EPISODE 34
The occupants alighted…it was Captain Festus Awodiya alright
How could I forget him?
He hadn’t changed one bit…although I saw him in another light now, going by the new discoveries about him. The part of his mean past that he swept under the carpet when I was pestering him to know why his wife would leave such a good and faithful man.
I can’t think of a word to capture his reaction when he saw me…he was obviously more shocked than I was. He looked at me intently but others were too busy to notice the silent drama.
For Folahan, seeing his mum froze his confusion as he ran to the car and gave her a hug. He almost made her fall…he dragged me along and was trying to introduce me
The mum hugged me as well…it was such a warm hug. I could tell she loved her son and was already extending it to me
“Who are you introducing?
I may be meeting her for the first time but she doesn’t need any introduction.
‘Shebi’ it’s Aramide, our Aramide…now I can match the face with every good thing you have told me about her
She is so pretty
O m’oju lo s’oja (you chose right)”
Folahan’s sisters…Folake and Folarin (the ones that just got back from America) were all over me as well. With all the love going around, my mind was clouded with the pain and reality of how this had already ended before it started.
Folahan’s mum had to literally snatch me from her daughters…she held me by the hand and walked me inside
“My dear, welcome home
This is your home
Feel free and do whatever you like
Do you like Ankara fabrics? My friend just brought me some a few days ago…I’ll let you pick the ones you like
How is work?
How was your trip?‘Awon mummy nko?’ (How’s your mum?)”
She just kept talking…she was so excited.
Why not? Her first born brought home his fiancée. Wedding bells were about to ring…grandchildren on the horizon.
I looked back and saw Folahan talking to his dad…who by the way, still had his eyes fixed on me.
Inside the house, there was a beautiful birthday cake made for me and someone was in the kitchen cooking all kinds of food. There were lots of gifts, wrapped with my name on them.
“Aramide baby, we are going to make your day special
We have a lot to celebrate and a lot to be thankful for as a family” Folahan’s mum told me
When Captain and Folahan finally came inside, the mum brought me to him and she introduced me as Folahan’s wife. I knelt down and greeted him, it was so awkward…he could not look at me straight in the eye; he tried to hug me but it was even more awkward.
Then he started to pray…the way parents bless their children.
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