After 10 years, Harry wants his son (2)

 We conclude today the story started last Sunday.

I had to convince myself that I was ready to act out my decision.

That fateful evening, I called Harry to come over to our house at 8 p.m. while I handle my wife.
We are used to drinking either a glass of beverage or juice before retiring to bed every night, so, that night I dropped sleeping pill into her glass of juice. We were talking about the day we first met when she suddenly yawned and slept off almost immediately and I carried her to the visitor’s room. 

I stood and watched Joy sleep innocently like a baby while I thought of how Harry will sleep with my wife with my permission.

I asked God to forgive me for this inhumane decision on my wife. About 10 minutes later, Harry arrived and my heart started beating very fast.

Immediately he saw me, he asked “Jack, are you sure you want me to sleep with your wife?” “Yes, Harry I am very sure even if it is very hard for me,” I replied. I took him to where she was sleeping, patted him at his back and left. I was very uncomfortable all the time he was alone with Joy as all sorts of thought ran through my head. When he finally came out, I felt like punching him even though it was my idea.

I carried her to our bedroom and started crying for the conspiracy. When she woke up in the morning, she told me she was feeling too tired and weak and asked what happened to her. I just told her after the juice we drank; we made love and slept off.

“God, no wonder I am so weak. I have never felt this way before. I am just too tired and weak, I hope pregnancy comes with this,” she complained. This conspiracy happened two more times even though I was not happy about it at all. Almost two months later, Joy got pregnant. She was so happy and excited. I told Harry the good news and paid him N700,000 instead of the initial N500,000 as agreed.

He just said, “Congratulations, I am glad you are going to be a father and I could make you and your wife happy again.” When Kelvin was delivered, Joy and I made Harry his godfather.

Three months later, Harry left the country in search of greener pastures but we kept in touch. Two years later, he returned and married his girlfriend of many years and they are blessed with two beautiful girls. 

 Each time I looked at Kelvin, I am so glad he looks like his mother. After she got pregnant, I stopped taking my drugs regularly. With this, I could not impregnate my wife. When Kelvin was five years old, she came up with the idea of adoption. “Jack, I need more children. 

After Kelvin, I have not been able to get pregnant again. Since we have Kelvin as our biological child, I want to suggest we adopt a baby girl,” she suggested. Even though I was happy with her suggestion, I told her to give me some time to think about it. 

Three weeks later, I told her, “Joy, we can go ahead with the adoption process. Whenever you are ready, you let me know.” She was so excited and thanked me for understanding. We went to the orphanage together. Fortunately we saw a set of twins, both girls and so decided to adopt them instead of just a baby girl.

We loved and cherished them so much. Kelvin too loved playing with his sisters; we were a happy family that had everything going smoothly until recently. 

Harry and his family visited us that Saturday afternoon and after the lunch, he told me we needed to talk as men. I never had the slightest idea about what he wanted to talk to me about. We went outside and told me, “Jack, what I want to talk to you about is even too hard for me to say but I must say it.

My wife and I agreed that we would have only two children and God blessed us with two beautiful and lovely girls. But since I don’t have a male child, I pleaded with her to get pregnant one more time if we would have a male child but she refused on the grounds that we agreed on two children no matter the sex.”

At that point, getting angry and in a harsh tone, I interrupted him, “So, what are you trying to say? Please, speak plain English.”

“Jack, what I am saying in essence is that I want my son, Kelvin,” he opened up. “Which son are you talking about? Harry, you may be his biological father but I am the person he knows and calls father. Don’t even think of it,” I threatened. “Jack, I need my son.

You and I know that as an African man, you are not regarded as complete without a male child. Just know that I want my son. You better think of a way to tell your wife or I will. I am giving you one month to do that,” he retorted. “Why are you doing this after 10 years?

You have two beautiful daughters. If you want a son desperately, you could go and adopt a baby boy and leave Kelvin for us, at least for the sake of my wife,” I pleaded. He told me to think about all we have discussed and promised that he would take his son, Kelvin. Since that day, I have not been myself and Joy noticed. “What is the matter? 

After you had that discussion with Harry you seem to be totally lost and confused. What is the matter, please you can talk to me,” she pleaded. I assured her that everything was alright; it was just that we lost a childhood friend.

Within me, I know that everything is not alright. How do I tell Joy that Kelvin is Harry’s son and not mine? How would I look her in the face and tell her what I did for him to sleep with her? 

How do I tell her that a boy who has brought so much love and peace into our family is not mine? How do I tell her that a boy we have watched cry, laugh, sleep, ill, walk and even take to school on his first day is not mine? The worse is that we did not even sign any form of agreement that Harry would not come for his son in future.

Would I loose Kelvin now? What do I do?