This hide-and-seek game (II)
‘Well one can’t be sure hubby dearest, one can’t ever be sure.’ I said putting my hand on his. ‘Personally I don’t think her experience is as traumatic as what Isma’il’s sister-in-law went through.’ Tahir noted, looking briefly at his watch. ‘Really, which Isma’il is that?’ I asked, suddenly curious. ‘My deputy at the office. […]
‘Well one can’t be sure hubby dearest, one can’t ever be sure.’ I said putting my hand on his.
‘Personally I don’t think her experience is as traumatic as what Isma’il’s sister-in-law went through.’ Tahir noted, looking briefly at his watch.
‘Really, which Isma’il is that?’ I asked, suddenly curious.
‘My deputy at the office. About a year ago he came late to work, though he had sent a text message saying that he was being delayed by some family issues. Ismail came straight to my office and began to grumble about the irresponsibility of today’s young men. I almost laughed at that seeing that he wasn’t much more than a young man himself. But I checked myself and asked him what the matter was.
“It is my foolish younger brother Usman, he has messed up his life.” Ismail replied ambiguously.
“Messed up his life how?” I asked.
“For the last several years he has been living two lives with two women and two sets of children in this same town. Can you believe this? Usman, who seemed the least cunning, and most easy going of my young ones. I had no idea he is capable of such grand deception.” He explained, finally sitting down.
“But how did this happen? When did he marry the second one? I seem to recall being invited to his first marriage.” I said.
“Well that was his second marriage apparently, though we all thought it was his first. But until this morning I had no idea he already had another wife and child at the time. To us all in the family, that wedding Fatiha I invited you to, was his one and only marriage. Except for his twin brother, because just now Isa, his twin and best friend confirmed to me that he was a witness at the other marriage. He even brought a picture to prove it.” Isma’il disclosed.
“But this is all so amazing’ I said “why did he have to keep it a secret?”
“Well, we all remember a time, soon after his graduation from university when he announced that he wanted to marry a lady from a different tribe who was his course-mate. We cautioned that our parents were very conservative, they will never agree to such a match. And I, in particular, warned him that since he had just graduated, was yet to do his national service, and had nothing with which to support a wife and start a family, he should forget the whole thing and concentrate on those priorities. Apparently he took my advice as far as doing his NYSC and looking for a job were concerned, but he never ended the relationship. When he felt stable enough to afford a wife, he went to the young lady’s village, with no one but his twin brother and had the marriage contracted, I don’t know what kind of parents will give their daughter out to a man who brought no elders, but it appears they were not bothered, his lone brother was good enough for them.
Anyway, Usman was successfully able to keep his wife a secret from us all. Two years later he met his other wife, the one whose wedding you attended. He pretended to everyone it was the first time. And coming as she did from a respectable and well-known family, his choice was widely applauded. We have no idea what he told his first wife when he did his second marriage, even more importantly we have no idea how he managed to convince her to remain a secret, even after having a child for him. But he managed to pull it off somehow and he lived happily between his two wives for the last seven years. Until last night, that is. Now according to him, when he rushed to my house and 7am to tell me his wife had packed out and I had to go and save his marriage, it all happened after they had their dinner yesterday. A knock sounded on the door and Hajara went to answer it. There was silence after she opened the door, because the lady standing at the doorway with three children didn’t say a word. Hajara managed to say ‘Welcome, who are you looking for?’ And the lady answered simply ‘Your husband’ so Hajara stood aside and also said simply ‘Come in, here he is.’ The moment the woman came in, Usman rose in confusion and said ‘Why are you here, what do you want?’
Again calmly the woman answered. ‘I want my children to meet their siblings.’ Hajara told me afterwards that she almost fainted on hearing those words, even though she suspected it the moment she looked at the children, they all looked like her husband. Still not saying anything, Hajara waited for Usman to say something but he just stood there, mumbling something inaudible. Then he looked at her ‘This is my wife Wasilah.’ Hajara rose and said to him ‘I suppose these are your children?’ and he said yes. So she said ‘Well they are welcome to their home.’ And immediately she grabbed her two sons, picked her car keys and drove out to her parent’s home. Usman tried to accuse Wasila of ruining his marriage but she said had no regrets doing what she did because she was tired of being kept a secret, afterall she was his lawfully wedded wife too. With that she also walked out of the house. So overnight, a man with two wives ended up with none.
He spent a miserable night and woke up in the morning with a resolve to come clean with everyone and get back his two wives. Needless to say, I gave him quite a piece of my mind before I agreed to go and see Hajara. I equally scolded his twin brother/accomplice for helping him keep the other wife a secret. In fact, at first I didn’t want to believe that they were lawfully married, so I accused him of keeping her a secret because they had the children out of wedlock. That was when he invited Isa to testify. And he told him to come with some evidence. So Isa branched at her house and asked Wasila to give him her wedding album. That was what convinced me that they were lawfully married. I saw the wedding Fatiha photos, complete with their local Imam and her relatives. After that I went and saw Hajara’s parents. It was a herculean task convincing them that we didn’t know about the other family. Finally they said that the decision was hers to make, that if she wanted to go back to her husband in spite of everything, she is free to do so and if she didn’t they wouldn’t force her because what he did was unforgivable. So I asked to see her and she said to me she needed time to think. And that she needs at least a month because she is completely traumatised. I told her she could have a month because I want my brother punished for his deception. Apparently every three to four days he will tell her he had been sent to work out of town. Those were the times he spent with his first wife. So I drove here straight from seeing Hajara. I won’t even tell him what she said until he comes running to my house again in the evening.” Isma’il said with a wicked smile, before rising up to tell me he will go to his office and catch up with the day’s work. This was almost a year ago, I didn’t remember to ask him how it all ended. But you’ll agree with me that what Hajara saw was worse that Zahra’us shocker.’ Tahir concluded.
‘Yes it was, but at least Hajara can explain to her kids that their father had married in secret. How can Zahra’u explain to her daughters that their brand new brother was the product of a sinful enterprise and that they should love and accept him?’ I asked.
‘Well with a five million naira incentive, she will find something to say. Just don’t worry your pretty head Bint, unless you are getting paid some commission, just let her handle it. And now I really must go to work.’ He said, rising up to pat my back before making his way out of the house.