THE MARRIAGE BATTLE
EPISODE 15
Ayo: ‘Mami I have heard and I will do as you say’ he said and left the sitting room. When he got to his room, he met Adaobi who was all tears, he rushed to her and asked ‘what is wrong and why are you crying?
Adaobi: Sweetheart, My father has been hospitalized.
Ayo: How and why? What happened to him and since when?
Adaobi: This morning sweetheart, My uncle called me that my father was seen unconscious in his room since they tired waking him up which was so unusual and he was rushed to the hospital where they are attending to him at the moment. It seems that I will have to go and be by his side.
Ayo: Thinking about what his mother just told him said ‘there is no point for you to go there now since it is alre-ady late and the helper who is to take care of things while you’re away, is she still there?
Adaobi: Yes she is still there and my brother is also with them in the hospital.
Ayo: Your Uncle, Brother and the helper are still with him, there is nothing you can do except pray on his behalf and let the doctors do their job.
Adaobi: But sweetheart, I am very sure my father will nee-d me by his side, it is better that I go and stay with him.
Ayo: There is no point darling, Chigozie and his brother are there and if they nee-d any food or anything, the helper will take care of that. You will do nothing when you go there, its best you stay here and be calling them from time to time.
Adaobi: I am his daughter Ayo, no daughter will be happy staying far from his father while he is ill and even if I stay here, I will not be myself for I do not want anything to happen to him.
Ayo: Nothing will happen to him, he will pu-ll throu-gh, you do not nee-d to worry and besides, Kunle and I nee-d you here.
Adaobi: Looking at him with tear filled eyes said ‘Okay, I will do as you have said’.
Ayo: Good and tomorrow, I will write a check of 500,000 naira that you will s£nd to them for his treatment.
Adaobi: Thanks Sweetheart, I don’t know what I would have done without you.
Ayo: ‘That’s what family is for and besides, he is my father too’ he said smiling.
The following morning, as Ayo was about to go to work, Mami c@m£ to him.
Mami: Errmm Ayo, is everything alright because I haven’t seen Adaobi leaving her room.
Ayo: Yes Mami, everything is alright except that my wife told me last night that her father has been admitted in the hospital and she has been worried sick since then. She hasn’t been herself.
Mami: Really! Did you call to confirm if it is true?
Ayo: Yes Mami, I did call and confirm the news and it is true. When I called Yesterday and early hours of this morning, they said they are still in the hospital and they nee-ded some cash.
Mami: Who did you talk to?
Ayo: I spoke to chigozie my wife’s brother and their Uncle, Mr Emenike.
Mami: Are you sure that the man is really sick?
Ayo: Mami plea-se don’t start, I thought I told you that he is admitted.
Mami: Okay, fine. How much do they nee-d?
Ayo: They didn’t really state the amount but I wrote a cheque of 500,00 naira for my wife to s£nd to them.
Mami: 500 What?
Ayo: 500,000 naira and why are you shouting?
Mami: Why won’t I shout Ayo, why won’t I shout? 500,000 naira for ordinary Malaria, have you gone mad?
Ayo: Mami plea-se, I do not have time for this your talk this morning.
Mami: how would you have the time when they have given you igbo witch to chop? How will you have the time?
Ayo: Mami plea-se, don’t start.
Mami: Will you shut up and listen to me. Since I c@m£ here, have you given me up to 300,000 naira not to talk of 500,000 naira?
Ayo: Mami, this one is health matter and he is my wife’s father.
Mami: and I am your mother, have you given us such an amount even when we were ill?
Ayo: Mami, you are always with me here and I look after you but she doesn’t have her father always with her.
Mami: and so, is that why you want to run dry because of them?
Ayo: I am not complaining Mami.
Mami: and I am. I wonder how much she will ask next time when you have given her so much amount alre-ady.
Ayo: Let me worry about that Mami plea-se and st©p alre-ady.
Mami: Be here and be doing osho free, She will soon ask for another money and before you know it, all her family members will come here and be living. They will eat your money and svçkyou dry. Don’t say I didn’t warn you ohhh. Use your ton-gue and count your teeth while you still can.
Ayo: ‘I have heard Mami’ he said, entered his car and drove off.
