“As shocking as it is. I must confess she isn’t looking bad at all in this state, but I got another person who rocks my boat.”
“We can’t all be senseless.” Semirah blurted out.
“What do you mean?” Bundo retorted,
Edidiong pulled Bundo away as it seemed a spat was eminent. Few minutes later, Ed called me aside.
“I hope this doesn’t offend you, but I’d like to know what happened that was so bad you left the house.” It almost sounded accusatory.” Immediately I saw Etim’s eyes in his. The full brows drawn together with the small frown dancing on his face. A little relieved he wasn’t referring to the issue between Bundo and me.
I was silent.
He heaved. “I’ll just enjoin you to take it easy, daddy asked me to come apologize on his behalf. He’s sorry for everything that went wrong. He just saw your parents. Meanwhile mum is with me and she won’t be coming back here.”
Not sure if how he said that was supposed to make his mum guilty or me.
He wasn’t looking at me. I tried to search his face but he wouldn’t even glance up. Then he slipped out his phone.
“I’m trying to call Etim, would you speak with him?”
“No!”
Now he looked at me. His face shot up in shock. “Jolade…”
“Etim is my husband. I’m not so sure I need you to help me speak with him.”
“But I’m his brother and it’s our mum who has caused some kind of trouble.”
So you know?
“We’ll work it out as time goes on Edi.”
He heaved and then strolled out.
I watched Edidiong leave from the window in the hallway. He got into the car, brushed his head with both hands together from the front to the back and began speaking to someone on his phone. It continued for three-minutes while he nodded his head and gesticulated. He gunned his engine out of the driveway.
Shio. Eni to ba ran e ma je wo ara e laiye pe. (Whoever sent you will reveal himself soon). I thought to myself.
I was surprised to still hear Bundo’s voice some minutes after Edidiong had left. Semirah rushed into my room and turned the key.
“What?”
“She’s talking to someone on the phone and she’s saying she hasn’t spoken to her yet but she will soon.” Her eyes shone like hot coals.
“And?”
“What do you mean ‘and’? That girl is dangerous. I tell you”
“Semirah, Bunds can’t do me any harm. I think you are a bit…” I couldn’t even find the words to use without her being offended.
“A bit what? You know, maybe you should try a little bit at paying more attention to my words on this girl”
“Semirah, everything you do for me, I appreciate. especially your looking out for me but turning the key at a friend, so she doesn’t get to speak with me is not protecting me.”
“I…”
Bunds knocked and I signaled at Semirah to open it. She did an ‘over my dead body’ gesture, launching into some Hausa words she reserved for terrible drivers whenever I was riding with her. I can remember her interpreting it one day to me as ‘idiotic nonentity’.
Bundo had changed, I discovered as I opened the door and somehow my heart went out to her. The speed at which Semirah flew on the bed, facing the other side to feign sleep was unfair. I ushered Bundo to sit and like I expected… silence.
“I am moving in with Femi.” She announced and I thought I heard Semirah growl. “I just thought you should know. We’ll be seeing his parents soon and if you are up to it, would you like to come with me to see them?”
You’ve got to be kidding me.
“Errrmmm… I… I’m not sure I would be…” I stuttered foolishly.
“If you can’t make it on your own, Semirah could…”
The cough that came from Semirah, was enough warning for me to arrange myself. I was quiet.
Bundo got the drift, got up and depended on the soft stool to get up. This was my friend, pregnant like me, yet we couldn’t talk like expectant mothers.
“How will you be leaving?”
“I’ll call for a cab, never mind seeing me off. I’m fine. I wanted to let you know what was going on in person. .”
She smiled and I did too. I missed our friendship but had to let go.
Surprisingly, Semirah was quiet. Then she moved to the window and looked down as she watched Bundo walk out of the premises. I knew she too felt for her, she only didn’t want to involve herself in any wahala.
“What?” She asked wrinkling her nose.
I smiled, like she was smiling too. “Did I say anything is wrong?”
My phone rang, it was DS. It didn’t occur to me that I was smiling and rolling my eyes until Semirah snatched the phone to read the LCD.
“Hmmm… Pick it now. I feel for you. There is trouble everywhere around you.”
“Haba Semirah!”
I picked it strolling to the bathroom.
“She can’t even trust herself to stay here.” I heard Semirah whisper, but it didn’t stop there she began to sing some words……
“He’s lying to you…..but you ain’t got the gist” And you lied to me. He isn’t running things to kick no swing, he’s lying to you, all the nasty things you both have done…..all that I know”
Only for it to kick in few seconds later, that she was singing her version of “Return of the mark”.
Semirah spells crazy in an insane way.
Later at night just about a few minutes past 8, Etim got home. I could bet he was happy to see me, with the way his eyes lit up when he saw my phones on the sofa and the TV on. He didn’t know I was looking at him from the kitchen. I saw him fish out his phone and I guess send a message before his steps got close to my direction.
“Hi.”
“Hey.”
“Nice day?”
“Yeah.”
“You?”
“Same.”
