Babalanlord Ep 12

Molade was being her usual spoilt and stubborn self. I was worried about Folake, and hungry, so I had even less patience for her that morning. 

“ I see you are still playing at this teacher thing today again. Well, you can make yourself useful and correct the maths I just did. For some reason this paper only has the odd answers, and number 20 is particularly tricky. I need to be sure I did it correctly.”

“Molade.”, I said, with a voice bolder and sterner than I felt, “If you talk to me like that one more time. I will not hesitate to tell your father what an arrogant, difficult and disrespectful student you have been when I call him to resign from this job. You might have a choice and many second chances because your father has money. I don’t. But even at that, I will not stand to be insulted by a pregnant teenager that was too foolish to keep her legs shut, or at least use protection. Now you will address me respectfully as Ms Tola, or Ms Johnson. I don’t care whatever you prefer. You will say please and thank you when you are asking me for help. And the next time I come here for your class and you keep me waiting for more than 5 minutes with no proper excuse or apology, you will regret the day you set eyes on me. Are we clear here?”

She looked at me, stunned and confused, almost as though she could not recognise who it was that had just spoken to her. I felt bad about the pregnant teenager bit. It was uncalled for, but I was angry and irritated. I had no time for her antics, and was done with grinning and bearing it. I could see her deliberate whether or not to call my bluff, and in that moment, just to prove a point. I started exaggeratedly packing my things and was about to get up when she responded. 

“ I am sorry Ms Johnson ma. Please can you help me check number 20.”

“Better” I said, imitating a strict aunty's voice from the past, maintaining the frown on my face for good measure, “There is no need for ‘ma', Ms Johnson or Ms Tola will do as I said. And yes, I will help you look at number 20.”

My anger-spurred acting paid off. She held her tongue the rest of the day, and I silently breathed a sigh of relief. I don’t know what I would have done if she had called my bluff. I didn’t even realise how convincing I was. I am not one for discipline, and I am sure she could sense that the first day we met. But I had really had enough and was glad to have put that fire out, at least for now. 

The lesson continued quite the same as it had in the past. She did her work by herself, and asked me for help when she needed it. I surprised myself by being able to answer the questions she had. It gave me more confidence in what I was being paid to do. It also felt good that I had done away with her snide remarks. She started called me “Ms”. I didn’t care. I didn’t feel like talking all that much. I just didn’t want a self-important brat irritating me even further. 

I had been thinking about Folake. She had finally gone to see her mum, and it was a disaster. I wonder if that woman was sent as punishment to Folake, because there is no other explanation as to why a mother should treat her daughter in such a way. Folake had come back the night before in tears, and with a suitcase full of her things. 

“Please can I stay here for longer. I can’t go back to that woman. You won’t believe the first thing she said when she saw me.”

“Yes of course you can. As long as you need. We can manage ourselves here. What happened?”

“ Trust me. I would rather be here than live in a ten bedroom mansion if I had to live with that woman. When she saw me. She first of all hissed loudly. I had to look back to make sure there was no one behind me, because there is no way she could have been directing that terrible greeting at me. Then she said 

"it is you I am referring to o iwo omo alakoba yi, omo alaimore hmm! So it is because of this small wound that you are leaving a man that has provided you, provided us, with so much. After all these years Folakemiiiiii habbbaaaaaa have you no conscience?” Honestly at that point I was shook. Then she continued before I could even figure out what she was talking about, 

“ your house, your car, my house, my hospital bills, the clothes on my back, all thanks to this man. And you say you are leaving him because he pushed you small. Heiiiii what kind of child have I raised ooooo. Oh Lord! Come and save me. ”

“But mummy,” I tried to explain

“But mummy what? You better keep your mouth shut before I add to your beating! Wo ẹnu ẹ bi but mummy. But mummy kọ but mummy ni. Do you know what I went through to get chief to introduce you to his promising nephewwwww? Do you ??? No you don’t because you are an ungrateful child. You have never appreciated a single thing that I have done for you. I don’t know what I did to deserve such a waste of a child as you. I mean come on ! Folakemi! Come on ! Look at the lifestyle he has given to you. And you want to leave him? While I am alive? Oo to be! You will do no such thing! Are you the first? No, tell me, are you the first? Or you think I have not gone through worse? And for what? For you. So that I could give you the best. And all you have done with that your useless self, is continue to spit in my face. You better go and find a way to go and beg him o. You better just think about it very well. I don’t know how you are going to do it. But God help you if this man calls me again to tell me that you are still not picking up his calls. As you are declining his calls, just know that you are declining to be my daughter any longer. Nonsense and useless. I mean can you just imagine this? Ahn ahh. Oh ma l’aya o omo yi…”

"Tola she went on and on and on. At a point I stopped trying to talk and I just stood there. When she finished, I went into my room. Packed the few things I had there, and just left. I could not understand how my own mother could say those things to me. I know she is harsh and can be a bit … difficult but I never expected this. She actually said to me “are you the first?” I mean what do I say to that? How do I respond to the only family I have left in this world, telling me that?

