"Sweetheart, we need to talk"
Wole was tired of walking on eggshells around Yeside. Aunty Mope had called again about Ibukun's school fees. He needed to discuss it with Yeside; he'll probably borrow the school fees from her anyway...
"How long will this talk take? I have an 8am meeting ooo"
"Don't worry, it won't take long. Infact, maybe I should drive you to work and we can talk after dropping Olamide off in school. What do you think?"
For some reason, Yeside wasn't too thrilled about having Wole in her office. What if he somehow found out about whatever it was she and Barrister Ikedia were having? She couldn't think of a practical reason why his plan won't work so she agreed.
"It'll be so nice driving you to work. It's been a while I cared for you"
"Mr. Loverman, don't love me to lateness ooo"
They both laughed.
***************************************************
Motunrayo wondered how long it would take before the poison would complete its work. The articles she read had said that it would take between 16 and 24 weeks for it to work. She wasn't sure she could act "normal" for that long, though.
"Motunrayo, have you started dinner?"
She could literally feel bile rising as she looked at her mother. She hated her with everything within her. Which mother would lead her daughter like a lamb to be slaughtered?
"I'll get started now", Motunrayo responded in the meekest voice she could fake.
"Okay"
Every day, as she read about women who braved all odds and stood up to partriarchy, she hated her mother more. How could she sacrifice her daughter to this idol called marriage? Why couldn't she leave this marriage with her children? She swore at that point NEVER to be so dependent on any man.
Meanwhile, Mama was next on her list...
***************************************************
Kunle Agunbiade couldn't believe it! After so many years of fasting and praying, Anjola had become the "doting" wife. Sure, she still had her moments but she now actually let him lead the family. He had got used to letting her have her way so leading would definitely take some getting used to.
He had offered to pick Olamide from school and watch him for two weeks. They were vacating today. He had suggested to Anjola, then Wole and Yeside that Olamide and Martha could spend some time with them while Wole and Yeside spent time alone to work on their relationship.
They were seeing a marriage counsellor that Pastor Richard had recommended. Things seemed to be going on smoothly. Kunle knew that he had to intensify his prayers now. In the meantime, he couldn't wait to pick Olamide and Martha up.
***************************************************
Gbenro looked at the pamphlet that Susan, his personal assistant had given him. He had removed it from his glove compartment and taken it into the house with the aim of reading it. He had forgot all about it until Motunrayo stumbled on it while she was cleaning his room.
How did he go from being "Bro Gbenro" to this guy that had no qualms poisoning his friend? He had fallen from such a great height. As he finished reading the tract, he fell on his knees and cried out to the Lord.
"Help me Lord. Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned"
It was definitely time to head back home. He gave Susan a call and asked her to come over. It was time for a new beginning.
***************************************************
"Aunty Mope called me about two weeks ago"
Wole started the conversation as they drove out of Olamide's school.
"Really? How is she doing? How is the family? It's been a while o"
"They are doing relatively well. However, they have some financial challenges. They're having difficulties paying Ibukun's school fees"
"Hmmmm. How much are we talking about? Do you think we should send them something to help?"
Wole watched in amazement as Yeside asked for Aunty Mope's phone number. He said a quick "Thank You, Lord" mentally as he gave her all the details. So, this was what he had been agonizing over for two weeks?
He pulled over and gave Yeside a heartfelt hug.
"Thank you, Yeside"
"For what now?"
"For everything"
Author's note: This is the end of "Growing Wings". "Flying High" will pick up from where "Growing Wings" stopped.
Please leave comments, we love to read them . Please credit ‘The Women Stories’ if you choose to share. Thank you.
Showing posts with label Growing Wings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Growing Wings. Show all posts
Sunday, 6 September 2015
Sunday, 5 July 2015
Growing Wings Episode 23
He wasn't called Chief for nothing. He understood the laws of power. He couldn't afford to be weak. The scar on his left side was a constant reminder that only the strong deserved to live.
As Motunrayo served him his dinner, he thought it had been a while she warmed his bed. Aduke was beginning to get used to having him to herself; he had to let them know he was in charge again. That silly boy, Gbenro, had the effontery to challenge him! That reminded him that the silly boy, Kunle, should have been finished by now.
As he brought out his phone to call Striker, Striker's call came in.
"Oga, it is done!"
"Well done, my boy. I'll pay in the balance"
"Thank you sir"
He quickly ended the call and tapped Motunrayo's buttocks. Yes, he had to have another dose tonight.
Motunrayo smiled sweetly as she served her dad. She was very nervous but she managed to look cool. Yes, it was time to start exacting her revenge...
***************************************************
Striker was too stunned for words. He definitely had to try to play pool tonight; it was his lucky night. Imagine getting paid for doing nothing.
He had thought he saw Gbenro driving out of the parking lot of Kunle's hotel but he really couldn't tell. Kunle had passed out by the time he saw him. All he had to do was snuff out what was left of his life with a pillow. He was earning 20 million Naira for that? Well...
****************************************************
Wole wished they had moved on already! Yeside was really acting like he committed the worst crime in the world. Yes, he had neglected her but it wasn't like he cheated or abused her. She was being melodramatic!
Aunty Mope had suddenly reached out to him. He couldn't put words to how he felt. He felt connected to his roots. She had actually asked for financial assistance for her son's - his cousin - school fees. How could he say no? His aunty was talking to him again. He needed to share this with Yeside but she seemed to be stuck in yesterday. He had already told her he was sorry for ever treating her so shabbily. He had cried and begged and she just sat there stiff, saying nothing...He was ready to be her man again but she seemed to have turned to a pillar of salt...
****************************************************
Yeside knew she was being cold. Wole had been trying to reach out to her since they returned home from her parents' place but she couldn't seem to get past the hurts and pains of yesterdays gone. Every time he reached out to touch her, all she could think of were the nights when she cried her heart out, begging him to love her. When she managed to get that out of her mind, thoughts of Barrister Ikedia touching her in forbidden places filled her heart. How she be married to one man and be fantasizing about another?
She got up and went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and take her night bath. It was time to take her future into her hands...
****************************************************
Aduke couldn't sleep. How did she end up like this? She could hear Chief pounding away at Motunrayo. What kind of mother did that to her own daughter? Why couldn't she grow a backbone, stand up to Chief, take her daughter and end the marriage?
Because she was NOTHING without Chief...An uneducated, poor NOTHING. But as Chief's wife, she was accorded more honor and respect from all quarters than she could ever imagine. Even her mother, who had told her that she was a NOBODY apologized on her deathbed. She had Chief to thank for that. She would just have to learn to see and hear no evil, though Motunrayo was becoming hard to control these days...Now that they were sharing the same man...
She went downstairs to fix herself a drink and watch some TV. As she watched the drama, a sinister plan began to form in her head. She smiled, switched off the TV and continued to sketch out the details. Soon...
****************************************************
Justice Anjola woke her husband up. She had an urge to pray NOW! She had a dream where Yeside was drowning...She knew they had to pray immediately. She had been feeling that a lot recently. Indeed, Yeside was at a crossroad but she knew that wasn't why the urge was so urgent.
Kunle led the prayers. He was such a gentle and loving husband. Anjola could feel a stirring and longing for him as he prayed. She cautioned herself and focused on the task at hand. She knew that after the prayers, Kunle had to get what a gentle and loving husband deserved.
As he rounded up the prayers, she drew him close to her. She felt lighter. It was so great to follow his spiritual leadership. Right now, she took the lead in the very physical act of loving and he was very happy to follow her lead...
****************************************************
Wole was lost in his Bible Study. The door opened and there was Yeside, looking all resplendent in her green night gown. He said a quick "Amen" and went to her. Everything in him responded to her. There was nothing wrong with him physically. As she led him in the midnight dance, he knew he didn't want to ever leave her side again. She was definitely the only woman for him.
His phone rang but he didn't even hear it. It was later as he watched his wife sleep that he saw the missed call. He saw a text message as well.
How was he going to start the conversation with Yeside?
Please leave comments, we love to read them . Please credit ‘The Women Stories’ if you choose to share. Thank you.
As Motunrayo served him his dinner, he thought it had been a while she warmed his bed. Aduke was beginning to get used to having him to herself; he had to let them know he was in charge again. That silly boy, Gbenro, had the effontery to challenge him! That reminded him that the silly boy, Kunle, should have been finished by now.
As he brought out his phone to call Striker, Striker's call came in.
"Oga, it is done!"
"Well done, my boy. I'll pay in the balance"
"Thank you sir"
He quickly ended the call and tapped Motunrayo's buttocks. Yes, he had to have another dose tonight.
Motunrayo smiled sweetly as she served her dad. She was very nervous but she managed to look cool. Yes, it was time to start exacting her revenge...
***************************************************
Striker was too stunned for words. He definitely had to try to play pool tonight; it was his lucky night. Imagine getting paid for doing nothing.
He had thought he saw Gbenro driving out of the parking lot of Kunle's hotel but he really couldn't tell. Kunle had passed out by the time he saw him. All he had to do was snuff out what was left of his life with a pillow. He was earning 20 million Naira for that? Well...
****************************************************
Wole wished they had moved on already! Yeside was really acting like he committed the worst crime in the world. Yes, he had neglected her but it wasn't like he cheated or abused her. She was being melodramatic!
Aunty Mope had suddenly reached out to him. He couldn't put words to how he felt. He felt connected to his roots. She had actually asked for financial assistance for her son's - his cousin - school fees. How could he say no? His aunty was talking to him again. He needed to share this with Yeside but she seemed to be stuck in yesterday. He had already told her he was sorry for ever treating her so shabbily. He had cried and begged and she just sat there stiff, saying nothing...He was ready to be her man again but she seemed to have turned to a pillar of salt...
****************************************************
Yeside knew she was being cold. Wole had been trying to reach out to her since they returned home from her parents' place but she couldn't seem to get past the hurts and pains of yesterdays gone. Every time he reached out to touch her, all she could think of were the nights when she cried her heart out, begging him to love her. When she managed to get that out of her mind, thoughts of Barrister Ikedia touching her in forbidden places filled her heart. How she be married to one man and be fantasizing about another?
She got up and went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and take her night bath. It was time to take her future into her hands...
****************************************************
Aduke couldn't sleep. How did she end up like this? She could hear Chief pounding away at Motunrayo. What kind of mother did that to her own daughter? Why couldn't she grow a backbone, stand up to Chief, take her daughter and end the marriage?
Because she was NOTHING without Chief...An uneducated, poor NOTHING. But as Chief's wife, she was accorded more honor and respect from all quarters than she could ever imagine. Even her mother, who had told her that she was a NOBODY apologized on her deathbed. She had Chief to thank for that. She would just have to learn to see and hear no evil, though Motunrayo was becoming hard to control these days...Now that they were sharing the same man...
She went downstairs to fix herself a drink and watch some TV. As she watched the drama, a sinister plan began to form in her head. She smiled, switched off the TV and continued to sketch out the details. Soon...
****************************************************
Justice Anjola woke her husband up. She had an urge to pray NOW! She had a dream where Yeside was drowning...She knew they had to pray immediately. She had been feeling that a lot recently. Indeed, Yeside was at a crossroad but she knew that wasn't why the urge was so urgent.
Kunle led the prayers. He was such a gentle and loving husband. Anjola could feel a stirring and longing for him as he prayed. She cautioned herself and focused on the task at hand. She knew that after the prayers, Kunle had to get what a gentle and loving husband deserved.
As he rounded up the prayers, she drew him close to her. She felt lighter. It was so great to follow his spiritual leadership. Right now, she took the lead in the very physical act of loving and he was very happy to follow her lead...
