Growing Wings Episode 15

Martha had an uneasy feeling. She spent the entire morning praying. She just knew something was wrong. She couldn’t quite place the feeling but she just knew that all was not well. She had stayed up late the night before to finish the TV show she was watching. There was an elderly woman who had, amongst other things, kept her husband in bondage (in Martha’s opinion, anyway). One of the things Martha was uncomfortable with was this woman’s insistence that her husband should “understand” that she doesn’t like sex and that her husband had no choice but to live with it. Martha considered it hypocritical that this woman that didn’t ‘like’ sex managed to get pregnant 3 times and have kids that she doted on while the man was trapped in a marriage where he could not express himself.
Martha also found it odd that there were no signs of devotion between Yeside and Wole. She resolved, though, to mind her own business and let God show her how she could make a difference in the lives of the Akingbades and others that God would bring her way as she took care of Olamide. She had heard God clearly tell her to take the job, though she had earlier vowed not to work with children under the age of five. She discovered that it is easier to deal with kids that have a longer attention span. She almost did not show up for that interview.
First, her sister called her early that morning complaining about how her son suddenly took ill. Martha offered to help her watch the boy while her sister went to work. Eventually, their other sister, Grace, realized that her office was observing the public holiday so Martha was free to attend the interview. Then, Martha realized as she was dressing up that the shirt she had planned to put on had somehow slipped from where she hanged it and found its way to the floor, rumpled. The other option was a dirty red shirt. There had been no power supply for about a week. Martha was not in the mood for struggling through anything. As she looked through her things to find the Akingbades’ number in order to call and reschedule, she stumbled on the purple shirt that Blessing had given to her as a birthday gift a month ago. She had forgotten all about the shirt and pants. She quickly brought that out and found it decent enough for a job interview as a nanny.
She had sat for and passed the Senior Secondary School Leaving Certificate in flying colors about 3 years earlier. Unfortunately, their parents died within a space of two months, scuttling the plans to get her into a University. Blessing’s husband was barely struggling to cater for his family and there was no one to help. She had to take the first job she got as a nanny caring for an aged woman. The woman had passed on about three months ago and she was so elated when Blessing told her about the job with the Akingbades.
Martha decided to pray about the job offer as she was dressing up for the interview. She didn’t quite get an answer as she set out. Just as she boarded the last bus that would get her to the venue, she saw a vision of the man, woman and child she was going to meet. She could also see a dark cloud hovering over the family in that trance. She saw the woman holding her hands out, begging her to help them. She then heard the Holy Spirit assuring her that it was okay to help them.
She almost ran out of the eatery when she saw the Akingbades. They were putting on the same clothes she had seen in her trance. The interview had gone on for about 30 minutes when they both cut it short and told her that they would get back to her. They looked like they had been there for about 2 hours before. It appeared she was not the only one interested in the job.
When they called her back to resume, she was thrilled, though she spent time praying about the dark cloud she had seen in her trance. She hadn’t thought much about that trance till this morning. She felt like the dark cloud was about to be revealed.
“How are you doing dear?”
Wole smiled at Martha in a weird way. Martha wondered what was going on in his mind. Was he not going to work? She wondered if he truly went to work as he claimed. There was something really dark about today’s smile.
“Good morning sir”.
“Where is Olamide?”
“I just dropped him off in school, sir”
He still had the dark smile and she wondered what he was up to.
As he was about to say whatever it was that was on his mind, his phone rang.
“Guy, how far?”
“E be like say the tin fit work. I even checked the newspapers. It seems we can look at supplying cables; there may be an opportunity there. I’ll make a few phone calls and get back to you”
“She dey o; she don go work. I am working on that plan. Guy, you are a genius o. I couldn’t have come up with a better plan. I’m about to make my move now. After that, things should move fast. My guy, your head is there”
The laughter was dark again.
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Yeside had an urge to pray. She also had a meeting with Barrister Ikedia. If she took off 15 minutes to pray now, she’ll be late for the meeting. She decided to pray when she got back from the meeting.
The meeting went really well. All the notes she made were on point. Everyone commended her and another partner joked with Barrister Ikedia that if he wasn’t careful, Yeside would be leaving his team to work for him. Yeside glowed and enjoyed the compliments. It was indeed a glorious day. She actually forgot to call Martha, Olamide and Wole as she got busy with the day. She also forgot to pray after the meeting. Her ‘To-do’ list was even longer after the meeting. She decided to pray by lunch time. Somehow that also got moved to later in the day.
She managed to pick Justice Anjola’s call at about 12:30pm. She asked her mum to please help her check up on her people. She had exhausted her 20 minutes phone call opportunity talking with her mum. Her day was too choked for phone calls.
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Justice Anjola felt like telling Yeside to slow down. She seemed too consumed with work. She remembered how she was when she was Yeside’s age. She was just as consumed with work. Thankfully, her hard work paid off and she could afford to take time off here and there. She always wondered, though, if things may have been a little different if she had slowed down a bit. Was there anything she could have done more to keep her little prince with her?
She quickly braced up and called Wole. As usual, he didn’t pick her calls. She may just pay him a visit in his office; she had to set him straight! She quickly called Olamide’s school and confirmed that all was well.
She called Martha next and it just kept ringing. She tried two more times before Martha picked the call, panting.
“Why did it take you so long to pick the call? Where are you?”
“Sorry ma. I was in the sitting room and my phone was in my room, ma”
Martha did not particularly like Justice Anjola but she had to respect her as an elder and as her boss’ mother. She obviously had a lot of influence over her daughter. All she had to do was make a negative comment and Martha’s days in the house were numbered.
“Who is watching the TV in the background?”
“It’s Oga, ma”
“Oga who?”
“Daddy Olamide, ma”
“He is in the house? Please give him the phone. Thanks”
As Martha got to the sitting room, she found Wole in his boxers. She quickly handed him the phone and told him Mama wanted to talk to him.
She could hear his monosyllabic answers as he responded to Mama.
After about 3 minutes, he called her out to come for her phone.
As she got to the sitting room, she found him in the sitting room stark naked…
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Growing Wings Episode 14

