Ann2012:
Awwwwn
I'm sooo loving this love story, I just pray nothing goes wrong.

Mr. Jameskudooski, pls keep the updates coming ejor Sir

Thanks a lot, Ann2012. Hope you are doing great?

Episode 5 (Chapter 5)

THE WHOLE COMPOUND AWOKE to Rachael’s rendition of Celine Dion’s Have You Ever Been in Love song. The song was coming out from the Jacksons’ kitchen. The beautiful song gently seeped through the kitchen door and filled the entire sitting room where Mrs Jackson and her eldest daughter, Abigail who had come for a visit, were discussing. It also found its way through the windows into the compound. The voice was so pleasant and captivating that one could have thought that the angels were at it again making sweet melodious tunes. Anyone hearing the song wouldn’t waste any time concluding that Celine Dion was one of the greatest singers the world had ever known!

But this time around, as lovely as the voice sounded, it wasn’t Celine Dion’s—it was Rachael’s voice singing the song happily from the kitchen as she prepared breakfast for the family. She sang as if no one was watching and as if she owned the song. She sang with so much depth and feeling that even Celine Dion herself would have marvelled at the dexterity with which she delivered the lines.

As she moved gracefully from one point to the other in the kitchen exhibiting her superlative cooking skills, everything about her—her pleasant voice, her radiant countenance, the gait with which she moved around—all pointed to one thing: HAPPINESS! No one would have had any difficulty telling that she was very happy; perhaps the happiest lady on earth that morning.

“Mummy, whose voice is it that I’m hearing?” Abigail asked.

“Your sister’s, Rachael’s, of course! These days she wakes everybody up with her love songs. She’s been so happy lately.” Mrs Jackson explained after which she paused a little, raised both hands towards the ceiling and continued, “Ah! I thank you so much ooo Almighty God that my daughter, Rachael, could find happiness again …” She then rested both hands on her chest, shook her head gently and continued, “Ah! I’m so happy for her.”

“Yes mummy, I am quite happy for her too ooo. Who could have thought that Rachael could be this lovely and happy after those three sorrowful years?”

“Whoever it is that has had this effect on her must be strong and special. May the blessings of the Almighty never depart from him for bringing my daughter out of the pit of sorrow and loneliness. He might not realise what he has done for me but he has made me the happiest mother on earth.” Then she moved closer to her daughter on the couch and whispered raising the brows of her prying eyes, “Has she told you who this magic boy is yet?”

Abigail couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“Mummmmmy! Ah! Don’t be in a haste. She will tell you in due time.”

“That due time better not be long ooo. I can’t wait to meet the magic boy.” Mrs Jackson retorted with a chuckle and a wink at the same time.

Just then, Rachael came out of the kitchen to set the table in preparation for the food that was almost ready. She was so engrossed in the song that she didn’t realise that her mum and sister were discussing her. After arranging the table she went back to the kitchen to bring the food. As she turned to leave, Abigail who had been watching her every move with admiration noticed something and called her mother’s attention to it.

“Mummy, are you seeing what I’m seeing? Wow! Mummy, did you notice that Rachael has added some weight?”

“Yes ooo, Abigail. Is it only the weight gain you are seeing? Can’t you see that her beauty has started coming out more and more too? That is why I called that boy a magic boy!”

“Mum, I pretty agree with you. This boy must be magical indeed. The effect he has had on her in a short period of time is astronomical!” Abigail said and shaking her head in amazement she added, “Wow! Mummy, just look at her again … Wow! Wow!! Wow!!! She’s looking fresher, happier and adding weight where it matters.”

“You can say that again my dear, you know.” Mrs Jackson chipped in and they both laughed heartily.

A few minutes later, Mrs Jackson, Abigail, Rachael and their younger brother, Jerry, took their seats round the dining table to enjoy the delicious meal. Mrs Jackson who still couldn’t contain her surprise over the sudden turnaround she was seeing in her daughter kept starring at Rachael in admiration and appreciation to God. Just then Rachael raised her eyes and caught her mum’s penetrating gaze on her.

“Mum? What?” She questioned.

“What’s what?” Mrs Jackson countered feigning an innocent look.

“The look, mum!” Rachael persisted.

“What about the look?” Mrs Jackson snapped back defensively and asked sarcastically, “Since when did it become a crime to look at one’s daughter and admire her beauty?”

“Hmmm? Mummy, I know that look! It’s more than that of admiration.” She said grinning and gulped down some water from the glass cup in front of her. Both Abigail and Jerry looked on as the drama between the mother and daughter played before them.

“Okay then. You caught me there.” Mrs Jackson backed down. “I was just wondering when you are going to tell us about the magic boy.” She said rolling her eyes.

Rachael suddenly choked on the morsel that was in her mouth. She started coughing copiously and quickly covered her mouth with her palm trying to prevent the food in her mouth from splashing out. It was obvious she wasn’t expecting the question, at least, at that moment. Seeing what just happened, Jerry rolled his eyes mischievously and let out a sound, “Dehn-dehn-dehnnn!!!” as if to say, “Well, that is it!”

“Jerry, what?” Rachael who had recovered from the cough snapped at him.

“Nothing … just enjoying my food … that’s all.” Jerry said as innocently as possible.

“And mum, what magic boy?” Rachael continued her questioning as she turned to her mother.

“I mean the boy that did that to you.” Mrs Jackson replied pointing to her and drawing the curvy shape of a lady in the air with both hands, gracing the gesture with both a smile and a wink at the same time.

Rachael quickly stood up and looked at every part of her body carefully. She even turned her head to check out her backside for confirmation. Then she turned to Abigail and raised her brows quizzically as if to ask, “Is that true, Big Sister?”

Abigail smiled and cleared her throat. “Babe, mummy is quite right, you know …” She commented and added, “Ever since I got here, I’ve been looking at you and couldn’t help but notice how radiant you are looking and how you’ve been adding weight where it matters … you know what I am saying. What is more? That love song you were …”

Rachael quickly cut in, “Oh, you heard that too?”

Abigail laughed. “Come on, everybody heard that; even neighbours three blocks away must have heard it too.”

Rachael who was now visibly shy responded, “Oh-oh, I didn’t know I was that loud.” Abigail and Mrs Jackson looked at each other and burst into a resounding laughter.

“Dehn-dehn-dehnnn!!!” Went Jerry again.

“Jerrrrrrry!” Rachael shouted.

Jerry quickly dropped his fork and threw both hands high up into the air like someone who had just been ordered to freeze by a policeman at gun point. He said, “Nothing … Just…” With that gesture, everyone including Rachael burst into a loud laughter.

“Naughty boy!” Rachael managed to say amidst the laughter.

At that time, Rachael’s phone started ringing. All eyes became fixed on her. She picked up the phone and seeing the name of the caller on the screen, her eyes lit up resulting into an adorable grin that extended from ear to ear. She quickly stood up and excused herself.

“MAGIC BOY?” Mrs Jackson and Abigail blurted in one accord, casting an inquisitive look on her. Jerry on the other hand just rolled his eyes and let out, “Dehn-dehn-dehnnn!!!”

Rachael didn’t allow herself to be distracted by the drama. She just turned her head laughing and said, “You people are not serious!” as she swaggered out of the dining hall going as far as possible from the prying eyes of Mrs Jackson, Abigail and the mischievous Jerry.

