TWO HOMES TO NONE (II) SHORT STORY
Intro:
Continuing our story of a young man, Ekene, and his love life. Now for a recap of Episode I: Ekene and Ifeoma are seen to be having a whirlwind romance at the beginning of the story. As is the manner with these things, she eventually gets herself settled in his home. But there is a problem, actually two problems and very serious ones at that. One, Ekene is married although his wife lives elsewhere. And so is Ifeoma although her husband is based someplace else. Two, Ekene lives in his parents’ home and his dad is not cool with the arrangement at all. So what to do is the question. Ekene visits his wife and divulges the situation to her. She throws him out and warns, “Never cone back here till you get rid of her.”
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Voila! Episode II awaits!
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TWO HOMES TO NONE (II)
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If Ekene felt harassed and mistreated by Adanna, his wife, he was dealt much worse by Ifeoma (his mistress) when he got home. Afraid that his parents would be awakened and embarrassed by the fracas, he hurriedly left and spent the night in a hotel. He stayed away the next day and went home the following morning. When he arrived, Ifeoma picked up the fight from where they’d stopped two days before. Ekene could not believe it but his anger overcame his incredulity.
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“What right do you have to question my movements? You are not my wife!”
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“It’s the right you gave me when you asked me to move in with you!”
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“I never asked you to move in, I mean, you and I know it wasn’t my idea.”
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“So I just happened to be at your door. Who packed my stuff, who paid the truck driver, who …?”
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“I’m not picking issues with you on that anymore. Now, let’s assume for the sake of argument that I asked you here, now I’m unasking you or better still, I’m asking you to leave. Carry your baggage, carry your children and leave!”
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“My dear, you don’t know who you’re dealing with. It will take more than words to uproot me from here. If you feel uncomfortable staying with me, you can go and cool off with your Mrs. And if you’re not careful, neither you nor her will enter this place ever again.”
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“In the first place, you have no root here. In the second place, you’ll be making a fatal mistake if you think you can threaten me or my wife.”
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“If she spent her time performing her wifely duties rather than pursuing money, you won’t have pestered me to the point where we are ….”
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“It’s a waste of time talking with you. Since you want action, I’ll give you action. I give you one week and if you’re not out of here by then ….”
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“You’ll do what? You can’t even come up with an original line.”
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With a sneer that marred her otherwise beautiful countenance, she left Ekene and marched into the bedroom. She was angry that after all her ‘hard work’ faking an email with the false news of her husband’s death, Ekene was giving her a tough time. She had thought he was such a puppy and would play along in her game of using him to replace her husband, whom she recently discovered had a family abroad and was being pressured by his foreign wife to cut ties with her.
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Ekene went back to the hotel and paid a deposit on the room he’d been using for another week. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror as he got back inside. He was looking haggard. He had not slept a wink in two nights. He had not shaved or had a proper meal. He couldn’t imagine how these two horrible things chose to happen to him at the same time: he unwittingly let a snake into his life, into his home. And then to make matters worse, his ever-forbearing wife turned against him.
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He was losing his mind trying to pore over how stupid he had been, how he didn’t see all this coming. He hated hotels, no matter how luxurious. In all his time of wildness, he always ensured he got back to sleep in his own bed, no matter how late it was. And his apartment at home was, in his view, an unparalleled blend of comfort and beauty. Yet here he was in this room with its soulless elegance because of his own idiocy.
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And the truth was, Ifeoma was right. He was merely bluffing when he gave her the ultimatum. He had no plan, no fall-back, no strategy. He prayed she wouldn’t follow up on her threats. He prayed that God should protect him and his family ’cause how else could she do so except through black magic. He didn’t want any of that stuff anywhere near his family knowing it could complicate people’s lives no end.
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What was that? He was actually praying in his heart. But did he really think that God will listen to him, he asked himself. He had lived his life selfishly. He had taken and taken without giving anything back: his wife’s commitment and loyalty, his parents doting care and extravagant financial support, God’s benevolence and patience for did he not keep him safe in his recklessness and help his wife raise their five kids? All his giving, if he could call it that, had been to nurture his illicit relationships.
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He knew where he should start: with God. He poured out his heart to Him, told Him he was tired of being a spoilt brat, told Him he wanted to grow up as his wife said, told Him to cleanse and fix him to be a new person, a different person, the person He wanted him to be. This must have gone on for an hour or more, Ekene couldn’t tell. He must have dozed off at some point because he woke up in the evening feeling rested and hungry.
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He decided to freshen up before going for a meal in the restaurant. As he shaved, it occurred to him that he hadn’t even addressed the problem that brought him to the hotel in the first place: Ifeoma’s incursion into his life and her refusal to leave. But somehow he was not worried. He felt he owed her some thanks for messing up his life to the point that he remembered God. Having a relationship with God, he felt, was the first and most important step he needed to take. And he was certain that as he built on that, the scattered pieces of his life will begin to fall into their proper places and the alien stuff will gradually depart.
