THREE IS A CROWD (Part 11&12) – OPEYEMI OJERINDE AKINTUNDE

PART 11 “THREE IS A CROWD”
Opeyemi Akintunde

Tade remembered his business was just at its infancy, he was selling fairly used phones at the time. A beautiful lady had walked into his shop that day in her nursing uniform. Life stopped in that moment, as he kept staring at her and the first thing he said was;

“You are naturally beautiful, will you marry me? I will like to wake up to this face every morning” Tade had said to Florence

“Oga, I want to repair my phone screen. Do you repair or not? Elejo wewe ( Talkative)” Florence had replied curtly

As Tade drove back home, he couldn’t help but think about how he should have taken Florence’s curt reply as a red flag about her uncouth mouth, but love was blind.

Tade remembered how he had stalked her for months on phone, at her nursing school and everywhere else…

“God, you know I love my wife, please let us get this marriage thing right” Tade said to himself

*******

Josephine sat on the bed thinking as Mrs Dike Oluwagbemi and Gbemi chatted on…

“This is the time to get back what belongs to me, this two know nothing, once I am in charge, I will send you far away from here. I will pay you back for your betrayal, I served your family for years and when a rich girl came into the picture, you got Tade married off without thinking about me…” Josephine thought as she supplied fake smiles when she needed to.

*******

“Have you been applying it in their food?” Mrs Adesina asked Temi the maid.

“Yes ma, but I notice they hardly eat the food. Most times they go out to buy food”

“You mean whenever I go to work, they don’t eat your food?”

“No, I have seen the food in the trash a few times” Temi replied with her slurred speech

“Hmm… this woman must be a witch”

“I think so, maybe I will try adding it to the food of the new lady when she starts cooks for them”

“Ok, but be careful when you do it” Mrs Adesina said

*******

Tade walked in and went straight into his mother’s room. The moment he walked in, the first person he set his eyes on was Josephine, he suddenly became unusually attracted to her.

“Josephine! Wow! Good to see you” he walked up to her and hugged her tightly.

“Tade! You look lean; I thought marriage would have added a few pounds to you” Josephine said

“Ha! He can’t be fat, his wife is a bad cook unlike you” Gbemi said

“I have missed your food” Tade found himself saying. Tade knew something was not right with him.

“Why am I saying these things” he thought. He quickly stepped back and looked away from Josephine. He could feel her eyes were pulling him in.

“Josephine, you have to leave, my wife won’t be happy that you are here”

“Ok” Josephine said

“Go to where?” Mrs Dike Oluwagbemi intercepted

“Tade, Florence and her mother have you wrapped in their fingers and I will not let it happen, let them know that you are valuable to someone else. With Josephine here as a threat, Florence will sit tight” Mrs Dike Oluwagbemi said

“I am just here to help you, I am not here to fan any old flame. Your mom reached out to me to come help you tame your wife. I am already in a new relationship, but if you don’t need my help, I can leave this minute” Josephine said as she picked up her hand bag ..

Tade looked at his mom uncertain of what to do…

“Tade, trust me, have I ever failed you?” Tade’s Mum said with a blackmailing motherly tone.

‘Fine, just one week” Tade succumbed

PART 12 “THREE IS A CROWD”
Opeyemi Akintunde

Florence was pacing in the room; patiently waiting for Tade to come into the room and drop the good news that he had sent Josephine back.

She knew when he arrived, and without anyone telling her, she knew he went straight to his mom’s room in anger.

“Hey!” Tade said on walking in

“When is she leaving?” She asked calmly

“Who?” Tade feigned ignorance

“You know who I am talking about”

“Everyone in this house has a name” Tade replied

“Your ex, Josephine” Florence replied

“A week from now” Tade said

“A week? You know that is not going to happen”

“Why?”

“Tade, when did we start receiving visitors without consulting each other?”

“Since when you brought the maid, without you consulting me”

“But my mother said it at the dining table and…”

“And? And did you bother to ask me privately if I am fine with it?’

“You didn’t oppose it, and silence is consent”

“That’s to you… Please Florence, I am not in the mood for arguments this night, unless you want me to go find a hotel to go sleep tonight. Josephine will just be here for a week and I don’t think I will have any time to have conversations with her, I will be out to work every morning, so let it rest…. Florence our home is now open to different visitors, so lets learn to cope” Tade said

He hugged Florence, and went to bed. He could sense Florence was beginning to break, soon he would achieve his plan.

*****

“Welcome ma” Temi said to Josephine as she walked into the kitchen

“Huh Huh” Josephine replied

“When do you want to cook? I can hold on while you do yours?”

“Why? So that you can add your hatred portion into the meal I am cooking”Josephine said boldly

Temi is taken aback… Josephine laughed

“What kingdom is yours and what level are you?”

“Kindom bird 245, under the motherhood leadership of Queen mother Tunmise and I am a new bird” Temi replied in a hurry in fear

“Oh! No wonder your eyes are not yet opened”

“My eye-opening ceremony will be in the next six months ma, I am yet to complete the task given me”

“Who gave you this task?’

“My mother, Florence’s mother offended her years back and she had not yet punished her in full, so when she asked my mother for help, my mother saw it as an opportunity to revenge”

“Tell me more”

*****

12 YEARS EARLIER

Chris; Florence’s eldest brother was with Temi’s eldest sister. They were taking a stroll on the road. The had their hands locked. Love could be seen in his eyes for Tunrayo.

Out of the blues, a car parked beside them.

“Chris, is this how you want to disappoint your father and i? Frolicking with the daughter of our cleaner… Hey Tunrayo, as for you, don’t let him waste your time, he can not end up with you. He will marry a girl of his class, possibly a medical doctor like him, Chris, get into the car now!” Mrs Adesina had said

******

“That was how she separated my sister and her son, so when she asked my mum to release me to help her chase her-in-laws out of her daughter’s home by pretending to be a maid, my mother saw it as an opportunity”

*******

“Temi, you will not sprinkle the hatred powder in the food of the inlaws, instead you will put in mama Florence’s food, and the couple’s food. Right before her eyes, her children’s marriage will scatter, and both of them will hate her” Temi mother had said to her

******

“But if you ask me to stop it senior, I will stop it and leave here before the day breaks” Temi said in a rush

“No! You won’t stop it, in fact you will continue it, but I will add to your duty, you will add it to the food of the man’s family as well. I want to be the only person he will not hate in this house. Are we clear?”

“Yes senior” Temi agreed.

“In fact, Double the portion”