KIKE & BRYANN

She scoops the hot boiled yams gently into the mortal. She sets the hot pot of remaining water from the yams aside and begins to pound. This was the second set of yams that she was pounding this evening. The first ones were already wrapped in a mould of 20 pieces. This would make another 20 pieces of wrapped pounded yam. The men in the house ate a lot! It's already 5:30 pm and soon Edafe's younger brothers will begin to demand for their dinner. Ovie at 32 and Kigho at 28 were her husband's brothers who started living with them many months ago immediately after they completed this duplex. The 5-bedroom apartment could accommodate them all hence, she had nothing to say about their stay.

Thankfully, the pot of goat meat Egusi soup was ready. She had spent the sum of 25 thousand naira to buy the ingredients required to prepare this meal and the stew she had cooked. With her calculations, the big pot of soup with more than 80 pieces of meat aside from the huge chunks of fish will last the household for the next 3 days. Feeding has relatively been expensive and tiring as she bears the burden alone. She presumes that Edafe who rarely eats swallows may not even repeat eating the soup. Her husband of 8 years was a very picky eater. Hence she also prepared a pot of chicken stew earlier. Her business has been doing well in the last couple of days, hence she was grateful.

The sweats trickle down her face as she pounds the yam furiously to a perfect consistency. She worked so hard to remove the pelt-up emotions inside of her. This was hard work and one she could not avoid. The softness of the yam could be seen even before one touched it. Edafe hates the one made by the poundo machine. He would not even eat the powdered poundo which was quite popular in the market. She had to make the one he desires. Bringing the cooler, she dishes Edafe's meal out and wrapped them neatly. “This is what a Christian woman must do to gain God's favour for a child” she repeats this mantra in her head as she worked tirelessly.

Standing at 5ft 7, she was tall and well built but all her curves were hidden in the Bubu (free-flowing) gown she wore. A woman’s beauty was to be seen by her husband alone! This was Edafe’s motto. Hence no make-up, trousers or any other revealing outfits except these native gowns. She did not even wear any jewellery.

“Sister Grace good evening” Kesiena’s voice calls from behind. Her name was also changed to Grace! He did not like calling her Kike. He was a traditional man and preferred only Urhobo names in his household. Since she was not Urhobo, then an English name would suffice! Kesiena, her husband's loving younger sister came into the kitchen to help. A timely help to her and she adores her presence in the very turbulent household.

“Evening my love. You closed early. How was the shop today?”

“Fine o. I completed the last gown my madam gave me. It was so fine that she dashed me an extra 2k!!” the girl shrieked.

“Kesiena you are seriously enjoying as a senior worker. Have they finished painting your store in preparation for the freedom” Kike asked

“Sis, let me leave that store gist first. My freedom is in three months. I still have enough time. Let me help you tidy up. Ha! you finished cooking? You are so fast and it smells good.”

“Yes, my love. I am just dishing out your brother's own before I rush to bathe with all this sweat.”

“Please go and take your bath to let me continue.” Kesiena offered.

“Thanks, kes”

Kike stood up from the stool as Kesiena her youthful sister-in-law of 25 years began to clean up the mortal and tidy up the kitchen. She rushes upstairs to take her bath. As she moved briskly she glances at her wedding pictures on the wall. 8 years of marriage is summarized in several stages. Last year, they moved into this property of theirs. A duplex of 5 rooms and two flats at the back. The living room was a large space painted orange colour and furnished with black cushions. The entrance door opens into the dining area sitting 6 chairs and a glass dinner table. The staircase was leading down to the dining and living room. The kitchen had both an entrance door from the dining and another to the back. It was also spacious.

Kike sighed as she ascended into the passage that leads to her bedroom. She shared one with Edafe and it was the master bedroom. Taking off her gown, she sat down on the bed feeling exhausted as she wrapped her hands around her firm rounded boobs. Her breasts and big hips use to be quite remarkable but now, they looked so lanky. Her very light complexion skin was no longer glowing as she looked dark. It has been so long since she had any form of skincare. She could see that she has emaciated greatly in the last six months of moving into this house.

The journey had been a tough one for her but she is hopeful that things will get better by the day. As a serious Christian, Kike prays for a new marital song of joy and fruitfulness. Standing up from the bed, her lean figure swayed from side to side in dejection. She reaches the bathroom and began to take her bath amidst the body pain.

Every morning, she wakes up at 4 am. After her morning prayers, she goes to the kitchen to prepare breakfast which usually consists of bread, eggs, baked beans or sausages. Ukodo (yam pepper soup with goat meat) for Fridays and moi moi (bean cake) for Saturdays. Sunday morning was rice and it was always prepared the night before. When this was not done, it usually leads to quarrels in the household. To make matters worse, Ovie had slapped her one morning for failing to prepare food when she had her painful menstruation. Edafe did nothing about the incident. He simply said a hungry man is an angry man and besides, she was not the first woman to mensurate.

