Chapter 56
Flustered, Esther glanced down at her body. "Me? But you know that I've three children that I'm taking care of na. What did I do to you now that you are insulting me like this? Don't you know that this is what most married women go through?"
Susan snorted. "Married women? You call yourself a married woman? So, if all married women are asked to raise their hands, you too, you will join? Chai! Wonders will never end!" Susan laughed and clapped her hands. "Madam married woman, dan Allah, please show me your ring! Where's your ring?! You have no iota of shame! Living with a man who hasn't paid your bride price yet and even shamelessly going as far as giving birth to three children for him! Three! Is that how cheap you are?"
"Ehn-ehnnnnn!" Esther flared now, raising an open hand towards Susan's face. "Don't even insult me! Don't! At least, I'm better than you! Are you even a woman?! Are you?! You that don't know how to cook! Even if you manage to cook noodles that my small five-year-old can close her eyes and prepare, you'll always burn it! Sweep, you can't even sweep; to wash clothes nko? Zero! And yet you open that your lazy mouth to insult me as if you are better than I'm! Or do you think that I don't know? It's all over the barrack! After shamelessly prostituting yourself all over the place, you came back to deceive Oga Stephen again! I even wonder why he let you back in and sent aunty Violet away because he actually deserves someone better! Listen, that lady is a thousand woman that you will never be! You think being a woman is by fixing nails and fake eyelashes or wearing expensive gifts? You can’t even discipline yourself, let alone mother a child and here you are shaming me for having three children. Who knows if you cannot even give birth sef?!"
Susan's eyes had narrowed in anger now and she was so furious, especially when Esther had mentioned fertility. "Me?" She placed a hand on her chest. "Am I the one that you just insulted this way?! Ehn? Me? I'm the one that you just said all this rubbish to?!"
"So? Didn't you start it?" Esther said, undaunted. "Or you think you are the only one that has bad mouth?"
"I'll deal with you!" Susan threatened now, pointing a long fingernail towards Esther's face. "I'll so deal with you that you'll regret ever speaking to me this way and not even your useless husband will be able to beg for my mercy! The nerve! Just look at this classless monkey having the guts to talk back at me!"
"Do your worst! Do your worst, you man in disguise!" Esther yelled, clapping her hands at Susan's face. When Susan attempted to lunge at Esther, Esther drew back and gave her a hard look now. "Oh, you want to fight?! You want to fight abi? Come and fight na! If you are looking for whom to kill you this hot afternoon, come and fight!" Esther suddenly tore her scarf off her head, wrapped it around her waist and tied it then she assumed a fighter's position and set her fists in front of her. "Oya, I'm ready for you, please come and fight me so that I can redesign your face with blows! See, I don't want to know who you are dating, I'll throw all caution to the wind, beat you up right in this yard and strip you naked! Zo muyi fada, karuwa! (Come and fight, you prostitute!)"
Afraid, Susan refused to step out of the apartment as Esther continued to gyrate. The woman looked like she meant business and in order to save face and also pretend that she was not scared, Susan said now, "See, I won't stoop low to your level! Girls with class do not fight! Just say what you came here to say and get lost!"
Esther calmed down now a bit and dropped her hands. "Me, I just came to tell you that nobody has swept your yard for three days now! When aunty Violet was around, she never failed to sweep it and that was why I was surprised that it was this dirty!"
"Ehen? So, what do you want me to do?" Susan harshly asked.
"I want you to act like a woman with common sense, fetch a broom and come and sweep it before the Women Leader in this barrack will come and embarrass you o!" Esther stated.
"She dares not!" Susan said boldly. "In fact, the person born of a woman who will dare embarrass me has not been born yet! I'm not going to sweep this yard..." She pointed out at the yard. "...and I don't give a shit about any woman leader! "Instead of coming here to run your mouth, you should have simply made yourself useful by sweeping it on my behalf!"
