BECAUSE OF A WOMAN

Alfredo was now a happy man. Things were going according to plan. He had successfully gotten rid of Angela and even now had one of his little sons, Esau, with him.

He was happy when old Kasamani brought little Esau on an early Sunday morning, claiming the child needed his support. The old man, he thought, appreciated the role a father played in marriage.

After all, he was a man like him. And Old Kasamani was unlike Angela, who imagined a man had no right to a child's custody. She had wanted to keep the twins to herself.

Alfredo had no regrets about the divorce and had known it would have come sooner or later. As he thought about her, his mind raced into the past to the day he caught his wife in bed with another man.

That had provoked a great crisis in their marriage, and it nose-dived. But he knew he was also to blame for the failure of their marriage.

He was aware he had provoked her into unfaithfulness since he had affairs with other women. Alfredo had eyes that most women found irresistible; cool and penetrating eyes.

He came from a poor background; his father had worked as a peasant farmer while his mother sold farm products at the village market at Imanga, also known as Khusamanzi, at Mumias.

Despite the poor background, his parents had struggled to raise his school fees and had made sure he went to local primary schools before going to Nairobi for his secondary education, where he passed very well and was later lucky enough to get a job with an oil company.

He had observed the spirit of hard work in his parents and decided he would work harder to break off from the vicious cycle of poverty.

Now, in his early thirties, Karahani was tall and dark, with trimmed sideburns running down his cheeks. He was, by all standards, quite a fair, complexioned, handsome, and smartly dressed man who always left a lasting impression on whoever met him.

It was such features that made him win many female admirers. One such woman was Lucinda.

As his mind thought of Lucinda, he remembered the day he met the woman he was to fall seriously in love with. At the age of twenty-two, she was already a trained secretary and qualified as a stenographer.

Alfredo was then a clerk working for an oil company that sponsored him for professional training in management and accounts. On her part, Lucinda first worked as a receptionist after her "Advanced" level exams in another oil company when one day he called to inquire about sales and this natural thing called love clicked between them.

They began dating, and that was to be the beginning of a wonderful romance that ran smoothly until Angela found out. She had found receipts in his coat pockets, which showed he had been to a lodge with a woman she never knew, and her suspicions were aroused.

Angela had also noticed her husband took less interest in her. She decided to get even with him and turned on to a neighbour who was still single because the man intrigued her; and so she requested him to have lunch with her while her husband was at work.

The man had agreed but after lunch, the invitation was extended to the bedroom. Later, Alfredo found them naked on his bed. It had happened because they had been foolish enough to leave the bedroom door open; possibly in a hurry to drown their passion in the oceans of romance.

Alfredo had just stood at the doorway dumbfounded as he watched the man deriving pleasure from his wife. Rage seized him, and the man sensed danger when he looked behind his back, and he saw Alfredo approaching with a murderous look in his eyes.

Alfredo hit the man as he tried to run away, and he was about to start kicking him when he got away running fast like a horse towards the road.

Although the man had gotten away, a long spell of unhappiness followed between the two, and Alfredo filed a divorce suit, citing adultery as grounds for it. Later, as the children began to crawl, they had agreed to live separately.

Now, as he brooded over the past, he was glad to be rid of her. He was also happy to have little Esau with him. But come to think of it, who would care for his son while he was away at work? And who could conveniently replace Angela?

He thought seriously, but he had already made the decision that his little son would lead a comfortable life away from his mother.

Then, his mind focused on Lucinda. Although she was a foreigner, having been born and educated at Jinja in neighbouring Uganda, he loved her.

Suppose he married her? That would be a sure bet, thought Alfredo, of ensuring Esau was happy and led a comfortable life.

Esau needed motherly love, he went on reasoning, and Lucinda would provide that. Had he not often noticed her affection for little children? She was quite a good listener who was also quite obedient.

You will get a better mum, Esau. Alfredo chuckled as he watched the little boy who was sleeping in the baby crib.

Alfredo invited Lucinda two days later to his one-bedroom house at Jericho estate. He broke the news, "Honey, I know you will be quite surprised that I have invited you to my house for the first time. However, I would like you to know my divorce suit is through."

"That's great! But what about the kids?" She seemed anxious to know.

Alfredo studied her; a smile playing around his lips. He looked at her small round face as his eyes met her dark, loving eyes.

Lucinda was short but averagely built. On this day, her short fat legs were firmly anchored on her sling backs. Her concern for little children always amazed him and had won his affection.

He told her, "Angela's dad saw the sense and brought Esau to me; she refused to let go of Jacob."

"Now, where's Esau?" she asked as her eyes moved around the little lounge before settling on the boots he wore.

"He's asleep in the bedroom."

"I hope that having him with you will make you happy."

"No, Cindy! I can't be happy living here with him alone. It's the reason I called you here so that I may ask you something."

She only listened as he was talking. Then she asked, "What is it?"

"It's something very important. Will you marry me?" Alfredo said as he moved closer and touched her short black hair, smiling as his eyes studied the expression on her brown face.

"Are you joking, Al?" She was smiling broadly. Her eyebrows were also raised when she saw the smile on his lips.

She had always been attracted to the smile and his averagely built body. But she had not expected it to come sooner.

"No, Cindy. I'm quite serious. I really mean it," he said as he squeezed her ass and watched her stiffen.

"I can't believe it, honey! I've been waiting for a long time to hear you say those words," she replied as she gently moved closer, smiling, knowing she liked and was used to his habit of touching her ass whenever he was serious over an issue and she liked it, "Yes, I'll marry you."

Even as she talked, Lucinda seemed quite rejoiced. She was happy her dreams had turned into reality. She was sure they would be happy together for the rest of their lives.

Truly, she had always loved him and prayed for the day they would be man and wife. But then, she had realised rather late as they were dating that he was a married man.

Yet that had never killed her hopes or dreams. As these thoughts were still crowded over his mind, she heard him speak again, but this time on a low tone.

"Will you always be kind to little Esau? I wouldn't like him being molested."

It was a veiled threat; but suddenly he realised it was quite unnecessary since he knew her as quite a humble woman who was incapable of ill-treating his son.

He trusted her, although he was aware she believed in stars or astrology as determining someone's fate, but this did not matter much to him. She could change with time, he told himself, as time had brought changes in peoples' lives.

If she did not have great faith in God, this did not matter a lot because many people were not quite religious. After all, the world was full of atheists who never believed in God's kindness, mercy, and even existence.

As he thought about her, he knew that although she was lowly sexed and considered him a Casanova, she truly loved him. He only listened as she began to talk.

"How can you talk like that? You know I have always loved your little boys. It would give great pleasure to take care of little Esau. Of course you know I like him, don't you?"

There was no need to go any further. She had given him all the assurance, and he put his trust in her. He had to proceed with his plans.

He asked her to move in, and she willingly did so. Three months later, they were married.

The wedding took place in a small Anglican church off Jogoo Road. It was a small and quiet wedding attended by only a few friends and relatives on a Saturday morning. An inner party was held at their little house where all the guests were invited.

Later, Alfredo went over the presents which people had sent. One particular envelope that appeared quite colourful caught his attention, and he decided to open it.

Even as he was opening it, he noticed his hands were quite unsteady. A card lay in his hands, and the message was quite short and clear.

It simply said: "We wish you success and happiness in your marriage; Jacob and Angela."