Contract husband

Omar nodded her head and exhaled.

” Please can I ask you a question Mrs Nwachukwu?”

” Yes you can ma.”

Omar raised her head and shrugged.

” Do you have kids?”

Binta chuckled.

” Yes I have a handful of them.” She replied.

“How do you manage to balance it all…. I mean…. Your work…. Kids and marriage?”

Binta smiled broadly.

” It’s by the Grace of God ma’am…. I just take it one day at a time…. And I must say….. God has really been helping me.” She said and chuckled.

Omar nodded.

” Have you ever had a nagging fear in your heart that your husband might fall in love with another woman and leave you someday.” Omar asked.

Binta almost choked on her drink. She let the glass gently on the table and directed her gaze at Omar.

” Why did you ask?” Binta inquired.

Omar shrugged.

” Because I feel that is what is about to happen to me.”

” Why do you feel so?…. Did you see any sign or something suspicious about your husband?” Binta asked her in curiosity.

” No….” Omar paused in hesitation as worry creased on her face.

“but ever since my husband saw his ex on my birthday, he had been unusually so calm and quiet….”

Binta sighed.

” Have you discussed this with him?” she asked Omar.

” Yes …. I mean…. I asked him about what happened in his relationship with her, but he said he’d rather not talk about it…. And I must be frank with you…. This gets me deeply worried…. Especially when I remember the way he transfixed his gaze at her on that day.” Omar replied.

” Hmm!…. I think you should give him sometime….. he would come around…. Just continue to pray for him and show him so much love.” Binta advised.

Omar nodded her head and narrowed her gaze to the plate of food in front of her.

” I think he had quite an history with her…. And I’m really scared these days…. Ife has become so withdrawn and I feel like he is slipping away.” Omar expressed her worry.

Binta sighed.

” like I said earlier…. Just take your worries to God in prayer and show him some more love and understanding…. He might be going through something totally different from what you think…. Men can be like that sometimes.” Binta said.

” Okay…. Thanks ma…. I’ll do as you have said.

” please call me Binta.”

” Ok thanks Binta.”Omar replied and continued eating her food.

They discussed extensively for a few more minutes, before returning back to the office. And from that day on, the bond between Binta and Omar grew stronger, leading to a cordial friendship between them.

He woke up with a sharp pain on his chest. Groaning quietly in a bid not to wake her up. The last few weeks had been awfully distasteful for him, bringing memories he wished he could erase completely from his memory. But today was the worst of the days.

He swallowed hard as pain engulfed him. Reaching towards the drawer in front of him, he brought out a bottle of aspirin and threw two tablets into his mouth.

The pain he felt was both the physical and the emotional one.

Skipping his routine exercise, he moved slowly into the bathroom and grudgingly took his bath, groaning quietly as the sharp pain on his chest engulfed him.

He managed to take his bath and stepped out of the bathroom dripping wet, with his towel wrapped around his waist.

In the same slow pace, he dressed up and climbed down the stairs with his suitcase. That was when he noticed she had been up a while ago and seated in the dinning table.

Omar got up immediately she saw her husband descend the stairs.

” Hi darling…. I hope you slept well?” She asked, flashing him a smile.

” Yes I did…. Thanks.” He said dryly and was about to move past her, when she quickly stood in his way.

” I prepared your breakfast already…. Let me serve you your meal.” She said in enthusiasm.

” Thanks but I don’t have the appetite to eat anything….. I will see you later..” He replied dryly, and brushed past her.

” Ife!!…. What is the matter with you?….. Why have you been acting so withdrawn and cold towards me…. Is there something I did that got you offended?” She asked in annoyance.

” Omar please not now…. I’m not in a good mood.” Ife replied wearing a grimace.

Omar scoffed loudly.

” really!!…. Is this the new normal between us?…. You have not been in a good mood since you saw your ex!!….”

” Omar please!!…. Don’t make this about Zoey!!…. I just want to be left alone for now….. is that too much to ask?” Ife retorted.

Omar scoffed a second time.

” Yes!!…. It’s too much to ask Ife…. You said we could make this work!!…. And everything was going well between us until that witch came on my birthday!!!…. And since then, you’ve been acting all cold despite all my efforts to reach out to you!!”

” Omar please…. Let’s have this discussion later…. I’ve got some work to do!!”

” No…. I think it’s time we trash it out now!!…. Do you want to go back to her!!…. Is that it?” Omar queried angrily.

” That’s it Omar!!…. I think you are overstepping your bounds…. Learn to respect my privacy!!”

Omar laughed loudly.

” Privacy you say!!…. I’m your wife Ife and the last time I checked, there’s no privacy in marriage!!”

” And you also seem to have forgotten…. This is a contract marriage!!…. And I Ife!!….. I call the shots in this relationship…. It will be good for you to know your place and stick to it!!!” Ife fired back and winced a little.