I put his food on the table and returned to watching N.C.I.S. And then he sat and stared at me deeply, before going in to undress. All the while I’m wearing a blank look… As I reached for the control to change channels in between the commercials, Etim walked up to stand above me.
“You mind? I can’t see while you are obstructing my view, you know?”
The cold treatment terrified him and he knew tonight wasn’t appropriate to address the situation. He walked up to the dining and without touching the plate of food on the table, went back to the bedroom. I doubt if Etim even have the conscience of eating with an atmosphere so thick. Or maybe he wasn’t expecting food from an angry wife.
An hour after, when I was certain he was asleep, I walked into the room, careful not to switch on the lights so I don’t wake him but I almost stumbled as I stretched to turn on the lamp on the bedside table, the light came on and right there was Etim on the recliner chair with his left arm resting on his head and the right arm on his belly.
I got over the shock quickly, pulled the duvet down to dive in when he finally spoke.
“Sweetheart, I know you’re mad at me and that’s justified, but I need to know how the baby is doing?”
With disgust, I glanced at him and asked. “For real?”
“Yes because you wouldn’t talk to me about you so hopefully you will speak to me about the baby.”
“Well, the baby is fine and I am feeling sleepy. It’s been a long day for me Etim.”
“I’m sure it has been. It’s the reason I’ve been wondering where you passed the night and how DS got wind of the fact that you weren’t home when I called him.”
My lips betrayed me as they began shaking. “If you called Deji on information about me, then you may need to ask him the rest of the questions you so desperately need answers to.”
“You know if it weren’t for your state, I would have…”
“Divorced me? Go ahead Etim. It’s not too late. You think I’m happy about this… this excuse for a marriage?”
There was hurt in Etim’s eyes, piercing pain. He stood up in shock.
His voice was deathly deep and solemn. “If it weren’t for your state, I would have shaken you awake from this.”
My eye caught his.
“Yes, that was what I meant to say, and you talk about divorce? You call this an excuse for a marriage? Jolaade? ”
I wanted to die.
He walked to me. “How can you for once even think of that while talking about us? Or is it what intend doing?
By this time, the whole fire in me had simmered, both of just sat, opposite of each other and looked.
“What is happening to us Sweetheart?” He stretched his left hand to push back my shoulder a little.
“I don’t know o.”
I went into the bathroom to take an unnecessary bath and all I did was cry and think about the soothing voice in Deji’s comforting words when he called at the hotel. A part of me felt so bad for Etim, ‘cos I could see he was indeed trying his best, but I can’t deal with his overbearing mother and each time I want to ease off on him, this bubble head called ‘mama’s boy’ pops up right in my face, bigger than his original head. Few minutes later. I stepped out of the bathroom and snuck under the sheets. As if he’d been waiting for me to get back to bed. His hands immediately found my thighs and worked its way from my waist to my chest, just to feel my heartbeat.
Few minutes later, I felt his lips on mine, I was about to say something when his lips took hold of mine, and his hands kneaded my body carefully, we were naked and all I could remember was our breathing, so intense and the cover sheets, missing. There was this sense of shame I felt within, as I turned my back to Etim, but I must say it felt great. I don’t know why but I had tears in my eyes and was wide awake for a while, starring into the dark.
The next day Edidiong’s called. I picked and immediately all sort of unprintable, unimaginable names were yelled out at me. Etim’s mum. I clicked the speaker phone button and dropped the phone on the laundry basket and allowed her do all the ranting while I inspected all my baby’s clothes. MIL caught the picture of a tied dog that spots a thief. There’s so much biting to do, yet you have to settle for barking. Imabong called an hour after saying oga (Etim’s dad) has been yelling at my mother in-law and wants her back to Nigeria immediately. Uh, now I see why she was so upset and barking).
I wasn’t going to be bothered by my mother in-law or let her words ruin my day, so I decided to clean up the house, cooked some beans, took a shower and get some rest. I woke up at past 5pm and decided took a walk down the street. I was just getting back home when my home phone rang. I picked it up and it was my mother. She was calling to let me know she will be with us in two weeks’. Hearing this was a huge relief for me. She promised calling me back in a few minutes with some details.
I decided to go upstairs to take off my bra and make myself more comfortable, as I got halfway on the stairs, immediately the phone starts to ring, just then I hear the garage door open. That must be Etim I said out loud as I tried to get into the room. I hear an inaudible female voice leaving a message; mum?
I walked into the room, forgetting why I came upstairs in the first place. Etim walking behind me, flung his tie on the bed, ran his hands through his head as he paced the room,
“Jolaade, how dare you?”
I scoffed as I walked into the bathroom to put my bra in the laundry basket. I shut the door as I walked into the bathroom. The bathroom door flung open with a bang from Etims’ foot.
“Jolaade I said how dare you, how dare you walk out on me and how dare you do this to me”
With my lips quivering I stuttered as I asked,
“How dare I what? What has your mum said, this time? And why are you screaming?”
“Hold up, this has nothing to do with my mother in the first place, he stretched out the phone to me… or is this mum’s number?
AmOy
Pearls & Oysters 