Episode 35
Since the day Bode was beaten by me, I wasnât allowed to
come out of the house at will anymore, except on
environmental sanitation days to tidy up the environment.
I was sad because of my education which was halted once
again. I began to pray earnestly for my motherâs return
because as it seemed right now, there was no hope for me
aside her.
I was still having those heavy thoughts in my heart when
Toyosi came to my room, the store room, to tell me that I
should come with her to the verandah. It had been long I saw
the sun last, since the day my father tasted my urine and fell
sick.
I began to follow my stepmother. When we got to the parlour,
she ordered me to stay still and wait for my father. John
stepped out of the bathroom with a towel around his body. He
had just taken a shower with Bode too.
As soon as he set his eyes on me, he began to laugh aloud.
Bode was laughing too. They spoke to each other and Bode
went to his room. My father sat on the cushion chair and began
to scribble something in the sheet of paper Bode just gave him.
When he was through, he gave it to me to read; I didnât hesitate
reading it:
Ha! Ha! Ha! Rose, you are ridiculous. So, because I told you that
you can never have a man to marry you in the future, you
decided to impose yourself on that blind kid out there. Itâs
funny! And you think I would bless your marriage? Rose, listen
to me, if you donât get a real man to marry you, then forget
about having me to bless your marriage because when a
disabled marries a disabled, they end up disabled. I say it again,
let the earth bury me alive if you ever get married to a normal
person. Ha! Ha! Ha!
I wondered what was bringing about such utterance from my
father this time around. Toyosi cleared my suspense when she
explained clearly to me the reason why she had called me:
Your blind boyfriend, Biodun, is indeed blindly in love with you
right now and he has been lovesick for the past seven days
now. He was only mentioning your name, saying that he
would die if he doesnât feel your presence around him. His
mother has come to beg me to allow you see him, so thatâs
what Iâm taking you out to do
I was shy when I read it. John made me more shy with his
laughter. I felt like running away, never to return.
My mind shifted back to Biodun. Indeed the disabled are also
able to make love. I am indeed able, I thought. I was glad I
would see Biodun again, but I knew this time I would see him
as a brother and not as a lover because I thought I was too
young for that right now.
Even if I had wanted to see him as a lover, it wouldnât work
because my father would eventually curse us and not bless us
ahead of a blissful marriage.
I stepped outside the roof of my fatherâs flat and got arrested
by the cool natural wind. For the past few days I had been
deprived of it. I sighed as I watched Toyosi knocking the door
of our neighbour. Mrs Omotayo stepped out and was
enthusiastic when she sighted me. She hugged Toyosi tightly
as she saw me.
âCome in, come in,â she said as she ushered us in. Reading her
lips seemed quite simple for me, compared to reading my
fatherâs lips. My motherâs were the easiest lips I had ever read.
I saw Biodun folding up on a sofa, shivering. Tears ran down
my eyes. la!de was beside him, caring for him. When she saw
me, she screamed my name and Biodun thumped up.
I hasted towards him. He deserved pity so much, looking
emaciated and wan. la!de rose up for me as I took my seat and
placed Bodeâs head on my lap and rubbed his head.
Bode sighed and gave up. I thought he was dead. I shook him
and he responded with a yawn. His mother laughed and I
perceived she just said âloverboyâ. I smiled.
âHe says he would feel better sleeping on your lap. Blind
Samson on Delilahâs laps,â Toyosi signed to me and I became
ashamed of myself. She asked me to remain there while she
returned.
Mrs Omotayo watched in amazement. It seemed as if Biodun
was snoring. She soon left us alone and went to her room.
la!de scribbled something in a paper. I read it. She was telling
me the reason why she didnât show me Biodunâs letter on time:
I was jealous over the fact that I would have no one to play
with if I showed his love letter to you because the two of you
will neglect me and play with each other. Only me alone would
be left in the world.
I smiled when I read la!deâs note. She had a point.
I watched Biodunâs nostrils expanding and contracting as I
fought hard to get rid of the feeling of lust that had engulfed my
heart. Suddenly I began to see the future inside his nostrils
which seemed to me like a telescope:
Biodun and I walked up the podium. Everywhere, to me, was
silent as usual, even though people around me seemed to be
shouting. Flower girls stood around us, helping to spray us
with bouquet of flowers-Roses, Hibiscusses and lot more. It
was an awesome sight to behold, first of its kind, I thought.
I looked around and saw my mother seated as I held Bodeâs
hand leading him to the podium where the clergyman was. He
was cute, having a dark goggle on his face.
The clergyman spoke and I watched the sign language
interpretation by my class teacher, Mrs Oyindamola. My aunty
and Honorable Daniel her husband were also seated in their
befitting regalia. My father and mother were smiling all the time.
I was glad that in the end Johnâs heart had softened, having
spent a lot to see our marriage come up successfully. He had
left Toyosi and Bode long ago.
âIf we have anyone here who have a reason why we should
not join these two in marriage, let such person speak now or
keep silent forever.â
Nobody responded. I smiled. The dream was coming to pass.
The clergyman turned to my mother:
âMrs John Hannah, are you giving your daughters hand in
marriage to this man, Mr Biodun?â
âYes I am,â she said.
The clergyman turned to my father. He was the only man
standing right now. If he said yes, then it would be yes. Of
course, nothing more than a âyesâ would proceed from his lips,
having asked for my forgiveness earlier, some months before
the marriage.
âMr John, do you want yourâ?â
âYes I do!â my father responded before the clergyman could
complete his statement.
It was a dream come true in the end. Biodun held my
ringfinger as he slowly made to put a ring in it, feeling around it
with his fingers. When the ring was almost going to pass right
into my finger, I felt another hand, a little bit wrinkled one,
slapping hard against our hands. The ring fell off and rolled
away. To my shock, it was my father. He wouldnât allow the
marriage, having slapped the ring off our hands.
âHa! Ha! Ha!â he laughed, revealing his brown teeth stained with
dotage. I screamed!
I was shocked. I had dozed off. Biodunâs head was no more on
my lap. Infact, he wasnât in sight anymore. I had spent an hour
and half in the âsweet dreamâ.
It seemed my sound was too loud. la!de and her mother
rushed in to ask me what was wrong. I shook my head and
pointed to my laps to ask where Biodun was.
Biodun began to enter the parlour with his walking stick. He
was quite better right now. I was surprised.
I couldnât tell anyone the dream I had. Now I knew that my
love life with Biodun wouldnât work, according to what I just
saw in the trance. I had rather relate with him as a brother and
not a lover, I thought.
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