HEDGED
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Episode 13
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“Greg, is this how I raised you? Is this what that woman has subjected you to? You now slave around, even in your own house? Greg, you were busy p******g pepper while she sat down, doing absolutely nothing. What else does she make you do when I am not around, Greg?”
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Mama had noticed that I had been smiling the entire time. She waited to see what she was saying, which I found hilarious.
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“Nothing, Mama, I’m sorry”.
“Sorry for yourself, Greg. SORRY FOR YOURSELF.” “I really don’t know…”
“…Maamaaa! Please do not behave in this manner. Please, please, please calm down.”
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Mama gave me “the look”.
I continued to talk regardless.
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“I can understand how odd everything you’d seen earlier might have appeared to you, but believe me, you would have been proud of your son if you knew better.” “You’ll be proud of the kind of son and husband I’ve grown to be…”
“…WILL YOU KEEP QUIET?” Mama shot back. “Proud of the woman wrapper my son has become, you mean? Proud that I can no longer spend quality time with my child unless another lady gives him permission to indulge me?” “Are these the things I should be proud of?”
“Don’t talk like that, Mama; you know that’s not true.”
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Mama’s eyes widened in confusion and disbelief, as if I’d just uttered something inappropriate.
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“Oh, Greg…” “Isn’t that incorrect? What specifically is untrue in what I’ve just stated? You’re calling me a liar now, aren’t you? So I’m a liar now, abi?”
“Come on, Mama!” “I never referred to you as a liar. All I’m saying is that you’re utterly misreading everything. You’re blowing everything out of proportion. You know it’s not possible for me to request permission before spending some quality time with you; it just isn’t doable. I honestly don’t know where you get these ideas.”
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Mama scornfully surveyed me from head to toe before sarcastically asking, “Abi Tricia is no longer the lord over you, and I dinnor know?”
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“Maamaa! I’m still puzzled as to why you now see Tricia in this light. You and I were once extremely good friends, you know?”
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Mama smirked, then averted her gaze, murmuring something I didn’t understand. She returned her gaze to me, wanting to say something, but I continued to speak.
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“You were even the one who showed me how beautiful and amazing that woman is on the inside and out, remember?” “Tricia remains that lady. Nothing has changed about her. Tricia is an essential part of my life; you must come to accept this, Mama.”
“I revere and yearn for the closeness you and Tricia formerly shared.” “I thought you’ll make Tricia a daughter that you never had, but that isn’t the case right now, is it?” “As any daughter-in-law should, that woman has done nothing but love, respect, and appreciate you as my mother. I made certain of it.”
“Tricia is aware of your significance to me.” “She regards you as a mother figure to her. She never jokes about you because she knows how important you are to me. However, it is critical to know that there is a limit to what a human can take when they are repeatedly pushed to the limit.” “I honestly don’t want Tricia to lose all of her love and respect for you, Mama. I don’t, because that would put me in even more peril than I already am.”
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Mama sat quietly, her head buried in the grime, listening. Mama would nod and shake her head from time to time, as though every syllable in my speech was “on point.”
This encouraged me to continue talking, going incessantly with “haymakers.” I had no notion that my words were only making matters worse. If I had known, I would have probably stopped talking after the first few points.
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Mama looked at me with a disdainful expression I’d never seen before. She explored me from head to toe once again, as if to make sure that I was truly her child, before bursting into tears.
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“I had a feeling!” “Greg, I knew it. I figured we’d get to this point eventually with the way things were going…”
“…to what point, Mama?” I asked, my eyes rolling.
“…to the point where you, my own son, would turn on me; his mother; a woman who had spent her entire life ensuring that you became something amazing in life, despite being abandoned by your father to do these, all by myself…”
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At this point, Mama burst into tears. She was well aware that this act always got to me.
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Remember how I said my mom is a drama queen? This type of eruption was not unusual.
Mama does this quite frequently when she needs to win an argument 😊.
To be continued…
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Moshood Avidiime The Writer
