Kycee has made the posts longer now. I hope no more complaints?
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Five years before
Odafe pulled the luggage box out of the wardrobe in fury. He should have known this was going to happen.
Why didn’t he see it sooner? His parents were just impossible!
“The most inconsiderable human beings on earth!” he rattled irascibly as he began to throw his clothes into the box.
The rage he was feeling at the moment was one he had never felt before, one that could probably kill if he lingered any further. His father had insisted that he left immediately and that was precisely what he was going to do. He could feel the tears in his eyes stinging for release but obstinately, he shook them off knowing that if he did allow them to flow, cursed would he truly be. His father’s imprecations were enough as they were.
“I really do not know what that man thinks of himself. Because he has a lot of money he can detect my life for me every time? No way! I’m fed up of this… I will show him! Let him just watch and see!” Odafe rattled on as he began to zip up the luggage box. He stopped abruptly as he heard his bedroom door shriek open.
It was his mother, standing right next to his bed with her hands crossed over her chest…and her eyes beaming red.
“Odi, you have to understand…”Onajite, his mother began. “I am asking you to listen to me” she said angrily.
“Understand what mum? That you guys do not want me to be happy? Isn’t it?” Odafe asked still battling to keep the tears abate as he pulled the box from the bed.
“Of course we both want you to be happy, but you have to understand…We cannot allow it” She went on moving towards him.
“Mum, please just stop right there. Don’t even come closer” he warned as he began to drag the box towards the door. “I cannot believe that it was you who convinced dad not to. I still can’t believe it. You of all people!”
“Please Odi, you have to understand, please put the box away and let me explain” Onajite pleaded tearfully.
Despite the angry face she was still putting up, Odafe couldn’t help but notice the tears streaming down her pretty face. Even at forty-seven, his mother still looked as lovely as ever.
“Mum, I really do not want to hurt you right now….so please, leave the way!” Odafe persisted.
His mother had rooted herself at the door now; preventing him from moving any further.
“Haven’t I done all that was expected of me, eh mum? Dad wanted me to be a business expert so I could carry on his business empire despite my wish to become a medical doctor; I obliged and did as he wanted. You wanted me to do my master’s degree in real estate management, still I obliged. What haven’t I done for both of you? Tell me! I have broken up with countless number of girls, girls you both called trash…Now, for the first time in my life, I’m asking to be married to the woman of my dreams and you wouldn’t even consent to that?” He halted, to catch his breath.
“You know what mum? I want to assure you of one thing….” Odafe continued as he stared blurrily at his mother and then moved his finger from his lips to the ceiling. “I swear, I will marry Rhoda whether you and dad likes it or not. You can disown me as many times as you want. I don’t care!”
“Odafe, you will do no such thing!” his mother yelled out in rage. “You hear me? Odafe, you will do no such thing. My God will not allow it”
“Ok na, you just watch and see mum, watch and see” Odafe sniggered bitterly
“So will you just let me pass? Didn’t you hear your husband? He made it perfectly clear that I am no more welcomed here, so please let me pass”
“Odafe, please just listen to me…just this once, I beg you.” His mother pleaded falling to her knees.
“Mum, I have listened to you, haven’t I? I have sat like a good son that I have always been to you and dad and heard you point out unnecessary reasons why you both do not want me to be happy. Mum, we both pleaded in tears, begging you and dad to let us be married but what did I get?”Odafe asked angrily bending down to look at his mother squarely.
“Odi, you don’t understand. You cannot marry that girl” his mother insisted blinking profusely as she turned her gaze to the floor.
“Ok, let’s say I didn’t hear you people the first, second and tenth time. Why mum? Give me a good reason why I should not?” Odafe asked pushing the weight of his box from one arm to the other.
“We’ve both told you, Odi. She is not good for you. Trust me, she is not”
Odafe rolled his eyes for the hundredth time.
“That mum, is not a good reason” he responded pushing his mother aside as he stormed out the room…
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
“Honey! Honey! Wake up!” Rhoda called out jolting him back from dreamland.
“hmmm..?” Odafe muttered as he rubbed his eyes and sat up straight on his seat.
“We are about to land” Rhoda announced quietly.
“You’ve been dreaming” she said with concern.
“Yea, sorry about that” Odafe answered apologetically as he looked to see if his seatbelt was secured, and then his wife’s.
Her belly was getting bigger by the second he observed as a proud smile settled on his lips. People used to say that pregnancy could alter the appearances of people and somehow he knew they didn’t mean it in a good way but ever since his wife took in, she had never looked more ravishing. Her olive skin, which was as smooth and tender as a baby’s bottom stood glittering in the escaping sun rays and he wished for nothing more than to hurry to some place private and do crazy things to and with her.
As he stared at her, he noticed how easily her lips had parted in that alluring way that was hers alone and then she grinned at him. He felt his heart cut. Her smile had always been his undoing. One smile and he was gone, just like that and he could almost see why his father had assumed she had jazzed him and truth be told, the thought had once crossed his mind but unlike everyone else, this was the kind of jazz he needed and he planned on enjoying every bit of it till his last breath.
Smiling back, he kissed her on the lips assuring her once more that everything was fine and that she had nothing to worry about.
Soon they were out of the airport, taking a taxi straight to the house.
“You know, you didn’t have to come” Odafe said looking possessively at his wife as the cab drove passed a petrol station.
