'Tiwa,' Dele grunted as he opened his eyes. It was high time he left home. He worked better in the morning before the scorching sun began pouring down deadly rays.

'Tiwa,' Again, he called to his wife. He had her head on his chest and one arm wrapped around his neck. He had tried to remove himself from her clutch, but that seemed impossible. Dele resorted to pushing her off of his person.

It worked.

He rushed away from her once he was free from his cage. Dele knew he had to be quick, or else the sun was going to pursue him. He was out of the house immediately. He rushed to wash off and cleanse his mouth. He was done quickly and rushed back inside the house.

Once he was in, he donned his clay-colored dashiki after he wore his Sokoto. He dusted himself off and was about to carry his satchel when he heard Tiwa's small groan. She was sleeping so calmly. Why?

It was then a conniving idea came to Dele's mind. The sun was nowhere near sight and only someone who had a routine of waking up long before sunrise would have an idea of the time. The time looked like the middle of the night. A more observant person would notice a small difference between the hue of the sky and the color of a late-night sky.

'Tiwa!' Dele frantically tapped his wife's ankle. He saw her scar on her left leg, and by all means, avoided it.

'Hmm,' Tiwa groaned. Her adorable squeezed face tempted Dele to smile, but the smile subsided once he recalled his evil masterpiece of a plan.

'Get ready. We're going to my farm.' He drove a straight glare her way even as she was squinting her eyes, trying to adjust them to the light from the small lantern that removed the room from utter darkness.

'You are going?' Dele watched she spoke muffled words. She did not even wait for a reply. 'Bye-bye.' Tiwa retreated to her haven under her adire cover cloth almost immediately after those words escaped her lips.

Dele watched, amazed at how deep she was in sleep. If anything, that only made a sly grin rise to his lips. Last night she had slept in his arms. After they locked lips, words refused to come out of either of them. It was Dele who drew her close and wrapped his arms around her. After the long silence, Tiwa was off to sleep.

'Wake up!' The shout was enough to shock Tiwa out of the realm of sleep. It was not something he liked doing, shocking people out of sleep, but he needed to set the mood for the day.

'What is it?' Tiwa's eyes were bloodshot, but they were open. Her words were not harsh like Dele wished them to be, but they were angsty, which was a close enough reaction to the one he wanted.

'We are going to the farm.'

'I heard from you. Bye-bye.'

'You did not hear what I said.'

'I did' Tiwa groaned even as she laid on the bed, 'you are going.'

'I said WE are going to the farm.'

Tiwa sat up rather quickly with widened eyes and lips slightly ajar.

'Get up, get ready. I'm waiting for you.'

Dele sat on the edge of the bed with his legs on the floor. He had his back to his wife, even as he heard her drawl his name.

'Deelllleeee now. Leave me alone.'

'Were you not the one that said we should switch roles?' He turned his head back slightly to regard her but looked away once he was done with his statement.

'Yes, but...'

'But nothing,' Dele felt himself sounding like his mother, but that was not his concern at the moment. He felt Tiwa's hands on each shoulder. Again she called to him.

'Dele now.' A chill ran down his spine as Tiwa ran her hands down his arms, on hand to an arm. Her smooth pitch was not helping his cause, but Dele was not one to give up on a dubious plan.

He shrugged her hands off.

'Get ready.'

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The walk to the farm was not exhaustive in any manner. Today of all days, Dele carried along with many things that he usually did not. Along with him came Tiwa, a large mat and a big calabash of water. Tiwa said she knew water was compulsory.

They were alone on the path.

'I don't go to farms often.'

Dele gave Tiwa a pointed gaze. He looked over her. She was wearing a simple brown blouse and a short wrapper of the same fabric that stopped on her knee, she tied around her waist.

Farming was an essential part of his childhood. Every child must have helped out with some farm work at some point. Whether it was cocoyam, white yam, beans, or melon, farming was it.

'My father did not see a reason for sending me out because of my leg.'

Dele replied with a sigh. His conscience was moved, but she was here already. There was no use in going back on his plan. He had a hoe on his shoulder while one of his hands were occupied with the large mat, and the other had a cutlass. Tiwa was the one who held the large water reserve.

'Just give up. Let's behave like we never made this stupid bet. I never lost to you and...'

'No!'

'Tiwa, you just said you don't go to farms often.'

'I did not say I was not going. You are not going to make me give up so easily.'

Dele was taken aback by her reply. 'Why don't you just stop this now?'

Tiwa replied to him with a bright wide smile that would make the sun, that was, at that time, slowly moving to the horizon, jealous.

'It has been interesting, watching you wrestle with pots'

'I've held my ground well.'

'Really' a laugh escaped her. 'You can't win every time, Dele.'

'Says who?'

His weak reply must have been a joke to Tiwa's ears. She erupted in laughter. How could she infringe on his ego this much? He had nothing to say, and it gave Tiwa liberty to laugh even more.

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'We are here.' Dele finally replied.

Dele directed Tiwa to deposit all their baggage under a large mango tree. The fruits of the tree were large as well, and that did not escape Dele's attention. He knew he had to harvest them soon.

'What am I going to do today?' Tiwa's enthusiasm from her bout of laughter had not worn off.

'Come'

Dele walked in front of Tiwa before he showed her bare land. Well, half the land was covered with nothing, the other half was covered in yam heaps. The bare ground was clear of bushes and shrub. The scattered soil was proof that the land had been weeded not too long ago, at most a few days back.

