IF ONLY I HAD WAITED
©️Ojo Rhoda Ayanfeoluwa.
Part 6.
My husband never discussed with me that his mother would be visiting us. So, I wasn’t expecting a visitor after he left for work, that morning.
I was in the kitchen preparing meal when someone opened the door without knocking. I heard someone opening the door. I wasn’t deaf.
“Who is that?” I asked. There was no response.
“Se eni yen o le soro ni? (can’t you talk?)” I shouted.
No response. The person only hissed.
“Who could that be?” I asked no one in particular.
I was scared to my marrow because I knew the door was opened. Wind cannot just open the door like that.
I left what I was doing and went to the siting room.
On getting there, I was shocked to see my mother-in-law.
Fear ran down my spine. I never expected her to visit that day.
I was shocked because I knew I was in for trouble again.
After few seconds, I came back to my senses. I remembered I forgot to greet her.
“Mummy, good after…” She didn’t allow me to complete my sentence.
“What is good about the afternoon, ye barren woman? What is good about the afternoon, ye empty barrel?” She said.
“Mama…” She shut me up.
“You are very stupid. I can’t be a mother to a bad woman like you because I wasn’t barren. I knew you cast a spell on my son. I didn’t want him to marry you at the first instance.
You’re such a barren woman. Good for nothing woman. You are a witch!!!! Witch!!!!! You killed your parents. Witch!!!!! They have sacrificed your womb in your evil meeting with your fellow witches. You want to kill my son too abi? No wonder you married him.” She shouted at the top of her voice.
I didn’t know when I began to shed tears.
” Witch!!!! So, witch shed crocodile tears too?” She asked sarcastically.
” Mama, I’m not a witch. I’m not a bad woman as you think.” I said in tears.
” Mama, I’m not barren, God will….” I was trying to utter some words, she cut in.
She gave me a dirty slap. I fell on the couch. I let out a wild cry.
“God😭😭😭😭 when will all these stop? God seeeeeeeeeee!!” I cried.
I never knew she heard me.
“If you call God again, I’m gonna deal with you. You’re such a useless bitch. When you were going around sleeping with guys, aborting pregnancies, you didn’t call God. When you were holding your meeting in your marine kingdom, you didn’t call God.” She said.
” Mama, I’m not a prostitute. I have never aborted pregnancy before. I am not a witch.” I said.
She slapped me again. I didn’t say anything. I left her and went straight to the kitchen.
My action really annoyed her. She came to the kitchen and started raining curses on me. I ignored her because she was pushing me to the wall.
She slapped me again.
“Shey iwo ko ni mo n ba wi ni? (Am I not talking to you?)” She asked. I didn’t answer her.
When it was becoming unbearable, I left the kitchen and went to the room. My matrimonial room. I locked the door from behind.
That woman still followed me. She tried to open the door but, it was locked. After some minutes, she left. I thought she had gone. I never knew she was waiting for me in the sitting room.
After few hours, I came out.
Before I came out, this woman went to the kitchen to pick my turning stick. I never knew she kept it by her side when I came out.
As I was stepping into the sitting room, she did as if she did not see me.
Before I could say “jack” She ran to my side with the stick.
I held her hands, collected the stick from her, just to defend myself. She was struggling with me. She was using her legs to deal with me.
As we were still struggling, my husband entered.
All of a sudden, my mother-in-law burst into tears.
She told him I used the turning stick to hit her head because she was trying to correct me. She said I got angry because of her corrections which made me run into the kitchen to get the stick which I used to hit her.
I broke down in tears for such a terrible lie.
My husband believed her. I tried to explain things to him.
“So, you’re telling me that my own mother is a liar?” He asked.
“Oh, it’s not like that.” I said.
“She used the turning stick on me” Mama said.
My husband descended on me and gave me the beatings of my life. I was beaten black and blue. It has never happened before, ever since I got married to Bidemi.
I couldn’t believe it. I cried.
Mama was satisfied.
Dear reader, my story changed. Changed for bad.
Is it a crime to have delay in childbearing for some years. I’m talking of 2 years into marriage. All these happened 2 years into marriage.
“Hmmmm!” Some mother-in-laws are terrible. I wouldn’t have married into his family if I knew I was going to have a callous mother-in-law.
I remembered my mum😭😭😭😭
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To be continued.
©️Ojo Rhoda Ayanfeoluwa.
Ojo Rhoda Ayanfeoluwa