****************************************************
Wole was lost in his Bible Study. The door opened and there was Yeside, looking all resplendent in her green night gown. He said a quick "Amen" and went to her. Everything in him responded to her. There was nothing wrong with him physically. As she led him in the midnight dance, he knew he didn't want to ever leave her side again. She was definitely the only woman for him.
His phone rang but he didn't even hear it. It was later as he watched his wife sleep that he saw the missed call. He saw a text message as well.
How was he going to start the conversation with Yeside?
Please leave comments, we love to read them . Please credit ‘The Women Stories’ if you choose to share. Thank you.
Sunday, 7 June 2015
Growing Wings Episode 22
Daddy seemed a bit distracted as Yeside got into the house. She felt a mix of exhiliration and guilt and it was making her tired. She had kissed Barrister Ikedia again! And it felt good! Yet there was this niggling feeling like she was betraying her family and values. She felt torn between desire and doing what she was raised to know as right.
"E kule sir", she greeted her dad.
Olamide ran to her and hugged her tightly. She felt the weight of her responsibility towards him and she thought again about the time she spent with Barrister Ikedia. Within a few minutes, he had already found some of her pleasure spots. He was definitely a more considerate and delightful lover than Wole. Still, the guilt was eating at her.
"Kaabo. How are you re?"
Yeside managed a weary smile. "How are you re?" was a private joke between her and Daddy. She had once told him how she considered such mixes between Yoruba and English unforgivable. From that time, he always greeted her with such mixes. "How are you re?" was the one that amused her the most.
"Where's Mummy?"
"Ah, is it the Justice Anjola that you're asking about at this time? Well, she is praying now. She's about to break her fast"
The sudden change in her mum had shocked Yeside and everyone else. Her mum was now so devout, praying and fasting as if she wanted to make up for lost time.
"Welcome darling"
Wole broke into her thoughts as he came around and gave her a hug. That was the most intimate she and Wole had been in about 2 years. She had forgotten how it felt to be in his embrace. Again, she remembered the 15 minutes she spent with Barrister Ikedia.
As he closed the door in his office, she started to tell him how the affair won't work. He hushed her with a kiss and held her hand. She knew she should resist but she couldn't find words. Before she knew it, their hands and mouths were exploring forbidden areas.
At some point, his phone rang but he quickly cut off the call without looking at who was calling. Later on, her reminder came on to remind her of a High Flyer training. Her shirt and bra were already off by this time and she actually contemplated missing the training. A strength came from nowhere and she told him she had to go. He tried to continue but she insisted. He helped her get dressed and continued to kiss different areas as she got dressed, perhaps hoping to weaken her resolve.
"Yeside, did you hear Mummy?", Wole asked her gently
"Sorry, I was lost in thought",
"I was asking what you would like to eat. There is pounded yam, rice and Ikokore"
"Oh, thanks Mum. I'll have some rice ma"
Yeside was trying to get used to all the spoiling and attention. First, Wole hugged her and now her mum was asking her what she wanted to eat? Something really big must be coming. Olamide stuck to her even as Wole sat really close to her. The suspense was building up quickly but she decided to wait for whatever was coming.
***************************************************
Gbenro stared hard at Motunrayo. He couldn't believe what she was telling him.
Kunle had been blackmailing him as he expected. He had threatened to sell the story to a soft-sell magazine if Gbenro didn't pay up. He could read Kunle like the back of his hand. He had relished telling his father about the issue with Gbenro. Let him deal with it! Afterall, he started the evil cycle.
"How can you be pregnant? Who is responsible? I hope it isn't Daddy o?"
"Brother, I don't know. I sincerely don't know"
Motunrayo was sobbing. She contemplated telling Gbenro about Kunle. He had told her that he knew about the secret. He refused to tell her how he knew but he had demanded sex for his silence. She gave in readily as she didn't think there was much to it. Her father had taken her virginity, what more could Kunle take from her?
She remembered Kunle's laughter when she told him she was pregnant.
"Why are you telling me? Shouldn't you be talking to your father? Isn't it convoluted? He'll both be father and grandfather to your baby. Please leave my house quickly before your curse transfers to me ooo"
The laughter was pure evil!
"Tell me, Motunrayo, what other man have you been with? Have you been sleeping around?"
Something stirred in Motunrayo. Yes, it was indignation! How dare Gbenro take that tone with her? Had he forgotten that she was the sacrificial lamb that atoned for HIS sin?
"What does it matter? Is it not better than being betrayed by everyone you've ever trusted? Can I truly call any of you my family?"
Gbenro tried to calm her down.
"We need to figure out how to deal with this. Definitely, we have to find a discreet abortion clinic and dispose of the foetus. We'll probably need to organize for you to travel out for a few months"
Gbenro went on and on about his plans while Motunrayo made plans of her own. Someone had to pay for the condition that she found herself. Starting from this night...
***************************************************
Kunle couldn't believe his luck. First, he got his time with Motunrayo and now he was about to get paid.
Gbenro had even ordered drinks before they came. He had demanded cash. Gbenro gave him all the money. He counted about 3 times. He wondered how Gbenro was able to withdraw the 25 million Naira cash inspite of the CBN maximum daily withdrawal limit. He was a multi-millionaire!
As he stood up, he suddenly felt weak. As he slumped, he caught Gbenro's evil grin. The drink!
****************************************************
Gbenro couldn't believe his luck. The poison had started working so fast. Kunle did not notice when he took the envelope with the money. His plans had fallen into place and he was sure that was the last time he'll hear from Kunle. Let him talk to soft-sell magazines in hell!
"Repent and be converted that times of refreshing may come"
Gbenro looked around to find who spoke to him. There was no one around. He quickly started the car and as he made his way out of the car park, he noticed the pamphlet he had left in the glove compartment a few days ago. His pretty Personal Assistant, Susan, had given it to him and he left it there.
The title was "Times of Refreshing"...
****************************************************
Yeside was sure she had felt every possible emotion by the time Daddy, Mummy and Wole were done with the story. Martha had taken Olamide with her when they finally started to talk about why they had asked her to come over.
They all took turns telling her the story of how Wole discovered recently that Gbenro had contracted his friend, Kunle, to poison Wole's mind against her because Gbenro never forgave her for breaking their engagement. Her mum also confessed that she did all she could to break the marriage because she didn't feel Wole deserved to be married to her precious daughter. They were all looking at her, expecting her to smile and tell them all was forgiven. Wole was on his knees right in front of her.
The minister Daddy had invited finally spoke.
"This is a lot for anyone to digest. Can we give her some time to process all she has heard? Please let us pray"
As he led them in prayer, she kept going over all they had said. Her prayers had finally been answered. Why was she not overjoyed?
Just as the pastor rounded up the prayers, Wole's phone rang and Yeside received a text message...
Please leave comments with suggestions on how you believe the story should unfold. Please credit ‘The Women Stories’ if you choose to share. Thank you.
"E kule sir", she greeted her dad.
Olamide ran to her and hugged her tightly. She felt the weight of her responsibility towards him and she thought again about the time she spent with Barrister Ikedia. Within a few minutes, he had already found some of her pleasure spots. He was definitely a more considerate and delightful lover than Wole. Still, the guilt was eating at her.
"Kaabo. How are you re?"
Yeside managed a weary smile. "How are you re?" was a private joke between her and Daddy. She had once told him how she considered such mixes between Yoruba and English unforgivable. From that time, he always greeted her with such mixes. "How are you re?" was the one that amused her the most.
"Where's Mummy?"
"Ah, is it the Justice Anjola that you're asking about at this time? Well, she is praying now. She's about to break her fast"
The sudden change in her mum had shocked Yeside and everyone else. Her mum was now so devout, praying and fasting as if she wanted to make up for lost time.
"Welcome darling"
Wole broke into her thoughts as he came around and gave her a hug. That was the most intimate she and Wole had been in about 2 years. She had forgotten how it felt to be in his embrace. Again, she remembered the 15 minutes she spent with Barrister Ikedia.
As he closed the door in his office, she started to tell him how the affair won't work. He hushed her with a kiss and held her hand. She knew she should resist but she couldn't find words. Before she knew it, their hands and mouths were exploring forbidden areas.
At some point, his phone rang but he quickly cut off the call without looking at who was calling. Later on, her reminder came on to remind her of a High Flyer training. Her shirt and bra were already off by this time and she actually contemplated missing the training. A strength came from nowhere and she told him she had to go. He tried to continue but she insisted. He helped her get dressed and continued to kiss different areas as she got dressed, perhaps hoping to weaken her resolve.
"Yeside, did you hear Mummy?", Wole asked her gently
"Sorry, I was lost in thought",
"I was asking what you would like to eat. There is pounded yam, rice and Ikokore"
"Oh, thanks Mum. I'll have some rice ma"
Yeside was trying to get used to all the spoiling and attention. First, Wole hugged her and now her mum was asking her what she wanted to eat? Something really big must be coming. Olamide stuck to her even as Wole sat really close to her. The suspense was building up quickly but she decided to wait for whatever was coming.
***************************************************
Gbenro stared hard at Motunrayo. He couldn't believe what she was telling him.
Kunle had been blackmailing him as he expected. He had threatened to sell the story to a soft-sell magazine if Gbenro didn't pay up. He could read Kunle like the back of his hand. He had relished telling his father about the issue with Gbenro. Let him deal with it! Afterall, he started the evil cycle.
"How can you be pregnant? Who is responsible? I hope it isn't Daddy o?"
"Brother, I don't know. I sincerely don't know"
Motunrayo was sobbing. She contemplated telling Gbenro about Kunle. He had told her that he knew about the secret. He refused to tell her how he knew but he had demanded sex for his silence. She gave in readily as she didn't think there was much to it. Her father had taken her virginity, what more could Kunle take from her?
She remembered Kunle's laughter when she told him she was pregnant.
"Why are you telling me? Shouldn't you be talking to your father? Isn't it convoluted? He'll both be father and grandfather to your baby. Please leave my house quickly before your curse transfers to me ooo"
The laughter was pure evil!
"Tell me, Motunrayo, what other man have you been with? Have you been sleeping around?"
Something stirred in Motunrayo. Yes, it was indignation! How dare Gbenro take that tone with her? Had he forgotten that she was the sacrificial lamb that atoned for HIS sin?
"What does it matter? Is it not better than being betrayed by everyone you've ever trusted? Can I truly call any of you my family?"
Gbenro tried to calm her down.
"We need to figure out how to deal with this. Definitely, we have to find a discreet abortion clinic and dispose of the foetus. We'll probably need to organize for you to travel out for a few months"
Gbenro went on and on about his plans while Motunrayo made plans of her own. Someone had to pay for the condition that she found herself. Starting from this night...
***************************************************
Kunle couldn't believe his luck. First, he got his time with Motunrayo and now he was about to get paid.
Gbenro had even ordered drinks before they came. He had demanded cash. Gbenro gave him all the money. He counted about 3 times. He wondered how Gbenro was able to withdraw the 25 million Naira cash inspite of the CBN maximum daily withdrawal limit. He was a multi-millionaire!
As he stood up, he suddenly felt weak. As he slumped, he caught Gbenro's evil grin. The drink!
****************************************************
Gbenro couldn't believe his luck. The poison had started working so fast. Kunle did not notice when he took the envelope with the money. His plans had fallen into place and he was sure that was the last time he'll hear from Kunle. Let him talk to soft-sell magazines in hell!
"Repent and be converted that times of refreshing may come"
Gbenro looked around to find who spoke to him. There was no one around. He quickly started the car and as he made his way out of the car park, he noticed the pamphlet he had left in the glove compartment a few days ago. His pretty Personal Assistant, Susan, had given it to him and he left it there.
