Early the next day, Ije left for the clinic to have the tests and X-rays ordered by her doctor. She had no problem with the tests, but when she arrived at the X-ray department, she was told to wait because the electricity supply to the clinic had been cut off. Three hours later, the clinic was still without electric power and Ije was told to go home and come again the next day.
‘How can I be sure you’ll have electricity tomorrow?’ Ije fumed.
‘I can’t tell, madam. Nobody is sure of NEPA these days,’ the assistant radiographer said.
Still fuming at having spent so many hours in vain, Ije drove home.
‘Welcome, madam,’ James said politely as he opened the front door for her.
Ije replied to the greeting and went into the sitting-room. She sat down heavily, kicked off her shoes, removed her head-tie and placed it on a chair beside her.
‘James, get me some water to drink, please,’ she said. She was hot and tired, and her anger still lingered. She got up and switched on the ceiling fan.
Soon James was back with a bottle of ice-cold water and a glass. Ije drank two glasses of water without stopping. She filled the glass a third time and put it on a stool beside her.
‘Did Master come home for lunch?’ she asked James. When Dozie had too much work to do in the office he would have some snacks there instead of coming home for lunch.
‘Master come home. He say he no want lunch because he go miss plane. Then he left with his blue box. That one he take when he want go for tour.’
‘What time did he leave?’
‘Madam, I no look at clock.’
Ije was puzzled. Dozie had not told her he was going on tour before she left for the clinic in the morning. Something must have cropped up while she was away. She thought it must have been very urgent otherwise he would not have left without lunch and without waiting for her to come back.
‘I put food for you, madam?’ James asked.
‘Yes, James. See that the soup is warm.’
‘Yes, madam.’ He took the bottle and went to fill it from the filter in the dining-room.
Ije walked to the bedroom. The house was very quiet. If only I had a child to dispel the silence with his shrieks and laughter, she thought. She stopped by the bedroom door and turned.
‘James!’ she called.
‘Madam?’
‘Where is Teresa?’
‘Madam, she say she want go tie her hair.’
‘I wonder how many times a week she has her hair tied!’
James said nothing. He was now taking some plates from the sideboard.
Inside the bedroom, Ije began to undress. Then she saw a folded piece of paper on her dressing table, with her name on it. It was a note from her husband telling her that he had to leave for Port Harcourt suddenly. He had received a phone call from one of his contact men there asking him to come at once for some urgent business. He stated that he did not know when he would be back but would endeavour to come home as soon as he finished his mission there.
Ije read the note again and, putting it away in one of her drawers, she continued undressing. She took her time because there was no need to hurry. She was a simple woman by nature and rarely wore any make-up. Once, a woman had told her, a little unkindly, that she did not know how to spend her husband’s money. The woman had lectured her on what she could spend money on, and had ended by condemning her lack of sophistication. But the woman’s words had fallen on deaf ears because Ije had never cared for such things. Her only, obsession was to have a child and nothing else meant much to her except, of course, her husband whom she loved deeply.
‘Madam, your food is ready,’ James called from the sitting-room.
‘All right, James,’ Ije said. She was not really hungry. She disliked eating alone, and ate less when her husband was away.
A few minutes later, she sat down to a lunch of garri and okra soup. After eating she took her drugs and went to the bedroom for a rest. For some time she lay awake, her thoughts playing hide and seek with her. She remembered the argument that had gone on between two women in the clinic that day. The dispute had begun when one of the women had stated categorically that all men were unfaithful. The other woman would not agree with this assertion and a heated argument had ensued and had continued until one of the women was called in for her test.
For one split second, the idea of Dozie being unfaithful to her flickered in Ije’s mind like a match flame on a windy day, and then went off leaving a smoky trail behind. Then she told herself that her thought was baseless and must have been brought about by the argument she had listened to in the clinic. She loved Dozie dearly and he had always reciprocated in spite of her inability to fulfil all her functions as a wife.
One of the drugs she had taken must have had a sedative effect, for in spite of the quibblings in her mind she soon fell into a deep slumber.
*
It was about six o’clock in the evening. Ije, after her refreshing sleep, was in the sitting-room eating groundnuts and popcorn when the doorbell rang. She went and opened the door.
‘Patience!’ she shouted as she hugged her visitor. ‘When did you come back?’
Patience beamed with smiles. ‘Three days ago,’ she answered. ‘I ran into Uju this morning. You remember Uju, don’t you?’
‘Yes, of course,’ Ije said gaily.
‘She told me about you,’ Patience continued, ‘and gave me your address, so I decided to call on you before going back to Lagos tomorrow.’
‘That was very kind of you. Please come in. I’m so pleased to see you again since we parted years ago in London.’
