BEARING GIFTS (A SHORT STORY)
10:30pm
Princess looked at the time and let out a huge sigh. It has become a habit for Gerald to come home late hours of the day.
The children always asked why their dad always came home late. They wondered why they saw him only in the morning but never before they went to bed. All she could tell them was 'he was doing important work'. She didn't know how long that excuse would work. Children were too smart for them to be deceived this long.
It hadn't left her mind that Gerald could be cheating. As much as it hurt to think about it, she preferred to know if that was the case. It would be better to know he was in his mistress's house than to be laced with worry everyday wondering if something tragic had happened to him.
She got up from the couch, tired of scrolling aimlessly through social media and headed to the dining table. His food had gotten cold.
Today, just like every other day, he would come home and not eat. She should know better than to keep hoping the food won't go to waste but a part of her held on to hope.
As she took the food back to the kitchen, she thought about the sudden change in her marriage and when it started.
Everything had been perfect, at least that's what she thought. Gerald had acted normal. He came home on time, helped the kids with their homework, ate food and commented on how she was the best cook ever. After that, he would treat her to mind blowing sex.
This had been their routine.
Everything changed when he went on a work trip. He had come back home distracted. She noticed and brought it up with him but all he told her was the people in his office were after his position and requested that she prayed for him.
She was worried and hoped things would go back to normal when the issue at the office gets solved.
So pray she did.
But things only got worse.
The first night he came home late, he complained about Lagos traffic and how it kept him on the road for five hours. This had never happened before so she believed him. Traffic could be ridiculous at times.
Subsequent nights, he continued coming home late and as time went by, he stopped giving excuses. Whenever Cynthia asks, he would mumble something about being tired, take a shower and go to bed. She hadn't been touched in weeks and could feel the impact on her body.
She couldn't help but wonder what had gone wrong. She thought of telling her friends but she knew what they would say.
"He is cheating" They would conclude. She wasn't ready for them to confirm the fears she already had.
Telling her mother would be worse. She would berate Princess.
She could hear her mum say "Why are you complaining? You had a roof over your head and food to eat. Why are you looking for problems? Your husband is the breadwinner. He has to work for all the things you are enjoying"
Anytime her mother would bring it up, she always tried to remind her mum that being a stay home wife was never the plan but her mum always shut her up.
After all, a woman should be grateful that her husband is paying bills he would have paid anyway if he lived alone.
She felt lonely, not only in her marriage but in all her relationships.
As she kept his food in the microwave in case he was going to request for his food when he got back, she heard the front door open. She let out a silent sigh as she headed to the living room to greet him.
She expected the usual grumpiness he came with but she was fine with it. As long as he was okay.
To her surprise, Gerald came in with a smile on his face as he held on to some shopping bags.
"Hey baby" He greeted, dropping the bags on the floor and walking up to her.
"Welcome home" She greeted, puzzled as he pecked her on the lips.
He raised a brow when he pulled back "Are you okay?" He asked.
Princess clenched her fists by her side. How dare he ask her if she's okay. She had been discarded and ignored for weeks while he went about his day. He had treated her like a housemaid he paid to clean his home and all of a sudden he had the nerve to finally ask if she was okay at 11:15pm.
"You look sick. Are you sick?" He asked, his eyes searching her face.
What he was seeing as sickness was the pain and heartache he had caused her. But he wouldn't know.
She looked away and said, "I'm okay."
He clapped his hands "Great. Because I got something for you" He rushed to get the bags he had brought in with him and held it out in front of him.
Princess eyed the bags before looking at her husband "What is this?"
"I got them for you. Why don't you take a look".
Slowly, Princess took the bags out of his hands. They were three in number. She opened one of the bags and saw makeup products. In the other bag, it looked like he had gotten her clothes. She placed the other two bags on the floor and opened the one with clothes.
As she brought the clothes in the bag out one by one, she noticed that Gerald had bought outfits that were not her style. She dressed casually and a tad bit conservatively but what she was staring at were dressed with low cuts at the front and the back. Most of the dresses were short. The styles were not her at all.
"Gerald. Um... Who did you buy these clothes for?"
Gerald looked confused "You of course."
"Why?"
"What do you mean why?"
"These outfits are not my style and you know that."
Gerald's lips stretched into a smile "I know but I think you should try something different."
"But..."
"... It might take time but I want you to start dressing like..." He stopped talking as if thinking twice about what he was going to say.
"... Like what?"
"Like a young lady."
"Don’t I dress my age?"
Gerald let out a chuckle "Honey, you dress like you are 70 years old. Even if you are a mum, you should still take care of yourself. "
It felt like he had hit her with a bullet. After being absent for days, he finally talks to her and uses that opportunity to tell her that she wasn't appealing to him anymore.
"I need to take a shower. Meet me in the room". He said as he grabbed his wallet and phone and left her.
Princess was too stunned to speak. She looked down at all that she was wearing and thought that Gerald might have a point.
On her head were cornrows she had been carrying for a month, she was wearing a long oversized dress. All this was because she needed to be comfortable in her home. She hardly went out but when she did, she tried to look her best. To have her husband flat out say she dresses like an old woman made tears stream down her face.
Princess heard water flow as she entered their room and knew that her husband was in the shower. She had shed a few tears downstairs before heading up.
As she dropped the bags next to their bed, she heard a buzz.
Gerald had left his phone on the bed. Before she could think too much about it, she grabbed his phone from the bed and left the room.
She didn't know why she did that or how Gerald would react when he came out of the shower. All she knew was she needed answers.
There was a message from 'Ella'. She had never heard of Ella. His secretary was a man called Joseph.
Looking back at intervals, Princess kept trying to go straight to the phone's T
messenger app. Opening her husband's phone wasn't a problem. He never locked his phone.
He had said it was unnecessary and left it that way so she would know he loved her and had nothing to hide. Because he trusted her, she never checked his phone.
A gasp escaped her lips as she read the latest transaction between Ella and her husband. That transaction was all she needed to see.
Ella: My love, have you gotten home?
Gerald: Just did.
Ella: I miss you already.
Gerald: You know I miss you too.
Ella: And your wife? Has she gotten the things?
Gerald: She did
Ella: And?
Gerald: She doesn't like them. I'm not surprised.
Ella: Awww. I took my time to pick them for her. I tried to pick what she would like
Gerald: It's no fault of yours. She's ancient. It will take time for someone like her to change. At Least I tried my best.
That was possibly the last thing he texted before heading to the shower. Ella in her reply had sent a laughing emoji.
Princess could feel herself losing balance.
Her husband was cheating on her.
Not only that, he and his mistress had shopped for her.
And now they are laughing at her behind her back.
If anyone had told her this story she would have called it fiction.
But it was her life.
She didn't know how to feel.
She didn’t know what to do.
Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this story, your claps will be appreciated (Do you know you can clap up to 50 times?)
Don’t forget to let me know what you think of the story and the situation. It was inspired by a post I saw on Instagram.
