TOLERATED - by Ibrahim Haruna Madison

TOLERATED EPISODE 22 At about 8am, Femi’s phone started ringing continuously and that woke him up. He reluctantly took the phone from the bed side table. He checked the caller ID and it was Tara's Manager. His eyes flew open immediately. “She is back” Said the Manager.“Should I come pick her up from the Airport?” He said anxiously. “No need for that. She's at her Mum's place!” He revealed. “What! Why is that? If she needed care that much, her mum should come over instead!” “I don’t think she plan on coming back home” “Are you joking or something? She is my wife….” “You need to come see her at her Mum's place. She’s in a bad condition”“You are scaring me, just tell me what’s going on”“It’s not something I can explain on phone” “Okay. I’ll be there” He said and ended the call. He quickly rushed to the bathroom and took his bath. He returned and his phone was ringing. It was Tamilore.“Hello, Good morning” She said and he replied. “Have you taking your medication?” She asked. “I’ve not even taken breakfast and I don’t think I can do that any time soon. Tara is back” “That’s good news but that doesn’t stop you from taking…” He cut in. “Tamilore, she’s in a bad shape according to her manager. I need to run, I'll talk to you later” He said and hang up.“Femi…..” she called but he had disconnected. Tamilore started pacing up and down her room. She just woke up too and remembered she had to call Femi to remind him of his meds but she was shocked at what she heard and at the same time he was scared for Femi who just recovered and now has another problem at hand. She only hoped that everything will be okay. Femi got to his mother in-law’s house and met her wife's siblings in the sitting room. They looked like someone who was mourning and by the time he saw Mrs. Benson, his mother in-law, he knew there was fire on the mountain.“Where's my wife?” He demanded. *<a class="tc-blue" href="https://twocents.space/insights/tag/question">#QUESTION</a>.: *CAN SOMEONE JUST REASON WHAT'S WRONG WITH FEMI...AFTER ALL HE IS STILL HAVING THIS CARING ATTITUDE...* “Where's my wife?” He demanded. He still loves Tara despite everything and he wondered what kind of hold she had on him. He was directed to his mother in-law’s bedroom. He entered and Tara's mother informed Tara that her husband was there. Femi at first was surprised at the announcement. Little did he know. “What’s going on here?” He asked when he realized Tara was looking elsewhere instead of facing his direction.“Your wife lost her sight!” Mrs. Benson spilled. ”What! I don’t get you. What sight?” He asked confused. “I’ll excuse you” Tara's mother said tearfully and left. Then he’s brain started interpreting the information he just heard.“Tara! Are you telling me you can’t see me?” He asked and she nodded yes.He sunk straight into the chair beside the bed and held his head with his hands.“Jesus! Tara! What happened? I was only told you collapsed” “How are you feeling? I heard about the accident” Tara asked calmly. “We both know you cared less about my well bring, so let’s talk about you. How did we get here” He gestured. Tears flowed down her eyes. “I know I’m the worst wife in the world. I even heard that I was the cause of your accident. She paused to clean her tears, then she continued. “The same reason you got into an accident is the same reason why I went blind” “How, Tara you are talking in parables”“You already found out about the implant right and I’m really sorry. I did it for my selfish reasons. I did it for my career. I planned on having kids 10years after my marriage because of my career. I hid it from you because I know you'll never agree” She paused again as fresh tears fell from her eyes and then she continued talking. “For some months now, I’ve not been feeling good. I kept on going to the hospital but still they insisted I was okay but I knew I wasn’t until I collapsed. Before then I was having a blurry vision and I was referred to an optician. Femi, I suffered a reaction to my contraceptive which caused a build-up of fluid in my brain, which was unknown to my doctor. After I collapsed, I was rushed into the theater for an emergency surgery. The Surgeon sliced open my skull and inserted a shunt to drain dangerous levels of fluid away from my brain. I almost lost my life but the surgery was too late, it had already affected my vision so I couldn't see again. Femi, the Doctor's said there’s no remedy. I can’t see again for the rest of my life” She narrated and busted into tears. Femi pulled her into an embrace, he was shedding tears as well. Then he went back to his seat. “What baffles me is how a contraceptive implant can lead to loss of sight. There are so many women who are on implant and they are fine” He said, still unable to wrap up his head over everything. “The Doctors said my case it’s a very rare one. Although they once had a patient who suffered such reaction but they noticed early, so her surgery was successful because of early detection” She explained. “My God, I didn’t bargain for this” Femi lamented. “Femi, think deeply, God is actually fighting for you. He had to humble me with this. You think I don’t know when you fast and pray, I know you've been praying for me to change but fame had eaten deep into my brain that I can’t go