Chapter Two

And after all, what's a lie? Tis but the truth in masquerade." -Unknown

...

"No ma, no be how much I de sell am," (no ma, that's not how much I can sell it) the dark tall and slim Hausa trader spoke to Doris and Martha in pidgin with thick Hausa accent dripping as he spoke. 

"Ok, give us for one thousand five hundred naira..." (Give it to us at the price of one thousand five hundred naira) Martha tried bargaining with him. 

Doris was getting tired of standing in the hot sun, surrounded by all kinds of people who are either buying or selling, the noises emanating from the various kiosk located around the market. Sooner or later she would lose her patience and speak badly to the trader or Martha, she wasn't enjoying this market spree but she couldn't voice out her mind.

They have been in the market for close to two hours now and on the list-for-things-to-buy, she was holding in her left hand, they have only been able to buy five out of twenty items listed. She didn't know what possessed her to take Martha to the market with her. It seems now that she was wrong about the middle-aged woman. She thought taking her along would make matters easier as she's lived with her current in-laws before and would know what they liked but the woman has managed to make today quite horrible for her. 

Doris does not enjoy going to the market, house chores were not her thing, that was her twin sister, Dorine's calling. Dorine was cut out to be the ideal housewife and not her. Ever since they were kids, Dorine has been the perfect girl, the perfect daughter, the perfect cook, and even the perfect student. All Doris could shine in was making new friends and cliques and being the leader of the cheerleading and drama club in their school. 

Dorine was praised for virtually everything she excelled in and she succeeded in anything she decided to do, their parents were always proud to show her off to their friends at work, church and school whereas the opposite was the case in Doris' situation.

Their parents were successful people when they were alive. Mr. Okpara used to be a professor in one of the prestigious universities in the country and his wife was a fashion designer, she owned an elegant fashion house in Imo state as well. But one day, the cruel arms of death snatched them away. Doris wasn't close to them but she believes that she suffered the most of the impact of their loss and it was all because Dorine went about her usual life as if nothing happened. After they received the news of their parents' demise during their third year in the university four years ago, their lives changed completely. 

Dorine who always looked after her totally withdrew and didn't care about her sister anymore. Doris had to grow up and become more responsible, with the threats she was receiving from her aunt about the things she would do to her if she did not graduate with good scores, Doris had to take her studies seriously so she could move out of that miserable house and become her own woman. To become independent.

She focused on her work in the movie industry which she secured, all thanks to John her coursemate. She helped with costumes, makeup, and venue arrangement for every new movie. She was relentless and wanted to make a name for herself in the movie industry, so she started taking part in short films and minor characters hoping that she would get a shot at a big movie one day. 

Her dream was about to become a reality until Dorine called her up on that fateful day and coerced her into pretending to be the bride. Now she was here with an old woman in this smelly environment. Her only solace was Dorine's promise to return today, she hoped she would be able to come back in time for the big dinner tonight. Matthew had gone to Osun on the night of their wedding to pick up his parents and other family members who didn't make it to the wedding, so she spent the previous night alone and that realization made her happy. 

'What if he had decided to do the deed on their nuptial night,’ she had thought.

She prayed in her heart that Dorine makes it in time today or else she might not be able to stop herself from telling the truth. She already heard enough from Matthew on the wedding day, whispering into her ear how he'd make her cum. It was irritating and disgusting to her but she had to play along with a fake smile on her face. She was an actress after all. 

She noticed when Martha placed five hundred naira notes in the trader's hand and collected the wrapped up stockfish then put it into the big sack she was carrying. She did not notice the actual price they both agreed on and she couldn't care. All she wanted was to go home, change and sleep off, probably wait for Dorine's return. 

They walked off towards another trader under Martha's direction, Doris doesn't know her left from her right when it comes to chores. She simply followed Martha around like her puppet. 

"I hope you are learning one or two things from what we're doing in the market now?" Martha asked as they were walking. 

Doris wanted to reply with a sarcastic sentence but thought twice about it and decided to wet her lips with her tongue while nodding her head instead. She does not think she would be able to learn anything about this in sixty more years of her life. 

"Good, I decided to go with you today so I could help you get the hang of things. Normally I don't buy these many items but due to the wedding preparations and all that, we couldn't go shopping for groceries in the house. Now that you're the madam of the house, I believe I'll be relieved of that work soon," The woman winked and passed her a small smile. 

'Which madam...hmph! Until Dorine comes back first.' Doris uttered in her mind. She was truly bitter about having to spend an extra day in that house. 

"The weather seems to be getting dark, can we hurry up so we can go before it pours?" Doris trotted behind the woman. 

Martha looked at the sky and nodded her head in agreement, "Bia kanyi ga hu mama Chiboy." (Come let's go and see Chiboy's mother).

The two women continued their journey through the market and Doris was feeling displeased the longer they spent there.