“What are you doing in my house” Olaedo asked me.

I stood, staring at the empty space without uttering a word. When I shifted my gaze towards her, I couldn’t stand her angry eyes so I quickly looked away.
Her younger brother Nelly was standing by her side, gazing at me with a blood shot eyes. His silence spoke volume.

“Have you turned deaf and dumb? I ask again, what are you doing in my matrimonial home? You devil,” Olaedo asked, raising the tempo of her voice.
She paused on her speech for a while before continuing. Each words that proceeded from her mouth made me to shake involuntarily.

“When I heard that you are living with Smith, I thought that it was a lie.

“No, I am not living here, I came to deliver a message to Smith,” I answered.

I didn’t see it coming because it was as fast as the movement of a lightning. The delivery was straight to target and everywhere suddenly covered with darkness. The sharp pain that accompanied it turned my head and I shouted , “Nelly you slapped me.”

“No, he massaged your face,” Olaedo said in a mockery tone.

If I thought that he was done, then I have prepared myself for a negative surprise.
Nelly descended on me and gave me a beating of my life. He held my throat and would have squeezed life out of me but for the timely arrival of Smith.

“What is going on here?” Smith shouted.He ran to the scene, delivered me from the hold of Nelly and quickly carried me inside to save me the embarrassment of the prying eyes of neighbours.

Olaedo and his brother quickly followed us inside.

When Smith turned and saw Nelly, he rushed towards him and dashed him several blows. Nelly managed to free himself and ran away. But Olaedo knelt down and begged her husband.Smith bent towards me and was examining me. I pretended that I was in serious pain to divert his attention from Olaedo.

“My dear, your Olaedo is still here. Please, have mercy on me,” she pleaded with her husband.

“Olaedo leave my house. Did you come to check if I am still alive so that you can finish your assignment?” Smith asked in anger.

“No, please. I cannot plan evil against the father of my child.”
Immediately she said that, I release a loud hiss in a bid to give Smith a nudge to react.”

“Who is the father of your child? Answer me, who is the father of your child? Now get out of my house before I commit murder. He held her and slowly led her out of the house. She tried to resist but Smith was able to overpower her.”

I was actually disappointed because I expected Smith to give her farewell blows.

“My dear, how are you feeling?” Smith asked me when he came back.

“I am not fine at all. Ah! my leg,” I cried.
Smith tried to pet my leg.

“Ah! my neck is hurting. please can you help me and massage my neck?” I requested.

As he was trying to massage my neck, I shouted, ” My back. This guy finished me, please massage my back.”

He left my neck and started massaging my back. “All of a sudden, I shouted my laps.

As soon as I did that, Smith removed his hand from my body.

“Linda I need to take you to the hospital.”

“But what I needed is just for you to massage the affected areas I and I’ll be fine. I don’t want to go to hospital,” I protested mildly.

“That is the challenge! I am not comfortable doing it. In fact I can’t do it. It’s better I take you to hospital,” he said firmly

He let out a long hiss “This is the stress that Olaedo is putting me through. See, I have to take you to hospital,” he reiterated.

I didn’t know that Olaedo was watching us from the window. She cried out.

“Ah! My husband is innocent. I am a fool. I used my hand to scatter my marriage. Linda it will never be well with you. You will live in tears for the rest of your life. You will cry over your marriage and your children.”

“Olaedo so you want me to commit murder?” Smith threatened. He ran out with anger and Olaedo took to her heels.

I got up and pretended that I was going home. Though I was walking like I was going to fall. Smith came in and held me.

“Where are you going to?”

“I am going home,” I said while breathing like someone that was about to collapse.

” But you know that you cannot go home in this condition.”

“I must go home, my parents would be searching for me,” I insisted.

“You can’t go home please. I can take you to the house of any of your trusted female friends, then you can tell your parents that you are there. If they see you in this condition, they will not be happy.”

” I don’t have any female friend. Many of them that I tried to get close to were wayward; I had to separate myself from them. That was exactly how I separated myself from Olaedo earlier until she promised me that she had changed. I didn’t know that she was lying.”

“It’s okay why not stay here,” Smith suggested.

“No, I cannot stay here. You are a married man. Didn’t you see how your wife was cursing me?”

“Sorry to interrupt you, please don’t call her my wife again. I’m done with that useless marriage.”

That piece of information really gladdened my heart.

“It’s okay. But Olaedo is causing me pain. She vowed to deal with me because she felt I was the one that revealed her evil plans to you.

She told lies to my parents and made them to be giving me stress. The worst is that I don’t know what Olaedo told my fiancé. He said that he will not marry me again”

I pretended that I was crying and Smith started consoling me.

“It’s okay, stop crying . Why not find time to sort things out with your fiance?” he suggested.

“I have tried my best but he said that it is over. Olaedo told him that she is having problem with you because of the native doctor I introduced to her. She said the calabash you found, belongs to me.”

“What did you just say?”

“I said exactly what you heard. Olaedo is evil. Ah! If Lawrence leave me, I will die,” I cried.

“Don’t say that why will you die?” Smith begged me.

“Lawrence is a good man. Good men are hard to come by. Olaedo had spoilt everything for me. I was only trying to do good. My goodness has ruined me,” I continued lamenting

“I am really sorry for all the stress I and my family have caused you. Most especially concerning your relationship. I pray that God intervenes. But one thing I want you to know is that there are many good men out there. After all one is here with you. I’m I not a good man?” he said with smiles.

“Mr Smith you are good man , but you are married.”

“Who I’m I married to? If I am your brother will you encourage me to continue living with that Jezebel?”

“To be sincere, she doesn’t deserve you,” I told Smith.

“So, have you agreed to spend the night here,” Smith asked, pleading with his eyes.

“I have no choice, I will,” I murmured, acting as if I was being forced to do it.

I couldn’t contain my joy. I was becoming obvious that something good was about to come out of the struggle.