****** CHINEDU *****

The last three weeks have been the best in my life. From the onset I thought coming to Abuja was a mistake i just had to come because my two friends Emeka and Chidi were coming but since I met Silvia I know it was worth it.

I feel like my friends are jealous of me. Ever since we were young I was always the lucky one with women even Njideka would have been mine but I decided to allow Chidi have her because I saw that he liked her.

Now Silvia was a new adventure. I didn't really like but after she told me how much she made on a daily basis from her 'ankara' business i knew she will be my ticket to a better life.

The first morning in Mr John's house when Chidi went to drop the children at school, Emeka was sleeping so I needed to keep myself busy. I sat down on the couch, grabbed the remote and put on the television.

I was trying to figure how out this television that looked like a cardboard paper worked. The one's in the village looked different they were square, big and to operate them there were small buttons on the bottom of the television set. I was seriously thinking about how to operate this new version of Television when Silvia entered the parlor and sat beside me. She moved closer to me smiling.

Then she placed her hand on mine. I was very uncomfortable. "This woman is married" I thought to myself. Then she started talking, she talked alot, infact from the length of time she talked I could tell that her husband didn't pay attention to her at all, she was clearly desperate.

I really got interested in the conversation when she mentioned her account balance and money she made from business. I knew I had to play along, as they say in Nigeria "man must survive".

Over the next few weeks I basically played hide and seek with Silvia. We laid down a plan which was anytime her husband was not around she would tell Chidi and Emeka to do the house chores, but this chores were planned. She would tell her children in the morning to use the toilet without flushing and make sure to have 'fun' while doing their business in the toilet or tell them to hit the guava tree in the name of practicing karate so that the tree would shed leaves.

While my friends were busy with their chores, I too was busy with something. The whole experience was horrifying. She would call me by knocking my door three times and leave. That was our signal, I would have to go to her room and 'service' her. If it wasn't that she would tell every one that she was going to the market and would need me so I could help her carry load but instead take me to a hotel in town.

So on this particular Tuesday morning she had already sent Chidi and Emeka to do the chores which were perfectly executed by her children before going to school. I was in the guest room, lying on the bed waiting for the normal knock on the door. I waited and waited for what felt like forever

"This is not normal something is wrong" I thought to myself. I decided to go to her room and check up on her. I got to her door, I wanted to knock but something held me back, that feeling deep down when you know that something out of the ordinary was going to happen. I finally summoned up the courage to knock and when i did, at first I didn't get an answer like she was hesitant to open the door. She didn't open until I said my name, then when she opened I saw a different Silvia. Her eyes were red, her face swollen and her skin was pale. I saw alot of tissue paper on the floor and the fact that she was wearing a robe with pyjamas underneath which was unlike her. She once told me that she can never wear her night wear during the day,once she woke up she removed it because they made her look like an old African house wife.

I looked at her wondering what could make her like this, a woman who when she laughed echoed around the whole room, a woman who's smile could light up a room.

" I just found out that I'm pregnant" she said. I looked at her wondering why she was telling me, how was that my business, she should be telling her husband not me.

"Wow I'm happy for you" was all i was able to say. She just looked at me then said " What do you mean your happy for me. My husband went for a vasectomy after our fourth child". So what does that mean I said to her, trying to understand the meaning of that strange word she said 'va-se-tony or whatever she called it.

" It means my husband cannot get me pregnant" she shouted. She explained that it was part of family planning.

"Ha mogbe I'm in trouble oo, I don enter, my husband go kill me oo" she said shouting placing her hands on her head. I just stood there trying to process the whole thing. If her husband went for family planning and he couldn't get her pregnant it was a big problem because any time we did 'it' we were reckless enough not to use protection, then we really were in trouble. Things were falling apart really fast.

Then she asked "what are we going to do now". I looked at her and just turned and went back to my room. I wasn't being crude, I was just to dumb founded to speak or even think of a solution to get out of this predicament.

Later that evening Mr John came back from work earlier than normal. To make matters worse he was frowning when he came back. I greeted him and offered to carry his work but he didn't respond to my greeting. I was very scared, I was sure he knew, "Someone might have told him but who. Maybe it was his wife who felt guilty or maybe Chidi or Emeka found out and told him" I thought. I looked at Silvia who couldn't seem to look me in the eye.

