Looking back now, I realize it was not a very smart thing to do. Perhaps, my young age then (I was just 23) had something to do with it. And of course, the love I had for my then fiancé, Ena. He meant the world to me and I was ready to do anything for him.
I met Ena in 2005, at a very difficult time in his life. And mine as well because I was going through a lot of challenges then. I had finished secondary school and though I had the ambition of furthering my education, there was simply no money to do that. You see, I come from a very large family.
My late mother had eleven of us (though we lost one) and taking care of all these children was not easy. My father did not have any regular job and did a little business here and there to make ends meet. Before she died, my mother used to do some petty trading in second hand clothing and other stuff. All their efforts did not bring in much and food and other necessities of life were scarce. Feeding all these mouths was a big struggle for my parents.
I was the third born and first daughter in the family. My elder brothers left home as soon as they finished school to ‘hustle’ and it was left to me to look after my younger siblings. Things got worse after my mother’s death as there was very little money to take care of the family. So, as soon as I finished school, I started looking for a job. With the help of a church member, I got a position as a cashier at a supermarket in town. The pay was not much and after deducting the money I spent on transport commuting to and from work, there was not much left.
But it was better than staying at home idle or running around with different men for money as some of my friends did. Anyway, it was while working at the store that I met Ena. He had come shopping one day with a little girl of about six. There was a particular item he wanted to buy which we did not have in stock. I promised to help place an order for it with our suppliers. He was very grateful and before leaving, he dropped his card with me.
“I will call you as soon as we have it in stock,” I said as he left.
Some days later, we had the item he wanted and he returned to pick it up one evening on his way from the office.
“Thanks so much. I have searched all over town for this but I could not get it to buy,” he stated happily as he paid for the product.
Later that week, he called me and we got chatting. With time, we became friends. At that time, he had been separated from his wife for about two years and he was raising his two daughters alone with the help of his mother and sister. He had a son too, but he had died a few days after his third birthday. As we got closer, he told me about what happened with his former wife and the reason he had become so wary of women.
“She was dating other men behind my back. I caught her in the act so it wasn’t just gossip,” he stated one day about three months after our first meeting. By then, we had started going out, though he made it clear from the onset that he could never settle down with any woman again.
“You are the first lady I have become close to since the incident as I find it difficult to trust women again. What my wife did to me really hurt me,” Ena explained. It was not just the emotional pain alone, he said. There was the cultural aspect too. You see, Ena is from a royal family in his community in Delta State. According to their tradition, any woman married into the family must never have affairs outside her home as it could lead to severe consequences for the family and community as a whole. Call it superstition or not but he believes it’s the wife’s infidelity that caused the death of his only son. His mother and other family members thought the same too.
Fresh start
You might wonder why I decided to get involved with a man who had serious issues with trust and had sworn never to marry again. The fact was that the more I got to know Ena, the more I liked him. He was a very loving and caring man and I wondered why any woman would be unfaithful to such a man and treat him so badly.
Anyway, with time, Ena grew to love me and I felt the same way too. Despite his love for me, I always felt he was holding back from fully accepting me into his life. Things would have continued that way if it were not for Cherie, his first daughter.
The girl had returned from school one day crying that one of her schoolmates, whom she had an argument with had called her a ‘motherless child’.
“Daddy, please bring my Mummy back home. I want a Mummy like my friends!” she had cried that day.
Perhaps, it was due to this incident, which made him see the need for a mother for the children or the fact that his hard stance against remarriage had softened, for he proposed to me shortly after. This was a year after we started dating. By this time, I had become close to his children as well as other family members. His mother seemed to like me; her only complaint about me was that I did not come from their hometown.
She had a reason for that.
Ena’s former wife, she pointed out was not from their community and did not know ‘our traditions. That’s why she misbehaved and brought shame on herself and not my son,’ she said with a hiss.
I accepted Ena’s proposal and he got to meet my father and siblings. My father, probably because he had one less child to worry about or a new son to help with family responsibilities, welcomed my fiancé eagerly into our home. He became even happier when Ena began giving him money regularly for the upkeep of the family. He also promised my father that he would ensure that I went to a higher institution after our marriage.
“Mercy, my daughter, we are very lucky to have someone like Ena come into this family. So, I want you to be a good wife to him when you marry. Also, take his children as your own and don’t be wicked to them,” my father advised me one day as we began making preparations for my marriage.
Two weeks before the traditional marriage ceremony, Ena called me into his room one evening. The children were in their room watching TV and I had just finished preparing dinner.
In the room, he brought out a large Bible from a drawer by the bedside, which he gave to me. I gazed at him curiously, wondering what he was doing with the book when he wasn’t going to church that evening.
Then looking at me solemnly he stated:
“This is something we need to do before our marriage. I want to be sure in my mind that there will not be a repeat of what happened with my ex-wife.”
“What is it? What do you want to do?” I asked a bit anxiously.
“It’s not something tasking. All I want is for you to make a vow that you will stay faithful to me forever. You have to promise me that you will never allow any , man except me to touch you as long as you live. Can you do that, Mercy?”
“Is that all?”I said and without thinking much about it, I agreed to do as he wished.
I placed my hand on the Bible and vowed to be a faithful and loving wife.
“I promise that I will never look at another man for the rest of my days. It is you alone I will have in my heart, body and soul,” I stated firmly.
After that, Ena gave me a kiss which sealed the vow between us…
To be continued
Will Mercy be able to keep to the vow of fidelity she made to Ena? Join us next Saturday to find out!
Names have been changed to protect the identity of the narrator and other individuals in the story.
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