Mado Ayah hated long journeys but this one was worth it. She needed to come to Yaounde to see her daughter face to face and straighten somethings with other people.
***
Elizabeth Mutanda's phone rang while she was having breakfast of toasted bread, eggs and coffee at Levi's house. This was two weeks after he had told them to move out and none of them had budged. Nobody told her what to do just as she wasn't going to pick the phone that was ringing. She tasted the coffee and twisted her mouth.
"Gaelle! You gave me cold coffee?" She yelled. Immediately, a young girl in her early twenties ran out of the kitchen in an apron. She was the maid who had replaced Marlise.
"Sorry ma. It was hot when I put it ma," The girl apologized with her hands folded in front of her in a plea.
"Hot eh? Let's check how hot it is," She said and threw the cup of coffee at the girl, the brown liquid staining the front of her apron.
"You are lucky it is cold," She snapped as the girl stealthily grabbed the cup from the table and rushed back into the kitchen. Ma Eli's phone continued to ring. She looked at the caller ID and her mood darkened.
"Its Mado. I am in town and I want us to meet," The familiar voice said.
"My son has a big mansion. You can come here. Afterall, you should take advantage of such luxury." She emphasized on luxury.
"No. Meet me at Tsinga, Chez Felix. 4PM today," Mado said.
"I cannot be seen at such a cheap place. Let's meet at..." the line went dead.
Ma Eli stood at the entrance to Chez Felix watching people eat in twos and threes on bamboo chairs. Her eyes landed on the woman with a headscarf and an ordinary kaba whose back was turned to her. She could easily escape but she was too proud to accept defeat so she straightened her shoulders, held her purse tighter and moved forward. As soon as she got to the table, Mado noticed her. A moment of hatred passed between them where they wanted to kill each other but they couldn't...just yet.
"You come with such expensive purse here. You want to be robbed?" Mado snickered, referring to Ma Eli's blink purse.
"Of course I can be robbed. That's what your kind do, taking what doesn't belong to them," she responded, tucking her purse under the table and looking skeptically from side to side. Mado was used to the woman's insults. After all, she had worked as a maid in her house for over fifteen years.
"What will you have?" Mado asked picking up the menu.
"I cannot risk contamination," She replied, raising her nose in the air.
Mado shrugged.
"I'm starving. I didn't eat during the journey, " She said still staring at the menu.
"You always are," Ma Eli said under her breath.
Just then a man in a black apron walked up to their table.
"Sista Mado. Welcome oh! I give you what?" He exclaimed excitedly.
"Felix! Felix!. Give me the one that is making this your stomach to come out like this," she joked about his potbelly.
"Madam, you?" Felix addressed Ma Eli. She shook her head and looked away.
Felix turned back to Mado, his smile unwavering.
"I will bring you goat meat pepper soup." Felix said and walked away. When he left, Mado turned back to Eli.
"Why am I here?" She asked.
"Let me eat first, since you don't want to," She replied, earning her a dangerous glare.
Her food finally came. A large piece of goat meat occupied the centre of the metal plate.
"Ah! Felix. You put your hand for this chop!" She exclaimed, making the chef to grin widely.
"Madam, you sure you don't want anything?" He turned again to Ma Eli. She just shrugged and shook her head.
Mado inhaled, washed her hands and dug into her food. She made sure to eat with loud slurping sounds that disgusted Ma Eli. When she was done, she washed her hands, the plate was taken away and she turned to Ma Eli.
"My daughter, Marlise. Your plan was to ruin her no?" she asked, looking straight into her eyes.
"Are you talking about the little pregnancy that you convinced her to carry so she can trap my son? It would not work. People miscarry everyday," She said carelessly.
"Eli. I gave you Cherish. Leave Marlise out of this. I will handle her," she said almost in a whisper.
"Is that all what you came to tell me?" Ma Eli asked.
"I came to tell you to keep your son away from Marlise. We have a deal. If you don't, I will expose you," she said. Ma Eli's brows rose in mock surprise.
"You have been saying that for years. I can crush you like a fly and no one will remember your name, maid!" She spat and stood up.
"This time is different. Marlise is involved." She said in such a serious tone, Ma Eli felt fear.
♡♡♡♡♡
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