Onome's Embarrassment

The powdered milk was already spilled, so also was the baby cream. What a mess she has caused in the market, she berated herself. She could feel the eyes of the crowd who seemed to have appeared from nowhere on her back.

"This woman sef,"she heard someone hissed.

Oh no! She dared not look up. She told herself as she frantically scooped the cream  back into its container. If she keeps scrubbing , they will disappear. They will get tired and move on. As much as she tried to assure herself, she knew that at some point, she will have to stand up and face the mocking stares of the crowd. Oghene would probably throw a fit and she will be forced to attend to him.

Oh God! She swore under her breath as she wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. A patch of armpit sweat was already showing on her sky blue chiffon gown. She hated herself so much for being the cynosure of the market for such an awkward incident.

Why can't she be good at something? Why must she make a mess of everything? Even shopping with her child was a disaster. Is she really worth anything? Joe had told her a thousand times that the only thing she was good at was in bed. But that was a lie. She doubted if she really pleased her husband as he claimed because he has not stopped keeping mistresses.

Read Also: Fathers are not for a season [episode vi]

Sometimes she wondered if he knew she was aware of his clandestine affairs. And even if he had suspicions, there was little or nothing she could do about it. Joe would never give her the opportunity to express herself. Never! She could never summon the courage to confront him, particularly when he insults her in public. She had never had the boldness to tell him to stop hitting her when he came home drunk or forcefully had sex with her.

She was too scared of Joe. Scared that he would make good of his threat one day.The more he maltreated her, the more her fear and anger grew. Her anger stemmed from her inability confront Joe with his actions, to make him respect her, for ignoring all the snide remarks made by her neighbours in Jeje street.

Her fame as the clumsy good-for-nothing wife had even penetrated the thick walls of the market. With this latest incident, she would be a very hot topic this afternoon for the traders.

Nobody would remember that it was her son who committed the act. Of course not, it was her responsibility to take care of him. She could have prevented the accident, she argued with herself. If her legs were not that chubby, she would have caught the ball before it landed on the bags. Or better still, she would have left Oghene in the car with the new driver that Joe employed.

But with the rate of kidnappings since the last election, Onome couldn't take that risk. Moreover, she was very uncomfortable with the new driver. He had a big scar on his left cheek that reminded her of those hardened criminals in some of these American movies she watched on TV.

In her confusion, she forgot about the man whose bags her son had destroyed.  It was strange that he wasn't yelling at her yet. She would have to buy back all the damaged items, if not, the man would have a lot of explanation to give to his wife, whom she assumed was pregnant.

Who is this man?

Satisfied with her little amendment, she stood up to face her judgment. But she wasn't ready for the eyes that stared back at her. They were the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen. Rounded and brown in colour, they were drawn to her like a magnet.

Those eyes had no trace of wickedness. They were full of pity, and kindness for her. Emotions she was not used to. She quickly tore her eyes away

"I'm so sorry..."she muttered, staring at her white flat shoes. "We can go to a nearby supermarket and I will buy back everything."

She waited a while for the man to speak but no answer. Was he dumb?

Read Also:The beautiful songs of death

Her heart began to skip faster. Perhaps he was  going to hit her, but right here? In front of all the people? She turned to look at the crowd. They had dispersed. She wished they would return. At least, save her from this stranger who looked so innocent but could be dangerous.

At that moment, Oghene began to cry. His wail had never been so pleasant to her ears. As she moved towards her baby who struggled to escape the scrawny arms of the fruit seller, the man stepped forward and took the baby.

Onome nearly let out a scream.

"You little boy, see how you stressed mummy today. Why?" Okon said as he held the boy, his eyes still fixed on his mother.

"Give him back to me," Onome said aggresively in a shaking voice.

If Okon noticed her panic, he didn't show it. He gently handed the chubby little fellow to her. He knew she was frightened. The last thing he wanted to do was to complicate the matter. The situation was already embarrassing, no need to aggravate it. He contemplated on what to do with the remnant of his shopping. He couldn't take them home this way. Mfon would raise hell.

His best option was to dip into his savings. Or to take the young woman's offer? That would hurt his pride. He didn't want her to feel obliged in any way. Truth be told, if he had been a bit cautious, he would have caught the ball before it fell. He knew she was affluent for her to make such an offer. Perhaps married to one of those wealthy landlords in Jeje street.

Then he ruined it

"So?" the woman asked, still not staring at him. For that brief moment their eyes locked, Okon had felt a sweet sensation in his body. Her eyes had searched his, as if looking for an assurance or something. Their souls seemed to have made a connection within those fleeting minutes. She must have felt same. And scared of it too like he was. Since then, she had avoided his gaze. But Okon couldn't stop staring at her.

Her muliebrity was very subtle and showed in her dressing. No makeup,  no heeled-slippers as women of her class usually wear even to a busy place like the market. She was simple in her flowing chiffon gown yet classy. It was quite tasteful to match the white footwear with the sky blue gown. There was something about her beauty. It wasn't ostentatious. Very ordinary-looking but yet angelic. No peaceful was the word.

"Mr., I would appreciate if you will give me a response. I haven't got all day."

That was surprising, thought Okon. Strange woman seemed to have a sharp tongue. He wanted to respond but decided against that.  How far will she go? Suddenly, he was beginning to enjoy this distraction. He took the bags from her and returned to the hawker's shade.

Onome was very exasperated at the man's obvious disregard. How could he be so insolent. She thought of walking back to her car parked at the market garage but immediately discarded the idea. She walked towards him and felt anger at the cool manner he regarded her. He stood under the shade, his arms acrossed his chest.

"What do you want?"

You! Okon nearly muttered. If he was still a bachelor, this woman would be the perfect prey for him. Or perhaps a better wife. He dismissed the thought immediately. He must end this now. He is a married man and a father-to-be. He should be responsible. Scratching his head, he said to her, "I want nothing from you. It's not your fault that this happened. I should have been more cautious."

Those weren't the words Onome expected to hear. Do such men still exist? Perhaps he is a fraudster who is pretending to be nice.

"I insist. I'm sure you have exhausted every cash on you. I wouldn't want to be the cause of your wife's wrath."

"You are certainly right about that. But don't worry, I'm sure your husband wouldn't be so kind of he gets home and found his dinner unprepared," Okon fired back, but immediately regretted it the moment the words escaped his lips. Her face showed shock, then sadness. Without uttering another word, she walked away.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to..." Okon found himself chasing after her but remembering his bags, he quickly ran back to pick them up. By the time he looked in her direction again, she was gone.

Written by Vay Sylver.