5/6
JUST AFTER I SAID I DO (episode 5)
I gently opened the door leading to the be-droom and I walked in so calmly with a piece of napkin in my hands, I stood few miles from where ra-ph was standing and I watched him as he knots his tie in front of the dressing mirror…. ” Honey, I made toast bre-ad and tea for breakfast “…. Yeah, it’s Monday morning and I know that jolof rice and chicken has been the normal routine breakfast in my house every Monday morning, not because I planned it that way, but because ra-ph loves taking jolof rice and chicken on Mondays. Today’s Monday Was quiet different because I had been battling with serious fever ever since we c@m£ back from church yesterday and my darling husband didn’t even notice that.
I had sle-pt in severe pain last night and I woke up so very late and cooking jolof rice and chicken will not even meet up with the time at all, and my darling husband will not even take “No breakfast” for answer on Monday morning. Still trying to adjust his tie with keen concentration….. “And why toast bre-ad and tea.. Is there no normal food in the house again”…. I moved closer to him and tried to put on a sobber look….
“There’s food at home honey, I woke up very late and so I couldn’t prepare your jolof rice so you won’t be late for work, and so I felt I should just quic-kly make toast bre-ad and tea for you this morning”…. I quic-kly put mutter few words of prayers in my head for him to accept what I have said without any complaints. He walked towards the wardrobe and reached out for his suit and I stood still while he sort that out himself…. ” so you mean, I’m not going to take something reasonable as food very early on Monday morning due to your laziness”… I quic-kly rushed to help him get his shoes and socks from the socks corner and shoe rack…. “I’m sorry honey, I had fever all night and the pain was just too much for me”….
I said softly as I hand over his shoes and socks to him…. I just hope he won’t press further and just accept this toast bre-ad offer and I’ll make sure his jolof rice and chicken is re-ady before he comes back from work. He gently reached out for his briefcase and walked straight to the door and I also followed him hopping he’ll just st©p at the dining room and at least take a bite of the bre-ad and just a sip of the tea. As we got into the dinning room, he paused for a moment and looked at the dinning table, the sight of the neatly arranged jug and tea cu-ps alongside with the nice toast bre-ad changed his countenance and my joy knew no bounds as I watched him drew one of the chairs backward and he sat down. I quic-kly rushed to help him with the tea while he bites the bre-ad carefully.
Waoh! This is unbelievable, I never even believe ra-ph could listen to my excuse not to talk of taking the bre-ad and tea. I carefully watched him as he gently consume the four pieces of toast bre-ad without even saying a word until he took the last drop of tea…. “okomi, Olowo orimi, Ayomi, adun Ayemi, ifemi I’m so sorry for not preparing your meal this morning, it won’t happen again” I said so softly expecting him to tell me few nice words in return, I have actually missed those times we call each other pet names and tell each other nice words…
He looked at me and he’s look gave me the answer alre-ady, and I know he wasn’t even moved with all I’ve said. He stood up, picked up his briefcase and I rushed to help him carry it.. “let me help you with that”….. He tried to block me from tou-ching the brief case and he walked straight to the main entrance while I also followed him. On getting to the door, he st©pped and I could s-en-se it that he remembered something…
“That reminds me, mama will be coming from the village today”… I froze as though I just heard the news of the death of someone I love and I don’t even know when I exclaimed… ” mama again!!!… But she was here few months ago”…. He responded with this I don’t care look… “And so, what’s your stress with that,.. Prepare the guest room for her ” and he walked out without even listening to any other word from me. …”oh Jesus, this woman again. What the hell is she looking for again, I have not even recovered from the troubles she created the last time she visited”….. This announcement weakens every p@rt of my b©dy and I couldn’t even follow my husband to the car as I normally do. Hhhmm… Mama is my mother inlaw and that woman has been a pain in my n£¢k ever since I got married to ra-ph.
My husband is not her only child neither is he the only son, but I can’t even count the number of times she has visited us ever since we got married two years ago, and the most painful p@rt is that the least time she’ll spend with us is a month, some times she goes for two three months…. No single day with my mother inlaw has been peaceful even though I try my best to avoid her troubles.
I have heard and seen mother in-laws who take their son’s wife as their very own daughter, but my own is damn different. If my mother in-law doesn’t complain about my barrenness, she’ll talk about my meals and eating habits, if she doesn’t talk about my sitting down at home all day doing nothing, she’ll talk about my dressing and makeups. And the most amazing p@rt of my mother in-laws visit is that, she takes up the cooking immediately she comes around. And ra-ph will never even try to support me for a single moment, despite the fact that he’s actually the main author of everything. ….
”Hhhmm, mama again”… I sighed and breath de-eply as I walked back to the dinning room to clear the table…. ” And ra-ph could not even tell me long before now that his mum is coming over”…. I gently packed the cu-ps and found my way back to the kitchen to do some cleaning and house chores before I visit the hospital for treatment. While I drove into the compound, I sighted a woman pacing up and down at the main entrance and I am so very sure it’s my mother inlaw. This is just past three in the afternoon, and she has never entered Lagos this early,…” oluwa oooo, this woman no sleep for house before she enter road ni” I said to myself as I parked the car at the garage.
