Three generations episode 59
TITLE: THREE GENERATIONS
WRITTEN BY: OGECHI ALABI
CHAPTER 59
Nnaemeka couldn’t believe Ada spoke to him in such a condescending manner. “Who the hell does she think she is?” he asked out loud to no one in particular. “To hell with her” he added.
It hurt him she mentioned conversations he had with someone. How did she know Brittany? Was his friend talking to her too? It wasn’t possible. So how did she know? Truly, he wasn’t into her but she wasn’t the one to decide to end the relationsh¡p; he was the one. He wanted to see her and dump her. He was pained. He wanted to know where she lived. He took a bath, freshened up and went in search of her.
He went downstairs to the hotel taxi park to ask who had taken her home before so they could take him to Ada’s house. He found a taxi driver who agreed to take him there. First of all, he was amazed when he got to the house. Was this where she lived? It wasn’t possible. He had to ask the taxi driver if he was sure. The man confirmed it. He asked him to wait.
He was ushered into the sitting room by a maid when he asked for Ada. He heard the maid say to someone on her way upstairs “Auntie Ada has a visitor. Please tell her he is downstairs”. She did live here. It took her a while to come downstairs. She had a curious look on her face when she was coming down which disappeared and changed to shock when she saw him.
“What are you doing here?” Ada asked
He didn’t answer immediately as he admired her. She wore a pair of shorts and a tank top. She looked different. She looked s€×y. He replied, “We hadn’t finished the conversation”
“We have finished. There is nothing else to say. How did you know where I live? Please leave before my mother comes downstairs”
“Well, I will like to meet her. You look nice, you should dress like this more often”
“Please leave.”
“I am staying here until we talk”
“Suit yourself” and she went back upstairs.
When the maid appeared again, he sent her to call Ada’s mum. He claimed he had a message for her from his father. He mentioned his father’s name. She went to call Nwanneka. Nwanneka came downstairs immediately after she got the message.
Nnaemeka introduced himself to her as Chief’s son. She was happy to meet him. He couldn’t stop looking at her. He admired her especially her physique. Since Chike died, she had lost so much weight and she looked younger than her actual age.
“I’m sorry to disturb you this late. I actually came to see Ada. We have been talking for a while now, I don’t know if you are aware. My father actually did the matchmaking. He loves her. We have gotten along so well until my trip to Delta, she stopped talking to me. She didn’t pick my calls for days. I came back to ask her what happened. She walked out on me.”
“Ada?” Nwanneka asked quite perplexed.
“Yes.”
“This is surprising. She has never mentioned you. Ok, let me call her.” She turned to the maid who came to ask what she could offer him and asked her to call Ada.
Ada came downstairs. Nnaemeka could see she was angry he was sitting with Nwanneka. Nwanneka asked her if she knew Nnaemeka and she confirmed she did. She reminded her who he was as she had told her a bit about him before.
‘Good. You are welcome once again,” she said to Nnaemeka. “He came with a complaint. From every indication, this seems to be a rom-ntic relationsh¡p unlike what you painted to me. He claimed you walked out on him. Calm down. Stop being angry and let us resolve this issue amicably. Tell me what happened.”
“Mummy, he said I am not sophisticated, I dress like a hag and he has another lover in London. We do not have a rom-ntic relationsh¡p. His father is forcing me on him and I am disappointed in him. This guy doesn’t like me; why should I be forced to pretend all is well when I know his intentions. I am no longer interested in anything with him; I have already told his father. He should move on.”
“Okay. Nnaemeka, is what she has said true?”
“I don’t know where she heard that from? And, if she has told my father; I find that childish. Even walking away from me without explaining or listening to my explanation is annoying. You acted irrationally today based on an assumption. I came back to see you when you refused to talk to me. Where did you hear these allegations from?”
“Are you denying you didn’t say any of those words?” Ada asked him.
“I don’t know what you are talking about”
‘Then it is over. You are a liar and also a cheat. I don’t want to have anything whatsoever to do with you anymore. I actually believed something good will come out of this but then, I was deceiving myself. You don’t deserve me or my time. I won’t lose sleep over an irresponsible person…”
“Stop with the insults; tell me what I did wrong?”
“Mummy, please can I leave?”
‘Yes, you may. I will talk with you later”
Ada left Nnaemeka and Nwanneka and stormed upstairs.
