About two years later, Mr. Ajayi was released from prison and the first thing he did was to pay Mr. Adams a surprise visit, warning him, in clear terms, that the battle line had just been drawn. From that day onward, Mr. Adams knew he was in for a bigger trouble. He became so afraid that whenever anybody paid him a visit, he would be jittery and fidgety that perhaps they had come to kill him. He was ridiculously suspicious.
On a particular Sunday morning, Adams started thinking and ruminating on what actually led to the endless problems and chaos in his life. ‘Women…women…!’ he mused. ‘Women are the real serpent in a man’s life…and without them a man is not whole and complete… Shakespeare even had the ingenuity to call women the necessary evil…I wonder where Ronke is now…possibly with another man…but, sincerely I’m the actual cause of my tribulations and travails…I’ve shared my love too much with a lot of women…God…Almighty God…forgive me of my sins …don’t let the evil hand of my sworn enemy, in the person of Ajayi, get me and pin me down…If I come back to this life again I won’t live a loose life…God help me…’ he mused further.
Thoughts about Ajayi kept worrying Adams. He couldn’t concentrate on anything. Whenever he looked into the mirror, it was Ajayi he would always see. He had sleepless nights and restless days. His house became something of a haunted place to him. On a particular Sunday night, he dreamt that Ajayi was about stabbing him in the chest
“Yeeeeh!” he screamed from sleep and struggled to wake up. After regaining consciousness, he was so terrified with fear that he couldn’t sleep again till daybreak.
The following Monday morning, Adams was about driving out of his house when some thugs apparently sent by Ajayi waylaid him and attacked him, damaging his car and injuring him severely. Adams was rushed to the hospital by a good Samaritan. He spent one whole week at the hospital. When he fully recovered, the first person he saw was his estranged wife, Ronke.
“What are you doing here, woman?” he asked angrily, “We are no longer husband and wife! What do you want from me? You’re the cause of my problems and woes…”
“Adams please,” Ronke pleaded. “I have come for your forgiveness. Let’s bury the hatchet and settle our differences… since I left you, life has been terrible and bad for me. I can’t love any other man but you. Let’s change our ways and live a responsible and Godly life…please dear…”
“Ah, women!” Adams exclaimed. “The devil is back again! Anyway, I know what to do,” he said.
Adams knew he has to reconcile with his former wife so that peace could reign in his life again. That same day, Adams phoned Ajayi and initiated a peace move. He drove to Ajayi’s house that evening in the company of his estranged wife. He begged Mr. Ajayi to forgive him and take his wife (Ronke) if that would assuage him and make him happy. Adams spoke for 15 minutes before Ajayi responded.
Ajayi spoke extensively, saying: “I’m so sorry Adams for my assault, insults and intimidation of you. I’m also at fault and a guilty party. Please, forgive me. I can’t take your wife from you. I never knew she’s your wife from the beginning. We shouldn’t swap wives. I’m sure you never knew my estranged wife, Vivian, before. We can’t and mustn’t kill ourselves because of women. It’s all our faults. I’ll find my estranged wife and settle with her. We all must live responsibly, with sincere love, honesty and integrity. Forgive me Adams for the pains I put you through. We must change our warped thinking and orientation and live a good life for our children to follow.”
The following week, Adams married his wife back through the court process, and it was learnt that Ajayi did the same thing by marrying his estranged wife, Vivian. And both couple lived happily ever after.
