Bilal
checked his wrist watch for what seemed like the thousandth time. He was in a
hurry to get home to get some work done, but he was also excited about his
visitor. He couldn’t believe his visitor was really coming. It had been a long
time he last saw her. As he checked his watch again, he sighed. She had refused
to tell him the exact time her plane would be landing and he had estimated that
since it was a Friday, she would have left work early, gotten through Lagos
traffic and caught her flight, all that meant she should have booked a 5:00pm
flight. It was 6:45pm and he had not seen her come out of arrivals. He had been
here for two hours now. His phone rang.
“Come home Bilal. I’ve been
waiting.”
“Home? Which home babes?”
Hian. Bilal, your house. Hurry up
jare, I’ve been inside this bath since, my skin is already changing colours
sef. Come home.”
“You are a pain in my neck Yemisi.”
“You’re too emotional my love.”
Yemisi turned the key in the lock as
she entered the house. She ended the call she was making and greeted her mother
who sat watching TV in the sitting room.
“Mummy, good evening,”
“Evening how was work?”
“Fine ma. How was your day?”
“We thank God.”
Yemisi made to go to her room when
her mother called her back. Her mother signaled for her to sit. Yemisi
immediately knew something was wrong. She steeled herself for the assault.
“Oluyemisi.” Her mother began.
“Oluyemisi, Oluyemisi, how many
times did I call you?”
“Mummy please just say what you want
to say ah.” She had had a long day at work and she wasn’t in the mood for this.
“Oluyemisi, you told me you were
going on a business trip to Abuja for the weekend, abi?”
“Yes ma.”
“You see, when God wants to expose
secrets, he does it easily. Joe was at Abuja last weekend too and he told me
that he saw you and that Hausa boy acting like lovers at one mall like that. Is
that true?”
Yemisi kept quiet.
“Ehn, Oluyemisi, you want to
disgrace me in your father’s house and God will not let you. You are lucky your
father was not there when Joe was saying it.”
“Thank God.” Yemisi sighed.
“Will you shut up there, my friend!
Thank God? Ah Yemisi can’t you just do what I want for once? I am your mother
and I know what is best for you. Even if I am saying that you should get
married, should it now be one Hausa boy you should be seeing up and down? Ehn
Yemisi? Have Yoruba men become scarce? You want the other wife of your father
to laugh at me abi? Or don’t you know the things your father will do to me if
you insist on marrying that boy? Mola Yemisi? Mola?! I won’t let you do this. I
will not.”
“Mummy, I have heard you. I am veragainst
saying anything.
“Good night my dear. Sleep well.”
“Good night ma.”
Yemisi angrily threw her bag on her
bed. She sat down and sobbed into her hands. She could never understand why her
parents were against her marrying Bilal just because of his tribe. He was a
northerner but not Hausa, but of course that would not make any difference to
them. A northerner is a Hausa as long as they were concerned. She slept off
sobbing an hour later after she called and he had not picked his calls.
“Sleepy head” she mumbled through
her sobs.
y tired. Can I go to bed now?”
Yemisi’s mother stared at her for
some minutes wondering what to say. She decided
against
saying anything.
“Good
night my dear. Sleep well.”
“Good
night ma.”
Yemisi
angrily threw her bag on her bed. She sat down and sobbed into her hands. She
could never understand why her parents were against her marrying Bilal just
because of his tribe. He was a northerner but not Hausa, but of course that
would not make any difference to them. A northerner is a Hausa as long as they
were concerned. She slept off sobbing an hour later after she called and he had
not picked his calls.
“Sleepy
head” she mumbled through her sobs.
Watch out for 2: missyarn
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