t that point, I was confused. I was not expecting such an outpouring of love from her. Here was the same woman I thought would be scheming to push me and my son out of MD’s future plans and eventual WILL.
“I will discuss it with my parents and with MD,” I returned shyly.
“What are you discussing with me again? I thought this was what you wanted?” said MD who had been smiling all through.
“Sure, it’s what I want but, still, I will have to discuss it with my parents, they still have their reservations about me being married into a polygamous home.”
“So, you think your dad might not approve of you marrying the father of your child because he is already married?” the elderly man asked.
“I can’t say, sir, I will have to speak to him first,” I returned.
The elderly man nodded. “Okay, but what about you, what do you want, is it to be married to the father of your child or to drop his child and go and marry someone else?”
In my mind, I was feeling like, should I give this old man a knock on the head? What is he talking about? Would he advise his own daughter to start giving birth to babies for multiple fathers? But I managed to restrain myself. He is an old man, maybe old age had started to worry him.
“Of course, I want to be with the father of my child,” I retorted flatly, managing to put a faint smile on my face to conceal my disgust.
“Really? That’s good!” he exclaimed while the others laughed and nodded in approval to my response. MD too had a big smile on his face. From the corner of my eyes, I stole a glance at Aunty Elizabeth to see if she approved of my response as the rest did. To my surprise, she also had a huge smile on her face and it looked very genuine like it came from the depth of her heart.
“I think we have questioned our wife enough, it is time for us to give her something to eat,” he turned to his wife, “Is the food ready? Can we move over to the dining now?”
“Yes, we can,” Aunty Elizabeth answered. She stood up and walked gracefully to the kitchen. MD threw me a quick look, gesturing for me to follow her and assist her in the kitchen. I got the hint and I promptly did as he suggested.
The kitchen was the most beautiful kitchen I had ever stepped into. It was big, neatly arranged, with the most exquisite cabinet I had ever seen. They had expensive plates, cups, cutleries, some golden, some silver, all on display on the cabinet. I fell in love with the place instantly.
“This kitchen is the most beautiful I have ever seen, Aunty,” I said to her. There were two young ladies both younger than me, cleaning cups in the kitchen. They both turned and greeted me. I responded with a nod.
Aunty Lizzy turned to me and smiled. “Thank you, dear,” she answered, beaming with smiles. “Many do say the same thing when they see my kitchen, it was designed to taste.” She paused and then went on. “Are you a lady of taste and quality, Anita?”
I wasn’t expecting that kind of question. Didn’t even know where it came from. Was she trying to rub it in to remind me that I am not from a privileged background? But I quickly flashed her a smile.
“Of course, Aunty, I think I am,” I replied promptly, looking straight into her eyes. “I have always been a girl of good taste right from my childhood days. And besides, if I wasn’t a girl of good taste, I don’t think MD would’ve approached me in the first place.” That must’ve stunned her a bit but she hid it well from me. It was a subtle missile. If her plan was to subtly throw shades at me, then she has met her match. But typical her, Aunty Lizzy simply smiled again.
“I like that. I like when a lady is confident,” she returned. “But don’t worry, there is still plenty of time for us to talk about how you used your quality taste to catch my husband!” She struck back her own missile. And I took it well too.
We began to serve the dishes and soon we settled down to eat. The nosy elderly man said a short prayer and everyone started to eat in silence. The stew was delicious. The meat tasted even better. Little did I know then there was still a bit of trouble waiting for me…
After the guests had left and there was just me, MD, Aunty Lizzy, and Junior left in the living room watching television, there was an awkward silence. MD definitely wanted to speak. I could see from his body language that he didn’t know where to start or how to start. Even his wife was staring hard at him, her eyes urging him to speak, but still, he could not say anything. And he was looking uncomfortable, looking away from the two women around him and staring straight at the television like he was engrossed in what he was watching. But he had no choice, he had to say something.
“Come here, my boy,” he called out to Junior as he scooped him up in his arms. “Come and play with Daddy,” he cooed into the boy’s ears. From the corner of my eyes, I could see Aunty Elizabeth looking agitated. She was obviously not happy that MD was giving attention to Junior instead of saying whatever it was he had to say.
“Em…darling, I thought you wanted to say something to us or wasn’t that what you told me?” Aunty Elizabeth told him.
Yes, yes, of course,” MD quickly returned. So, they had obviously spoken about this together. She knew what he wanted to talk about.
“I just felt we should have to sit down, like a family, for the first time,” he began. “This is the first time Anita would be visiting us and I felt we should have a family chat,” he paused, cleared his throat, and then continued. “You know this is your home, you and Junior, and you are welcome here anytime you want to. Elizabeth and I have talked and we both agreed it will be a good idea for you and Junior to be coming over once in a while but you will need to put a call through to Elizabeth and…you know, and agree on the day and time that you’re coming because, you know, as the woman of the house……”
“Excuse me, MD!” I interjected before he was done talking. “If I understand you correctly, are you saying I have to take permission from Aunty first before my son and I come to the house?”
I was immediately exasperated. So, this was the nonsense he wanted to talk about. Before MD could respond, Aunty Lizzy quickly responded.
“And what if you have to take permission from me, am I too small to you in status to seek permission from me before you come into my house? This is disrespectful, to say the least!” She turned to MD. “Can you see the disrespect you have brought upon me in this house? Can you see how you’re disgracing me inside my own home?” she ranted like a wounded lion shot in the leg.
Ah! Disrespect? Over what? And why is she emphasizing ‘my house’ every time, or did she build the house herself?
“It’s okay, Lizzy, I am sure Anita did not mean it in that way,” MD tried to explain. But madam wasn’t buying that. She was still furious. “What are you talking about? You heard her yourself, didn’t you? She just disrespected me right in your presence and you sit down there and you tell me she didn’t mean it!”
“MD, please, tell me, what is going on here? Why is it looking like I am on trial here?” I asked MD, ignoring his wife completely. “Is this the reason you asked me to come, so I could be disgraced?”
MD’s eyes turned red. He was angry. “Listen to me, Anita, you must get hold of yourself, and let’s not allow things get out of hand,” he cautioned. “Nobody is disgracing anybody. But we must all behave like adults so we don’t allow things to get out of hand. So, will you be quiet and listen to me?” MD snapped at me. At that point, I got really. Really angry!
…to be continued
