Dimma’s Dish was becoming popular in the town.
Her business kept booming day by day….. She never stopped giving God the glory.
Ugonna was having difficulties in his own, after most of his customers diverted to Dimma’s Dish.
They were happy seeing Dimma back to business again. Her restaurant had most of the comfort you can find in any modern restaurant, with fitted air conditioners, thanks to her customers and friends who supported her. She brought the taste of the city life to the village and at same time, selling her food at a very affordable rate, coupled with the yummy taste of her delicacies.
With all these, her restaurant became the most talked about in the town
All Ugonna’s effort to ruin her business were abortive. There was no way he could get a proof.
He wanted to do it by setting Jide and Dimma up, but things did not go well for him, he couldn’t come up with any tangible plan to carry out the task.
And because of that, he relocated his business to another place, that was far away from his former one, where nobody knew about them much. And then, things began getting better for him. Weeks later, he got married to Diogor.
But before they got married, Diogor gave him condition to throw his sister, Dimma out of the house, that she won’t have her living under the same roof with her. And without wasting any time, he heeded to her request. The mother tried pleading and scolding him at the same time for asking his sister to leave the house.
“Mama, that thing is not my sister, she is an agent of darkness. I’m not only throwing her out because my wife asked me to, I’m doing it so I can save my marriage. Who knows the scheme she might come up with tomorrow. Diogor said that she won’t agree to move in with me if that thing continues staying here, so I will have to choose my wife’s side”
“Ugonna, wait a minute! You are asking your sister to leave her father’s house all because of that woman? Are you just OK?”
“Mama, allow him do his mind, I’m not mad about it. I already knew that this day would come, so I’m prepared for it. When you told me about his marriage, I then began looking for an accommodation, and I was lucky to find one, and it’s very close to my restaurant. I was about telling you about it, before he started with his drama.”
“Dimma, this is your house as well, you have equal right to be here. Ugonna, listen to me, my daughter is not going anywhere”
“Mama, you will have to keep quiet now or you join her”
“What? What did you just said?”
Seeing the heat nature of the situation, Dimma held her mother and asked her to calm down.
“Don’t worry yourself Mama, your daughter will be alright. I will go in now and get my things”
“But..”
“No but Mama, I will still leave the house anyway, what does it matter? I’m Ok Mama” Dimma said and then went inside and began packing her things. The mother looked on and began shedding tears.
After three weeks Diogor and Ugonna got married, Ebube got an offer to relocate to the city. She then tentered her resignation.
And things began turning difficult for them and Diogor was no longer comfortable. The next cook they got lasted only three months and left.
“But Baby, why did you chose to run a restaurant business when you don’t even know how to cook?” She asked Ugonna who was sitting down thinking about his life.
“Why are you asking me that kind of question now?”
“Yes, why you are been treated this way is because you don’t know how to cook and the business is no longer yielding enough profits to be paying the workers. See the shop, soon it will expire, and there is no money to renew the rent. Seriously, I’m not in for this kind of life, I’m not o, you better buckle up and behave like a real man. I can’t be suffering like this, dirtying my hand saying that I’m cooking restaurant food Please, buckle up so that you will start making money to employ workers, otherwise, I will stop coming here. Look at me, Diogor, washing plate and cooking restaurant food, you want my skin to get burnt? God forbid… Please do something, abeg, you have to do something before the only worker we have left decide to leave us. You know I don’t know how to cook that much, it’s just her help that we still have something on the menu, what if she decides to leave?” She said, making face.
And Ugonna looked at her and asked why she was complaining, that it was her husband’s business, that she should join hands in making it to stand again.
“Please, I never had dreams of becoming a chef, I want to own a boutique and not a cook, you want my skin to get burnt?”
They were about closing for the day when the last worker they had left told them that she won’t be coming the next day..
“Why?” Diogor, rushed her immediately..
“I want to join my sister in the city, she….”……
And Diogor cut in” It’s a lie, a big lie! So because things are no longer working well for us that’s why you want to leave? You all are ingrates… All of you, only God will punish you all”
“Ah ah! Why the insult now? Did I say anything wrong?”
“Yes, your boss is having a little issue and you all are abandoning him, forgetting the good old days, how he was treating you guys as if you were his sisters”
And then, the worker knowing well that she won’t be working again decided to air her mind.
“Listen here, that our boss is having problems is just because of you, so you should be cursing yourself for ruining his life. And not like he cared about us the workers, it was Dimma who we knew as our boss and things changed immediately she stopped coming here, all thanks to you and your mother. I still remembered that faithful day”
“How dare you talk to me like that?” Diogor raked, trying to attack her
“And what will you do? I swear, if your hand touch me eh, I will destroy that your ugly face.. Rubbish..! Hear it loud and clear, you were the one who destroyed that peaceful family!”the worker fired back and left..
Diogor stood shocked, watching the girl leaving, but what pained her the most was how Ugonna kept quiet, sitting outside, listening to all the girl was saying…
“Baby, you didn’t say anything? Can you imagine that girl……can you?”
Ugonna was lost thinking about his life….
“Baby, are you not the one I’m talking to?” She asked, tapping him harshly
“What is it?” He asked in a deep voice, giving her an angry look…
“Didn’t you hear……..”
“Yes, she left are we going to sleep here? Let’s go home, please” he said, looking unhappy..
My Sugar Baby by Ngozi Lovelyn
To be continued
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Copyright – ngozilovelyn.com 2018
