₦airaland Forum

kenwins:
@ kizzy.... TWENTY thousand naira for a week or FIFTEEN thousand naira since sunday....which is correct?
Deola STATED and reached for some water.

Kudos dear!

It should be twenty thousand naira. I thought I changed it somewhere.

And thanks for following

CHAPTER TEN


Remi looked up from the dining table hearing his wife's cheerful voice at the door as she ushered the visitor in. He smiled seeing it was his Deola with her kids there.

"I have a perfect timing, I guess," Deola observed seeing the set dining table.

"Yeah, really perfect," Remi said and smiled putting down the spoon beside the plate of fried rice which he had just settled to.

"Good afternoon," she greeted him and he went ahead to say hi to the children.

"How are you? I'm sorry you're the one coming over. Work has been so hectic these past weeks and I couldn't squeeze time to come see you guys," he apologized to her.

"Come on, I'm the one without work so I should be the one to visit. Moreover, today is a Sunday so we're coming here straight from church service."

Rachel then pushed a tramp back out into the living room from the adjacent bedroom where their two month old daughter lay,

"She is so adorable,"Deola remarked and picked up the infant from the tramp.

"I'd get you something to eat so be comfortable," Rachel told her and headed to the kitchen.

After about half an hour and they were all seated in the living room, Remi looked up at Deola who was engrossed in her chat with his wife saying something about how tiring nursing an infant could get and noted the difference between them both. His younger sister looked stressed up, forcing a smile at intervals and trying to no avail to conceal the folds by her lips. The dress she wore was one he recalled she had worn to his wedding ceremony three years ago and her wearing it over again meant she didn't have anything more decent which she could wear to a church service. It was written all over her face that she was having a hard time.

His wife on the other hand was beaming with vivacity. Though he was only a civil engineer and her, a lawyer, that touch of calmness was on her face. He wasn't comfortable seeing his sister who used to be the one giving out her cloths to neighbors, being the one looking stressed out.

"How is Tolu?" He asked her pulling Sonia who had been struggling to get on the sofa up.

Deola nodded, "He's okay. The usual," she told him and looked away.

"The usual?"

"Yeah."

"And the job hunt?"

"Still nothing. They keep telling me they'll get back to me."

"That's the situation we find ourselves in in Nigeria. It's about the survival of the headstrong," Rachel chipped in.

Remi nodded and continued with Deola, "Well, I think you should start up your own pharmacy store. I noticed that place you stay is devoid of a standard pharmacy. You should make a good use of that. I'm thinking you should begin in a little way. What do you think?"

"I've also thought about it before but you know things haven't been so glam and all...." Deola shrugged.

"Why do you think I'm mentioning it now? I could manage setting you up on a little scale for now."

Deola let her mouth open in disbelief, "Really?"

"Yeah, really." Remi said as she smiled brightly. She looked like some trophy had just been handed over to her and he was glad he could do that much for her.

*******************

Seyi zipped his bag shut and slung it across his shoulder.

"When will you come again?" Niyi asked him looking gloomy. Seyi had always been his favorite uncle who took him as well as his sister on walks in the evening. He played with them during his free time making them feel so attached to him already.

"I will come on my holiday, okay?" Seyi promised the boy who still kept staring at his bag like he wanted to take it off Seyi's shoulder.

Deola walked out of the bedroom then and saw her children's countenance. Sonia was a lot more cheerful but still chose to hang around her uncle, while her brother wasn't even leaving Seyi for one minute.

"I'd leave now. I don't want to get to campus late," Seyi told her seeing she had reached beside him. His brother wasn't anywhere near even though he had told him he was returning to school that Sunday for the commencement of the second semester. He wondered why Tolu decided not to show up even if for nothing but to drop him off at the bus park.

"Just try hard there, hmm? And be a true great Ife?" She told him and squeezed in some money into his hands, "I know your brother didn't give you much, so make do with this please."

Seyi felt his mouth widen in surprise. He was fully aware of how poor things were becoming in the household and the fact that Deola got most of her money from her brothers wasn't hidden to him so he didn't understand how she could still think of giving him money.

"You needn't bother. I can manage what I have here," he said trying to hand the money back to her.

"Don't be silly. That's not much. It's hardly enough for your transport fare to Ife but you've been of great help around here, so you should please keep that."

Seyi paused for a while looking at her. If only she knew why he ever came here and what his mum always made him do in the bid of what she termed keeping his brother's wife in check. He only wished....'Never mind',he thought to himself.

"What?" Deola asked noting his absent look.

Seyi shook his head, "Nothing. And thank you so much. I'd be able to buy bread for those my roommates," he said smiling.

Deola laughed, "Yeah and say hi to them on our behalf."

"Sure," he picked up the small 'ghana-must-go' bag Deola had stuffed with back-to school stuff for him, "Sonny, I would miss your big cheeks," he joked and tugged at Sonia's cheeks, making her giggle.

"What of me?" Niyi asked him, already missing the latter.

"Take care of Sonny and your mom, okay?" Seyi enjoined the four year old and went up to the door.

"Bye bye," Sonia bade, waving at him.

"Have a safe trip and call when you get to your hostel," Deola enjoined him and turned to Niyi who was silently sullen, "You won't bade him goodbye?"

"Go away," Niyi said and ran into the bedroom, slamming the door behind him.

"He is so mad at me," Seyi observed and smiled, "Take care," he finished and left the house.

-----------------------


Tolu shut the door to the second bedroom and saw Deola coming out of the living room moving towards to kitchen,

"Seyi left?" He asked her just before she went into the kitchen.

"Of course. Didn't he tell you he was leaving today?" Deola retorted, surprised by his indifferent intonation.

"It must have skipped my mind," he said simply and went past her into the living room where Niyi and his sister were jumping up and down the sofa.

"Go and sit somewhere!!" Tolu yelled at them both, sending Sonia running to her mother and Niyi going morose on the spot.

"What is your goddamn problem?!" Deola stormed back into the living room with Sonia tagging behind her.

"What do you mean? Your children are disturbing me and I asked them to stay quiet. How is that a problem?"

"My children?! Then what are they to you?!" Deola raised her voice a pitch higher.

"Would you stay quiet? I'm too tired for a word battle with you so take your kids to sleep or something," Tolu said and turned to the television.

"I should...." Deola started in disbelief but held her words in and went straight up to his phone on the center table which had just beeped in a message.

"Put that down," Tolu told her, getting up as she picked it up and read the message.

Hi, I was just checking on you. Do call me back.Love, Clara.


"Who is Clara?" Deola shot at him feeling disgusted.

Tolu snatched the phone from her, "None of your business," he snapped at her.

"Have you become so sordid or you don't feel guilty enough yet? I asked you a question, Tolu and I want a reply with common sense!" Deola continued not ready to drop the exchange. She was done with his irresponsibility. It was bad enough as things were, but him having yet another lady in his life was something she couldn't let go of.

"What? You want to hear it? Alright, Clara is the one person in my life who calms me these past weeks. I have enough headache coping with my mother's hatred of you and your insensibility coupled with Lydia's craziness. And if Clara is my only source of calm now, then you can go to hell yelling!" Tolu shot back at her with the veins in his forehead throbbing as he clenched his fist and turned the glass center table upside down throwing the decorations on it off of it.

"You're the one who should drive to hell!"
She spat out the words in anger holding her forehead as she suddenly felt a migraine within.

"Yeah, I wish I could." Tolu finished and went to pick up his car keys on the dining table, barging out of the apartment.

