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Kola was suprised to meet the absence of his wife when he returned home. The first sign showing that she wasn’t in was that their car wasn’t at the front of the house. When he drew the door handle, he discovered that it was locked. Suprised, Kola asked himself if it was possible that she didn’t get home from church. But, he was sure that she had moved out of the church premises almost half an hour before Deaconess Beatrice was through with her meeting at the pastor’s office and they also left.
Still wondering at what could have made Jumoke leave the house at that time of the night, Kola dipped his hand into his pocket and brought out his phone. As he pressed a button by the side and the screen lighted up, he gasped at the realization that he has had several missed calls from his wife.
” Jesus!” He screamed. His phone had been on silent mode since before they left for the marriage seminar at the church. He always put his phone on silent whenever he’s in church so as not to be distracted with calls or messages. Today, he had completely forgotten to put the phone back on ring mode.
Jumoke had made several calls to him; almost ten. He knew that he had offended her big time. He knew how painful it could be; wanting to communicate with someone, calling the person and receiving no response. He presumed that she must have been worried that he didn’t return home in good time and had decided to know what the problem was. Could it be possible that she had decided to go, check him in Deaconess’ house? That wouldn’t be funny. He wondered if he had passed her on the way. Not likely, though he wasn’t on the look out for her. He should have placed a call to her to let her know he would return late, especially when he got to Deaconess’ house.
——
Jumoke left her house about half an hour before her husband returned. She had the intention of driving straight to Deaconess’ house and giving Kola a piece of her mind. She would do so in the presence of the deaconess but would face her husband and ignore her. That action would send a warning signal to the deaconess.
Because her pain kept on increasing even as she drove , Jumoke decided to branch at a pharmacy and get some drugs. She was given an IV medication to make her get quick relief from the ulcer pain. Thereafter, the pharmacist insisted that she should stay for thirty minute so that he could monitor the effect of the drug.
In the interval between staying and leaving, she retried Kola’s number twice. He didn’t pick. Now disturbed than ever, Jumoke decided to call Tosin and narrate what happened to her.
The moment Jumoke started her narration, Tosin cut her short. ” Ha! so you took what I said to heart,” she said. ” Honestly, I was just curious to know if deaconess is related to your husband in anyway. If I had known that it would put you in distress, I wouldn’t mention it.”
” It’s not like that,” Jumoke responded. ” I had also been getting somehow worried about their increasing closeness even before you mentioned that he was frequenting her house. Don’t you think I have the right to know of Kola’s movement?”
Tosin cleared her throat. ” Well, that is true. Though, he might have his reasons for frequenting her place.”
” Without letting me know? What kind of reason could that be?”
” Jummy calm down.” Tosin advised. ” Honestly, I don’t want you to read too much meaning into their closeness. Who knows, she might be mentoring him. Though, I don’t support one-to- one mentorship between married people of opposite sexes, especially if the other spouse is not in the picture. Just thank God we have God fearing husbands. As far as I know, Kola is faithful to you. For now, take your time to study their relationship. Ask questions but be cautious, so that it wouldn’t look as if you are suspecting him. Pray about the issue as well. If after everything you are still bothered about their closeness, come out plain to Kola and state what you want in clear terms.”
” So you mean I should allow what happened this night to slide? I shouldn’t go to that woman’s house to bring the heavens down?”
” Nothing happened Jummy,” Tosin responded and laughed. ” I can bet that nothing happened. Don’t be agitated about the issue. I even know that you are bluffing. You can’t go to her house and do whatever.”
” Don’t dear me.”
” No be you? On a serious note, Kola might have a good reason for staying out that late. Although, he made a very big mistake by not calling you. He should have called you.”
” More reason why I’m disturbed. He refused to call and when I called, he didn’t pick. It’s unusual.”
” I advise that you rush home now. I bet you that he will be waiting for you.”
” And I assure you that I will tell him my church mind.”
” Take it easy. Please don’t fight him.”
” I think I have a call,” Jumoke said.
” That should be from your husband. Say me well to him. I will check on you tomorrow. Remember! Don’t fight him.”
——
Kola paced to and fro the length of their gate as he waited for his wife. He had called her. She said that she was out to get some drugs. She sounded angry but he was sure that she was on her way home.
Jumoke drove into the compound, parked, moved out of the car and made for the house. Quickly, Kola secured the security gate and rushed after her. He drew her hand as she stepped into the living room.
” Leave me Jo,” Jumoke said and snatched her hand away.
” Babe I’m sorry,” Kola pleaded. ” Honestly, I know I have offended you.”
” Big time,” Jumoke said with her eyes blazing. ” Imagine. Just to drive someone home and you spent almost two hours in her house. Doing what?”
