THE ANT INFESTED WOOD (fiction)

 

The ant-infested wood!
Chapter 1

Caleb and Ngozi have been friends for a long time; everyone expects that their friendship will eventually turn to marriage, but their expectations were cut off when Ngozi announced that she was getting married and everyone saw it was another man and not Caleb.

Caleb wanted to marry Ngozi, but Ngozi refused. "I can't marry someone who isn't tall because I am not tall myself," That was her reason and everything Caleb did to persuade her proved abortive.
When she told Caleb she was getting married, he asked, "do you love him, or is it just because he is tall."
"Love is not the only thing needed in a marriage. Love is just like the soil where you plant, if you do not water the plant and if other essential nutrients needed by the plant aren't available the plant withers." Caleb did not understand her reply, but he felt so hurt to continue the conversation.

Ngozi married her perfect man and bore him a son in less than 9 months. Caleb was hurt the more. "So it means Ngozi got pregnant for another man while she was still with me?" He sent her a message to query her, but she ignored it. She hasn't been talking to him since she got married.

Two years later, Caleb met this girl he adores. To him, everything about her was perfect. Her smile mesmerizes him, her voice was soothing to him and her body was flawless. Caleb wasn't one to fall for someone because of her body, he isn't moved by such things, but this girl has a beautiful soul. She is understanding, caring, peaceful, patient, and kind. In six months they got engaged and 6 months later, they got married.

One year later Caleb's wife, Onyinye, gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and Caleb named her, Blessing. He posted it on social media and for the first time in four years, Ngozi liked his post and sent him a message saying, "you gave your daughter an English version of my name. Did you name her after me or is it mere coincidence?"
When Caleb saw the message, he wanted to ignore it the way Ngozi ignored his messages in the past, but on second thought, he decided it was important he clears the air to avoid things that might cause problems between him and his wife in the future. So he replied Ngozi, "I did not name her after you. I consider my daughter a blessing to me because her birth brought me unexplainable joy and diverse breakthroughs."
"That's great! I am happy for you. Guess you are doing great," Ngozi replied.

Caleb is actually doing great; the business he started because he couldn't get a job after he graduated from the university has grown massively. He has started building a house so he could move his family from their current two-bedroom flat to a four-bedroom flat. He has a car, and he plans to buy one for his wife as soon as the house is completed.

Onyinye is more like an angel, she knows how to keep her cool: she doesn't quarrel or argue over anything. She forgives easily, and she is very caring and understanding. She encourages, supports, and respects her husband greatly. She spends ample time praying, cooking, and taking care of their daughter and their home.
Caleb loves her immensely and will do anything for her. He doesn't cheat or lie. He works hard and provides excessively for the family.
One day, he saw a message from Ngozi and it says, "Caleb please I need your advice, my husband has been behaving like he is tired of being married to me. He comes home late, he complains about everything I do and he has stopped giving me enough money. I need help!"
Caleb being a kind-hearted man felt sorry for her, but he didn't want to involve himself in another person's family matter. "So sorry for what you are passing through. Please speak to someone your husband respects, so he or she can talk some sense into him," he replied.
*****
The ant-infested wood!
Chapter 2

Before Caleb got married, he told Onyinye about a girl that broke his heart, but he didn't mention her name or show her pictures. He has destroyed all the pictures he took with her to reduce his pain, but he left her personal pictures in the photo album where he has other pictures of his friends and family.

"You are a treasure in a hidden vessel and I am grateful to all the people that left, so I would be the one to discover you," Onyinye said that with all sincerity and Caleb could feel it. He looked at her and smiled. He has a beautiful smile, the kind of smile that melts hearts or maybe just Onyinye's heart.

