章節 27: The Perfect beginning or so I thought
"Hello" a tenor voice answered
"Hel-lo" Amaka said slowly her voice shaking. She had never done this before
"Yes?"
"Am I speaking to Mr. Nwosu?"
"This is Ikenna. Who is this?"
"I got your number from..."
"Oh my God another one!" He exclaimed
"What?" Amaka sputtered confused
"Listen lady. Get a life. Have some dignity for Chrissake."
"Dignity" Amaka echoed
"Yes dignity. It's what prevents women from calling strange men at work"
"Work?" It was 10.30pm
"I am a very busy man" Mr. Nwosu continued. Hinting at Amaka to go away
"I'm so sorry to have disturbed you" Amaka apologised out of habit
"Don't be sorry. Don't call me again"
There was a click, then dial tone. Amaka stared at her phone. "I have suffered" she whispered to herself before turning to sob softly into her pillow, careful not to wake the kids.
The weekend meant one glorious thing to Amaka. An extra pair of hands. They came in various forms; a neighbour, a best friend. This Saturday it was the honour of her would be in-laws, The Cokers. Femi's parents lived in the centre of Abuja, not far from Nabila's parents, The Bellos. The twins went to visit roughly once a month and were always excited to go, mostly because of the swimming pool in the backyard. They packed their swimming trunk and swimming costume complete with inflatable toys before Amaka had even gotten up. They assaulted her in bed jumping and chanting "mommy let's start going." Amaka too tired to argue, called to say they were on their way and only offered an apple for breakfast knowing the kids would want to jump straight in the pool once they got there. She drove in and was met in front of their impeccable home by both Kunle and Lade Coker. As always Amaka was embarrassed by the act, it always felt like she kept them waiting. She strolled to the couple, knelt good morning and stood aside while they fussed over the children. The twins stayed long enough not to be rude before running towards the pool and diving in without a care in the world. Lade Coker shouted for the housegirl, Bisi, to take station by the water and watch over the twins. Amaka was led into the house and placed on the sofa like a trophy.
"Thank you so much for letting the twins swim around"
"Why of course" Kunle Coker said. He spoke what Amaka liked to call Old English. Dragging the last syllable of every word and ending it with a lilt. The first time she met him, she knew he was an Oxford man
"It is lovely to have the children over" Lade chipped in softly. Her non-verbal communication being she would like to see them more. Amaka did not know how to explain her need to be the primary care giver so she didn't bother
The silence went on for longer; but it was not uncomfortable. That was what Amaka liked about the Coker residence; there was never any useless chatter. If there was nothing to say; nothing was said and it was perfectly acceptable. She laid her head back and closed her eyes
"When last did you hear from Femi?" Lade asked with slightly wet eyes
"Last night"
"Oh. So he is alright?"
"Yes ma. He sends his love"
"No he doesn't." Kunle said "No need to be polite my dear, we know our son. He is an egomaniac, not even his children could make him return"
"Big Daddy..." Lade cautioned
"It's true" Kunle insisted. Amaka did not protest.
She watched Kunle reach across the sofa and pat his wife's hand. It was brief but filled with affection. He was so tender with her. Amaka always told Femi that he took his parents for granted. He insisted that based on the Nwafors every family looked golden, Amaka did not argue.
However years later saw an absent Femi and still she stuck to her guns. The Cokers were good people, genuinely good people and it was unfortunate they were blessed with a son that refused to acknowledge that. Kunle Coker was a retired lawyer, a self-made millionaire, and tried really hard to instil the lesson of hard work but Femi wasn't interested. He was surrounded by peers who spent their parents' political and ill-gotten money without a care in the world and labelled his father as a kill joy because he was kept on an allowance. Fast forward to University and Femi paid no attention to his studies, too busy on the lookout for the next big thing. He barely graduated very nearly getting kicked off the course.
When Amaka fell pregnant, Femi pushed his father for a loan totalling millions of naira. Kunle instead offered him a job. Femi viewed this as a clear power play and the discord began. As Amaka waited to be rescued from her parents' house in Anambra State by her knight in shining armour, and married to the love of her life. Femi continued to argue for money, calling his father unsupportive of his dreams even pushing for his inheritance upfront. Kunle refused each tactic, insisting Femi grow up and with that battle lines were drawn. Femi promised to return from America wealthier than his father, he swore on it. "Then I will marry you," he said to Amaka, "in a big wedding that all your sisters will be jealous of." Amaka didn't care about that, but Femi obviously did.
Lade got up to fetch Amaka something to drink ignoring her offers to help. She could tell how lonely the woman was. She just wanted her family all together, Amaka could relate with that.
"Where is Sade?" Amaka asked Kunle
"Ah she's resting" his eyes lit up when he spoke of his daughter.
"Is everything alright?"
"Eh her Autism is more manageable now" Kunle cast his eyes to the ceiling
"Or we're better with dealing with it. We've had eighteen years of practice" he laughed. Amaka joined in. For all his money and good intentions in the world Kunle was given two children: a son allergic to hard work and a daughter who was confined to her own world
"Here we are my dear" Lade dropped a tray of wafers and a bottle of Fanta with a glass on the table beside Amaka. She made to pour
"Ah Big Mommy please" Amaka rushed to stop her nearly toppling the tray in the process.
"The girl can pour her own drink" Kunle scolded gently and patted the cushion next to him for his wife to sit"
Lade was so eager to please that it ended up putting Amaka on edge. She sympathised with the woman's pain; her only son never contacts her and her daughter had good days and bad. She viewed Amaka as a surrogate and sometimes was too kind, almost as if to make up for Femi's flights of fancy. It always seemed like the woman was grooming her for something, it took Nabila to help Amaka see it.
"You are her saviour" Nabila said that night two years ago
"She is hoping you'll be the one to tame Femi and bring him to his senses"
"I have no control over Femi" Amaka protested
"Not the way she sees it. You are the good girl that will help her son settle down. As long as you are around, Femi will come home. That is why she is so nice to you. You are her life line to her son. The day you leave, you take the grandkids and him away"
"She has Sade"
"You know it's not the same"
"I'm going to check on the kids" Lade announced gravitating towards the sound of laughter
"More like watch over them" Kunle said when his wife was out of ear shot. Amaka smiled
They sat in silence, with occasional chit-chatter about work and the twins and current affairs. Kunle spoke slowly and without burden. There was no emotional blackmail involved, nor exaggerated lip service. Mostly it was silence, beautiful calming silence that Amaka rested in. She liked Kunle Coker. Just as she did the first time she met him, he pointed at her four months pregnant tummy and said boy-girl twins. He was right.
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