Everybody had actually finished eating by then. With Rachael busy with her phone call, Jerry helped clear the table and Abigail got up to attend to her phone which was now ringing also.

Left alone at the table, Mrs Jackson looked on as her children left in different directions. Her face shone with satisfaction and thankfulness to her Creator. She was especially thankful that Rachael had eventually gotten out of the hole of loneliness she hid herself after three horrific years. She remembered vividly how those three years had been excruciatingly tough for Rachael and how the heartbreak that lead to those sorrowful years began .…

JamesKudooski:


Thanks a lot, Ann2012. Hope you are doing great?

I'm good Sir, what about you?
Thanks for the update

Wow, wow, wow. Fascinating, fantastic, wonderful,interesting piece of work. You doing a great job bro. Keep it up. You are the best!!!
Thanks for the update. God bless you.

Ann2012:


I'm good Sir, what about you?
Thanks for the update

Am good too. Take care.

Godwindanielboy:
Wow, wow, wow. Fascinating, fantastic, wonderful,interesting piece of work. You doing a great job bro. Keep it up. You are the best!!!
Thanks for the update. God bless you.

Thanks a lot, Godwindanielboy. Really appreciate.

Episode 6 (Chapter 6)

THE STORY ALL BEGAN one Monday morning when Rachael was going to work. She left the house very early in order to beat the crazy traffic synonymous with Monday mornings on Lagos roads. The hustle and bustle of Monday mornings were usually second to none. The bus-stops were usually more crowded than other days. She waited at the bus-stop to board a bus but it seemed that all the buses had been locked up in a traffic jam somewhere as there was none in sight even after several minutes of waiting anxiously.

Suddenly the weather started to change. The next minute, the roar of a loud thunder sent everybody at the bus-stop quivering. It was going to rain and there was no denying that the rain was going to be merciless. Rachael stood there helplessly wondering how she was going to escape from the imminent rain that had in no way back down on its threat to cause mayhem. The bus-stop shed was definitely not an option. The shed was already dilapidated and could barely shield anyone from the lightest of all rains, let alone the monstrous one that was about to let loose. She remembered how an inner voice had warned her to take her umbrella along earlier that morning and how she had stifled the voice to death reasoning that it would not rain since it wasn’t the raining season yet. What she failed to realise was that the unceasing depletion of the ozone layer had started altering the climatic calendar.

“Gosh! If only I had listened to that voice …” She had barely finished murmuring to herself when the floodgates of heaven were let loose and the rain gushed down from above with vengeful intensity. Not able to figure out an escape route, she resigned to her fate, closed her eyes and clenched her fists waiting for the downpour over her head. The song that was playing in her mind at that moment was, ‘Oh, my hair … My new hair … My shoes … My hair … My shoes.’ Then she realised that she didn’t feel any water dropping over her. She began to wonder if the rain had suddenly changed its mind! But it couldn’t be because she was hearing the sound of the rain hitting the ground with venom and could feel the water splashing on her legs.

She opened her eyes and discovered that an umbrella was hovering over her head. She looked at the person that covered her with the umbrella—the saviour that her rescued the expensive hairdo she made over the weekend. It was a towering figure—a tall young man of about six feet one inch in height apparently in his thirties. He was swarthy and not bad for a guy in looks.

Not long after that, the rain stopped with the same suddenness with which it started. Almost immediately a bus that had succeeded in fighting its way out of the hold-up arrived at the bus-stop with the conductor shouting in a deep coarse voice; a tell-tale that he was a constant smoker of igbo as marijuana was popularly called in that part of the country, “Surulere … Surulere … enter with your change ooo if you no wan make I join una together for bus-stop…. Surulere …” Surprisingly, there was no rush because the rain had sent the crowd scampering for shelter.

‘Well, it’s like the rain has its good side after all. How difficult would it have been for me to board this bus if the rain had not scattered these people all about? The rush would have been something else.' Rachael thought as she boarded the bus.

Coincidentally, the young man too was going to Surulere, so they sat beside each other on the bus. Rachael sincerely thanked him for his kind gesture and a discussion ensued between them. The discussion soon got interesting. He told her his name was Nemuel and they exchanged phone numbers. He explained that he had noticed her most times at the bus-stop and that they had boarded the same bus a couple of times before. She was surprised at this given that she had never noticed him before that morning. Before long, they got to Surulere and departed after saying goodbyes. She strolled down to her office which was a few blocks away while Nemuel boarded another bus to his final destination.

As days changed into weeks and weeks became months, they gradually became closer and closer. They called each other from time to time and hooked up every morning to go to work together. One thing lead to the other, and they soon began going out. He was very nice to her and cared so much for her or so it seemed. He gradually won her over completely that she had no piece of her left to herself—everything was his. Her heart and her thoughts belonged to him. She was so fond of him that she could hardly spend a minute without thinking about him. He was her Mr Right! Nemuel told her several sweet words that made her ears tickle and deepened her love for him. She would tidy his house up, wash his cloths and prepared delicious meals for him even whenever he wasn’t home. She had her own spare key to the house.

One Saturday evening, she visited him as usual. She had already stopped over at the market to buy a variety of foodstuff. On getting to the apartment, she left her bag on the couch in the sitting room and headed right away into the kitchen to prepare the stuff she had bought from the market. It was her style to prepare a variety of dishes and soups that could last for one week. That way Nemuel wouldn’t need to bother about what to eat during the week. All he needed to do was to bring out the food of his choice from the freezer and warmed it in the microwave oven.

About two hours later, she was done with the cooking and she came out to the sitting room where Nemuel was watching a Premier League encounter between Chelsea FC and Manchester United, his favourite team.

“Darling, I have put the food in the freezer. I have also labelled them for each day. That way, I will ensure you are eating right instead of those junk food of yours.” She announced immediately she sat beside him.

“Oh, my honey pie, that’s so thoughtful of you. How can I ever thank you enough?” He replied holding her palm into his and rubbing it with the other hand.

“Well, the only way you can thank me is to ensure that you eat them so as to be well-nourished …” And rolling her eyes, she added, “I don’t want a tinrin-gbeku for a husband you know.” Tinrin-gbeku is a Yoruba phrase for describing an extremely thin or mal-nourished person.

Nemuel laughed. “It is a man with a pot belly that you prefer, abi? No problem. You asked for it and you will get it.” He teased.

“God forbid!” She exclaimed snapping her thumb and middle finger as she waved her hand over her head.

Nemuel laughed again. “You see, that’s what I’m talking about. You know …” Nemuel was saying when the commentator raised his voice. Nemuel quickly turned to the television and writhed his way to the edge of the seat. “Oh, Oh, Oh …Yes … Yes … Rooney shoot your ball … Yes … GOOOOALLLLLL!!!!!!” He jumped up as he celebrated his team’s goal.

“Nemuel! Ah! You and football” Rachael caught his attention once more.

“Sorry dear, I just couldn’t miss that superb goal.” He apologized and sat down back beside her. “You know, I was saying …” He held her hands again, “You are my One-in-a-million, my honey pie-pie, the love of my life … Oh, my baby oku.” He went on with his sweet words.

