Akwaugo – Episode 55

PART 55

 

 

When I got back to my room in the night, Samuel was still there fast asleep. I couldn’t believe it. He needed the rest. I brought out a soup bowl, warmed up the soup and made eba. When it was ready, I brought it into the room. The noise I made while cooking or the aroma of the food must have woken him up. He sat up on the bed.

 

 

 

 

 

“Thank you very much. This is the best rest I have had in a long time since my mother fell ill. I really don’t know how to thank you”

 

“You don’t need to. I made food for you. Eat up”

 

“Why are you being so nice to me?”

 

“I don’t know. Maybe your spirit was crying to me for help”

 

“I do need help. My mother gets worse when she comes home but recovers when she is in the hospital. I don’t know why”

 

“What of her sister?”

 

“She is only available at night”

 

“Maybe I should see her”

 

“Why?’

 

“I am a doctor. I suspect she has some other issues. Psychological issues”

 

“I won’t mind. I have to leave you now”

 

“You eat before you go”

 

 

He sat on the bed while I sat on the chair. He finished eating, cleared his plate and washed it out. I was impressed. I didn’t know a guy who had ever done that. He took mine too when I wanted to take over from him and washed it.

 

He picked up his phone which he left to charge. He had put it on silent so he could rest. He checked and saw missed calls.

 

‘I have to leave now. My aunt had been calling me. I don’t know what I will meet at home now. Thank you so much for your hospitality. I am energised for whatever comes my way”

 

I saw him off to the junction. We talked a bit as we walked down the road. As he boarded a vehicle, I turned to go back home when the beam light of a vehicle was focused on me. I looked to know who it was, it was Amaechi. I smiled and joined him in the car. He was heading to my house.

 

“Who was that?” he asked me.

 

“A friend” I replied.

 

“He looks very family”

 

“Yes, the guy I bumped into at the hospital”

 

“I know him. His mother is diabetic. She is given a strict diet in the hospital coupled with medication. She gets better and is back to the hospital in no time with elevated levels”

 

“She is either not taking her drugs or she eats what she is not supposed to eat. Have you tried visiting her at home?”

 

“Who has time for that? He should manage his mother. What did he come to do?”

 

“He was in the neighbourhood”

 

 

We went to the flat. Henrietta wasn’t around so he chilled with me. I asked him if he wanted to eat but he said he would wait for Henrietta. We talked at length about so many things until I asked him.

 

“Why haven’t you proposed to Henrietta?”

 

“She is more like a sister or a very close friend”

 

“A sister? Is that a joke? She loves you. Isn’t it glaring enough for you?”

 

“I know but she is a good girl. She blocks my way from being with other girls unless I have to plot to be with them. I focused on my studies while in school and now I would love to explore before I settle down but I also don’t want to hurt her”

 

“Honestly, I don’t understand what you are saying”

 

“She’s a virgin. She’s keeping her virginity for me. I am not interested in a very good girl but she has stuck to me like superglue”

 

I was surprised. This was not the Amaechi I knew. What had come over him? I said to him, “if you feel this way, why deceive her? Just tell her you are not interested in the relationship and find your way. I didn’t think you of all people would treat a woman like this”

 

I could see it wasn’t the reaction he expected from me. He sat up and our conversation became boring afterwards. I couldn’t believe Amaechi would deceive Henrietta like this. She didn’t put a gun to his head to force him to be with her. I was disappointed. I held Amaechi in high esteem and he dashed it. I even had some feelings for him which I put under control.

 

Henrietta came back and he left for her room not long after the awkward moment between us. She was taking very good care of him and that was what was getting to me. The fact that she loved him more was the attraction. Is it wrong to love someone that you make so much sacrifice for them? I hoped he understood I was disappointed in him and changed his ways.

 

 

Amaechi’s presence was a distraction. I wanted to call Samuel to find out if everything was fine at home. I picked up my phone from my handbag to call him. I saw his missed calls. I called him back.

 

“Hello. I was worried when you didn’t pick up. I hope you are fine” he asked.

 

“I ran into a friend and got distracted. I am fine. What about you? How is your mother?”

 

“She is fine. She has slept now. She was surprised I didn’t eat. I am in bed now; I just want to sleep”

 

“That’s good. I am happy you understand the value of rest. You will feel great in the morning”

 

“I don’t know how to thank you. I am not buoyant otherwise I would have taken you out…”

 

“Invite me to your house. I want to meet your mother and find out why she falls ill when she comes home”

 

“Will you come?” he inquired.

