When dinner had been cleared, my father finally made eye contact with Mother. \u201cAlright, let\u2019s just get this over with then.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJumoke, could you join us for a few minutes in the living room, please?\u201d Dad called calmly. \u201cWe need to have a little chat.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, Sir-Madaam,\u201d Jumoke said as she emerged with a slightly bowed head, averting her eyes. She was wringing her hands in front of her, face lined with dread.<\/p>\n
When I started to follow them into the living room, my father stopped me with a hand on my shoulder. \u201cNuh-uh, My Boy. This one\u2019s for the adults. Just run along and get back to those books, okay? Good boy.\u201d<\/p>\n
I bristled silently but made the snap judgment not to impose myself and possibly fuck this all up. Not yet. Not unless I had to. Jumoke gave me a pleading look after my parents went in and she lingered for a moment outside.<\/p>\n
\u2018It\u2019ll be fine,\u2019 I mouthed to her. \u2018Love you.\u2019<\/p>\n
Jumoke mostly shut the door behind her, leaving a sliver open. I watched from the crack outside, my heart slamming inside my chest.<\/p>\n
Our housekeeper eased into one of the chairs facing the main couch that my parents settled into. Sitting, Jumoke\u2019s pregnancy became even more obvious, with her little gravid belly protruding out slightly over her thighs, outline even more pronounced against her polo shirt. She looked extremely nervous.<\/p>\n
My mother let out an exasperated breath that slid into pointed condescension. \u201cI\u2019m not even sure how to begin, Jumoke. I suppose I\u2019ll just be out with it \u2014 are you pregnant? Preg-nan-tuh. Baby in you? Yes?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jumoke\u2019s face flushed with shame as she broke eye contact and looked down, a hand instinctively caressing the globe of her belly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI preg-nant, yes,\u201d she said in a small voice. \u201cI dey sorry, I only find out three days ago. I thought just get fat, I going to tell you\u2013\u201d<\/p>\n
So far, on the script.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the father?\u201d Mother pressed. Dad gave a distasteful look at the line of questioning but allowed it.<\/p>\n
Jumoke\u2019s eyes travelled down to the diamond ring she was tugging on. Her voice was a quiet tremor as she spoke the lie. \u201cMy husbaand, he driver in the town, but when he find out, him no want me no more. Him kon go.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI. See.\u201d Mother said with barely restrained disapproval. Zero sympathy. \u201cAnd\u2026are you keeping it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jumoke\u2019s eyes shot wide with the first hint of maternal anger, the hand on her womb now defensive. Mother had no idea that her own grandchildren were growing inside her maid. \u201cYes, of course I keep, Madaam!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo then naturally you\u2019ll be returning to your village\u2013 now that you\u2019re\u2026expecting. You shouldn\u2019t be working.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI go work!\u201d Jumoke protested. \u201cI dey sorry for this, but I want work! No one go take me now, I need make money for baybee, for my familee. I dey fine, Madaam! I wan work until time for baby please!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou see, she wants to work,\u201d my father finally intervened, finding his voice at long fucking last. \u201cThis should be a happy occasion, shouldn\u2019t it, dear? A baby is a blessing. And we think you\u2019ve done wonderful work for us, Jumoke. You\u2019ve taken care of us, so we should take care of you, shouldn\u2019t we?\u201d<\/p>\n
My mother was aghast. \u201d You can\u2019t be serious. I won\u2019t have her walking the house like this. Or going out in her condition. People will talk. It\u2019s shameful.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, that\u2019s where we disagree, isn\u2019t it?\u201d Dad shook his head. \u201cWe have an obligation to do what\u2019s right here, not just for Jumoke, her family, or her baby\u2019s sake, but also to make a good example for Chizi. And what would our Foundation think if the news got out that we dismissed the maid because she was pregnant?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you\u2019re setting us up for liability!\u201d Mother seethed. \u201cWhat if she slips? Hmm? Are we on the hook for medical bills? What if it comes early? Maternity leave? Where does it end?