Three Women, One Revenge

Ojuelegba bridge. 6pm. The police had taken Femi away. Mama Eze was safe. Adaeze was holding Chidi's hand. Chiamaka was holding my hand.

Three women were standing together. Me. Sophia. And Funke.

Funke had just arrived from Ibadan. She was wearing a simple Ankara gown, holding a small bag. She looked tired, like a woman who had suffered for 7 years alone.

She looked at Chidi. "Chidi Eze. Do you remember me?"

Chidi nodded, tears falling. "Funke, I remember you. You were my first love. In secondary school. I promised to marry you. I gave you N50,000 to abort Adaeze. I am sorry."

Funke did not cry. She stood strong.

"Chidi, I did not come to Lagos to forgive you. I came to Lagos to take my daughter back from you.

Adaeze is MY daughter. You threw her away for 7 years. You will not throw her away again."

Sophia stepped forward. "Funke, my name is Sophia Adeyemi. Chidi promised to marry me too. He gave me N50,000 to abort too. He used my father's N500 million to pretend to be a billionaire."

I stepped forward. "Funke, my name is Amara Okafor. Chidi promised to marry me too. He gave me N50,000 to abort Chiamaka too. He called me a maid."

The three of us stood in a line. Three women. Three victims. One man.

Chidi fell on his knees. In the middle of Ojuelegba bridge. Cars were passing. People were watching. Police were watching.

"Three women," he whispered. "I threw away three women. I gave all three of you N50,000. I told all three of you to abort. I am a monster."

Funke held Adaeze's hand. "Chidi, Adaeze is 7 years old. She has never had a father. She asks me every day, 'Mummy, where is my daddy?' What should I tell her? That her daddy is a thief who is going to prison?"

Sophia held my hand. "Funke, we have a plan. Amara and I have a law firm. Okafor & Adeyemi Law Firm. We help women abandoned by rich men. We want you to join us."

Funke looked at us. "Join you? I am a nurse in Ibadan. I don't know law."

I smiled. "Funke, you don't need to know law. You need to know pain. And you know pain better than anyone. You will be our head of women's support. You will talk to women who were thrown away, like us. You will tell them your story. You will tell them they can survive."

Funke cried. For the first time, she cried. Not because of pain, but because someone finally saw her.

"Amara, Sophia, I have been alone for 7 years. I have been frying akara. I have been raising Adaeze alone. No one ever said, 'Funke, come and join us.'"

That night, we went back to my office. The three of us. Plus Mama Eze. Plus Chiamaka. Plus Adaeze. Plus Tunde.

We sat around a table. Mama Eze cooked jollof rice. Chiamaka and Adaeze played together, like brother and sister. For the first time, Chidi's children met each other. Brother and sister. Same father. Different mothers. But one family.

Mama Eze held all three of our hands.

"My daughters," she said. "My son threw you away. But I will not throw you away. From today, you are all my daughters. Funke, Amara, Sophia — you are my three daughters. And your children are my grandchildren."

Tunde stood up. He looked at me. "Amara, I have something to say."

He knelt down. In front of everyone. Holding a small box. Inside was a ring.

"Amara Okafor, will you marry me? I will love you. I will love Chiamaka. I will love Adaeze. I will love Funke and Sophia like my sisters. I will be the father Chidi refused to be."

My heart stopped. Chiamaka shouted, "Say yes, Mummy! Say yes!"

Adaeze shouted, "Say yes, Aunty Amara! Say yes!"

Sophia shouted, "Say yes, my sister! Say yes!"

Funke shouted, "Say yes! Say yes! After 5 years of pain, you deserve happiness!"

I looked at Tunde. I looked at Chidi, who was standing at the door, watching, crying.

And I said, "Tunde, I will marry you. But not today. Today, I have to finish one thing. Today, I have to go to court and defend Chidi Eze. Because even though he threw me away, he is still the father of my son. And my son deserves to see his father get a fair trial."

Chidi cried harder. "Amara, you will defend me? After everything I did to you?"

I nodded. "Chidi, I will defend you. But my f*e is still the same. You will fry akara for 1 year. You will be a father to all your children. And you will never throw away another woman again."