If you haven’t read the first part of this story, here’s the link. Kindly read it before starting this one.

Women have antennas that cover a wide radius. They see what they want to see and hear what they want to hear. They call it intuition but there’s more to it than just intuition. Maybe they can smell trouble before it comes, I don’t know but my wife started smelling something foul about the way I acted whenever she came around. One evening she asked if I was OK. I answered, “What? Why are you asking me that question?”

All was not well between me and Cindy. I felt she was coming in to create problems so whenever someone entered the compound, I stretched my neck to see who it was. All evening I was edgy but she didn’t come. The next day when I left for work, I went to Cindy’s house first. I sought to calm her down and from the way she was acting, she needed me to pay. Honestly, I didn’t have money but I promised to give her something in the course of the week.

She started blabbing, “You think I’m a stone? Everyone around here is laughing at me because of your wife. When she’s gone, don’t try to come here and make your face like an innocent man. In fact, don’t even step here when she’s gone.”

I did the sign of the cross and left. My wife was supposed to leave on Wednesday but she didn’t. Cindy tried coming there only to see my wife’s face. She quickly retreated. That evening when she called she asked why my wife was still there. Before I could say anything she said, “Tell her to clean the bathroom before she leaves and she shouldn’t leave dirty dishes around like she always does. In fact, she shouldn’t leave any dead food around. No one will eat it.”

I could take everything but not disrespect towards my wife and the mother of my children. I said it slowly, as if I wanted her to hear every word in what I was saying, “Don’t let me see your face around my life again. You can do your worst.”

The worst happened.

I wasn’t there when it happened but I heard bits and pieces from people who were around. There’s a seamstress who had a shop close to our house. Her mother owned a kiosk right in front of our house. Unbeknownst to me, my wife befriended this seamstress and went to her often when I was at work. Friends talk. They don’t only talk. They share secrets and if the secret is about their husband, they don’t waste time in sharing it. This seamstress had already told my wife about Cindy. She had even shown her who she was so all the times Cindy was walking around, my wife knew about her.

So while I was at work thinking about productivity, my wife was home causing violence. She saw Cindy and called her. The question was, “What are you to my husband? I learned you’re the woman taking my place. Does that make you happy? That you’re with a man who is not yours?”

Cindy attacked with insults. The insults were deep. That if my wife was able to take good care of me, I wouldn’t have gone for her. That my wife doesn’t know how to keep a man happy that was why I was chasing after her. When it started getting ugly, my wife quickly picked up our baby and went inside. She said nothing to me when I returned until I heard the story from the neighbours.

I was scared to ask her but I was interested in what she was thinking. She said, “I’m leaving tomorrow.” I asked, “Because of what happened?” She asked me, “What happened?” I told her, “It’s not all true what you heard but you won’t talk about it so you, it’s OK.”

She left the next day and still didn’t say anything about it until I saw my father calling. He asked me, “Your wife called. What’s happening?”

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I took leave from work so we would talk about it. She wasn’t ready. She left the house and told her parents that she was tired of the marriage. I knew it was all my fault but at least she should talk to me. She didn’t. When I said I wanted to see our child, she left the child with her mom and went out. She came back when I’d left. Days rolled to weeks, weeks to a month. I was still home wondering how I could break my house with my own hands. When I thought all was over, her father called. He said, “She’ll come back but you have to do something about your work and the distance.”

That evening when I called she picked up. I exhaled heavily. All I said was, “Thank you.”

We live together now. I made some changes. I left the house Cindy found for me. I broke all communications with her. She was even embarrassed to speak to me after the incident.

My Heart Was Broken All Over Again | Abena On The Hot Seat

I worked things out to be transferred back to where my wife was. The trust is still broken but I’m doing my best to restore it. It’s a journey. Very long one but if I’m the one who broke it, then I’m the same person who has to build it. It’s my cross. I’m never angry about her suspicions. I try to be as transparent as possible. I call. I text. I send photos. I tell her who I’m with. I give her time I will be home and I don’t disappoint.

It’s a long way home to where there’s trust, I know. It’s a step. And then another step. I’ll crawl at some point but when I’m on my feet again, I’ll walk then eventually run until trust is achieved. Even if it takes a lifetime, I will be patient. She has suffered enough. It’s time to make her heart rest.

–Junior

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