C6 NOT SO IN MY OWN HOUSE 2

While Itunu was there looking around, she heard sound of a vehicle coming close to the mansion, she wonder whether it is her foster father and wether she should go and meet him. While she was contemplating this Jiire strolled in looking larger than life! The official driver saddled with his transportation to school and from school everyday just brought him.

The moment he stepped out of the vehicle the driver drove out of the compound to return to the company and meet his dad.

When Itunu saw the tall lanky Jiire who walked in, she respectively greet him and wonder if he is the son her foster mother told her that will soon return from school. But while she warmly greeted him, Jiire naughtily and disdainfully looked down on her and with a gruffy voice asked,

"Are you our new maid?"

Itunu did not know how to answer his question because her foster mother told her never to tell anybody she is a maid, nor to behave as one ; rather she must tell everyone she is her daughter.

Now confronting the scary Jiire, she knows that Jiire know that she is not his mother's daughter and she doesn't know what his reaction will be if she should say she is his mummy's daughter.

In that split second it occurred to her that Grace has not informed her son of her intension to adopt and not to hire a maid, and she felt it is not her duty to explain this to Jiire. So instead of answering him she just kept quiet.

When Jiire waited for an answer and do not receive any, he remembered what his friend told him about maids been fools that comes from jungle villages and that they must be slapped before their brains will adjust to city's life.

With this thought, though his hand was itching to slap her, but he refrained himself because he thought it will not be good to begin to slap her the first day she arrive in their house. So rather than slapping her, he violently grabbed her shoulders, shake her and gruffly asked again,

"Are you a girl from god forsaken jungle village?"

To this question she answered with great apprehension

"No, I am not from god forsaken village, I live here in Lagos"

Jiire was surprised to hear her speak in English, still with this he thought he must make her to greatly fear and see him as lord and master over her in the house. So with more throaty scary voice he shouted,

"So you understand English, yet you kept mute like a person dog has eaten her tongue! You resumed work barely a day and you are already behaving so heady! I am talking to you and you sit like an unmoved statue! Were you not taught where you are coming from to show respect to authorities in the house of your masters?"

Calmly, to all his questions Itunu said, "I am sorry!"

Jiire agitatedly shouted when he saw how calm and unafraid she was,

"Add sir to your words you little nothing! When next I talk to you and you don't answer me with sir added to your answer I will teach you proper manner with blinding slaps!"

After saying this he gruffly shouted again,

"Stand up!"

Itunu who by now was already entering into fear when she heard that she may be slapped jumped and bumped on him in her process of standing up and she staggered backward, when Jiire now saw that that she was scared, he said

"Good, this is how you must jump when I, my sisters, mom and dad talk to you in this house, do you understand?"

"Yes - yes sir" Itunu scarily answered

"You will learn a lot from me in this house, take this as lesson one. Where is my mom?"

"She is sleeping in her room and she said she must not be disturbed. Also, she said I should give you your food"

"Then hurry up, go and set it on the dining table there" he pointed at the table "And stop looking like a scared rabbit!"

Itunu turned to go, at that moment the two of them heard a round of applause from Grace who has been watching them unnoticed and she said

"Well done! I am surprise to see that you already know how to properly handle a house maid, who taught you?" She asked this question with a tone that seemed she was in support of his insensitive cruel act. This encouraged Jiire and he proudly answered

"I heard it from my friend, he told me that is how they all deal with their silly stubborn maids! They slapped them around and this one too must be slapped because she is heady!"

"Shut up!!!"

Grace shouted on him and he was greatly shocked, because this is the first time in his life that his mother will shout down on him this harshly! She shook her head to show him she was greatly disappointed with his action and she said,

"In a house where they have not learn that all humans deserve respect they will do that, but not so in my own house. Nobody, I mean absolutely nobody will be treated as a slave under my roof!"

Moreso young man, this is Itunu, she is not a maid but my child just like you and your sisters.

When Jiire heard this he looked at his mother with big confusion written on his face. His mother saw the confusion and knew he was confused because she did not inform him about her adoption plan. So she said

"I know you are confused because I formerly told you I am going to hire a maid, but now I am introducing my daughter to you; don't worry, you will get to know who she is later. Before then, treat her the way you will want me or your dad to treat you, do you hear me?"

"Yes mummy, I hear"

Then his mummy added,

"For this to be properly entrenched on your heart that she is not your servant, go to the kitchen and take your food yourself. This does not mean you cannot ask her as a senior to do something in the future, but you will do so in the proper manner that should exist between siblings, you cannot turn her into your errand girl that must jump at your beck and calls"

Later in the night, when they just finished their meal, Emiola, Jiire's dad suddenly turn to Jiire and said

"Your mom told me that you treated Itunu badly this afternoon?"

Jiire looked at his mom and said

"Aaah mom, but I have apologized to her and I told you not to tell dad!"

"Of course, you apologized" his mom answered and added, "But for you to know the seriousness of the matter, I have to tell your dad, so that you will hear it from him that such haughty and naughty manner is not welcome in our home; and that my daughter here is not a maid!"

When she stopped, his dad picked the matter up from where she stopped and said

"I know your mom did talk to you in the afternoon, nevertheless I also need to talk to you; so that you will never ever behave like that again. Let me ask you, have you ever seen us behaved in that kind of way to people who are serving us?"

"No dad"

"Then where did you pick such attitude from? You have followed me to my office countless times and you have seen me ate, joked and played with my senior workers and made them feel they are important. Do you think I don't know or see how other wealthy CEO treats their workers as if they are not humans?"I will never walk in their cruel footsteps because I am aware that this life is full of twisting turns!

A man that is down today may be up tomorrow, while the one that is up today may find himself suddenly in the ditch due to mysterious circumstances!

When he got to this point Grace said,

"Darling, may be I should tell them the story of Ewanimi?"

"Yes, I think he indeed need to hear that story, and once you tell him; you must tell his sisters too when they come home from school, because I do not want any of them to be arrogant snub!""

Then he turned to Itunu and said,

"Daughter, you also must listen properly to the story and never ever be disrespectful to people because you have an imposing status, do you hear me?"

"Yes daddy! Itunu shyly answered"