Thorn between episode 49

TITLE: TORN BETWEEN

WRITTEN BY OGECHI ALABI

LIFE GOES ON 1

The family had gradually blended into one. Even though they had their private spaces, the children interacted with both women and siblings.

Immediately after the houses in the village were completed, they visited home after a long wait. They travelled in separate vehicles but all the children stayed in Eucharia’s house while Adim and Thelma stayed together at her house. Eucharia spent most of her time with her in-laws tending to visitors. Everyone ate from one kitchen and it was Mama Adim’s kitchen which Eucharia was in charge of.

The twins followed Urenna about and also came to report people to Big Mummy when they were bullied or threatened. She came to their rescue and warned people of them. Gradually, Adim’s parents warmed up towards the boys because they always came to check on Eucharia and report. They got close to them and it was nice.

Mama refused Thelma entering her kitchen. She told Eucharia and Njideka that she did not trust her and that if they were not prayerful, she would wreak havoc on the family. She refused Thelma sitting with them on the table, she insisted Eucharia sat beside Adim while she sat on an extra chair. The two other brothers and their spouses did not object. Thelma felt out of place and stopped coming over to eat. She expected Eucharia to stand up for her as she had been made to believe she did for others but didn’t. Instead, she took her position beside Adim. Adim himself did not object to the injustice. She was ready to deal with him.

One cold harmattan night, Adim drew closer to her for warmth and intimacy, but she pushed him away. He was surprised and asked her why.

“Go and meet Eucharia and leave me alone. You watched your mother humiliate me and did not do anything about it. Your family treats me like an intruder, and you have done nothing to stop it.”

“How did Mama humiliate you? Tell me.”

“You were there when she asked me to stand up for Eucharia to sit beside you and asked me to sit on a chair all by myself. What did you do?”

“So, where was Eucharia supposed to sit if you sat beside me? That has been her seat all these years, and you did not have one. Is that why you stopped coming to join us to eat? If you are wasting your time struggling for anything with Eucharia, you will lose. Even I, I will lose. Stop getting angry and join us. Take your seat with pride; you are on the table whether they like it or not.”

“Hmmm” she thought for a while and said, “Maybe I should be more like Njideka and stop trying to please everyone. Eucharia loves to please people.”

“Wrong, she loves to make people happy; she’s an Angel. Learn from her and stop fighting her.”

“I am not fighting her but your mother.”

“If you fight my mother, you have brought trouble as a guest home. Eucharia will deal with you in a way that you would wonder if she is the same person you know. Don’t ever try it, she doesn’t play with my folks.”

Thelma continued to stay away from the family gathering. She was not missed, and no one asked after her. She developed a hatred towards Eucharia. She felt the love people had for her could not be normal. Unfortunately, she needed her for her sons who only obeyed what she said. In Port Harcourt, they never visited or saw each other, Eucharia made sure of that. But her boys were well taken care of by her and she was willing to enjoy the benefit.

Two years later, Thelma decided to get pregnant for another child. The boys were ten years old and she believed she deserved to have more children just like Eucharia. She got pregnant but hid it from Adim for three months. Unfortunately, she had a miscarriage. She woke up one morning bleeding. She was scared and Adim had to rush her to the hospital where it was confirmed that she had a miscarriage. Adim was surprised.

“How did it happen? I told you I did not want any more children, so why did you try to have more?”

“Eucharia has four children and I have only two, why can’t I have a female child?”

“So Eucharia can as well say she should have a male child too. She took your sons as hers; why do you want to cause trouble? This peace we have, aren’t you enjoying it? Please stop all this, no more children.”

“That is a selfish move. I want to have one more and I want a female child to balance the sexes I have. I see you with your girls and how you treat them, especially Urenna, and I want my daughter to experience that kind of love.”

“It is better I stop having intercourse with you before you make me enter an early grave. I do not want any more children at my age. The boys are enough headache.”

