Married to a Thief, Episode Two

Ndidi has realized that there must be something controlling her. She knows that it is something beyond her powers. She doesn’t like the fact that she is a thief.

“Oh God! Why does this keep happening? Why am I always stealing?” Ndidi asked herself.

Ndidi was inside the police van, crying like a baby. Tears flowed down her eyes as she held her handbag close to her chest.

“Please, officers, forgive me. I beg you in the name of God. I don’t want this kind of shame. My husband must not hear this. He will die of shock if he hears that his wife stole a bottle of wine.” She cried and wiped her tears with the back of her hand. The policemen did not answer her. They just sat quietly in the car, watching her cry as the car moved.

“Please, officers, let us settle this matter here. I have money. I can pay you anything you want. I can give you N50,000 naira right now if you will just forget about this case. I will never steal again. I will never even enter this supermarket again. I beg you in the name of God.”She said as she brought out money from her handbag and stretched it towards one of the policemen. But the man shouted at her.

“Madam, keep your money. We are not thieves like you. We are doing our job.” The policeman said.

“Please, officers, don’t disgrace me. I can give you N100,000 naira right now if you will forgive me. I can even give you N200,000 naira. Just let me go home. Nobody must hear this. My husband must not hear this. I am begging you. I will pay anything.” She said. The policemen looked at her with anger.

“We are not beggars. We are not criminals like you. We will not take your money. You will go to the police station and explain why you stole that wine.” They said.

The police van stopped at the station. Ndidi came down slowly with her face hidden in shame. She did not want anybody to recognize her. She begged them again.

“Please, I will pay anything. I don’t want to be locked up. Don’t put me in a cell, please.” She said. But they did not listen. They collected her handbag, removed her phone and jewelry, and pushed her into a dirty, small police cell. Ndidi sat on the floor and began to cry bitterly.

“God, why me? Why is this spirit of stealing destroying my life?” She cried until her eyes were swollen with tears.

That night, Ndidi could not sleep. The cell was very dirty and full of mosquitoes. Other women inside the cell mocked her. One of them asked her, “Madam, why are you here?” Ndidi could not answer. Another woman laughed and said, “I heard she stole wine at a supermarket.” They laughed loudly. Ndidi covered her face with her hands and wept more.

“How can I explain this to my husband? What will he think of me? What will my family say? What will people say when they hear that a billionaire’s wife was arrested for stealing wine?” She asked herself.

Meanwhile, her husband returned home late that night. He expected to see his wife waiting for him in the mansion. But Ndidi was not at home. He thought maybe she had gone to visit a friend. He ate dinner and waited but she did not come back. The next morning, he called her phone but the number was switched off. He became worried. For two days, he asked everybody about his wife. The driver said he dropped her at the supermarket and since then, he had not seen her. Egwu’s heart began to beat fast.

“Could it be that my wife has been kidnapped?” He asked himself.

On the third day, Egwu could no longer hold it. He went to the police station to report a missing person. He entered the office and spoke to the officer on duty.

“Good morning, officer. I am here to make a report. My wife has been missing for three days. She went to the supermarket, and since then, I have not seen her. I am afraid she has been kidnapped. I want you to help me find her. Her name is Ndidi. She is very beautiful and she was wearing a red gown on the day she disappeared.” He said.

The police officer looked at him with surprise. “What is your wife’s name again?” the officer asked.

“Her name is Ndidi. She is my wife. Please, help me. I can’t sleep. I am afraid. I don’t know what has happened to her. Maybe kidnappers have taken her.”

The officer looked at him again and shook his head. “Sir, your wife is not missing. Your wife is not kidnapped. Your wife has been here in our station for the past three days. She was arrested for stealing a bottle of wine at the supermarket.”

Egwu was thrown off-balance. He stood up immediately in shock. “What! What did you just say? My wife? My Ndidi? Arrested for stealing a bottle of wine? No! That is impossible. My wife cannot be a thief. She has everything. She has money. She has gold. She has everything. Why will she steal?” He shouted loudly inside the police station. People looked at him.

The officer said again, “Calm down, sir. We are telling you the truth. Your wife was arrested for theft. She is in our cell right now. If you want, you can go and see her.”

Egwu was shaking. He could not believe his ears. He put his two hands on his head and shouted. “No! No! No! Tell me this is not true. Tell me this is not my wife you are talking about. Tell me you are making a mistake. My wife cannot steal. She is from a good family. She has everything she wants. She cannot steal wine. This is not possible.”

But the officer said, “Sir, it is true. Go and check our cell. Your wife is there. She has been there for three days. We arrested her with the evidence. She is a thief.”

Watch out for Episode Three