‘One, two, Buckle my shoe; Three, four, Open the door; Five, six, Pick up sticks; Seven, eight, Lay them straight: Nine, ten, A big, fat hen;’

Olamide recited the poem happily as Martha prepared him for school. He took to her and practically forgot about his mum. Yeside felt a little pang of jealousy. How could her son quickly take to a stranger like that?

‘Martha, I’ve dropped the list of chores I need you to complete today. You did well yesterday, well done. Please ensure that Olamide gets to school in time, okay?’

‘Okay ma. Have a nice day’

Yeside popped into the room and said goodbye to Wole. He quickly said goodbye to the person he was talking with on the phone. The way he ended the call was a little suspicious but Yeside was running late. She had an 8am meeting with Barrister Ikedia so she had to hit the road immediately; she would check up on Wole and his suspicious behavior later.

‘Goodbye darling. Have a nice day’

Wole was so relieved that Yeside was not very discreet when entering a room. He thought she had left so he was making plans on how to spend the day with Kunle when she came in. That was pretty close! He had to be more discreet with his plans.

‘You can ask Martha to make you some eggs when you’re ready for breakfast. I bought some bread on my way home yesterday. Please ask Martha to serve you breakfast when you’re ready, I’ve told her where things are. I have an 8am meeting with Barrister Ikedia. Have a great day. I’ll ping you as soon as I can’.

She gave him a quick peck and practically ran out of the house. Wole wondered why their case was different. In the movies he watched, it was usually the husband who would rush out of the house and leave a sleeping wife behind. Welcome to the home of a ‘High Flyer’… Well, we’ll see how high Madam ‘High-Flyer’ would fly when he was done with his plans…

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Adekunle Agunbiade had an urge to pray. He wasn’t sure why but these days, he was often woken up by the Holy Spirit to intercede for his family.

“A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.”

He had woken up about a month ago with that word ringing in his spirit. He quickly searched his Bible and discovered that it appeared twice in the same book of Proverbs – Proverbs 22:3, Proverbs 27: 12.

