Her Condition

Lanre could not hide her surprise when she saw K’s step-grandmother. The old woman looked quite strong for her age. Lanre and K had dropped by a small local market to get food stuffs and a few clothing for the old woman. Lanre had thought she would be seeing an overly aged grandma who leaves in a decapitated building and looks abandoned, but the woman’s look and living condition beats her imagination. The old woman was living well in a fine building which one of her sons built for her. And she didn’t look as old as Lanre had imagined. She didn’t look eighty at all. Only the wrinkles on her skin suggests she’s old, but she looked strong.

“Ekaro ma!” Lanre greeted when they got to the old woman’s house. The old woman scanned Lanre with her eyes. Then she looks at K suspiciously.

“Your mother did not tell me!”. She said. Lanre had just had another shock. The old woman could speak English. She was still trying to process this when the old woman pulled her into a hug. Then she started dancing and calling for her neighbours to come and see her granddaughter in-law. K just laughed at Lanre. He could tell how uncomfortable she felt. She must be under pressure as she would have to act as though she was his wife since she can’t disappoint the old woman.

A few neighbour’s trod in. They had come to see the new iyawo (a term used by the Yoruba’s to refer to a woman married to their brother or relative. It is also used by the man’s friend. And it is generally interpreted as “our wife”).

Lanre could not help the attention she got while K’s old woman showed her off like a piece of art on display. K had to intervene by telling the old woman that Lanre was tired and would need some rest because of her condition. The old woman opened her mouth agaped. She immediately clears her throat and told everyone to leave.

Then she hurried Lanre in and made her sit down on the couch. She started by asking Lanre what she would like to eat. Lanre mentally clapped her hand against her forehead. K has done the worst. This old woman would be expecting a great-grandchild anytime soon. She definitely thinks Lanre is pregnant because of what K said. K winked at her as he sat down on the chair opposite them while a young child living with the grandma carried the things they both.

“Are the things this much? Ahn ahn! Omomi, you should not have gone through all the stress. My son would have given me the money and I would have gone to the market myself. There are a lot of bad eyes in the market ready to steal a baby from the mother’s womb in the market”. The old woman said.

“Grandma and her superstitions believe. Sometimes I wonder if you went to Harvard or Harvard went through you”. K said to the old woman who glared at him.