Choices

by Nsinem Ukpoho

  What his mother had kept from his father was the fact that he has been selling some of his designs to architects and he was a member of some architectural forums on the internet. His father would always say, “Focus your attention on your chosen career path. It is a very rewarding career but it is very delicate because it involves human life”. What Zeal can’t explain to his father is that he can’t leave one for the other, being a neurosurgeon is his life long dream but architecture is something that feels so natural to him. He couldn’t make his father understand that architecture was just like breathing to him; he was in his elements when he was designing.

  As he dropped the voluminous textbooks on the hood of his white SUV, he leaned on it to catch his breath, carrying six voluminous textbooks down four flight of stairs was a bit strenuous. Not that he lacked physical strength but having spent seven hours with twenty minutes break reading, he felt a bit drained. Having arranged his books neatly at the boot of his car, he turned to discover that a white Mercedes had parked so close, making it almost impossible for him to drive out without bashing his car. Zeal couldn’t hide his anger, “how could someone park like this”, he said out loud. “I am sorry about that”, he heard someone say. Zeal turned to find a man walk towards him from the National Science Lecture Theatre One. Zeal felt cold suddenly; the man looked weirdly familiar. He came to a stop directly in front of him, a few inches from where Zeal stood. Zeal had to step back putting some space between them. “I’m sorry I blocked you”, the man said, raising his hand for a handshake. “Its okay, Sir, but can you move your car? I want to drive out”, Zeal insisted noticing his hand. “My name is Mr Owoh. I was told you are very good at architecture and I had to meet you.

  Zeal still wasn’t convinced; with kidnappers everywhere he didn’t trust strangers so easily even if they knew some personal things about him.

  “You designed Mrs Iquo Ekpeyong’s Guest House and Chike Eze’s Mansion. I mean no harm I was directed to meet you”, he said, with his hand still stretched out. Zeal shook his hand because he had a feeling the hand would remain there until he shook it.

  “I have a job for you. I need designs for a maisonette. If you want the job give me a call and we will discuss”, he said issuing Zeal his card. Zeal took it and the man walked over to his car and pulled out, saluting him before driving off. As Zeal entered his car to drive off, he had a strange feeling that stayed with him till he got home. About an hour later, he was awoken from sleep when the door squeaked open. “You are such a light sleeper. I tried opening that door as quietly as I could but you still heard me”. Zeal’s eyes fluttered open to see his mother at the foot of his bed. “May I join you?”, she asked. “Please do”, Zeal said clearing his throat. “How was school?” she asked, flopping down on the bed.

  “The strangest thing happened to me today”.

  “What happened, that has never happened before. You always find a way to see every day as a gift, so tell me what made today special”.

  “I know Mom, I am always very optimistic and I see everything as an adventure but I saw a man that looks just like me”, Valerie couldn’t help but throw her head back in laughter. “My son, what is so mysterious about that?”, Valerie said still smiling, “Sometimes, people walk up to me and say they thought I was someone else, and people say everybody has a double”.

  Zeal sat up, propped the pillow, placed it at his waist and reclined on it, “I have heard that many times but this twin of mine is years older. He should be in your age bracket. He looked just like me only years older. It was quite disturbing”. Valerie thought about it for a moment before discarding the thought. “My son, the food you asked for has been served, so come out and eat before it gets cold”. Valerie got down from the bed as she stretched out her hand, Zeal took it and got up. “Stop worrying your head about your older twin brother”. They both laughed as they walked out of the room hand in hand.

  On Zeal’s first business meeting with Mr Owoh, he couldn’t shake off the chill that ran through his spine anytime he made direct eye contact with the man. The man’s gestures and mannerisms were weirdly familiar only Zeal couldn’t tell if he had ever seen the man before their meeting at the car park. Mr Owoh gave him all the details that he would need for the designing of the maisonette. At their meeting, they had become good buddies, well acquainted. It was startling to know they had a lot in common. They enjoyed the same meals because in the three meetings they made the same order. Mr Owoh even showed him some of his previous designs. After seeing his designs, Zeal just had to ask, “Sir, pardon me for asking but from what I see, you are a very good designer so why are you contacting me to design your house, when you are very good at designing yourself”.

  Mr Owoh smiled and answered, “I am a very good designer. It started as a hobby just like you. I heard you are very good. I have seen some of your work and I am impressed. You can say that I am one of those people that can cook but prefer eating other people’s meal”.

  “That happens to some people”, Zeal said, shrugging his shoulders, “But as for me, when I build my first house I will design it myself”.

  “Tell me something Zeal, why did you decide to study medicine and surgery instead of architecture?”, Valentine asked twitching his neck. “Your love for architecture seems to run very deep”. Zeal thought about it for a while as he twirled the stem of his wine glass with his fingers, “Architecture is something I have a flair for. Growing up, I loved drawing and my focus shifted to houses but being a Medical Doctor is something I have dreamt about and I was practically raised in the hospital. I have empathy for people and I love helping people, the human body fascinates me; every part is important”, Zeal answered. They sat in silence for a while before Zeal spoke again, “I will contact you once the design is ready. I enjoyed our business meeting”.

