CONTRACT MARRIAGE
Contract Marriage – Episode 24
He woke up with a sharp pain on his chest. Groaning quietly in a bid not to wake her up.
The last few weeks had been awfully distasteful for him, bringing memories he wished he could erase completely from his memory. But today was the worst of the days.
He swallowed hard as pain engulfed him. Reaching towards the drawer in front of him, he brought out a bottle of aspirin and threw two tablets into his mouth.
The pain he felt was both the physical and the emotional one.
Skipping his routine exercise, he moved slowly into the bathroom and grudgingly took his bath, groaning quietly as the sharp pain on his chest engulfed him.
He managed to take his bath and stepped out of the bathroom dripping wet, with his towel wrapped around his waist.
In the same slow pace, he dressed up and climbed down the stairs with his suitcase. That was when he noticed she had been up a while ago and seated in the dinning table.
Omar got up immediately she saw her husband descend the stairs.
“ Hi darling…. I hope you slept well?” She asked, flashing him a smile.
“ Yes I did…. Thanks.” He said dryly and was about to move past her, when she quickly stood in his way.
“ I prepared your breakfast already…. Let me serve you your meal.” She said in enthusiasm.
“ Thanks but I don’t have the appetite to eat anything….. I will see you later..” He replied dryly, and brushed past her.
“ Ife!!…. What is the matter with you?….. Why have you been acting so withdrawn and cold towards me…. Is there something I did that got you offended?” She asked in annoyance.
“ Omar please not now…. I’m not in a good mood.” Ife replied wearing a grimace.
Omar scoffed loudly.
“ really!!…. Is this the new normal between us?…. You have not been in a good mood since you saw your ex!!….”
“ Omar please!!…. Don’t make this about Zoey!!…. I just want to be left alone for now….. is that too much to ask?” Ife retorted.
Omar scoffed a second time.
“ Yes!!…. It’s too much to ask Ife…. You said we could make this work!!…. And everything was going well between us until that witch came on my birthday!!!…. And since then, you’ve been acting all cold despite all my efforts to reach out to you!!”
“ Omar please…. Let’s have this discussion later…. I’ve got some work to do!!”
“ No…. I think it’s time we trash it out now!!…. Do you want to go back to her!!…. Is that it?” Omar queried angrily.
“ That’s it Omar!!…. I think you are overstepping your bounds…. Learn to respect my privacy!!”
Omar laughed loudly.
“ Privacy you say!!…. I’m your wife Ife and the last time I checked, there’s no privacy in marriage!!”
“ And you also seem to have forgotten…. This is a contract marriage!!…. And I Ife!!….. I call the shots in this relationship…. It will be good for you to know your place and stick to it!!!” Ife fired back and winced a little.
Omar shivered and bit her lower lip as tears gathered in her eyes.
“ Is this it?…. Is this how you feel?” She asked and nodded her head, allowing the tears stream down her eyes.
Ife ruffled his hands on his head as he felt the impact of migraine on his head. The pain relief didn’t seem to be working fast and he had to find a quick solution.
He sighed and walked out.
*************
The doctor examined him for the third time and penned down some information.
“ I’m through with the examination…. Please come with me to my office Mr Davis.
Ife nodded and followed the doctor to her office.
“ What is wrong with me doctor.” He asked anxiously.
The doctor adjusted her glasses and smiled.
“ Calm down Mr Davis…. It’s nothing serious…… the test shows that you had a panic attack which could be due to stress…. Or probably some events that had occurred within the past few days.” The doctor said.
Ife sighed.
“ So you mean it’s nothing serious?” he asked in clarification.
“ It’s nothing serious Mr Davis….. When last did you had a good sleep?” She asked him.
Ife exhaled.
“ It’s been weeks…. I got somethings on my mind which had been nagging at me!!”
The doctor nodded.
“ you need some days of good rest and you will be alright…. I will add some sleeping pills to the drugs I’ll be prescribing for you.” The doctor said and jotted some things down.
“ Here you go Mr Davis….. you’ll get the drugs available at our pharmacy.” The doctor said, handing him a prescription form.
“ Thanks doc…. I’ll get them on my way out.” He said.
“ You are welcomed Mr Davis…. Make sure you take some days off from work and rest well.” The doctor advised.
He thanked the doctor one more time and left, transfixing his gaze on the prescription form on his way down to the pharmacy department, and passing through the long corridor of the hospital, when he almost bumped into a lady.