------------------------

Christina opened up the bottle of Fayrouz in front of Jummy and placed the bottle opener beside the glass cup on the small wooden table.

"Thank you," Jummy said and poured herself a glassful.

"You're welcome here too," Christina smiled and sat back with her legs tucked in.

Jummy sipped from her glass and put it down, "Hmm, you know what bothers me the most?"

"What's that?"

"It's about this chic, Deola," she started, "You know, I've been worried about her for so long and have always tried getting to know what has been going on but she just shields it off. Says she's fine and all."

Christina took a pause, not knowing whether or not to fill Jummy in on the details. She wouldn't on a good day but even she was getting lost on matters concerning Deola. She was indeed getting through tough times but when she chooses to deal with her life her way, then there was little to do. She had tried talking to Deola to move on with her life by getting a divorce from her dear hubby but the girl had chickened out, saying some blah blah. If she had listened to her, then she had been more than ready to hook Deola up with one of her husband's friends. There was especially one who could take Deola in with her kids but the latter had said she was never going to step into something that would make her children suffer the consequences. For her, what she lived and survived for was has two children. But how about her own life?

Jummy clapped her hands bringing her out of her thoughts, "Hey!"

"She's not fine," Christina said, "As a matter of fact, her husband has proved himself a real time jerk," Chris continued, not caring if it was backbiting or gossip. Deola needed help and she wasn't getting it by sitting at home and rotting away.

-------------------

"What did he say?" Tolu's father asked immediately his wife dropped the call with their second son, Moyo.

"That he's sorry and wished he could help but they haven't gotten their salary for two months now," Mama Tolu explained and put the phone away and lay back on the bed.

"Have you called your son?" Her husband asked after a little pause.

Mama Tolu rolled her eyes at him, "Are you alright? Who did I just speak to?" She said and hissed loudly.

"Have you called Tolu?" He rephrased and sat back on one of the bags in the stuffed up bedroom.

Mama Tolu looked away towards the only window in the room and pulled the large blanket over her feet, "He is busy and moreover he has enough problems."

Her husband scoffed, "And who gave him those problems?"

"Who else if not that his wife, eh?"

"Keep deceiving yourself. Tolu hasn't been sending you money as he used to and you still don't want to face the reality of your mistake. You have successfully plunged his life into a ditch and now you're staying away," he told her in a stern tone and went to reach for his transistor radio beside her on the bed.

"My son will bounce back, just watch as you always have. His life is just getting over bumps," she insisted.

Her husband sneered and walked back to the door, turning to face her with his hand on the doorknob, "You had better fix it," he told her and left the room.

It was her fault that even though their son hadn't clocked thirty yet, he was already struggling with the burdens of a forty year old. Tolu was indeed his son but since he had allowed his mum's words serve as a better advice to him, then he had quit trying to rescue him off the edge. He would just have to learn the hard way.

adegwurulez:
My first lady, you disappeared shey? lord knows i searched the whole nl for you. You know i want to see your comment after every update.

I've reappeared now

P.S NL can be searched?? I would need a little more hiding out skills then.

Yipee, you made front page @ adegwurulez. You had it coming anyway

And the updates have been great also especially the whole grimoire part. Well done, sir.

CHAPTER NINE


Deola shifted over in the bed, unable to get herself to sleep. She kept seeing her mother whenever she tried shutting her eyes and the look she could see on her mum's face was a sad one. She couldn't bear it anymore and sat up in the bed.

She looked at her husband who was fast asleep already with Niyi sprawled across. Sonia was also peacefully taking in her breaths in her cradle so Deola stood up and went out of the room quietly.

She went on to the living room and turned on the switch. The room remained dark leaving her to sigh. There was no electric power. However, the moonlight was so bright penetrating the curtains and serving as a subservient light source.
She then moved over to the dining part of the living room calculating her steps, and got herself a glass of water from the jug on the dining table. After gulping enough, she sat back in the dining chair and shut her eyes.
The image was however still stuck in her head. Her mother's expression the day after Sonia's naming ceremony those months back when she was leaving. She should have noted something then and not requested her mum to leave. But now, the worry and hesitance on her mother's face seemed to be stamped in on her mind.

"Mommy, I'm sorry for making you leave," she muttered silently and went up to the bookshelf that was beside the plasma TV to get her bible.
She had always been a lazy Christian who didn't fully place all her hopes in God but now, the bible seemed like the only thing that could help her regain her normalcy.

She brought out the holy book and moved to the side of the window, pulling the curtain apart a little more to let in more light rays enough for her to read and opened to the first few pages where she recalled that it had been her wedding bible. Inscribed boldly within were the names of her and Tolu and the date of the wedding. She stared at that page for a little more than longer before shutting it back. She had taken the bible out to seek comfort and not more distress, she thought to herself and held it close.

She clutched it to her chest and looked out the window. Sighing, she decided to offer a short prayer,
"I really don't know where to start from, Lord but please help me. I'm not sure where my tomorrow is leading me but I pray that you keep a watch over me and my children. I can't do this myself, please help keep my feet steady," she supplicated and sank into the sofa.

---------------------

Christina lifted Sonia up and shook her high, getting the two year old to giggle over before putting her down,
"This girl is getting fatter. I wonder what you're feeding her," Chris remarked loudly.

"She's drinking garri very well," Deola retorted sarcastically and carried the two plates of beans out into the living room, "I hope you really don't mind our visitor's treat. Things haven't been in paradise for a while now," Deola enjoined her friend and put the food on the centre table.

"No, it's okay. I just hope your 'paradise' isn't an ironical one."

"Did you think I was joking when I said my daughter is fat because of the garri she has been drinking? You seem to have forgotten I'm not working," Deola asserted bringing over a jug of cold water and glass cups.

"Well, that doesn't mean Tolu isn't working either. Isn't he giving you enough money for upkeep anymore?" Chris asked, still choosing to disbelieve her friend. She hadn't been around for months now since she got married and her husband only got transferred to Lagos that week, making her available for her friend only now. She however didn't want to believe things could get bad within the few months she wasn't around.

"He slashed it and asked me to try understanding. The upkeep is now less than twenty percent of what it once was since he gives the excuse that he caters for that lady and her kids too. And moreover, it's not even regular. He's getting more scrutiny from his boss who hasn't been a fan of his folly and has decided to keep him under more watch. So now, even when I ask for money from him, he yells and yells, telling me that I'm not the least useful and to get a life," Deola poured out to Christina and ate her meal with an indifferent look.

"So that's it now. He's officially broken the noose?"

Deola scoffed, "He'd broken it longer than I can recall."

"But you still have the right to request from him for Niyi and Sonia. They're his responsibilities, right?"

"Yeah, right. And get hit? No way in hell,"

"Wow, I'm short of words. Tolu has really transformed. Like seriously."

"I only hope to get a job. I can't stand feeding my daughter with......" Deola broke the sentence off and swallowed, holding in her tears, "I really need to get a job."

"So how do you cope when he doesn't give you anything?"

Deola looked up and suppressed her smile, "I have three awesome brothers who are doing well enough. Tumise gives me without my asking. Same goes for Remi but I hate bothering them. They are hardly aware of the state of things in my life right now. Even Tobi who just got a job feels it's his responsibility to take charge but when it's my older brother who sends me money with which I pay my son's school fees, then you should know I need to get a life."

Christina gaped in disbelief, "I wish I could be of more help. How about Jummy? Has she called you up recently?"