Onyinye's friend, Gold, used to ask her what she saw in Caleb, but not anymore. She has come to like him too. The other day, Caleb took them out and made them all laugh so hard. Gold is in a relationship, but she can't remember the last time her guy made her laugh.
"Onyi, I am thinking of breaking up with this my guy oh!" Gold told her friend.
"Why will you break up with that Mr handsome?" Onyinye queried.
"I no dey see his handsomeness again. Anytime I look at him, na wahala I dey see. Four days ago, he saw me talking to Ken my classmate, and he frowned his face. He is still frowning till today, but I won't ask him anything because I don't have strength for the shouting and argument that will follow." Gold was feeling frustrated and it was written all over her.
"Calm down. You sef sabi para," Onyinye added jokingly. "You already know how he behaves, it's left for you to overlook certain things so your relationship will be problems-free or let go if you are sure you can't deal with such things. But you have to make up your mind yourself to avoid blaming someone later."
Gold wasn't listening anymore. She knows she is tired of looking at Mr handsome's frowning face and that she is not ready to continue quarreling, apologizing, and feeling bad. She wants to have some friendship and laughter; just like Onyinye and Caleb have.

"Gold! Can you hear me?" Onyinye inquired.

Gold said, "All I hear is lyrics,
I am tired of the critic.
My relationship is parasitic,
It will leave me paralytic."

Onyinye laughed and replied, "Idiot, you don't need to remind me that you are a poet."

"Babe I am not a poet, but I write poems," Gold always says that.
Onyinye looked at her with admiration and wondered, "How can someone be so full of potentials and not know? How can someone be so excellent but feel so ordinary?"



Ngozi sent a message to Caleb saying, "Thanks for your advice the other day. I used it, though he hasn't spoken to me since his brother called him to talk to him, he has changed. He has stopped complaining and he has started giving me enough money again. It is not like I am demanding too much from him, the money is for foodstuff and household things. Sorry to bore you with my story, I don't have friends over here that I can trust and I wouldn't want to complain anything about my husband to any of my family members."
Caleb read the message and replied, "it's okay, you can talk to me anytime you need a listening ear. I will call you later."
*****

The ant-infested wood!
Chapter 3

Ngozi has been wondering why her husband behaves strangely. "I am sure he is cheating. What else will make a man come home an hour before midnight, refuse to eat with the excuse that it's late, and then just go to bed and face the wall?"
It's been a year since she complained to her husband's brother about his behavior. He was pissed off at the initial stage, but he later came around and became kind and friendly again. "What could have happened again? I have asked him what I did wrong, and he said I did nothing. I have tried all the techniques Caleb suggested to me like:
- I have stopped waiting for him to ask for sex. I took my bath, wore sexy lingerie, sprayed some sweet-smelling perfumes, touched him in places I know he likes. Still, he didn't respond. He just pretended to be dead tired and fast asleep.
- I have stopped complaining or nagging (as men would call it). I do not question him when he comes home late or when he refuses to do what I expected him to do.
-I have prayed for him and wailed for God to touch him.
-I have been managing myself so I don't have to ask for money, aside from the money he brings for home upkeep.
-I have looked for ways to appreciate him despite his behaviors. But inspire of all that, he has refused to be good to me."

Ngozi hardly sleeps at night because feelings of pain, disappointment, regret, and anxiety wouldn't let her. One night, as her husband was busy snoring, she decided to check his phone. "Maybe I will find some answers there. I can't continue like this, it is time to take charge of my life. I would face my fears and make my decisions."
So she opened his messages, but she didn't see anything suggesting that he was cheating. She felt disappointed because she has concluded in her mind that he was cheating and was only looking for a piece of evidence.

"Ken, I know a narcissist when I see one; their major characteristic is that they think the world revolves around them. Mr. Handsome is an attention seeker, he doesn't consider the feelings of others and he is very arrogant. Every little thing, he will squeeze his face and be expecting apologies. He expects me to accept whatever he says, he feels he is better than everyone in the world, he doesn't listen to anyone, but he expects everyone to listen to him."
Ken and Gold were not close friends, but Gold's relationship issues have made them closer.
"Gold remember you told me he is also loving and romantic. Why not focus on the good and overlook the bad?" Ken asked.
"The same person who made you feel so good and proud, is the same person who will make you feel so bad and disvalued." Gold replied. "I need to look for the black goat now that there is daylight."
Ken said, "Miss poet, I am beginning to think you are all talks and no action," and they both laughed.

