WIVES OF THE SOUTH EPISODES 6-10

EPISODE SIX

In the evening.
Ese  is strolling around their estate. In nice shorts and polo with a bag of soft drinks with her ear piece in her ears.
Elebe’s voice over the phone sounds all lovey dovey.
“Hello Ese. Happy Birthday.”
“And Happy Anniversary to us!” Ese  adds and inhales deeply as she voices.
“I love you baby.”
“Don’t worry once I get back. I’ll get you a nice gift and we’ll have a nice candle lit dinner.”
“I want you dear. Not gifts or candle-lit dinner Ebi.”
“I’ll make it up to you ok!”
Ese  nods
“Ok”
“Bye”
The lines go off
She waves at a white lady wheeling her baby down the estate street and gets into her house. A loud thunderous
“Happy birthday!” Fills the room
Ese  exclaims as she sights her big birthday cake and all the birthday decorations.
“Nkeni! Bami! Otonye! Oh my God! How?”
“Come and sit jor let’s get the party started.” Nkeni cuts in.
Ese  smiles
“Thank you everyone for making my day!”
Bami turns on the music and they start dancing. Maxwell hugs her.
“Happy birthday mummy”
“Thank you my cheery.” Ese  rubs his low head cut and smiles.

***

A loud applause vibrates round the board room.
Mrs Otonye Obong is appointed as the new Chief managing  consulting officer of brittle consulting firm.
She stands and smiles in admiration
Later in the day,
At home.
Otonye sits watching the interview on T.V
Reporter questions.
“Mr Obong, your wife must be grateful she has a great man for a husband, A motivational speaker.”
Mr Obong gives a proud nod.
“Yes, she is also very supportive. I couldn’t have asked for a better woman”
Otonye switches off the Television with a sigh. Her hands folds over her chest and her eyes are glassy.
“Nonsense!”
She gets up and strolls into the bedroom.


EPISODE SEVEN

 The spar's lighting is dim inside one  of the spar's room.
The three ladies spread out on their chairs, in thick white robes with green face masks and sliced cucumber as lids over their eyes enjoying a nice pedicure.
Nkeni picks off her cucumber and sits up.
“Girl we need to celebrate on your new position at work. Please remember me in your paradise ”
Ese  fires at her.
“Nkeni, nowhere can be quite when you are around, talking drum!”
Nkeni claps her hands.
“You think I’ll be like you? You that can bore one to death! You’re so boring!”
“You’re as boring as hell! Otonye hasn’t said nothing and you turn her spokeswoman.”
Otonye who refuses to take hers off concurs
“Ese , tell her jare!”
Ese  pulls out her own cucumber covering her eye.
Otonye yells.
“Hey what’s wrong with you! Ese  give it back!”
“No o! support her!” Nkeni laughs.
“Sorry you aint getting it back.” Ese  winks at her
Otonye exhales.
“Suit yourself.” Then she shuts her eyes again while Nkeni and Ese  giggle.

