The Bartender

When Nnaemeka Ejiofor showed interest in the new bartender at their usual spot where they go to unwind every other weekend, Amaechi, his friend, found it strange or rather amusing.

Since he has known his friend, Nnaemeka, he wasn't one to cheat on his wife Adaego. The bond between these two is so strong that no one has been able to come between them, not even childlessness. Severally, his family had put up a fight to get him a new wife who will bear him children but Nnaemeka opposed them all. There was nothing they didn't do to frustrate Adaego out of the marriage but Nneamaka stood firmly by her, reassuring her of his love and commitment. His family eventually got tired of fighting Adaego and left them to their fate.

For nineteen years, they lived without a child. For those years, their love grew stronger. They amassed wealth also. Adaego, a trained Medical doctor, was doing well for herself in the medical field, while her husband owned and controlled many legit businesses.

So, it was rather strange or amusing that after all these years, Nnaemeka would finally pick interest in a young girl who would possibly bore him a child. Lately, after his fiftieth birthday, he has been in desperate need of a child,

At the bar, Nnaemeka's face lit up when Adaora showed up with their order. A bucket of ice containing some bottles of expensive champagne, she catwalked towards their table, swaying her hips rhythmically like a gazelle. From his previous visits to the bar, she has caught him glancing intensely at her. She won't mind if he spends his money on her the way Chief Uzo does for Lilian, her Co-worker.

At 19, young, beautiful and naive, Adaora knew Nnaemeka was interested in her, and he was too old for her but won't mind the extra cash. She took up the bartender job because she needed to save up money for her uni.

Nnaemeka signalled to her to come close. She went to him, smiling sheepishly. He engaged her in conversation and soon found out she wasn't all that smart. Just the right person he was looking for.

The manager came and politely requested Adaora goes back to her work. Nnaemeka dropped a bundle of Hundred thousand Naira on the table and gestured to the manager to take it, thereby, shutting her mouth. She smiled, picked up the money and let them be.

Adaora was easy to convince. He made her understand that he has a wife but he wants to marry a second wife, who will bear him children. He promised to send her to school. Buy her a house, car and lots of other goodies if she would agree to his proposal, play her role and stay out of the first wife's way.

They began to see frequently in hotels. Three months after, Adaora resigned from her place of work. Her co-workers pushed over themselves to get a glimpse of Adaora's engagement ring, which she flashed in their faces before stepping into Nnaemeka's Range Rover, driven by his driver. How one's life can change in a twinkling of an eye, amazed her ex-co-workers.

When Amaechi accompanied his friend, Nnaemeka to Adaora's house to meet her parents, her father vehemently refused the marriage. Even the monies Nnaemeka threw around to entice them, couldn't change his mind. He insisted Adaora was too young to get married and not to a man old enough to be her father. It was his wife, Julie, Adaora's mother, who stood her ground and refused for such wealth to pass her family by. She was the one who facilitated the quiet traditional marriage. Mr Ude reluctantly gave his blessings when he found out that his daughter was 4 weeks pregnant.

To hide his secret marriage from his first wife, Nnaemeka took his new wife to Anambra state to live with his mother. There, he opened a big supermarket for her and employed workers to run the business. He did everything to make Adaora happy and comfortable.

Adaora was indeed happy but for one thing, Nnaemeka was fond of doing. He was fond of calling her by his first wife's name. Adaego.

Adaora would correct him whenever he calls her Adaego. He made her understand that it was easier for him that way so that the first wife won't find out about them until he will be able to facilitate their papers to relocate abroad with their child. He admitted he hadn't cheated on his wife before, and it was all new to him, to avoid the mistake of calling their names wrongly, and blowing their cover, it was only wise for him to maintain one name for the both of them. His explanation made sense to Adaora and that settled the matter. She agreed to be called Adaego.

When it was time for her to give birth Nnaemeka left Abuja and travelled to Anambra state to be with her. He shed tears of joy when he held his son for the first time. To appreciate her, he bought a car for her. Adaora was happy, she would no longer be driven in her mother-in-law's car. Her mother came to do omugwo. She was happy to see how Adaora's mother-in-law pampered and spoiled her daughter silly.

Two years later, she got pregnant again and gave birth to a baby girl. Nnaemeka was over the moon with Joy. He named her Adaeze.

Adaeze, was four months old and still breastfeeding, when Nnaemeka's dad, Ejiofor died. That would be the first time, Adaora would set her eyes on Nnaemeka's first wife, Adaego, during the burial ceremony.

Adaora was aware of the lies the family had cooked up to tell Adaego about her. They told her that Adaora was Ezenna's girlfriend. He had gotten her pregnant and she automatically become his wife. Ezenna; the last born of Nnaemeka's family, acted his role so well that it was convincing to Adaego. She was delighted to know the beautiful new wife also bears her name.

