Deep Sea of Secrets Episode 1

Nnamdi: My people I greet you all
Elders chorused: we greet you too.

Nnamdi: ‘you all know the reason for this meeting and I want to make it clear that on no account will I be accepting a woman who cheated on me not once, twice and neither is it thrice. I want you people, my elders to help me ask this woman’ pointing to his wife ‘who the father of the abominable children is and why did she hide it from me all these years. Why did she make me father three children that are not from my loins? Thank you’ he said and sat down close to his mother who patted him on his back.

First Elder: ‘Hmmm..Alu! Alu! What an abomination. Ifeoma our wife’ he said looking at her, you have heard all that your husband has said, now is the time to answer his questions before we the elders of Udi community. You do know that what you did is a grave offence in our land, don’t you?

Ifeoma: I do my elders.

First Elder: Then why did you do it? Why did you commit such an abomination?

Ifeoma kept mute.

Mama Nnamdi: is it not you the elders are asking questions or are you deaf that you cannot hear again?

Nnamdi: so you don’t want to answer the elders of our land abi?

Elders, you people should ask her ooo. look at me now, when I am supposed to be enjoying the fruit of my labor,I was going to take them on a surprise trip to the US when I found out that my children are actually not mine for a DNA was conducted on all three of my precious children. I am shattered my people.

Mama Nnamdi: I blame you, I blame you Nnamdi. When I told you to take a second wife you wouldn’t listen, now look at you and the situation this witch has put you through. Tell us oooo, tell us you witch! Tell us who the man you committed such an abomination with’ she said to Ifeoma.

Second Elder: Errmm Mama Nnamdi, take it easy on her, she will speak up. Turning to ifeoma who was standing in their middle said ‘My daughter, please speak up and tell us what we need to know. After everything, you will walk naked round the village three times, you will also have your bath in Udi river so that you can be cleansed of all your sins for that is the custom of our land. Please kindly speak up you hear?

Ifeoma still kept mute.

Nnamdi: you don’t want to talk abi? When you were busy committing the act I am very sure you were enjoying it without thinking that your secrets will finally come out. Don’t you know nothing stays hidden under the sun forever?

Third Elder: ifeoma my daughter, this is the third time we are calling you to spill out what you have done. If you do not say anything, we will go nowhere today and that place you are standing is where you will keep standing until you tell us all what we need to know.

Mama Nnamdi: how will she? when she is trying to protect her man, the man who committed such sins with her. You have heard all that our elders have said, me I have your time today and water or food will not be served to you until you spill out what we want to hear.

Nnamdi: ‘After you have finished confessing and doing all the cleansing, I want you to go and pack everything you have in that house including those kids of yours. I want you all out of my house and out of my life for good. My only saving grace is that I have a son from another woman. Atleast I am grateful for that and immediately all this is over Mama,I am going to Ijeoma’s people to ask for her hand in marriage. She is way more better than this thing standing right in front of me’ he said pointing at her.

Mama Nnamdi: I am happy that your secret is finally out and soon, fowl yansh don open. I knew there was something about you right from day one but I couldn’t place it. No wonder my spirit never agreed with you. Tell us who the father of those bastard children of yours and be fast with it else you will stay here till God knows when.

First Elders: My people, since ifeoma has refused to open her mouth to say who the father of her children are, I think we should give her some time to put herself together.

Mama Nnamdi: Isi gini, give who sometime? Mbanu, it will not work.

Haven’t we given her all the time she needs? We gave her time to go to her people and put herself together, what more time does she needs? My elders, we will have to force the words out of her mouth today ooo because we cannot keep coming back because of a woman who is not worthy. She must tell us everything today.

Second Elder: I agree too, I mean we have other things to do. Take a look at me now, I supposed to be in the farm but because of Ifeoma I am here. The last time the same thing too and I keep losing money because of it. I won’t be coming back here again because of Ifeoma. If she refuses to still say anything then let us take her to the shrine and let her swear by the gods of our land. If she is innocent, the gods won’t strike her but if she is not, she will die within three days since she doesn’t want to tell us anything abi?

