SEPARATED.

All was very fine with Barrister Ray Pepple and Mrs. Mary Pepple until one fateful day.

Barrister Pepple was in his law chamber preparing his court case that was ongoing when the secretary came in to announce that a lady was waiting to see him. He told the secretary to let the lady in. 

Lo! and behold, a lady in her late thirties walked in. He beckoned for her to sit for her hearing. She sat down and started to cry. She busted into tears, crying uncontrollably. Barrister gave her a handkerchief but she refused. She kept on weeping. Barrister became so much disturbed not because he had never seen a lady cry in his life but this was unusual. He felt pity for her, stood up from his seat, instead of inviting his secretary to calm her down, he came to where she was sitting and cleaned her face, wiping her tears and saying comforting words to her. Then he started to crack joke like “see your pretty face, why are you soiling this lovely face. You are not even ashamed’’ and he kept on. She started laughing and laughing till she was fully calm. She opened up, sharing her story of how the husband was a wife beater. She said, “if I opened my body, you will see marks of his beating in my body”. She kept on saying she wanted to divorce the husband .She was tired of the marriage. She needed his help. 

That was the beginning of trouble for the family of Pepple.He had fully opened up to the lady to the point of going home with her. Of course, he told the wife about her. They greeted and talked for a while; later on, the man told the wife he wanted to drop her off in her house. The wife felt she should go with her husband but the husband said, he would not wait for her to dress. She should stay at home while he quickly goes to drop her. He wouldn’t be long, he wouldn’t be long. He came back late in the night. He left about 6 O’clock in the evening. He returned by 10 O’clock in the night. Four good hours?

The wife was worried, could it be accident, go – slow or armed robbers? Finally, he came in worn out. He entered, greeted his wife and apologized for staying so late. “you know I have never done this since we got married”, he pleaded. The wife agreed and calmed down but warned him never to do so again. She told him “do you know that this is a dangerous venture? What will the husband say if he sees you with the wife? What will people even say? Please be very careful next time”. They went to sleep but her mother could not sleep. She kept on thinking and thinking till she finally dozed off. It was the husband that woke her up in the morning when he was going to the office. 

By the time he got to the office, the strange lady had appeared in his chamber before he did. She was actually waiting for him. 

He came in, apologizing for coming late, he invited her into the chamber the secretary of Barrister Pepple was already becoming apprehensive, this was unbecoming, she decided to call Maria Pepple. Maria Pepple listened and thanked her. She promised to visit the office that same day. She came over to her husband’s office only to see the two of them together gisting, laughing. She became furious and shouted on the lady to leave her husband alone. The husband was embarrassed and ordered her out of his office. She bluntly refused but eventually she changed her mind and decided to leave his office amidst tears.

That was the beginning of deep romance between the strange lady and Barrister Ray Pepple. They were getting deeper day by day until it was the talk of the town. Mary had fought and struggled with the husband to stop the illicit love affair. It was no longer news, all her efforts had proved abortive. 

It was discovered that the lady in question is a professional home breaker. She had never been legally married. It is her business. She picks on any man she wanted and with her tricks lures them to bed. They become her captive. She would never let go until the man’s veil clears. She would make sure she impoverish the so called man leaving such victim helpless and hopeless. 

The said lady is the daughter of Jezebel herself, she had four children for four different men. She has a well built house in the city of Port-Harcourt. She takes care of her children with the proceeds of prostitution. What a woman! Only the unlucky, careless one will fall victim. 

By all standard, she is not as attractive as Mary Pepple, yet the husband fell victim. What a world. Barrister continued with the stranger, while Mary was becoming devastated day in day out. She decided to involve their pastor. The church pastor decides to visit their home. He came in severally but met his absence. He goes out very early and comes very late in the night. 

The pastor decided to visit his chamber and met the lady in question. He was told by the secretary that the pastor had been waiting to see him. Out of deep respect he allowed him to come into his chamber. The pastor got him and discovered it was the daughter of Jezebel that almost destroyed his home, beautiful marriage and his church. He escaped by the whiskers of his ears. So, as soon as he entered, he saw her and shouted. “You again!!” the lady hissed and quickly went out telling her victim, “I will see you later please”.

Pastor sat down and started to share his experience with Ray Pepple. Ray was actually surprised that Pastor knew the strange lady. ‘How did you know Sandra?”. He said ‘I knew her two years ago, pastor replied. He started his own story. I should say, he narrated his terrible ordeal from the shameless Delilah.

Sandra came to his office in the church on fateful morning in one of his counseling days. He motioned for her to sit down. She sat down only to burst out weeping .It seems that was one of her charms. She wept and wept refusing to be comforted until he had to come near. He hugged her and was patting her at the back. She stopped crying, she started to narrate her trouble from a husband beater. 

He felt a deep compassion for her. He advised her to go home, and he would surely visit her husband she refused. She kept on calling him from time to time talking about the husband beating her. She was always threatening to divorce him. The pastor said, severally he had to counsel her against such plan. The lady kept on visiting his office till people started carrying evil rumour that something is going on between them. They were saying it till it got into the ears of his wife. 

