She is Gentle but Definitely Not Stupid

Chapter Three: A moment of Peace before the storm

Ken walked in, looked at her and hissed but gave his daughter a hug.

Ken: what is wrong with you? That is the only thing you can do..... You put your legs on the table like a big madam, which you are not.....watch movies all day....and eat all the food in the house.

Look at your stomach, you are just 7 months gone and one will think you are giving birth today. Very lazy human being.

Oge: welcome back. Should I run your bath now or do you want to eat first?

Ken: it seems they use food swear for you. Has my daughter eaten? Kelly, K-girl, dad's favorite, where are you going?

Kelly: daddy, you are shouting.... my teacher said shouting is bad for our health. so please, stop shouting..... If you shout, mama shout and i shout, can we hear ourselves? no, right? so,stop, please....I want to go and arrange my books for tomorrow.

Ken: you are going to arrange your books? Why?

( Faces Oge) what were you doing since? Couldn't you have arranged the books for her? You are wicked. As little as she is, you allow her to do all the work in this house. What kind of....

Kelly: (shouts) dada! dada!! What is wrong with you? Mama has been busy since morning. She just sat down now. She has taught me how to arrange my books by myself. You told me I'm a big girl now and I want to do things for myself, by myself. Please, I don't like it when you shout at mama. Mama, you too should shout and I will join. Let's have a shouting contest......

( And she folded her arms and stared at her father)

Ken: I'm sorry my baby doll, I will not shout again but talk to your mother. She gets me annoyed always and if you do things by yourself, what will mama be doing then? She will just become lazier.

Kelly: no dada. Mama is not lazy. She does all the work in this house. She only allow me to help her once in awhile so that when I grow up, I will be able to do things by myself. Do you want me to be useless in life?

Ken: when you become a lady and get married, you won't need to do all the work. You will have a maid to do the work for you

Kelly: nooooo, never. I won't get married. I don't want to. I just can't. Never will. Seeing how you are treating mama? I can't let a man treat me like that, never.... And why can't mama have a maid?

Ken and Oge:( together) what!!!

Ken: why darling? You will get married someday and ......

Kelly: no. Never. I don't want anyone shouting at me always the way you do to mama. Look at Yemi's parents, fighting all the time. See our landlord, always slapping his wife. I don't want oooo. No, no no. I don't want ooo. That means every woman who gets married will be shouted at and beaten. Never..... I will live alone and do things my own way.... never....never

( She covered her ears and ran to her room)

Oge sat on the sofa, crying while Ken sat on the dinning chair, with his head on the table.

Oge: Ken,....

Ken: not now, please

Oge got up and went to her daughter's room to talk to her.

Kelly asked why her father needed to shout at her mother all the time. She told her mother that she wants her parents to behave like her friend, Sally's parents......." Sally's parents sing, dance, eat, pray, do everything together. Sally told me they never shout at each other..... whenever she is talking about her parents, I just keep quiet because my parents are different. .."

and she started crying. Oge hugged her and cleaned up her face and she looked up to see Ken standing at the door. Then he left.

She helped her daughter prepare for school for the next day, and arranged her room.

Then, she went back to the living room and met Ken sitting with his head on the table.

Oge: Ken, please listen to me. If not for nothing but for the sake of our daughter, stop calling me names or shouting at me.

I am sorry if I have offended you in anyway. Tell me where I have gone wrong and I will make amend.

Please, my heart, my love, my everything, forgive and forget and let's go back to how we were. I never knew our argument will have effect on our child. Please and please.

( And she went on her knees)

Ken: Oge, that is the problem. I can't point at anything you have done. You are just too nice, too neat, too perfect.

And I see all that as being stupid. Abilam doesn't mean anything to me. I just like being with her as my friend.

Oge: my heart, I don't have problem with that. If she is your friend, invite her over here. She can be a family friend.

Ken: okay. I'm sorry too. What Kelly said really affected me....I never imagined that she observes what I do.

I have to erase those thoughts from her mind. She shouldn't have such mindset. It will be a problem for her later...

Oge: ( thought within herself) God, I thank you. I appreciate you. For this peace in my home again, I will praise YOU forever.

To her husband, she said,

" Should I run a bath for you?

Ken: yes dear. Thanks

Oge went to run his bath, set the table for dinner, and was just so happy.

Meanwhile, Ken had gone to see Kelly, his daughter and had a talk with her. He promised her that he won't shout at mama again.

Kelly was happy and gave her father a hug. And he went to have his bath before going for dinner.

They all had dinner together, laughing and talking, just like old times. Oge and Kelly were very happy. Ken made different funny faces and they all laughed.

At 9pm, they prayed and Kelly went to bed singing praises.

The couple were left in the living room, watching movie and drinking wine, when Oge remembered something.....