Mistaken For A Guy

Chapter Forty-seven

"What is going on here Clara? I just heard you cuss at your niece."

My uncle walked into the living room,a puzzled look seeping through his features as he switched gazes from me to his wife.

Auntie hmphed,"ask her! She's the one looking at me like she wants me dead!"

"Honey, can you believe she's trying to attack me when all I did was told her to clean this place properly? Look at that groundnut on the floor! And she claims she's mopped this place!"

He followed her index finger to where it pointed and I saw him exhale.

"Oh, dear. Are you shouting at her at this time of the morn because of a groundnut? Apart from it,I don't see anything wrong with the cleaning. This place doesn't need to be cleaned, it looks perfect."

Auntie visibly stilled, unfolding her hands as she stared at her husband.

"What did you say, Henry?"

He shrugged, bending to pick the stray groundnut.

"I'm saying you shouldn't shout at her. It's not nice. And I must have left this here by mistake... I'd been munching on some groundnuts with my bread.."

Uncle looked at me,"sorry,dear. I didn't mean to litter."

I gave him my signature polite smile.

"It's alright, uncle... I'll just– I'll just get back to my work."

A mocking clap which came from Auntie stopped me in my tracks as she chuckled– anything but sweet.

"Oh my god. So Henry, you're siding with her huh? You're against your own wife now?"

"What are you– what do you mean siding with?"

"Don't play oblivious, please! So you trying to make me look like the bad person here just because I questioned her cleaning?"

"There's nothing wrong with her cleaning... and the chores she performs. And I overheard you even from the restroom. Why...why are you stressing her? She barely got back from school a day ago and you won't even let her rest. And now I'm telling you I was responsible for the litter and you're still getting angrier. Is this how you've been treating her – sorry, maltreating her all this while?"

I drew my bottom lip between my teeth, eyes darting across the room.

Uncle was usually a man of few of words. The rare times he was at home, sometimes you wouldn't even notice he was coz he moved about doing his own thing silently and before you knew, he's back overseas.

The few words we ever exchanged was just he asking how I was doing and that's it.

So this one was really a first. Felt like he was standing up for me or something.

   "You call this maltreating? I'm only training her! How can you question my way of bringing her up?"

"Why are you being difficult? I'm just stating the real fact; leave her alone. Let her have some freedom in this house. Think about it, have I ever talked to you this way? No. Because I've never seen or heard you act this way towards her. I didn't imagine you were this hard on her.
Yesterday when I saw the way you overworked her till dusk, I decided to keep mute about it because I thought it wouldn't continue that way. Guess I was wrong. She's not a slave ooh. She's more or less like our daughter."

"Under my foot!" Auntie exclaimed, stomping her foot loudly,"this girl, my daughter? Henry you're insane. Like I'd prefer to be barren!—"

Ey what on earth... I'm gonna leave before something compels me to shoot back.