that. When are we going to have a child? I’m sick and tired of you telling me not to worry and we’ll have a child. We’ve been married for over four years now yet I haven’t been able to conceive yet you keep telling me not to worry. Why shouldn’t I?” she was exasperated with frustration.

“Am I God that you should ask such a stupid question?” He was furious also.

“I know you’re not God but what effort have you made? Ever since we relocated here six months ago, you’ve rarely been around. It’s always your job. Your job has taken precedence over our marriage. When was the last time you touched me? When was the last time we made love? If I’m going to get pregnant, do you think it is God that will plant the seed in my womb? No wonder you knew I wasn’t pregnant because you knew it would be impossible since we haven’t made love in months.” Oleng raved.

Dave got up in anger. “Oh! So it’s now my fault that you can’t get pregnant. All the love we’ve been making for four good years, where has that gotten you?” he asked harshly. “Are you not still as barren as ever? Let us adopt a child, no; you want to carry your own baby even though you know you’re not capable of conceiving. Don’t blame me for anything because I know even if I take you to bed from now till next week, the result would still be the same, no pregnancy.” he wickedly threw at her.
He was about stalking away when he paused and turned to look at his wife who was staring at him in horror at what he had just told her. “You know, I’m beginning to think you’re right afterall. Maybe that damned baby you had for that bastard Eric really destroyed your womb, rendering you barren for life, The sooner you start thinking of adoption, the better for you.” He walked angrily away leaving his wife numb on the sofa.

She couldn’t believe what she had just heard Dave blamed her for their inability to have a baby. He thought her barren. Fresh tears dripped from her eyes. What an unhappy world this is She was so unhappy. She actually began to rue the day she married him Life was so unfair to her Her own husband had called her barren.
They didn’t speak to each other for days Dave even spent more time in the office than before just to spite her she suspected Ever since they came to Port Harcourt six months back, it had always been from one off shore to the other to the extent that she had started suspecting he was having an affair but decided not to voice it out She wasn’t sure if he was but prayed against it because she knew that would be the end of her unhappy marriage. She wasn’t always busy like him because her job was by far more lucrative than the one she had had in Calabar He had encouraged her to make friends; at least visiting friends would keep her busy The only real friend she had there and visited was Marvy who was back in Nigeria and seriously planning her wedding with her fiancé, Kelechi.
Oleng woke up on the day of her twenty-seventh birthday with tears when she noticed she was alone on the bed It was a Saturday but Dave had gone to the office which he often did.He had always woken her up with a k-ss and gifts on her previous birthdays but now, he wasn’t even around not to talk of k-ssing her and flooding her with gifts. She wept before she got up from the bed thinking he meant to surprise her like he did on one of her birthdays after he pretended to have forgotten; but surprised her with gifts.
When evening came and he still hadn’t come home or called, she knew he had really forgotten. She felt her marriage was about to hit the rocks for this singular act of forgetfulness of his Her tears knew no bound.L She took his favorite meal away and poured it in the dustbin She stared at the way she had rom-ntically set the dining table and called herself a fool She angrily pushed everything on the floor; unlit candles, glasses, breakable plates and all She felt better after doing that but wept as she crumbled on the sofa to wait for him, He came back late as usual and flicked the light on she had put off earlier to create an effect on the rom-ntically arranged table,He was shocked to see her on the sofa Her eyes were red from weeping.

Unfulfilled Promises
Season2
Episode 2

Where are you coming from?” The first words she had spoken to him in days.
“What do you care?” he replied and was about making his way to the room when she asked.
“What’s today’s date?”

“June 24th. So?”
“So? You’re asking me? I can’t believe this. My friends, all my friends, both old and new ones called Aunt Vien Even Eddy and Kelechi but my own husband, the one who claims to love me, didn’t remember my birthday.” she croaked with pain.
His breath came up sharply. He had forgotten. How could he? “Angel…” he began but was cut off.
“If you want a divorce, why don’t you just tell me? Stop tormenting me, Afterall, I told you before to marry someone else who would give you a child.” she retorted and fled to her room.
He followed her at a slower pace, He sat on the bed beside his sobbing wife.
“Angel…….I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to forget your birthday. I’m sorry. Please forgive me.” he softly said.
“How won’t you forget?” she questioned as she sprang up on the bed. “When you were so busy with your girlfriend, how won’t you forget your barren wife’s birthday?”
He was so shocked he quickly turned around to look at her. “Girlfriend? What are you talking about?”
“O yes! Go ahead; pretend as if you’re not having an affair.”
“Of course I’m not having an affair Why would you think that?” he was amazed.
“What are all the late nights for? The offshore almost every week?”
“Sincerely, I’ve been working. My work here is different from the one in Calabar I explained everything to you when you came to join me here. Where are all these accusations coming from? Simply because I forgot your birthday?”
“What am I to think? Today, a Saturday for that matter, you went to the office and returned late. What am I supposed to think?”
“I didn’t go to the office.” he yelled in anger and got up to face her.
“Oh! Good. Confession time.” She clapped her hands in mock jubilation. “Where were you then? From 7am to 9pm. Where were you?” she yelled angrily also.
“I was at the hospital.” he yelled back.