He knew that a storm was brewing against his family but he didn’t know where it was raging from. He knew he had to pray. He called his prayer partners and they agreed on a 21 day fast. He knew Anjola would disregard what he was sensing and would mock him. She was a Christian by religion but definitely not by practice. He had resolved to keep interceding for her. A couple of his friends had advised him to divorce her. He quickly distanced himself from everyone he believed was not favourably disposed to his marriage. He knew that he indulged Anjola; that was a weakness he kept confessing. He had resolved to just seek for opportunities for peace and not tick her off. They had been through so much together and weathered so many storms. He knew that marriage was a lifetime journey between two forgivers. He was in it for life.

Today, he had an urge to pray for Wole and Yeside. He wasn’t sure why or how so he spent some time praying in the spirit. He also prayed for darling Olamide, his little prince. Gbenga, his first little prince was resting in heaven with his Maker.

Kunle remembered his darling son and the battle with leukemia. It was a traumatic experience for all of them. Gbenga died in his laps. That was a day he would never forget. He was about Olamide’s age when he passed away. There were so many similarities between Gbenga and Olamide. Kunle couldn’t visit Olamide in the hospital when he had that horrible fall because he wasn’t sure he could handle the strain again. He wasn’t a young man anymore. Gbenga took a part of him to heaven when he died. He hadn’t fully recovered but he had to soldier on. Anjola appeared to fare better than he did. As Yeside recounted how Anjola ran the show while in the hospital, Kunle realized that she never really healed from the loss of their first child. Yeside was born two years after Gbenga died. She was their comfort from God. It pleased God to bless them with only that child. Kunle remembered the pressure he had to endure from his family when they realized that Yeside would remain their only child…

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Growing Wings Episode 13

‘Please ensure you get Olamide to school in time. The school operates a point system; lateness will result in point deduction for Olamide and impact on his final results. Please, it’s very crucial to get him to school in time and make sure his uniform is very clean. I’ll make a list of the chores you need to complete before I get back home’

Wole watched Yeside reeling out instructions to the help like the ‘madam’. He wasn’t too sure if what he felt was pride or resentment. She was in charge. If he didn’t know her well, he would have fallen in love with her just watching her speak with the help. She seemed to be decisive; he only wished she was this assured when dealing with her family members.

His grandparents had kept a distance after his marriage. They grudgingly showed up at his wedding and quickly kept a distance once Yeside’s family members began to bare their fangs. Aunty Sholape, his aunt in Lagos, had tried to blend with his in-laws but after a few disastrous attempts, she also kept a distance. Justice Anjola thoroughly disgraced Aunty Sholape at the last function she came for. They had served everyone else on her table and somehow managed to skip her. When she complained to Justice Anjola, her response and demeanor thoroughly embarrassed Aunty Sholape.

‘Please help me find something for this woman’, Justice Anjola bellowed to one of the service boys.

At least, that was what Aunty Sholape told him about four months later when he paid her a visit. She had refused to pick his calls before then and after that, she avoided him. None of his family members wanted anything to do with him since he chose to rub shoulders with the Agunbiades. They essentially washed their hands off him. As much as he tried to brush it off, it hurt him deeply. He laid the blame for that where it rightly belonged – with Yeside and her family members. He made a mental note to visit Aunty Sholape pretty soon.

Wole was amused at how Yeside expected the help to complete so many tasks within the 8 hour period they would be away – clean the house, wash and iron clothes, get Olamide to school, make food, get to the market etc. Yeside couldn’t accomplish those tasks herself in 24 hours. She was definitely going to make his job easier. He would just wait for the right time to strike.

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Yeside felt Wole watching her intently. Only God knows what was going through his mind. He almost had a smile while she gave Martha instructions. He looked handsome, yet so unreachable. She should have felt relieved as Martha resumed but she had a nagging feeling that all was not well. She couldn’t place it so she kept going over her ‘To-do’ list. Something was amiss and she didn’t know it.

‘Are you okay, darling?’ Yeside asked Wole.

