Three Generations episode 26

THREE GENERATIONS

WRITTEN BY: OGECHI ALABI

CHAPTER 26

In February, Obi came home saying he wanted his family to esc-rt him for introduction in Edo state. Papa and Mama were surprised at the urgency of the marriage. Isabella had given Obi an ultimatum, either marry me now or get out of my life for good. Obi chose the former. She wanted the introduction done that February and by Easter, they would be married.

Papa told Obi that he and his wife would not be able to travel that distance due to their health conditions but he should talk to his brother and he would arrange some family members to attend with him. Obi wasn’t happy his parents wouldn’t be attending and worse still Onyedika claimed to be away on external duty during the period. He called on his sisters and their husbands to accompany him. He also would have loved for Nwakaego to attend; it would make Isabella very happy.

He travelled to Port-Harcourt to see her. It was his first time ever visiting her there. He was very impressed. She lived in an estate and the security had to permit him to enter the estate after confirmation from her.

Nwakaego was aware of the reason for Obi’s visit. She welcomed him and served him a sumptuous meal. They talked generally before he mentioned the main reason for the visit.

“I will be indebted to you if you join me at her hometown. Biko nne, I need your presence, it will speak volumes”

“Nda Obi, you know I have refused to meddle in your affairs. The only way I can attend this introduction is if mama Ogo should request my presence. Once she does that, I will go with you.”

“You know you are asking for the almost impossible. I have appealed to you. Why are you making this difficult?”

“You know what to do to make her happy and she will do your bidding. Once she says I can attend I will join you. This is my phone number, you can call from any Nitel office and get me; you don’t need to travel down here”

“Is that all?”

“That’s all”

A week later, Obi was at her estate gate with Chinyere. She came to give her consent. She claimed, “Since Obi wants to be a polygamist, who am I to stop him? I have told him, he has to treat both of us equally and he has promised to. To show his commitment, he bought me two new industrial sewing machines for my business. Isn’t he such a good husband?”

“He is an excellent husband. Since mama Ogo has given her consent, I will be there with you”

Nwakaego was there with other family members for the introduction. They were surprised at the houses they met. It looked like the house the introduction was done was just freshly renovated. Isabella was definitely behind it. They met her parents; Nwakaego was not impressed. Her mother looked wrinkled and haggard even though she had on new clothes. Why couldn’t Isabella take care of her mother with all the money she had? If she couldn’t take care of her mother, how would she take care of her in-laws? Her father looked better; he was better dressed and looked well fed. They were not introduced to her other family members. They could understand why Isabella didn’t mind being a second wife; her father had four wives. Her mother was the first wife and looked harassed. Isabella was the last child of her mother. The father bragged that he had six daughters abroad. No wonder he looked well fed.

Isabella was excited to see Nwakaego. After the introduction was done, they requested the marriage list. They were told it would be delivered to them. Obi requested that they also choose a date for the traditional marriage ceremony so it would be done promptly. They agreed to send the list and proposed date. This was moving quite fast.

Nwakaego refused to eat or drink what was served at the introduction. She came because of her daughter Nwanneka. She didn’t want Isabella to have evil thoughts towards her especially because of the car she gave Chinyere. She was suspicious, was Isabella pregnant? Was this the reason they wanted to quickly tie the knot? Nwakaego was worried. He’s marrying her will set them back. She wasn’t happy at all but she didn’t allow it to show on her face.

Chinyere came to the village when they returned from the introduction. She called Nwakaego into the room to have a private discussion with her. Nwakaego was worried she was going to give her the bad news, but it was worse.

“Ogo came to see me. She said she would be travelling to Italy in March. She wanted me to help her by accepting Isabella as she was the one org-nizing the trip for her. She said she has gotten her a good job over there. She needed money for her passport and flight ticket. She couldn’t afford the money for the trip. Isabella is willing to help her if she can get her married to her father by Easter. Once the preparation is on the ground, she would pay for her to leave. She told her not to tell anybody but she came to me to help her achieve this. I have been uneasy since she told me. How can your stepmother love you more than your mother? I feel there is more. I know Ogo has not been a good girl and Chioma has followed in her footsteps but she is still my child. Nwakaego, please help me. I sense there is something fishy”

“Why is Obi going along with the marriage? Is Isabella pregnant?” Nwakaego asked.

“She is not pregnant. She has been trying but it has not happened. She promised Obi a new house in the village so they will live away from the rest of us. She also gave him a deadline that’s why he is running helter-skelter to meet it. He is a shameless man like you know. Let them build the house let us hear word”

“Tell Ogo you have a bad feeling about her travelling……”

“That one is already in obodo oyibo, she won’t listen. I have come to you to see if you can come up with an idea to stop her”

“Don’t worry, I will think about a way to stop Ogo. She has to be giving you information. Don’t scare her away. We will be praying for her”

Obi and Isabella came to visit Nwakaego unexpectedly. They came with their invitation card for the traditional wedding in March. Isabella was beaming when she got to the house. She was impressed with where they lived and to know Nwakaego acquired all she had from the scratch was impressive.

