"Easy girlie..." she soothed herself as she massaged her body. It had ached her all night.
"Ouch! Eeish!" she exclaimed as she pressed her swollen eye a little.
Her door squeaked open, she didn't bother to look up, she knew it was Tony.
Tony stood for while watching her massage and press her body in pains. He felt his heart melt! So he was now a 'wife beater' ?
"Good morning Lara." He said gently.
"ouch!" Lara exclaimed pressing a swollen part of her arm.
"Errm....sorry..." Tony said squatting beside her.
She didn't reply, she continued her work.
"Errm..Lara, I'm very sorry for what happened yesterday..." he began
"Hmph! Did you brush your teeth this morning?" Lara covered her nose with her free hand.
He felt offended, he exhaled sharply
"I shouldn't have done what I did yesterday...my anger took better part of me..." he was trying his best to sound gentle.
Lara laughed quitely.
He peered at her face, he wondered if she heard him.
She applied some balm to her wounds before looking up at him.
"So what now? You came to kill me?" she asked.
"No...Lara I'm truly sorry for..."
"Abegi! Spare those thrash talk! Go and meet your Igbo sister and leave me alone! Who are you trying to decieve?" she interrupted him.
"Lara.." he tried to hold her but she pushed him away. Her hands moved to the bowl of water and Swoosh! She threw it at him- towel and all.
Tony looked suprised, he surveyed his drenched office clothes with his eyes.
"how dare you!" he shot at her.
"Oh yea! I just dared you! Rubbish! Because I'm not an Igbo that's why you are treating me this way shebi?" Lara rose to her feet.
"Don't you ever try that on me again!" Tony's anger let loose.
"So what if I do? You'll flog me? Ehn? Answer me! Oshi buruku!" she clapped her hands.
"You'll pay for this!" he told her walking towards the door.
"Mr Tony?" she called after him.
He stoped holding the door knob.
Lara walked slowly towards him, a smile playing on her lips.
"Tony, I just felt I should remind you, that, the law of karma still reigns!" she chuckled before walking into her bathroom.
:::::::::*****:::::::
"Hello? Mummy?" Lara placed her phone on her ears. She knew what to expect. Tony has taken her report to her mother again.
"Hello Lara? What's this I'm hearing about you?" her mother began.
Lara grimaced
"So what did you hear?"
"Lara! I want you to come over to my place now!" her mother ordered cutting the call.
"Sure...just a few minutes, and you'l see your beautiful daughter with a swollen face and wounds all over her body!" Lara said to the phone, though she knew her mother won't hear.
She walked into her mother's sitting room without bothering to knock. She looked around, the room was re-furnished. Even her mother looked furnished.
"Good day mum!" Lara threw her bag at an armchair.
"Lara? What happened to your eyes-your face?" her funke asked with concern.
"Need to see some more?" Lara chuckled showing her wounds to her mother.
"Who did this to you?" Funke asked again.
"of course my loving, sweet, adorable husband!" Lara said sarcastically.
"What?!" Funke was shocked.
"Which one is 'what' again? Shebi this is what you want? Ehn? Are you suprised?, better save your suprised look till when they bring ..." Lara said carefreely.
"How could he do such to you? I'm sure something went wrong! Was it after you poured hot water on him?" funke said ignoring her daughter's sarcasm.
Lara laughed.
"my daughter, its well, you should just go back home, I'll call Tony..." Funke began to say.
"not yet! I'm staying here for atleast two weeks! I need to rest, before going back to that dungeon!" Lara protested, before taking her bag inside.
Funke watched her daughter walk inside. She picked her phone and dailled Tony.
"Hello? My in law?"
she listened for a while
"yes! Please do me a favour, let Lara stay with me.
"Thank you" Lara said givng some naira notes to a cab driver.
She took a deep breathe, and glanced around her.
The magnificent church was standing before her. She had brought her case to God.