‘Do I look like I’m not?’ Wole barked back at her

He quickly caught himself and muttered a muffled apology. He couldn’t let her suspect that he was up to something.

Yeside waved goodbye and headed off to work.

Wole decided to wait a bit before going to work; he needed to study how Martha worked so he would plan his move. Thankfully, his boss was on a business trip and he had actually been suspended for two weeks as a result of the issue with the Igbaje residents. His boss told him that the suspension was the best he could negotiate for him, considering his past track record. If he was better connected, he would have got a transfer instead of the suspension. His boss suggested that he should speak with his in-laws to see if they knew anyone that could mediate for him. Wole thanked his boss and promised to check if there was anyone that could speak for him. He had no intention of asking for help from any of them; hell would have to freeze over before he would ask for help from any of the Agunbiades. If he tried it, he would keep paying for it for the rest of his life.

Yeside couldn’t stop talking about how her opportunity with Barrister Ikedia was a good thing for her as a ‘High Flyer’. Why could she not just keep quiet and let him eat in peace. He had to smile and appear to be happy for her. He learnt that Justice Anjola was already in the picture, as usual. They spent the weekend going over similar case files. He wondered what they would have done if he told them about his suspension. He could imagine their response – fake ‘It is well’ from Yeside and false attempts to help by Justice Anjola. He was so sure they would be so happy that their evil plans were succeeding. He was tempted to tell them just to dampen their moods but no, he won’t be stupid enough to deliver himself to his frenemies...

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Growing Wings Episode 12

'Good morning, Yeside. How was the holiday? How is the family? Please can we have a quick chat whenever you're ready?'

Mabel had a very wide smile as she spoke with Yeside while in the elevator. They were heading to their 6th floor office.

'Sure. I have meetings till 11am. Can we meet at about 11:15?'

'I have a meeting from 11-12. How about having lunch together? My treat. '

'Sure. Can we do this more often?'

They both laughed as they got off the elevator.

'Do I get a hint on what the chat is about? Is it an appraisal session? Come to think of it, I need to find a mentor for my High Flyer Program. Please will you be my mentor?'

'Na mentor you call like that? Isn't there a particular level one must be at before you can mentor High Flyers like you?'

'Ah ahn na. Don't you know you're a Big Madam? Only your eyeliner sef will buy my entire make-up kit. When I grow up, I want to be like you ooo'

They both laughed as they went into their respective offices.

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'Mrs Akingbade, what are your thoughts on how to approach this case?'

'I believe the prosecution has no concrete evidence against our client. Everything that has been presented so far is speculative. No one saw Mr. Haruna firing the fatal shot.'

'Thank you, ma'am.'

 

Yeside was so thankful that she had taken some time to read through the case files before the public holiday. She had been lost in thought when Barrister Ikedia threw the question at her. She couldn't afford any slips; all eyes were on her as a High Flyer.

 

She had to always be on point, organized and prove that she was competent. She had to prove that she wasn't rising as a result of 'bottom power' as some of her male contemporaries had crassly put it. She had to make those that nominated her for the High Flyer program proud. She had to make mum proud. She had always heard how it was her duty to pave the way for other women by ensuring that she did her job exceptionally well. She had to prove that "What a man can do, a woman can do better". She had to make her 'sisters' proud.

 

She had been thinking of yesterday's events. How could a day that started on a promising note end so poorly? She wondered who Wole spoke with in the morning. He seemed ready to take her to 'Jerusalem', even after Olamide's interruption. Then there was that phone call. Who called him? Could Wole be seeing another woman? She had to get his phone somehow and get the identity of the caller. She was beginning to plot how to get the phone when Barrister Ikedia interrupted her thoughts with his question.

'Research on how to get call records', she included on her 'To-do' list.

 

Her answer must have impressed Barrister Ikedia a lot as he asked her to wait behind after the meeting. She had 30 minutes between this meeting and the next. As she waited for Barrister Ikedia, she quickly checked her phone. Wole had sent a BBM message about dropping off Olamide at school. Mum had asked her for their decision concerning the help they interviewed yesterday. She quickly sent a message to Wole and they agreed that Mum could take the help for the necessary tests while they worked out the living arrangements once the help moved in. She asked Mum to go ahead with the tests. She was just about to send a message to Olamide's teacher when Barrister Ikedia asked her to come.

