Thorn between episode 26 – 27
TITLE: TORN BETWEEN
WRITTEN BY OGECHI ALABI
GROWTH 6…
They arrived at the house thirty minutes later. Eucharia asked the maids to take Flora’s luggage into the room prepared for her. Flora went in and laid on the bed for a long time before Eucharia brought food for her. She asked her if it was okay for the children to come in to greet her. Flora nodded and continued lying down. The children came into the room and greeted her, but Urenna stayed with her. She lay with her on her bed and was cleaning tears. She said to Flora, “Stop crying!” It was the first time Flora had smiled since her husband’s illness and death and Urenna caused her to smile.
Later that night, she spoke with her children and told them all that transpired. “Your father’s brothers are wicked. It ws God that saw me through,” she said to them. Her daughter reminded her it was not all his brothers that were wicked. She also spoke with her husband’s siblings abroad. They promised to take good care of her children there until she ends her one year of mourning and goes to visit them. It was touching because she cried with each phone call. She could not imagine what other young widows passed through and in addition, the Umu Adas and their husbands’ families still maltreat them. She had learnt a lesson from this. She will not be quick to judge anymore.
During the mourning period that lasted for a year, Flora was mainly at home and had to wear white. Her shaven hair was beginning to grow. Gradually, the will to live came upon her. Urenna was her best buddy in the house. She came to check on her every morning before she leaving for school and must get a hug from Auntie Flora before she sleeps at night. Urenna was only nine years old when this happened, but was a fixture in Flora’s life. She loved her to bits.
It was the opposite for Caleb. Flora detested the small boy and showed it openly. She asked Eucharia to have a son for her brother instead of posing with someone else’s son. She was mean to the boy and treated him like a plague. It hurt Euharia so much that she developed hatred for Flora.
After mourning her husband, she went to the village for the memorial service of his death. She planned a quiet memorial but Chief’s siblings came home and together with relatives and friends, threw a party in his honour. Flora cried her final tears that day. Chief’s friends gave her money. She gave the money to Urenna to keep safely for her. Urenna, although young was also smart and brave, no one could challenge her.
Immediately she removed her white (mourning cloth) she asked Adim to help her book her flight to America to see her children. It had been a year of sober reflection and realisation. She knew she had to be both father and mother to her children. She loved them dearly. Even though they loved Chief more, they had transferred the affection to her. She travelled for two months.
When she came back and distributed the items she returned with, it was clear she shopped for Urenna the most. The other children were jealous of the favourism, but she did not care. Urenna was her right hand person and defender. She could do no wrong in her sight. Urenna called her Nne nnukwu (Big Mummy).
The old Flora resumed as though she never left. This time around, it was different. Eucharia had proven to be a good wife and housekeeper, she could not fault that. She faulted Eucharia for giving up her career to be a ‘market woman’ as she called her. “So after making mouth and shakara about getting a degree you ended up selling shoes in the market. O di egwu! Because your man is insecure. Nwoke (man) that will displace you if given the opportunity. The problem with women like you is that you are too trusting. You should have gone all out to have a male child so that when the problem begins you will have a say in his home.”
“But Adim is not like that. He is a perfect gentleman.”
“Adim is making money now. He is travelling all over the place. A man with money unconsciously sends out signals to wolves that this prey is available. I did not doubt his love for you, but I doubt his loyalty. I will not tell you more than this. This market woman selling you are doing, I do not like it. Go back to work.”
It was constant bickering from her asking Eucharia to do something more with her life. Eucharia took it as her meddling as she always does.
Flora came home from a weekend with Njideka. She shared her experience with Eucharia. “Njideka has formed a club for big women. She has an association of women who pay big money to be a member of the club. I asked her why you are not a member but she said Adim did not want you to join any women’s association. Is that true? Well, I have always known you to be a fool for love. In the end, I will support my brother. Are you a member of the Catholic Women’s Organisation (CWO)? What of the Catholic Mothers Association(CMA)? I have not seen any of your friends visit you in this house. You only live for Adim and your daughters. It is only on Sundays you wear fine clothes to go to church. Continue.”
When the harassment was too much, Eucharia told Adim about it. She felt attacked because she did not have a son. She felt Flora was pointing out her inadequacies to make her feel bad about herself. She already did. She had gained some weight in the year Flora stayed with them. Adim seemed to like the weight gain. Some people in the market told her she looked finer and fresher when she was slimmer, but now she looked like a madam. Adim loved the madam look and introduced her to people as his Madam. Flora hated it. The more she taunted her about her weight, the more Eucharia ate. She felt helpless and gained even more weight.
