The Dreams Of My Mother – Episode 13

Episode 13

Damilola and his wife Tania looked at each other awkwardly. Tania wondered if Dayo was Gberan’s love child. She thought herself the better woman because, even though she did not give her husband any children, at the least, he didn’t have a love child outside, or did he? She peered into her husband’s face and the latter understood why she was looking at him that closely. He shook his head in a negative reply. He however, wished that he had a love child somewhere, waiting for him to discover, but that was impossible. The only woman who had conceived for him died with the pregnancy because, he was not there to take responsibility. Tania: “Darling, we got to leave now, this family need their privacy to sort out their issues.” She quipped, breaking into her husband’s thoughts, and then she turned to Bella, her friend and said, “Bella dear, I am sorry about all you have been

going through, thought this was beyond Gberan. I don’t know what I would have done if Dami had a love child” She expected any reaction from Bella, but what she didn’t expect was for her grin to get wider, like she was smiling to an inside joke that only her knew.

“We will see what you will do about this. In fact Tania, I am counting on what you would do” She thought and the laughter bubbled in her throat. Tania wanted to laugh at her, but she didn’t know that the joke was on her. Gberan saw the visiting couple off, but Bella remained in place, the wheels of her brain were already turning, and her plan was becoming solid in her mind’s eye, like molten magma. Immediately Gberan came back from seeing the couple off, he turned on his wife, with angry eyes.

Gberan: “What the heck is wrong with you, why are you being so cold and aloof?” He barked, he had long lost his patience with his wife. She was neither a good wife nor a good mother.

Bella: “Oh did you want me to cry?” she guffawed and flipped him off. As she turned to leave, Gberan grabbed her by the arm and flung her back to face him. Bella stared at him wide eyed, something told her that this Gberan was not taking any of her antics, but she ignored the voice of reasoning.

Gberan: “What is going on with your son, why is he acting like a d–n girl!?” he asked

Bella: “Now he is my son? If only you had given him all the attention you give to Dayo, who is someone else’s child, Ken would be better” she mouthed off. Gberan: “What have you done to help him as his mother. I go out every day so that you can have the life you have today and be able to compete with your friend Tania, the simplest you could have done is take care of Ken. He misbehaved in the presence of strangers and you were not bothered. You are not the Bella I married” he spat and turned to leave, but he was stopped cold by the words he heard next. Bella: “You are not even the man I wanted to marry. How is that for regrets?” she sneered. Gberan turned and stared at her unbelievably, but she stared back, and even went further, “Damilola was the man I wanted, but he chose Tania, obviously because of Tania’s family’s connections. So, don’t get ahead of yourself” She was not done talking, when Gberan struck her across the face, so fast that it was like lightening.

Bella: “Gberan, you slapped me” she quipped, stunned that her husband slapped her.

Gberan: “I will slap you even more, if you do not shut that pit you call a mouth. I have taken so much from you, even to the annoyance of my mother, but it has

gotten up to the neck and I am done tolerating you. You got to put your acts together, or else…” he didn’t complete the sentence but he pointed at her threateningly, before walking away.

A single tear trickled down her eye, she had prided herself on having the most dutiful and doting husband who never raised his hands on her no matter how badly she behaved, but because of Dayo, he had done it.

Bella: “Gberan, you slapped me, I will hurt you where you will feel the sting, and you won’t even know I did it” She soliloquized, not knowing that Dayo had witnessed everything.

The little boy went to his room and began to pray for his foster dad, Gberan, and himself.

Dayo: “Dear God in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Please God protect my father, Gberan, from the villain lady, also protect me and keep me from all those who want to punish me for no reason” he said, before he went to bed.