Ngozi met a spiritualist on Facebook and decided to consult him concerning her marriage situation. She isn't one to consult a spiritualist normally, she has never done it before, but her husband is gradually succeeding in driving her crazy.
"Hello Sir, I need your help. My husband's behaviour is driving me crazy, I have tried everything I know, but nothing seems to be working," Ngozi sent the message hesitantly.
The Spiritualist replied: "I see what you are passing through, you used to think another woman is the reason for his behaviour, until you checked his phone and discovered nothing. I will help you if you are willing."
"You are right Sir and I am willing," Ngozi replied.
*****

The ant-infested wood!
Chapter 4

Caleb woke up from sleep; he didn't see Onyinye on the bed, so he got up and tiptoed to the kitchen. He walked up to her and touched her neck. Onyinye jumped in horror and Caleb held her laughing, "I do this to you all the time. Why have you not gotten used to it?"
"This is not the only thing you do to me that I have not gotten used to," Onyinye replied, pretending to be angry. "You have to be careful; don't scare me when I am holding a knife so I don't stab you in shock."
"Babe, you can't stab anybody. Even if it's self-defense, you no fit," Caleb sniffed as he said that trying to perceive what she is cooking.
Onyinye pushed him away, "go away from here. I don't know if I am the one you came to great or you just want to see what I am cooking."
"What is the difference between you and What you are cooking?" He asked.
"What does that mean?" She tried to figure out what this funny husband of hers would mean, but his reply caught her unawares.
"I am going to eat you both." Caleb ran away as he said that because he knows his wife doesn't like talking dirty.

The Spiritualist Ngozi consulted sent her a special package to use on her husband. "Just put a little in his food; in three days you will see changes."
It's been three days and Ngozi's husband has truly changed. He gives her money in excess, comes home early, and when he is home, he plays and laughs. Now they talk and the sex has become mind-blowing again.

Two years later, Ngozi's husband became sick. They went from one hospital to another, the doctors kept diagnosing different ailments, but nothing changes after treatment. They started going to pastors who prayed and prophesied that he is healed; they believed, but the sickness kept getting worse.
"This sickness has taken all that we have. God, what kind of problem is this? Why can't I just have peace and enjoy my life with my husband and son?" Ngozi lamented.
Her husband has become sick again and was admitted to the hospital, but this time around, he didn't come home alive. He died in the hospital.

Ngozi wailed like the world has come to an end: "Why do I have to go through all this? Who did I offend? Who will take care of my son? Why does my husband have to die?"
Her husband's brother took care of the burial rites and afterward called a meeting.
"Ngozi, you know I care about you, but I need to sell some of your husband's properties so I can recover the money I used for burial."
Ngozi was shocked. She was close to this brother-in-law; her husband and his brother were more like best friends. "How can he suddenly become mean, just a few days after his brother's burial?" Ngozi wandered in her thoughts as her brother-in-law kept saying things she wasn't hearing anymore.
*****

 

The ant-infested wood!
Chapter 5

"What I don't understand is how this friendship between Ngozi and my wife stared," Caleb wondered.
"Wahala no dey finish! I know my wife, once I tell her Ngozi is the ex I told her about; she will trouble me forever.
She will start asking questions like, "do you still have feelings for her? Do you miss her? Can you possibly cheat on me with her? Both of us do not look alike; am I your real Spec or she is?" Caleb made up his mind that he was not going to ever mention that he had a relationship with Ngozi in the past.

Before Ngozi got married, she was living with her grandmother who would easily pass as her mother because she hasn't aged at all. She is one of those women of old who got married and birthed their first child before the age of 18. Ngozi's mother is her first child, so that explains it.
When Ngozi could no longer endure the suffering at her late husband's place, she took her son and went back to her grandmother's place.

She joined her grandmother's church and became one of the ushers. Onyinye, who is also an usher in the church, liked Ngozi the moment she saw her. They always chat as they count Sunday offerings and other church money.
The only thing Ngozi doesn't like about Onyinye is that she is always talking about her wonderful husband. Apart from that, she is a good and kind soul who would listen to you, feel your pain, and help you in any way she can.

