ARIDA
PART 76
Wale watched with admiration at his soon to be wife. She went into the kitchen to cook after their discussion. He came to give her a hand; it was like old times. He watched her in her element and the fondness he felt for her multiplied. He knew he still loved her, that never changed. He was still very attracted to her; it is the reason he insisted on separate rooms. He just couldn’t trust himself around her and knowing Farida, she could be highly mischievous and would cause him to sin. But he missed their companionship. They were in the kitchen like two strangers.
Farida could feel the distance. She knew she was part of the problem but she just couldn’t help herself, she had to be sure. The whole spiritual thing scared her until she had her own encounter and she understood what Wale experienced. She wanted to know more about what Iya Agba gave her but she refused to teach her anything about the herbs until she begins to obey instructions. She wanted more information about her live but Iya Agba told her it was only one experience with the herb she needed; the rest will flow naturally. Here she was looking at Wale. He needed to add weight. She was making dinner and then the next day she would cook and pack into the freezer for him like old times. She could see he was skinny because he didn’t eat well. She made egusi soup with pounded yam for him. The egusi soup had meat, assorted meat, kpomo, dry fish, stock fish and bitterleaf. It was rich and tasty. When she served the food, she put enough pounded yam for him. They settled down to eat. Wale ate the pounded yam and soup like someone who hadn’t eaten in days. She was shocked when he finished the pounded yam. She had to stay back in Abuja to fatten him to what she wanted.
Wale left the bedroom for Farida and moved to the guest room. It was a struggle sleeping there for Wale not with Farida behaving better and being in the next room. He was tempted to meet her but he changed his mind knowing it was wrong in the sight of God. He used the time to overcome temptation by calling his father. His father was happy to hear that eventually Farida had come around.
Wale told him their agreement about a lowkey wedding with just close family and friends. He bought into the idea especially with this being Farida’s second marriage but he wasn’t sure what his wife’s reaction would be. They both know she had been looking forward to the wedding and would be crashed by the lowkey idea. His father asked him to allow him handle his wife.
Farida was up early the next morning. She cleaned up the room and left for the kitchen. Wale woke up to the smell of sumptuous breakfast. This was the life. He had missed this. Before he came downstairs, Farida was out of the house. His food was on the table with a note telling him she had gone to the market. He left for work but was back home by 5:00pm. He didn’t want Farida to feel lonely.
Farida spent the whole day cooking. She cooked different soups and stews. She packed them in bowl and placed them in the freezer labelling them. Wale had rice that night with chicken and fried plantain. He cleared his plate.
Farida could see he wasn’t feeding well and was not taking the responsibility to do so. Her fattening mission will be accomplished. They discussed further about their plans. Farida had informed maami who had contacted Farida’s uncle. She had explained to him what Farida wanted and he agreed to it completely. Her uncle was willing to work with any date they both choose. Wale’s father asked for the date for the engagement. He assured Wale he would handle his mother. All they had to do was agree on a date. They both checked their calendars and finally agreed for the engagement to hold in three weeks. It would be done in Ilorin on a Thursday. They would fly to London on Thursday evening and then have their registry wedding on Friday afternoon. “And then we will travel to Greece for our honey. How would you like that?” Wale asked. “I wouldn’t mind. A short honeymoon; I don’t want to be away for more than a week” Farida replied. ‘Why?” “I have things to do here. We have to get the house and the kids” “I agree we need a new house but I donot think we should move the kids. I think we should allow the children remain in Northampton with Kufre while we stay here and visit them. Or at least allow Dayo and Eni to stay back. You know those people that Sam stepped on their toes have pomised to kidnap his son again if Sam doesn’t complete the rite. That’s why Idara fled. I don’t want them to come for Dayo or Eni” “I don’t think we should separate the children. Let them come back or remain there together. Kufre is supervising and doing a great job. She can take charge of them. As for them coming back here, no harm can befall here. Their targets are Sam and Idara not our children. If you say during school period they stay there and come back during the holiday, I am fine with it. You have to be checking on them as often as possible. But personally, I think they should come back here until they are ready for university” “Let’s pray about it for direction” Farida concluded “What did you just say?” “Why do you want me to always repeat what I said? You heard me. What is wrong with it?” “I just want to confirm I am not dreaming. You need to share with me. What happened to you?” “Nothing. I found my roots; I found Allah” “I know. You pray five times a day?” “Religiously. I don’t joke with it” “I am proud of you. Very proud of you. I knew you would find your way. I’m so glad we both are a light in our path our children can follow” “Not just our children. We have to touch other lives too. We can only do this be being a good example for them to follow. That is the best way to lead others to God and the path of righteousness” “You are absolutely correct. By my actions people can see a difference in me and they tell me. I have to be careful what I do or say around people so they are not misled by my actions and utterances. It is not an easy task” “But a lifestyle change will send the message. Monica knows I will never stock very revealing