...
Tony winced a little, he felt like
easing himself, he had pressed
the beeper for more than twenty
times now but Lara is yet to
show up.
He wondered if she was trying to
punish him, because on a normal
day, she’d have cleaned him up
and served him his food..
He pressed the beeper five more
times but she didn’t come.
He decided to help himself into
the wheel-chair standing by his
bed side. He pushed himself
towards the bed’s edge, he took
hold of the wheel chair and
attempted to hop in. He lost his
balance and almost toppled
over…
“Hey! What are doing?”
It was Lara, he didn’t look back,
he wasn’t sure if the scowl he
saw yesterday was still there.
“Errrm…” he tried to speak as
she balanced him on the wheel.
“Morning to you Tony…” she
wheeeled him towards the Loo.
“I was answering a call when I
heard the beeper…”
“Here…steady…so rry…easy…”
were her words a she helped
him into the the bath tub.
“I’l be back in a jiffy” Lara said
looking away, she could bear to
see him unclad.
Tony smiled, she’s too shy he
thought.
“I want you to stay…” he smiled
revealing his teeth.
“No thank you.” lara left the
bathroom.
.......
“hmn Deji na wa for you ooo,
that’s how you are ehn? Deji
what’s there in life that you
should forget me na!” Lara
queried.
“Nooo, bestie, its not like that
na!” Deji laughed as she sipped
her glass of juice.
“Eh is like what? Tell me! Deji toh
bad!” Lara laughed again
flopping beside her friend.
“Girlie, yan me, I heard Tony is
sick?” Deji began to say in a
mocking tone.
“yes, he’s been ill.” Lara said
carefully.
“I heard the only snake in his
forest is dead?” Deji asked again.
“Now Deji, don’t start! That’s so
cruel…”
“So cruel?” Deji mimicked her.
“You don’t know how happy I
was when I heard the news! I
danced ehn!” she looked excited.
“Deji!” Lara gave her a
reprimanding look.
“What? Isn’t it worth
celebration?” Deji laughed
“This isn’t fuuny” Lara frowned.
“You’re happy at the misfortune
that has befallen my marriage?”
“Which misfortune? When that
man was fraternizing with all the
women in town, isn’t that a
misfortune!” Deji made a face.
“Deji please!” Lara looked
offended.
Just then the beeper made a
shrill sound.
“Excuse me bestie, Tony needs
me now!” she got to her feet in a
hurry.
“come o!” Deji held her dress.
“so you don turn dog wey na
beeper dem dey use call you
shey?”
the shrill sound came again,
louder this time.
Lara pushed her friend’s hands
away, rushing towards Tony’s
room.
Deji watched go, she clapped her
hands in gossip fashion. She
quickly tip-toed after her friend.
“I’m just tired of being in here,
can you take me outside please?”
Tony pleaded peering at Lara.
Lara wished she wouldn’t take
him outside, she feared Deji’s
razor tongue.
“Lara? Anything wrong?” Tony
patted her arm.
“Errrm, yea…no ” Lara helped him
into the wheel chair.
“okay…” Tony smiled as she
wheeled him out of the room.
They were at the hall way when
they met Deji’s mocking gaze.
“Good afternoon o, Mr Tony!”
Deji made sure her voice was
loud and clear.
“Af’noon Deji, its been a long
time.” Tony smiled.
“Yes o! I heard about your
illness…errm…I mean the
paralysis of your legs and
….and…..your…” Deji replied a
mischievously smile playing on
her lips.
Tony didn’t miss the message
she was trying to pass across to
him.
“lets go!” Lara whispered as she
wheeled him out trhought the
back door.
“I’m sorry about Deji’s attitude…”
she apologised as she balanced
him on the grass in the mini-
garden.
He simply nodded.
“You need a snack or
something?”
“No, I’m okay.” he was reading
some invisible things on his
palm.
“you don’t need anythin,
anything atall?” Lara searched his
eyes.
“Yes, you can go now, your
friend is waiting.” he waved her
off.
“Okay!” She sighed walking on
the balls of her feet out of the
garden.
“welcome back! Iya Tony!” Deji
quipped as her friend walked in..
“Seriously what you did Deji was
really bad! Do you have to remind
him of his problems?” Lara
feigned anger.
“Atleast he got the message!”
Deji bit into her meatpie.
“Deji…do you know you are too
bad?” Lara squeezed beside her.
“Oh yea! You need not remind
me! Anyways, we’ve gotta enjoy
our lives o.” she quipped and
they laughed in unision
Lara combed her hair and oiled it
properly. She had earlier on
called her hair stylist that she’d
be coming that morning.
