When Nneka woke up that morning, she was in high spirit. It was her husband's eightieth birthday and a grand dinner night had been planned to celebrate it. Everybody was coming. Ikem and Princess and their families had already arrived. Other relatives, contemporaries, friends and well-wishers had been invited and majority of them would grace the occasion.
She quickly climbed out of bed and checked the time. It was 7:30am. She screamed and headed to the bathroom where she hastily freshened up. She didn't go to bed early enough the previous night because she wouldn't allow the event planner to do the work she was paid for without interfering. She was a perfectionist, who always crosschecked what others did to ensure that they were properly done. At seventy-two, her children believed that she should relax and allow the stewards take care of her needs, but she wouldn't hear of that. She still did most things by herself, saying that she hated to be treated like an invalid.
When she came downstairs, the organizers were all over the place, setting up the venue. They had a very big compound, so they decided to use it as the venue. The chilling vans had already taken their places and assorted drinks were being loaded inside them. The tents had been mounted and the chairs and tables were set. The venue was taking shape. No doubt about that.
"What about the cake?" Nneka asked the event planner who was busy directing activities. "And the DJ is nowhere to be found." There was disappointment in her voice.
"They will soon be here. Remember that this event is scheduled for 6pm and it is yet to be 10am. Don't worry, Mama, we are on top of the situation." The event planner tried to calm her down.
"I hope you are really on top of the situation as you claim," Nneka said with sarcasm. She was never sarcastic when she was younger but some characters came as she aged.
"Mom!" Princess called and Nneka spun around to face her daughter. "I haven't seen dad this morning. It's almost 10am and he is yet to come downstairs. Won't he eat breakfast?"
"Oh my God!" Nneka screamed as she hurried into the house and went upstairs. She had totally forgotten to attend to her husband. She had been distracted by the forthcoming event. When she got to the bedroom, she discovered that Sam was still asleep. She frowned. That was unusual. Since she married him, he hadn't been in bed beyond 8am. It used to be 5:30am but with age taking its toll on him, though he was still strong and agile, he now woke up between 7am and 8am.
But it was already 10am and he was still in bed. Something must be wrong. Maybe he was sick. But why would he take ill on his birthday? "Today of all days?" Nneka was angered by the thought that her husband could be sick on his birthday. What if he needed hospitalization? How would he be absent in his own birthday dinner? They would certainly not cancel. Everything was already in place. She said a brief prayer, begging God to restore her husband to good health.
"Sweetheart, do you want to sleep all day? It is your birthday, remember?" she said as she stood beside the bed. Sam was at the far corner of the bed with his back to her, so she climbed on the bed to shake him to wakefulness. The moment she touch him, she knew that something was wrong. Sam was abnormally cold and stiff. When she rolled him over, the situation became obvious. Sam was dead!
Nneka's cry of anguish reverberated around the entire house and soon the news was everywhere. A thick cloud of grief descended over the whole household and quickly consumed it. A onetime happy home, which was in a celebration mood, suddenly became a house of sorrow and the birthday guests became mourners.
Sam's death broke Nneka completely but she took solace in the fact that her husband lived a successful and fulfilled life. He lived a long and healthy life. In all the years that she was married to him, he was never sick enough to be admitted in the hospital. He was a superman. Why would Nneka grieve so much when Sam lived to see his grandchildren? Ikem and Dofi had three beautiful children while Princess and her husband had two.
Sam lived a peaceful and godly life. And Nneka was sure that he had taken his place amongst the saints. He deserved it. Hopefully, Nneka would reunite with him on the last day to part no more. That was her hope and she drew a lot of consolation and fortitude from that.
A brief family meeting held immediately and it was decided that the funeral rites should hold the same day. After all, all roads already led to his house. The arrangement made for his birthday would now serve for his funeral. His parish priest was contacted and a requiem mass was celebrated in the deceased house at 3pm. The interment followed at Saint Michael's cemetery, Yaba, immediately after the mass. After the interment, most of the mourners followed the bereaved home.
