My search for love took many years and at some point, I had completely given up. Then, Charles came into my life out of nowhere and renewed my hope. He wasn’t the man that I had dreamt of spending the rest of my life with but I was in my 40s, childless and unmarried. My options were limited. So, I looked beyond his money or lack thereof and loved him for who he was. Our romance was brief and within a few months, we were married. Things were finally looking up until he fell sick.
Shortly after getting married, Charles and I started trying to have a baby. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy because of my age and medical history but I was willing to give it another try. We went through many treatments but nothing worked. I wanted to stop trying but Charles insisted that he wanted a baby.
“We could adopt one,” I suggested.
“No, I want a biological child.” He replied.
“What if I don’t get pregnant?”
“Then why should I stay married to you if you can’t give me a child?”
“You knew about my challenges with getting pregnant before you married me.”
“Let’s just keep trying.”
We kept trying for more than a year without success. I no longer cared if Charles would divorce me. The treatments had taken a toll on my health and they were draining my account yet there was nothing to show for it. Just when I thought I was out of the woods, I got more bad news. Charles was diagnosed with cancer. He had developed swellings in his neck that had gradually become worse so he went to the doctor for a checkup who broke the news to him.
“Are you in the office?” He asked over the phone.
“Yes, I am. How did the checkup go?” I asked.
“I’m seriously sick, babe.” He said.
I could hear the sound of his voice shaking as he broke the news to me.
“What is it?”
“Lymphoma.” He said.
I was silent for a while, trying to calm myself.
“How bad is it?” I asked
“They say that it can still be treated but they want to start immediately.”
“Are you at the hospital?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. I’m coming.”
That day marked the beginning of a long, painful and costly battle with cancer. I got to the hospital and saw the doctor who explained everything in detail. I had to make a payment of Ksh 500,000 which would cover Charles’ treatment and medication for a few weeks.
He stayed at the hospital, undergoing tests and being monitored to make sure the treatment was working before being released. When he was being released, I was hit by another medical expense for the weeks that he had been admitted.
“We did several tests on him which added to the bill.” The doctor explained.
“I didn’t expect it to be this expensive.”
“It is but the treatment is needed to ensure that we beat the illness.” He explained.
I transferred another Ksh 300,000 from my account to pay the bill then we went home. Luckily, I had added Charles to my medical cover when we got married so the insurance company reimbursed me for the expenses. However, I was already close to the limit and we had just started the treatment. The doctor had also mentioned that he needed surgery which I knew would be another expensive endeavor.
Charles didn’t have any money in his account so I was the one who had to dig deep in my pockets to pay for his medical bills and they were rising by the day. His medication alone was hundreds of thousands monthly.
However, he was showing signs of recovery and we had received more good news.
“I talked to my colleague in India and he is available to perform the surgery next month.” The doctor said.
I wanted to celebrate the good news but I knew something more was coming.
“How much will it cost?” I asked almost in a whisper.
“The surgery costs Ksh 4 million and hospital fees could cost around Ksh 1 million. Just to be safe, I’d say you need about Ksh 6 million.”
That was more than I had in my account. To make matters worse, I had quit my well-paying job so I could take care of Charles since he had requested me to do so. I didn’t know if the bank would agree to give me a loan but to my surprise they did.
I added the money to my savings and I had enough to take Charles to India for his surgery.
One of the happiest times in my whole life was the moment the doctor came out of the surgery room and told me it was a success. I hugged him and cried for almost two minutes before he pulled away and escorted me to Charles’s room where he was still sleeping.
“He’ll be up soon. When he does, please call the nurse to check on him.” He said then left.
I stared at him until I saw him moving then pressed the button to call the nurse.
“Everything went well,” I told Charles.
“Really? Thank you for standing by me.” He answered with tears running down his face.
We went back home a few days later and I nursed him back to health. However, life was very different from what we were used to. I didn’t have any money left in my savings account. I had a huge loan to pay and I was unemployed. The only thing that was keeping me afloat was my business but it was barely enough to provide us with the essentials. I had to move to a cheaper apartment and sell a lot of our household items to repay part of the loan. The only thing I refused to let go of was my car since it was a reminder of the hard work I had put in to afford it.
Charles didn’t seem to like the new lifestyle. He complained day and night because he couldn’t watch his favourite sports. I thought that he was simply finding it hard to adjust and with time, he would but he didn’t.
A few months after he recovered, Charles filed for divorce because I was broke. At times I wonder if he knew he had cancer and duped me into marrying him so I could cover his medical expenses. The coincidence was just too much and the fact that he filed for divorce a few months after he recovered made me more suspicious. However, there was nothing I could do.
He didn’t have any money so even if I demanded any payment from the divorce, it would be useless. He was the one who wanted to be paid alimony but it was denied since I didn’t have any money either.
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