ONE WHITE LIE

Being married to Kola was the next best thing to being alive. He came into my life just when I needed someone to fight for and with me no matter the situation.

I had just returned from the UK after my master's degree and it felt like I was starting life again. I lost my parents just after my BSc. from the University of Portharcourt and worked for a few years to gather some money to further my studies.

The UK was wild yet fruitful for me. I finished with good grades and ended a "situationship" just before I returned to Nigeria. Coming home was always the plan.

That Thursday, I left my workplace and drove around the city. I hadn't had the opportunity to see what the new Governor had done with the city because I immersed myself in work soon as I got back into the county. Port Harcourt had changed a whole lot since I left and I was taking the entire view in when I had a flat tire sometime around 10 PM on a road that thankfully was well-lit with streetlights.

I struggled with the tire for about 15 min before a car pulled over just ahead of me and a young man came down and rolled his sleeves as he approached me.

I can't forget his cologne and I think that the Roja Dove Reckless he wore that night, contributed to making it easier to say YES when he proposed two years later. I would always love a man that smells good.

***

Kola knew every single detail about me and could defend me in the Supreme Court if all the lawyers in Nigeria went on strike. We decided earlier on in our marriage to not keep secrets from each other and it's been an absolute bliss.

"Ineye..."

I heard his voice and turned to look into his eyes. He called me by my native name and had one of those I-have-a-confession-to-make-right-now looks on his face. This only happens when he was about to say something I would chide him about, but eventually, forgive him.

I tapped on the empty space on the bed for him to come to sit next to me and he hurriedly ran to my side like a little boy running to sit by his mother. I pointed at my cheek and he put a wet kiss on it that made me smile. We decided to always start with some sugar whenever we were about to tell the other person something that might make him or her upset.

"So what have you done this time," I asked and watched as he took a deep breath.

"She tried to kiss me today," he said and put his head down.

"Kiss you!" I shot at him but immediately calmed myself.

"Did you.." I started to say but he cut me off.

"I fired her," he said and took my hands in his.

"I guess I was right all along, that she wanted to have a taste of my man and she couldn't disguise it with all that extra work she was putting in. Right?"

Kola nodded and kissed my hands.

"Right"

***

The 8th of August was like any other Friday. I got to the office early as always, and for the first time, I had to sit through a dozen interviews that left me light-headed because my HR wasn't feeling good and only informed me that morning.

Lunchtime was my saving grace, a genuine reason to go back to my office and never return. The plan was to sit in for 3 or 4 interviews and see if any of them was a perfect fit for the role we were hiring, but they all came prepared and in their numbers.

I walked out at exactly noon and headed for my office, my second kingdom after my Kola's manly hands.

"Excuse me ma," Betty's voice caused me to stop and turn.

"These came for you while you were inside ma," she said as she produced a tastily coloured bouquet of roses which she put out for me.

"And," I shot at her

"I'm sorry ma, I already took the other gift basket to your office but the instruction was to give this to you personally," she replied, still holding out the bouquet.

I retrieved the bouquet from her and immediately understood why she was instructed to give it to me.

The rose held a unique scent that was a mixture of jasmine and tuberose. My nose hadn't picked up that scent in the last 7 years and I was definite that this didn't come from Kola and actually wished I was wrong.

***

Kola, in our 3 years of marriage had always left me goodies at the office 3 times a week and every time I told him to stop, the quantity of the gift basket items increased.

Whenever he could, he would drop by and wait for me in my office if I was in a meeting, or walk directly into my office after knocking and trying to be the perfect gentleman. Other times, he would leave the gift items at the reception and have Betty take them up to my office.

There wasn't a chance that he would leave roses and tell Betty to hand them to me.

"How did he happen to coincidentally use jasmine and tuberose on them?" I thought as I turned my key and walked into the sitting room to meet a candle-lit date night setting in our living room.

Kola was a helpless romantic who enjoyed spontaneous date nights and I loved it a lot.

A few minutes after dinner, while we danced to Ed Sheeran's "Thinking out loud", his hands had just found the base of my neck, which he gently tilted to the side and kissed ever so gently, when I remembered the rose.

"How did you know to use tuberose and jasmine?"

"Huh?"

"The bouquet," I said and we stopped dancing.

"What bouquet?" he asked and I saw the sincerity in his eyes.

Kola didn't send the roses.

***

It couldn't be. What I was thinking was impossible yet it was the only logical conclusion.

Kola's hands, sliding down and grabbing my buttcheeks, as we resumed dancing brought me back from my train of thought.

"Ready?" he asked and I nodded slightly. He brought one leg forward and bent it to maintain balance as he lowered me further back. Kola was such a perfect dancer and even after 3 years of marriage he still asks for permission when dancing to know if I am ready for the dip.

While in the dip position, I looked into his eyes and hoped he wasn't able to see the thoughts that were ravaging my mind. He smiled and helped me back up. He let me go for a while but caught my hands at the last minute, spun me around till our foreheads met and we both closed our eyes simultaneously.

