Written By Chika Labella
I hadn’t seen him in two weeks because the wife was back from her business trip and so it had just been phone calls during the day and pings at night. The phone rang, it was Emmanuel, the stupid man had been on my case for nine months now and won’t take no for an answer. I hissed and turned the phone faced down, got up and went into my room and lay down, A few minutes later, my flat-mate Sandra walked in and asked if I wanted to go see a movie with her and her boyfriend and I said yes, happy to be saved from the boring house. We got to the Ikeja City Mall at about 9:15pm; the movie was scheduled to start by 9:25 so we just got our tickets and went into the cinema.
I was having a blast, Denzel Washington didn’t disappoint, I looked to my left and there they were, oblivious of the world around them, lost in their own world, she leaned on his shoulder, his hand on her waist as they giggled and laughed away. Sandra and her boyfriend were my favorite couple of all time, they had been together for three years but they acted like twins, they were best friends, seeing them play around was always a joy to me. I had witnessed a couple of their fights and I was sure that was the end but they always made it through. I asked her once, what their secret was and she simply replied, “Friendship, I am his number one nigga. We can’t fight for long cos he always has to give me gist, sometimes I forget we are fighting sef and call him up to do amebo.” Looking at them now, I realized I wanted this. Someone who I could see late night movies with every time, not just when the wife is away, someone who confided in me, someone who would tease me and I would tease back and we would end up play fighting, someone I could tell anything, I didn’t want to sneak around anymore, I wanted my own.
The movie ended and they wanted us to chill at Rhapsody’s for a bit and have cocktails but all I wanted to do was go back to my bed so I took a cab and headed home.
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I lay naked on my bed, listening to Jhene Aiko and looking at pictures of Deji and I, I couldn’t believe how much I was in love with this man, I had turned down every man who had come my way since I met him, had one or two flings that I had to get rid of because they started to develop feelings for me but they never mattered it was just pure, raw undiluted sex which I needed to clear my head once in a while. My phone rang, interrupting my thoughts, I looked at the caller id, smiled and picked up,
“Hello iyawo kekere”
“I have told you to stop calling me that”
“Well, when you break up with someone else’s husband I will”
“Stupid boy! How come you remembered me today? Thought the new babe was taking your time?”
“No babe can take the place of my sister”
“Who is your sister? Stop famzing me please. I know you want something, what do you want?”
“Haba, I can’t wash my best friend without being accused of ulterior motives?”
“No you can’t! So out with it”
“I miss your food” He said sounding like a baby
“Is that why you are using bedroom voice? I have some fried rice I made in the morning, we could heat that up”
“Yay! That’s why I love you, I’ll be at yours in ten minutes” He hung up and I laughed.
Nnamdi was my male bestie, we had dated in secondary school and broke up when I got into the university, it was an innocent relationship, just two kids who liked each other genuinely. We remained friends and became best friends, I could cry on his shoulder endlessly, I always ran to him whenever Deji and I had issues and he always gave me his opinion from a guy’s perspective. He had always been there, scolding me and supporting me at the same time. He always made fun of my relationship and always said I deserved better and I always made fun of his inability to stick to one girl, he was the most promiscuous man I knew.
I was in shorts and a tank top, putting the food in the microwave when the bell rang, I rushed to open the door and my best friend walked in and scooped me up, he was the only guy who could do that, I laughed and screamed for him to put me down, he did and I blew him in his chest and he laughed and hugged me.
“I missed you Helen”
“I missed you too dear, come and sit. I was just heating the food up”
“That’s good, I am famished.”
“Hope you brought my stuff? You know nothing goes for nothing” He laughed and handed me an already rolled up joint and I kissed his forehead and walked to the kitchen.
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It was 1am, we were listening to Wiz Kid’s new album, two joints down, two more to go, he had overeaten and just looked like a satisfied teddy.
“So the new girlfriend can’t cook or what?” I asked him jokingly
“Oh no she can actually but just noodles” I laughed so hard, my belly hurt.
“That’s what you get when you change them every month”
“Leave that thing jor, when I meet the right girl I will settle down”
“I hear you.” I passed him the joint
“How is Ada?”
“She’s good. You know our final exams begin next week so everyone has been busy”
“Okay. How is the married lover?”
“He’s good too. Haven’t seen him in a while though, the wife is around but we talk everyday” He shook his head
“So you guys are breaking up soon right?”
“No! Why would you say that?”
“Well, because you are graduating soon, I assume that your relationship has been a product of your youthful exuberance and since you are done with school soon, you should start thinking of your future, find a man whom you will end up building a family with, you can’t do this forever.”
“I haven’t thought that far yet, just taking it one day at a time” He passed the joint back to me.
“Okay if you say so, that reminds me, how is the hot billionaire you met on your last trip?”
“Oh I haven’t spoken to him since then, he sent a couple of emails asking why I didn’t send my number like he requested but I just ignored them”
“Why?” he asked, with his brow raised.
“He doesn’t seem like a fling type of guy, he wants a relationship and I can’t be committed to more than one person at a time so I had to let him go.”
“Okay” He started rolling up another joint.