I was still thinking about the possibilities of how Mr John could have found our when he came out from his room shouting on the phone "Can you imagine this people, this week that's supposed to my week of they are telling me to go to Lagos and secure the parcel, which useless parcel it's not their fault they have seen who they will be sending up and down"

After he ended the call he went to sit down on the sofa which was only for him to use as the children called it 'daddy's sit'. He put on the television not long after that Silvia came out of the kitchen carrying an aluminum stainless tray of food, I couldn't tell what food it was because it was covered but it smelt good.

"Dim oma, Nkem, Nwokeoma I have brought your food oo" she said. "Ahah mama Ebuka ( which I found out was their first sons name) this one you're praising me this evening I hope I'm safe oo or is this your way of telling me you want some action this night" he said ending it with "he he he" a laugh that sounded more like as if someone was clearing his throat.

Silvia smiled mildly and then proceed to ask what was making him shout, then he replied " Can you imagine this people at the park, they said I should join one of the drivers tomorrow going to Lagos. They said I should go and supervise the transportation of the parcels going to Ghana. Tomorrow that's supposed to be my day off and it's not as it they are paying me a sensible amount of money"

Hearing this I was very relieved at least now I knew the source of his anger was his job and not his wife's condition. To me this gave Silvia and I some time to come out with a plan.

The next morning Mr John woke us up telling us to come to the living room. On getting there I saw the packed duffel bags beside the door. I knew he was travelling this morning but what I didn't understand was why he woke us up to witness it. Then he brought out money from his pocket and gave Emeka first then Chidi before giving me. Ok i was confused " why is this man giving us money like we were his children". I just looked at the money and then back at Mr John who was hugging his wife.

He carried his bag and entered the taxi outside. Silvia looked out the window starting at the taxi, then when it was out of sight she told Emeka and Chidi to go and clean the house and do other chores.

I could tell Emeka was angry then he told her they were not 'house boys' but guests in the house which infuriated Silvia. She told them same thing but this time she shouted it.

At this point I decided to step in and seem diplomatic so I said "Guys just go and do what she told you to do. You should be grateful that she has allowed you stay in her house this long". After I said that I could see the disgust on Emeka's face but that wasn't my problem, I had bigger fish to fry.

Then Chidi whispered something to Emeka and left. Emeka still stood there like he wanted to fight me, I knew he wouldn't dare try it but the way he stood looking at me suggested otherwise.

When Emeka had gone inside to talk to Chidi, I was left with Silvia in the living room. I really felt uncomfortable "what is the woman up to, why did she send Chidi and Emeka to go and clean normally that means she wanted me to her self but she was already pregnant which was enough trouble" I thought to myself. I was so deep in thought I didn't realise she was talking to me. Then she said " Finally I've gotten your attention, what are you thinking about well that's not my problem. Meet me in my room".

"Room again"I thought to myself. I just stood there wondering what kind of woman this was admist all that was going on she was still telling me to come to her room.

I slowly started going to her room,I passed the guest room and heard Chidi shouting but I didn't really care to listen. I knocked on her door and got an immediate response to come in. I opened the door entered and she told me to sit on her bed beside her which I reluctantly did.

"I've been thinking" she said pausing slightly "about the pregnancy. I think i should keep it. "Ehn why" was my response then she continued " No one has taken care of me like you do, my husband does not have my time these days and I'm so lonely".

I just stood there looking at her, my mouth open wondering what I had gotten myself into. I wanted to beg her infact suggest an abortion since the pregnancy was still young but my mouth couldn't open, I couldn't move.

She held my hand smiling suggesting we elope. She told me not to worry she had some money to take care of us both and of course her business was doing well so I wouldn't have to lift a finger in the name of providing for her and the baby.

I didn't know when tears started rolling down my eyes. I was in big trouble and I knew it. I needed a plan, I needed to escape from this woman. She then told me i should go to my room, her children would soon wake up and come to greet her so I had to go. As I left her room I felt alone, in trouble infact I felt many feelings I couldn't describe.

Translations

I don enter: I've entered big trouble

Dim oma: My wonderful husband/ good husband

Nkem : My own/ mine

Nwokeoma: Good man

Happy New Year everyone. First chapter of the year 💥💥 finished thank God.

Let me get your comments on what you think will happen to Chinedu, do you think he can survive such responsibility. Please comment below

Please read, vote and share as this motivates me to write more.

See you in the next chapter 😁😁