The Bridge

Sh cheated first
Nobody knew it but her
She went to Kenya for a fully funded
conference sponsored by an international
human rights organization
She met another journalist, from
Rwanda who had been sponsored
for the same event
They got talking
It was her first time at the event
The Rwandan journalist had been
attending the same event for the
past four years
He knew his way around
She had promised the media house
she was working with that she would
cover the event and send home some
news content
She left her husband and her two year
old son at home
The conference was supposed to last
for five days
She had to work with the journalist
from Rwanda
He had a cameraman and some other
equipment she could use to do her
stand up and edit
That was how they got a bit familiar
He was very professional at first
Calling her "Madam" and "Ma'am"
But before the end of that first day
They were on first name basis
She needed to give her career a boost
Things had been in a lull for a while
She had to make it rain
But her desire did not match her preparation
She was able to get some content from
the event's media team
She was also able to script and do a 
Stand up using the Rwandan Journalist's
cameraman
The idea to conduct exclusive interviews
for some of the guests at the event came
to her later that first night
She needed the Rwandan to help her get
a cameraman
She didn't mind if she had to pay
Just to conduct an interview with at least
three of speakers at the event
She called him
He had been working all day and was tired
He asked her to come over to his room
She went
They talked 
But it felt to her as if he was disinterested
in helping her
She is a woman
She knows when a man is paying attention
She also knows when a man is politely treating
her like a nuisance
She needed his help to make it rain
She tried the impersonal approach
It was a decision borne of laziness and 
inordinate ambition
She could have approached the organization
that invited her and spoken to someone else
who might be more disposed to helping
her the right way
She closed the space between them and
changed her tone
She just wanted to do the feminine wile thing
He got the message
He drew her close and started playing
with her breasts
The mistake took her decision and his
cooperation
She felt she should let him play a little
and then stop him with a promise to
continue the touchy thing later
She just wanted to string him along
But he was one of those guys
Guys who would touch a woman
leave her breathless and thoughtless
until they were done
Everything spiralled out of control
They had sex
In fact she slept in his room 
She only returned to her room in the
morning to freshen up
He still didn't help her
The best he did was let her sit in on
his interviews with the speakers and
ask some questions that are relevant to
her own country
This was how she was able to get the
content she needed but she had to do a
Sound on Tape instead of a proper 
Stand up with her signature sign out!
They had sex for three days
She made sure he used protection
At first she told herself it was a mistake
Later she convinced herself it was just
one of those things
Nobody needed to know
What happens in Kenya, stays in Kenya!
She returned home
Her husband picked her up at the airport
He came with her baby
She sat with the baby at the back of the
car cooing and gushing and her husband
drove her home
They had a good marriage
He was jovial, fun, responsible, upright
and very disciplined
She loved him
What happened was just stupidity with
an exclamation mark
She resolved to do better and make
it up to him
It was her bad
Later that night, she told him all about
her trip
She didn't mention the Rwandan guy
She told him how she was able to pull
off five great reports without a 
cameraman or equipment
She made love to him
She had thought it would be difficult
but it wasn't 
She got her game together
The chapter was successfully closed
Three months later, the Rwandan guy
came to town
He just showed up at her office
It was nice to see him
He asked if they could be together
She said No
That chapter was over and done with
The Rwandan guy took it on the chin
and walked away
Later that night, she noticed something
strange 
Her husband started acting funny
Snapping at her, hissing at her, acting
all grumpy
He had never been like that
It wasn't even in his nature
It went on for like a week
Whenever she tried to talk to him, he would
just shut her down
He would say "Ashewo, if you talk to me
all your family members will die of cancer"
His attitude and words were very
nasty
She didn't know where it came from
She reported him to his mother
His mother intervened
Questions were asked
Her husband didn't say anything tangible
Somehow peace was restored
But it was the sort of peace that was 