Kola drew her to the sofa. Facing her, he said. ” We never exited the church until almost an hour after you left. It was like there was a naughty issue that the elders needed to resolve. They were at the conference room while I stayed at the reception of the pastor’s office. The TV was on and you won’t believe it…”
” Won’t believe what?”
” Arsenal and Man U were having a match. I totally forgot.”
” Don’t tell me…”
” The elders meeting ended at about thirty minutes into the first half. If you see the way that I drove to Deaconess’ house. I was not ready to miss that match for anything.”
” Not even for me? I have always known that you love football more than me.”
” But you know my weakness now.”
” Hmmm,” Jumoke grunted and stood up. ” So you decided to stay back in her house and finish the watching.”
” Exactly. I calculated that it would take me thirty to get down here. The time is enough to miss the most juicy parts of the match.”
” And you also refuse to call or pick your call.”
” My phone was on silent mode.”
” And Deaconess also refused to pick her call.”
” Did you call her?”
” Forget it.” Jumoke snapped. ” You can microwave your food when you are ready to eat. I will be in the room.” She turned her back to him.
” Food?” Kola asked. ” I ate at deaconess’ house. He scratched his head.
Jumoke turned back sharply and gave her husband a withering look. ” What did you say?”
” While I was watching the match, deaconess served me with semo and efo riro. I couldn’t resist the aroma of the food. It made me remember the exact way my late mum’s efo used to smell. That unique aroma of iru mixed with coarse pepper. See! I will so much like it if you can meet the deaconess to teach you how to make efo in that special way. Before she retired to her room( she said she had an online prayer meeting), I complemented her on her cooking. Guess what? She asked her house girl to pack a take away for me that I should…”
Jumoke hissed and left her husband standing. She rushed into their room and banged the door after her. She could hear Kola saying he knew she was still angry about his lateness, that he will never do it again.
Folake dropped face first into her bed and bit into the pillow. Emotion suddenly overtook her. Remembering all that had happened in the course of the day, she wondered at how men could be so insensitive.
Didn’t he sense that she isn’t happy about his relationship with that woman?(deaconess)
How possible could it be to swallow all that he told her hook, line and sink? Was he truthful about his movement?
To make matters worse, he even ate at her house. What audacity?
Isn’t deaconess supposed to know that his dinner would be ready at home?
Maybe she even did that intentionally, to send a message to Jumoke. And she had the gut to even pack a take away and send to her. She would make sure she trash the nonsense first thing tomorrow.
And Kola had the gut to tell her to go to the deaconess and learn how to cook efo. Common efo. So he had not been enjoying her food. Could that be the reason why he had been consistently going to Deaconess?
Men are the most insensitive beings that God made, Jumoke said and began to weep loudly. Her voice was loud enough for Kola to hear. She wanted him to know that she was weeping. She wanted her loud crying to attract him into the room. Then, she would break down totally and beg him to stay away from Deaconess, that their closeness is giving her palpitations.
She wept for 10 minutes then stopped. Kola was still in the sitting room. He didn’t come into the bedroom. She tiptoed to the door and peeped. Kola was in front of his computer, with giant earpads covering his ears. He was watching a documentary on God knows what. Jumoke hissed and tiptoed back to the bed.
Biting her finger in frustration, she whimpered like a two-year-old. Tears began to run down her face again. She stood and checked to see if Kola heard her. He was still with the pad over the ears. Angrily, she stood and dashed out of the room. She moved to stand before Kola and yanked the pad off his ears. He in turn raised his head and gasped at her tear- stained- face.
” What is it?” He asked with concern.
” Nothing.” She snapped.
” Are you sure?” He asked.
” I said nothing. I’m okay.”
” But you’ve been weeping.”
” So you heard me.” Jumoke flared up. ” You decided to leave me to weep alone.”
Kola gasped out. “Ha. Olorun oni je la roran ekun. We will not have cause to cry in this house. It is your face. I didn’t hear you crying. What is it?”
” Nothing.” Jumoke said and turned abruptly.
” Let me come so that we can talk.”
” Don’t follow me. Don’t even bother. Do you care?”
“I care.” He stood up.
” Please don’t follow me.”
” Okay. Okay.” Kola sat back.
She said he shouldn’t follow her, but she expected him to follow her and pamper her to sleep. After waiting for fifteen minutes, Jumoke cried herself to sleep.
TO BE CONTINUED
πππ Women! what do we really want? Someone once said that when a woman tells you she wants something, then it is the opposite.
Men! Learn to be sensitive to your wife’s needs and be able to decode fast, so that she won’t be entering hysteria mode all the time.
Sensitivity is very important in marriage.
Do you think Jumoke is convinced with the explanations that Kola gave her?
And…the efo issue. Was Kola right with the suggestion that he made that Jumoke should go and learn from the deaconess?
Β©Bosede Fagbemi
Very very wrong