'Yes. You should be satisfied, shouldn't you? It's not food, is it?'

  Try as much as he did, he could not get her to do what he wanted.

  They talked about other matters. She could see that he was not pleased with her refusal, but he should try to live with that, she thought.

  When it was after one, she stood up to go. He forced a grin and accompanied her to her car.

  'Thanks for the warm reception. You treated me like a queen.' She gave him a peck.

  'You're welcome.'

  He waved at her and she drove off. She joined the main road and drove towards Maryland. She could have driven straight to join Ipaja road, but she wanted to do a little shopping at the shopping complex in Maryland.

  It was the same complex he had met Emma. She bought the laundry items she wanted to buy and realized that her phone was not in her bag. She remembered that she had put it on the armrest of the chair she sat on in his sitting-room. She paid for the items she bought and drove back to Emma's place.

  Instead of driving inside the house, she parked by the gate and got down from the car. The security man was surprised to see her again.

  'Sorry, I forgot my phone. I've come back to pick it.' She smiled apologetically.

  'Your phone?' The question came as if he had not heard her well.

  'Yes.'

  The man was a bit reluctant to open the gate.

  'Make I go get am for you.' He scratched his head and awaited her nod.

  'No, no.' Janet would not want to bother him. 'Let me do it myself. Besides, I want to tell him something.'

  She moved the gate aside herself and went inside. Without bothering to knock, she opened the sitting room door and stepped inside. The scene she saw shocked her.

  Right there on the three-seater, Emma was on top of a lady. They were half naked and he was smooching all over her.

  'What! What's going on? Emma, what are you doing?' Her eyes were wide in surprise.

  He paused in doing what he was doing but did not say a word. He was probably too surprised to say a thing.

  'And who's this? How dare you enter without knocking!' The lady that was with him was full of admonition. She glared at Janet.

  Janet looked at Emma again but he remained mute. She had no business with the lady, so she decided to ignore her. Emma and the lady still remained as they were, without bothering to cover up their semi unclothedness. Shameless lot, Janet thought. She remembered she had come there to pick something.

  'Sorry, I actually came to pick my phone. I forgot it.'

  The phone was still where she had left it. She picked it up and without any ado left them to their shame.

  She went back to her car and zoomed off. Oh God! Her mind was in disarray. How could Emma behave like this? How could he bring another lady into the house? Emma had terribly disappointed her. How long had he been doing that? She had left the house just about half an hour ago; and within that short time, he had brought another girl!

  Janet reflected over her past relationships. They all seemed not to last. In fact, that was an understatement: all her previous serious relationships did not last. The longest was four months. Why? The fault was never hers. This very one for example, was it her fault that she caught them in that lascivious position?

Before she met Emma, there was Niyi who had looked so smooth and promising. Janet had thought she would end up being his wife. A call to his number one evening shattered the idea. It was a lady that had picked his call.

  'Is that Janet?' The voice was cold, to say the least.

  'Yes, please. I'll like to speak with Niyi.'

  'I saw your number stored as ‘’Janet darling’’. Thank God you called.' Now, the tone was icy. 'I was planning to call you, but now that you've called, that’s good. I’ve heard a lot about you. Listen and listen well. I want you to stop prostituting yourself with my husband.'

  'Excuse me.' Janet wasn't sure she had heard correctly.

  'You heard me! I’ll say it again. Leave my husband alone, you husband snatcher. Ashewo! Slut! Useless woman...'

  She had gone on to use the kind of expletives Janet had never heard before. Janet had cut off the line, feeling terribly embarrassed and shocked.

  Somewhere in her mind, she had imagined that Niyi would call and tell her it was all a very big joke, or an error, or something. He never did. Two days later, when he eventually called her, he said he had called to say goodbye. Just like that!

Now, this latest incident was beginning to make her get worried. Why was she so unlucky with the men she had been encountering? Why were her lovers unfaithful men? Why was it that even when she was trying to show a lot of commitment to building a lasting relationship, the other partner never cared?

As she drove home in dejection. Janet had the conviction that something must be wrong somewhere.



Abi drove down the dusty road and parked the car under a big mango tree. The whole surrounding left no one in doubt that it was a sleepy, rural area.

Abi and Helen got down from the car. Helen looked around the place disapprovingly.

  'Are you sure we're in the right place?' Helen stared at Abi, hoping she would get an expected answer.

  'Of course, we are. Come on, let's go.' Abi was certain she had not made a mistake.

  Helen followed her friend. After careful consideration, Helen had decided to follow the advice of her dear friend. They had come to the see the man Abi said could give her spiritual help.

  They went to an old house which only claim to modernization was the rusty corrugated iron sheets. The interior hardly looked better. To make matter worse, the place smelled of something Helen found unpleasant.

Nice update.

The interior hardly looked better. To make matter worse, the place smelled of something Helen found unpleasant.

  The baba welcomed them with what looked like a sly grin.

  'You're welcome, my children.' His greeting was meant to make them feel at home, but Helen would not see anything homely about him or the place.

  'Thank you, baba.' Abi was deferential. 'I've brought my friend,' She pointed at the taciturn companion. 'She needs help. I've told her a lot about you. I believe you can help her.'

  The old man turned his attention to Helen. 'My daughter, you're in the right place. Tell me what the problem is.'

  Helen, in spite of her feelings must open up on her problem and on what had brought them to the place. She briefly told him how she lost two suitors within a short time and how the two had died some months to the fixed days of wedding. The last one happened some days ago and she had become very dispirited. That was when her friend mentioned baba and his prowess in handling such a situation.

  The old man nodded his head meaningfully.

  'You have come to the right place.' His smile revealed brown teeth. 'Let me consult the oracle.' He brought a traditional 'string', made some incantations and spread the 'string' on the floor. He stared at the ground for some moments and then repeated what he just did. Then he looked up to stare at them.

  'I can see that you've got a big problem here, but nothing is too difficult for my god to do.' He stared up the roof as if he was discerning some messages.

  'My daughter.' He turned to Helen and paused briefly. 'You have a spiritual husband who is very jealous. He's the one who does not allow you to have any earthly husband.'

  Helen stared at the old man. There was confusion in her countenance. 'It's like you didn't hear me well.' She made a solemn look. 'I've not yet married. We're just planning it and...'

  'I heard you well.' His interjection had some hints of impatience. ‘And I'm talking about spiritual husband. You're married in the spirit to a very powerful man.'

Helen opened her mouth but did not say anything.

  'Tell me. Don't you sometimes dream that a man was making love to you?' He stared hard at her.

  Abi and the man looked at her expectantly for her answer.

  Countless of times, she had had such dreams. She would wake up to remember them and subsequently throw them at the back of her mind. To her, they were inconsequential.

  Helen nodded. 'Yes, but it's just a dream.'

  The man shook his head almost triumphantly. 'No, it's not just a dream. That was your spirit husband in action. He's the one taking those men who desired to marry you away.'

Nice one.