Thelma ignored him and planned to try again. What she failed to realise was how serious Adim was about not having children. He refused to share a bed with her and when she made trouble, he moved to staying with Eucharia. It caused a major disagreement between them that she was forced to report him to Flora.

Flora had moved to her new house and invited all of them to the Housewarming ceremony. That was how Thelma knew the house and came to visit with the boys whenever she could. She tried to create a bond with her, but Flora saw through her and did not entertain the closeness. And also, she was very busy. That was how she knew the house and she went there on a Sunday afternoon to report Adim to her.

“What do you want me to do about it?” she asked Thelma.

“I want you to talk to him and call him to order.”

“I can only advise him, but I cannot call him to order. Unfortunately, I cannot advise him to have children at his age, what is there to gain? You have two sons and your co-wife has daughters, why bring in more children? Or do you want to have a girl to fight for her father’s affection? How old is Adim? How old would he be when your daughter wants to get married? What is the guarantee he will still be here when she gets married? You are being selfish and I wonder why. If you do not like my advice and want quick results, go and talk to his mother or Eucharia, they are the ones to call him to order.”

Thelma was upset; why would she tell her to take her grievance to the enemy? What was she going to tell Eucharia? “Our husband has stopped sleeping with me?” There was no way she would ever do that, she would rather die than let her know her weakness. She had to find a way to get what she wanted. She had to be patient and reconcile with Adim. It took a while, but she convinced him that he had won. He insisted on using condoms for protection, but when it was becoming boring for him, they changed to the withdrawal method. She was bidding her time to strike, and she did successfully.

Papa suffered a second stroke and was rushed to the hospital. Eucharia left her business to tend to him. This time, he was unresponsive and could not move any part of his body or speak. It was painful to see him like that.

The family gathered at the hospital every weekend to check up on him. It wasn’t looking like he would make it, but Eucharia could not tell them. Instead, she called Prisca and advised her to come home with Paul so they could pay their last respect. He could recognise people, but his speech was slurred. Prisca and Paul came back to Nigeria a few days later. When they arrived, Adim picked them up from the airport and brought them to Thelma’s house. His reason was that Eucharia was not around to tend to them. They stayed for the night and left for the village the following morning.

All of Papa’s children were gathered around him and Papa was happy. Interestingly, that morning he was in very high spirits. He struggled to laugh at jokes and was pleased to be surrounded by those he loved. His wife sat beside him and talked with the children. She looked stressed, but she was still his devoted wedded wife. He looked away from her as a tear dropped from his eyes and he locked eye contact with Eucharia.

Papa wanted to appreciate Eucharia for all she did for him, but he could not speak. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He felt frustrated. He looked at her and blinked his eyes twice. She understood the message and she felt sad, but she had to be the strong one. This was his best day yet since the second stroke and she knew the inevitable was about to happen. Peter was there alone, Njideka had school run. Papa counted his children and blessed them in his heart. The next time he coughed, it was severe and he coughed out blood. Eucharia went to get the doctor to check him. As the doctor checked him, he had a seizure and in the presence of all those he loved, Papa took his last breath. It was a shock to them all, but Eucharia and Prisca understood what was happening. He had an aneurysm which burst, there was no saving him now.

Mama fell to the ground when he was pronounced dead. Everyone was surprised at her reaction and had to support her. The men stayed with their father while the women took Mama away from the room. After a few minutes, Eucharia came back into the room to help prepare Papa’s body for the mortuary. She had tears in her eyes as she worked with the nurses. The nurses asked her to stop and allow them to do the work alone when her tears couldn’t stop flowing. She stepped aside and Adim came to console her. He knew how much work she had put into taking care of Papa and also knew his death would create a void because he was one of her supporters. For Papa to refuse to acknowledge his sons because of her, he knew he loved her more than he loved him, his son. She reciprocated the love, and even though there was a vacuum it was quickly filled when Eucharia made peace with them.

“There is a problem,” Eucharia announced to the men, “Papa wanted to be buried immediately, he did not want to spend more than three days in the mortuary.”

