My marriage had been on the rocks for a long time and I was ready to get a divorce. I had talked to a few people about it and they all agreed that I should get a divorce.
Victor was a lousy husband. He drank a lot and never took care of us or the home. I was patient with him for a long time but things only got worse. We even started sleeping in separate bedrooms since our relationship had gone stale. So, you can imagine my surprise when he told me that he was planning a family vacation out of the blue.
One day while I was cleaning the house, he pulled me aside and I noticed that he had a worried look on his face. That was probably the first time that we had a long conversation in a while.
“I know I haven’t been the best husband to you.” He started. “So, I was thinking of taking you and the kids for a vacation this weekend.”
“Are you serious?” I asked excitedly.
At that point, I was at my breaking point but that simple gesture gave me hope in our marriage. I thought that an angel had touched my husband and made him a new man.
“Of course. You deserve it for putting up with me.” He said then hugged me and tears rolled down his face.
“Thank you,” I replied while embracing him.
The days leading up to the trip were magical. I couldn’t stop talking about everything I wanted to do while on vacation and Victor seemed equally excited.
“I can’t wait to go to the beach. It’s been such a long time.”
“Do you have a swimsuit?” He asked.
“No, I don’t think I’ll go swimming.”
“You should. It will be fun.”
My kids were also excited too. They had told their friends how their dad was taking them on a trip that weekend and eventually, some of my friends found out.
“I thought you were planning to divorce him.” One of them said after calling me.
“I know, but it seems like he’s turned a new leaf.”
“I’ve been there, babe. I hope you enjoy your trip but don’t get your hopes up.” She warned me.
While I wasn’t expecting miracles, the trip was a step in the right direction and I planned on making the most out of it. I prepared everything we needed for the trip and waited anxiously for the day we were to travel.
I wanted us to take the train but Victor insisted that he wanted to drive all the way to Mombasa.
“It will give us more time to spend together.” He explained.
“Okay. That’s a good idea.”
On the day of departure, we packed our bags in our car and hit the road. Victor was quiet most of the time but I assumed that he wanted to focus on the road. The kids, on the other hand, were so hyper. They couldn’t sit still for more than 10 minutes. I was happy to see them have so much fun with their dad involved.
At some point, we all fell asleep and by the time I woke up we were in a hospital compound.
“Is everything okay? Did you get injured?” I asked Victor worriedly.
“I’m fine. I just needed somewhere to use the bathroom.”
“Why didn’t you go to the side of the road?”
“I think I have a stomach problem. You don’t have to come with me. I won’t stay too long.”
“Okay.”
He dashed out and ran inside the hospital. I could see him talking to a nurse who then escorted him. Victor came back after 10 minutes but told me that he was feeling sick and he needed to get a few tests done which would take about an hour. Again, he asked me to stay in the car which I agreed to.
However, I started getting a bad feeling in my stomach and decided to go and see what was happening. I got my kids out of the car so they could stretch their legs and we went into the hospital.
“Hi, I’m looking for the man who just came in a few minutes ago,” I asked the receptionist.
“Oh, he’s at the maternity ward.” She answered with a smile.
“Maternity ward?” I asked to confirm if I heard the right thing.
“Yes, he’s visiting a patient there.”
“I thought he came with a stomach ache.”
“Are you talking about Victor Maingi?” She asked checking the guest book.
“Yes, that’s my husband. How could he be visiting someone at the maternity ward?”
“I don’t know, ma’am. That’s where he said he was going.”
I felt like I was in a bad dream but I quickly snapped back to reality, left my kids at the reception and headed to the maternity ward.
Of course, they didn’t allow me to go inside so I had to wait for Victor to come out so I would confront him.
“What’s going on?” I asked almost in tears.
“I didn’t know how to tell you but I got another woman pregnant and she just delivered my baby today.”
“This is disgusting even for you. Your children are here. Why would you do this to us? Do you hate us that much?”
“I didn’t expect things to go this way. Besides, I knew you would question me if I told you that I was going on a trip.”
“When did you even get her pregnant? You’re not even the cheating type.”
My husband was a lot of things but I never thought he was a cheater. He had never slept away from home during our 7 years of marriage so I was so confused to find out he was having a child with another woman.
“What did you expect? We haven’t been intimate in years.”
I was silent for a while as I tried to understand everything.
“I thought that I would be able to take you and the kids to Mombasa then come to the hospital before she gave birth but I got an alert while we were on the road that she was in labour. I’ll still take you to our destination but I have to come back to the hospital.” He explained
At that point, I didn’t care what was going to happen. I already knew that I was going to get a divorce so I decided to have a few moments together as a family for the sake of my children.
He took us to the hotel then left shortly after and never came back. I went back home with my kids alone who had started suspecting that something was wrong. I started the divorce process the same day I got back home. I’m now divorced from Victor and I couldn’t be happier.