“Just okay? Is that all you are going to say?”
“Helen, the days of shouting at you are over, you are a grown woman now. You know what you want, no matter what I say, your stubborn ass is still going to do what you want to do so I’d rather save myself the stress.” I laughed and jumped up immediately, Wiz kid’s In my bed was playing and I was definitely not going to let it waste, I whined my waist to the rhythm, joint in my hand, laughing with the second most important man in my life, I was happy.
**********************
I needed to learn to turn off my phone before going to bed, the people in my life had no respect for sleep. The damn phone kept on ringing, I rolled off the duvet and walked into my room to get it. It was Deji.
“Hello” I said sounding half asleep
“Are you still asleep?”
“Well, that is what normal people do by this time” He laughed
“Are you stoned? It’s 11am” I walked back into the sitting room and looked at the clock, it was indeed 11am.
“Yes I had a few joints before I slept”
“With who?”
“Huh?” I asked, my heart beating fast
“I know you hate smoking alone Helen so I am asking who you were smoking with”
“Oh with Ada, She’s still fast asleep, she had more than I did”
“Oh okay. Anyways, I want you to meet me up at the office for lunch. Can you do that?”
“Yea sure baby, I will”
“Alright see you later then. Love you!”
“I love you too.” I hung up and started the long process of waking Nnamdi up. He always slept like a log of wood. Deji knew Nnamdi and I were best friends but one time I mentioned that he occasionally slept at my place and vice versa and he flared up, I had never seen him so angry so I couldn’t tell him the truth when he asked this morning. Nnamdi finally woke up and I told him I had to leave, I made him breakfast and took a shower while he ate. We left the house together and he dropped me off at a taxi park and left, I took a cab started the long journey into the terrible traffic of Apapa.
*********************
I walked into the office and he stood up immediately and walked towards me,
“Why do u have a frown on your face?”
“Because I’m tired from the traffic I just spent two hours in” He hugged me and kissed my lips lightly.
“Come and sit down” He held my hand and led me to his seat
“You have to start sending a jet to pick me up or get me a power bike, the traffic is crazy.” He laughed
“I’m sorry my princess, I shall order for the bike asap” I laughed
“I have to inspect the new building, give me twenty minutes then we’ll head out to lunch. Just rest and help yourself to anything in the fridge.”
“Okay. Don’t stay to long”
“I won’t” He said, kissed my forehead and walked out. I browsed through the magazines on the table, helped myself to a bottle of Fanta, while I waited for him. His phone kept on ringing, the caller id showed Omolara, I didn’t know if she was a relative so I didn’t want to pick, then a message came in, it popped up on the screen and I unlocked the phone and read it, it read,
“You have refused to take my calls ever since I told you about the pregnancy. Why? I know we only met recently but I swear I am not lying. It’s yours. Please pick up.” I was barely done reading it when she started calling again. I put the phone on silent and turned it faced down. I was angry and hurt, why would he sleep with someone else? I couldn’t calm down, I paced in circles, I was very angry. I picked up my bag and walked out.
“Aunty are you leaving?” Patricia asked but I ignored her and got into the elevator, in a few seconds, I was on the ground floor and it opened and there he was in front of me.
“Where are you going?”
“My house” I replied and shoved past him and started walking out the office. He was calling me but I kept on walking, he ran up to me and pulled my arm.
“Why are you creating a scene in my office? What is wrong?”
“Get your dirty hands off me, Go and take care of your pregnant whore” I said, yanking his hand off my arm.
“Baby what? Wait! Let’s talk about it”
“About what? How dare you? I told you I wanted a baby times without number but u said no, told me to wait for the right time then you go and get Omolara pregnant?? Don’t you dare spit out bullshit from your mouth and deny it.”
“Helen the pregnancy isn’t mine, she’s just some hungry chic trying to blackmail me, we had sex just once and she claims I got her pregnant.”
“Listen to your stupid self. Do not let me insult you Deji. Get your hands off me this instant.”
“Okay, let me drop you off, we’ll talk in the car” He said in a pleading tone. I hissed and walked off. I got outside the gate and hailed a taxi and gave him the address to my house. I sat in the cab in silence, I was hurt but couldn’t cry, I had given him too much, I wasn’t going to give him my tears too. I was almost home when I told the cab to make a detour and gave him the address to my family house. I called my mum and she was still at work, none of my siblings were home but I didn’t matter, I had my own key.
***************************
I lay in my bed, hugged my teddy Ore and thought of everything that happened, I was hurt, he told me he loved me, said he would never have cheated on his wife if he hadn’t met me, said I was the only one, he knew I loved him and how much it would hurt me yet he did it. Slowly the tears began to stream down my face, I felt at home, in my bed, I could let it out and I did. I cried and cried. I cried and it felt good.
….To be continued” Next Wednesday
Yaaaay. Pls next week is a date. Keep up the good work
ReplyDelete*swalllowing the bitter reality pill* "He said, he said" boo hooo.....
ReplyDeleteI should be more sympathetic but I just cant because you went in with your eyes wide open! Deji is another woman's man!!