THE EXCHANGE
Episode 30
Immediately my aunt stepped into the matter, the story took a different turn. Two days after we went to Abeokuta, she travelled to London to see my mother in-law but before she left, she told us to give her some time to handle it bcos brother Dipo was very angry & was saying he was going to do everything to get the children back. My aunt, said why I had so much problem was bcos I went into the marriage unprepared & I didn’t carry my family along or confined in them; not even Laide knew what I was going through. She talked to my mum & calmed my brother down but left me with my mum with the instruction that I should not come to Lagos until she returned bcos she did not want that drug addict to attack me again. I asked about the safety of my children but she said I should not worry about anything, that everything will be alright. She told brother Kola to return with her to Lagos & Laide’s dad got him another job as the head of the engineering department in his friend’s construction company. The job came with a company’s car & house, though the salary wasn’t as much as he was paid when working for BabaT. At this point.
Laide had to withdraw from the ‘struggle’ because her husband’s family did not want to be involved anymore. I noticed that my brother that got his job through Baba T was treading because of what happened to brother Kola with caution but Brother Dipo was ready for war… he was a Students’ Union activist back in school & was known for his ‘no retreat no surrender’ stance in the
face of anything he saw as injustice. He didn’t have money to fight Baba T but he had talked with some competent lawyers that he knew to get the case to court & give Baba T’s lawyers a run for their money but with the intervention of my mum’s sister, he told his lawyer friends to put everything on hold temporarily.
Aunty was away for about a week & she returned with my mother in-law. She sent the driver to Abeokuta to come & get me but brother Dipo was available to go with me. The driver took us straight to my mother in-law’s home. I greeted them but the appearance of my mother in-law shocked me. She had aged & was looking quite thin; she embraced me, calling me all the endearing names she usually called me. She begged me telling me how sorry she was for having seemingly abandoned me but she had actually suffered a nervous breakdown due to depression & she only returned home from the hospital two weeks ago. She said that Baba T’s father had envisaged this before he died & had made taken the necessary precautions. My aunt said they had some important issues to discuss with me before BabaT was invited the next day.
Refreshments were served & when we were all comfortably seated, my mother in-law began her narrative.
She started by asking me if I remembered the day her late husband made the statement that he had caught BabaT off & his grandchildren & I were all he cared about? I said I remembered but I didn’t understand what he was saying. My mother in-law continued that the next day he changed his will. He left everything in trust to your children except the company, which is worth a hundred million Naira, his house & this one when I passed on but his personal account with 30 million Naira has been fixed until your 1st children turned 21 years. There is another education insurance that has been set up in their names so that they can attain any height in their chosen field. For you my dear, he had left the Salon, 2 luxurious cars & the duplex in Opebi, with the sum of 10 million Naira in fixed deposit. He said in case of a divorce these should be given to you. She said she would have waited for the lawyers to tell me tomorrow but she wanted to beg me for something, & that was for me to give her joint custody of the children. She wants to take them to London & I was free to visit them anytime I wanted. She told me she didn’t want BabaT to have access or influence them in any way. She agreed that BabaT was her mistake but she had learnt her lesson. She said she would not come back to Nigeria & that she’s closing up the house after the reading of the will, she would not be here if BabaT decides to misbehave but if the children are not with me he won’t bother me. My aunt & brother Dipo were there all the while my mother in-law spoke & when she was done, brother Dipo spoke my mind & said, “the best person to take care of a child is the mother & he does not see the arrangement as joint custody”. My mother in-law was upset by his statement but before she could respond, my aunt spoke up,
“Aramide, how old are you?” She asked me; surprised I answered that I was 38yrs. She continued in Yoruba that I was too young to saddle myself with the responsibility of being a single mother & I should allow my mother in-law take the responsibility of the children off me so that I could marry again & have a better life. She said I should not let my life end because we all made a mistake & I should be grateful that God gave me a second chance because if I had died in Tunde’s hands that would have been my end. I thought about how lonely I was going to be without my children but when I looked at brother Dipo, he was smiling & nodding his head so I agreed…
To be continued
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