"I don't exactly want to lick boots before getting an appointment letter. Jummy does call up but you know how it is. She doesn't call up to check if I'm fine, she calls to check if I've been kicked out of here yet so she'd be like, 'I told you..' and all," Deola started and reached for some water.

Christina raised an eyebrow, "Told you what?"

Deola looked at for a while, hesitating,
"Well, after that time I met her boss, she sort of caught wind of what's really going on and asked me to come for some consultation somewhere. I told her I wasn't interested and since then, I've kept to myself. I'm not ready to make a big deal of this," she told Chris and went to get Sonia from the bathroom where the lass was toying with water.

Christina sat back and ate her meal with her attention on Deola. She couldn't believe how sour things had been for her friend in her home and wished she could be a fairy and make Deola back into the Cinderella she once was. She however had an idea she planned on dishing to her friend. She only wished the latter would consent.

***********************

Tolu put in the portable travelling bag into the trunk of the Honda Civic and shut it close. He glanced at his wristwatch and sighed. It was almost five p.m and if they planned on getting into Ikoyi before midnight, now was the best time to leave Deola's hometown.
He had asked her if she was fine leaving with him that day which was the day after the burial ceremony and she had said yes. She had no point staying back any longer in her parent's residence.

"Tolu, I wanted to have a few words with you." Tolu turned abruptly at the voice of Remi who had reached beside him without him knowing.

"Oh, really? I hope there isn't a problem," Tolu said getting himself together.

"There has always been a problem since you decided my sister wasn't good enough for you anymore," Remi told him in a stern tone.

Tolu looked back at him and kept mute. He hadn't stayed back in the open living room just to avoid this distressing talk. He however knew that he had it coming for a while now.

"You have any comprehensible reason for me why you've decided to do this?" Remi asked him folding his hands across his chest.

"None."

"Good. Then I don't give a damn about that too. I'm just going to give you a piece of monition. That will be that no matter how crazy you get, don't you ever involve my sister in the madness of dealing with another woman in her matrimonial home."

Tolu sighed and rubbed his palms together, "I'm sorry it ever had to get to this. I've treated you with so much respect up till this point and the least I can do is heed you. I've tried to make sure Deola hasn't ever met with the other lady and I can manage to keep that up if you will let me," he said in a convincing tone like some culprit on the cross attesting to his misdeeds.

"I've only been watching from the sidelines all this while giving respect to the fact that you two should be given a chance to settle it out no matter the differences, but I'm assuring you this minute that if you ever get guts to bring in your mistress to live with my sister and make either her or her children experience the hellhole of polygamy, you should consider Adeola no longer your wife then. I'd not just take her away from you, I'd ensure I rain brimstones at your doorstep leaving you no other place of refuge than a jail cell," Remi ended in a tone of warning running Tolu out of words.

He nearly prostrated to the former to ease him out but they were cut in by Deola and her two other brothers who just stepped downstairs with Tumise carrying Sonia and Niyi holding on to his mother.

"I hope you didn't wait for too long," Tumise said as they approached closer.

"No, it's fine," Tolu told him and went to open the front passenger door for Deola who took her baby from Tumise and gave them all one last hugs.

"Drive safe," Tobi enjoined and opened the door for Niyi to get in the backseat.

"Yeah, sure. We'll call once we get home," Tolu assured them and got in the driver's seat, shutting the door and kick starting the engine.

"It's okay, dear," Remi muttered to Deola whose eyes were already getting teary as the car zoomed out. The three brothers stood there until the car finally turned out of their street and onto the main road.

-------------

Lydia glanced at her phone screen again making it approximately the fiftieth time in two minutes. She picked it up and tapped the screen over and over again expecting some sort of miracle to happen which would bring the phone to begin vibrating with Tolu's name on display.

Pissed off in the absentia of a miracle, she threw it on the bed without noting that it landed on the first twin, Taiwo's forehead.
The boy started crying immediately, unaware of why his mother was that angry.

"If you cry from morning till night, I won't blink until your stup!d father calls me. I wonder how he expects me to manage twenty thousand naira for one week. He hasn't been picking my calls and now to call me back is a problem for him. Did I get in this alone or what is the meaning of this?" She lamented in soliloquy.

She had called Tolu the day before and he had told her he wasn't in Lagos but in some useless burial ceremony for his wife's mother.
Hadn't the woman been dead for two months? Why did she then have to pay for another old woman's passing away?

"Your mouth doesn't look cute. If I took a picture of you right now, you'll need to pay me to delete it. And why are you not attending to the poor kid crying?" Chinwe said noticing her friend and the crying child as she entered the living room.

Lydia looked up at her briefly, "Do I look like I care?" She said indifferently.

Chinwe hissed back at her and went to pick up the boy, "Nawa o. On top wetin?"

"On top say that !d!ot wey born them dey craze. He gave me fifteen thousand since Sunday and now he no wan pick call," Lydia stood up from the sofa and began pacing.

Chinwe stayed silent. She wasn't ready to be at the receiving end of Lydia's anger though with her friend's current fury, she knew she wasn't going to stop anytime soon.

"I don't know if I killed that witch's mother or why he expects me to understand!" Lydia continued, "I told him I needed to move out of here and into a two bedroom apartment in Ikoyi like that his wife but he asked me to be patient a little. Today is the 28th of February and he must have received his salary but rather than giving me the amount I need, he has gone to act 'Oko Iyawo' in the girl's village. Now his mother will say I'm the only one she acknowledges. What use is that if it can't translate into money, eh?" She deplored non-stop jeering the other twin into his own cries.

She gave them both one glance each and hissed loudly,

"Just die!" She yelled at them and barged into the bedroom of the one bedroom apartment.

So Basket has been up to no good all this while. I want to trust Blackie on this anyway. Their differences are beginning to come up and might even separate them which if it happens, I hope will be for the better.

And I'm imagining how a monkey grins now, hehe

Kitnah, I really wished you'd have completed this first. The storyline could have gotten more awesome if you kept up posting and improving. I thought you were enjoying posting it here before.

But then, if you want to put it on hold, it's totally your decision. Just don't abandon it.
Thanks anyways for even posting here ever.

harjibolar10:
See this bae oo, instead make she come update, na reply and interaction she dey do ooo.. . I dey watch you in 350D
Oya, come update ooo

That 350D must be powerful o. Lemme go and type more but I've updated a little now so take off your goggles.

-----------------

Tolu shut the door behind Mama Sade and went back into the living room. He went straight ahead to pick up his phone and dial Deola's phone number. He couldn't fathom why his wife couldn't leave him a message herself and would have to send him a next-door neighbor to inform him she wasn't sure when she was going to be home. She had even left their son with Mama Sade for him to be picked up by Seyi. He wondered what could have happened if his kid brother wasn't around to take responsibility for Niyi. Was she even thinking these days? And he didn't even know what on earth would come up in their family that would require her suddenly leaving without so much as giving him a call.
Hissing to himself, he began pacing slowly about the living room.

"Now she's not picking my calls. What am I supposed to do about that now?" He mused aloud to himself and went ahead to dial her oldest brother's number. He finally picked it on the second ring,

"Hello,"

"Err...Good evening. I just got informed your sister left for..."

Remi cut him short, "We lost mum earlier today in a car accident. My sister is here with me so don't bother so much," he told him and hung up almost immediately.

"What the..." Tolu stared at the phone screen finding the news he just got totally unbelievable. How was that even possible?

