Sisterhood episode 19

TITLE: SISTERHOOD

WRITTEN BY: OGECHI ALABI

PART 19

Esther was upset with Funke’s comment. She left the room and wondered out. She took a cab to the gate and took a taxi to Efe’s house. She didn’t know if he was around but she was ready to wait for him. She knocked on his door. It took several minutes for him to answer. He saw her, he wasn’t expecting her.

“Hi. What’s going on?” he asked her.

“Funke, my roommate upset me and I needed a place to cool off.”

“Ok. How are you?”

“I am good. Can I have water?”

Efe stood up to get the water. Having her close was already getting him aroused. He needed to be as far away from her as possible. He served her the water and left for the room. He stayed in the room there for almost an hour while Esther watched a movie.

Esther felt unwelcome in the house. She watched him get up and leave. She wondered if it was still the fasting or if he was not interested in her. She didn’t want to see Jake. She knew he would pounce on her but, she didn’t feel like having sex with him. She didn’t feel like having sex at all. She just wanted to talk to someone freely and Jake wasn’t the right person.

Read – Forgive – Episode 1

She stood up and left the flat. She decided to walk to the hostel. She didn’t like the way Funke spoke to her about Efe. She felt attacked in the room because they were not having sex while she was. The kiss Ebuka shared with Funke showed they had either been kissing for a long time or they have had sex. She would have known if Funke had.

She realised her conscience was the problem. She felt guilty and ashamed for being sexually involved with two men. She liked Jake, he was very good and generous toward her. He had promised her an international trip after the year three examination. He had changed, he encouraged her to study. He saw her every weekend and was far more generous than she could understand.

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Efe heard the entrance door being unlocked, opened and then closed. He wondered who came in. When he came out to the sitting room, Esther wasn’t there. He thought she was in the toilet. He went to check, but she wasn’t. He noticed the entrance door was unlocked from the inside. He rushed into the house, quickly made himself decent by throwing on some clothes and went after her.

By the time he came out, he thought she had entered a taxi and left. He looked up and saw her. She had walked to the end of the road. “How did she get there so fast?” he wondered. He stopped a commercial motorcycle popular called bike and he went after her. She was still walking, completely oblivious of her surroundings and the stares she was causing.

“Stop!” Efe said as he tapped her. “Where are you going?”

“I am going back to the hostel. What happened?” Esther asked as she was startled.

“You left. You didn’t tell me you were leaving.”

“Sorry, I was thinking. I’m leaving.”

“Why are you walking? Let me get you a cab to take you back.”

Esther looked at him. She liked him. She could talk to him freely before their sexual rendezvous. But now, she could feel the distance he had created. She wanted their friendship back. He was her closest male friend apart from her roommates. She felt judged by them sometimes. She realised she had sold herself short. She needed to correct it. She needed her head straightened. She said to Efe with tears in her eyes, “Thank you but don’t worry. I got the message loud and clear. I apologise if I offended you in any way. I won’t bother you anymore. You can go back, I am fine. I want to walk.” She turned away and continued to walk.

Efe knew at that moment he had messed up. He liked her but he was scared of having his heart broken again. Now, she was gone for good. He knew she wouldn’t come back to him. He could see she was a different person from the person who walked into his flat. He regretted his action.

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Esther walked back to her hostel. The walk took an hour but she enjoyed it and decided to do it more often. She got back to the room, took a bath and went to see Jake. Since she returned, she hadn’t seen him. It was deliberate. She was going to surprise him at home.

Before she left, she apologised to Funke for her comment in the presence of Ebuka and also for her behaviour. She opened up to them that she felt judged by them. She was the sinner amongst them and she didn’t want to continue to feel that way. She told them she would rather keep quiet about her relationships going forward unless she needed their input.

Funke, Nkem and Zainab were shocked at her utterances. They wanted to talk and defend themselves but Esther stopped them. “I have told you how I feel. Process it. Put yourself in my shoes before you say anything. When I come back, we will discuss it further.”

Esther left for Jake’s house. She thought about her life in the taxi. She could afford a life many girls envied. She wore designer clothes courtesy of Jake. Even Funke couldn’t afford to dress like her. Her skin was supple and smooth. She had always used Bath and Body butter and Elizabeth Arden Visible Difference body lotion Jake bought for her, she never ran out. Jake had given her a life she could have only dreamed of. He was proud of her and showed her off. Why then did her heart ache for Efe? Why was she unfaithful to Jake? Why was she willing to give up everything to be with Efe?

Read – Forgiveness in marriage episode 3

She knew she had more deep-rooted connections with Efe. Jake didn’t listen to her rants or childish banter. He treated her as though she was a child, his baby. He pampered her and never wanted her to get upset with him. He had made up for the past mistake. But, he never could solve her problems if they were not financial. He couldn’t counsel her or meet her emotional needs. But he was good to her in other ways.

As she entered the compound, she saw Jake’s car. She had a key to the flat so there was no need to call him or ring the bell. The security man was not at the gate either. She walked to the entrance and unlocked the door. She entered the sitting room. The television was on and a lady was sitting in the parlour watching it.

“Hello?” Esther said unsure of how to address her.

The lady looked at Esther suspiciously. She responded and then continued to watch the television.

“Who are you here to see?” Esther asked. She didn’t reply. She looked confused. Esther asked her, “Who did you come with? Are you waiting for someone?”

At this point, the lady snapped. “Why are you asking me so many questions? You came to a man’s house as I did and you are asking me questions. What is your problem? Please, reserve your questions for the man; I don’t have to answer you.”

“This is not a man’s house, this is my man’s house. I asked you who you came to see and you have not answered me,” Esther had raised her voice at the insolence of the girl. If she was older than Esther, it would not be more than four years. Esther felt disrespected because she was younger than the lady.

The door to the room opened and Jake came out. He couldn’t believe his eyes. He came to meet her and tried to hug her but she pushed him away. He couldn’t believe she was back. Why did she choose today of all days to pay a surprise visit? He was in a bend at the moment.

Esther asked him, “Who is this? What is she doing here?”

“She is my friend’s girlfriend, he is coming here to meet her.” He turned to the girl and said, “this is my woman. Say hello to her.”

“Hello,” she said and looked away.

“Stay here with her, let me get my shirt and trousers. I wanted to buy something from the supermarket”

Jake went into the bedroom. The lady in the sitting room hissed at her and turned back to the television. She was pretty hostile. Esther wondered what was going on. She had a bad feeling about it. She stood up and walked towards the bedroom door. The lady shouted, “He said you should wait here, why not wait?”

Esther walked into the room. She saw Efe by the bathroom door. He withdrew from there quickly. “Why did you come in? Let’s go” he said as he grabbed a t-shirt. His behaviour confirmed Esther’s suspicion. He was hiding something and he appeared nervous. She waited for him to dress up and they came out together. He just closed the door and Esther followed him outside. She appeared cheerful and excited to see him. Then she said she wanted to drink water. She came into the house and locked the bedroom door. She went into the kitchen and took a knife. Then she asked the lady in the sitting room to leave the house and wait for her man outside or she would lock her inside the house. The lady left the flat. Esther looked like she would kill someone with the knife she had on her. Esther locked the entrance door and then went to join Jake.

Tbc