The title was "Times of Refreshing"...
****************************************************
Yeside was sure she had felt every possible emotion by the time Daddy, Mummy and Wole were done with the story. Martha had taken Olamide with her when they finally started to talk about why they had asked her to come over.
They all took turns telling her the story of how Wole discovered recently that Gbenro had contracted his friend, Kunle, to poison Wole's mind against her because Gbenro never forgave her for breaking their engagement. Her mum also confessed that she did all she could to break the marriage because she didn't feel Wole deserved to be married to her precious daughter. They were all looking at her, expecting her to smile and tell them all was forgiven. Wole was on his knees right in front of her.
The minister Daddy had invited finally spoke.
"This is a lot for anyone to digest. Can we give her some time to process all she has heard? Please let us pray"
As he led them in prayer, she kept going over all they had said. Her prayers had finally been answered. Why was she not overjoyed?
Just as the pastor rounded up the prayers, Wole's phone rang and Yeside received a text message...
Please leave comments with suggestions on how you believe the story should unfold. Please credit ‘The Women Stories’ if you choose to share. Thank you.
Sunday, 10 May 2015
Growing Wings Episode 21
Gbenro tried to stop the horrible memories but it was like the breaking of a dam. He knew he couldn't trust Kunle but he couldn't help the breaking forth. Before he could stop himself, he was spilling his guts. He knew Kunle would take advantage of all he was sharing but he was already past caring.
"After Yeside called off the wedding, the Monster summoned me to his evil shrine..."
"Sorry, who is the Monster?", Kunle asked
"The wizard my mother claims fathered me", Gbenro spat out
"Oh, I see"
"The Monster gave me two options. He asked me to choose between being disinherited and watching him rape Motunrayo for three successive nights"
Gbenro broke down in tears. Kunle almost felt sorry for him. He quickly reminded himself that he couldn't go soft now that he was already smelling the money. He'll have to find himself another girl; Motunrayo had too much baggage. Incest! He could still date her and get some money out of the deal but he had to be strategic about this deal.
"Wow! So which one did you choose?"
"I wasn't disinherited so I guess my choice is obvious! I watched my darling sister being deflowered by the ritualist that claims to be my father just to avoid being disinherited. And it's all because of Yeside and Wole. See why I can't forgive them?"
Gbenro broke down in tears. Kunle called the bartender and sorted out the bills. He needed to play this game properly.
***************************************************
"Thanks for that brilliant presentation"
Barrister Ikedia's clap was the loudest and he was the first to speak up after Yeside's presentation. She had put together the available information on the possibility of a father getting custody of the kids in the event of a divorce. They had a case where the woman was a conniving witch and knew how to use the law to her advantage. Yeside felt sick reading the brief. She knew how to pretend to care about her family in public whereas they were her meal ticket.
She had been avoiding Barrister Ikedia for some time now but she had to make this presentation. She had since decided that having an affair was a silly idea. Having an affair with her boss was definitely analogous to committing suicide. Barrister Ikedia, however, was relentless. She was grateful for the prayer sessions with Mabel. She believed the prayers had helped her from making stupid decisions. She was attracted to Barrister Ikedia, no doubt but everywhere she turned these days, all she heard was "Flee Adultery". Even Mabel had raised a prayer point about God protecting their marriages from the sin of adultery.
She had opened her eyes to check if Mabel was looking at her, judging her, but she was busy praying on. Yeside siged, relieved. If she already felt this guilty when she hadn't actually committed adultery, she would be a nervous wreck if she went further. No, it was a very bad idea.
She thanked Barrister Ikedia and returned to her seat. As she quickly checked her phone, she saw a text message from her dad. She quickly read it.
"Sweetheart, how are you doing? Please stop at our place on your way home. Wole, Olamide and Martha are already here. They brought some of your things. We all really need to talk"
Yeside panicked a bit and tried to chat with her mother. Everyone was acting so strangely.
Barrister Ikedia couldn't take his eyes off Yeside. The things she was doing to him! As she made her presentation, he could feel passion stirring in him. Her brilliance was a huge turn-on for him. He certainly wished they were both single. He wanted her badly. He couldn't get the kiss out of his mind. He knew she was attracted to him because she kissed him back. He wished he didn't pick that call. He should have kept kissing her. Now, common sense had prevailed and she was avoiding him.
He wondered if his wife even noticed that he wasn't present in the marriage anymore. If he could end this marriage, perhaps he could convince Yeside to throw away the loveless sham she called a marriage. The passion in their kiss and the forlorn look in Yeside's eyes told him all he needed to know about her marriage. The life was gone out of it and they were holding on to nothing just like he and Nancy. There was no point staying in miserable contraptions because of a piece of jewelry. She stirred him and he was determined to pursue the passion she stirred in him to a logical conclusion.
"Can you please wait behind for a few minutes, Yeside?"
Yeside looked up and could see desire written all over him. She hoped she was the only one that noticed. She had planned to meet up with Mabel to pray for about 10 minutes. She also wanted to start making calls to plan Olamide's 4th birthday. The birthday was a month away but Yeside liked starting her plans early.
Things had been queer around the house. Wole was frequently on the phone with someone. He was nicer to her but the phone calls went deep into the night. Maybe she should just begin an affair with Barrister Ikedia; she was getting tired of waiting for improvements in her marriage. Who knows what her dad wanted to see them about?
"Okay sir. I hope it won't take too long"
***************************************************
Justice Anjola felt the urge to pray for Yeside. She was enjoying her newfound faith, though the Holy Spirit didn't seem to mind upsetting her well laid-out plans. She was discussing trial dates with some lawyers but she quickly excused herself for a bathroom break.
She kept seeing visions of Yeside trying to navigate murky waters. She had shared her visions with Kunle and he had encouraged her to keep praying. They both agreed to spend 5-15 minutes every hour praying. It was more like 5 minutes for Anjola and 15 minutes for Kunle. That man was addicted to prayer! That attribute used to irritate Anjola but now it just endeared him to her.
Their relationship was getting stronger. The Holy Spirit had opened her eyes to see how selfish she had been, putting her career over her family's needs. She knew she could never undo all her past mistakes but she had to let God lead her in future.
The idea of following God's leading and allowing her husband lead was difficult for her. She was so used to making decisions for herself. She still stumbled every now and then but she was beginning to learn how to be a good follower. God was helping her give up her need to be right. It was so liberating serving her husband instead of ordering him around. It may be difficult to teach an old dog new tricks but it wasn't impossible.
Her thoughts turned to the thing she had been trying to push away. She had been downright evil to Wole. She couldn't absolve herself of guilt. She had hoped he would walk away from the marriage and Yeside would come to her senses. She even had the perfect husband she wanted her daughter to marry. Was it so bad to have wonderful well laid out plans for her only child? Afterall, she just wanted her daughter to be happy and well settled.
"For I know the thoughts I think towards you, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end"
Anjola and Kunle had read Jeremiah 29 this morning. Verse 11 just showed up in her mind now and it seemed God was answering her. She quickly bowed her head and poured out her heart to the Lord concerning her only child and her grandchild. As she was rounding up her prayers, she heard a voice from nowhere asking "What of Wole?"
She grudgingly mumbled a few words in prayer for Wole. As she returned to her meeting, the question kept ringing in her head. "What of Wole?"
***************************************************
Kunle Agunbiade couldn't believe all that had happened in the past one week. Wole had poured out his heart to him. He had poured it all out. Kunle knew that it was indeed the Lord's doing. Which son-in-law would ordinarily pour such things out to his father-in-law? God was definitely at work.
Wole had spoken about his fear of failure, the humiliation he felt primarily from Anjola. He talked about how he felt Yeside was bidding her time before destroying him. He talked about how he envied Yeside's high-flying career. He talked about the hurt of abandonment by his family. The boy really needed counselling. He hadn't had a role model to learn from.
Kunle sought Wole's permission to involve his friend, Pastor Tochi. Pastor Tochi had trained as a psychologist and was already counselling couples before he was called into the ministry. Kunle thought they could all benefit from some family counselling. He wouldn't have known how to confront Anjola concerning her role in the entire quagmire. He wasn't guiltless either as he watched passively as Anjola made one terrible decision after another...They all definitely needed family counselling.
***************************************************
"We can't see each other again, sir"
Yeside moaned as Barrister Ikedia caressed her in his office. They had come here for their meeting.
"Does he make you feel this way?", he asked as he cupped her face ready for a kiss
"We can't continue sir", she replied weakly
"If you can look me in the eyes and tell me that you don't feel anything for me, I'll let you be forever", he said softly as he kissed her.
Yeside forgot where she was and all she was saying. The passion she had been storing all the while was revolting and coming out. She felt helpless as her body seemed to have a mind of its own. Her hands were caressing him and doing things they had no business doing.
Barrister Ikedia quickly went and cleared the table. The phone was ringing but he ignored the call. He was ready for action. He had been ready before she finished her presentation. As he undressed her, she suddenly thought
"WHAT OF WOLE? WHAT OF OLAMIDE?"
Please leave comments with suggestions on how you believe the story should unfold. Please credit ‘The Women Stories’ if you choose to share. Thank you.
"After Yeside called off the wedding, the Monster summoned me to his evil shrine..."
"Sorry, who is the Monster?", Kunle asked
"The wizard my mother claims fathered me", Gbenro spat out
"Oh, I see"
"The Monster gave me two options. He asked me to choose between being disinherited and watching him rape Motunrayo for three successive nights"
Gbenro broke down in tears. Kunle almost felt sorry for him. He quickly reminded himself that he couldn't go soft now that he was already smelling the money. He'll have to find himself another girl; Motunrayo had too much baggage. Incest! He could still date her and get some money out of the deal but he had to be strategic about this deal.
"Wow! So which one did you choose?"
"I wasn't disinherited so I guess my choice is obvious! I watched my darling sister being deflowered by the ritualist that claims to be my father just to avoid being disinherited. And it's all because of Yeside and Wole. See why I can't forgive them?"
Gbenro broke down in tears. Kunle called the bartender and sorted out the bills. He needed to play this game properly.
***************************************************
"Thanks for that brilliant presentation"
Barrister Ikedia's clap was the loudest and he was the first to speak up after Yeside's presentation. She had put together the available information on the possibility of a father getting custody of the kids in the event of a divorce. They had a case where the woman was a conniving witch and knew how to use the law to her advantage. Yeside felt sick reading the brief. She knew how to pretend to care about her family in public whereas they were her meal ticket.
She had been avoiding Barrister Ikedia for some time now but she had to make this presentation. She had since decided that having an affair was a silly idea. Having an affair with her boss was definitely analogous to committing suicide. Barrister Ikedia, however, was relentless. She was grateful for the prayer sessions with Mabel. She believed the prayers had helped her from making stupid decisions. She was attracted to Barrister Ikedia, no doubt but everywhere she turned these days, all she heard was "Flee Adultery". Even Mabel had raised a prayer point about God protecting their marriages from the sin of adultery.
She had opened her eyes to check if Mabel was looking at her, judging her, but she was busy praying on. Yeside siged, relieved. If she already felt this guilty when she hadn't actually committed adultery, she would be a nervous wreck if she went further. No, it was a very bad idea.
She thanked Barrister Ikedia and returned to her seat. As she quickly checked her phone, she saw a text message from her dad. She quickly read it.
"Sweetheart, how are you doing? Please stop at our place on your way home. Wole, Olamide and Martha are already here. They brought some of your things. We all really need to talk"
Yeside panicked a bit and tried to chat with her mother. Everyone was acting so strangely.