“What!” she was shocked. “Why…Why were you there? Are you sick?”
He looked sorry for voicing out his whereabouts. “Forget it.”
“Now you’re hiding things from me. Good.” she said with a hurt tone and sat on the bed and stared at their wardrobe.
He looked at his wife for a while before sitting on the bed and taking her hands in his.
“Angel, I went there to rest. I’ve been under a lot of pressure in the office due to my being new and all So sometimes when things get too tough for me, I normally go there to rest before coming home to you I never knew it was making you suspicious.” He put his hand under her chin and lifted it. “Angel, you know I can never cheat on you. I love you too much for that.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? You should have simply told me.” she accused softly.

“I didn’t want to alarm you I know how worried you were when I told you about my asthma I didn’t want you to call me five times a day like you did then when you saw me taking drugs.”
She smiled then. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“Nothing will.” he smiled and they k-ssed and hugged. “Angel, I’m sorry for those hurtful things I said to you last week I didn’t mean them. Blame it on stress in the office.”
She smiled. “I’m sorry too for accusing you of folding your arms over the pregnancy issue.”
“It’s okay. I wasn’t really performing my husbandly duties. Well, we can correct that now.” he said and k-ssed her but her face was edged with worry
“Are you sure you are strong enough?”
“You see why I didn’t want to inform you about my visits to the hospital? You would smother me with concern.”
She laughed. “You know I can’t help it.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“You’re not barren. Let’s see if we can make a baby tonight.”
She laughed at that.
He gazed deeply into her eyes “But I need you to promise me something.”

She gulped. “What is it?”

“If after trying for three months and you still don’t get pregnant, we are going to adopt a baby. Promise me that.” he solemnly told her.

Tears welled up in her eyes but she nodded her head. “Okay. If that’s what you want.”

“It’s not what I want but we don’t have a choice. Come here.” he said k-ssing her and laying her on the bed.

##########

Marvy’s wedding was in a few days Oleng had gone to her friend’s house to help with the preparations Marvy resided in her own state so she didn’t have to travel very far for her traditional marriage preparations Her home town, Omoku was about an hour and half from Port Harcourt so she didn’t really have a problem with transportation Zinny and her baby had come into town some days ago for the wedding She was residing in her family house while Eddy would join her later It was a happy reunion She had caught Zinny and Marvy whispering behind her back and when she had asked them what they were talking about, they had looked guilty and told her she didn’t want to know When she had pressed, they had told her that Eric would be coming for the wedding She had been shocked She had not for once thought he would be coming afterall Marvy was still his friend She hadn’t been able to say anything concerning it but informed them she was going home Now in her car, she thought about the prospect of seeing him again after so many years. Oleng had to admit that she didn’t feel like seeing him She prayed something would come up to make him unable to attend the wedding. She wanted him to remain in her past.
Little did she know that the object of her thoughts was already in Nigeria and was making his way to her house having been told where his long lost friend Dave lived by Eddy.

He was impressed by the house after he parked his car, a Mercedes Benz opposite the house and knocked on the gate ,The gateman allowed him in and led him to the sitting room to meet a very surprised Dave Eric didn’t give him an opportunity to say anything before he enveloped him in a bear hug in the middle of the living room.
“I can’t believe this. Is this really you Eric?” Dave was stunned.
“In flesh and blood. I’m really pleased to see you.” Dave noticed Eric’s American accent again and was tripped by it.“Men! You look good!”
Eric grinned. “You don’t look bad yourself.”
Dave laughed. “Come off it! Me? Here in Nigeria? Of course not.”

Eric countered with a bright smile“No. Truly, You look good and I heard you’re really doing well in the oil company where you work.”
“Rumors Rumors. A false one at that.” Dave laughed and Eric did too.
Just then, Oleng drove her car into the compound and blasted her horn as usual to signify she was home.
“Who’s that?” Eric innocently asked and was surprised at the uneasy look on Dave’s face.

“My… My wife.” he stammered.

“Aha! That’s true Eddy told me That’s unfair, doug. How could you have gotten married without informing me? Why did we even lose contact in the first place?”
Dave faltered He didn’t know what to say then
He just shrugged.
“By the way, who did you marry? You sly fox. Did you get her pregnant before the wedding? Was that why you had a shotgun wedding?” Eric teased, smiling broadly but frowned when he noticed Dave’s gaze was focused directly behind him He turned around to follow his friend’s gaze He stared at the wedding portrait on the wall in great shock…..

To be Continued
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