LOVE IN TIMES LIKE THIS (EPISODE 17)

Finally, Atimma felt as if she could raise her head after Harry’s mom had advised the both of them. Harry was mute.

While Atimma just said “thank you mama.”

She had bought food from a restaurant as usual, and ate in her room before she concentrated on her laptop.

The next day, she was ordering for her new car, and she didn’t have anyone to answer to, not even Harry.

Morning came, Harry and his mother left the house early for the sachet water company downtown. It was etaha market day, and they were aware of the number of people who bought and sold in the market. They held and empty bucket and filled them up with twenty sachets of water each. 

He filled his mother’s bucket with just ten sachets and held her hands as they hawked around the busy market.

After an hectic day, Harry and his mom sat under a flyover weakly, thinking of what to eat; they were hungry and their legs were hurting.

“Doesn’t your wife cook?” Harry’s mom broke the silence.

“I can’t remember the last time she did that.”

His mother wanted to protest, and Harry knew what was in her mind, but he glared at her suspiciously.

“It’s not a problem, I think it’s the pregnancy.” He added. His voice hoarse and unsteady.

“Is she the first to be pregnant? When I was pregnant of you, I went to the farm with your father and carried cassava stems for plantation. Who is she?”

“Mama just let her be.”

“It bothers me. You two don’t behave as husband and wife.”

“We will sort things out.” He said dryly.

“I don’t need to ask if you had beaten her up for real, because I know you my son, you didn’t.”

Harry nodded in agreement and laced his hands into his mother’s.

He knew that things might not change, all he ever wanted was his child and a good job.

His mother and him bought plantain porridge by the road side, they ate it till their belly became filled.

******************************

Atimma waited anxiously for Linda to join her at the office, so that they could go get her car from the agent.

She was excited.

She had started having light pains around her stomach, she suspected that baby was coming soon.

Linda arrived her office that day, smelling of masculine perfume.

“You this girl! you’re smelling man, man.”

Linda laughed out loud and sat on the office table.

“Chief Nwabueze’s perfume. That man loves me real good.” She chuckled.

“I don’t know why married men are loving their girlfriends more than their wives these days.”

“Don’t be deceived Atim. No married man loves his girlfriend more than his wife. They only pretend about it. They will all go back to their wives someday, when they get tired of our vaginas.”

Atimma stared at her stunned, as her words sank in like a bomb in her head.

“Well, Seno loves me. He gave me over four million to buy a good car for myself.”

“Amazing! congratulations… the baby is bringing in favours…”

“The agent is waiting, that’s why I called you, so that we can go get it together.”

“Bebe! you don turn big girl well, well!”

They both laughed out loud in unison.

“I am spending three million on the car, and the rest will go for my baby things. If not that you advised me to take Seno back, I would be looking like a mad woman from the ghetto by now.” Linda’s laughter became amused.

“Wait a minute, you mean Harry hasn’t even given you a dime for his baby things?”

“Not a kobo! His mom came by, I met them last night counting some smelly ten naira and five naira notes.”

Linda laughed and fell on the floor. “This morning, I overheard them talking about selling sachet water.”

“Oh no Atim…I hope you get fresh air when you get back home today.” Atimma gave a loud laugh, and shook her head. 

Continue to episode 18 here

 

By Vicky Bon

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