“I have never seen Ada this angry before. I could see she was about to erupt. Ok, are you sure you never mentioned those words to anyone? I suspect she overheard your conversation with someone. She is genuinely hurt which means she is sure of what she heard”
“I don’t know how she could have heard that”
‘Did you at any time say those words to anyone?
‘I may have, but I just didn’t want the guy getting into my business”
‘Really? You sat here and denied to her face you never did. Why tell her lies? She has mentioned you as a friend; I am not aware of any relationsh¡p. She doesn’t need any distractions from work. I will suggest you do the honourable thing which is to confess to her and ask her forgiveness. This is if you want to continue the courtsh¡p. If you don’t want to, you can say goodnight now and also goodbye. Isn’t it your mates that dress their girlfriends? What is wrong with you men? If she doesn’t dress to appeal to you, teach her. But don’t try to kill her spirit by saying such disrespectful things about her.” Nwanneka added as she stood up to leave.
“I will do the right thing ma”
“It is not about doing the right thing. You are a young guy from a privileged background. Ada isn’t but she has lived with me since she was fifteen. I trained her. She works hærd, she’s very loyal and committed. Your father knows her background and he still wants her for a son with foreign degrees. I don’t know what he was thinking. How did he expect you, a spoilt brat, to appreciate someone like Ada? He has a reason for not informing me of this arrangement because I would have kicked against it for this same reason. Nnaemeka, go home. Getting her back and then getting your revenge by dumping her after she has fallen for you is childish and irritating. Leave Ada alone; you are not worthy of her”
All Nnaemeka said was “thank you, ma” and then he left. How did this woman know his plan? He left there with his tail between his legs. He thought he would buy Nwanneka over with his fine boy, a fresh boy with an accent from London. It didn’t work. The woman was wiser than him. He went back to the hotel.
His father had called him a good number of times. He had left his phone in the hotel to charge so he didn’t take the calls. As he entered the hotel room, his phone rang again; it was his father.
“You have exposed what I kept hidden. What happened between you and Ada? I really don’t want to know. I have told you, losing that girl will be your worst nightmare. How are you going to manage all I have? You need a capable hand to run things the Nigerian way while being teachable to learn your ways. She is smart enough to pull it off. Stop looking at the negatives.”
“But dad….”
“Keep quiet. Do me a favour, write down ten things you like about Ada. Then write out ten things you don’t like about her. You will see for yourself how foolish you have been”
Nnaemeka was tired. He had been thoroughly schooled. All he wanted to do was lay down and sleep. Sleep eluded him. He thought about the list his father talked about. He decided to try it. He wrote more than ten things he liked about Ada. He only wrote three things he disliked about her. He realized truly he wasn’t seeing her as he should have.
Ada refused to forgive Nnaemeka. He thought he would just ask for forgiveness and she would forgive but she didn’t. She refused to see him, talk to him or even hear about him. After a month, he stopped trying to reconcile with her; he decided to give her the space she wanted. He went back to London to pack up and come back to Nigeria.
Ada cried to her best friend apart from Nwadiuto, Moses. Moses made her believe Nnaemeka wasn’t good enough for her. He told her he didn’t deserve her. He encouraged her to pick the pieces of her life back together and make something worthwhile out of it.
Ada and Moses became closer than ever before. Ada had developed feelings for Moses during her healing period Nnaemeka was no longer in the picture. Moses spent most of his free time with Ada. He picked her up from work every day. She enjoyed his company and wanted their relationsh¡p to progress but there was a problem. She didn’t want to step on anyone’s back. She wasn’t sure how things had progressed between Moses and Nwadiuto.
Ada spoke with Nwadiuto about Moses. Nwadiuto told her she was never interested in Moses rom-ntically.
“In fact, whenever we meet, he spends most of the time talking about you. Ada this, Ada that. I felt he was obsessed with you. He is a nice guy; he always treated me with respect. Give him a chance”
‘Are you sure?”
‘I am very sure”
The relationsh¡p blossomed from there. Ada and Moses were inseparable. Ada introduced Moses to Nwanneka as a friend. Nwanneka didn’t take to Moses. There was something sinister about him. He always avoided looking at her eyeball to eyeball. She couldn’t trust such a person especially as he was in the house most of the time either to pick Ada or drop her off.
