The Dreams Of My Mother – Episode 17
Episode 17
She was crying. Her eyes were puffy from the crying she had done since Bella broke the news to her. She didn’t trust her so called friend’s intentions, but it didn’t change the fact that what she said was true. So that adorable boy was Damilola’s son, she pondered.
“I should have known, his eyes are like Damilola’s eyes, the nose and mouth are all Damilola’s. It was right in front of me and I couldn’t see it. Ha Damilola, after all the love I have shown you right from America, you still go ahead and got yourself a child outside our marriage” Tania pondered.
Tania remembered that day at dinner, Bella had been smiling so hard like she was in on a secret joke. She guessed that the joke was all about her not knowing that her husband already had a son. When she was done crying, she wiped her eyes, applied a little make-up and went downstairs to watch television, as the time for her husband to come home was approaching. After a while, she heard the key turn in the keyhole, and the door opened, Damilola came in with a smile. He always had a smile on his face for her, Tania had thought that it was because of their situation and Damilola didn’t want her to brood, but now it felt like Damilola was also mocking her. All these culminated in the decision she took.
Tania: “Welcome home darling, how was work today?” she asked, as she took his portfolio.
Damilola: “My day was great because I know it would end up in me coming home to you” he replied and brushed a kiss on her lips.
Tania followed him upstairs so he could freshen up, and she watched him carefully. She was looking for telltale signs of his deception, but she found none. Damilola: “I am so glad I have succeeded in putting up a scholarship fund for that boy Dayo. Children like him deserve all the encouragement they can get” he said as he toweled off after his shower.
Tania: “Really huh” she replied in a flat voice.
Damilola: “Are you alright?” he asked, puzzled by her nonchalance.
Tania: “I am alright, I just want my own child, this house gets lonely” she said with a frown, then she lightened up like an idea had popped into her head, “Why don’t we invite Dayo to stay with us for a few days, I would find joy in taking him to school every day. I am not sure Bella likes his presence in that house” she said. Damilola: “He is not even related to us, would Gberan accept?” he asked, but Tania could see the excitement in his eyes. Damilola wanted Dayo to come as his wife had suggested because he wanted to egt to know the boy and see what was about him that brought him memories of the past.
“You wicked, traitor of a husband” she thought.
When Tania told Bella that she wanted Dayo to come stay with them for a few days, she was surprised. She had expected something different, but now it seems Tania wanted to play ‘mother’ with her husband’s son.
Bella: “But Tania, have you confronted Damilola?” she asked acting concerned. Tania: “I can’t, the moment I tell him, our marriage is over. So I am going to try to love him, I mean the boy” she replied with a forced smile.
Bella: “What!” she exclaimed and Tania almost burst into laughter, her so called friend really wanted her to react another way.
“Sorry Bella, I am a wise woman. I can’t throw away my marriage because of this. The society is not fair to women who leave their marriages, no matter the reason” She thought as she listened to Bella ramble on and on about how Tania was letting her husband win.
Tania: “Bella, if you are really my friend, talk to your husband, let Dayo light up our house for a few days” she pleaded.
Bella: “Alright alright, I will” she replied and hung up.
Bella: “That Tania na ode sha oh. She is just going to scatter all my plans. What do I do now?” she soliloquized.
It was that time her husband came back from the stadium with Dayo where they had gone to train, their bond was getting stronger and soon Gberan would forget his own son. She stood up abruptly from the chaise where she was lounging, and went to her husband with a smile on her face. *The Dreams Of My Mother*