  As Zeal drove away he couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was completely off. All his contacts came through Mr Okonkwo his agent. Mr Okonkwo is friends with his father; he saw his designs and asked him to design his village house. His father didn’t like the idea but allowed him to design his friend’s house. Since then he has been doing business with Mr Okonkwo without his father knowing. Mr Okonkwo is responsible for making the clients understand that he is an amateur but all the clients always insist Zeal designs their houses, having seen his previous designs. This time, Zeal had a client come to him directly, an architect who seems to know more about him than he is telling.

  Valerie shut the file she was trying so hard to concentrate on in frustration; so many things were on her mind. Asides from the envelope that sat on some folders on her table, Valerie’s mind was still reeling from what that nurse just told her. She came to her office about a month ago requesting the contact of a good real estate agent. Since she didn’t give her any details on why she needed an agent, Valerie didn’t ask. A few minutes ago, her new friend filled her in on all the details about her new house. Her head was spinning from all that the nurse told her. She couldn’t help rehashing the entire conversation they had.

  “You mean your husband asked you to terminate your pregnancy twice?” Valerie asked, the pitch of her voice rising as she pronounced every word.

  “Actually, the first abortion was done when we got engaged newly and the second was five years ago”. What Valerie heard made her restless; “Why would he ask you to abort your baby?”

  Valerie asked as she got up from the executive chair she was sitting on to sit in front of the woman.

  “Did he ever tell you before you married him that he didn’t want children?”

  The question just made her laugh, “I would have been satisfied with just being his wife “, her eyes began to water and she stopped to put herself together.

  “I love that man so much and I would have given up my desire to be a mother for him, but as it turns out he is still tied to his past. I should hate him but what I feel is relief”.

  Valerie was a bit lost. A man walks out on her and she feels relief. “Nurse Sussane, why
are you relieved?”, she asked.

  “Because I have always felt that the woman had a stronghold on him. I was a bit secure when we were at outside the country but when we came back, back to where they both lived; I was always waiting for something to happen”. Valerie immediately pulled the other woman into her arms and gave her a bear hug. After a few seconds, they both pulled away. “That was a bit awkward but I felt you needed that”, Valerie said a bit embarrassed at her action.

  “Our divorce will soon be finalized and when that happens, I want to move out immediately and start my life. In fact, I can’t wait to be a mother, she said. They both sit in silence for a few seconds before Valerie asked, “so are you planning on not telling him you are pregnant?”

  “The day I wanted to tell him happened to be the day he told me he was leaving me for his ex-lover that has a child for him. I don’t know what hurt the most, the fact he cheated on me or the fact that he wanted to be a father”, Sussane said. Valerie just had to ask, “You mean he was honest with you. You mean he told you he slept with her ?”, Sussane smiled, “that is one of the things I admire about him, he rarely lies. He can’t really lie to people he cares about. I don’t know if I wish he didn’t tell me. I have already gone over all the emotions. At first, I was shocked that my marriage was really over. I felt if he still saw me around he will change his mind but right now I just want a clean slate to start my life on. I have felt hurt for the betrayal and how quickly he dumped our life together for a woman that hurt him. Now I am relieved, the worst is over”, Sussane said, letting out a deep sigh. Valerie couldn’t help but sigh herself, “it is good that you are moving on with your life. I must say you are a very strong woman. Most women would still be hanging on, some would resort to diabolical means to reclaim their man. But you can bet that if that man was meant for you, he will come back on his knees, but if not I am very sure you will find a man that will love you and your child. But I have to add that you need to give second thoughts as to whether you want to keep the existence of this pregnancy to yourself. If you decide to do that, it could have future consequences. Believe me, you don’t want that”, Valerie admonished. When she realized how serious she looked and sounded she forced an awkward smile.

  “To be honest, I have not thought about that far into the future. I am just living one day at a time. I can't believe it. I can’t imagine I am actually surviving. I would never have thought in a million years that I would. I loved and still love that man a lot but something tells me, I will receive a bigger gift in the future.

  When it feels right I will tell him. I just don’t want him to be with me for the wrong reasons”. “I can understand that. Don’t worry everything will work together for your good”, Valerie said getting up from the table she had been sitting on and walking back to her seat. Sussane thanked her for listening and got up and straightened her nurse uniform. Her pregnancy was still not visible at five months, but her bust and hips were straining against the fabric showing her weight gain. When she got to the door she stopped and said, “thanks again. I do feel better having talked to you and that hug you gave me earlier was just what I needed”.

