Of Love, Betrayal And Breach Of The Law.

 By
Ayuk Kure, Lagos Nigeria.


Mbanefo turned 28 on January 3rd 2017. The birthday which he marked on the Buguma Beach in Port Harcourt, Rivers State had in attendance men of different pocket sizes and colour. The rich, the very rich and the super rich were all there.  The Mongoloid, the Caucasoid, the white and the black were the colours represented at the event. Love filtered in the air, music played mildly in the background and enticing dishes saluted one on entry to the venue. It was such a beautiful night.
The activities of the night commenced in earnest with MC Mango anchoring the show. He was astonishingly funny and all the ladies laughed and laughed till their tears began to wash off their make ups. The guys on the other hand could not contain their laughter as they laughed heartily holding their bellies like pregnant women about to deliver. It was such a beautiful night in deed. When MC Mango noticed that his jokes were beginning to tell on his listeners’ ribs, he paused a while to take the next item on the agenda. On the next agenda, he invited comments from the audience on what they thought about Mbanefo. One lady commented that he was such an amazing person and that he had a heart for people. She even mentioned that there was a time back at the school of the marines where they both graduated from that he gave her the last kobo in his pocket and had to starve for days. An elderly lady who also spoke said Mbanefo gave her the money to complete her son’s law school fees who recently gained admission into the Nigerian Law School, Lagos. She prayed that God would bless him and that he would find a wife befitting  his kindness. Mbanefo felt so humbled by these comments that he could not help hiding his face behind the guy who sat in front of him.
Later on in the event, Mbanefo was invited to give a speech and he began thus:
 “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming out here tonight to celebrate with me. I feel so humbled by your presence and especially the encomiums that were poured on me earlier. Honestly, I owe it all to God. One lesson I have learned in life is to make your mark while you can. If you ever get an opportunity to help anyone in need, never let it slip; grab it without more ado and leave an indelible mark on that person’s heart. There is so much wickedness and darkness in our world and it takes people who are willing to jettison their own personal desires to shine the light. That is how we change the world…” he paused.
 “I don’t want to bore you with a long speech because I cherish this moment and I want us to enjoy it as much as we can. So please eat whatever you want and have fun the rest of the night. Thank you again guys for coming to celebrate with me. God bless you!” He said conclusively as he made his way back to the spot where he was sitting.
A thunderous applause accompanied his speech and everyone stood up to shake hands with him as he made his way back.
Just before the party ended, friends of the celebrant were called up to dance with him at the area where the MC was standing. Everyone obliged except a few old people who felt that that was not an invitation for them. Mbanefo danced like one suffering from a psychosomatic disorder. He leapt into the air and flung his legs like the Fulani dancers. Everyone was surprised but he didn’t care. He knew no one could fully comprehend why he had to dance that way but he knew deep down in his heart. For someone who for the better part of his life had lived in a motherless babies’ home and had had to depend on the benevolence of sponsors to see him through school, he really should dance mad. Besides, he just landed his dream job as a marine engineer on the Octopus (the octopus is a ship owned by the five richest men in Germany). God had been so good to him and the least he could do was to show his thanks in a dance. So he continued to dance. His friends continued to dance too. Then suddenly his eyes fell on someone. She winked at him. He was not sure if he had ever met her or it was simply a reverie. She was definitely beautiful. When she winked at him again this time he felt that her eyes would dissolved his heart.
“No, I’m dreaming!” he said to himself supposing that his recent thoughts of a beautiful bride to man the affairs of his home must have led to this daydreaming. So he pinched himself on the right hand to bring himself back to reality but she was still there dancing and this time even closer to him with all her womanhood pointed in his direction. Before he could gather his thoughts, she slipped a piece of paper into his left palm and zoomed out of the venue. He quickly read the contents and saw this code: “OCTO/2597022/FC”. He didn’t know if he should leap in the air and make a loud noise or to simply faint. Well, the code meant that the lady, whatever her name was going to be on the Octopus the next day for its scheduled trip to Portugal. Only those sailing first class were entitled to the code. 
The next morning,  Mbanefo got to the ship just in time and after the usual inspection the ship was set to sail. As a marine engineer, he had his room and office on the last floor of the ship. His room was a neatly arranged cabin with everything in a living house. He had engaged an interior decorator in California to redesign and rearrange the cabin to suit his taste and the designer did a really amazing work.
When the ship successfully left its berth and the vibrations had ceased Mbanefo went to see the captain and the crew of sailors.
“Ah ah… the Okokomaiko 1 of Opopo has arrived” the captain said as Mbanefo made his way into the sailor’s cabin to greet the crew.