It was around 11:45pm that the last group of guests left and that was when Nneka retired to her room. The events of the day had sapped her both physically and psychologically. She showered and sought the comfort of her bed. Only a sound sleep could calm her nerves. She lay in bed and closed her eyes but sleep wouldn't come. Her mind was running amok. She kept thinking about Sam and all the memories they shared. Their marriage was made in heaven. Sam was a gentleman. He never raised his voice let alone his hand against her, even though she could be naughty at times. He neither spoke nor acted in the heat of anger. Nneka had thought that Chike was the only man in the whole world that could have perfect control of his emotions. But Sam proved her wrong.
She finally slept in the early hours of the morning but the sleep didn't last long. She woke up after about two hours. When she opened her eyes, Sam was standing beside the bed. She became excited instead of afraid but she quickly realized it was a mirage. She hissed and climbed out of bed. It was already 6am, so she knelt beside the bed for her morning prayers. As she crossed herself, tears stung her eyes and began to roll down her cheeks. She couldn't remember the last time she knelt down alone for prayers. It must have been more than a decade. She had always gone to bed and woken up with her husband. Ever since he retired over a decade back, they had never been apart from each other. One could then understand how awkward and devastating it was for her to be without him…, for good.
After a while, she braced up, wiped her tears and offered her prayers to the Almighty. She thanked Him for all His blessings on Sam while he lived and prayed for the repose of his gentle soul. She also prayed for the grace and fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.
Later that morning, she sat in the sitting room to receive mourners who continued to troop in. Most of them couldn't attend the burial due to the suddenness while the rest were at the burial but just came to check on her and her children. She sincerely wished that the mourners would stop coming. She wanted to be left alone. That would be better for her. The presence of the mourners, instead of making her feel better, actually worsened her grief. Their presence constantly reminded her of her loss. But despite her feeling and wishes, she stayed on. It was a duty she must perform. It was a rite!
Sam's lawyer arrived at 5pm bearing a brown manila envelope. "This is for you," the barrister said, extending the envelope to the widow.
She looked at him for an uncomfortably long period before accepting the envelope.
"Your husband said I should give it to you upon his death," the barrister explained.
"Why give it to me? I thought you were supposed to gather his family members and read it out to everyone. Isn't that how it's done?" Nnaka said, confused. She thought it was Sam's will that was handed to her.
The barrister shook his head. "That's not his will."
"What's it, then?" Nneka asked impatiently. She was becoming more confused.
"I sincerely do not know," the barrister said honestly. "But I am sure you will find out when you go through it."
Nneka stared at the barrister and then at the envelope in her hand, shrugged and kept it on the table beside her. Her curiosity had been pricked and she wished she could go through the content of the envelope without delay. But she still had visitors and it would be rude to leave them.
She barely waited for the last visitor to leave before she disappeared into her room. The envelope was sealed, so she tore it open and brought out the letter therein. She sat on the edge of the bed and began to read:
My dear wife,
If you are reading this letter, it means you are alive and I am dead. I instructed my lawyer to give this letter to you upon my death, meaning that if you had died before me, the secret I am about to disclose to you would remain and die with me.
I wish to apologize for holding this information back till now. I am truly sorry but I had no choice. Thanks for your anticipated understanding and forgiveness as always.
Before I get to the point, I need to advise you to brace yourself as the revelations I am about to make will shock you to your marrows.
I lied to you. In fact, I was a living lie from the first day we met till I passed on. I wasn't who you thought I was. I wasn't Sam. I was Chike. Yes! I was the same Chike that was a detective; the same Chike that was your heartthrob; the same Chike that promised you the world; the same Chike that indicted the IGP for counterfeiting, money laundering and massacre. The same Chike that was prosecuted and put in jail by the power that was; the same Chike that was pronounced dead many years ago.
Yes! It was me that lived with you all these years as Sam.
You see, after Mr. Jacob smuggled me out of the country, I found my way to Ghana where I met an angel. The angel saved my life. He gave me a top position in his company and became family to me. That angel was Mr. Solomon Ado, the founder of Pacific insurance company PLC. Yes! The same Mr. Ado that you knew. He gave me all the good things life could offer but I wasn't happy. I wasn't happy because I couldn't be in touch with my parents. Remember I was the breadwinner of my family and Okechukwu my only sibling was dead. It was a very difficult time for me. I had the options of inviting them over to Ghana or sending money to them on regular basis. But any of the options could be risky as those who wanted me dead might get wind of what really happened and that would spell doom for Mr. Jacob. And that wouldn't have been the best reward for a man that saved my life. I was a stranger yet he risked it all to save me.