***

 Otonye is wearing a worried look while ransacking among the pile of files at her desk. The portable flat screen T.V is displaying Fox news on low volume. The air from the air conditioner touches her face lightly when she lifts her face in its direction.
After much search, she yells.
“Ib, Get me miebi at once!”
“Yes ma” Ibitein replies
Obong Ekpenyong strolls into her office.
“Hello Sunshine!” He stoops down and pecks her.
Otonye smiles.
“Some one’s here to flatter me. I’m in a very bad shape at the moment”
Obong kisses her forehead.
“Don’t worry. I’m a patient man. I’ll wait.”
Otonye forces a smile as soon as Ibitein and Miebi her assistants enter. Ibitein the taller one of the pair but Miebi's the more jollier and humbled.
“That sounds nice!” Otonye exclaims.
Ibitein and Miebi chorus,
 “Good afternoon Sir.”
Obong stares at them.
“Good day. How’re you all doing today?”
Ibitein and Miebi still chorus
“Fine sir”
Miebi exclaims
“Sir, I love your shirt”
“Thank you” Obong smiles taking a second look at his crisp sky blue shirt and well ironed black trousers.
“Your madam here is taking very good care of me, isn’t she?” Obong winks at Otonye.
They all laugh except for Otonye who just gives way to a weak smile as she strives to curtail her anger.
Obong claps his hand.
“You know what. Whatever it is. You all should take care of the afternoon job while I spoil my wife a little.”
Miebi nods.
“OK sir”
Ibitein exclaims.
“You two should have a great time”
“Sure we will.” Obong stares at his wife.
“Shall we?”
Otonye shakes her head and adjusts her cream lapel over her knee length and curvy black dress, picking up her leopard skin box bag while walking towards him.
“You are always full of surprises, Obong!”
Obong sounds pleased.
“I’m I?”
Otonye throws a weak glance at him before instructing her office assistants.  “Ib, make sure you find that file! I’ll be back shortly”
Ibitein replies with delight.
“Yes ma.”
They watch them as they walk arm in arm out of the office.
Miebi admires.
“Isn’t she lucky. She has everything”
Ibitein shakes her head.
“Everything, but a child. I pity her.”
Miebi sighs at her.
“Enemy of progress!”
Ibitein looks at her stunned.
“But I just said the truth”
Miebi sighs again.
“Please let’s search for that file so we don’t have our necks chopped off when she returns.”





EPISODE EIGHT

The ambience at the five-star hotel is having it's toll on Otonye and Obong.
Obong cuts his chicken while Otonye pours herself red wine.
“Wow! This is quite a show. What happened at your interview, Obong? You seem to have received so much inspiration.” Otonye stares at him sipping her red wine. She wants to read off his every expression.
Obong who is already chewing his chicken, manages to smile.
“I’ll expect you to be happy”
Otonye giggles.
“I am even though. I want to know why you are doing this. You’ve been away from home for three weeks on your motivational tour claiming to be this motivational speaker.” She gestures with her other hand that’s free of the red wine glass.
Obong nods.
“That must have been why you married me right?”
Otonye laughs.
“Yes. But I was wrong to have based on that alone.”
Obong grins.
“You should know that we are having lunch now. You won’t want to try my patience here.” He furiously cuts another piece of his chicken staring at her effortlessly.
Otonye bends her face and her two-toned brown weave creases part of her face. She smiles, shaking her head and finally raises her glass and sips her wine before She drops her cup.
“I don’t intend to” and with that her mood lightens up as before.


