CHAPTER 26
Banjo watched as the dishes were cleared away, his dinner table conversation with his mother stalling as they waited for the domestic staff to finish their work. He could sense his mother’s impatience and knew that in another time, in another place she would have dismissed them all and cleared her dishes herself. Patricia had not joined them for the meal. Apparently she had gone out for a night of entertainment with friends.
Finally, the dining room was blessedly empty of everyone but his mother and himself and suddenly he felt nervousness creep on him. It was not that he had not been off-kilter all week. What with Alero acting all weirdly and cancelling every single date he had tried to set up and he being so swamped with work that he had been unable to charge over to her place and demand answers.
His mother took a sip of water from her glass and set it on the table with a quietly definitive thump.
“For years, I have wondered what and how I would say what I have to say when we would eventually have this conversation.”
Banjo remained silent stealing surreptitious glances at his mother. He could not have explained why he was suddenly so nervous.
“You father and I…we met when we were at university. I was a member of the SU group on campus.” At Banjo’s questioning quirk, she explained “Scripture Union. It is a Christian group.” Banjo’s eyes widen a little in surprise. It was not that he did not know that his mother was a born-again Christian, she just have never seemed to be pushy about it. She was not the sort that was in church every day of the week. He knew she was somewhat active in her church, but she had never imposed attendance on them children.
“Isn’t it a rather radical group? I seem to remember jokes about no earrings or make up and such.” Banjo commented.
His mother nodded and drew in breathe to continue her story.
“Your father was THE big boy on campus then.” She smiled at some memory in her head.
“I was surprised when he began to show an interest in me…it started with the little things. He’d borrow my notes since we had some classes together. He’ll ask me about some assignment or the other, things like that.
Soon, he’d show up at my room or waylay me on my way from church or fellowship to ask ostensibly for some school related thing. People, my brethren from fellowship, my roommates, my friends…everyone had one question on their lips concerning us, where we an item or not?” That odd smile touched her lips again.
“I fell for him.” the smile widened. “Oh, I wouldn’t have admitted it to myself at that point. How could I, born-again spirit filled Christian that I was, fall in love with the party boy?” she scoffed at herself and then turned a teary nostalgic gaze on her son. “But I was.” she sighed.
“Oh I prayed! How I prayed that the feeling would go away but no, it didn’t. It just stayed there, refusing to budge. Then your father surprised me one day by telling me that he liked me.” She laughed out really loudly at that. “To say that I was shocked would be an understatement! If had been at all prone to fainting, I would have fainted dead away that day.” She shook her head. “But he asked me out and we began to court, as we called it those days. He would buy me the most outrageous gifts and it wasn’t long before people began to talk. First, it was my brethren at the SU fellowship. There was all manner of talk that I had compromised my faith, I was no longer standing in the Word, I had been seduced by worldliness and riches… there was no end to it.
Slowly, but surely I began to pull away from church activities, from friends, from everyone basically. It was class and hostel and Keji. I was tired, tired of fighting, tired of defending us so I just stopped. I’m not sure it was a conscious thing, it was just reflex.
We both graduated within a year of each other and after youth service, we both planned our wedding. Our parents were supportive, especially his much to my surprise. I had thought being as wealthy as they were, they would have reservations about their son marrying from a middle class family.
We were married in this huge society do and things went on well for a while you know. It was really good. Keji had always been a party boy. By then I had all but dropped all extracurricular activities. It was all about Keji and our young family for me. He allowed me slow him down for a while but then…ah! Bola and the rest of the crew would not allow it. They’d turn up at our place with girlfriends and what not and it’d be an impromptu party, all night long. It was exhausting. There I was, a young wife thrust into a social status higher than she was used to and not really knowing her left from her right and with a young baby! And they were having all night parties at her house.
Keji would explain and ask me to bear with him. He’d assure me that things would slow down in a while. That his friends just needed a little time for it to all sink in that he was married. But it went on, even till after I had Patricia. It wasn’t long after her birth that I realized that we were bickering at each other frequently.
He must have complained to Bola, he was closest to him. And one day, I walked in on him and Bola having words. I had never seen or heard both of them fight till that day and I was so surprised that I stopped by the threshold. I did not mean to eavesdrop but there was no way I could have escaped their conversation at the decibel they were shouting at.
Bola called me a ‘hoity-toity stuck up prude who thought that she was the only Christian there was.’” She laughed bitterly at that.