Her life was not usually like this.......

Nine years ago while undergoing her master's degree at the University of Lagos, she met and fell in love with Edafe. He was a nice and sweet young man always showering her with attention. Extremely caring and very gentle in speech. Her adopted father had just passed away and Judge Rahila who was her guardian was very busy at the time with her family matters. Kike did not want to be a burden to anyone at the young age of 22 hence she opted for marriage.

The judge whose billionaire husband was ill at the time of the courtship gave her blessing because she married young even when Kike’s siblings opposed the marriage. They argued that she was too young and too naive to be married to a man like Edafe.

However, since they all love Judge Rahila, they could not object further. The good judge sponsored the wedding celebration as Kike was her responsibility. After the wedding, Kike's siblings disappeared from her life. The lovely newlywed moved to Port Harcourt to begin a new life. Kike is a computer analyst, tech developer and website creator. She quickly rented a building and bought a lot of computers for her business centre. From typing, photocopying, and digital printing, she opens websites for businesswomen and online traders. She worked with a lot of business people. Her monthly income was huge so she saved a lot. The land for their home was bought in the second year of their marriage while she saved towards developing it.

After three years of no pregnancy, she visited several hospitals regularly but nothing seemed to be the issue with her. Although She had painful mensuration, it was not all the time. Frustration began to set in as Edafe's family kept on demanding a child. His mother Uruemu made it her duty to call Kike giving her ultimatums to leave her son. Still, the years rolled without even a miscarriage. Edafe was a contractor and he borrowed money from several cooperatives to buy trucks for a transport business to make his income steady as the contracts were becoming less often. Kike helped to pay several of the loans back.

The fights began in the fourth year of the marriage. Kike saw text messages of infidelity after her loyalty. She would often experience a burning sensation while urinating. The doctor confirmed sexually transmitted infections. She confronted Edafe in anger. Every one of the confrontations led to fights and every fight led to injuries. He would punch her in the eyes or lose his belt on her. They would fight for several days with no peace in sight. Afterwards, he would beg her by buying suya home or a bag of groceries. He would sometimes tell her that he was testing his fertility outside rather than going to the hospital with her. Kike would forgive him and experience peace for a while.

Edafe led her to borrow the sum of 26 million naira for the execution of a contract using one of her landed properties as collateral. Kike was confident of paying the loan back without his help if she embarks on several tech projects. Slowly she gave him the money to give to Mrs Ufuoma the agent and accounting officer who arranged for the loan.

During her fifth marriage anniversary, her elder sister, the wife of a major general in the Nigerian army visited her in their rented apartment. The family had relocated to port Harcourt to start a new life. Even though they were some miles apart in the city, Mrs Adebimpe was glad to be closer to her younger sister who grew up without the rest of the siblings. She gifted Kike the sum of five million naira to invest in anything. However, she had one request.

“I know you prefer mummy Rahila to anyone but now that she is out of the country, let me play your mummy role. Kike kilode... You don't look your age at all. You are in your twenties but you look worn out. This union is exhausting. I know you are born again and all that but this man you are married to, he does not love you. He is treating you terribly. Make up your mind and leave him. We will support you”

That piece of advice made her further distant from her sister. The woman knew, hence she rarely calls her. Kike was all alone. Her brothers had left Nigeria immediately after her wedding to Australia, where they lived with their families all their lives. No one checks on her and she could not make any friends as Edafe was against it. He said friends were behind several home breakage. Not wanting to be seen with injuries every time, she learnt to keep quiet every time Edafe was drunk or angry. Slowly she began to build the duplex. Edafe supported her with one million naira for the painting after two years of building alone. Finally, it was completed and dedicated. They moved in with so much happiness and rented out the two apartments attached to the building.

In less than a week of moving in, Ovie the immediate younger brother of Edafe moved in. At first, he said he came to portharcourt for a job from Warri. Subsequently, he refused to leave even when she asked him when he was going back. He was a year older than her and demanded respect in everything. From the way, she served his food to doing his laundry. Despite having a washing machine, he would ask her to wash his clothes. Kike would expect Edafe to defend her but he never did. A few weeks later, Kigho the last son of Edafe's mother with Kesiena who wanted to become a fashion designer after her youth service visited the house. The three of them settled down in the house but only Kesiena helped out with the cleaning, laundry and kitchen duties. The other men expected to be served like kings. To make matters worse, her inability to conceive a child was a constant talk as she was reminded whenever something was wrong in the house.

Edafe's contract expired and all he had was the truck he used for transport business which was not so lucrative. He would rarely go to work but he found time to drink alcohol and keep late nights. It became her responsibility to feed the entire house without any contribution from the men. She would buy diesel for the generator and pay the electricity bill. When the month ended she had to buy foodstuffs to stock up the house. It was financially, physically, mentally and emotionally distressing for her but she refused to complain.

