Sisterhood episode 4

TITLE: SISTERHOOD

WRITTEN BY: OGECHI ALABI

PART 4

The University authourities gave the students a break for a week. Esther decided to spend the break with Jake. Funke was to go back home. Zainab wanted to visit her in-laws while Nkem was to stay back because of her business.

It was an unexpected break. Esther went shopping for food items to make different types of soups and then took a taxi to Jake’s house. She became suspicious when the gateman was reluctant to open the gate for her until a neighbour came out and she gained access into the premises. The gateman claimed Jake was not at home, but she could see his car.

She walked into his flat; the front door was open. She went into the kitchen to drop off the food items. She took off her shoes and walked toward the bedroom. The door was locked. Why would Jake lock the door? She knocked and heard him ask who it was. She responded. Then there was silence. She waited by the door for thirty minutes. It dawned on her what was happening inside there. She knocked again, he didnt respond. She knocked several times and still received no response. Then she announced, “If you don’t come out with her, I will destroy all your property, and your car will be set ablaze.”

Within a few minutes, the door flung open and Jake ran out followed by a girl. Esther looked at the girl; she was obviously a club girl. She looked bleached and wasted. Was this the girl Jake had in the room with him? Esther was so disappointed. She regretted having anything to do with Jake. Esther turned away from them and sat down to wear her shoes to leave the house. Jake tried to stop her, but she pushed him aside and walked out. Esther had almost gotten to the gate when she remembered the things she bought and kept in the kitchen. She went back to the flat. This time, he had locked the flat. She rang the bell. Jake came to answer the door as it was persistent. Esther walked in to get the bag. She noticed the girl was not in the sitting room, that meant she was back in the bedroom and she left.

Before Esther got to her room, she had cried. She was upset and disappointed in herself. She had suspected Jake was cheating. Whenever she got to his place, he would take her phone and check her conversations and call logs meanwhile he was the one cheating. She felt worse that he went back to continue what he was doing when she caught him. He didn’t come after her. That means he didn’t love her at all. If he enjoyed being with club girls that had no morals, why then did he try to cage her? Why did he lament each time she refused to spend weeknights with him when he used that opportunity to be with wayward girls? She was heartbroken.

When Esther got to the room, she gave the nylon that had the food items to Nkem and said, “Cook it for us to eat, I will be spending the week here.”

“What happened? How come you came back from Jake’s?” Nkem asked.

“He was with another girl in his room when I arrived. He only came out because I threatened to destroy his electronics and car. Jake has messed me up. He has made a big fool out of me. I won’t take it.” Esther lamented.

“You know he will come later this evening to beg you. You will go back with him and open your legs for him after he has slept with another girl. I hope you use condoms, you don’t know if he is sleeping with other girls without condoms too.” Nkem replied her.

Zainab added, “Nkem is right. A man that doesn’t use condoms with you will not use with other people he is sleeping with. You have to protect yourself. You have been with this guy since year one. Do you know how many girls he has slept with since then or even before then?”

“Allow her, please,” Funke replied. “Can’t you all see she is upset? Jake loves her and he will come back. Now she knows what he is up to, she will be wiser in dealing with him. I will postpone going home today. We can all go to my place tomorrow if you would like.”

“I have to sell my wares. Maybe I will visit on Saturday evening and come back Sunday evening,” Nkem suggested.

Zainab liked the idea, “I will come with Nkem. It is Esther that needs to leave now before Jake comes and deceives her. I don’t trust him at all. I could have sworn he was a good guy, but looks can be deceiving.”

###

Nkem prepared the food and they sat together to eat and talk. They were laughing and having fun when a fellow student came to call Esther. Esther sent her back and asked her to tell the guy she was not around. Jake sent three more people, she gave them the same reply.

Then there was another knock on the door. Jake came into the room himself. He greeted everyone and then he asked to see Esther outside. Esther had on bum shorts and a t-shirt without a bra. She stepped out to the corridor to talk to him.

“Babe, why did you leave?”

“Say what? Jake, what did you ask me?”

“I asked why you left.”

“I was tired and hungry, I had to come home to eat.”

“Let’s go back home and talk about it.”

“No o! I have a date tonight, I can’t go with you.”

“Date? With who?”

