THE NIGERIAN GRADUATE EPISODE 7
By Caleb Canaan
It was Bola. I was confused, she was followed by Diamond, I didn’t know her real name.
“Here you are, husband snatcher!” I was confused, why would they gang up against me. “Wanna-be!!” Diamond clapped .
“What soap did u used? You used your village juju on my fiancée abi? I looked up,it was Bola who spoke.
[b]
” fiancée? “I asked looking shocked, I returned my gaze towards Fiwa, she was shocked also.
” I know you too well, Aderin. You purposely snatched my man. I’m not hear to listen to some craps.. I knew you lied, you think Shina can marry you. You’re no saint, my dear.”she said sitting on the stool.
“Riri, I know Shina is not aware of your past life, mine was better yet he left… So, get a life, sis. We’ve been together for over 15 years” “I’m giving you two good days. Leave my man!” She said as they stormed out. I was confused. I knew Amber Rose too well, Dummy was dangerous, Diamond was cunning. I knew my end is near, I smelt doom.
“Are you going to sit there all day” I heard Fiwa speak, it sounded like “are you going to die today?”
“Fiwa, what will happen to my relationship?” I asked
“Just get home and tell Shina about it. I warned you earlier… I do!” I was close to tears, I picked my bag and left her shop without any other words.
I got home and locked myself in the guest’s room.I left a note on table telling Shina not to look for me, I told him I went to see my parents. I heard him reading it aloud,he called which I refused to pick. I was in the room for two good days trying to figure out what next to do, I was confused, shattered,tired and restless. I could not eat. I came out the third day fully prepared for the worst, I was going to tell Shina, I went to our bedroom, packed my clothes, showered and cooked. I was eating when Shina came in, he was surprised to see me and I could not conceal my sadness.
“Baby, what happened?” He asked.
“Just a slight headache,honey” I wanted to tell him about Bola but my tongue was tied. We ate together, and he suggested we see a movie, we sat on the couch but my mind was not there.
I wanted to tell him but I was scared, scared of losing the man I loved, scared of breaking his heart. We sat for hours when we heard a car horned and the gateman opened the door. I was alert. Diamond and Bola came in without knocking, I froze.
“Whoa! Lovely apartment” Amber Rose commented as they took their seat. My heartbeat increased, I wished I could disappear or die.
“What are you doing here, Bola?” Shina asked silently.
“To see my fiancé and his drama queen” she replied grinning.
“I knew trouble was looping around when Dominique came. I knew she was a devil!” He shouted.
“Ayomi, we’ve been together for over fifteen years, why would you leave me for a cheap w---e you met barely two months ago?”
“You know the answer, hoe. Moreover, watch your tongue!”He barked.
” you left me because I had two abortion while you were away? Ask her if she’s a saint” shina and I exchanged glances.
“Hey miss, this is my woman. I know her quite well, she is not what she claimed she is”
“Shut your mouth, you dummy” I screamed!
“I knew of four times you committed abortions at Kibwas hospital in school, Riri. We met once” she said laughing wickedly. I froze, Shina froze, even the breeze froze. Shina stood up and went into the bedroom.
“Is that all? Are you done? Are you through? Homewrecker!” I barked.
“Oh! This is just the tip of the iceberg. Lowlifer!” She stood up and they left. I knew right there that it was over. I lost Shina, I lost the man who loved me. I went to the room but he had locked himself in the bathroom, so I picked my bag and left. I could not look into his eyes.I knew I betrayed him. I left without a goodbye. The only thing on my mind was suicide. I wanted to be crushed by a running trailer. I left his house that day and went back to my old house.
I got to my former house quite late and everyone in their rooms. I went straight to our caretaker’s room,when he saw the state I am in, he was surprised.
He asked me what went wrong and I opened up to him, I told him what happened and about my fake lifestyle.
I told him my parents are from Ilawe and that they were farmers,he and his wife listened to me keenly and comforted me.
