she was thirty four, single, comfortable but desperate to get hooked to a man. she battled with her size, a 'fat' woman who thought she was undesirable to an eligible bachelor.

he was a soldier, who loved his women big, but couldn't get close to her. Because she had a razor blade for a tongue and was never serious.

they found each-other and fall in love when they least expected it, would he look beyond her foul tongue and embrace the woman she is within? would she endure his numerous absence and wait for him while he goes on a peace keeping mission with no promise of coming back? would both scale through the temptations, Jealousy and evil plots that threatened their love?

'The soldier that loves me' dived deep into the heart of love, trust , betrayal and self recognition and fulfillment.


DISCLAIMER:

this work is solely the property of Rosemary Okafor and must not be copied, paste or published in any social media platform and hard copy with out the authorization of the writer.
Doing so is tantamount to being sued by the writer.

(c) Rosemary Okafor

THE SOLDIER THAT LOVES ME- A FAT GIRL’S STORY

It was her thirty-fourth birthday but there was nothing special about today, except, of course the dreaded call she would get from her mother Who would demand for her to bring her a man;

“Eliza when are you getting married? Are there no men in Port Harcourt? Grab one and bring to me now”

They have been on this for the past seven years, she thought her mother would give up on her eventually, ‘maybe she has’ Elizabeth though. But when her phone ran and she lazily searched the bed for where she might have dropped it before she slept off the previous night, she got a sudden hiccup as the name ‘Mama General’ glared at her

“here we go again” she muttered with a hiss.

She dropped the phone on the bed and covered it with a pillow. She didn’t want to hear the ‘Onyinye’ music done by the duo ‘Psqure’ which served as the ring tone. She was going to change that ring-tone some weeks ago after the news of the twin’s break-up made a sensational topic on the news.

She dragged herself off the bed, rubbing her sleepy eyes she walked to the mirror and stood looking at herself.

Her hand ran through her face and stopped at her cheeks, with a finger, she turned her face from side to side. Amaka had told her yesterday that she was slimming down, but she knew Amaka had lied to her, her cheeks were as puffy as four balls of ‘Mama chukwuma’s’ Akara put together and her neck still has those ugly rings that made her look like someone who swallowed three doe-nuts that hung on her throat like steering wheels.

It was a Sunday and she needed to be in church, she would be singing the praise and worship, but she didn’t feel like it. Her hand moved down to one of her breasts, she spread her fingers to cup it, she moved her hand down and pushed the breast as if she was balancing it on a pendulum.

Service was by eight and it was already thirty minutes past seven, “I am cursed…I am cursed…I am cursed” she muttered it as a lamentation as she held a chunk of the flesh on her buttocks “What is this?” she asked in anger.

The phone rang again, she rushed and took it, about to shut her mother up before she would start her marriage preaching;

“Mommy hapum Aka now (Mom leave me alone)”

“Babe where are you, Music Director is blowing hot, you are not here” Amaka said from the other end of the phone

“Tell una music director to shove his anger up his flat a*s…” Elizabeth replied, relieved that the caller wasn’t her mother

“What? you are talking to a man of God Lizzy…”

“Better still, tell him to take the praise and worship himself. And who is the man of God you are talking about? Henry? Please spare me?” She yawned

“May Jesus have mercy on you with your foul mouth”

“Amen”

“So where are you? All backup singers are here already and you are not seated”

“I am not coming there today… you guys should tell Jesus that I am thirty-four and I need a husband”

“My goodness! It’s your birthday girl! Happy birthday to you love”

“I have nothing to celebrate”

“Of course you do… you a cash madam, you have your business running and a car too…”

“No man Amaka, no freaking man”

“Girl please come to church, Henry is bellowing like a mad bull here, we will go out after church to talk about how to get you a man” Amaka chuckled

“Not a man like Henry I guess” Elizabeth was on her feet already, removing her Pajamas with her left hand while holding her phone with the right

“You still have choice?”