Mama Nnamdi: I agree with you oooo. let us go to the shrine and let her swear with her life.

First Elder: Ifeoma my daughter, did you just hear what they said? She nodded her head ‘Good’. Do you want to go to the shrine because if you do not speak up, that is where we are headed to and when we hand you over to the chief priest, the matter is no longer in our hands.

If what they say about you is true, you will swear by the Gods of our land and death is inevitable. Is that what you want?

Ifeoma: No my elders.

Mama Nnamdi: Oh! So you finally said a word to us since you came here today? Ah! Oga oooo. I thought you were finally dumb.

Nnamdi: Who did you commit this atrocity with Ifeoma, who?

First Elder: Please Nnamdi, calm down. She will talk.

Nnamdi: Then let her talk. I don’t want to breathe the same air with this prostitute I call a wife. Witch!

Second Elder: Nnamdi, calm down and Ifeoma, are you ready to talk now?

Ifeoma: Yes my Elders, I will talk.

Mama Nnamdi: Talk na, what is keeping you?

Ifeoma: Errmm my elders, before anything else, I want to start from the onset.

Mama Nnamdi: You want to start what from which onset?

Ifeoma: if you really want to know who the father of my child is and what prompted me to do it, I will have to tell you my story from the beginning.

Nnamdi: What nonsense story are you talking about? All we want is for you to tell us who you did it with. Is that too heavy for you to spill out?

Mama Nnamdi: We don’t have all the time in the world and you better just spill out….

First Elder: ‘Mama Nnamdi’ he interrupted her ‘I want you please let her speak. If she wants to tell us her story, we have all the time and it is important for us to know the reason why she did what she did. If after she tells us everything and her action is not justified, she will do what needs to be done’.

Second Elder: I agree, let her tell us everything right from the beginning.

Nnamdi: Me, I am not interested in knowing anything oooo. all I want is who did she do it with?

Third Elder: Then be patient with her, let her tell us what she wants us to know.

Mama Nnamdi: Okay oooo. but it will not exceed today because me I will not want to come here because of her again. I want my son’s life to go back to normal.

First Elder: My daughter, you have all our attention. Go ahead ,tell us what you want us to know.

Ifeoma: Thank you my elders. Looking at her husband and mother in-law she shook her head and with tears in her eyes she said ‘you all know that I have been married to Nnamdi, your son. But what you really do not know was how miserable my life was when I couldn’t give birth to a child five years after my marriage.

I went from one hospital to another and after conducting series of test, I was certified okay by the doctors. Each time my husband and I become intimate, nothing happens and one day, I decided to go to another hospital for a proper check - up and the same story was told. That I am okay and there is nothing wrong with me, I should try and bring my husband along so that the same test can be conducted on him but all effort in trying to convince him to come along proved abortive.

Nnamdi: Yes! Because I am a man. Before I married you, I know how many women with whom I had an affair with had abortions for me.

What makes you think that I am not man enough to pregnant a woman?

Third Elder: Nnamdi calm down and let her finish her story please.

My daughter please continue.

Ifeoma: ‘Thank you’ she continued ‘I tried all I could to convince him to go for medical check -up but he wouldn’t listen and it was during this time that my mother in-law was threatening me, saying that a woman would soon come to my house, I will leave my matrimonial home for her.

I couldn’t and didn’t want it to happen but what can I do when the child my family needed wasn’t forth coming, I went to the doctor and explained my predicament to him but all he told me was that I should look for a way to get my husband’s sperm and when that is done, they will carry on with the test but on no account should I tell anyone what is happening, for it is not right to carry on a test without the consent of the person involved. I told him I will do it for that was the only way I could ascertain if we were really alright.

Mama Nnamdi: Ehen, what happened next?
Ifeoma: I was desperate and I bought a condom meant for women.

One morning after my husband and I made love, I took the condom to my doctor where a test was conducted and the result of the test shattered my life.

To be continued...

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