It was for this same reason that I couldn't establish any contact with you even though I died on daily basis to at least hear your voice. I pined for you every day and night.
As days rolled into weeks and weeks became months and months added up to years, I became fed up. I reasoned that death was better than a life of misery and agony. What was death if not the removal of an individual from their loved ones? I therefore decided to come back to Nigeria.
Mr. Solomon tried to discourage me but my mind was made up. It was better to die a happy man than live in hell on earth. So it came to pass that I came back to Nigeria. Top on my mind on arrival was to see you and I did. My joy knew no bounds when I saw you. You were as beautiful as ever and full of life. I became happier when I realized that you were still single. That meant I still had a chance with you.
For days, I stalked you, relishing your sight. But I couldn't approach you. I realized too late that approaching you could equally put your life in danger. With time, I became frustrated. I became more miserable than I was in Ghana. I could be likened to Tantalus, a mythical god who was condemned to Tartalus in the underworld, where he had to stand for eternity in water that receded from him when he stooped to drink and beneath, fruit trees whose branches were always out of reach when he wanted to pluck the fruits. That was because you were near yet very far away and out of my reach. You were more like a mirage. It broke me and I was losing it until Mr. Solomon came up with a plan. He advised me to have a plastic surgery to change my looks. That way I would become incognito to my enemies and family and friends, but I would have a chance of building a new relationship with family and friends but dump my enemies in the past where they belonged.
I jumped at the idea and two months later, I changed from Chike to Sam. I became a free man once again. I could now interact with whoever I wanted and whenever I wanted. That gave me so much joy. I started following you again until we met at the cemetery. After giving you my business card, I waited impatiently for your call but it didn't come. So, I decided to pay you a visit. I pretended not to know that it was your company. The truth was that I needed to see you. I needed us to get together and rekindle our relationship once again. Eventually, we came back together and got married.
But just before our wedding, my doctor in the USA raised an important point. He reminded me that I only changed my looks, not my genes. He made it clear that my children could still look exactly like the real me. I panicked because you would become suspicious and that might expose my secret. We then came up with the little drama that occurred on our wedding night. I lied when I told you that Mr. Ado came in late, that I needed to pick him up from the airport. It was all a plan. Mr. Ado came into Nigeria a day before our wedding. I just wanted to create confusion in your mind. Immediately after leaving for the airport as I claimed, I came back and made love to you, then called later and made you think it was Chike that made love to you. I noticed your discomfort when Ikem was born and he looked every bit like me. I mean the real me. It was a confirmation that it was indeed Chike that slept with you that fateful night. It was obvious that that little secret continued to haunt you as Ikem grew up. I apologize for putting you through such a psychological trauma. I am truly sorry. I wish I could help it.
I wish to apologize for Chinwe's death. I didn't kill her but I take responsibility for her death. I wanted to protect her by killing Bill. Yes, I killed Bill but that was because his father had connived with Chief Lewis, the former IGP to kill Chinwe. They wanted her out of the way to enable Bill marry Chief Lewis' daughter. The plan to kill Chinwe was hatched the day Bill engaged her. It was actually Bill's father that came up with that evil idea, insisting that since Bill couldn't listen to him and break up with Chinwe, the only way out was to kill Chinwe. I reasoned that the only way to save Chinwe was to kill Bill but unfortunately, Chinwe was with him that fateful day and she committed suicide.
Frank was not kidnapped and he didn't elope with Iliana, either. I killed him. And that was because he was planning to kill you as a revenge for all the embarrassment you caused him. The day he got missing was the day he wanted to kill you. He was actually waiting outside our gate so that the moment you came out to attend Chief Rufus' dinner night, he would kill you. While he waited, my men rounded him up, took him to a bush, killed him and buried him in an already dug grave. He was declared missing the next day.
