THE OTHER WOMAN

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.
A time to laugh and a time to cry. A time to live and a time to die.

The Other Woman – Episode 1

Timilehin held her younger sister close and she cried. She was just twelve but life had decided to place a burden on her shoulders.  There was nothing out of the ordinary about Timilehin’s outward appearance but her inside had been scarred forever. Her younger sister – Dolamu was covered in grief too.

Timilehin moved her lanky frame sluggishly as she used the back of her hand to push back tears. She watched the undertakers lower the coffin into the grave. She had watched the undertakers carry the coffin on their shoulders as they danced through the street. Four men on each end of the coffin and they moved rhythmically to the sound of music, they looked happy.
She couldn’t understand why they were dancing.
There was a dead body in the coffin and they were dancing, Timilehin struggled to understand the rationale behind such an action.
As hard as she tried, she couldn’t hold back the tears from reaching her cheeks. Dolamu was much younger but she understood the meaning of what was happening. Their father, Christopher, came close and pulled them close to himself as though reassuring them that everything would be alright. His touch was a reminder of what they had lost, it wasn’t soft and reassuring as he had intended, but rather it was firm and assertive. His eyes were red and swollen but he wasn’t crying.

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The coffin made a gradual passage into the grave.
Timilehin remembered something her mother used to say,
“Most times we need to go down so we can go up”
She watched the coffin touch the ground and she wondered if her mother, Abisola, would suddenly jump out of the coffin.
She cried as they began to cover her coffin with sand.
There was no coming back. Her mother wasn’t going to jump out of the grave. She was gone for good.
Dolamu cried, Timilehin cried, Christopher held then close and held back his tears.
Timilehin overheard some of the people that were around asking why Abisola wasn’t buried in her matrimonial home. She wasn’t interested in there discussion, she wondered why the place her mother was laid to rest would be any of their concern.  After all, she was buried in one of her husband’s houses, the fact that it wasn’t the house they lived was inconsequential in her opinion.
The ceremonies ended and everyone returned to their lives.
Dolamu and Timilehin returned to the duplex they shared with their father. They mother gradually became a treasured memory.
Few weeks after the passing of their mother, Cynthia became a regular guest in their home. She would come in the cover of night and spend the night in their father’s room.
Timilehin recalled the weeks before her mother died.
Christopher and Abisola were always quarrelling about Cynthia.
Cynthia was an old school mate of Abisola. Out of the blue she called on phone and explained that she had been invited for a job interview in Osun State and needed a place to stay. Abisola discussed with Christopher and he agreed to allow her spend a few days in their house.

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At first, everything seemed okay. However much later, Abisola was beginning to have regular misunderstandings with Christopher. The misunderstandings began as a mild observations then it grew into loud arguments, eventually she insisted that Cynthia should leave the house.
Two weeks after Cynthia left the house, Abisola was washing Christopher’s clothes and found a bank teller for a payment to a real estate company. The payment was for a three bed room apartment. It felt so strange because she was sure that the apartment wasn’t for them. She spoke to Christopher about it but he said he helped someone in his office to make the payment but that he would get his money back
Abisola wasn’t convinced so she probed further. She went to the real estate company and discovered that Christopher had rented the apartment for Cynthia.
Abisola could not stomach the revelation, she went into a rage and started shouting and cursed them both. Christopher initially tried to deny the allegations but he later explained that all he did was loan her some money to get an accommodation.
Time passed and Christopher began to change, he wasn’t spending enough time with the children. He left the house early and returned late. Abisola began to suspect that he was going to Cynthia’s place after work. She got a private investigator to follow him and as fate would have it, the investigator found out that he was a regular visitor to Cynthia’s place.
The discovery didn’t seat well with Abisola and she went to Cynthia’s apartment to bring down the roof. When she was done, she decided to leave her with a piece of her mind,
“Cynthia, may the Almighty destroy you. I helped you and in return you try to take my husband. You will not succeed. Husband Snatcher!”
Cynthia was not silent in the argument, she responded to everything Abisola threw at her.

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“Madaaaam, you are a fool. If you had something to offer, would your so called husband be running after me? Let me tell you, it is you that will be destroyed, in fact you better go and settle all you affairs because I am moving into that house you call your home”
There was something about the way Cynthia spoke that made Abisola scared. She wasn’t talking out of anger she was speaking like someone with a plan. It wasn’t the spontaneous ramblings of a bitter woman but the articulate words of a strategist.
“Cynthia you are a wicked person” Abisola announced submissively.
Cynthia laughed
“Abisola, you haven’t seen wickedness. When you see wickedness you will understand that I have been doing you a favour all this while”
Two weeks after the confrontation, Abisola was in the bathroom and suddenly she slipped and fell. She narrowly escaped hitting her head against the edge of the bath tub.  Christopher dashed in to see his wife on the ground. He rushed her to the hospital and it was discovered that she had experienced a stroke.
Christopher couldn’t believe his ears.
Abisola is too young to have a stroke, he thought to himself.
He was sure she didn’t have a history of high blood pressure.
Timilehin and Dolamu went to visit their mother in the hospital. They looked at her mother and remembered when she was strong and healthy. She couldn’t talk, she couldn’t move, she needed help for everything. Timilehin recalled when they would go to the market together. She recalled how her mother would weave her hair and mend her clothes. The woman on the bed was a shadow of the woman they had always called mummy.
Three weeks of needles and drugs ended.
Abisola died.
Despite all the effort by the doctors, she gave up the ghost.
Timilehin was very bitter when Cynthia started coming to the house. Deep down in her heart she was convinced that Cynthia had a hand in her mother’s death. There was something about her that didn’t add up, Timilehin was even more disturbed that her father didn’t seem to see the signs.
Six months after Abisola passed on, Christopher called Timilehin and Dolamu to his side to announce a few changes.
“Girls, Aunty Cynthia is going to be your new mummy”
Timilehin listened to her father and wondered if he was under a spell.

