jennifer the fateful lady with a beautiful heart

Do you remember the promises you made to me before we got married?” Jenny asked not taking her eyes off Michael. Michael could not understand her anymore. He was sure she ought to be furious at him but she was calm all through, which scared the hell out of him, praying within himself that she had not lost her mind. “Michael I am talking to you. Look at me,” she said, making a failed attempt to raise her voice due to the pains resulting from the swelling at the right corner of her mouth. She adjusted her frail body from resting on the wall into a better sitting position on the cold tiles obviously ready to unburden her heart to him no matter how difficult it would be. She was fed up with bottling her misery and pains since her return from the hospital two days ago. Michael wondered how he suddenly became the cause of her anguish. He could not look her in the eyes knowing fully that the pain in there would consume him. “Well, since you have forgotten so soon, I’ll help jog your memory,” she continued. “This marriage will not pull through and that’s final,” exploded Deaconess Comfort Obiora, Michael’s mother, storming out of the dining hall without batting an eyelid about Jennifer’s feelings. She had made it clear to Michael on several occasions that he the scion and sole heir of the Obiora dynasty cannot marry a girl whose family was way out of their league. And to make matters worse, Jennifer’s father was just a trader that owned a stationery shop. Mrs. Comfort regarded her as a gold digger and an opportunist after guys from stinking rich families with the sole aim of enriching her family. In as much as she was not the type to match make her son with the daughter of a friend or business partner, she was not willing to accept a pauper as her son’s wife. Jennifer’s feet suddenly became heavy as getting to her feet became a herculean task. Her eyes could not contain the tears anymore as it flowed on its own accord. Michael could not bear to see the harbinger of his joy in an emotional turmoil. He cupped her face with his hands and reassured her of the magnitude of his love for her, making her realize that his mother’s opinion and threats had no bearing to their future together. “Michael, I can’t do this,” she said as she suddenly pulled away from him. “What are talking about?” he asked with a look of surprise. He quickly foreshadowed her response and shuddered at the possibility of losing her. “Michael I can’t marry into a family where I am not welcome. Can’t you see that if we proceed with the marriage your mum will never see me as a member of the family? Mike, let’s just forget about the wedding plans,” Jennifer said with pain in her eyes. “Look into my eyes and tell me that you’ve been lying to me all this while that we have been together. When did my mother’s opinion suddenly become God’s opinion? Saying I love you is an understatement Jenny, I adore you. I’ll treasure you today, tomorrow and even when we become stricken with age. I promise to be your friend, lover, companion and protector at all times on the condition that you promise to walk with me through life by my side. My love, will you still marry me?” he asked searching her eyes for a favourable answer. Without uttering a word, Jennifer nodded and slipped into his loving arms. Despite the overwhelming resistance from Michael’s mother, the wedding still took place four months later amidst cheers from friends and family members. Being married to Michael Obiora, the love of her life was Jennifer’s dream come true. He showered her with unconditional love and affection and was always there to shield her from his mother’s torments. As far as Michael was concerned, Jenny’s love tank would never run dry of genuine love and care. However, several months into the marriage, Jennifer’s world began to fall apart as she got to discover another aspect of Michael’s life that became her worst nightmare – his fierce temper. At the onset, she attributed it to work-related issues and hoped that he would change but not until he started hitting her at the slightest provocation, which eventually resulted in a miscarriage. The loss of her first pregnancy took its toll on Jennifer. She became apprehensive and distant to her husband who outdid himself in trying to get her to forgive him. She equally withdrew herself from her family and friends, not even sparing Sarima and Melody, her closest friends, for fear of laying bare her husband’s archilles’ heel. She decided to mask her pain and fears from them, all because she knew that opening up to them would make them lose the respect they reposed in her husband. Michael on his part repented of his actions and fought hard to win back Jennifer’s love and trust. That was more than a year ago, the beginning of the battery. “Michael, is this the love and protection you promised me?” she asked fighting back the tears that threatened to rain down. “Baby I’m truly sorry. Please forgive me. Just give me another chance. I… I… I promise to be a better man,” he stuttered as he pleaded on his knees in a broken voice. “Please spare me all that. Your apology now sounds like a broken record. What should I forgive you for? For pounding me whenever you couldn’t keep your anger in check or for beating out the precious seeds God blessed us with? Three miscarriages in two years Michael! Not one, not two but three babies have gone down the drain, all thanks to you. You know what? I think you deserve a medal for being an outstanding infant murderer,” she said and laughed him to scorn. Michael was dumbstruck as Jennifer laughed as though entertained by a seasoned comedian. The laughter continued and gradually turned into a heart wrenching cry. He couldn’t take it anymore. He had seen her in pains before but not in this state. He took her in his arms and began to smooch her, wiping the tears that ran down her cheeks while trying hard