clothes. If you want such, there are stores you can get them but not our brand. I told her we should deviate from clothes and do strictly accessories. She insisted on the clothing promoting our heritage. As long as it is within my standard, who am I to complain?” “We both agree on the same things which is a solid foundation for our marriage. Farida, I want this marriage to work. Please I need your support. When I am wrong, correct me with love not by ignoring me or nagging at me and I will do same. If I or you do the opposite, the other party will point it out. I promise not to be abusive to you in anyway. I will take care of all my responsibilities and be a support for all you set out to do. I will never be an obstacle in your way or a clog in your wheel. I need you to promise me same. When I have a revelation and share it with you, never ever discard it. I will also not belittle yours. This will save us and our family for unnecessary troubles. Let us decide now what we want in this family and document it so we can show each other where we signed off on our agreement before we went ahead” “That’s fine by me. We should write out every aspect we can recall now and discuss them and reach an agreement. Is that ok?” “Yes. One more thing. Farida, please don’t deny me s*x and I wouldn’t deny you except when we have agreed to set apart time to pray. I can’t demand s*x during Ramadan and you will know when I am fasting and agree to the abstinence for that period. And no holds barred. Our bedroom is a no judgment zone. We shall explore and enjoy this gift which God gave us within marriage. We both enjoy s*x with each other; I want it to get even better than what we are experiencing. We wouldn’t need to watch immoral movies to earn; we shall explore on our own and discover what we both enjoy doing” Farida looked at him in surprise.
Wale had taken their discussion into another dimension. She didn’t expect this aspect to come up but she was also glad it did. She had also made up her mind Wale was her last bus stop. Even death won’t separate her from him. She was never going to have another lover after him. They were compatible s*xually and she wanted to maintain that. She didn’t want anything to interfere with that. They both sat down and drew a roadmap for a successful marriage. It took them until almost midnight to conclude. It was very detailed and was written clearly. They covered every aspect including individual responsibilities, extended family and the children. it took forever but now they knew what they wanted, how they would go about it and the final outcome expected. They made room for errors along the way and conflict resolution strategies. They were intentional about getting married and were determined it would work for both of them as they were now operating at the same level Wale’s mother insisted on a big wedding. She said it was Wale’s choice to marry someone that was married before so he couldn’t deprive her of her celebration. His father tried to explain to her but it hit a brick wall. She was adamant on getting her way by hook or by crook. She called Wale and told him so herself. Wale expected the opposition but wasn’t prepared for how to handle it. He didn’t want to drag Farida into the matter but his mother did. She called Iya Farida and expressed her desire.
Iya Farida expected this battle but unlike Wale she was ready. “Iya Wale, you want a big engagement so all your friends can attend and wear aso ebi? It is good. You can do that. Get your friends to support your son but then when you bury him in five years let them wear that same aso ebi to the funeral” “What did you say? God forbids. My Adewale will never die. Five years ke? Who said so?” “Iya Wale, you are a Yoruba woman that moves around. I know all about you. Why are you so careless in the area of your only son? Why haven’t you made enquiries about your son? You are hellbent on exposing him to the world meanwhile both of them decided to do everything small and very intimate so the wicked will see the work of God. Wake up o! They don’t want crowd and I respect their wishes. Respect it too” Iya Wale was confused by all she had heard. She had stopped consulting ifa priests and others as she had promised Wale she would. Now she got a message that was very disturbing. Where did they get the message from? She decided to consult and get the right information. When she did, she was warned never to fight or argue with her new wife as she will take their family name to very great heights. She was also advised not to interfere in their marriage and whatever decisions they take. She wasn’t happy at all. She wondered how she was going to entertain her guests without inviting them to the wedding. She had bragged about her son and his upcoming wedding. She had to find a way around it. Wale made preparations for his wedding. He invited strictly close family and friends. He ensured the entertainment of the guest would be topnotch but he restricted the number to fifty people. His outfit was made by Farida. He allowed her take charge of his dressing as she had successfully fattened him in three weeks. He looked much better. While she handled the wedding preparations, he made arrangements for the honeymoon. He wanted them to have a wonderful time together. They had applied for their registry marriage in the UK.
Iya Farida was glad. Her joy knew no bounds that at last Farida was marrying the man God had ordained for her. He had been right there and Farida missed him the first time. Now it would be forever. She was blessed; her children were blessed. Everyone of them had settled down. Who was she to complain? She was very comfortable now. She wanted to retire and move back to Ilorin to be with her mother. It was Farida the sowed the idea of her starting a school in Ilorin. She mentioned it to her children and the structure was already in process. All her children contributed to her project. She decided to put off retiring until the school was ready. This is definitely be a good legacy she can leave for her children as all of them are members of the board.
