Obianuju Episode 32

OBIANUJU
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Written by Pr!ncess Juliet
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Episode 32
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Peace at last
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Ademilade
Th£ moment I opened my eyes, I felt th£ colour dra!n from my face. I was paralysed to th£ spot, th£ menac!ng aura hold!ng me !n a t!ghten!ng grip.
“Obianuju”. I mumbled and dis£ngaged from th£ hug to stare at h£r .
h£r face , which had been flu$h£d , was now ashy pale , and h£r l¡ps were compressed.
“Baby”. $h£ smiled weakly. “are…you…..al…alright?” $h£ spoke with difficulty.
I nodded s1©wly, my eyes mov!ng up and d©wΠ h£r b©dy and only th£n did I notice th£ gunsh°t wound on h£r right shoulder.
My wh0l£ b©dy shook with terror and cold sweat ₱0ured d©wΠ my b©dy.
$h£ took th£ bullet ,my girlfriend took a bullet for me!
“Why?” I asked !n wh¡spers
” I ….couldn’t…..bear … to ….. see ….. you ….die”
“Sh*t!” I mumbled under my breath£ and faced th£ bas***d who had been watch!ng us !n silence , an odd expression on h¡s face.
“you are [email protected]!$fied hun?” I fired at h¡m.
h£ opened h¡s m©vth to speak , and th£n clamped it shut.
“have you seen what you have caused?”I half yelled
“Obianuju “. h¡s l¡ps quivered. “$h£ is bleed!ng”
I looked d©wΠ at h£r bleed!ng shoulder wound and h£ld h£r close to me.
“Please we need to take h£r to th£ hospital”. I s¢r**med
“Sure”. Dave agreed and th£n faced Pr!nce.
“Take th£ girl to th£ nearest hospital”
“No”. Obianuju clutch£d desperately at me . “I …want .. to….stay … with you, I ..want to be sure… you are….safe”.
Is $h£ kidd!ng me?
“I will be f!ne”. I a$$ured, not sure of my self.
$h£ [email protected] ©vt loud as m©r£ blood gu$h£d ©vt from h£r wound.
“h£lp… is …. com!ng”
Panick!ng, I carried h£r !n my arms and laid h£r gently on th£ floor; th£n I ₱v||ed off my sweatshirt, tore ©vt a piece and wr*₱ped it @r0vnd h£r shoulder, ¢ar£ful not to hurt h£r.
h£r face grimaced with pa!n at th£ process.
“Sorry!” I said softly.
$h£ gaze !nto my eyes for a while, and th£n $h£ drew a deep breath.
“h£lp … is … com!ng”. $h£ repeated, breath!ng evenly.
h£lp is com!ng! what is $h£ try!ng to say? or wait! are th£ police on ……..I let my thoughts trailed off wh£n I noticed Pr!nce stand!ng !n front of us.
“What do you want?” I asked coldly
“I need to take h£r to th£ hospital”. h£ replied with a scoff
“No way”. I retorted . “I can’t leave h£r with a cold-blooded murderer like you”
“And what is that suppose to mean?” Dave butted !n and I s1©wly shifted my attention to h¡m.
“Do you want h£r to bleed to death?”
“why do you ¢ar£?” I looked daggers at h¡m. “you were th£ one who sh°t h£r right?”
h£ faltered and wiped h¡s face
“I didn’t do that on purpose and you know it.
“Like seriously!” I scoffed . “Is that th£ best defence you have got?”
“Shut up!” h£ barked . “Obianuju is a girl I ch£rish and I wi……..
“Ch£rish!” I cut !n , clearly confused.
why !n th£ world would h£ ch£rish my girlfriend?
“Yes! h£ said boldly . “and that is m©r£ reason why I want you ©vt of th£ way”. h¡s voice was filled with raw anger and hatred.
I stayed motionless, star!ng at h¡m !n disbelief
so h£ hated me all along!
h£ cont!nued. “so please do me a favour and die”
with that, h£ lifted th£ rifle and c*cked it as quietly as h£ could .
“Pr!nce!” h£ called , h¡s gaze still fixed on me . “take th£ girl ©vt of h£re, I wouldn’t want h£r to witness h£r boyfriend’s death”
“no! no!no! Demi… please … don’t .. let … h¡m….kill….you”. Obianuju pleaded weakly
I bit my l¡ps and clench£d my fist t!ghtly, avoid!ng h£r gaze.
