BORN A NORTHERN DAUGHTER

CHAPTER TEN

I bought dinner for us because I can't cook, I prayed for her and her baby's safety, I prayed for our marriage because I can sense problems and trouble. I went out as she was still sleeping and locked her inside the house, I went to get her a phone and talked to my mother that I needed a maid, she refused and complained that I am spoiling my wife by over pampering her too much, she complain that my wife was not the first to get pregnant in this life but at the end she promised to send someone if she finds a good girl. I thanked her and went home.

I went home and met my wife your mother in her night gown and watching TV, I'm sure she didn't understand the language but was just watching the movie and enjoying it. She came to me at the door as she called my name after a long time of our marriage, she has not called my name. I smiled and said kuluwa, she hold my hand as I sat her down gently, I quickly got a plate from the kitchen as I served her the fruits I bought and chicken, she instantly became excited as she kept humming and smiling, I served us juice as we ate together. She ate well and I was happy once more, she rested her head on my shoulder as I stroke her hair and rub her back, she went silent and suddenly looked up at me and said you know I love you a lot right and I said yes, then she said I don't mean to disrespect you or your mother but I think your mother hates me. I looked at her as I sat her upright, what do you mean, I asked her. She asked me why I did not ask where she went to with my brother.

Kuluwa, listen to me uh, you are my wife not my slave, I have rights over you but that doesn't mean I should disrespect you by intruding your privacy, if you want to talk about it I know you would have told me before going out or told me when you came back, I'm fine with you and I will never be angry with you because you are a reasonable and respectful lady to me, I love you Okay, but one thing I need to know is that why did my brother drop you and why were you crying? I don't like the fact that you were crying so tell me everything I need to know.

Your mother asked me to leave you and marry your brother after giving birth or she would disown you. She also said if I refused she will make you leave me and reject our child, she bursted into tears again.

Hnmm! Don't cry my kuluwa, stop crying and listen to me, it's all a bluff and she won't be able to do such things, it's my brothers handwork, my mom is only listening to him right now because he his giving her large amount of money but don't worry, she will forget about it soon, you know she's old. In fact let me tell you something so that you will know she has forgotten, she promised to send us a maid. Really? But I don't need one, I can take care of myself, I can manage myself.

Yes I know but you will be giving birth soon and I'm not always at home, what if you are in labour and I'm not there, and after today's incident I decided to give you a surprise, so I bought you a phone and memory card so you can watch all this your Hausa movies, she was so excited to the extent that she stops arguing with me about the maid and forgot about it.

My mother, your grandma sent the maid to stay with us. She was very obedient, caring and responsible young girl. She was a seventeen years old girl, but she was very big, I asked my mother to find a much younger girl of ten to twelve years but she insisted on ladidi as the ideal maid. Ladidi was the maids name, she was unusually quiet and always sneaking around the house. After your mother gave birth to your elder brother, grandma came around to live with us for a while because of the birth of your brother, she's always having a conversation with the maid mostly at night, when your mother and I are asleep in our room. I hear there whispering voices some times so I became curious of where my mother got the maid from and her family background. I asked my mother who Ladidi was and the family she came from, my mother told me that her father is a tittle man from our town and a well respected family, Ladidi was his only daughter among nine boys, your grand mother then asked me to marry her if I'm interested in her, I quickly declined and told her my wife has done nothing to me at all, she's the best woman in my life. Your grandma then said to me that I have to divorce your mother because she's a witch and she has bewitched me, that is why I listen to her alone. I laughed and said okay, thank you for your concern, I will think about it.

Since then Ladidi has been trying some stupid moves, sometimes she will brush her body on me and quickly apologise, it started that way without my wife noticing anything, before she will become something else, I told your mother that since your brother is already two years old and he is doing fine in growing up, does she still need Ladidi around or she should be sent back to the village, your mother was surprised and it was obvious on her face but she just brush it off, she said actually it's just that she's a company in the house, apart from that nothing else because I do all the chores myself.