(Episode 2)
Christmas in November
Jane was preparing Jake for school hiding her bruised face from her son as she bent down to buckle his shoes, he bent down to look at her face,
Jane: “Jake!!!” he moved away from her with a gory gaze, “I’m sorry baby. Come here mummy didn’t mean to scream at you,” drew him closer.
Footsteps were heard from the room. The owner seemed to be dragging them. It was Felix.
He drew the chair of the dinning to sit,
Felix: “Can’t I have peace in this house? Why do you have to scream on our son like that?” he walked to where they were, tried touching Jake but the boy clung to his mother, “Come to daddy,boy!” he shrugged,
Jane: “The boy is late for school!” she looked away.
He carried Jake by force as Jake started crying,
Felix: “I’m your father! I’m your f*****g father!” Jake increased his cry.
Jane: “Let the boy, Felix!” he flung Jake on her as they both fall on the center table.
Felix: “He is my son, you gorrit? Don’t know the garbage you’re feeding him with!”
He walked out; Jane and Jake are clung to each other, Jane sobbed uncontrollably,
Jake: “Why does dad like swearing, mum?”
She embraced him very tight.
Felix: “I’ll teach that bitch that no one can turn a son away from father,” he pushed the door open as splashing of water was heard, “Where are you?”
With water fizzling into her mouth,
Jane: “Who’s that?” she had forgotten to lock the door, quickly she poured water on her body. Her heart skipped when the door of the bathroom banged on the wall, “Jesus!” their eyes met.
The fire in his eyes made goose pimple appeared on all over the body, “What is it?” she managed to say.
Felix leaned on the door,
Felix: “I want you to explain to me. Why you have turned my son against me? Why!?”
Jane: “You don’t have to scream, Felix!”
Felix: “What rights do you have to tell me not to scream in my own f*****g house!”
Jane: “It’s our house…. I’m still your wife,” she picked a towel to cover her body but he dragged the towelout of her hands as she tripped on the slippery tiles and fell.
……
Comfort has been calling Israel since the dawn of the day but he has been ignoring her; she is set for work. By 8 am she ought to have resumed but she wasn’t going straight to the office; she had to visit the co-operate bodies she had dropped letters with.
Comfort: “Baby,pick na, please don’t make start my Monday morning in this manner na!”
She dialed his number again but he wasn’t picking. After the quarrel Israel had left her place very early in the morning. That was his problem. Short tempered.
Israel: “Are you with my spare?” he had asked her and she handed it to him; bolted out without saying a good bye or see you later.
A call came in. it was her boss. With her mouth she whistled, what was she going to tell her? Her boss was those ones that were unbearable. Never believed in explanations; one had to get their job done. Just like Russians. An ardent believer of results; anyone who couldn’t produce results was shown the boots.
Boss: “Have been trying your number for centuries now and it’s been telling me busy. Do you know what you’re doing at all?” Comfort stuttered, “Have you gone to MTN office to follow up the letter we submitted?”
Comfort: “I…I…” she picked up her car and rushed out to the car,
Boss: “Their head of operations just called me to say we are to meet with them in fifteen minutes and we shouldn’t be a minute late consider yourself dead! I don’t understand why I’ll still be doing your work!” she dropped the call.
Comfort hissed and started the car but it refused to start,
Comfort: “Mtchew! Bitter old woman! She has used her witchcraft in preventing my car to start!”
She worked with a PR firm, she was recruited as a content writer but she found herself performing the duties of a marketer. She had submitted a proposal with MTN to get the contract of doing an advert for one of their latest tariffs. Of course, she knew her boss wasn’t bluffing. Literally, she was going to die if she missed the deal. It was worth millions. Who would want to miss such an offer in this recession?
“Oh my God!” she opened the bonnet and everything was in order but the car wasn’t starting. With a flip she opened the app for a taxi agency and ordered for a cab to be sent her way,
“In five minutes,ma’am!”
Comfort dropped from the cab and ran into the office almost pushing people off her way. Close to the board room where her meeting was to hold a lady well dressed stood like an usher,
Comfort: “I’m supposed to have a meeting with Mr Dele,head of operations!” she was thirty minutes behind schedule.
Tiana was written on her badge,
Tiana: “Gold PR company right?” Comfort nodded, “Oh oh,sorry my boss is meeting with some other people!”
Comfort:” what is that supposed to mean please!”
Tiana: “he has been waiting for thirty minutes but no one from your company show up. He cancelled and decided to attend to another group!”
Her head started spinning. What was the Tiana girl saying? It looked like Comfort had stopped understanding English. She felt her legs growing roots as they stuck to the ground.
Boss was calling her phone.
….
Iya Loja was already dressed,
Iya Loja: “Skief, you haff not ready?” Audu stroked his white side board,
Audu: “I need to rest a little!”
She sighed,
Iya Loja: “Let’s be going home na!”
Audu: “What home? You mean the place your son turn upside down?”
Iya Loja sat on the edge of the bed,
Iya Loja: “Ah,woman she aff suva. Wen e good is our shild wen e going bad is the woman’s own! Ah, Baba Jerry, is no fair oo!”
Audu turned away,
Audu: “Life isn’t even when you rub bleaching cream on it!”
Iya Loja gawked at him,
Iya Loja: “What you say?”
Audu knowing his wife wasn’t ready for any of her rants,
Audu: “I thought you said you were going home?”
Iya Loja: “You is shasing me abi? So you will aff time for those small small gehz who dem mother and father no train well to come and be warming my husband bed abi? That’s why you shasing me! E da not?” Audu was amused but he dared not laugh, “I staying here to wait for dat omo kekere geh you aff inviting!” she laid on the bed.
Audu: “Be my guest!” he wore his glasses put on the phone to read the early morning news from his favourite blog,Adelove.com
…
Iya Loja picked herself up,
Iya Loja:”Skief! My mind is no allowing me rest. Jerry thinking is worrying me dia dia!”
Audu pretended not have heard her.
She left for the house on getting to the house. The house was a total disaster. It was pretty empty but bottles of alcohol were spluttered everywhere, used condoms laid carelessly on the ground,
John, the gate man,
John: “Welcome,ma!”
Iya Loja: “Welcoming ya head! Where is you go yesterday when me an Skief yaff come back and we are not allowed entered into our house!”
John: “Oga, Jerry gimme leave yesterday as my pikin no well!”
Iya Loja: “John abi ki lo ruko re? Ah! You’re too lied! Why your mama no giff you Linus! You aff go school of lied!” john dropped the head, “Wo! I aff not geh your time!” she walked in seeing the mess she started ranting.
She opened the door and saw Jerry lying down with legs scattered, she slapped his legs but he doesn’t move, paused and moved closer on the spot she screamed. The driver and gate man rushed in. Jerry had foam gushing out of his mouth.
