Chapter Two
Fehintola
Fehintola stayed silent in the other room and cried as she listened to the sounds of
passion from the
bedroom of her husband. She had stopped attending social outings with her husband because she was afraid of the pitying looks.
She could not be angry nor could she make demands so she became a prayer warrior. Fehintola prayed to the
Lord to remove the rebuke, and shame the devil that made each pregnancy
an agony of nine months wait and a
tragedy of birth. She was labeled
as the harbinger of sorrow as each time she gave birth, the child never stayed long enough to welcome a younger sibling. She knew what that meant. She was being
punished by a spirit child, or in her language, an abiku,
which had taken an interest in her. Some of the births were very painful as the child would wait long enough for love to blossom in
her heart and then leave
very
quietly. The child would have a slight fever, and before she could do anything, the infant
would be gone.
Her husband was tired of coming to her bed for she knew he was asking himself what was the point of all the passion if he was going to have to bury another child. Some evenings, Fehintola would stare into space
unaware of her surroundings,
just wishing she would die, and then shiver that such thoughts should come
to her.
One morning, a simply dressed young woman knocked on her door, and gave her a beautiful smile. Fehintola stared at the lady wondering who she wanted to see. The lady identified
herself simply as a
priestess and
an usher in the house of the goddess Numen Yeye. Shocked and surprised she stared as she was told by the quiet, unassuming young
woman to be at
the shrine to respond to the summons from Numen Yeye.
Fehintola blinked and shook her head even as she sent her respects through the young virgin to Numen Yeye. It was an honor to be visited by the priestess of Numen
Yeye but how was she going
to explain that
to Ayo? The young woman who simply asked to be addressed
as Yeye, smiled. ”It is
to
ensure that Numen Yeye, when she comes, is given the
right
surroundings,” she had finished.
“Numen who?”
“You are to be pregnant again and we have decided that this is the final time Numen Yeye would try to cross the bridge into you. If we do not mend the bridge, she will not come and you
will
remain barren.”
Fehintola was electrified by the information and tears came to
her
eyes. She was suddenly resolute—she was going to keep the appointment with Numen
Yeye.
Ayo was skeptical
when
she told him of
her encounter. He gave her a long look, Fehintola sensed that he was maybe wondering if she was half way insane.
The last death had almost unhinged her and she suspected her husband was not sure of trying again.
“Please, Ayo, I understand it is
my
last chance,” she pleaded in desperation.
