Some minutes later, the “Umu- Ada” came and welcomed Ogechi as a the new wife.
As they were been entertained, Okwuchi called her friend, Nkechi and began sharing her worries with her.
“Nkechi, I think I’m going to loose my son”
“God forbid! Why do you say so?”
“You know the reason I chose Ogechi for my son?”
“Yes, because she is naive, and won’t challenge you like other daughters In-laws do”
“Not true oo, we were mistaken. Ogechi is nowhere near naive. That girl is smarter than I thought. Did you know that she is already turning my son against me?”
“I don’t understand, please explain better. What has she done?”
And Okwuchi went ahead and narrated her about her encounter with Ogechi.
“Okwuchi, I think you have already lost your son. She has not even spent two days and she is already giving you this kind of headache. Remember I warned you about her, I warned you, but you never listened. So what are you going to do now?”
“I don’t know oo, I just don’t know.”
“Okwuchi, do you want to loose your son?”
“You know he is my everything, so how can I afford to loose him?”
“Then you have to be wiser than a serpent, you have to cage her in this village and never allow your son to take her with him, otherwise she won’t be allowing him to visit you here in the Village anymore. You know that, once men get married, they face their immediate family and forget their parents. Ogechi is a typical example of such wives”
“Nkechi, you know Ndubuisi is my everything, I will die without him.”.
“Then, it’s time to get into action. And where is she now? She is supposed to be here already”
“She is still inside the room with my son. Ndubuisi no longer has time for me, he is now so fond of her. Nkechi my friend, I’m feeling lonely. My husband left me, and now my son, wants to do the same. Papa Ndubuisi, where are you? Come and see what your son is doing to me. You made him promised you that he will take absolute care of me, and now, he has gotten married and wants to forget me” Okwuchi lamented, began shedding tears.
“Okwuchi my friend, don’t worry, you are not alone on this. I won’t allow her take your precious son away from you. Not when I’m still alive” she said and continued: “Don’t worry, you will see how I will disgrace her and make her realise that you are not alone”
“Hmm, OK my good friend, that’s why I always count on you”
Nkechi then returned to her seat and started calculating how she will mistreat Ogechi.
Few minutes after they arrived, Ogechi came out to greet them.
After greeting them, Nkechi then asked her to sit down. And she quietly sat in their midst.
And they began asking her some questions, giving her some advises on how to handle marital issues as the custom of their community demanded.
“Ogechi, we are in your husband’s compound, it’s now time to serve us the food you prepared for us” Nkechi requested.
And Ogechi stood, opened the food, as she was about getting the plates.
Nkechi interrupted her.
“This food’s aroma smells like that of Okwuchi, does it mean that Okwuchi was the one who cooked the food?”
“Um..you see..” Ogechi was still searching for the words she will use to reply her and Nkechi continued “Ogechi, does it mean you don’t know how to cook? What a shame! Which means your family deceived innocent Okwuchi and her son and made them marry you. Now tell us, what are you good for if you don’t know how to cook? Ogechi, you are the one who is supposed to cook the food we are to eat here and not your mother in-law.”
On saying that, another woman supported her, and began taunting Ogechi.
“Children of these days! What is in cooking that one can’t learn how to make it? Ordinary white rice and stew, a grown up like this can’t prepare it. I wonder what the world is turning into.”
Nkechi continued from her end: “What a shame! I really pity Ndubuisi, how is he going to cope?…….. She will have to stay in this village and allow her mother in-law teach her how to cook, but, if only she will humble herself and learn, because girls like this can be so stubborn ”
Ogechi only remained calm, listening to their murmurings and mocking.
Okwuchi smiled in her heart, enjoying the amount of insult that were been hurled at Ogechi, she then turned and looked at her son to know how he was taking the whole thing.
But Ndubuisi reactions shocked her. He felt bad watching his wife, facing ignorant women insulting her, he then stood and angrily walked up to them, stood beside Ogechi and began scolding them.
“What is wrong with all of you? How is that your business if she doesn’t know how to cook?”
“No Ndubuisi, they are Umu-Ada, you don’t have to shout at them like that before they fine you. I have to stop him” Ogechi said in her heart and then calmly touched him…
As their eyes clocked, she gave him a sign not to react.
“Don’t worry my husband, I know how to handle them. I don’t want you to be in their black book, you know how they behave. Don’t worry OK, I can handle this” Ogechi said to him and then faced the women.
“You all are mistaken, that my mother in-law prepared this food does not mean that I don’t know how to cook. But I guess there is no point making you all believe that my mother taught me well. You all need proof for this and I’m going to give it to you all. Tomorrow morning, by 10, I will be expecting you all to converge at this place like you all did today. I will be preparing bitter leaf soup (onugbu soup) for you all, then you will realised that you were all wrong”
“Huh! What is she saying? Bitter leaf soup? I have to stop her from doing this, she doesn’t know how to cook stew and let alone bitter leaf soup. No Ogechi, you don’t have to make a fool out of yourself” Ndubuisi said in his heart and then tried to stop her from making such a promise…
“No Baby, you don’t have to prove anything to them, there is no …..”
“No my husband, this is the only way to prove to them that they are wrong, just trust me, I won’t disappoint you.” She interrupted him.
Okwuchi joyfully bought the idea.
“Ogechi, you have given me opportunity I have been looking for. You will be further disgraced in front of this women tomorrow”
Okwuchi’s friend who knew that the opportunity will be beneficial to her friend then supported the idea.
“Ogechi, since you want to prove to us that you are wise, then we accept your terms. Tomorrow morning, like you said, we will be here to have this food that will be prepared by you, but we also have our own condition”
“What condition?” Ndubuisi asked
“That she will be ready to face any punishment we will give her if she turns out that she wasted our time for nothing, so agreed?”
And Ogechi boldly replied: “agreed”
“Ogechi, you have fallen into my trap. Tomorrow is my day, you will surely dance to my tune” Okwuchi smiled in her heart
“But what about this food, we can’t allow it to go to waste, can’t we eat it?” One of the women who was only interested in the food and had been salivating for it asked..
To be continued…
So, what do you think will happen? Will Okwuchi succeed in sabotaging Ogechi’s food again?
Mama Why? Was written by Ngozi Lovelyn O.
Warning: “No part of this work should be use, copied, reproduce, redistribute either electronically or manually without prior permission from the authoress.
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Contact Ngozi Lovelyn O at Xperiawithngozilove@gmail.com