to conceal his turmoil. The office was spacious in every sense of the word and furnished with an exquisite taste befitting of the pastor of a large flock. The clergy’s office housed two compartments – the normal office section and the mini conference area. At the far right end of the wall stood the bookshelf that contained a good number of Christian literature and other philosophical books. A silver metal hanger fixed to the wall just before the bookshelf bore the pastor’s navy blue jacket. The light blue curtain, off white paint on the wall alongside the white tiles further accentuated the beauty of the office. Michael knew he wouldn’t be here if he had a choice but he was sure his marriage was on the verge of collapsing and he needed to salvage it. Jennifer had threatened to file for a divorce if he refuses to book an appointment with Pastor Damian for counseling. He was still explaining himself to pastor Damian who was listening with rapt attention while Jennifer kept mum, staring into space. She was all ears from the beginning of the session but slid into oblivion when Michael’s utterances began to baffle her. She was totally unaware that Pastor Damian was trying to get her attention until she was jolted out of her wandering state by Michael’s touch. “Sister Jennifer, are you sure you really want to do this?” Pastor Damian inquired all smiles. “Yes sir,” Jennifer replied, adjusting her seat, clearly ready to be drilled. “Do you still love Michael after all you’ve both been through?” he further probed. “I still do with the whole of my heart but I doubt he feels the same way. I think you should direct this same question at him,” she stated matter-of- factly. Jennifer’s response shocked Michael who stared at her bewilderingly. “I never thought it necessary since he made mention of the fact that he loves you dearly or is there something you feel I should know about?” he asked looking from Jennifer to Michael and back to Jennifer. “Pastor, I heard him say it is normal for couples to have issues but left out the part of him constantly venting his anger on me with his fists,” Jennifer said near tears. The clergy couldn’t hide his surprise and turned to Michael for answers. “Michael is this true?” Pastor Damian probed. “Pastor how can I do that? I mean I love my wife so much,” Michael replied, placing his hands on her thighs as a way of pleading with her in order to save his face. “Love?” she asked contorting her face as if the word tasted sour on her tongue. She looked him in the face and screamed, “Liar! Pastor he is lying. He beats me at the slightest provocation. In fact, I’ve had three miscarriages as a result of that. He has hurt me physically, emotionally and psychologically. I now live in constant fear of him not knowing what the next minute holds in store for me,” she said amidst sobs. Pastor Damian was speechless as he stared endlessly at Michael who bowed his head. He was at loss of what to say. He had handled several cases among couples from the pew but nothing of this sort before. He was aware that domestic violence was a serious problem that rocked some Christian homes and was not to be treated with kid gloves. He looked at Jennifer with pity and silently asked God for wisdom in handling their case. Having exhausted his options, he decided to try something out of the ordinary. “Sister Jennifer, please pull yourself together. I honestly think we should reschedule this meeting because we are not making headway. I would not want to apportion blames on anyone just yet. I need both of you to go home and have a rethink about this whole thing. This counseling cannot yield positive results if you employ deceit and place a barricade around your ego,” he stated looking in Michael’s direction. With that he stood to his feet, an indication that the meeting was over. The weeks that followed ushered in a new beginning for Michael and Jennifer. They began to relive their honeymoon strengthening their bond on a daily basis. The counseling was still in progress but in a different dimension with each of them having separate sessions with Pastor Damian. Although their love for each other soared with the progress recorded from the counseling, they had resolved to put intimacy on hold in order for Jennifer to heal emotionally. Jennifer’s joy knew no bounds as her marriage became peaceful once more and she saw less of her mother-in-law who stayed clear of their marriage in order not to pick a fight with her son. She became her once cheerful self and hung out more with her friends and family. Jennifer lay in the couch on a cool evening totally engrossed in watching the suspense-filled, emotion-awakening movie, “Twelve Years a Slave” without waiting for Michael, who went to the loo, to rejoin her. Just then her message alert came on, causing her to temporarily pause the movie as she quickly picked up the phone from the side stool by the side of the couch and tapped on the message icon to reveal the content of the message. She stared at the message for seconds unable to believe what was glaring at her. That was when she realized that she mistook Michael’s phone for hers due to their identical make and colour. With calculated steps she mounted the stairs to their matrimonial room with her pulse racing way too fast. She sat on the edge of the bed waiting for Michael to emerge from the lavatory while trying her possible best to keep her emotion under control. Michael was startled to see Jennifer gawping at him with his phone in her hand and made an attempt to find out what the problem was. “What’s wrong sweet?” he probed. “I’m sorry dear. I unintentionally read your message thinking the phone was mine. Here it is,” She said apologetically. “Is that all? That’s no problem at all,” he said and read the content of the message while walking away. “Don’t you think you owe me an explanation?” she quizzed, maintaining her cool. “An explanation over what?” Michael