… To Be Continued




“Love is patient, love is kind, and love never ends”
Timilehin recalled the words of her late mother.

The Other Woman – Episode 2

It would appear as though with the passing of time, she recalled more of her late mother’s words. When she was alive Timilehin and her mother never saw eye to eye on many issues. She was approaching the teenage years and had many anxieties, her mother was always helping to curb her excesses. She had filled her head with word, Timilehin always kept her mother’s words at the tip of her finger.

Death came too soon, its hand was cold and it ripped the life out of Abisola.
Timilehin recalled a typical Sunday when her real mother was still alive. Usually, they would begin with cooking, then cleaning the house and then they would get ready for church. After she passed, Sundays didn’t seem so important. Sometimes, they didn’t go to church, it just wasn’t so important.
Timilehin observed that Cynthia was an understanding woman. She struggled with the thought of accepting her as her mother.
How can I be thinking of Aunty Cynthia as my mother, she wondered
Timilehin was young but she observed that her father was happy with Cynthia. Although there were times when he would flash back to the moments he shared with Abisola he was quick to replace those moments with the ones he was creating with Cynthia.
She tried to hate Cynthia but it was more difficult than she had imagined. There was something about the way she cared for them that made Timilehin take a liking for her. Dolamu warmed up to Cynthia without delays and before long she was calling her mummy.
Timilehin didn’t want to allow herself to like Cynthia. In her opinion, Cynthia was the devil. She recalled how she came into their lives and her parents began to quarrel with each other. Then she recalled her mother arguing with her father about an accommodation he had rented for her. Timilehin was convinced that Cynthia had a hand in the death of her mother.
The truth Timilehin hadn’t known was that her parents had been drifting apart for a very long time. Christopher had felt something missing in their marriage for a little over four years. The fire of their marriage had gradually reduced to a spark and when Cynthia came into their home, she showed Christopher what was missing.

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Cynthia was a good listener perhaps that was what won Christopher’s heart.
“I don’t feel like going to Iya Chinedu’s Store to buy the beans. I will go to the market instead”
Timilehin announced.
Cynthia had sent Timilehin to buy some beans so they could prepare Moi Moi. She was surprised when the girl suggested that she would go to the market to buy it. The market was a lot further than Iya Chinedu’s store and the price was sure to be the same. Cynthia was convinced Timilehin was either running towards something or running away from something.
“Is Chinedu bothering you?” Cynthia asked in a motherly manner
Timilehin was quick to deny any relationship with Chinedu. On hearing her response, Cynthia knew Timilehin was running towards something in the market. In her opinion, there was a boy or perhaps a man in the picture.
“Sweet heart why do you want to go and buy it in the market?” Cynthia asked
There was a warmness in her voice, a sublime encouragement to speak out.
Timilehin wasn’t sure how to respond, she stammered then responded.
“Nothing ooo! I just want to go there and buy it”
Cynthia smiled, she could tell that Timilehin was looking for love in the wrong places. She looked into the eyes of the child she had been called to be a mother to and she saw a girl that was about to go astray. She could decide to watch her give away her flower or she could help her protect it, either way she would still be married to Christopher.
“Timi, I want you to know that I love you as my own daughter”
There was something about the way she spoke that broke down the walls that had been built around Timilehin’s heart. She listened as Cynthia encouraged her to talk to her about anything. TImilehin wanted to tell Cynthia about Alex but she didn’t know how to begin.
Alex was her classmate, he was at least three years older and his mother sold food stuffs in the market. After Abisola died, Timilehin found a friend in him. He gave her gifts and words of encouragement. He was very nice to her.
“Thank you ma” She responded to Cynthia and then went on to the market.
Alex was a shoulder she could lean on, he was her hiding place. There was something about the way he smiled that just took her breathe away. He always had something very reassuring to say to her.

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She rushed to the market as quickly as her legs could take her.
“Timilehin, what do you want to buy?” Alex asked casually
Timilehin was momentarily speechless.
There was a way his left eye brow raised slightly when he spoke, it looked beautiful. Cynthia couldn’t explain why she was feeling that way about Alex but something was drawing her to him.
“I want to buy bean” she responded touching the measuring can.
He measured the beans with the measuring can and then added some extra beans. He packed it in a nylon bag and then handed it over to her.
“We are going to a party on Friday night, it would be nice if you could come” Alex invited
Timilehin thought about how exciting it would be to go to a party with Alex but she realised that she wouldn’t be able to get permission from her dad.
“I would love to come, but there is no way I can tell my dad that I am going to a party”
Timilehin replied
Alex explained to her that she could tell her dad that she was going for a vigil in church. She would put her party clothes in her bag and after the party she would go to the church and then from the church come home.
Timilehin listened to the plan and realised that it could work.
“Okay, I think I would be able to come” she admitted
He smiled at her and she was blown into cloud nine.

