A woman's dilemma - Episode 15

 

Claudia:

 I push past Francesca and make my way inside her collosal mansion. Amy skips after me. I look around for Francis. The screams we heard from outside the doors is obviously his. And my friend's.
"This is great?" I turn back to Claudia and her little boy. The red mark against her cheek stands out. I try not to focus on it . Or her dishevelled hair. My hands curl into fists. Where's husband dearest?
"I can't believe you guys are here." Frances must have recovered from her shock because her usual confident self is back. She sashays in front of me to stop my further movement.
"You should take a seat while I get you girls something to drink." She points to a plush seat. 
"Why don't you ask one of your house helps to take care of that.I feel like you're not happy to see us." I say. Frances laughs nervously and looks besides me to Amy.
"Stop badgering her, Claudia. I'll have a glass of 5alive." Amy comes between us and laughs good-naturedly.
"What will you have Claudia?" She looks at me and her eyes pleads with me to be nice. I relax my shoulders.
"A diet Coke please." I say earning a chuckle from Frances. My brow shoots up at her.
"Claudia watching her weight now? Didn't think I'll see the day." She laughs harder

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. Her son watches her like she's grown a second head.
"Don't you see her boobs! I swear both of you grew up without me!" Amy puts in and I elbow her side.
"Boobs?" Frances' son asks  with wrinkled brows and Amy looks a  bit guilty for saying  boobs in front of a child. Frances only doubles over in laughter at her expense but it doesn't reach her tired eyes.
"1 litre coke please. I don't need the pet size." I lightly change my drink with a chuckle. Frances' eyes shine brightly and this time it has nothing to do with the grief I saw in them when she opened the door. Just before she slipped her smiley mask on.
"Gosh I miss us.  Group hug?" Amy says when the laughter dies down. Both mine and Frances' head shake at her cheesiness. Frances looks to me as if to ask if Amy is serious right now.
"She hasn't changed one bit. And I'm not just talking about boobs size." I crack up again and Amy pouts.
"I'll get your drinks." Frances starts to leave but Amy blocks her path.
"I'll take him then. He needs to meet his godmothers​." She says pointing to the child on Frances' hips. The kid looks from his mother to the innocent looking Amy.
"Go on. She's nice." Frances put him down in front of Amy then leaves to get our drinks. The boy looks awkwardly from Amy to me. Amy stoops in front of him and puts her hand out to him for a handshake.
"Hi. I'm Aunt Amy and she's Aunt Claudia. We both think you're cute." She says with a wink at the little boy. She takes the boy's hand and shake it lightly.
"Oh! He has a firm shake. He really is a man already, Claudia." Amy grins at the little boy who looks just about proud to be called a man.
"Mommy says I'm just a little boy. But I can do this." The little boy flex his tiny biceps. The look of concentration on his face just cracks me up.
"My name is Olawunmi. I'm four years old." He puts five fingers up instead of four. I squat beside him and drop one of his finger.
"That's four." I correct him with a smile. The little boy's face falls as he looks at his fingers.
"Dad says I'm stupid like mommy." He says with tears in his eyes. Amy starts coughing awkwardly at his words. I just see red.
"What?!" I scream. Ola drops his hand and scramble away from my loud outburst.
"Claudia." Amy touches my shoulder and shakes her head at me. I close the distance between me and the little boy.
"I think your father is the stupid one." I tell the boy who looks confused on what to do with the woman saying his father is stupid.
"Any kid can make a mistake. All that matters is that you can take correction. You understand me?" I ask. He nods slowly. Amy pats his head down.
"Now show me four with your fingers." I instruct. He looks down at his hand and pulls it up slowly. He pulls out the usual five fingers then drop the exact same finger I put down earlier.
 I grin at him. He's awesome.
"Come here." I crowd his body in my arms while Amy, the lover of all things sappy, comes up to hug us both.
"Will you girls stop suffocating my son." Francesca's voice breaks the little party and I carefully pull away from the little boy.
"Your boy is quite smart." I say as I take my seat. I notice the bruise on her cheek is gone. Concealer is a very good thing. That just makes me more suspicious. As she hands me my drink, my eyes doesn't stray from that side of her face. She catches my eyes and put a hand on her cheek.
"Don't worry. It's all covered up." I say a bit icily.
"I don't know what you are talking about." She drops my drink on the small chair beside me and walk to Amy and her son. She hands them their drinks then sit on the other side of the room without making eye contact with me.