Nnaemeka sent several messages to Ada asking for her forgiveness but she refused to have a conversation with him. She had told him she has forgiven him and had moved on with her life. Nnaemeka couldn’t believe after all these months, she still was stuck on the issue. He went to stay in Asaba to learn the ropes of his father’s business.
Five months into their relationsh¡p, Moses took Ada to see his family in the east. Ada, being a humble girl was able to adapt to the village environment. Moses was from a very poor home. He told Ada it was through a communal effort that he was able to go to school. It didn’t matter to Ada. She was ready to work with him and make their lives and their families lives better.
Moses’ had only his mother as a parent. He also had seven younger ones and an older sister. Some of his younger ones were still very young. Ada was appalled by what she saw. They lived in abject poverty. Moses had told her in the past that his father died almost twenty years ago. How come he had younger siblings. She had questions but decided to ignore and observe.
Moses’ mother made a nice and tasty meal of ukwa (breadfruit) and dried fish for them to eat. Ada enjoyed the meal. She cleared the plates and took them into their kitchen which was at the back of the house. She was shocked when she saw his mother still cooked with firewood. It was worse when she discovered they only had a pit latrine, there was no water system. Moses had worked in the bank for ten years now. Why couldn’t he improve the living condition of his family? This was pathetic. Even her mother didn’t use a pit toilet or firewood to cook.
They slept in a room that had been sprayed with insecticide to make it bearable to sleep due to mosquitoes. But the room was very hot and eventually, they had to open the windows for them to finally fall asleep with the buzzing sounds of the mosquitoes. It wasn’t funny at all.
Ada refused to use the pit latrine and rather went to a relative’s house to use the loo and take a bath. She called Nwadiuto while she was there. She narrated her entire experience thus far in Moses village.
Nwadiuto laughed, “The rich guy is spoilt and now the poor guy is very impoverished. The other guys are demanding what you can’t offer, what more do you want?”
“Since I began work, I did so much for my mother and siblings with the small pay. Why couldn’t he? Ten years working in a new generation bank? He is not serious. I know he is well paid, what does he do with his money?”
“Those are questions you should ask him. How can he be comfortable living like that?”
“And, I only saw his father’s grave in the compound. I didn’t see his wife’s grave there. I checked the back too. Where could she have been buried?”
“Wife? He never mentioned anything about a wife”
“He told me when we first met he had recently lost his wife and unborn child. I’m surprised he never mentioned that to you”
“So, you spent the night with him, did you allow him to touch you, you know?”
“In that mosquito-infested place. Nothing like that happened. I am even wondering how I will sleep there tonight”
“Go to a hotel to sleep. He has a car. If he says he can’t afford a hotel, tell mummy to send you money for the hotel”
“She would ask questions”
‘Tell her the truth. Hasn’t she met Moses?”
“She has but she doesn’t intEr×¢t with him. She leaves immediately he steps in. He likes her a lot but she is distant with him.”
‘Have you tried to find out why?”
“No, when she is ready she will tell me”
Ada left the place with one of Moses’ sisters. On the way back to their house, she asked the girl where Moses’ wife was buried. The girl was confused. She told her Moses had not married before. But Moses mentioned his wife and child were buried in his village. He told her a story of how her family fought with him before they finally agreed for her to be buried in his family house. Where was the grave? How come his sister who was fifteen or older didn’t know about this?
Moses left to get some things at the town nearby. Ada seized that opportunity to ask his mother questions. She asked about Moses late wife and unborn child. She was also unaware of anything like that. She said Moses had come with other ladies to visit, maybe it was one of them that got pregnant and died with the child. Ada pried further. She found out one of such visits was recent, about two months prior. This surprised Ada. She didn’t react but listened to his mother. She said Moses wants to marry a rich woman. The last one he came with was very fat that she broke the only bed they had in the house. She has advised him severally to look for a young girl he could build with to marry instead of all these old rich women who were desperate but dumped him afterwards.
Ada asked her why they lived like this with Moses working. She explained. Moses was trained by his father’s people so he will help to take care of his siblings as the first son after the father suffered a stroke. His uncles continued to pay the fees of her children until Moses could stand on his two feet. Immediately he got a job, his uncles asked him to take responsibility. It was difficult for Moses to manage hence she allowed her two daughters to marry so the burden will reduce. Moses now insisted he will train only the boys; she was to train the rest of the children. She had only three boys including Moses. So, he was only responsible for two of them who were in the university now. She worked to train the girls. Ada was tempted to ask how come she had children after her husband’s death but she resisted the temptation.
