The Accountant

Episode 38

After two days in the forest, Tewetegbo, who was in the Aiyedade forest looking for leaves he has been using for making herbs, found Ajike.

She was looking lifeless and dirty. He realised she was still breathing and took her home.

Ajike was able to speak after few herbal medicine.

She had narrated the whole story to her saviour. Ajike figured out those thugs were sent by Ademuluyi as

a result of the throne rivalry between her husband and him.

Her condition wasn’t good enough, so Tewotegbo allowed her stay with him till at least after her delivery. She stayed in one of the rooms in his house. There was no issue as Tewetegbo was staying alone.

His two sons were both living in Lagos. Their attempts to convince their herbalist father in coming to live

with either of them proved abortive. He always reply them with ‘’the gods want me here in Aiyedade.’’

Nevertheless, they both do visit their father once in a while. Tewetegbo also did the same.

Three weeks into Ajike’s stay, she delivered a baby girl. Tewetegbo would have been more fulfilled if Ajike

had stayed alive to take care of the beautiful creature she delivered. She had gasped her last breath the

second she saw the baby that night. The baby had the Adekanbis’ birthmark which confirmed the story Ajike had told him. He was left with the decision on what to do with the baby.

He, of course, could not look after a day old baby by himself, so one person came to his mind—Awele.

Tewetegbo knew having a dead body in his house was a real mess. He consulted his gods for guidance.

He buried her in the forest they met before the day broke in a furtive manner. Then sent a message

across to Awele through one of her fellow market women who likes going to the market before aurora.

Awele got to his house some minutes later. Tewetegbo filled her in with some details. He gave Awele another version of the whole Ajike story. He thought knowing the original story might freak her out.

Awele was made to know that Tewetegbo had found the infant in the forest couple of hours back. She had believed someone had deliberately abandoned the child there for whatever reason. She agreed to take care of the child and followed Tewetegbo’s instruction as directed by the gods. The high point of it was to make sure the child was raised in Ife. Tewetegbo gave the child a safety inscription at the back her neck.

Awele and the infant, which she later named Olanike, became settlers in Ife-Odua before dusk.