 

As they discussed the details of the case, Yeside observed that there was no wedding ring in Barrister Ikedia's fingers. He was a handsome man in his early forties. He was the youngest partner in the firm. He asked how the High Flyer program was going. He offered Yeside an opportunity to help him with research on a similar case he was handling. He had only come around to check up on this case as it was a high profile/high risk one that required Management involvement. She didn't think twice before accepting the offer. Barrister Williams, who was handling this case, was only an Associate Partner; working with Barrister Ikedia would definitely be a wise career move.

 

As she hurried for her next meeting, she quickly sent a message to Olamide's teacher. She also sent a message to Mum, telling her about Barrister Ikedia's offer. As she copied the message to send to Wole, Emeka distracted her when he asked her to stop 'pinging' on the stairs. He went on to lecture her on stairway safety. Well, he had a point.

 

She went on to the High Flyer Topical Session. Today's topic was "Dealing with children living with abusive parents/guardians'. It was quite enlightening and interesting. As she left the meeting to return to her seat and wait for Mabel's lunch offer, she quickly checked her phone. She forgot to send the message about Barrister Ikedia's offer to Wole, thanks to Emeka's Stairway Safety lecture. She quickly sent the message. Mum had sent her a message with links to sites she could visit to read more about such cases. Yeside could tell that Justice Anjola was more excited about this offer than even Yeside.

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'How are you doing, dear?'

Mabel smiled as they settled in and started their lunch 'date'.

'I'm doing well'

They continued eating and talking in the most ladylike way they could.

'You are too focused on your goals and plans. You need to give God room to work.' Mabel said gently to Yeside 'Really? Why did you say that?' Yeside asked.

'Actually, I was led to talk to you along these lines. That's why I offered you that ride a few weeks ago. I prayed that God would give me an opening with you. I noticed you didn't drive that day so I offered you the ride. I wasn't going home directly but I decided to drop you off before going back to where I had planned to go. Everything you've said now confirms all that I've been led to share. It's good to make plans and have goals. However, if they do not originate from God, you will not find lasting satisfaction even after achieving them.'

'Have you considered my mentoring request'? Yeside quickly changed the topic.

Mabel smiled at Yeside's poor attempt at changing the topic. She had to be really patient with her. God sure had a sense of humour, sending her to work with Justice Anjola's daughter. She'll just have to trust God on this one and not try to force things to go her way.

 

Yeside excused herself and went back to her seat. She had to research how to get call records from a service provider. She would explore that option while trying to get Wole's phone to know who called him yesterday. She also had to check out those links Mum had sent to her.

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Wole was amazed at how many messages he got from Yeside that day. She seemed too happy for a woman whose plans to seduce her husband didn't go as planned. He knew The Witch was up to something and he wasn't going to be fooled this time. He couldn't wait for the help to resume so he could continue his plans. He had to tread carefully and play his cards close to his chest.

He checked his phone again and saw another message from Yeside. Things must be really slow at her office today. Usually, he got only one message from her at about 3pm asking him what he would like to eat. When he decided to marry a rich spoilt brat, he had expected to be her cook and cleaner as he knew he couldn't afford to hire either. She had surprised him with her interest with cooking. She was one rich girl that could cook. That was one thing that remained consistent even as he discovered how wicked she truly was. She didn't let him down in the cleaning area. He was glad that the help would come and help them keep their apartment clean. That was a bonus.

'A partner in the firm has asked me to work with him on one of his high profile cases'

He knew he ought to be happy for her but he couldn't bring himself to rejoice. He sent her a 'Thumbs up' reply. Why should she be making such progress while he had to respond to another query this morning?