Barrister Ikedia couldn't take his eyes off Yeside. The things she was doing to him! As she made her presentation, he could feel passion stirring in him. Her brilliance was a huge turn-on for him. He certainly wished they were both single. He wanted her badly. He couldn't get the kiss out of his mind. He knew she was attracted to him because she kissed him back. He wished he didn't pick that call. He should have kept kissing her. Now, common sense had prevailed and she was avoiding him.
He wondered if his wife even noticed that he wasn't present in the marriage anymore. If he could end this marriage, perhaps he could convince Yeside to throw away the loveless sham she called a marriage. The passion in their kiss and the forlorn look in Yeside's eyes told him all he needed to know about her marriage. The life was gone out of it and they were holding on to nothing just like he and Nancy. There was no point staying in miserable contraptions because of a piece of jewelry. She stirred him and he was determined to pursue the passion she stirred in him to a logical conclusion.
"Can you please wait behind for a few minutes, Yeside?"
Yeside looked up and could see desire written all over him. She hoped she was the only one that noticed. She had planned to meet up with Mabel to pray for about 10 minutes. She also wanted to start making calls to plan Olamide's 4th birthday. The birthday was a month away but Yeside liked starting her plans early.
Things had been queer around the house. Wole was frequently on the phone with someone. He was nicer to her but the phone calls went deep into the night. Maybe she should just begin an affair with Barrister Ikedia; she was getting tired of waiting for improvements in her marriage. Who knows what her dad wanted to see them about?
"Okay sir. I hope it won't take too long"
***************************************************
Justice Anjola felt the urge to pray for Yeside. She was enjoying her newfound faith, though the Holy Spirit didn't seem to mind upsetting her well laid-out plans. She was discussing trial dates with some lawyers but she quickly excused herself for a bathroom break.
She kept seeing visions of Yeside trying to navigate murky waters. She had shared her visions with Kunle and he had encouraged her to keep praying. They both agreed to spend 5-15 minutes every hour praying. It was more like 5 minutes for Anjola and 15 minutes for Kunle. That man was addicted to prayer! That attribute used to irritate Anjola but now it just endeared him to her.
Their relationship was getting stronger. The Holy Spirit had opened her eyes to see how selfish she had been, putting her career over her family's needs. She knew she could never undo all her past mistakes but she had to let God lead her in future.
The idea of following God's leading and allowing her husband lead was difficult for her. She was so used to making decisions for herself. She still stumbled every now and then but she was beginning to learn how to be a good follower. God was helping her give up her need to be right. It was so liberating serving her husband instead of ordering him around. It may be difficult to teach an old dog new tricks but it wasn't impossible.
Her thoughts turned to the thing she had been trying to push away. She had been downright evil to Wole. She couldn't absolve herself of guilt. She had hoped he would walk away from the marriage and Yeside would come to her senses. She even had the perfect husband she wanted her daughter to marry. Was it so bad to have wonderful well laid out plans for her only child? Afterall, she just wanted her daughter to be happy and well settled.
"For I know the thoughts I think towards you, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end"
Anjola and Kunle had read Jeremiah 29 this morning. Verse 11 just showed up in her mind now and it seemed God was answering her. She quickly bowed her head and poured out her heart to the Lord concerning her only child and her grandchild. As she was rounding up her prayers, she heard a voice from nowhere asking "What of Wole?"
She grudgingly mumbled a few words in prayer for Wole. As she returned to her meeting, the question kept ringing in her head. "What of Wole?"
***************************************************
Kunle Agunbiade couldn't believe all that had happened in the past one week. Wole had poured out his heart to him. He had poured it all out. Kunle knew that it was indeed the Lord's doing. Which son-in-law would ordinarily pour such things out to his father-in-law? God was definitely at work.
Wole had spoken about his fear of failure, the humiliation he felt primarily from Anjola. He talked about how he felt Yeside was bidding her time before destroying him. He talked about how he envied Yeside's high-flying career. He talked about the hurt of abandonment by his family. The boy really needed counselling. He hadn't had a role model to learn from.
Kunle sought Wole's permission to involve his friend, Pastor Tochi. Pastor Tochi had trained as a psychologist and was already counselling couples before he was called into the ministry. Kunle thought they could all benefit from some family counselling. He wouldn't have known how to confront Anjola concerning her role in the entire quagmire. He wasn't guiltless either as he watched passively as Anjola made one terrible decision after another...They all definitely needed family counselling.
***************************************************
"We can't see each other again, sir"
Yeside moaned as Barrister Ikedia caressed her in his office. They had come here for their meeting.
"Does he make you feel this way?", he asked as he cupped her face ready for a kiss
"We can't continue sir", she replied weakly
"If you can look me in the eyes and tell me that you don't feel anything for me, I'll let you be forever", he said softly as he kissed her.
Yeside forgot where she was and all she was saying. The passion she had been storing all the while was revolting and coming out. She felt helpless as her body seemed to have a mind of its own. Her hands were caressing him and doing things they had no business doing.
Barrister Ikedia quickly went and cleared the table. The phone was ringing but he ignored the call. He was ready for action. He had been ready before she finished her presentation. As he undressed her, she suddenly thought
"WHAT OF WOLE? WHAT OF OLAMIDE?"
Please leave comments with suggestions on how you believe the story should unfold. Please credit ‘The Women Stories’ if you choose to share. Thank you.
Monday, 13 April 2015
Growing Wings Episode 20
Gbenro was excited. Everything was coming together in a tidy knot. Going by what Kunle was telling him, Wole was already excited about working with Bayo to dissolve the marriage. If he played his cards well, he could even be 'there' for Yeside when Wole walked away. It would be sweet revenge to steal some 'show' as well. She was supposed to be his, anyway.
He couldn't bring himself to dwell on Motunrayo. He would definitely kill that beast that fathered him at an opportune time. He just needed to figure out how to do that without being detected.
He tried unsuccessfully to resist the flashback of scenes of The Beast raping Mama in his presence before giving him his school fees and allowances. It was to teach him that money was not easy to come by. He thought he hated The Beast until that night...
"Gbenro, how far na? No vex. Road tight today ooo. E be like say those politicians dey do crash program. Na all of dem dey do rally today"
Kunle rescued Gbenro from his tormenting thoughts. He quickly wiped the tear from the corner of his eyes.
"Abi na. If dem no do rally now, shey na after elections dem wan start?"
They both burst into laughter. Gbenro already started feeling lighter already. Laughter sure works magic.
"How far? How Mumsy? How Motunrayo? I dey hustle make I gather money come marry that girl fa"
"No be incest be that? Cousins dey marry ni?"
"Abeg tell me how we take relate? Because we come from same villa don turn us to relatives? Oga, abeg park well, make you no pour sand sand for my garri, joor!"
"Na you sabi. How far?"
"Bros, thank God say na you dey pay Kunle. Things don be one kain sha"
"Wetin happen?"
"Ah, plenty story. Order the drinks and let me tell you a 'super story"
Gbenro called the waiter and ordered the drinks
***************************************************
"Sin lurks at your door"
Yeside read Dad's text message again. Why was that the same words that stood out to her in the post she was reading as she waited for Mabel? Mabel realised that she forgot the key to her house in the office so she went back to pick it. A text message was delivered to Yeside's phone.
"I think I'll be heading your way today. Do you mind riding with me? I noticed you didn't drive today."
Yeside knew that Barrister Ikedia would only be going her way because he wanted to finish their "unfinished business". She knew where she would end up if she drove with him today.
Why couldn't she feel like a woman? What use were her vows when she was the only one keeping them? Who knows what Wole was doing with Martha or some strange woman? Didn't she deserve to be loved? Should she die sexually frustrated because she exchanged vows with a worthless man?
Besides, she needed to leave as early as possible as the traffic reports were really scary. Mabel was taking longer than normal.
As she started to type a response to Barrister Ikedia, she got a BBM message from Mum. She quickly checked it.
"Sin lurks at your door..."
From Mum? Wonders will never cease.
***************************************************
"YOU HAVE BEEN RELIEVED OF YOUR DUTIES"
That was all that kept ringing in Wole's head. He wasn't sure how he found his way to the necessary offices to fill out the required paper work. Who was he going to turn to now? This job was a miracle job for him. How was he going to finance the divorce and prove that he was the best parent to care for Olamide?
He decided to stop by at the bar. Kunle had told him he was travelling to the North for an official assignment. He whispered a routine prayer for Kunle's safety.
As he entered into the bar, he caught a glimpse of a guy that looked like Kunle. He was quite sure the person sitting with him was Gbenro. He moved closer to confirm. What he heard stopped him in his tracks...
****************************************************
"Yeside and Wole are in some sort of trouble"
"Interestingly, I agree, Kunle. I don't care about that idiot, Wole, but I'm concerned that his foolishness can affect my darling daughter and my little prince. I also woke up with a heavy burden about Yeside"
Kunle Agunbiade was stunned to hear Anjola's response. He had expected her to mock him and make jest of him. He had steeled himself for her biting sarcasm. Nothing prepared him for her response.
Anjola could see that Kunle was taken aback. She had had an encounter in the middle of the night. She had felt someone tap her awake. As she opened her eyes, she was led to open the Bible Kunle had by his side of the bed. She found herself reading Genesis 4. As she got to verse 7, Yeside's image flashed before her. She saw Yeside in a compromising situation with a man. She quickly found a pen and wrote it down. Not long after she slept back.
When she got up in the morning, she forgot about the encounter as she went about her daily chores. As she was getting ready to call it a day, Yeside's image flashed again.
Anjola quickly sent Yeside a BBM chat. Immediately, Kunle's chat came in.
God was obviously sending strong signals to them.
"Let's fast and pray till something happens"
Kunle's heart sommersaulted as Anjola spoke those words. God indeed was answering HIS own prayers...
***************************************************
Martha sensed something was wrong. She began to pray in tongues. She wasn't sure what the real issue was but she really hoped she won't have to see Oga's manhood again!
She kept having nightmares that involved him raping her. She needed something to wipe that memory from her brain. It was too horrid to keep going over.
She remembered the rice she was boiling and stopped washing Olamide's clothes. As she raced to the kitchen, she slipped in the wet bathroom and fell. She couldn't move for a few minutes. She willed herself to stand up, turn off the gas cooker and get some menthol. She was definitely running behind with her chores. She had to pick Olamide from the neighbour's place. He had made friends with the neighbour's kids and was always eager to go over.
Martha wondered how much of the tension little Olamide picked up. She often wondered what was running through his mind every time he looked longingly at the wedding picture of his happy dad and mum hanging in the sitting room. She often wondered where all that love went. She looked at the picture again as she limped out to get Olamide. The urge to pray was very strong.
***************************************************
"I can't forgive Yeside; her desertion cost me my soul!"
Gbenro was taken aback by the venom he was pouring out but he was too helpless to stop it. He started weeping.
"Do you want to talk more about it?"
Kunle sensed that this was his opportunity to take proper advantage of Gbenro. He always knew there was something deeper he could use against Gbenro. If he was patient enough, he'll get what he needed. He was already getting bored with the Wole/Yeside side-show.
"Kunle! Bro Gbenro!"
Wole was stupefied! He couldn't believe all he had just heard. So, he had been Kunle and Gbenro's pawn all these years?
"I can explain, Wole"
Wole quickly rebuffed Kunle's half-hearted attempt to draw him in.
Kunle quickly went back to Gbenro. There was a bigger fish if he played his cards well.
Wole sat for a while and different emotions washed through him - anger, betrayal, regret, sorrow.
He brought out his phone and called the first person that came to mind. It was definitely going to be a long walk back home.