I quic-kly rushed down without even picking up my handbag from the car and I ran towards her. Immediately I approached where she was, her looks alone has spoken well enough for me to know that I am in trouble on mama’s first day in Lagos. …”Good afternoon mama” I knelt down and stood up almost immediately to open the door… ” I am so sorry ma, I was delayed at the hospital and I never knew you’ll be in Lagos very early like this ma” She stood with her two arms crossed and watched me with this scornful look while I was talking …. “Mmmtttccheww, iranu, radarada. And if anyone should listen to her now, they’ll think she has visited the hospital for anti natal”… She then picked up her bag and made her way into the sitting room trying to push me away from the entrance….
” dakun yago Lona funmi, let me enter my son’s house” ….. I managed to hide my tears and stretched out my hands to help her carry her Luggage … “let me help you with the bags ma”….. The sound of her voice bec@m£ more intensified and it was as if she’s going to coll@pse if I t©uçh the bags…. “Ahh, no no no, thank you, I carried the bags all by myself all the way from village”… And I gently watched her as she lifted the bags one after the other and made her way into her usual room (the visitors room)
Episode 6
“I’m so sorry for not getting in t©uçh with you all this while dearie”….
I said softly with a broad smile as I watch Amaka stepped out of her kitchen with a tray containing a glas-s cu-p of water. She gently placed the tray on the table right before me and she handed over the glas-s cu-p of water to me…. ” no no no, it’s nothing dear, I was actually worried when I didn’t hear from you in a very long time, but I felt I should just give you sometime more, before I press further. I felt you changes your mind about telling me all you’re going throu-gh in your marriage”…..
She sat down with full concentration and seriousness and it was just obvious she was expecting an answer from me without any delay. I tried to sit upright and I adjusted all p@rts of my b©dy to make sure I’m perfectly comfortable. I gently placed my right palm in the left one and I rested my left arm on one of the arms of the couch as I crossed my legs.
….. “You see darling, my mother inlaw has been around for some time now, And she’s p@rt of the problem I am facing in my marriage pres£ntly, and so I just have to keep my cool to avoid troubles and all… That’s why you haven’t heard from me in a long time. ( I paused for a while and I gave Amaka this “I have actually accepted my fate” look, because it was all over Amaka’s face that she’s a bit surprised that my mother inlaw is also a pain in my n£¢k in my marriage)… Anyway, it’s all fine, now I am here with you, can we talk?
She nodded with a great interest and I nee-d not to be told that she has actually been waiting and anticipating to hear from me.. I gently stood up from where I was sitting and I sat so very close to her on the couch she was sitting… And I began to speak so faintly with a little affection as though I was her mother….
You see darling,
Hhhmm, *Your marriage, and the type of man you get married to can either make or mar your destiny*…. No matter how much you have actually been on track while you were still single, if you mistakenly miss it in the place of marriage… Hhhmm, your destiny, plan and purpose will pay for it so dearly…. And you’ll spend years ma-king amends and living as tho you’re dead….
Look at me, just take a look at me… I appear so nice on the physical, I have the b©dy, but the engine is gone, just because I married the man who do not un-derstand the manual that comes along with me….
Amaka, two years, I mean two good years of my marriage has been wasted alre-ady, just because I got married to the wrong person, the years that I’m suppose to be using in securing the future of my kids in the place of prayer, I am using it to ask for mercy and restoration concerning the wrong man….
If you miss it in the place of marriage, trust me, you’ll keep wasting your time to ask for mercy and guidance when you’re suppose to be investing in the place of prayer…..
So plea-se my dear, let all the ladies out there know that, it is very important to ask for mercy and guidance from God while you’re still single so that you can spend your precious prayer time on things that are important when you finally get married instead of prayer of mercy and comfort…
I gently dabbe-d the lower p@rt of my eyelids with my handkerchief to avoid the flow of tears that were alre-ady gathered in my eye and I continued…
Hhhmm…
Amaka, I made a lot of mistakes while I was still single despite the fact that I know the truth. If it’s actually possible for me to turn back the hands of time and have a second chance….
Dear,
I will wait patiently in the place of prayer to hear directly from God himself and the people he uses in speaking to me before I say yes to any man, no matter how religious and dedicated he might be…
Amaka… If I’m given the second chance, i’ll take my time to know, study and also pray for my man before I say I do to him…
I’ll invest all the precious time I wasted while I was Still an un-dergraduate in school, to secure the future of my marriage…
I’ll spend my time and nights to speak peace and comfort into my marriage…
If I was still single, i’ll have arrested and committed the heart of my husband and that of all my in-laws into the hands of God. I would have planted and sealed my love in their heart in the place of prayer. And trust me, if I had done this before saying I do…. My mother inlaw wouldn’t have had her way into my marriage just as she’s doing. God would have arrested her and planted my love in her heart by fire by f0rç£ and she won’t have any choice than to pray endlessly in my favour…
Tbc….