She wondered if God would listen to her again. The last time she came to church was when her father was alive, she was ten yrs then...
"Good morning sir" she greeted a man in security uniform.
"Please is the Resident Pastor around?"
"Yes, let me tell him you want to see him." the security man replied before speaking into a telecom.
"he said you should come in."
"Thank you sir!" Lara said before walking towards the church basement.
She muttered a silent prayer before knocking.
"Come in." pastor Wilson said from within
"Good morning Pastor Wilson." she flexed her knee.
"Morning sister...pleasesit!"
Lara sat on a chair facing him, clutching at her hand bag.
"You came to see me?" Pastor wilson asked.
"Yes pastor, My name is Omolara Popoola.." Lara began.
"Omolara Popoola? You mean Lara the daughter of late Deacon Popoola?" Pastor Wilson asked in suprise.
"Yes sir." Lara smiled.
"Wow...how are you? How have you been?" he looked pleased.
"Fine sir..."
"God is great! You're married now?" he gestured at her wedding band.
"Yes sir,...that's why I came..."
"Is anything the matter?" Pastor wilson sensed all is not well.
Lara told him about her troubles, shedding tears in the process. He looked touched by her story.
"Its well, God is with you." he told her.
After praying with her, he gave her some Bible verses to read, before asking her to fast for just a day.
"Sister Lara, If you must fast; your faith in God would determine how your answer will be." he told her.
"I have faith Pastor." Lara assured him.
"Not just in the mouth but from the heart...and mind you, you must go back to your matrimonial home!" he told her.
"No...But..." she frowned.
"You must go back there!" he said firmly.
"Okay, thank you..." she didn't look happy.
"Take care Lara, God is with you." he waved her off.
::::::::******::::::
Lara walked into her home, she felt nervous when she walked into the sitting room.
"I thought you aint gonna come back." sophia sneered.
"I'm back!" Lara said, before walking into her room.
She's got no time to start quarelling with Sophia now, its almost time for her to break her fast.
She was in a kneeling position, rounding up her prayers when she heard a commotion in the sitting room. She paused absent mindedly to listen...Sophiawas quarelling with somebody...perhaps Tony.
She ended her prayer in a hurry and tiptoed out of her room.
What she saw made her jaw drop.
"You have no right to ask me who i'm looking for!" Amara- Tony's mother shot at Sophia.
"You can't walk in like that! This isn't your home!" sophia fired back.
Just then Amara noticed Lara's presence.
"Lara?"
"Welcome ma." Lara greeted her.
"Who's this uncultured woman? Your maid?" she gestured towards Sophia.
"Errrm.."Lara began.
"Sophia, meet ...ermm..Tony'smother, and errmmm, ma please meet, Sophia- Tony's errmm..." Lara stuttered.
"So it is true?!" Amara exclaimed.
Just then Tony came back from wherever he went.
"Mum? What are you doing here?" he asked suprised letting his breifcase drop.
"What am I doing here? So what I heard is true? So its true that you've been maltreating Lara? That you even brought your mistress into your matrimonial home?" Amara shrieked.
Tony bent his head, he knew he was in trouble.
"So this is what you've turned into? A Dog?" Amaria yelled.
"I know what to do...I'm calling your father right away!" She threatened picking her phone.
"No no no..please mum, don't do that...I'd be in trouble if you call dad...Sophia is leaving right away..I'l turn a new leaf..." Tony held her hand pleadingly.
He walked into the guest room, appeared carrying Sophia's bag.
"Sophia, leave now!" he shoved the dumbfounded Sophia towards the exit.
"You too, go and bring your bag, you're coming with me!" Amara told Lara who was silent.
"But...ma..." Lara's eyes widened.
"I say go and bring your bag, I can't leave you here with this beast! What if he murders you!" Amara shrieked.
"Mum..please don't take her away." Tony pleaded.
"Try to stop me!" she glared at him, dragging Lara out of the house; with her bag and all.
