Tag: SON

After that, Edward and I started seeing each other regularly. We were a couple now and we did things normal couples in love do like going out on dates and other things. We were very happy together and in my mind, I thought it would last forever. I kept the relationship away from my mother as I knew what her reaction would be. She would be against it and advise me to end it. That was the last thing I wanted to hear so I kept quiet.

Unknown to me, other eyes were watching us and they were the ones that blew the lid open on my relationship with Edward.

One evening, I returned from work to meet my mother pacing up and down on the verandah of our apartment. As soon as she saw me, she exclaimed:

“You! Come here! Can you tell me what this is all about?” And she waved a magazine in my face. It was one of those soft sell variety that thrived on gossip and scandals.

Staring at me from the cover was a large picture of Edward and I. It must have been taken the previous week when we had gone to the mall to do some shopping. Edward’s arm was around my waist and he was gazing fondly down at me.

By the picture was the screaming headline-

‘Tycoon’s son in sizzling romance with mystery lady!’

As I quickly read through the story on the inside page, my mother was talking all the while:

“So, this is what you have been up to! Your secret is out? You see your life! Instead of you to focus on the job you went there to do, it’s your master’s son that you are busy running around town with! Do you know the implication of what you have done? Do you use that silly brain of yours at all?”

She was really angry and I tried to calm her down by stating:

“Mum, take it easy! The situation is not so bad! It’s not as if we are married or something. We are just dating.”

“Can you hear yourself? Just dating! Well, let me spell it out plainly for you to understand. You can’t date him, you can’t have anything to do with him. Edward is not for you. He is way beyond your reach, he is not your level. Can’t you get that into your thick skull? Look for someone of your own class to date and get married to,” she stated emphatically.

“But Mum, what has class got to do with it? What does it matter if we like each other” I asked.

“Everything! As they say- ‘water has its level.’ My dear girl, you are playing above your level. You need to leave that ‘fairytale land’ where you are presently living and come down to earth. In the real world we live in, the rich and the poor don’t mix. It’s like water and oil- they can’t blend. Infact, my candid advise to you as a mother who cares about your wellbeing is this: whatever is going on between you and Edward must stop now!” she insisted.

“But I can’t, Mum. I love him!” I stated in a truculent manner.

“Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you. Because soon, you will have no say in this matter when Edward’s parents find out what’s going on.”

 

Opposition

As it turned out, my mother was right. Chief and his wife had been out of the country when the story broke in the media. On their return, they saw the report and thereafter, had a chat with my mother. There, they made their stand clear as my mother informed me later.

“They first expressed disappointment in me for not bringing you up well enough to know your place. ‘The fact that we allowed your children to mix freely with ours when they were growing up does not mean everyone does not know where he or she belongs’ were his mother’s exact words. They then gave me an ultimatum- that if I still cherish my job and the relationship we have established over the years, I should keep you away from their son. They said he has a fiancé already and you are not the one for him.

“I warned you but you would not listen. You see what you have caused? I’ve been working with this family for about fifteen years and I have never had any problem with them. We’ve been living peacefully together and they have never complained about me or my work. Now, you want to spoil everything! I don’t want to lose my job- this is the work I have been doing since your father died. It’s what I have been using to take care of you and your siblings without help from anyone including your father’s relatives who abandoned us. So, please leave Edward alone! Is he the only man in this world? Look for someone else!” my mother nearly screamed at me.

It was easier said than done. Even if I was ready to end things between us for the sake of peace, Edward did not want to hear anything concerning our breaking up. He promised to win his parents over, that with time they would accept me as his choice.

As things turned out, it was a mission impossible. His parents were not even ready to listen to him. They even threatened to throw my mother and our family out of their premises if Edward persisted in the relationship with me. It was a very difficult time for us. The opposition to our being together was just too much; seeing it was going to affect my mother and her means of livelihood, I decided to break up with Edward. It was a very painful decision as I had grown to love him so much. But what could I do? My hands were tied…

 

Two years later

After my relationship with Edward ended, I resigned from the company. I could not bear to be in close proximity with him when we were no longer together. Not long after, I got another job

at another part of town. It was in a smaller company and not as well-paying as the previous position. I also moved from my mother’s place into a small flat I rented not too far from my new working place.

I did not see Edward for a long time after I moved out from my old home. We still communicated though as he often called to check on me, to see if I was doing ok. Then a year after our break up, he called and told me he was getting married. That his parents were practically forcing him to marry one of their friend’s daughters. He confessed that he did not love her, that he only accepted the marriage because of his mother, who was sick.

“Her health is not good; I don’t want to cause her any distress now as it could trigger a crisis,” he explained.

That night, after hearing the news that my love, Edward, was getting married to another woman, I shed bitter tears of pain, grief and dejection. I kept wondering what might have been; that if his parents had not stood against our relationship, I would have been his bride, the one that would stand besides him at the altar…

Later, I put my disappointment over Edward behind me and forged on with my life. Then, one morning, I was on my way to the office when I stopped by the vendor to buy a magazine. After my purchase, I was glancing cursorily over the daily newspapers, when I was attracted by a small news item on the front page of one of the dailies.

