The Wife I Never Had
Concluding Chapter
From that evening till the end of the exams we never went hungry again.
In few months we were mobilized for National Youth Service and we were very happy about it.
Then came time for me to raise money to shop for things I would need for service.
Many times she would beg me to go and seek funds from home, but I was determined to do it myself, to prove a point that I had problems and I fixed it myself, to drive home the point that I had become a full fledged independent man.
So after searching for part time jobs to no avail, I took up a job at a construction site as a labourer, serving brick layers and making concrete mixtures from sand, stones and cement for a paltry daily wage of N1000.
On the second day of work at the site, by noon we had gathered to take instructions from the site manager and then go for break, the site manager was addressing us and midway into his address everyone was looking towards one particular direction, I too was forced to turn towards the direction the workers and the site engineer were all looking at and surprisingly there was Sisi approaching armed with a food flask and few satchets of cold water.
I broke free from the gathering and ran towards my Girlfriend who stood smiling and opened her arms for me to embrace.
On getting close I began with;
Me : who told you, How did you find here ?
She : I no fit loss for Aba naa, won’t you hug me ?
Me : I dirty naa, see cement and sand full my body.
She : Abeg hug me joor, but no rub me cement ooo !!
We burst into laugher as we hugged briefly.
She : Good Afternoon Sirs ( she shouted at the workers who were still staring at us, they responded differently and began to disperse for break as well)
We moved towards a shade, sat down on a makeshift bench and I proceeded in devouring the contents of the food flask she had come with.
From that day till I stopped working at that site, she paid regular visits and brought food along with her.
I was called up to serve at Edo state and she was called up to serve at Enugu. We weren’t happy but were still thankful that none of us was to serve in Northern Nigeria.
I was posted to Fugar, in Etsako Central L.G.A. of Edo State, 20 minutes drive after Auchi and she was posted to Ukehe in Igbo Etiti L.G.A. of Enugu State, 20 minutes drive from Nsukka as well.
We did visit each other and stayed in constant touch until the service year ended.
She was the first to visit and she spent 6 hours on the road to Fugar from Ukehe.
On the day I visited, I did so unannounced and did really take her by surprise, I took a 15 minutes Agenobode bound taxi, then crossed over to Idah in Kogi State on a speed boat over the Niger river in 12 minutes, then took an Nsukka bound taxi, in 50 minutes I was in Nsukka and with mental note of her description of how to get to her Place of Primary assignment from Nsukka, I located the place.
She almost fainted with Joy when one of her lodge mates ushered me into her room. She wondered if I had been in Enugu earlier on due to how short my journey had been.
Anyway after Service We were ready to get settled and face life together, I asked and She readily accepted, Plans were in top gear to announce it to the whole world and to shock all the critics of the friendship we shared back then in school.
“Some amebo Ladies and some guys who equal as ladies, in trying to watch their fellow Ladies back will always label a guy as not genuine and give verdict on what they think the relationship will result into, forgetting that life is not always as people think it is.
I was very popular and sociable back then in school, Lots of Guys and a lot of ladies as well were my friends and still are, some then married, some now married and some still single while Sisi was reserved and the quiet type in school and those who felt they were playing the big sister or good male friend role did always tell her at the beginning “flee from this guy” but she was bent on staying and then they told her, he will hurt and dump you after a few months”.
It was some of these people that I was gladly hoping to prove wrong by inviting them personally to the solemnization of a union they never gave a chance but condemned with the tongues from hell, just because I was a happy dude who despite my travails in school still found time to be happy and was lucky to meet and find love in a friend of theirs who readily took the risk of dating me and discovering that they were totally and absolutely wrong in their assumptions and conclusions about Me, who was a pillar of support in those days when it seemed that failure was going to overwhelm me, who urged me on to Triumph and Victory.
Anyway we were set to commence plans to start life together when our happiness was cut short.
Sisi had been invited to resume at the UBA banking school after which she would commence work and I was about floating my fashion line “BOOSCY” in conjuction with Aburn Clothiers, we were enthusiastic about a bright future together.
Then while we went for medical screening, it was established that Sisi and I were medically incompatible.
We had great risk of producing Children with Sickle Cell Anemia since we both were with the Genotype AS.
I was broken, I lost appetite for weeks, my world came to a standstill, it was not easy and honestly I wept.
Sisi nearly committed suicide, she stopped eating, would see nobody, quit banking school and looked unkempt. After about two months, she picked my call oneday and I managed to convince her to see me which she did and after a heart to heart talk, we began search for remedy.
I encouraged her to get a makeover and since she missed out of the UBA offer, buy form for Msc since it was on sale in the school we graduated from.
These she did.
Unfortunately after series of confirmatory tests our genotype has not changed and each medical personnel keep advising us to part ways.
We have finally agreed to stay on just as friends, but painfully our dream of starting life together has been cut short.
Sisi said to me, Mezie we deserve better, I painfully let go.
She has since started her Msc. Program with a job as a part time lecturer in a Polytechnic and I have pushed far in the launch of the my business brand.
We are happy but heartbroken anytime we see or remember each other, but know someday, we will heal.
Sisi still remains my friend, and THE WIFE I NEVER HAD.
THE END