She wondered what hair style
she’ll plait, she loosed shuku
yeterday, maybe this week she’d
use two-step or sade…
“Lara?” Tony called out
interrupting her thoughts.
She rolled he eyes
“oooooh, pesin won’t rest again
ni?” she hissed.
“Lara….”
she hissed again, she was
beginning to get sick and tired of
Tony.
“Always Lara,Lara,Lara… na
wetin sef!” she frowned.
“Lara are you there?” Tony called
out again.
“Ooooh, free me jor!” she
whispered.
“Yes? I’m coming!” she put in a
lot of effort for her voice to
become polite.
“Here am I.” she forced a smile.
“I can see…just wanted you
around me.” he was smiling too.
See this one o! When did that
one start? Lara thought.
“are you going out?” he asked.
“Erm, yes, I’m going to make my
hair.” she explained
“Hmmm, I’d be alone then…” he
said in despair.
“Well, I need to go now.” she
started walking away.
“Okay.” he sighed.
He was sure going to miss her.
....
Tony looked from Funke his
mother in-law to his parents, he
wished Lara was at home; maybe
she might defend him some
how…
“Thank God your wife is out, so
we can discuss properly.” Ifiora
began to say.
“Yes, her absence is very
essential.” Funke chirped in, she
personally thanked God Lara was
absent, she couldn’t bear those
looks on her face.
“Errrm..Tony, what has your wife
got to say about your illness?”
Ifiora asked.
Tony looked away, what does he
want him to say…
“Tony, your father just asked you
a question.” Amara said
impatiently
“Nothing.” Tony replied.
“What do you mean by nothing?”
Funke asked eyeing him.
“I think she should be in the best
positin to answer that.” he
frowned. He had never had an
atom of respect for his mother
in-law.
“Tony, you’l be travelling out of
the country next two weeks for
your treatment…”
“I know that already.” Tony cut
his father short. He wondered
why they all gathered a meeting
without informing him earlier.
“Good! What matters now is
Lara, we can’t keep her like this,
she has a future.” Ifiora ignored
his son’s rudeness.
“What’s your point?” Tony asked
grithing his teeth, he was losing
his temper.
“The point is you should divorce
Lara, you fool!” Amara shot at
him.
Tony held her cold gaze for a
while, he wondered when he
and his beloved mother became
enemies.
“I can’t divorce her!” he spat out.
“Why?” Funke sneered
“She is my wife, and I love her,
our marriage is sealed. Gerrit!”
He glared at Funke.
“listen to me Tony! Love or no
love, seal or no seal, you must
divorce lara! You can’t saddle her
with your disability! How far do
you think she can cope?!” Amara
said menacingly.
“That’s none of your business! I
wonder if anyone has ever asked
you to divorce your husband!”
Tony shot at her.
“You dare talk to me that way?”
Amara made to slap him but for
the timely intervention of her
husband.
“No darling, you can’t do that,
look at his condition” Ifiora
forced his wife back into her
seat.
“We’re here to rule out some
case, not to fight. Tony, Lara’s
mum came to us, she wants you
to divorce her daughter…” Ifiora
gestured towards Funke.
“Yes o! Be ni! You must to
divorce my daughter o! My
daughter can’t marry an
impotent man o! Lai lai!” Funke
started to rant.
Amara exchanged looks with her
husband.
“I meant it o! Its me Funke that
talk it! I need grand children, and
they don’t fall from heaven shey
you know that! A man must to
perform ni, and when you can’t
perform, we’ll look elsewhere.”
Funke’s body shook as she
ranted, her gold bangles making
chiping sounds.
Tony bit his lower lips. Life could
be cruel sometimes.
“that’s so rude! We are not
quarelling here!” Amara tried to
pacify Funke.
“Robb ke! Mentholatum ni! The
quarell has just begun niye o! Tell
your impotent son to divorce my
daughter o!” Funke turned to
face Amara agressively.
“Please calm down.” Ifiora told
her.
“See who is talking! Like father
like son! Who knows maybe you
too is an impotenti?…”
“You don’t dare insult my
husband!” Amara shot back at
her.
“How can you become this lousy?
Is it how you yoruba’s behave?”
“Behave ke! You will soon see
behaviour! Let me go and tell her
fathers people that’s when you’ll
see the real Yoruba behaviour.
Oshi!” Funke yelled at her before
stamping out the room.
Amara gaped at her. People
change so easily, could this be
the same woman whom they
lavished so much money on?
...Watch out for Part 12. ...
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