CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE “CONVINCED”

© Opeyemi Akintunde

Inspired by the Holy One

Teju’s POV

Two years.

That was how long it had been.

Two years of living in the same house with my wife… and never truly living with her.

Imade kept her word… She said we would be housemates… and she meant it.

We shared an address, not a life. We slept in separate rooms.
We ate different meals.
We moved around each other like polite strangers who had overstayed the same Airbnb.

At first, I thought it was a phase … Shock…Anger…Pride.

I told myself she would soften.

So I tried…God knows I tried.

I read articles late into the night…
How to make your wife fall in love with you.
What women want in marriage.
Signs your wife is emotionally unavailable.

I became a student of effort.

I bought gifts; expensive ones, thoughtful ones, random ones.
Perfumes…Bags.
Books I thought she would like.

I tried Acts of service like fueling her car.
Fixing things she never asked me to fix.
Dropping her at work when she didn’t request it.

Love notes…Long messages….Short ones.
Apologies for things I wasn’t even sure I did.

It felt like talking to a wall.

A very beautiful wall… but still a wall.

She shut me down every time.

We ate differently.

Imade rarely cooked.

She ordered soups and stews from outside.
Perfectly prepared.
Rich.
Well-spiced.

Whenever our mothers came visiting, she became the perfect wife.

Serving hot meals.
Smiling politely.
Asking after everyone’s health.

They praised her.

“She takes care of you well,” my mother would say.

I would nod.

I never corrected them.

The food was never for me.

Not once.

The only time I tried… just once… when she wasn’t around, hunger pushed me to open one of the pots.

I regretted it.

When she got back, she noticed immediately.

“Who touched my food?”

I froze.

The words that followed were sharp…humiliating.

She spoke to me like I was a child who ate his mother’s food behind her back.

She almost hit me.

If she had the strength, she would have.

I didn’t report it.
Didn’t cry to anyone.
Didn’t involve our parents.

I swallowed it.

Like a man.

I kept hoping.

Hoping she would turn.
Hoping time would heal it.

But by our second anniversary… I knew.

Something had to give.

There had been no intimacy.

None.

I was going mad.

How could a man be married and not touch his wife?

We worked together.
at the office and tried not to slip. Even at church, at family events.

We kept up appearances.

But inside me… something was drying up.

I had kissed my wife only twice.

Once… on our wedding day at the altar.
And once… on our first anniversary.

That day still burned.

Our relatives had surprised us with an anniversary party.

The room was full…The music was loud,
Laughter was everywhere.

Then my mother-in-law must have noticed the stiffness between them , She suddenly started shouting.

“Kiss! Kiss!”

My heart raced.

I wanted it so badly… but I was afraid.

Afraid she would embarrass me.

So I waited.

She pulled me closer.

Her lips met mine.

It felt… stiff.

Like obligation.

Like punishment.

Tears stung my eyes.

Because I wanted the real thing.

Not this.

Not a performance.

That night, I lay awake and finally admitted the truth to myself.

I was married…but I was alone.

And love…
love could not survive on effort alone.

Something was wrong.

And pretending was no longer enough.

Our Second Year Anniversary was here and I think I wanted something real.

To be continued..

www.deepthoughtsintl.org
 Facebook: @Opeyemi Akintunde
 Instagram: @OpeyemiAkintunde
 YouTube: @DeepThoughtsTV
 DEEP THOUGHTS NOVELS
Inspired by the TRUTH REVEALER
Written by Opeyemi Akintunde
 +234-8151103646