We dated for two years. I never cheated. I spent all my days proving to her that I’m worth it. I worked hard—so hard that I had little or no time for anything else apart from my girlfriend. Immediately I close from work, I would give her a call; “Berlinda, What’s up for this evening?” I always asked her that question because Berlinda always knew what was up. She knew the most interesting places to go on each day. She knew a place where people cared about being happy. She will tell me, “If you’re not too tired to drive for additional hours, then I know a place.” 

I will drive to her workplace, pick her up and go to wherever she wanted us to go. There was no boring place. There was no boring evening. There was no boring food. As far as she was there, my night was made. Some love stories slow down in the middle and pick up later on the wedding day. Ours wasn’t like that. We started on a bang. Loved each other and actually showed it. Most days we were together. When we were not together, we were thinking of how to be together. How would you have a mind for another girl when the only space you have in your life is filled by the woman you are dating?”

We got married after two years of dating. Moving from being boyfriend-girlfriend to being a married couple was very easy for us. We didn’t overthink it. We didn’t over-plan it. When the time was right and ripe, I asked Berlinda, “So what’s up?” She said, “Don’t worry, I know what to do.”  Apart from knowing what’s up, she also knows what to do. She singlehandedly planned our wedding. I only had to ask, “What’s up” then she’ll come up with what we ought to do. We got married. Had a beautiful honeymoon and started our couple journey together. Again, we didn’t slow down. Anytime I felt like we were in a slow-motion, I asked the question that always brought us back to the fast lane; “Berlinda, what’s up?”

We were always good and always doing what would bring happiness to our marriage. One day after work, I called her. I asked, “Berlinda, what’s up?” She said, “I’m caught up at the office. A client walked in very late with a very tall problem. I need to get to the bottom of the problem before I can close work today. I will be late small so cook something for us.” That was not a problem. It started raining on my way home. Just around the bend before I hit the main road to the house, a lady stopped me. The rain was beating her. She was getting wet. She was struggling to find something to cover her hair. I stopped for her. She rushed in without asking where I was going. She was panting. She said, “I pray you’re going my way, else I’m doomed.” I asked, “Where’s your way?” She mentioned a place that was nowhere close to where I was going. I said, “You’re doomed.” She said, “Awww I’m dead.” I said, “You’re not dead yet. It’s raining so I will help you. I will drive you to a place where it would be easier for you to get a car home.” She said, “Aww that’s sweet of  you.” I said, “Forget it. I will drive you to your house.”

So I did. The rain stopped along the way but I didn’t stop until I got to a place where she pointed to a brown gate and said, “That’s my house—where I live. Thank you so much for the lift. I don’t know what I would have done without you.” I smiled and said, “You’re welcome.” I said in my head, “Is that all? Not even a hug for my trouble?” When she got down she said, “If you don’t share your phone with your wife and she wouldn’t beat you for having another woman’s number on your phone, then here’s my number. We can talk some other time”

I took her number and gave her mine. I still didn’t get the hug. If you run away from a fight, you’ll definitely live to fight another day. She owed me a hug and I knew I was going to get it another day. Before I got home, she texted. “I don’t know how to thank you enough. I’m grateful. You’re way too kind. Your wife is a lucky woman.” Just when I was about to text back, the traffic light came back to green but that didn’t stop me. I would look on the screen every now and then and type away my message. I got it. I said, “I’m glad I saw you today. I enjoyed the conversation. I hope it continues.”

And it did continue. I was home with my wife but I was still chatting with this new girl. I didn’t even know her name until later that night when she said, “You didn’t even ask my name.” So I asked, “What’s your name?” She said, ”I’m Berlinda.” I said, ”Are you kidding me?” She asked, “Why would I lie to you. That’s my name.” I didn’t tell her she had my wife’s name. I did everything not to bring my wife into our conversation. The next day, we continued talking. We kept in touch until one day she told me, “If you have time, I can wait for you at the bend where you picked me the first time.” I said, ”I have time. What would I do with all the twenty-four hours in my life?”

I picked her from that bend again. She showed me a place where we could sit and enjoy the evening. There’s something about women called Berlinda. They have answers to “What’s up” questions and they know places. I was with her that evening when main Berlinda called. I told her, “I’m on my way coming. I told you I would close from work very late today.” She said, “I didn’t think it would be this late. Be safe out there.” She was thinking about my safety but I was out there doing everything that would put me in danger. I took second Berlinda to her house. She invited me in. I went in, looked around but I was getting late so I told her, “Next time I would come here straight.” She smiled. She said, “That wouldn’t be a problem. I’m always here for you.”