  Valerie smiled at her and she left, closing the door behind her. A part of Valerie understood what Valentine’s wife must be going through, she never for once knew that she would one day be a homewrecker. She silently prayed her path and that of Valentine’s wife would never cross. The sound of the telephone brought her back to reality. “Hello”, she said. She listened and answered, “Yes, the appointment still stands”. She thanked the caller and dropped the phone. Her eyes rested on the envelope again and this time she picked it up and opened it and took out the paper and read what was written on it. What she saw shook her so hard she only realized she was weeping when her tears dropped on the paper.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  “Come in”, Valerie called out to the person that knocked on the door. The door opened and Millicent comes in, “Good morning, Sir. Good morning, Ma”, she greeted. “Good morning”, they answered in unison.

  “I signed and got this letter yesterday morning. Since it is very important, I decided to give it to you myself instead of giving it to another person to give to you when I got off duty yesterday. I waited for about two hours after my time to go home but you weren’t back”, Millicent said.

  The girl was clearly nervous so Valerie decided to save her by collecting the letter.

  “It's okay. Thank you”, Valerie said and waved her out. Valerie opened the envelope absently, her eyes on the movie that was showing on the screen. Saturday was Valerie’s best day in the week. She spent it with her family and watching movies was one way she treated herself on Saturday.

  She flopped down on the bed and was still watching the movie when Alfred asked, “What is the letter about?” Valerie picked the letter she had abandoned on the bed and read it. What she saw made her sit up. Alfred saw the look on her face and that made him ask again, “What is the letter about?”

  When she didn’t answer, Alfred set the laptop he was working on aside and got the letter from her.

  Etim Ekpenyong couldn’t believe himself, he had struck gold. He was ecstatic. He picked the Monday issue and looked at it again, the manuscript was like a glittering diamond. He was reserving this big news for Monday. He will make a fortune when this particular edition hits the stand. People always took him for granted. They all had this notion that he was not going to make it, but ten years after he launched the maiden edition of his magazine he was still standing.

  Etim would never admit it to himself or anyone else that it was his mother’s Igbo that was pushing him. Being the product of an Igbo woman and an Efik man, he knew the business world like the palm of his hand and he was certain that Monday was going to be a different day. He looked at the manuscript that was on the table and he couldn’t hide the grin that was plastered on his face. Etim prided himself in having sources in almost every big establishment and even famous families. Most times they paid off and Monday’s edition of Eagle Eye Magazine was a big pay off.

  Valerie Alfred Richardson in her seventeen years of marriage has never seen her husband so angry. He was pacing back and forth and it was making her scared and nervous. “Valerie, why is your ex-lover sending us summons?

  Why is he asking for sole custody of our son?”, he paused and walked up to where she was sitting. “Don’t be quiet. Tell me how he even knows you had a child for him? When Valerie didn’t answer, Alfred used his finger to raise her face so that she was looking straight into his eyes; “Valerie what is going on?” Alfred asked.

  “I told him,” Valerie said. The shock was clearly evident on Alfred’s face. Valerie continued, “I ran into him a few months ago. He was so bitter and accusing me of being promiscuous and heartless. I had to tell him the truth”. Alfred couldn’t believe it. All the anger he felt just a few seconds ago was sucked out of him; what he felt was betrayal and shock. What was he going to do?

  Zeal is his son. He walked to the dressing table and pulled out a chair and sat down. He had never allowed himself to think of what would happen if the biological father of his son came back and asked for his son.

  From the first day, the gynecologist had placed that boy into his arms that morning at the hospital at 37 minutes past four in the morning he knew Zeal was his son. He felt a strong bond with that child and whoever this man was, he would have to bring all the weapon he has because he will not let go of his son without a fight.

  “I’m sorry, Alfred. I never thought he would take us to court. I wasn’t thinking straight when I told him. “You were not thinking at all”, Alfred cut in, “but I have a message I want you to take to him wherever you met him and hatched this plan to take away my son; tell him that Zeal is my son. He may not be my blood but he is my son, and I will fight with everything I have before a child I raised with my sweat and with so much love and devotion is snatched away”.

  He paused and took his apple phone from the dresser, “go and tell him that nothing
that is mine can be snatched away”.

  The bang of the door as Alfred walked out of the room

  shook Valerie down to the core.

  Valerie woke up to the sound of Alfred dressing up, she didn’t hear him come in last right. The sleep was supposed to make her feel refreshed but she only felt sick and drained – Valerie sits up and turned to notice that Alfred’s side of the bed had not been slept in. His eyes were on her so she felt she had to say something, clearing her throat she greeted, “Good morning”. She couldn’t bring herself to add any endearment to her greeting. Yesterday morning, it had been Good morning Sweetest. Alfred must have noticed the difference because she heard him scoff, “Good morning to you”. At five-thirty am Alfred was already dressed up and putting on his customized gold watch, “I will not be having breakfast here; Zeal and I will attend the 6’clock mass”, he paused and looked at her. Valerie was shocked to see that for the first time, Alfred’s eyes did not give any of his feelings away. “Zeal will take his car so that he can come back or go anywhere he wants to after the mass. If you wish to communicate with me, send a text message”, Alfred said before picking up his daily planner, tablet and his apple phone, which was his personal line, he strode out without looking back.