EPISODE NINE

The door to Ese ’s apartment throws open inwards and Maxwell runs in.
Elebe is walking arm in arm with Ese  and he exclaims throwing a deep glance at Ese .
“I could tell he really had fun today.”
“Sure. But hey! He does have fun when I’m around too. Oh my gosh!” Ese  dips her hands into their shop rite bag and pulls out her own ice cream cup even before they get to the dining table.
Elebe turns on the T.v to the sports channel he was watching last night, while Ese  settles on the parlour settee and takes a glance at her scooping out her ice cream.
“I can tell you’re living your dreams having such generous dose of ice cream this late!”
Ese  stares at their beautifully crafted wall clock.
“9pm is what you call late!” She resumes her scoop, licking the side of her lips for the least spill of the ice cream until her phone buzzes and she picks it up starring at her husband’s direction. She knows he is just acting like he’s engrossed in the sports he is watching.
“What's up?"
She exclaims over the phone.
“Oh! Gosh! She’s what! Hospital! Ok, ok! I’ll be right there.”
Ese  abandons her ice cream and yells.
“Maxwell!”
Maxwell responds from inside his room where he’s playing a game on his iPad.
“Yes mummy!” then he gives way to a little sigh as he pauses his game, drops the iPad on the bed and hurries to meet her.
“Mummy you want to go out this late?”
Ese  stoops down and pecks him.
“Don’t worry I’ll be back any minute. Just go back inside ok and be a good boy.”
She rubs his newly levelled low cut.
Maxwell nods.
“Ok mom.”
Ese  stares at him with soulful eyes.
“You can even have my ice-cream if you want to.”
Maxwell embraces her.
“I love you mummy”
“I love you too sweetheart.”
Elebe turns to face her while Maxwell is hurrying back into his room.
“What’s the matter? Who’s in the hospital?”
Ese  exclaims in a frenzy
“It’s Belema. Bami just called to say her water just broke and he’s stuck in traffic with her Aunt Ibiso who happens to be flying in from the states today. I think He’s in a state of Higi Haga”
Elebe nods.
“Ok, you should get going.” Then he turns back at the screen and there was an uproar as he gets in time to see the goal.
 “Goal!!!” Is all he roars in response.
Ese  rolls her eyes and whispers.
“Men and football.”
“Ok dear.” She alerts him and hurries to the door before she comes back to get her keys again. While she hurries to the door she recalls she’s got no fuel so she pauses and turns around. After much twisting her mouth here and there and starring at their white ceiling she requests.
“Dear can I use your car? I forgot mine is out of fuel. I’ll just…”
Elebe drops his arms that were in the air from his hailing and his face goes sour.
 “You can use a taxi. You  are not taking my car for Bami’s errands!”
“Oh God Elebe! Please I know, you... Oh Jess!” She touches her head in despair
“I wonder why my wife is the only one Bami knows to call up at this time and would she refuse his offer, No!” He shakes his head and continues with his game.
The blood in Ese ’s veins boils with anger and her disgust flashes as she frowns.  “You know what, keep your car! Gosh!”
She leaves the house banging the door.
Maxwell jerks with the loud bang and hurries out to the parlour.
“Daddy, is mummy ok?”
Elebe smiles.
“Sure. Come here! I don’t know why you don’t like football.”
Maxwell shakes his head and takes a step back.
“Oh No daddy!”
He’s running inside when Elebe gets to his feet. Elebe chases after him playfully.









EPISODE TEN

The inscription outside on the wall reads 'Nkeni beauty salon'.
Inside, Nkeni is rolling the lustrous black hair of a customer while Otonye and Ese  are chatting with her and the salon girls are busying attending to customers.
“So you mean to tell me that if Otonye hadn’t given you her car… Gosh! What’s actually wrong with that husband of yours?” Nkeni pouts and shakes her head as she rolls another section of the customer’s hair.
Otonye concurs.
“He’s forming jealousy. Can’t he see how much you love him. He’s probably blind to that I can tell and open to others!”
Nkeni fires at Otonye.
“Because you believe your own husband is a complete saint. Which man in this world is? Even the so called pastors these days are good at breaking our hearts when their tales of ecstasies with their female members are exposed!”
Ese  cuts in.
“See! I came here to relax and get my nails done. Not in for any of your drama”

Otonye sighs,
“When is this your girl coming to do my nails now. Just that small errand and she still isn’t back!”
Nkeni nods.
“Don’t worry let Jude come and help you girls with them.”
“Ese , You should try out glass nails this weekend.” Otonye suggests as She puts out her hands flaunting her well-manicured nails which she wishes to change and throws a glance at Ese ’s short and unpolished nails.
Ese  laughs.
“You can afford them now. Except Nkeni wishes to do mine for free.” Ese  continues to smile and eyes Nkeni.
 Nkeni shakes her head, vigorously while smiling and then yells.
“Jude oya come and soak her feet first.”
Then she sighs at Ese .
“See your mouth, Oso free! How would my business move when family and friends aren’t supporting it by paying for their service?”
The ebony black Customer Nkeni is styling, who happens to be in her mid twenties chuckles at her statement.
Nkeni laughs and gestures at her customer while facing the large salon mirror .
“Please help me tell her oh!”
“Make I hear. Business woman!” Ese  shuns.
Otonye cuts in.
“See as you girls are washing your dirty linens in front of a customer”
Nkeni stares straight at Otonye.
“You that don’t have dirty linens to wash. Leave us oh! CEO!”
Customer laughs and joins in.
“We all have dirty linens but don’t wash them in public”
Ese  gives her feet to Jude as he sits in front of her with his equipment.
“ Our Customer, Thank you”
Otonye yabs
“Concur mistress.”
They all laugh over it.