THREE IS A CROWD (Part 7 & 8) – OPEYEMI OJERINDE AKINTUNDE

PART 7 “THREE IS A CROWD”
Opeyemi Akintunde

“Mum, you can’t leave in the middle of this” Florence said to her mum as she walked into her packing her box.

“If I don’t leave, your in-laws will not leave”

“Mum, you heard Tade, he doesn’t plan on letting them return. Mum, you started this, therefore you must wait to the end “

“Are you threatening me?”

“I am not, I am just saying you have to resolve this”

“Resolve what? Florence listen to me, I never liked this man, you forced yourself into this marriage, and it’s obvious even God is not happy with this union. For two years no children”

“Mum, I love Tade, and I am not planning to leave him” Florence said,

******

Tade had his head bowed in his room in tears. Florence walked in, she knew she had messed up big time.

“Tade, I am sorry. Forgive my rash words”

Tade was not ready to listen, he was gradually losing the love he had for Florence.

“Florence, let’s be honest with each other, Are you sure this marriage is not a mistake. We don’t have kids, so we can easily end with nothing binding us together. Your family see me as undeserving of you”

“And your family sees me as what….?” Florence replied

‘Florence my family does not have a problem with you. Whatever you see them do is actually a reaction to your family’s action”

“If that’s the case, let my Mom leave in the morning, and your family can leave afterwards, that way we go back to how things were” Florence said

“Florence, are you deaf? My family does not have a problem, it’s your family that needs to get their hands off my marriage’ Tade replied angrily

“So you want my family to cut off from me, so you and your family can maltreat me? Listen Tade, as long as your family stays in touch or stay with us, my family stays”. Florence, hissed and lands on the bed. She was tired of nursing his ego.

Tade shook his head, he decided he was going to let his mother teach Florence how to behave. Tade had always shielded Florence from his family, but she was not shielding him from her own family.

“Fine” Tade landed on the bed as well.

******

Mrs Adesina laid on her bed thinking aloud.

“These people are two against me, I need someone on my side to fight them with me. Who can I bring to this house to make life a living hell for them?”

******

Tade’s Mum and Gbemi sat discussing in the room..

“Maami, we need to show her and her mother pepper. They almost killed me, Maami, we need to put them in their place, so they don’t kill our breadwinner”

“Gbemisola, leave them to me, they think they can oppress us, let them watch & learn”

******

Florence woke up to smell of something delicious coming from the kitchen. From her sleep, she could smell it. She looked to her side, Tade was still asleep, so the first question in her mind was…

“Who is cooking?”

She jumped to her feet and raced to the kitchen, she was a neat freak who didn’t like people touching her things.

The moment Florence walked into the kitchen, she wanted to collapse. Her kitchen was upside down.

“Mummy what are you doing?” Florence asked her mother-in-law

“I am dancing” Mrs Dike Oluwagbemi retorted.

“I will allow you to kill me with hunger, a wife who wants to have kids, is waking up by 8:15am. I can see why God has not given you a child, he can’t bless a lazy girl with a glorious child”

“Mummy, please I am sorry for what happened yesterday. Please, I have been working for five nights straight, so I have three days off, that’s why I am waking up this late”

“Pele( Sarcastic Sorry) Mrs workaholic” Gbemi replied mockingly

“Aunty, ma ro mi lejo” ( Don’t pester me with small talk) Mrs Dike Oluwagbemi said.

Florence watched in horror as they served themselves Yam porridge and chicken, while leaving the yam peels on the floor.

“We can’t cook and clean up again, so clean up your kitchen” Mrs Dike Oluwagbemi said.

By that time, Mrs Adesina was on her way to her training…

“What is happening?”. She asked, but no one acknowledged her presence, instead Florence ran towards her bedroom…

******

Florence dashed into the bedroom, as she was about to blurt out her pain, Tade spoke…

“What food is smelling this good?” he asked

“Your mom and sister are trying me, warn them not to let me show them the stuff I am made of” Florence said to Tade.

“Show them” Tade said briefly before walking out…

PART 8 “THREE IS A CROWD”
Opeyemi Akintunde

Tade walked out into the living room to meet his family, he saw his mother-in-law standing and eyeing his mother.

‘Good morning ma” Tade greeted his mother-in-law briefly.

“Good morning Tade, I will not take what your mother is trying to do to my daughter, if I decide to show them the stuff I am made of, they will run out of this house in a minute”

“It is you that will run out of your children’s house” Mrs Dike Oluwagbemi shouted back.

Tade walked away from all the shouting and went into the kitchen, served himself the remaining porridge. Florence tried separating her mom from her in-laws but there was no backing down. Florence suddenly looked towards the dining table and saw Tade devouring the Yam porridge.

Florence could not understand the level of rage that overtook her, before she knew what she was doing, she had rushed to the table, carried the food & disposed it in the trash.

“I cook for you in this house, not anyone else” She screamed at him at the top of her voice.

“Mummy please go for your training this minute and mummy, never you step foot in my kitchen to cook or else heads will roll, this is my house and my kitchen”

Florence went into the room fuming.

Mrs Adesina knew this battle was not child’s play, she needed a second fighting partner.

“You ain’t see nothing” Gbemi said quietly.

*****
Exhaustion could be seen all over Florence. It was obvious she had been cooking for a while. She served the food on the dining table after which she locked the kitchen door with the key.

“Food is ready” Florence called out. Mrs Adesina walked out of her room, she could see the exhaustion on Florence.

“Florence, you have been at this for a week cooking morning, afternoon, night and sometimes midnight when you have to be at work during the day, I advise you let everyone cook their meals”

“No way, I need to draw the line” Florence replied.

Everyone came to the dining table.

Halfway into the meal, Gbemi decided to throw a bomb.

“This Egusi soup reminds me of Aunty Josephine’s Egusi, the only difference is that this is not as sweet as that one. This is just a failed attempt. Mummy, are you sure we will not create a small kitchen in our room?” Gbemi said facing her Mum.

“No such thing will happen in this house. Everyone eats the same meal” Tade said.

The soft part of his heart felt the hit. He wished he could shut his mom and Gbemi up, but he still wanted Florence to learn her lesson.

“Maybe Florence should get a cook, that way everyone will eat well” Mrs Adesina said dropped her bomb.

Everyone was surprised, including Florence she was trying to defend.

“Wow! Even your Mum agrees to the fact that you can not cook, Epic” Gbemi said out loud laughing.

Florence couldn’t handle her mother’s betrayal.
She rose up from the table and angrily approached the kitchen. She was not planning to lose this fight.

Mrs Adesina walked in, and Florence couldn’t control her outburst…

“Mum, what was that all about?’

Mrs Adesina put her finger to her lips…

“Sh…Sh… trust your mother, something is about to hit them”.

Mrs Adesina gave a dry smile that spoke volumes.