SACRED BETRAYAL - PART 2

 

Episode Three

Unexpected Arrivals and Familiar Laughter

"Tayọ, so it was you that was banging the gate like that?" Papa, who was already stepping out of the entrance of our sitting room, uttered in surprise as he looked at my uncle.

"Booda, I have told you to hire me as your gateman," Uncle Tayo said to Papa jokingly as he prostrated to greet him.

Without waiting for the two of them, who were already enjoying each other's company, I moved straight to the guest room to drop Uncle Tayo's bag. "This uncle is so stingy," I thought to myself, "there's never a time he visits without something for us." No wonder his wife, Mummy Kunle, always complains to my mother whenever there's a family function.

As I exited the guest room, I heard Mama's voice greeting Uncle Tayo. "Baba ọkọ mi, good afternoon. How's Mummy Kunle and the kids?" Mama asked Uncle Tayo, who had already settled down in the sitting room with Papa.

I couldn't help but wonder how Mama would cope, especially with my uncle, who could be quite critical about the size of the food Mama served whenever he was around. What amazed me about Mama was her ability to remain patient despite Uncle Tayo's sometimes hurtful words.

"Oluwakamiye," Mama called me, and I knew she was summoning me to join her in the kitchen to prepare food for Uncle Tayo, who had just arrived. As a typical Ìjèsà family, Mama would always showcase her culinary skills when it came to pounding yam, especially when Papa's family came to visit. I was relieved that Mama would handle the yam pounding, and all I needed to do was peel, cut, and cook the yam. Mama, my superwoman, would handle the rest of the cooking.

Honestly, I wished my other three siblings, who had gone to a youth conference camp for four days, were around. My household chores would have been much lighter. Although I also wished to go with them, Mama had insisted that I stay home and prepare for my upcoming mock examinations.

"Kamiye, make sure you wash the yam properly," Mama instructed me as she inspected the yam I was washing. Meanwhile, I could hear Uncle Tayo's laughter from the sitting room, and I wondered what he and Papa were discussing that was making him laugh so heartily.

Episode Four

Feast of Stories and Appetite

"Uncle Tayo must be really hungry," I thought to myself as I watched him eat, the way he rushed the iyan, licking his fingers as he scooped the egusi soup into his mouth.

"Aya mi, this soup is very delicious, but the iyan you gave me is too small," Uncle Tayo said to Mama, who was about to serve Papa's food. I winked at him from where I was also seated at the dining table, enjoying my own portion.

"Tayo, you should have bought enough yam from Ilesha when you were coming so that your wife can use it to prepare iyan for you," Papa remarked, gazing at my uncle, who was busy devouring his meat. "You complain too much, and no wonder Mama Kunle always reports you to me. A man must always be satisfied with whatever is given to him. The iyan that was served to you was even bigger than mine, yet you're not satisfied with it," Papa scolded Uncle Tayo, without minding my presence.

"Booda, you know I love food, and I don't joke with my stomach. If I had planted yam this year, I would have used a truck to bring plenty of yam down here," Uncle Tayo replied to Papa before continuing to eat his food.

Uncle Tayo's habit of fabricating stories and exaggerating was something I couldn't quite understand. He was so different from the rest of Papa's siblings. Although he and Papa shared a great resemblance, their characters were worlds apart. Papa was a man of honor, highly respected among his siblings, especially for his calmness, soft-heartedness, and maturity, attributes they claimed he inherited from his father, my late grandfather, who passed away a year after I was born.

After the sumptuous meal and washing all the dishes in the kitchen, I returned to my room to relax and continue watching a movie on my phone. Suddenly, I heard a loud voice coming from the sitting room, where Papa and Uncle Tayo were conversing.

"Don't ask her to calm down," Uncle Tayo's voice boomed, and I knew he had started another one of his animated stories. I sighed, pausing the movie on my phone, as the noise became unbearable.

I decided to investigate what was going on. Papa would scold me if he saw me eavesdropping near the sitting room, so I pretended to look for something in the kitchen as I listened in.

© 2023 Ogunsola Oluwasayo

Read Part 1 here                      Read Part 3 here