Mayowa

Bayo dashed down the stairs in excitement nearly falling aunty Ireti down in his haste. "sorry aunty" he said racing towards the kitchen. Ireti stared at his departing back and shook her head, wondering what the excitement was about. "mummy i got in! i got in!" he screamed embracing his mother in a tight hug from behind.

Mayowa or May as she was fondly called, dropped the knife and onions on the chopping board and facing him, grabbed the piece of paper he was clutching, reading through it hurriedly. " I knew you would make it. didn't i say so? i'm so proud of you Bayo" she hugged him fondly, thinking how grown up he had become. her pride and joy.
     Mayowa had been an only child, born with what can be described as a platinum and diamond spoon. She didn't know want. At 19yrs she fell in love. With a 26yrs old riff raff as her parents described him, because he was born on the other side of the track. Toju. Toju was everything Mayowa dared to dream of. When her parents ordered her to stop seeing him, she packed a little bag and left home. Her love for Toju knew no boundaries. She moved into his single room in a part of town she had never been allowed to drive through. She had enough money in her account to feed a small army. she was certain they would survive without her parents' interference.
       She was summoned by different relatives, trying to reason with her and call her to order. when her grandma looking down her nose at Toju had said " what did you give to my grand daughter to make her mad? we are ready to pay you to stay away from her and not ruin her life". They stopped answering any more summons and May changed her mobile number. Then her mother started waylaying her in school. when it became too embarrassing, she threatened to drop out of school, and her mother stopped showing up there.
       Life with Toju was blissful. He was an artist and made many paintings of May. he wrote her poems and inscribed his love for her in many forms. May had never been happier. It didn't bother that she had to share a very dirty toilet with over thirty co tenants, nor that she had to cook on a small kerosene stove that made more smoke than fire, making her already non existent culinary skills even more disastrous. after two months of eating burnt noodles, Toju promptly took over the cooking, much to her relief. Then he scrapped and saved up what money he could from his paintings and bought her a gold ring, with glass setting. When he went down on one knee, May wept. They were married in the registry the next month. May didn't tell any of her family members. two of her friends from school, after being sworn to secrecy, stood in for her. the coke and biscuits shared in lieu of a wedding refreshment was taken with glee and the couple were happy to be married at last.
        Just before her 21st birthday, Bayo arrived. by this time, May's account was empty and they could barely feed themselves. She had dropped out of school to take care of her baby. She could no longer afford to maintain her car and they sold it. May started frequenting Cotonou from the proceeds and thus she had a business selling second hand handbags. Toju would be with the baby whenever she went on her trips. things got really difficult and she was tempted to go to her family for help, but Toju was adamantly against the idea. At six months, Bayo got measles from their neighbour's five years old daughter Atinuke. His fever was very high and he wailed throughout the night in pain. " we have to take him to a hospital. do you want our child to die?" May lamented
" do they collect paintings as payment? there is no money in this house" Toju answered, mopping the baby with a wet towel.
"we can go to our family hospital. they would take care of him without payment" May told him quietly.
"No. We are not going to beg for alms from your family"
"We are not begging. Baby's life is more important than your pride"
"my word is final. drop it" Toju interjected.
Bayo let out a wail, as if sensing his parents' discomfort. Toju stood up, wore his shirt that been hanging on a nail behind the door. then he picked the baby up and left the room. " Where are you taking him to? nothing should happen to my son o. Toju" May shouted after him before bursting into tears.
         About thirty minutes later, Toju walked in with a sleeping Bayo on his chest. May jumped up from the bed where she had been dozing. looking at the time she noted that it was past two am. "shh don't wake him up" Toju whispered laying him on the bed. May went outside the room and Toju followed her. "You took him to mama Abike didn't you? i have told you i do not want all those type of medicine on my son" May said facing him hands akimbo.
"it worked cant you see? if the medicine is good for me, then it is good for him too. we don't have money to take him to a hospital. would you rather he screamed all night?" he replied.
" I do not want that woman anywhere near my son. i don't care if you are used to that kind of medicine, i am not and i wont bring up our child in a juju house" May retorted angrily storming back into their room.
"Native medicine is not juju. my wife is just an aje butter" Toju muttered to himself shaking his head
"i heard that" May said from inside the room.
      Life continued. May was in the market selling her wares one evening when a small boy ran towards her screaming "Mama Bayo mama Bayo" .
" What is it Jimoh" May asked in alarm seeing it was her neighbour's twelve years old son.
"make you come o. big trailer don jam papa Bayo and him okada. blood o blood o" the boy answered gesticulating wildly.
"Jesus!" May screamed running in the direction of their compound, her baby on her back started crying from the sudden movement. she ran and patted her back trying to calm the baby.