'You see all of this?'

Tiwa nodded.

'Your assignment is to raise a hundred and fifty heaps for yams'

'What!'

The second time that day, Tiwa's eyes opened wide from shock. Dele left her to stare at the bare ground.

Dele was turned towards the supplies that Tiwa had haphazardly deposited on the ground when he heard a distinct low masculine greeting.

'Good morning,' it was Abeo, a man he had employed based on Tunde's suggestion. Abeo was no small man. He was slightly taller than Dele. He had skin as dark as his employer's too, and his hair was cut short. His hair was currently under a cap, an abeti aja cap to specify.

'Morning,' Dele replied Abeo while he had his hands akimbo. He was looking at Abeo when he noticed that the latter's attention was no longer directed at him.

'Who?' Abeo nodded towards Tiwa, who was helplessly trying to navigate how to use a hoe on her own.

Dele looked towards Tiwa and then back at Abeo.

'My wife.'

'We are raising the heaps, are we not?'

'Yes, we are going to...'

Dele was still in conversation with Abeo when Tiwa screamed for him. Yes, she did not call him. She screamed.

'Dele!'

Dele rushed to her, once he was there he was assured it was a false alarm. Merely looking at her was enough information to attest to that. Tiwa had her hands akimbo as she looked squarely at her husband.

'You are leaving me to work alone?'

Dele smiled as he replied to her. He took his time to fold his arms on his chest before letting her hear what he had to say.

'When I work here, do you help me?' Dele stared Tiwa down. His height over her was advantageous in situations like this. Tiwa's head apex at the bottom of Dele's chin.

'Good morning.'

Dele turned his body slightly to regard the pest that had interrupted the starring competition he and Tiwa were having. It was Abeo.

'Good morning,' Tiwa bent to kneel, but Dele stopped her once he noticed that was her aim. He wrapped his fingers around her left arm and pulled her up. He did not miss her confused look, but he said nothing to assuage it.

'This is Abeo. He works for me.'

'Oh,' Tiwa nodded. It did not take time for her to change her expression to a sweet smile. 'Call me Tiwa.'

Dele looked at his wife and blinked. She just told his worker to refer to her by her first name. What happened to reverence and respect? Unironically, this was not what perplexed Dele.

'Thank you, ma' Abeo bent forward and let his hands reach the ground. It was a small prostrate.

'It's alright,' Tiwa rushed to help Abeo return to his feet. 'You do not have to be very formal around me. You are probably older than I am?'

'It is nothing, really,' Abeo replied with a smile.

'It is good that I now know you. I will get back to work.'

Dele was still trying to decipher Tiwa's niceness to Abeo when he saw, more like felt her glare come his way. She eyed him up and down, then bent to continue torturing mother nature's earth.

'I will help you.' Abeo made a way to collect the hoe from Tiwa. He had his hand on it when Dele stopped him with simple but firmly stated words.

'Get your own hoe.'

Abeo did as Dele had said almost immediately. Once Abeo was out of hearing distance, Tiwa resurrected their conversation.

'You do not have to be so unkind.'

'I am unkind?' Dele looked at his wife, 'You do not have to be too kind either.'

'You want me to be rude?' Her question sounded quite sincere, and it somehow vexed Dele that she did not see reason with him.

'Get back to work jor.'

Dele felt like he had won as he walked towards the tree, where the mat and water were situated. He did not know how complex his winnings were.

Dele laid on the mat after he spread it under the tree. He strategically placed it where he predicted the shade from the Mango tree was bound to fall.

He looked on at Tiwa before he closed his eyes to rest. He knew there was no way he was going to fall asleep, but there was no harm in trying. He laid there on his back with one hand folded over his eyes. He was about to let go of his consciousness to sleep when he heard laughter.

He sat up immediately.

Once he looked onward, he saw Tiwa and Abeo. Tiwa stood as she watched Abeo raise a heap. They were deep in conversation. Dele knew even though he was not in hearing distance. He was not bothered by Abeo.

Tiwa bent with her hoe. This time, Abeo stood upright, observing Tiwa's work. Neither of them knew they were under Dele's scrutiny.

Dele had resolved that nothing was out of the ordinary. At least he had this resolution before Tiwa, on attempting to rise, missed her step and tripped.

Dele was on his feet before he realized it, rushing to his wife's aid, but he was beaten to it. Abeo had caught Tiwa in his arms.

It was then that Dele burst. Something was going to happen to Abeo,

And it was not something nice.

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YES!!!! You like it to right?

Then vote and comment na. Don't worry, you won't get the virus from clicking that star.

Don't forget to follow me rosieandika (yeah, that's my name now.😉)

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Hey Rosies,

I really miss you guys soooooooooo much😘. I miss the community.

I mean it. Exams have bombarded me. I'm not done, but requests from you guys made me realize that I must put out something.

I'll try my best to put out another one really soon.

Till next time😋

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Abeti aja- like dog ears. This is a type of fila (cap) worn in yoruba land. Here's how it looks

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this chapter is dedicated to ishaqbarakat  and herroyalpen_9ja.

I thank God for people like ishaqbarakat who are really caring and dedicated. Thank you very much .

Thank you herroyalpen_9ja for your correspondence. It was nice meeting you. It means a lot to me when people speak to me.