Together as One

The more you know, the sadder you become.

Speedy had just closed from work. It was 5:30 pm when he walked into Macy's Bar, his favorite bar. He was not someone who was given to being dramatic but the way Janet, his wife spoke to him that morning worried him. Something was wrong and he was not about to walk into the storm building up in his house without some form of fortification. He figured he would sit there and drink while he waited for his friend Gus who married Janet's younger sister.

In all the four years of being married to her, he had never had any cause to be worried or scared of his wife but the look in her eyes when she woke him up that morning put the fear of God in his heart. He wasn't sure what kind of fear that people are meant to feel for God but he was sure the one he felt that morning was such. The coldness in her voice, the command and the complete lack of emotion as she said, "I suspect there is more to your relationship with Anita. God help you when I confirm it," chilled his blood and left him awake for the rest of the night. Attempts to get her to talk about what she meant met only with, "You'll see."

There is greater incentive for peace when there is equal balance of terror.

Thinking about the incident now made him sweat. He loosened the tie he wore from work and tried to relax.

" Good evening Speedy. What may I get you, sir?" the bartender asked.

"Hello Marv, let me have a bottle of the usual scotch and two glasses."

Marv left momentarily and returned with a bottle of Parley Rossi scotch and two shots. Speedy poured himself two shots of the scotch. He poured in the first shot in his mouth and swallowed. The drink made its way to his stomach and exploded. After the second glass, he started feeling better. His present troubles started receding to the back of his mind while a new-found courage was coming to the forefront.

He was pouring the second set of shots when Gus walked in. Gus was about thirty-four years old. Ten years ago, he was easily one of the most handsome guys in any gathering. But he had gradually let himself go since he started working as a commercial banker. Getting married did not make it better. He lowered his bulk on a chair opposite Speedy and drank the full shot on the table without a word.

"Hello, Speedy. You look like shit! Been here for long?"

"Thank you, Gus. No, I just arrived. You look like an overfed baby elephant. What's she been feeding you?" he replied as they shook their custom handshakes.

"Hahahaha. You know, this and that. What's bothering you, Speedy? Seriously, you don't look so good."

"I'm scared of Janet, Gus. She woke me in the middle of the night and scared the shit out of me and I can't figure out what's up with her. You know that she and her sister are close. I wonder if you've heard something," He said, thinking how strange he sounded. But Gus did not laugh or talk, instead he sat quietly as if he had a bad news he was weighing how to break to him.

"Are you cheating on your wife, man?" he finally asked.

"No! You know me! Whatever made you ask that?" he exclaimed

"Well, the other night, my wife told me about a club that women are joining in large numbers. They are calling it, 'Together as One'. They are supposed to empower women and help victims of domestic violence but it appears that some pretty vicious women have hijacked the group and they now encourage all kinds of brutality against men like encouraging their members to murder their cheating husbands in their sleep. I hear they also give them interest-free loans, so they can become completely independent. I didn't think anything of it until I read about that guy whose wife stabbed him dead in his sleep. I hope Janet is not getting any ideas," he said as he poured himself another drink.

The whole idea seemed fantastic to him. Janet could not hurt a fly. She was the most gentle person he knew and that's why her words and the manner in which she spoke them scared him to death. He sat there with elbows on the table and his chin cupped in his palm as he soaked in every word out of Gus's mouth. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. He had been wondering where his wife found all the money she was investing in her e-commerce business recently since she did not draw from their joint account. What if his wife joined a form of women's cult, what is he going to do about it?

Meanwhile, Janet was at home, looking at her watch every five minutes, furious and absolutely certain that her husband was with Anita. She always considered checking her husband's phone like some women do as petty and a huge sign of insecurity. But judging from the enormous number of cases reported by other women in the secret Facebook group of Together as One she had decided to check her husband's social media accounts and found a girl named Anita all over the place. She did not sleep throughout the previous night.

The Night Before

Sam came home early and after he had eaten and showered, he kissed his wife, who seemed to have been reading a novel, and soon slept off. Janet dropped the novel and picked up his phone. He never used any form of security lock on his phone so she easily had access to his phone. Patiently he went through all his social media accounts: Facebook, Instagram, twitter, imo, Snapchat, WhatsApp, and others. She found that Anita, a beautiful girl that seemed to be in her mid-twenties was keeping a near-perfect tab on her husband and he seemed to be enjoying it. She was mad.