His family had never wanted him to marry her, so he doubted if they were going to accept her now and the closer they seem to get close to his family house, the faster the fear at the depth of his stomach seems to grow towards his heart. He had debated over the last week if going home with her was the right decision to make. Even though Rhoda had insisted on coming with him, he still wasn’t quite sure he was okay with it.
His father, he was sure still hated her after all, he did not indicate in the letter that he wanted her to come with him. Omotore his younger sister however, had warmed up to Rhoda as soon as they met five years ago but it was quite obvious that she did not get to have a say in deciding their lives together- not that it would have mattered anyway;
And then there was Ejaife his younger brother; that one could give a rat’s ass if he, Odafe was marrying a toad or otherwise.
“Are you kidding me? Rhoda asked genuinely surprised at the statement “Miss out on your mother’s funeral? No way!”
“Precisely my point Ree. Why would you want to go to the funeral of the same person that didn’t want you in my life?” Odafe asked distorted.
He didn’t like it. He didn’t want anyone bothering his wife and he knew without a single doubt that this funeral was just going to be the beginning of trouble and he didn’t want his wife to be part of it.
“Besides the fact that this ‘same person’ is your mother…it would be wrong if I’m not there with you” She answered placing a kiss on his lips “I know you are worried that things would get heated but trust me baby, everything will be fine”
“I know” he answered taking her hands in his. Even though he didn’t believe in anything else, he believed in his wife and he would just have to push aside the fear that was gradually churning him into pieces.
For her sake and mine, she better be right!
“We are here!” the taxi driver announced as he drove into the Ogheneruno residence after being inspected by the securities at the gate and pulled to a halt in front of the main entrance.
Not much had changed over the years, Odafe observed as he glanced round the big and spacious compound noticing that the green grasses were still as green as ever, flaunting their well-trimmed edges. New flowers had replaced the old ones and the mansion was still as high as it should be with the white paint and translucent glass windows glittering in the sun light. The parking lot which contained three other vehicles comprising of a red sports car -which Odafe could already guess belonged to his younger brother Ejiafe- stood at the left end of the compound stretching about five feet of the wall. Also in the parking lot, was a white Land-rover obviously owned by his father and then, there was a black Mercedes-Benz CL 65 which Odafe could already guess correctly had belonged to his mother. His dream car! Odafe had to admit.
Who would be driving that now? He wondered wistfully as he got out of the car and ran to the other side to help his wife out.
Almost immediately, the main entrance door of the house sprung open and from it rushed out four maids insisting on helping them with their luggage as they walked sluggishly into the house. Odafe exchanging pleasantries with them recognized two new faces, the other two he knew to have been in service of his father for as far back as he could remember.
So, he was back home? Odafe wondered wearily as he stood at a huge room he recognized all too well to be the sitting room. A lot besides the golden colored curtains had changed. The chandelier hanging in the middle of the room had been replaced with a bigger one containing about fifty light bulbs. The cushions had been replaced also with new couches and longer sofas. The plasma TV was now bigger, fixed in the same position as the previous one. The walls were now cream rather than white.
“There he is!” he heard a familiar voice call out. Spinning around towards the staircase he ran into his sister’s arms.
“Omotore!” He exclaimed, truly happy to see her.
She looked more robust than the last time he had seen her, he observed as he pulled from the hug and swept his eyes over her. Her eyes were sore red obviously from all the crying and she had on a black gown to compliment the mood with a black scarf to cover her hair. Besides that, nothing much had changed. She still had those shallow eyes and coarse lips, although her boobs seemed to have increased in size and weight as well as her hips. She was obviously not the little girl he had left behind. The little girl he had left behind was slim, gaudy, callow and puerile but the person now standing in front of him was a full grown woman.
“Brother!” she smiled dryly trying to conceal the sadness in her eyes
“Welcome back”
Turning to his wife, she smiled and hugged her as well, then she ushered them into the sitting room after instructing the maids to take their luggage upstairs. There were about eight rooms in the house, so getting a place to sleep wouldn’t be a problem he had known, although he couldn’t help but wonder if his room was still as he left it.
“Does my room still exist?” he asked his sister quietly.
“Of course brother, it’s still there. Mum made sure no one made use of it. Even when Ejaife insisted he wanted to move into the room, mum flared eh”
“Oh ok” Odafe answered trying to conceal the bitterness he felt talking about his mother. “You can take the bags there, thanks” he called out to the maids.
“So how was the flight brother?” Omotore asked as they were seated and having some refreshments. His wife was already dozing off.
“It was okay” he answered as he looked from his wife to his sister. He didn’t know why he felt so uneasy. “Where is dad? I saw his car” he asked quibbling.
“I’m here” he heard a voice call out from the staircase. He hadn’t heard his father take the stairs down and so he was now standing a foot away from them glaring at his wife.
Odafe could see the look of contempt beaming in his eyes and he knew instantly that they had made a mistake coming. Hell! He had made a huge mistake bringing his wife but to his surprise he saw his father throw on a huge smile and then drew his arms apart for a hug. Reluctantly, Odafe stood and walked into it.
“Welcome son! Welcome back. I’m so happy you’re here. Thank you so much for coming. How long has it been?”
Odafe heaved a sigh of relief as he hugged his father tightly but just as he was about to pull away to answer his question, he heard his father whisper…
“And why is she here?”
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