Thorn Between episode 1

TITLE: TORN BETWEEN

WRITTEN BY OGECHI ALABI

PROLOGUE

What I know is what my Mama told me and witnessing the fights between my father and mother. She felt betrayed. I remembered her saying to him, “I will never forgive you for this. I gave up everything for you, my career, my life and all. How did you repay me? You stopped me from advancing my education and even having more children and then you stabbed me in the back. Even when I took in for Urenna, you accused me of sabotaging my contraceptive to try again. O, Adim, you will regret this until the day you die.” Those words were carved in my heart from the moment I heard them. What did my father do that was so grievous that Mama, who worshipped the ground father walked on, could never forgive him for? I was but a child and didn’t know what was happening.

My three older sisters took me away from the confrontation. My mother held my father by his shirt that day and did so many days after. There was no more peace in our once-loving home. I didn’t know what my father had done to offend my mother, she never said what it was but it hurt her deeply. She had changed from the sweet bubbly lady we could go to with any problem to an angry unhappy woman who cried most nights my father didn’t come home. She was fading away. She stopped eating and interacting, she wanted to be by herself. She barely got out of bed and would hardly respond to any of us. Eventually, she moved out of my father’s room to the boys’ quarters.

My father laughed when he discovered she had moved out of their bedroom. He said to her, “You are being unnecessarily dramatic. I will move out of the house if it makes you happy. I am trying to make things right but you are proving difficult. I have not stopped loving you, you should understand. My status changed and as a titled man I have to have at least a son. It wasn’t done to spite you but to fulfil a responsibility. Fighting me and making yourself sick wouldn’t solve the problem. Let us sit down as a family, discuss like reasonable adults and agree on a compromise. When you are ready, let me know.”

My father moved out of the house so my mother would have the room to herself and not worry about him. We were used to him travelling because he was the head of the audit department of a multinational. When he got that position, our lives changed for the better. He also owned an audit firm which was doing very well too. My eldest sister, Dumebi was in the university studying Accounting. She was to take over the firm once she had gathered experience from working with an international audit firm for three years. But everything looked like it had come to a halt. We were scared our family had disintegrated and our parents were not telling us anything.

My mother loved to share her love story with us. She was a romantic and would share with us shyly whenever the opportunity presented itself. She was particular about chastity with her daughters. Her love story helped us dream and long for the same experience. Now the love had turned sour.

TITLE: TORN BETWEEN

WRITTEN BY OGECHI ALABI

HOW IT ALL STARTED 1…..

Eucharia was the only child of her mother from her father. He died when she was just two years old. Her mother had a misunderstanding with her husband’s people over his leftover property and moved back to her family. She stayed at home for three years doing petty trade to help train her daughter before she met another man who showed interest and promised to accept her daughter as his.

Mazi Ukaegbu returned to Nigeria from Sweden to start his business fully. When he returned home, his sister already had four children with her new husband. Her late husband was Ukaegbu’s good friend. He introduced his sister to his friend for marriage. He felt sad about the early demise of his friend and decided to take care of his only child, Eucharia. His family abandoned her responsibility to her mother because she left. Ukaegbu took full responsibility for Eucharia. He did it because he felt he owed it to his late friend and to help reduce her mother’s burden. He also needed a female in his house to cook for him. His boys did the cleaning of the house.

Ukaegbu took her to live with him when she was eleven. From the first day she stepped into his house, he knew he made the right choice. He had to teach her how to use modern facilities such as a gas cooker, his type of water system and a shower. She woke up early each day and cleaned the house. She swept and used a rag to mop the bare floor. She could wash clothes very well. To his surprise, she could cook. He didn’t believe it. He took her to the market and left her there, and she found her way home. She made delicious meals which he enjoyed. He taught her how to cook some contemporary dishes. She was an enthusiastic learner and grasped quickly.

Ukaegbu lived with Eucharia alone in a four-bedroom duplex in Aba while his boys lived in the boys’ quarters. He sold imported shoes in the Ariaria market. His family was abroad; he married a Swedish lady who gave him three children. His wife only came to Nigeria with the children during the Christmas holidays while her husband visited them every time Eucharia was on holiday. That was also the period he sourced goods and imported them. Eucharia went back to her parents then until he came back and picked her up when school resumed. He trusted his niece; she never disappointed him. She was worth every penny of his investment.

She had lived with Mazi Ukaegbu for six years before she met Adim. Eucharia was in Form 5 when they met. Every day after school, she made lunch and brought it to her uncle in the market. She was tall for her age as she towered some men. The men in the market tried to catcall her when she walked past, but all that stopped when they found out whose niece she was. No one from the market approached her for a relationship, not even at home because of her uncle. She stayed in the shop until closing and went home with her uncle and his boys.

