Between The Devil… (4)

“MY friend,” the woman said, “I can’t lie to you. I saw Chief Ekundayo, your husband, with Joko at the balcony of a house in Garki Abuja exchanging banter, your husband was carrying a baby in his hands.”

“That can’t be true,” Mrs. Ekundayo replied, sounding confident, “here you go again with your half-truths Bidemi, Chief is right now in Kwara State for a political meeting.”

“I swear by my father’s grave I saw your husband chatting and hugging your daughter in Abuja,” Mrs. Bidemi replied, “I won’t gain anything for lying in heaven’s name. I’ve been seeing them for the past five weeks regularly but I wanted to be sure I’m not mistaken. Follow me to Abuja this coming weekend to see everything yourself.”

“You mean it Bidemi?” she asked reassuringly, “We’ll go to Abuja together this weekend. Oh, my God!” Mrs. Ekundayo was confused and lost for words. She tried as much as possible to control herself. She made up her mind to travel to Abuja the following weekend to see for herself if truly her husband was staying with her only daughter all this while.

Reluctantly, Mrs. Ekundayo travelled with her friend to Abuja the following day. She stayed at the residence of Mrs. Bidemi for the two days they were trailing Chief Ekundayo and Joko. Surprisingly, on the third day they spotted her coming out of a flat in Garki, Abuja, giggling and laughing with Chief Ekundayo. The Chief was carrying her baby.

“What did I tell you?” Mrs. Bidemi exploded, “ is that not your daughter and your husband?”

“Henh, Almighty God!” Mrs. Ekundayo exclaimed and walked out of her hiding place to confront them. Chief Ekundayo and Joko were lost in their own world, unaware of the presence of the utterly enraged woman. She was lost for words. Her blood pressure had increased tremendously.

“Chief! Chief!! Chief!!!” she screamed, “What are you doing in Abuja with my daughter?! You were supposed to be in a political meeting in Kwara State!”

“Good gracious, Anita!” he said trembling, sweat beads forming on his forehead. “How did you know I’m here?”

“Joko! Joko!! Joko!!!” Mrs. Ekundayo screamed, “So, Chief is the father of your child?!”

“I’m sorry mum… I’m really…really sorry… it’s the devil… I swear it’s the devil…” she said with tears streaming down her cheeks. The weight of the betrayal was just too much for Mrs. Ekundayo to bear. She collapsed and fainted instantly. She was rushed to nearby hospital for resuscitation. She recovered from the shock two days later. Mrs. Ekundayo filed a divorce suit against her husband, in a Lagos Court one week later.

The shame and ridicule was too much for Chief Ekundayo and Joko; they parted ways abruptly. Chief Ekundayo started living alone in his house while Joko ran away from home. It was learnt that the Chief became very hypertensive after the incident and suffered stroke, a killer disease. He spent hundreds of thousands of Naira on the ailment but couldn’t get a solution to his health problem.

Two years later he died at his home, broken-hearted and dejected. Joko sent family delegates to her mum to beg and placate her for her evil deed. Perhaps she would take heed and forgive her.

It was one stab too many! Perhaps former Mrs. Ekundayo would smile one day…
Concluded.