Episode 17

Last updated on March 18th, 2023 at 12:18 pm

“Hmmm, we probably won’t have to admit you.” I was at the doctor’s and he had just tested me. Relief washed over me as soon as he said this. 

“Whatever you did between Friday and now, just continue it.” He went back to his chair, then asked, “what of your husband?”

“Oh, he could not make it.”

“He is a pastor abi?” He said, laughing. I smiled in return. 

“You can go, but please be back on Tuesday, we need to monitor you for a while.”

Jude was supposed to return early today to take me to the hospital. After waiting till noon, I had to call him. He sounded so displeased over the phone or so I thought. 

“I just wanted to ask if I should still wait for you.”

“Wait for me? For what?”

“The hospital.” 

“Oh! Sorry I could not come back on time.” I heard a rustling sound.

“Okay.”

“Just handle it. I will resume my duty when I return.”

“Okay. When are you returning?”

“I am not sure. I met some issues when I arrived home. I’ll try to resolve them and be back as soon as I can.”

“Okay. Be careful.” I replied.

He hung up without replying. After talking to Vic on Saturday, I lazed around the house and rested. On Sunday morning, I didn’t wake up until nine thirty. After waking and checking the time, I started laughing. I couldn’t remember the last time I missed church or slept that long. After I had confirmed that Jude was not taking me to the hospital, I got dressed and applied makeup as if I was going to a party. Then I went to an eatery for breakfast, I even dozed off after eating.

I would have probably missed my appointment had one of the waitresses not woken me. She touched my shoulder slightly, a smile on her face. I raised my head from the table, got up, drank water and thanked her then made my way out of the eatery to the hospital. 

***

“Doctor said whatever I did between Friday and now, I should continue doing it o.”

“So, you almost slept in an eatery.” Vic laughed.

I just got home from the hospital and called her; she was ironing her clothes for the new week.

“I think it was the atmosphere. It felt so relaxing.”

“Very relaxing o, especially after eating Pounded Yam and Efo.”

“I even drank Fayrouz on top o. They could have robbed me and I wouldn’t have been aware.”

“What?!” Vic screamed. We both started laughing.

“But Lape, I am so glad with today’s report o.”

“So am I dear, so am I.”

***

It’s been almost a month since Dimeji had been taken to Jude’s family. I had missed my son so much and it was harder because I rarely talked to Dimeji’s family so it didn’t make sense to start calling frequently because my son was there. The good news now was that Jude’s family had a party this week and I had to go and play my part as a wife. Vic thought it was unreasonable to go and stress myself given that it’s been barely three weeks since the doctor announced that I was okay.

I had to go though; Jude had been sweet as usual even after he returned from Ibadan. He came back and was really apologetic for not being around to take me to the hospital. I needed my marriage to keep being sweet and if it also meant going, then I would go.

Two days to the event I was prepared and Jude dropped me at the park. He would come after work on Friday. I felt a bit at ease, in the bus with strangers, responsible for just myself. Usually when I went to Jude’s family at Ibadan, I went with Dimeji or we all traveled in Jude’s car.

Now, apart from my huge belly, I felt like my old self—no other person to cater for but myself.

***

Jude was the fifth child out of seven. His father had two wives and Jude’s mother was the first wife. I really disliked his family even though I tried to hide it well. If it wasn’t for Dimeji, I might have even feigned illness. But, the last two times they had an event, I had lied that I was sick and I knew Jude wasn’t going to like an excuse this time.

Every time I went there, I worked all through. Being the fifth child’s wife meant that you were among the new and younger wives and you had to pay your dues, which implied the older wives sitting while giving you instructions. Some of these older wives also had cliques already, so if you didn’t want to be caught up in the middle you had to try as much as possible to act neutral to everyone. Once they sensed that your liking for the other clique, they would ensure to make your life miserable.

Growing up, I had noticed this with mummy too. After every event in my dad’s family, mummy would come back home complaining about how someone was rude to her or how she and some other wives had to be the ones to sweep instead of serving the visitors. It didn’t make sense to me then and still made no sense now that it was my turn.

***

It was Saturday, the morning of the event—Jude’s late paternal grandmother’s remembrance. I was exhausted, and this was an understatement. Since I arrived on Thursday, it’s been one issue to another. Complaints about whom I refused to kneel to greet and those I served meals without giving water to wash their hands. I’d have to apologise after every complaint, then they would say I should get up and not worry, acting like it wasn’t really a big issue, but I knew that everything was a big deal with them.

Even Jude’s mother was getting her own, her husband’s family were around and being the host, she had barely rested since Thursday that I got here. All the wives of her sons were around and we had been working to support her too. Some wives had even gotten into fights. A madhouse. 

“Lape, you are romancing your phone there, we that we are working we have two heads abi?” Bisi, the wife of one of Jude’s cousins said. She was one of the problematic ones. One would think my huge tummy would give me a pass, but it seemed to make everyone more irritated. I reckoned that they felt like I would want a pass, so they were being hard on me. Jude and I hadn’t spoken since I got here. I called his number to tell him I had reached here, but he did not pick up. I eventually sent a text. I tried yesterday too and it was the same. He was supposed to arrive yesterday but he didn’t.

“No ma,” I got up from where I was sitting. We had worked overnight and I felt tired. Dimeji had clung to me since Thursday. Should anyone try to carry him away from me, he threw a fit. I couldn’t be angry; my boy had been away from me for almost a month. “Mummy said we should go and get dressed since we have put the food in the coolers and washed the pots.”

“Which mummy? So why are you now sitting down?”

“The bathroom is filled now ma, so I am wai-”

“Ma ro mi lejo.” She snapped at me before I could finish my statement. She asked why I was sitting idle and now she’s saying I should not stress her with talk.

Just until tomorrow evening.