… To Be Continued






Everything in life comes in twos.
Without darkness light would be irrelevant.

The Other Woman – Episode 3

It was as though Alex came into Timilehin’s life to be her comfort in the storm. There was something about the way he looked at her that made her feel like everything was going to be alright.

She collected the beans he had packaged in the nylon bag and then returned home. By the time she got home, Cynthia was already waiting.
“Timi, Timi” she called out sarcastically
Timilehin just stood waiting as she tried to gauge the expression on her step-mum’s face.
“Ma” she replied
“You stayed long shaaaaa. Hope it is just bean you collected” she queried
Timilehin tried to understand what she meant. She hoped her step-mum wasn’t suggesting she had gone to do a ‘quickie’ somewhere. She was young but it was no longer secret that even amongst her peers they were having boyfriends and occasionally having sex.
Although her late mother had never really sat her down to explain the implications of such acts, she had made up her mind that she was going to keep herself at least until she was in the university.
“How much did you buy one Derica of beans?” Cynthia asked
“Two Fifty” she responded
“Wow, this exchange rate is just raising the price of everything ooo” Cynthia commented
As Timilehin went into her room she fantasized about how it would feel to go on a date with Alex. Her initial challenge was how she would get her father’s permission to go to the vigil.
She carefully drew a plan inside her head, when she had fully constructed the scenario in her head she needed to find the perfect time to approach her father.
“Timilehin!”
Someone was calling out to her from downstairs.  She recognised the voice, it was her step-mother.
“Ma” she responded.
She stepped out of her room and rushed down to the kitchen to join her,
“Timi, how do you expect that we would make moi moi if you just leave the beans on the table?”

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She apologised and started to wash the beans.
She kept thinking about how and when she would tell her father that she wanted to attend a vigil. Without thinking about it, she opened her mouth and announced,
“I am going to vigil in church on Friday”
Cynthia looked at her and could tell that there was something fishy. She smiled then told her she had to finish with the beans then she could go ask her father for permission.
“What was I thinking?” Timilehin thought within herself
Later that night, she served her father dinner – Custard and moi moi.
He was watching the highlights of the football match and the food sat patiently on the dinner table. She had hoped that she would ask for his permission as soon as he began eating. She waited a few minutes then reminded him that the food was getting cold. He turned to look in the direction of the food then asked her to bring it closer.
As she removed the food from the dinner table and brought it to the stool in front of her father, she asked casually.
“Daddy, we have vigil in church on Friday, can I go?”
“Which Friday?” her father queried
“Day after tomorrow” she responded
Timilehin hoped that he won’t probe further. She hadn’t considered that he could ask her the purpose of the vigil. What events would be lined up and so on.
He lifted the spoon and went straight into the custard. He took a mouth full without taking his eyes off the television set.
“You and Dolamu right?” he queried
Timilehin hadn’t considered that her father would ask her to go with her younger sister. She had to give a response quickly.
“Yes sir, we are going together”
“No problem, just make sure you leave the house early and allow the day to break fully before you start coming back”
He gave his consent then went back to his meal and his football.

She had received his permission now she had to re-strategize.
Her new plan was simple, she would go to the church and drop Dolamu then she would go to the party and afterwards return to take Dolamu home. She was sure the plan would work.
Friday arrived and Timilehin was ready.
“Dolamu please take these drugs” Cynthia pleaded

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Timilehin couldn’t believe her misfortune. Dolamu chose to have a fever on the day she needed her to actualise a plan.
“Dolamu, why are you sick now. We need to go to vigil ooo” Timilehin complained
Cynthia listened to Timilehin wail about going to the vigil without any concern that her younger sister was having a fever, she knew something was fishy.
“Timi, you go to the vigil. I will tell your dad that I asked you to go alone” Cynthia instructed
Timilehin became excited, she couldn’t have planned it any better. Now she could go directly to the party and return to the church then from there go home.
“Best plan ever” she told herself
When she was within a few meters from the venue of the party, she hid beside a shop and changed into her party clothes. She wore a velvet gown that held tightly to her body. The dress sat a few inches above her knee and left very little to the imagination.
Chima was the first to see Timilehin come into the venue.
“Alex, see your babe dey come” he announced
Alex watched as Timilehin come closer, something inside his trouser stood at attention. He walked up to her and offered her his presence.
“I am so glad you could make it”
He was acting so strange, it made Timilehin feel nervous. She giggled, he wasn’t thinking with his head.
As the night got older, the music continued to steal the atmosphere. Alex and Chima smoked and drank, Timilehin was surprised. She was offered alcohol but as soon as she took a sip, she was sure it wasn’t for her. Alex invited her to take a walk with him and she agreed.
They walked towards a garden a short distance from the venue of the party, the time was about 1:45AM. Alex tried to kiss her but something about the way he smelt just turned her off. She resisted but he forced himself on her.
From nowhere, Chima appeared and together they pulled Timilehin to the ground. She screamed but they quickly muffled her mouth. They tied her hands and then they started to argue about who would go into her first.  They agreed that Alex would go first and Chima would hold her legs apart.