“Of course I do, I need a child no means say I need a slowpoke, not that I am that old” she kicked off the pajamas and rushed inside the bathroom

“You no wan marry be that na”

“Get off my phone I wan baff” she turned on the shower and jerked as the cold water touched her skin

“What is that why did you scream?” Amaka asked

“Girl… don’t you have a church service to be in? go and clean the pastor’s chair…get off my phone” ‘click’ the phone went dead, she was about to place the phone on the toilet tank when it slipped from her fingers and fell on the bathroom floor

‘Sh*t…sh*t…sh*t…’ she quickly turned off the shower tap, she squatted down and felt the bathroom floor with her hands, it was difficult to see with soapy foams on her face.

It was five minutes to eight by the time she got into her 2009 model of Toyota Camry. That was after she had tried about a dozen of her cloths, ripping some from the armpit while some buttons went flying like pebbles to free her melon sized breasts that were screaming for freedom. As she sat on the car seat, her breast pressing on the steering wheel set off the car horn, she adjusted the seat backward so she would be comfortable. Her brother had used the car late last night and had moved the seat forward.

By the time she got to the church, the choristers were already at the mic stand and the prayer coordinator who just finished the opening prayer and was sweating like someone who just came out from a wrestling match, was holding the mic, looking around for the lead singer. She saw her music coordinator’s face, his face reminded her of her father’s old rickety pickup truck, she could see red chrism coming out of the man’s ears like in the ‘tom and Jerry’ cartoon movie.

“Excuse me…excuse me…” she shoved some church members as she made her way to the Altar from the western door, one of her shoe heels pierced the church Altar rug and got stuck, she almost stumbled but was able to catch herself before she got to the ground.

She glanced at Amaka and saw her rolling her eyes, making the sign of the cross and muttering ‘thank God’. She walked pass the pastor and caught the pastor’s wife gave her those looks that would make one go to hell without judgement. She took the mic from the Prayer coordinator and was about to start singing when she noticed the pastor’s sixteen-year-old son on the keyboard instead of brother Jerome. Angry bile was already building inside her and this capped everything.

“Hallelujah” she shouted

“Hallelujah” chorused the church

She looked at the boy and signaled him to strike key ‘C’ sharp from the keyboard but the boy struck ‘D’. she kept shouting ‘Hallelujah’ and quoting scriptures she didn’t know when last she read, as she continued to see if she could balance her tone with the key the poor boy struck.

Mama G.O Has formed the habit of pushing her over pampered brat of a son to play the keyboard even though the boy was no better than some kids in her neighborhood making cacophony with local flutes. The members were beginning to get bored of her many shouts of ‘Hallelujah’ and were beginning to seat down. She felt like pulling one of her shoes and throwing it on the boy,

“Where is Jerome by the way” she wondered.

As she was about to shout another ‘Hallelujah’ the tone from the Keyboard changed, the sound became very smooth and the key very perfect for her. She started her first worship song

‘the son of God is lifted high…’ by Nathaniel Bassie.

The church members where already engulfed with the atmosphere of worship of worship when she looked towards the instrumentalists and her eyes met his.

She didn’t know she has been gazing for too long with her mouth opened until he changed the song for her on the keyboard and gave her a wink.

Following

I don siddon

Make updates dey flow wella

skubido:
Following

awww... Thank you so much for following

Ann2012:
I don siddon

Make updates dey flow wella

number one ardent reader, her royal majesty , I am loyal sis

We are here o lady Rosemary33.

Who be waiter here? Abeg bring one chilled bottle of costly wine and a plate of cow tail pepper soup

That ‘wink’ is glorious and heavenly, church boys can relate

I`m here

SkimpleD:
That ‘wink’ is glorious and heavenly, church boys can relate

hahahaaaa see true confession o

Missmossy:
I`m here

oya have seat, you are welcome

Episode 2

The look on her face when she looked at him made him want to throw caution in the air and laugh out loud. Ebube liked her already, though he couldn’t say the same of her church members, especially some of her Choir members. He tried to make eye contact with her again when she was handing the mic over to one guy that must be one of the pastors. What she gave him in return was a stern look rather and he wondered if it was her own way of saying thank you to him, he had only giving her an acknowledgement charming smile.

