How to get a husband in Abuja Finale

episode 5
The words on my system kept turning into scattered letters and the letters were dancing. At least that was what I thought until I was brought back from my thoughts by Shola. It was a Wednesday; two days since the doctor confirmed that I was 3 weeks pregnant. Of course, my first reaction was that of shock, and then after a while, I started to regret the day I met Kayode.
This wasn’t how I planned my life. I never wanted to end up as a baby mama, not to talk of ending up with a man who looked like he had no plan for the future. Even if I wanted to end up with a man, I certainly didn’t want it to be Kayode. His attitude towards me during the past few days was nothing to write home about.
He would flare up over little mistakes, he would also talk anyhow. The Sunday that past, he asked me to stay at home since I wasn’t feeling too well. But when he returned from service, he picked a quarrel with me and started to call me names. He said I wasn’t fit to be his wife, and that he was fed up with me. I had no option but to give him a piece of my mind. We had a heated argument that night, so much so, our neighbours came out of their rooms to listen to us.
What shocked me the most was when Kayode raised his hand to slap me. It was like a trance because never, in my wildest dream, have I imagined that I would be slapped by a man, let alone slapped by Kayode. I broke into tears.
What have I gotten myself into?
He left that night and I didn’t even bother to call him or text him an apology. I was too busy weeping about my life and the condition I was in.
“Rita, what’s up with you? You’ve been moody since you came to work,” Shola sat on the only available seat in front of me. I wouldn’t lie, she was looking very pretty this morning and I was quite jealous of her well being because I knew I looked pale and unkempt. We were the opposite of what we used to be.
“I’m…fine. How are you doing too?” I avoided her gaze and focused on the laptop before me.
“You don’t look okay, Rita, what’s wrong?”
“Did I tell you there was something wrong with me? huhn? Please mind your business!” I said, not quite calmly. I didn’t know what got me worked up. Maybe it was because she said the truth. I wasn’t okay at all. In fact, I was sure I didn’t look okay. I had seen dark circles under my eyes that morning and I didn’t even bother using a
concealer to hide it. My fair skin colour had suddenly become dull and I knew it was the pregnancy.
“Oh. I’m sorry!” she held her palms up, “I didn’t mean to pry. I thought we were getting along pretty well. It is well!” she stood, preparing to go to her seat but then I burst into tears.
“What’s wrong?” she sat back and held my hands but I kept crying like a baby.
“I…” the words got stuck in my throat.
“What is it? You can talk to me.”
“I am pregnant !”
“What?”
There was a brief silence. I knew she was trying to process the news.
“I’m sorry what did you just say?”
I looked up at her, as I forced myself to stop crying.
“Rita, last I checked, you weren’t married. So who is responsi…”
“Kayode. You don’t know him, Shola,” I watched as her face creased into a frown and then I continued. “You don’t know him. He used to work in another audit firm here in Gwarimpa. You know Limpo audit firm?”
“Yeah, one of the biggest audit firm in Africa. I know,” she replied.
“Well, he worked for them for a while before he resigned to be a pastor. He said God called him.”
“This doesn’t add up. How can he leave a reputable firm for a church? Who does that?”
“That’s not the point here, Shola. The point here is he has been acting weird these past few days,” I relaxed into my chair.
“Have you told him anything?”
“No. I haven’t set my eyes on him since we had issues 2 days ago.”
“This guy, where does he live? Perhaps we can go and see him together?”
Hearing that question, I became ashamed of myself. I became ashamed of telling her the truth, but then, this was Shola. Lying to her would do no good.
“Uhm, he stays with me. I mean we live together,” I refused to meet her piercing eyes.
“Waoh! And has this man paid your bride price at least?”
“No, uhm. He promised to do that by the end of this month.”
I met her gaze. She hesitated and then said, “Rita, are you sure?” she scoffed, “because to me, he looks like a gigolo”
“What’s a gigolo?” I asked.
“It’s more like a prostitute. A gold-digger, a guy who is only with you for the money. More like give me money, I give you sex kind of man.”
“But that’s not possible, he is rich enough. He has a house which is currently under renovation, he has a ca…”
“How do you know that?”
“He told me himself,” I tried to sound smart.
“And have you seen any of the things he claims he has?” she asked.
