Taking Chances – Episode 3

****EPISODE 3****

‘Mama please, if there’s anyone to blame here, its me. Am the one who fell in love with a man like Jide, I did nothing to stop this imminent crash because of this…this…this…’ she couldn’t describe it.

‘…love, that is causing me so much sorrow’ she completed, still lying down.

‘Please don’t be hard on yourself Daisy’ Mama cooed, tenderly stroking her arm.

‘Am okay. I just want to be left alone for now’ She said.

Daisy really loved this woman who has been more than a mother to her during her years in the United States, but right now, she was irritating her with her insistence of crying over spilled milk. The best she could do now, was to let her be.

Mama as if reading her thoughts, stood up.

‘I also came to tell you that Jide is around now, but he’s having a word with his father. He will join you shortly’ mama said walking away. Daisy said nothing, what was she expected to say Thank God? Jide could bloody well get missing again for all she cared. Yet deep down in her heart, she knew she cared. The reason she married him in the first place. When mama got to the door, she stood for some second as if contemplating what to say. Finally she uttered:

‘Please take it easy on yourself, it will be fine’ then she shut the door quietly.

Daisy still said nothing. She just slept still in her pile of white lace, she wasn’t crying, she just didn’t know how she felt.

Some minutes later she heard a soft knock on the door, exasperated, she shook her head mentally ‘why wont this people ever hear!’

The door opened and in came her step mum

‘Chinwe’ her stepmother called softly ‘Are you sleeping?’

Immediately she heard her Igbo name, she stood up quickly from her bed. There was only one person in the wedding who knew her by that name. ‘Aunty, no am not sleeping, i was just…’ she stopped talking and

looked down at the bulge of her gown, she was tired of putting up appearances.

‘Oh Chinwe’ her step mum said and went towards her, extending her arm to embrace her.

Daisy walked into her open arm, she felt a heaviness in her heart, then she knew the tears would soon come. But why now in front of her? The very person it shouldn’t.

‘Am sorry I couldnt support you enough’ her aunty said patting her back. ‘You tried the best you could, I just wish…wish…my father was here now or even my mother’ the tears had finally let down and Daisy was now crying.

‘This was what your father had seen that made him put up strong opposition’

‘Even if no one believes me, I love Jide, that’s why I married him’ Daisy said with a teary tone

‘You don’t know what you’re saying child’ her stepmother replied, Daisy disentangled from the embrace and her step mum led her to the bed. She was still crying softly.

‘He obviously doesn’t love you back’ aunty said as they both sat down. ‘He…he…I don’t know’ Daisy had wanted to defend Jide

‘Its okay, just relax, everything will be fine’ aunty finally said.

Daisy nodded her head and rested it on her aunty’s shoulder.

They stayed that way for minutes. This bond they now seemed to share was new to Daisy, it wasn’t as if they were enemies, but they had always

been distanced, each acknowledging the other but not really bonding. Whenever she came home to Nigeria, she often stayed in her father’s house, she couldn’t stand her step siblings attitude towards her, but

the few times she did, Mrs Amaka Okechukwu was civil to her and treated her fairly well, Daisy hadn’t cared to get any closer, afterall it was

this woman who took her mother’s place, keeping her at arms length was just fine. The relationship she had with her father didn’t fair any better, she had

one or two grudges against him, and the part he had played in this marriage would definitely fuel the grudge. Thinking about all these things made her cry the more.

‘Calm yourself now’ her aunty said softly.

A phone rang just then, it was her aunty’s. Mrs Amaka picked it up saw

the caller and cut the call. Daisy shifted away from her as she made to stand up. Standing up she said: ‘That was your father, obviously worried, I must get going now, you know how it is with Lagos traffic at night and on Saturdays?’

She didn’t really know but she nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes, they are now red and a bit swollen.

‘Just tell dad… everything was fine’ she said

‘I will’ her aunty nodded knowingly. Her phone rang again.

‘Its him, I must go, please take care and stop crying, everything will be fine. See you at the church tomorrow, Okay? Bye’ she finally said and started walking away, her phone kept ringing. When she got to the door, she waved Daisy before stepping out. Then she closed the door softly behind her.

‘Why is everyone saying everything will be fine when nothing looks fine’ Daisy wondered as she started Laying down again, midway, the door opened, she stood up abruptly and in came the object of her woe, Jide.

‘Mrs’ he drawled ‘its time to go, forever after awaits’ he said with sarcasm. then started walking away, but stopped when he noticed she hadn’t made a move to stand.

‘And you better not keep me waiting!’ he almost shouted and stormed off.

Daisy slowly stood up and walked out to the future that awaits her.

****************

TAKING CHANCES