The wife started quarreling with him, reported him to some respectable elders in the church. They warned and told me never to allow the woman to come for counseling again. I refused thinking she was just a victim of circumstance not knowing she was an agent or messenger of the devil to destroy his ministry. His prayer life dwindled, his love for his wife was no longer there. He was becoming cold towards the things of God. His messages became watered down.

“Meanwhile my wife was praying with fasting, prayer warriors of my church were praying earnestly for my restoration. Though I had never slept with her, but she occupied my thoughts daily. I long to see her everyday. I was emotionally captured. I became a victim. I had severally given her money to take care of her needs feigning the husband does not care for her needs and that of the children. I thank God for my wife who stood in prayers she endured “the prodigal son” awaiting patiently my restoration to Christ. She never fought nor quarrel with me again. She knew it was a spiritual battle that must be won spiritually. The arm of flesh would fail. God did answer her prayers. One fateful day, she came as usually, only this time around, she came unexcitedly and embraced me fully. She had never done that before. I had never had any physical contact with her. Embarrassed, I quickly pushed her away only to discover she has come in with a camera. Her intention was to set the camera unknowingly to me and she will do whatever she wanted to blackmail me.

God was ahead of her and made me pushed her away. It was a little violent, but her secret was exposed. The camera fell from her bag, I rushed to take it and I spoke, “so you want to snap us while hugging so as to use it to blackmail me? Is that your plan?” she tried to no avail to deny but my eyes was opened. It was too late for her. I spoke harshly to her, I warned her never to visit me in my office nor come to church ever again. I told her bluntly she was an agent of darkness sent to destroy me but God has given me dominion over her. I started to pray and as I was praying, she was manifesting, screaming violently, and managed to escape. 

“I knelt down before God that day weeping profusely for I knew I had committed emotional adultery with her. Yes, I had sinned against God and against my wife”.

“I learnt a very big lesson from that experience. I use my life to warn men to be careful of the opposite sex. They should always set boundaries, there should always be a no go area,” he continued. Barrister Ray Pepple was listening in rapt attention. His eyes started to open he had actually fell into deep sin and had committed adultery with this lady. “How will my wife take me back now?” He kept on thinking he wept and wept until he was done weeping. He repented and promised to return to his wife and children. The pastor prayed with him and went home.

Meanwhile the lady had gone out to hang around the vicinity. As soon as the pastor left his chamber, she returned with all alacrity “she came in without the permission of the secretary and was shouting”, will you believe this liar?” will you believe him? I left because it is of no use arguing with a man of God, older than my father. I left out of respect for God. He is a patent liar. Do not believe him”. Barrister ordered the lady out of his office and life immediately. He called the security to take her out then she said, “I will go, but know you are already mine. All we had been doing together is on record. You cannot deny this pregnancy. It is yours. So you better relax. You will father my child, in fact, we will go to court and marry. I know you married your wife in the church, I am not contesting that. You will wed me in the court”. 

Barrister Ray was shocked, he told the security to leave her alone. She sat down and brought out the test result of her pregnancy. Ray blurted out and said, “And who knows if the baby is mine?” she laughed and laughed. She said, “We have been together for the past six months virtually from morning till night. I do not know any man during this period. My child is five months old, scan had revealed. Oh! what a tragedy! It was actually true. They were always together. Even when they had cases, she would be there. The lover boy became sober, sad, he saw no way of escape in this matter.

He called the pastor and he narrated everything. The pastor told him to tell his wife about the whole issue. He returned, telling the pastor to come to his house and tell his wife. The pastor finally agreed and came to their house. 

He came to Barrister and Mrs. Pepple’s house the following morning. He sat the two of them down and he started to preach to them using the word of God. When he was done, he told the wife that Sandra – the strange woman had taken in for her husband, what! Her voice shook the whole house. “I have had enough of this marriage it is over”, she replied the pastor. I cannot longer cope. Ray has done his worst but with this issue of pregnancy, there is nothing I can do. Go ahead Ray and marry your Jezebel. Go and enjoy your mistress. My God will judge you. You will not go scot free. God will surely repay all my years of faithfulness to you. You did this to me, it shall never be well with you. You and the lady will know no peace. You will never enjoy yourselves again”. She kept on cursing them amidst painful tears. She was emotionally devastated. She went upstairs, packing her property. Ray rushed upstairs trying to stop him. She bluntly refused. She felt betrayed, but with persuasion from the pastor and her husband, she kept calm and stayed. 

Since that day, Mary was no longer herself, she became withdrawn from the relationship. The children no longer enjoy her company, due to the husband, she became a shadow of herself. A once friendly, bubbling woman had become withdrawn. She became deeply depressed. She tried to come out of it but she couldn’t. She found it difficult to pray. She stopped going to church. Her pastor had called several times, but to no avail. Members of the church had visited to encourage her, she couldn’t shake everything off. They had no choice but to let her be.

The husband, though separated from Sandra was no longer enjoying the marriage. He had apologized severally and told her to give the marriage another chance. She did not change. He felt tired and decided to start going to clubs drinking his life to hell. He goes from office to the club and comes home late in the night. Sometimes, he sleeps outside until the wife could no longer take it. One day, she decided to leave the house quietly with no quarrel. She left without the children. 

Finally, it had happened, the separation came. The children had no choice. They had suffered greatly.