LIKE WILDFIRE.

I watched her sleep. We hadn’t used protection, but Timi was not just some random chic, she was innocent and sweet and I had been seeing her for seven months…

Besides, she was just too clean for me to bother about condoms, a girl like her needed to be felt without restrictions.

“Stop staring Emeka” she said as she opened her eyes slowly at me.

I laughed, “I thought you were sleeping.”

“I’m trying to” she shifted, pressing her body against mine.

She brought out her tongue and stroked it over my left nipple, biting softly.

“You shouldn’t do that” I warned in a half serious tone “you don’t want to get me started, again”

She laughed and looked up at me with lust filled eyes. “I wouldn’t mind” she declared and went to work on my right nipple.

“Ti..mi….”

“Sssshhh” she hushed me. She kissed my chest, my sides all the way down to my thighs, running her fingers lightly over my skin as she went, sweet tingles traveled through my body with  her every touch.

Her tongue found me, stroked me sensually then took me in her mouth, the whole length.

I groaned in pleasure and let myself relax.

Lightly grasping her hair with both hands, I nudged her on as she sent warm sensations down and all over me.

*****
“Emeka, where have you been?” My wife queried as I came up behind her.

Ignoring her question, I kissed her neck and wrapped my hands around her waist.

“Hmmn smells good” I said, taking in the aroma of her cooking.

“I wanted you to buy chicken and salad items on your way back” she continued, “but your number was switched off”

“I’m sorry babe. I was on the queue trying to buy fuel, my battery died in the process ”

“Eiya, doh. This fuel situation no wan end!” she relaxed into my embrace and resumed stirring the sauce that sat boiling on the cooker.

“Ei tire person. You know what? Let me rush and go and buy it now, abi ei don pass?”

“No, you still can… I will just cook the meat separately and steam it ”

“Cool, where are the boys? ”

“Sleeping, but I will soon wake them up for dinner ”

“Okay.” I placed a kiss on her cheek “let me rush and go buy it”

I spanked her bum as I made to leave  the kitchen, she giggled and shook her head at me.

*******
“Babes how far na?” Zainab greeted, collapsing in her bed.
“I dey, see as you tire”
Zainab hissed, “These lectures dey tire person sometimes. Who you dey chat with wey you just dey smile like that?”
“My boo” she rolled her eyes excitedly.
“Which boo?”
“Which other one you know? Emeka na!”
Zainab hissed. “Boo ke? Na person husband you dey call your boo”
She pulled a straight face at her. “You don start ooo”
“Why I no go start. But Timi on a more serious note, I hope you guys use protection ”
“What do you think? ” she smirked
“No nahhhh babes, don’t tell me your plan is to infect this guy too”
“That is if he is not already infected” she said indifferently.
“Babes, for how long will you let these innocent guys suffer for something another guy did to you? At least consider the man children na, or him wife sef”
She looked up from her phone and sternly held Zainab’s gaze with her eyes. “As you see me so ehn, I no know wetin be pity again o. So na me good to get HIV at 23 abi? All I did was love Mac, and give him my virginity, yet he repayed me with a virus. Abeg abeg abeg abeg, no just preach to me this hot afternoon, I no wan remember old things” She was angry. She hissed, flung herself to the bed and faced the wall.
Zainab shook her head, she didn’t know who she felt more pity for, her lost friend or the married man with a family. “Timi you sha need to fear God o”
“Na so!” She replied from the wall, then, she hissed.

****
My wife was rewarding me with one of those happy grins she gives after a satisfying love making session. “Emeka, this morning sex is the best”
“Abi” I laughed proudly
“You too much jor” She hit me playfully. We laughed satisfyingly. She got up from the bed and walked towards the bedroom while I laid back, waiting to get in the shower after her.
“Babe o” she said minutes later as she walked out of the bathroom, all naked and beautiful. Even after having those kids, my wife still turned me on a great deal.
I had managed to stay faithful until Timi, aaarh Timi! My mind went to her, such a beautiful girl! She was so naughty yet innocent, I couldn’t get over her and that fair flawless skin of hers that glowed like the sun itself.
I would see her later that evening.
“Emeka are you listening?!” My wife tapped me out of my thoughts. Silly me.
“Sure babe, I’m sorry. My mind drifted. You were saying?”
She twisted the corners of her lips at me and moved to the dresser.
“I’m sorry na” I apologized with a smile plastered across my face.
“I will be going to the hospital for my routine check up, you might have to pick the boys from school” she said forgivingly.
“Babe, you and these your checkups”. I pulled my weight off the bed and walked to the dresser where she sat creaming her body. “I’ve told you before, you are fine. You got a clean bill of health last year, and this year you are still going again”. I placed my hands on her shoulders, massaging lightly.
She closed her eyes, obviously enjoying it. “I still have to go, it’s just routine checks. I trust you but you know it’s something I do every year. Besides, it’s an all round check up”
“Not a problem love, I will be here when you still come back and show me the positive results”. I pecked her cheek and moved away to the bathroom.
****
I left work, driving in a hurry to get back home. My wife had called, she sounded upset over the phone and that got me concerned. Could something have gone wrong at the doctors? Or did she get a bad call from home? I wondered. I couldn’t figure out what it was but I was worried and drove cutting traffic to get home to my wife.
I packed the car outside the gate, ignored the gate man’s greetings and dashed into the sitting room, making my way frantically to our bedroom.
I was met with my wife’s shuddering body, sitting at the edge of the bed with a sheet of paper dangling between her fingers, tears freely streaming down her face.
“Baby!” I said squatting in front of her. She wouldn’t speak to me, so I took the paper from her hands, and there in black and white was a HIV+ result and a positive pregnancy result staring back at me.
I was shocked. My gaze moved from the paper to my wife then back at the paper and finally rested on her.
She stared back at me with a look I had not seen in our ten years of marriage – It was full of anger, hate and disgust. I couldn’t feel my knees any longer and I let my butt hit the floor.
She sprung to her feet . “How could you Emeka?” Her lips quivered. “How could you?” she repeatedly rhetorical.
My mind went to Timi. She was the only girl I’d been sleeping with asides my wife. But how could it be? Timi looked too healthy for this. My head began to ache instantly, “Baby” I said dryly as tears stung my eyes and I let them flow “this could have come from anywher____”
I felt a smack across my face, “Don’t you dare Emeka, don’t you dare!!” she was stooping over me, pointing a shaky finger at my face.
I looked up at her pleadingly. She opened her mouth to speak but words failed her. She dashed into the bathroom, banged the door behind her and began to wail loudly.
I couldn’t move from where I was sitting. I was confused and in shock. I cried. I cried for letting my wife down, our family down. I cried for causing a woman who had faithfully loved me for ten years down, I cried for being the reason behind her pain when I should have been bringing her nothing but joy . I cried for our unborn child whom I had denied the privilege of sucking it’s mother’s breasts, and I cried for myself, for a disease I obviously had too.
The tears flowed quietly but painfully. Whoever said men shouldn’t cry?
My phone began to ring. It had rung twice before and now it was ringing again. I reluctantly pulled it out of my pocket.
It was Timi calling.
I angrily flung the phone against our bedroom wall and watched as it shattered to the floor. I pulled myself up from the floor and walked towards the bathroom door, to my wife.
I was going to try and fix it all.
THE END.