Oga Martins & His Kettle Of Fishes – Episode 6

Runo had finally been discharged from the hospital after spending a week on admission. The modeling agency she signed up with had agreed to settle the law suit against Mrs. Aisha Martins out of court following Runo’s pleas. Runo knowing that Martins would be the person at the receiving end of the fiasco had convinced her manager not to press charges. Martins had incurred all her medical expenses and was also working towards replacing her choice car until his fall out with Mr. Okafor.  

“Mr. Martins, where the heck are you going to?  Or did you forget it’s a Sunday?” Aisha bellowed as Martins was making preparations to leave the house on a hot Sunday afternoon.

“But I do work on Sundays too”

“That was before your fall-out with Mr. Okafor remember? I’m not sure your regular job would put you through such slavery. And I wasn’t talking about work, it’s the essence of the day. Remember we were told in Sunday school that Sundays are meant to be kept holy. So my husband,  I’m going to ask you again; where the heck are you headed?”

“Aisha stop the sanctimony, we stopped going to church since like forever. I’m surprised you still remember what the day signifies”

“Martins where you they go?” Aisha was forced to interject in vernacular

“I really don’t know why you ask a question you already have an answer to. I told you I was going to be at Lawanson this morning, didn’t I?”

“Lawanson? What for? What business do you have there again? I thought you threw in the towel” The questions came like a rain of bullets.

“Yes I did”

“So what business still awaits you there?”

“I have got some scores to settle”

“Liar! You are going to see your girlfriend”

“Aisha, do you realize we would have been cooling our heels in police custody by now if not for Runo’s intervention”

“Oh please! Don’t you ever call that name in our matrimonial home!”

“I really don’t understand why you are bitter about a situation that in the true sense doesn’t exist.”

“I am being bitter about a situation that doesn’t exist, right? Martins if you have any fear of God in you, you really would stay at home today. But of course your selfish nature and callousness towards your own family would not let you be the man you promised to be on our wedding night.”

“Baby let’s not go down that road. Look, I’m only going to be away for a few hours. I should be back before evening” Martins tried to sweet-talk his wife.

Suddenly Aisha broke down in tears. She cried out loud!

“Oh God! This was not the plan oh! You never gave me a premonition of who this man I call husband really is. At least there should have been red flags of what to expect in marriage so I could prepare my mind and arm myself to the teeth. This bombshell before me shocks me every passing day” Aisha lamented to a God she assumed was seated somewhere in the ceiling of their bedroom.

Martins walked up to his wife but was a bit scared to draw too close. “Aisha you are taking this matter too far now!  What have I done this time? Why do you take delight in making me feel like a bad person. I have emotions too oh!”

“You don’t! don’t even go there!” Aisha exploded like a detonated IED.

“Please let’s stop this! I am tired of us being at daggers drawn. I can count the number of weekends I have enjoyed peace of mind in our home since we decided to go on this journey together. I am tired of this Aisha, I really am. This is our matrimonial home not a war-zone.”

Aisha’s emotions continued to get the better of her while the tears welled up in her eyes with no holds barred.

“How dare you Martins? You are just so mean! Who would have figured out that I was going to get married to the Devil’s advocate.”

“Aisha will you stop being melodramatic!” Martins thundered. He took no cognizance of his wife’s pain. Aisha slowly crashed onto the ground wishing the earth could open up and take them both. She was broken!

“It should have been you in that cemetery not my baby.” She said tearfully. Aisha turned away from Martins, crawling towards the bedside table

“Where are you going?” She ignored him as she tarried on. She was aiming for the knife that she had taken from the kitchen to peel oranges. She picked the knife with trembling hands and pointed it at Martins.

“Baby what are you doing?” Martins stared at Aisha in horror. Aisha’s bloodshot eyes and the way she grasped the knife in her hands threw Martins off balance. His wife had suddenly become paranoid. This was too much for Martins to absorb. He instantly became ill-stricken.

“Martins, what day is it?”

“Baby please put that thing down. I know you are paranoid” Martins voice trembled like violin strings as he spoke.

“Answer me fool! Aisha’s outburst shook the foundations of their marriage more than it did the earth.

“I don’t know!”

“You don’t know?”

“No! I don’t mean it that way.” Martins quickly added not wanting to infuriate his wife further

“Then answer me or I won’t spare you from this bloodbath”

“Blood bath ke? Baby this is surely the devil speaking not you”

“The only devil I see in this room is you. Do you have an answer to my question or should I just end this and spare us the trouble” Her hands directed the pointed edge of the knife to her stomach.

“Sweetie please don’t hurt yourself” Martins pleaded.

Speak Martins!

“Baby its not our wedding anniversary is it? And you only just celebrated your birthday, so that can’t even be it” Martins words were laced with fear, apprehension and confusion.

“You never disappoint me. You are freaking clueless. The fool still don’t know what this is all about. God you see why I tell you this dude is not worth the trouble. Martins I don’t belong here anymore. Its time to end this charade.” Aisha began to hold the knife animatedly this time

“Please Aisha just tell me what this is about, maybe we can find a way around it. What you are about to do can definitely not be the solution” Martins fearing the worse made a desperate attempt at talking his wife out of the impending doom.

“I can’t stand this anymore. This endless pain I bear is eating me up. It’s bad enough that my joy was taken away from me when I was just beginning to enjoy the beautiful gift of creation, but that the man I thought I shared that beautiful gift with not spending time with a woman in grief, neither showing any remorse or guilt for what he caused us both is catastrophic.” Aisha emptied her heart.

“You don’t care anymore Martins. You left us to ourselves that fateful Friday, but I will make sure you don’t leave this time. You will stand right here and experience what It felt like for me that black Friday.” She added.

Slowly Martins began to recollect the events of that day. It was exactly two years ago. “Oh my God! Oh my God! What have I done!” He quickly picked his phone from the bed for a confirmation. There it was on his phone screen staring hard into his eyes. He could even see the infant boy’s sorrowful face. The tears flowing in torrents. There was no mistake about it, today was indeed April 12…the day the peace they enjoyed in their marriage was murdered

“Sweetheart I remember now” Martins said soberly. “Aisha I’m sorry, am really sorry. Please don’t do this! I promise not to step out of the house this weekend till Monday. I will make amends…Please for the sake of our son…”

Aisha did not wait for Martins to complete his atonement speech. She lowered the knife towards her stomach as her husband scurried forward to salvage the situation but it was too late. The knife had touched down! the blades piercing through flesh and shattering bones.

“Olaoluwa! Olaoluwa!” Martins cried out faintly.He groaned in pain whilst the blood in his veins ran cold. His eyes slowly closing…

Oga Martins and His Kettle of Fishes continues next week…