"Onyi, I love this hat you are wearing today," Ngozi already knows her reply will have something to do with her husband.
"Thanks, dear. It's actually my husband that bought it for me. This is not my style normally, but when I tried it, I discovered it looks amazing," Onyinye was grinning as she replied.
"That's thoughtful of him. Caleb is a wonderful man," Ngozi complimented. She has decided she will never say anything about her past with Caleb until the day Onyinye will ask her.
"Maybe she doesn't want to talk about it or could it be that Caleb didn't tell her? I will have to ask him," she concluded.

She contacted Caleb on Facebook.
Ngozi: how are you doing?
Caleb: I am doing great. Hope all is well?
Ngozi: All is well. Thanks for the money you gave my grandma so she could buy her drugs. She told me about it and I kept wondering why you did that.
Caleb: There is no special reason. She is my church member and she needed help.
Ngozi: How come you never say anything about our past relationship? Is it that you have forgotten everything we shared or do you want to pretend it never happened?
Caleb: I do not care about the past. All I care about is what I have now, and believe me, it is beautiful.
Ngozi: Why then did you not tell your wife about me?
Caleb: You can tell her yourself, but so you know, telling her will end your relationship with her. She is the jealous type. Plus you know she is pregnant, anxiety will be bad for her at a time like this.
Ngozi: She is a friend I will not want to lose.....but she will get to know about me someday. Someone from our past may see us one day and tell her.
Caleb: They will assume she already knows. Meanwhile, this past you talk about is not yesterday. It is 7 years ago.
Ngozi: I am glad you still remember that.

Gold came to visit Onyinye, she planned to spend some days with her since Caleb went on a business trip to China.
"Now I know why you suddenly became soft-spoken. Your belly has grown big," Gold taunted her.
"Better leave me alone. I don't know the difference between you and Blessing," Onyinye said tiredly.
"She is my goddaughter na. What do you expect?"
"That reminds me, when will you and Mr. Handsome give me a goddaughter too?"
"Babe, that day will never come. We have finally ended things. The gist I said I will give you when I come is about Ken. He has asked me to be his girlfriend," Gold was all smiles as she broke the news.
"O ya now. From just a friend to an adviser, now your boyfriend," Onyinye teased her.
"He is not my boyfriend yet. I haven't said yes," Gold protested.
Onyinye burst out in laughter. "Maybe you want to deceive yourself first. I see how he makes you glow."
*****
The ant-infested wood!
Chapter 6

"What glow are you talking about," Gold protested.
Onyinye replied, "I know how frustrated you look when you talk about Mr. Handsome. But here you are, giggling and blushing just because you are telling me about Ken. Babe, the energy is different; all I feel is positive vibes."

Ngozi entered while they were discussing. "Gold, meet my church member, fellow usher, and friend, Ngozi. Ngozi, this is my best friend Gold that I told you about."

"Welcome Ngozi, please what did she tell you about me?" Gold asked jokingly and they all laughed.
Gold: Back to the gist. Onyi! Breaking up with that guy wasn't easy. Anytime I say "it's over," he will beg me with tears flowing down his cheeks, with promises that he will change.

Onyinye: Babe stop exaggerating na. Men don't cry!

Gold: this one cries oh! Once I agree, he will start buying me gifts and showering me with love. One week later, he will start acting as if I offended him. Ask him what's wrong from now till tomorrow; he will say nothing.
When he sees that I have gotten tired of asking, he will open his mouth and say all the hurtful things he can think of to me. He goes as far as using things I told him in confidence to insult me.

Onyinye: so why do you not leave him afterward?

Gold: he knows my week points. Once he sees that he has broken my heart, he will start crying and apologizing. He will say, "Sugar, I can't live without you. If you leave me, I will go crazy. There is no me without you. I don't know what's wrong with me but I promise to work on myself. I can do anything for you. Maybe all this is happening because I love you too much."

Onyinye: so did he go crazy after the breakup?

Gold: he almost did. He came to our house, but because I refused to come out, he told my mum all sorts of nonsense about me. Then he started sending me messages about how sorry he is for everything he told my mum about me, but I refused to reply. He kept calling until I decided to remove my SIM and use a new SIM card for a while.