Prisca came home for Christmas with her family. When she saw Eucharia, she screamed. “What is wrong with you? See how fat you are. What happened to you?”
“I do not know. Nda Flora living in my house is frustrating me. She never has anything positive to say about me. She even hates Caleb. When she travelled, she did not buy anything for him. I had to secretly shop and tell him it was from her. She told me I don’t have a son and I should return Caleb to his rightful mother. How do I tell Adim this? I kept it to myself and complained about other things hoping he would send her away but he said he committed to Chief that she would live with him for five years. It is only two years and I am almost running mad. Only Urenna can do any good in her eyes. The taunting is too much.”
“What did NJ say about it?”
“Njideka? What will she say? She is comparing me to her. She calls me a market woman with a worthless nursing degree. She complains that I am not social and do not have friends. I secretly joined CWO and CMA. She wants to drive me crazy. But what do I do? It is left with three years.”
“Start by watching this weight. Luckily for you, I came back with some drugs from a pharmaceutical company and one of them is for weight loss. You will start now and hopefully, you will have lost some weight before I return to the US. I will be staying for eight weeks because of my father, his time is near.”
“Mama mentioned it to me. So who will take care of your children while you are here with Paul?”
“Paul will travel back after the New Year with Auntie May and the children. She is good with them. I do not regret taking her to live with us. She spoils Paul rotten, he does no chores at home.”
Paul had just joined them then and he added, “As though you do any. She is just jealous that she loves me more than her.”
They laughed about it.
Eucharia thought about her conversation with Prisca. She was right. She had to stop Nda Flora from getting into her head. She was tired of the criticism and the hatred she showed towards Caleb. She wanted to feel good about herself. She was ashamed of her weight and hardly visited the boutique because of it. She wondered how she could have lost herself so badly that Prisca had to scream.
She had asked Adim if he was happy with her looks, and he said he loved her whatever size she was. But recently, their intimacy had declined. He attributed it to work while she was worried he was losing interest in her because of the weight. She had tried to exercise before the Christmas holiday, but she was too shy to walk around the estate and shelved the idea.
Now that Prisca had assured her the drug she brought would work, she decided to take them without Adim’s knowledge. Adim will never support her taking medication for weight loss. Her skin had also darkened due to age and exposure to the sun, especially in the market. He refused her the use of skin-lightening product. He insisted she used the lotion she was using in the past.
Unfortunately, Prisca’s father died two days after the New Year. She was with him and her siblings when it happened. It was a sad time for them. The elders, family and in-laws met and agreed to bury him while everyone was in the village. He was buried in ten days.
Eucharia did not return to Port-Harcourt, she stayed back in the village to support Prisca. While they organised the burial, Eucharia used the opportunity to exercise along with the medication. She stayed for three weeks in the village.
Adim came back to the village with Flora for the burial. Peter came back with Njideka a few days before the event. After the burial, Adim stayed for a few more days before he left. During that period, he saw a difference in Eucharia. She was looking better than the last time he saw her. They were intimate that night.
Eucharia stayed back. She travelled back to Port-Harcourt when Paul, Auntie May and the children had to return to the US. Prisca was to stay longer to sort things out. She wanted to travel back to the US with her mother. The woman had taken care of her father for years, and deserved a break. She had to process her visa so they would fly together. They had been on this before the father died.
Eucharia came home and continued with her medication. It helped to suppress her appetite. She stopped eating akpu (fufu), garri and pounded yam. She ate more beans and Moimoi. What she learned in school as a nurse kicked in and she became more aware. She took more foods that contain protein. Pepper soup became her best meal at night. She ate her soups with lots of vegetables. She stopped eating after 7 p.m.
One of her sisters from the CMO noticed her weight loss and told her about the Aerobics class at the stadium. She said the class had helped her lose weight and build muscle. Judith agreed to take her to the class the follpwing morning. Luckily for her, Adim was on tour and she had the opportunity to register and begin the class. She worked at it along with her weight loss diet, and in three months, she had lost a considerable amount of weight.
Adim did not find out about the Aerobics class until he came home to meet a much slimmer Eucharia. He was furious with her because she did not inform him before she joined. “So you will wear that tight thing and men will stare at your body. You have to stop the class, I do not want men looking at you or to touch you. I am the only man allowed to view those things.”
“But my trainer is a woman and no man touches anybody there. In our group, most of the women are married and we do not want any form of temptation so it is an all-women’s affair. I thought you would be happy with the hard work I put in to get in shape, but you seem upset about it. What is bothering you?”