On that fateful day, she walked into the market and headed to her uncle’s shop. She observed someone was trying to catch her attention. She looked back and saw this tall handsome man calling out to her. She was surprised. She pointed to herself and asked, “Me?” He nodded as he caught up with her. All the boys around stopped what they were doing to watch because they were surprised she stopped to talk to him.

“I have been calling you for some time now,” he said to her.

“Anything?” she asked after greeting him.

“I am Adim. I saw you as you entered the market. What are you doing here?”

First of all, she loved the way he spoke. His Queen’s English and intonation did it for her at that time without adding his good looks and height. But it ended there. She should not be seen conversing with any man no matter how handsome and well-spoken he was.

So she asked, “How may I help you?”

“Start by telling me your name.”

“Eucharia. My uncle will not be happy to see me talking to you. Please, can I go?”

“Ok, one last thing, where do you stay? I can come to the house to see you. I want to talk to you.”

“No, please. If you want to see me, come to my uncle’s shop. It is over there. If he permits you to see me, then you can see me. I won’t see you without my uncle’s permission.”

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“What is your uncle’s name?”

“Mazi Ukaegbu. That’s the shop there, shop 19.”

“I will come and see him.”

She walked away and went to her uncle’s shop. He wasn’t the first man to approach her, but he was different. She felt her heart beat faster thinking about him. She had always wanted to marry a tall guy. Her uncle was very tall; the gene was from her maternal side. Her mother was also tall; she was taller than her late father who was of average height. She didn’t want that. She wanted to marry a tall man too.

Eucharia didn’t hear from him again and had almost forgotten about him. She came to the shop one afternoon and met him there. He wasn’t alone, he came with an elderly man. The man seemed to know her uncle. Adim’s face lit up when he saw her. He smiled at her, but she didn’t return the smile. How would she smile at him when her uncle watched her from the corner of his eyes? She greeted them and dropped the basket with the food beside her uncle.

“Eucharia, this is Mazi Okoye, a good friend of mine. He is here with his nephew Adim. He said he saw you some weeks back and wanted to speak with you, but you refused and referred him to me.”

Mazi Okoye replied, “Nwa azuruazu (a well-trained child).”

“Yes, uncle. He wanted to talk to me but I told him he can only talk to me through you or if you permit.”

“He just came back from England. He studied Accountancy and even has a Master’s degree. He has a good job in Lagos working for the FWCB group of companies as their Accountant. He says he wants to woo you for his wife. I told him you are still in high school and would finish this year. I will love you to further your education. He says he can wait until after high school but not after your university education. But first things first, do you like him?”

“But uncle, I don’t know him,” Eucharia told her children it was a trick question. If she had said yes he would believe they had met in secret. As she said she didn’t know him, he smiled. She passed the test.

“Would you like to know him?”

“Whatever you say, uncle. I will do whatever you instruct.” That was another trick question. He wanted to know if she was excited about him and wanted to spend time with him. Since she hinged it on her uncle, he asked her to excuse them. She went outside with her books. She wanted to hear what they were saying but couldn’t. She had an ally in one of his boys. She knew he would tell her everything when they got home for a more significant portion of food.

Mazi Ukaegbu allowed Adim to visit Eucharia in the house on Sunday when everyone was home. The first time he visited her at home, he came bearing gifts. The sitting room was vacated for Adim and Eucharia to discuss freely. Adim shot his shot at her. He told her about himself and his family. He was twenty-six years old while Eucharia was seventeen at that time. He got a scholarship to study abroad. He sent his benefits back home to help his siblings go to school. They also won scholarships to universities abroad and within Nigeria. He was the second child but the first son. His elder and only sister got married after she finished secondary school. She married an importer and Adim lived with them in Lagos until he was ready to settle down. He would get his place once they were set to get married.

Eucharia offered him food. He enjoyed the meal. He finally asked her if she would consider his proposal. She said it all depended on her uncle; he had the final say.

“But do you like what you see? I liked what I saw which was why I came for you. If you don’t like my appearance, why should we continue this conversation?”

“Your appearance is fine. But it is your character that matters. I am a young girl and I might not know if your character is good or not. But my uncle will investigate and find out before he accepts you.”

“You trust your uncle too much.”

“He is my father here. He has never deceived me and has been very good to me. Why won’t I trust him?”

“I am happy to hear that. I asked about you. My uncle knows your family and even your late father. He said only good things about you. I believe him and trust his judgment. I will allow your uncle to investigate. Once he gives his go-ahead, I will pay your bride price before another man does.”

“My uncle has rejected many men before you, but he allowed me to discuss with you. He will never allow another man to sit with me again until you withdraw your proposal.”

“You are making me love you even more. You are so wise. When are you writing your final exams? Can I visit you? Or do I have to ask your uncle?”

“Take permission from him.”

Adim visited her once a month until she wrote and finished her examinations. Her uncle supported the relationship because of the respect Adim gave him. Every time he had to see his niece, he told her uncle first before coming.