I quickly picked up the paper and my heart froze as I read the story…

 

To be continued

 

What did Laura see in the paper? Join us next week for the juicy details!

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Names have been changed to protect the identity of the narrator, Laura and other individuals in the story.

 

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I FIRST came into the Addamson family as a little girl of about nine. You see, my mother was the family’s housekeeper, a job she did for many years until her retirement a few years ago. My mother, siblings and I lived at the back of the expansive compound in a small, two bedroom flat. Even as a little girl, I could tell that my mother’s employers were a different breed of people. Because of their wealth and status, they lived a different lifestyle and had different values and attitudes.

There are five children in the Addamson family- three girls and two boys. Francis is the first son and heir while Edward, (the focus of my story), is the second son. Growing up, we did not interact much with the children of the family. One reason may be because they were hardly around. Once they finished primary school, they would be sent abroad for both their secondary and university education. It was like a family tradition. The only time I saw them was when they came home for holidays or special family events like funerals and weddings.

The only one who stayed behind in Nigeria was Fanny, the last child. She had been sickly right from childhood- I think she was born premature according to my mother, and the parents had decided to keep her close to them to monitor her health. Being the only child at home most of the time, I think she was lonely for with time, she started hanging out with my younger sister Angela. They were about the same age and they would play and do things together. Sometimes, I joined in their games until I outgrew their childish pursuits.

Fanny’s parents did not seem to mind that their beloved daughter was getting so close to the housekeeper’s daughter. They could see that she was keeping their child company so they encouraged the friendship. Besides, Chief and his wife were not the snobby type like some wealthy people out there. They treated us well and always bought things for us whenever they travelled out. Years later, their attitude will change due to certain events that happened as you will find out from my story…

***

The years went by and we all grew up. I finished secondary school and though I wanted to further my education, getting admission to a higher institution was a problem. After writing JAMB for two years with no success, I decided to do a computer course at a school in the city. After the programme ended, I got admission into a Polytechnic to do a business related course. I was rounding up my programme in the school when Edward, Chief’s second son finally returned home from his sojourn abroad.

The last time I had seen him was nearly seven years earlier. Then, he had returned home after his first degree, and after resting for a while, had gone back for his Masters. He worked for some years abroad and would have remained there if his father had not ordered him to return home so he could enter the family business.

“The boy has grown so used to staying abroad, he finds Nigeria, his own fatherland, a strange place. He told me the other day that if he had his way, he would have preferred to remain in oyibo land,” said my mother one day. I had returned home from school on a short break and I had found her and Angela talking about Edward, who had recently returned to Nigeria for good.

“Do you blame him, Mama. If I were in his shoes and had all that money, I’ll not remain in this  country for one minute,” Angela declared.

“And what will you be doing over there?” I asked, joining in the conversation.

“Ask her o! You think life over there is a bed of roses? Don’t be fooled by what you see on TV!” my mother stated. She had travelled several times with Chief and his wife abroad and had told us a lot of stories about life in Europe and America.

“I don’t care as long as I leave this country!” Angela maintained.

“My friend, go and finish washing the dirty dishes in the kitchen before you start talking about travelling out. Look at her, somebody who has not even been to Cotonou talking about travelling to Europe!” my mother said mockingly.

A few days later, I had gone out on an errand for my mother and was returning home when I ran into Edward. As I drew close to the large gate of the compound, it opened and a wine colored sports car drove out. Seeing that it was Edward, I waved to him and he parked by the roadside.

“Is that you, Laura? Wow, you are such a big girl now!” he exclaimed as he got down from the car. I laughed as he said:

“I could have driven past you, not knowing who you were if you had not waved. You’ve grown up to be so pretty! What has your mother been feeding you with?”

We stood chatting for a while, with him asking after my studies. He was very pleased to hear I had almost finished school, with just my project left to do.

I saw him a couple of times after that before my return to school. The evening before my departure, he sent for me and gave me some money and some provisions he had bought.

“Don’t hesitate to call me if you need anything,” he stated as he handed the items to me. We were in his apartment which was separate from the main house, a short distance away.

“I still can’t get over how grown up you are! In my mind, I still remember you as that little kid who used to skip rope with Fanny and your sister in the compound and play hide and seek in the garden!” he said.

“That was then. I’m not a little kid anymore; I’m a big girl now!” I pointed out.

“I can see that,” he rejoined, looking admiringly at me from head to toe.

“So, what will you like to do when you graduate?” he asked sometime later.

I shrugged.

“I hope to get a job and make a living for myself instead of relying on my mother all the time,” I replied.

“That’s good. Maybe I can help in that regard when the time comes…” he said.

To be continued

 

Names have been changed to protect the identities of the narrator, Laura, the Addamsons and other individuals in the story.

 

Send comments/suggestions to 08030822400 (sms only), psaduwa@yahoo.com or psaduwa007@gmail.com