"Francesca you--" I pause then look at the little boy currently soaking up Amy's attention while he munches on some biscuits his mom just put in his hand.
"Ola, can you go upstairs to your room for a while? Mommy has to have grown up talk with her friends."
"But dad is ups--" the boy starts to say but his mother's eyes stops him short. Frances laughs awkwardly as she stands up to take Ola's hand.
"I'll just take him to his nanny." She says and starts upstairs. When's she out of sight Amy speaks up.
"What are you doing?!" She asks.
"He's hurting her. Can't you see?!" I say on an outburst. Amy rubs her face with shaky hands.
"We can't be sure." She says.
"Those screams we heard. The bruise on her cheek." I point out.
"Just be mild for once. Our friend doesn't need the pressure. She needs our support. She'll tell us when she can."
"You always avoid confrontations! You have to take things by the horn, Amy! I swear I'm going to harvest his balls if I get to him. I can't believe such a man is running for office as our governor." I say in disgust. Amy goes to say something when Frances comes back down the stairs. Awkward silence descends on the room.
"You can't let him get away with this." I say mildly to Frances.
"With what?!" Her eyes challenge me to say more. I don't care. I say more.
"The bruises. How many more are you hiding under the perfect make up?" I ask.
"Claudia--" Amy warns.
"You don't know what you're talking about!" Frances seethes.
"Of course I do! He's hurting you! Hell, even his son! You should stand for yourself! This isn't the Frances I left in Nigeria."
"That's enough!" She screams and Amy jumps in her seat. Frances makes her way to me and gets face to face with me. I don't even flinch.
"You don't know any damn thing. He's my husband! I have a child! What would you have me do! People will blame me! Because I'm the woman! I have to hold my family together. I don't want my father to say I told you so. I don't want my mother to beat herself up for not being able to see what I'm going through. I don't want the world to see that I'm a failure." She looks distraught. Her tears tear at my heart.
"Frances where is the girl with too much sass that I used to know? You used to chew men and spit them out for fun." I make for her but she moves back.
"I guess she got fat." She says.
What?!
"You're not fat!" Amy retorts. Frances snorts.
"Look at me. I'm huge." She says.
"You're perfect. Is this what Francis does? Make you doubt yourself? This is the pride of an African woman. Big breasts and fat ass. We feed our children with these breasts. You are beautiful." Amy says. Frances shakes her head.
"You need to leave him." I say firmly. Both women's eyes fly to me.
"Or I'll skin him alive." I say.
"I can't." Frances says her eyes straying to look upstairs. Is Francis up there?
"Why?"
"Don't you know about the stigma of divorced women?! He might even take my son from me. He's a powerful man." She whispers like she doesn't want to be heard. She slumps into her seat with a tired sigh.
"Your father is the powerful man Frances. We're also here for you."
"It's not that simple. This isn't just dating. It's a marriage. I don't think I can take the loneliness of being alone. I can't." I go to say something but she puts her hand up.
"Can we talk about something else? Please." Her eyes focus on the stairs again so I sigh and relent.
"Of course! Guess what?! I think I'm going to nursing school!" Amy expertly changes the topic. Frances visibly relaxes as Amy fills her in on why she didn't finish her degree in medical laboratory science.
"You know I can help you get into Lagos State teaching hospital nursing school!" Frances says as she pulls her phone from her jumpsuit's pocket.
"I'll just get in on my own, Frances. Don't worry." Amy tries to dissuade​ her.
"Don't be silly. Moreover, I think the registration form has expired. And there's no sense in waiting for next year.

Read " Beautiful Mask " by the same author ( Ameh juliet )

. I'll call my friend and have her put your name in the admission list. Trust me." She punches a number into a phone and talks briefly with someone on the phone. Amy looks to me and I shrug.
"There. You're in." Frances grins at us both.
"Wh--wh--what? Just like that?!" I ask while Amy gapes at her.
"Just like that. There are pros of marrying a politician I guess. Oh Amy, you have to start next week. Year is already in session." Frances looks so pleased with herself.
"Thanks so much I guess." Amy manages to say. I think she's still trying to let the news sink in.
"No biggie." Frances waves her on. A comfortable silence falls on the room and we all sip on our drink. I notice Amy bite down on her lips nervously.

We now know Francesca's reason for keeping quiet about her marital problems. Is she being stupid or perhaps is she wise?