MY HUSBAND AND I (Part 11)

   
Tony winced a little, he felt like easing himself, he had pressed the
beeper for more than twenty times now but Lara is yet to show up.
He wondered if she was trying to punish him, because on a normal
day, she’d have cleaned him up and served him his food..
He pressed the beeper five more times but she didn’t come.
He decided to help himself into the wheel-chair standing by his bed
side. He pushed himself towards the bed’s edge, he took hold of the
wheel chair and attempted to hop in. He lost his balance and almost
toppled over…
“Hey! What are doing?”
It was Lara, he didn’t look back, he wasn’t sure if the scowl he saw
yesterday was still there.
“Errrm…” he tried to speak as she balanced him on the wheel.
“Morning to you Tony…” she wheeeled him towards the Loo.
“I was answering a call when I heard the beeper…”
“Here…steady…sorry…easy…” were her words a she helped him into
the the bath tub.
“I’l be back in a jiffy” Lara said looking away, she could bear to see
him unclad.
Tony smiled, she’s too shy he thought.
“I want you to stay…” he smiled revealing his teeth.
“No thank you.” lara left the bathroom.
.......
“hmn Deji na wa for you ooo, that’s how you are ehn? Deji what’s
there in life that you should forget me na!” Lara queried.
“Nooo, bestie, its not like that na!” Deji laughed as she sipped her
glass of juice.
“Eh is like what? Tell me! Deji toh bad!” Lara laughed again flopping
beside her friend.
“Girlie, yan me, I heard Tony is sick?” Deji began to say in a mocking
tone.
“yes, he’s been ill.” Lara said carefully.
“I heard the only snake in his forest is dead?” Deji asked again.
“Now Deji, don’t start! That’s so cruel…”
“So cruel?” Deji mimicked her.
“You don’t know how happy I was when I heard the news! I danced
ehn!” she looked excited.
“Deji!” Lara gave her a reprimanding look.
“What? Isn’t it worth celebration?” Deji laughed
“This isn’t fuuny” Lara frowned.
“You’re happy at the misfortune that has befallen my marriage?”
“Which misfortune? When that man was fraternizing with all the
women in town, isn’t that a misfortune!” Deji made a face.
“Deji please!” Lara looked offended.
Just then the beeper made a shrill sound.
“Excuse me bestie, Tony needs me now!” she got to her feet in a
hurry.
“come o!” Deji held her dress.
“so you don turn dog wey na beeper dem dey use call you shey?”
the shrill sound came again, louder this time.
Lara pushed her friend’s hands away, rushing towards Tony’s room.
Deji watched go, she clapped her hands in gossip fashion. She
quickly tip-toed after her friend.
“I’m just tired of being in here, can you take me outside please?”
Tony pleaded peering at Lara.
Lara wished she wouldn’t take him outside, she feared Deji’s razor
tongue.
“Lara? Anything wrong?” Tony patted her arm.
“Errrm, yea…no ” Lara helped him into the wheel chair.
“okay…” Tony smiled as she wheeled him out of the room.
They were at the hall way when they met Deji’s mocking gaze.
“Good afternoon o, Mr Tony!” Deji made sure her voice was loud and
clear.
“Af’noon Deji, its been a long time.” Tony smiled.
“Yes o! I heard about your illness…errm…I mean the paralysis of your
legs and ….and…..your…” Deji replied a mischievously smile playing on
her lips.
Tony didn’t miss the message she was trying to pass across to him.
“lets go!” Lara whispered as she wheeled him out trhought the back
door.
“I’m sorry about Deji’s attitude…” she apologised as she balanced him
on the grass in the mini-garden.
He simply nodded.
“You need a snack or something?”
“No, I’m okay.” he was reading some invisible things on his palm.
“you don’t need anythin, anything atall?” Lara searched his eyes.
“Yes, you can go now, your friend is waiting.” he waved her off.
“Okay!” She sighed walking on the balls of her feet out of the garden.
“welcome back! Iya Tony!” Deji quipped as her friend walked in..
“Seriously what you did Deji was really bad! Do you have to remind
him of his problems?” Lara feigned anger.
“Atleast he got the message!” Deji bit into her meatpie.
“Deji…do you know you are too bad?” Lara squeezed beside her.
“Oh yea! You need not remind me! Anyways, we’ve gotta enjoy our
lives o.” she quipped and they laughed in unision
Lara combed her hair and oiled it properly. She had earlier on called
her hair stylist that she’d be coming that morning.
