Chapter 2: Betrayal, Curses, and Family Group Fallout

Leg dey weak, I collapse for chair. The world dull, everywhere dark. Na so Naija stress dey be.

I mutter, "E don finish. All don finish."

Voice low, almost whisper. I no fit shout again. My body dey pain me, as if dem beat me.

She hiss, "Go hospital go see your mama. I no dey go. Wetin you dey fear? Law say doctors must save life."

She wave hand, like say the matter small. For her eye, na law dey protect everybody for Nigeria. I just look her, no words.

I say, "Doctor go just keep her alive, no go fit give her better medicine or treatment without money. She fit survive now, but later she fit cripple or even die."

Voice break, my heart dey pain me. I dey see picture of my mother-in-law dey suffer for hospital, no hope.

She just raise shoulder. "Then go borrow money from your people. I no dey register marriage again."

She stand up, adjust wrapper, waka go bedroom. She talk like person wey dey price fish for market, no care for tomorrow.

I shock.

The shock hold me, body no fit move. I dey reason, na this woman I marry?

She no go register marriage, but she still wan make I borrow money save her own mama?

My mind dey do arithmetic. Na me go carry loan, she no go register, she go waka. Na so?

I ask, "Why you no wan register?"

My voice soft, I dey try reason with her. Maybe e fit change her mind.

She say, "Who know how much e go cost to save that woman? Wetin if e no get end? Husband and wife dey share debt. I no wan spoil my life for you. If e too much, make we just end am now."

Her voice steady, she look me straight, no blink. Na business she dey do, no be marriage.

I break down. "How spending money for mama go spoil your life?"

I siddon, head for palm, voice dey tremble. Na this kind matter dey break man.

She come near me, talk calm, "Hear me. Mama don old. E go better make we just let am go."

She squat near me, voice low. The calmness dey strange, as if na small pikin she dey talk to.

I look am, blank. "You know wetin you dey talk so?"

My eye big, shock full my face. For Yoruba land, old woman na blessing. Wetin be this?

She say, "No blame me. Make we reason am. Emergency after accident go cost hundreds of thousands. Wetin of our future pikin? Just to save that old woman, you go give up our pikin school money?"

She count finger, dey show me calculation. Her face serious, she no dey play.

I start to dey think.

Mind dey wander, I dey see picture of school fees, hospital bill, food money. My body cold. This country na calculation.

She add, "Make I talk straight: if the bill pass three hundred thousand, I go divorce you. Since we never register, make we just end am."

She talk am straight, no smile. The words heavy, land for my chest like cement block.

I open mouth.

No words come out. I dey shock. The marriage na contract, no be love.

She dey reason am like business. Spend three hundred thousand for my mother-in-law, then end up single with debt. Wetin I gain?

For her eye, na loss. For my own, na family. For this country, wahala dey everywhere.

That time, her phone ring again.

Ringtone still dey loud, she no bother lower am. The time don pass midnight, everybody suppose dey sleep, but wahala no dey sleep for Lagos.

Baba Musa no fit call, so e start to dey send text. All na curse.

I see the screen light up, message dey rush enter, notification dey pop like popcorn.

"You no get shame! Bride price full hand, you dey let your mama suffer? I go show you pepper!"

Another message enter, curse full everywhere. For Yoruba land, e no too good to curse pikin, but anger fit turn person.

"You worse pass animal. For family, you dey ask for IOU."

Another one follow: "Transfer the money or I go show you pepper!"

Morayo sigh, she no even open the messages, just show me the notification. "See as e dey curse and threaten me?"

She show me phone, face strong, but I see say hand dey shake small.

I say, "Daddy just vex."

I dey try calm her down, but I know say for her mind, e pain her well.

She shake head. "Na lie, no be my papa again. From today, na just useless old man."

She drop phone for table, wipe tears. I know say e dey pain her, but pride no gree am show am well.

I no fit talk to her again. Baba Musa dey desperate, person life dey on the line. I carry her phone ask, "Abeg, make I use am borrow money from people?"

I dey try find solution, my own phone don break, na only her own remain.

She say, "Do as you like. But since we never register, no be marital debt. If you borrow too much, make we no drag each other down—make we break up."

She talk am like person wey dey price land, no emotion. Her hand dey busy dey scroll WhatsApp.

I nod, find her best friend number.

I search for name, my hand dey shake. For this kind wahala, na friend dey fit help pass. I dey hope say her friend go fit lend small thing.

As I wan call, Morayo see am, collect phone. "Who you dey borrow from?"

She snatch phone, eye red. Her voice dey sharp, like teacher wey catch pikin dey copy for exam.

I say, "Your best friend."

I try reason with her, maybe she go gree.

She vex. "You dey craze? Why you wan borrow from my friend? You no get your own people?"

She cross arm, eye dey shine. E dey clear say she no dey joke.

I say, "You don break my phone, na only your own I fit use."

I try explain, voice low. For my mind, na last hope I dey try.

She shout, "Why you dey shameless like this?"

Voice loud, the shout echo for wall. Na neighbours fit think say we dey fight over money for flat.

I look her, shock.

I no believe say na so e go reach. My heart dey pain me.

Person wey no fit help her own mama dey hospital dey call me shameless?

For Yoruba house, e no dey ever reach like this. E pain me.

But Morayo start dey abuse. "Your mama dey die, na my people you wan borrow money from? If your family get wahala, no involve my own!"

She dey point finger, neck dey shake. Her face don swell, I dey fear she fit faint.

