In the space of time - Episode 1

 

1st February, 2019
Adaugo  bent down to pick pieces of  the broken ceramic plate on the floor. She wondered why she was so tense. Perhaps it was because she knew the gravity of what she was about to do that made her this nervous. Today was the day she chose to break the news to Chuma, her husband. Chuma was an officer in the Nigerian Navy . He was very busy man and was not often at home, so she had waited about two days for him to settle in before telling him what she had decided to do with her life. 
Adaugo was a housewife, a typical igbo housewife. She had a degree in English literature from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and was very determined to pursue her career as a writer. Of course this was before she got married to Chuma in 2009 during her youth service. The plan was actually that she would go back to school after getting married to do her masters and pursue her dream of being the editor of a very huge news company. ‘’The plan’’,  here now seemed like ‘’her plan’’ and not hers and her husband’s. Chuma or Odogwu as he is called by his friends refused this plan two years down their marriage, he claimed, Adaugo had just put to bed and he was a naval officer, who was always sent on drafts to other states. Who was going to look after little Somtochukwu their first son? This was in 2011

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/in-the-space-of-time

. Adaugo was patient, took care of her son and never brought up the issue to avoid Odogwu’s anger. You see, Odogwu was not a very nice man when he turned angry. Maybe it was because he was trained in the military or that was the way he was from childhood. Either way, Ada knew best than to get on the wrong side of her husband. Had he always been like this? Had she just been blind to see this dictator part of him? Or did he change in the space of ten years?
‘’Ada m!’’  ‘’Adauuuugooo!’’ it was Odogwu. He was in the living room with a couple of people, Adaugo guessed. She had heard other voices. She was preparing lunch and clearing the sink when she broke the plate. She quickly swept away the broken pieces and hurried to the living room. Before she opened the curtains that led to the entrance of the living room from the inside of the house she brought out her iphone from the back pocket of her jeans trouser and looked at her reflection in the phone. She didn’t want herself looking unpresentable. She remembered how displeased Odogwu got everytime she looked unkept in the presence of his guests. ‘’Ada m you’re a very beautiful woman, part of the reasons why I married you, look it! Please’’, he would always say. He didn’t want to know if there were chores she was doing or not, or whether she had gotten messed up from taking care of the children, those things didn’t matter to him. She was just expected to look like a princess always. 
Adaugo fixed her hair and walked into the parlour, wearing a fake but believable smile, even before seeing the faces of ‘these guests’. They were about five of them, including her husband in the living room, two were already seated, one woman and a teenage boy and then two other men. ‘’eh ehn, Nne, biagodu(my wife, come), meet my aunty; Ezinne1 of  Umueze!’’ Odogwu said and all of them began to laugh. ‘’she is a high profile government official, she works with the ministry of foreign affairs, she helped me in my days of looking for government job’’, Adaugo looked at the woman, she was light skinned and she was sure the woman looked a lot younger than her age. She looked very classy too. The woman was getting up now, Adaugo knew it was a taboo for an elder to stand up to greet a younger person so she hurried to where Aunty Ezinne was sitting to stop her, ‘’well come, Aunty, you are welcome, mba nu,(no no) nodu ala, (sit)”,  she said still smiling. ‘’this is her husband’’,  Odogwu continued now gesturing to the man in a traditional native attire, Adaugo bent down to greet him while he used his traditional hand fan known as ‘akupe ndi ichie’ to pat her back.  ‘’my daughter, how are you?’’ Adaugo raised a brow. Honestly she had expected the man to speak igbo or English with a thick igbo accent, well anything but what she was hearing. Correct british accent! She smiled ‘’uncle you live here? She asked to satisfy her curiosity. They all looked at her surprised. ‘’You don’t know me?’’ the man asked, looking rather shocked at the ignorance displayed by Ada in the last few seconds. Odogwu went to discreetly pinch Ada, from behind, ‘’of course, she knows you’’, he says smiling and still pinching her, Adaugo getting the message forces a cough and looks at her husband, ‘’I meant, honey? Why didn’t u tell me Aunty Ezinne was coming with her husband Uncle …’’ she blinked waiting for her husband to complete the sentence, ‘’Uncle Henry’’ he says in a rather fast tune, ‘’Uncle Henry’’, Adaugo repeated, eyeing her husband and forming displeasure which was pretty hard to do. This was one of the reasons she fell in love with this man, he had a very very charming look. Too charming to pass by.  ‘’you didn’t tell me Aunty Ezinne and Uncle Henry were visiting, I would have told Samson to kill the goat so I could make isi ewu(pepper soup) for them’’. 
‘’Its Chukwuma’s fault’’. Aunty Ezinne stated, interrupting Ada. ‘’Ever since we moved back from the UK, Chuma has refused to introduce us to his wife and children, Chukuma anyi me  kwanu gi  gini? Ehhn (what did we do to you?)’’ She was up already looking at Odogwu with a stern look, it was obvious that she was upset. ‘’Aunty, ekule nu otu  ahu, (don’t talk like that) ehn, you know its my job, you know how this government work can be, I have been in Abuja for the past six months, I just got in three days ago, I didn’t even know you and uncle have moved back, I would have told Ezinne to go see you with the kids. Apparently, Uncle Henry and Aunty Ezinne lived in England for 17 long years. And Aunty Ezinne helped Odogwu get into the Navy, and they just got back from the UK to now settle in Nigeria with their last son, Princewill. The other two girls, Chetachi and Gift were married and lived in the UK with their husbands. Princewill still schools there and just came to Nigeria for holiday. 
Aunty Ezinne spoke so well with so much certainty and boldness, she argued politics with the two men; her husband and Odogwu, the other guy was their driver, so he didn’t say much but just listened. ‘’Aunty, you’re so sophisticated and intelligent. This is exactly how the modern day woman should be!’’, Adaugo almost dropped the tray of glass cups she was carrying when she heard this. She looked at her husband and smiled, ‘’of course, of course, if only their husbands will let them do what they want, why won’t they look sophisticated and speak intelligently, I mean, this is the 21st century right? Who would still believe that a girl child would go to school, and her certificate will turn ultimately useless after marriage’’, she dropped the tray, and gestured with her hands for emphasis, closing and opening her palms, she repeated, ‘’ultimately useless, boom!, like it never happened’’. 
There was tension in the air, Aunty Ezinne broke the silence, ‘’Nne, should I join you with the serving? They were now at the dining table, Adaugo was bringing out the dishes she prepared, ‘’No its fine. I’m done’’.

Read " Kenny's Story " by the same author ( Ijeoma Okorie )

. She thought again then said, ‘’Actually, I have to leave you all now. I have to go pick up Tabitha from school.’’ Tabitha was her second and last child. Somtochukwu her first was in a private boarding school there in Enugu, and they were also in session. It was nice meeting you Aunty, and Uncle Henry, enjoy your meals. You may be gone before I return’’. With this, Adaugo left.  She went to where her car was packed and got in. Samson,  their gate man/errand boy had seen her coming and already opened the gate. She wiped her tears, she had been crying, but she was done crying. It was now or never. ‘’Odogwu, you may be the head of the house, but you cannot also be the head of my life. I refuse that’’.  With that, she zoomed off to Tabitha’s school.