Crazy isn’t it?
That the father of a child would be his grandfather.
This is so messy, so disgusting but I am forced to hush-hush about it because it is shameful, too.
My sister married into a home where I will say, everything was arranged for her by our parents and their friends. My sister didn’t do much schooling mainly because she wasn’t bright. You know?
Some people are not going to be scholars. My parents knew but they just forced her to finish OND and then they helped her get a job with one of our father’s friend’s who had a factory. She was never going to make any serious money and she was never going to have any meaningful career from being a secretary. At best, my parents hoped she would find a husband, have children and that would be all they needed to do with her.
Well, my sister had worked for the factory for more than five years and no boyfriend or husband and I know this worried my parents as the rest of us her younger siblings had since finished school (you know, because she was not good at school, we passed her and finished school before her). I had got married and had a child, my younger brother was also in a relationship. So, I understand my parent’s anxiety over my sister, who was the eldest.
Then I heard my sister was going to get married to the son of our father’s friend, who owned the factory she worked in.
I’m not so close to my sister, to be honest but I was curious as to how she got involved with the guy, his name is Fred, and we had known him when we were much younger. I told you his father was my father’s friend. So, we knew Fred was a kind of funny guy, you know. Which is why we wondered how come my sister got involved with him to the point of marrying him.
I’ll explain what I mean by that later.
Anyway, ceremony was done, my sister moved in with Fred and his parents.
Yes, Fred lived in his parents’ home.
Which is nothing strange really, things like these happen, young couples living with the parents.
Ok, so I mean, I later found out that my sister was actually arranged for Fred. You know, arranged marriage…again not strange, these things happen.
But Fred is gay.
Again, don’t get me wrong, that’s his life, I have no business judging anyone’s sexual orientation.
So, you can see what is happening here?
His parents knew who he was, they arranged a marriage with my parents for my sister, who isn’t smart enough to know she was being used.
Anyway, first year nothing happened, no pregnancy, nothing.
Second year my sister became pregnant.
Naturally, I was happy for her. I went to visit her one day, like I said, I am not so close to her so yes, I stayed away for a long time.
But anyway, I went visiting and I noticed the familiarity with which she was with her father-in-law.
She was in the kitchen and he went there to sit and chat and laugh with her…
She went to get something from the bedroom, I saw him from the corner of my eye pretend he was going to another room but ducked into her room and they were there for…more than 30 mins…I had to knock on her door to tell her I was leaving. She asked me to go back to the sitting room that she was coming to join me.
She came back, sweaty and happy.
When I asked her where her father-in-law was, she said he was asleep…in her room!
You know? I was shocked!
What kind of game was she playing?
I asked her about her mother-in-law and her husband, she gave some flimsy reason, Mama and Fred were attending a wedding in the family.
“So why is Papa home with you?”
“Is this not his house?”
I kept quiet o.
But I reported what I saw to my mother…my mother said to mind my own business.
That was when I knew there was something wrong with the whole set up!
I tried to “mind my own business” but when this kind of thing is in your family, it becomes your business as well.
My sister had a son…everybody celebrated like they didn’t know how she got the son.
By “everybody,” I mean, Fred, his parents, my parents and my sister. I was to find out that Fred and his mum knew his father was sleeping with my sister!
Can you imagine?
Very dirty thing!
That’s not all. A few months after the child was born, Fred fled the country…something about people wanting to kill him because he is gay…I don’t believe that story, the guy used the fact that oyibo people feel sorry for gay people to flee Nigeria.
I’m saying this because many people knew he was gay and not once was he threatened. He’d been looking for means to go abroad and so used the fact that he was gay as the excuse.
Anyway, Fred has left, baba is old and still having sex with my sister…because she is pregnant again.
My parents act like all is well, same with Mama, Fred’s mum. They all want me to stop asking questions and making them uncomfortable. Am I the wrong one here?
I’m telling this anonymously because in case there’s a judgement against my family on this kind of mess, let it be known that my hand no dey am!
(Series written and edited by Peju Akande and based on true stories)
Hmmm, well, like they say, nothing is new under the sun. Unfortunately, parents will do anything to cover their shame and this is one of such. I pray that all of this does not backfire later in life. Especially for the little children who had no hand in how they were conceived. As for Fred, well, it is what it is. I hope the sister of the narrator knows she is not in a marriage. Just a situationship that will blow up in her face when the oldies pass on.