She bought gifts for Adaora, a new phone, clothes for her babies and some cash gifts.

Everything was going on fine. Life was good for Adaora and her babies. They went to the best school. They never lacked anything good. Whenever the first wife visited the family house. She would bring gifts, toys, learning materials for the babies, and money for Adaora. Adaora and her mother-in-law would take turns making a mockery of her behind her back for believing their lies.

Adaego was so much buried in her work as her medical job was time-consuming, that she never doubted her husband and his numerous travels and the excuses he gives.

For some months, he and Adaora had secretly planned their daughter's two-year birthday. She went to the Airport to pick him up five days before the birthday party. The next day, he took them shopping. He bought things for Adaora, for his son Obinna, and for little Adaeze, his daughter.

After the quiet birthday party. It was time for him to return to Abuja. He was going to miss them until when next he was able to get a chance to see them again. He suggested they check into a hotel for four days, to spend family time together.

Two days later in the hotel, Adaora woke up in a haze. The room was empty. Thinking they had gone to have breakfast without her, she brushed her teeth and went in search of them. The fancy clock at the lobby was forty-five minutes past 12 pm. She has never slept that deeply before. She blamed it on the alcohol her husband gave her before she went to bed.

At the lobby, she enquired if her husband dropped a message as she was yet to see them. They weren't in the breakfast room and he wasn't picking up his phone either. Maybe he took the children swimming and thought not to disturb her sleep.

When the hotel manager started acting up and behaving like he had no information about her or about her family ever being in the hotel, she knew something was up. Her First response was to scream her children's names as she searched for them around the hotel. She requested the CCTV but got a shove instead. They made her understand she was constituting a nuisance and wanted her to leave as they have no information about her.

She took a taxi home. She was so sure she'd meet them at home but that was not to be. Instead, Ezenna pushed her into a room and locked the door. She screamed until she lost her voice.

She was on the floor feeling feverish, sleepy and weak when her mother-in-law opened the door at night to drop her a plate of food.

"Call your mother to come to get you." She said and shut the door again.

She picked up the phone again to call her husband and this time, it was switched off. She called her mother.

Her mother listened with her mouth a gap at her daughter's tales of woe. Quickly, she packed her bag to leave the next morning for Anambra state. Her father refused to go.

When she arrived, she saw Adaora holding her heart like broken pieces of clay. Shattered beyond words could describe. The realization had dawned on her that she had been played. Seeing her daughter in that state, Julie lamented that her only crime in life was being poor, if not, such won't happen to her daughter. Right there, she knew there was no time to cry anymore but to act fast. They needed justice but to get justice they would need money.

She helped Adaora to pick the file containing her business documents and the car documents and the ones with her children's birth certificates. She was going to fight with her last blood to get her kids back. One after the other, they looked through it as they intended to sell some to raise money.

Like a mirage, that hoped crumbled before their eyes as they discovered the documents carried the name 'ADAEGO EJIOFOR' and not Adaora Ejiofor.

Her children's original birth certificates were nowhere to be seen. What she had was photocopies from when they were enrolled in school. The photocopies of their birth certificate had 'ADAEGO EJIOFOR' on them.

She went berserk. She lost her mind and started breaking things in the house. Ezenna and her mother-in-law overpowered her and threw them out of the gate.

"Go and call your lawyer." She shouted at them. You poor wretched things. Who will believe you? You have no proof." She shut the gate in their faces.

In the United States of America, Obinna, Adaora's four-year-old son, kept asking of her.

"I want to see my mum. When will mummy come to see us." He would ask.

To distract him, he would be given more toys and allowed more hours to watch the cartoon.

At bedtime, he asked about his mother again. Adaego kissed him and reassured him.

"I'm your mother now. I will be the sweetest mum you will ever need."

Obinna would stare at her until he fell asleep.

Nnaemeka hugged his wife from the back to his chest and kissed her on the back of her neck.

"Do you ever think they will get used to me.?" She asked him.

"Give it time. They are still babies. They will soon forget and see you as their mum." He reassured her.

She smiled with misty eyes. Finally, someone who calls her mum.

She waited for this day. She had been waiting.

She played the fool.

All along, she was in the know.

Who is the foolish one now?

She smacked and bent down to kiss her babies goodnight. Adaeze was already fast asleep, clutching a woolly doll, her mother had bought for her. The one Adaora got her for her two years birthday.

Life is like a game of chess, to win you have to make a move -Allan Rufus.

Be two steps ahead...even when the playing ground is conducive.

Written by Ngozi Aghala