He walked back to his seat a little disappointed, it would be his third time of coming to the church since he was transferred to Port Harcourt, and it wouldn’t have been bad to hit up with the voluptuous curvy lady, a daughter of Eve in the house of the lord. The church was already in praying mood and he didn’t know what to do with himself, he wasn’t much of a prayer warrior himself, he had always relied on the prayers of his mother.

Women screaming, clapping and shaking their heads with reckless abandonment, some men were on their knees while the pastor was praying in tongues and calling out prayer topics.

Not too long a sister took the stage and the attention of everyone, jumping from her seat, she hopped like an antelope to the front where she would be seen by everyone,

“She does that every Sunday, always in the spirit” A young man beside Ebube said

“Hmm, why wouldn’t the pastor stop her?” Ebube asked

“Stop? It’s a sign that the holy spirit is in the church” the young man said in a hush

An elder turned and looked at the two men “reverence the spirit of God young men, don’t let him pass you by” he cautioned them

Ebube bent his head and closed his eyes, but his neighbor moved closer to him and whispered “Nice sound you made on the keyboard today…my name is mark by the way” the elder glanced at them.

The Pastor was already preaching when he was able to see her again, she was having a fight with what seemed like her bra strap, for she had her hand inside her cloth by the shoulder, tugging on something. she looked up and her gaze fall on him, this time she didn’t look away immediately, she held the gaze, lifting up an eyebrow, questioning him silently and challenging him. He gave her a smile and she gave him a finger with her lips forming the words ‘F*ck you’

“What the f*ck! Who does that in church” Ebube muttered, trying hard to bring down his voice, but his sudden exclamation drew Mark’s attention

“What is that?”

“Hmm…nothing”

Mark looked from him to the Elizabeth following his eyes “Oh that…”

The Elder gave both of them a warning look, then shook his head “Where you not the one who played the Keyboard just now?” He asked

“I am sir”

“Are you born again?”

“Sir?”

“I know you are not, if you are, you will understand the important of God’s word and will stop allowing this rascal distract you” Elder Walter said, referring to Mark as the rascal

Mark drew a breath but said nothing, the pastor was rounding up his message when Mark whispered to Ebube “I am f*cking his daughter and he didn’t know, yet he calls me rascal”

Laughter like a bubble escaped Ebube’s lips “Man you are wicked…what!!!”

They were lucky that elder Walter was on his way to the Alter to receive the commission for mission and evangelism, and the pastor’s son has resumed his cacophony which swallowed their conversations.

“See that girl?” Mark pointed at the beautiful slender Usher standing closed to the Alter

“Which girl?” Ebube asked

“That one”

“Okay…I see her”

“She is the one, I love her though, but that old Elder would not allow me marry her. He would rather prefer Deacon Sotoye’s Son who has a car … I don’t have a car so, I am out of the picture” Ebube could sense the pain in the young man’s voice which disappeared almost Immediately.

“So… I haven’t seen you in this church before, are you new?” Mark changed the topic

“Yes, though this is my third time of attending” Ebube said, distracted, he had his eyes on the curvy lady who was had her thumb nails in her mouth absent minded.

“Hope you have come to stay”

“I actually was posted here three weeks ago” when he saw Marks confused look, Ebube added “I am with the Nigerian Nevy”

“I knew it! I knew there was something about your boldness…”

“The elder is coming back” Ebube mused

“Oh…” Mark adjusted and sat straight

*

She was known for acting on impulse, and that was what she did when she caught the Handsome guy looking at her with a smirk on his face for the second time. Now she felt bad about it and didn’t know how to undo what she did. After all she was the one that had thrown away her home training and had looked at a man like a fool.

She had forgotten herself, drown in his beauty and powerful structure, then came that taunting smile he gave her, it was as if he knew she had lusted a little bit

“Forgive me Jesus” she made an inaudible prayer.

She didn’t know she would still have butterflies in her stomach for any man. She had promise God that she would go celibate if that would bring a husband who would love her and her body size, and this man has come to tempt her now.