Ngozi: Wonders shall never end. There was a time I passed through a similar experience. The only difference is that I was married to the guy, so I couldn't leave. I tried everything I could to change things, but nothing worked until I meet a Prophet who told me his problem was ancestral.

Gold: I guess he was trying to say narcissism runs in the guy's DNA.

Ngozi: What is narcissism?

Gold: The story is long oh! Check it out on google, but my brief way of explaining it is that; it is a personality disorder that makes someone think highly of himself and nothing of others, want to control and fight with whoever they are in a relationship with, they envy a lot and seek attention at all cost.

Ngozi: Wow! Thanks for sharing this knowledge with me. Onyinye has slept off oh! I will be on my way now.

Gold: Alright dear. Take care!

The day Caleb and Onyinye celebrated their 5th wedding anniversary in the church along with the first birthday of their son, was the day the devil entered Ngozi's head.
"This is supposed to be Caleb and me, celebrating. I will no longer sit back and watch someone else enjoy what belongs to me. I must do something about this." Ngozi made the decision to do whatever it takes to get Caleb back into her life.
*****

The ant-infested wood!
Chapter 7


I do not agree with people who say that good thing don't last, but sometimes, it seems as if they are right. Onyinye doesn't deserve to die. She is kind, loving, and never quarrels with anyone. Why is death so crazy? Why does it allow evil people to live and then kill good people? Who will take care of her children now?

Ngozi comes to help Caleb sometimes. She will cook different kinds of food and put in the freezer. When Caleb wakes in the morning, he warms and puts food in the kids' lunch box, he baths them and while they are taking their cereal, he will take his bath and get ready for work. He drops them in school on his way to work and after school, the school bus brings them to his office.

A lot of people have offered to take the children but he refused. "I can take care of my children. They can't lose their mother and then lose their father as well."
When his mother-in-law insisted she has to take the girl because she believes a man can't take care of a girl child all by himself; he vehemently refused. They argued until the poor woman got tired and left.

Gold went to study abroad when Caleb called to tell her about Onyinye's demise. She was heartbroken, but there was no way she could come back. "The world is a useless place. I don't know why we still hustle to get the good things of life when people die after getting their heart desires." Gold and Ken were planning to get married when she returns, but she told him to hold on for a while.

Ngozi sent a message to Caleb.
Ngozi: Hi. How are you doing?
Caleb: I am okay. Thanks for your help the other day.
Ngozi: It's nothing dear, I can do anything for you.
Caleb: You know you don't have to do anything for me?
Ngozi: But I love to. Do you have a problem with that?
Caleb: No I don't. But my wife's younger sister is done with her SSCE examinations, so she will be coming to stay with us until she gets admission to the university.
Ngozi: Okay, that is good. You need help.

"I think this is time to shoot my shots. I don't trust men. This guy can start feeling things for Onyinye's sister. The way he talks about his wife without adding 'late,' he can easily transfer what he feels for Onyinye to her Sister."
Ngozi was shocked by Onyinye's death. Her death confirmed to her that it was that fake prophet that killed her husband.
"He told me to put something in my husband's food so he can become more loving; 2 years later, he died. I consulted him when my husband became sick and he said the sickness is not unto death and that it also has nothing to do with the love portion."
"When I told him about how I wanted to get Caleb back, he said no enchantment can work on him until he is separated from Onyinye. He gave me a perfume and said that once Onyinye sprays it, she will start having issues with Caleb and leave on her own accord. Three months later, Onyinye became sick and died afterward." Ngozi thought of how to fight the spiritualist, but she knew it will be a fight of shame because she has no evidence and she wasn't supposed to be consulting a spiritualist in the first place.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," Ngozi decided to go ahead with her plot. "First, I will try to seduce Caleb, but if it doesn't work, I will use the second plan which will definitely work."
As she was getting ready to go cook for Caleb and the kids, she packed an overnight bag and told her grandmother to take care of her son Daniel, because she will not be back until the next day.

