MY HUSBAND AND I (Part 5)
“Haaaa! Are you kidding me?” Deji screamed at her sobbing friend.
“Dear friend that’s my story..” Lara wiped a tear
“oh Lara you are too soft…she’s been in this house for weeks now, and you can’t throw her out?” Deji squealed.
“I think she has come to stay…” Lara began to say.
“Come to stay for where? Lara don’t just provoke me o! I wonder why I wasn’t in town all this while…” Deji bit her finger.
Just then Sophia walked lazily into the sitting room, she cat walked towards the fridge.
“Errm…Lara?” Sophia called out sipping from a bottle of yoghurt.
“Ma?” Lara said rising to her feet, to the surprise of Deji.
“Isn’t it high time you prepare lunch? I’m starving.” Sophia added authoritatively.
“Okay ma, Let me…” Lara began to say.
“Shut up!” Deji cut her short.
“Who is your ‘ma’ ? This ingrate? This monster with a face of a donkey?” Deji chided her.
“Who are you referring to?” Sophia dropped her bottle.
“You!” Deji replied rising up.
” you are the donkey! Oshi! Witch! I wonder what’s wrong with this Igbo woman! Husband snatcher!” Deji added with her hands akimbo.
“Deji please don’t!” Lara tried to stop her.
“Leave me jor! Abi she jazz you ni? Imagine this vegetable eating Igbo claiming oyinbo! Olori buru ku!” Deji body shook as she spoke.
“You don’t dare insult me!” Sophia glared at her.
“Insult ke! I’ll beat you ni! Rubbish!” Deji pushed Sophia roughly.
Wham! Sophia slapped Deji.
“Deji…” Lara was alarmed.
“Haaaa! Yeeee! You slapped me? You dey form Igbo geh abi? I go show you say I no be Yoruba geh for nothing!” Deji screamed before grabbing Sophia from her feet.
They engaged in a scuffle, Deji sitting atop Sophia feeding her with punches and slaps.
“Deji please…” Lara was very frightened.
“Deji to ri Olorun, please stop!” she finally pulled Deji off Sophia.
“Allow me jor! Lemme show this Donkey!” Deji charged at Sophia again.
“No No No! Deji don’t!” Lara pushed her friend into a sofa, giving Sophia the opportunity to run into the guest room.
“You have to go now!” Lara led the fuming Deji towards the exit.
“Are driving me away?”
“No…I don’t want Tony to meet you here…please, I can handle it..” Lara pushed her forward.
“Ehen the Tony sef! Let him come na, lemme teach him his own lesson!” Deji ranted.
“Noooo, just go please! For my sake!” Lara pleaded with her.
“Okay! If anything should happen, call me! You hear?” Deji ordered.
“Yes, bye!” Lara rushed to her room.
She sat down at her bed’s edge. She knew she was in hot soup. Tony won’t spare her.
...
Lara supported her aching head with her hands, she was far far away in the land of thought’s and imaginations.
“Lara!”
Yikes! Tony is back! When did he come back, she must have thought deep!
“Lara!” Tony called out again.
“Sir?” she walked out of her room, her legs were weak, her heart pounding furiously.
“Welcome!” she flexed her knee
“What did you do to her?” Tony gestured towards Sophia who was weeping profusely.
Lara’s heart missed uncountable beats, her eyes widened in terror
“I…I…I….d…d id…not..did…” she began to stammer.
A resounding slap landed on her right cheek, making her mouth to twist, She saw stars
“You are really proving to be stubborn! This illiterate girl!” Tony ranted as he pulled a cable off the TV set.
Lara backed away on sighting the wire he was holding.
“Come back here!” Tony ordered
She didn’t obey, instead she stood by the wall staring him wide eyed.
“Okay then, let me come to you!”
Tony walked towards her, his eyes were bloodshot.
Lara shut her eyes tightly, as the cable landed on her arm. She didn’t wince or let out a cry, she just stood there absorbing all the pains.
She walked quietly into her room after Tony had let her go.
She poured some cold water on her head, she thought it was on fire.
She looked up at her reflection in the mirror.
Her right eye was swollen and red, tiny lines of blood streaked through the corner of her lips.
She let her tears flow freely, she wished he