He told me someone else had occupied my room but the guy was yet to pack in and I could use the room for a week.
I thanked in and went into my former room, they offered me food but I rejected. I retired in bed thinking about my life, I had a rough and fake upbringing. I vowed that night never to lie again even if it was at the point of death. I was in the room for three days doing nothing, I made few suicidal attempts but I was scared, I don’t wanna die. My caretaker and his wife would visit my room occasionally and the wife brought food which I would either eat or reject. On the third day, I heard a knock, I thought it was Fiwa because she called me earlier and promised to check On me the following day. I opened the door and surprisingly it was Diamond, Dummy and Amber Rose, they dragged me out immediately I opened the door.
They took turn raining insults on me as my neighbours were watching, they told them about my fake life in school, my head was buried in shame.
“I heard you told your neighbours you are working in Access Bank, abeg which of the branches because I’m working in its branch at Bankroad.?” Diamond asked. All my neighbours kept murmuring.
“Alasewo wannabe.” Dummy added.
“Aba me na!” Onome shouted in her native dialect.
“You lied to them you are a banker when you go around servicing men” Amber Rose said. The three of them took turn hiting me and Dummy tore my yellow gown, I was stark naked except the pant and bra I was putiing on. I covered myself with my tattered clothes and then, our caretaker’s wife came to drag me to their apartment. They left when She threatened to call the police. I felt humiliated, I was devasted and my quench for death increased. She advised me to leave our lodge and go and squat with a friend till in able to get over it. I was in her house till evening and when I told everyone would be asleep, I thanked her and on returning to my apartment, everybody was outside, immediately they saw me, they started murmuring, laughing and pointing at me. I buried my head as I walked into my apartment. The following morning around 5am, I was out of our lodge with my boxes, my handbag and my makeup box. I stood at the junction confused about where to go, I sighted an “akoto” bus and immediately I missed my parents. I waved and opted in telling him our street address… ILAWE, here I come.
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THE NIGERIAN GRADUATE EPISODE 8
My mom was up already when I got home, she was scared to see me, she left her goods and rushed to me.
“‘Mòmi, ké è shey o o?” (My child, what happened to you?)She asked in our native dialect. I dropped my bags and hugged her, she was my mother.. She loved me, I remembered those times I was young when she would do everything possible to cater for me. My parents loved Me, I was the apple of their eyes. Even though, I was the only girl and last child, I never lacked anything, I was the only graduate and both of them suffered to see me through. I blamed myself for abandoning them, it was over six month I saw them. I wept as I hugged my mum, I knew she was confused and worried.
“Shey wo loyun ni, ‘mòmi?” (Are you pregnant? My child?) I could not respond, I kept crying. I cried for minutes but I took time narrating my past to my Mother. I apologised for denying her, she cried so much that my heart seized, I knewi was bad, I was trained well but material things took over my heart. My mum urged me to go back to Ado but I told her I wanted to start a new life. She told me people would make best of me if they knew I was back to Ilawe. I told her I would stay for a few weeks before I look for somewhere to relocate to.
I turned a new leaf, I moved closer to God. I brought a new sim and the only contact I saved was that of my parents,siblings, Fiwa and Shina. I woke up everyday with the thought of calling Shina and Fiwa but I believed they were in my past, Fiwa knew my parents’ house in Ilawe and she had not come to see me since I left Ado Ekiti even though my line was not reachable.
Three weeks into my stay in Ilawe, my father came one afternoon and summoned a meeting, my eldest brother, Emanu was there. Emaanu(Emmanuel) was my parents’ first son, he was a semiliterate like my dad because he dropped out of secondary school. He worked as a gateman in FUOYE, Oye Ekiti.
“‘Mòmi, what do you want to do? You can’t continue sitting in this town like this, everyone is making jest of you and us. Will you because a man jilted you ruin your life? You should know by now he doesn’t love you.” I kept quiet. It was true the villagers were making fun of me. I remembered how Akin, my exboyfriend who deflowered me made fun of my predicament.