Seyi looked over at his brother whose face wore worry. The call he had just dropped must have been a distressing one, he thought to himself and relaxed back into the sofa looking back at the movie showing on T.V.

"Phew!" Tolu sighed and turned to look at Niyi who was already asleep on the sofa. The information was still unbelievable to him. Deola's mother...dead? What could have caused it? Remi mentioned a car accident but why now? How come? What went wrong? How sure were they or what even happened....? Various thoughts flew through his brain at the same time at hyper speed. He gradually sat down beside his son and ran his hand through his head. How was Deola coping now? That was the only question that popped continually in his head. After losing her dad, the only person person that ever mattered the most to her, losing her mum now also seemed to make her look much more unfortunate.

"Is everything fine?" Seyi asked him with a worried look on his face.

Tolu shook his head, "Deola just lost her mother," he told his brother who widened his eyes in disbelief.

"How on earth..." Seyi started sitting up. He was still pitying her for being on his mother's bad side but her losing her mother also, moreover at a time like this made him grieve her situation.
After his brother had broken her heart, did she deserve anything worse?

----------------------

"O merciful God, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ who is the resurrection and the life, in which whosoever believeth shall live though die and whosoever liveth in Him, shall not die eternally; who also hath taught us by His Holy Apostle Saint Paul, not to be sorry as men without hope, for those that sleep in Him, we meekly beseech Thee, O Father to raise us from that death of sin unto the life of righteousness that when we shall depart this life, we may rest in Him as our hope is that Mother Rachel Omolade Olaogun does; and that at the general resurrection in Thy sight, and receive that blessing which Thy well beloved Son shall then pronounce to all that love and fear Thee saying, come ye blessed children of my Father, receive the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world. Grant this, we beseech Thee, O merciful Father through Jesus Christ, our Mediator and Redeemer. Amen." The priest ended the committal prayer amid tears of sympathizers by the graveside.
A lot of people in their town, Gbongan in Osun State, Nigeria had come around to share their condolences. It was still incomprehensible to most of them. The lady had looked so well just days before and when the news reached them, a lot of them had rebuked what they referred to as evil thoughts. But now at the interment, it was just as real as it got. Mama Remi was indeed gone.

Deola turned her face away to Tumise's shoulder who patted her head gently as she sobbed quietly.
The choir members who stood by raised the hymn,"Sleep on, Beloved sleep" and the graveyard broke forth with wails again.

Standing close to his three younger siblings, Remi maintained a blank look. The past two months still looked like some dream, a bad one, which he wanted to wake from. Their father hadn't been dead four years and now their mother chose to depart also, especially when her daughter needed her the most. Now he had to be strong for them all. They only had each other now. No one else in the world shared strong blood ties with them.

"Mummy, mummy...," he could hear Deola soft whispers with her face still buried in Tumise's head who had arrived the country that week for the burial ceremony.

Looking around earlier, he had also seen Tolu in the company of his brother and friend also, bringing Niyi along. Seeing him only brought up reasons why he never wanted his sister to return to their home. She was devastated enough as it was, being a lost orphan with an aboulic husband and unreasonable inlaws. The last thing he wanted for his sister was to get more hurt in the hands of that male she referred to as her husband. He wanted to shield her more than ever now.

Finally the hymn was over and the officiating priest who was the Bishop of the diocese began the benediction,

".......the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost be with us all forever more, Amen." He concluded and the graveyard dispersed within a few minutes with different people throwing earth into the grave. Paying their last respects.

"We'd be in the car," Tumise told Remi still holding his sister close and led her to the car park of the Anglican church. Remi watched them retreat and was about turning to go meet with the priest when he saw Tolu again, this time with his son alone and approaching Deola. That moment made him want to go and get him away from his kid sister but he got tapped from behind by an uncle who wanted to pay his condolences.
The hard talk would have to come later, he said to himself and turned to his uncle, nodding.

ahmanim:
Thank God. thank @ kizzy. u know what i like most abt d story.......its unpredictable.
i pity tolu, b4 he realizes say na him mother dey destroy him things don spoil plenty. LADIES, plz no matter d love get sth doing , its a shock absorber when things turn bad.

You're right about getting something doing. It really helps.

Ollyfad:
by the time pampers and sma gold show tolu, with school fee still doing press up ehn... he would know the real meaning of double wahala for dead body!
deola take heart dear..shit happens...atleast you are sure your kids wont suffer

Lmao at pampers and SMA gold. They could take akamu na.

folake25:
kizzy you are a genius. those updates were really good. well done dear

Thanks ma'am. Really appreciate you being around. Kamsahamnida(don't ask me what it means)

ritoto:
Interesting story gal! Pls kip dem coming.

Gladly, ma'am.

Costlybabe:
Oh my,this is so wonderful,Weldon dear,tolu never see anything

He never see anything indeed or maybe he has started seeing things already.

MzzTega:
Kizzykeziah,God bless you.

AMEN and you too.

adeh39:
Eyah!!! *pets her* Deola sorry ooo, Take heart, U hear?

Tolu I pity ur life.....Twins, two ladies to care for, nd two other children? wit how much as ur salary? *Smh* Ur mama don put double wahala 4 ur head.

Iya Ruka, I no blame u jare, He who has head has no cap........ Let dem suffer 4 a while, so dey can appreciate wat God has given dem b4.

Tolu could manage an increment on his income and Deola got your message. BTW, I got your back for your contest o

Mhizashantee1:
Deola sorry for the loss of your moda and as for tolu you and your family will regret it exp your stupid moda, deola is right oo your mum did not train you well if not you are supposed to defend your wife and protect her from your family••••••• Nyc story u have here ma.......more MB to your fone•••

Training was probably in a different direction for him and @ bolded. AMEN O.

jezuzboi:
Deola, Accept my sympathy. Brace up too, there's a lot more coming.

I've sent her your sympathies and I think she accepted them.

harjibolar10:
Chai, ma namesake don vex ooo, see update sha
Anyways, God dey see this iya Ruka ooo. So, now that deola is motherless now, who know what's up for her...
Keep em coming ma'am

I don vex indeed, lol. Kumao, namesake

kenwins:
Dis is too much for the poor daddy's girl.
Thumb's up dear!

Nothing is too much for anybody o as long as it gets us stronger altogether

This is really tough for Jer. I can't imagine what he's feeling now after killing his own parents even if he ever hated his old man

And that Micheal is just......

Now I'm also wishing the team on mission full success. It's just got hotter indeed.

Keep 'em coming, sir.

ahmanim:
@op . hope all is fine 4 ur end. the wait is long plz complete our story

Everything has been fine, thanks. Sorry for the wait.

Essyprity:
This story is as real as a life story and well told too. The young woman's life is the case of many in the hands of feeble minded men.

Hmmm, you're probably right. I said earlier that nearly all written here is as real as it gets. I've witnessed a little myself.

kitnah:
Aunty kizzykeziah,lovely updates o
I enjoyed it
Deola is just too emotional and Tolu is always sitting on the fence
Update sharply else........

Am I safe now?

jezuzboi:
Cool! I hail Iya Ruka oo! So Tolu mama just dey busy-body 4 nothing....CoMon Iya Ruka is using her head. Congratulations 2 Tolu. He now has 4 kids and earns N150k-N200k monthly. Him never see school fees.
Really Nice Update

Abi na. God dey for Tolu so don't bother too much about him. He will soon get his bills.

harjibolar10:
Let me just reverse my comment
Keep em coming namesake

Reverse, how? I hope it's good reverse o, lol.

