"Wetin You Hide"
The compound dey quiet when Mama Chidi come back from market. She carry basket full of pepper and tomato, but her mind no dey for food. Her eye red like say she don cry.
She meet Papa Chidi for kitchen, dey chop rice like say nothing happen.
Mama Chidi: *(drop basket with gbas!)* "Emeka. Stand up."
Papa Chidi: *(mouth full of rice)* "Ah, woman. Wetin be this? You no see say I dey chop?"
Mama Chidi: "Chop? You dey chop rice while your pikin dey cry for school because say dem send am comot? You tell me say you lose job since three months ago. THREE MONTHS, Emeka."
Papa Chidi spoon drop. Silence fall like stone.
Papa Chidi: "Who... who tell you that one?"
Mama Chidi: "Your own brother! Chukwuemeka call me today. E say e don dey send you money every month so Chidi fit pay school fees. But you tell ME say na you dey hustle."
Papa Chidi: *(voice low, head down)* "I no wan make you worry. I dey find work every morning. I go office to office, factory to factory. Nothing dey. Wetin you wan I tell you? Say your husband don become useless?"
Mama Chidi: *(voice shake, but she no cry)* "Emeka, listen to me well well. I marry you when you get nothing. When you dey sell gala for traffic. You think say I go leave you because you no get job? Na the LIE dey hurt me pass the hunger."
Papa Chidi stand up. Him eye shine with water wey e dey try hide.
Papa Chidi: "I dey sorry. I dey sorry true true. I just... I dey fear your eye. I dey fear say you go look me like say I no be man again."
Mama Chidi walk come close. She hold him face with both hand.
Mama Chidi: "You be my man. With job or without job. But if you lie to me again, I go carry my pot comot this house. You hear me?"
Papa Chidi nod. E hold her hand.
Papa Chidi: "I hear you. And... I go go see that factory for Ikeja tomorrow. Chukwuemeka say dem dey find supervisor."
Mama Chidi small smile show.
Mama Chidi: "Good. Now sit down. Make I cook this soup before night reach. And next time, tell me the truth. Even if the truth dey burn."
She pick her basket again. Papa Chidi watch her go, and for the first time in three months, him chest feel light.
The compound dey quiet when Mama Chidi come back from market. She carry basket full of pepper and tomato, but her mind no dey for food. Her eye red like say she don cry.
She meet Papa Chidi for kitchen, dey chop rice like say nothing happen.
Mama Chidi: *(drop basket with gbas!)* "Emeka. Stand up."
Papa Chidi: *(mouth full of rice)* "Ah, woman. Wetin be this? You no see say I dey chop?"
Mama Chidi: "Chop? You dey chop rice while your pikin dey cry for school because say dem send am comot? You tell me say you lose job since three months ago. THREE MONTHS, Emeka."
Papa Chidi spoon drop. Silence fall like stone.
Papa Chidi: "Who... who tell you that one?"
Mama Chidi: "Your own brother! Chukwuemeka call me today. E say e don dey send you money every month so Chidi fit pay school fees. But you tell ME say na you dey hustle."
Papa Chidi: *(voice low, head down)* "I no wan make you worry. I dey find work every morning. I go office to office, factory to factory. Nothing dey. Wetin you wan I tell you? Say your husband don become useless?"
Mama Chidi: *(voice shake, but she no cry)* "Emeka, listen to me well well. I marry you when you get nothing. When you dey sell gala for traffic. You think say I go leave you because you no get job? Na the LIE dey hurt me pass the hunger."
Papa Chidi stand up. Him eye shine with water wey e dey try hide.
Papa Chidi: "I dey sorry. I dey sorry true true. I just... I dey fear your eye. I dey fear say you go look me like say I no be man again."
Mama Chidi walk come close. She hold him face with both hand.
Mama Chidi: "You be my man. With job or without job. But if you lie to me again, I go carry my pot comot this house. You hear me?"
Papa Chidi nod. E hold her hand.
Papa Chidi: "I hear you. And... I go go see that factory for Ikeja tomorrow. Chukwuemeka say dem dey find supervisor."
Mama Chidi small smile show.
Mama Chidi: "Good. Now sit down. Make I cook this soup before night reach. And next time, tell me the truth. Even if the truth dey burn."
She pick her basket again. Papa Chidi watch her go, and for the first time in three months, him chest feel light.
"Wetin You Hide"
The compound dey quiet when Mama Chidi come back from market. She carry basket full of pepper and tomato, but her mind no dey for food. Her eye red like say she don cry.
She meet Papa Chidi for kitchen, dey chop rice like say nothing happen.
Mama Chidi: *(drop basket with gbas!)* "Emeka. Stand up."
Papa Chidi: *(mouth full of rice)* "Ah, woman. Wetin be this? You no see say I dey chop?"
Mama Chidi: "Chop? You dey chop rice while your pikin dey cry for school because say dem send am comot? You tell me say you lose job since three months ago. THREE MONTHS, Emeka."
Papa Chidi spoon drop. Silence fall like stone.
Papa Chidi: "Who... who tell you that one?"
Mama Chidi: "Your own brother! Chukwuemeka call me today. E say e don dey send you money every month so Chidi fit pay school fees. But you tell ME say na you dey hustle."
Papa Chidi: *(voice low, head down)* "I no wan make you worry. I dey find work every morning. I go office to office, factory to factory. Nothing dey. Wetin you wan I tell you? Say your husband don become useless?"
Mama Chidi: *(voice shake, but she no cry)* "Emeka, listen to me well well. I marry you when you get nothing. When you dey sell gala for traffic. You think say I go leave you because you no get job? Na the LIE dey hurt me pass the hunger."
Papa Chidi stand up. Him eye shine with water wey e dey try hide.
Papa Chidi: "I dey sorry. I dey sorry true true. I just... I dey fear your eye. I dey fear say you go look me like say I no be man again."
Mama Chidi walk come close. She hold him face with both hand.
Mama Chidi: "You be my man. With job or without job. But if you lie to me again, I go carry my pot comot this house. You hear me?"
Papa Chidi nod. E hold her hand.
Papa Chidi: "I hear you. And... I go go see that factory for Ikeja tomorrow. Chukwuemeka say dem dey find supervisor."
Mama Chidi small smile show.
Mama Chidi: "Good. Now sit down. Make I cook this soup before night reach. And next time, tell me the truth. Even if the truth dey burn."
She pick her basket again. Papa Chidi watch her go, and for the first time in three months, him chest feel light.
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