“ Oh!!…. I’m so sorry ma’am…..” he was saying as he took a second glance at her.
It was Zoey.
“ Ife!!…. Oh!!…. What a coincidence!!” Zoey said in smiles.
“Zoey….so we meet again.” Ife muttered.
“ What are you doing here?” She asked him eagerly.
“ I came to see a doctor.”
“ What are you doing here?” he asked her in curiosity.
She chuckled softly.
“ I work here.”
“ Oh!…. That’s good…. Nice to see you again.” He said and was about to walk out when she tactfully stood in his way.
“ Uhm…. Ife…. I actually need us to talk.” She said.
“ There’s nothing to talk about Zoey.” Ife replied immediately.
“ please Ife…. I promise I won’t take much of your time…. Please.” She said pleadingly.
“ Fine…. Where do we talk?”
“ Let’s go to my office.” She said and led the way.
“ So I’m all ears.” Ife said, immediately they settled in her office.
Zoey narrowed her gaze and exhaled.
“ Ife…. Please…. I… uhm….. I’m sorry for walking out on our relationship…. I’m really sorry…. The last two years of my life has been a life of regrets…. And that’s why I came back…. I… uhm …. Please Ife….. I need you back in my life.”
Ife rested his gaze on her for a while and chuckled.
“ So you think coming to me with a few muddled up words of apologies will cut it?” Ife asked.
Zoey swallowed hard.
“ I had to leave as at that time….. Ife I didn’t mean to leave you hanging when you needed me most….. I loved you….. and I still do.” Zoey said, choking back the tears from falling.
“ I don’t think this is the best time to discuss this…. I’m not in a good mood right now.” He said and got up.
Zoey nodded her head.
“ It’s ok….. I’ll wait for you to come around.” She said in whispers.
Ife swallowed hard.
“ I’ll see you some other time Zoey.” He said and and try to leave but Zoey stopped him.
**********************
“ Are you alright Mrs Davis?” Binta asked Omar when she noticed she was loosing concentration and had a far away look on her face.
But Omar was still far gone.
“ Mrs Davis?….. Mrs Davis!!” Binta called and tapped her lightly, causing Omar to jolt back to reality.
“ So sorry ma’am…. I got distracted.” Omar apologized immediately.
“ You look bothered Mrs Davis…. Care to share your worries?” Binta asked.
Omar’s expression grew pale.
“ I think my husband is having an affair.” She said soberly.
Binta expression changed to that of concern.
“ And why do you think he is cheating on you ma?”
Omar shrugged.
“ Because he has completely changed…. See Binta…… I’ve been in this relationship game for many years and I can categorically tell you that I have experience in this things….. I tell you Ife is cheating on me, and that is the reality.” Omar said painfully.
“ I’m so sorry about what you are going through Omar.” Binta replied sadly.
“ I remembered how I felt when I discovered my husband was cheating on me with a brute woman….. it was really painful…. And I must say I understand how you feel.” Binta said in sympathy.
Omar shook her head sadly.
“ I would have dealt with them both by now…. But I am really pained because I truly love him…. And marrying him was the best thing that ever happened to me….but just when I thought I would be forever happy….. then this happened!!….” Omar said and broke down in tears.
Binta sighed and wrapped her hands around Omar tenderly.
“ it’s ok Omar…. This is not the end….. if I can get my husband back…. Then you can too…”
“ How did you do it?….. Please tell me how?”
“ I prayed Omar…. Prayer is the key…. Have you really taken your time to pray for him?” Binta asked her.
Omar sniffed.
“ Prayer….. I don’t even know how to pray anymore…. And sometimes when I mumble some words I wonder if God listens at all…. I also wonder if that is even the right way to pray.” Omar replied in honesty.
“ God is your father…. And he knows what you are passing through….he listens Omar…. What you need do is to confide in him….. what if I invite you to church?…. Would you honor my invitation?” Binta asked her.
Omar chuckled.
“ Its been ages since I ever went to church…” Omar replied.
Binta nodded.
“ We have our evening service tonight, and I am inviting you.” Binta said.
Omar sighed.
“ Fine…. I’ll come….. but I do not know the address.”
Binta gave a broad smile.
“I could come pick you up this evening.”
(Do not take credit or Plagiarize AMAH’S HEART stories)
