PEPPERSOUP - by Oluwademilade Soyinka

The knock on the door stunned you. Your wife, Priscilla, was in the room, doing whatever Gen-Z wives do with their phones. You didn't have a child. It couldn't be your relatives [they did not sponsor your marriage to Priscilla , so you cut them off]. The knock came again.You check the time. Tuesday. 10:53 p.m. The bastard knocking the door must not be time conscious. It had to be Tito.Tito was Priscilla's friend of eleven years. She was a rather buxom woman-probably the nicest thing about her, it seemed-and was unapologetically basket-mouthed. She was also fond of visiting uninvited and at the worst times. You had frequently warned Prissy to cut off relations with her, but the woman refused to hear word. But today would be different. You would show them.You open the door.They were here.What you see makes you wish it was Tito.It shouldn't be possible. But there they were. Akugbe stood arms akimbo staring you down, as if challenging you to a brawl. Even at nine, the boy had your fighting spirit. Isoken was clutching her mother's hand looking at you innocently. Her mother, Itohan, simply gave you a faraway stare. She always did. Even before her passing."Make yourselves at home".They waited for a second- as though they had not heard-before they came in; Akugbe first, then Isoken and Itohan. You turn on the television. No subscription. Just great. You connect your phone to the TV. Spongebob. That should do the trick. You look behind you to see Isoken and Akugbe already watching, transfixed.Why did you do it?You joined the secret society five years back. Francis introduced you to it. Your wife, Itohan, warned against it. But you couldn't help it. Poverty wasn't joking around. Her akara business wasn't doing much. You, on the other hand were penniless and unemployed. The kids were suspended from school due to their inability to pay fees.Not to lie, you enjoyed the profit from the cult. The rituals were strange but you didn't care. They got you a job. Money appeared in your account from an unknown account. That money paid for your new house and your first car. It gave you a better life. You started showing the first signs of insomnia and hypomania, but you believed it was worth it. You became a big man.Where was Itohan?She was not in the kitchen. You check the guest room. No Itohan. Intuitively, you go upstairs. You walk down the long corridor and then softly open the master bedroom door. She was seated on the settee, facing the bed. Priscilla lay on the bed, phone in hand, snoring softly. You stare at Itohan. She was crying. You move over to comfort her. She recoils from your touch. She looks frustrated. She rises slowly, leaving the room.Two years ago, they said you would die. You were dumbfounded. They laughed and told you not to worry. They said you could easily extend your life. Your children would have to pay the price. You begged, but to no avail. But you were just thirty-nine, way too young to die.You waited until Itohan slept that night. You woke the kids and took them in the car, amidst promises of ice cream. That was the last time anyone saw them.You wailed with your wife over the following weeks. You gave heartfelt speeches during the memorial service. No one should have suspected a thing. She found out a month and two days later.You didn't know how-you still don't how-she got this information. You denied. She fired back. She was screaming and threatening to report me to the police. You couldn't take it anymore. You grabbed the pillow on the sofa. The rest was history.You were wrong.You missed it all. You missed Isoken jumping on your bed to wake you up in the mornings. You missed playing WHOT with Akugbe- he was more skilled than you ,no doubt-. You missed Itohan's loving smile. You missed Tuesday peppersoup. Your family had a tradition of eating peppersoup on Tuesday nights. You and the rest of your small family would tell stories and each other's experiences. It was your way of showing togetherness and love as a family. But it was all gone now. God punish Francis.You made your way down the stairs , regretting your past actions. You pray they are able to forgive you. That was when you first smelt it.You quicken your steps.They were on the dining table. And there was peppersoup in front of them. They were four empty bowls. They looked at you expectantly. You realise it was a Tuesday. You could have sworn Itohan was smiling."Where you in the room?"You turn towards the stairway,as that was where the sound came from. The sight of a red-eyed Priscilla in a nightgown greeted you. You quickly glance back. No kids. No Itohan. No peppersoup. Nothing."No". you answer her.She looks at you, as though unconvinced. She gets her phone charger from the sitting room."Why are you watching Spongebob at past eleven?""No reason. Force of habit I guess."She chuckles as she walked up the stairs. You counted to nine before you hear the bedroom door shut.You stare at the dining table. They were gone. But Itohan's smile remained imprinted on my memory.I knew then that all was forgiven.

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