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Adaobi: ‘Hello Chigozie, how is Papa’ she asked as soon as he picked the call.
Chigozie: Papa is slee-ping now.
Adaobi: Have they found out what is really wrong with him?
Chigozie: No sister Adaobi, they are still running some test.
Adaobi: Okay, am about to go to the bank to deposit some money into your bank account for his treatment.
Chigozie: Okay sister. I will be expecting the money then.
Adaobi: How is Papa health, is he okay, can he talk, walk, sit or stand? Do you think this thing has anything to do with his diabetes?
Chigozie: I don’t know sister, I can’t really tell until the doctor tells us what is wrong. When are you coming?
Adaobi: Ermm I don’t know for now, I will be calling you from time to time. Is Uncle Emenike there?
Chigozie: Yes.
Adaobi: Give him the phone and let me talk to him then ‘Hello Uncle, good morning’.
Emenike: Where is the money for there is nothing good about the morning if we don’t have it.
Adaobi: Uncle, I am on my way to the bank as I am speaking with you to deposit the money in Chigozie’s account.
Emenike: and what is wrong with Depositing the money in my own account? Do you know that I have been here since last night waiting and hoping for my brother to be treated and get better.
Adaobi: I was thinking it’s okay to s£nd the money to his account and you can collect it from him from time to time.
Emenike: Bia Adaobi, are you trying to insult my personality here, your father, my brother is my responsibility and my concern. What do you mean you will s£nd the money to chigozie a child and I will be collecting it when I nee-d it?
Adaobi: ‘I am sorry Uncle; I didn’t mean to sound in a rude way. I will s£nd the money to you immediately, just s£nd me your account details’ she said and hung up the call.
Mami: Adaobi! Adaobi come now for I want to talk to you.
Adaobi: Good morning Mami.
Mami: Eh! Eh! Don’t Mami me, so you and your people have decided to svçkmy child dry abi?
Adaobi: What do you mean Mami and who is su-cking who dry?
Mami: You and your entire family members have decided to svçkmy son dry abi?
Adaobi: Mami, plea-se I am not re-ady for your drama this morning.
Mami: Will you shut up your mouth, so you think I don’t know that my son gave you 500,000 naira for ordinary malaria treatment abi?
Adaobi: Mami it is not for Malaria treatment and what is wrong with my husband giving me some money?
Mami: Everything is wrong with it Adaobi, everything. After this money he has given you, who knows how much he will give to you the next time.
Adaobi: There won’t be a next time Mami, I pray there won’t be.
Mami: And then you bring all your family members to come and live here?
Adaobi: Mami, you have your son with you always and I do not have my father with me here always, why do you hate my family so much?
Mami: ‘Because you and your people are going to be his downfall and I won’t let that happen even if it is the last thing I do on this earth’ she said and walked away.
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*Evening*
Ayo: What is going on here and whose bag are packed?
Adaobi: they are mine sweetheart, I am leaving first thing tomorrow morning to go and see my father and probably stay there for a couple of days.
Ayo: Really! And have you asked if I am okay with that decision you made?
Adaobi: He is my father Ayo, not some stranger.
Ayo: I know and I thought I gave you some money today for his treatment.
Adaobi: this isn’t about money, my father nee-ds me with him and I am going to him tomorrow.
Ayo: I know he is your father and you have people to take care of him over there, why don’t you relax yourself and be patient?
Adaobi: There is no one or anyb©dy that can take care of my father better than I do. Ayo, what is wrong with you and why are you so adamant on me not going to see my sick father?
Ayo: I know he is your father and I know that you love him so much but I don’t see any reason why you should go there tomorrow or anytime soon.
Adaobi: Why are you saying this?
Ayo: Live your father alone for he has people that will take care of him, you are not his only child.
Adaobi: I can’t believe you just said that to my face Ayo, what has come over you?
Ayo: Because you have a new family. I and our child should be your main priority not your father.
Adaobi: Ayo, my father is sick and this could be his last moment on earth, let me go and see him plea-se.
Ayo: ‘You have a new family here and you should concentrate on us. After all, when I payed your bride price, I paid it in full’ he said and stormed out of the room leaving Adaobi Speechless.