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They lifted her gown and removed her underwear. Her screams couldn’t escape the cloth they had used to seal her mouth. She cried, she couldn’t believe Alex would do such a thing to her. She would have given herself to him sometime in the future but this was going to be the worst memory in her head.
She watched helplessly as Chima pulled her legs apart and Alex came on top on her. His device was erect and it approached her vagina without hindrance.
There was a shout from behind.
“Stop there!”
Chima took to his heels.
Alex struggled to get on his feet but fell.
Cynthia came with one of the security men.
The man arrested Alex, and Cynthia freed Timilehin from the ropes.
She held Timilehin close to her chest and the girl cried. If they had arrived a few minutes later she would have been raped.

… To Be Continued

Life is full of twists and turns.

Nobody can truly estimate the good that could be gotten from a single act of random kindness.

The Other Woman – Episode 4

Cynthia saved the day.

She didn’t do it to proof a point, she did what any good mother would do. She followed her instinct and it led her to Timilehin. And, Timilehin owed her for her salvation.

Cynthia promised Timilehin that she would not report the incidence to her father and it pleased Timilehin to hear those word. As she listened to Cynthia’s words of assurance, she couldn’t help but wonder what hidden agenda she had.

They returned to the house and life continued.

The slight fever Dolamu had didn’t go away, it became worse.

Christopher had gone to work before they noticed that Dolamu’s condition was getting dire.  Cynthia had to notify him.

“Sweetheart, I think we need to take Dolamu to the Hospital” she began

“What is the matter?” Christopher asked

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He had one hand on the steering wheel and the other was holding the phone close to his ear. He looked from side to side hoping the police wouldn’t pull him over for driving and using a mobile phone.

“She is still having that fever and it appears to be getting worse.” Cynthia explained

Christopher promised to call their family nurse. He was confident she would be able to take care of her. He thanked Cynthia for telling him about Dolamu and then ended the call.

He drove into a petrol station, parked the car, and then searched for the Nurse’s number.

“Hello Nurse Zainab, Good morning, it’s me, Daddy Timi” he introduced himself

“Ah Good morning sir” she greeted

He explained that Dolamu wasn’t feeling fine and he would like her to go to the house to give the sick girl some treatment. Nurse Zainab agreed and he thanked her, then he ended the call.

He tried to recall if he saw Dolamu before he left the house. In his haste, he didn’t even step into her room to check on her before he left for work. He was beginning to feel like a bad father. He quickly encouraged himself that he was working for the family.

“How would I be able to even pay for the treatment if I don’t go to work?” he consoled himself

He concluded that he would see Dolamu when he returned. He started the engine of the car and continued his journey.

About 30 minutes later, Nurse Zainab got to their house.

Timilehin looked at her and couldn’t help thinking that all the Nurses she had seen were always beautiful. It seemed as though it was an unwritten criteria to be a nurse.

“Welcome Aunty Zainab” Timilehin greeted as she opened the door for her to come in

Cynthia was with Dolamu in the room.

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Nurse Zainab went straight into the room. She looked at Dolamu then checked her temperature. She asked if she had taken any medication. Cynthia explained that she had given her some paracetamol the previous night.

Nurse Zainab explained that it appeared as though Dolamu was having malarial and so she started to treat her.

She began with injections and then went on to drips.

Dolamu wasn’t getting better, in fact, it appeared she was getting worse.

Five days, six drips, and about a dozen injections later, Dolamu was still sick.

They struggled to give her food. She was getting weaker, she couldn’t speak. Her energy had been stolen and it seemed like her soul was walking towards the light.

The doctor came and after looking at all the treatments she had received concluded that Dolamu should have been getting better. He confessed that there was nothing more to be done for her.

Christopher was introduced to a sad reality. He would have to prepare the grave of his child.

Christopher cried, Timilehin cried, Cynthia refused to give up.

She sat beside Dolamu when every other person had given up. She believed that she would not die. She kept calling out to her.

“Dolly dearie, We really love you and you must eat so you can have energy” she begged

Dolamu had emaciated, her skin was pale and dry. She was going to join her mother in the afterlife, and it was obvious for all to see. Everyone saw the signs expect Cynthia.

She prayed with all her heart, she never left Dolamu’s side.

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Christopher returned to work, he was certain that one day while at work, he would get a call that he should come and bury his daughter. He was preparing his mind for the inevitable.

The doctor came again and after running a few tests on Dolamu, he announced that he couldn’t find anything wrong with her.

“Medically, she is perfectly alright. Yes she had very low glucose level but that is because she hasn’t been eating” the doctor observed

He looked at Cynthia and Timilehin and then declared.

“Ma, she needs a miracle”

Three weeks of sickness has a way of stealing ones faith. Christopher had lost faith, Timilehin too.

Cynthia believed.

She believed that Dolamu would not die. She believed that she would get better and one day cook with her in the kitchen. She wasn’t going to let her go. But she never imagined that she could be wrong.

Four weeks into the sickness, she was beginning to realise that Dolamu could already have one foot in the grave.

Timilehin watched her step mother take care of her sister the way only a real mother would. It made her feel sad that she had given Cynthia a hard time. She recalled how Cynthia had come to save her from Alex and it dawned on her that Cynthia was heaven sent.  Dolamu was dying, it was obvious, but Cynthia still held on to hope.

Mercy prevailed.

Dolamu started eating, she began the fight to stay alive.