"I don't blame you!" Esther gave her a disgruntled look. "It's Oga Stephen that cannot see that you are completely useless as a woman that I blame! Don't sweep it o, don't sweep! Let me finish feeding my children, I'll personally go and report you to her!" Esther threatened. "And as for that stupid loud music that you are playing, better reduce the volume if you know what's good for you! Some of us are trying to get a decent sleep in this barrack! Mtcheeww!" Esther hissed, scornfully, eyed her then walked away.
Susan slowly closed the door and exhaled sharply. She could not believe that she had almost gotten into a fight with a mad neighbor. She glanced at the wall clock now and realized that the time was 2:50 p.m. and she knew that she was supposed to be on her way back to the Major's house by 5 p.m. but now that Esther had threatened to go report her, she had to be on her way immediately because she would rather die than be made to sweep a yard. She switched off the home theatre, went into the room and began to pack up so that she could leave in the next one hour. There was no way that she would allow herself to be embarrassed by any woman leader, so the quicker she got out of Stephen's apartment, the better for her.
After packing in, she locked the door and left. When the cab she had taken finally arrived at the Major's house, she got down, took her small luggage from the boot, paid the driver who instantly drove off as she turned to approach the gate. When she knocked on the gate, calling the gatekeeper's name as she did so, he finally opened the gate a bit and peeped through. "Ha! Madam, you don come back? (Madam, have you returned?)"
Susan glared at him. "What sort of stupid question is that and what kept you so long?" She asked.
The gatekeeper who refused to open the gate wide enough for her to come in, quickly said, "Madam, abeg wait, Oga say make I call am once you don come back. (Madam, please wait, my boss gave me strict instructions to inform him first anytime you return.)"
"What nonsense! What for?! Will you open this gate and let me in now?!" She tried to force her way in but the gatekeeper ignored her, closed the gate and bolted it from behind. Then he ran into the house to inform the boss. Soon, he returned, unlocked and opened the gate wide. Susan who was about to cuss at him after slipping on her sunglasses because of how hot the sun was, suddenly changed her mind and smiled when she saw the Major instead.
"Hey, baby!" She beamed now and tried to hug him but he held her back with a hand. His face was hard and unsmiling. She stepped back and stared at him in surprise
"Baby, what's wrong? Are you not happy to see me?"
"Where are you just coming from?" The Major coldly asked.
Susan frowned now. "I don't understand. Major, what sort of question is that? You know where I'm just coming from. I told you before I left, and besides, my family even sent their regards."
"Don't give me that crap, Susan!" The Major snapped and she flinched a bit. "Don't you dare toy with my intelligence! I asked you a question and I want nothing but the truth! I'll ask again- Where are you just coming from?!"
Susan slowly took off her sunglasses. "Major, what's the meaning of all this? If you want to ask me this question, can't you wait till I'm inside the house and well-rested? Why are you trying to embarrass me here in public?"
"Well-rested after fucking that lieutenant?!" The Major said bluntly and Susan gasped in shock. "Oh, you still think that I'm a fool, right?! You had no idea that I placed a soldier on your tail to tell me what you are up to! So, after sleeping with him and messing yourself up, you are back here for what reason?!"
Susan was nervous now that she knew that she had been found out and she sheepishly went on her knees now, faking tears as a last resort. "My love, it's not what you think. Yes, I went to see him but I can swear with my life that nothing happened between us! I swear! He called me and said that he was sick and would like me to take care of him! Major, that's the only reason I went! I was only showing empathy!"
"Shut up, Susan! Just shut up! It is obvious that you still have not changed, you pathetic liar! The last time I checked, that lieutenant is in good health! Do you think you can pull the wool over my eyes this time like you have always done?! Or do you think that I’m stupid because I am older?! Let me tell you, I will never take a whore for a wife! So, you wait here and be ready to go back to your father's house!" He glanced back into the compound and yelled, "Boys!"