Adadinmaa:
Interesting,kudos Kizzy

Thanks, ma'am.

aprilwise:
Am loving this story in every bit. The least thing I expect for my parents disapproval of my girlfriend or wife to be. Most parents have say in whom their children get married to?

Parents always want to believe they are still in charge of a child as long as they are alive. Half the times, it doesn't go well.

bossricky:
"Daddy i can write 2" awww so touching

Not all parents really care about that. They're like "So what?"

Ollyfad:
dats y its neva advisable to gt married to ppl dat cnt make dia own decisions. u eida kip making it for dem wich u wuld gt tired of one day or odas outside wuld do d dcision making wich only leaves u in misery most of d tym.
#real nice storyline....thumbs up

You got it perfectly right, ma'am.

AdaBekee1:
congrats and thank you @kizzykeziah for this wonderful piece.

It's my greatest pleasure writing this and thank you.

Jojodivine:
A really wonderful storyline... It keeps getting better everyday. More grease to your elbow.[color=#770077][/color]

Thanks. I'd need a lot of grease, lol.

Clarakings:
Nice work! More grease to your elbow. Tolu seems to me like the proverbial mad woman that set his house on fire and went to dance at the village market. I feel for poor Deola for having an nycom.as a husband. Keep the ball rolling." Waiter! More popcorn".

I hope you got the popcorn

CHAPTER EIGHT


Niyi looked up at his mum who was strapping his sister to her back and smiled at her. She was like some celestial to him.

"Carry me too," he chimed but his mum shook her head at him,

"You are a big boy and you can walk so stop that now," Deola simply told him and bent over to pick up her purse on the small chair in the balcony.

"Are you going somewhere?" Mama Sade asked her approaching from the backyard where the cloth line was with an empty bucket in hand.

Deola looked towards her, "Yes, ma. I was about to check on you also so Niyi can stay with you till I return."

"No problem but I thought I saw your husband's brother around. The younger one that came during Sonia's naming ceremony," Mama Sade started placing the bucket down.

"Yes, he'll be here for a while. He has exams. He's writing UTME this year so he went out to register for tutorials," Deola explained to her neighbor who sneered, unconvinced.

"Why didn't he just wait in Abeokuta to write the exams? Don't you think it's their mother pulling a trick? Their family isn't one you can trust, you know?"

Deola shrugged, "I really don't care anymore. And I need to leave early so I won't stay out late,"

"No problem. Ayo is inside so your son won't even miss you till you return once they begin their play," Mama Sade reassured smilingly.

"Thank you ma. I'd leave now," she smiled back at Mama Sade and turned to her son, bending a little, "Sweetheart , don't trouble mummy too much before I return, okay?"

The kid frowned a little at her but gleamed when his mum promised to get him toys when she returned as well as many goodies, though he didn't know how trustworthy the promise was.

Deola gave her neighbor one last look and greeting before turning to leave the compound. Her elder brother had called to tell her he had a friend who could help her with getting a job. He had said she should try there also, rather than sit home all day waiting for a miracle to change her husband. She was just going to keep trying. Getting busy was all she needed now, he had told her over the phone.

She was a taken a little aback when on reaching the gate, she met her aunt, her late father's younger sister.

"E kaaro ma. I didn't realize you were coming. I was just on my way somewhere," Deola said going down on both knees and taking the lady's bag from her.

"Don't bother so much. We need to get to the town right now. Your mother wants to....see you," she said impatiently, "Is your husband at home?"

Deola shook her head and the lady sighed,

"Come on in, ma. The meeting can wait," Deola told her and began walking back to the house.

"No my dear. We need to leave quickly. Your son?"

"He's with a neighbor. I hope all is fine at home. Mummy is alright?"

"Of course. Let's just get there. You can call your husband on the way," her aunt reassured and smiled.
Deola shrugged and went to bid her neighbor a quick farewell, hoping to return soon. She hoped her gut feeling of a disaster was totally wrong.

-------------------------

Deola walked quickly past the group she met gathered downstairs at her mum's. She noticed they were exchanging glances as soon as she walked in.

"That's her only daughter," one of them was saying to his partner and Deola gave him a sharp look. What was he saying, she thought to herself.

"Yes, poor girl. She is also having problems in her marriage, I heard," another was also replying but Deola chose to ignore them and turned to her aunt.

"What happened?" Deola asked her unable to take the suspense.

The lady simply took Sonia from her and asked her to keep going up the stairs.

Deola shrugged and kept climbing till they got to the living room and she saw both her elder and younger brother seated there alongside a host of other extended family but their mum wasn't anywhere there.....

"Tobi, what...?" She had barely started when someone within burst into a fit of wails shouting,

"Mama Remi, AH! AH! Death, you are so cruel," the woman continued.

Deola looked round from Tobi, her younger brother to Remi who shook his head with a drop of tear trickle down his face.
The last Deola could remember was holding her head and screaming, "Mummy, NO!!" She said and blacked out, landing down with a thud.

---------

Lydia opened her eyes slowly to let in rays of sunshine streaming through the curtains. It was blinding at first but she gradually got her eyes fully opened to see her friend , Chinwe standing back with her arms crossed and staring,

"Hey, Chi," Lydia smiled at her.

"Are you back now?" Chinwe asked restlessly. For almost twenty-four hours now her friend had been in and out of it, getting her really worried.

Lydia nodded slowly and took a look round the room. She was seemingly the only occupant with another empty bed lying adjacent hers.

Chinwe went to her friend and sat beside her, holding her hands in hers, "I was so scared but I'm glad you made it, girlfriend," she pulled her into a hug but got interrupted by the opening and shutting of the door to let Tolu's mother in. Chinwe rolled her eyes and pulled away from her friend.

"Thank God, my daughter-in-law is awake finally," Mama Tolu started beaming with smiles.

"Yes, ma. I'm sorry if I scared any of you," Lydia said trying to sit up.

Mama Tolu went to her side to dissuade her, "Don't bother my dear. You have done more than enough by handing me two look-alikes of my son. I am now a real grandmother many thanks to you," Mama Tolu disclosed and pulled Lydia into a hug.

Chinwe shook her head. All the craziness the lady had been putting up since the previous day after the operation had really gotten on her nerves. She hated the woman's loquacity. And maybe it was just because her friend was involved with a married man which she was never in support of that made her sick.

The door opened again to let in a nurse as well as Tolu in company of his friend, Kay. They were saying something about the newborns, two bouncing boys with Tolu asking his friend to go and get himself a wife so he'd have children in his life.

"Tolulope, come here," his mum beckoned on him to come closer and began offering prayers for the duo.

"Showoff," Chinwe had to say and nearly hissed but made an eye contact with Kay who was grinning back at her like he was hit by something. Eyeing him furiously, she walked out of the hospital room. Lydia was the one who got herself caught up in all these in her desperation. She didn't give a damn anymore.

----------------------------

Iya Ruka gulped the contents of the tumbler and replaced it on the table, adjusting her wrapper in the process.

"Why don't I see Seyi anywhere here?" She observed to her friend looking towards the door that led into the bedrooms.

"I already sent him to his brothers' house. I haven't been comfortable having no eyes in that house. For all I know, Deola might be up to something and I wouldn't have the slightest idea. It's much better if Seyi is there. He would serve as my eyes out there," Mama Tolu told her friend who smiled back.

