MD gazed at me for a few seconds, then his face broke into a rueful smile. So, what exactly are you demanding for now, is it that you want a traditional wedding or you want me to take care of you in my Will, which one?” he asked me.
“Both of course,” I did not hesitate to give him a quick response. “What is wrong if you do both for me? Are they not the right things to do in this case? Or don’t I deserve to be treated respectfully like any other woman? I have a feeling you’re treating me this way because you are way older than me, right?”
MD shook his head. “You can’t be serious, Anita, why would you say that?”
“Because it’s the truth,” I returned sharply, sounding very upset now.
“But I have not hidden you from my family and you know that very well,” he began to make a defense for himself. “My wife knows you very well. She comes here to see you. She loves your son and treats him like he’s her own child. Members of my family also know about you, even though they have not physically met you before….”
“But it’s not the same thing, MD!” I said to him before he was done talking. “Yes, Auntie Lizzy has been here to see me but does that make me your legally married second wife? You say members of your family all know about me but I know none of them. You only told them about me, none has ever seen me or my son physically before. So, tell me, how does that make a member of the family?”
MD was quiet for a while. I was apparently starting to make a bit of sense to him. I took advantage of his silence and continued. “MD, let me ask you a question, if it’s indeed true that I and my son matter to you and we’re members of the family, how come you have not for once visited your home? Or it has not occurred to you that your three years old son has never stepped foot into his father’s house before and to think he’s his father’s only child? Or is he not your son anymore?”
The man was speechless. He was not expecting any of these issues I was throwing up at him. He looked at me, cleared his throat and reached for my hand.
“My dear, are you done? Can I speak now?” he asked.
“Sure you can, that’s what I’m waiting for,” I said to him.
He nodded slowly. “Okay, my darling, you have made some points that I agree with and some that I do not quite agree with, but let me take them one after the other” he’d begun. “The first one is the issue of the Will. Let me be honest with you and I know you may not believe this but the truth is that I do not have any Will right now as I speak to you!”
I was shocked to hear him say what he just said. I almost couldn’t believe a learned like him would not have a Will prepared for him. Not someone like MD that was so organized about everything concerning his life. But I couldn’t begin to doubt him. There was no reason for me to think he was lying to me.
“You don’t seem to believe me, do you?” MD asked, a dead serious look on his face.
“No, MD, it’s not like I don’t believe you, I mean, there’s no reason for you to lie to me, but…”
“But what?” he’d interjected.
“I just didn’t expect that someone like you, with your education and exposure, would not have a Will prepared for you in case something happens unexpectedly,” I explained.
“Something like death, right?” he asked me. I didn’t respond. It was starting to look like I was desperately wishing him dead. And that is far from the truth.
“Listen, dear, I understand your fears, but death is so very far from me right now,” he’d said confidently. I didn’t agree with his line of reasoning but I chose not to argue with him. Truth is, nobody can determine how close or far death is to him. It can come anytime.
“I know you’re wondering why I do not have a Will at my age, right?” he said to me. I nodded slowly. “The fact of the matter is that I didn’t think there was any need for it. Before you came into my life and gave me Junior, there was just my wife and I. No kids. If I dropped dead before I met you nobody would come to drag issues with my wife regarding my wealth. But things have changed now.”
“So, you will do a Will soon?” I asked in desperation.
“Is that what you want?” he asked.
I nodded. “Yes, it will make me happy if you have one. And not just for you to have one but to have me and your son fully taken care in it.”
He sighed. “Don’t you worry, there is absolutely no way I will have a Will and not have you and my son well taken care of in it,” he assured me. “You and Junior have brought some sunshine into my life, you have both completed my life in a way I never imagined before.”
That gladdened my heart. Hearing him say those words assuaged my fears and gave me a relief and joy that lifted up my spirit to the high heavens.
“I’m so happy to hear that, MD, thank you so much, you have lifted a whole lot off my chest,” I said to him, meaning every word of it. “But there is still one thing left, MD…”
“When will you take me to your home? When will I meet your people? When will your people accept me into your family?” I asked him, keeping a straight face. This is not the time to beat around the bush, it’s time to hit the nail on the head….
MD was just staring at me. I was sure that, in his mind, he must’ve been wondering who has been talking to me, teaching me the things I was exhibiting to him. But he kept his questions to himself. He could see from the look on my face that I was not playing with him at all, this was a serious matter.
“Is that what you want?” he asked me, his gaze settling squarely on my face.
“Yes, MD, that’s what I want,” I answered promptly.
“Alright, I have heard you but you will have to give me some time, let me sort things out at home first,” he returned.
I didn’t quite understand him. Maybe I did but I did not find what he was saying the least amusing.
“What do you need to sort out at home, MD?” I shot back at him. “I didn’t say I wanted to come over to the house and start living there, all I want to do is visit the house with my son, so what do you need to sort out in that one?”
MD sighed deeply, shaking his head slowly. He turned to look at me. I could tell he was a bit upset but he was trying to conceal it.
“But, Anita, you should know that there is no way I will invite you over to the house without discussing with my wife. She is the woman of the house. She has to be informed of your visit and prepare adequately for you.”
I didn’t say anything. MD knew I was not the least satisfied with his explanation. “Tell me the truth, MD, is it for the preparation that you need to inform her of the visit or to get her approval?” I shot at her.
MD gave me a sharp look. He was visibly displeased. “What is the meaning of that, Anita?” he fired at me. “Are you saying I am not man enough to run my home? You and Junior are part of my family, nobody can change that. Nobody can stop you from being part of my family. Nobody can stop you from coming into my home. But still, I must respect the woman who built that home. I must be careful not to make it look like because she has not given me a child, I want to treat her like she is of no significance. You’re a woman yourself, you know how you would feel if someone treated you that way. So, it’s not like I’m waiting for my wife’s approval or anything, I am just doing things the right way.”
“So, how long do I wait now?” I asked him.
He smiled. “In two weeks’ time, I will come here and pick you and we go together,” he said to me.
“Are you sure, MD?” I asked him.
…to be continued