***************************************************
Just as Yeside was about to send Mabel a text message apologizing for leaving her car open, Mabel ran back to the car.
"How far? What happened?"
"You won't believe that the lights went out while I was in the lift. Thank God for His mercies"
"Thank God. I was just about to send you a text message sef and find my way. Someone offered me a ride"
"Pele. Ma binu my dear"
They both burst into laughter. The road was not as congested as Yeside expected. Yeside quickly sent a message thanking Barrister Ikedia and informing him that she was already in the car with Mabel. Their "unfinished business" would have to wait.
Mabel quickly told Yeside about her dream and how she sensed that Yeside was dealing with marital challenges. Yeside decided to tell Mabel about all she was going through. She left out the part about Barrister Ikedia, though. She didn't think St. Mabel needed to know about that. She didn't need sermons on what she was still processing.
Most of Mabel's counsel made sense to her. She couldn't understand why she was suggesting that she should seduce Wole. Didn't she hear the part about how she had tried seduction and failed? She didn't want to get into an argument so she just kept quiet. Mabel recommended that they both find time to pray daily about the matter. It sounded like a good idea to Yeside. Besides, she had nothing to lose.
***************************************************
Kunle Agunbiade felt a release in his spirit. He suddenly felt overjoyed. He wondered if it was because of the change in Anjola.
As he went to the kitchen to fix himself a meal, he heard distinctly in his spirit.
"There will be a shaking but it will end in praise".
He heated the portion of rice Anjola had kept for him in the freezer. He brought out the portion of stew that was clearly marked "STEW". She had devised that means 10 years ago after he had mistaken freshly ground pepper for stew and tried to eat it with Eba and Okra. He chuckled as he remembered the incident. He had mentioned it to his sister and his family had blown it out of proportion. He still felt sad that he had blurted it out knowing that there was no love lost between Sister Kemi and Anjola. She still couldn't believe that her precious brother would end up with a divorcee. He didn't want to remember the heated divorce related arguments and sermons. When their Little Prince had died, Sister Kemi had loudly wondered if the divorce was the reason for the calamity. No, he didn't want to relive the horrors.
His phone rang. It was Wole...
Please leave comments with suggestions on how you believe the story should unfold. Please credit ‘The Women Stories’ if you choose to share. Thank you.
He couldn't bring himself to dwell on Motunrayo. He would definitely kill that beast that fathered him at an opportune time. He just needed to figure out how to do that without being detected.
He tried unsuccessfully to resist the flashback of scenes of The Beast raping Mama in his presence before giving him his school fees and allowances. It was to teach him that money was not easy to come by. He thought he hated The Beast until that night...
"Gbenro, how far na? No vex. Road tight today ooo. E be like say those politicians dey do crash program. Na all of dem dey do rally today"
Kunle rescued Gbenro from his tormenting thoughts. He quickly wiped the tear from the corner of his eyes.
"Abi na. If dem no do rally now, shey na after elections dem wan start?"
They both burst into laughter. Gbenro already started feeling lighter already. Laughter sure works magic.
"How far? How Mumsy? How Motunrayo? I dey hustle make I gather money come marry that girl fa"
"No be incest be that? Cousins dey marry ni?"
"Abeg tell me how we take relate? Because we come from same villa don turn us to relatives? Oga, abeg park well, make you no pour sand sand for my garri, joor!"
"Na you sabi. How far?"
"Bros, thank God say na you dey pay Kunle. Things don be one kain sha"
"Wetin happen?"
"Ah, plenty story. Order the drinks and let me tell you a 'super story"
Gbenro called the waiter and ordered the drinks
***************************************************
"Sin lurks at your door"
Yeside read Dad's text message again. Why was that the same words that stood out to her in the post she was reading as she waited for Mabel? Mabel realised that she forgot the key to her house in the office so she went back to pick it. A text message was delivered to Yeside's phone.
"I think I'll be heading your way today. Do you mind riding with me? I noticed you didn't drive today."
Yeside knew that Barrister Ikedia would only be going her way because he wanted to finish their "unfinished business". She knew where she would end up if she drove with him today.
Why couldn't she feel like a woman? What use were her vows when she was the only one keeping them? Who knows what Wole was doing with Martha or some strange woman? Didn't she deserve to be loved? Should she die sexually frustrated because she exchanged vows with a worthless man?
Besides, she needed to leave as early as possible as the traffic reports were really scary. Mabel was taking longer than normal.
As she started to type a response to Barrister Ikedia, she got a BBM message from Mum. She quickly checked it.
"Sin lurks at your door..."
From Mum? Wonders will never cease.
***************************************************
"YOU HAVE BEEN RELIEVED OF YOUR DUTIES"
That was all that kept ringing in Wole's head. He wasn't sure how he found his way to the necessary offices to fill out the required paper work. Who was he going to turn to now? This job was a miracle job for him. How was he going to finance the divorce and prove that he was the best parent to care for Olamide?
He decided to stop by at the bar. Kunle had told him he was travelling to the North for an official assignment. He whispered a routine prayer for Kunle's safety.
As he entered into the bar, he caught a glimpse of a guy that looked like Kunle. He was quite sure the person sitting with him was Gbenro. He moved closer to confirm. What he heard stopped him in his tracks...
****************************************************
"Yeside and Wole are in some sort of trouble"
"Interestingly, I agree, Kunle. I don't care about that idiot, Wole, but I'm concerned that his foolishness can affect my darling daughter and my little prince. I also woke up with a heavy burden about Yeside"
Kunle Agunbiade was stunned to hear Anjola's response. He had expected her to mock him and make jest of him. He had steeled himself for her biting sarcasm. Nothing prepared him for her response.
Anjola could see that Kunle was taken aback. She had had an encounter in the middle of the night. She had felt someone tap her awake. As she opened her eyes, she was led to open the Bible Kunle had by his side of the bed. She found herself reading Genesis 4. As she got to verse 7, Yeside's image flashed before her. She saw Yeside in a compromising situation with a man. She quickly found a pen and wrote it down. Not long after she slept back.
When she got up in the morning, she forgot about the encounter as she went about her daily chores. As she was getting ready to call it a day, Yeside's image flashed again.
Anjola quickly sent Yeside a BBM chat. Immediately, Kunle's chat came in.
God was obviously sending strong signals to them.
"Let's fast and pray till something happens"
Kunle's heart sommersaulted as Anjola spoke those words. God indeed was answering HIS own prayers...
***************************************************
Martha sensed something was wrong. She began to pray in tongues. She wasn't sure what the real issue was but she really hoped she won't have to see Oga's manhood again!
She kept having nightmares that involved him raping her. She needed something to wipe that memory from her brain. It was too horrid to keep going over.
She remembered the rice she was boiling and stopped washing Olamide's clothes. As she raced to the kitchen, she slipped in the wet bathroom and fell. She couldn't move for a few minutes. She willed herself to stand up, turn off the gas cooker and get some menthol. She was definitely running behind with her chores. She had to pick Olamide from the neighbour's place. He had made friends with the neighbour's kids and was always eager to go over.
Martha wondered how much of the tension little Olamide picked up. She often wondered what was running through his mind every time he looked longingly at the wedding picture of his happy dad and mum hanging in the sitting room. She often wondered where all that love went. She looked at the picture again as she limped out to get Olamide. The urge to pray was very strong.
***************************************************
"I can't forgive Yeside; her desertion cost me my soul!"
Gbenro was taken aback by the venom he was pouring out but he was too helpless to stop it. He started weeping.
"Do you want to talk more about it?"
Kunle sensed that this was his opportunity to take proper advantage of Gbenro. He always knew there was something deeper he could use against Gbenro. If he was patient enough, he'll get what he needed. He was already getting bored with the Wole/Yeside side-show.
"Kunle! Bro Gbenro!"
Wole was stupefied! He couldn't believe all he had just heard. So, he had been Kunle and Gbenro's pawn all these years?
"I can explain, Wole"
Wole quickly rebuffed Kunle's half-hearted attempt to draw him in.
Kunle quickly went back to Gbenro. There was a bigger fish if he played his cards well.
Wole sat for a while and different emotions washed through him - anger, betrayal, regret, sorrow.
He brought out his phone and called the first person that came to mind. It was definitely going to be a long walk back home.
***************************************************
Just as Yeside was about to send Mabel a text message apologizing for leaving her car open, Mabel ran back to the car.
"How far? What happened?"
"You won't believe that the lights went out while I was in the lift. Thank God for His mercies"
"Thank God. I was just about to send you a text message sef and find my way. Someone offered me a ride"
"Pele. Ma binu my dear"
They both burst into laughter. The road was not as congested as Yeside expected. Yeside quickly sent a message thanking Barrister Ikedia and informing him that she was already in the car with Mabel. Their "unfinished business" would have to wait.
Mabel quickly told Yeside about her dream and how she sensed that Yeside was dealing with marital challenges. Yeside decided to tell Mabel about all she was going through. She left out the part about Barrister Ikedia, though. She didn't think St. Mabel needed to know about that. She didn't need sermons on what she was still processing.
Most of Mabel's counsel made sense to her. She couldn't understand why she was suggesting that she should seduce Wole. Didn't she hear the part about how she had tried seduction and failed? She didn't want to get into an argument so she just kept quiet. Mabel recommended that they both find time to pray daily about the matter. It sounded like a good idea to Yeside. Besides, she had nothing to lose.
***************************************************
Kunle Agunbiade felt a release in his spirit. He suddenly felt overjoyed. He wondered if it was because of the change in Anjola.
As he went to the kitchen to fix himself a meal, he heard distinctly in his spirit.
"There will be a shaking but it will end in praise".
He heated the portion of rice Anjola had kept for him in the freezer. He brought out the portion of stew that was clearly marked "STEW". She had devised that means 10 years ago after he had mistaken freshly ground pepper for stew and tried to eat it with Eba and Okra. He chuckled as he remembered the incident. He had mentioned it to his sister and his family had blown it out of proportion. He still felt sad that he had blurted it out knowing that there was no love lost between Sister Kemi and Anjola. She still couldn't believe that her precious brother would end up with a divorcee. He didn't want to remember the heated divorce related arguments and sermons. When their Little Prince had died, Sister Kemi had loudly wondered if the divorce was the reason for the calamity. No, he didn't want to relive the horrors.
His phone rang. It was Wole...
Please leave comments with suggestions on how you believe the story should unfold. Please credit ‘The Women Stories’ if you choose to share. Thank you.
Wednesday, 8 April 2015
Growing Wings Episode 19
Wole's phone rang. He quickly hurried to pick up the phone. Who knows if that was Bayo. He had been waiting for Bayo's call.
The Caller ID showed Mr Ahmed, his manager. That was quite strange.
"Good afternoon Wole. How are you doing?"
"I'm doing well sir. Thank you"
"How is the leave?"
Wole was sure he wasn't hearing well. What kind of sick joke was this?
"It's fine sir"
He even threw in a half-hearted laugh to make it believable. Mr Ahmed's queer sense of humor was legendary. He had a knack for cracking morbid jokes.
"Can you swing by the office today?"
Mr. Ahmed sounded so cheerful. Wole wondered why he couldn't say whatever it was he wanted to say on the phone.
"Okay sir. I should be in the office in about an hour"
***************************************************
Yeside bumped into Barrister Ikedia as she was rushing to catch the lift. The files she was holding went flying in different places. She was running late so she didn't staple the documents. Nothing was going as planned today at all.
Barrister Ikedia scurried to help her pick the documents. Yeside burst into tears as she thought of the additional work required to get everything in order. She was experiencing a melt-down!