"Why don't you just leave the girl alone now. At least
the last resort worked and Tolu is now where you want him, isn't it?"

"Of course. I'm happy about that. I didn't fully believe at first when you said there was someone who could offer such prayers after giving him some money. To think that he has the outlook of a priest. I never thought consulting him could work out this well and quickly at that. The results are nearly perfect now," Mama Tolu said clapping her hands together, her expression seemingly satisfied.

"Didn't I tell you you didn't need to bother too much? The singular fact that he is your son gives you full rights over him. If any lady wants to trample upon those rights, then you show her just how it's done around here."

"Exactly. After nursing him for all those years, I couldn't just watch some educated girl from somewhere separate my son from me in the name of civilization. The first two years of their marriage was just how I had pictured it the day he brought her here. It translated into my son never calling me more than once a week and giving excuses of his 'family' spending time together. I had to ask him that if he keeps telling me he has a 'family' to cater for, then what am I? An outsider?" She said to her friend, hissing.

"You just need to watch now. Deola would move out before you say 'Jack!'. I know the way these girls are when they can't take it anymore. They get frustrated and leave."

"I hope so my friend. Moreover, Lydia is putting to bed in less than a month and I don't want Deola to still be in Tolu's life then."

"Hopefully," Iya Ruka mused staring at her friend. She wondered at times why her friend was being unreasonable. Deep within her, she always wished her own children would be like her friends'. Having a beautiful daughter-in-law with a son who listened to his mother's grievances and lovely grandchildren was far more than she had ever wished for. It hurt her always that all her own six children had chosen other paths aside education and were not the least forthcoming. Her first daughter, Ruka had gotten pregnant in her third year in secondary school and was only an assistant in a local restaurant where she didn't even get enough pay and always came back to her mother for support. Her worst hurt was the day Tolu had come over to visit with his wife and son then, only for him to give her daughter two thousand naira when he met her in such pitiable situation. She had been so mad then that Tolu who was younger than Ruka would give money to Ruka and the latter would nearly go on her knees in appreciation. The anger had fueled her into going to meet with a black magician who had been responsible then for Tolu's job loss.

She couldn't watch also when things fell back in place and Mama Tolu kept complaining about her daughter-in-law. She had then thought of camouflaging the black magician as a prayer leader who was harmless and could help her friend. Mama Tolu had jumped at the idea of whatever could get rid of Deola and unconsciously jumped also from the frying pan straight into the open fire. She was the one searching for something to chew on. Now she was going to chew for a long time to come. The happy part wasn't just going to last so long.

-----------------------------

Tayo glanced over at his vibrating phone on the front passenger seat and picked it up, turning off his car's ignition.

"Tolu, what's up?" He said relaxing back into his seat.

"I'm ver good. How is IBD?"

"We're coping, man. How's Deola and the kids?"

"They should be fine," Tolu said indifferently, "Well, I need a little assistance from you now," he started before Tayo could question his tone.

"Did you get yourself caught up in something else now?"

"I only need a quick loan from you. Just fifty thousand naira or thereabouts,"

Tayo scoffed, "Your salary is three or four times that. What for?"

"Lydia got into child labor since yesterday morning and now needs a surgical operation. I already sent most of what was on me to my mother as well as Lydia before to get stuffs for the child so I'm short on cash right now," Tolu explained over the phone.

Hissing, Tayo nearly hung up, "I can't believe this. So you're officially taking her in. By spending almost all your income on her and even getting short on cash?"

"Can you listen to yourself, Tayo? Do you expect me to deny her or what? I only asked for some money from you so just speak up whether or not you're lending me."

Pissed at his friend's tone, Tayo shot back at him, "So now I'm expected to pay for a surgery for your mistress also? What is wrong with your head, Tolu?"

"You know, I really thought you'd understand as my friend for once. Just forget it. I'd find someone more reasonable to help out,"

"Yeah. Do just that. You can start with Kay who is responsible for half your problems though I'm hardly surprised since you're suffering from chronic aboulia. You've messed up big time," Tayo told him ready to hang up.

"Just forget it!" Tolu yelled back and hung up.

Tayo threw the phone back on the passenger seat,
"Crazy guy. Did he think I would help or what?" He said to himself. He wouldn't have blinked if it was Deola who needed his help. For all he cared, Tolu was on his own now.

I didn't know Kitnah was a real Yoruba girl


Let's see how this rolls. I'm definitely following and don't dream of dropping an update this short

Write on bae... I'll comment on it when you update some more.

crowns2:
Hmmm...Marriage is tough. Its not an easy journey at all. A lot of challenges and hurdles to cross..@OP keep up the good work..keep it coming please

Yeah, marriage is definitely tough. Only few survive it, hardly without scratches.

ArrowAssassin:
Nice story. I'm new here. So I would like friends. Are there other stories like this?

You're most welcome and there are a whole lot of other stories here.

Chapter seven


Deola sighed and clutched her bag closer holding the file jacket with one hand. She silently prayed her daughter wouldn't stir behind her throughout the meeting she was to have with Jummy's boss. She had chipped in to Jummy that she needed a job and Jummy had been more than glad to help for whatever reason it was she had. Deola was only happy she was getting a chance to get out and live.

She had been a little confused on whether to bring her daughter along or not but since she didn't have anywhere else to put the baby who only became forty days old the previous week, she resorted to bringing her along, strapped to her back.

Now she'd been at the waiting area of the pharmacy for nearly an hour but everyone else seemed to busy with no one giving her a glance making her just sit there, observing their activities and hoping Jummy would show up and end her misery.

She brought out her phone about to redial Jummy's cellphone number and get an assurance she would get interviewed that morning as Jummy had promised. She had begun dialing when she saw her friend approach her smiling.

"Finally," Deola muttered and dropped the phone back into her handbag.

"I hope you didn't wait for too long," Jummy began once she got to Deola.

"Not really," Deola reassured her and got up from the steel chair she had been sitting on since she got there.

"He's been busy since morning but you can come see him now. I told him you've been here for a while. And you didn't tell me you were bringing Sonia along," Jummy continued checking on Sonia who was fast asleep behind her mother.

"Yeah, I had nowhere else to leave her. I couldn't drop her with my neighbor. She might end up crying the whole day before I get back," Deola explained as Jummy led the way past the bustle of activities in the reception room and down into a fully air-conditioned room which served as the office of the director who was sitting there with his attention fully on his laptop which was left open on the glass table in front of him.

"She's here, sir," Jummy said to him and he looked up briefly at them both, waving Deola to sit.

"You are Jummy's friend?" He asked Deola as she sat on one of the cushioned chairs opposite him.

"Yes, sir," Deola replied nervously. His look was a little bit cold especially with the pair of glasses he had on the tip on his nose.

"You can excuse us now," he said to Jummy who took her leave in turn muttering a 'Goodluck' to Deola.

"I believe I should see those," He pointed at the folder she was holding which contained her curriculum vitae and copies on needed certificates which Jummy had requested her to bring along.

"Yes, sir," Deola said and handed it over to him while he began interviewing her and checking through the documents as well.
After spending barely fifteen minutes with her, he put the files back to her and took off his glasses, wiped them and replaced them on the tip of his nose,

"That's your child?" He asked her pointing at the baby behind her who thankfully hadn't stirred since she got in.

Deola nodded, "Yes, sir."

"So you stopped working when you got married? I can see here that you had a pretty decent job before," he said pointing at the files.