It was a miracle.

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The doctor returned but couldn’t explain her recover. It was as though whatever was pulling her to the grave had decided to let go. He smiled at Dolamu and assured her.

“My dear, God loves you”

Timilehin looked at her sister and realised that God was not the only person in the room that loved her. Cynthia didn’t give up on her, she prayed for her and consistently stood by her side. Timilehin saw love in her action.

In that moment, she realized that one didn’t have to be your biological mother to be able to love you like a mother.

… To Be Continued

The human heart is a very fiddly organ, it sets out to hate but ends up loving.
Timilehin realized she might have been wrong about Cynthia.

The Other Woman – Episode 5

There was no pretence in the way she loved Dolamu and Timilehin. There didn’t appear to be any hidden agenda, she loved them like they were her own children.

Throughout the period that Dolamu recovered, Cynthia sat by her bedside and showered her with love. Timilehin stood at the door of the room and watched as Cynthia transformed from being their step-mother to being their real mother.  She was so natural, so believable but something kept telling her that Cynthia had something under her sleeve.
School resumed but Dolamu needed more time to rest so Timilehin went to school alone.
She watched Cynthia take care of her little sister and was convinced that her father had made a good choice. She was so tender and kind, attributes one wouldn’t imagine of the average step-mother.
“Mummy, Bye bye” she greeted as she stepped out of the house.
She looked at the expression on Cynthia’s face and it was worth a billion dollars. Timilehin hadn’t premeditated calling Cynthia mummy but when she beheld the expression on her face she was sure she had used the right word to describe her.
She strapped her backpack to her back and jumped into the road. As she walked down to school she wondered how she would face Alex and Chima. Cynthia had advised that the incident be reported to Alex and Chima’s parents so they would scold them however they agreed that it was in their best interest if it was not made public.

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As Timilehin entered the school compound she felt as though every eye that perched on her was seeing her near rape experience. She walked quickly as she joined the other students that had already filed out for the morning assembly.
She looked around, there was no sign of Alex and Chima, she was glad.
The assembly ended and she walked into the class, her mind was lost in thought. She recalled what her step-mother had told her,
“If you keep the memory in your heart, it will destroy you. Leave it in your brain and it will guide you”
She didn’t know how to move the memory of what happened into her brain.
Before that night she had secretly pictured Alex as the guy that would take her flower. But, after that night and the helplessness she had felt, she wasn’t sure she was ever going to date a guy or even come close to having sex with any.
In that singular act, Alex had scarred her perception about men forever.
“Hello Bae” called out a voice from behind.


She turned around and she saw her best friend Elizabeth.
Elizabeth jumped into her arms and they embraced. Timilehin stayed in her embrace and felt safe. She wasn’t scared that Elizabeth could use her device against her. Her breast felt pleasant as it stroked hers. In that moment, she called herself to order.
“Why am I doing like a lesbian?” she quietly queried herself
Elizabeth hadn’t noticed the conflict in Timilehin’s mind. She was just glad to see her friend again.
“Bae how far with you now? Can you imagine your boyfriend Alex has changed seat he has gone to the front of the class” Elizabeth announced enthusiastically
“Lizzy, I don’t have time for boys at all” Timilehin responded despondently
“Babe you no well. We haven’t started and you are already saying you don’t have time for boys.” Elizabeth joked.
Timilehin really wanted to tell Elizabeth about what happened when she went to the party but she recalled Cynthia’s advice. She also considered that Elizabeth might make fun of her since she went without telling her about it.

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“Lizzy, as I dey so I don’t have time for any boy.” Timilehin concluded
She entered the class and took her seat, and that was when she saw him.
Before the incident at the party, whenever she saw Alex she could feel butterflies in her stomach but now all she felt was heart ache. She felt like vomiting at the sight of him. He was the same handsome Alex that she had always known but something inside of her couldn’t stand his presence.
She tried her best to avoid him but just when she thought she had succeeded in avoiding him. Alex walked up to her as she exited the school gate.
“Hello Timi” he called out
There was a charming reserve in his voice.
Her heart wanted to smile but her brain held her back.
She looked at him but didn’t respond.
“I am so sorry about what I did. I have thought about it and I realized that I wasn’t influenced by Chima, the drugs or the Alcohol. It was all me”
Timilehin had expected him to put the blame on Chima but he was doing something very noble.
“Timi, I realise that I have always imagined having sex with you. I have secretly pictured you and me together but I am so sorry for what I did”
Timilehin wasn’t sure if she was to feel good that she was the main character in his sexual fantasy. She would have been content if he had just said he was so sorry. She was convinced that regardless of what he said she was never going to look at him the way she did before. In her opinion, the devil lived inside of him.
“Alex, you should be sorry. But quickly imagine what would have happened if my mother hadn’t come to stop you and Chima”
As she spoke the words, anger began to grow inside of her. Alex saw she couldn’t be entreated at that instance so he softly cut in,
“I am sorry, so very ashamed of myself and sorry”
Timilehin listened to him and couldn’t say another word. His eyes were filled with guilt but her heart could never love another man.

