The Silent Sanctuary

Cold Tea And Hidden Shadow

The early days of marriage did not bring the peace Deola had suffered so much to find. Instead, the atmosphere in her home felt heavier with each passing day.

It started small - a cold glance, a dismissive wave of the hand, a tea cup left untouched on the glass table.

when Jide's mother arrived from the village for an extended stay, she made no effort to hide her disdain. To her, Deola was nothing more than an orphan from an unlucky, broken family, no family estate and no parents with social influence.

Every morning, Deola would rise before dawn, sweeping the floor until it glistened and preparing fresh hot meals. yet, Mama would barely taste the food, pushing the plate away with a loud sign..

Mama Jide: is this what you feed a man who works all day?

Mama would sneer, her voice dripping with poison.

Mama Jide: A man of Jide's standing deserves a woman from a good home. A woman whose family name carries weight, not an unfortunate girl who couldn't even finish school.

Deola learned to keep her head down, swallowing her tears in silence. she tried to tell herself that mama was simply set in her ways, holding onto traditional harshness. But the true sting came from Jide's reaction or rather his lack of one. He never defended Deola when his mother insulted her. Jide would simply read his newspaper or entirely indifferent to his wife's pain.

Jide: she is my mother Deola.

Jide would say coldly whenever Deola tried to talk to him in the privacy of their bedroom.

Jide: Respect her, besides she is only saying what everyone thinks. You should be grateful I took you in when you had nowhere else to go.

The emotional distance between them grew wider, but the deepest blow was yet to come.

One afternoon while cleaning the guest room where stayed, Deola found a photograph tucked inside the pages of Mama's prayer book. It was a picture of a smiling young woman wearing expensive traditional attire, standing closely beside Jide at a family function back home. On the back, in Mama's handwriting was dated from just months before Deola and Jide's wedding and a note saying " our real wife Flake "

Deola's hand trembled as she held the picture.

Folake was the daughter of a wealthy cocoa merchant from their hometown in the west. Jide had been involved with her for years before leaving for the City.

Folake had travelled abroad for her studies, both of them lost communication for years. Jide had thought she had moved on with someone else, that's why he approached Deola.

To Jide's surprise she returned few months to Deola's and Jide's wedding. His mother told him to cancel the wedding to Deola and marry Folake instead.

Folake insisted she is not ready for marriage yet and he had to go back to her base.

Mama had already arranged their future before Deola came into the picture. Jide had never mentioned Folake, he had let Deola believe she was the only woman in his heart, hiding the fact that his family considered her an intruder who ruined a lucrative match.

When Deola confronted Jide that night expecting him to deny or explain, his response chilled her to the bone.

He didn't yell. He simply scoffed, buttoning his shirt as he prepared to go out late, a habit that has becoming far too frequent.

Jide: Folake is a proper lady from a respectable family.

Jide said casually, checking his reflection in the mirror.

Jide: my mother has every right to prefer her. If you spent half as much time being a compliant wife instead of snooping through my mother's things maybe you wouldn't feel so insecure.

Deola: Jide, you married me.

Deola whispered, her voice cracking under the weight of the betrayal.

Deola: you promised to care for me, you promised we would build a life together..

Jide turned to her, his eyes cold and distant. The warm, caring man from campus is completely gone.

Jide: I gave you a roof over your head Deola, that is more than your own family could give you. Don't push your luck.

With those words, he walked out of the door leaving Deola standing alone in the quiet house holding the photograph of a woman she never knew existed, realizing for the first time her marriage was built on a foundation of secret and spite.