Chapter 41

When Oluchi got home, her husband was not in. After she tried to compose herself and calm her beating heart, she began to pace the room as she pondered about what she was going to do next. 

After preparing lunch and feeding her son, she was in the sitting room watching TV with her son when the door opened and her husband walked in. She rose immediately to greet him after her son greeted him first. 

"Welcome back, Nnayi. (Name of respect used to address husbands in Igbo land.)" She uttered and this was when she noticed the scowl on her husband's face.

"Vincent?" Nduka called sternly.

"Sir?" Vincent who could sense imminent trouble brewing, answered.

"Get up, go to your room and lock the door behind you." Nduka ordered.

The little boy swallowed hard, dreadfully glanced at his mother and then back at his father who impatiently gave him a rough shove at the back of the head, sending him on his way. When the boy had left, Nduka returned the scowl on his wife. 

"Oluchi, what happened today?" He demanded now in a cold voice.

Oluchi frowned in confusion. "What do you mean by what happened today?"

"So. you are now answering my question with a question, okwia Oluchi?!" He barked.

"Please don't be angry, Nnayi, I'm just wondering what you mean. I don't quite understand your question."

"Did you go to the church today?" He asked.

"Yes."

"Did you see Father Thomas?"

"Yes, I did."

"When you saw him, what happened?"

Oluchi was perplexed again. "Nnayi, I don't understand."

"Did you assault the priest?!" He Nduka barked now and she flinched.

"Assault? Nnayi, I did not assault the priest in any way."

"Oh, so the priest is now a lair, abi?" Nduka flared now. "What you are saying now is that a man whom God has chosen is lying right?"

Oluchi began to panic now. She hoped the priest had not told more lies about what had happened to her husband just to paint her bad. "Nnayi, I'm not calling Father Thomas a lair all I'm saying is-"

Nduka rudely cut her off her now. "Did you bite his ear, yes or no?"

Oluchi sighed and averted her gaze, now that her husband had revealed the main problem.

"I asked you a question, Oluchi!" He hissed when she said nothing.

Oluchi sighed again and answered. "Okay Nnayi, I did bite his ear, but it was only in self-defense."

"Self-defense?! Self-defense against what?! What could a man of God possibly do to you that you had to bite his ear?”

"Nnayi, father Thomas groped me in his office and that was why I did what I did." She replied.

He gave her a strong look of distaste. "What do you mean by he groped you?"

Oluchi swallowed hard and stammered a bit. "H..he...e...touched my..." She couldn't finish the words but gestured by pointing at her buttocks.

"Oh, what you are saying is that he grabbed your buttocks, right?"

"Yes Nnayi, and he also tried to kiss me."

"He said it!" Nduka stated. "He said that you would lie against him! He told me that you'd try to accuse him of trying to sexually harass you but I should not believe anything you say because that's the spirit husband speaking through you!"

"But Nnayi, I'm not lying! Father Thomas has been trying to seduce me for months now." She tried to defend herself.

"And you are just telling me this now, because?"

"Nnayi, I only kept it this long from you because I wasn't sure how you'd react."

"Oh, you think that I'm a fool! You think that you can come up with such a stupid lie against a holy man and you expect me to believe you?!"

"You see, Nnayi? This was why I was reluctant to tell you. I swear that I'm telling you nothing but the truth! Why won’t you just believe me for once?!" She asked in despair.

Nduka pointed a warning finger at her now. "Now, listen to me, Oluchi, and listen very good! If you know what's good for you, you'll go back to Father Thomas on Wednesday, apologize to him and finish off with your deliverance! This spirit husband has not only made you a pathetic liar but it has also made a slut out of you! 

So now, your tactic is to seduce a Reverend father and cause him to sin by luring him to bed?! Do you know the implications of what you are trying to do? Do you want to incur the wrath of God over your head and that of mime, Oluchi?! See, I don't care what happened today and I'll let it slide this once because I'm partially in a good mood, but you must go back and apologize to father Thomas on Wednesday!

