The Stray

The very day he was transferred to the capital

His wife of 35 years told him they would have to move together

He had always been faithful

He had never wavered

They have four children

The last child was already in the university

They had always been together

From the moment they got married

They had lived in thirteen states of the country

Moving from resident to resident

Moving their children from school to school

Settling in for a bit only to move out again

Making friends for a while only to move on again

She got tired of the movement

The children couldn’t forge strong bonds with other children

Their situation was far from normal

As a mother, she wanted the children to be settled

Their daughters would soon be getting married

How do suitors locate people who live like birds?

“One minute she is saying hi

The next minute she is waving goodbye”

She told him her reservations

He saw reason with her

Their marriage had been “rock” solid for thirty-five years

He was twenty-five on the very day they tied the knot

They had been friends and lovers since they were ten years old

She remembered the day they became friends in primary five

The teacher rearranged the sitting arrangements in the class because of noisemaking

The teacher thought pairing them by gender would stop the ruckus

She told everybody to stand up and started pairing them male and female per desk

She was paired with him

And that was the moment the universe came into agreement

They went to the same secondary school

It was the only secondary school available in their community

They went to the same University

It was when they were in 200 Level that another boy from a town close to theirs started paying attention to her

She obliged the guy, just for friendship

One day the two of them met in her room

He told the guy never ever to come back right to her face

The guy looked at her

She didn’t know why she couldn’t say a word

She kept mute and even weirdly appreciated the gesture

They became lovers that week

Two years later they got married

He first worked in his father’s printing press

But eventually, he got a job with the federal government

They had done Romeo and Juliet all over the nation

It was time to put down roots somewhere

They agreed he would have to go to the capital alone

It would save them a lot of money and she wouldn’t have to close her shop again

A week later, he left

He arrived at his destination the same day

The journey took him about eight hours

She lodged in a hotel

They both talked into late in the night

It was the first time they had been that apart in 35 years

God blessed her with a goodly and faithful man

He reported to the office in the capital the following week

He had risen to the very top in his career

He could rise further in his career of choice only by political appointment

The outgoing top man in the ministry introduced the staff members to him

He resumed work the following day

He had two official cars, a cook, a steward, a security man and his own official residence

He settled in quite nicely

Within a week, he had established a very comfortable routine

He woke up at 6AM, said his prayers, left his residence by 7 am

The drive from his residence to the office took about 45 minutes

He would branch at a popular restaurant to have breakfast and he would be behind his desk latest by 8:30 am

For lunch, he usually ordered food from a fast food outlet or takes a walk to the staff canteen

Every evening, he would speak with his wife, lover and friend for two hours before sleeping

On the afternoon of 15^th May 2013

The ministry was under pressure to present the budget for the next fiscal year

All hands were on deck for the project

By 3pm, they were still hard at work

He was very hungry

He ordered food

Work continued

By 4pm, the food was yet to arrive

His entire body was shaking, like he was going to shut down at any moment

He had never experienced such a hunger pang before in his life

His wife always made sure she had breakfast at home

His wife also always packed his lunch and fruits

He told his secretary to order food from the office canteen

They brought him the food

He ate but the food arrived too late

That evening, as he was driving out of the compound

A friend and colleague from another ministry who was also transferred to the capital was standing by the entrance, awaiting her driver to bring her vehicle

The lady was simply breath taking

He couldn’t believe what he was seeing

He told her so

She smiled

He asked if she wouldn’t mind to ride with him

She shrugged and got into his car

They went to his apartment

Mr. Faithful husband was 60 when he got into the snare of the fowler

He didn’t know how

He couldn’t really tell what happened

It felt right and necessary

He still talked freely with his wife every evening

The lady in question was forty-three years old

She has two children in the University

She wasn’t interested in marrying him

They were both just helping each other out

They slept with each other and he helped her out with some of her financial needs

She wasn’t a burden as such

Not physically!

One month after they started their new adventure

She moved into his apartment

She suggested to him that at his age he is too old to be living alone

What if he had a heart attack or needed medical attention for any reason

He agreed with her

They became an unofficial couple

Nobody could caution or call them to other

What would the person say?

He was 60 years old for God’s sake and yes! He still loved his wife

The affair had been on for a whole year before somebody summoned the courage to tell his wife

The tale bearer had issues with the whole deal and decided to scatter the plot

She called his wife and told her everything

The wife had been suspicious over the months

But she couldn’t bring herself to accuse her husband

Financially and materially he was still her husband

But he had practically gone dark emotionally

A week after she was told

She took a flight to the capital on a Friday evening

The flight landed late in the night

She had done her home work

The taxi took her straight to the house

The security man asked her some questions but eventually opened the gate for her

When she got to the house

She let herself in with the extra key

She found them on the bed, not in each other’s arms as she had imagined

But close enough

The time was almost 1 AM

She wanted to wait until morning

But her bones were weary from the journey

She switched on the light

They roused from sleep

She greeted them

The lady got up from the bed, went on her two knees and welcomed her

Then she covered herself with as much dignity as she could muster and walked into the other room

Her husband just held his head in his hands

She didn’t say a word

Few minutes later the lady returned

She was fully dressed

The lady said “Mummy please don’t be angry, I was merely keeping him company”

And she left

Her husband walked into the bathroom and showered

By the time he returned she had removed their bedsheet and spread another one

She laid down waiting for him

After a long time, he returned

He: I am sorry. I was just too lonely

She: I was equally apart from you for the first time in my life and I didn’t do this

He: I know, how could I have betrayed you like this… (He started crying)

She: Why did you do this to us? Why?

He: The day I made that decision, it was borne of selfishness and sense feelings. I remember thinking “I need a woman in my life” and before I could even consider reflecting on my thought, I met a woman who was available. It was all too good to be a coincidence. I just went with the flow! I am sorry!

She kept quiet for a long time

He continued to beg and plead

She didn’t say a word!

The next morning, she told him she wouldn’t be returning to their house

She would stay with him as she had always done until they retired

He reminded her of the children and their house and other commitments

She fended off his concerns with guile

She remained with him in the capital for the next five years

Until he retired at the age of 65

They live together peacefully at their home in Ibadan, Oyo State!

PS: The devil is extremely subtle

He plants thoughts and suggestions into our heads at the most innocuous moments

Without the right spirit and deliberate second thoughts about the steps we plan to take

We would end up going down the wrong path with our eyes wide open

Consider your thoughts and actions today

Pray and ensure your walk with the Holy Spirit is intact

The fiery darts of the evil one are effective when we are not saturated with the word and the spirit of God

Many good homes were thorn to shreds by those who entertain devilish suggestions