 

“If you invite me” I responded.

 

“I will let you know when you can come. Thank you so much”

 

“You are welcome”

 

I was in control when I spoke to him. He was someone I felt like helping. I was drawn to him because I felt he had a need I could fulfil. He didn’t bombard me with messages or requests. Once in a while he would say hello and wish me well, I usually responded. I got busy in the hospital and my makeup job and didn’t think much about him.

 

After about a month, he called me and asked if I was ready to honour an invitation from him. I was impressed. I agreed to meet with him. He gave me the address of

 

 

his house and asked me to come on a Sunday afternoon. I was not on duty that day so it was perfect for the visit.

 

I dressed very simply. I wore an Ankara dress. I drove down to the address he gave using my GPS. He called to confirm my location and I told him I was very close to him. When I arrived at his house, he was waiting for me outside. I parked in front of the gate. I bought some unripe plantain, vegetables and eggs on my way over. Samuel helped me bring it out of the car and carry it inside for me.

 

His mother was sitting in their parlour. I greeted her and introduced myself. She was happy to receive me. I asked her about her health. I asked Samuel to bring her drugs so I would know when she would feel better. He showed me the drugs and they were ok. I asked her if she missed her drugs, she assured me she didn’t. I let her be. She was such a remarkable woman. She was petite and had withered with age. She was still slim and troublesome. She stood up to go to the kitchen and I used that opportunity to look around the house.

 

It was a small bungalow of probably three rooms. It had a large parlour, dining area and I saw an area demarcated (I later found out it was his mother’s private area). I noticed a small room by the side. My eyes came back to the parlour. We sat on couches with brown coloured cloth. They looked quite old fashioned. Even the wooden centre table and side stools spoke volumes. The only modern-looking item in the room was a 40” big-screen television with a decoder and music system. I wondered why. My brothers and I had changed the look of our home twice during the years. You would know my parents had grown children. I remembered we were three and Samuel was alone.

 

His mother came back to the parlour. She came with a tray containing biscuits, groundnuts, cashew nuts, bottled water, a packet of juice and a glass. I was impressed. She sat down and said, “Etete, said he met you at the hospital. He claims you are a friend. I have never seen him this excited about a female visiting. He is even cooking himself. I share in his excitement. You are a fine girl. He said you are a doctor. What are you doing here in Calabar?”

 

“I am doing my residency in psychiatry in the Neuro-psychiatry hospital. That’s why I am here”

 

 

“That is good. I studied Sociology but I didn’t work. I got married to Etete’s father and had him. His father was a police officer and we travelled all over the country for five years before we decided to settle down at home while he moved around. He died twelve years ago from poisoning. He was promoted and posted to a lucrative area. He became ill when he got there and at a point, he couldn’t work or walk. There was nowhere we didn’t go. We spent every dime we had. We sold properties we had to save his life. Friends and family abandoned us. All the people he had helped in the past avoided him in sickness. At a point, he told me to stop spending on him and concentrate on ensuring Etete gets into university. He passed Jamb and his WAEC but they offered him Mathematics Education instead of Mathematics. He was unhappy about it but his father asked him to accept and enter the university system. Etete’s father died not long after that. That was when Etete became a man. He buried his father like a man. Without any support from family and friends. Luckily, his father had done education insurance for him so his fees were paid. I had to continue my small business to provide for him. Here we are today. My son is a graduate and a well sought-after Mathematics teacher”

 

“Interesting. But I am more worried about why you fall terribly ill when you are at home and recover very quickly when you are in the hospital. Samuel informed me you have been admitted eight times in the past year”

 

“Can I tell you a secret?”

 

“Your secret is safe with me”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“I am very sure”

 

“My Etete will not live his life if I am still here. He cannot bear anything happening to me. How will he find a wife and have children if he is only interested in me? I want to join my husband instead so my son will live a better life”

 

“Don’t you think that is selfish?” she turned to face me completely. I had gotten her full attention now and I wanted her to realise what she was doing. “Your son can’t eat or sleep because he is worried about you. You are his only surviving parent and you believe taking your life is the only way your son can have a life.

 

 

Mama, what if Samuel dies because of you? What if he dies because of all the stress you are putting him through? What if he doesn’t also believe there is a reason to live? Won’t you and your husband’s lineage be over?”