His lips brushed mine lightly and I could feel him smile even whilst our eyes were closed. He eventually held my upper lip in position as his tongue slid ever so gently into my mouth and I pinned it with my teeth. We both let out a small laugh and started tearing at our clothes in a split second.

In one easy move, he bent me over the closest sofa and took me beyond the clouds. Spontaneous date nights always ended with a quickie or two.

Whilst we tried to catch our breath on the rugged floor of the sitting room, he turned to me and smiled.

"What bouquet were you referring to?"

***

"I got roses at the office today and by your reaction, I am guessing you're not the one,"

"Someone has been keeping secrets from me," he teased and pulled me closer to his naked upper torso.

"Nah, why would I?" I said and he shrugged.

"Did the person leave a note?"

"Jasmine and..." I started to say and instantly regretted it.

"The note said Jasmine?"

I had a choice to tell an absolute lie and deny deny deny or tell a white one and keep the conversation going. I had never been in a situation where I would have to lie to my husband, but if that bouquet confirms my suspicion, then Kola is better off with half-truths. A little lie to save my marriage wasn't a capital offence.

"No no, it had a strong scent of a mixture of jasmine and tuberose." I finally replied.

"So you know who it's from?" he asked and I wasn't sure how to answer the question. I want to say yes but Gozie couldn't possibly be in Nigeria. If he actually is, it's best to tell Kola that I know it's from him because Gozie always likes an entrance and if he could trace my office, chances are that he already knows this address and most likely everything else there is to know about me, especially the fact that I am married.

"Yes, I do" I finally said.

***

Kola knew I was both friendless and loveless when we both met, and I would not blame him. What I had for Gozie was more than an obsession and it's still a miracle I got over him and have been able to build a life with Kola without any interferences until now.

I had been healing for two years when I met Kola, it took us another year to start dating and then we got married. I never really told him about Gozie, not necessarily because I wanted to intentionally keep it from him but more because I was certain that Gozie would not set foot in Nigeria and I was over him and in a great place.

It was now a waiting game. Gozie had all the cards in his hands and I woke up every day expecting to see some type of message from him, but none ever came.

Kola was actually excited that I finally had a friend in town and asked that I reach out to him so we could invite him over.

I eventually had to tell Kola that Gozie was a long-time friend whom I lost touch with in the UK over 6 years ago long before we met and got married.

Somewhere in my mind, I told Kola the truth. Gozie was a friend, and I lost touch with him after I left the UK. I had to tell Kola all this because it would be impossible to stop Gozie from coming close to our family. I only silently left out the part that explained how romantically involved Gozie and I were, and how toxic it was.

***

Gozie hadn't reached out since the bouquet and I started to doubt the fact that he was actually in Nigeria and almost questioning the veracity of my mind.

There are only two men on earth that knew my love for floral scents. My late dad and Gozie. It had to be Gozie that sent the flowers because I couldn't think of any other person who would give such specific instructions about a bouquet of roses that was doused with floral scents.

A few days passed and Kola kept asking if I had reached out to Gozie and I genuinely told him that he didn't leave a number or any way to contact him. We went back to our normal lives and I was glad to have dodged a bullet.

I came home from work one Friday and heard someone in the sitting room with Kola. The voice was very deep and insanely musical. I locked the door, pinned my back to it, clutched the purse in my hands, closed my eyes tightly and prepared myself for what was to come.

Gozie was in my house and from the looks of it, he had won Kola's heart. My mind replayed the many times I tried to get away from him in the UK and how he ensured all my efforts were futile. His possessiveness almost drove me crazy and when I saw a window to run away and burn all bridges, I took it and lived a new life before Kola came into it and gave me a million reasons to live.

I wished I had told Kola the truth when I had the opportunity.

***

I walked towards them and Gozie was the first to stand and run to me. He hugged, lifted and spun me around a few times with feigned excitement.

"It's clear you haven't told Mr Kola about us, let's keep it that way. For what it's worth, it's great to see you" he whispered in my ear and gently caressed my buttocks with the tip of his fingers, as he let me go. I was stunned to my bones and wondered if Kola saw him touch me that way.

Gozie stayed for a few more hours, we all ate and saw a movie together before he left. Kola was excited to know I finally had a friend in the city but I knew Gozie would be the end of me.

"Let's keep it that way," I recalled what Gozie said and decided to handle it before shit hits the fan. After a few weeks of begging and trying to get Gozie to stop sending me his nudes and requesting that I see him if I want him to go away forever, I caved in.

We were to meet at the Golden Tulip Hotel by noon on the 5th of September. I got there and whilst we talked, he leaned in and kissed me, I wanted to stop him but my body betrayed me and we both got naked. The sex was amazing and when we were done I got off the bed and saw Kola standing by the bathroom door. A tear creased down his cheeks and his eyes were red.

"Bro, I told you. Ine would always be mine." Gozie said to Kola as he got dressed.

I knew instantly that I had fallen for Gozies plan and Kola was there because he knew me well enough to wager that Gozie was lying. My husband walked out without a single word and that was the end of our marriage.

It's been a year since Kola walked out and I still don't know his

whereabouts. He never came back to the house, to our house. Gozie

eventually went back to the UK and now I am all by myself.

--->THE END<---

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