chapter 26

It was a boring Sunday evening. Ifeoma was focused on the television watching the movie " Acrimony " while her husband was out with his friends or that was what he said. Mama was seated on a couch opposite Ifeoma dozing off and already snoring.

Ifeoma rolled her eyes, mama had been told several times to go into her bedroom whenever she wanted to sleep but had she ever listened?

Ifeoma was startled by the banging on the door as she walked as silently as she could to check who was at the door before opening it. 'Only an armed robber or hired assassin would be knocking on a person's door that way.' She thought with fear as she peeped.

It was a woman and a man and they looked unarmed and nothing like armed robbers. They were even carrying a cake.

"Well, they could be carrying a bomb in the cake" Ifeoma whispered to herself.

She knew she was overreacting so she finally opened the door.

"Good afternoon, we are so sorry to disturb you. We are the new neighbours who just packed into the building next to yours" The man explained.

Ifeoma knew about a couple packing into their compound the previous day but she hadn't kept it in mind to check on them and say hi. Ifeoma knew that she wasn't a good neighbour in any way. She had always preferred to stay in her home, and be on her own that she never even talked to the previous neighbour more than twice.

"Oh okay, come on in"

They greeted mama who was still on the same spot but now awake and she responded.

"I'm Bori and this is my wife, Falilat. We got married almost a year ago. And we just decided to settle down in a rich people estate like this to start our life too" The man who was dressed in a brown knicker and red round neck top introduced humorously.

Ifeoma laughed.

"That's nice. Nice to meet you Mr Bori and Sister Fa...lili. I'm Ifeoma and my husband is Fikayo. This is my mother in law." Ifeoma introduced and pronounced the woman's name wrongly.

" You fit just call me Fali, na wetin people dey call me be that" The woman finally spoke.(You can just call me Fali, that's what people call me).

Ifeoma could understand why she was speaking Pidgin. She didn't look educated in any way and her dress sense proved that she was a local woman. She was dressed in a white top and a wrapper.

Ifeoma wondered what an impeccable man like Bori was doing with such a woman but who was she to judge, love was blind anyway.

She just hoped that she wasn't a busybody woman like she looked because if there was anything Ifeoma hated, it was people meddling into her business.

"Alright, Sister Fali. What can I get for you guys?" Ifeoma asked as she remembered that she was supposed to offer them something to drink at least.

"Anything is fine" Bori answered but for Fali, anything was not fine.

" I no want anything o, you get cold chivita, the one wey don cold wella. Na that one I wan t" Fali said.(I don't want anything, do you have cold chivita, the one that is very cold, that's what I want).

Ifeoma found her funny so she laughed.

"I'm so sorry. I apologize for my wife, she eats a lot these days" Bori apologized for his embarrassing wife.

"No no. It's fine, I'll get you that coooold

chivita, Sister Fali. I'll be right back" Ifeoma said as she left for her kitchen.

While in the kitchen, Ifeoma was shocked to see that Fali followed her in. What kind of woman was so jumpy like this? Ifeoma thought.

"Sister Ifeoma! My friend! Wetin I fit help you carry?" She asked, forming some kind of familiarity that was already getting on Ifeoma's nerves.

"You are the guest. All you have to do is sit like a guest while the home owner brings the stuffs, not follow her into her kitchen" Ifeoma corrected politely but the woman was too daft to get the message she tried to pass across.

" We no be guests again jare, we don become friends be that. See, Ifeoma, me I like you o. You be fine girl, with fine skin. See as you no get one black spot like this. Which cream you dey use na? "(We are not guests again, we have become friends. Ifeoma, I like you, you're a fine girl with beautiful skin. See how you don't have one dark spot on your skin. What is the name of the cream you use?)

Ifeoma found herself disliking the woman the more she spoke, the fact that she quickly switched from formal to informal made her boil.She had a special dislike for women like this.

" Shey na the Ifeoma wey I call you make you do face like that? You sef call me Fali na. All this Sister something na church thing, he sure for me say you no old pass me. You just marry quick quick" Fali said making Ifeoma's irritation grow by the minute.(Did you change your countenance because I called you Ifeoma? You can also call me Fali, all these Sister we keep calling ourselves is for church people and I'm very sure that you're not older than I am, you just got married at an early age).

"You seem so chatty very well, Fali. But I'm not like that, especially not with people I just met" Ifeoma simply said as she balanced the drinks on the tray and walked out of the kitchen.

She knew that Fali wouldn't know that

chatty was another English word for

talkative which was like an insult.

Ifeoma had her seat after she served her guests.

"Thank you, We also brought you this cake" Bori said pointing to the square-shaped white box on the table.

Ifeoma was stunned as Mama quickly grabbed the box and opened it to reveal a beautiful white oval shaped cake and on it was written, "Hi, Neighbours " in blue icing.

Mama dug into the cake and began to eat, just like that. Ifeoma was embarrassed, one would think she had never had or seen cake in all her life.

"Thank you, Mr Bori. Mama, you could have just asked me to get you a knife and plate so you can cut a part off it instead of digging into it with your hands" Ifeoma told her mother in law who just hissed.

"New neighbor, welcome to our compound. This cake is very nice, who made it?" Mama asked eating the cake like a glutton.

' Our compound, like this is her house ' Ifeoma retorted in her mind as she glared at mama.

Fali noticed the coldness between mama and Ifeoma and she smiled.

"My wife is a kitchen wiz. She makes anything food like a chef and she didn't even learn most of it. She made the cake too." Bori praises his wife and Fali blushed.

Ifeoma was enraged all over again, she knew that it was a new thing for mama to use to taunt her.

"That's very nice. Some wives only know how to cook noodles, broom and jollof rice" Mama shaded Ifeoma who just looked away.

Fali's loud laughter made her boil even more.

" Which kin wife go sabi cook only three food? That one na wife ?" She said still laughing as mama joined her.(Why kind of wife would know how to cook only three meals? Is that one a wife?).

"There's something called exaggeration, but you wouldn't know since you're so uneducated and illiterate" Ifeoma mumbled under her breath.

"What did you say?" Bori asked.

"Oh nothing."

' When will you guys leave or are you planning to live here too? ' Ifeoma thought.

" We no even ask, where your pikin? We no see them since we don come. Na them we even bring these sweets for " Fali asked, succeeding in getting on Ifeoma's last nerves.(We didn't even ask, where are your kids? We haven't seen them since we came around. They are the one we even brought these sweets for).

And just like that, Ifeoma concluded that she hated the woman. Couldn't the husband caution his wife?

"We don't have kids yet" Ifeoma simply replied.

"Oh. Falilat, get up. We are so sorry about that. We'd like to leave now" Bori suddenly announced.

Who asked them to be sorry? Sorry for what? Who died? Ifeoma escorted her new neighbours to the door.Immediately she came back, Mama was ready for her.

"See your life, that lady is pregnant and they are not even a year married yet. And see how her husband says she cooks a lot and very well? Your own husband can't say the same about you. You should lock yourself up and cry out of shame." She said and left carrying the cake with her.

Ifeoma slumped into the cushion and stared into space.

TO BE CONTINUED...