“What do you mean? Even if you have a woman trainer, there are men at the stadium whose job is to spy on other men’s property. They will want to steal you from me. I do not want it.”
“The stadium is the problem, right? Ok, we will find somewhere else to use so you can be at peace.”
The next time Adim was around on Saturday, he was surprised to see twenty women in his compound. He called Eucharia and asked, “What is the meaning of this?”
“I am in your house where men cannot see me.”
“What nonsense? Stop this exercise thing you are doing. What are you keeping this shape for? Did I ever complain? You have joined a bad gang that is why you are trying to look attractive. You have started bleaching too because your complexion is fairer. Is that what they are teaching you? To disobey your husband so they can give you to another man.”
“The compound is too small and we all agreed to use the Catholic Church car park for the aerobics for women. I am one of the coordinators and I want to lose more weight and be healthier. You cannot make me stop this. I felt terrible when I was fat, shapeless and out of breath. I am teaching women healthy ways to get back in shape. If you try to stop me, I will report to Father.”
Adim backed away. He was not happy with the effort Eucharia was putting in to lose weight. She had lost fifteen kilos as she told him and she looked amazing. He saw the cream she was rubbing, Avon products Prisca and Helen sent to her. She seemed committed. He told her to maintain her current stature and not lose additional weight. He did not want her to lose her bumbum. It made her smile. She listened and decided to maintain her weight.
Read – His weakness episode 39 – 40
TITLE: TORN BETWEEN
WRITTEN BY OGECHI ALABI
GROWTH 7…
Meeting with these women gave Eucharia a new lease of life. Most Saturdays after the training, some of them went to have a late breakfast so they could talk. It was always an interesting time for Eucharia because she got to learn a few things from them. Most of the women who joined them on Saturday were working-class women. She loved to listen to them talk about work. She wished she could go back to work in a corporate environment. She wanted something unique and different.
Eucharia mentioned it to Adim. He had a good laugh. “When was the last time you worked in the hospital? Ok, let us even say we follow what you said, where else can you work? My dear, please sell your market and leave corporate work for the people with the experience.”
“Is that so? Anyway, I want to another degree; I want to study Nutrition and Dietetics.”
“What is that?” Adim asked.
“It is a course that will help with my new desire: weight loss and Nutrition.”
“School again? That is another four years. You already have a degree, why do you need this?”
“Why are you sounding like this? You are away most of the time and this will allow me to be busy. If it is money you are afraid of, I can finance my education myself. We have decided to make this weight loss group into a business. We are still fine…..”
“What has gotten into you Eucharia? You no longer listen to me and are set in your ways now. I told you the weight was fine before but you refused and lost more weight. Now you want to turn it into make it a business with other women. You are talking about school again. Will you be going to school while your children are going to school?”
“What is wrong with that? My shops run on their own they do not need me. Your sister harasses me every single day in the house. You asked me to accept her presence and I have. But if I can get busy and get less taunted by her, it will go a long way. You know of our history, but you sound like you have no choice.”
“Chief wanted you to teach Flora about the business, but you are not doing that.”
“She has no interest in learning about any business. She stays at home and criticises me. Maybe she should stay with Njideka for a year so I can rest.”
“No way, my sister will stay with me in my home. How dare you suggest that? Eucharia, you have changed. Have you started challenging my authority? You have to stop that exercise group you belong to. That is why I was against women’s groups. They sell crazy ideas to happily married women and make them suspect and resent their husbands so they can introduce them to other men.”
The argument continued. Eucharia finally reached a compromise with her husband. She could only exercise twice a week; although she was adamant about acquiring the degree. Adim agreed.
When Flora heard about Eucharia writing Jamb to get into the University for the course, she laughed so hard. “Are you compensating yourself for your failures with education? Eucharia, I thought you were wise but now I can conclude you are foolish. What will education do for you with the storm that is coming? I warned you but you made it sound as though I hated you. Anyway, I would also like to go to school, but it will be at the University of Port-Harcourt. I am not interested in buying and selling, but I can try another career.”
Eucharia was surprised. She asked, “What would you like to study?”
“I like money. I would like to study anything that has to do with Finance.”
“I will buy the form for you. We can read together….”
“You and who?” Flora asked. “We are not friends. What did you say to Adim about me? O, you think he did not tell me? I am a widow squatting in your house and you will not allow me to dwell in peace. Buy the form, the girls will help me to read for the exams. My daughter Dumebi will put me through all I need to know.”