I couldn’t let h£r see th£ tears !n my eyes.
“Coward!” I cursed at Dave, seeth!ng with anger.
Surprise, th£n disbelief crossed h¡s features.
“what did you j√$t call me?”
“A coward”. I repeated,yell!ng even louder.
To tell th£ truth,i was so s¢ar£d, but I couldn’t j√$t die like a chicken , I wanted to fight for my life .
h£ scoffed. “Do you even understand what it means to die?”
“Of course I do”. I retorted ,bolt!ng upright. “but what I don’t understand is why you betrayed a member of your gang”
“For money and for love”. h£ stated , glanc!ng at Obianuju
“Love”. I laugh£d bitterly. “and do you th!nk $h£ will ever love you? no Dave , you are only be!ng delusional”.
“You bas***d”. h£ ru$h£d to me and h£ld my throat so t!ght that I could [email protected] breath£, p!nn!ng me [email protected] aga!nst th£ wall.
“Call me delusional one m©r£ time and i would give you th£ s1©west and most pa!nful death”
“You are delusional”. I gr!nned , dar!ng h¡m to do h¡s worst.
h¡s eyes sparkled fire and h£ punch£d me [email protected] on th£ face .
I felt a sharp cut , and th£ warm blood tricked s1©wly d©wΠ my ch£ek.I gave a short, bitter laugh and struggled !n va!n to free myself , h¡s grip on me was firm.
“Let… go…. of …. me”. I [email protected] , unable to breath£ properly.
h£ smirked and aimed th£ th£ gun at my h£ad.
“Good bye Ademilade”
All of a sudden , we h£ard th£ wail of a police siren and ab©vt five to seven gunsh°ts went off.
“Th£ police”. Dave muttered and let go of me !n an !nstant.
I fell to th£ floor , cough!ng and retch!ng , to catch my breath and wh£n I did , I crawled all th£ way to Obianuju.
“Uju! I called h£r name softly, hold!ng h£r !n my arms, but th£re was no response.
h£r eyes were closed , h£r sk!n warm still and h£r breath!ng s1©w and ——Fa!nt ..
I became alarmed. is $h£ loos!ng unconsciousness? no! no! It can’t be .
m©r£ gunsh°ts sounded !n th£ air , caus!ng panic b£tweeΠ Dave and Pr!nce.
“What are we go!ng to do?” Pr!nce half-yelled “Escape”. Dave pla!nly answered
“That is not possible”. Pr!nce retorted. “th£ wh0l£ build!ng is f**k!ng surrounded by th£ f**k!ng police .
Despite my dark mood , I smiled !nwardly.
so th¡s is th£ h£lp “my baby” was talk!ng ab©vt!
Impulsively, I picked h£r up !n my arms and began walk!ng to th£ entrance.
“And wh£re do you th!nk you are go!ng?”Dave thundered.
I stopped short, fac!ng h¡m
“Th£ police are already h£re , you should surrender”
“Over my dead b©dy will I do that”. h£ yelled hysterically . “we are all go!ng to die !n h£re togeth£r”.
“No boy , you are go!ng to die alone”. a voice said beh!nd me.
quickly, I turned @r0vnd and saw two scary—look!ng police officers with big guns.
One was short , and th£ oth£r tall.
“Put d©wΠ your gun”. th£ short one barked, po!nt!ng h¡s gun at Dave.
“Never”. Dave raised h¡s gun !nstead, aim!ng it at th£ man
“Dave!please don’t do th¡s”. Pr!nce begged and put both [email protected] up !n surrender. “Let us j√$t go quietly with th£m”
” I am go!ng to go d©wΠ fight!ng”.Dave rasped through gritted teeth.
Th£ police officers exchanged glances and smirked .
“Go ©vtside”. th£ tall one told me and I nodded ,with©vt compla!nts .
I urgently needed to th£ take my girlfriend to th£ hospital!
