They had sex since their university days without protection. It wouldn't feel natural to Jane.
Bob wanted to have fun anyway. So this wasn't the first and wouldn't be the last. The had great night out as they did everything possible in bed.
Things didn't go as planned on Valentine's day night in 2007.
Jane had taken the birth control pills but they didn't work. She discovered a bit too late and both couldn't afford to abort their first baby.
Bob just got his Visa for France in January and he was to leave in September. He saw this as an opportunity to seal their love with a new baby. He wrote to the school to defer his admission till next summer as he wanted too see his baby.
"We should get married" he said when Jane broke the news in tears. Jane's family wanted her to travel to Scotland for her Masters before marriage. A baby in the way disrupted the plan. Her mother was very furious with her but Jane made up her mind to marry Bob.
Jasmine, Jane's sister thought Jane's happiness was all that mattered so she pleaded to mum and dad to let Jane be.
The marriage plans were made in a haste so as to prevent the baby bump from showing. It would be an embarrassment to the Chief's family that the first born girl child got pregnant out of wedlock. Bob and Jane married in June amidst a couple of disagreement between both families on venue, choice of clothes and so on. Nigerians like to celebrate a lot you know.
Things went well until Dara was born in December. Bob was all over the baby and he began to reconsider traveling to France. He sought for advice from his wife and she told him to go to France.
The Departure
June 8, 2008 was an emotional Sunday for Jane. She was happy for Bob but love struck. She didn't know how she would cope with a 6 month old baby alone.
She was confused and depressed that she didn't want to believe she wouldn't see Bob for 2 years.
Jane called Jasmine and Jude and pleaded that they spent the week with her. Jasmine and James were her siblings and they didn't hesitate. They ended up spending years with her.
How they met
Jane met Bob in the alley of the university library in 2003. They bumped into each other and love took over. For Jane, it was love at first sight.
Bob was her kind of man.
Tall, dark and handsome. Bob was very ambitious and he wanted to leave Nigeria at all cost. He wanted leave the economic instability, joblessness and all.
Jane wasn't quite sure about his ambition but she was in love.
Bob had it all planned out.
He was going to France. He was going to complete his Masters degree in Economics. He would get a job and save some money. After 2 years Jane will move over to France to stay with him.
That was the simple easy plan.
Bob graduated in 2006 with a First Class degree while Jane did with a Second Class-Upper degree.
Bob got a job with Zenith Bank and he made enough money to travel to France. Jane also got a job with an Insurance company.
Things didn't work as planned
Bob didn't come back home.
When Bob got to France, he was overwhelmed by the kind of academic work and fun life he was exposed to. He skyped with Jane every night for the first month. Later, it became every week then every month.
10 years later
Dara grew up without really knowing her dad. She just spoke to this very dark man with a moustache on Viber and Skype.
Mom (Jane) would often show her money and say this is from you dad. Jane was already 35 years old.
Friends and family advised her to marry one of the many men that dashed her gifts and gave her jobs.
She didn't take any of the advise. She was waiting for Bob.
Bob's plan didn't work out. His visa expired and he didn't return to Nigeria to renew it. He waned to find a way to apply for citizenship. His options were narrowed as France had a stringent policy on immigration.
His case was a "lost in the big city" case.
Bob had worked in different places. Restaurant Kitchen, factories, janitor job and so on it was in his 3rd year while trying to solve the immigration puzzle that he met Lola, a Nigerian-French lady. Lola was as light skinned as Jane and Bob made friends with her.
His plan was to use their friendship to get a permanent resident visa. Lola had been jilted by a lot of men so, her plan was to use Bob to have her kids.
Whose plan worked out?
Bob got to involve himself in a really messy situation. Although he sent money to Jane, he didn't tell her what he faced in France.
Lola seduced him and he slept with her a couple of times. She gave birth to two girls which are now 7 and 4 years old. He couldn't travel back to Nigeria as Lola gave him a hard time.
Lola gave him a hard time. He couldn't fight back as he knew she can send him to jail.
His promising future was crashing in his very eyes.
He spoke to Jane and Dara via skype at work so they didn't know there was another woman. He sent more money home and promised he would come home soon.
The discovery
Jane had waited for 10 years and something dramatic happened in January, 2017.
Jane called Bob to let him know how tired she was of waiting without her having any sexual relation. She expected Bob to liven her up and make her forget her urge but he didn't. Suddenly, Lola collected the phone and nagged Jane out.
She told Jane to move on as he already had 2 daughters.
Jane was devastated. She couldn't believe she waited for 10 years without having an affair with the numerous men that had come her way. She died inside and was sick for 3 months.
When she recovered in March, she changed her name from Jane Adewale to Jane Owolabi. Owolabi was her maiden name. The documentation was pretty unfinished as she was in a haste to remove Bob's last name from her name.
This worked against her as her two bank accounts were frozen as the banks thought it was a plot to defraud her.
Jane became ruthless. She vowed not to allow any man into her life anymore. She warned her 10 year old daughter, Linda not to play with boys again. Linda wasn't sure of what that meant but she'll do anything to make her mom happy.
However, Jide, her old friend who had asked her out a couple of times still visits her to see if he would win her heart.
She doesn't pick Bob's calls or read his messages.
Jane has cut off all contacts from Bob and his family. She informed Dara's school not to allow anyone pick her from school. She employed a doorman who double checks anyone who must enter her apartment.
Her parents assist her with as she is still trying to recover her accounts.
This was as a result of what love had done to her.
If you would give Jane advice, what would it be?
Photo Credit: lexxiyap with permission
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