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She got home and explained all that happened to Cynthia. Cynthia was watching a movie on Africa Magic but she listened to her carefully, then told her to bring a cup on water. Timilehin held the cup of water casually in her right hand and Cynthia asked how heavy it was. Timilehin smiled, she wondered how heavy a cup of water could be.
Cynthia told her to hold the cup of water with an outstretched hand as they watched TV together. Before long Timilehin couldn’t concentrate on the movie they were watching.
“Wow, it feels like the cup is getting heavier” she complained
Cynthia picked the TV remote control and killed the volume.
She turned her attention to Timilehin and schooled her from her personal experience.
“In life, the longer you hold on to hate the more it affects you. At first it may appear as though you are preventing me from drinking the water in the cup but the longer you carry the cup the more you are unable to concentrate on the things you should concentrate on. Hate in your heart consumes you, you need to let it go”
Timilehin listened to her speak and she could see that she was talking from a very personal experience. Something inside of her knew she had to forgive Alex but was sure she couldn’t .
There was a knock on the door.
Cynthia went to check.
“Ah Grandma welcome ” she greeted
Grandma, Chistopher’s mother didn’t hide her disapproval of Cynthia. She just responded by raising her nose.
Timilehin saw her grandmother and ran into her arms. She was very fond of her.
Timilehin took grandma’s bag and she went into the guest room.
Cynthia was still trying to understand the harsh response she received from the old woman.
“Cynthia, listen and listen very well. I have made my finding and I know what you have done. Get ready for war”
There was a fire inside grandma’s eyes that convinced Cynthia that she didn’t have a fighting chance.

… To Be Continued

The past holds many secrets, however, to change the future one needs to focus on the present.
Cynthia had many holes in the fabric of her past.

The Other Woman – Episode 6

Grandma allowed herself into the kitchen and then she walked into the living room.

“And some people will call themselves women” she spoke mockingly.
Cynthia quickly decided that she was not going to allow grandma provoke her. She hoped that when Christopher returned he would be able to talk some sense into his mother.
Timilehin returned to the living room but didn’t notice the tension that had built up in the house.
“Where is your little sister?” Grandma asked Timilehin
“She is upstairs in the room. Let me take you to her” she offered
Grandma looked at Cynthia with a disdainful look and then followed Timilehin into the room.
Cynthia’s patience was being tested. She was certain that the Cynthia she was in the past would have poured hot words on grandma. She watched as Timilehin and grandma walked up the stairs.
As the old woman counted her stairs up the stairs, Cynthia caught herself quietly wishing she would miss a step and come rolling down. She immediately rejected the thoughts, she didn’t ever want to be that kind of a person, one that was filled with bitterness.
Ordinarily, Cynthia would have gone with Timilehin and Grandma to see Dolamu but she didn’t feel the need to expose herself to the unbridled tongue of grandma. She took a seat in the living room and tried to watch television.

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A few minutes later, Grandma was shouting from upstairs.
“Cynthia! Iyawo jati jati ! Look at the child you are supposed to take care of” she scorned
Cynthia was almost in tears, she wondered which of the mistakes in her past grandma was holding her to account for. She knew what she could do to silence the old woman forever but she chose to do something more difficult – she chose to be quiet.
“Grandma, what have I done now?” She asked innocently
With that question, it was as though she had poured petrol into a fire.
Grandma attacked her with violent words. Timilehin stood at a distance to avoid being caught in the cross fire of fiery words.  She loved her grandma but she was embarrassed by the action she was displaying. She looked at Cynthia and wondered why her grandmother was being so mean to her. Timilehin wanted to tell her grandmother the role Cynthia had played in the recovery of Dolamu but she was sure that her grandmother would not be interested in all that.
“Old woman you need to stop barking” the words came out of Cynthia’s mouth and it swung the pendulum of victory in her favour.
“Cynthia, It is me that is barking like a dog abi?” Grandma tried to confirm.
In that brief moment, Cynthia felt satisfied.
She thought about all the insults grandma had dished at her. Then the various accusations she had put before her. Seeing that grandma had decided to be quiet, she consoled her that she had won the battle.
The house was quiet again.
Timilehin quickly went to the balcony. Cynthia went into her room leaving grandma alone in the living room. The only thought in the old woman’s head was how she would get Cynthia out of the house.
Cynthia sat in her room and wondered what she could have done to make the old woman hate her so much. They had met just once and that was when Christopher took her to visit the old woman in the village. After that time, they had spoken a couple of times over the phone.

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Cynthia laid down on the bed then allowed herself to fall asleep. She was glad that at least grandma couldn’t come into her dreams.
The phone rang.
Timilehin rushed into the living room to pick the call. She looked at the caller ID then accepted the called.
“Lizzy la la” she greeted
Elizabeth was so excited. Timilehin was finding it difficult to hear what her friend was saying.
“Baby calm down and repeat yourself slowly” she advised
“Bae, you remember Chima right” she began
How could she forget?
At the sound of the name, Timilehin began to feel a sour taste in her mouth. She recalled how Chima had almost raped her. She remembered the fear that held her with both hand. It was an experience she would not wish for her enemy.
“Which Chima” she asked, hoping that it would be another Chima
“Chima nau! Your Alex’s friend”
Now the sour taste entered into her stomach. She wished she could talk to Elizabeth about what the boys tried to do to her. She wanted so badly to tell her friend the reason she and Alex could never be described as friends again.
“Yes, I know the boy. What’s up with him?”
She hoped Elizabeth would tell her that a huge rock had fallen on top of him or something equally painful had happened to him.
“Bae you won’t believe it?”
“Believe what?” Timilehin tried to Clarify
“Chima asked me out on a date, this Friday at the Duchess Party” she said excitedly
Timilehin recalled all that happened to her and feared for her friend.
“Lizzy please don’t go” she advised