He remembered an old song they used to sing back in secondary school when he briefly joined the Scripture Union, “One Day at a Time”, by Cristy Lane. Why did I ever leave, he asked himself. But it was no use lamenting over the wasted years, he had a journey ahead of him and he would make it with God, one day at a time.
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“One day at a time sweet Jesus
That’s all I’m asking from you.
Just give me the strength
To do everyday what I have to do.
Yesterday’s gone sweet Jesus
And tomorrow may never be mine.
Lord help me today, show me the way
One day at a time.”
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As he sang the refrain over and over, he knew that by God’s grace, he would turn his life around and begin to give back to God, to his parents, his wife and kids and the rest of society one day at a time.
-The end-
Ⓒ Edith Ugochi Ohaja 2016
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A captivating story indeed. It’s a glorious thing that God used Ifeoma to arrest Emeka’s soul because he was heading towards damnation. I pray we all learn from this piece.
Amen and stay blessed, Chijioke!
Thank you for sharing these stories!
Thank you, Kay! You are blessed!
I love the story.
Any life without God is a misery,as a branch cannot stay on its own without the tree.Prospective husbands and wives beware.Thanks for this wonderful piece
what a nice write-up,I think young people should read and learn so as not to fall victim of the problems and difficulties of going into an unhealthy relationship.
At least he understood that only God can save him from his present predicament. Quite an educating story cos it will be an eye opener to youths who live wayward lives.
nice one ma
Thank God he knew what to do.. Of course, that which he knew saved him. Therefore, knowing God is an assurance of one’s safety. Thanks ma
fortunately for him he remembered God . God solves problems in mysterious ways.
he(God)will always send us a helper in our point of need.you never can tell who,until you give urself n people d chance
Nice story ma… an educating story for the youth to know that life without God is nothing… Interesting!!!
It’s great that Ekene did not just realize that he had been a brat and an idiot, but also remembered God; admitting that he had been away from God for so long. Ifeoma’s seemingly military coup against Ekene is ridiculous.Ekene is obviously paying the price for his stupidity and idiocy. The story needs to continue so that we will know the outcome Ifeoma’s refusal to leave.
Thank God he came to his senses, i believe that God will accept him back.
In every decisons in life invite God to take the lead,before embarking on it.
God first and other things follows, a wonderful piece
this just asserts the fact that ”with God, all things are possible”.
nice piece
nice write up
I pray it doesn’t end here. i want more! Nice one.
Repentance is the first step to a solved problem.
Indeed, it is.
Nice write up
Merci.
Ifeoma’s husband has a family outside the country, in retaliation she starts out with Ekene, who also has a wife and children somewhere, Hmmmmm. Such twists. Nice, as always.
Thanks. Glad you liked it.
That point in life when u remember God to be ur everything that is called help
God should be our priority in all we engage in…good work ma
God should be our number 1 priority
its a nice one i love it
Those that PUT everything in God’s hands will always see God’s hand in everything they do. A life without Christ is a life full of crises. Thank you my lecturer and God bless you.
God.shud be involved in all we do
I couldn’t resist commenting. Very well written! http://www.yahoo.net
The evil man commits must surely find him out. Beware.
God’s grace is eternal.Find it and be forever at peace.
with God all things are possible
God can do everything when u call on his name
Yes, he can!
In God lies peace and prosperity in life, we are to turn to Him and cease from doing evil through the kind of life we live which displeases Him
God Is indeed merciful to us
A very forgiving God.
True repentance is a sure way to attracting God’s presence, mercy and help. Nice one.
a captivating one.but i really want to know the way he addressed the issue between ifeoma and his wife.
this is just too lovely
Finally Ekene is able to recognize his mistakes and know that only God can help him. he would have lost his wife and children because for sure I know that Adanna will not let him come close to the kids again if he does not send Ifeoma away.
sorry for the young man…
One thing i love about God is that no matter how far we’ve strayed,when we come back to him in sincerity and humility He accepts us back like nothing ever happened.using the story of the prodigal son as a case study.God is ever merciful.In trying to balance it, that doesn’t mean we should continue in sin so that grace may abound.our merciful God is still a God of justice.Thank you ma for this piece.
I believe everything happens for a reason..Ifeoma’s presence in Ekene’s life was definitely for good and by the grace of God, he found his way again, back to God. nice story..quite interesting.
A life without Christ is crisis. Ekene messed up his life but later realized that without God in our life’s the devil will take over. Nice story.
You got ot!
prayer is the key
Indeed!
