Three Generations episode 14

THREE GENERATIONS

WRITTEN BY: OGECHI ALABI

CHAPTER 14

After her WAEC examination, Nwakaego sent Nwanneka to Lagos to stay with her uncle for two weeks and meet a new cousin. Nwanneka was excited to leave home after her exams. Moreso, she didn’t bond well with her daughter Nwadiuto.; she was a constant reminder of her mistake. Since her birth, her mother had stopped hating her and showered all the love and attention she used to give her to her daughter Nwadiuto. What she got were stern warning and threats. She had to study had to make up for her mistakes. She had to be somebody to cover up her sins. Her mother never cared about her feelings at all. This was an escape before she writes Jamb.

Uncle Onyedika met her at the airport. She was excited to him. He hadn’t changed towards her since the delivery of Nwadiuto. He had only asked her who was responsible and she told him a young boy named Chris was responsible. She claimed not to know where he was from or where he lived. Uncle Onyedika advised her to keep herself after this mistake and not allow it happen again. He assured her of his support no matter what happens.

She met her cousin Chigozie. He was an active toddler. She gladly took care of him. Assumed responsibility towards him. The first few days were smooth sailing until she observed what was going on. The nanny who helped with the baby before she arrived stop coming. The cleaner who came three times a week to clean the house also stopped coming. Uloma would transferred all the responsibility of the house to her. When she comes back from work and food wasn’t ready, she would shout at Nwanneka.

“What have you been doing since morning? You are a lazy girl. Did you wash the clothes I put in the basin? I hope you did otherwise you will have it hot with me”

Because of what happened, she didn’t respond to her. She felt Uloma knew about the pregnancy and was using this to punish her. Immediately uncle Onyedika leaves for work, she had to resume her chores and complete them before he comes back.

After enduring the insults for some days, she waited for uncle Onyedika outside to come back home. She told him she wanted to go back to Port-Harcourt.

“Why?”

“I miss my mother and Nwadiuto”

“Are you sure that is why?”

“Yes uncle”

“Gozie will miss you. It will require changing your ticket which I do not have the time to do. I will ask your auntie to change it for you”

“No, uncle. Don’t ask her to do. Please do it for me”

Onyedika knew immediately something was wrong. He assured her he was going to change it for her.

The next day, he came home much earlier than his wife but without his car. He met Nwanneka sweating in the kitchen while backing his son Gozie. He couldn’t believe it.

“Where is the nanny? Why are you cooking? What’s going on here?”

Nwanneka didn’t say a word. He asked her how long she had been doing this and she told him. He was shocked. Why did Uloma have to do this?

“Leave that kitchen. Go into your room and rest. Since she sent the nanny and cleaner away, she will do all the house chores herself.” He took Gozie from her and asked her to go and rest.

When Uloma came back, she shouted her name but received no response. “Where is that lazy big for nothing girl? Where are you?” She asked as she entered the kitchen. She saw the food wasn’t ready. She was furious. She stormed into Nwanneka’s room and met her coming out of the bathroom. “Didn’t you hear me call you?”

“I didn’t, I was in the bathroom”

“What happened to the food? Why didn’t you finish cooking? Didn’t I tell you the food must be ready before I come back?” Uloma heard someone move behind her. She turned to see her husband standing at the door with their son. Uloma froze. She couldn’t believe Onyedika was home and Nwanneka didn’t tell her.

“Why did you stop? Continue. I am all ears. You must finish what you are saying” Onyedika said with anger in his eyes.

“I told her to help me prepare the things for food and she didn’t do it”

“Where is Mama Rose? Why is she not here today?”

“She said she had an emergency and couldn’t come in today”

“For how many days has she had the emergency?”

“Just two days”

“I went to see her and she tells me different. She said you gave a holiday for 10 days. She is to resume the day Nwanneka is travelling back. True or false?”

Uloma knew she had been caught. She didn’t know what to do. How did Onyedika know what she had done? Who told him to come home early? Where was his car? She knew Onyedika wrath won’t be funny.

She slaved that evening in the kitchen. Onyedika asked Nwanneka to join him on the table. He told Uloma she would have to stop work so she could adequately care for their son and also take care of the house chores.

“Why would I stop work because of that?”

“Because from now onwards, we won’t have a cleaner or nanny in this house. You will be responsible for the house work and taking care of Chigozie. However you want to juggle it with work, feel free but the house must be clean and I must eat fresh food cooked only by you”

“It is because of Nwanneka you want to punish me. This girl causes problems between us always; she and her mother. What did I do wrong in trying to train her?”

“Did anyone ask you to help train her? Have you trained yourself to look for how to train someone else? She came on holiday and you decided to visit the aggregation you have against her and her mother on her. Well, what I have said stands. You are free to walk out and I will gladly bring someone else to train my son”

“God forbids another woman trains my son for me. I will train my son myself. Just know that Nwanneka is causing problems in this home”

“It is my house. I pay the rent and provide for the home. All these are possible because her mother trained me and also got me this job that made you marry me. No matter what happens, Nwanneka is a priority to me and she will always be. If you are wicked to her, then you are wicked to me. That is how it is”

The next morning, Onyedika didn’t leave the house in time. He waited for the wife to org-nize herself and leave before leaving for work. Nwanneka wasn’t comfortable with the arrangement and she expressed this to her uncle.