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother worked right up until she went into labor, if you recall,\u201d Dad said flatly, weathering her with unbelievable patience. \u201cThat was her choice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes! I want work!\u201d Jumoke pleaded. \u201cI no wan trouble, no ask for more money, I go dey very careful.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d Mother flatly refused, the single syllable spoken like acid from her mouth. \u201cNot in my house. I don\u2019t care, this is too much, it\u2019s beyond the bad. It\u2019s grotesque. I refuse.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d Dad said firmly, \u201cbut I need to put my foot down. This is what\u2019s decent and it\u2019s what\u2019s right. And if she can work, Jumoke will continue with us until she needs to have her baby. After that, we\u2019ll find someone to replace her until she can come back. And yes \u2014 that\u2019s final.\u201d He held up a hand as Mother was about to scream her opposition, absolutely mortified and enraged. \u201cWe\u2019ll discuss it upstairs,\u201d Dad cut her off again.<\/p>\n
In the shitty dynamic of their marriage, my father didn\u2019t usually hold his ground. He preferred to be a passive participant and let my mother do what she wanted in order to maintain the peace. While he was on contract overseas, Mom nominally had control of the house \u2014 it was her domain. Same with school. But at the end of the day, my father still controlled all our finances, and she knew it.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, thank you, Sir!\u201d Jumoke breathed with tears in her eyes. \u201cI work hard for you and Madaam, I promise, no trouble! Gott bless you, your kind heart!\u201d<\/p>\n
My mother found some semblance of her usual frigid composure but I could see her hands shaking. She clenched them to fists and rose, glaring at Dad with absolute hatred. \u201cVery well,\u201d she said, tight-lipped. \u201cYou win for now.\u201d She turned and smiled at Jumoke with an expression utterly devoid of any warmth.<\/p>\n
\u201cCongratulations on your child, then. You\u2019ve quite a journey ahead as a single mother, I imagine. Nevertheless, I expect you to maintain the same level of service throughout if you\u2019re to stay with us.\u201d After a moment of numbing silence, Mother clapped jarringly, once, then twice. \u201cYou can go back to work now! Yes. Work!\u201d<\/p>\n
Teary-eyed, Jumoke got to her feet at the same time my father did. She held her sides and looked like she was trying not to sob. In a rare moment of true sympathy, my father stood up and gave her a comforting hug, which she gratefully allowed. \u201cThere, there. She\u2019ll come around. You\u2019re part of the family,\u201d my father said before letting her go, oblivious to just how true and ironic that statement really was.<\/p>\n
My mother\u2019s eyes flashed at the gesture before they quickly narrowed to slits. There was something in them that I couldn\u2019t immediately place. Something much, much darker than anything I had seen before. Without another word, she stormed towards the door and I made a hasty exit into the study before I could be discovered.<\/p>\n
That cold, thrilling feeling was back, this time laced with both elation and dread. We had won, for now. It has been torture having to eavesdrop outside, though, unable to help while my mother savaged my poor lover. What the fuck was wrong with Mom anyway? I couldn\u2019t believe I had actually come from her hateful loins.<\/p>\n
I sat down in the leather-backed office chair in front of our family computer. It has been moved from my parents\u2019 room following my improved grades. Lenovo Legion Tower 7i Gen 8, top of the line. As much as I wanted to go find Jumoke and comfort her, I needed to wait until I was sure my parents weren\u2019t coming back down.<\/p>\n
I booted up from the computer. I lost myself in a video game. After ten minutes, I heard my parents\u2019 raised voices from upstairs. I paused the game and turned down the sound so I could try and pick out what they were saying.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026You think I don\u2019t know what\u2019s going on? Oh, I know! This isn\u2019t the kindness of your heart keeping that whore around! It all makes sense now!\u201d my mother was yelling. The volume grew as Mother\u2019s voice lowered several octaves, guttural and slurring in her horrible accusations.<\/p>\n
\u201cYOU\u2019VE BEEN FUCKING HER! YOU! YOU MADE HER PREGNANT!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re DRUNK!\u201d my father shot back. \u201cYOU\u2019RE A FOOLISH DRUNK, A MADWOMAN. Why don\u2019t you just\u2026take another one of your pills and just sleep it off?!\u201d<\/p>\n
Buy Oniranu Books on Selar.co from anywhere in the world<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n