Chapter One (re-edited)
Title: GIVE US Child, OR GO
(Marriage With A Mandate)
Chapter One
If it were possible to have another secret affair in the palace, she would not have visited this guy; a guy without choice.
When she stopped, she cringed, Fred walked slowly to the cell's window and held the two iron bars of the small square window, resting his forehead on the middle iron bar.
He was tired.
Queen Lati sobbed, he heard the sound and raised his head.
"Forgive me, please," he pleaded to her, and seeing him kneeling on the dingy, cold floor, she gestured to him to stand.
"Oh, Lati forgive this guy and leave." a voice told her.
'I'll see what I can do," she promised and sprinted out.
The warder was coming, and seeing her, he led her out.
Driving home, she advised herself strongly, " Lati, listen!… you aren't looking for Mr. Perfect, but who will impregnate you and the secret remains as locked in hell. He has the capability, get him out now!"
She had been married for two years without a child and thinking ahead, she employed Fred to be working as a palace guard while having an affair with him.
That was to preempt what may occur in the future. The King soon will clock 57 without a child, an heir.
In Ile Ife, such may have been generating gossip underground, and who could be their blame?
Surely, the queen
Back to the palace, she proceeded to the king to plead on behalf of Fred.
He saw her advancing, and enthused her, " The Queen of Ile Ife kingdom!"
She matched up to him, one step up after the other, not in a hurry, her brain arranging and rearranging what to say.
She sat beside him on the balcony.
" King!" she called his attention.
"Speak, Youngest Wife!" King turned his full attention to her," What's the matter?" he probed her face, looking askance.
"The man in the prison yard in a dream or nightmare, asked me to plead for his sake, giving a date he will die if," she told him.
Quite true, she was well beloved by the King. It was because of his excess love for her that he went to the council and paid for her change of name to Youngest.
"Oh, may he die like the sinner he is?" King declared with a burst of self-satisfying laughter.
She looked at him with a wide stare.
"Queen," the King, surprised at her stare, reeled out questions to her. "… For all he did, for all that people said?" King Shina asked her, you wish he was forgiven? "
"I don't want the King to shed blood twice."
"Queen, shed blood twice? You will put his blood on me?" king Shina asked.
She was silent.
King, sad, turned away.
"My innocent word just to wash off your hand and forgive a fool whose intent did not materialize, you twisted into an angry question." She said, looking glum.
To the King, it was a matter of law and love which is the greatest in the context of what happened.
Was she the first Queen? No. Was Princess Abigail her daughter or relation? No.
Then, there was no basis to forgive a fool who committed a heavy atrocity in the palace.
To her, the King turned again and said," King Shina cannot condone abomination because he has no child yet! Tell him, in case he appears again, that he is there till eternity!"
A week after, she drove back to the prison yard.
"Say it all!" demanded Fred, seeing she was reluctant to tell him the sad news.
She waved her head a couple of times and broke the news.
"Fuck shit!" Fred rang his fingers, matched around in the cell, and came back to his starting point at the window, before her.
"Till eternity?" he asked, eyes widened.
"Don't cry, Fred." she spoke to pacify him," I want a bargain."
"Okay," Fred sounded relieved. "What bargain?" he asked, very much eager.
King had ordered that he be banished to prison for his atrocity.
He dumped him in the prison yard to suffer alone and die alone.
Knowing the condition in which King had put him in prison, she was ready to do anything with him there, if possible.
It may look stupid, but the mind of a woman who wants to be pregnant before her husband's people start engineering their brother to look for another wife works differently.
" Could you be organizing our meeting here?" she asked him.
" Why not?" said, Fred with glints of life in both his voice and eyes,"...just the money," he said
That Tuesday was Okay. King will be away, and on return, will be his 15th Coronation Anniversary.
Psychologically, yearly celebrations sit celebrants down to calculate their achievements.
What has a 57-year-old King achieved on earth without a child?
She panicked, as such a question must crop up by King or his people.
" Lati, am I not right?… the earlier the better!"
She rang at the prison's gate.
That Tuesday, the regular warder led her in.
The route the warder was. leading her in was another route. Ahead was a red bungalow.
"O, God! What did this bastard tell him I'm coming for today?" she asked under her breath. Shyness wobbled her knees.
"Sorry, Ma." the warder said as he saw what happened from the corner of his eye.
She was like biting off his eyes.
She stopped with him in front of the bungalow.
He took out a key from his uniform's pocket and opened the door.
She sat in an aged double-seater that was the only seat available. He took an excuse and exited.
His exit enabled her to look around and observed she was in a self-contained apartment.
The blind was spread wide to its limit and the floor was covered with black and white rubber carpet.
The only sound after the ceiling fan creaked and began to blow noiselessly was the dropping of water in the toilet.
Her eyes returned to the bed. It could be 12" by 6" with an an-almost-a-flattened mattress covered with a purely washed white bed sheet as with the two pillows too.
On a small table, was unused toilet tissue.
She stopped her negative imagination as she heard footsteps.
Fred entered.
" What of him?" she asked, her tone hushed.
"He has done his job," said Fred, locking the door.
"What job!" hissed, Queen Lati.
"Think he'll be peeping?" asked Fred, a flash of a smile lifted the corner of his mouth.
"You're mad!" she told him.
"Thank you!" replied, Fred.
He sank into the aged double-seater with her and clamped his palm on her upper leg and began to massage it.
He was wearing new jeans and a new shirt.
He did not allow her to ask if he used part of the money to change his dress, nor open the poly bag to see the dresses she came with.
He shifted the poly bag away and carried her like a baby.
He dropped her on the bed, pumping himself, going around like a conqueror with the same foolish smile.
"He can do anything, Lati, my target is my target," said Queen Lati to herself.
Still pumping himself, he went into the toilet and locked the tap, and returned to the bed.
The first time they had sex, it was a flop.
In a flash of light, he was through when she had never even pulled off her bra but she drew him into her embrace so that he would not run away because of shyness.
He was about to descend on her, then, a knock.
She ran into the bathroom.
When their whispers had died, she walked out and jerked up her handbag.
"It is over!" she said and pushed him with violence as he approached her for forgiveness.
Outside, she tried to figure out how to pass the warden's office, and lo, the warder was under a tree looking her way.
On his own, he escorted her.
Is it over? If over, will she then stop this secret affair that is more important than any other goal in her life?
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