“How can he want that? He knows I am a titled man and I cannot bury my father like a pauper.” Adim replied.

“It is not about who you are or what you want but what his wishes were. Before he stopped talking altogether, he told me everything he wanted and I will relay them as time goes on. Once he is in the mortuary, please pay the bills and go to the village to begin preparations for the burial. I have made some enquiries to make it easier for you to meet his timeline. Also, I have a list of people you must contact immediately.” She handed Adim some sheets of paper.

Peter and Paul looked at each other in amazement, Peter then asked, “Why would he tell you all this? Did he know he was going to die? Did you know he was dying?”

“When a man has been ill for that long, of course, he was closer to his death. He knew his time was near long before the second stroke and made some of his wishes known to both Mama and me. I wrote them down because I understood a time would come when he would be unable to communicate. He observed I was writing down most of what he said and encouraged me to write more as he dictated to me. Sometimes, he would send for me to talk to me privately so I could write down what he wanted. Some of the notes are here and some he told Mama and his brother.”

The men left and did as Papa had commanded. Eucharia had found everything they needed and made life easy for them. All they needed to do was make phone calls and make the arrangements were necessary. They went to the bank to withdraw money to start preparations.

Eucharia took Mama, Flora and Prisca back to the village. When they arrived home without Papa and Mama was still crying, people knew what had happened and the screams and cries began. Before long, the sitting room was filled with sympathisers. Adim had informed his uncle about Papa’s death. He stayed in his bedroom mourning without informing his wife. She was so surprised when she heard the outburst of tears that she realised what had happened and she rushed to her mate’s house.

It was a sad situation and Mama was inconsolable. She believed her husband would get better, but unfortunately, he did not. After a few hours, Eucharia gave her sleeping tablets and took her to the bedroom to sleep. Njideka arrived not long after Mama went to bed, she had to pick up the children before coming. She stopped by at the bank to tell Thelma what had happened who promised to leave immediately. Njideka was asked to watch over Mama while Eucharia and Flora attended to the guests.

Flora was surprisingly calm. She did not cry or show any form of emotions, unlike Eucharia who had red eyes and a shaky voice. Flora sat down and received the consolation on behalf of her mother. Eucharia realised she was numb and was holding off her grief. She knew she would explode soon and had to be ready for it. She called her uncle in Aba for the materials they would wear for the burial. She called her children and informed them. She asked Chinemerem to get her trinket box from her room, select some pieces of jewellery and bring them with them a day before the burial date. They had to get permission from work to attend the burial of their grandfather.

Read – The new girl episode 37 – 38

The men arrived home later that evening. They met with their uncle and made plans. They informed him of their father’s wish which he confirmed to be true and they agreed the deceased would be buried on Friday. They informed all those who needed to be informed about his demise within the family and Papa’s friends. They went that evening to inform their father’s maternal family what had happened. It was a stressful period for them and none of them had eaten since their father died that morning. Adim sent a message to Eucharia to arrange food as they were famished. She left the sympathisers with Flora and Prisca and went into the kitchen to cook. She had made meat stock in the freezer, she had asked the maid to bring out the biggest bowl. She made the soup and sent the maid to get fresh fufu from the woman they bought from.

Thelma arrived a few minutes before her husband and his brothers. She greeted all present and went into the bedroom to check on Mama. Mama was still asleep and Njideka was there with her also drifting off when Thelma entered the room. Njideka quickly stood up when she saw her and asked her to leave the room. She came out with her and told her to either stay with the sympathisers or join Eucharia in the kitchen. She did not want to enter the kitchen with Eucharia and so she went to sit with the sympathisers. Prisca left her to stay with Flora while she went to help Eucharia in the kitchen.

“Your co-wife is here. Did she come to greet you?” Prisca asked quietly.

“Who is that?”