Ada knew Moses had been deceiving her but the reason was not clear. She felt like confronting him but she was in a village she knew no one and couldn’t take the risk. She took control of her emotions. Two months ago when he came to the village with another woman, he told her he was travelling for work. How was he seeing these ladies because they were together most of the time? He even stopped her from coming herself to the bank so tongues won’t wag. She was deeply hurt by what she had heard. She wanted to leave. She felt sorry for his mother; she had so many responsibilities and an irresponsible son who couldn’t even help with the barest comfort but drove a big car around Lagos deceiving women.
When Moses came back, Ada told him she would like to sleep in a hotel for the night and go home from there the next morning as she was feeling unwell from all the mosquito bites the night before. Moses agreed but she could see he wasn’t happy about it. Then she asked him where his wife and child were buried.
“Somewhere at the back.
“Where at the back?”
“I didn’t see any graves at the back”
‘Why are you asking me all these questions?” Moses asked with anger in his eyes.
Ada calmed down. She knew now he had lied to her. He lied about so many things. How he was able to do so successfully for months was surprising to her. She had let down her guard when he came for her with words. She was vulnerable and didn’t heal from her hurt before jumping into a relationsh¡p. He took advantage of her vulnerability to strike. He had pushed for them to get to the next level but she had told him she was saving herself for marriage. He seemed excited. She wasn’t comfortable with some of the s€×ual acts he wanted them to be involved in while they waited and she let him know. He agreed to relax. So, he was relaxing with other women. The deception was too much.
Ada called Moses mother aside at the back of the house. She gave her almost all the money she had in her bag. She promised her she would see how she could help her. She warned her not to have any more children but focus on training these girls. She knew if she told mama Nwanneka, Moses’ mother will be taken care of. She took her phone number so she could forward it where it was needed. Moses didn’t give his mother any money.
When she asked him, he replied, “I gave them money just last week, why is she asking for more money?”
“Nna, you gave me money for feeding you and your friend. You didn’t give me extra.” She answered him.
Ada turned to Moses and said, “How do you visit your family and don’t drop any money? I’m surprised at this you”
Moses had to give his mother money. He did it grudgingly.
When they left, he complained bitterly about his mother. “She keeps having children like litters. What is wrong with her? As if my responsibilities aren’t enough. If we check she might be pregnant again. Why should I fend for her irresponsible acts?”
“I wish you had asked her that when your uncles were training you and paying fees for your younger ones. Why do you think they were willing to dole out the cash? She was paying for it in kind. Since you have a well-paying job, why haven’t you tried to elevate their suffering? This is your family house you bring people to, aren’t you a little bit embarrassed by the pit toilet? How much would it cost to build a proper water system? When we go out, we spend far more than what is needed to help your family. You don’t have an excuse”
Moses was quiet from then on. A lot was going through his mind as they drove to the town where they could get comfortable lodging. Ada too was quiet and also thinking and an-lyzing all she knew about the man she was in a relationsh¡p with. She wondered why she fell prey to two guys almost at the same time. They both weren’t serious with her. Did she come off as being desperate? Was Nnaemeka right? Did she dress like a hag? Wasn’t she taking care of herself to attract the kind of man she believed she deserved? Moses disrespected her by bringing her to stay in his family house knowing the conditions. It must have been because he didn’t regard her as much. She didn’t have money, so what did he want?
It was on their way back to Lagos from Nsukka that she realized why Moses wanted her close. The accounts she managed had millions going through it. Nwanneka had made investments from the account every quarter. Ada was in charge of the monies in the accounts. He wanted to have her so he would have access to the accounts. It wasn’t because he loved her. He wanted her so he could have access to the company’s accounts.
“A penny for your thoughts,” Moses said all cheerful.
“I was just wondering why you love. What is it about me that attracted you to me?”
“For one, you are beautiful. Two you are very hærd working. Three, you are honest. Four, you are trustworthy. Should I go on?”
Ada laughed. She knew he was playing games with her but she genuinely laughed. It eased the tension in the car. They talked until they stopped to eat and they continued their journey to Lagos.
Nwadiuto had come back home for her 300l holidays. She was excited to hear how the rest of the trip went. It wasn’t what she was expecting. She was so shocked at the revelations that her mouth was left agape.