Farida’s father had been ill for some days before she travelled to prepare for the engagement. He was hospitalized and finally brought back home as the doctors said there was really nothing they could do for him again. Iya Farida was scared his illness will make them postpone the engagement but her brother-in-law assured her everything will go as planned. Farida arrived Ilorin two days to her engagement ceremony. She visited her uncle but refused to visit her father. Since her wedding to Sam she hadn’t seen her father. she still bore a lot of animosity towards him. She went to stay with her grandmother who was happy to have her.
Farida’s first night in Ilorin, she had a dream. She watched a man fall into a hole. She quickly caught him and tried to pull him up but he said to her, “This is my fate. All I need from you is your forgiveness. Once you forgive and let me go then I will find eternal rest and Allah will forgive me all my sins” ‘Who am I that I should forgive you your sins? There is no greater forgiveness than that of Allah. Ask him for forgiveness” Farida replied in the dream. “I have asked him but he said until you forgive me and release me from animosity I will never find rest” “But I don’t know you. What have you done to offend me?” “Look at me very well Farida omo mi” As Farida turned to look, she woke up. She tried to understand the dream but she couldn’t. She got distracted with preparations. Wale’s mother went back to her husband to discuss the wedding guest list. She asked him to remove family members and include her close friends. Wale’s father refused and told her to hands off the engagement or she would live to regret it. She was confused on what to do. She called Wale and talked to him about challenge. She pleaded with him to allow her friends come in good number; she would entertain them. “Have you prayed by yourself about this engagement? I mean have you called on God concerning this issue you are raising? If you claim you have, what did he say to you? Mum, I am your only son and last child. Why do you want to expose me to the wicked ones? What have I done to deserve what you have planned for me? I want a small wedding.
Farida and I have agreed on it. We shall be blessed immensely if we follow the will of God. Why do you want to stand in the way of our progress? I can’t stop you from coming with your entourage but I will say this, talk to God first before you crash my wedding with your friends. By the way, what are you using to welcome Farida as it is our family custom?” The words sunk deep into Iya Wale’s heart and truly she sought God. She didn’t hear anything but she had peace and made a decision.
Clearly, she saw that she could throw a reception in their honour in Lagos without them being in attendance. She hadn’t thought of anything to welcome Farida with. When she mentioned her idea and for a reception in their absence and also Farida’s gift, he told her he had gotten her a gift, she should do hers. Iya Wale called her lace supplier. She filled two trunk boxes with laces and gele. She bought coral beads to go with the laces. She smiled at all she had accomplished her task. On the morning of the wedding, Farida woke up to do her prayers. She had a strong conviction to go to her father’s house. She went there. She surprised herself by going into her father’s house. His last wife was with him. He was like a vegetable; he couldn’t move or talk. He peed and pooed in the same spot.
Farida went in to see him. for the first time in a long time he smiled. The smile was heartfelt. Farida smiled back and held his hand. The wife was telling her how surprised she was he was smiling when he opened his mouth and said to Farida, “Omo mi”. That was all. He smiled, squeezed her hand tightly then closed his eyes. His hand lost its grip in a few seconds.
Farida and the wife were confused until his head dropped to the side. The wife wanted to scream but Farida stopped her. Still holding on to his hand, she called her uncle. He came in and saw the situation. He sent for the doctor who then confirmed him dead. He called for a meeting with family members. They decided to keep quiet about it until after the engagement and he will be buried immediately after. Only the wives and Farida knew.