Nwakaego entertained them. They talked about the wedding. They wanted Nwakaego to convince papa and mama to attend the engagement. Nwakaego promised to see what she could do. As they were conversing, Nwanneka came back from school to visit. Isabella seemed happy to see her which was not reciprocated by Nwanneka. She excused herself saying she was tired and needed to rest. Isabella asked her how the car was performing.

“My mother refused me driving in school. She said I should give the car to someone who needed it and would value it. I appreciate my family very much. I wanted to give the car to mama Chigozie but she declined saying she had a car in Lagos. I decided to give it to mama Ogo. She was very happy to receive it. It is her first car and she cried telling me it would aid her business. If I had your number, I would have asked your permission first but I didn’t. Papa said you wouldn’t mind as you are a goodhearted and generous person. He said you have been taking care of uncle Obi’s children. I hope I did right?”

Isabella couldn’t believe all she heard. This girl gave that valuable car to that bush woman to ruin? She was boiling in,side but tried to mask her face. If she could sting at that moment, she would have. These two ladies had caused her nightmares. She couldn’t wait to be a full member of the family and displace them. She found both of them very annoying.

Nwanneka observed the look on her face. She said to her, “Look like you are not happy about this but I actually did it for you. Mama Ogo was very happy to receive the vehicle, she has never owned anything that luxurious ever. You coming into the family is a blessing as we have seen changes in uncle Obi’s children and they attribute it to you. You have brought joy and blessings into that family and you should be proud. Now no one can ever say you are not a good wife”

Even though Isabella knew it wasn’t the entire truth, she still liked the explanation she gave. Nwanneka was as smart as her mother if not smarter. She looked at her innocently but she knew better. Once she enters the family, their influence will reduce to the barest minimum. She had planned to deal with both mother and child. She wanted to get in first before running the reputation for good.

Nwakaego promised to speak to papa and mama concerning the issue they brought up. She asked how she could be of assistance but they declined any help from her. After staying a little while longer, they left.

Nwakaego knew something had to be done quickly to stop the wedding. She tried calling Onyedika on phone at his office but he couldn’t be reached. She was unsettled especially knowing Isabella’s plan for Ogo. She discussed it with Nwanneka. Nwanneka felt she might have genuine work for Ogo over there but then the secrecy was another cause for concern.

The next morning, Nwakaego left for Enugu to meet with Onyedika. She was told he had been posted to the Seme border. Nwakaego knew she had to do something fast before it becomes too late. She left for Lagos the next day by air. She took a taxi from the airport to the border which took her almost four hours due to traffic and bad roads.

She asked for him at the Nigerian border and she was asked to wait for him. She waited for him until he came back to the office. There, they had a talk. She explained why she needed to see him urgently and told him what Chinyere had said about Ogo. This did not surprise Onyedika but the mission to end this had to start now.

“The wedding won’t hold. We will use papa as the reason. He will collapse a few days to the wedding and Obi will have to be with him. We will plan with the doctor to keep him in the hospital for two weeks. The elders will be part of the plan; nobody will agree to go with him until papa is well”

“This sounds like a good plan. We should start the execution immediately. Papa and mama have to be in on this plan and it must work perfectly without suspicion. Just the two of us, papa and mama will be aware”

“Yes. Concerning Ogo, we will need more information and stop her at the airport. Work with her mother for more information. If you want to send a message to me, I will give you a number to call and they will send me a signal where I am. I will take you home with me now”

They left the border for Festac town. He had rented a two-bedroom flat and to her surprise, it wasn’t Charity that was in the house with him. The lady there was tall, dark and had a big behind. Nwakaego wondered what was wrong with Onyedika. Why was he wasting his life and resources on women? As though he knew she would bring up the issue, he claimed she was a colleague who was just camping with him until he got his own place. She wasn’t Igbo, she was from Benin republic. Although she spoke some English, she communicated more in Yoruba.

Nwakaego couldn’t understand the waywardness Onyedika was exhibiting. She felt it was because he had no wife at home he was behaving like someone without self-control. Her husband Anozie never behaved in this manner even when he had the chance to. Why were they, Obi and Onyedika hell-bent on ruining their lives with waywardness? She held her peace. Now he was back in Lagos, she had to make sure Onyedika and Uloma are reconciled before something terrible happens.

The next morning, on their way to the airport, Nwakaego asked Onyedika after Charity.

“She is in Enugu”

“Have you both broken up?”