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Elizabeth listened to her friend but couldn’t understand why she would give such an advice.
“Timi, what are you saying?” she tried to confirm.
“Lizzy, I don’t know how to explain this to you but Chima is not a good person. You shouldn’t go to that party with him” Timilehin explained
“Not a good person?” she asked, anger in her voice.
There was a knock on the door, Timilehin was sure it was her father.
“Lizzy it’s like my dad is back, can we talk later” she enquired
Elizabeth didn’t wait for Timilehin to complete her statement, she just ended the call.
Timilehin wondered if her friend hadn’t taken her advice the wrong way. She concluded that she would call her back to discuss further.
“I am coming!” she answered as she walked towards the door.
“Daddy welcome” she greeted.
Timilehin took his bag into his room and he sat down to discuss with his mother.
Christopher couldn’t help but notice that his mother was almost in tears. Grandma spoke for a few minutes and then Christopher dashed into the room.
Cynthia was already up, she heard Timilehin open the door to drop her father’s bag. She stood to go greet her husband but he met her at the door.
“How dare you call my mother a dog?” he asked angrily.
Cynthia was speechless, she looked at the expression on his face and was sure she had to choose her response wisely.

… To Be Continued

The elders say that the life we live is a product of the choices we make.
Good or bad, our choices become our reality.

The Other Woman – Episode 7

Cynthia looked at Christopher and wondered where the man she married was. His eyes were cold and distant, filled with anger. She couldn’t imagine the lies grandma might have fed into his head to make him come at her in such a manner. She was particularly disappointed that he did not listen to her side of the story before bursting at her with such accusations.

“So that means, I am a nobody simply because of your mother?” she couldn’t help wondering
She was beginning to rethink her position in the house. Christopher was still standing in front of her, waiting for an answer.
She wanted to tell him that his mother deserved any insult she threw at her. She wanted to let him that his mother didn’t have the right to talk to her the way she did. But, she looked at Christopher and realised he had already chosen a side. He recalled the admonition in the bible,
“A soft answer turns away wrath”
“Sweetheart, I am so sorry. I would never do or say anything to insult grandma” she began
It was as though someone was pouring cold water on hot metal. Christopher listened to the words that came out of her mouth and he went from being a lion to being a lamb
“Now tell me, what really happened?”

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Cynthia felt like telling him that he was supposed to have asked her that question before he charged at her with accusations.  But, she chose a different route.
“Grandma was upset with me about something so she didn’t listen when I tried to explain myself. I didn’t want to upset her further so I came inside.” she explained.
Christopher listened to Cynthia and gradually let go of his anger.
“So tell me, why do you think she was upset?”
Cynthia was sure that regardless of what she said, her husband would hear what he wanted to hear.
She explained that she hoped he would be able to get his mother to tell him why she was upset with her.  He smiled at her, she smile back and peace was brokered.

By the following morning, Grandma had pushed Cynthia out of the kitchen. Her goal was to push her out of the house. Cynthia didn’t put up a fight, she was sure the old woman would return to her husband’s house at some point. She knew what she could do to end the fight once and for all but she decided to play the fool.

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Dolamu was getting better, she was able to sit upright in bed and walk to the restroom on her own. She could see the discord between her grandmother and her step mother, she loved them both and it made her feel so bad to witness such a sight.
“Grandma why are you angry with my mum?” she asked innocently.
Grandma scolded her sharply, “If I hear you call her your mother again …”
She didn’t complete her statement, she didn’t have to. Dolamu understood the message she was trying to pass across. She quietly sipped the pepper soup her grandmother had prepared for her and didn’t say another word about it.

When Timilehin got to school she went in search of her best friend.
“Lizzy, let’s finish the talk we started on phone” she began.
“Babe, why did you say I shouldn’t go to the party with Chima?” she asked
Timilehin could see on her friend’s face that all she wanted was her approval. She really wanted to go to the party but relied on Timilehin’s advice.
“Lizzy, you are my best friend and I won’t see danger and allow you walk into it”
Disapproval was evident in her voice, Elizabeth could hear it.
“Babe, is there something you are not telling me?”
Elizabeth could sense there was something she wasn’t telling her.

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Timilehin recalled her promise to her step-mother but realised that the only way to convince Elizabeth was to tell her the entire truth. She thought about it for a few minutes then decided that her friend deserved to know the truth about Chima and Alex.
She pulled Elizabeth close and began by apologising for not telling her about it sooner. She explained how she was invited for a party by Alex. She told her about how she was almost raped by Chima and Alex but was saved by the timely intervention of her step mum and a security man.
Elizabeth listened but didn’t believe her.
“Timi, I don’t understand why you would make up such a lie.”
Timilehin was surprised, she had innocently told her friend the truth but she had taken it the wrong way.
“Lizzy, why would I lie about such a thing?” She asked
“Timi, listen to yourself? So you truly expect me to believe that Alex tried to rape you? Why would he ever do such a thing?”
Timilehin listened to her friend and realised she had made up her mind about what to believe.
“Babe, you are my best friend and I won’t watch you walk into a trap…”
Elizabeth didn’t allow her complete her statement, she hissed and walked out on her.
Timilehin watched her friend leave and quietly prayed she wouldn’t regret her decision.