She looked over to her husband sleeping and shuddered at the thoughts that were passing through her mind. She was very angry that he could cause her so much pain and still sleep so peacefully, even snoring. As she sat on her side of the bed watching him sleep, thoughts were racing through her head. She thought of the time before they married when Sam (why do his friends even call him that stupid name Speedy) had allowed his ex-spend a couple of days in his house. He denied any wrongdoing but the fact is he did not tell her that she was coming to his house.

"Look at him snoring like a pig. How did we get to this point where he would prefer to discuss his personal matters with a strange girl rather than his wife? Is this not the man that promised me his whole love? Now you have married me and you feel you can treat me anyhow. Perhaps that woman that slashed the husband's throat was not wrong," she thought but quickly caught herself and thought that perhaps she should confront him. She tapped him and woke him up.

"I suspect there is something between you and Anita," she said.

The Long Night

Speedy had finished drinking his last shot of whiskey and had enough courage to go home and face his wife. He called an uber that drove him home thirty minutes away. He decided it was going to be a long night. After what he has been told, sleeping was not a choice tonight. By the time he got home, it was 09: 25 pm and his two kids were asleep. He opened the fridge in the kitchen and took a bottle of water, opened it and drank from it. His wife came down from the children's room.

"You came back late," she said curtly.

He did not speak. Instead, he motioned her to sit down. In front of him was his dinner. He did not make any attempt to eat it as he sat there. She sat opposite him.

"What can I do to prove to you that there is no other woman for me but you?" he asked. The question softened her mind but with a little effort, she was able to hide it.

"I don't know."

"Do you want me to stop talking to her?"

"I don't know."

"Would it help if I called her in your presence and ask her whatever questions you want me to ask?" he said, thinking.

"I don't know. You must have called her and coached her on what to say," she replied.

"What can I do? You know we used to work at the same unit before she was transferred. I'm sorry for talking to her about some intimate things concerning us but I am not having and gave never had an affair with her. But you know what? I won't leave this house until you are certain that I have been faithful to you. Meanwhile, you can have my phone and use all my social media accounts. Take my calls and reply my texts. If my bosses or anyone at work calls, let them know that I'm indisposed," he said slowly as he slid the phone across the table to her.

She quickly went through his chat with Anita and sure enough, they had talked until just before he came in. He continued the chat as her husband stood up and went to the bathroom. After having his bath he went to the guest room where he stayed awake until a little after two am. Janet continued her conversation with Anita, trying to trap her into saying something that would incriminate her husband but she was not forthcoming.

Mommy Sitting

The next day, Speedy did not go to work, he took his mobile phone from his wife momentarily to call in sick. Later in the day, Anita called him to find out why he hadn't responded to her official mail. His wife brought him the phone to answer. He informed Anita that he called in sick. After talking for another two minutes as to how he was getting on, they both hung up.

This continued until the third morning which was a Sunday. Speedy had slept the previous night in his bed. He realized he was regaining his wife's trust. He was eating breakfast with his wife when she broke down and cried. All attempts to console her failed and she would not say exactly what was making her cry. After crying for a good twenty minutes, she wiped her tears and began to speak.

She apologized for accusing her husband falsely. She talked about the group Together as One and their activities, how they encourage brutality against husbands. She told him about the evil thoughts that had gone through her mind. She told him about the money she had borrowed from the group and finally, she promised to return the money she borrowed and dissociate herself from them.

Speedy listened silently but was thinking how lucky he was to have married such a wonderful woman. He did not blame her for all that had happened. He felt he was responsible for making his wife feel secure and happy in their marriage and he attributed what had happened as a lapse in his ability to do that.

He stood up an went over to Janet, knelt down in front of her and hugged her.

"Oh, I have been so unhappy since I joined that damn group. They made me suspect every step you take and I've been keeping things from you too. I'm pregnant," she said.

Speedy looked up at her face to see if she was serious. She was. "I have not confirmed but this time, it's a girl," she smiled.

Speedy had never been happier and he was glad he spent those two days at home with his wife. He hated that club or cult or whatever they are for coming between him and his wife but they were far away from his mind as he thought of his family: a beautiful wife, two handsome boys and now a girl. Some men have all the luck, he thought.

_{All images were obtained from pixabay}

Authored by @churchboy