She looked up at the pregnant cloud which was threatening to come shattering her joyous day. She thought of going inside to pray as she noticed the apprehension on the faces of her guests, even her groom was seeming restless. She looked at her mum who returned her gaze reassuringly, telling her it was going to be fine. The fact that the cloud had decided to carry an unwanted pregnancy did not mean it was going to give birth to the bastard. The MC jerked her back to reality as she stood with her bridesmaids waiting to be asked to look for her husband among the many handsomely clothed men seated around the huge canopy they were in.

MC: Odinaka the daughter of ozoemena, the igegbe (mirror) of her mother, the first female doctor in umuachakpa, Enugu Ezike , the soon to be bride of Doctor Ndubuisi the bright shining son of chief Ojobo, kpakpando ututu (Morning star), Omalicha nwa Nne Pamela (the beautiful daughter of Pamela’s mum), it is time for you to search for your husband among these handsome dudes and feed him the nkwocha(palm wine) in your hand. Be careful so you don’t give it to the wrong man o, hope you can recognize him?”  he yelled into the microphone as the bride chuckled and giggled coyly; casting a quick glance at her husband to be, then at her big sister Pamela and her husband Tunde who were seated with her mum at the front seat.

The Musician started to sing Flavour’s Ada Ada immediately as she began her search amidst the guests. She went from one row to another with her ladies in tow. She went round and round with the guys running over one another to collect the cup of palm wine from her. She passed her fiancé without even looking his way no matter how much he tried to catch her attention. She started shedding tears when it looked like her groom was nowhere to be found.

MC: “Oginni nwanyi oma? (What is it beautiful lady?)You cannot find him? Please has anyone seen her groom? Who among you ladies has hidden her groom?” he roared into the microphone while the people laughed out hysterically. She went back to the row he was seated at again, made to bypass him but then looked back suddenly, saw him and her face lit up in smiles as claps rent the air. She knelt in front of him shyly, lifted the cup to his lips and fed him from the cup in her hands then he took it from her and fed her too.

He stood up after emptying the content of the cup in one gulp, embraced her warmly and led her to the front of the canopy where the elder was waiting to bless them.

Elder: “Are you so enthralled with your bride that you have forgotten to put a token into the cup for the wine she just offered you?” he asked feigning annoyance.

Ndubuisi: “ I am sorry nna anyin. You are right, I am too enthralled by my bride my brain is all loaded to the brim with only thoughts of her” he returned jokingly as he brought out wads of two hundred naira notes and inserted them into the cup then handed it back to the elder.

Elder: “it shall be well with you my son. Now this is the newly married couple…” he blessed them in the Nsukka dialect and then made her mum bless them too as tears streamed down her face. Her daughters were doing fine despite the shame Pamela had almost brought to the family some years back. She looked at Pamela who looked as dazzling as ever and had no doubt Odinaka was going to do well in her husband’s home too.

===

After one week of honey mooning in Transcorpe Hotel Abuja, they returned to the village where Ndubuisi had his hospital at. Odinaka had just been inducted into medical practice and so still had some time to decide on what to do. She had been so occupied with her marriage ceremony preparation that she never gave it much thought when he had suggested she joined her in running his own hospital which was in need of more doctors.

Ndubuisi: “ I am so happy to be home at last with my new bride. Baby you really kept me waiting o, seven years is not moin moin o. I was twenty five when I found out I was in love with a sixteen year old secondary school girl. It was so torturous I thought I was going crazy” he said, drew her unto his laps as he settled on one of the long settees in the sitting room. He had built a two storey house in the village right beside his hospital while waiting for her to round up with her medical school. He needed something to get his mind off her and so her had buried himself in his work and seeing to the completion of his house.

Odinaka: “You really tried my darling, the one for whom I am who I am today. Thank you so much my husband. I don’t know how fortunate a girl can be to land herself such a handsome handsome husband” she replied, bent down and planted a lingering kiss on his soft lips which was almost covered with well trimmed moustache. She stood up from his laps to adjust her bum short and returned to his laps, cradling his head in her bosom.

Ndubuisi: “You are going to suffocate me madam”  he tried to free his head from under her but she held on tighter.

Odinaka: “Bia you are going nowhere. Don’t think I will ever left you go. You are mine and I am yours, forever”

Ndubuisi: “Well I don’t intend going anywhere. I am and will always be here for you. Don’t reminds me, when are you resuming at the hospital?”

Odinaka: “Resuming?” she let go of his head and stood up to have her seat beside him.

Ndubuisi: “Yes?” he replied lifting his left brow in a grimace.

Odinaka: “I don’t think I want to stay in this village. I thought you knew that? Judging from how much I always told you I wanted to get my mum out of this village? I promised her I was going to get her out of this village seven years ago and that is still what I am going to do. She has suffered enough”

Ndubuisi: “But I did tell you we were going to run this hospital together?”

Odinaka: “Well, I thought you were bluffing. I thought you knew what I wanted and what my heart desired”  She rested her back on the chair, letting out a frustrated sigh.

Ndubuisi: “Well, if that is what you want, we can always rent an apartment for her somewhere in Enugu town and be visiting her once in a while. What do you think?” he moved closer to her, in a bid to hold her but she shifted away from him.

Odinaka: “No way! That is not how I have had it planned all along. She must live with me. I must take care of her”

Ndubuisi: “But Amaka is there to do that. Besides who said you wont be taking care of her? All she needs is monetary support. She can come stay in this house if you want but baby please, I need you here, I really do. How do you want to do it? Leave me here all by myself even though you are my wife already? Please try to understand” he pleaded.

Odinaka: “Stop trying to make me feel guilty darling. You are a man and when you need me, you will know where to come find me. I will be coming here occasionally to help in the hospital too that is if you cannot move your hospital to the city. No one ever said it is by force for your hospital to be in this village. We can both run it together as long as it is not in this village”

Am I not in trouble like this? What is this new development is this so early in our marriage? How on earth do I handle this? How? Who do I tell this to that my wife has chosen her mother over me?

Question: Hmmmmm…disagreement already? How do you think they should solve this misunderstanding?

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