Deola simply nodded.
The man then sighed and clasped his hands together,
"It's disappointing how you have a great potential, even getting a job that young and dumping it because of your marriage. I really would have had you start working here without blinking but now I'm considering how you plan on managing with a baby in hand. I'm sorry, miss. You can try applying some other time," he finished with a look of pity in his eyes.

"I'd pull it through sir. I can take care of whatever it is but I really need the job right now," Deola pleaded with him but he only shook his head.

"I can't employ a nursing mother here. Jummy had lobbied for you earlier also but I'm sure you've seen the way things are run here. And you can't put a baby like that in daycare yet so just go home and wait till you're ready and then you can come back. I'll be glad to help then," he told her and returned to his laptop. A way of telling her to leave so Deola got up, thanked him and walked out of the office to meet Jummy coming towards her.

"How'd it go?" Jummy asked with her face glowing.

"He said to try later. I can't work as a nursing mother," Deola told her with disappointment written all over her face.

"Oh dear. I wish I could help but he has the final say here," Jummy said and folded her arms across her chest.

Deola smiled at her, "It's okay and thank you so much. He told me you lobbied for me also,"

"That was the least I could do. And we needed an extra hand here anyway."

Deola sighed, "I'd just go home. You must be busy." She said and left the building.

------------

Tolu nodded at his secretary who put down the file she was holding and left his office. He took it up and looked through, checking the list of companies to be supplied with aluminum sheets. He had been slacking at work for a while and the director had warned him of a query when they began receiving complaints concerning supplies of orders to companies. But he still wasn't fully focused on his work. His mind was in a thousand places at the same time.

He threw down the file and shut his eyes trying to comprehend his life for one minute. He didn't seem to be in control any longer. He had always been the one to defend his wife whenever his mother started before but now he had turned her into his foe.
He cared about her and their children but whenever he tried to make things up and get it done with, he only found himself making it worse, no thanks to Deola's manners.
He really never wanted her to find out about his mistake with Lydia but that was spilt milk already and the only thing left was for them to meet each other but he was not going to let that happen no matter what it was going to cost him.
He knew his mother wanted that so Deola would finally get frustrated and leave but the truth was that Deola was the only one who ever held him together. He had tried to no avail to evade that fact.
In his final year at school, all his projects were sponsored by her since he couldn't go bother his uncle then. His father hadn't any job as far as he could remember and only handled various businesses at different times with neither of them enough to sustain the family. His mother always turned to her elder brother then, Alhaji Usman, who was mostly responsible for his education as well as his brothers' and so when he finally got to his final year, he was left to take care of himself being the first born with three other younger brothers who needed the help more.
Deola had come in then, when he needed support the most. She was the daddy's little girl who was in love with him and he had exploited that fact. He married her thinking that was how best he could have recompensed her, defying his mother who didn't like his marriage to a university graduate and wanted him to marry someone from their town who was less educated so she would have had more control.

Tayo had been a mastermind of his defiance assuring him that his mum would get over it in no time and to do what was right. Kay on the other hand never supported the marriage. He told him straight to his face once that he was only wasting his time with a girl like that and her responsibilities would overwhelm him if he went ahead.

Now he wasn't sure whether it would ever fall in place now. He could swear that he hadn't been himself the previous night when he ended up accusing his wife of attempting to poison him. It was as though he had been jinxed or something. He ended up driving around town and sleeping off in his car. He had almost gone to Kay's but remembered how unfortunate that had ended him the last time he went to his friend.

He was even tempted to go Lydia's but told himself he must be crazy then. He should have just driven back home then and apologized to Deola but he was too cowardly to even do that.
She needed space from him and he was going to give her that. He had brought enough pain to her as it was.

He picked up his phone on the table when it began ringing, bringing him back to the present.

"What country is this code for?" He said to himself noting the foreign number that was displayed on the screen.

Answering the call, he heard a really familiar voice at the other end and sighed,
"Tolu, I'm glad I caught you in finally," Tumise, Deola's brother said at the other end and Tolu knew he had some explaining to do now.

----------------------

Lydia put down the plastic bag on the wooden table and went to wake her friend who was lying asleep on the sofa.

"What is this? Can't I sleep peacefully anymore?" Chinwe yelled at her friend who only grinned back at her. Shaking her head, Chinwe sat up on the sofa and sniffed the air for aroma of fast food.

"Look at you. So hunger can make you shut up?" Lydia teased her.

"Whatever. So what's the occasion?" Chinwe went ahead to grab the platic bag and took out the two packs of fried rice and the pack of juice there.

"My husband became responsible," Lydia said excitedly and sat beside her friend.

"Which husband? The one with a wife?" Chinwe said and hissed.

Lydia smiled back, "Nawa for you o. He sent me some money just now when I was in the bus so I just stopped at an ATM point and then thought it would be nice if I bought something for my 'Thomas' friend."

"So he was serious?"

"I told you it only needed some time."

"So what next? Is he just going to send you money and leave you with the responsibility of taking care of your child after you deliver the baby?" Chinwe asked her friend impatiently.

"Of course not. He'll be there not just as the father of my child but as my husband. You just watch," Lydia simpered and grabbed one of the fried rice packs from Chinwe.

Chinwe shook her head and sneered at Lydia. She would just watch her friend handle her problems. Whatever she was planning, she was going to watch it play out, hopefully to her friend's disadvantage.

best4momoh:
And what happens afterwards.

Not so sure about that too. Let's just watch.

LarrySun:
See what guilty conscience can cause; he thought she had poisoned the food. Lol!

Abi o. Silly guy indeed.

jezuzboi:
I don't blame Tolu 4 his suspicion of Deola poisoning his food. 4 heaven's sake why would she stand there staring @ him as though waiting 2 make sure he eats d food? Any man would think it's poisoned, especially after what happened the previous night.

And now where's Tolu heading to? Club, Tayo's or to that girl he got pregnant?

I'm also not sure where he's heading to now .

And have I congratulated you yet for winning best newcomer? Well, congrats

harjibolar10:
I will say, this deola is kind of daft, for think that, the way of getting her revenge is bu making her husband feel uneasy... If tolu eat that food ni, I would have say hes the most stupid man on earth, come to think of it, who does that, eh? You slapt ya wife, she said nothing, and you come back, to meet your food, prepared by her on the table, and you dare eat it, mehn you are gone.
For deola, once again shes daft... She should have prove her innocent, if she has not putten any jazz in that food, by taking at least 2 or 3 morsel in her husband food, so as to let the husband be convince that, the food was prep on her good faith
Namesake me, hope you are much better now oooo... Thanks for the update

I don't think she owes him an explanation. It's his problem if he eats or not. He was just apprehensive.

And I'm fine now. Never better.

--------------

Tolu turned off the car's ignition leaving the fm radio to be the only source of life in the vehicle as Timberlands' apologize was playing on the DJ's spin on City 105.1 fm which he had the radio tuned to.

He didn't know whether or not to go into the house as he saw the his wristwatch tick ten p.m. He had only just left his mothers' after feeling the necessity to sort things out with her. She was right in saying he had a responsibility to fulfill over Lydia even though whatever they shared was purely a mistake. One he regretted deeply and wished could wash away but unfortunately never would.

Now that his mother was not addressing him as an invalid son any longer because he showed up just as she wished, he was feeling really hesitant to walk into the house. That was purely because of his altercation with Deola the previous night. He didn't know how he was going to face her and tell her it was all because of his state of mind. But her words were indeed provoking and though he regretted it leading to him slapping her, he couldn't put aside the fact that their differences were becoming much more obvious. So much for the 'wife material' lecture Tayo had given him. He only felt trapped now.

