”Mum, what about Kenny? He took a lot of wrong steps too”.
”Yes, I will face Kenny but I need to talk to you first. I told you not to kill yourself over not having a child yet. It will come. You shouldn’t have fasted and deprived your husband without his full consent. Moreso, you should have given him his marital rights between 6pm when you break your fast and midnight when the next day starts. You shouldn’t have run from your home without his consent and come hide here. To tell you the truth, it will take God for Kenny to be able to sleep with you again. Both of you, your actions have spoilt a lot of things. This matter should not have generated to this level. First thing tomorrow morning, I am going back to Abuja with you, we are going to see your husband”
True to her word, by 11 am on Saturday, which was the next day, we had arrived my house. As soon as I saw Kenny’s car parked in the compound, my heart started beating fast. I wished he was not home even though mum had called earlier and told him she was coming to see him. He opened the door as soon as we were approaching and I assumed he had seen us through the window and prostrated, greeting my mum in yoruba language. Kenny totally ignored me and my mum just smiled at us. I left them in the sitting room and went into the room. Everything was just as I left it and my investigation as to whether somebody else had been living with him came up empty. I heard my mum call me from the living room and I quickly dropped my bag and went back to join them.
”Mummy, Lola does not want to be married. In less than a year of marriage she has shown blatant disregard and disrespect both for me and this home and I am sick of it. Does she think if it was another man, he won’t have started womanizing by now? I stayed faithful even when she refused to be faithful to our marriage vows”. Kenny said with so much anger.
”Please don’t threaten us with tales of unfaithfulness. So you want an award because you didn’t cheat? I said.
”Keep your mouth shut Lola, just shut up” my mum shouted while Kenny just shook his head. I instantly felt remorseful.
I listened as my mum and Kenny started talking. I truly listened to his hurts and pains as he opened up to my mum and for the first time I understood the gravity of where we were. By the time they started talking about the rape incident, Kenny shed tears. He just kept quiet while tears fell from his eyes and I was broken for both of us.
”Mummy, I warned Lola, I warned her not to go. I haven’t been able to get that image out of my head ever since Daddy told me. Where do we start from? She refused to sleep with me all in the name of prayers and freely gave it to a thief?”
”Kenny, don’t say she freely gave it. We all still feel the pains of that night most especially your wife. The pain, she is still in as a result of that incident is great. She needs a lot of time to heal”. My mum said.
”I warned her, I warned her mummy” Kenny insisted.
My mum began to talk to Kenny about us communicating better, about understanding each other and being quick to forgive. She spoke and fear gripped my heart as I looked at Kenny’s face.
After so much advise from mum, Kenny began to calm down.
”Both of you need to pray, be patient and communicate” mum said again.
”Mummy, truth be told, I am not sure if this marriage still exists. I don’t even know where to start with Lola” Kenny said.
”You both start with forgiving each other and then take it one step at a time. You start with conversations, heart to heart ones, share your pains and fears and with time the intimacy will come and with time you will heal”.
”Okay mummy, thank you ma.” Kenny said.
About an hour later, mum left our home in a cab, headed to the airport for her flight back home. She refused to stay the night despite all our pleas. As soon as she left, I turned to Kenny to apologize.
”Baby, I am sorry”.I said to Kenny as he went back to sit on the sofa and I sat beside him.
He turned to me and said ”I pray to God to give me the enabling spirit to take that bad rape incident off my mind, Omololami, I am sorry too, I am sorry I wasn’t with you during this painful period. Truth is, I don’t even know if we can fix this, but first and foremost, we are both going to change our place of worship. We shall pray fervently for God to lead us through this hard time”.
”We will babe”, I said with renewed confidence, ”we will, one day at a time”. To God be the glory.
THE END.