“Thelma, she is in the sitting room with Nda Flora. I sent her to Mama’s room, but she left there and came to join us. She should stay there while I help you here. I am surprised she did not come to greet you.”

“It is not important. I hope this soup will be enough for everyone tonight.”

“I am not hungry and I doubt Nda Flora will eat. The men might not eat much.”

“Who? They will eat very well. Papa is gone and there is nothing they can do about it.”

“Really? I would be surprised if Paul eats at all. He had been worried since I told him you insisted we should come and see him in case something happened. He waited for our arrival before he gave up. Why didn’t Njideka come to see Papa?”

“You will have to ask her that. It is Mama I am worried about. Papa wanted her to be taken care of. He said he never had the chance to travel abroad, and he would love for her to have that experience. After her mourning period, you have to take her to see Obodo Oyibo. It would improve her mood and it will be a new experience for her.”

“It is not a bad idea. I learnt from you how to love her, and she will not regret staying with me at all.”

As they were talking, the men returned. They were tired and stressed out. The sympathisers greeted them and after a few minutes, they dispersed. Thelma greeted the men properly after the sympathisers had left to which they responded. Paul asked where Eucharia was as he was so hungry.

Thelma came into the kitchen to inform Eucharia that the men were back and were hungry. Prisca asked her to set the table while they dished out the food. Thelma wasn’t happy that Prisca sent her on an errand. She was the wife of the most senior son and should be treated with respect and for that reason, she did not set the table. Prisca came out to drop the food and observed the table wasn’t set. So she asked Thelma why she did not set the table as she had told her to, but Thelma did not reply. Adim angrily told Thelma to do as she was instructed, she stood up to do it, but Njideka stopped her. She had heard the commotion from the bedroom and came out. She did not want Mama to hear the argument and be upset, so she offered to do it and the three wives served the food. Eucharia came out of the kitchen when everything was fine and greeted them. She heard what happened, but she had more important issues to deal with than Thelma acting like a child. She took food into Mama’s room to wake her up, feed her and allow her to sleep. Njideka and Prisca joined her in Mama’s room with their food. Eucharia fed Mama who was still drowsy and then helped her lay down. They all came back to the sitting room. Eucharia went inside to get her food and saw that Thelma was not eating. She asked her why but she said she was not hungry. She left her and went to sit with the other wives in the sitting room with Nda Flora. They got talking and trying to cheer Flora up while Thelma felt left out.

The men announced to the women that a date had been fixed and asked them to make arrangements for the burial. Njideka had a list from a caterer to prepare food for the day and she showed the men. Eucharia told them she had made arrangements for their clothes, once she had their measurements she would make them for them. All of them shared details of all the arrangements that had been made and how far they had gone. They had visited the Parish Priest and he promised to officiate the burial himself. They were reminding each other about what was outstanding and it was nice watching them work together.

When it was time to retire, the men went to their flats and left the women in Mama’s flat. They took turns to bathe and change for the night. Thelma refused to stay, she left with Adim. Adim told her she could not sleep in his flat that night but she could sleep in her house. She said she couldn’t sleep alone there and must stay with him.

“You embarrassed me today in the presence of my family. You were asked to set the table, but you refused and outrightly disrespected someone older than you. You also refused to contribute to our discussion or stay the night with Flora and Mama as the other wives agreed to do. Well done.”

“Adim, your mother hates me and Njideka stopped me from seeing Mama when I came. Who is Prisca to send me on an errand? Why should she ask me to set the table when she could have told the maid to do it?”

“Was it the maid that made the food? Was it the maid who placed the food on the table and served it? You are piling enemies for yourself, but what can I say? Enjoy your bad behaviour but you cannot sleep in my flat, I want to be alone.”

“I won’t disturb you, let me stay in one of the rooms. I know it is because you shared that room with Eucharia that you do not want me there, I understand. But you and your family are not treating me fairly.”

“You are not treating yourself fairly. Go and sleep in Peter’s guest room, you cannot sleep in my flat, I want to be alone; I just lost my father.”