Short Story: The Untypical Nigerian Husband

by Talius Dike

Ebuka and Nneka have been married for 3 years now.

Though to them, it seemed like 33 years. It is obvious that love has finally been lost in the union.

“You can get a divorce if you want!” Ebuka would shout on top of his voice at every chance he gets to chastise his wife.

He claimed she nagged a lot, though his voice was usually the more frequently heard.

Truth is, he was already tired of the marriage and now only in it because of his father.

He didn’t understand why his millionaire father had to insist he continued staying in this hell of a marriage when he could easily get another woman to marry.

Another woman he would live peacefully with and would not be a problem to his soul.

But his father had maintained he held on to the union, endured whatever hell he claimed to be passing through in his marriage.

The elections were fast approaching and a divorce scandal from his son could destroy his chances of getting into public office.

Ebuka didn’t understand why his happiness should be the price to be paid for his father’s political ambition. But he knew better than to argue with his father, or disobey him—his large inheritance was at stake.

But today, the argument had taken a new turn. Ebuka was ready to let all hell break loose.

On Nneka’s request he returned home earlier than usual to find a man in a corporate wear sitting in his living room. The man was going through some papers in a file with austere confidence, just the way lawyers do.

Ebuka began to wonder.

His wife called him aside. “Your father wants me to divorce you,” she told him. “He sent this lawyer to make it happen as quickly as possible and I’ve been assured 50 million naira as settlement once this is done.”

“50 million for what?” he asked.

“For my silence,” Nneka told him. “The money will be deposited into my account as soon as everything is finalized, so please be nice and walk over to that table and sign the papers.”

Ebuka was dumbfounded. “Wait, did you just say 50 million naira?” he asked again.

Nneka nodded. “50 million naira only,” she said.

His heart began to beat faster as he wondered why his father would prefer to give such a huge amount of money to someone not related to him by blood, especially when he has been requesting for just 2 million naira from him for the past four weeks to put into his business.

From his pocket, Ebuka pulled out his phone and dialled his father to know the reason behind this spite.

His father told him that was the only way to avoid a messy separation between him and his wife.

Ebuka wasn’t finding it funny especially the part where his father mentioned that the settlement to be given to his wife would be taken from his inheritance and that he could have whatever was left of it whenever it pleased him.

With that much sum gone from his inheritance he’d be lucky if he still has a full100 thousand left.

Ebuka got off the phone call with his father, shaking his head in disagreement.

No way he could allow his many years of patience and waiting for his inheritance to grow go to waste just like that.

Immediately, he held up his phone again and called his pastor requesting for a date for he and his wife to come for the renewal of their marital vows and keep their bond strong and lasting.

Fast forward to 10 years now, Ebuka has stopped complaining about his wife. He and Nneka now have two beautiful children and a happy home and his dad just stepped down from public office and a party was thrown in his honour.

At that party, Ebuka’s father and Nneka had the opportunity to reminisce over their ideas to hire a con artist 10 years ago to act as the lawyer and get Ebuka to take life serious.

It was their secret. They treasured it and again swore there was no need for Ebuka to know.

Talius on Twitter: @taliusdike
IG: Ogbeni_Rinzy