I never thought about it. Shola was partly right. “I don’t….no, I haven’t.”
“Rita, are you sure he hasn’t been using you?”
I don’t know how that sounded but to me, I felt insulted. “You know what, thank you, Shola. I will get to the root of this myself.” I was clearly exhausted about the whole Kayode issue. Shola went back to scrolling through her phone.
I was about laying my head on the table when Shola called me to show me something on her phone.
I heaved heavily. Everything was slowly getting to me.
“Babe. Can you imagine? EFCC is looking for one guy o, his pictures are all over social media.”
I gestured to her to let me have her phone. “What did he do?”
“They said he stole the company’s money and ran off with it.”
I collected the phone from her and then read the story. I scrolled down to check the picture of the man and then it hit me! I gasped.
“Wait, abeg Shola is this the guy or someone else?”
Shola peered in to check. “Yes, he is the one. Can you imagine? See how fine he is. He will go out and start wooing ladies not knowing he is a thief and then the foolish ladies would….”
“It’s okay.” I interrupted. I was one of the foolish ladies because the guy in the picture was Kayode. I almost broke into fresh tears but I needed to keep this a secret. No one had to know, not even Shola.
I picked up my handbag and phone and made my way out of the office, but not before Shola asked, “Where to? Why do you look like you have seen a ghost?”
“Oh, I have a doctor’s appointment to keep. See you later.”
I didn’t wait to hear her reply. I just wanted to get into a taxi and go straight home and that was what I did immediately the elevator opened.
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By the time I got into the compound, I wasn’t too surprised to find EFCC officials outside my flat. I became scared. What if I was arrested alongside this criminal? A lot of questions raced through my mind as I watched the mini crowd in front of my flat. Part of me wanted to run away but then, the other part of me wanted to see Kayode and tell him to his face that ‘God would punish him’.
“That’s his wife,” one of my neighbours pointed at me. An EFCC official walked towards me.
“Good day, madam,” the middle-aged man in a black shirt and trouser greeted.
“Good afternoon, sir.”
“We’re sorry to have intruded on your privacy but we were informed that Mr. Kayode has been here. Mr Kayode has committed a serious offence which is punishable by law.”
I shuffled my feet. I was suddenly sweating under the cool weather. What has Kayode gotten me into? I thought.
“Oga, please ehn, I don’t know anything about this. I’m even looking for that stupid man. He duped me!” I yelled attracting the mini crowd. That was just what I wanted.
I wanted to play the victim because, well, I’m the victim in all these.
“But ma, the information we got here, is that Mr Kayode is your husband.”
“What? No! He was never my husband. In fact, we never got married!” I panicked.
“It’s a lie! They are married! Everyone in this neighbourhood knows that they are married! You brought that scam called a pastor to come and dupe our church. Officers, arrest her. She knows where he is,” Tiwa screamed.
At this point, I was already in tears. I could see some of my neighbours shake their head in pity. Some said, ‘it serves her right!’
“Madam, we have no choice but to take you to our office.”
I nodded. It was obvious I had no option.
More tears poured down my face as the officers led me to their vehicle.
As soon as I sat in the vehicle, I requested to make a phone call and they agreed. I put a call through to Shola. She was the only one I knew that could help me out of the mess I was in.
“Hello Shola, I need help. I’m in trouble,” I informed her I would text her the details and she agreed.
With shaky hands and tears running down my cheeks, I texted her details of what was happening, and where I was being taken to.
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It took the EFCC two weeks to set me free. I knew that my desperate need for a husband and agreeing to be with Kayode was the worst mistake I could ever make, both in this life and the next.
Kayode was never found, and I had to bring up my child alone. Shola stood by me like a good friend. I had to move out of my compound and out of Kubwa entirely because the shame and disgrace was too much.
I continued to work in my firm, and my beautiful daughter, Chinwe, is now a year old. I never regretted having her, but I regretted meeting Kayode.
Now I’m more contented in taking care of my daughter and going to work.
Recently, Shola connected me with one of her relatives in the U.S, and even though we’ve gone on a few dates, I believe I wouldn’t get myself entangled with the likes of Kayode again. So I’m seriously watching him. If I see even a tiny bit of Kayode in him, I’m so backing out.
The End