Church was her stronghold hence Edafe insist she must be called Grace. He said she carried grace for progress and she accepted the name. She was the women's leader in the church and she contributes financially to every program or church project.

The sound of Edafe’s corolla car horn put her in a jolt in the bathroom. She hurriedly began rinsing her body forgetting the tears that her painful memories brought. When will it end?

Kiesena had just finished cleaning the kitchen floor when her brothers arrived.

“Kess, what did Grace cook for dinner?”Kigho asked rudely as he walked into the kitchen to see his younger sister washing the dishes.

“Egusi soup and pounded yam” Kesiena replies frowning at him. He usually gets on her nerves so he was not perturbed about her frowning.

“Yoruba people and Egusi soup. Can she not cook banga soup and starch? Or even fried rice and turkey for a change?” he hissed.

“It's not bad if you bring the money for her to cook it. I know sister Grace will not reject it” kiesena replies hissing also.

“You are very rude. Come on give me food to eat! Supporters club! Nonsense!”

Ovie the elder one, who was watching the scene began pressing his phone as he scans the kitchen with his eyes.

“Kesiena!” he calls

“Yes,” she responds still angry.

“My girl is coming, dish her own plate and add it to my own”

“Bros your food has already been served. You and Joan can manage these 5 portions of meat in it. It's enough.” Kesiena said pushing his coolers and wraps of pounded yam towards him

“But I am looking at the pot of soup loaded over there,” ovie says, pointing to the pot of soup

“And it is not for once eating. You and I know Bros has not dropped money in a while. We should help sis in management” Kesiena cried in anger.

“You are very stupid! Will you put many more pieces of meat inside this plate? You Goat! Am talking you are talking! Manage my ass! When Bros Edafe was making serious money, who was eating it? Was it not her fat self? Because now that the man does not have, she cannot sustain the family. That is why she is barren like stone. And you Kess, you are supporting her rubbish in this house, right? Women and your rotten mindset.” he hissed as he dishes lots of meat into his soup bowl. He picks six more wraps of the pounded yam and climbs upstairs.

Edafe enters the house with his friend. They move straight into the dining as the aroma of the food fills the atmosphere.

“Kesiena where is my wife?”

“Migwo sir! She is upstairs. Should I serve your food?”

“Please do and serve for my friend too,” he says.

Kesiena goes into the kitchen, removes a portion of the soup into a bowl and places it in the freezer. She also arranges her eldest brother's meal which his wife had served adding some portion for his friend. The house bell rings again to signal a guest and she did not need to bother looking because she was sure it was Joan.

The soup was loaded with meat and thick rounded dried fish. Kesiena placed the six swallows alongside the soup but in separate bowls.

"Kesiena is the food not ready yet?" Edafe called after two minutes. He was known to be very impatient and mouthy.

"Bros I am coming" she replied loudly from the kitchen.

"Can never be me in my husband's house. Sister Grace is trying" Kesiena grumbles to herself.

Fetching the water for washing their hands in a bowl, she placed them all in a large tray and moved them to the dining where they sat. The hungry friend licked his mouth as he watched her approach. This made her deepen the frown plastered across her face.

"Migwo sir"

"Vrendo"

"Is it today my wife cooked this meal?"

"Yes, uncle."

“She could not make jollof rice or coconut rice? She knows I don't like to swallow like that!” Kesiena kept quiet but fumed inwardly.

The men began to eat almost immediately.

She returned to the kitchen as Joan came downstairs.

"We need more soup and swallow," the slim girl said. Her presence has always irritated Kesiena and she had tried to ignore it but not tonight.

"You can take raw yam and peel it. Because the swallow is finished," she responded rolling her eyes.

"But I am seeing two in that bowl" Joan objected.

"That is for who cooked the food. Madam, please drink water if you are not full or go back home and eat in your house."

"There is no need to be rude because of one smelling food" Joan fired back

"You can call it smelling food but you dey hustle for am" Kesiena hissed.

"What is taking so long?" Ovie asked from behind his girlfriend as he entered the kitchen.

"Your sister is being very insulting" Joan scowled.

"What is wrong with you?" He says as he picks the remaining swallow in the bowl and goes to the pot.

"Bros that is for Sister Grace. She has not eaten. Please drop it" Kesiena says.

"And so? I will not eat at my brother's house because of his useless wife! Joan let's go upstairs."

They left the kitchen and Kesiena sulked in anger. She was furious and muttered to herself.

"Kess bring more water" her eldest brother called from the dining. She did and cleared their plates. They had eaten everything in a heartbeat. She watched her brother's wife descend the stairs and she shook her head in agony. This is not a household to be in.