Whenever Ireti visited her
mother-in-law, her teeth were always on edge.
Ruth, her mother-in-law is now in her mid 70s, frail and ailing, but as full of spite as when Ireti married her precious son 15 years ago. “Ruth and I had always been at war,” confessed Ireti, “but Gboye, my husband was unaware of this.
Ruth, her mother-in-law is now in her mid 70s, frail and ailing, but as full of spite as when Ireti married her precious son 15 years ago. “Ruth and I had always been at war,” confessed Ireti, “but Gboye, my husband was unaware of this.
He’d been the result of an
affair his mum had with a wealthy industrialist who bought mother and son a
house, but kept the ‘embarrassment’ of a love-child away from his family. In
spite of this shabby treatment from Gboye’s father, Ruth was always throwing
his name around and telling people how much money he lavished on her.
Ireti said, “After the man
died, when Gboye was in his teens, his mum had poured all her love onto her
only child. No wonder he worshiped her. Her frailness never concealed her
razor-sharp tongue, especially when we’re alone together. “Gboye and I had
gotten married when, we met abroad, so I was already a mother of two when we came
back home.
The first time I met her,
she became hostile as soon as her son left the room, and instead of being
intimidated by her hostility, my back was up! Who did she think she was? I was
in the kitchen when she’d whispered to Gboye that he should have married a more
suitable wife—only she was loud enough for me to hear.
On our way home, I’d
warned that if she would continue to be unfriendly, I wouldn’t visit any more.
But Gboye pleaded I should be patient with her that she was just
over-protective of him. That was hog-wash as far as I was concerned, and by the
time I’d known her a couple of years, I’d realized how devious she was.
To everyone else, she was a
sweet old thing who doted on her son. To me she was vicious! My pounded yam was
always lumpy. The house not clean enough and the children (now four) rowdy. I
hated her as much as she hated me. Only, there was this silent agreement to
pretend to get along for Gboye’s sake.
That was why I swallowed my
rage at her catty digs, plastered on a fake smile when she visited. ‘It’s a
relief to see both of you get on so well,’ Gboye had observed with pride on our
way from one of our visits to her. I bit my tongue hard to stop me from
disagreeing with him. “Shortly after this, Gboye dropped his bombshell—Ruth couldn’t
be trusted to live on her own. Her health was failing and he would love for her
to live with us. What? On a permanent basis? All I know was that we’d be at
each other’s throats all the time if we lived under the same roof—that
calculating dragon was bound to drive me round the bend? The news so caught me
unawares that I burst into tears.
Gboye was alarmed. Didn’t I
want his mum living with us? he asked, confused. “Of course I do,” I lied. “The
thing is, I’ve been having my own health problems lately and what with work and
the children, I sometimes feel everything’s just getting on top of me.” Gboye
was now really concerned. He wanted to know what was wrong and I’d had to
invent a disease, symptoms of which a friend recently discussed with me.
He consoled me and seemed
to have forgotten about wanting his mum to live with us. But I knew it would be
a matter of weeks before that witch would bring up the topic again. Discreetly
I visited Gboye’s uncle who had always been nice to me and who was aware of the
hostility between Ruth and I, and cried my heart out to him. He told me to dry
my tears. His house was virtually free now the children were grown, and Ruth
would be more than welcome to live with him and his wife. They had a couple of
servants and I promised to chip in at the expense of Ruth’s upkeep but he waved
off the offer. He then suggested I shouldn’t say anything to Gboye, he would
make it look as if it was his idea.
“It was a relieved Gboye
who came home a couple of days later to tell me what a wonderful option his
uncle just suggested to him. Relief surged through me but I quickly hid it as
we got ready to give Ruth the good news. ‘I’m glad she would be looked after by
her younger brother’, Gboye enthused. ‘She’ll be fine, and knowing her, she would
adjust in no time’. I’d won this battle!
As we discussed the option of her
moving in with her brother, she glared with pure hatred at me—but I looked
through her. I wished I could stick out my tongue at her in triumph. Fancy
living with that kind of a woman and for God knows how many years! People like
her seldom die easily!”
Story By Bunmi Sofola
Hehe heh heeee
ReplyDeleteThe battle is not over she shall luk for a reason to move out of her brother's house and move in with you, so don't be relax. Talking from experience
ReplyDeleteJust pray u ain't seen nofink yet
ReplyDelete