After Grad - Episode 4

 

THERE’S A POPULAR YORUBA adage that says; A woman's life wraps up fast. And it was because of his wifes childlessness that these words kept reoccurring to him. The poor man didn't want to be likened to a riverflow with no traces left behind. He was bald, but his grey beard was a proof of his old age; his humped back sunk him further to the afterlives of his ancestors. Several years ago, he'd gotten glamorously married to Afolashade, and out of sheer love too . However, the chubby woman wasnt the first hed ever met.

     Ibukunoluwa, the name flashed back to his memory with a preceding heartache. It was the name of the goddess that sauntered into his life in his early twenties; an angel that literally swept him off his feet back at the dinky village of Alushekere. She was the only daughter of the famous Iya alata. Women, and young men especially, would gather round the old woman's stand at the market every Tuesdays and Thursdays to buy her fresh, red pepper. But of course, that wasn't the actual reason why she had such loyal customers: The small crowd arose from Ibukunoluwas natural beauty. Eleduwa must have moulded that lady from the purest of clay.

     Uncle Dele was just as lovestruck as other young men back then. Every Tuesdays and Thursdays, he would visit the market in his finest buba and Kembe

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. He would gallivant to Iya alata's stand and ask for the prices of the pepper he wouldn't even buy. Anything to get the attention of his piquant goddess, as he liked to refer to her. Ibukun definitely loved the affection he showered upon her and he knew it. He'd taken note of the way her lips morphed into a sheepish smile as she rattled off the prices of the fresh pepper piled up on her mother's unhealthy wooden table.

     When it was narrowed down to beauty, Ibukunoluwa had no competitor at the village. When it was narrowed further down to dressing, Ibukunoluwa was still on top. Other young girls would eye her clothes with poorly concealed jealousy. Her iro and buba were adorned with the most unique tie and dye prints; her sense of colour, and the way she matched those tricky patterns was impeccable. Every Sunday, Iya Kunle, the hairdresser, would visit Iya alata's house after the womens cooperative meeting. She would sew those long, silky strands of Ibukunoluwa's hair into the most beautiful plait. 

     All these qualified her as a goddess, and the pleasant fragrance of lofinda filled the nostrils of anyone lucky enough to be around her.

     Uncle Dele loved that smell, so much so that he would follow her all the way down to the stream every morning to get a whiff of it. Ibukunoluwa never felt irritated by his presence. She knew he was crazy about her. And so was she.

     She said he was the most presentable of all the men that tried to woo her; She loved the different shades of his abeti aja cap, but most importantly, she adored that alakowe accent of his. Unlike many, Uncle Dele had fully completed his studies at the grammar school in the village outskirt, this was evident in the way he reeled off such big words without twisting his tongue, without any hassle. You see, when one is educated, it reflected in every sense, and it was this rare aura that had Ibukunoluwa's heart beating lovingly whenever he was around. 

     When others called her omidan, he would call her a young lady. When they referred to her as arewa, he would simply call her beautiful. Uncle Dele was the one who taught her how to list the twenty-six English alphabets, he would peck her affectionately on the cheek when she read out a comprehension passage correctly. 

     The entire village thought they would've been a perfect couple, but sadly, their destinies was like a T-junction that led to two different destinations.

     "Oladele Akanni, you own my heart," she said to him. They were sat by the edge of the stream that afternoon. The sun gave the leaves a brighter hue, but the couple were safe beneath a shade to get stung by its harsh rays.

     "You own all of me, Ibukunoluwa," he whispered back to her. "I wish for you to be my wife, Asake. I wish for you to bear all the children that have been destined upon me on this earth. On this day, I reject any child from any other woman."

     "Oladele, are you indirectly proposing to me?"

     "Maybe I am."

     Undoubtedly, this marked the start of what was supposed to be a grand marriage. The engagement was a memorable one. The husband-to-be and his family visited his lover's house with all the gifts they could afford. Yam tubers, groundnut oil, yam flour, palm oil, and the finest goat at the market. The wedding ceremony was set for the month that followed..