“Hmmm … there we go again.” She responded blushing uncontrollably. “You know I really love you too, Nemuel.” Immediately she said that she checked her watch and shouted, “Oh, it’s 8.30 pm!” She jumped up and started picking up her things. “I still have to prepare dinner at home and I am already late. I have to go now before mummy gets mad at me.”

As she stood up to leave, he held her hand and stared at her affectionately, “Baby … do you mean it when you say you love me?”

“Yes, I do and you know I love your very much.”

“Then prove it. If you really love me as much as you claim, please give me a kiss.”

“Oh, no! Nemuel, do I have to kiss you to prove my love for you and especially when you know that I’m running late already? You know I love you with all my heart and you equally know my stand on morals.” Rachael explained. But that was not enough to get her out of Nemuel’s hold.

“Baby, you know you are beautiful in form and attractive to the eyes. Everyday, every minute, I’m always scared of losing you. I know there are several other guys out there dying for your love. Baby, I just don’t want to lose you to any of them, please.” He replied downcast.

Seeing this, she felt for him and sitting back beside him, she rubbed his cheek gently, explaining soothingly, “Oh, darling, you know that is not possible. I’ve made up my mind to spend the rest of my life with you and nobody else. I won’t hurt you. You should know this by now, my love.”

“Then prove it, baby. I need to know all these are not mere words. Baby, please.” He said and this time around he was almost crying. Rachael could see that his eyes were getting ready to swim in tears. Her soft heart couldn’t allow that to happen, so she decided to give him a peck on his cheek to lighten him up. As she moved her mouth close to his cheek, he held her head and pressed his lips against hers. She quickly pulled back and hurriedly got up. But before she could get up completely, he pulled her back and pleaded, “Pleeeease, baby.” She lost her balance as a result of the pull and fell on his lap. That was the opportunity he was waiting for. Before she could get up again, he pressed his lips against hers and tried caressing her body affectionately with his hands straying to touch some soft spots. That sent an indescribable sensation down her spine and she almost let out a moan. She nearly couldn’t resist him any longer!

That was a day she wouldn’t forget in a hurry and that was the beginning of the end of the relationship she cherished so much!

That night, Rachael sat up in her bed thinking about what happened in the evening and how close she was to falling into a serious temptation—she was an inch away from committing one of the gravest sins she had read from her Bible! How happy she was that she had gather the strength to stop Nemuel before he could have carnal knowledge of her. Immediately she noticed that his hands were straying to where they ought not to be, the alarm rang in her head. She pushed him away and ran out of the house. Evidently happy with herself, she closed her eyes and her lips gave way to a smile of satisfaction. She said a prayer of thanks to God for her steadfastness. For her, it was a victory won. She was raised by God-fearing parents who had instilled in her and her siblings high moral standards and deep respect for the writings of the Holy Book. She had always adhered strictly to God’s laws and principles about morals and was pleased with herself that she had not failed that evening.

She woke up the next morning still thinking about the events of the previous evening. She recalled what happened just before she ran out. Nemuel had fallen on his knees wearing a remorseful look. He had called after her, “Baby, please I am sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I didn’t mean to hurt you. Please it won’t happen again. I am sorry.” He was almost crying.
However, she was not going to spend another second in that house with him lest the temptation grew wings and grabbed her in its pinions. Still, she could feel the compunction in his voice and could see it on his face.

Having thought deeply about the events, she decided it was time they did the right thing. Nemuel had told her several times how she was God sent and how he would never let her out of his sight. She reasoned that if she really meant that much to him perhaps it was fine for her to bring up the issue of marriage. Why not? After all, they were both not kids anymore and were both in marriageable age she thought. That way they could be together without worrying of ever going overboard. More so, Nemuel’s reaction after the incidence showed that he really loved her. What happened was only a momentary period of weakness, she further reasoned.

She picked up her phone to call him. He might have been bogged down with guilt and would need somebody to lift up his spirit. Hence, it was appropriate to call to find out how he was doing. The phone rang several times but Nemuel wouldn’t answer the calls. She checked the time and it was almost 9.30 am. He should have woken up by that time! What could be happening?

‘Well, maybe he couldn’t sleep during the night because of a guilty conscience and overslept by the time he eventually slept. I know my Nemuel will call back immediately he wakes up.’ She thought. However, all through the day, he didn’t return her calls and she began to get worried. ‘This is unlike Nemuel. Has something happened to my Nemuel or could the guilty feeling be taking so much toll on him?’ She became afraid as the thoughts enveloped her. At exactly 5.45 pm, she couldn’t take it anymore, so she decided to go and check out what might be wrong with the love of her life.

On getting to Nemuel’s place, she realised that his windows were opened. “So, he must be home.” She concluded. But she noticed that the place was unusually quiet. She became a little suspicious. Ordinarily, Nemuel wouldn’t be home and the whole place would be that quiet. The blast of his stereo would have filled the air as one got closer to his apartment. Her fear intensified when she saw that the bulb outside his apartment was on; so the unusual quietness could not allude to power outage! “What’s happening?” She asked herself in an undertone. “Why am I having this feeling that something is terribly wrong?” She had worry lines written all over her forehead. She hastened her steps to the door but as she was about inserting the key into the keyhole, the door gave way at the slightest touch. Her heart immediately skipped a few beats. “Ah! This is strange! Nemuel wouldn’t be home and leave the door unlocked even if he’s inside! This can’t be good. For a certainty, something is really wrong!” She muttered visibly fidgeting.

She held her breath as she opened the door slowly as if opening it that way was going to change anything. It wasn’t that she didn’t know that, she just didn’t want to be suddenly struck by whatever horror awaited her inside the house. The moment the door was fully opened she almost fainted at the sight that welcomed her!

Behold! A red liquid was flowing on the floor! She immediately became consumed by a kind of fear she had not experienced before in her entire life or could find the right words to describe. “Oh, my God! Blood! Blood!! Blood!!!” She almost screamed but instinctively bottled it within herself. What if the assailant was still lurking somewhere around the house? That would be dangerous for her. Her eyes involuntarily scanned round the sitting room and caught sight of drops of the red liquid that trickled towards Nemuel’s room. At this point, she was too confused to know what exactly to do.
Without a second thought, she ran straight to Nemuel’s room and flung the door open. Immediately, she froze at what she saw! She stood there petrified with eyes and mouth widely opened, and goose pimples standing as tall as Mouth Everest all over her body. Her phone dropped off her hand—the sight of what laid on the bed was too terrifying to look at!

Numuel!!! Hope you never cause wahala like this.
Full of suspense.
Keep it up.Thanks for the update. God bless.

Nice job op

boss boss, I don show oooooo,

nice wan.

Godwindanielboy:
Numuel!!! Hope you never cause wahala like this.

Full of suspense.

Keep it up.Thanks for the update. God bless.

[sub][/sub]

Thanks, Godwindanielboy.

izaray:
Nice job op

Thanks a lot, izaray.

skubido:
boss boss, I don show oooooo,


nice wan.

Skubido, you are welcome, baba.

JamesKudooski:

Skubido, you are welcome, baba.

Tanks boss,, I dey ur back dey follow you like say tomorrow no dey..

