I Love Our Best Man – Tosin Ezekiel
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Yinka was 31 when he married. Bode, his best man, was 29 years old. Vero, the lady he married, was also a friend of theirs. Despite the fact that Vero and Bode met first, Yinka was the lucky man.
They were all close friends from university and worked in the same organization.
Yinka’s marriage was good, but there was no baby. They were on it for four years.
When Yinka was 35, there was still no baby. Bode was 33 and still unmarried.
Yinka consulted a doctor secretly. Only Bode knew about it. The doctors confirmed that the problem was Yinka; he had varicocele, which made him have a low sperm count and other complications. He used to feel pain in his testosterone during sex. In short, Yinka could not impregnate a woman.
Vero liked sex. Although they didn’t have a child, Vero was a sex freak. She was ready day and night. In fact, she seemed not to be too worried about not having a child so long as Yinka could perform.
But Yinka could not perform in bed because of pain. Two minutes of sex were hell. To satisfy his wife, he would drink local concoctions, so he gave her back to back though she was infertile.
Unfortunately, the doctor told Yinka to stop drinking any sex-enhancing substances as he prepared for the surgery.
Yinka was scared of disclosing all this to his wife, but he stopped drinking whatsoever to perform.
Vera loved sex.
But suddenly, just after the doctors had confirmed that Yinka would need surgery and could not perform again, his wife stopped demanding sex too. He was surprised but didn’t know what to do. He knew his wife could not go for a week without sex.
Gradually, their marriage fell apart. They lived in the same house as strangers.
Yinka disclosed all this to Bode. Bode knew everything about Yinka. Only Bode knew when Yinka went for the secret test. Bode knew the result, and he knew about the planned surgery.
Yinka was becoming lonely and depressed.
At their workplace, Yinka started having feelings for a new lady named Serah. Serah was beautiful, and Bode was the first to build a friendship with her. But they were not dating; they were just friends.
Yinka needed someone to share emotions with. He didn’t like his attraction to Serah because he wanted to be faithful to his wife.
After work one day, he had dinner with Bode just to express his mind. He asked about Serah from Bode. Bode told him they weren’t dating because they were not medically compatible.
Then Yinka told Bode that he had suddenly developed feelings for Serah.
Well, Bode advised him as a friend, and everything was pretty good until two weeks later, when Serah herself started following Yinka.
The pressure was on Yinka. He could not control it. He fell for Serah. When someone you like starts to pursue you, your willpower will be weak.
Yinka fell in love to the extent that they used to go to a hotel after work at times.
A few months later, the miracle of all miracles happened in Yinka’s family. Vera suddenly became pregnant.
It was supposed to be a miracle, but Yinka had doubts! He had varicocele, which led to a low sperm count and other complications. The possibility of impregnating a woman was low. He was not sure he was responsible for the pregnancy.
The following week, when Yinka was still in confusion, Serah asked that they needed to see after work.
They ended up in a hotel room, and there, Serah broke the news, she was pregnant too! Confusion of all confusion.***
Yinka saved N4.7 million for the surgery.
He kept the money with Bode—a secret he didn’t disclose to Vera, his wife.
He wouldn’t allow Vera to know he was the cause of their infertility, not know about the secret surgery.
He even sold a plot of land he bought a month before their marriage. He also got a loan from the bank. All the money was kept with Bode, his best man, his best friend.
The day after Serah told Yinka about the pregnancy, he wanted to see Bode at work to explain the recent confusion. But he was shocked that Bode had been given leave from work.
“How could Bode go on leave without telling me?” “Is that how a bosom friend should behave?” Yinka thought.
He started calling to hear from Bode, and he kept trying the number from morning until closing time. He was angry as he left home. He didn’t even give Serah any time.
When he got home, Vera was not at home. He thought he had gone out. “But why would she go out without telling me?”
He didn’t call her because he was angry. But it was not a joke because Vera didn’t return home till 10 pm.
None of her numbers was going, and he didn’t want to call his in-laws yet.
Bode had his 4.7 million and was nowhere to be found. Vera, his pregnant wife, was nowhere to be found.
A cloud of fear and depression suddenly descended on him. He went out and bought drinks. All alone in the house, he drank until he lost consciousness.