When they came into the sitting-room, Ije said. ‘Do sit down, Patience. It’s lovely to see you.’
Patience sat down in one of the huge and cosy armchairs. In a flash her eyes took in everything in the room. She noticed that there was an air of elegance and personal pride in the furniture.
‘How is Mike?’ Ije inquired after sitting down. Mike was Patience’s husband.
‘He’s fine,’ Patience replied.
‘It’s a long time since I saw him last.’
‘Well, he’s still the same Mike you know,’ Patience said. ‘He’s desperately looking for a job now. One firm in Lagos offered him a job which made him decide to leave London and his lucrative practice there. And now the Lagos firm regrets they cannot offer him the job any more.’ She said the word ‘regrets’ with a grimace.
Ije said kindly, ‘Never mind, he’ll soon find another job.’
‘I hope he does.’
‘What can I offer you, Patience? You need something to cool you down. It is such a hot day.’
‘Anything. Whisky, gin, campari, brandy. Give me anything you have. I’m jack of all trades,’ she added, laughing.
Ije rang the bell and James appeared.
‘Yes, madam?’
‘Is Teresa not back yet?’
James scratched his head and said, ‘Madam, she no come back yet. She stay long when she go tie her hair.’
‘Get my friend some sherry and ice and some orange squash for me. You remember which bottle contains the sherry?’
‘Yes, madam,’ James affirmed and left.
‘Don’t tell me, Ije, that you drink only squash,’ Patience said. Then she looked around her for the hundredth time. Since she had stepped into the sitting-room her eyes had been darting from one item of furniture to another.
‘H’m, Ije,’ Patience said. ‘You must be swimming in money. Your house is expensively furnished.’ There was a faint note of jealousy in her voice. The five rings on the five fingers of her left hand glittered as she smoothed her ‘permed’ hair with her hand.
‘I won’t say we are,’ Ije replied in her usual modest way. ‘We have just enough to feed ourselves and our dependants in the village.’
Although Ije’s modesty would not allow her to agree that she and Dozie were doing well, there was no doubt about their wealth as one could see from the exquisite furnishing of their home – a three-bedroomed bungalow which they rented from a friend.
Patience’s comment made Ije remember how poor she and Dozie had been when they were in England. She remembered her wedding day. It was a very quiet wedding because they had no money to invite a lot of people. She had borrowed a wedding gown from a friend. Another friend who was studying home economics had helped her make the wedding cake to save money. But those days were gone, she told herself.
‘Where does your husband work now, Ije?’ Patience was curious.
‘He’s on his own.’
‘On his own?’ Patience asked incredulously.
‘Yes,’ Ije replied calmly, taking the tray of drinks from James who had just appeared with it. She poured out some sherry for her friend and mixed herself some orange squash.
‘Yes, my husband is on his own now.’ Ije sat down and took a sip from her drink. ‘When we came back from England he got a job as a surveyor in the Ministry and I secured a job in an insurance company.’
‘That’s interesting,’ Patience said, looking around her with wonder mingled with envy. ‘So he made all this money as a civil servant?’ she asked a little maliciously. She had gulped down her sherry and Ije poured some more for her.
‘There’s no money in the civil service,’ Ije explained. ‘After my husband had been with the Ministry for three years a friend of his urged him to resign and start something on his own. You know Dozie. He finds it difficult to take decisions. When he told me about it, I advised him to resign. Excuse me, Patience.’ She left the sitting-room.
Patience, now left alone, surveyed the room again with keen interest. She noticed the heavy red brocade curtains and the dainty white lace curtains that hung in between the red ones. Her eyes did not miss the big colour T.V. set and the expensive stereo set.
Presently, Ije appeared with a plate of fruit-cake.
‘Would you care for a piece of cake?’ she asked, setting the plate on a small stool beside her guest. She took a piece of cake from the plate and went to her chair.
Patience looked at the plate. ‘Oh dear,’ she cried, ‘you’re tempting me, Ije. I’m slimming but I won’t let you take this cake away.’ She took a piece of the cake and popped it into her mouth. She chewed in silence for a while and said, ‘Continue your story, Ije, I’m interested.’
‘Well, there’s nothing much to tell, Patience. He resigned, hired an office and began working on his own. Later I resigned my job in order to help him.’
‘I see,’ Patience said meditatively. She took another piece of cake and popped it into her mouth. Her bulging belly, puffy cheeks and fat upper arms showed that she enjoyed food and ate more than was good for her figure.
‘You’re a very lucky woman, Ije,’ Patience continued. ‘By the way, I haven’t seen your children. Are they out or sleeping?’ She had been told by Uju that Ije had no children but she wanted to prove Uju right or wrong.
Ije’s face suddenly became sullen. Then, bracing herself, she told Patience that no child had blessed her marriage yet.