I don’t know what to do. I am so confused.”

Folake didn’t need to say it twice. I was confused myself, and I honestly did not know what to do. Having no family myself, I knew how hard it was to have no one. But at a point isn’t no family better than this? All those things she was saying … 

“I saw my mother get beaten” Folakemi continued “I heard it every night for a long time. And I swore I would never let any man do that to me. But I am exactly like her. I never understood why she would never leave. She always stayed, and each man was worse than the previous. Tola my mother is 50 and still chasing men. Now she wants me to be enslaved to a man, just like she was her whole life. I can’t. I don’t know. I can’t. I have to find a way out of this mess. I’d rather cut her off than go through this. I mean I was just thinking about all you said the other night, and this is not what love looks like. Having such a mother might be my cross to bear but I do not have to have such a husband.”

I was so happy to hear her say those things. I was so happy that she was finally seeing the light. Only for me to see her in the morning with her bags packed, saying that he had called and she was going to try and work things out. When they say someone’s entire village is doing them, I never really understood it until that moment. It could not have been the same person. Who had she spoken to while I was asleep? How had she had such a sudden change of heart? I managed to beg her to stay and think about it for a few more days. And she had agreed. There was a part of her that looked somewhat relieved. But I was buying time. I did not know that I was enough to go against the two manipulators in the form of her mother and so-called fiancé. I had no clue what to do. Thankfully Nnamdi said he’d be around during the day, so he could stop her if she tried to leave. But I knew I could not hold her hostage indefinitely. 

In the middle of my worries, Dr Deji walks in.

“A penny for your thoughts?” he said. I looked over at Molade doing her work with her headphones on. 

“I don’t know that a penny can buy me anything these days. Try again.”

“Okay 1k, last price.”

“Hahaha, I guess that can work. It’s nothing. Well, not nothing ... Just thinking about Folake. That man won’t leave her alone and her mum isn’t being supportive. I feel out of my depth her. It is like me against a rich big lagos boy and a desperate gold-digging mother, fighting for someone who has not yet found the strength to fight for herself. I mean Deji, she’s so hot and cold. One day she’s like ‘I am never going back to that crap’ another day, she’s blaming herself. It’s so hard. I am really out of my depth but I don’t want to see my only friend walk into a pit of hell.”

“Hmmm, that sounds like a lot to be dealing with. I have a friend she can speak to. She counsels abuse survivors. Maybe she can help. I will give her a call and then ask her to call you as well.”

I don’t know if he was just being considerate and could tell I had run out of credit, or what, but I noticed that he didn’t say he’d give me her number. I was grateful. I really did not have credit. Folake had taken unpaid leave, so really it was all on me. I was waiting for Mr Jaiyeola to pay me.  

“Thank you so much that’s really helpful. Where is my 1k?”

“Hahahaha just add it to my thought tab.”

“Fine. But really, thanks though. You have been so helpful. I really don’t know how to repay you. Thank you so much.”

“It’s okay. You owe me a trip to Iya Cow by the way.”

“Haha it is not Iya Cow, it is Iya Kawo hahaha”

“Oh! Ma bad. I was really wondering that why would anyone name their child Cow… oops …. Okay, you owe me a trip to Iya Kawo. How’s our model student here?” He said, wondering off to the other side of the room where Molade sat.  "Nawa o, Molade you can’t greet.” he said, as he took her headphones off. 

“Oh hi uncle Deji. Well, you two seemed to be quite deep into your conversation. I did not want to interrupt.”

“Not a good enough excuse. You should still greet.”

“Wow uncle, you are literally acting like all those African aunty memes on the internet.”

“Whatever. Sha greet sha.”

“Okay okay. I am sorry. Good evening uncle. How are you?”

“Better. Fine thank you, how are you?”

Wow. She can be polite all on her own. Wonders shall never end. 

I hoped Deji would call the woman soon. I was running out of ways to stop Folake from going back to him. And I did not know how else to convince her that she deserves better for herself. 

I did not want to abandon my friend, but I also did not know what to do.