back to the old Tara you married” “Stop saying that, God doesn’t do evil things” “I won’t deceive myself, I know God is avenging you of me. Femi, all I need is your forgiveness. It was the fame that got into my head and I know I’m no longer that woman you fell in love with. I intentionally treated you the way I did in order to build a wall of defense around me. I don’t want you ordering me around like the way some men control their wives. I acted irrationally. Just forgive me” “I’ve forgiven you. I have no other choice, I signed for better, for worse. Tara, we are in this together” “No Femi, I want a divorce. You deserve to be happy. All I need is for you to forgive me all the wrongs I did to you in our marriage” “No, I’m not having that. Where are your things? We are going home” He said and stood up from the bed. He called his mother in-law who joined them in the room. “Please, help me pack her things, we are going home” He said. Mrs. Benson objected initially but he insisted on taking her. Even the siblings were scared.They quickly held a closed door meeting behind Femi. “What if he his intention of taking her home is to pay her back in her coin” Samuel, Tara’s younger brother said.“It’s true, he may maltreat her” Another sibling said. “Femi will never do a thing of such. Your sister may not be a good wife to him, but he had always proven to be a good husband to her. So let him take her” The mother concluded. “On one condition Mummy, go stay with them to keep an eye on Tara” Samuel said and they all agreed. Femi took her wife home, since her Mum insisted on going with them, he allowed her. Tara wanted the guest room but Femi objected, so he made her stay in their bedroom. Tamilore had been calling all day but he couldn’t speak with her on phone. His head was banging, he hadn’t eaten or taken his medications. His phone kept on ringing, he knew it was either Olawale or Tamilore. He was unable to sleep with Tara by his side. Everything still looks like a dream to him.The next morning, after attending to his wife’s needs, he took his car key and informed her mother in-law that he wanted to step out for a bit. Inside the car, he called Olawale and told him everything. Olawale was speechless for few minutes before he could pull himself together. He promised to come to the house to see Tara. He turned on the ignition and then drove down to Tamilore's house. “Femi, you will be the death of me. I swear” She ranted as she opened the door to him. Her face was swollen all because she didn’t have a sound sleep. “I’m sorry. I was exhausted yesterday…”“You should have texted me at least”“Tara lost her sight!” He revealed.“How is she?” “Did you hear me at all? I said Tara lost her sight!” He repeated. “Hold on, that was exactly what I heard when you first said it but I thought I heard wrong” “You heard me right Tamilore. My wife is blind, permanently” He said with tears flowing down his cheeks. “Oh! My! God!” She staggered backward. She looked on to Femi’s teary face and made up her mind to be strong for him because that was what he needed.“Come” She said and hugged him. “You’ll be fine” She said and patted his back as he cried on her shoulder like a baby.When he calmed down, he sat with her and explained everything to her.“What’s your plan now?” She asked. “I'll get a live-in maid to attend to the needs of the house. Although her Mum is around and will be assisting too but the stressed will be too much on us. I have to stay by her side, she needs me now than ever. I may not be able to leave the house on weekends again like I used to do and I have to go home straight after work. So that she won’t feel insecure”“I understand. You are really a good man” She commended him. “I need to leave now. Enjoy the rest of your work leave” He said and stood up. Femi pulled her up and hugged her.“I’ll miss you” He said but she didn’t reply. If she opened her mouth she may cry so she held it together. “Tamilore” He said, looking into her eyes. She didn’t say a word. He took her lips and she responded. Then the tears she held back began to flow freely. “I’m not sorry for this” He said after the long kiss. He kissed her forehead. Then he left. Tamilore went straight to her room and started packing her things. She cried as she was packing, when she was done she picked her phone and called. “Mummy, I’m coming home” She said and ended the call. She'll be spending the rest of her leave in Abeokuta, that’s the only way she can keep herself sane. Tamilore's Mum had left the hospital for home before her daughter’s arrival. She knew something was wrong with her with the way she sounded on phone. The gateman opened the gate when he had the car horn. She parked her car right beside her Mum's. She opened the front door and her mum was already waiting by the door to receive her. She spread her arms, she walked into it and cried.“You’ll be okay”. “Mummy, I’m in love with him, I fell for another woman's husband” She cried the more. “You are right all along. Femi Brown is trouble but you'll be fine my baby” Dr. Mrs. Adeyemo said, cuddling her. TO BE be CONTINUED TOMORROW MORNING ✍️ ✍️ 👉👉Will these two give up on the love they have for each other? 👉What happens to Tara at the end of the day? FIND OUT ON THE NEXT EPISODE

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