“No, she comes once a month”

“Why?”

“I don’t want her staying here alone in the house. The lady in the house knows she is my wife and leaves when she is expected. We have a good understanding”

“Obi came with Isabella and you with Charity and now the one that can’t speak English. If truly Charity is the one, you would encourage her to come more often so you can be with her”

“I can’t afford that. Once a month is fine. I just got posted here. I will visit her in Enugu also”

“I think you should bring Uloma back. What you are doing now is putting your life at risk”

“Forget about Uloma. If she knows I am in Lagos, I will know you told her. If she comes looking for me, I will know the information is from you. I cannot be deceived; there will be no coincidence.”

“I won’t tell her. How would I explain why I came to Lagos? It will be too dangerous. But still, talk with her and resolve your issues. I am tired of seeing big br-asts today and big bottom tomorrow. It doesn’t tell well about you”

“I am just enjoying life as a bachelor which was forced on me. You of all people should understand how lonely it can be”

“Do you see me jumping from one man to another? Have you seen me with any man? You can do the same”

“Mama Nwanneka, we are not the same. I am a man and my needs have to be met. Allow me to enjoy my life”

“You have to be responsible about it and still to a woman. That’s all I am saying”

They put their plan into serious action a week to the wedding. They sent a message to Obi that papa couldn’t stand up from the bed. He came to see him. Papa refused to go to the hospital and claimed he was getting better. Obi stayed for two days and left.

It was Chinyere that came to Benin to inform Obi of papa’s condition. She was it was serious and he had been taken to hospital in Enugu. Isabella suspected this was a ploy by the family so she decided to go with Obi to see him. She was shocked at what she saw. He looked weak and pale. He couldn’t talk to anyone. Nwakaego was there and so were Obi’s sisters. Nwakaego approached Obi and told him

“I was informed papa sent for you when he fell ill. Why didn’t you take him to the hospital? His condition wouldn’t have deteriorated like this. I have asked why I wasn’t sent for but they said they felt you would handle it. See the doctor so we know what steps to take”

Nwakaego completely ignored Isabella in order not to raise suspicion. The doctor said papa would be in the hospital for two weeks. The wedding was that weekend. Isabella was so upset she wanted to scre-m but couldn’t. She wished the man would not just die and give them room to get married and live their lives. She tried to talk about the wedding but no one had any interest in it; everyone was only interested in papa. They were forced to postpone the wedding.

Two weeks later, papa was home; fully rested and energetic. He took it easy for a few days then he was his same old self.

Obi wanted to reschedule the wedding. Papa took it to his kinsmen and they all decided in August. Isabella was mad. What did they mean? He wanted a much earlier date but she was told only Obi will attend as no family member will go with him. Isabella didn’t want that; she wanted to have her husband’s family members in attendance. She was very suspicious but she had her own plans. She had something she could blackmail Obi with.

Chinyere came to see Nwakaego in a panic. She hadn’t seen or heard from Ogo and Chioma since her last conversation with Ogo. When she went to inform Obi about papa’s illness, she asked after them and she was told they were not around. She had asked Obi about them and he didn’t seem to know where they were.

“Could they have travelled?” Nwakaego asked.

“Only Ogo talked about travelling. What does it have to do with Chioma?”

“Obi will be in the best position to answer that. Let us wait another week and then you confront him about it”

Chinyere confronted Obi. Obi asked Isabella who told him they went to do some work for her up North. She claimed they were fine and would soon be back. Because of Isabella calm demeanour, they believed her.

Uloma came to visit her son at the end of April. She didn’t meet Nwakaego at home when she came the month before, so she was glad to see her today.

“Uloma, your husband is in Lagos,” Nwakaego told her. Uloma was shocked. “He was posted to Seme border. I want you to look for a smart way to see him without implicating me. I don’t have suggestions but I will advise you to look very good the day you go there.”

“What about the girl he came for Christmas with?”

‘She is in Enugu. I want you to talk nicely to him when you see him but not desperate. If he asks you where you stay, laugh it off and don’t tell him. Let him come after you”

“Do you think he will?”

“He will. I am 100% sure of it”

“What if he wants to have conjugal relations with me?” Uloma asked.

“Don’t agree. Keep him longing for you.”

“It is best I am not alone with Onyedika, he is not someone you say no to. I know him well.”

“You have to ensure it doesn’t happen because the one time it does happen; you have to be ready to conceive. He won’t deny responsibility and if he does, the question is, did you have s€× with her or not?”

Uloma’s eyes opened wide while Nwakaego was talking. This was a brilliant idea. And it would work. She knew how principled Onyedika is. He would never deny his responsibility and it could make him do the right thing. Together Nwakaego and Uloma put their plan in motion.

Tbc