Three generations episode 62

TITLE: THREE GENERATIONS

WRITTEN BY: OGECHI ALABI

CHAPTER 62

Josh invited Nwadiuto and Ada for dinner after the issues were resolved. They had a wonderful time talking about all that happened with Moses. Nwadiuto described how she gave him a staggering slap which landed him in his seat. Ada told them how he begged her not to expose what happened in the office.

“Your mother has the balls on a man. She came in so graceful with everyone staring at her. We thought it would be an issue we could easily resolve but it ended up being serious. She came with the Police and had him arrested immediately. I like her. Thank God she didn’t move her accounts from the branch. They are very valuable accounts and the account manager is important to me”

Ada shied away when he said that staring directly at her.

“Back to your mom, is she seeing anyone?” Josh asked.

“No. Why did you ask?” Ada replied.

“I have someone I would like to introduce to her. She is elegant and the guy likes such ladies”

“Please leave my mother alone; she is still mourning the love of her life. She’s not looking for a husband or lover for now” Ada replied.

Josh turned to Nwadiuto for an answer. Nwadiuto shook her head and said, “She’s not ready yet; trust me”

“She should get to know him before they fall for each other. How long has it been since the death?”

“Three years. It is not long enough. Give her two more years. I am ready for love; tell me about Malik” Nwadiuto quickly added.

“He asked me for your number and Ada refused to give me. Maybe she is scared I will fall for you”

“Ada, you are a traitor. Why wouldn’t you give Josh my number? He’s got eyes for only you, he is not interested in me”

“I didn’t want him to give Malik your number. I am not in support of any relationsh¡p with him. I don’t trust the guy at all”

“What are you saying? I will give you my number to forward to him. I am interested in meeting him again but unfortunately, I have to head back to school soon and won’t be around for some time. But we can talk”

“Or you can travel to Abuja to see him. That’s where he has the time of his life. He dates older women you know. Women who have good money to spend. They travel for escapades. He uses his company as a cover” Josh said trying to discourage her.

“It doesn’t matter to me. He can date all the girls and women in the world for money but he will only desire me.” Nwadiuto replied.

“Why would you want to share your man? Why would you want to be with someone who is wayward and morally corrupt? I don’t understand why I should be with someone who I can’t trust to be faithful to me” Ada insisted.

“No man is ever faithful; stop deceiving yourself. The sooner you know it the better. It is better I know who I am dealing with than be with someone who will lie and pretend to me” Nwadiuto answered.

“Why do you believe no man can be faithful to his woman?” Josh asked.

“Josh, will you in all honesty say you have never cheated in a relationsh¡p?”

“Nwadiuto, I have never cheated. I flirted or desired another while in a relationsh¡p, even fantasised about being with another lady but never acted on it while in the relationsh¡p. It is because I respect my commitment and the individual and I hope to be respected in the same manner. Malik is a nice guy but has issues with commitment. Commitment in a relationsh¡p is very important. You are too young to understand what I am saying; when you get older, you will desire a monogamous relationsh¡p and a man to yourself. Because by then marriage will be more about companionsh¡p than anything else”

“I’m not too young. I know what I want. My husband doesn’t have to be faithful and I don’t too. I want an open marriage. That way, any infidelities doesn’t hurt the other”

“You are mad. There is something wrong with you. What are you saying? How can a woman lay with another man after she has a husband? God forbid such evil” Ada replied visibly angry.

“I am not mad; I just know what is best for me. I want to have fun and adventures. I don’t even want to have children who will tie me down. I don’t want to be my mother. I want to be free to explore the world. Nothing should hold me back” Nwadiuto answered.

Josh was curious about Nwadiuto and her stance. She was an extraordinary girl. She was obviously intelligent and smart. She was also bold and very confident. She went for whatever she wanted and she did whatever she believed was right. She had a good side to her which he liked. The problem is just the crazy ideas she has and he knew there was more to her than she was displaying. He was worried about her. Something was wrong somewhere. She looked like she was fighting a demon and trying not to accept something. Something was definitely wrong.

“Nwadiuto, what do you hate about your mother that turned you to hate genuine love and commitment?” Josh asked.

“I don’t hate anything about her. I’m just pained she is wasting the rest of her life she has to live for someone who would have replaced her in a year. I feel women are cheated. Have you met my grandmother? You need to meet her. She is also beautiful and wealthy. Guess what; you will only hear Anozie from her mouth. She didn’t remarry or have any other lover. If her husband had lived, he would have had more children with another woman while she is forgotten in a grave”

“I understand you better. You are a feminist. You believe women and men should be treated equally and given equal opportunities. I agree with you. How do we make this changes happen? We should talk about them. You have to date a guy that shares the same opinion and act with him as equals. I do not support the lack of commitment in a relationsh¡p. It shows you don’t have self control and self love. I know it is your body to do with as you will but my dear, if you love your body, you wouldn’t allow just anyone have access to it. You will only give it to the deserving person who will love and honour it while respecting you. Do you understand? One person is all your body needs. You might go through some guys before the one person but when you get him, hold on to him by committing. I can’t assure you he wouldn’t cheat but I can tell you he will always do right by you because you are worth it. Nwadiuto, you are beautiful, s€×y, intelligent, smart, streetwise, and kind. This is the recipe some guys desire and they will stick with you forever”

The two girls couldn’t say a word when he finished. Nwadiuto had tears in her eyes. Josh understood her to an extent and she liked that. He was right. One of the reasons she hadn’t had s€× yet was because she didn’t think the guys deserved her body. They lusted after it and were willing to pay any amount to have it. But they didn’t deserve it because they made it obvious what they wanted even when they tried to pretend it wasn’t. She was a good judge of character.