Barrister Ikedia looked at the crying Yeside. He couldn't abandon a lady in distress. His calendar was full but he just couldn't walk away. He had been watching this smart, beautiful lady. His treacherous heart was already falling for her.
He took her to his office to calm her down. He helped her call someone in the meeting to let them know she would not be able to attend as she had to deal with a personal emergency. He made her a hot drink. Without thinking, he pulled her into his arms to console her. She kept sobbing. Barrister Ikedia felt so helpless as her charm drew him closer. He just found himself kissing her. It felt so good.
Yeside was not sure how she found herself being kissed by Barrister Ikedia. All she could think of was how great he smelled. She couldn't remember the last time she had been kissed. She found herself returning the kiss. She'll think of the consequences later.
As Barrister Ikedia deepened the kiss, Yeside found herself moaning. Thankfully, his desk phone rang. It was the Managing Partner. He sure couldn't ignore that call. He sent her an "It's unfinished business" look.
Yeside slowly came to her senses. What in the world was she doing? Sure, it's been a while since Wole made her feel like a woman. They were just housemates raising a child together now. Barrister Ikedia's kiss had stirred passion in her. What was she do about the passion now?
**************************************************
Mabel saw Yeside coming out of Barrister Ikedia's office. Something didn't feel right. She had another dream last night about Yeside. She had been praying for her. She felt a leading to talk with Yeside.
"Hi dear. What's up? How are you doing?"
"Hi Mabel. I'm doing well"
Yeside's voice was quite husky. She seemed unwilling to chat.
"I'll like to catch up with you when you have the time, please"
"Maybe I'll go home with you?"
"You didn't drive? Sure that'll be a great idea"
Yeside wondered how she'll survive the drive with Mabel. She had hoped to clear her head on the way home. She'll just have to find a way to remain sane.
She didn't feel like working at all. She decided to see what was going on in her favorite Facebook group. She logged on and found the article "When Your Husband Won't Make Love To You". She quickly bookmarked the page so she'll read later. Maybe she'll get useful tips that would really help. She couldn't ask questions as the judgmental attitude oozing out of these Christian women was suffocating. She just hoped this article wouldn't turn out to be an absolute waste of time like others.
She quickly glanced at her phone. She saw 3 missed calls from her mum, her dad and Barrister Ikedia! The dude didn't even allow her get back to her seat before following up. She felt some self-confidence returning to her. Barrister Ikedia had also sent her a text message that was business-like on the surface but she could read the hidden message. The dude was a smooth operator!
She saw another text message from the church reminding her of mid-week service. It was a bulk sms, as usual. She always felt there should be some personal touch like she was used to from her school fellowship. Their church was run efficiently like a business. They were very time-conscious; everyone sat in a particular pattern. Everything was so predictable. Infact, she could preach the sermon once she was given a title. She knew most of the songs by the choir and it wasn't hard to learn the new songs as they all seemed to follow the same pattern. She just felt church should play a more important role in their lives.
The third message was from Dad.
"Sweetheart, watch and pray. Sin lies at your door. Be careful dear. Love you. Dad"
If the message wasn't so serious, she would have laughed at how cryptic Dad's message was. She always teased him that he should have joined the military. He always sent cryptic messages. He was definitely her pal for life; she missed him so much!
"Sin lies at your door"
It was such a serious message. She decided to spend a few minutes to pray.
***************************************************
"Please have a seat, Wole"
"Thank you, Mr. Ahmed"
Mr. Ahmed kept cracking silly jokes. Wole had to bite his tongue so he won't ask him to get to the point. He didn't have enough time to listen to Mr. Ahmed's road show. "GET TO THE POINT", Wole screamed in his mind.
Mr. Ahmed seemed to hear him as he began to talk about the issues that led to Wole's suspension.
After about 20 minutes of talking, going off track a few times, he finally managed to get to a conclusion.
"Management has reached a decision, Mr. Akingbade. Our decision is in this letter I'm handing over to you. I'll need you to acknowledge receipt of this letter by signing here"
Mr. Ahmed pointed at a document on his table. Wole had a bad feeling. He suddenly began to sweat.
With trembling hands, he signed the document and received his letter. As he was about to open the document, he received a text message. It was a message from the church reminding him of mid-week service.
"I'll leave you to open and read your letter. Can you please do that in the lobby? I need to go for my 3:30pm meeting"
Wole went to the lobby and opened the letter.
Please leave comments with suggestions on how you believe the story should unfold. Please credit ‘The Women Stories’ if you choose to share. Thank you.
The Caller ID showed Mr Ahmed, his manager. That was quite strange.
"Good afternoon Wole. How are you doing?"
"I'm doing well sir. Thank you"
"How is the leave?"
Wole was sure he wasn't hearing well. What kind of sick joke was this?
"It's fine sir"
He even threw in a half-hearted laugh to make it believable. Mr Ahmed's queer sense of humor was legendary. He had a knack for cracking morbid jokes.
"Can you swing by the office today?"
Mr. Ahmed sounded so cheerful. Wole wondered why he couldn't say whatever it was he wanted to say on the phone.
"Okay sir. I should be in the office in about an hour"
***************************************************
Yeside bumped into Barrister Ikedia as she was rushing to catch the lift. The files she was holding went flying in different places. She was running late so she didn't staple the documents. Nothing was going as planned today at all.
Barrister Ikedia scurried to help her pick the documents. Yeside burst into tears as she thought of the additional work required to get everything in order. She was experiencing a melt-down!
Barrister Ikedia looked at the crying Yeside. He couldn't abandon a lady in distress. His calendar was full but he just couldn't walk away. He had been watching this smart, beautiful lady. His treacherous heart was already falling for her.
He took her to his office to calm her down. He helped her call someone in the meeting to let them know she would not be able to attend as she had to deal with a personal emergency. He made her a hot drink. Without thinking, he pulled her into his arms to console her. She kept sobbing. Barrister Ikedia felt so helpless as her charm drew him closer. He just found himself kissing her. It felt so good.
Yeside was not sure how she found herself being kissed by Barrister Ikedia. All she could think of was how great he smelled. She couldn't remember the last time she had been kissed. She found herself returning the kiss. She'll think of the consequences later.
As Barrister Ikedia deepened the kiss, Yeside found herself moaning. Thankfully, his desk phone rang. It was the Managing Partner. He sure couldn't ignore that call. He sent her an "It's unfinished business" look.
Yeside slowly came to her senses. What in the world was she doing? Sure, it's been a while since Wole made her feel like a woman. They were just housemates raising a child together now. Barrister Ikedia's kiss had stirred passion in her. What was she do about the passion now?
**************************************************
Mabel saw Yeside coming out of Barrister Ikedia's office. Something didn't feel right. She had another dream last night about Yeside. She had been praying for her. She felt a leading to talk with Yeside.
"Hi dear. What's up? How are you doing?"
"Hi Mabel. I'm doing well"
Yeside's voice was quite husky. She seemed unwilling to chat.
"I'll like to catch up with you when you have the time, please"
"Maybe I'll go home with you?"
"You didn't drive? Sure that'll be a great idea"
Yeside wondered how she'll survive the drive with Mabel. She had hoped to clear her head on the way home. She'll just have to find a way to remain sane.
She didn't feel like working at all. She decided to see what was going on in her favorite Facebook group. She logged on and found the article "When Your Husband Won't Make Love To You". She quickly bookmarked the page so she'll read later. Maybe she'll get useful tips that would really help. She couldn't ask questions as the judgmental attitude oozing out of these Christian women was suffocating. She just hoped this article wouldn't turn out to be an absolute waste of time like others.
She quickly glanced at her phone. She saw 3 missed calls from her mum, her dad and Barrister Ikedia! The dude didn't even allow her get back to her seat before following up. She felt some self-confidence returning to her. Barrister Ikedia had also sent her a text message that was business-like on the surface but she could read the hidden message. The dude was a smooth operator!
She saw another text message from the church reminding her of mid-week service. It was a bulk sms, as usual. She always felt there should be some personal touch like she was used to from her school fellowship. Their church was run efficiently like a business. They were very time-conscious; everyone sat in a particular pattern. Everything was so predictable. Infact, she could preach the sermon once she was given a title. She knew most of the songs by the choir and it wasn't hard to learn the new songs as they all seemed to follow the same pattern. She just felt church should play a more important role in their lives.
The third message was from Dad.
"Sweetheart, watch and pray. Sin lies at your door. Be careful dear. Love you. Dad"
If the message wasn't so serious, she would have laughed at how cryptic Dad's message was. She always teased him that he should have joined the military. He always sent cryptic messages. He was definitely her pal for life; she missed him so much!
"Sin lies at your door"
It was such a serious message. She decided to spend a few minutes to pray.
***************************************************
"Please have a seat, Wole"
"Thank you, Mr. Ahmed"
Mr. Ahmed kept cracking silly jokes. Wole had to bite his tongue so he won't ask him to get to the point. He didn't have enough time to listen to Mr. Ahmed's road show. "GET TO THE POINT", Wole screamed in his mind.
Mr. Ahmed seemed to hear him as he began to talk about the issues that led to Wole's suspension.
After about 20 minutes of talking, going off track a few times, he finally managed to get to a conclusion.
"Management has reached a decision, Mr. Akingbade. Our decision is in this letter I'm handing over to you. I'll need you to acknowledge receipt of this letter by signing here"
Mr. Ahmed pointed at a document on his table. Wole had a bad feeling. He suddenly began to sweat.
With trembling hands, he signed the document and received his letter. As he was about to open the document, he received a text message. It was a message from the church reminding him of mid-week service.
"I'll leave you to open and read your letter. Can you please do that in the lobby? I need to go for my 3:30pm meeting"
Wole went to the lobby and opened the letter.
Please leave comments with suggestions on how you believe the story should unfold. Please credit ‘The Women Stories’ if you choose to share. Thank you.
Tuesday, 24 March 2015
Growing Wings Episode 18
"Which guy are you talking about na? I tell you say nobody dey here before na", Kunle insisted.
Wole was going to press further but the lawyer chose to walk in at that very moment.
"I'm sorry for the delay guys; the traffic jam was hectic."
"No problem; thank God you're here", Wole responded.
Kunle introduced them. "Wole, meet Barrister Adebayo Adebajo. Bayo, meet Engineer Oluwole Akingbade"
They exchanged pleasantries and shook hands.
"So, what exactly do you need?" Bayo asked Wole
"Actually I'm married to a witch with a witch mother. Her dad is cool but I have not made any meaningful progress since I met her. The only bright spot in the marriage is our darling 3 year old son. I want to take my son and let the witch mother and daughter have their privacy. Her mother is an influential judge. I'll appreciate ideas from you. Thanks"
Wole felt proud that he was able to summarize his 7 year old misery in a few words.
"Ideally, I should charge you for consultation but because of my relationship with Gbenro, erm erm Kunle, I'll ..."
Wole didn't hear much of what else Bayo had to say. He quickly looked at Kunle and he could have sworn that all the blood in Kunle's face was drained. It couldn't be a coincidence that Kunle had vehemently denied the presence of someone who looked like Gbenro and Bayo here had accidentally mentioned Gbenro. This was too weird for comfort.
************************************************
Kunle's head was working overtime. He needed to divert attention from the sticky Gbenro coincidences. They were really close to achieving their aim; Wole's suspicion would not help the cause at all. He decided to give it his best shot.
"So what are the options available? Olamide is Wole's closest living relative. Typically, the mother gets custody of the child. Is there anything we can do to turn the tides in our favour?"
Bayo sensed that the fact that he mentioned Gbenro's name was making Kunle uncomfortable. He didn't know why but he didn't want to lose the good money Kunle was talking about paying him. The sum Kunle was offering was hefty but he definitely wasn't turning it down. He needed the money to offset some debts. His salary at the Law firm could no longer take him to the Bus Stop. Nkem's bombshell also needed to be attended to...