With a h£avy sigh, I ru$h£d ©vt of th£ room and that was wh£n th£ gunsh°t sounded.
it was so loud that it shook th£ wh0l£ build!ng,but I didn’t stop ,i kept on runn!ng till I got ©vtside th£ build!ng and saw a large number of police men ly!ng !n wait .
Unbelievable! did th£y all come for me!!!
“Demi! Demi!”two police women called as th£y ran to me. “Are you all right?
I stood frightened,star!ng !nto Obianuju’s face.
“Please h£lp my girlfriend”. I muttered, my voice barely audible.
“Sure”. one of th£ women stooped and touch£d h£r foreh£ad . “Jeez! $h£ is burn!ng up, what happened to h£r?”
“$h£ got sh°t !n th£ shoulder “. I grunted my response.
“Oh dear! I th!nk $h£ is unconscious”. th£ woman stated , stretch!ng h£r arms wide . “[email protected] h£r over , I will get h£r to th£ hospital”
“No thanks , I will do that myself
$h£ smiled lightly. “I understand how you feel, but th¡s is not th£ time for emotional s£ntiments. Your girlfriend is loos!ng blood and needs ……..
“F!ne! F!ne!”I cut !n and gently placed Uju !n h£r arms.
Loos!ng blood! I didn’t like th£ sound of it!
“Blessed hospital right?”
“Yes!” $h£ nodded , and with that, $h£ scurried off.
“and please make sure th£ doctor attends to h£r on time”. I called after h£r
“Okay ooooo”
I followed h£r with my eyes and watch£d h£r place Obianuju |ns!de one of th£ van rear seat; th£n I looked d©wΠ at my [email protected] , my bloody [email protected]
Oh God! Please protect my girlfriend!!
“It must have been tough for you”. a familiar voice said beh!nd me——-Tobi!!!
I turned @r0vnd , fac!ng h¡m
“h£y!” I smiled lightly
h£ returned th£ smile . “how serious is th£ !njury?”
“not that bad”. I retorted, look!ng on at th£ van as it drove ©vt of th£ bushy compound.
“Sh*t!” h£ bit h¡s l¡ps . “I never knew Dave was such a beast . I mean how could h£ hurt an !nnocent h£lpless girl”.
“h£ didn’t hurt h£r”. I said !n a levelled voice. “h£ loves h£r too much to do that”
“Love!” Tobi repeated, clearly confused.
“Yes , th£ bas***d told me h¡mself”
“If h£ truly loves h£r”. h£ cont!nued,a look of disbelief on h¡s face . “why th£n did h£ shoot h£r?”
I looked away , not know!ng how to tell h¡m that $h£ took th£ bullet for me , that $h£ is !n pa!ns because of me.
“Demi!”
“what!”I huffed , meet!ng h¡s gaze.
h£ smirked. “$h£ took th£ bullet meant for you right?”
D**n! why must h£ be so smart!
“Yes!” I let ©vt a deep breath£ and h¡s Jaws dropped.
“Mehn! that little girl is one of a k!nd. Firstly, $h£ used my bra!ns and now th¡s”.
“Used your bra!ns! as !n how?” I asked curiously.
“$h£ deceived me !nto com!ng h£re”
Oh! so that is why $h£ came h£re all alone!
“You with my phone right?” I changed th£ topic
I needed to call my dad and !nform h¡m ab©vt h¡s so-called wife .
“No”. h£ shook h¡s h£ad slightly. “It is with Susanna”
Susanna! that b**ch! I h£ard a loud bang !n my h£ad.
“What th£ h£ll is $h£ do!ng with my phone?”
“$h£ saved you man”. h£ said calmly . “that girl is th£ reason why you are still alive”
I stared blankly at h¡m, what th£ h£ck is h£ talk!ng ab©vt?
h£ cont!nued. “$h£ was th£ one who told me Dave’s wh£reab©vt, $h£ was th£ one who saved th£ day. $h£ wanted to br!ng th£ bas***d d©wΠ so $h£ pretended to be h¡s personal b**ch”
“Oh! was th£ only th!ng I could say as I was so d**n speechless.
$h£ took a h*g£ risk for me!
“you should thank h£r”
“Of course i will do that”. I nodded s1©wly. “Can I Please make use of phone?”
“Sure”. h£ reach£d !nto h¡s pocket , unlocked th£ phone and [email protected] it to me.
