Chapter Twenty Seven
THE INTRUDER
By the time she got back home, she was so shocked to meet us outside the house crying. She requested to know our reason for whimpering.
"Papa drove us out."
Ada, my elder sister and the first child of my mother, explained.
"Why? What was your offense?"
She asked, despite the stress from child bearing. She was holding the newborn baby on her left hand while the baby's bag was on the other hand, but she dropped the bag on the floor and cuddled us. Then she urged us to go back to the room to have the 'akara' (local snacks made of beans paste) which she bought for us. Despite her condition, she did not forget to buy the delicacy that we loved so much. Though we knew that father was in the house with a female visitor, we never suspected that she was not supposed to be in our house. So, we could not stop our mother from going into the house.
When she got into our one-room apartment and saw my father with another woman on their matrimonial bed, she screamed and that was all she could remember.
She woke up in the hospital after three days to discover that her baby had died. It happened that the baby fell off her hand when her husband began to beat her. Mazi Iluno Okonkwo – as I liked to address him instead of 'my father' was a black-hearted, ruthless and crafty man. Apart from the fact that Mama had only girls for him, he would not have been a kind person if she had had male children too. The baby did not survive it despite the efforts of the doctors to save her.
After the painful demise of her baby, she made every effort to regain her husband, ranging from reporting him to the church and his kinsmen. When Mazi Iluno was summoned by the church, he told the Reverend that he should mind his business. My mother gave up when she got tired. She went back to her family house, where her mother assisted her in her little way to raise us.
The lady moved in and began to live with Mazi Iluno Okonkwo. As time went by, she gave birth to two baby boys. The family knew that such children were not welcomed; hence they were illegitimate because they were had outside wedlock.
Our relations refused to accompany him to the girl's house for proper marriage when he wanted to pay her bride price as required by native law and custom which would qualify him to have the ownership of the children.
On the other hand, the girl's parents were not willing to welcome him either. Chika, the mistress had been given out in marriage to another man, Mr. Eric Adibe the son of Mazi Adibe her father's bosom friend who was based in the United States of America. It had been six years since he left and no one had neither seen him nor heard from him. There were speculations that he had married a white lady, or he was dead. Chika had been an unhappy and lonely lady because no man was willing to marry her, even though it was no secret that Mr. Eric Adibe, her husband, was nowhere to be found. Despite her beauty and age, she was very much willing to marry anyone who was willing to take her in because she was afraid of losing out entirely by remaining single all her life.
According to her, if Mr. Eric Adibe had moved on with his life, she should be allowed to move on with her life too. When Mazi Iluno Okonkwo approached her for a relationship, she gladly accepted to be his second wife, despite his age and cantankerous lifestyle. Little did she know that he was going to send his wife and children away. She does not mind being a second wife even if it means being a slave to the first wife, provided she would be allowed to share the man with her. Just imagine how disgusting it was when Mazi Iluno Okonkwo showed up in my house.
On Monday morning, while Ken and I were about leaving the house for Jeff's school to check if his name was on the admission list that was just released by the university. He had made peace with me and needed my company since my school where I work was still on holidays. Ken was a pleasant person, he cannot be angry for a long time nor bear grudges with anyone. That was one of the attributes I liked about him, though some time, people take him for granted. As he was about turning on the ignition of the car, his phone rang.
"Hello"
He answered and listened to the person at the other end.
"I do not get you, Mazi who? Oh! I see. I will get back to you."
He cut the call.
I later got to know that this was the least person he expected to hear from. Since he wanted to avoid spoiling my day, he quickly drove off without bothering to discuss the caller with me.
We came back delighted that day, full of excitement and thanksgiving to God. Junior as we sometimes called Jeff had been offered Admission into the University of his choice – University of Abuja to be precise.
Now, he quickly transferred five hundred thousand into my account for the processing of his admission.
'What should someone that should be in hell be doing in my house?'
I thought the moment I set my eyes on Mazi Iluno.
Some people have their ways of spoiling people's day or, better put, shortening one's happiness.
"What are you doing here? Who invited you?"
I yelled at the unwanted visitor all at once.
"Jeff."
I called out with a loud voice, shouting as though he was some miles away.
"Yes, mom."
Jeff answered as he ran from his room to meet me.
"Where's Mama? And who gave you the permission to open the door and admit someone you have never met before into the house."
I asked as though the intruder was not there.
"Mama said she was going to the market."
Jeff, who was already afraid, wondering what could have made me angry and why. He answered my first question, but before he could think of the answer to my second question, my husband came to his rescue.
"Darling, take it easy."
"Why should Jeff open the door for anyone that knocks?"
I yelled
"Just go to the room. I will handle it. You need to rest now."
Ken said as he patted my back and took me to the room, gave me a hug and a passionate kiss.
"I will always love you."
He said and hurriedly went back to attend to the visitor while Jeff quietly slipped into his room.
I could remember what this man did to us in the village when Ken and I were still courting. I invited him to the village for the Annual Harvest Thanksgiving by the local church. He was flaunting his new wife here and there. Especially with the most desired male children. He pretended not to know me or my husband to be. I did not expect any better treatment, after all I was just a woman. I also pretended that I do not know him. After we bought several items from the bazaar sales, he came to us, smiling sheepishly, and asked if we were going to return to the city with the items. The treatment I gave to him was enough for him not to come near me again. Now, he was not just near me presently but right under my roof. To make me angry the more, without any invitation or any prior notice. Little did I know that he came with killing intent?
End of Dora's perspective.