It was an afternoon when I visited her place. She was a great host. She cooked and we ate. She served chilled drinks. We talked about things that had no importance to our lives. We were getting closer. We were looking at each other a lot more than we should. I asked, “Can I?” She said, “You’ve taken the storm out of the chaos. You don’t ask. You go for it.” I went for it. It didn’t last long. I felt she would judge me so I waited to redeem myself in the second and the third rounds. It became a thing. We would meet and just go on with it. I thought she was fun. She thought I was great.

It turned financial. Just like I anticipated. She always had something she needed. I provided according to the strength of my pocket. I paid half rent. I bought a microwave. I paid for wigs and shoes. I paid for a gym subscription each month and all I got were photos when she was at the gym. I sent Momo at dawn because she was fainting and needed to go to the hospital. When her mother accidentally swallowed the ceiling fan, I was the one she took money from to do the surgery to remove the fan. She said, “Mom is breathing fine now. She sends her regards but the fan did a lot of damage to her inner stomach so I’ll need a little more help to get her drugs.” She only had to come up with something then I will pay. 

My wife traveled one weekend and I decided to spend the night with Berlinda. After work, I drove straight to her place. She cooked for me. She served chilled drinks and served me a steamy conversation. She entered the bath and came back. She said, “It’s your turn.” I entered the bath too. You can see the bedroom from the bathroom if you stretch your neck and turn 180’ north. I don’t know what pushed me to look at her from the bath but I was looking at her and thinking of all the styles that would go down before the morning. She put some perfume on and smeared some cream on her face. I saw her removing her waist beads. I was like, “Why is she removing the damn thing?” But she pulled another bunch of beads from a little bag in her hand. Before she would put it on, she lifted them close to her mouth and whispered something for like five seconds.

I opened the shower and step aside to watch what she was doing. After the incantation or whatever that was, she put the beads on her waist and put one on her ankle. She picked a bottle of oil, poured some in her palm, also said something before smearing it on her ‘cookie,’ on her face, and later behind her ears. I started shaking. After everything, she laid down on the bed waiting for me. I was filled with fear and questions. “How did I get here?” What am I doing here? Is that what she had been doing all this while? What for?” I didn’t want to leave the bathroom. I started shivering. My jaw twitched. My teeth started chattering.

She asked, “You need help with something?” I said, “No I’m ok. Coming out soon.” 

The first thing I picked when I stepped out of the bath was my phone. I looked on the screen and screamed, “Shit!” She asked, “What?” I said, “My wife came back home. She had been calling.” She said, “Find something to tell her? Tell her you thought she wouldn’t come so you also decided to spend the night with a friend.” I said, “She knows all my friends. She will call them.” She said, “But you can’t go and leave me like this. I prepared for you. At least, just one round of action would put me at ease. That shouldn’t take a long before you finish.” I started wearing my dress. She came to hug me, “Please don’t leave me like this.” I said, “Tomorrow is Saturday. I will tell her that I’m doing Saturday work so I can come around.”

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She wasn’t convinced but she couldn’t stop me. I dressed up and left her place. In the car, I did the sign of the cross and thanked God for the revelation. I ran home like someone was after me. When I got home I called my wife. She said, “Let me finish bathing so we talk.” I said no, take the phone to the bath and let’s talk.” The phone was on the loudspeaker while she bathed. I was on the phone with her all night. I even wanted to confess my sins to her but I pulled the breaks. I woke up the next morning and saw Side Berlinda’s message; “Are you coming?” I said, “No I’m not. I will call later to explain.” I blocked her number. She wasn’t a friend on Facebook but I looked for her and blocked her. For over one month, I didn’t pick calls that came from unknown numbers. I even changed my route. I don’t use the bend that leads to the main road again. 

I had everything in my wife. Life was beautiful and we never had a fight so why did I cheat?

Greediness!

That’s the only explanation I can give because I don’t know anything else that pushed me to cheat. Berlinda availed herself to me on a platter. I could have said no but I didn’t. I knew I could have her and still keep my wife. After all, my wife wouldn’t know? Why have only one when you can have two? Now I regret wasting money on someone who wouldn’t be there for me when I need help. Wasting emotions and later putting myself in harm’s way. It could have been worse but I thank my stars for shinning when they did. That relationship lasted for only three months but I spent more than my six month’s salary on her. All for what?

Vanity. 

–Echo   

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