Tales Of A Nigerian Man: Green Card Chase #4

I was left behind bars for two days, for no justifiable reasons. The only good thing was that I was alone in my own cell. I made sure I gave the officers in charge sleepless nights two nights before.

“You cannot keep me in here against my will, what is my crime?” I had screamed continuously.

“You think say here na America? If you no behave ehn, na here you go stay do your next birthday.”

“You must be bluffing, just you wait till I get across to my lawyer, and just you wait...”

Truth be told, the only lawyer I ever had helped my wife steal all that I ever worked for.

“oga if you no close your mouth make person sleep, I go make sure say una dey five for that cell tomorrow."The officer had threatened.

“Will you say to the minister of justice that I am behind bars for attempting to take back my own family? Will you say...”

“-You be a stupid man. Others dey hustle to build dem own family and you dey here dey attempt to take back your own. If you no throway dem in the first place, ‘attempting’ and ‘taking back’ for no dey necessary.”

“You dey mind the idiot?” I heard the second officer say.

We kept going like that till the first cock crowed; you should have been there to hear the officers dish curses at me for keeping sleep off their eyes till the morning came.

Emilia had come to see me in the police station against her ‘husband's’ will. She had insisted, and he had let her have her way. Despite the bars between us, I could feel her cold with fear, I could feel her trembling. The words wouldn't just come out straight...shaky as usual whenever she spoke to me. But this time, she was firm and decisive with her choice of words. Her mind's been made up.

“Ben,...” she no longer deemed it fit to call me ‘my love’ anymore. Is that what she calls Mitch now?

“...you have hurt us enough Ben, I was there with you when you had nothing. I supported you emotionally, spiritually and financially when all you wanted was to leave for the U.k even though we were comfortable here. We sold all we had so you could get there and you did not care how we survived with nothing...”

“Are you here to read me my biography? I thought you wanted to get me out of here.”

“For twenty years we did not see you, your kids grew up without you and the first thing you said to them after reuniting is that you have another family in the U.k...” she continued, ignoring me. That was unlike her.

She went on and on about how mitch had always been there, supporting her and my kids morally and financially, how he saw my boy through school and how he never asked for anything in return till he travelled out and got back, bla bla bla. She had agreed to marry him a year after I had made it known to her that I wasn't coming back, ever, to Nigeria.

“Just forget about us Ben, you cannot just walk away and expect us to welcome you with open arms after the ones you abandoned us for rejected you. Move on Ben, you are not too old to start all over, Mitch and I did, so can you...”

“you b...” I pulled my hands through the bars to grab her by the neck, missed by an inch as she pulled away quickly. The officers and Mitch came forward quickly to her aid.

“You are just nothing but a slut. You sell your family for what? Romance? You are unbelievable Emilia. And you...” I turned to Mitch. “...have always had your eyes set on my wife, I have always known you. How else did you stay all this years without settling down? You had plans. You conniving son of a b...”

“Mister!? Mister!?”

I quickly opened my eyes, heavy with sleep and sweaty, I looked at my right; he had this look of worry on his face. “Mister?” he repeated. “...Are you alright? You have been talking in your sleep.”

The passengers directly in front of us had their eyes on me.

“Was I that loud?” I whispered to my neighbor, he nodded with a smile. “Oh my!” I said.

“Dreaming?” he asked. I nodded and he smiled again. He handed me his handkerchief to wipe my sweaty face; even though I had mine in my back pocket, I couldn’t turn down this genuine gesture, I took it.

“I am Frank chukwuka.” He extended his right hand to me.

“Ben, I am Ben Ofordili.” I took his hand in a shake.

“You look tensed brother...” he looked concerned. “How long have you been away from home? You look worried than happy. I have been away for eight years now, this is the first time I am getting to meet my wife and boys, twins; she took in five months before I left for the U.S.”

“wow, that is wonderful, you must be so anxious and excited...”

“Oh yes, I am. They look so grown in the last pic she sent to me.” He took his phone out and showed me two identical boys he had as his screen saver, cute.

“Sure, they are.” I said as a matter of fact. “Beautiful family you have got.”

His smile widened as he stared at the image like he was just seeing it for the first time.

“...it hurts that I wasn’t there eight years of their lives. I wish I can make up for the lost years.”

“I wish so too.”

“Enough on my family, now tell me about you. How long have you been away in the U.S?”

I saw that coming. “Eleven years and three months.” I answered.

“wow, that is really a long time.”

We chatted on and on till we touched down at the international airport in Ikeja, Lagos state, Nigeria. Frank and I had said goodbyes while he reunited with his family, they were there waiting for him. The boys looked exactly like in the picture. They were so happy to see their father and the tears in his eyes said how much he missed them; I was so happy for him. Now I have to go to mine. The dream in the plane wasn't a good one; it had only made me skeptical about meeting with my wife Euphemia.

As I walked behind the young man pulling my excess luggage, I let me mind wander; I had kept Euphemia abreast with all the details she needed to know about my movement and survival in the United States. I had let her know i had started another family over there and that was how I secured my green card. She had cried, I couldn't console her, she just wouldn't understand. I thought she would, even though it hurt. But with time, she stopped crying whenever I called and she would ask of my American wife and two kids. It wasn't easy for her, it wasn't fair to her, but a man has got to do what a man has to do, and that, I did; I hoped for it not to cost me my family.

“Daddy!!” I heard their voices chorus. I looked in their direction, my lovely kids. They look no different from the pictures I received on daily basis. And I thought they must have gone through my pictures well enough to recognize me.

“Daddy!!”

They ran towards me, away from Abdu, my driver. my feet glued to the ground, my heartbeat tripled. I hugged them tight like my life depended on it and the tears came to my eyes. we held on for a while, finally when we broke the embrace, I searched around with my eyes.

“where is your mother?”

They exchanged looks and slowly turned their heads to look at the ground. I felt a knife go through my heart, I shamelessly fell on my knees and I cried.

“My love..,”

I quickly looked over my shoulder.

“My love!”.

Chidera Reginald