 

She shuffled her feet on the floor while still sitting, pouted her lips and hung her head on her wrist. I could see my words had sunk in. I wanted to go further but an aroma hit me. Samuel had come out of the kitchen with a dish. He wore an apron and a chef’s cap. I loved the sight I beheld. He set the table and announced, “Food is ready”.

 

His mother gathered herself up, smiled at him and said, “I am very tired Etete, bring my food to my room. Please wake me up when your guest is leaving. And, thank her for me; she is truly a good person” she left for her room. I could see Samuel was surprised at her behaviour and words. He also looked worried. I told him I would wait for him to serve her food first. He thanked me and went to serve her food.

 

I sat down on the chair he pulled out for me on the dining table. He came out from his mother’s room grinning. I had to ask what happened. “She asked me when I am bringing you home. She’s a clown”. I laughed too at her comment.

 

He served me Afang soup with pounded yam. I couldn’t believe he cooked the food. The soup had snails, dried fish, dried prawns, and periwinkles. The vegetables were fresh. I prided myself as a cook but I had to give it to him. The food was very delicious; I had never tasted anything as delicious as this since I came to Calabar. I told him and asked him how he learnt how to cook so well.

 

“She taught me,” he said pointing at her room door.

 

“She did a very good job”

 

“I had an interest in cooking too. I loved to help her go to the market to buy foodstuff and also cook. She didn’t need to force me to do anything. I can say I’m domesticated. I clean, I wash and I cook. We will continue our conversation in my room after the meal”

 

 

“How has your mother been coping since your father died?” I asked out of the blues.

 

He was surprised. “Did she say anything about his death?”

 

“She mentioned it. She told me about your family. I believe she was trying to impress me for you. I understand but did she get help after he died?”

 

“Help how?”

 

“Did she see a therapist to help with her grief?”

 

“No, she was strong. She was strong because of me”

 

“She believes so much in you. I hope you know that. I will like to visit her on my own with your permission. I understand what she is going through and I will like to help”

 

“Thank you. You are free to come whenever you like. Let me clear the plates and then take you to the room”

 

“Can I at least help out with the dishes. You should check your mother if she has finished eating”

 

He went to clear his mother’s plate while I cleared ours into the kitchen. It was a large kitchen. It had a wooden cabinet which was still very strong and white tiles covered the walls. There was a four-burner gas cooker and also a kerosene stove. I emptied the plates of remnants into a dustbin and washed out the plates before he came in.

 

“You shouldn’t have. I would have washed them out myself. You are my guest”

 

“Weren’t you a guest when you did the same to me at my house?”

 

“This is very different,” he said as he put away the plates while I washed out his mother’s plates. I liked him. He was soft-spoken, caring (watching how he cared for his mother) and compassionate.

 

 

When we were done in the kitchen, he led me to his bedroom. He told me his mother’s prayer meeting people will be in the house soon and he didn’t want me to meet them. He took me through a small passage to a room. The room was surprisingly large. Almost as large as the parlour. It was rugged with a black rug. I had to take off my shoes outside the door before entering. There was a big bed also made of well-carved wood. There was a mirror with a small stool underneath it which he placed his toiletries and cosmetics and a three-door wooden wardrobe. The room was painted grey. It was quite chilly in there I saw a window air conditioner and a ceiling fan. He had black curtains on the windows and a couch just under it. He had a television set, a game set and also a decoder. Then at a corner was his table. He had a laptop there and shelves which housed books. It was a large but beautiful table made of glass. It was unique. He had a swivelling corporate chair also. He allowed me to peruse the room to my satisfaction before offering me a seat on the couch. I sat down and he took a sit on the bed.

 

“This is where I spend most of my time”

 

“I can see that. It is a big room and quite comfortable”

 

“It was my father’s room. My mother made me move in here. I made some changes though. I loved the room as a child and it was a privilege to sleep on this bed with him when he was around. As an adult, it took me a while to come into this room but when I did, I couldn’t sleep elsewhere”

 

“It is nice”

 

“Thank you. You have known so much about me in such a short time. I would also love to know about you. Just the basics. I would appreciate it”

 

“There is nothing to tell. I am from Ebonyi state. I am the only daughter and last child of my family. I have two older brothers. My eldest brother is an Architect, married and will soon have a child. My other brother is an Agriculturist also married and expecting. I am a medical doctor, was married traditionally but divorced now. My parents live in our village house with my second brother while my eldest lives in Abakaliki. I shuttle the village and Enugu. That was where I went to both secondary and university. I decided to specialize in psychiatry, wrote

 

 

the exams and passed. I’m doing my residency in the psychiatric hospital. That’s all about me”

 

“Who lived in Enugu or did you go to boarding school?”