"Mummy, I thought you said you won't be coming back today," Daniel questioned his mother as she entered the house with a sad look on her face.
She was too deep in thoughts to answer, she went straight to her bed and started playing back the events of the day in her mind.
*****

 

The ant-infested wood!
Chapter 8

When Ngozi went to Caleb's house with thoughts of seducing him, she cooked and decided to wait until they have had dinner.
"It's getting late, shouldn't you be on your way?" Caleb asked her.
"Let me wait for the kids to eat so I can tuck them in bed before going." She answered sweetly.
"That's not necessary oh. They are no longer babies. Besides Daniel will be expecting his mother."
"Don't worry about Daniel, he is a big boy now." She went to the kitchen and brought the wine she kept in the fridge. She poured some for Caleb and sat down with hers, sipping it gently.
Caleb wondered what they were celebrating, but he decided not to question the pampering, so he doesn't appear ungrateful.

When the children finished eating, Ngozi took them to their room. She intentionally wasted time, so Caleb would finish the wine and get drunk. When she finally came out, Caleb was surprised to see she wasn't getting ready to leave.
"Ngozi, you should leave now." Ngozi stood up as if she was leaving, but instead, she moved to where Caleb was sitting and sat on the arm of his couch. She touched his shoulders in such a manner that he couldn't speak.

"Baby, let me give you a body massage. You are a good man, you deserve to be taken care of. I am sure you see how I want to be here for you, but you keep pushing me away."
Caleb finally found his voice when Ngozi tried to kiss him, "please leave." His voice was coarse, his eyes looked as if a fire was going to come out of it and burn Ngozi to ashes.

Ngozi was scared, but she decided to try a little more.
"It's been 18months since Onyinye died. I know it hurts, but you will not mourn her forever. I am sorry that I left you the first time, but I will never leave you again." She started crying. She knows her cry will soften Caleb's heart. It worked, but not entirely.

Caleb wanted to tell her how her rejection so many years ago almost killed him, how he will never let her back into his life again, how he regrets letting her come close to his wife. But her cry quenched the explosion and he decided to handle the matter gently. "Ngozi, you have to go home today. We will talk about this matter later." He helped her stand on her feet and gently lead her to the door.

As Ngozi lay on her bed ruminating on the event of the day, it started raining heavily. She was grateful for the rain, "now I can cry as much as I like and mama will not hear me." She cried herself to sleep and when she woke up in the morning, she decided to continue with plan B. She sent Caleb a message.
Ngozi: Daniel is your son.
Caleb: What kind of joke is this?
Ngozi: Why will I joke with such things?
Caleb: You got married in January and gave birth in September, how can the child possibly be mine?
Ngozi: I was with you in December. If you want to count 9 months from today, will you start counting from this month? You will count from next month.

Everyone who knows Caleb knows he is a lover of children. He can do anything for the good of any child that comes his way. Though he found Ngozi's claim disturbing, he was definitely going to do something about it. He asked her to come to the house on Saturday so they can talk things over. Since Gold will be coming back later in the week, Caleb told her to come on Saturday too.

"This is crazy!" Gold looked at them with disgust. "Firstly, Caleb I am highly disappointed that you could keep this matter from my friend until her death. Secondly, Ngozi you kept this secret about Caleb being the father of your son. You were willing to give his son to another man. All because of what?"
Ngozi kept crying, saying nothing.
"I don't think Caleb is the father of your child. Pregnancy is not actually carried for nine months. The doctor starts counting from the first day of your last menstrual period. So if you had your son in September, it means you had your last period in December. The conception could have happened in January. Caleb the only way you can be sure is through a DNA test."

A lot was going on in Caleb's mind. "I do not know Ngozi as a liar. She was loving and good when we were together. Could she be lying? I have asked her how come I got her pregnant when we were only kissing and smooching; she said I was drunk the last time and went all the way in. And you didn't say anything until 10 years later?"

*****
The ant-infested wood!
Chapter 9

Caleb looked pitifully at Ngozi as she was crying, "she has gone through a lot. We agreed to wait until we get married; maybe the real reason she left was that I failed her. She suffered so much in her marriage and all those times I only thought about myself and never felt anything for her."
He finally found his voice and said, "it's okay. Please give me some time to make my own decisions."
Three days later, he sent Ngozi a message.
Caleb: how are you doing?
Ngozi: I am okay.
Caleb: and how is my son doing?