Sharply, I typed !n my dad’s number and dialled it .
h£ picked it halfway through th£ third r!ng!
“h£llo! who am I speak!ng with please? h£ asked politely
“It is me Ade”.
“Ha! Ade! My son! Thank God! How are you? Are you hurt!ng? Is your stomach hurt!ng? ch£st nko? are you ………
“Yes! Yes! Yes!” I cut !n , dryly . “wh£re are you?”
“I j√$t got to th£ Lagos airport”
“F**k!” I cursed silently
“h£n! I didn’t h£ar you, what did you say?” h£ asked
“You should go [email protected]¢k home”. I said, ignor!ng h¡s question
“why?Is it because of m©r£mi?” h¡s voice was so low.
“Yes”. I answered. “but how did you get to know?”
Th£re was a pause and th£n h£ cleared h£ throat.
“I got a call from Asokoro Police station that m©r£mi confessed to plott!ng your death”
“Okay!” I urged h¡m to cont!nue as I was still confused.
m©r£mi! why was h£ call!ng h¡s “precious wife” by h£r first name? who made h£r confess? how did $h£ even end up !n Asokoro police station.
My Dad cont!nued. “erm th£ private detective I hired f!nally solved th£ mystery beh!nd your mum”s death. Th£ rat poison used !n kill!ng h£r is lethal and can only be found !n a particular store, th£ store keeper was questioned and $h£ confessed sell!ng th£ poison to……erm ….. to…….erm
“To who?” I s¢r**med !nto th£ phone, I was already gett!ng impatient.
“your step -moth£r”.
My h£ad literally exploded and a deep feel!ng of anger and hatred surge through me.
“wh£re is $h£?” I asked coldly
“Asokoro police station”. h£ replied. “$h£ was arrested very early th¡s morn!ng and…..I hung th£ call on h¡m.
I couldn’t listen to h¡m any longer , I was so pa!ned and hurt .
“Mum”. I s¢r**med loudly, alert!ng Tobi who was still beside me…
“h£y! h£y! Demi”. h£ h£ld my shoulders, try!ng to calm me d©wΠ. “what is wrong? what happened to your late mum?”
I wh¡mpered and my legs collapsed underneath me
“My step mum killed my mum”
“What!” h£ retorted !n shock
“and also planned on kill!ng me”. I completed , hitt!ng my ch£st to calm d©wΠ my panic.
h£ let ©vt a deep breath£ and squatted d©wΠ !n front of me.
“I know it is pa!nful, but you should be grateful that th£ truth is f!nally ©vt , at least your mum can rest !n peace now”
h¡s words burn !nto my h£art and a light smile escaped from my l¡ps.
“Thanks man”
“It is noth!ng” h£ patted my shoulders lightly . “so put yourself togeth£r and let’s go to th£ police station”
“why?” I asked calmly
“To give ©vt statement and also to…..h£ stopped mid s£ntence, h¡s gaze beh!nd me.
“Aha! Aha! th£ bas***ds are f!nally ©vt”
I looked [email protected]¢k j√$t !n time to see Dave collapse on th£ ground, h¡s [email protected] on h¡s right leg as h£ tried to ¢©Πtr0| th£ h£avy bleed!ng.
so h£ is not dead!
A good th!ng though, as I would love to see th£ bas***d spend th£ rest of h¡s life beh!nd bars.
“Will you stand up my friend”. a police officer barked at h¡m .
“Officer Abeg na , make h£ rest small”. Pr!nce who !n tears begged .
“rest hun!” th£ officer repeated , and what followed next was a thunderous slap across h¡s face.
“Blood of Zachariah!” Pr!nce exclaimed, hold!ng h¡s [email protected] to h¡s ch£ek.
I said m©v£”. th£ officer repeated and began dragg!ng Dave…..
Tobi laugh£d loudly. “That serves th£m right”
“Exactly”. I got off from th£ floor and dusted my trousers
” let us go”
“like th¡s”. h£ retorted, star!ng at my ch£st.
Jeez! I completely forgot I was bare ch£sted, no wonder those female cops were star!ng at me!
h£ ₱v||ed off h¡s sweater and [email protected] to me
“Wear th¡s”.
I sh°t h¡m a grateful look and hurriedly wore th£ sweater.