“See, I can’t believe I fell for the scam. He isn’t smart at all. All the women he takes home never continue the relationsh¡p and he keeps taking them there” Ada lamented.
“Or maybe he gets money from them and dumps them. He saw you as someone who had everything he wanted in a woman and he could control. Truly it might be the money that is the main attraction but you will be bearable to live with compared to the older and overweight women he dates”
“You might be right. I want to change my look. I want to look more sophisticated and radiant. What do you think?”
“Not a bad idea. But why are you doing it?”
“Moses knew I was insecure when Nnaemeka said I dressed like a hag. He knew Nnaemeka was telling the truth. Moses is manipulative. He wants me to continue to look unattractive to other men while he has me to himself”
“But you are not unattractive to other men”
“I am. The calibre of men I should be intEr×¢ting with should be attracted to me but see my capabilities first before they see my beauty. Only a few people see my beauty”
‘You sound so insecure. I don’t care about beauty but about the person. You have something good going for you; why do you want to change that because of two insensitive men?”
“Nwadiuto, when men see you, they see your height, your figure, your pretty face before they see your capabilities and they go wild. I like that. I have been slacking. One of the ladies in the bank gave me the number of her customer in Lagos Island market who imports quality clothes from England, US, and Turkey. She said the woman’s clothes are unique and her shoes durable. She said something that day. She said, “Ada you are beautiful but you don’t take care of yourself. You have to start doing that” I feel she knew what Moses was up to so she tried to silently warn me. It was after that day Moses asked me not to come to the bank anymore.”
“Play along with Moses, don’t dump him yet. We will threaten him with the new you. You should make demands of him you know he cannot fulfil”
“You are right. After my makeover, I will make demands. He will see me often at the bank looking like a million dollars”
“Maybe we should share this with mummy before doing anything. She should give us money for shopping. And even grandma.”
“I don’t want to tell her what happened”
“She will still hear; that is if she hasn’t heard”
“I will tell her myself”
Ada told Nwanneka everything that happened when she travelled with Moses. Nwanneka had a good laugh. She knew Moses wasn’t the right guy for Ada but it wasn’t in her position to insist. She only prayed that his true person will be revealed. She supported the idea of a makeover for Ada. She gave them money for shopping. “It will boost your self-esteem.” She said to Ada to encourage her.
They went shopping the following weekend. The woman in Balogun didn’t have a shop but a warehouse filled with different items. It was like a departmental store for Fashion. They didn’t know where to start from. They shopped for clothes first. Ada bought new shoes that had a bit of heel. She bought three expensive handbags. They also bought jewellery and other accessories.
“Since we are in the market, let us go to the skincare and cosmetics section to shop for lotions which will help your skin and also soap. We should buy weave on while we are at it so the makeover will be complete.” Nwadiuto suggested.
They went to the section of the market and looked around until they saw a woman who had beautiful skin which was naturally looking. When they told her what they wanted, she recommended a body lotion and soap for Ada. She also gave her a body oil.
They completed their shopping and went back home. They went home excited to try on their new clothes. Ada especially was happy. What she chose were more daring for someone like her and very different from what she was used to. She also bought casual clothes for her weekend outings. She had plans to attract quality men her way.
On her first day at work, her staff couldn’t believe their eyes. She looked amazing with her ponytail, black and white check gown, black high heel shoes and bag. She wore compressed powder, eye pencil and l¡pstick. The other staff members couldn’t stop peeping at her. She felt good.
She went out (for the first time) to have lunch at a restaurant close to the office. The place was pricey but she was ready to take the risk. Two men bought food for her (she took one meal away) and dropped their complimentary cards. Another man chartered drinks. Before she left, she saw uncle Titus. He too was amazed when he saw her. He dashed her money and dropped her off at the office.
She was happy with her first day. The downside was that all the men she met there were married and she wasn’t ready to be a mistress. She would try another location tomorrow.
Moses came to pick her up. He couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw her. He said, “Baby what happened to you? You look different”
“Don’t you like my new look?”
“It is not bad. I preferred you looking all-natural. I don’t like women who wear faux hair, nails and makeup. Even your clothes. It is fine o, but isn’t it too tight and short?”
“Short? This dress is below the knee. And it is not tight, you are just used to me wearing clothes that don’t fit. You will get used to this”
“But what happened? What made you change?”
