THREE IS A CROWD (Part 13&14) – OPEYEMI OJERINDE AKINTUNDE

PART 13 “THREE IS A CROWD”
Opeyemi Akintunde

For the next two days Temi worked hand in hand with Josephine. They indeed doubled the portion of the hatred powder in everyone’s meal except for themselves. Whenever Josephine finished cooking her meals, She would leave the kitchen pretending to go to the rest room to allow Temi do what she wanted to do.

Ever since Tade started taking the Hatred portion unknowingly, he found himself pulling away from Florence.

He had not been sleeping for days, it looked like his heart was been drawn in two different directions, and emotionally he was fighting a war in his heart. His heart was yearning for Josephine all of a sudden, and he was beginning to feel irritated at Florence and everyone in the house.

He stood up from where he laid beside Florence, his heart was pulling him to the living room like a magnet. He followed the invisible string pulling him and surprisingly he found Josephine in the living room watching TV.

“Josephine, you are not asleep?”

“Can’t seem to sleep, my boyfriend and I ended things” Josephine said

“Oh! Why? What happened?” Tade found himself sitting beside her

“There was no connection between us, I was just forcing things between us”

The air around them was so tensed and the atmosphere of lust was so thick you could slice it with a knife.

“Kiss me” Josephine said and Tade succumbed by moving closer to her.

******

Florence opened her eyes sharply, it felt like someone tapped her to wake up. She wondered why she was awake; she tried to remember if she had something to do. As she continued with her mental search, she looked to her side, and noticed Tade wasn’t on the bed. The door to their bedroom was open. That was strange!. She stood up to check on things, she had the reluctance to go because for almost two days, she had been unusually pissed at him.

However, it felt like someone was nudging her to go look for her husband. She obeyed the nudging and as she stepped into the living room, she screamed on seeing her husband’s clothes on the floor and he making love with Josephine in their living room.

Florence went blank, she didn’t know what happened to her, but she could hear her mother’s voice calling her name faintly.

“Tade has betrayed me! That’s all she could hear herself say.

******

When Florence woke up, she expected to see Tade by her side but instead, she saw him sitting with Josephine by his side.

“Welcome back” Josephine said

“Tade! Is this what I deserve from you, mummy, Gbemi is this fair?”

Gbemi surprisingly looked sober…

“I didn’t plan this part with her” Gbemi said

“Keep quiet, you don’t owe her any explanation” Mrs Oluwagbemi said

“Now that things are like this, let’s talk about the way forward, Tade you already have a second wife” Mrs Dike Oluwagbemi continued

“God forbid! My husband never had a second wife, none of my children will experience polygamy. Instead of that, my daughter will leave your wretched son” Mrs Adesina replied hotly

“Fine… exactly what we want, let her leave my son, and let her go to marry one of the rich boyfriends you have for her”

Florence slapped herself hoping she would wake up from the dream she was having…

“Florence wake up, this is a dream…wake up”

Josephine stood up, walked up to her and gave her a dirty slap…

“Are you awake now?” She asked Florence.

PART 14 “THREE IS A CROWD”
Opeyemi Akintunde

Florence was not going to let the slap slide just like that, she rose up and pulled Josephine back.

She returned the slap hotter than she had received it.

A serious fight ensued. The two mothers joined in trying to separate them. Tade sat looking lost and disappointed in himself, he couldn’t understand what was happening with him, and why he just slept with Josephine.

Gbemi knew everything happening was not looking right anymore, she looked at everyone fighting, and how her brother looked lost, but to her surprise as she looked towards the kitchen door, she saw Temi smiling. She seemed pleased at what was happening. She was enjoying the show.

Gbemi reversed to her room and sat on the bed…

“God, things have gone beyond what we planned, I hope the devil has not hijacked this fight from our hands? Why was Temi laughing?” Gbemi pondered.

“God, I hope things have not gone spiritual. I don’t even trust Josephine, I hope Josephine did not use love charm on my brother… My God, I hope I have not caused my brother more damage than repair… God, please forgive me, Lord what can I do?”

Gbemi bowed her head in confusion and like a lightbulb switched on, a name dropped in her heart…

“Aunty Favour!” She voiced out the name

“I should call Aunty Favour”

*****

Aunty Favour was seated at her table discussing with Mr George…

“The excursion must be well organized”

“Yes ma”

“Alright, that would be all for now. I am sorry for keeping you in school this late”

“No problem ma”

Aunty Favour’s phone rang. She picked up…

“Hello, Good evening”

“Aunty Favour, good evening ma, this is Gbemi Oluwagbemi Dike, the external student who wrote the last SSCE at the lighthouse”

“Oh! Gbemi, How are you? It’s been a while”

“I am not fine ma, I am in a big mess”

“What mess?”

Aunty Favour paid rapt attention to all she had to say.

“Hmm… that is serious, your brother’s marriage is under serious attack and I sense a joining of hands over his matter. There are familiar spirits at work, that is, close enemies at work, you need to stand in gap for that marriage, or else you may lose your brother.

“Ma, what can I do? I am so confused” Gbemi said

“First things first, you need to ask God for mercy for the part you played, marriage is between two people, a man & his wife, you should never have interfered, now by your interference, you have brought a destroyer into your brother’s home. Secondly, you all need to leave that house and leave the couple to themselves”

“Oh my God!”

“Call me in the morning, and we will talk better, but in the meantime, pray this prayer….

‘Oh Prince of peace, come into my brother’s marriage and calm the raging storm that has been organized by the devil in Jesus name”