Episode 7 (Chapter 7)

EVERYTHING APPEARED TO BE happening in slow motion and the whole room seemed to be going in circles! Rachael met with the shock of her life! Right there in the bed was Nemuel, not in the pool of blood, but in the grasp of another woman completely oblivious to what was happening at the door. It was the crashing sound of the phone on hitting the ground that jolted them back to happenings around them. Realising what just happened, Nemuel and the lady immediately scrambled for the duvet struggling to cover their fully naked and sweaty bodies.

Tears ran down uncontrollably Rachael’s eyes. She stomped out of the room to the sitting room and sank into the couch weeping profusely. Nemuel who had managed to put on his boxer shorts ran after her and met her in the sitting room. With tearful eyes, she looked up at him and said with the tears trying to stifle the words, “Why? Nemuel why? With all the love I have shown you and all the love you professed to have for me… why?”

At that Nemuel knelt down to her level. One would ordinarily have thought he wanted to beg her forgiveness. Instead, he gave her a thunderous slap across the face. “That’s for disrupting my fun and not having the courtesy to knock before barging into my room like a mad cow.”

The sound of the slap was like a clashing cymbal and sent her reeling back into the couch. She screamed in agony. Gathering all the strength left in her, she stood up still holding the cheek which was now red hot like a piece of metal just coming out of the embers of a blacksmith. She managed to say amidst the cry, “You slapped me because of that LovePeddler, Nemuel?!”

That was her second mistake of the evening. On hearing that, Nemuel went gaga. It was as if a wandering demon had eventually found a resting place in him. He roared like an angry lion, “What?! Who are you calling a wh*re? Jessica a wh*re? Nooooo! Jessica a wh*re?!” With that, he landed another heavy slap on the other cheek. This time, she lost her balance, staggered backwards and crashed into the red liquid on the floor. The smell of the liquid filled her nose and in an instant, she realised that the red liquid was not blood after all but red wine that the lovebirds had treated themselves to before the escapades in the bedroom. She raised her head a little and saw the empty bottles that had rolled under the stool thus confirming the incident.

Nemuel was visibly vibrating with fury at this point. He approached her menacingly and buried two soldier-like kicks into her sides. She groaned again in excruciating pain. Yet she managed to ask Nemuel once more choking on a sob, “How could you do this to me after giving all of myself to you?”

Nemuel giggled cruelly and roared, “You call that giving all of yourself to me? That short moment of shallow kisses? You didn’t even allow me touch your body and you said you gave all of yourself to me? How is that giving all of yourself to me when you didn’t allow me to taste the koko?! Stupid girl! What were you thinking? Ehn? So, you thought I would marry you without first tasting the koko to confirm if you are worth having? Ehn? Have you ever seen a man that buys suya without first tasting it to see if it is delicious or not? I would be the biggest fool to do that!”

“But you said you loved me!”

“Love my foot! You see why I said you are a STUPID GIRL … a DULLARD … an INJUDICIOUS LASSIE … THE EMBODIMENT OF IDIOCY? Have you ever seen a man that loves a woman genuinely without first sleeping with her to know how sweet she is? And here you are calling my Jessica a LovePeddler, someone that is ever ready to give me what I want. That is what is called giving of all of oneself to a man if you don’t know, STUPID GIRL!” He emphasized the ‘stupid girl.’

Those words pierced through her like a sharp double-edged sword. She didn’t know which was more painful—the gruesome words or the beating! While lying on the floor still trying to process what was happening, Nemuel grabbed her hair and dragged her towards the door. Again, she let out a scream of agony. The pain as he pulled the hair was indescribable and unbearable. The veins of her head stood in anguish. At the door, he shoved her outside shouting after her, “I don’t want to ever see you again, STUPID GIRL!”

Outside hugging herself in pain, she stood transfixed looking at the door. ‘STUPID GIRL … DULLARD … INJUDICIOUS LASSIE … EMBODIMENT OF IDIOCY.’ Those words kept echoing in her head. This was supposed to be the love of her life. This was someone she had loved unconditionally and whom she had cared for to the best of her abilities. And now he had the effrontery to rain the full force of his vocabularies on her for trying to keep herself intact for him till their wedding night. What had suddenly happened to her being his One-in-a-million, his Asampete and Baby Oku? It was all a game and she had been played. All he wanted was to sleep with her and seeing that she wasn’t going to hand him that prize loosely. She meant nothing to him anymore.

What was happening? Could all these be a dream? Why wouldn’t anyone wake her up from this nightmare that was consuming her soul? She pinched herself several times to be sure it was a dream but each time she felt the pain. This was no dream! With grief-stricken horror, she stood there in disbelief watching as her world crashed right before her. She turned round to leave but she could hardly stand erect because of the pain she felt all over her body. She was bent over as she dragged herself along. However, the pain of the beating paled in comparison to the pain the words ‘stupid girl … dullard … injudicious lassie … embodiment of idiocy’ inflicted on her. After taking a few steps she turned her head to take one more glance of the apartment she once had free access to—even having a spare key—but that had suddenly become forbidden for her. At that moment, Nemuel slammed the door and hurried back inside calling out, “Jessy baby … oh, my Jessy baby …”

Tears flowed down freely from her already puffy eyes. She fell on her knees right there and cried her eyes out. She wept until she could make no more sound and started to shake. Just then it started to rain. She remained on the spot. There was no need running away from the rain. Her life had crashed already so what more harm could the rain cause her. The rain poured down on her relentlessly washing her tears away. The whole event of the evening continued to play like a horror movie in her head. As the sound of the door Nemuel slammed behind her reverberated in her head, she looked up, wiped her eyes clean with the back of her palm, braced herself up and slammed the door of her heart to love! Love was cruel! Never would she give another man the chance to treat her so treacherously again!


* * *


“Mummy, I think it’s time for me to leave.” The voice of Abigail jolted Mrs Jackson back to the present. She stood up from the dining table and joined Abigail in the sitting room.

“Ah-Ah! Won’t you play with us a little more before leaving?”

“Mummy, I left Denis, Dan, and Jane with my mother-in-law. More so, I need to go and prepare lunch for them and their dad. You know my husband doesn’t joke with his stomach.”

“But there is still time nah. Is your house not twenty minutes’ drive from here? Why the hurry?” Mrs Jackson countered. Anyway, she was just being a mother, simple. Mothers usually enjoyed the company of their grown up children especially those who had left home for school or marriage whenever they visited, and usually wished they stayed a little more all the time.

“It is true, mummy but I have to stop over at the supermarket to get some provisions for the children.” Abigail explained and Mrs Jackson backed down reluctantly.

“Okay. Extend my greetings to my lovely grandchildren. Also, remember to send the piece of cloth you promised me.”

“No problem mummy, I will send it down.” She hugged her mother, picked up her handbag and was about to leave when Jerry spoke up.

“Sis, are you leaving just like that? Nothing for the boy?” Abigail smiled, opened by purse and handed over a new one thousand naira note to him. Jerry collected the money, held it with both hands and slid backwards in a Michael Jackson’s moon-walk style whistling in excitement.

“Rachael, Rachael, your sister is leaving ooo … won’t you come and see her off?” Mrs Jackson called out to Rachael who was still romantically busy on phone with Tomiwa. “Please tell Magic Boy to give you a second.”

Rachael hung up the phone and hurried to the sitting room to see her sister off. As she walked into the sitting room, Abigail winked at her.

“What?” Rachael quizzed her sister.

