When Mothers Collide
Favour opened the front door to find her mother standing there, wrapped in a bright green lace wrapper, face full of fire.
"Mama!"
"I no fly come Abuja to greet pigeon. Where is your husband?"
Favour blinked. "He's… at work."
"Then call him. I go wait."
She pushed past her daughter and sat in the living room like a queen waiting for her judgment day.
Thirty minutes later, the door opened again.
Daniel stepped in.
The air became ice.
He paused, unsure. "Good evening, ma."
"You think say this na evening?" Mama Ejiro stood. "This na night. You and your family want to turn my daughter to house girl."
Daniel stiffened. "Excuse me?"
"My daughter dey call me from kitchen with burn mark on her wrist, crying say you go soon come home. She never sleep well for two weeks. And for wetin? To impress who?"
"I never forced her," Daniel said, calmly.
"She never forced you too when she marry you with her heart and her lie! You sabi lie pass her?"
Favour stepped between them, tears in her eyes.
"Stop it. Please. Both of you."
But Mama Ejiro wasn't done.
"If you can't protect her from people dragging her name through dust, then what kind of husband are you? She's changing. Fighting. I know my child. You think you married a liar but I raised a warrior."
Daniel looked at her. Not at Mama Ejiro. At Favour.
And what he saw wasn't the girl from the wedding photo, smiling and polished,it was a woman forged by mistakes and standing in the middle of her storm.