Eucharia was surprised. “Was Adim discussing her with Flora behind her back? Why would he expose her to his sister who dislikes her? What was his intention?” she wondered about this for days. She decided to stop complaining and focus on her current goal, to gain admission into the university to study Nutrition and Dietetics.
As she prepared for Jamb, she exercised in the privacy of her bedroom daily. She was adamant about maintaining her weight. She spent most of her spare time in the library preparing. She stopped reading when Adim was around. He complained bitterly that she was not giving him attention when she went to read in the study. He was so demanding of her time that she began to resent the days he came home. He made her cook fresh food and wore her out in the bedroom such that she had no energy to do anything else. To worsen it, he came home every weekend, unlike the fortnightly they were accustomed to.
Flora made fun of her. She said mockingly to her one night as she sat in the dining trying to read, “Is this where you are hiding? Your husband is looking for you upstairs, I heard him calling. Do not complain, it is what you signed up for. You are having sense, but you are not there yet. Go and buy a sleeping drug and put it in his juice at night so you can read, otherwise, he will not let you rest or even read to pass this exam. I am only advising you; he wants you to fail.”
Eucharia went upstairs to meet Adim. He asked her where she had been and she told him. He made advances towards her and then she asked, “Why did you start coming home every weekend? What changed in your work schedule that gave you the leeway to come home more often?”
“So it is a problem to come home to be with you now. What kind of question is this?”
“A question that requires a direct answer. Di m, why do you come home every weekend? Or you are doing this intentionally for me to fail.”
“Fail? Why would I do that? I just missed you, that is all.”
“I miss you too. I missed you more when you could not leave Nnewi for Port-Harcourt every weekend for one reason or the other, but now I want to write Jamb you are home every weekend and we do acrobatics every night. After Jamb, if you do not come home every weekend, you will see me in Nnewi. It must continue, inugo? I am ready,” she took off her nightgown.
Adim was quiet as she made the declaration. He did not want her to come to Nnewi. Truly, he was doing all these to discourage her from furthering her education and getting wiser. Her boldness and ability to challenge him had been scaring him. He knew once she involved herself with other women from different cultures, she would change and it was happening. She was still loving and would negotiate with him, but she made him feel as if he was losing his grip on her. He hated that feeling.
She lay on the bed naked waiting for him. She still had the amazing body he loved. What was special about it was the fact he was the only man that had seen her naked and he was her first and hopefully her last. Even if he died today, he could swear she would not be with another man. He joined her on the bed. He remembered her saying they did acrobatics and smiled to himself. At least there was something he was good at and she enjoyed exclusively in the home. He decided to let her read that night as he had been caught in his game.
Adim did not come back the following weekend. He claimed he moved to another state to work. Eucharia knew why; he got the message loud and clear. She was not a stupid woman. She knew Adim must have a girlfriend or lover there. As long as he performed all his duties in their home, she did not mind. She avoided prying and advised other women to do the same. Why create chaos in your home because of a strange woman who means nothing? Since she lost weight, there was no weekend Adim came home and they were not intimate. She took it as a sign of love.
Eucharia wrote Jamb at the same centre as Flora. She never read with Flora and Eucharia did not know how serious she was about getting an education. Eucharia felt she was doing it to compete with her. It looked funny, but she was rooting for her to add this feather to her cap. How prepared was she? Eucharia was not sure, but she was going to stand by her.
The driver dropped both of them and they went in to write the examinations. After they had finished. They went home went home together. Flora gave her examination slip to Eucharia. She told her to use it to help her check her result when it came out. Eucharia found it funny. Was Flora being serious about this? She went to the university to make enquiries about a diploma in case Flora failed the examination. This was another way of getting into the university.
What Eucharia did not know was that Flora wrote WAEC as an external student just before Chief died. He made her write it. He was the one that urged her to study a course in Finance so she would be able to manage a business effectively. Flora saw herself writing and passing the examination when Eucharia showed interest in going back to school. If Eucharia can do it, why couldn’t she? The more she saw Eucharia study, the more she was encouraged to do the same.
Months later when the Jamb result came out, Eucharia passed as was expected but what was shocking was Flora doing excellently. She scored way beyond everyone’s expectations. Eucharia had to check the result three times to be sure. When she brought the result home and showed her, Flora could not hide her smile. She felt proud that tears dropped from her eyes. She felt fulfilled. Her husband was dead, but he prepared her for life after him. And this was the first step.
Adim had to celebrate their successes. It baffled everyone how Flora effortlessly passed this examination. If it was not Jamb, they would have claimed she bought the result. Everyone expected Eucharia to pass, so it was not a big deal.