“Now we can go”. h£ smirked and led th£ way , as we walked toward a black Camry.
“whose car is th¡s?” I asked
“My uncle”
“Oh! Is h£ h£re?”
“Nope”. h£ popped th£ p. “h£ stayed [email protected]¢k at th£ police station”
“what ab©vt my car?”I looked @r0vnd
“at th£ station”
“Okay”
Open!ng th£ car door, I slid !nto th£ pa$$enger seat and h£ also did th£ same at h¡s own end.
“erm can we please go to th£ hospital first?” I Pleaded
“because of your babe right?”
I nodded . ” I am so worried ab©vt h£r”
h£ smiled lightly. “$h£ will be f!ne , I already messaged my girlfriend to go stay with h£r”
“Thanks”. I muttered, lean!ng [email protected]¢k on th£ seat.
“You are most welcome”
With that , h£ started th£ car and drove ©vt of th£ bushy compound, h£ad!ng to th£ police station, Abobi police station.
*
Th£ police station was jam packed with people and cars, such that th£re was no space to park.
Tobi had to sqv££se !n b£tweeΠ two Honda jeeps to park.
“Nawa ! why th¡s many people?”h£ asked , h¡s [email protected] on th£ steer!ng wh£el as h£ parked properly.
“I wonder oooo”
Alight!ng from th£ car , Kewe and Bola ru$h£d to us
so th£y are even part of th£ people!
“Demi! Tobi! Awfar na?” Bola greeted , look!ng at me , Tobi and th£n [email protected]¢k at me.
“I am f!ne jare”
“Juliet nko?”
“$h£ is !n th£ hospital”. Tobi answered and th£n both sigh£d !n relief
“Chai! if you see th£ way my h£art dey b**t eh£n”. Kewe rasped , hold!ng unto h¡s ch£st . “Abeg I no wan h£ar th¡s k!nd news aga!n”
“You won’t”. I a$$ured, smil!ng.
“but how did you get to know ab©vt it?”
“Social media”. Bola waved h¡s phone,
“Han!han!so f*st”. Tobi retorted and Kewe Chuckled
“Demi is th£ son to a top politician so what do you expect”
I smiled weakly and leaned aga!nst a random car.
Tobi cont!nued. “Tony and Kunlezy nko?”
“Th£y are |ns!de giv!ng th£ir statement”. Bola replied . “Everyone is so happy , we are f!nally free from th£ clutch£s of Dave….
“Yes oooo, no m©r£ cultism”. Tobi’s stated . “we can now……h£ trailed off, look!ng @r0vnd th£ compound.
“Obianuju’s car nko?”
“Did $h£ make use of it? I asked and h£ nodded s1©wly.
“oh! th£n it should be at th£ camp”
“I will go get it”. Bola volunteered and I sh°t h¡m a grateful look
“but what of th£ keys to th£ car?”h£ asked me
“erm”. I ran my f!ng£rs through my hair . “It would be erm ….. |ns!de h£r…. yes …..h£r bag”…
“Okay”. h£ nodded . “wh£re is h£r bag?”
“Tobi and I exchanged confused looks
h£r bag!!wh£re is h£r bag?
“erm it … should … be |ns!de th£ car”. Tobi answered
“Yes, |ns!de th£ car”. I supported h¡m.
“You both are crazy”. Kewe smirked and th£n Faced Bola
“should !ncase you did not f!nd h£r car Key , make use of m!ne”. h£ took h¡s car key ©vt of h¡s pocket and [email protected] it to Bola .
“It is a master key and can open all doors”. h£ boasted , gr!nn!ng from ear to ear.
“Okay oooooo”. Bola rolled h¡s eyes and walked past me to h¡s car.
“Thanks man”. I appreciated Kewe.
h£ shook h¡s h£ad slightly. “I should be th£ one thank!ng you, your brought us ©vt of bondage”
“No I didn’t , Susanna did”. I corrected
Speak!ng of which, my eyes wandered @r0vnd for h£r and I saw h£r lean!ng aga!nst a Toyota hilux black jeep, h£r gaze on us.
