ENVY
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BOOK TWO
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November, 2012
"Is this where we'll be living now mummy? We are not going back to Lagos to be with dad?" Rose asked as they unpacked their luggage in the bedroom. They had traveled light, since their move, though not sudden, had come earlier than planned. It was a beautifully furnished bungalow with two bedrooms, a sitting room a bathroom and a kitchen. The university used it as a guest house. Ese had been asked to stay there for the time being due to the urgency that surrounded her employment. The guest house would be their home pending the time she would be given her own apartment at the staff quarters. Ese continued unpacking her clothes, pretending she had not heard her daughter. She had known the questions would come and she had been wondering why her usually very inquisitive daughter had not brought them up earlier, she had been anticipating and dreading the time when the questions would come for she knew she had no answer to them.
"Mummy?" The 7-year old prodded and Ese knew her silence would not save her from answering.
"Yes darling?"
"Are we going to live here now?"
"Yes my dear. It's our new home"
"So we are not going back to Lagos?"
"No we are not, not in the foreseeable future."
"What does 'foreseeable' mean."
"It means to anticipate or predict."
"What is 'anticipate' or 'predict'?"
Ese thought for a while but still could not find a way to explain what foreseeable means to the child without using another big word. Rose was too bright and inquisitive for her age and her questions could be unending.
"What I actually meant was that, we are not going back to Lagos any time soon."
"Will daddy come and live with us here?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because daddy is a very busy man, he has his work."
"But can't he work from here?"
"No he can't, his business is in Lagos."
"Are we leaving daddy?"
Ese was a bit shocked by Rose's last question that all she could say was "Rose!"
But the little girl was not deterred. She continued "Is it because he hit you?"
"How did you know...."
"I woke up last night when I heard you screaming, so I came downstairs and saw him hit you"
"Jesus! You saw that?" Ese had thought Rose had been safely asleep in her room upstairs. She silently prayed that the girl didn't hear some of what was said."
"Rose what did I tell you about eavesdropping?" She asked, then continued without waiting for an answer "didn't I tell you eavesdropping is bad, especially when you eavesdrop on adults."
"I wasn't eavesdropping, the screams woke me up and I was thirsty, so I went to the kitchen to get water." the kid said defensively.
"Okay, I'm sorry we woke you up and that you had to see that."
"Are you diforcing daddy? My friend Sophie in school said her dad was hitting her mum that was why she diforced him."
"It is 'divorce' not 'diforce'. And I am not divorcing daddy now."
"But you'll divorce him later?"
Ese took a deep breath and thought of a way to answer the question as honestly as possible without giving her daughter false hopes or poisoning her mind.
"Come sit down my love." She said and held both of Rose's hands and looked at her straight in the eye as they both sat on the bed.
"You see, your dad and I are having some issues."
"What kinda issue?"
"You won't understand now, maybe later, they are adult stuffs and yo....."
"I'm too young to understand them now." her daughter finished the sentence for her while smiling up at her. She smiled back. "Yea, and because of these issues I......we have decided to stay apart for a while."
"What happens next then?"
"I sincerely don't know my dear, but know that I won't take any decision that will hurt you. Understand?"
The girl nodded.
"Good, now help mummy unpack and I will take you out and show you around the school. We may even check out your new school, the university's staff primary school.
All other questions temporarily forgotten, the girl jumped up excitedly and helped her mother unpack. Ese felt a tinge of guilt for she had not been entirely truthful with her daughter. But she excused it as an understandable and forgivable lie.
"Mummy?" The 7-year old prodded and Ese knew her silence would not save her from answering.
"Yes darling?"
"Are we going to live here now?"
"Yes my dear. It's our new home"
"So we are not going back to Lagos?"
"No we are not, not in the foreseeable future."
"What does 'foreseeable' mean."
"It means to anticipate or predict."
"What is 'anticipate' or 'predict'?"
Ese thought for a while but still could not find a way to explain what foreseeable means to the child without using another big word. Rose was too bright and inquisitive for her age and her questions could be unending.
"What I actually meant was that, we are not going back to Lagos any time soon."
"Will daddy come and live with us here?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because daddy is a very busy man, he has his work."
"But can't he work from here?"
"No he can't, his business is in Lagos."
"Are we leaving daddy?"
Ese was a bit shocked by Rose's last question that all she could say was "Rose!"
But the little girl was not deterred. She continued "Is it because he hit you?"
"How did you know...."
"I woke up last night when I heard you screaming, so I came downstairs and saw him hit you"
"Jesus! You saw that?" Ese had thought Rose had been safely asleep in her room upstairs. She silently prayed that the girl didn't hear some of what was said."
"Rose what did I tell you about eavesdropping?" She asked, then continued without waiting for an answer "didn't I tell you eavesdropping is bad, especially when you eavesdrop on adults."
"I wasn't eavesdropping, the screams woke me up and I was thirsty, so I went to the kitchen to get water." the kid said defensively.