 

“I lived with my aunt, my father’s only surviving sibling. She and her late husband sent me to school. They gave me an opportunity”

 

“You are very lucky. I wanted to be a mathematician but I wrote both WAEC and Jamb when my father was very ill. I mean he was down. I heard my mother sit in the parlour every night cry and pray to God to heal her husband. She sold wrappers in bulk. She imported them and sold them in wholesale. She sent goods to customers all over the southeast. Father’s illness wrecked us. We were abandoned and left to our fate. I read and prepared for both examinations and passed in flying colours. The problem was the connection. I didn’t have a connection. They substituted my name with another person’s and gave me Mathematics education. I was upset. But my father asked me not to worry. He advised I accept the course and go-ahead to the university. I enjoy teaching my students though. I take several lessons and teach the subject for free to the less privileged children. I enjoy imparting knowledge”

 

“You have a passion for it too. That’s nice. What does your mother do now?”

 

“Since father died, she hasn’t remained the same. She stopped her business and she lived off his gratuity. She started foodstuff business with her sister. She goes to the villages to source for foodstuff and then they supply to people in bulk. She provides capital and buyers. Her sister does the running around”

 

“How do they cope? What about her sister’s family?”

 

“She didn’t marry. She is single and has been living with us for a long time. She goes to visit family members over the weekend”

 

“What of your extended family members?”

 

“I am not close to them. They didn’t treat us well during the burial and I kept my distance. They insisted on using diabolic means to find out what killed my father.

 

 

My father warned me against that before he died. He told me never to find out who poisoned him but instead, I should focus on being somebody and leave vengeance to God. He took the last sacrament at his passing. I held on to God and refused to find out. They called me weak and mama’s boy but I stood my grounds. All these things have countereffects you know”

 

I listened to him talk. I remembered all my persecution because I married Emeka. I smiled as he spoke. He spoke with so much passion. We talked about family. He asked to see my family in pictures. I showed him everyone. I shared the wedding pictures of my brothers with him. I showed him Emeka, auntie Nneoma, my cousins, Chiamaka and her children and Uju and family. He was impressed. I shared stories of everyone with him and he listened keenly.

 

We didn’t know when time past as we were having a good time. He asked if I would have dinner before I left but I declined. He packaged the food as a takeaway for me. He went to tell his mother I was leaving. She came out of her room to see me off. I wondered where her prayer meeting took place.

 

I got to my car. His mother looked at me and said, “Please visit me again. Etete enjoyed your company as well as I. But I want you to come and visit me when Etete is not around so we can continue our discussion.”

 

“I will come when I am off next week. I will let Etete know” she smiled when I called her son by her pet name. She blessed me and went back inside.

 

“Thank you for indulging her. She likes you. She asked me again if just friends stay this long in a friend’s house”

 

“That’s because you hardly bring girls home. She doesn’t see them and so she is worried you are lonely. She blames herself”

 

“You are joking. Why should I bring girls home? It is like disrespecting her and my family home. She doesn’t understand”

 

“So, why did you bring me home?”

 

 

“You are different. You are my friend. You looked out for me and helped me in my time of need. You didn’t know me but you allowed me to sleep in your room so I could rest. Since that day, I told them I needed to rest. I sleep early every night and I feel great”

 

“You will feel even better soon. Bring your female friends to the house. She wants to see that you are living”

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

“Bring them to the house for her to see you are a man,” I said jokingly.

 

“You are serious, aren’t you?” he asked and I nodded.

 

“I will bombard her with female friends then”

 

“I have to leave now. When did they finish the prayer meeting? I didn’t hear anything”

 

“It is for an hour from 5pm to 6pm. It’s 8pm. When I am in my room, I hardly hear anything in the parlour. So, most times I use the study so I can hear them if I am called”

 

“Interesting”

 

“It’s time to go. Thanks so much for coming. I appreciate this visit”

 

“I enjoyed it”

 

‘I am glad you did” he put the bag that had the food on the chair beside me.

 

I left for home. When I got home, he called to find out if I arrived safely. I told him I did. I bade him goodnight. I did enjoy the visit. I put the food he gave me in the fridge. I planned on warming it and taking it to work the next day. AKWAUGO