… To Be Continued

Secrets have weight.
The longer we hold on to them, the more they pull us down.

The Other Woman – Episode 8

Timilehin returned home and wondered if she had done all she could to dissuade her friend from going to the party with Chima. She had gone against the promise she made to Cynthia but she hoped she would understand her reason.

“Timi Darling, what is the matter with you?”
Cynthia would see right through her.
“Nothing” she responded
Cynthia knew something was bothering the girl so she probed further.
“Seriously, tell me what is bothering you” she insisted
They were alone in the living room.
Timilehin thought about it briefly then opened up to her. She explained how Elizabeth had informed her about the invitation by Chima. She then told Cynthia how she had tried to dissuade her friend from going by sharing her own personal experience. Cynthia wasn’t surprised when Timilehin told her that Elizabeth didn’t take her warnings.
“Sweetheart, you have done your best. Please don’t beat up yourself about that.”
She told Timilehin that in the end, people will do what they want to do. She told her to just pray for her friend.
Timilehin wondered how prayers would stop her friend from going to the party. She had hoped Cynthia would suggest that they went to the party to save Elizabeth the same way she was saved. She also considered that Elizabeth might be more willing to reconsider if Cynthia spoke with her. But, Cynthia suggested that they waited to see things unfold.
Grandma came into the living room, she was singing a song. The meaning of the song was obvious, she was insulting Cynthia.

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Timilehin didn’t want to be cut in the cross fire, she signalled to Cynthia if it was okay she left. Cynthia winked at her indicating she could leave.
“Good afternoon Grandma” Timilehin greeted as she went upstairs.
Grandma waved at her then she continued to sing mockingly.
Cynthia was trying very hard to avoid the old woman. She was sure that anything she said could give the old woman tools to sow the seed of discord between her and Christopher.
“Good afternoon Grandma” Cynthia greeted humbly
“I did not know you can greet me o” the old woman commented then continued singing
Cynthia looked at the old woman and she wanted to cut her down to size. She was sure that if not that she had chosen a new life, the old woman would not be able to treat her like garbage.
“Grandma, please what have I done to offend you?” she asked politely
The old woman stopped singing and turned to look at her.
“Cynthia, so you think that because you have suddenly become born again then you will not pay for all the things you have done in the past?”
Cynthia was silent.
There was a tone in the old woman’s voice that suggested that she knew something. Cynthia made a quickly search through her past, there were many chapters she would rather forget.
She stood to her feet and refused to engage the old woman in any further discussion. She walked into her room.
“Useless woman, run away o. You are going to leave this house before you transfer your Jezebel behaviour into my granddaughters.”  Grandma spoke fearlessly

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Cynthia was almost in tears, she didn’t look back. She hoped that when Christopher returned she would ask him to talk to his mother on her behalf. Christopher had travelled on business, she didn’t want to talk to him about it over the phone so she decided to wait till he returned.

By Friday Timilehin was hoping that her friend would have a rethink. She went to school with an intention to make a final attempt to dissuade her from going to the party.
Elizabeth didn’t come to school.
She watched as Alex sat quietly on his seat. Her mind kept returning to that night when she was almost defiled, she hated him.
The closing bell of the school was rang but Elizabeth didn’t show up, Timilehin was worried.
She walked up to Alex.
“Alex, whatever you and Chima are planning to do to Elizabeth this night just know that God is going to punish you” she whispered
She didn’t wait to get a response from him, she just walked away.
He didn’t say a word.
Timilehin decided to stop over at Elizabeth’s house to make a final attempt to dissuade her. As she walked towards her house, she wondered if her friend wouldn’t think she was bulldozing her.
She got into the house and met Elizabeth’s mother at the gate.
“Good afternoon ma” she greeted
“Timilehin, how are you?” she responded
Elizabeth’s mother was frying garri.
“I am sure you are wondering why your friend didn’t come to school today?” the woman began
Timilehin was glad she didn’t have to ask the question herself.
Elizabeth’s mother explained that she sent her on a very urgent errand. She then directed Timilehin into the house.
As she walked into the building, she hoped Elizabeth would not be angry with her for insisting.
As Elizabeth saw her she smiled then they hugged.
“Hope you are not angry with me?” Timilehin asked
“Babe, I am so sorry I acted that way the other time. I thought about all you said and I appreciate you looking out for me. I promise that I won’t have anything to do with Chima or Alex”
They laughed and then continued to gist.

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Back home, Christopher returned from his journey.
Cynthia allowed him to settle down then she told him how Grandma had attempted to make her life miserable. She insisted that he spoke with his mother.
Christopher wanted to hear his mother’s side of the story so he went to speak with her. They spoke for a few minutes and then he returned to the room and started to shout at Cynthia.
She couldn’t believe her ears, her heart was bleeding. She couldn’t understand how Christopher, her husband, could allow himself to be manipulated by his mother. She began to cry.
“You better stop crying” he advised
Christopher couldn’t stand to see her cry so he just went to the backyard in the company of a bottle of beer.
Cynthia knew she had lost her husband.
She packed her bags and left without saying goodbye.

… To Be Continued