He hadn't turned in his report on the status of the transformer the residents of Igbaje requested for 7 months ago by the deadline. The suppliers kept coming up with excuses and they were the only ones approved to supply them. He had done all he knew to do. The residents had written about their case in the dailies. The case had suddenly become a high-profile one and he was the scapegoat to bear the brunt. He now had to explain why he had not escalated the issue to his superiors when things were not going as planned. He remembered bringing the issue up in a meeting but there was no minutes of meeting to prove that. Only God could help him here.

A text message came in. It was a reminder from the church office about a prayer program in the evening. Who had time for that? He was meeting with Kunle and the gang for a drink after work. Maybe he'll try to attend tomorrow's meeting.

He had to figure out how to use this information from Yeside to his advantage.

 

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GROWING WINGS EPISODE 11

"Thank God for the holiday!" Yeside thought to herself as she snoozed the alarm for another 30 minutes.

She mentally ran through all she had on her 'To-do' list and smiled as she thought of the interview with the minder. Olamide's accident was really turning out to be a blessing in disguise for her. First, the gap between she and Wole appeared to be closing as they spent so much time together in the hospital. Wole had even kissed her once when they were alone and Olamide was asleep. It was definitely magical. Just as he was about to deepen the kiss, Mum had come in and scolded them about kissing under such circumstances. Then she told Dad and the whole family was talking about them kissing while their son was recovering...Mum!

Secondly, Wole had agreed that they needed to get someone to help them around the house. They needed a live-in nanny that would engage in some craft or something while Olamide was in school and would help around the house when the day was over. Mum offered to help them find suitable prospects. Yeside's life had begun to seem perfect.

"Wake up, sleepy head", Wole playfully pecked Yeside.

Before he could turn away, Yeside grabbed him and gave him a deep kiss. He was initially startled but quickly went with the flow.

"Mummy, mummy", Olamide's little voice brought Wole and Yeside back to earth. They quickly dressed up and 'promised' to finish up the 'business' later.

"That'll be one more advantage of hiring a nanny", Wole and Yeside said together as they smiled and let Olamide in.

"We should book for a studio session soon", Yeside tested the waters with Wole.

"At the appropriate time", Wole answered as he stepped out to answer a call.

That answer always got on Yeside's nerves. How could that be an appropriate answer to a studio session. Wole!

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Wole stepped out to pick Kunle's call. The dude's timing was PERFECT! The witch's spell was beginning to work on him. Thank God Olamide knocked at the time he did. He was almost about to make love to that witch. Studio sessions indeed!

"Guy, abeg no vex. My phone crashed. I just fixed it. How's Olamide?" Kunle's deep baritone voice brought Wole to the present.

"Guy, na wa for you ooo. You no sabi how to reach my house ehn? God is watching you in 3D oooo"

"Guy, abeg no vex. How today go be na?" Kunle asked "We're meeting someone at 1pm, then we were going to visit my in-laws. What's up?"

"I thought we'll hang out and catch up"

"Okay, let's see at about 3-4. I'll drop Yeside and Olamide off at my in-law's place after the appointment. They'll find their way home afterwards".

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They interviewed 4 ladies and they both liked the same person. Wole was quite amazed at how they both came to the same conclusions. The plan was coming together easier than he thought.

As they got to his in-law's place, Wole told Yeside that he had to meet up with some friends and that they had to find their way home.

Yeside was quite annoyed but she decided to keep mute about the issue.

The visit at her parents' place brightened her mood. Mum suggested that they sleep over and that Yeside could go to work from their place. Mum was on leave and Dad's time was flexible anyway so they would mind Olamide while Yeside was at work. The whole arrangement was ideal but somehow, Yeside couldn't get her 'unfinished business' with Wole out of her mind. She asked Mum to please drive them home...

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Wole didn't realise how much he had missed Kunle and the gang until the 'hang-out' started. The next time he checked his phone, there were 16 missed calls and it was 11pm. He had also had about 3 bottles of beer.

He decided to go home. What if the witch had harmed Olamide again? He quickly said goodbye and went home. Everything seemed normal except that he found his wife in a sexy lingerie asleep on the sofa. As he carried her into the room, he quickly checked Olamide and found him safely tucked in his bed. He heaved a sigh of relief. At the same time, she stirred in her sleep and he actually wanted to sheathe his sword and love her. Then, he heard her angry voice from 2 years back on the phone with Justice Anjola "I want to take my son and leave him empty and drained".