       So Toju died. The trailer had crushed him and his okada into a mangled mess. May was certain they had buried him with some okada parts, as his corpse had had to be picked off the road in front of their compound. May scrubbed and scrubbed that part of the road like a deranged woman. her hands bled but she wouldn't stop. she wanted to make sure she took off every part of her husband from the road. she was shattered. She went days without food. she could hear him scream like she had been there. Drunk driver! that was always the thought in her head. " a wretched old man uses his last fifty naira to buy ogogoro or whatever they call it. drinks and kills my husband. my Toju my light" she told any and everybody.  She had been against the idea of Toju going into okada business.
        With Toju's death, she hated everything that had to do with poverty. Toju had been the link between her and poverty. She went to the market one day, bought the best clothes she could find for herself and the baby, leaving just enough for cab fare. she made her hair, bathed her baby and dressed him up. "Your father is gone, you are never going to remember the first eight months of your life." she told the smiling baby. she didn't bother locking the door and she only took their photographs, paintings and documents with her as she left. She went back to her family and never looked back.
        She looked at Bayo who was now seventeen and a spitting image of his father. he had just gained admission into university of greenwich to study architecture. he was elated and she proud. "i have to call kunle" he said rushing out of the kitchen. "Stop running Bayo" she yelled after him. She had done very well for herself and her son. Bayo was her life, and she had never even thought of remarriage. No man could be Toju and she dedicated her life to her son. "what is the excitement all about? Bayo has almost run me over twice" Ireti asked coming into the kitchen.
"he has gained admission into that university in london o! I'm sure he feels like bringing down the walls" Mayowa answered checking the pot on the cooker.
"ehen! thank God. he really studied hard for those exams" Ireti replied
      Ireti was in her early forties. She had been the only friend May had made while she was married to Toju. She had lived down their street where she also had a shop. She had helped May out during her pregnancy and they became fast friends. When her parents decided to get Bayo a live in nanny so she could return to school, May had insisted on Ireti. Ireti moved in with her son Kunle and they had been together since then. Kunle was three years older than Bayo, but they were best of friends. Kunle was in the university studying political science, but always seemed to be in one kind of trouble or another. May knew he was becoming a bad influence on her son, and was glad to ship Bayo off to the U.K to school.
     Upon graduation five years later, Bayo came home to a sad house. Aunty Ireti had died few months before he graduated, she had had breast cancer. May had been lonely, but had Kunle to keep her company. she was really glad Bayo had decided to come back home after graduation. She threw him a welcome party and Kunle invited the whole town. Kunle had graduated two years ago, but had not gotten a job. he dint seem to even want a job. He stayed home all day and partied all night. He drove any of May's cars he wanted and Bayo could only wonder where he got the money he was squandering.
"My girl friend would be coming back to Nigeria in a few months time. i cant wait for you to meet her" Bayo announced at breakfast one morning.
"really? that's good son. she is very welcome" May replied.
"Kunle i haven't met your girl friend. you should bring her around so we can hang out together" Bayo said turning to Kunle.
Mayowa tensed and Kunle smiled. " Uh mm sure why not" Kunle replied, getting up from the table as he was through with his meal.
"i think Kunle has changed. i remember the variety of girls that flocked in here to see him" Bayo told his mother when kunle left. "have you met his girl friend?" he asked
" No i cant say i have" she replied.
"Well she must really be something and he must really love her. but i don't understand why he goes out a lot at night. maybe she works and closes late. that would explain a lot wouldn't it?" he continued
"Yes son, it would. eat your food" May answered, bringing an end to the conversation.
         Later that day, Bayo was taking a stroll in the garden, when he heard voices coming from the gazebo. "You have to tell him. I am tired of this sneaking around"
"No i cant tell him. it would kill him. see what happened when your mother found out. i cant take that chance"
"Mother had a weak heart and the shock of seeing us making love simply fastened what was inevitable."
" Look Bayo is my son. he must never find out. i am happy he bought the cancer story"
"but she did have cancer"
"the cancer didn't kill her. seeing us in the act did"
"i love you and i don't want to hide this anymore. its either you tell him or i leave"
" you don't mean that do you"
"i bloody do. i am a man and i am tired of these hide and seek games. it has gone on for too long"
"then you should leave. Bayo is all i have and i would not hurt him with this"  
    Bayo could neither believe his ears nor his eyes. he turned back and walked into the house. Minutes later, Kunle stormed in and went upstairs into his room Coming back downstairs, he had his luggage with him. he didn't say a word to Bayo as he left. When Mayowa walked in, the look on Bayo's face told her all she needed to know.