He suddenly heard hard taps on the car window making him raise his head from the seat headrest, cursing whosoever it was that chose that time to cut in his meditation. Tuning down the volume of the radio, he wound the window down to know see the person's face,

"Baba Niyi, I hope all is well," It was Baba Sade, the next door neighbor that was the violator of his peace. The man who was with his shirt off and had his last child hung across his shoulder, stood there smiling with a seeming look of concern on his face.

"All was well until you intruded my peace," Tolu nearly barked at him as he flung the car door open and stormed off cursing as he went.

"Ahn....ahn! For what reason are you yelling now? I was only checking if you were still alive shut up in your car," Baba Niyi called after him. He wasn't going to let a young 'boy' like that insult him.
He had always been looking forward to an occasion where he would get to speak to Tolu and get to know more about who he was but this scene showed him that his hopes had been for nothing and Tolu was just as his wife painted him-A silent killer, she had said and he was more tempted to believe her now. He only pitied the young lady that was married to him. If her husband couldn't control his temper with an outsider then he wondered how he was going to do that with his wife.

-----------------

"Daddy, I can write 2", Niyi said excitedly holding up a pencil and a notebook to his dad where he had scribbled all over the whole page hanging open.

Tolu nodded at him and wiped his face of the dripping water with the towel over his shoulder. Immediately he had walked in that night, he had gone straight to the bathroom ignoring his son's continuous chants of 'Daddy' and avoiding Deola. He was not ready to take responsibility for his action with her yet and couldn't stand looking at her lest apologizing.

"Niyi, come in to sleep. It's late and you're going to school tomorrow. I also have an appointment and don't want to be late so hop hop into the bedroom," Deola said walking out of the kitchen and Tolu turned slowly to look at her.
Niyi looked up at his father expecting him to say something to buy him some more time to spend with him. Tolu smiled at his son and told him to go in to sleep since it was way past his bedtime.

It felt awkward the minute Niyi went into the room leaving him standing almost opposite Deola especially when she smiled and told him his food was served on the dining table and it was running cold. He looked over at the set table and was tempted to say something but held it in, proceeding to the dining table.

He was about opening the dish when he turned around abruptly and his eyes met hers with her still standing there and not taking her eyes off of him. Like she was waiting for something to happen.

"Thanks," he muttered slowly expecting it to have a magic effect on her and make her leave. He was feeling terrible enough as it was.

Deola nodded not taking a step away making Tolu more uncomfortable. He should definitely be uneasy for having guts to want to eat the dinner I prepared, she thought as she noticed his discomfort. If his discomfort was going to be her source of revenge on him for him now, then it was satisfying enough and she was going to enjoy it a little more.

Tolu opened the plate covering the dish with ewedu soup and a couple of meats and reached for the water in the bowl beside it to rinse his hand and settle to his meal of Semolina and ewedu soup. He still felt Deola's eyes on him but this time she was turning to leave for the bedroom already. He had taken up a morsel and dipped it into the soup about to put it into his mouth when he threw it back into the plate abruptly.

Deola turned around hearing the clatter of the plate which Tolu pushed aside with a look of surprise on her face.

"What did you put in it?!" Tolu shot at her making her take a few steps back, unsure she heard him right.

"What?" She asked flabbergasted.

"Stop acting like some saint, Deola. If you planned on getting your pound of flesh by poisoning the food then try harder," he ranted on.

"Wow! You've really lost it," Deola shook her and hissed. She was in no mood to listen to gibberish from him. Her mother had made her promise when she was leaving never to let things get out of hands and to tackle the worst with calmness. She had broken that promise once and wasn't in for the same mistake again. She might end up with a scar on her face if she stood there as she wasn't sure what next her anger and frustration might cause her to say. She had turned back into the bedroom when she heard Tolu pick up his car keys and storm out of the house banging the door behind him.

"What is all these madness about?" She yelled angrily at no one in particular but only got an engine start for a reply.

"Mummy, Sonia is crying," Niyi called her attention to the baby who was crying at the top of her voice. She had probably woken half the neighborhood with her screams.

Deola looked over at the girl and hissed, " This isn't the future daddy always assured me of," she said looking back at Niyi who went to pet his sister, not sure how but knowing fully that his mum wouldn't.

--------------

The tension burning in the car was beginning to consume Lydia as she glanced over at Tolu who took a quick swerve and headed to the busy street fully focused on his driving. He hadn't given her so much as a single glance since they took off from his mum's after the latter had insisted he dropped her off at home.
His cold attitude now was a source of concern to her as she wasn't even sure he meant anything he said to his mother earlier. He could just be playing them both to get his mother off of his family.

Clearing her throat, she broke into a series of coughing to get him to look at her but got nothing. He didn't so much as blink and just kept driving so she continued coughing until she nearly coughed up her lungs and puke her insides out before he finally looked over at her,

"What is wrong with you?" He yelled at her and slammed his palms on the steering wheel.

Lydia sat back and got a hold of herself beating her left hand over her chest in a bid to calm her coughs,
"I'm a little sick," she told him choking gently.

Tolu looked at her, hesitant on whether to believe her or not before reaching for a bottle of water beside him and holding it out to her without saying anything else. She could be a great actress and he wasn't ready to act by her script.

"Thank you," Lydia muttered and took the bottle from him to take a sip still coughing gently in between.

The silence and coldness then returned with both of them looking away from the other. Unable to stand it any longer, Lydia finally burst out,
"Why are you being this way? Do you think I'm an idiot that can be fooled by your perfect acting of prodigal son?" She said in a fury making Tolu cast a quick glance at her and then smirk,

"Why? You didn't buy what just played out this afternoon?" He asked her in a mock tone.

"So it was indeed acting? Telling your mother you were sorry for making her stressed up because of you," Lydia asked him in disbelief and shook her head when he said nothing to her, affirming her prenotion, "You are so unbelievable. To think that I believed your promise to take responsibility of me for one moment," The same gullibility that had gotten her pregnant was what she found herself drowning in all over again.

"You should still have believed," Tolu said quietly.

"What? Did you mean it?" Lydia asked him impatiently wanting him to tell her to her face that he was ready to have a family with her. That was all she wanted from him right from the day she had met him at the bar with Kay, his friend. He had fit perfectly into the portrait she had mentally painted for a husband and she had threw herself at him without blinking about what she was heading for.

Tolu nodded and remained silent all through the rest of the drive. He had reached a resolution and he was going to do it this way.

kaboninc:
Lool!

Am fine my sizzling and captivating writer!

Trust you're good too.

Now you're making me to fall in love with Deola. Don't know why I have this soft heart for those who have one problem like this or the other.

Your stories are becoming clearer, focused and well structured - less typo errors.

Can I like cause Tolu to see that Kay is contributing to his woes?

Then Deola (I'll name my daughter Deola) shouldn't have spoken to Tolu in that manner nau! Well she's sad but make she control herself ni. Tell her am coming to take her and her beautiful kids away from Tolu! For good, better.

Truss me, I will!

May your ink never dry as you continue to wet our appetite with your thrilling episodes!

Do have a peaceful night!

Cheers!

Hope you'd invite me to the naming ceremony when you give your daughter Deola's name.
And I'll definitely pass your offer to Deola