My Baby Sitter Snatched My Husband

Mrs. Murphy was not a totally fulfilled woman. First, she had not been able to give her husband a male child. Secondly, all her six children are girls, after three died in infancy. Just 10 months ago, she had another baby-a girl.
 
Her first-born, Promise, 10, was in the secondary school and her in-laws already sniggered at her. Though her husband did not complain, she could see that he was not happy.

But something seemed to be amiss. Suddenly, her husband, Mr. Murphy said very hurtful things to her because of Nnenna her domestic help.

She could remember what her husband said that morning: "Traditionally, Nnenna is the mother of my only son, so, she has more right in this house than you do."

How did she get to this point? She remembered the day she went to Isele-Ukwu to bring Nnenna to Lagos. Mrs. Murphy had just given birth to her third child, her hands were full and she needed extra help around the house. She sent a message to the village and her late friend's second daughter was sent to help her.

Then, Nnenna was just 16 and she enrolled her in one of the secondary schools in their neighbourhood.

When her last child turned three, Nnenna was 19. That was when she noticed that the children had started developing this resentment towards Nnenna. When she asked her first daughter the reason for this, Promise told her that Nnenna was becoming annoyingly secretive- would close the bedroom door every time she went inside, thus shutting others out.

According to the girl, she had come home from school unexpectedly and opened the bedroom door to see Nnenna counting money. There were packages on the floor and new pants and underwear spread out on the bed. Nnenna had shut the bedroom door in her face.

"Yesterday, I caught her sneaking into daddy's bedroom, she did not know that I was watching, she entered and came out quickly but I dodged so she could not see me," her younger daughter informed her. These allegations worried her and she discussed them with her husband, suggesting that it was time to send the girl back home but Noah would never hear of such a suggestion.

"Would you send an orphan home to go and suffer in the village? What woman without conscience would do that?" He asked her and she immediately regretted her decision.

Six months later, Nnenna took ill, the girl was vomitting at every opportunity. After examining her, she discovered that she was pregnant! Her skin was pale and her face and legs were swollen, she looked three months gone already. Mrs. Murphy chided herself for being too preoccupied not to notice her pregnant maid.

"Anyway, that gives me the excuse I need to send her home," she told herself but again her husband opposed the decision to send the girl home. At that point she became angry with him and they quarrelled to the extent that family members were invited.

Noah later confessed to his elder brother that the pregnancy was his. His brother implored the distraught wife to accept Nnenna as her husband's second wife. She had to agree. After all, the girl had no job, no education and nobody to fend for her.

Nnenna gave birth to a baby boy five months later. Since then, there has been a reversal of roles in the home. Mrs. Murphy became the maid while her husband could not get enough of Nnenna and her baby.

Anytime she reprimanded her, Nnenna raised her voice at her. What would her husband do? Instead of reconciling the duo, he would threaten to divorce his first wife and disown her children.