“A m!nute please”. I excused myself and walked up to h£r
“h£y!” I greeted
“Demi”. $h£ smiled shyly
An awkward silence occurs for m©r£ than ten m!nutes occurs, and th£n $h£ asked
“Juliet nko?”
“$h£ is f!ne”
“Okay”
I exhaled deeply. “Thanks for sav!ng me”
“Oh that”. $h£ blu$h£d shyly. “I only did what had to be done”.
I stared at th£ “pretty girl”!n front of me and th£ only th!ng I felt for h£r was pity.
$h£ has really been through a lot!
“erm I j√$t signed a deal with Topnotch modell!ng agency, do you m!nd modell!ng with me?”
h£r eyes grew wide !n surprise. “Can I really do that? I mean will th£y accept me?
“Of course”. I nodded . “I have th£ right to pick my partner and I choose you”.
“Yeeeeeessss!” $h£ s¢r**med excitedly and hugged me.
I hugged h£r [email protected]¢k and patted h£r [email protected]¢k lightly.
I knew how much modell!ng means to h£r and I hope th¡s h£lps h£r stay happy .
“But why didn’t you tell me Dave forced you !nto cultism?”$h£ suddenly asked
I ₱v||ed ©vt of th£ hug to stare at h£r
“And who told you that?”
“Erm ..I k!nd of overh£ard it”
I smiled lightly. “I was never a cultist, and will never be one”
I am free at last!!!!
*
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OBIANUJU
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I opened my eyes s1©wly allow!ng th£m time to adj√$t to th£ bl!nd!ng light com!ng through th£ w!ndow.
Wh£re am I? I wondered .
I tried to raise my [email protected] to rub off th£ sleep from my eyes , but couldn’t , th£ pa!n was unbearable.
“Oouh”. I w!nced
“$h£ is f!nally awake ooo”. I h£ard th£ wh¡spers of familiar voices and only th£n did I notice th£ two girls !n th£ room—-Funmi and Shakirat.
“h£y!” I smiled lightly.
“Juliet!”Shakirat called my name softly, star!ng !nto my face . “how are you?”
“F!ne!”. I nodded s1©wly, look!ng @r0vnd.
“wh£re is th¡s place?”
“Blessed hospital”. Funmi replied
Th£ word “hospital” made my bra!n c|¡¢ked and th£ memory of all what happened came flood!ng [email protected]¢k.
I sat up !n a huff, not m!nd!ng th£ pa!ns
“Demi! wh£re is h£?”
Shakirat laugh£d . “E be like say you see am for dream”
“Wh£re is h£?” I repeated, ignor!ng h£r sneer
“h£ will soon be h£re”. Funmi replied, a light smile on my face
“Really?” My eyes lit up and $h£ nodded
“Dave nko?” I prob£d on
“Th£ bas***d should be !n Abeokuta kirikiri by now”. Shakirat rolled h£r eyes and we all laugh£d.
Thank goodness! I sigh£d !n relief
“but Juliet what really happened?” Shakirat cont!nued. “I mean what bus!ness does th£ bas***d have with Demi?”
Funmi and I exchanged quick glances
“I don’t know oooo”. I lied
F!ne! $h£ is my best friend, but I couldn’t br!ng myself to tell h£r that Demi is a cultist and …….. wait a m!nute! h£ is now free!!!
“Yippee”. I bounced on th£ b£d excitedly
“What is do!ng th¡s one?” Shakirat retorted , giv!ng me a ₱|@yful glare
“Pbbst”. I stuck my t0Πge ©vt to h£r and $h£ touch£d my bandaged shoulder lightly.
“I j√$t like th£ style th£y used !n bandag!ng it!
Mumu! $h£ have seen toy!
“Eh£n h£n”. Funmi cleared h£r throat ,chang!ng th£ topic
“have you seen Faith face?”
“Yes”. I nodded . “I saw it th¡s morn!ng”
“Not th£ morn!ng face Jare, I mean th£ afternoon face”
Afternoon face kwa! which one is that one aga!n?
$h£ cont!nued. “$h£ came to th£ hostel th¡s afternoon and was ask!ng after you. If you see th£ face eh£n, you will pick race”
“What happened to th£ face?” Shakirat asked. “Is it that bad?”
“Yes oooo, th£ two eyes have almost rem©v£”
“hmmmmmh… Funmi, I give you three gbosa”. I wr!nkled my nose !n disbelief.
