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“So, you’re cooking. I have guests over. Can you make some fried chicken and sauce for them? I think there is still juice in the fridge. I don’t want to keep them waiting.”
“Mama, this food is for me and my husband.”
“You and your husband—my son—will eat later. Serve the food you’re preparing to my guests and make another one.”
“No, she will not do that. We have been in this kitchen for over an hour cooking. You didn’t even tell anyone you were having guests over. Who does that? You just brought people into the house without anyone knowing, as if it were your house, and now you’re telling us to give them the food we prepared for ourselves. Sorry, Mama, but your guests will go hungry.”
“My son’s house is also my house. So you cannot tell me what I can and cannot do here. So Judith, you won’t prepare food for my guests, right? No problem. I’ll go and get them some snacks outside.”
“Can you imagine? Mom, I am so shocked. After all the stress we went through to go to the market and cook, she is telling me to serve the food to her guests and make another one. She has a lot of audacity.”
“Mom, I’m glad you are seeing this for yourself. She is a very tough nut to crack. There is nothing I do that pleases her. She will always find something to complain about. If it’s not the food, it’s the cleaning. And Henry is not helping matters.”
“My daughter, your husband needs a push. You have tried talking. Now we need to give him a reason to be bold and speak up to his mother. She wants to scatter his family. You’ve not even been married for up to one year, and she is already causing problems.”
“So, Mom, what are we going to do? I really love Henry, and I don’t want to lose him. His mother is making me feel like I’m not the best decision for him.”
“You will always be the best decision any man could ever make, my princess. We will find a solution soon.”
“Judith, I left my catfish pepper soup that I prepared this afternoon. Were you the one who ate it?”
“No, Mama, I didn’t eat your pepper soup. I ate the fried rice I prepared this morning.”
“You are lying. Who else would have eaten the pepper soup I carefully prepared and kept for later?”
“Mama, I didn’t eat your pepper soup.”
“Mom, she said she didn’t. And why would she eat your pepper soup?”
“You will ask her for me. Because all these days she has refused to cook what I want to eat. Now I prepared a delicious catfish pepper soup, and she went ahead and ate it.”
“Why would I do that? I didn’t prepare pepper soup, and neither did my mom. So why would I see pepper soup in the pot and just eat it?”
“Keep asking me stupid questions. You’re trying to make me look crazy in front of my son, right? I will find out who ate my pepper soup.”
“I heard you screaming. You couldn’t even knock before entering the couple’s room. Do you have no manners?”
“Manners in my own son’s house? You must be joking.”
“Do people come to your husband’s house and disturb your peace? Are you the only woman who has a son? Leave their marriage for them, Madam, and go back to your husband.”
“You woman, what exactly is your problem? And yes, I was the one who ate your pepper soup. If you want your food to be safe and don’t want anyone to eat it, go back to your own house and no one will touch it. As long as you are here, I myself will eat your food.”
“I have respected you a lot because you are my son’s mother-in-law. But now I see you are a very classless woman.”
“It’s you and me in this house.”
“Not really. I can’t be fighting with a grown woman whose mission is to destroy her son’s marriage.”
“So you are finally giving up and leaving?”
“She’s not the only one leaving. We are both leaving this house. I am tired and exhausted from all this.”
“Mama, you are the only one who understands Henry. I think you should marry him because I don’t think I am good enough for you and your son.”