The Wife ESCAPED!

The next day, Caro resumed work at the shop having spent quite some time and effort to mask the bruises on her neck and lower face. Hannah had seen her as she worked on her face, but the older girl had not even spared her a second glance not to mention asking her what had happened. Not that Caro cared, but it made her wonder if she would have even done anything to help her if she was at the shop when the incident occurred. If Caro were to give her opinion, she had 100% belief that Hannah would have sat down and watched it happen. But Madam Beryl is a good woman, what did she do to deserve having such animals around her?

When Caro started work that morning, it was very easy to notice that Beryl’s general demeanor and attitude towards her had changed considerably. But rather than ‘cold and harsh’ that she had expected, Beryl was instead quiet and sad. She never acted angry or problematic. When Caro tested her with questions of where she should put certain things, the answer always ended with ‘dear’. It was either ‘Put it there, my dear.’ or ‘Drop it on the table, dear.’

Caro endured this behavior until afternoon. As the atmosphere got hotter, her patience kept evaporating until she could take it no more. She marched to Beryl and requested an audience with her.

“What is it, my dear? What do you want to talk to me about?”

“I just wanted to know, ma, whether I’ve done anything to offend or disappoint you. If I have, please let me know, so I’ll apologize.”

She bit her tongue before she could add ‘or leave, if you can’t forgive me.’

“Hmmm,” Beryl sighed. “Sit down, Carolina.”

Caro sat down and braced herself for the bad news that she knew was inevitable.

“What’s your full name? I never remembered to ask.”

“Carolina Elizabeth Benson.”

“Don’t you have a native name?”

“No, Ma. My father believed it was a source of bad luck.”

“Oh. So how old were you when he died?”

“Eleven.”

“So you spent how many years… five years with your uncle?”

“No, three… No… I mean, yes.. five.”

“Hmm. Carolina.”

“Ma?”

“I want you to listen to me.”

“Yes, ma. I’m listening.”

“What I want to tell you will shock you, but you have to forgive me. My hands are tied. In life, certain things… like marriage comes first before many other things.”

“I understand,” Caro nodded, fighting hard to keep back the tears. Even though she had expected this, it still wasn’t easy to hear it, especially in the manner Beryl was delivering it.

“My husband has asked me to let you go. I don’t really know why, but he says he doesn’t like and trust you. I don’t want to do it, but… I have children, Carol, I do. Two boys, and they are only 5 and 8. I can’t…”

“It’s Okay, ma.”, Caro cut her short, trying hard to be strong for both of them. “I understand you perfectly and I also wouldn’t want you to put your marriage at risk because of me. You have done a lot already and I’m more than grateful. I pray God will bless you and your children and give you… give you everything you want in life in Jesus name.”

She had wanted to say ‘give you a better husband in Jesus name’, but had changed her mind just in time.

“Amen. Thank you very much, Carol. I don’t deserve any of your prayers, but I hope God will have mercy on me and not make my children pay for this sin I have made up my mind to commit.”

“Don’t worry, ma,” Carol replied, getting up to her feet. “God can only bless people like you and nothing else. Thank you very much for everything.”

“Please, don’t go yet,” Beryl stopped her as she was about to leave. “My husband does not know you live with Hannah, so you can continue to stay there, at least for the meantime. Who knows, I may be able to find something better for you. Take this and manage it.”

Caro looked at the money the kind woman was offering her and she almost lost control of the barrier that was holding back her tears.

“No, ma,” she croaked. “Thank you very much, but I have enough sav…”

“No, no, no,” Beryl insisted, grabbing her arm and forcing the money into her hand. “You’ve worked hard for me for about a week now and the least I can do is to pay you what I owe you. This is only five thousand, it’s what I can afford for now, but you’ll surely hear from me later.”

Caro allowed her to fold her fingers over the money and as she watched her do it, some tears escaped her tight barrier. She quickly dried them with the back of her hand and looked at Beryl squarely.

“I’ve never seen anyone like you before,” she blurted.

“And neither have I seen anyone like you too, Carol.”

Caro turned her eyes downward and stayed silent for a while. When she raised them, they were full of tears that were fighting for the chance to flow.

“God will bless you, Madam Beryl. Your generation will never know hardship and all the bad people in your life will die!”

With that, she turned around and left the store for home.

***

When Caro arrived at the apartment, she found it locked, which was nothing unusual. She simply went to where the key was usually hidden, but to her surprise, it wasn’t there! She checked again, and came up with nothing. Why would Hannah, despite her foul behavior, decide to lock her out of the apartment all of a sudden? Or had she simply forgotten?

She went to the locked door and checked all around it, but there was still no sign of a key. Just then, she saw a neighbor walk past and she quickly called her attention.

“Aunty, abeg no vex, you know where Hannah go?”

“That one? I no know o. I just see one man wey come carry am comot.”

She didn’t know what exactly put it in her mind to think of such a thing, but she did not hesitate to put it into words.

“Aunty, abeg you fit describe the man for me?”

“Ehhh… e tall small but e no too tall like that. E black wella sha and com grab small.”

“Him get tribal mark for face, abi?”

“Eh, yes. Two two like this,” the woman said, demonstrating on her own face. “I no even know which tribe get that mark sef.”

“Okay, ma. Thank you very much.”

“No problem,” the woman said and walked away, not caring to ask questions of her own. Perhaps she knew all she needed to know?

Taking one last look at the house where she had spent the last few days, Caro bid it a silent farewell, along with all the money she had managed to save and the few belongings she had gotten from Beryl. The only property she had now in the entire world was the clothes on her back and the five thousand in her pocket.

She was smart enough to know that Hannah’s sudden disappearance and the absence of the key in its usual place was no coincidence. From the neighbor’s description, unless clones existed, the man who she said had come to take Hannah was Beryl’s husband. It seems he knew where she lived all this while and had certainly used his influence to punish her, but he was a big fool if he thought that he could break her. She was on the road just a little over a week ago with absolutely nothing in hand or stomach and now, she would return to it with a full stomach and five thousand naira richer. She would not go back to Beryl and further worsen things for that poor woman. If her beast of a husband wanted Caro gone, Caro would go. And Caro went.