“Get ye behind me devil” she said waving her hand over her head and snapping her fingers

“What is that? Who is the devil that came to church?” Amaka asked

“Nothing… just a thought I remembered”

Elizabeth stole a glance at the Man again, he wasn’t looking at her, though she was half expecting him to do so, not after her being rude to him.

“…the church will be embarking on a twenty-one days praying and fasting to usher us into the new month. This praying and fasting is very important if we want to function well in this era of depression and lack…”

Elizabeth heard someone cleared her throat beside her by the left and turned,

“This fasting will be good for some people so they can be able to slim down and start coming to church early” Mitchel, one of the church’s lead singers said, drawing laughter from other members who heard her

“Hungry Bitch that looks like an HIV patient” Elizabeth retorted at the girl who was taken aback at Lizzy’s choice of words

“At least some of us are not on their late forty’s and single”

“What the f…” Lizzy was in her full rage

“Calm down Lizzy, you are in church” Amaka said, holding her friend

“Did she just call me forty and single?”

“Let it go Lizzy you are more than this you know…”

“Tell this cassava stem that eat poverty for breakfast that I …”

“We are calling on the Milk and Honey choir to come and take us to the throne of grace with hot praises so we can dance and come for our general offering”

With the church clapping, Mitchel stood up and walked to the Alter, swinging her buttocks and crossing her long legs in a cat-walking style

“B*tch” Elizabeth muttered

“Don’t be bitter Lizzy”

Elizabeth glance towards the Man again and caught him looking, he was looking at her the whole time, she didn’t hold the gaze out of shame and she didn’t know why she should care about what he would think of her.

*

It was eleven thirty-five when the service finally came to an end. Ebube had love to walk up to her and say hi, maybe get her contact, but by the time he was done exchanging pleasantries from those that wanted to commend his piano playing skills, she was gone.

He walked with disappointment out of the church, though he hoped he could see her before she left.

“Hi” Mitchel came to him with a smile

“Weren’t you the lady that did the praise section?”

“Oh yes! I did…hope you like it?” Mitchel batted her eye-lid like the wings of a butterfly

“It was okay” He said, looking around to see if he could get a glimpse of her

“And you didn’t play for me…”

“I am not part of your music team, I just helped out when there was no one there, I guess the brother that came later and took over did a good job”

“Jerome… yes..”

“Excuse me, I have to go now” Ebube petted her on the shoulder and left

“I hope you will join the choir very soon” Mitchel shouted at him as he walked away.

He caught up with her while she was struggling to slut her car key and open the car;

“Hi”

“What!” she retorted

“Hey easy! I just came to say hi”

“Sorry… bad day…” she said and opened her car

“It is obvious…I mean the bad day”

Elizabeth stood with her hand akimbo “What do you mean?”

“I mean…who come’s late to church when she was supposed to sing, has anger all over her for no just reason, was ready to fight everyone in church and can’t even say ‘thank you’ to the guy that rescued her during praise and worship, that would have gone wrong by the way”

He saw color left her yellow face “Remind me who you are again? Oh you think I owe you now because you played the Piano while I was singing? What are you doing in this church by the way? Adding to my problems?”

“you have such a huge attitude problem for a lady with such a beautiful body like yours” he said, he was already getting angry himself

“What? did you just indirectly talked about my size? Did you just…?

He was already driving out of the church on his Lexus 330, with Mark chatting his life away.

Nice story you've started here.

Thanks for the update

This looks like a story I should follow


Keep it coming

Well done OP

we die here. nice

Nice one Rosie... I am definitely following.

Ann2012:
Well done OP

Sisi mi, u r already here
meself son land
pinkfeet
queenite
adesina12
evajel
ladyfavy
centino
KimberleyWest
aya may una land for here oo

favch:

Sisi mi, u r already here
meself son land
pinkfeet
queenite
adeshina12
evajel
ladyfavy
centino
KimberleyWest
aya may una land for here oo

Oya na

wow... nice... following bumper to fender

loving this thick is bae

My amazing readers, I am wowed by the love you are showing on this story. it is going to be an interesting ride for all of us

Rosemary issa banger

“Are you born again”?