“I decided to I wanted something different for my life and took the bold step to change my story. I am the narrator and I decide how the story goes. This is the beginning of a new story”
She could see Moses was very uncomfortable with her new look. He felt worse when men complimented her when she walked to where he parked his car.
“Is this what you want? You want men to be catcalling you like a pr-stitute?”
“You mean paying me nice compliments is a problem? Who has spoken to me in a demeaning manner since we came outside? I only heard compliments. I don’t know what your problem is”
Moses could sense she was irritated by his comment and she had raised her voice a bit. This wasn’t the Ada he knew. She sounded like she was ready to tell him off if he spoke further. He avoided the temptation. He dropped her off at home and didn’t bother to see her to the door as he does every day. He wondered why she had changed. What was she planning?
Ada took the second plate of food home to Nwadiuto who jumped at it with delight. She narrated how her day went excitedly. She quickly chose another outfit she would wear the next day. She then told Nwadiuto about Moses reaction when he saw her.
“You have to go to his office tomorrow. Don’t agree to join him. Tell him to say hello and leave you to do your business. Put a straight face. When he asks you later, you will tell him you are following his instructions of you not coming to the bank. As long as you don’t see him or acknowledge him, you can come and do your business. He will be shocked”
It played out even better than that. The Branch Manager met her in the banking hall. He invited her to his office. Initially, she declined but the young man wouldn’t take no for an answer. She was forced to follow him to his office. She didn’t acknowledge Moses at all. She sat in the office while she transacted. The Branch Manager offered her lunch at a Chinese restaurant in Apapa there. Ada had never had Chinese before, she agreed to have lunch with him. After lunch, he dropped her off at her office and asked to see her the next day.
When Moses came to pick her up, she could see he was fuming but was just controlling his temper. She asked him severally if everything was ok and he confirmed it was. When they went downstairs, a man shouted from his car “Baby you are fine men!” It made Ada laugh but it infuriated Moses even more.
‘Get into the car immediately, stop exhibiting yourself” he scolded her. She entered the car. She was also pissed by his comment but knowing he was angry, she decided to play it cool.
They had driven and entered into the traffic jam along the Apapa Oshodi expressway. Moses turned to her and asked her, “What did you do in my office today. You came there even when I told you to stop coming. You saw me and completely ignored me. What were you doing with my Manager? You even went out with him. You disrespected me today. I won’t take such insult from you. You decided to dress like a wh-re to attract other men and then rub it in my face. Who knew you before? Stop this nonsense. You will no longer dress like this.”
“I am surprised you are the one saying all these. You asked me to stop coming to your office so tongues wouldn’t wag. I accepted. But I need to be there more often now. For tongues to stop wagging, I didn’t talk to you. Your manager insisted on me joining him in the office. He sent one of your staff to carry my bag upstairs. I couldn’t refuse. How did I disrespect you? You can’t make rules and complain when it doesn’t favour you. Since it is causing a problem, I will transfer my account from your branch to another branch so we don’t get to see each other at your branch”
“I don’t know what you are up to but honestly, it is no longer funny. You are not a child. What you are doing is trying to attract rich men for? Why you want to pr-stitute, I don’t understand. You look so desperate. Anyway, I don’t want to see you with my Branch Manager again”
By this time, they had gotten to her house. As she came down from the vehicle, she replied to him “Tell him yourself” and she walked into the house with a bag that contained leftovers of her lunch from the Chinese restaurant. She knew Nwadiuto would love it.
Ada was tempted not to visit the branch the next day. She stayed in her office to work as she did in the past. She wasn’t moved to go out even. She was attracting unavailable men; she didn’t like it. She wanted younger guys who were also doing well in their careers. She wanted an educated man so businessmen were out of the equation. Where would she see them?
Later that afternoon, the Branch Manager popped in. She was surprised to see him. He came bearing gifts of lunch and drinks. He stayed with her until the close of work. He offered to drop her at home but she told him she had someone who picked her up every day.
“Ada, I like you. I would love to spend time with you away from work. Maybe we could go out this weekend”
“It would have been nice but my sister is around and I can’t go out without her. My mother is very protective of us. If you don’t mind, I would go out with you but she has to come along.”
‘That’s not a problem. She can come along. It will be fun. I was invited to a beach party. Would you like to attend?”
