BEHIND THE FINE FACE
EPISODE 9
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“You see, my son. The evil eyes have been upon your wife almost as long as she has been in existence. When your generation decided to take things to a whole new level; a level that to them means bringing the world closer; being social; being current; in vogue; putting themselves out there, what your wife is correctly afflicted by, will always be assured to lurk…”
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The manner at which Uncle T spoke raised hairs. The passion in his voice was very intentional.
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“… Rachael was introduced, literally, to the world just moments after she was born. It was in that very moment that the mark she has been marred by, latched on, making way for other evil forces that have stuck with her over time, till date…”
“… Introduced to the world, ke?” Bobby murmured.
“Yes! In an attempt to share his joy with the world; to let everyone know that his wife has finally delivered their long-awaited child, Rachael’s father took a picture of Rachael and went on to make a very long post about his newborn, on one of his social media platforms…”
“… Wait! Uncle T, are you saying that it is wrong to post pictures on social media?” I asked, muttering.
“That’s not what I am saying, my son, but remember earlier, I said, gone are the days when what you don’t know, no longer kills you. The thing is, we live in a world where a man’s source of joy is another’s source of pain. Not everyone is happy that you are winning in a certain way, you know? And the irony of it is that, it’s not really their fault, and it doesn’t necessarily make them a bad person. It only means that you need to be conscious of the world you live in. It only means that you should be very careful on how you broadcast everything you consider a win. Understand that certain things have to be on a need to know basis. It’s not like you need the world’s validation for something you already possess…”
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My head ached. I couldn’t really grasp exactly what Uncle T was saying at the time. I was still trying to wrap my head around what okra soup was doing in the mix of any of this and now, social media? Common now!
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It wasn’t the first time that I’d be hearing about “the evil eye.” I didn’t think it was “a real thing” until Uncle T went on to shed more light on it.
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“… The post that Rachael’s father made, welcoming his newborn into the world, amassed a lot of likes and comments from people. I mean, that was primarily the reason he would have made such a post, right? But little did he know that behind those numerous love reactions; behind every congratulatory comment; behind the phone calls he received afterwards; behind every wish, were a couple of bitter hearts; hearts that saw past the aim of the post, reading an entirely different meaning to it. A particular woman uttered a word that day and repeated it again, on the day of Rachael’s naming ceremony; an occasion this woman wouldn’t have known about if Rachael’s father had not gone ahead to share pictures from the event again; an utterance that is to be the signature of your wife; a signature that Rachael has been plagued with, till date. “
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“Ha! Uncle T, is it even possible? How can a total stranger have that much hold on someone?” Bobby muttered.
Uncle T chuckled; shook his head at possibly the naivety of my guy, before he continued…
“Logically, no one should ever have that much hold on a child he/she didn’t conceive, but nothing about the evil ones is ever logical. This is why we advise; keep your affairs to yourself, regardless. Your wife grew up with these eyes fixated on her, leaving trails of destructive alterations in every of her affiliations. Like every young beautiful lady growing up, your wife has always been the center of attraction amongst her peers, hence, increasing; intensifying these evil eyes upon her.”
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Bobby looked at me to meet my eyes already staring back at him. I guess he could clearly see how bemused I was, too.
There was a momentary silence in the room before Uncle T cleared his throat to speak.
It was as though Uncle T had given us that few minutes to digest everything he’d said.
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“That spiritual father was right the first time.” Uncle T began, turning towards me in a manner that clearly suggested that he was talking to me. “What your wife needed was to have simply had her head washed, like he had said, but the same evil forces after Rachael wouldn’t let it, so they came through her mother, as a distraction.”
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The way and manner Uncle T had turned towards me sent my heart racing. It was as though a bag containing “the huge cat” had just been let loose. The cat is obviously just moments away from being out, at this point.
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Upon these utterances, I could clearly see confusion splattered all over Bobby’s face. He must have assumed Uncle T was mistaken, but again, something must have told him that Uncle T hadn’t, and that he was the one missing out on something at this point.
Bobby turned to look at me after staring at Uncle T with his mouth agape for what had seemed like “forever”, to probably see how I’d respond to this, but then, I didn’t even know how to respond.
I threw my face away and tried to ask a question that could be that much-needed distraction at this point, but Bobby was not ready to let this slide.
To be continued…
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Moshood Avidiime