“How are you Mr. Mbanefo? I heard your birthday party was last night, how did it go?” the captain asked.
“Mr. Crammer, I am fine and my birthday was great. Thank you for not coming!” Mbanefo said folding his arms and pretending to be angry.
“I apologise my brother. You know how it is with married men. I had to attend to my wife’s health. She was very sick at the weekend. But not to worry we have something in store for you this night at the lounge”
That evening at about 7pm, Mbanefo was having a nap in his room when he was awakened by a heavy knock on his door.  He dragged himself out of the bed and opened the door. He was greeted by shouts of “Happy birthday in arrears!” They were his colleagues who had decided to throw him a surprise party. Among those who came to wish him happy birthday was the lady he saw the previous night and his heart skipped a beat. He didn’t anticipate that he would see her soon. Well, he was excited he could finally get to know her. They dragged him out of the cabin to the lounge where he was given a remarkable treat. He went through the motions to try to enjoy what his colleagues had put together for him but what he really wanted was to be sitting next to that lady and telling her how badly he loved her and wanted to marry her.
They eventually got talking and she told him she was one of the cargo inspectors recently employed by the octopus company and that her name was Brenda from Cross river State Nigeria. They exchanged numbers and that was how a love affair was born. They grew fond of each other and they spent most nights together at the lounge. The affection grew daily that his colleagues soon noticed it. A concerned colleague one day told him to be careful but he would not bulge. How could he be careful with someone he loved very much and truly loved him back? That evening she came to his room and this transpired:
“Mbanefo, you told me time and time again you loved me but you have never showed it” she said.
“of course you know I love you and I am doing my best to prove that to you” he said searching her eyes to know why  she made such a statement
“Well, we have been on this boat for 1 month now and you haven’t proposed to me” she said almost spontaneously.
“Dear, I was going to do that when we get to Portugal. I wanted to make it special and memorable for us.” He said in defence
“Well, I can’t wait that long!” she yelled.
Mbanefo sat confused not knowing what next to say or do
“I want us to get married on this ship” she said calmly holding on to his left arm.
“How’s that possible? He said
“There is no pastor on this ship to get us married even if we decide to. Moreover, I haven’t seen your parents to let them know my intentions”
“How many times do I have to tell you that I lost my parents in the 911 incidence back in 2001 in the US. The only person I have left is my aunt in Calabar who can be reached by phone”
Mbanefo loved her dearly and didn’t want to hurt her feelings so he accepted to marry her on the ship. They put a video call through to Brenda’s aunt via skype and she accepted that they get married on the ship. They contracted the captain of the ship to tie their knot under the pretext of an ordained priest of the Presbyterian Church and he accepted. The marriage was conducted on the high seas of Cuba just before they got to Portugal and from then 
Brenda packed into Mbanefo’s cabin where they began to render conjugal rights to each other.
Before long, Brenda began to make demands on Mbanefo. First, she requested for a ten million naira loan to wire to a friend in Switzerland for a business deal she struck there 5 months back. Mbanefo though skeptical emptied his account for his wife whom he could not afford to see sad even for a moment. On another occasion, she requested him to transfer ownership of one of the cars he owned on the ship and he also obliged.
3 am one morning, Mbanefo woke up with a start. He had had a nightmare where he saw his wife in the form of shark eating up people on the ship. He didn’t understand what it meant but knew that it portended something sinister. He checked the other side of the bed for his wife but she was nowhere to be found. He checked the bathroom and kitchen but couldn't find her there either. So he decided to go to the lounge to see if she was there but on getting there he saw everyone on the ship lying face down on the floor with heavily armed men holding guns to their heads. Before he could turn back to run the armed men had seen him and they threatened to shoot if he moved an inch. The armed men obviously needed no introduction. They were pirates! One of the pirates hit him hard on the head and said with Jamaican intonation “ganjamuan so mina run abi? If ganjamuan run mina blast your skull”
Mbanefo knew there was no point begging this one so he laid flat on floor and began to pray for mercy. The captain of the ship, Mr. Crammer and several others who attempted to escape were shot and thrown into the sea. The leader of the pirates ordered about 50 of the pirates to empty the ship of the cargo on it unto their own ship. When they had satisfactorily robbed the ship, the pirates unmasked themselves before jumping unto their own ship and Mbanefo realised that Brenda was their leader. Mbanefo’s heart sank…
After a careful investigation of the incidence by the Portuguese authorities, Brenda and her Cohorts were arrested.
Mbanefo wants to know the validity of the marriage he contracted with Brenda.
Mbanefo also wants to know the applicable laws to the above scenario.