Adaobi: ‘Mami plea-se tell your son to let me go and see my father’ she said as she begged her on her knees.
Mami: Oh! After challenging and blabbing your mouth, you now nee-d my help abi?
Adaobi: Mami plea-se! It is only you that can talk to him for me and I really do not know why he doesn’t want me to go and visit the man who took care of me and made me what I am today.
Mami: I dont have anything to say to you Adaobi or whatever you call yourself, your tears will not move me to go and beg your husband to allow you visit your father for any reason.
Adaobi: Mami plea-se, he is my father and what have you said to him for him to be this stubborn towards my plea with him?
Mami: Now you will know that I am his mother and he will listen to whatever I have to say.
Adaobi: Mami plea-se I beg, punish me for anything but don’t involve my family to it, they are innocent.
Mami: you see Adaobi, I never liked you from day one for my son but you went ahead and got married to him , to t©p it all up, you even have the guts to get pregnant for him. As long as I am in this house, I will make sure that you never know no peace. This tears in your eyes is just the beginning of what I have in mind for you; I will make you suffer Adaobi, I will make you suffer.
Adaobi: Mami plea-se, I will do whatever you want just allow me go to my father plea-se.
Mami: Wo! He has spoken and I am in support of his decision.
THE MARRIAGE BATTLE
EPISODE 16
The following morning, as Ayo was about to live for work, Adaobi st©pped him by the door side.
Adaobi: If anything happens to my father Ayo, I will never forgive you.
Ayo: nothing will happen to him.
Adaobi: I nee-d some money.
Ayo: I thought I just gave you some money for your family, how come you want more money?
Adaobi: not for my father but for the house. What is wrong with you and when do you start complaining about the money I ask for and what I do with it?
Ayo: That’s how it will be from now on.
Adaobi: Your mother has finally succeeded in br@inwashing you and I hope you realize it before its too late.
Ayo: This is the last time you talk bad about my mother.
Adaobi: But Ayo, it is my father that we are talking about here and whatever your mother might have told you is so not right.
Ayo: ‘take care of yourself’ he said and left.
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Emenike: Hello, Adaobi can you hear me?
Adaobi: Yes Uncle, I can hear you. What is wrong with Papa plea-se?
Emenike: After a series of test was conducted on him, we were told he was simply too dyhydrated that was why he bec@m£ unconscious.
Adaobi: ‘Wow! Thank God’ for she was so relieved about the news.
Emenike: Yes, that was the reason why he bec@m£ unconscious but I am afraid there is something else?
Adaobi: ‘What is it’ she asked her heart beating.
Emenike: the news is not so good.
Adaobi: What is it Uncle?
Emenike: Your father, my brother has colon cancer and it has reached the last stage which is very dangerous.
Adaobi: What? Colon cancer, how come?
Emenike: I don’t know Ada, I don’t know and I am afraid that he may not come out of this.
Adaobi: God forbid Uncle, God forbid! My father is healed alre-ady in the mighty name of Jesus. No evil or sickness shall befall him for he is healed and protected.
Emenike: This is bad Adaobi! this is bad. I think you better come here as soon as possible with Chidi for it doesn’t seem like he will stay with us for too long.
Adaobi: ‘No! No! No! Papa can’t die, Papa can’t leave us all alone. No he won’t die for I won’t accept it. I will transfer some money to you right now and I nee-d you to tell them to do anything possible to keep my father alive’ she said and hung up the call.
Mami knocked in Adaobi’s room but she got no reply and decided to enter the room to see what Adaobi is upto. When she got to the room, she met Kunle on the be-d wailing and crying while Adaobi was on the floor crying.
Mami: ‘Adaobi, are you out of your mind, how can you live my grand son to be crying without you attending to him’ she asked as she picked him up form the be-d ‘Adaobi is it not you that I am talking to?
Adaobi: Ignored her but kept saying ‘ Oh Papa! My father is in a critical condition’.
Mami: Are you the first person that her father is in the hospital? So because Ayo has refused you from paying him a visit that’s why you want to punish your son abi?
Adaobi: ‘My father! Oh my father’ she kept saying.
Mami: My father oh my father! She mimicked her ‘You are not the only one with one in this world. As if to say na only you get Papa’.
Adaobi: Papa! Papa! Papa!