Then came the ghost that tormented you. I am sorry to inform you that it was orchestrated by Mr. Ado and me. There was no ghost. It was all a make belief. When the tyrant president died and his vice took over, I saw an opportunity to take my pound of flesh from the former IGP and his partners in crime. I desperately needed to get back at them and you were the only person that could help me achieve that. So, Mr. Solomon Ado and I decided to use the encounter with the ghost to make you to start the legal process that could ensure justice for me.
Getting you to believe that I actually came back to Nigeria was needed to erase any doubt whatsoever from your mind concerning who slept with you on that wedding night. Convincing you that the IGP later succeeded in killing me was also necessary otherwise the ghost part of the plan wouldn't make sense. You shouldn't be avenging my death when it wasn't clear that I was dead and even if I was, it wasn't clear who killed me. So I paid Emeka a visit, revealed myself to him and we recorded the conversation you listened to in his office.
Remember that I whispered something into the former IGP's ear after his conviction. I believe you remember how stunned he became. And when you asked me what I told him, I said I asked him to say hi to Lucifer when he got to hell. I lied. I actually reminded him of my words to him when he won the first round of our legal battle when I said to him then that 'tomorrow may be mine', so I had told him that tomorrow had come and that it belonged to me. That was why he staggered and became so stunned. He had realized that it was me and that I had beaten him at his own game.
I am so sorry for all the trouble I caused you. I wish I didn't have to do all that I did. I was frustrated and miserable. I didn't have a voice. I didn't have a body. I was just like a ghost in the neigbourhood. And it was the former IGP that put me in that situation, a situation where I was trapped in a stranger's body. There were times that I considered suicide but I didn't want to make you a widow and our children fatherless. I had already caused enough problems for you and didn't wish to cause more.
I know you will be wondering why I didn't reveal myself to you after the former IGP was executed. I wanted to but I discovered that you were deeply in love with Sam. I didn't want to upset your relationship with Sam. Even though Sam was Chike and Chike was Sam, they were different individuals to you. I reasoned that revealing myself to you might end up creating doubts about my personality and I didn't want that to happen. So I resigned to fate.
But thank God I am free at last. Death has emancipated me from a strange body. I can't be happier. It is true that I miss you and my children and all that were dear to me but nothing equals freedom.
I am indeed a free man now. As I bask in my newly found freedom, I wish you good health, happiness and peace. Someday we will meet again to part no more.
From your love,
Chike Agu.
By the time Nneka was done reading, a pool of tears had formed on the floor. She had cried throughout the period she read Chike's letter. How come she never suspected that it was Chike that she lived with all these years? Sam was everything Chike was but for looks. The similarities were too many to be mere coincidences. She could swear that it was Chike that spoke whenever Sam spoke. It wasn't just that 'their' voices sounded alike, 'their' dictions and intonations were exactly the same. How come it never occurred to her that she was still with her first love?
As she tried to digest the letter, ambivalence set in. She was sad that Chike didn't confide in her. She was sad that she mourned the man she lived with thinking he was dead. She was sad that Chike allowed her to live with a guilty conscience as she believed that she betrayed him by giving her love to another man. She was also sad that her children didn't know their father. Yes, because the man they called father wasn't actually their father.
In fact, there were many things to be sad about.
But she wasn't angry with Chike. He was equally a victim. He did all he did because he loved her and he proved to be the best husband any woman could ask for. She smiled amidst her tears when she remembered the extent Chike had to go in order to be with her. That was love in its purest form.
"He really loved me," she muttered to herself. Most men would have started seeing other woman as soon as they arrived and settled in Ghana. But she was constantly in his thought.
Nneka wiped her tears with the back of her hands and went downstairs. She gathered her children and grandchildren and even her stewards and told them about the letter she just read.
"Get ready, we are going to visit my husband tomorrow morning." She announced in the end.
When they arrived at the cemetery, nobody was surprised to see that the epitaph inscribed on Sam's tombstone was now; RIP Chike Agu instead of RIP Sam Okeke. Nneka had ensured that the change was effected first thing in the morning. They laid the wreaths they came along with, starting from the youngest amongst them. Nneka was the last to lay her wreath.
"Thank you, my love," she muttered. She closed her eyes as tears filled her eyes and began to stream down her cheeks.
THE END