IT'S BEEN SIX MONTHS- Chronicles of Imade (part 3)

"una good morning ooo..."a shrill female voice rang from the car's FM stereo. "Na your number one ogbonge station 99.5 fm bring you better tory this morning... if you still dey lie down abeg wake up time don reach to go work...and if you don dey road, send request of any song wey you like make we play the song for you." Ending the round of pidgin English with a chuckle, she switched gears into queen's English in a deceptively smooth manner "Take a deep breathe and enjoy your Monday. While we wait for your requests, let's fill the atmosphere with love by playing a song from Ed Sheeran's, loving you...!!!! "


Dave turned to his wife and took her hand as he hummed the song from the Radio.

 "So darling i'll be....loving you....till we're 70....!!! Ese echoed loudly after the radio..."

"seventy isn't enough baby....110 maybe....eternity would do..." Dave chuckled and kissed her hand.

"Which kind life be this sef?" Imade cursed underneath her breathe...anyone who didn't have someone to love them would simply die or commit suicide- this phrase was tautology but only then would anyone understand the impact of her sister's love-life on her. This was the torture she was subjected to every Monday morning following a weekend at the Brandon's they all went to work together. Dave usually drove; One would think there'd be a driver taking them to work, but her bro-in-law insisted on driving to work on a daily bases, the drivers were only called on for official duties or when he deemed it necessary.
Today was different though. They would be dropping her off at her new office. Her sister had insisted on going with her so she could know her office- just in case anything happened, whatever that meant to her

"okay take the next turn big bro..." Imade told Dave

"okay...oh, the guy bought this building? that's progressive" he said as he observed the complex

"yes....but tell your boss he needs to work on the parking space" 

"that's not my business i just want to work" Imade replied her sister

"bye baby...call me if you need anything"

"i'm no longer a child Mrs Ayodele Brandon!"

"have a good day" Ese chuckled as her sister walked towards the complex

"she needs a car, i guess it's about time i got Imade a car" Ese said as her husband reversed the car

"well, do whatever makes you happy...i say she needs it too"

"her birthday is so close, that could make a pleasant surprise..."

"yea it would"


*****************


Charles reined in his temper as he argued with his brother's wife over the phone... "Katherine, that is final, if you don't agree with it, then leave. No one is begging you!"

Katherine let out a loud scream, wailing before ending the call
These monsters called women went into marriages with a mission. He knew Katherine wouldn't do anything; she had no option but to stay put. By the time that boy turned six, the conditional clauses he had put in the agreement would keep her in check....one of them stated that if at age six the child didn't have  a proper signature, the mother would have to wait till he did...no child had proper signatures even at ten, he knew Katherine was in for a long ride.

"Good morning sir..."Imade greeted him on entering  his office

"you couldn't knock?"

"i did... before coming in sir"

"courtesy demands that you wait for my approval before heading into my office"

"sir, in official settings, you make a soft rap on the door and then walk in. The knock is to inform the person that someone is coming in"

"no...that only applies if the office is a shared space, this is an individualized office, meaning i occupy it alone... so next time knock, wait for my approval before coming in"

"noted sir, though i still maintain that it is an office and i did give the soft knock before i came in.."

this girl is defiant, she would make a good lawyer...he thought

" By the way, you were ten minutes late!"

"i apologize, i had to wait for my chauffeur"

"your boyfriend you mean?"

"no, i just said my chauffeur"

"the boyfriend could be a chauffeur too"

"It was my sister and her husband sir, and i don't even have a boyfriend" she tiffed

"oh.."he said clearing his throat, "you can go to your office the secretary would bring the guidelines for you.... i also expect you to prepare for the next court proceedings, everything will be explained in the handbook she would bring to you. Meanwhile, you would be given an official car as part of your benefits"

"wow! thank you sir... i really appreciate"

"no problem, now you have no need for a chauffeur- your sister and her husband or a boyfriend" he cleared his throat again

"yes... thanks" Imade wondered why she made the no-boyfriend-slip...maybe she was still hurting from the text-message Philip episode or maybe she was feeling back on the market and wanted him to know. Maybe not- this man is kinda weird, he seemed to dislike the females. "I'll return to my office sir" she said as she walked out of the office. His office space was beginning to feel too small for the both of them.

"Charles! whats wrong with you?" he sighed to himself. Why was he so interested in her love life? she wasn't entitled to an official car so why had he given her one? Just because he saw her in the car with another man the last time. Come to think of it, he had felt some relief when she told him she had been brought to work by her sister and the husband. Whatever this was, he would have to keep it in check. The girl was barely 26, he was about ten years older than her....


************


Ember hissed as she watched her husband drive into the compound. She yearned for Lagos. She missed her life there. Her life had been perfect till a year ago when she married this gold digger of a man who had promised her heaven and lied his way into her heart. After marriage, she had been asked by her sick father to come take over the family  business in Uyo, and then her fiancee proposed. she had been elated. Her proposal had come months after her friend and colleague's grand proposal, but she had married much earlier than Ese. Mostly because Philip was in a rush and she was pregnant.

"welcome home darling" she kissed him

"hey, i missed you"

"me too..."she feigned a smile."so how did the training go?"

"i learned so much dear, so much"

Ember knew her husband was a natural liar, she had checked for the training excerpts and found none noteworthy online. If Philip had begun this wild goose chase with her, she would help him cover his charade with a scar!

"how's my daughter?" he asked as he took off his clothes

"she's fine, sleeping at the moment"

"oh that's good to hear" He chuckled

"i think you can apply to a few organisations for a new job with this your new training, you would have an edge"

"baby, i run my own business...i really don't see myself working for anyone"

"oh really, you do not run anything besides your string of womanizing...if you don't get a job, you will go broke"

"what's that? i shouldn't have to struggle for finances  when we can both draw money from the family account whenever we want"

"well, i ensured you were removed as a signatory to the account...you almost ran us broke-just eight months in Lagos and you spent a whooping sum of five million naira. You no longer have access to that account or anyone for that matter, pick up your credentials, wear a tie and go get a job!" Ember spat

Philip opened his mouth to talk but he shut it as he heard his daughter's cry,
"i'll go check on my daughter" he said as he left the room

"uh, uh, don't bother, i'm her mother, be her father... go get a job Philip!" Ember went after him. She had already made her decision...this marriage would never work. In just one year of marriage, her friend had moved up the stakes and although they hadn't kept in touch, she could see her progress on social media. Ese had turned an ant hill into a mountain. If she would follow suit, she had to cut off this drain she called a husband.



to be continued.......