Episode 8
Mamiwota Is After My Life ππ
The day was a Saturday. Hubby came back around 7pm, looking very excited. The baby and I were lying on a mattress in the parlor watching a video in my phone when he opened the door, and entered. His pockets were unusually swollen, and I wondered what he’s forced down there.
He dropped the car key on top the center table (which has been shifted to the wall to make space for the mattress) and started dancing to no music.
The last I’ve seen him that excited was in the hospital, the day I put to birth.
“Hey! why the excitement?”. I asked.
He ignored me, and instead turned his back to us and started whining his body. I smiled.
“What is making you this excited?”. I repeated the question.
For an answer, he dragged me out of the mattress, and forced me to join him in the dancing.
“Honey, stop, I’m so tired”. I said.
“If you don’t dance, I won’t tell you”. He said.
I knew he was going to tell me whether or not I danced, but I didn’t want to be a killjoy so I began to dance along.
“Abeg, I’m tired”. I complained after about three minutes of strenuous movement.
I went back to join the baby on the mattress.
“My dear, the lord has done it again”. He announced, placing two bundles of one thousand naira notes on my laps.
I opened my mouth in shock. I knew his bus was chattered for a traditional marriage in a neighboring village, but he told me the agreed price was 30k… not bundles of money.
“How did you get all these money?”. I found my voice.
“The wedding we attended”. He said, feeling proud of himself.
“How?”. I asked..
He sat down beside me, an began to explain. It turned out that the wedding happened to be a first class event with lots of the elites in attendance. While the couple were dancing, some friends to the groom took over the stage, and were throwing money in bundles at the newly weds with the other guests cheering them on. At a point, one of the men turned over, and started stoning the guest too.
“I couldn’t bring myself down to be dragging money with women and children, but luckily enough, two bundles landed at my corner. One on my feet, and the other on my lap”. He explained.
That was when I felt the need for the dance. Strength entered into me instantly. I dragged him to the dance floor, and we resumed dancing.
The both of us alone knew what that money mean to us at that moment. We are going to buy the baby’s food, we shall restock our foodstuffs. It’s been a while we ate good food. By good food, I mean food with meat or fish in it.
When we got exhausted, we fell back on the mattress panting happily.
“That means I will be going shopping tomorrow”. I announced.
He nodded, picked the money up and shook his head.
“I have been worried for a while now. But thank God that at last I would be able to dedicate my daughter to the house of God”. He said.
The smile on my face vanished instantly.
“What are you talking about?”. I almost attacked him.
“With this money, we can take chinenye.. The baby groaned.
… sorry I mean mmirinma to church to be dedicated”. He said.
“Do you not think it’s too, it’s too early?”. I stammered.
He frowned.
“Too early ke? Our daughter will be three months by month end, remember?”. He asked.
I nodded quietly.
“But this money won’t be enough to do the dedication”. I tried to dissuade him.
“It’s going to be a low-key event with just few family members as witnesses”. He has said, and that was the end of the discussion.
That night, I didn’t sleep a wink. I tossed in bed all night, listening to his snore.
He has no idea the kind of problems he was creating for us.I thought.
The next morning, the baby started running temperature. We rushed her to the hospital, and from one bundle of the money, we paid for the test and drugs issued to her.Yet the sickness persisted, and to make matters worse, she vomits the drugs once it touches her tongue.
The baby was sick for two whole days.
Hubby came back on Wednesday morning with five tubers of yam and an agric fowl.
“If I don’t do this now, I may not be able to do it again”. He had said.
That night, I called Angela to complain to her.
“Please, we need to visit the goddess because I have a feeling this sickness has a connection with all these”. I said.
So on Thursday morning, after he has out for work, Angela and I left for the shrine, with the baby this time.
“Into this very altar, you must bring every single item your husband has planned to offer to the other god”. The mamiwater had commanded.
“How am I going to do that?”. I asked Angela on our way home.
“Don’t worry, before that day, we are going to come up with a plan”. She replied.
The sickness subsided after the visit.
Mother-in-law and her two daughters came on Saturday evening.That same night, Angela communicated the plans to me.
So on that Sunday morning when his mother and sisters were making noise in the kitchen, and hubby was washing his bus in front of the compound, I snuck the yam, and the c**k out through the backdoor where Angela wa waiting, handed them to her, and went back for the baby and the fat envelope he has placed on top the table. Through that same backdoor, I snuck out of the compound, and into the waiting van in front of the gate…
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#Story from Joy Ifunanya