“Oh, nothing!” Abigail responded funnily and they both laughed while walking out of the house.

“Dehn-dehn-dehnnn!!!”

“Jerrrrrrry!!!”

“Nothing mummy.” He answered and left for his room.

Mrs Jackson shook her head in happiness chuckling as she said, “Oh, what wonderful children!”

hmmmmmm, eye don see.

Boss tanks a lot for the update. more ooo

Hmmm, life is not a bed of roses. Truly the darkest hour is before the dawn.
I hope Rachael newly found joy will not be short-lived.
Op, ride on, you are doing a great job. Thanks for the update. God bless.

Nemuel is a loser, I pray Rachael's new found love will last forever.
Thanks Boss

Ann2012:
Nemuel is a loser, I pray Rachael's new found love will last forever.
Thanks Boss

I pray oooo,, condition dey ooo

Now i see why Rachael is so scared of falling deeply inlove again


Thanks op, keep it coming as e dey hot

Naso ooo Oga mi.
Let's keep reading and know what Oga James has for us

skubido:



I pray oooo,, condition dey ooo

so interesting, kudos to the writer

afolabiwunmi:
so interesting, kudos to the writer

Thanks, afolabiwunmi. Glad you are enjoying the story.

Episode 8 (Chapter 8 )

IT HAD BEEN THREE months since Tomiwa and Rachael started going out and everyone in Rachael’s home could not cease talking about the tremendous transformation in her occasioned by the emergence of Tomiwa in her world. With each passing day, the effect became more pronounced. The once moody and withdrawn Rachael had suddenly become full of spirit and vibrant. Her radiance and charming beauty were becoming more noticeable. Many of her relatives still found it difficult to believe that some guy had been able to touch her in such an unfathomable way and single-handedly pulled her out of the prison hole of loneliness she had plunged herself into after her experience with Nemuel despite the several deliberate efforts by them to get her out of her shell without success.

Over the years, not less than twenty suitors had tried hard wooing her but to no avail. Family members and well-meaning friends had on different occasions orchestrated what appeared to be chance meetings with several potential lovers but it was as if she was determined never to open the sealed door of her heart to love and perhaps had thrown the key into the Mediterranean Sea. Nemuel had really broken her in ways one could not imagine for her to had maintained such a rigid stance on love especially when many of her suitors were doing exceptionally well in all ramifications of life.

One of such suitors was Amadi who became so smitten by her indisputable beauty that he literally became a relentless pest on her. Such was her beauty that it was still obvious despite the sinister plot of her troubled countenance to conceal it. Amadi wasn’t going to take a no for an answer and, was determined to win her over. He, however, allowed the determination to get the better of him till he started constituting a nuisance in the house of the Jacksons. He soon became desperate to the point of pestering her mum and siblings to help him persuade Rachael to give him a chance—an act that only worsened his chance because it only made Rachael more crossed with him. To her, he lacked the maturity she wanted in a man had she even decided to give love a second chance.

So, it was understandable that her people were caught in the wonderment of how one simple guy could pull off such a tremendous feat with far-reaching effects on her. ‘Who really is this boy?’ was a constant thought in their bewildered minds. How on earth he was able to do it remained more like a mystery to them. Tomiwa soon became a talking point in her family and even though many of them had not met him in person, he was already the golden boy everyone was eager to meet. He had become so fondly loved by all.

With time, Tomiwa started meeting her family members, one after the other. Such visits deepened their admiration for him and made all conclude that the two of them were going to make a perfect couple. They were compatible in almost all areas and the chemistry between them left no doubt that they were created for each other. Each visit made him more accepted by her family members. He was a respectful, loving and charming young man with a charisma that drew people naturally to him like the force of gravity and Rachael’s family was no exception. All these made getting their approval and acceptance a piece of cake. At the end of each visit, Rachael always beamed with unparalleled joy and fulfilment. This was because of the praises usually showered on her for the acumen she displayed in her choice of Tomiwa. It had a way of making her feel on top of the world, giving her a deeply-seated satisfaction and a confirmation of some sort that she had not faltered in her choice. These added to the magical effect the relationship was already having on her.

As time went by, their love story became second to none, and that of Romeo and Juliet faded into oblivion in comparison to theirs. It was a story of absolute trust, undying love, and heart-touching sacrifices. They were the perfect couple many others wanted to model their relationships after. They wouldn’t miss any opportunity of being together and sending each other cards and gifts. The connection between the two of them was so strong that they knew each other too well. She could feel his presence in a place even when he was meters away and she had not caught the slightest glimpse of him. He, on the other hand, could perceive her mood and easily detect the slightest changes to it. He could sense if anything was wrong with her by merely hearing the first two words leaving her mouth even in conversations over the phone, and when it was not too obvious. It was safe to say that they were madly in love and that their love was more than the intoxication of an age-long vintage wine!

As the love for each other deepened, Rachael also started meeting Tomiwa’s family and everyone of them instantly loved her without bounds. His friends and colleagues also became acquainted with her, though many of them had not seen her in person. Whenever he showed her pictures to them, they usually went “Wow!”
The emotional attachment they had for each other usually gave them a feeling they could hardly comprehend or find the appropriate set of words to describe. They often felt like they were in another world—a land of tranquillity and unimaginable splendour; a Utopia—wallowing in the soothing sound of sweet melodies. Yes, sweet melodies that were an irresistible blend of the wind, stringed and percussion instruments laced with vocal renditions that seemed like a glorious musical concert being performed by angels. The more they felt drowned in that ocean of fascinating melodious tunes, the more they felt they were flying high in the sky on the wings of an angel enjoying the wonderful feel of cloud and the soothing breeze of the midnight sky. It was the feeling of being lost in a land of fairy tales—yes, the land of El-Dorado!

It was feelings like this that often brought out his writing skills and most time he put these into words in form of poems which he sent to her as gifts. One particular Friday evening, he wandered into El-Dorado again. So, he picked up his pen and decided to write her another poem. He wrote the poem with the letters of her name starting each stanza. He titled the poem, ‘RACHAEL’. He sent it to her email and put a call across to her.

“Hello, Handsome.” She answered the call after the third ring.

“Hello, Beautiful.” He responded promptly, “I just sent you a poem. It should be in your inbox by now. I want you to know that it describes exactly the way I feel about you. No flattery intended.”

“Oh, Really? Lemme go check immediately, love.” She replied excitedly as she hung up the phone. She quickly logged on to her email account. Immediately she opened the mail, she was greeted by the title of the poem, ‘RACHAEL’. “Ooooh, my God!” She almost screamed. Her eyes lit up in excitement and satisfaction as she read on with all her attention …

RACHAEL

R achael, the desirable one,
Why have you treated me this way?
What wrong have I committed that you have chosen to hold me captive?
For my heart, you have completely stolen away.
And my vigour you have successfully drained like the water of a dried up well in the desert region.
Lo! I now have no more strength to resist the subtle attraction of your beauty.
Mighty, strong and powerful I thought I was.
But, oh, Rachael like dynamite you rendered me soft, weak and helpless with the power of your disarming beauty!

A h! What can I call this action of yours?
Is it enslavement or imprisonment; cruelty or brutality?
No! I think it is simply a display of boundless love and affection.
I will forever bless the day you found me because from the claws of loneliness you delivered me.
And from drowning in the ocean of solitude you rescued me!