Hahhahaha

I could picture the scenario mehn.
Nice job Rosie

Tanks for the update

hfinest1:
wow... nice... following bumper to fender

SkimpleD:
“Are you born again”?


Hahhahaha

I could picture the scenario mehn.
Nice job Rosie

yes oh that kine thing

Hello oo

favch:

Sisi mi, u r already here
meself son land
pinkfeet
queenitee
adeshina12
evajel
ladyfavy
centino
KimberleyWest
aya may una land for here oo

thank you

favch:
Sisi mi, u r already here meself son land pinkfeet queenite adeshina12 evajel ladyfavy centino KimberleyWest aya may una land for here oo

my plane don land for here ooo
please I need front seat

Episode 3

She realized her mistake immediately he turned his back and walk away, she closed the car and leaned on it, wishing he could look back so she could get the chance to apologize. He didn’t look back, she saw him entered the car and drove off, not even a glance at her. ‘tai!’ she slapped her fore-head “Eliza this your mouth eh…what is wrong with you?” she hissed and turned around to enter her car,

“Ehem…Elizabeth I want to talk to you” Henry stopped her. She rolled her eyes and ducked her neck

“Dear music director, what have I done this time?” she asked rolling her keys round her finger

“the choir will no longer condole your complaisant attitudes and your none-seriousness in the things of God and the music department in this church…”

Elizabeth balanced her weight from one leg to the other and crossed her legs,

“What are you trying to say?” she asked

“You are an embarrassment to the department Elizabeth, you are not in good talking terms with many people in the church… you come whenever you want, you don’t comport yourself like a child of God who should be a role model to the younger ladies in the choir…”

“Now let me tell you what embarrassment is Henry, inviting those younger ladies to your house for private music lessons is an embarrassment, having THOSE younger ladies in the choir to fight over you is an embarrassment…” Henry looked so flushed and embarrassed, he regretted heeding Mama G.O’s Advice to caution this woman with a tongue of a cobra

Elizabeth looked both sides to make sure no one was within earshot “…Embarrassment is when you Bleep Mitchel every weekend and have her leave your house early hours of Sunday morning to come and sing on the Alter of God…” she said in a hush tones

“Shi…shi…shiii…” Henry meant to cover her mouth with his mouth

“If you touch me with that filthy fingers of your…”

Henry looked around before he asked “Who told you those lies?”

“So they are lies eh? Should I tell Pastor so you can deny it before him?” The pastor’s wife walked towards them. Elizabeth saw the plea on her music director’s eyes

“Brother Henry, the pastor wants to see you before you leave” she gave Elizabeth a stern look “And you Lizzy, I cannot tell the demon that has possessed you these days, you were a good girl when you were growing up” Elizabeth looked away “If you continue like this you will end up an old maid with no man to even ask you out…nobody attracts a man with a tongue and an attitude as repulsive as yours”

The Pastor’s wife pulled a chuckling Henry by the shoulder and meant to walk back to the pastor’s office “It is bad enough that you cannot shed some of those fats, don’t include rudeness to yourself”

She stood there, rooted at a spot for more than five minutes, the words from the pastor’s wife hovered around her even when the woman was out of sight

“I will not cry… no no no no …” she fumbled with her car key until she opened the car and sat down, filling her lungs with air, she threw her head backward and closed her eyes “Lord please, I know I have not been a good girl…but please don’t let me cry now… they will laugh at me if they see my tears…no God…the tears are coming out now…” she sniffed and allowed the tears to flow. It has been a bad day so far.

She moved the gear, removed her leg from the brake pedal and drove out of church compound, determining not to come back to the church again.

*

He has seen women, more beautiful and curvier than she was, why would he give her the chance to insult him the way she did, with no reason…

“Is she always like that?” He asked Mark

“Who?”

“The girl that did the praise and worship in church today”

“Oh Eliza…that frustrated old woman?”

Ebube drove in silence for a while “Why do you call her that?”