God is the ultimate solution to all problems.
in life,we need to be cautious about the decisions we make
To God be the glory! for he always delivers us in time of trouble. A great lesson for him and for us out there. it is even more expensive to cheat.
captivating story. the most important thing is that he realized his mistakes and turned to God.
I love the story. Indeed, it’s a glorious thing that God used Ifeoma to arrest Emeka’s soul. Nice post
women should always avoid being dependent on their husband after marriage because you don’t know what the next phase in life will be like.
He was finally sensible. Thank God! A blessed ending! It just has to be One Day At A Time!
yea God is first step in every mistake we make in life.bcos he said thou our sins be as scarlet that he will was us cleen.
inspirational story Edith, vous etes bon.
Interesting piece. Bt would love to see wat later happened to ifeoma later run in d story
nice piece
nice end
Too bad for Ekene. Thank God he realized his mistakes and turned to God.
Nice writeup
one who repents takes God to be the all and all, will surely get his/her desire
I honestly believe we should always put God first in each and everything that we do.
Dis story is really captivating…
Truly…..A marriage without Christ z meaningless….. Nice end
Nice one.Ekene made the right decision by putting GOD first in the changes he needed for his life to begin to fall into place.
it is always good to remember that missing line… so many families are going through this trauma,i just pray they realise the power of God to put a stop to it… Really, MARRIAGE AND RELATIONSHIP IS SOMETHING ELSE. make the right choice… rejoice, make the wrong choice… forever in trouble.
wow great story
An interesting piece..highly educative
God is really a merciful God. He only wants us to turn to him in repentance
there is peace that comes with the presence of God in our ordeals
God is really kind to us, a love the story.
perfect timing. a wonderful time to remember God.
Every relationship deserves to be built on trust! Very remarkable!
nice one ma but God first
Though we may ha ve made mistakes, though we might have neglected our responsibilities, though we might have caused the people who hold us so dearly to heart pain and agony, though we might have sput into the face of our maker, the fact remains that He who made us all has given us the grace to always return home like the prodigal…
Ekene is the name; Ekenedilichukwu- Thanks be to God should Ekene say each time he remembers the fact that he had that homecoming all eering men should have…
Like mortals, we will always make mistakes, but what defined who we are is the ability to realise when we make a mistake and be able to correct it. That is that which tells what we are.
Great story.
Greatly enriching.
The coincidence: Ekene meets Ekene!
Nice write up ma,more power to your elbow
Thank you!
Nice one, keep enlightening us
God is indeed the solution to all problem…nice work ma
speechless…your work is really inspirational and educating…remain blessed ma
This is a story for all couples. A little phone call, necking and daddy-calling, Ekene is trapped.
I like your phrasing, Michael, but I think it was more than a little. The lesson, though, is not to start on that road at all. Thank you!
God can use some situations to draw us close to Him. thank God Ekene realised his mistakes
Wow! Just like the prodigal son, Ekene retraced his steps. Thank you precious lord.
A snake indeed.He definitely would not be making that mistake again. Beautiful ending.
captivating story
oh my God, aunty edith is at it again.wonderful story,spirit lifting,just what i needed.
Glory to God!
God solves all problems only when u remember and call on him. Nice story aunty edith
Interesting story, I hv learnt alot frm it.
Emeka has not been a man, his words could not even affect ifeoma. ifeoma is just alike many women thought of becoming who wants to reap where she did not sow.ifeoma lust for materials things makes her a victim of sorrow. emeka’s wife who had been faithful had to change her attitude. thank God Emaka came to acknowledged his mistakes, surrendered all to God and promises to be a good man to his family and society
HMMM God is never an option but a necessity. i hope people will always know that
Yes oooo. One day at a time, and you will fix everything up. When God is at the center of things, nothing is impossible. Ekene, you running to him and also seeking help from the best problem solver”GOD” certainly means everything is under control. As for you ifeoma, go and fix urself up and leave someone else’s husband alone.
Good advice if she will take it. She wants a quick fix, to reap where she did not sow. Bless you!
Thank God he finally came back to his senses. he’s lucky he has a wife like adanna and as long as he puts God first his life will be full of ease.
Very funny how men will leave a diamond prepared by God to look for a stone offered by the devil. At this point only God can help him. This post needs to be made available on every social media platform, to warn men who don’t have sense.
Nice story and thank God he got back to his senses.
Having a relationship with God is the first and most important step every man should take.
Everything happens for a reason, just like the presence of Ifeoma brought Ekene closer to God.
As the character, Ekene, said it is best to take one day at a time.
I agree that Ekene’s life is not ideal, but inviting another woman into his house is taking it a bit too far, even if his wife is not at home, even going as far as to talk to his wife about the other woman.
Ekene is in every sense of the word stupid for not only letting another woman into his parents home while he is still married and the woman he is married to provides the money (emphasis on the “parents home”), inviting a woman he doesn’t really to his know to his house, but for forsaking his faith in God.