Farida wondered if she wanted to go ahead with the wedding. She had just witnessed someone die and she was just numb. She couldn’t cry or shout or be said. He called her “Omo mi” just like the dream. Was that his way of asking for forgiveness? Immediately, she prayed forgiving him all he had done to her and her family. She realized she still harboured deep rooted animosity. She blamed him for something sinister. If he wasn’t a monster, how could he, through his actions, have allowed such happen to her? She had forgiven him now. She had another task to perform; she had to tell Wale. She got to the hotel and went straight to Wale’s room ensuring no family member saw her. Wale wondered what Farida came to see him about. Did she have cold feet at the last minute? She looked troubled and he prayed in his heart it wasn’t bad news. ‘I have something to tell. Something I have been hiding from the world. I have never told anybody” “What is it Farida?” “I was r@ped when I was 9 years old living in abject poverty. If I didn’t work, we couldn’t eat. A neighbor in that compound defiled me but he only did it once. Maami threatened him and he never did it again. Maami made me understand the stigmatization I will face if anyone ever discovered I was r@ped. I told Sam about after it when our marriage crashed. I am telling you now because I want to us to begin our lives on an honest slate” “I knew about the rape. I knew you were raped but didn’t have the details. I was just glad Sam wasn’t your first but the beast also didn’t deserve to be your first. Well, many years have gone by since then and you have been blessed with a fresh start in life. Let’s make the best of the rest of our lives” “My father died this morning” Farida said emotionless. “What?” “He held my hand, smiled and called me omo mi before he passed” “What are we going to do?” “My uncle said we should go ahead with the engagement and I agree with him. He will be buried in the evening after the ceremony. We are keeping it quiet” “How are you doing?” “I am fine. I watched him die. One minute he was smiling the next he was gone. This life has no meaning” “He is in a better place. I wonder why this wasn’t revealed to me” “It was revealed to me. I have to go now. Urge your family to be early so we would conclude on time. I want to be present at his burial” “Not a problem. Tell your family too. Go and get set. I will see you off” He saw her off to the car she came with. He could see she was distant because of what she experienced early. He squeezed her hand and she looked t him. he smiled and said to her, “Everything is going to be alright”. That was when the tears came down. She let them flow until she got home. She took a bath and got ready for her engagement ceremony.
Today was a special day; it was the end of an era and the beginning of another. The engagement ceremony went well. It was swift. Wale’s father co-operated with his in-laws to ensure it went well.
When Farida was presented to Wale’s family, Wale’s father brought out a box. He said to Wale, ‘Do you remember the day that guy Sam gave Farida a bracelet and you were upset about it?” “Yes sir” “I made this gold bangles for her. I made one for each year since that year counting down until the day she would be yours. I have fifteen bangles here because it took fifteen years to get to this point. Wale had loved you from the day he met you and he told me so. You transformed his life and made him want to be a better man. He cried when he discovered you wanted to marry Sam. He didn’t eat for days. I believed that in the end love will conquer all and it did. Here you are in our presence. Both of you are way different from where you started; you have grown in every aspect of life. What is left is together forever.
Farida please reciprocate this love that began more than fifteen years again and let it be a story people will love to tell; a love the passed the test of time” Tears were in Farida’s eyes as she took the bangles. They were solid gold plain bangles. They weighed a ton. Farida wore all of them on her wrist went on her knees and hugged her father-in-law. Then she hugged her mother-in-law. She turned to Wale in the presence of everyone and hugged him. he returned the hug. People didn’t have an idea what was going on but Farida and Wale were in a world of their own.
After the engagement, Farida and Wale went to Farida’s father’s grave side with others to pay their last respect to him. Her mother was shocked she knew her father was dead and still went ahead with the engagement. She was also surprised to see Wale’s father and his brothers there. Wale told his father before the engagement and he appreciated the family for not cancelling the ceremony in order to mourn. They were all there, the entire family, to bid him goodbye. Farida stayed back for the eight day prayers after which she travelled to Northampton with Wale for the registry. Farida wore a simple and pretty peach coloured dress. It was a long cold shoulder fitted dress. It was elegant. She had on her hair a beautifully crafted fascinator which was made with original feathers and flowers. She carried a small bunch of flowers Wale gave her that morning. Wale wore a nave blue suit with a light blue shirt and a royal blue tie. The combination was sweet and attractive. She paired them with a pair of tan shoes. He looked good and felt even better.
The final step to sealing the deal was finally here. Monica came with the children to the court house to join them. She didn’t attend the engagement because she had to stay back and attend to business and the children. Now she was there as a witness; herself and Hugh were witnesses. Farida brought her mother and grandmother while Wale’s mother and father were also present. They did it quietly and after the pronouncement, they went to the studio to take more pictures.
After which they had a sumptuous lunch in their home. Iya Wale presented her gift to Farida. She showed her the picture of her two trunk boxes filled with laces which had been shipped to Abuja until they come back. she came with three of the laces and a set of coral beads. “Welcome to d family” she announced to Farida. Farida went on her knees to thank her. She was returning to Nigeria that night as she would be having a reception for their wedding in Lagos. They would not be present. They both wished her well.
Alhaji apologized for missing the engagement ceremony. He gave the couple a gift. He gave them a house in Jabi district. It had also been furnished to their taste. This was clearly God at work. I knew the area the house was and expressed his gratitude. They didn’t need to buy a house anymore.
Farida asked Wale to put all his houses up for rent while they moved into a better house. Maami and Iya Agba stayed back to help Kufre while Farida was away on honeymoon. There minds were at rest as long as the two women were around. Monica could travel out for the business while they stayed. It was the best decision they took.
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