“She is no longer a child, I heard she is almost thirty-five yet no hu…not to talk of Band”

“Thirty-five is not that old Mark, not every woman is meant to get married early… besides, who told you she even wants to get married?”

“Which woman doesn’t want to marry?”

“Some women don’t want to…”

“Forget that thing Officer, they are only pretending, they all want to have men…”

Ebube didn’t agree with him but didn’t want to argue “So this girl… is she always angry with everyone?”

“I have never seen anyone whom she is in a laughing terms with except children and that her friend, what’s that her name again…Amaka…”

Ebube honked, and navigated towards ‘woji junction’ from first Artillery

“…I thing she is frustrated with herself…probably because of her weight” Mark was saying

“But there is nothing wrong with her weight…She is just tick and curvy” Ebube parked beside the celestial church and beckoned on a boy hawking Bananas. He bought four-hundred-naira worth of bananas and gave Mark half of it before they continued

“for me o, I don’t like fat women, I will be looking for my lekpa self in bed when both of us are in bed” Mark laughed with his mouth full

“Well, one Man’s food they say…”

“Not this one Officer, you wan die?”

They got to the Naval base ‘Woji’ Mark got down and waved to his new friend before crossing to the other side.

“Morn sir!” the boys at the gate saluted as he drove in.

The lady fascinated him, though with the temper of a mother hen, and a tongue as deadly as the venom of a viper. Something told him to stay away but curiosity wanted him to search for her and listen to her rant. He chuckled as he remembered what she did to him in church earlier

“Who says f*ck you in church” he said to himself and took a bite from a finger of banana.

He read human psychology before going into the navy, he has studied enough to know that this lady had a reason for putting up those attitudes, she had built walls around her that were as thick as city walls. The more he thought about it the more he desired not only her body but to break those walls and set her free.

He didn’t know how long he would be in Port Harcourt, but with the little time he had, he would not let go of her.

*

“You were not like this when you were growing up” Pastor’s wife had said to her

She was once a happy chubby girl who knew nothing about getting fit until she realized she always drew wrong attentions and mockery laughter from her peers and some of their parents. Songs were made up with her name and kids danced with them, clapping their hands and glaring their teeth like foxes;
“Iburibu onye ga alu gi Okuko…
Okuko Onye ga alugi Iburibu” was one of the popular songs for her then;
Meaning: “Fat girl who will marry you? Rooster…”

By the time she got to secondary school the taunting became unbearable, she was nicknamed ‘Yokozuna’ because of her size

“Mama, is something wrong with me?” she had asked on her eleventh birthday when Bridget’s mother scolded her for eating so much cake even with her size.

“Mba nwam, you are just beautiful the way you are…” Her mother had answered after sending the woman out of her house

“But why are they all laughing at me?”

“They are not child…”
“But they are! They call me ‘fatibombom’ why can’t I be as slim as Bridget?”

“Because you are not meant to be like Bridget, you are you and that makes you beautiful…besides, you will outgrow this fat, you will still slim down by the time you get to boarding school and into the University”

She has not only finished her University education, she was done with her master’s degree, now managing her own fish farm, yet the she felt like a bloated hippopotamus.

“you are not fat…you are big and curvy” Amaka would say to her

“What is the difference? Please stop making me feel good about these timbers I have in place of thighs” she once responded.

She sniffed in the mucus that was threatening to run down her nose into her mouth, and shook her head as if she was shaking out bad memories. She was closed to Waterlines now, she didn’t tell her mother she would come visiting, but she had to, at least to save herself from being queried why she didn’t pick mum’s call earlier that day.

‘Pupuuuu puuupuuu!’ she honked angrily at a bus driver who stopped at the center of the road to carry passengers.

“Madam you buy new horn?” came the angry responds from the offensive driver

“Idiot! Comot that bus for road” she shouted, bringing out her head from her window and pointing angry fingers at the driver

“waka there Ashawo…Oya come comot the moto na…na so una go carry una husband car dey disturb person for road, if no be your husband way dash you moto, you fit buy tire?”