Mami: Na you sabi, If you like stay here till thy kingdom come. I am in the sitting room with Kunle and I will feed him his meal.
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Mami: Welcome my son, how was work?
Ayo: Fine and this one that you are with Kunle today, what happened?
Mami: Nothing ooo, your wife has been in her room all day, she didn’t even take a look at her son today. If not that I heard him crying in the morning after you left for work and attened to him, I am sure he would have remained that way with no one attending to him.
Ayo: Crying, why was she crying?
Mami: I don’t know and I didn’t bother to ask her. I am sure it is because of her father for that was all she kept saying.
Ayo: Let me go and freshen up Mami.
Mami: Okay.
Ayo: When he got to his room, he met the room he shared with his wife in am mess, just the way he left it earlier in the day and his wife coiled at the side of the be-d ‘Sweetheart, are you alright’ he said as he went to her.
Adaobi: My father, he nee-ds me and I have to go to him.
Ayo: I thought we have alre-ady talked about this?
Adaobi: plea-se Ayo, he is my father for God’s sake.
Ayo: you left my house in a mess because of your father, when I payed your bride price, I payed heavily.
Adaobi: this isn’t about it, is it?
Ayo: No it isn’t but I thought your people will have no nee-d of you when I was doing that especially that Uncle of yours who is so greedy.
Adaobi: That Uncle is my family Ayo, plea-se mind how you talk about him.
Ayo: of course he is and your father, you won’t go and see him and that is final.
Adaobi: My father is dying Ayo.
Ayo: it doesn’t change anything.
Adaobi: and if I go against your will?
Ayo: You won’t do that.
Adaobi: Just because you paid heavily doesn’t make me yours. I am your wife and not some property or slave you feel you can talk to anyhow and she obeys. If you don’t like what I do next with myself or my family then sign the divorce papers for I won’t have you make me trade my father for you or anyone else.
Ayo: Your family is here,me and our child.
Adaobi: Really Ayo, really! You want to cage me as a slave simply because you paid heavily when you were paying my bride price or simply because your mother told you so?
Ayo: Adaobi plea-se.
Adaobi: Don’t plea-se me! I have been an obe-dient wife to you, I have loved and treated your mother just the way I would do to mine, even after Omugwo is over, she is still here with Kemi, I never said anything against them. Instead, I welcomed them and made them comfortable.
Ever since she c@m£ here, she has been the one dictating things in this house while all you do is listen and follow her lead and I am not going to sit idle and watch you ruin the only people that I care about. if I have to choose between you or them, I will choose them a one and one million times and over and over again. To think that I once loved you and I thought my family is important; I am so disappointed in you.
Ayo: Adaobi….
Adaobi: ‘Let me finish plea-se Ayo, my father is sick and I am going to him. If you do not like the outcome of things I do and how I do them from now on, I will be glad to divorce you’ she said and left the room for him.
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The following day, Adaobi together with Chidi and Kunle left to the place where their father was admitted.
Chigozie: ‘Sister, where have you been since, Papa was calling out to you ever since he was admitted’ he said as she approached him and Emenike who were looking sober.
Adaobi: ‘No! No! plea-se don’t tell me that my father is dead alre-ady’ she said looking at Chigozie and Emenike ‘will someb©dy plea-se say something’.
Emenike: Chei! Wonders shall never end.
Adaobi: Uncle where is my father?
Emenike: You have to put yourself together.
Chidi: brother Chigozie, where is Papa!
Adaobi: Will someb©dy answer me this minute before I go mad with worry here.
Emenike: I am sorry, your father pas-sed away a few hours ago.
Adaobi: No! It can’t be, it can’t just be. Where is his b©dy?
Emenike: Adaobi you can’t see his b©dy.
Adaobi: ‘Where is his b©dy oooo, I want to see my father oooo. plea-se someb©dy should tell me that my father is not dead plea-se! God if this is a dream, I want to wake up oooo’ she screamed and wailed.
Chidi: Who was carrying Kunle gave him to Emenike to hold while he went to console his sister who doesn’t want anyone to come close to her.
Adaobi: Nob©dy should come close to me plea-se, Nob©dy! She cried.
WATCHOUT FOR EPISODE 17