asked obviously confused. “An explanation on your relationship with Mabel that warrants such correspondence” She replied. “Come on babe. It’s nothing or do you think I’m cheating on you?” he inquired looking surprised. “What do you take me for? A fool? You expect me to believe that there’s nothing going on between you and your ex when you still call each other pet names like “baby” and “my love”. And as if that’s not enough, you still meet up. Telling me you have nothing to do with Mabel is an insult on my intelligence and I don’t like that,” Jennifer replied visibly shaken with anger. Michael paced the length and breadth of the room trying to control his anger. Jennifer found his silence rather annoying and sought to get to the bottom of it. “Michael your silence is not helping matters at all. It is rather aggravating the issue,” She added. “I can stand any accusation from you but not being labeled a cheat. I meant no harm at all. We are just fond of calling each other such names. And about meeting with her, it was for old time sake. She’s been away in the states for three years and just returned of recent,” he explained. “How does such an explanation sound to you? Even a five-year- old would not buy that. I remember the day I ran into an old friend in a mall and exchanged pleasantries. What did you do? You could not even wait for us to get home before landing me a slap in the car just because of a harmless hug. If I had done as much as this then I believe you would have skinned me alive. Just when we are trying to rebuild our marriage you decided to cheat on me?” Jennifer replied losing control of her voice. “Don’t you dare talk to me in such manner,” Michael cautioned. “Or else what? I guess the truth is bitter huh! You should have thought about that before rekindling your romance with Mabel,” she retorted. Michael landed a slap on her face for a start and made sure he beat the allegation out of her before storming out of the room. Jennifer dragged her assaulted body to the wall in a sitting position before punching Sarima’s number into her small phone to inform her of her ordeal and picked up few items leaving for the guest room. Jennifer looked in the direction of the door and was happy that she followed her instincts to have it locked. Michael had camped in front of her room all night apologizing for going out of control while convincing her to open the door in order to hear him out. From the look of things, Jennifer was sure he would not go to work and the thought of it troubled her a lot because she figured she needed ample time for herself if she had to survive. Just when she was about to give up on ever leaving the room, she heard Mrs. Obiora’s voice urging her to open the door. She wondered what her mother in- law had up her sleeves this time. She opened the door to see the face of her mother-in-law laced with pity and surprise and suddenly started imagining what had gone wrong with her. Mrs. Obiora pulled her along like a child and examined her properly to see the extent of the damage before proceeding to strike up a conversation with Jennifer. “I know I have never welcomed you as a member of this family, always making sure that you are seated on a keg of gun powder. I am truly sorry for everything I have done against you. Jennifer my child please find a place in your heart to forgive me,” she pleaded on her knees. Taken aback by her sudden change in attitude, Jennifer pulled her up and embraced her as a sign of forgiveness. “My child I may have been the definition of wickedness but I am definitely not in support of my son’s violent attitude towards you. How could you bear to stay married to a man whose hobby is to abuse you to the extent of making you lose three pregnancies?” she paused waiting for Jennifer to say something. Jennifer realized that her mother-in-law was genuinely concerned and decided to open up but was at loss of what to say to her with tears streaming down her face. “So it’s true. Here I was blaming you for being childless while my son has been occupied with the task of killing the fetus and you kept me in the dark all this while. As if that is not enough, he laid his hands on you last night. Jennifer you would not spend another night in this house until he comes back to his senses. No sane man hits his wife,” she spoke with her voice threatening to raise the roof. “But how did you find out ma?” Jennifer questioned. “It means you had no plans of telling me. I would not have known if not for Melody.” Mrs. Obiora was about to say something when Michael walked in surprised to find his mother discussing with his wife. He greeted his mother and proceeded to know why she came visiting so early. “I came to rescue my daughter from the jaws of death. Michael, I am your mother and I know I raised you up properly but never in my life could I imagine that you made a pact with the devil. How could you beat up your wife to the point of her having a miscarriage?” she thundered. Michael was totally confused as he looked from his mother to his wife and was at loss of what to say. “But mum she was not pregnant. I swear she was…” he was still talking when his mother landed him a deafening slap. “Are you remorseful that you beat her to a sorry state or that you failed to terminate another pregnancy? Despite my excesses, your father never laid his hands on me, a fact which you can attest to. Michael, I rue the day I had you and I would not leave this house without Jennifer,” she said angrily. Michael was flabbergasted at his mum’s new behaviour as she led Jennifer out of the room to their matrimonial room for her to pick some of her personal effects. Realizing the enormity of the situation, Michael pleaded with Jennifer who did not even look in his direction, only paying attention to packing her stuff. His plea to both women fell on deaf ears as he watched them drive out of the premises leaving him in the arms of loneliness.