Chapter 63 CLASH OF MOTHERS
Godiva POV
“Jeez!” Dina exclaimed in panic, placing her hands on her chest.
“Ma?” I asked, pretending not to have heard her.
“Don’t give me that. Answer me. I said, who is Jerald?” Mama thundered, counting her words this time around.
“Errrm… Jerald… ermm, he ermm…” I stuttered, looking at Dina for help.
“Well, Mrs. Scott, I need to get home before Mum gets mad,” Dina said, attempting to sneak out.
“Stop right there!” Mrs. Job’s voice came from the kitchen.
“What, Mum? What are you doing here?” Dina snapped, shutting the door she had earlier opened in an attempt to escape.
“Will you answer me now?” Mama barked at me.
“Jerald is my good friend,” I responded confidently, trying to conceal my fear.
“Isn’t he the same good friend that brat was warning you about the day you returned from the trip?” I was about to respond when she continued, “Isn’t he the same good friend who exposed your secret?”
“Mama, that’s all a misunderstanding,” I managed to say.
“What stupid misunderstanding are you talking about?” Mama snapped angrily. “When his mother called me to warn my sticky-hands daughter to stay off her betrothed son.”
“Damn, this is going to be a long night,” Dina whispered.
“Mama, I’m sorry you had to receive such calls, but I can explain everything, nice and calm,” I said carefully.
“Okay, let’s have it,” Mama said, gesturing with her hands.
I briefly narrated how we got close during the trip, making sure to stress the moments he helped me out. I also told her how he was a victim of his parents’ rigidness.
“And I think I want to give this a try, Mama… please,” I said, concluding my sorry tale.
“What!” Mama exclaimed in shock. “Shut up with that bullshit. You believe a man just because he’s nice to you?” she thundered aggressively.
“Take it easy, she’s just a teenager,” Mrs. Job said, trying to calm her down.
“Need I remind you that your father was equally nice at first?” Mama mocked, moving closer to me.
“Oh please, Mama, stop with my father this, my father that. There are many, many other good men out there. Look at Mr. Job,” I retorted, pointing at Dina. “And that’s just one out of many. You don’t really care about my life. All you care about is my relationship and my academics. The other day I told you I quit, you didn’t even bother to ask why. Well, I was sacked because of this same Jerald,” I thundered.
“Unbelievable,” Mama said, smiling in disbelief.
“Despite having abusive parents, he chose to fight for me, even before my eyes. So am I not even allowed to reciprocate because of a stupid rule you made?” I continued. “He came to school with bruises all for me, and you expect me to say, ‘Oh, I’m sorry, I can’t date you because Mama won’t be happy,’ when I know I like him? Wouldn’t that make me a beast?” I said, finally bursting into tears.
Dina firmly held onto me the second I started crying.
“It’s okay,” she whispered, placing my head on her shoulder.
“Di, don’t tell me you knew about this too,” Mrs. Job snapped at Dina.
“Not exactly,” Dina replied sarcastically.
“Mum, your phone is ringing,” Dina interrupted, pointing at Mrs. Job’s phone lying on the table beside us.
The argument between Mama and I turned into a silent staring contest the moment Mrs. Job picked up the call.
“You say what?” Mrs. Job screamed, putting the call on loudspeaker.
“I said, are you the mother of a certain ‘Dina Job’?” the voice on the other end asked.
The room tensed instantly, confusion written all over our faces.
“I am her mother, and who are you?” Mrs. Job asked, giving Dina a deadly look.
“I am the mother to Ben, the 12th grader your daughter has been prostituting herself to,” Mrs. Young said.
I struggled to hold back my laughter at Dina’s expression the moment Ben’s name was mentioned.
“Wait a little, Mrs., don’t you ever call my daughter a prostitute. And mind you, my girl is so hot, I’m sure your son is the one prostituting himself on her,” Mrs. Job fired back in Dina’s defense.
“What!” Mrs. Young exclaimed from the other end.
“Yes, you heard me. And a word of advice from a good mother to you, stay out of the children’s business and let them grow,” Mrs. Job said, attempting to end the call. “And yes, the next time you bruise your child, I’m reporting you to child services. Good-for-nothing,” she added, hissing as she ended the call.
“Wow,” she exclaimed, now glaring at Dina.
“I’m sorry, Mum,” Dina said, smiling as she stepped back while her mother approached her.
“So you two love it when you’re called names?” Mama said angrily.
“Mama, what Mrs. Job did was exactly what you were supposed to do when she called. But I’m certain you started apologizing and promised I’d stay off. Why? Because you’re not a preacher of love,” I replied angrily.
“Diva, you mind your tone,” Mrs. Job cautioned, pointing at me.
“I’m sorry I can’t abide by your rule now. Maybe when I learn a lesson from this, I’ll then abide by your rule,” I said solemnly to Mama. “I’m sorry once more.”
I walked away to my room, with Dina following behind me.
“Damn, you snitch,” I said, pointing at Dina aggressively.
“I’m sorry, girl,” she said, laughing and mimicking a robot character from “Chappie.”
“Damn, your mama is really brutal,” I said, smiling as I offered her a high five.
“But really, what are you going to do?” Dina asked, sounding concerned.
“I’ll just wait for when she cools down and plead properly,” I replied.
“Make sure you use the emotional blackmail technique,” Dina said, laughing under her breath.
“I wonder what drama awaits us at school now that my mum retaliated,” Dina added as we both lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.