After dinner that evening, Josh dropped them at home. Nwadiuto looked at Ada as she undressed, went to take a bath and come back into the room. She watched her get dressed for the night while she, Nwadiuto, undressed. Before she went into the bathroom, she said to Ada, “This guy is perfect for you. I mean Josh. He is mature and understands women. Why you wouldn’t give him a chance baffles me. I will give you until this time next year; if you don’t marry him, I will”

“Are you ok? Malik is out of the picture now. What is really wrong with you?”

“I should ask you the same question. What is wrong with you? Can’t you see the guy loves you. He hasn’t made any attempt to be inappropriate with you and you treat him like a friend. He is not Igbo, and so what? Give this guy a chance or I will snatch him from you. He ceases to be yours by this time next year. If you don’t take advantage of this opportunity, I will”

“Why am I even arguing with you? Mummy will never agree for you to marry a non-Igbo man”

“She can’t decide for me; I decide for myself. You are the weak one that allows others decide what is best for her”

Nwakaego was to be honoured by the Catholic Church Christmas of that year. She was also going to be honoured by the community. It was long overdue. She had refused Chieftaincy titles offered but rather supported uncle Obi to receive one as he was interested.

It was a big affair. Nwakaego had invited all her friends and business associates to grace the occasion. She knew it would help her church and community. Nwanneka decided to org-nize the occasion with the assistance of a planner as she wouldn’t always be around. She shopped for the clothes her mother and other family members will wear for the occasion. She took care of some of the expense while her mother and uncle Onyedika took care of the rest. Uncle Obi provided all the drinks.

Nwanneka officially invited her in-laws. Her mother-in-law who had not spoken to her in years requested for clothes for the occasion. She sent all of them outfits. Uju was with his mother at that time and had received his outfit. He insisted on coming for the occasion too.

Nkeiru owed a lot to Nwakaego. Her son just finished secondary and was waiting to gain admission to university. Nwakaego wanted him to school in Lagos so he could be closer to his mother until she was given an opportunity for Uju to study abroad on scholarsh¡p. She didn’t think twice about including his name. He wrote the test and passed well. He was offered the scholarsh¡p to school in Ukraine. All expense paid. His mother couldn’t believe her only child was going to Ukraine to study Medicine. She had Nwakaego and Nwanneka to thank. She came back for this occasion.

The occasion was grand. The villagers received gifts from the family. Pledges from special guests were made for community development. Nwakaego was already doing so much for the people that they just wanted to celebrate her and that’s what she did. She received her honour with Chinyere, Uloma, Nwanneka and Nwadiuto surrounding her. While the men stood with their sisters behind them. These women had over the years grown to love and support each other. It was obvious in the way they handled things. The men were also Nwakaego’s support system and she was theirs. Nothing happened without her knowledge.

Onyedika had also risen in ranks. He met an Hausa man who introduced him to precious stones business. He joined forces with the man and made so much money. The Alhaji held on to his profits. Nwakaego advised him to take a loan from Customs and the bank which he claimed he wanted to use to build a house. She didn’t want eyes on him as he made money. He bought a land in Ikeja GRA and built a duplex. From the outside, it was a plain house. But in,side the house showed the architectural work. It was well laid out and beautifully designed and furnished.

He used Chike’s method to show the house to his family. His wife was dumbfounded when she entered in,side. They were very happy. Onyedika invited Nwakaego, Nwanneka and her family to join in his happiness. Everybody was excited. He also brought his brother and his wife. As Obi was going, Onyedika, at the prompting of Nwakaego and encouragement from Uloma, gave his elder brother Obi and his wife Chinyere and large sum of money to put in their business. Obi shed tears when he received the cheque and prayed for his brother.

The family rose up for Nwakaego. They gifted her a brand new SUV. Nwakaego couldn’t believe her eyes. She cried at the sight of the gift. Her special guests also dropped envelopes for her. Nwakaego couldn’t believe how loved she was in the community. It was far beyond her imagination.

As the party was going on, Nwadiuto observed a particular guy who was staring at Ada but didn’t want Ada to see him. She wondered who he was. She walked up to him.

“Do you know her?” she asked him which startled him.

When he regained his composure, he replied, “I know her. My father insisted I had to be here today and here I am dodging from Ada”

“Why are you dodging from her? Walk up to her and say hello if you like her”

“Who are you?”

“I’m her sister Nwadiuto”

“Hello Nwadiuto, my name is Nnaemeka.”

“O, you are the Nnaemeka that broke my sister’s heart. The spoilt brat. I see. No wonder you are dodging from her”

“I’m the one. She looks different, I almost didn’t recognize.”

“And you like what you see?”

“Very much. I have always liked her. I was young and stupid. I am wiser now”

“No girlfriend?”

“None; I cleaned up my act. How can you help me convince Ada to give me another chance?”

“She’s dating someone now who is serious. I doubt if she would want to forsake what she has for a previous bad experience. I won’t advise her to do that”

“My father will kill me if I don’t talk to Ada before going back”

“You want to reconcile with her because of your father?”

“I am using him as an excuse. Why are those guys talking to her?”

Nwadiuto watched him. He was seriously upset. She knew he liked Ada but wasn’t sure it was love. Maybe he had truly matured over time and wanted something serious now. She excused herself and dragged Ada to the back of the house.

Tbc