Marital Vice – Episode 3
” God, I can’t believe this is happening so soon, ” Tina said to herself as she punched her fist in her palm, ” I should have warned Deola earlier but how could I even do that?” She continued her soliloquy in regret.
She was pregnant for him already and telling her his mother was a freak would do little to prevent the union. Deola was a blind bride apparently and could only see the tricky fact that Tolu cared about her but in reality, he was only a mummy’s boy who would be able to do nothing whenever his mum calls the shot.
Now it was beginning already. Ever since she had overhead the conversation at the wedding when Tolu’s mum was scolding him for pulling through with the wedding, she had been feeling this surge of guilt within her for not telling Adeola. She felt like some evil friend especially now events would definitely begin to unfold.
Christina shrugged and stood up, ” Deola would just have to live with it anyways. I will only pray she figures how to deal with it,” she said to herself in hope.
She could only stay around for Deola now. That much she could manage as her friend, she thought and went to turn off the t.v. before leaving to sleep.
———–
” Mummy, don’t worry so much. We would come to see you very soon,” Deola promised not giving an exact date to her mother and finally hung up.
” Phew, that is why I don’t call. Only if Tolu could be a little less strange and allow me ask him if I could go see my mum,” she said to herself and put away the phone on the bedside locker. She tuck her son in and lay on the bed waiting for her husband to come home. He didn’t say anything about where he was going or when he would be back and she was beginning to wonder if he was indeed beginning to change into the typical Nigerian husband who sheds his skin after marriage. She was still thinking when she fell asleep and didn’t wake until almost one a.m. when she was roused by Tolu’s hard knocks on the door.
Deola jumped off the bed and went to open the door for her husband who hissed as soon as she opened the door,
” Did you plan on locking me out or what?!” He shouted at her as she stepped out of his way, unable to take the alcohol stench steaming from his breath.
” Tolu, have you been drinking?” She had to ask again. Here was a man who once told her he thought all those who consumed alcohol heavily were irresponsible and didn’t deserve good. What message was he now trying to get across to her by getting himself in that class, she thought.
Tolu sneered, ” Why? Are you surprised?” He said and went into the toilet spending what seemed like forever in there.
” Tolu, we need to talk,” she told him simply and stood in his way with her arms akimbo.
” I need to sleep so move out of my way,” Tolu waved her away but she only stood straight in front of him.
” I’m not moving anywhere, Tolu. You are changing and I can’t place why. Something is terribly wrong and you are not letting me on it. Why am I your wife if you are going to keep anything from me? For God’s sake, I took up the responsibility of this family when you lost your job and you plan on paying me like this…..” She said to him trying to stir up some kind of emotion in him but only got cut off,
” And whose fault was it that I had lost my job in the first place!” He barked at her taking her aback,
” What?!” Deola exclaimed.
” You want to take credit for a little favor you claim to have done for me but my eyes are getting clearer now. Because of you, the whole family is against me and you still have guts to act crybaby each day I get back, eh? Well Adeola, I am sick and tired of all these so move out of my way,” he stated and pushed her aside roughly walking straight into the other bedroom which served as the visitor’s room to sleep. He wasn’t ready to get ‘weak’ again because of her. Kay’s advice seemed like the best option he could take now, he told himself.
Adeola couldn’t believe her ears. She wasn’t sure what they had been feeding her husband outside that house but it was definitely working on him. At least, it was beginning to have an epic effect in putting them apart.
—Chapter three—
” When will Tolu be back?” Tayo asked Deola glancing at the clock. He had been around for nearly two hours expecting his friend to be at home since it was Sunday but now he wasn’t sure he would meet his friend during his visit to Lagos. He was returning to Ibadan that evening and hoped to see Tolu before he left.
Deola simply shrugged as she cleared the plates she had served him in, ” I don’t know,” she said and went into the kitchen.
” Why? Did he go somewhere far?” He asked again surprised by her tone a little.
” I really don’t know,” Deola told him as she returned to the living room and sat on the sofa opposite him.
” How is that possible? He didn’t tell you when he would be back? I need to see him before I leave for Ibadan,” Tayo continued unaware of what was ensuing in the family.
” Call him and ask where he is,” Deola suggested standing up to slap Niyi’s hand really hard as he went to the wall socket tugging at wires.
Niyi quickly looked up about to cry but held his lips seeing his mum’s expression. Even the kid knew when to shut up especially with his sweet mum’s new attitude.
” You didn’t have to hit him that hard,” Tayo said noticing her different attitude.
” If he gets electrocuted, then I’ll become the irresponsible mother. I’d rather slap him hard now,” She simply told him.
” Easy, Deola. What is up?” Tayo was finally convinced something was wrong.
” Nothing,” she replied curtly. Tayo was Tolu’s friend and they were obviously going to be made of the same feathers. No use telling him his friend was a jerk.
” I think I know you well enough to notice when something is going wrong. You mind telling me?” He sat up and clasped his hands ready to listen.
” I’ve told you everything is fine. And don’t you think you should leave early if you want to make it to Bodija before dark. It’s already 3p.m.” Deola started hoping to get rid of him. None of them could be trustworthy. All her other friends had stopped coming since Tolu lost his job the other time and might probably think of returning now that he was more comfortable much to her own discomfort. She wasn’t ready to trust any one of them especially if they had anything to do with her husband.
Tayo smiled, ” You want to get rid of me? Well, I don’t plan on leaving till you let me on what is going on,” he stated as Deola sighed and shook her head.
… to be continued