Ngozi's heart leaped with joy. She couldn't believe her eyes. Finally, she has won the battle and she is going to take her place. Then she replied with a smile on her face, "he is doing great."

Onyinye's sister has arrived to look after her niece and nephew, while she prepares for Jamb. Caleb told Ngozi to stop coming so it doesn't look like he is disrespecting his late wife.
"I will adopt Daniel officially and you guys can move in when Onyinye's sister gets admission and leaves. For now, I will only be sending you money for his upkeep."
Ngozi was okay with the plan, she couldn't believe her dream finally came through.

It was exactly three years after Onyinye's death when Ngozi moved in with her son. She felt she has finally entered the promised land and for the first time in her lifetime, she experienced orgasm. She couldn't explain her feelings, her body felt weightless and it was as if she was in another world; a world where she had no worries, a world of pure bliss.

One morning, she went to the children's room to wake them so they will get ready for school, and she found Daniel shivering with fever. She thought it was just malaria, but she didn't know that it was only the beginning to the end of her bliss.

When they got to the hospital, the doctor placed him on admission. Malaria and typhoid tests came out negative, so they will have to run other tests and scans.
"Who will I run to? Lord, please have mercy on me. Do not punish me for my sins." She groaned in prayers. She doesn't sleep at night anymore as she stays up all night praying.

She was already going crazy from sleeplessness, but she lost it completely the day Daniel died. She went totally crazy that Caleb had to take her from the children's hospital to the psychiatric hospital.

"Caleb, my son doesn't deserve to die. Let me die instead. Onyinye take me and leave my son, please!" She was screaming and talking nonsense.

"Ngozi, stop calling the dead. Allow Onyinye to rest in peace. Why will she take your son?" Caleb was confused and sad. "What on earth did I get myself into? Who did I offend? Why can't I just be married without issues? First was Onyinye's death, then Daniel's death, now Ngozi has gone crazy. The next thing the world will say is that I am using my family for money ritual."
*****

The ant-infested wood!
Chapter 10

Psychiatric facilities are so expensive in Nigeria. No wonder mad people are allowed to roam the streets without their families or the government doing anything about it.
Thank God Caleb has the means to pay because Ngozi is not coming out anytime soon. She holds the key to her sanity, but she has decided to keep the door locked.

"If I confess to Caleb that I have been manipulating him, he will never forgive me. He will not forgive me for the death of Onyinye, he will not forgive me for lying about Daniel being his son and he will not forgive himself for letting me come close to his wife."
"Of what use is my freedom from insanity going to be if I am left with no family and friends? How will I live with myself with all the thoughts of guilt and regret? Let the gods keep me out of my mind; where I can live in fantasy. Here I am married to Caleb, Daniel is alive and I have other children. They always play with me and keep me company."
"Let me remain here because it is a lonely world out there. Let Caleb remain ignorant of all that happened because sometimes, what you do not know, cannot hurt you."

Caleb did not marry Ngozi officially because her grandmother just died at that time, she moved in with him after the burial and they decided to wait for a while before traveling again to perform the marriage rites; but one thing led to another and they never got to travel. Now, that things are this way, his friends advised him to get another wife.
"Why will I marry again? How do I look at her every day without thinking about Onyinye and Ngozi? What is the guarantee that I will not be heartbroken by misfortune after I have come to love her as if life depends on it?" He has decided to focus on his children.
They are gradually becoming adults. Ada is now in the university while Junior just entered senior secondary. They both live in the school, but they came back this weekend to attend their aunty's wedding.
Do you remember their aunty, Onyinye's sister?
They were glad to see their loved ones at the wedding. Aunty Gold and Uncle Ken were there too.

Gold looked at Ada and was awed at her striking resemblance with Onyinye. Memories of their friendship never faded since all these years and she has come to the conclusion that "people do not die, they live on in the memories of the living."


The end

Written by Kaycee Bliss

Will you like to read another story written by Kaycee Bliss? Use this Link: THE BATTLE OF THE GODS