Taking Chances – Episode 9

****EPISODE 9****

 

The atmosphere was still cooking with a kind of angry heat, when mama,

 

Daisy and Jumoke walked in. As Jide had noted, Daisy was wearing her share of the family uniform, though her hers fitted her perfectly and highlighted her curves. The clock showed the time to be 9:10. Yet None in the parlor was making a move.

 

The entrants quietly went to seat on different settee in the parlor, they too didn’t know what to say or do. As they sat, each to his

 

thought, Jide looked different, he hadn’t taken his bath neither was he on the uniformed attire.

 

Daisy had noticed a sort of glint in Jide eyes, in the split second he

 

had paid them a cursory look when they came in, his eyes had lingered on her for more than required, and that her unsettled her a bit. Later, on

 

her seat she translated it to mean admiration or at worse, a figment of her hazy imaginations. She wasn’t sure, ‘Must still be the juice’ she thought.

 

None said anything for the next few minutes and the silence was

 

deafening, everybody was tired of the mulish Jide, his was a case of

 

taking a horse to the stream and then leaving the drinking part totally to the

 

exigencies of the horse for Jide still didn’t show concern one

 

bit as his gaze fixed on the Tele.

 

Mama spoke now, she was visibly angry. If everyone kept their peace, Jide would end up having his way and today would be a total waste.

 

Though Jumoke had called one of her usher friend at the church to shift their thanksgiving to the second service, the service was already

 

30 minutes underway! What kind of defiance was Jide putting up? she thought fighting hard to contain her anger.

 

‘Jide’ she started ‘please for the sake of Abike…’ Abike was his deceased mum‘…and for the sake of the love and respect you ever had for me and your dad, wole ko lo we, jó omo mi, jó … am begging!’ (enter go and bath please, my child please) mama said with the softest voice she could mutter, ‘cos inside she was burning hot. It was very obvious that Jide wouldn’t respond to force, best to try the pleading way. ‘Don’t bring mum into this issue’ came Jide’s curt reply few minutes

 

later, as if he had been contemplating.

 

Everyone kept mute, even mama. And after what seemed like ages, Jide switched

 

off the television, stood up, hissed and muttered something, before storming out of

 

the parlour.

 

Silence still.

 

Some minutes later, Jide resurfaced, he’d taken his bath and was wearing a black shirt on a jean trouser, he was also putting on a black speck,

 

every eyes turned on him but he said nothing to his family, he just went past them outside.

 

An impatient horn from Jide outside jolted them from their inertia, they quietly stood up and walked out, none uttered a word. On the chair sat

 

the bag containing Jide’s Ankara cloth, it would obviously rot there

 

forever, Daisy thought rather amused, this husband of hers was

 

definitely a character.

 

********

 

.

 

Minutes later, they arrived at the headquarters of Love Word Assembly

 

situated in Ikeja, mama had insisted on riding in Jide’s car, even

 

though he disagreed. Mama had said she could not take any chance with

 

him, if not he would do something stupid like dropping Daisy along the

 

road and zooming off elsewhere, after much persuasion accompanied with

 

another family drama in the compound, Jide grudgingly accepted. Their thanksgiving kicked off not long after they arrived for they came in quite late but in the nick of time. The family had hardly settled

 

down when the Olukoyas family was announced to come for their wedding thanksgiving. Mama immediately got busy, soon, relatives and family were dancing to the altar with huge tubers of Yam, mama could not contain

 

her joy, she danced from one corner to the other shaking her behind, she would dance front and dance back even to the amusement of the congregation.

 

Jide felt so silly in the midst of his uniformed family, it turned out to be that some of their relative were also wearing the same Ankara material, he was angry, irritated and mortified, if not for the presence

 

of a large congregation, he would have simply left. Mama’s dancing was irritating him the more, she was dancing like she was the one who had wedded not him, Daisy on her part was all smiles and was shaking her

 

body lightly to the praises being sang by the choir, not only her but

 

all his family, his sister, father, brother, the relatives and well

 

wishers from the church, he wondered if there was another reason this

 

people were happy about if not the obvious? He just couldn’t wait to be

 

out of these clowns known as his family.

 

Daisy on her part was having a good time, she had at first felt silly about the uniformed clothes everyone was wearing, soon she got used to it, even loved it, ‘another reason to love the Yoruba’s she thought. She noticed her aunty and waved, her aunty waved back, she was part of the entourage of thanks givers, Daisy felt welcomed and at home in the midst of them all.

 

She didn’t regret her marriage at that moment any bit, she couldn’t rein in her joy as she just let the music take over her and soothe her nerves, while she ignored the anger and irritation on Jide’s face.

 

‘He won’t spoil my fun, not this time around’ she thought happily as she danced

 

away her sorrows.

 

**********

 

Daisy waved sadly at the Olukoyas as they boarded their car back home while Jide waited impatiently for her in his car. The normal thing would have been to go the Family house to celebrate proper, but counting on Jide’s acceptance was a tall order, so that would pass.

 

Mama had promised to send in her clothes and phone later that day and she found herself wishing that she could drive home with them instead.

 

As she climbed beside the visibly irritated Jide, she wondered what fate had in stock for her in her forever after.

 

Jide zoomed off without as much as a glance or word to her.

 

That night again, he slept on the settee in the parlour.

 

TAKING CHANCES