Mr. Smith started searching everywhere. First he entered the kitchen and looked around. His wife asked him what he was searching for but he didn’t answer her. Suddenly he remembered that I asked him to check his wardrobe and under the bed.

He ran into the room and started searching the wardrobe. He didn’t see anything. He bent under the bed and saw something that looked like a small calabash. The place was a bit dark, he couldn’t see clearly so he had to get a torch to enable him see better. His worst fear was confirmed.

He called his wife and asked what the calabash was doing under the bed but she replied that the calabash was meant to strengthen their love. The answer made her husband angry and all hell broke loose.

My phone rang, when I checked, it was Olaedo. I refused to take the call because I suspected that her husband might have seen the calabash.
I knew that Olaedo might go to our house to look for me so I decided to stay back in the office.

As I just stepped out of my office, I saw Smith’s car approaching. I was so happy. I didn’t know that Olaedo was with him. She literally jumped down from the car and came to meet me. Her eyes were red and swollen. Her husband stood by, watching us. It was obvious that he was very angry.

” Linda thank God that you are here. There is a problem. My husband saw the calabash and he is saying that I planned to kill him. I want you to tell him how everything happened. Please tell him.”

My countenance changed immediately and became furious.

“I don’t understand. What do you mean by ‘I should tell your husband everything’?” I asked, feigning anger because Smith was watching me closely.

“He is angry about the calabash you brought for me. Please tell him what the calabash was meant for.”

“Olaedo I don’t understand what you are talking about. If you have problem with your husband, please go and settle it. Don’t get me involved and stop giving me signs with your eyes.”

“Linda please tell my husband what you know about the calabash. Please save my marriage.” She felled on the ground crying.

Smith entered his car and drove off, leaving Olaedo behind. I quickly stopped the available bike and told the rider to take off. When I looked back, Olaedo was still sitting on the ground weeping.

I later got information that Smith hath sent her packing. Many people tried to beg on Olaedo’s behalf but Smith refused to listen to them. The worst part of the problem was that nobody believed Olaedo’s story.

After three days I decided to visit Smith. When he saw me, he started crying.

“Mr. Smith don’t do this, you are a man,” I pleaded.

“Linda you will not understand. I gave your friend everything. What is my offence? Why would my wife want to kill me?”

“It’s okay, I understand how you feel. Olaedo is a nice person, the only problem is that promiscuity runs in their blood. Her challenge was that she committed a sin and wanted to cover it with another sin.”

“Why me? Why would I be the unlucky one?”

” Don’t say that you are unlucky. Nothing has gone wrong. The way of God is not the way of man. The truth is that Olaedo is not your wife. May be, God want to pass through her to give you a wife that will give you peace. Believe me, something good must come out of this.”

“After everything, see how Olaedo paid me back. They are begging me to accept her.”

“Don’t mind them. They are hypocrites. If it is their brother would they allow him to stay with Olaedo. She is my friend. I love her but I will not support evil.”

“Thank you so much,” Smith appreciated me.

I quickly launched into my reason for coming.

“Have you eaten?” I asked him.

“I don’t have appetite.”

“No you can’t say that. You must eat. If not for any other thing, you have to celebrate your survival.”

I served him the food I brought and begged him to eat. He was full of appreciation.

When I got home, Olaedo was in our house with my father and mother. Immediately I sighted her, I became furious. My father, told me to sit. I obeyed but I avoided eye contact with her.

“Linda your friend is here. She told us that she is having problem with her husband because of an advice you gave to her. What do you have to say?”

“Daddy I don’t know what she is talking about. She came with her husband to meet me.

I learnt that her husband caught her with a calabash. She told her husband that I was the one that gave her the calabash.”

“Where would you get calabash from?” my mummy wondered aloud.

“Mummy I have not touched a calabash in my life. I’m just hearing about it.” I quickly defended myself.

“Linda please, I know that this is difficult for you too. But help me, my marriage is involved.” Olaedo begged me.

“What is wrong with you this girl” My mother shouted on her. “What do you want my daughter to help you and do? What is a small girl like you doing with calabash? Please don’t come close to my daughter from today, I trained her well,” she warned.

I was so happy because of the way my mother was sounding. Olaedo started crying and my father tried to console her”

“It is okay. Stop crying so that you don’t hurt the baby in your womb . I want you to go home and relax, I will get to the root of this,” my daddy promised her.

Immediately she left, my daddy stated questioning me.
“Linda I have this feeling that you are not telling us the truth. What do you know about what this lady is talking about?”

“Daddy I am innocent.” I murmured and frowned my face.

“I know you don’t expect me to believe you. For the fact that you have a friend that carries calabash, your hands are not clean. You surely have a hand in what she is talking about,” my daddy insisted.

My mother quickly came to my rescue. “My dear I don’t really like the way you are talking. Does it mean that you don’t trust your daughter?”

“The only child I can vouch for is the one that is still inside your stomach. You saw that lady that came here, did she look like a drunk? You better warn your daughter to say the truth. If I later find out that she has a hand in scattering this lady’s marriage, she will have me to contend with.” He warned.

“I trust my daughter, she is innocent,” my mummy insisted.

I was not moved by my father’s threat. All my concentration was how to win Smith’s love. He was trying to heal from the wound inflicted on him by Olaedo. A vacuum was created and I was determined to fill it by all means.

I tried to shower him with love in a bid to help him forget about Olaedo. It was not easy but I kept trying and believing.

Most evenings, I go to his house to prepare food for him and clean up the house. I noticed that after a while, he started looking forward to my coming every evening.
Some evenings, I will purposely delay my going. When that happens, he calls on phone to check on me. I was happy for the way things were going between us. He treated me as a sister and strictly avoided anything that would make us have body contact. Things were moving very slow but I was determined to be patient. The most important thing was that he was giving me money. He made sure that I didn’t lack anything good.

I was in the kitchen cooking when I heard a knock on the door. Smith had just stepped out get ice cream from an eatery.

I quickly went to open the door. What I saw made me to develop goose bumps. I was not prepared for it.