If you are reading this post but missed the previous one, you might want to read here for context.
So!
By the time I had the floor again, I told Aunty that contrary to what she is used to or thinks, my father was always up and doing in the kitchen, and that did not in anyway reduce his husbandliness, headship or fatherhood. I quickly shared how my father would buy pepper and other things (he worked in a sawmill and would make a quick stop at the market on his way home) to cook at home. In fact, we always joked that we preferred my dad’s fried eggs to my mum’s. If we were having fried egg and bread on Sunday morning (while watching crime fighters on AIT), my father was ALWAYS the chef: his fried eggs ALWAYS scored points and we actually looked forward to days when my dad “manned” the kitchen. The only problem was that my mum knew that more than half of the fish, meat, turkey or chicken would have disappeared because Pman was a softie with tasting.
Anyways, I shared how my mum’s last born – a guy can cook very well, but my immediate younger brother doesn’t like to cook – same parenting, different interests – and that doesn’t mean my immediate brother can’t cook, he just doesn’t like it.
Aunty won’t have it any other way, she insisted that men should be allowed to be men, whatever that meant and that my father shouldn’t have pampered us that much. I replied her (Angel Gabriel actually whispered for me to hold my peace, but Angel Michael told me to go ahead) and said “my dear, unfortunately, my dad is late, unless you want to go ask him”.
The already shaking table lost its 4 legs at that point. Aunty asked what gave me the audacity to talk to her like that. She said she’s been married for 3 years and she was talking from experience. She said that was why she didn’t like speaking on the same platform with single ladies who thought they knew too much and even added, “can you imagine this young girl calling a 28 years old married woman, dear”.
Sincerely, all my comebacks disappeared.
I saw a message from my friend – the host, telling me not to respond to her again. She didn’t need to tell me. I had already gotten a prompt in my spirit to make my last address and take a decent bow, which I did. Actually, I had been getting the prompt before then, because I discerned that Aunty was projecting something that had nothing to do with me. I didn’t know what it was, but I could perceive there was something wrong somewhere.
Session sha ended. My friend later came to apologize for the embarrassing drama, and I assured her that God has a beautiful way of fathering all of us.
Some days later, guess who viewed my profile on LinkedIn? Aunty. I would later see her connection request. I saw same request on facebook and I got curious. I reached out to my friend, and she told me that after the debacle, she had sent a message to Aunty, telling her that her dance was shameful and unnecessary, but when the latter replied with a long epistle of how next time, she should try not to invite small girls who lack professional decorum or experience on life issues to her platform, my friend decided to be petty.
She sent my LinkedIn profile to Aunty and left a final message, “that is the small girl you were talking to anyhow. If you had been patient enough, you would have realized that she was all jokes and cruise before you crossed the line. Check her out, maybe you might learn one or two things from her ‘experience'”. She said she also told her my age.
My friend gave me a handful hint about Aunty, but I managed to change the conversation. Her info confirmed the nudging I got, and I was happy to have not gotten petty with her. I however refused to turn her issues into something to gloat over. To each his own.
Now, this marrried Aunty is following me everywhere, me, a single and unmarried small girl. What do I know to teach her? My friend came back again to say that Aunty has been applying for Mandela Washington Fellowship and would like for me to mentor her, plus she is opened to being friends and starting all over.
Emi single woman? Be friends with a married woman with 3 years marriage experience? I jump and pass. I told my friend I have enough married friends in my cycle, I am not looking for new friends.
