At the Village
Aminata refused to budge as Yaa pressed on.
“Yaa, I’m tired and exhausted and let me be. I want quality time for myself.”
Yaa is perturbed.
Sitting Room
Baa Gamo was sitting in the sitting room and contemplating what to do next.
“I think I have to see my in-law to enquire what the problem is.”
At the City
She continued to call her mom continuously but she refused to receive the phone calls which frustrated her all the more.
“What is wrong with this woman in refusing to receive my calls?” she asked.
As Baa entered his room, he heard Aminata’s phone ringing continuously.
“Would you please answer the phone call and hear what your husband had to say,” asked Baa.
“I don’t want to answer him,” she retorted.
Tehet got frustrated and stopped calling.
At the Village
“This is really getting out of hand as she is refusing to pick her husband’s phone calls,” queried Baa.
When Yaa heard the phone ringing, she rushed to pick it but Aminata blocked her.
“What is this? Leave me alone. I’m not answering it. Is it not my phone?” she protested to her parents who were flabbergasted by her attitude.
At the City
Omar is pacing back and forth in his bedroom, contemplating and grinning, as he became worried and could not sleep.
Tehet entered the room and saw her dad’s frustration.
“What’s going on? She is not picking my calls. What is dividing you must be something very grave,” said Teh.
Omar
“Your mother is fighting some psychological battle but sooner than later it would resolve itself. Let’s just give her more time. Can I get back my phone?” he said. Tehet returned to her dad his phone but was still contemplating what the problem affecting her mum is.
“Good night,” he told her daughter.
Wedding Day
Lolly is worried that her brother and wife have not arrived and more surprisingly no word from them.
“It is not normal that they have not yet arrived and also no word from them. I’ve tried to ring them several times but their phones are unreachable.”
Harry
“We have to get a substitute as the wedding must go on, right? You know I love you! Smile for me and don’t ring them again.” Lolly forced a smile to please Harry.
Harry rang his uncle, who is a diplomat, to stand for Lolly and also his best friend, Banjoli, to stand for him as well. The wedding at the registry went well but Lolly is still worried about Aminata and Omar.
“They set for the wedding why couldn’t they make it and not picking their phones? It must be grave,” Lolly said to herself.
At the City
Tehet decided to go to her paternal granny’s village.
“Where do you want to go when your parents are not in?” Ndig Dodou asked.
“My parents are crazy now and don’t have my time and the mansion is too big for me. Let me go to granny Jagga. She always has a special time for her grandchildren and I also love the village.”
“I am risking my job to let you out. Please, be responsible and don’t let me down. Come home on time.”
At Granny Jagga’ Village
As usual, granny Jagga was pleased to see her grandchild with her bridegroom and gave Teh a warm welcome home. She complained to her grandma about her mother.
“She left home unceremoniously and I called her phone several times but she refused to answer my calls,” she told her.
Granny Jagga
“But that is undone. How can a woman of that age left her matrimonial home and refused to talk to her daughter? Let me try her as well. She’ll answer my call.”
“Try grandma, perhaps you’ll be lucky.”
Granny called Njaga to give her the phone.
Tehet dialed for her but still the same. Aminata refused to pick any phone call.
“She is not answering my phone either,” complained grandma.
Granny Jagga
She summoned her son to the village and enquired what the problem was.
“I know there is a problem which you don’t want to share. This is okay with me, but my request is for you to please go and bring back your wife. She bore your kids and as far asI am concern, she is a very good and respectful woman,” she appealed to her son.
“She went on her own will come back on her own,” he responded.
“I don’t care whatever you say. All I want is for you to go and bring her back to your home, period!” insisted Grandma.
At the Wedding Party
Everything went well.
Harry picked his wife off the ground and started running around with her in his arms in the sitting room and full with excitement.
“Didn’t I tell you? We will make it. That’s why it’s always good to have a ‘Plan B’ in place in case of any unexpected development. Have you spoken to your brother?” he asked.
“Let me try again. I’m a bit discouraged.”
“Don’t get to the root cause of it.”
Lolly Rings
“Allah be praised, Omar! What happened? I was scared when my call cannot go through and was in the dark not knowing anything about your situation since you announced you were travelling by road. What happened?”
Omar
“Armed robbers!”
“Armed what? I hope you were injured?”
“Not at all but they managed to get away with few things.”
“What about your wife? I hope she is not harmed?”
“She is fine.”
“Can I speak to her?”
“You get her phone number speak to her she is not around. How was the wedding? I hope it had gone fine. It was a pity I could not attend but I’ll make it up to you. Extend my greetings to my in-law and take good care of him. Good night and bye!”
Harry
“What did he say?”
Lolly
“Armed robbers!”
“Where they harmed?”
“Thank God, no! They just went away with few things.”
“It was a happy day and we enjoyed our wedding.”
At the City
Tehet cried bitterly;
“It is no longer getting funny. Where is my mom?”
Omar
“Your mom is fighting a battle of the mind. Let’s give her space and when she is done, she will come back to us.”
“What is this battle of the mind you are talking about? I don’t know what you mean.”
“That is for adults not children,” responded the father.
“I’ll tell Ham-Ham about mum’s disappearance.”
“Your mom has not disappeared. She asked to be left alone and we have to respect her wish.”
“I’m not going back to school. I’ll stay here at home until my mom comes back.”
“It is your business, don’t go back to school and see who that will affect. Anyway, I’m going back to work.”
At the Village
Aminata’s parents called Omar to come and intervene on behalf of the family.
Everything was narrated to him but he could not believe it.
“You mean Aminata came here unannounced, uninvited and without her husband’s permission and you allowed her to stay? No way! She has to go back to the city! Where is she?”
He went searching for her.
To be Cont.