‘I’m very sorry to hear this, Ije. I am really very sorry,’ Patience said in a tone that expressed more triumph than sympathy. She was pleased to discover that Ije did not have everything. It would have been just too unfair if she had, she reasoned.
‘You married a year before me, Ije, didn’t you?’
‘Yes.’
‘Although I was engaged before you.’
‘Yes, you were,’ Ije confirmed.
‘Unlike your husband, mine wouldn’t talk about a wedding until he had his degree certificate in his hands,’ Patience said.
‘I’ve gained nothing by marrying before you,’ Ije lamented.
Patience tried to console her. ‘Never mind, Ije, the children will come. I’m sure they will. I have five, you know. Four boys and a girl. Mike says I make the babies as if I know what he wants. They are sweet little angels and Mike adores them. My problem is that he wants more and I don’t. Maybe I will have one more to please him – another girl perhaps – and then I’ll put a final stop to the whole baby business. But children are wonderful. They make you feel so happy.’
Just then Teresa walked into the sitting-room.
‘Good even’, madam,’ she said to Ije and then to Patience. Ije was very grateful to her for walking in at that moment, thereby putting a stop to Patience’s inconsiderate rattling which was driving a knife into her already sore heart. She wished women would stop showing off their children to her and wondered why they could not understand that it was cruel to boast about their babies to a childless woman.
‘Where have you been, Teresa?’ she asked.
‘To tie my hair, madam,’ Teresa replied, playing nervously with her fingers. She was wearing one of Ije’s discarded dresses. The light-pink coloured dress blended well with her fair skin. One would have thought she was Ije’s younger sister and not her maid, judging from her healthy appearance.
‘It has taken you a long time, Teresa,’ Ije admonished gently.
‘Yes, madam. There were many people. Three women were there before me and they had very long hair.’
‘All right, Teresa, go and bring in the washing and see how many dresses you can iron tonight.’
‘Yes, madam,’ Teresa said and walked away, taking the empty plate and glasses with her.
‘Don’t tell me you keep a maid in your house, Ije?’ Patience said after Teresa had shut the kitchen door behind her.
‘Why not?’
‘They’re dangerous.’
‘In what way?’ Ije asked innocently.
‘Don’t be so naive, Ije. Haven’t you heard of maids who displace their madams?’
‘Oh! that. There’s no fear of that with Teresa.’
‘H’m. Ije, you never can tell,’ Patience said with a mirthless laugh. ‘Men? You never can tell about them. They are brutes. I have heard of maids who usurped the positions of the women they were supposed to serve. I warn you, send your maid away before it is too late! It’s not safe to keep her.’
‘Teresa is harmless,’ Ije maintained.
‘Harmless?’ Patience sneered. ‘She doesn’t seem to me to be as innocent as she looks. She’s dangerously beautiful – fair, plump, with a good crop of hair. H’m, if you ask me, you’re asking for trouble, Ije. It is these ones who appear shy and naive that are the most dangerous. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.’
‘I don’t think there’ll be any problem with Teresa. She’s been with me for three years. Besides, Dozie is faithful. I trust him.’
‘It’s up to you, Ije.’ Patience shrugged her shoulders. ‘I’ll be leaving for Lagos tomorrow to check whether our luggage has arrived. Thank you for the sherry and the cake.’ She rose to go.
‘That’s nothing,’ Ije said and followed her guest outside.
‘Is that your car, Ije?’ Patience inquired, pointing to a grey car parked under a tree in front of the house.
‘Yes.’
‘Posh! What make is it? It looks very expensive,’ Patience prattled on. She looked around as if to see whether anyone was around. Then she lowered her voice. ‘Ije, you know I always give advice to my friends whether they ask for it or not. I hope you’re not one of those foolish women who say that what belongs to their husbands belongs to them too. I mean those women who don’t believe in having their own separate bank accounts and investments. I do hope you’re not one of them. I hope you’re wise enough to put away some money for yourself while Dozie’s business is booming.’
‘But he’s always generous to me. He never denies me anything. We do not discriminate in anything.’
‘Yes, now. But what about the future? It may not always be so, Ije, and by the time you realise this it will be too late. Take my advice and put away some of the money your husband is making now in your own name. Just in case. Well, you know what I mean.’
‘I’ll think about it,’ Ije said in a bid to put an end to the matter. She knew within her that she would never heed such advice which was necessary only where there was no love and trust between husband and wife.
‘Goodbye, Ije, and thanks for your hospitality. Give my regards to Dozie when he comes back.’
‘I will,’ Ije said. ‘And say “hello” to Mike for me. I’d like to see him again after so many years.’
Ije watched her guest drive away and breathed a sigh of relief. As she walked back into the house, she wondered why there was so much injustice in the world.