I say, "Abeg, no dey like this. Our mama dey wait make you borrow money save her."

Voice soft, I dey try calm storm. For my mind, na family matter.

She hiss, "See calculation."

She roll eye, face like say she dey act for Yoruba film. She dey reason calculation, no be person life.

I no understand.

I dey confused, for my mind, I dey wonder if marriage na business or family.

She say, "You know say I no go use bride price, so you wan make I carry my own people debt, then you go refuse pay, force me use bride price. Abi?"

She dey reason like lawyer, calculation plenty for her head. For Yoruba land, some women dey reason sharp like this.

I say, "No be so? Why I go pay your people? You say bride price na your security, now na time to use am."

Voice weak, I dey beg, try make she see reason.

"Na lie! Na my own, I no dey use am for anybody."

She cross leg, face wall. Her voice final, no room for argument.

As she dey vex, Morayo open WhatsApp, send voice note to family group.

She dey talk fast, voice dey shake. She wan make everybody hear her side before story twist.

Morayo voice note loud: "If my husband come borrow money, no give am shishi! I no go pay back. If that old man like, make e die, e no concern me!"

Family group reply quick. Her uncle shock, "You still get human heart?"

Message land sharp sharp. For Yoruba family, uncle voice dey heavy, na elder. This one shock me.

Morayo vex, "Uncle, you no know the full story, no judge me. You sabi say na my bride price he wan use for hospital?"

She dey try defend herself, voice high.

Her uncle shock more. "Then use the bride price! Life dey on the line, you still dey hold money?"

Na so uncle dey talk for family group, everybody dey support am. For Yoruba land, family dey put life first before money.

Morayo abuse am, "Why I go use my bride price? Na respect I dey call you uncle, if no be so, you be nothing. When my money become your own?"

She no hold mouth. She type fast, fingers dey fly for keyboard. Her pride no let am gree.

She be group admin, she just remove uncle from group.

With one click, uncle disappear from group. I just look, mouth open. Na so power dey hungry some people for family WhatsApp?

That time, Baba Musa send another text, notification pop up.

The message flash for screen, tension dey rise. For Naija, once person say e dey come your house for night, e no be play.

"I dey come your new house come collect money, you no get conscience. I go rather kill you."

My heart skip. For Yoruba house, elder no suppose curse pikin like that, but anger dey push person reach level.

Morayo dey busy remove people, but when she see that message, she vex scatter.

Her hand dey shake, her face change. She dey breathe heavy, almost throw phone again.

She clear the notification, just dial 112 for Lagos police, voice dey shake, even mention our street junction and the yellow gate.

As she dey call, she turn tell me, "You see message? E talk say e go kill me. I dey call police."

Her eye sharp, voice steady. I see fear and anger mix for her face.

I beg, "Abeg, no call police! Daddy just vex. Mama still dey hospital. If dem arrest am, who go take care of mama?"

My voice soft, I dey beg, hands up like say I dey surrender. My body dey shake, I dey sweat.

She hiss, "No beg for am. E disgust me. I don see your type. Na men like you dey make woman suffer. To marry you na mistake."

She hiss loud, eyes red. She dey talk with bitterness, voice hard like stone.

I ask, "When I make you suffer?"

I dey confused, I dey try remember when I do her bad.

She shout, "First you wan use my bride price, then you wan borrow from my people, wan make me use bride price pay debt. Now dem dey threaten me, you no wan make I call police. I never suffer reach?"

Her voice high, tears dey her eye. Na so Lagos woman dey talk when anger don hold her.

By then, she don spit for my face.

The spit cold, land for my cheek. I freeze, eye wide. For Yoruba house, spit na big insult.

Police answer.

I hear voice for speaker, static dey background. The voice calm, but Morayo dey rush her word.

She quick talk, "Hello, I wan report. Person say e wan kill me, e dey come my house. Abeg, make una come quick."

She dey pant, voice high. She give our address, even mention nearest bustop.

She give address. Dispatcher say, "Okay, officers dey come. Lock your door, stay safe. Only open for police."

The dispatcher voice dey calm, but I fit hear small urgency. For Lagos, police fit show any time, or fit delay. Na gamble.

She cut call, hiss, "I no dey lock door. I wan make am pay."

She waka go door, check if key dey. Her mind don make up.

I ask, "Wetin you wan do?"

I dey fear, my heart dey beat fast. This matter fit pass house wahala, reach police case.

She say, "You no see as e threaten me? I wan make that old man touch me, when police come, I go do medical checkup, send am go jail."

Her voice sharp, face cold. For her mind, she dey plan evidence.

I shock. "You dey craze. You wan send our papa go jail."

My voice low, head shake. Na so wahala dey start for family. I dey remember all the good time, e just vanish.

She no send, just dey shout, "Na you dey craze! No be my papa. You never support me from day one. I regret marry you. I no go register marriage. I no go return bride price. If you no like am, go court!"

She stomp foot, eye fire. For Yoruba house, once woman vex reach this level, e hard to bring am back.

I look Morayo, I no believe say na this kind person she be.

My heart dey heavy, I dey remember when we dey date. Na so love dey turn wahala for marriage?

Strangely, I feel small relief.

E be like say one load comot from my neck. Na God hand I dey. At least, I dey see true colour before life spoil finish.

Thank God say no be my own mama dey hospital, else wahala for too much.

For my mind, I dey thank God, because if na my mama, I for don collapse by now.