"Frankly, the mother is more likely to get custody of the child or children in the event of a divorce because the factors used in determining a child's best interests are usually favour the woman. The judge will be looking at factors such as who the primary care giver has been/who has been caring for the child, the parent-child bond, your relationship with your wife"
"Please can you explain the last one?" Wole interrupted
"Erm, the court will try to decide which of you will try to foster a healthy relationship with the other parent. A parent who has tried to poison the child(ren) against the other parent or refused to allow contact with the other parent will have issues gaining custody, except there has been child abuse or domestic violence", Bayo explained patiently.
"Oh okay. Please continue"
Bayo was pleased to see that the skepticism on Wole's face and changed to rapt attention. Wow!
"Your chances of gaining custody will be greatly enhanced if you can stay civil and respectful to your wife. Getting a good lawyer also improves your chances."
"Thanks"
"Is it possible to explore the child abuse angle?" Kunle asked. "I've seen Yeside spank Olamide hard the few times I've visited them. I could be a witness?"
"Erm, Kunle, I don't think we need to get to that level yet. Let's keep that as a joker for now. Guys, I need to leave now. I have a 7pm appointment on the Island"
"Thanks a lot, Bayo. It was so nice that you could come with such short notice"
"How much do I owe you?" Wole asked
"Anytime, Kunle. Wole, let's just say I'm paying it forward. See you around, guys", Bayo winked.
****************************************************
"Whew, that was close", Gbenro soliloquized.
He couldn't let Wole and Yeside live in peace. They had made a fool of him. He had had to grovel before the Anti-Christ he called his father. The price for all his father handed over to him was destroying his soul. He couldn't look Motunrayo in the face.
Wole and Yeside could not live happily ever after while he was wasting away. They had to pay for the deep wound in his soul. He couldn't just 'forgive and forget'.
Motunrayo looked up to him as her protector. He had shielded her up until that first time when the monster had made his evil request...
Please leave comments with suggestions on how you believe the story should unfold. Please credit ‘The Women Stories’ if you choose to share. Thank you.
Wole was going to press further but the lawyer chose to walk in at that very moment.
"I'm sorry for the delay guys; the traffic jam was hectic."
"No problem; thank God you're here", Wole responded.
Kunle introduced them. "Wole, meet Barrister Adebayo Adebajo. Bayo, meet Engineer Oluwole Akingbade"
They exchanged pleasantries and shook hands.
"So, what exactly do you need?" Bayo asked Wole
"Actually I'm married to a witch with a witch mother. Her dad is cool but I have not made any meaningful progress since I met her. The only bright spot in the marriage is our darling 3 year old son. I want to take my son and let the witch mother and daughter have their privacy. Her mother is an influential judge. I'll appreciate ideas from you. Thanks"
Wole felt proud that he was able to summarize his 7 year old misery in a few words.
"Ideally, I should charge you for consultation but because of my relationship with Gbenro, erm erm Kunle, I'll ..."
Wole didn't hear much of what else Bayo had to say. He quickly looked at Kunle and he could have sworn that all the blood in Kunle's face was drained. It couldn't be a coincidence that Kunle had vehemently denied the presence of someone who looked like Gbenro and Bayo here had accidentally mentioned Gbenro. This was too weird for comfort.
************************************************
Kunle's head was working overtime. He needed to divert attention from the sticky Gbenro coincidences. They were really close to achieving their aim; Wole's suspicion would not help the cause at all. He decided to give it his best shot.
"So what are the options available? Olamide is Wole's closest living relative. Typically, the mother gets custody of the child. Is there anything we can do to turn the tides in our favour?"
Bayo sensed that the fact that he mentioned Gbenro's name was making Kunle uncomfortable. He didn't know why but he didn't want to lose the good money Kunle was talking about paying him. The sum Kunle was offering was hefty but he definitely wasn't turning it down. He needed the money to offset some debts. His salary at the Law firm could no longer take him to the Bus Stop. Nkem's bombshell also needed to be attended to...
"Frankly, the mother is more likely to get custody of the child or children in the event of a divorce because the factors used in determining a child's best interests are usually favour the woman. The judge will be looking at factors such as who the primary care giver has been/who has been caring for the child, the parent-child bond, your relationship with your wife"
"Please can you explain the last one?" Wole interrupted
"Erm, the court will try to decide which of you will try to foster a healthy relationship with the other parent. A parent who has tried to poison the child(ren) against the other parent or refused to allow contact with the other parent will have issues gaining custody, except there has been child abuse or domestic violence", Bayo explained patiently.
"Oh okay. Please continue"
Bayo was pleased to see that the skepticism on Wole's face and changed to rapt attention. Wow!
"Your chances of gaining custody will be greatly enhanced if you can stay civil and respectful to your wife. Getting a good lawyer also improves your chances."
"Thanks"
"Is it possible to explore the child abuse angle?" Kunle asked. "I've seen Yeside spank Olamide hard the few times I've visited them. I could be a witness?"
"Erm, Kunle, I don't think we need to get to that level yet. Let's keep that as a joker for now. Guys, I need to leave now. I have a 7pm appointment on the Island"
"Thanks a lot, Bayo. It was so nice that you could come with such short notice"
"How much do I owe you?" Wole asked
"Anytime, Kunle. Wole, let's just say I'm paying it forward. See you around, guys", Bayo winked.
****************************************************
"Whew, that was close", Gbenro soliloquized.
He couldn't let Wole and Yeside live in peace. They had made a fool of him. He had had to grovel before the Anti-Christ he called his father. The price for all his father handed over to him was destroying his soul. He couldn't look Motunrayo in the face.
Wole and Yeside could not live happily ever after while he was wasting away. They had to pay for the deep wound in his soul. He couldn't just 'forgive and forget'.
Motunrayo looked up to him as her protector. He had shielded her up until that first time when the monster had made his evil request...
Please leave comments with suggestions on how you believe the story should unfold. Please credit ‘The Women Stories’ if you choose to share. Thank you.
Sunday, 8 March 2015
Growing Wings Episode 17
Just as Yeside began to search the house for traces of Martha, her phone rang. It was Mum, who wanted to find out if she had seen Martha and Wole. She already began to make weird speculations.
"Hey Mum, I just got home. I'll call you when I'm settled, okay?", Yeside snapped at her.
"Yeside!"
"Sorry Mum, I'll let you know when I'm settled ma. I'm sorry for snapping"
Wole felt his stomach churn as he listened to Yeside's side of the conversation with Justice Anjola. His "High Flyer" was a timid lapdog whenever The Witch Mother was discussing with her. She was tied to her mother's apron strings and it appeared nothing could snap those strings...Well, Mrs "High-Flyer" and The Witch Mother would have many days, months and years together in inseparable bliss...He'll have to see Kunle later about the lawyer they discussed. The plot was surely thickening and he had to ensure that there were no loose ends.
"Martha, Martha" Yeside yelled.
"Aunty Martha", Olamide echoed.
Yeside thought she heard a mousy response from Olamide's room (partly occupied by Martha).
Yeside went close and knocked on the door. She heard the shuffling of feet and waited for Martha to let her in.
Martha wondered what story she would tell Yeside. She had to tell her why she didn't pick Olamide from school. The truth was that she was too scared to venture out of that room. She had tortured herself with thoughts of how to escape if he had managed to get into the room where she was hiding. Thankfully, she didn't have to deal with that. She couldn't afford to tell the truth because she knew that somehow, somebody somewhere would blame her and she would eventually be sent packing. The wives always blamed the maid for their husbands' indiscretions. Sending the maid away was usually considered the best way to save their marriages...until another maid was harassed. No, she couldn't tell Mummy Olamide what happened this afternoon.
"Martha, what's taking you so long to open the door? I don't have all day, Miss"
"Sorry ma. I'm not feeling too well ma"
Martha quickly asked God for forgiveness for that white lie as she opened the door.
"What's the matter? Have you taken any drugs?"
Yeside must have asked a dozen questions in less than a minute.
"I just started feeling feverish, ma"
"But why did you lock the door? Did you tell Daddy Olamide about it?"
Martha pretended not to hear the question and quickly countered with an apology.
"Sorry about leaving Olamide in school ma. I was cleaning the room when I started feeling feverish ma"
Yeside wanted to press but she decided to watch Martha a little more closely. She sure was hiding something and Yeside planned to wait patiently till the cat was let out of the bag. She handed over Olamide to Martha and went to the room to change into more comfortable clothes.
Though Mum had told her about Wole not going to work, she decided not to say anything about it. She had learnt earlier from a post she read on a Facebook page that if she kept her cool, the truth would reveal itself and she would be calm to face issues squarely.
Wole was ready for Yeside's angry outbursts. He was shocked to see her so calm and collected. He finally had to break the silence.
"Did you speak with Martha?"
"Yes I did"
"What did she say?"
"Not much", Yeside shrugged.
Both of their phones chose to ring at the same time. Kunle was calling Wole while Justice Anjola was calling Yeside. They both stepped away to receive the calls.
"Mum, this is not a good time", Yeside told her mother.
"Guy, can I call you back in about an hour?" Wole said to Kunle.
Kunle and Justice Anjola both insisted that the calls were too urgent to ignore. Kunle had the lawyer with him; Justice Anjola would be hosting guests in 30 minutes.
Wole stepped out of the room to receive his call while Yeside stayed back in the room. Both calls went past 30 minutes and by the time they were done, the moment had passed.
"I'll try to be back before 10pm, okay?" Wole told Yeside.
"I guess it'll give you enough time to prepare for a day of going nowhere tomorrow, right?"
The words flew out of Yeside's mouth before she could bite them back. Mum kept going on and on about Wole's absence from the office all through the call and she, surprisingly, allowed the words to fly out without restraint.
"Sorry, what did you just say?", Wole asked feeling really excited that the plan was actualizing itself without his help. He needed to egg her on and get her to explode; the cool and calm Yeside would destroy the plan.
"Nothing important. Just pretend you didn't hear me"
"But I did hear you. I know you and your mother have been gossiping about me"
Everything in Yeside wanted to respond but she remembered the 1-10 exercise. She started counting 1 to 10 and she could practically feel the anger going away.
Wole stormed out of the house. He was actually beginning to get angry and he needed a clear head to follow through with the plan.
***************************************************
Wole squinted. He thought the guy with Kunle looked like Bro Gbenro. He couldn't see well, though. Just as He was about to open the outer door of the bar, the guy got up and headed towards the other bar exit.
"It would have been nice to see Bro Gbenro." Wole thought to himself. Maybe he could hook him up with a job somewhere, who knows?
"Guy, na who be the guy wey just stand up from here? He resemble somebody wey I sabi from wayback"
"Which guy?"
Kunle was acting so surprised and weird.
"Nobody sit down here na. E be like say you don dey see things ooo. Me wey being dey sit, dey wait? The lawyer said I should buzz him when you come; he had some unfinished business to attend".
"Kunle, who was that guy? I demand to know now"
Please leave comments with suggestions on how you believe the story should unfold. Please credit ‘The Women Stories’ if you choose to share. Thank you.
"Hey Mum, I just got home. I'll call you when I'm settled, okay?", Yeside snapped at her.
"Yeside!"
"Sorry Mum, I'll let you know when I'm settled ma. I'm sorry for snapping"
Wole felt his stomach churn as he listened to Yeside's side of the conversation with Justice Anjola. His "High Flyer" was a timid lapdog whenever The Witch Mother was discussing with her. She was tied to her mother's apron strings and it appeared nothing could snap those strings...Well, Mrs "High-Flyer" and The Witch Mother would have many days, months and years together in inseparable bliss...He'll have to see Kunle later about the lawyer they discussed. The plot was surely thickening and he had to ensure that there were no loose ends.