“Someone I met when I left your place. Has the girl gone? She should have spent another night. Jake, I am not coming with you. I am no longer interested in this relationship. I have tried. I want you to enjoy your life with those club girls and the other ones you carry. I am not interested.”

“You are not going on any date with anyone; you are going home with me. Stop this childish attitude and let us talk like adults. So, because you caught me with another girl therefore you will cheat with another man? If you try it, heads will roll. What nonsense? Is it because I love you? You cannot try it. You cannot take my good fortune and give it to someone else, never. Go and change; let’s go home.”

“Ok, I am coming,” Esther answered and entered the room. Her roommates who were eavesdropping heard most of the conversation. She climbed to her bed and laid down to sleep. Her roommates burst into laughter.

Jake stood outside for fifteen minutes. When Esther didn’t come out, he knocked on the door, but no one answered him. He knocked again, but still no reply. He tried to open the door, but it was locked. He knocked again and called Esther’s name but she didn’t. He had to leave as he was embarrassing himself. Students were staring at him strangely. He had never entered Esther’s hostel since they started dating. He left and went to sit in his car. He sent her several messages which she didn’t reply. He was waiting to see if she would leave with a man. He waited until late in the night and then he went back home. He didn’t carry a girl to avoid the risk of Esther catching him again.

Jake loved Esther and had remained faithful to her until she decided she wanted to pay more attention to her academics. It hurt him. Baba had told him if he meets any lady and each time he sleeps with her, his business booms, he should never leave her. He added, he should not allow another guy to sleep with her otherwise both of them will share her gift. If she loves the other guy more, then he, Jake, will get far less. That was why he was ‘close marking’ her. The first time he had sex with her, ‘maga’ paid hugely. It was unbelievable. It was the money he used to start up his strings of business. He had a car wash, business centre, and boutique. Recently, he opened a lounge with a restaurant beside it. He had to confess, she had brought him good fortune. But with wealth comes stupidity. He also loved to sow his wild oats. He disvirgined Esther. He didn’t want to spoil her by exposing her to the level of sexual craziness he had. He reserved that for other girls. He saw Esther as his wife and wanted her to be sexually attracted to only him.

With what happened, he was scared she would experiment and become wiser. She might meet someone who has better sexual prowess than him, and he would snatch Esther from him. Esther liked sex and was ever ready for it. But he wanted her to remain a wife material that will be solely loyal to him. Jake had to make peace with her so his business would not crumble. He had received money from maga, he will scatter her head by taking her on a trip to Dubai, he will use that to beg her.

#####

Esther left with Funke the next morning so she would not be tempted to see Jake. She needed time away from him to re-evaluate her life. It was the first time she was going to visit Funke at home. It was the first time all of them were visiting her.

Funke lived in Lagos. Her parents lived on Ikeja GRA. A car was sent to pick her up from school. It would also be sent to pick up Nkem and Zainab. It was a big house in a large compound. Esther was impressed with the amount of wealth. Funke could have lived as a big girl off campus, but she lived on campus with them.

Funke was the first child of three children, a girl and two boys. Her father worked with an oil company, while her mother worked with an accounting firm. Both of them were doing exceptionally well.

Funke took Esther to her bedroom. She had a room to herself. It was well designed and suited Funke’s personality. Esther was intimidated by what she saw, Funke was not on their level at all, and school was a leveller.

“Welcome to my home. Feel free and make yourself comfortable.”

“How can you live here and then lay on the miserable mattress in school? Babes, you are a rich kid, no caps. How are you so down to earth?”

Another story – She’s Worth The Kill 

“My parents always say, “everything you own can be taken away from you in a twinkle of an eye. All you will have left is your good name and positive character”. I have to learn to survive when things don’t go the way we plan them.”

“You are right.”

That night, the family had dinner together. Funke introduced Esther and also informed her parents her other roommates would be coming over at the weekend.

“Why not use the guest lodge while they are here? I will get Steven to clean it up before their arrival so they won’t be saddled with our compulsory family dinner. It might just be boring for them.”

When the other girls came a few days later, they were also impressed. Funke did not show off. Although she appeared arrogant, she was not. They met her parents and they were also impressed. They treated them well at the Guest Lodge. The four girls shared the rooms, two of them to a room, but they all ended up sleeping on the floor in the sitting room.

Tbc