He woke around 4 a.m. and wished it was a dream, but none of their numbers was still reachable. He drank again and fell asleep.
He woke up very late. He got to work and met a lot of cars in the parking lot, and he didn’t have a place to park his car. He was an hour late.
As he entered the office, he was surprised to see external inspectors, they had just finished a one-hour inspection in the office.
“The manager wants to see you,” a staff member informed Yinka.
Just a few seconds later, the inspectors were on their way out. Yinka rushed to see the manager.
“Good morning, sir,” Yinka said, bowing his head.
“Yinka, what the hell is wrong with you?”
There was no response from him.
“I am talking to you!” The manager yelled.
Look at the dress you put on; is that the dress code for today? Yinka checked himself; he had put on Friday clothes on Thursday.
“I am sorry, sir,” he managed to say.
“You were to cover up for Bode, who was on leave, and now you didn’t do his work yesterday.” “Today as well, you came late.”
“Sir, I didn’t know Bode was on leave.” He spoke softly.
“Yinka! Are you trying to accuse me of not having informed you? Bode is your partner and your friend. Common! Just go out of my office.”
Yinka left, but as he got to the door, a thought came, and he paused, “Why not talk to him? Let him know what you are going through… Open up.”
But another thought came: “Common! I am a man. “I don’t need to expose my challenges.”
The manager noticed he was still by the door. “Yinka, anything?”
Yinka breathed in and said, “Nothing, sir.”
He left and went to the restroom. Quickly, he washed his face as he was becoming teary.
That day at work, Yinka was inactive. Coping with his work and Bode’s work was hectic. He dozed off on the computer.
After work, Yinka needed someone to talk to. So he called on Serah, who was a month pregnant. That day, he carried him in his car for the first time.
Yinka didn’t know that the manager had asked one of their colleagues to keep an eye on him. He was seen with Serah on their way to the hotel.
Layer by layer, he went home and started calling his in-laws to inform them. Every other person picked except his mother-in-law, but nobody knew his wife’s whereabouts.
Yinka, as usual, drank until he lost consciousness. The second night was more terrible because it was no longer a joke.
The following day was a Friday. He couldn’t wear the right clothes because he had worn his Friday clothes the previous day. That Friday was a bad day as well. The director came in the afternoon; he met Yinka sleeping. Yinka was not even aware that the director had come.
It seemed the manager liked Serah, and hearing the report that Yinka was going out with Serah aggravated his anger.
At the close of the day, a letter was given to Yinka. Yinka didn’t bother to check it. He appeared to be in a hurry. He went home straits.
He tried calling again, and for the first time, his mother-in-law picked up the call.
She sounded very angry and warned Yinka never to call her again.
“If I gave you a daughter and you lost her, stop calling me or I will arrest you, weren’t,’ the woman said and dropped the call. Then it dawned on Yinka that the whole thing was planned.
Who said men don’t cry?
Yinka wept loudly in his apartment
No child yet.
Wife ran away.
Money disappeared.
His in-laws rejected him and threatened him.
He wept until his eyes were heavy. Suddenly, he stood up, picked up his car key and went out.
This happened on a Friday.
The following Monday, they didn’t see Yinka at work. The manager assumed he had picked the second option given to him in the letter.
Serah tried to reach Yinka to no avail. The following day, on a Tuesday, the rumour spread quickly that Vera had left Yinka.
Some colleagues at work started the side talk; they blamed him. However, it was at his back.
Serah kept calling Yinka to no avail, but by Wednesday, Yinka’s number was no longer reachable.
When Serah heard that Vera had left Yinka, she gathered her courage and took it upon herself to visit him at home.
Yinka lived in a three-bedroom flat, fenced with barb wire. There was only one building in the large compound. The owner was abroad.
Luckily, the gate was not locked. Serah entered the compound, and Yinka’s car was parked in the front.
Serah went to the door, but the door was locked. She waited for some minutes, then decided to check back later.
As he was leaving, she noticed someone wa is the car with his head bowed over the stirring….
#OpraDre Our Best Man Our Best Man Our Best Man Our Best Man Our Best Man Our Best Man Our Best Man Our Best Man Our Best Man Our Best Man Our Best Man Our Best Man Our Best Man Our Best Man Our Best Man
©Wisdom Teacher
To be continued in the next post