“Oga driver dey go kwa nu, leave woman alone haba…” some of his passengers were becoming impatience

“I be her husband? Na me dey marry her? Why she go dey insult a whole man like me? If she dey beat her husband for house eh, me I go break her with this her big body…see liability way get mouth dey talk to a man like me”

Her home training of “do not ever lay your hands on anyone” was thinning out, she was tapping her toes on the car rug, and drumming her fingers on the steering wheel,

It has been from one quarrel to another since she woke up, as if spiritual beings had ganged up against her to make her day miserable, “God you know I don’t look for trouble…I told you I will be minding my business oh, but this one has decided to carry out the devil’s assignment” she silently prayed

“Madam you can move now; the road is free” someone rasped on her windscreen. She wanted to scream “I am not a madam! I am a lady!” but rather “Thank you” she said with her teeth clinched

*

“Ola…you remember Ola…that my friend’s last daughter that was your Junior in secondary school…”

“Hmm” she nodded, her mouth full with a ball of garri coated with Okra soup

“Ehen… that Ola, she is getting married next Saturday, and her mother want me to do Aso-ebi for her”

Elizabeth swallowed “Ehe… that is good o, make sure you snap enough pictures”

She pretended she didn’t know what her mother was trying to do, Mrs Okafor has a subtle way of pushing her daughter’s unmarried statues to her daughter’s face,

“Mama Obiageli came back from Omugwo two days ago… she showed me the stuffs her inlaw gave her” Lizzy’s mother tried again

“Eiyaaa…I am so happy for her o”

“She gave me soap and salt, I used some of the salt to cook the soup you just finished”

“Hmnn! No wonder it tasted so different… Chai, Omugwo Salt” Lizzy said and gulped the water from the Picher

“How many times have I told you to stop drinking from the Jug, use the cup” her mother scolded while collecting the Picher from her

“Mum… I enjoy doing it”

“Not in my house”

Elizabeth straightened herself “Mum what is it, what are you being all cranky about this time?”

“Elizabeth, I am worried about you, I am worried that at your age, you cannot keep a man and make him stay”

“Mom today is my birthday; can we not just talk about this?”

“No girl we will talk about it, what happened to the men I heard you were once moving around with?”

“They left mom, they left…”

“That is my point, you have no charm. During my days, I was very graceful and beautiful, I know how to get men eat from my palm…”

“Yet you ended up with dad, a drunk…” Elizabeth blurted out

“What did you just say?”

“Mum look, I am tired, you think I don’t care about men leaving me after many years of dating? You think I don’t give them my all? You think I have not done enough to get a man stay with me? I have done enough Mama, including spending lots of my money to buy their hearts” she was on her feet, her body visibly shaking with anger and hot tears rolling down her cheeks

“…I have tried, but you know what they always say before leaving? ‘My mother say I should not marry a fat woman’, Mama they all call me fat, even those that did not say it loud, showed me by marrying broomsticks as wives…”

“Elizabeth I am…” Her mother realized her mistake and wanted to make things right

“No mama let me finish! Every day you berated me with marriage talks, you blame me for being single, you talk to me like I could give myself a ring. I have prayed, I have fasted I have gone to GYM, I have gone on dieting, I have starved just to keep a man Mama, but the reality is I AM FAT! No man wants to marry a fat woman” she continued

“You are just size sixteen my love, you are not that bad…”

“At least you just admitted that I am bad enough not to be married to a man”

When she was done unleashing her frustrations, she sank on the sofa, lean her head on the head rest and closed her eyes,

“I am so sorry my darling…I..I didn’t mean it this way…you are beautiful the way you are and any man who doesn’t see it, is a fool

She held her mother’s hand and sobbed “Mom I am tired… I feel like I am cursed, trapped in this ugly body…”

“No baby, you are beautiful, bold, God used up all his natural resources on you during creation”

Elizabeth chuckled “You have started mum, I am no longer a child so don’t try to deceive me”

They both Laughed. It would take some time before her mother would bring up the issue of marriage again.

I understand Elizabeth's plight

Thanks for the update