He was dazed.

As he tried to make a sense of it.

Sitting there in the doctor's office alongside his wife.

Staring at the document in his hand.

Which had heralded a stunning revelation.

This new development.

That came about out of mistrust.

Of the woman who birthed his twin sons.

He knew she cheated.

He forgave her for cheating.

After she confessed to him that she had cheated.

The very night after she had cheated.

She had cried.

He had cried.

And after that they had made love.

It was punitive at first.

Filled with anger.

Then it became gentle and tender.

Filled with forgiveness.

It was over two months after that she had discovered she was pregnant.

And six years later.

When they were emigrating and a DNA test had to be done to attain the parenthood of their twins.

That the results had stunned him.

He was the father of one.

But not of the other.

He was too stunned to accuse her of infidelity.

And she was quick in explaining to him that the day she had conceived.

She had known both him and the man she had cheated on him with.

The doctor wanting to help.

With a lot of care and caution volunteered an explanation.

"It is possible that what your wife is saying is true. If the window between when she had slept with this man and you, is close, a couple of hours at most, her egg might have been split into two and then one fertilized by you and the other fertilized by the other man."

He looked up at the doctor.

A frown on his face.

The doctor continued.

His voice even more caring and cautious.

"When twins are conceived that way, they come out looking identical and are known as polar body twins."

The frown didn't disappear from his face.

So, the doctor continued.

Even more caring and cautious.

"Polar body twins have never been born before. So your twins may be the first. That is something of great honour for you and your wife. You should be happy about that..."

Lagos

Jude Idada
December 24, 2023

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Me: What would you do if you were in his shoes?