At the end if the day, God will make a way for he and his family
Sometimes, God allows problem to come to us for retracing our steps back to Him, or to help us achieve our purpose. Ekene did wrong to every one around him because he had this believe that things would come to him as he desired and on a patter of gold. He learnt his lesson, but in a hard way. Let’s not be like Ekene
Yes! Ekene, has realized his mistakes and has sought Gods help and this is the best thing he needs at this moment; a relationship with God and with Gods help he would be able to become a better person and be useful to himself and his family.
I love this story, thank God Ekene regained his senses and got back to God because only him would have solved such a messed up problem
Thank God he finally changed. At least he will be able to differentiate between his family and Ifeoma’s family and also think like a man.
Life without God is nothing, that is what youths of nowadays do not understand, there is no gain in living a life that is not pleasing to God.
The end of this story is really nice, I was angry when I read the first episode, I didn’t like the fact that he was cheating on his wife and all that, but now I can say that God use Ifeoma to make him realize all this mistake, may God give us the grace to repent from our sins before it is too late,,, amen!
1John 1:9 says ” if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Ekene realized the mistake he made and began to ask God for forgiveness promising to retrace his steps. That’s one thing about sinning, what matters most is how we ask God for forgiveness and promise not to do it again
Amazing, I like this story. It has a lot of moral education and instruction for everyone. I guess no one would want to make the kind of mistake Ekene made. Sometimes it is good to have life experience so you could live upright . Am glad Ekene find the greatest joy that is relationship with God and I believe God is going to amend his life.
Oh my God I love that song. It’s been a while since I heard it and I had almost forgotten it. Am glad he turned to God. And I know God will hear him and will answer him if he is truly repentant because God is always forgiving.
Ifeoma is a very funny fellow. She is actually threatening someone in his own parents house instead of sweet talking him. If this story was real life and if I were in ekenes shoes I would not even give her one week. I would have just gone inside packed all her things all and bundle them and her out of the house. Let me see what she would do.
It is said that a problem known is half solved, but being half solved doesn’t mean the problem is over. A right step ought to be taken in order to ensure a permanent end to the problem. Ekene after all his sufferings realized that his home was on fire and it was only God that could save him. So he turned to God in worship and reverence that He might take charge. I end by saying that God is beautiful for all situations of life.
The evil men do now lives with them and not after them. Thankfully we have an ever-merciful God who ready to listen to and forgive us whenever we call on him. interesting story indeed.
Finally, Ekene went back to God and asked him to mend his life. Thank God he realized that he needed God more than anything. This story is a lesson to us. Meanwhile, I like that song: one day at a time sweet Jesus.
Realizing our mistakes will go a long way in healing our wounds. Thank God he(Ekene) finally realized his mistakes and turn back from his old way of life in order to embrace the Christ like life as he wished.
You see!, sometimes we start up things hard for us to finish. Thank God that he rediscovered himself but he still needed to trust God to take away his troubles because his troubles are still there. Sometimes even when God had forgiven us and we are free, the scares will still be there. That is why we need to be more careful. A prostitute who committed many abortions and in the process loses her womb, can still repent but the scares may still be there-loss womb. Our wounds hill and leave mark on us.
No matter what we have achieved in life without God all is nothing. It is good as Ekenecome to realize that he needed most importantly God in his life and all was back to normal.
He finally realized himself but why give Ifeoma a week ultimatum? She needs to leave the house almost immediately.
God used Ifeomas incursion to turn Ekene back to him. “not all storm come to take your life, some come to clear your path “.
May God grant Adanna the grace to forgive her husband.
Emeka, congratulations for bringing calamity upon yourself, ride on. But thank God you recognized and acknowledged God to help you and he is the only one to help you fix your mess. Imagine a strange wo.an threatening you in your own parents’ home.
???????. Oh, he is praying now, lol. I thought he was giving an ultimatum, lol. He cannot handle the trouble he brought into his home and is committing everything to God’s hands. Well done.
Thank God Ekene finally got back to his senses and has chosen to be a man by growing up. Most people don’t see the good things God has blessed them with until something they can’t fathom or explain hit them unexpectedly. Indeed, One day at a time, he would try to set the records straight and make peace.
Wow, turning back to Christ is the best thing that can ever happen to a man. Thank God Emeka realized that, I am sure in no time God will fix him and everything that concerns him.
It took ifeoma’s incursion to turn Ekene in the right track. Sometimes difficulty we face is not to harm us rather it help to shape us and that is what happened to Ekene. Thank God he decided to grow up and appreciate what God has given to him in the person of his wife. Ifeoma ngwan buru akpa gi lawa n’iko gi ejugo. Lol
The good thing is that he has finally returned to God. It is better late than the late. Thank you Jesus.
Extra-marital affairs will only bring regrets.