 By the time I return from the city by the weekend, you should be ready to conceive! If that priest calls me while I'm in the city to complain about your misbehavior again, then you should be ready for the consequences!" He stated and angrily walked past her towards the bedroom.

                                                                                 ★★★

It was in the middle of the night, and after making sure that the entire village was asleep, Dapo emerged from the bush which was not too far from Babatunde's house where he had been hiding. Stealthily, he crept towards Babatunde's house, keeping close to the side of the path and constantly glancing behind him to make sure that no one saw him. 

When he finally reached the house, he jumped over the wooden fence and crept along the shadows to the back of the building. After peeping into the first room through the window and finding Ireti and Babatunde fast asleep, he moved to the next window, there he found the three siblings sleeping but Ewatomi was not with them. He moved to the last window and found Ewatomi sleeping alone on her bed on the floor.

Warily glancing around again, he heaved himself up on the window sill, sat on it, turned and pulled his feet into the room, but as soon as he helped himself down the window and his feet touched the bare floor, he froze. Ewatomi was no longer asleep. She was now sitting up, staring at him.

"Welcome." She said to him.

Dapo trembled now. How come she was awake after he had confirmed that she was asleep? He wondered.

"Sit down." Ewatomi ordered him.

He tried to give an excuse as he also tried to leave through the window but Ewatomi imperatively said, "SIT DOWN!"

Swallowing hard, Dapo slid down the wall and reluctantly sat down on the floor, completely frightened of the child.

"Why have you come to my house at this time of the night?" Ewatomi asked.

"Um...I...I was looking for my goat..." He stammered out a feeble reply. "I... I thought it came this way."

"Oh, you thought your goat came into my father's compound and out of all the rooms, it chose my own room?"

"Probably...did you see it?" He nervously asked.

"Yes, I did, and the only goat I can see here is you! Oya! Become one!" Ewatomi suddenly snapped her fingers and Dapo was transformed into a goat right where he sat. "Good! Now, I'll go back to sleep and you'll watch me sleep. If you as much as make a tiny sound to disrupt my sleep or try to escape, I shall turn you into a frog!" She threatened and laid down to continue her sleep while Dapo helplessly watched her in his new form, too afraid to bleat.

When Ireti got up from bed early in the morning, yawning and stretching as she walked out into the compound, she paused when she saw a man sweeping her compound. Surprised and confused, she wiped a hand over her eyes to be sure that she wasn't hallucinating, but when she looked again, there he was, still sweeping the compound. She moved closer to the man now, bending sideways and trying to see his face. When she finally recognized him, she uttered in surprise, "Dapo?!"

The man paused sweeping and turned his head to give Ireti a sheepish look.

"What are you doing in my house by this time of the day and why in the god's name are you sweeping my compound?"

Dapo straightened up now and snuck a frightened look towards Ewatomi who was sitting on a small wooden stool. Ireti followed the man's gaze and found her daughter sitting by the wall of the house. "Ewatomi asked you to sweep?" Ireti asked and Dapo helplessly nodded his head. "Ahan! Itori kini? When did you start taking orders from a child?" Turning, she advanced towards Ewatomi. "Abeni?"

"Good morning, mother." Ewatomi greeted.

"Ewatomi, why would you tell a grown-up man sweeping the compound?"

"Because he snuck into my room last night." Ewatomi bluntly answered.

"Snuck into your room?" Ireti asked in surprise. "What for?"

"He claimed to be looking for his goat but I believe he was there to do something nasty to me."

Ireti turned her head to look at Dapo and just then Olatunji who was passing by to his farm paused in shock when he saw his friend sweeping the big yard of Babatunde's compound. Immediately, he dropped his farm tools on the ground and burst into laughter. 

Ireti moved towards Dapo, snatched the broom from his hand and angrily sent him away, warning him never to return to her house or go anywhere near her daughter. In shame, Dapo hung his head and started walking home, totally ignoring his friend who was still laughing and was now ridiculing him.