No, the woman in his hands was a witch that deserved all that was coming to her...

 

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Growing Wings Episode 10

“You’re not making any sense, Yeside”, Anjola said panicking…”I just dropped Olamide off and left, what’s the matter with Olamide? Where is he?”

Yeside managed to tell Anjola where they were before the phone went off. Her phone battery just gave up on her. She had forgotten to charge the phone while dealing with all the drama…The day was surely a terrible one all the way… Why was Wole acting all concerned all of a sudden? He didn’t seem to care a hoot about his family when he walked out and went wherever it was he went. What was all the show about Olamide’s HMO card and sticking around to watch over them like a hawk? Why was he looking all so tender and adorable? Was he just about to reach out to her? Or was she dreaming up all the attention?

She would never know because Justice Anjola practically flew into the room with all the corresponding Diva like attitude that she could muster. She must have asked one million and one questions and wanted answers immediately to even incoherent questions. This was a classic déjà vu case. She was transported back to 3 years back when she just had Olamide and Mum practically ran her life. Her room was brimming with visitors. Her recovery was a miracle as she barely had 5 minutes of rest before the next visitor came in. She did not get any respite when she was discharged from the hospital. She was so exhausted each day as she spent all her energies nursing Olamide and attending to her million and one relatives that came to visit. She was so glad when mum had to return home and back to work a month and a half later. She just realized that that was when she really began to have serious disagreements with Wole.

Wole watched his mother-in-law essentially take over the whole situation. She was there bossing everyone around, telling the nurses how to do their jobs. When was he going to be free from this woman? It was exactly the way things were 3 years ago when Olamide was born. Before then, he only had to deal with his in-laws during family outings. As tiring as those were, he always had the assurance of some form of peace when he returned home. Yeside still had her angelic mask then. She still pretended to care about him whenever she wasn’t screaming about one pregnancy woe or the other. He was convinced that she was pretending but he was too infatuated to care…He gave in to her every whim then…When The Witch Mother came to care for Olamide, even his pretend peace was invaded. He had no more sanctuary and things never went back to how they were when she left their house… Anjola could feel Wole watching her every move. The silly boy was so incompetent. He and Yeside had swallowed all the doctors and nurses had told them without asking any questions. They were so naïve. She was not going to stand by and watch her grandson be disfigured by incompetent medical practioners. She had been involved in too many cases where the doctor’s competence was really in question. She had to be sure that every syringe was sterilized and every sheet was clean. She may not have had much say in her choice of son-in-law but she wasn’t going to watch her grandson suffer because of his mother’s foolishness… “SHUT UP”

Anjola smiled as she recognized Femi’s voice. That troublesome boy was in the building. Her nephew would definitely not swallow rubbish from any incompetent buffoon.

“Uncle Femi, good afternoon. What is the matter?” Yeside greeted her fuming cousin.

“I asked the buffoon at the front desk where Olamide’s ward is and she was asking me who Olamide is. Her equally incompetent supervisor sided with her when I tried to tell her that she was clearly wrong and shouldn’t ask such silly questions. Did you not pay your complete fees?”

Yeside tried to pacify her cousin and Wole just said a feeble “hello”.

Yes, they were about to relieve the Delivery drama all over again. He just prayed that the drama would end in the hospital this time.

Yeside had tried to explain how Olamide ended up being hurt. She thought she had locked the door after her mum left and she tucked Olamide into bed. Apparently, she drifted off to sleep (or was lost in thought as she claimed) and did not hear when Olamide got out of bed. Olamide was fascinated with going out of the house so he must have tried the door, found it open and slipped out. He must have missed his step somewhere and tumbled down the stairs. The doctors claimed that it was a miracle hat he did not suffer a head injury when he fell down the stairs. Wole wondered if they should reconsider the idea of hiring a live-in-maid or someone to watch over Olamide. The idea was now very appealing to him, though he was not sure how to fund it. He had a brilliant idea…

 

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