After the women left, Ndubuisi wasn’t happy at the sudden decision Ogechi arrived at.
“But what’s the point in trying to impress them when you know that you don’t know how to cook?” Angry Ndubuisi asked
“You see what I was telling you, this Ogechi is so stubborn. She should have listened to you, her husband but she went ahead to make a decision on her own” Okwuchi cut in
“Ogechi, you won’t be cooking that food. I forbid you from making a fool of yourself. What is wrong with you?” Ndubuisi continued
“Nothing is wrong with me my husband” Ogechi answered
“Then what is it? Why do you want to disgrace me by making the whole villagers know that the woman I married is a terrible cook?” He snapped
“Those women were insulting my mother, they were calling her all sort of names, and if I fail to do something, they will continue taming her name, so that’s why I decided to cook for them tomorrow so as to shame them.” Ogechi explained: “My husband, just put yourself in my shoes, how would you feel if someone approach you and start insulting your mother? Just tell me, how would you react? Won’t you try to defend her?”
“But Ogechi, those women never insulted your mother, they were only hurling their ignorance at you”
“Maybe you did not hear them right, they accused her of lying to you and your mother and all that”
“That you don’t know how to cook, then so what? What’s their business? How does it concern them?”
“No Ndubuisi, it matters a lot. How can you live with a woman who doesn’t know how to cook? Have you forgotten that you don’t joke with food or are you suddenly changing your ways because of her?”
“Mother, if my wife doesn’t know how to cook, then it’s my duty as her husband to help her. There are classes for people like that in the city, and it’s an evening course. I can get her registered in one of them. So Ogechi, I’m begging you to listen to me, forget those women, tomorrow morning, we are leaving this village to the city, did you hear me?”
“What? Did I hear you well Ndubuisi?” Okwuchi snapped
“And what part didn’t you hear well, Mama?” Okwuchi asked
“That she will be traveling to the city with you?” Okwuchi repeated
“Yes mother, she is my wife now, why won’t she travel with me?”
“Ndubuisi, have you forgotten the promise you made to me? That your wife and I will remain in the village while you return to the city?”
“Hmmm, yes mother but that was before I married her. I thought that I will be only marrying her for you and won’t have any feelings for her. But now, I’m convinced that she will make a sweet wife for me but if only she will listen to my instructions now”
“Ndubuisi, you can’t just do this to me, you can’t leave me here all alone. You know what will happen after you two travel? You will automatically forget me, your mother.”
“Who gave you that ridiculous idea? How can I forget you, are you no longer my mother?”
“But my son, I still insist you leave Ogechi here with me. Just leave her here, I will feel lonely if she travels with you”
Ndubuisi then scoffed: “I don’t know what is wrong with the women of this house today.” He then turned to Ogechi: “And don’t forget, tomorrow, we are leaving this village. Do I make myself clear?”
And Ogechi nodded, and then quickly thought in her heart: “These women won’t stop talking ill of me and my mother if I don’t clear myself. I really have to do something, I will look like a coward if I back out. And that will give them more room to disgrace my name in the entire village.” She then spoke up
“My husband, I know that I made a mistake by coming up with that huge decision, but think about what they will say if I leave tomorrow. They will think that I ran away and will use it as an avenue to start calling me a coward. And beside, the Umu-Ada are not the people you can mess with like that. How can I run away after inviting them over to my house? It will be humiliating and they won’t stop saying bad of my name for years to come, just think about it”
“Ogechi, do you think that I’m not mad that you don’t know how to cook? It will be more humiliating finding out that you don’t know how to cook than calling you a coward. Let them call you a coward, it sounds better to me than allowing the whole villagers know that you are a terrible cook. Did you know that I dumped a girl I almost married because she doesn’t know how to cook? And that girl is also from this village. It will be an insult that I ended up with a terrible Cook. So Ogechi, better respect my decision on this. We are leaving tomorrow.”
“My husband, forgive me that I’m been too insistent, but are you not a little bit selfish here?” Ogechi boldly asked
“Huh! Okwuchi stood agape, watching Ogechi boldly making utterances….
And the question Ogechi asked, shocked Ndubuisi….
“What did I hear you say?” He asked, looking angry
“You are concerned about your reputation, but what about mine and that of my mother? And how can you conclude that I don’t know how to cook when you have not tasted my other foods? It will be more disgracing if they realise that I ran away like a coward, have you imagined what that means? No my husband, don’t make me do this, I have a promise I intend to keep, please, allow me prove myself, this is important to me” Ogechi boldly requested
“Ogechi, listen very carefully. I have seen that my words mean nothing to you. And what’s the need of being your husband when you can’t even listen to any of my instructions? Since you want it your way, then so be it, but don’t be disappointed at the actions I will take if you end up getting disgraced again. I can’t stand anybody humiliating me and not even my own wife.” Ndubuisi said and then left in anger
“Okwuchi, you have seen more reasons why you shouldn’t make any mistakes tomorrow. I think I will have to talk to Nkechi, to draw a very nice plan. But that girl is too wild. Imagine how she was talking to my son as if he was her younger brother? I think I have failed my son. I will have to do something, I can’t allow Ogechi sprout her wings. This is more reasons I shouldn’t miss this opportunity. She thinks she is wise, but I will show her that she is nothing”…
The next day, while Ogechi was busy gathering the things she will use to make the soup, Okwuchi was busy gathering the things she will use to spoil the soup.
Ogechi did not give chances for anybody to enter the kitchen and Okwuchi was becoming uncomfortable. Her chances of sabotaging the soup was getting slimmer.
Before Ogechi began making the soup, she made sure that things were already set, so that she won’t step out of the kitchen for a minute. She does not want to give chances so that what happened before won’t repeat again…
And Okwuchi was getting impatient.
She was still thinking on what to do, when Ogechi dished out some for Ndubuisi to eat.
“Ndubuisi, you will confirm my cooking today.” She joyfully said in her heart, entering their room, carrying the food on a platter.
And Okwuchi then thought that her chances had been ruined.
“Ndubuisi will now believe that she is a good cook and then his love for her will start increasing. I have to talk to Nkechi about this……. This is not good at all”
She then dialed Nkechi’s phone number.
“Hello Okwuchi, how is it going over there?”
“To tell you the truth, that girl is wiser than I thought. She has finished cooking and quickly dished out my son’s own”
“Are you serious, but why did you allowed her do so?”
“There was nothing I could do. She guarded the food as if it was her life”
“Okwuchi, you should have found a way somehow naa… OK where is your son now, is he eating the food?”
“Not yet, he is bathing.”
“And the food is in his room?” Nkechi asked
“Yes” Okwuchi answered
“What about Ogechi, where is she?” Nkechi asked
“She is still there, guarding the food.”
“OK now, listen attentively to what I’m about to tell you now. You know this is the only best chance you have to set the record straight for Ogechi, now listen” Nkechi requested and began feeding Okwuchi with some ideas on how to go about her plan in ruining her daughter in-law’s happiness.
To be continued….
Do you think Ogechi did wrong by not listening to her husband’s instruction?
Mama Why was written by Ngozi Lovelyn O.
Warning: No part of this work should be copied or used in any form without permission from the author..
Copyright ©ngozilovelyn.com 2017
Contact Ngozi Lovelyn O @ Xperiawithngozilove@gmail.com