Soon, three soldiers appeared and began to toss Susan's already packed luggage out. After throwing all her things into the street, Susan continued to plead. She even got up and began to gather her bags. "Major, please don't do this to me. You have to believe me because I'm telling you nothing but the truth. Just look at my eye, look at what he did to me! He beat me up all because I refused to sleep with him. Please, Major, you can't send me away. Where will I go to? Where do you want me to start from? Please, Major, don't send me away, please!"
The Major ignored her and said sternly to his gatekeeper "Mutiu, I don't want to ever see this woman in this house again! The day you allow her to step into this compound will be the very first day you'll spend a month in the guard room, is that clear?!"
"Yes sir!" Said the gatekeeper, quickly turning to close and bolt the gate.
Susan rushed to the gate and began to plead and also pound on it when no one answered her, she got angry now and kicked the gate as she yelled, "Fine! To hell with you! What do I even need you for, you old cargo?! You wanna dump me?! Fine! To hell with you! I was even fed up in the first place! So, you know, I'm very beautiful and men will always come for me! Soldier go, soldier come! What could I possibly still need you for?! You are older than my father and the sex is whack! You are even almost losing your erection to prostate cancer, so to hell with you! Did you hear me Major Ali Danjuma! TO HELL WITH YOU AND YOUR STUPID RULES OF BEING A PERFECT WIFE!!! Tsohon Banza! (Useless old man!)."
Panting hard after venting, Susan turned to sadly look down at her luggage in despair, then she began to contemplate where to go next. Could today get any worse? She asked herself. But one thing was certain though, she was not going home nor did she want to return to Stephen's place to avoid embarrassment from any Women Leader. So, taking her phone, she decided to ring up her best friend, Anne.
★★★
It was the day to travel home and after Stephen looked at the door, he turned and saw Jerry whose back was turned to him, glancing at his watch several times before returning his hands to his hips.
"Expecting someone?" Stephen asked as he approached and paused at the open door of his car, his hands on the hood.
Jerry who had been checking the road for any sign of Violet turned to look at him. "Oh, no..." He shook his head with a nervous smile. "Not at all, why?"
Stephen gave him a skeptical look. "It seems like you are waiting for someone...anyway, we gotta get going." He said.
"I have to go pick Anne up, so you all go ahead, I'll catch up." Jerry replied.
"Alright..." Stephen glanced down the road again then got into his car where Rufus and Doris were already seated, waiting for him then he turned on the ignition and drove off. Jerry followed suit and as they drove out of the barrack gate, Stephen went left while Jerry went right.
Sixteen minutes later, Jerry arrived at Anne's house and pressed the horn. He waited in the car and when Anne still didn't show up, he pressed the horn longer this time. Soon, Anne appeared, pulling her luggage behind her and Jerry got out of the car to help her with it.
"Hello, baby!" Anne beamed when she saw him.
"Hey!" Jerry walked around to the back of the car and took her luggage from her. They kissed before he opened the boot and put her luggage in. "We gotta hurry, we are twenty minutes behind."
"I know but please hold up." Anne said.
Jerry who was already walking back towards the open door of his car, paused. "What? Did you forget something?"
"Um...no. Actually, somebody is also coming with us." Anne told him from across the hood of the car.
"Who?" Jerry asked with a puzzled frown and just then, Susan emerged from the compound with her own luggage.
"Hello Jerry!" She grinned, fluttering her fingers at him.
Jerry's countenance changed immediately and he turned to give his girlfriend a questioning look. "What's she doing here?" He bluntly asked.
"Haba, cool down babe, you know she has always attended the anniversary for the past six years now and she didn't want to miss out on this one." Anne explained.
"And so? The last time I checked, she doesn't get to decide if she wants to go or not. She was not invited!" Jerry gritted.
"Jerry, please don't start with the attitude. I think it's high time you cut Susan some slacks. Besides, I don't think Stephen will mind either." Anne said.
"Have you forgotten that after what she did, she's no longer welcomed at the Michaels'?" Jerry asked. "Anne, I don't know what you were thinking but you should have asked me first!"