Akua’s phone beeps. It is a text message from Jake announcing his arrival at their usual meeting place. Few days or weeks ago this would have been a perfect call to pleasure with all its benefits but not today. Not when she has news to break, news of pregnancy with a married man. She replies to the text almost reluctantly, telling him she was on her way. Is Jake going to accept the pregnancy and leave his wife for her as promised? Or is he going to persuade her to terminate the pregnancy? These two questions put her on pins and needles as she journeys in a taxi to the hotel where Jake is waiting.

She had learned of her pregnancy the day before and has never slept since then. With pursed lips, forehead pressed to the window, she stares absent-mindedly at buildings, trees and vehicles. Akua’s mind is miles away from the back of the moving red and yellow Kia Rio taxi where she sits. She’d been thinking about how she is going to break the news to her boss and boyfriend, Jake.

Jacob Arthur is the Managing Director of a very successful advertising firm based in the heart of the capital city, Accra. The smooth flawless - skinned buff is a former model who has a touch of Idris Elba about him. He has round face, arched eyebrows, prominent jaw, with a blazing dark brown eye on either side of his straight nose. His deep voice complements his gregarious, dashing and attractive personality. Mina, his wife of eight years is lucky to have him as husband, or so she was. But unknown to her, the dashing husband has been dashing in out of the panties of his employee and has managed to put a bun in her oven.

Mina is a marketing consultant and a partner at her husband’s advertising firm. But she hardly is in that office as she manages her fashion business also. But for the help of her personal assistant and friend, Andrea, combining these two with her duties as a wife and mother would have been stressful. Mina and Jake have had their own share of marital problems, from communication to money, to stress, sexual differences and now infidelity? Well…The last thing she suspects of her loving husband is to cheat on her. And even if he would, it obviously should not be with a 23-year-old employee, a national service personnel posted to their firm. That news will break her.

Akua is smart. Her outstanding performance and willingness to volunteer for all company projects earned her a desk right in front of the hunky Manager’s office after the national service ended. The young ambitious woman, with mastery in seduction used the opportunity to work her way into the waiting arms of her boss in no time. And now, she has a part of him growing inside her.

“Maadam” the taxi driver mumbled in a polite attempt to alert Akua of their arrival to their destination. She startled momentarily, with a quick sob, looking around like a villager who has just arrived to a big city. That imposing hotel building which for several months was a monument of love, a place of romance has suddenly become a pillar of torment. Walking up the stairs into room 99 is now her biggest worry.

Slowly she paid off the taxi driver and labored past the hotel reception onto the staircase. She had forgotten about the ‘lift’ the same one she ‘made-out’ a couple of times with Jake anytime they wanted a quick top-up.

She drags herself up the stairs and knocks on the door of room 99. Jake opens, expecting Akua’s usual smile of gold. That has vanished from her face like a fart in the wind as she enters the room. She walks past him and sits on the bed.

An obviously confused Jake closes the door and walks towards her almost kneeling as if to propose marriage to her. “Heeyy baby! You don’t look okay, what’s wrong?” Akua draws back when Jake joins her on the bed and tried to kiss her.

“What’s going on baby, talk to me. Did anyone hurt you? You know I love you and I’ll do anything to put a smile on your pretty face. Tell me what the problem is,” the forty-one-year-old pleads.

With her eyes glazed with a glassy layer of tears, Akua begins “I need to tell you something, but I don’t know how to say it, Jake. But first, how far are you with the divorce?”

“I’m still working on it babe. I’ll let you know as soon as everything is sorted. I can’t wait to make you my wife. Is that why you’re troubled?” Jake replies, wraps his arms around her, pulls her closer and rubs her arms and starts to kiss her on the lips.

“Not today Jake, not today, please. We need to talk,” Akua draws back and prepares to spill the beans. Jake rubs her fingers as her lips quivers then these words that seem like they are unwilling to take flight slowly make their way out of her mouth, “I’m six weeks pregnant, Jake.”

For a fraction of a second, the news catapults Jake from cloud one to cloud hundred. His face falls faster than a rock. Jake quickly drops Akua’s hand. “That can’t be possible! You take the pills after we do it each time right? You are not pregnant. How do you know?”

“I forgot to take them on two occasions. Two different brands of pregnancy tests I used came out positive. I’m sorry,” unnerved Akua reveals.

“No no no! You cannot be pregnant Akua, you can’t, you know I’m married right? This is not happening. You cannot ruin everything for me, you can’t,” furious Jake vents.

“So, what do you suggest we do?” Akua musters up some courage and quizzes.

“We? Well…I don’t look like I’m ready to have a baby, do I? You have to visit a hospital for a proper pregnancy test,” Jake adds as he rubs his head and paces up and down the room.

Tears burst forth like water from a waterfall, spilling down Akua’s face. After a while, Jake gets closer to her, draws her into his broad chest and holds her in silence as she continues to sob.

“I’m sorry baby, I’m so sorry, what I meant to say was that I did not expect this to happen so soon. Come on dry your eyes. We’ll find a way, everything will be fine. This is the best news ever, Akua, I love you. Now will you smile for your baby?” Jake consoles her and plants a kiss on her forehead.

Akua manages to flash him a smile, albeit sadly. Jake receives a phone call and leaves for an emergency meeting immediately. He gives Akua some money, plants another kiss on her forehead and promises to get in touch with her.

A pregnancy test at the hospital confirms Jake’s fears. The morning sickness prevents Akua from going to work the first two days of that week. She texts Jake to inform him about it and he permits her to take as many days off as she needs to get better. The days turn into a week with no trace no word from Akua to her sweetheart.

“She hasn’t been to work since and that was the last time I heard from her, Officer,” Jake tells the police officer in a brittle voice.

Akua’s family reported her missing two days after Jake gave her the days off. Her disappearance from home for days is out of character so the matter was reported to the police after forty-eight hours.

Jake was invited by the police for questioning after visiting Akua’s home and speaking to her close friends and family. He denies having anything to do with her aside from work. Oh yes! Jake did and swore he had nothing to do with her disappearance.

“The detective handling the case will join us soon, Mr. Arthur. He has further questions to ask you about the disappearance of the young lady,” the police officer notes.

A gentleman walks, whispers into the ears of the policeman and says to Jake, “hi, I’m Inspector Mike Agyare with the homicide unit of the Ghana Police Service. Please come with me.” He and one other lead Jake to another office.

Now that the homicide unit is involved I bet you know where this is headed. But is she dead? If yes, who’s responsible? How is Mina going to find out about all these and how will that impact on their eight year-old marriage? No matter what happens, just know that life’s greatest lessons are learned at the worst times and from the worst mistakes. But what if the lesson did not start as a mistake? For answers to all these watch out for the second part of the missing mistress.

It’s fiction, written by Akosua Asiedua Akuffo.