     However, barely a week had crawled by, when Ibukunoluwa suddenly slumped and.. died.

     It was a mysterious death that left Iya alata in anguish. Her only daughter was gone, just like that. Uncle Dele had been too daunted by grief to attend her funeral, too struck by melancholy to speak to anyone. His goddess was gone, all of him was gone. 

     Days after the funeral, the young man vacated the village despite his familys strong opposition. And now, several years after, the elderly man couldnt seem to shake off the feeling that he might be responsible for his wifes infertility.

***

WHEN HE FIRST MET HIS WIFE, the world literally went on hold. He was sat in Iya Seki's bar that evening, gulping down a bottle of liquor, when she sauntered in with two of her friends. He hadn't been struck by such romantic feelings since Ibukunoluwa passed away; In that moment, Afolashade was the only one that existed. Although, he hadn't known the name of his new goddess at the time. 

     They say beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. And this was true, because many might've described his newly found love as fat, but he thought she was curvy. Even when they said her laughter was too loud, he thought it was angelic, angelically loud enough to kill the grief hed brought along with him from the village. She was nothing like Ibukunoluwa, she was so much more. 

     Her diction was enough proof in fact, that shed passed through a standard school. From his spot behind her, hed heard her say to the bar attendant, "I will have just one bottle," with such fluency.

     Uncle Dele became a regular customer at the bar. After his day's job, he would retire there with the hope that he would see his newly found love at her usual spot. She never disappointed him either. About fifteen minutes after he mustve settled down, she would arrive with her two bosom friends, and they would spend the evening gossiping about their lecturers at the University.

     "Good evening ladies," he'd summoned the courage to approach them seven evenings later. Her friends were unnerved by his sudden interruption, but she wasn't, which was a cue for him to go on.

     "I am Oladele Akinloye," he offered with an outstretched arm.

     "And I am Afolashade Muraino," she shook hands with him.

     Sparks literally flied in that moment.

     Afolashade wasn't disturbed by his talkative nature, she could listen to him nonstop without getting a tad bored. Really, it was a lethal combination. She was intrigued by his way of life back at the village, she didn't even seem uninterested when he blurted about his history with Ibukunoluwa. In fact, she was sympathetic. Afolashade was everything he wanted in a woman, she was just so understanding. She had always been.

     Perhaps, the more reason why he was struck by a pang of guilt.

     He knew he'd been anything but understanding with his wife over the past nine years. Their childlessness had somehow clogged the stream of affection he used to shower upon her.

Read " Instinct: The Sequel " by the same author ( Ishola Ubaydah )

. Hed been so wrapped up in his own sadness, passing over the fact that she was feeling more of the heat. Nonetheless, he felt like her decision to accommodate Aramide might've aggravated the matter.

     Uncle Dele just didn't see the logic in nursing someone elses child when they were yet to breed any of their own. It was honestly nothing against the young girl, shed been well behaved all through her stay at the house. Seeing her was just a painful reminder of how badly he wanted an heir or heiress even. He had been to naming ceremonies of virtually all his friends, yet they had never had the cause to celebrate the same with him. Akorede, one of his closest friends, had once advised him to get married again, but Uncle Dele grew up in polygamy, and that wasn't exactly the kind of home he wanted to build with his own hands. 

     His mother had been the fourth of seven wives, all living under the roof of his polygamous father. Growing up, hed watched the troublesome women fist-fight for their husbands affection; He'd thrown a few punches at his step-siblings himself. A polygamous home was a mad house, and thus, it wasn't a probable option. How was he even sure his union with another woman would eventually yield a child?

     Apparently, their childlessness left him with an intense heartache, but despite everything, Uncle Dele was still very much in love with his wife. Afolashade had never ceased from being his wife. And with or without a child, she never will.