chapter 40

Ifeoma dragged herself into her father's house ignoring the middle aged gateman who was trying so hard to get her attention.

It was already half past six and the sun had already set. She walked into the bright living room dragging her feet like a walking dead.

Chief Ogbonna and his wife turned their attention on their daughter who had just walked into their house in the same attire she left in that afternoon looking disheveled.

"Ifeoma, didn't you just leave here this afternoon? Did you forget something?" Her father questioned her.

"Daddy, can you not question me this evening, please? I'm tired."

"How dare you answer my question with another question? Is that how you were raised?" Chief Ogbonna snapped her his daughter and as if he had just flogged her, she bursted into tears.

Mrs Ogbonna stood up immediately to tend to her child. "What happened dear? Talk to us." She soothed as she helped Ifeoma sit on one of the cushions.

"He cheated on me. He impregnated another woman. He... he took in a second wife..." Ifeoma reported looking expressionless.

Her mom sighed before speaking, "I knew that this was bound to happen but how could he bring her in?"

Ifeoma looked at her mom like she said pigs could now fly but decided to keep mute.

"That's really not enough reason to leave your husband's house like that. You can't just decided to leave him and come here every time you have little misunderstandings, have you forgotten that it's for better for worse or do you need to be reminded?" Ifeoma's father said.

"Festus, calm down! This is not the time for that, she's grieving!" Mrs Ogbonna snapped at her husband.

"You think I don't know that? She's a married woman and she can't just come in here every time there is an issue. He didn't send her packing, he's still her husband. The only help I can render is send for him and talk senses into him. Other than that, there nothing else to be done, he isn't maltreating or beating you. Don't think you can come and stay here just because he cheated, you will go to his house and tackle it as a couple." Chief Ogbonna lectured.

Ifeoma found herself raising her voice higher than she intended, "I'd rather sleep on the streets of Lagos than go back to that house! I don't understand parents sometimes! I don't just understand you guys, I'm your daughter, couldn't you be on my side for once? Just once?! He did wrong to me yet you want me to just go back to him just like that? Seriously?"

"Ifeoma! I will not tolerate any form of disrespect in my own house! Didn't I warn you against this boy? Did I not tell you that I don't like the looks and personality of him? Did I not? And what did you tell me then? I love him and he loves me too, he's not who you think he is, he's the love of my life, I'll die if I don't marry him. If it's not him then it's no one else, and all that nonsense! Do you also remember what I told you then? Even if you don't remember, I'll remind you! Ifeoma, I told you that if anything happens in the future that I would not be a part of it, don't you remember? This is that future, Ifeoma. That future is right now! You kids think you know best once it's about love, you forget that love alone is not enough to keep a relationship going! See, what I said is final, even if you won't go back, you would not stay in this house! I'm not going to harbour another man's pregnant wife."

An uncomfortable silence lingered in the air for a few seconds before Ifeoma then stood up and walked towards her father, she took her seat beside him ignoring his strict and angry face.

Ifeoma had known her father for years, she knew that behind his short temper, strictness and all that, was a soft man who would do anything for his family despite all.

"Dad, I'm sorry. I know better now, but you really can't tell me to go back into that house. Everything about that house is toxic at the moment, The three women that are in it right now hates me for whatever reason I don't know, coming out alive is highly impossible. I'll be frustrated and they might just end up killing me. Dad, do you want your baby girl to die?" Ifeoma cajoled.

"God forbid! That happens and they spend the rest of their lives in jail!" Chief Ogbonna threatened.

"But that wouldn't raise me from the dead o. Why not just prevent that when you have the power to?" Ifeoma further cajoled.

"Hm! You and your stylish ways to get what you want. But just know that it's not forever. Whether you like it or not, this is a phase you'd still go back to. He'll come back to his senses and all will be well once again." He said as he stood up and walked up the stairs into his room.

Ifeoma scoffed. 'He never even had the right senses to begin with.'

"I'm going to call pastor and we can tell him about all of this so that he'll include it in his prayer for us. And you should also pray and fast a little too, Satan can only try to jeopardize a happy home but we won't let him succeed. Whatever influence that his mother or whoever has put him under will be broken in Jesus name." Ifeoma's mother said while Ifeoma stared at her for minutes as if trying to process what she just said.

"Did you just tell me to fast and pray for a cheating man? A man who brought another woman into our matrimonial home and even watched me leave without running after me? That same man is who you said I should fast and pray for? Am I missing something?"

"My daughter, this is nothing new under the sun o. Men are like that and we just have to take them like that. Leaving a marriage because a man cheated is like leaving a whole country because rain falls there, don't you not know that rain falls everywhere? We just have to pray for them not to get lost in it o." Mr's Ogbonna advised.

"It won't be well with whoever thought of that proverb or whatever it is, mummy. And what charm are you talking about, he knows what he's doing, he wasn't forced to ask another woman out or sleep with her. He did everything on his own accord, mom, stop these excuses, please. You women keep giving them the power to frustrate us. Ahnahn, which one is it rains everywhere?" Ifeoma disagreed.

"If you like, curse me too, I'll still stand my ground. You have to keep praying for him, I've been in this world way before you and the experiences I've had concerning marriage, you've not had it. If you know how much your father's family frustrated me because I didn't give birth to a male child after I gave birth to you, you'd know that we women go through a lot in this institution called marriage. If you know how many times I've caught your father red handed like this cheating, you won't even say this. But did I leave? Aren't we together till now? Has he not stopped been promiscuous? That's men for you, you leave them till they get tired of it by themselves."

'You're talking in the rubbish. You are talking in the thing that makes no sense' Ifeoma was tempted to say but she knew better than to say that to her mum.

"I just don't like this edge you people give to men over us o. Your own days have passed, now, it's show madness, I show equal madness. You mothers have endured too much and we? We can't endure the same amount. Times have changed o. This isn't the times of men going hunting or doing the work and women staying home and taking care of the kids which I would say was why men thought they owned us and could do whatever. We are now independent women who earn money and pay bills equally too, such trash can not be taken."

"Stay there and be yarning feminist nonsense there. We both know that if Fikayo walks through that door now and begs you, you'd open up your arms wide and take him back. When you're done deceiving yourself, call Chiamaka to prepare something for you to eat." Mrs Ogbonna concluded as she left her daughter and went up to meet her husband.

Ifeoma remained mute as she stared at her fingers, her mom had just spoken the truth that she had hidden somewhere deep inside her and never wanted to admit to herself.

TO BE CONTINUED...