C learly, unfettered love is what I have for you.
And like a precious gift, your companionship I greatly cherish.
Your love is sweeter than honey and like salt, it has seasoned my life.
Loveable one, please from the elixir of your love make me drink.
And in the luxury of your beauty, let my soul do find endearment.
With the wine of your loving care, oh, quench my thirst.
But in the deprivation of your companionship, please do not let me languish!

H oney, all the days of my life I will give thanks to Jehovah for creating you.
And to time indefinite, I shall praise the Almighty for letting me meet you.
Awesome beauty is what he has blessed you with.
The wreath of attraction, he has crowned your head with.
And with the ornament of graciousness, He adored you!

A las! In the land of beauty, you are definitely the queen.
Oh, queen, from the magnificent empire of your love please do not banish me.
Rather, in the fortress of your love let me take refuge.
And in the confines of your heart, please let me find comfort.
Then the abundance of joy is what I shall sweeten your heart with!

E ven though I might not be the finest boy in the world.
And I might not be the richest boy on the surface of the earth.
True, I might not even drive the biggest car but know this: Unfathomable love I have deposited in my treasury.
And on you, I won’t hesitate to squander it.
For like the roots of a massive tree your love is deeply rooted in my heart!

L ove, happiness, laughter, satisfaction and tender care are what I shall give you in exchange for your love.
Deprive me of food and it may take a hundred years for me to die.
Stab me with a knife and it may take half a century for me to give up.
Shoot me with a gun and I may manage to survive.
But deprive me of your love, oh, Rachael…
And I may not live to see the next minute!

On reading the poem, Rachael placed her hands on her chest, closed her eyes and allowed herself to drift momentarily into Utopia. Tears softly rolled down her eyes. No, these were not the tears of sadness but tears of joy! She remained still in that position thinking deeply of how fortunate she was to find Tomiwa. She thanked God for giving her the strength to give love a second chance. But come to think of it. How couldn’t she have given Tomiwa a chance? He was simply irresistible the first time she walked up to him to strike the conversation that formed the foundation of their captivating love story.

Wow, this is wonderful

Episode 9 (Chapter 9)

“BROTHER TOMMY … BROTHER TOMMY, aren’t you going to work today? It’s 6.30 am already.” Wale called out as he knocked hard on Tomiwa’s door.

“Oh, Jeeeez!!!” Tomiwa screamed as he quickly jumped out of his bed. He had overslept and he was going to pay dearly for that. He was supposed to wake up by 5.30 am in order to beat the early morning traffic on his way to work. Grabbing his phone to check the alarm clock, he complained bitterly, “This stupid alarm clock was supposed to wake me up! What is heck is wrong with …” He was scolding the clock like a disobedient child but soon mellowed down when he looked at the screen and realised he was mistaken. Oh, it actually did ring but he was too deeply lost in Paradise to hear the sound of the alarm when it rang up to five times! He was actually in the land of dreams savouring every wonderful moment with his heartthrob.

With the speed of light, he rushed in and out of the bathroom in a flash, got dressed and hurriedly set out for work. By the time he got to work he was about thirty minutes late. He quickly settled into his seat after greeting his colleagues briefly. He put on his computer and it began to boot. At that time, Mrs Roseline Ikechukwu, the Head of Marketing Department cum Tomiwa’s Team Head, walked up to his desk and announced, “Tomiwa get set. We have a call at Victoria Island by ten this morning and we’ll be setting out by 9.30.”

“Copy that ma.” He responded as he smiled at her.

Mrs Ikechukwu, fondly called Madam Rosie, was an elegant fair-complexioned tall lady probably in her late thirties with a knack for high heels. She looked gorgeous as usual in her grey trouser suit with matching makeup. She could pass for a model or a ‘hot chick’ to say the least. She was especially fond of Tomiwa to the extent that their fellow colleagues usually called her his auntie.

Tomiwa checked his watch and realised that he still had some time to quickly take his breakfast before setting out for the Victoria Island call. He walked down briskly to the kitchenette singing, “Ebute-Metta laiye wa … se ti ri bo se nlo?” It was a line from one of his Naija hip-hop songs rendered in Yoruba meaning: ‘Ebute-Metta is where it’s happening … hope you are seeing that?’ This song had suddenly become his favourite in recent times.
On the corridor leading to the kitchenette, he met Lanre and Amaka who just came out of the kitchenette having finished their meal.

“Tommyski.” They hailed.

“Lanre baba, waddup? Hope you’re good?” He responded shaking hands with him. He turned to Amaka and complimented, “Amaka Baaaaby … mehn, you are looking gorgeous, gbabesky.” Amaka blushed like a little baby as she thanked Tomiwa for his compliment and they continued their walk back to their desks.

“Are you blushing already, Amaka?” Lanre teased.

“Well … you know, Tommy has a way of making one feel good about oneself.” She said still blushing. “By the way, what is it with Ebute-Metta and Tomiwa these days? The guy doesn’t seem to get tired of singing about it.” Amaka asked inquisitively.

“Don’t mind Tommy ooo. Ebute-Metta is where his fiancée resides and since he met her we haven’t known peace in our department. It’s been ‘Ebute-Metta laiye wa’ all the way ooo.” Lanre explained smiling broadly as he did so.

When Tomiwa settled down to eat, his mind drifted back to the dream that made him oversleep that morning. The thought alone sent a strange but titillating feeling through him. It felt like a touch of an angel of love. He remembered vividly how he was carried away by Rachael’s beauty and how the aromatic fragrance of her hair got him filled with intoxication sending him into a frenzy. He knew that he was no doubt deeply smitten by love. He began to wonder how he could fall so easily into the inescapable grip of love.

For one thing, he was a ladies’ man who had often been confronted with advances from different ladies but had always proved to be up to the task in resisting them without any difficulties. He wasn’t the type that would give in easily to such advances no matter how beautiful or highly placed the ladies were. He stood his grounds, not for the want of experience but because it was his resolve not to engage in any casual relationship until he was ready for marriage. However, with Rachael, it was a different story! “Cupid didn’t miss this time around.” He said to himself as his lips gave way to a warm smile. “If this is what love is, then I won’t mind being a slave to love for all eternity and cupid can fire one hundred more arrows for all I care!” He continued soliloquizing. Why wouldn’t he be so smitten by her? She was a perfect match for the kind of lady he had always dreamt of marrying since his teenage years. She was humble, respectful, resourceful, and never allowed her beauty get into her head—everything he had always wanted.
“That Nemuel guy must be suffering from a chronic case of insanity to have thrown away such an amazing gem.” He continued still enveloped in his soliloquy. “Well, thank God for his ginormous stupidity, otherwise I wouldn’t be this fortunate. Nemuel, may God bless your foolishness wherever you are.”

Then, he heard Madam Rosie’s voice from a distance, “Tomiwa, meet me downstairs in the car. It’s Gabriel that is driving us today.”

“Okay, ma. On my way.” He replied with the food in his mouth muffling the words as he spoke. He quickly gulped down the few spoons of rice remaining in his plate, hurried to his desk to pick his jacket and diary, and dashed down the stairs to meet Madam Rosie who was already waiting for him in their blue Toyota Corolla marketing car. As he took his seat beside her, the scent of his perfume filled the entire car.
.
“Tommy, you and this your signature perfume sha. Everyone will easily know you are around. It’s like it’s customized for you ‘cos I haven’t perceived it on any other person but you.” Madam Rosie noted and capped it with a compliment, “By the way, you smell nice.”