She wondered what hair style she’ll plait, she loosed shuku yeterday,
maybe this week she’d use two-step or sade…
“Lara?” Tony called out interrupting her thoughts.
She rolled he eyes
“oooooh, pesin won’t rest again ni?” she hissed.
“Lara….”
she hissed again, she was beginning to get sick and tired of Tony.
“Always Lara,Lara,Lara…na wetin sef!” she frowned.
“Lara are you there?” Tony called out again.
“Ooooh, free me jor!” she whispered.
“Yes? I’m coming!” she put in a lot of effort for her voice to become
polite.
“Here am I.” she forced a smile.
“I can see…just wanted you around me.” he was smiling too.
See this one o! When did that one start? Lara thought.
“are you going out?” he asked.
“Erm, yes, I’m going to make my hair.” she explained
“Hmmm, I’d be alone then…” he said in despair.
“Well, I need to go now.” she started walking away.
“Okay.” he sighed.
He was sure going to miss her.
....
Tony looked from Funke his mother in-law to his parents, he wished
Lara was at home; maybe she might defend him some how…
“Thank God your wife is out, so we can discuss properly.” Ifiora began
to say.
“Yes, her absence is very essential.” Funke chirped in, she personally
thanked God Lara was absent, she couldn’t bear those looks on her
face.
“Errrm..Tony, what has your wife got to say about your illness?” Ifiora
asked.
Tony looked away, what does he want him to say…
“Tony, your father just asked you a question.” Amara said impatiently
“Nothing.” Tony replied.
“What do you mean by nothing?” Funke asked eyeing him.
“I think she should be in the best positin to answer that.” he frowned.
He had never had an atom of respect for his mother in-law.
“Tony, you’l be travelling out of the country next two weeks for your
treatment…”
“I know that already.” Tony cut his father short. He wondered why
they all gathered a meeting without informing him earlier.
“Good! What matters now is Lara, we can’t keep her like this, she has
a future.” Ifiora ignored his son’s rudeness.
“What’s your point?” Tony asked grithing his teeth, he was losing his
temper.
“The point is you should divorce Lara, you fool!” Amara shot at him.
Tony held her cold gaze for a while, he wondered when he and his
beloved mother became enemies.
“I can’t divorce her!” he spat out.
“Why?” Funke sneered
“She is my wife, and I love her, our marriage is sealed. Gerrit!” He
glared at Funke.
“listen to me Tony! Love or no love, seal or no seal, you must divorce
lara! You can’t saddle her with your disability! How far do you think
she can cope?!” Amara said menacingly.
“That’s none of your business! I wonder if anyone has ever asked you
to divorce your husband!” Tony shot at her.
“You dare talk to me that way?” Amara made to slap him but for the
timely intervention of her husband.
“No darling, you can’t do that, look at his condition” Ifiora forced his
wife back into her seat.
“We’re here to rule out some case, not to fight. Tony, Lara’s mum
came to us, she wants you to divorce her daughter…” Ifiora gestured
towards Funke.
“Yes o! Be ni! You must to divorce my daughter o! My daughter can’t
marry an impotent man o! Lai lai!” Funke started to rant.
Amara exchanged looks with her husband.
“I meant it o! Its me Funke that talk it! I need grand children, and they
don’t fall from heaven shey you know that! A man must to perform ni,
and when you can’t perform, we’ll look elsewhere.” Funke’s body
shook as she ranted, her gold bangles making chiping sounds.
Tony bit his lower lips. Life could be cruel sometimes.
“that’s so rude! We are not quarelling here!” Amara tried to pacify
Funke.
“Robb ke! Mentholatum ni! The quarell has just begun niye o! Tell
your impotent son to divorce my daughter o!” Funke turned to face
Amara agressively.
“Please calm down.” Ifiora told her.
“See who is talking! Like father like son! Who knows maybe you too is
an impotenti?…”
“You don’t dare insult my husband!” Amara shot back at her.
“How can you become this lousy? Is it how you yoruba’s behave?”
“Behave ke! You will soon see behaviour! Let me go and tell her
fathers people that’s when you’ll see the real Yoruba behaviour.
Oshi!” Funke yelled at her before stamping out the room.
Amara gaped at her. People change so easily, could this be the same
woman whom they lavished so much money on?
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