“We would. I’m sure she will love it”
She saw him off after they had concluded. She knew Moses would get there soon. She didn’t want a scene. She was excited about the outing. She never got such offers in the past. Her new look was making ways for her.
“Less than a week, you have been toasted every day, brought delicious food home and now we have a beach party. What is happening? It is like they removed a veil that was covering you. What did your bobo say today?” Nwadiuto asked as she munched away.
“I avoided argument completely. He is not worth arguing with. I greeted him, told him I had a bad headache and dozed off in his car. I don’t have the energy for stress. I need to dump him. I don’t even want to play games with him anymore. It is just that he is my driver from work.”
“Tell mummy you need a car and driver to work with you in the office and bring you back. Just make the money to cover the cost of the car and driver”
“It will wait first. I will tell Moses I wouldn’t be at work for tomorrow and next. I want to have positive vibes before our beach party”
“What is the Branch Manager’s name?”
“I don’t know. He mentioned it but I didn’t take note of it”
“Are you serious? I was thinking you were interested in the guy”
“I am not. He is a nice guy. The problem is, he is older. Also, he is not Igbo; he is from Edo state. I want to marry an Igbo man. He talks with an accent; I suspect he studied abroad. He is cool but I will take my chances with Igbo”
“How many Igbo men have disappointed you and you are still determined to marry Igbo. I will marry from any tribe”
“Don’t let your mother hear you”
“I don’t care. It is my life; I choose what I want to do with it. I want to marry a non-Igbo man. He has to be mature. All these young guys are not worth my time. I am tired of conversations that don’t add value. I want a man who understands my dreams and will encourage me to achieve them. Igbo men want a wife who will be at their beck and call ….”
“But daddy was not like that. He encouraged mummy in her career. You might meet an Igbo man who will just be like him”
“He is a rare breed”
“What of uncle Onyedika? He also doesn’t disturb his wife. Isn’t he an Igbo man?”
“Another rare breed”
“There are many rare breeds”
“I was warned in a dream not to marry an Igbo man. I was told not to marry a young boy; he will die before our tenth anniversary”
“Who told you this?”
“I told you, I had a dream”
“I don’t believe you. I know when you are lying”
“Ok ok. I’ll tell you. When I went to buy groceries from the market the other day, a woman dressed in a white garment met me. She said she had a message for me. I wasn’t interested until she called me by name. She called me Nwadiuto. I was shocked and was forced to listen to her. She said if I don’t want to experience what my mother and grandmother experienced, I shouldn’t marry an Igbo man or a young man. She said I should consider other tribes and experience happiness.”
‘Is that all she said?”
“No, but I don’t want to tell you other things she said”
“Why? Are you keeping secrets from me”?
“This one is sensitive and I don’t want to drag you into it”
‘What do you mean by that? We share everything. I want to know so if anything happens, I will be able to share the information you gave me”
“She said “Ask your mother to take you to your father. He should pray for you so your destiny will be restored.” I told her my mother said she didn’t know my father. She told me to ask my mother in the presence of my grandmother. I should ask them to take me to see Chidi, my father. I don’t know anyone bearing that name. She said other things but I didn’t believe this part of her message”
“Nwadiuto, you take risk o! How can you keep this to yourself? You should have told mummy since that day. What kind of human being are you? What if what she said is true? What if your mother can find your father now? Wouldn’t you want to know him? He never knew you existed, it will be a pleasant surprise for him too”
“That’s what you think. He might be married and have his own children. What if he doesn’t want me or doesn’t want to recognize me as one of his children. She said things that were confusing and also scary”
“Then talk to mummy or even grandma about it”
“It can wait until after our beach party. What are we wearing?”
“Shorts and top. That’s what I am wearing”
“Shouldn’t we wear swimsuits since we are going to the beach”
“You want to wear a swimsuit with this on your backside? You want to kill the men there. We will wear shorts and a top…”
“I will wear shorts quite alright but I will also wear a swimsuit underneath. I will remove my top there and have fun. We only live once”
“No one will believe you are a bookworm. They will not know the girl displaying her assets is topping her class and gunning for a first-class and the first female to be the best graduating student of her department”
“They don’t need to know. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.”
“I hear you. You want to go whoring”
“I want to be a bad girl for a day and now I am called a wh-re. I might just find the man worthy to give this temple (referring to her body) to. Spirikoko. We will attend the party and paint the town red”
“Yes o!”
Tbc