“I am serious oooo, h£r two eyes are now very small”
“Okay oooo I don h£ar”. I bru$h£d it aside. “Did you see Ar!nze today? I asked h£r
“Yes na”. Shakirat butted !n. “h£ was even h£re , h£ left not quite long”
“what did h£ say? was h£ angry? did h£ look angry?” I asked !n a rush .
Funmi shrugged lightly. “not really ,h£ was j√$t worried”
“Okay”. I sigh£d softly.
Suddenly, th£ door creaked opened , and Demi and Tobi walked !n .
“Demi!” I smiled widely.
h£ paused for a moment to stare at me , and th£n ru$h£d to me , giv!ng me a thousand klzzes.
I chuckled and leaned !n close to h¡m
“Are you alright?”
“Sure”. h£ replied , search!ng through my gaze . “What ab©vt you?”
“I am f!ne, it is j√$t th£ pa!n !n my shoulder”
“It will go soon”. h£ a$$ured, brush!ng my ch£eks lightly and I nodded s1©wly
“but what took you so long”. I queried h¡m
“I am really sorry , i had to see my dad off”
“Your Dad was h£re?” I retorted with wide open eyes
“Yes. h£ wanted to come ch£ck on you, but time was aga!nst h¡m”
“Oh!” I exclaimed softly
“I hope you are not angry”. h£ asked, star!ng !nto my eyes
Angry kwa! why would I be?
“No”.I simply answered.
“uhm!uhm”. Tobi cleared h¡s throat and I shifted my attention to h¡m.
“Tobi!”
“Uju! how are you?”
I smiled lightly. “As you can see, I am f!ne”
“Obviously”. h£ stated . “well!well! let me take my leave so you both can have a quiet couple time”
“Exactly”. Demi agreed and Tobi laugh£d
“See you later”. h£ leaned !n to peck my foreh£ad and th£n faced h¡s girlfriend.
“Let’s us go”
“Bye”. Funmi waved ,and with that, th£y left th£ room.
“erm” . Shakirat twisted h£r f!ng£rs. “I th!nk I should get go!ng too”
“Alright! I will call you”
“No, I will call you”. $h£ w!nked at me and scurried ©vt of th£ room.
“Now I am all alone with my Pr!ncess”. Demi remarked , smil!ng.
I blu$h£d lightly and placed my h£ad on h¡s ch£st, listen!ng to h¡s h£art b**t
“Thanks for sav!ng me”. h£ wh¡spered !nto my ears .
I nodded my h£ad s1©wly. “what will happen to Dave now?” I asked softly.
“As per my dad request , h£ and pr!nce would be transferred to Abuja prison. My dad promise to deal with three of th£m mercilessly”
“Three?” I repeated , confused
“Yes”. h£ said softly. “!nclud!ng my step-mom”
“Why?” I raised my h£ad to look at h¡m . “Did $h£ do anyth!ng wrong?”
h£ stared at me blankly, as if contemplat!ng if h£ should tell me or not
“Please baby , talk to me”
“F!ne”. h£ sigh£d. “$h£ was th£ one beh!nd everyth!ng that happened today”
“What! was th£ only th!ng I could say as I was short of words.
how could a woman try to kill a boy who is m©r£ or less like h£r own son!
h£ cont!nued. “$h£ is also my mum’s murderer”
“As !n $h£ killed your mum?” I retorted !n shock
“Yes”. h£ nodded s1©wly
“but how is that possible? I mean I thought your mum died of asthma”
“That is what I was made to believe”. h¡s voice was ¢©Πtr0|led and levelled
“Oh dear! It must be so [email protected] for you to bear”
“Not really”. h£ shrugged lightly. “be!ng with you h£aled up all of my old wounds, and lightened up my h£art and soul. I love you OBIANUJU and I have no regret whatsoever [email protected]||!ng for you.
A warm feel!ng settled !n my stomach , contentment, that h£ was m!ne and m!ne alone …..
*
Be th£re. Be open. Be honest. Be k!nd. Be will!ng to listen , understand , accept , support, and forgive. Th¡s is what it means to love.
*
*
Th£ END
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Stay tuned for epilogue….