The Pain 4

We were married, at long last! I was so excited on my wedding day , I prayed I wouldn’t have crises. Sometimes anxiety, excitement, heightened emotions can bring it about. Thankfully, my fear did not materialise.
I danced and danced. No one knew I could dance that well. My happiness brought it out of me. I was so happy I couldn’t eat through out the day.
Three days after my wedding, I had crises. I woke up my body intertwined with my husband’s to terrible back pains. I started groaning. My husband woke up to the groaning. He was alarmed
‘ hospital…hospital’ I managed to mutter
He kept asking me what was wrong. The poor man was clueless.
We got to the hospital. The doctor just took one glance at me and ordered I be admitted. Hubby carried me into the ward. I was on admission for three days.
As soon as hubby ushered me back from the hospital
‘ Why didn’t you tell me you have Sickle Cell Anaemia?’
I looked everywhere but at him. I bit my lower lip in despair, tears rolling down my cheeks.
‘ I didn’t want to lose you….I was scared to lose you'
I managed to glance at him, his face was expressionless
‘ How could you? It means the test result you showed me, was doctored?’
I started crying,in earnest. I had paid for the test result to be doctored at the lab I went to for tests. On paper I was AA, but in reality….
‘ Please forgive me Lekan. I am so sorry' I cried piteously
I tried reaching out for his leg (as I was seated and he was standing) but, he moved away abruptly and I nearly fell.
That was the beginning of the cold war in my less than a week old marriage. He was courteous ,I’ll give him that, but he treated me with indifference. I couldn’t go to my mother as she had warned me,  virtually everyone had. I tried severally to appeal to him, but Lekan was unmoved.
I cannot tell you the number of times I berated myself, the cries, silent and loud. My fall into depression. A few months afterwards, Lekan moved out of the house. I contacted his family, but they said they hadn’t heard from him. His lines were not reachable. I was distressed, worried sick.
A few days later I got divorce papers delivered to the house. I had massive crises. I had to be hospitalized for two weeks.
I called mother and she advised I let him go. I was reluctant to. What would people say? A marriage not up to a year, ending just like that! Won’t they say something is wrong with me? That I’m jinxed?
As soon as I was discharged, I called him. Suprisingly, he picked( I’m sure he was curious to know my take as regards the divorce)
I told him, before I agree to sign, that we needed to see, to talk. He agreed to come by the house, the very next day.


To be continued…