MAN WAHALA; WHO WILL HELP MY FRIEND

I was right in the middle of a meeting when her call came in. The minute my phone vibrated and I felt it rattled the smooth, extensively polished surface of the conference table; I promptly rejected the call before anyone noticed. For causing a distraction while the meeting was still on, you could be compelled to part with about five thousand naira as fine. Now, that was some amount of money I wasn’t willing to throw back into the organization.

Bukky seldom called me at that time of the day. Last time I checked, she called me during such period only when there was problem between her and her husband, my friend, Rich, their five years old marriage has been fraught with quite some tumultuous moments but I was starting to think they were finally beginning to mature as couple and get some chemistry going between them. Something told me I was wrong. Sliding my phone under the table and concealing it from the glare of other members of the executive management team, I quietly sent an SMS explaining I was in a meeting and would reach her as soon as I was done. Less than a minute later, she responded my SMS. And I got the most shocking piece of news I‘d heard in a pretty long while. The message read: “Sorry I almost interrupted your meeting, it’s your friend, Rich, he has finally killed me! But I swear, Wale, I won’t go alone, I‘ll take him with me! You know what your friend just did? He got another woman pregnant!

I couldn’t believe my eyes. My hands were trembling slightly as I struggled to hold the phone firmly in my hand. Rich, got another woman pregnant? What in heaven’s name was he doing? From that moment on, I could scarcely concentrate on the meeting, my mind simply kept darting back and front. Wondering what in God’s name was going on. The moment the meeting was over, I dashed out of the conference room and prompted put a call through to Bukky

“Hello……Hello… ‘’ she’d picked up almost immediately. From the tone of her voice, I could tell she’s been crying.

“Bukky, what on earth is going on? How did you get to know Rich got another woman pregnant?” I’d quizzed her, eager to unravel the puzzle before me.

“I found a text on his mobile phone; it was from his lover….her name is Cynthia. She was informing him he’s gotten her pregnant.

I exhaled sharply. This, certainly, was no longer funny.

“And what did Rich say?” I asked.

Nothing. He couldn’t deny it. He’s been in shock after realizing that I’d found out”

There was a brief spell of silence. I had no idea what to say. I simply didn’t know what to tell this very embittered woman.

“Look Wale, blood will flow in this house today! I can guarantee you that either me or your friend, or even both of us, will be swimming in a pool of our blood before tomorrow morning!”

Before she dropped, I promised her I would come over to the house later in the day to see my friend and got her to give me her word she’d sheath her sword until I joined them.

My heart truly went out to Bukky. She and Rich had been married for almost five years and were yet to be blessed with a child. Indeed, I‘d come to realize that most of their quarrels were, often always, connect to the fact that they were still childless. But one thing was obvious, these two love each other to bits, I had absolutely no doubt about that.

There was no way I will embark on that precarious peace keeping mission alone. It was a potential banana skin. I called on two other mutual friends of ours and intimated them of the situation. Worried as I was, they were willing to go with me. We all agreed to meet by 6p.m and drive straight down to Rich’s place.

And by 6.45p.m, we were through the gates of their house. It was Bukky who let us into the house. She was already looking different. Her eyes were red from excessive crying, her face somewhat bloated. This was not the beautiful woman I knew, standing before me was a woman ravaged and torn apart by intense emotional pangs, I held her hands and pecked her lighted on the cheek.

“Are you okay, Bukky?” I’d asked.

She nodded in the affirmative.

‘Where is Rich? Is he in? I’ve been calling his lines all day but it’s been switched off” I said to her.

“His phone is with me,” she returned, “I switched it off”

“But is he in at the moment?” Kunle, one of the two guys I’d come with asked Bukky.

“Yes he’s locked himself up in his study, I‘ll get him for you, “she replied.

By the time our friend emerged, we could clearly see that he had been thoroughly traumatized.

Richard, what the hell is going on? What’s this we‘re hearing? Ben, the second friend who hadn’t spoken since we got to the house shot at him.

“Guys, I beg you, can we go out somewhere a bit more conducive and talk? With Bukky hovering dangerously around the house, I’ll probably spend the whole time here watching my back rather than talking with you guys” Rich has requested.

He made sense. With the crime he’d committed, I couldn’t put it past Bukky not to shoot him in the head if she had access to a gun!

I asked Bukky to excuse us for a while and reassured her we’d be back. She didn’t like the idea but, reluctantly, she had to let us go with Rich. We drove down to a hangout within their neigbourhood, ordered for drinks and got down to business.

“Listen, guys, I know I’ve messed up big time, but it’s not entirely my fault,” Rich had begun, almost unable to meet our eyes.

“So whose fault is it?” Kunle shot angrily at Rich. “Are you implying its Bukky’s fault all because she’s yet to conceived? Is that it?

“No, Kunle, will you at least hear me out?” Rich pleaded.

I turned to Kunle, “let’s hear him out.”

Rich sighed heavily. “See, guys, I didn’t mean for this to happen. Cynthia happens to be a colleague of mine in the office. We’ve been friends for a long time but nothing serious ever happened between us until last year when Bukky began to change.”

“Change?  How?’ Ben and I had asked almost at the same time.

“She began to ignore her duties in the bedroom. Whenever we were in bed and I wanted my wife, most times she’d either tell me she was too tired to do anything, or that she was in the middle of fasting and prayer program. I sulked and talked things over with her severally but she wouldn’t change. And when I couldn’t take it anymore, I turned to Cynthia for some attention and affection. Then things got out of hand, and now she is carrying my baby. Believe me, guys; if Bukky wasn’t turning her back on me most of the time in bed, this definitely would not have happened!”

I believed him. And judging by the looks on the faces of the others, they believed him too.

“So Rich, what do you hope to do with Cynthia’s pregnancy now?” Ben was the first to speak.

“To be honest with you guys, I don’t know. I am at cross road here. I love my wife very much, you all know that. Despite our little quarrels, she’s everything to me. But then again, I have asked myself, don’t I need this child? Out of the four of us seated here, I’m the only one who’s yet to be a father. Is it now wise to throw away this one that God has given to me? Talk to me guys, I need your help, you’ve got to help me out of this situation…”

All three of us his friends could only stare speechlessly at him. How could we help him? What sort of advice could we possibly give to him? What about you guys, can you help my friend? Offer your advice as a brother.

Wale.

Hmmmmmmm………………..this is a very difficult one. I feel for Bukky.