“Oh, thank you Madam Rosie.” He appreciated her with a broad smile. “Have I told you before how this perfume almost got me into trouble?”

“Seriously?” She asked laughing. “That must be some funny story, I can’t wait to hear it.”

“Ah! Madam Rosie, na Baba God save your boy ooo. No be small thing at all.” Then he started narrating the story to her…

“It was Rachael ooo. It happened during our last Residential stay on campus, shortly before we started our examinations. There was a group assignment that we had back then. It was a Term Paper that involved doing some research, distribution of questionnaires, analysing the data collected and presenting it as a bound document. It required us meeting from time to time to discuss the assignment and I was the leader of my group. The secretary of the group was a lady named Mary that happened to be a roommate and friend to Femi’s girlfriend. Femi was my roommate and best friend on campus. Mary was very active both in our group and in the class in general. The assignment was going to be thirty marks and from what we’d heard about the lecturer, we had to put everything into it. This called for meeting regularly to discuss our plans, progress of the work and how we were doing on finances. It also meant that the ex-officios of the group comprising Mary, Bolanle (our Treasurer) and me had to be seeing more often as the bulk of the work stopped at our table. Little did I know that those frequent meetings would land me in trouble someday …”

“This is becoming interesting.” Madam Rosie chipped in.

Tomiwa continued, “Femi and I were very close and we shared a lot of things together including my perfume. About two weeks before the incident and even before I started my official leave to move to the campus, Femi called me to inform me that they were going to write a test. He also informed me that there was a class levy of five hundred Naira per student which he had paid for me. Unknown to me, Mary was sitting next to him and when he paid, he actually paid for the three of us while Mary wrote down our names on the list meant to record the names of those who had paid. At that time, the group assignment had not be given and Mary and I barely knew each other. We were not even on talking terms but she was close to Femi by virtue of being his girlfriend’s roommate and friend. I didn’t know that these isolated events would one day add up to haunt me …”

“Wait ooo, lemme get something clear …” Madam Rosie cut in. “Are you saying that Mary the secretary of your group was the roommate of your roommate’s girlfriend?”

“Exactly, Madam Rosie.”

“Wow! This is getting complicated. Just continue.”

“Madam Rosie, believe me, the day all these things played out it was as if I was seeing a Nollywood movie!”

“How?” That was Mrs Roseline again. She was already getting impatient. She was so much enjoying the story that she just wanted Tomiwa to continue.

“It happened on the last day for us to submit another important assignment. I had done the assignment for both Rachael and me, and we went to the submission point together. Then, we had earned a reputation for going everywhere together. On getting there, I discovered that I had forgotten to take the assignments along when I left my room for class that morning. So, I rushed back to my room to pick them leaving Rachael and others behind.

“By the time I came back, Femi, his girlfriend, and Mary had also arrived at the point. Rachael’s countenance had changed and she was boiling with anger. Upon setting my eyes on her, I didn’t need an oracle to tell me that something was wrong but I couldn’t figure out what was the cause, at least, at that moment. I was surprised by the sudden change of mood—after all, she wasn’t like that when I left a few minutes ago. She wasn’t going to talk to me. Ah! See gbege!

“After pestering her to tell me what was wrong, what came out of her mouth hit me like a punch from Mike Tyson’s deadly left fist! ‘WHAT IS GOING ON BETWEEN YOU AND MARY?!’ She demand with such emphasis and tone that was very scary. I was shocked. I laughed it off and answered, ‘Sweetheart, what sort of question is that? You and I know that there is nothing more to the relationship between Mary and me than that which exists between ordinary classmates working together on a group assignment.’

“‘How come I perceived your perfume on her body?’ That was the next missile dropping off her mouth and her stern look showed that she meant serious business.

“‘My perfume?! What are you talking about?’ I replied highly surprised and somewhat lost.

“‘You know that perfume is unique to you and as far as I am concerned there is nobody else on this campus that uses it except you.’

“‘Yes, I know that.’

“‘Good! You also know that I know the scent so much that I usually know when you are in place even if I haven’t seen you or you are still far off? So, I know what I’m talking about when I said I perceived your perfume on her!’ She countered.

“‘Are you sure it wasn’t from Femi you perceived it? You know he also uses the perfume sometimes.’ I tried to explain what could be a plausible explanation for the drama that was unfolding right before my very eyes.

“‘No! I’m sure of what I am saying and please don’t play on my intelligence here, Tommy! When you left I did three different things to confirm from whom the scent was emanating and all the three pointed to the fact that it was coming from Mary!’ She analysed with great precision.

“‘Oh! But how could that be?’ I couldn’t figure it out myself. ‘Sweetheart, could it be that she too has started using the same perfume and it’s no longer unique to me anymore or maybe Femi took mine with him when going to see his girlfriend and she used the opportunity to stray it on herself thinking it was his.’ I tried hard to reason out.

“‘Well, that is not all.’ She continued with her analysis.

“‘Oh, Jeeez! Not all?!’ I screamed inside of me.

“‘When you left to get our assignments, the Class Governor insisted that he wasn’t going to collect the assignments from those who had not paid their class levy. So, I decided to check your name on the list, so I could pay if you had not paid in order that we won’t waste any more time submitting by the time you arrive with the assignments and what did I see?’

“‘What did you see?’ I cut in.

“‘Behold! Your name, Femi’s and Mary’s names were written immediately after each other by the same person which means one person paid for the three of you. Don’t tell me it was Femi because I know that was not Femi’s handwriting and definitely it wasn’t yours. It must be Mary’s.’ She concluded her analysis and followed it with an interrogatory question, ‘First, she paid for your class levy, she’s always calling you all the time, at night, and even when you and I are together in the name of one stupid group assignment and now I’m perceiving your perfume all over her, and you are telling me there’s nothing between you two? You expect me to believe all these are mere coincidences?!’ She spat out with disgust. I just stood there and became morose. I was completely lost. It was as if I watching a drama! ‘Jeeez! What kind of soap did I bathe with this morning?’ I asked myself.”

“Wow! That’s serious!!! So, how did you resolve the issue?” Madam Rosie asked longing to hear the end of the story.

“Well…” Tomiwa continued, “We eventually submitted our assignments and left. She wasn’t going to talk to me and very cold throughout our walk to one of our usual spots where we sat down to discuss the issue. I was like, ‘Baby, so you think I have something to do with Mary? Oh, Jeeez!!! How could you ever think of something like that? Fine, I may not have a clear explanation for how my perfume came to be smelling on her … it still baffles me too but that had nothing to do with me. As for the names on the list, I wasn’t even in school the day the payment was made and at that time I didn’t really know Mary because the group assignment thing that brought us together had not happened then. Perhaps, she was sitting next to Femi when he made the payment and she just happened to write our names after the payment.’

“‘What about the frequent calls?’ She cut in now sounding warmer. She had definitely begun to reason with me. I started thanking God within me.

