Mr Brown yanked the door of his bedroom open after he had knocked several times. He embarked on a business trip that would have lasted for three weeks. Surprisingly, he returned after three days of his departure. There, on his bed, lay an image wrapped in a thick blanket. Was his eyes deceiving him? Of course not! He took two steps towards the bed and stopped abruptly only to see his wife moving towards him.
“Oh! Brown, you are back. Why didn’t you tell me you were spending just three days? I would have prepared your favourite meal.” Mercy said with traces of fear in her voice.
“Get off my way, woman! Who is that man lying on my bed?” He asked with infuriated tone.
“Oh! That? It’s the new blanket I bought . There are two pillows inside.You know I needed company on bed, so I decorated it that way. You like it?” Mercy said as she wrapped her two hands around her husband’s neck.
Benson lay there in bed like a log of wood. He neither turned nor moved. His hands and legs were stiff, but his heart was palpitating as though drums were beating on it. Brown lowered his head to examine the room closely. Yes, his eyes were not deceiving him, but how could a human stay for that duration in bed without moving? He had always wanted to be a good husband. A man who is not suspicious of his wife. Yet, he needed to confirm something. Mercy’s eyes darted around the room as if a ghost was about appearing. Horror was written all over her face, but she sat down. She pulled out a chair from the side of the bed and sat facing the door. Hell was almost real in that room.
Mr Brown moved backwards, turned, opened the door and stepped into the sitting room. All was not well, so he moved back, still seeing the image in bed. He left finally, pulled out the drawer attached to the bed and brought out some documents. He opened his briefcase, place them in carefully, and closed it back. He turned the handle of the door twice, held back, then stepped out.
Mercy could hear the car horn blaring outside. Her husband left without a goodbye. She tip-toed to the window, opened the curtain partially and peeped outside. Brown had gone out. She hit Benson on the leg.
“You must be a good actor. He almost caught us, but are you sure you are not a ghost? How then did you not move?”
Benson jumped up with the blanket still covering his head and body. He pushed it aside and jumped to the floor.
“I have to leave immediately.” Benson said frantically. He took his trousers and slippers, where they were hidden and made to leave.
“Not so fast, sugar. You are yet to satisfy me, so get back to work.”
Mercy said while advancing towards Benson. She grabbed his neck and started caressing him from the neck to the chest and down to the area around his navel.
For more than half an hour, the room was on fire as Benson and Mercy were moaning and hissing in pleasure. She screamed Benson’s name like a helpless hunter who is trapped in the forest by another Hunter’s trap calling for help from the owner of the trap. One could imagine what culminated in the loud scream.
Few days later, Brown returned home to see his wife smiling unnecessarily. She pampered the husband and never talked back at him as usual. He was surprised at the sudden change of attitude by his wife.
Should he be happy, or was something fishy going on? He was excited his wife treated him like the husband he was and not a servant. Before now, she was always complaining of lack of attention because of his several business trips. All thanks to God, things are falling in place.
Brown had his way with his wife the night he returned, but after all his efforts, his wife asked him what that was all about.
“I’m sure, I dealt really hard with you?” Brown said as he turned to hiswife who was facing the wall and brushed his fingers through her cheek.”
“Indeed.” Mercy winced and drew closer to the wall.
The worst happened the next day. Brown had lost it all. He had no erection anymore. He tried everything at his reach, but it proved abortive. It was only one thing that could explain his predicament. Another man had tampered with his wife. It was a tradition in their clime that if a man becomes aware of his wife’s escapades with another man outside his matrimonial home and refuses to castigate and ostracize. The wife, he stands to lose his manhood. He recalled the incident that took place before he travelled. He was no longer a man.
Three months later, a woman , who acted in the capacity of a counsellor and an attorney visited. She tried to convince Mercy to change her mind about the decision she was about to take. She bluntly objected and still went ahead to serve Brown with divorce papers. All she could say was,” He is no longer a man.”
Written by ©Abigail Imoh 2020
Eket, Akwa Ibom State.