"Okay, I'm sorry we woke you up and that you had to see that."
"Are you diforcing daddy? My friend Sophie in school said her dad was hitting her mum that was why she diforced him."
"It is 'divorce' not 'diforce'. And I am not divorcing daddy now."
"But you'll divorce him later?"
Ese took a deep breath and thought of a way to answer the question as honestly as possible without giving her daughter false hopes or poisoning her mind.
"Come sit down my love." She said and held both of Rose's hands and looked at her straight in the eye as they both sat on the bed.
"You see, your dad and I are having some issues."
"What kinda issue?"
"You won't understand now, maybe later, they are adult stuffs and yo....."
"I'm too young to understand them now." her daughter finished the sentence for her while smiling up at her. She smiled back. "Yea, and because of these issues I......we have decided to stay apart for a while."
"What happens next then?"
"I sincerely don't know my dear, but know that I won't take any decision that will hurt you. Understand?"
The girl nodded.
"Good, now help mummy unpack and I will take you out and show you around the school. We may even check out your new school, the university's staff primary school.
All other questions temporarily forgotten, the girl jumped up excitedly and helped her mother unpack. Ese felt a tinge of guilt for she had not been entirely truthful with her daughter. But she excused it as an understandable and forgivable lie.
★★★
Chief Victor Adebantu was not a happy man, he was fuming as he paced in his office. The office was as big as it's occupant. Victor was a huge man who stood at 6ft 4inch with broad shoulders and a wide torso, at 55 he still looked fit and handsome. He loved his things big, from his toys to his office furniture. His office was absolutely masculine aside for a picture frame on the huge desk in the centre of the office which holds his late wife's picture.
He normally should be busy doing some paper work, but he had a lot in his mind. His two sons had always been his headache. His first son Fela had decided to become a musician after he had graduated from one of the best universities in the world, it had broken his heart but he had learnt to accept it and be consoled for he had another son to bank on. But the other son had proven time and again to be irresponsible. Every action of his was scandalous, he sneezed and farted scandal. Victor looked at the headline on the magazine on his desk and it screamed at him once again
He normally should be busy doing some paper work, but he had a lot in his mind. His two sons had always been his headache. His first son Fela had decided to become a musician after he had graduated from one of the best universities in the world, it had broken his heart but he had learnt to accept it and be consoled for he had another son to bank on. But the other son had proven time and again to be irresponsible. Every action of his was scandalous, he sneezed and farted scandal. Victor looked at the headline on the magazine on his desk and it screamed at him once again
BUSINESS MOGUL HEIR'S MARRIAGE THREATENED AS WIFE LEAVES WITH DAUGHTER AND FILES FOR DIVORCE.
The magazine went on to say the marriage had been full of abuses and unfaithfulness on the part of the husband. It also went ahead to post pictures of the husband with the numerous ladies he had been seen with. Victor's anger swelled as he looked at the pictures showing Pago with different women. As far as he was concerned, Pago's sin was not that he was unfaithful, it was that he had been indiscreet about it all. God knows that he himself had not been entirely faithful to his darling Doyin while she was alive, but he had strayed with discretion and she had only caught him once, but Pago here was flaunting his unfaithfulness. Victor believed in family values, he had truly loved his wife even though he cheated on her a few times. He believed a man may cheat but he must be discreet about it. He was a discreet man and it had helped him build a business empire, he was not sure the empire would last a year in the hands of his indiscreet son, even the board of shareholders would not want Pago at the helms of the company, not with his irresponsible attitude. He believed a man that cannot keep a home would not make a successful business man.
---Oh! How I wish Sike was male--- he thought ---She would have made an excellent business man---
But he was too old-fashioned to let her succeed him, she would get married and his empire would belong to another man. He wanted only a true Adebantu to take over from him.
His intercom rang, the one that linked him only to his secretary. He walked briskly to it, picked it up and barked "Yes?"
"He is here sir" the feminine voice at the other end said quietly as though she could feel his anger through the line.
"Let him in." He said then dropped the phone and sat on the gigantic chair behind the gigantic table. It was time for a father and son tote-à-tête
---Oh! How I wish Sike was male--- he thought ---She would have made an excellent business man---
But he was too old-fashioned to let her succeed him, she would get married and his empire would belong to another man. He wanted only a true Adebantu to take over from him.
His intercom rang, the one that linked him only to his secretary. He walked briskly to it, picked it up and barked "Yes?"
"He is here sir" the feminine voice at the other end said quietly as though she could feel his anger through the line.
"Let him in." He said then dropped the phone and sat on the gigantic chair behind the gigantic table. It was time for a father and son tote-à-tête
About the Author
Soji Adeola Ayanleke was born about 3 decades ago in Kano.
He studied Electronic and Electrical Engineering at the Obafemi Awolowo
University, Ile-Ife, he speaks Yoruba and Hausa fluently and he is
trying to learn Igbo and Spanish. His hobbies are reading, writing and
playing some indoor games.
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