“‘Sincerely, those calls were nothing but purely secular; simply for the assignment, no strings attached.’ My next statement was the epiphany she needed to put the matter to a permanent rest. ‘Sweetheart, how could I have a priceless diamond in my hands and throw it away for mere copper? Do you think I’m that stupid? You are a diamond for God’s sake and Mary could only be compared to copper beside you. Is it that you don’t trust me again, baby?’

“With those words, she melted and responded feeling a bit remorseful about her reaction. ‘It’s not that … I … I … don’t trust you. It’s … just that all the evidence were against you … and … I was a little bit scared too. I don’t want to lose you.’

“‘Ah-ah! Beautiful, how could you ever think I would leave you, an angel, for someone like Mary? Fine, Mary is equally cute but when compared to you, she’s nothing but copper placed beside a precious diamond. Moreover, you know me … you know how much I love you. I tell you about all the ladies that make advances towards me and how I treat them. I can never look at another lady when I have you—I won’t do it!’ I explained with all sincerity. She smiled now relieved that I wouldn’t cheat on her. Seeing she smiled I felt an outburst of joy inside of me. Thank God, I was able to win my sweetheart back.

“‘Sweetheart, do you remember that Wande Coal’s song I normally sing for you?’ I asked her.

“‘Which one, dear?’ She responded now relaxed. So, I sang the song melodiously to her.’”

“So, you still had the mouth to sing with all that happened? And with which voice sef? Your crocodile voice?” Mrs Roseline asked laughing out loud.

“Madam Rosie, you know me nah. You know I don’t joke with music nah.” He replied Mrs Roseline and went on with his story …

“Then, I sang the song to her, ‘Trust me … I no go use you play … ten-ten. Everyday … ten-ten, yesterday … ten-ten. My love no be ten-ten; I no be small pikin ooo, I no be small pikin ooo.’ She started nodding her head to the rhythm of the song blushing uncontrollably. I went ahead, ‘Sweetheart, when I say those words, I mean them…’ I sang the next part of the sentence, ‘…because I no be small pikin ooo.’ I went out of my music mode and continued, ‘That means I know what I’m doing; I’m old enough to know what’s good for me. Hence, if I have chosen you, then, you should know that…’

“‘You no be small pikin ooo … you no be small pikin ooo.’ Rachael cut in to finish the line for me in her ‘song mode’ poking me gently by my side. I wiggled a bit and we both laughed and hugged each other tenderly. She whispered into my ear affectionately, ‘I love you, Handsome.’

“‘I love you too, Beautiful.’

“Madam Rosie, in fact, my voice was really like a crocodile’s compared to hers when she sang that song ooo.” He explained throwing a jab at himself. “That was how God saved me that day ooo, Madam Rosie.” Tomiwa ended his narration of the incident.

“Ah! No be small thing ooo. That was very close indeed!” Madam Rosie commented laughing. She really enjoyed the story. Just then, Gabriel bumped into a small pothole that jerked Tomiwa and Madam Rosie forward forcefully.

“Ah-ah! Gabriel! What was that?!” Madam Rosie shouted from the back.

“Madam, no vex ma. I no see that pothole in time.” Gabriel begged, holding the steering wheel tightly as if his life depended on it.

“I have always told you to be more careful when driving, Gabriel. You drive too rough for my liking at times.” Madam Rosie cautioned.

“Calm down, Madam Rosie. It was just a small pothole.” Tomiwa calmed her down. “You don’t look good at all when you are angry.”

“You are not a serious boy, Tomiwa.” She said laughing.

“Ehn-ehn, better. You now look adorable. You see the reason you shouldn’t be getting angry?”

“Hmmm?” She managed to utter amidst a hearty laughter.

Episode 9 Continues...

Tomiwa’s phone started ringing. It was Rachael. He picked the phone and answered it with a song, “Beeeea-u-ti-ful Baaaaby … Omaaa-li-chan-waaaa, Heeeello girl.”

Rachael who was obviously blushing on the other side responded sharply, “Hello, Handsome, how are you doing?” Rachael’s soft voice gently seeped into his ear making a wonderful feeling raced within him.

“Hello Beautiful, I’m doing quite fine. Just that I’m missing my angel.”

“Ah-ah! But we still spoke last night.” She replied laughing.

“But you know I can’t have enough of you; I can’t stop missing you even if we spoke a few minutes ago…” Then he went poetic, “See, for thousands of years, men have watched the moon in the sky but I am the first man to hold the moon in my hands. So, why won’t I miss you?”

“Mm-Hmmm … Are you sure, Handsome?”

“I am as sure as I’m talking to this angel right now. Lest I forget. Mehnnn, that soup you prepared for me over the weekend …” He paused to salivated a little before continuing with his statement, “Has been making me speak Chinese—ching ching chong—ever since.”

“Oh, you haven’t finished that soup yet?!” She exclaimed.

“Ah! Beautiful, see I’m not praying for that soup to finish anytime soon.”

“Okay ooo. Just make sure you don’t eat maggot in the process … Anyway, I just felt like hearing your voice that’s why I called.”

“Jeeeez! So you were actually missing me too?”

“Something like that.”

“That’s pretty cool to know. Sweetheart, did I tell you that we would be going to Ilesa for Fatima’s wedding in the next two weeks?”

“You mean Fatima, you colleague at work?

“Yes. Would you like to go with us so I can order for the aso-ebi for both of us?”

“That will be fun. I’m in.” She answered with excitement.

“Okay then, I will talk to you later in the evening. Make sure you take care of yourself for me … love you.” He was about hanging up when Rachael called his attention to something.

“Tommy, ain’t you forgetting something?”

“Hmmm … what’s that, Sweetheart?”

“Tommmmmy?” She stressed. The tone of her voice instantly jolted his memory.

“Oh, sorry Love. I forgot your goodbye kiss.” He apologized. “Muuuuaaaah!”

“Better!” She responded filled with satisfaction and returned the gesture. “Muuuuuaaaah! Love you too … Bye.” She ended the call.

Madam Rosie who was following the conversation with keen interest smiled and commented, “Wow! You two lovebirds are interesting to watch or should I say listen to?” Then she added, “How I wish my husband was like you, Tommy! You know what? That girl is very fortunate to have you.”

“Thank you, ma.” He appreciated her for the remark and continued, “But Madam Rosie, do you know that Mr IKechukwu too is very fortunate to have you?”

“Seriously?”

“Absolutely!” He reassured.

“Well, I pray he understands that someday.”

Soon they got to their destination. It was one of the blue-chip companies on Victoria-Island that they had been pursuing for an account for a long time. Fortunately, the call was successful; they won the company’s account for the bank. That called for a celebration because the account was going to be very big with great potentials for the bank. Deservedly, their team was going to be celebrated for the massive breakthrough—the following week’s Performance Review meeting was going to be really, really interesting!

afolabiwunmi:
Wow, this is wonderful

Thanks, afolabiwunmi.

This love story dey sweet ooo.

Pa James, I love your creativity. I don't want an end to it. Just keep updating till Christ returns.

Keep the good work up. Thanks a lot. God bless.

I go love ooooo
This story dey sweet me die pass Chicken,
Oga Jameskudooski, you too much. Double tuale for u sir.....

Life is sweet when you fall in love with the right person. Kudos. More inspiration

Ann2012:
I go love ooooo

haaa sista, shey u won dey put us ni,

wetin u won we small pikin con do