Akin was the first guy I dated when I was thirteen. I was in JSS3 and he was in SS2 in one of the secondary schools in my village. Akin was Baba Olowo’s son. Baba Olowo was one of the richest cocoa merchant in our village, every cocoa season, Baba Olowo would marry another woman. Akin was his favourite, he was his eldest wife’s last son and he lacked nothing. I was so lucky dating him because he was so proud and hardly made friends with our mates. Anytime I came home for Midterm or holiday break, we would stroll around the village holding hands and we were termed ‘tokotaya'(couples). He deflowered me on my fourteen under a mango tree. Akin dropped out of school that year to look after his father’s business because the man was growing old. I stopped dating him when I gained admission into UNILAG. How would an undergraduate date a dropout? I disgraced him and also embarrassed his mother the day he claimed he came to pay my dowry, who does that? And since then, we had become sworn enemies. I was coming from the market the day he and his mother disgraced me. I was passing through his gate when his mother summoned me to come see her. I entered through the gate. I met Akin and his mother.
“Okun mòmi” his mum greeted,she asked me what I was doing in the village and I told her I came to spend sometime with my parents.
“You think we didn’t hear what happened to you in Ado? Unilag queen” Akin threw at me. I kept quiet
“You refused to marry me because you are a graduate, abi? In jare, ibo lin jasi?(please, what was the outcome)
“WO o, Akin ti n’iyawo o. Oburin merin li gbesule” (see,akin is married, he married four wives”
“Will you be my fifth wife, I’ll take care of you o… You will be in charge of this house, my work and farm” I was quiet, I started weeping, I felt humiliated. They started laughing.
“Wo fe GBE alákadà lá sule.” (You want to marry a fake lifer) I left the compound crying, I cried all the way home.
“Àbuù mi,you can’t continue staying under our parents. You are the glory of this family and I know you won’t put us to shame. Mòoòmi said you are into makeups”
“Yes.”
“Baba gave me money to rent a shop for you in Oye Ekiti which I did, I’ve furnished it a little. Come with me to Oye and make money.” He said.
“No, I don’t want to be a makeup artist.” I replied quietly and started sobbing. Shina paid my Makeup tuition and going into makeups would bring back old times. I followed my brother down to Oye Ekiti where I was to start my new phase of life after persuasion from my mother. My studio was situated in the student area and I was able to make lots of customers and had few apprentices
Kzee, my male apprentice was a 300l Sissy, he walked ,talked and behaved like a female. After makeups sessions or on our free times, we would gist and snap selfies with other apprentices. I wanted to download Jenifa’s diary through his phone one cool afternoon when a call came in. The name that appeared on the screen was “Bro”, it was an international number. I was shocked to see Shina’s picture, I kept staring at the picture till Kzee collected the phone and picked his call. I was starring at him for over ten minutes before he ended the call.
“Riri, abeg why you dey look me that way?” I kept quiet. “Abi you don fall for my brother? See,my brother don marry o” he said grinning, I was shocked,heartbroken and scared, Shina was married. I knew I was close to tears so I picked my bag and went home. Kzee was confused so were others. I cried myself to bed that night. It was a bad day.
July 12th was my birthday, and 12th of July, 2016 was the best of my years, it was the day my destiny changed,my sadness faded away and a day history
was made. Mo, one of my students who was into cakes and pastries made me a makeup cake, Ruth decorated the studio with my pics and theirs, Kzee brought me a dress earlier and he said I must wear it for my birthday, I felt happy being around them and my sorrow faded away.
Around 3pm, a white SUV halted in front of my studio and my parents and brother Emaanu alighted from it. I moved closer to them because I went to visit them that weekend, I was afraid something bad happened and confused because the vehicle was strange. Who was the stranger who brought my parents?
A talk, dark skinned man appeared from the vehicle smiling at me, I fainted!
To be continued....