“Anyway, that argument marked the beginning of everything falling apart. Your dad began to keep late nights. I’m ashamed to say I retaliated by getting more involved in Church activities. I was in every group that I could join in church. If one had asked me then, I would have said that I had rediscovered my faith. But it’s been long enough now for me to understand what it was. I was acting out. Oh, I hadn’t stopped loving God or serving Him, He…I had just placed Him second after Keji. Even starting back church activities had been about Keji and not about Him.
It backfired spectacularly. Keji got upset. He felt I was punishing him for having a life that did not start and end with me. And you know, after all these years, I’ve come to wonder if he hadn’t been right. He began to stay out really late. Sometimes he wouldn’t be home for days on end and then when he did come home, it would seem that he had hardly settled down before he was off some place.
We were at an impasse and we were both to indignant at each other to make the first move to break it.
Bola…Bola called at our house one day. I hadn’t seen him in a while at that point and was surprised to have him call. He said he wanted to talk to me but I guess I was so bitter against him and Keji and all their friends at that point that it quickly deteriorated to an argument.
He told me off! He told me that I had single handedly taken the love that Keji had for me and killed it over nothing. He told me about the girls, the other women, that I was not woman enough to handle his friend and that I had turned Keji into something that he was not.
It hurt! My Keji and other women! Me, suddenly not woman enough for Keji! I froze.” She rubbed her chest like it hurt. “Something died in me that day, something critical…essential.”
She looked at Banjo. “Our marriage collapsed that day. It had been well on the way to collapse before then but that was the day it fell over completely. I broke and I refused to be put back together. It took the Lord to call me out on it one day.
I had been praying…desultorily like I used to at that time and I heard God clearly confront me on my relationship with my husband. We had words, God and I! He accused me and He was right, of acting the child and sulking. I pointed out that Keji had not acted any better and He pointed out that I was the one who was His daughter and that perhaps if I had set a better example, Keji would have had a visual picture of what Christianity was all about. I was heartbroken. I had lost my husband and I had lost my witness. I cried and cried in those days. I also began to pray earnestly again. I prayed for Keji and I. I prayed for you and your sister. I prayed about everything. I prayed. And it was working you know. Keji began
to stay at home more than before. It wasn’t much more but at least it was better. We began to talk to each other again, make plans, and talk about you and your sister, life, family, friends. I began to pray about ways to…an opportunity to witness to him.
Things were almost as good as it had been at the start.
I will never forget that day, the day…” she broke down in tears. Banjo got up and went round to her. He lifted her body that had become limp with grief and led her to a more comfortable seat on the sofa and then sat beside her.
“It’s okay Mum. I understand.”
She shook her head vehemently. “I never got to talk to him about God and salvation.” She sobbed.
Banjo sighed. “He changed a lot.” He said quietly. “Those last few years,” His mother looked up at him with tearstained cheeks. “He became more the father I had always wanted him to be.” He rubbed a soothing hand on his mother’s back. “I think…it turned out okay somewhat.”
“Somewhat? I need to know that I’ll see him in Heaven when I get there. These days, I understand what it means when Paul spoke of his joy being complete. I want my joy to be complete. I really want to open my eyes in eternity and see your father there, with me, in Heaven.” She sobbed.
Banjo was quiet not knowing how to console her. He just held her in his arms as she cried. When she had cried all she could, she sniffled and wiped her nose on the sleeve of her dress. That was so out of character for his mum that it had Banjo’s eyebrows shooting up again.
“What happened with Alero?” she asked suddenly changing topic lanes.
“Alero?” Banjo asked in surprise. Then he sighed. “I don’t know Mum. She has been…avoiding me? I can’t deal!” He shook his head. “I think I’ll swing by her place tonight. It’s not too late yet and besides I’m getting desperate.”
His mother patted his hand. “I keep you in my prayers. It’ll work out alright.” she soothed.
Banjo marveled again at this iconic woman who had given birth to him. Today, he had seen vulnerability that she did not let many see these days. He felt that he knew her better than he had ever known her before because of it.
“I really wish I could stay longer Mum but if I hope to stop by Alero’s tonight, I have to leave now.” He explained as he carefully extricated himself from their embrace. “Will you be okay?”
His mother nodded. “Yes dear. I will. Go talk to Alero and keep me posted.”
“Yes ma’am.” Banjo saluted smartly and then smiled. “I love you Mum.” He said.
She nodded again. “I love you too my darling. Will you think on all I’ve said today?” she asked somewhat tremulously.
“That I will do. Thanks for telling me Mum. I don’t love you or Dad less for it.” Banjo said.
Chief Mrs. Adeniran smiled. “That is such a relief.” She said and Banjo kissed her cheeks before taking his leave of her with a promise to call once he got home.