“Don’t worry,” he said to her, “she will learn never to ill treat you like she did. It will never happen again as long as I am alive. I don’t know what has gotten into Uloma; she knows everything and she is still acting like she is possessed”

Uloma came home with Chigozie later in the evening. Nwanneka greeted her but she ignored her. Nwanneka stood up and went into the room. She decided to have a bath and go to bed early. She was in the bathroom when someone entered her room but she didn’t know. She came out and took off her towel and was moisturizing her body when Uloma spoke. She turned around startled. Uloma noticed the scar on her stomach. She knew immediately what it was, she had one too. The difference was the line of the scar on Nwanneka was smoothened out and almost invisible but it was there. Uloma noticed it. Nwanneka quickly grabbed her wrapper to cover herself.

“You had a child?” Uloma asked Nwanneka. Nwanneka refused to answer her. Uloma laughed, threw her head to the back and asked “Who is the father?” Nwanneka still didn’t say a word to her; instead she tried to dress up. Uloma stood up and snatched the wrapper off her body. Nwanneka sprang out of the room into the bathroom and locked herself there. “Open this door! I said, open this door. So you are a wayward girl after all. Your mother that has been posing as a saint and strong woman refused to disclose your disgrace. Shameless girl and you are challenging me in my own house. No wonder you have refused to come back home. I will tell everyone in the village who cares to hear that Nwanneka, the daughter of Nwakaego they are very proud of, and also the daughter of late Anozie they wouldn’t stop talking about is a wayward girl who had an illegitimate child outside wedlock and is ashamed to tell us who is responsible. Anyday you step your feet into my house again, I will spread your story. If you complain about anything to my husband, I will make sure everybody in the village is told who you really are. I am ashamed for your mother; you have completely tarnished her image. She can’t carry her shoulder high anymore. There is nothing left”

Every word Uloma spoke were like daggers piercing Nwanneka’s soul. She cried in the bathroom. She didn’t come out until uncle Onyedika came home and checked on her. She didn’t care for what Uloma said about her but she realized that her mother was the one going to receive the brunt. The shame and insults will be directed at her because she was envied. She wondered how she could have made such a devastating mistake that will bring her mother shame and sorrow. She knew she had to go back home and apologise to her mother.

The next morning, she brought out her luggage and told uncle Onyedika she was leaving.

“Why are you leaving now? You are to leave in two days. What happened suddenly?”

“I am a shame and disgrace to my mother and I need to urgently apologise to her and beg for her forgiveness”

“Where is this coming from?” Onyedika asked looking from Uloma to Nwanneka. None of them said anything. So he added, “Fine, if you want to leave, you can leave. I will take you to the airport and change your ticket. I will call your mother when I get to the office. I spoke with her yesterday. I will give her your flight details to pick you up. Let me quickly get ready.”

Nwanneka put her luggage close to the door and sat down.

After a few minutes, Uloma came to meet, “If you say anything to your uncle, the wh0le community will hear about your pregnancy and delivery. Just try me.”

Nwanneka didn’t act as though someone was talking to her not to talk of threatening. It was as though no one was there. Uloma felt stupid when she was ignored. She left her alone.

Uncle Onyedika too her to the airport from Surulere. There was traffic so they used the time to talk. Onyedika tried to find out why Nwanneka was leaving but she refused to implicate Uloma. They talked about Nwakaego. Nwanneka complained about her mother’s reaction to the incident. Onyedika told her it was expected but it is love that is making her protect her.

“She is going out of her way and against her principles to protect you. She didn’t force you to abort, instead she wants to keep the baby. You brought shame to her, I hope you know. People will question her character. The only way to salvage the situation is to succeed and live above this mistake. Don’t have another child without getting married first. Your mother struggled to give you the level of comfort you are enjoying. She has taken your child as hers and loved her immensely. Succeed so that when people talk about your failures, they will miniature to your enormous success”

Uncle Onyedika spoke the truth. She was aware of the sacrifices her mother had made for them to be comfortable. Getting pregnant wasn’t intentional and she had promised herself it would never happen again. She will have only successes so her mother and daughter will always be proud of her.

When Nwanneka went back to home, she was a different person. She helped to take care of her daughter and also the household. She became involved in all her mother was doing. Her mother was surprised seeing the obvious change in her child. She knew something must have happened in Lagos for her to return earlier than planned but for her to keep silent, she observed she had matured.

Nwakaego took Nwanneka to see the lawyer. The lawyer told her what she had inherited from her father which was the property at Railway quarters. The building needed some renovation which Nwakaego was willing to invest in and also enlarge the building as bigger structures were erupting around.

When they left the lawyer’s office, she said to Nwanneka, “This is what your father left to you. Your daughter doesn’t have a father to leave her anything. I am leaving her the wing of the house we live in and both of you will jointly own the second wing. I hope this will be ok with you”

Nwanneka broke down in tears when she heard this. Her mother had thought about their future even now. She hugged her mother tightly which was a surprise to her because they never expressed emotions that way. She then said, “I am a disgrace. I have brought shame to you. But please forgive me, mother. You will never regret your sacrifice of love towards me and my daughter. I am going to be very successful mother. Even if the wh0le world finds out I had a child outside wedlock, once you support me, I have nothing to worry about.”

Tbc