pregnant with a hurricane
He stopped talking trash to her
He started acting trash
He would leave the house only to
return three days later
He wouldn't pick his calls or tell her
what was going on
Later he started cheating on her
He didn't bother to hide it
He would chat up ladies, pick calls,
do video calls with ladies right in
their bedroom and return home dead
drunk most days 
He stopped touching her
She tried touching him once
He looked at her as if she was a leper
It lasted for two years
She suffered in silence, hoping for a 
change 
Things only got worse
At a point, she decided to confront him
She had done everything she knew how
to do and it was pointless being stuck
in a miserable marriage
He either sat up or the marriage was over
She told her parents her resolution
Her parents reached out to his parents
Both parents were Christians and supportive
A meeting was called
Everybody spoke
His parents condemned his madness
Her parents condemned his antics
She cried and begged that they let
them part ways
She had been through hell and back
Her husband didn't say a word
He told everybody he was coming
He went to the room and returned
with his laptop
He connected the laptop to the television
somehow
He played a video for the whole family
It was her and the Rwandan guy
He had a spy camera on in his room all
along and recorded their sex sessions
together
Including all the after sex talks and 
so on
She almost died right there!
Not only was the marriage over
Her parents were deeply humiliated
His parents cringed and shook in disbelief
Her husband does not love her
Love does not do that to anybody!
There was nothing more to say
Nobody bothered to ask her husband if
it was right to keep the tape for two
years and torture her mercilessly
Nobody bothered to ask him if his own
cheating retaliation was just considering
the fact that she cheated for a week
and he had persistently cheated for 
two years
Nobody bothered to consider the fact that
for her it was just sex
She didn't love him less
She didn't love another
He, on the other hand, treated her 
like vermin
She was the one on the cross
The thief at the left side, destined
for hell!
Her husband said he came to her office
the same day the Rwandan came to see
her
He was in the car and saw the familiar
way she was talking with the Rwandan
When the Rwandan was leaving, he
offered the Rwandan a lift to just sound
him out
The Rwandan told him about his trip to
Nigeria for an assignment and about the
babe he was hoping to hook up
with again 
They talked until the Rwandan told him
everything
He said he took the Rwandan to his hotel
and persuaded him to give him a copy
of the recorded video
His mother walked to the television,
removed the flash drive and broke it
She asked him if there were any other
copies
He said no!
His parents left 
Her parents also left the meeting without
saying a word
She didn't know what to do
Should she leave or stay?
If she left, where would she go?
She reached out to the Brother in Jeans
and T-shirt
She told him everything
He told her he would like to meet with
her and her husband
The meeting was arranged
When he got to their house, he started
talking football with her husband
They talked on and on like old friends
After an hour, he asked if he could
pray for them
Her husband shrugged
She nodded
He told them to stand up
He told her to lay her hands on her
husband's shoulders
He told her husband to hold her by the
waist
He laid hand on both their shoulders
and began to pray
She started crying first
She just felt so horrible and sad
Her husband started crying too
At first, it felt as if that would be the
last time they would ever hold each 
other
But as he prayed on and on and started
praying in the spirit
Something happened
She couldn't tell what it was
Her husband grabbed her by the waist
and held her close
She sank into him and cried
"I am sorry, I am sorry"
Her tears drenched his shirt
He said he was sorry too
The brother in Jeans and T-shirt
left them there
He left behind him a fragrance of
comeliness and lightness
Everywhere smelled like heaven

PS: This event happened in Lagos
The couple are still together
She gave birth to another baby recently
The baby was celebrated all over the GSW
family platforms
Love is a wonderful thing
Forgiveness is a beautiful thing
When you combine both
You end up with a home full of joy

GSW's notes: Words are overrated
The couple loved each other
Maximum love leads to maximum pain
sometimes
They both desire to forgive and move on
but needed a bridge to get there
A man who had stopped loving a woman
wouldn't stay with her
If he is still hanging around, there is still
an ember worth fanning
Words cannot adequately restore a home
We must allow the Holy Spirit to do his 
work which most times cannot be explained