"Martha, Martha" Yeside yelled.
"Aunty Martha", Olamide echoed.
Yeside thought she heard a mousy response from Olamide's room (partly occupied by Martha).
Yeside went close and knocked on the door. She heard the shuffling of feet and waited for Martha to let her in.
Martha wondered what story she would tell Yeside. She had to tell her why she didn't pick Olamide from school. The truth was that she was too scared to venture out of that room. She had tortured herself with thoughts of how to escape if he had managed to get into the room where she was hiding. Thankfully, she didn't have to deal with that. She couldn't afford to tell the truth because she knew that somehow, somebody somewhere would blame her and she would eventually be sent packing. The wives always blamed the maid for their husbands' indiscretions. Sending the maid away was usually considered the best way to save their marriages...until another maid was harassed. No, she couldn't tell Mummy Olamide what happened this afternoon.
"Martha, what's taking you so long to open the door? I don't have all day, Miss"
"Sorry ma. I'm not feeling too well ma"
Martha quickly asked God for forgiveness for that white lie as she opened the door.
"What's the matter? Have you taken any drugs?"
Yeside must have asked a dozen questions in less than a minute.
"I just started feeling feverish, ma"
"But why did you lock the door? Did you tell Daddy Olamide about it?"
Martha pretended not to hear the question and quickly countered with an apology.
"Sorry about leaving Olamide in school ma. I was cleaning the room when I started feeling feverish ma"
Yeside wanted to press but she decided to watch Martha a little more closely. She sure was hiding something and Yeside planned to wait patiently till the cat was let out of the bag. She handed over Olamide to Martha and went to the room to change into more comfortable clothes.
Though Mum had told her about Wole not going to work, she decided not to say anything about it. She had learnt earlier from a post she read on a Facebook page that if she kept her cool, the truth would reveal itself and she would be calm to face issues squarely.
Wole was ready for Yeside's angry outbursts. He was shocked to see her so calm and collected. He finally had to break the silence.
"Did you speak with Martha?"
"Yes I did"
"What did she say?"
"Not much", Yeside shrugged.
Both of their phones chose to ring at the same time. Kunle was calling Wole while Justice Anjola was calling Yeside. They both stepped away to receive the calls.
"Mum, this is not a good time", Yeside told her mother.
"Guy, can I call you back in about an hour?" Wole said to Kunle.
Kunle and Justice Anjola both insisted that the calls were too urgent to ignore. Kunle had the lawyer with him; Justice Anjola would be hosting guests in 30 minutes.
Wole stepped out of the room to receive his call while Yeside stayed back in the room. Both calls went past 30 minutes and by the time they were done, the moment had passed.
"I'll try to be back before 10pm, okay?" Wole told Yeside.
"I guess it'll give you enough time to prepare for a day of going nowhere tomorrow, right?"
The words flew out of Yeside's mouth before she could bite them back. Mum kept going on and on about Wole's absence from the office all through the call and she, surprisingly, allowed the words to fly out without restraint.
"Sorry, what did you just say?", Wole asked feeling really excited that the plan was actualizing itself without his help. He needed to egg her on and get her to explode; the cool and calm Yeside would destroy the plan.
"Nothing important. Just pretend you didn't hear me"
"But I did hear you. I know you and your mother have been gossiping about me"
Everything in Yeside wanted to respond but she remembered the 1-10 exercise. She started counting 1 to 10 and she could practically feel the anger going away.
Wole stormed out of the house. He was actually beginning to get angry and he needed a clear head to follow through with the plan.
***************************************************
Wole squinted. He thought the guy with Kunle looked like Bro Gbenro. He couldn't see well, though. Just as He was about to open the outer door of the bar, the guy got up and headed towards the other bar exit.
"It would have been nice to see Bro Gbenro." Wole thought to himself. Maybe he could hook him up with a job somewhere, who knows?
"Guy, na who be the guy wey just stand up from here? He resemble somebody wey I sabi from wayback"
"Which guy?"
Kunle was acting so surprised and weird.
"Nobody sit down here na. E be like say you don dey see things ooo. Me wey being dey sit, dey wait? The lawyer said I should buzz him when you come; he had some unfinished business to attend".
"Kunle, who was that guy? I demand to know now"
Please leave comments with suggestions on how you believe the story should unfold. Please credit ‘The Women Stories’ if you choose to share. Thank you.
Monday, 9 February 2015
Growing Wings Episode 16
Justice Anjola was stewing… That boy was really getting on her nerves! Who in the world did he think he was? He was so full of himself. She was livid! What was he doing in the house by 1 pm?
She quickly called Yeside back to let her know that all was well. She decided to handle Wole by herself. She called Engineer Haruna and quickly learnt that Wole had been suspended. She didn’t end up as a Chief Justice without spending time researching facts and investigating cases. She knew who to call whenever she needed anything. She remembered the young Management trainee that had been assigned to her department when she was still working with Raymond Amadi and Associates – the brilliant Mabel Douglas. She had taken interest in the girl and had mentored her as much as she could. She still felt as disappointed today as she did when she had learnt that Mabel was having an affair with one of the partners of the firm. She couldn’t help taking it out on Mabel at work. She thought she was “open-minded” enough to work objectively with Mabel. However, she found herself snapping at her for no tangible reason. She had to look for an excuse to move Mabel to another department. Apparently, Mabel had more backbone than Anjola bargained for. She queried her transfer. Thankfully, Anjola got an offer from the Department of Public Prosecutions, which she gladly took before the investigations were completed. That was an ugly chapter in her career and she was glad she didn’t have to explain herself. Kunle’s call brought her back to the present.
“Hello darling. How’s my baby girl?”
“Mr. Husband, your baby girl was day-dreaming. How are you doing? Have you had lunch?”
“Sweetheart, I’m on the ‘mountain’ na”
“Okay o. When you get to the valley, we can talk joor. Meanwhile, have you spoken to Wole recently? That boy is getting more insolent by the day. I can’t talk where I am; we’ll talk more when we see later. Take care of yourself, dear”
“Okay sweetheart. It is well.
“Kunle, you need to talk to Wole ooo…”
“Sweetheart, can we talk about it when we get home? I am not in a place where I can talk about private matters now”
“Okay, darling”
Anjola wondered why her husband because this spiritual. She had married a fun-loving guy and all these fasting and praying things were a little too much for her. She was quite concerned about his health as the fasting and praying were quite plenty. She could actually swear that he fasted more than Jesus Christ.
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“Oga!”
Martha was shocked to see Wole naked. What was she to do now? “Dear Lord, please help!”
Wole came towards her with an evil look on his face. She almost passed out but she had to stay strong…She started thinking of the vow she had made to God to remain a virgin till she got married. What was she going to do? She was very afraid.
Wole came close and held her. She was too terrified to even scream. If she did, no one would hear her, anyway as most people had gone to work. She felt so helpless and she began to pray to God for help. She found herself praying out loud.
Suddenly, Wole’s phone rang. As he released her to get the phone, she quickly pushed him and rushed to the room. She quickly locked the door and continued praying.
Wole picked the phone with a satisfied smile. The plan was definitely working. He just needed to wait and let time handle the rest. He couldn’t wait to watch Yeside as she broke down in tears and hopefully took them through the ‘tough road’. He had heard her talk about what she would do if she caught her husband cheating long enough to know what was coming next. Kunle’s timing was perfect; the call came in at the right time. The rest of the plan now depended on Mabel. He prayed she would follow his script.
He hoped that the divorce would break the spell she had cast on him, though. He couldn’t even get aroused by another woman. His body would not cooperate at all. Not that he would ever consider committing adultery. He didn’t want to mess with God.
A text message came in just then. As he was reading Yeside’s text message, a message came in from the church office reminding him of the midweek service tomorrow. Sunday service was enough for him! He had minimum tolerance for hypocrisy. He had seen one of the top leaders in the bar one evening while hanging out with Kunle and the gang. The position Bro. Leader was with the lady that was with him suggested that they were having an affair. Yet, the brother was pastor’s right hand man, who served on almost all church committees. They were all hypocrites, please.
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Yeside’s phone rang. She checked and saw that it was from Olamide’s school. She quickly excused herself and returned the call.
“No one has come to pick Olamide from school, ma”
“Really? Let me call his nanny and get back to you, please”
She quickly called Martha. Martha picked the phone but the network was really poor. She had series of meetings so going to pick Olamide herself was practically impossible. As she cracked her brain on what to do, Mum called her. She asked Mum if she could help pick Olamide up. Mum told her that Wole was at home and was in a better position to pick Olamide.
WHAT IS WOLE DOING AT HOME? The alarm bells went off in Yeside’s head. She quickly called Wole but he also wasn’t picking the phone. She quickly sent Mum a text message asking her to please help with Olamide as Wole was unreachable and the network did not allow her reach Martha. Mum replied with an “Okay, dear” as she started typing a text message to Dad.
She struggled through the day and almost ticked off Barrister Ikedia when she sent him an email without the attachments. She really had to try to focus at work, though she had a nagging feeling that all was not well at home. She said a quick prayer.
As soon as the day was over, Yeside quickly checked with Mum and confirmed that Olamide was with her. She had to stop by at Mum’s place to pick up Olamide before heading home. Thank God she drove. As she drove out of the Parking Lot, she got a text message from the church reminding her of tomorrow’s midweek service. She wasn’t feeling the church as much as she used to but they had made the church their family church. She was bored with hearing the same sermons, praying the same prayers and doing the same things over and over again. Maybe she should start attending lunch hour fellowship in the church close to her office.
As she got to her parents’ place, she had a strong feeling that something was not right. She said a quick prayer and went into the house. Olamide clung to her as he saw her, which was quite unusual. He wasn’t really a clingy child…
“Wole did not go to work today. Apparently, he was suspended from work”, Justice Anjola told Yeside in a very business-like tone.
“Good evening Mum. How do you know that?” Yeside queried.
“Martha told me he was around when I called her earlier in the day. I also spoke with him. I later called his office and my contact told me he had been suspended since last week. That boy is definitely up to something”
“We have to go now, Mum. Wole hasn’t been picking my calls; neither has Martha. I hope they are okay”
Yeside quickly packed up Olamide’s things and prepared to go.
“I thought you’ll have left him here till the weekend so I can take him to school and back. Who knows if Martha has run away or something?”
“MUM!”
“What, Yeside? Is it impossible?”
“Good night, Mum”
Yeside drove as quickly as she could and found the front gate wide open. It was quite unusual. She quickly raced upstairs and found the house in a horrible mess.
WHERE IN THE WORLD WAS MARTHA?
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Friday, 30 January 2015
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.
***********************
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.
**********************************************
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…
Please leave comments with suggestions on how you believe the story should unfold. Please credit ‘The Women Stories’ if you choose to share. Thank you.
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.
***********************
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.
**********************************************
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…
Please leave comments with suggestions on how you believe the story should unfold. Please credit ‘The Women Stories’ if you choose to share. Thank you.
Monday, 12 January 2015
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…
Please leave comments with suggestions on how you believe the story should unfold. Please credit ‘The Women Stories’ if you choose to share. Thank you.
Sunday, 11 January 2015
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.
*************************************************************************************
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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Thursday, 8 January 2015
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.
*************************************
'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.
*************************************
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.
Please leave comments with suggestions on how you believe the story should unfold. Please credit ‘The Women Stories’ if you choose to share. Thank you.
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