devilmaycry1:
wow love is good

I quite agree with you, devilmaycry1.

Ann2012:


I'll give u my handkerchief

Love is sweet with the right person

I agree with you too, Ann2012.

pweetymhi:
Ohhh feels good, love is sweet

Gbam!

franklin000:
GOOD ONE

Thanks, bro.

izaray:
Congratulation to the duo love birds

I say yeah to that, izaray.

I just stumbled on this story and I must say.... It's the best I've read in a while

toyhin123:
Nice one

Thank you, toyhin123

afolabiwunmi:
Love is good indeed with the right person

True talk, afolabiwunmi.

Godwindanielboy:
Heartbreaking and Suspense filled. I love this write up. This story is sweet with the right OP. Kudos James. Thanks a lot.

Thank you so much, Godwindanielboy. I feel you.

skubido:
love wantintin,

OP tanks a lot for the update

Thanks, skubido. I feel you, baba.

Oga James pls forget compliments and give us update Biko...

pacifust058:
I just stumbled on this story and I must say.... It's the best I've read in a while

Pacifus058, glad you are enjoying the story. I will recommend you read: Jewel from the Ghetto. You will find lot more interesting than this.

https://www.nairaland.com/4425189/jewel-ghetto-new-novel-release

Kendrick80:
Oga James pls forget compliments and give us update Biko...

Abeg no vex, Kendrick 80. Updates loading...

Episode 20 (Chapter 19)


THE PREPARATION FOR THEIR wedding began in earnest. Tomiwa and Rachael spent most time, whether when together face to face or when discussing on phone, talking and planning their wedding. If they were not talking about the size, theme, and colour, they were definitely talking about possible venues and finances. They talked about everything wedding. Rachael never missed the monthly editions of Wedding Planner magazine. They spent huge amounts of time looking through each issue in order to get trending wedding ideas and be abreast of what was in vogue.

Rachael’s favourite section was the one that showcased the different wedding gowns in vogue. She loved feeding her eyes with them and wondered how each one would fit on her. The types both of them loved most were the fit and flair designs. Apart from being trendy, they brought out the shape and curves of the bride in ways that made them astonishing. For Tomiwa, the section that caught his fancy the most was the wedding bands section. The magazine had a way of absorbing them completely into its pages. It was very helpful in that it usually contained the contacts of different bridal shops, wedding planners, caterers to mention but few.

One of the bridal shops that they fell in love with was Brides & More. They not only paraded eye-catching wedding gowns and bridal accessories, their prices were also within budget. Tomiwa and Rachael discovered that their prices were as much as half the prices of other bridal shops especially the ones scattered around Ikeja. When the time was ripe for it, they decided to pay Brides & More a visit. The shop was located in the heart of Lagos-Island and navigating the rowdy Balogun Market on a sunny afternoon was no easy feat. Nevertheless, they got to the shop but not without sweaty faces.

They were awed by the wonderful collections of eye-popping gowns on parade. They checked several catalogues and tested the ones on display. Most of them looked exceptionally nice on her and they had a great difficulty settling down for any particular one. The icing on the cake came when Mrs Udofia, owner of the shop, showed them a catalogue containing the designs yet to be released to the market and told them she could place an order for anyone they liked amongst them, thus, making them one of the first set of people to don the design. The designs were the ‘wow-types’ that were sure to get heads turning on the wedding day. They came across one they particularly liked and paid for it pronto. Mrs Udofia told them when the order would arrive and they left. On their way home, they couldn’t stop talking about the gowns they saw and tested, especially the one they ordered. They talked of how gorgeously it would look on her.


* * *


Looking back at the series of events that happened recently, Rachael couldn’t help but be happy. She was getting what she had always longed for—a man that was close to being perfect and not just that, a marriage to such a man. She looked at the ring again and smiled with dignity. She remembered the day Tomiwa proposed and placed the ring on her finger. She recalled vividly the nostalgic feeling and events that followed…


Mrs Jackson was the first to notice the ring when Rachael got home. She was excited and couldn’t hide it.

“Hmmm … so Magic Boy has finally proposed. That’s lovely. Congratulations dear. Come, come let me see the ring, my dear.”

Rachael walked up to her showing her the ring with unbridled pride. “Isn’t it lovely, mummy?”

“Wow! This is definitely lovely.” Mrs Jackson commented.

“Dehn-dehn-dehnnnnn!” Jerry whistled immediately he walked into the living room and caught sight of what was happening. “Congrats, Big Sis. I’m really happy for you.”

“Oh, Jerry, thank you.” Rachael said turning in Jerry’s direction and blushing as she said so.

Throughout the day Rachael kept stealing glances at the ring as if she wanted to steal it from herself; she couldn’t just take her eyes off it.

On getting to work the following day, the story wasn’t too different. Eniola and then others noticed the ring and they gathered around her like children playing their favourite moonlight games. They teased her and passed several comments that brought nothing but smiles of happiness to her face. Everyone was happy for her except Bayo. He had become her closest friend and was supposed to be very happy for her but no, he wasn’t. Though he tried to cover it up in pretence but it was obvious to Eniola if nobody else. After some time, Bayo withdrew to a corner from where he watched as the elated Rachael responded to the teasing comments with laughter. Eniola, in her characteristic manner, saw beyond Bayo’s pretence. She knew Bayo had something buried deep down within him and she feared greatly for Rachael.


* * *

Mrs Udofia of Brides & More called to inform Rachael that her order had arrived and ready for pick up. Rachael couldn’t contain the joy welling up within her as she put a call across to Tomiwa who confirmed his availability to go with her to collect the gown they had waited for with much anticipation.

In no time, they were at Brides & More sitting with Mrs Udofia who ordered one of her girls to bring the package.

“You will really like it when you see it. It looks a lot lovelier live than in print.” Mrs Udofia whetted their appetite.

“Oh, really?” Rachael reacted.

“Just wait till you see it.”

When the girl eventually arrived with the gown and Rachael saw it she screamed, “Wow! This is gorgeous!”
Tomiwa grinned from ear to ear in admiration but said nothing.

“Why not put it on and let’s see how well it sits on your body?” Mrs Udofia suggested.

Rachael was ushered into the changing room by two ladies and after a while, Rachael stepped out fully cladded in the wedding gown. On seeing her, Tomiwa didn’t know when he jumped up from his seat shaking his head and clapping his hands as he kept saying, “Wow! Wow!! Wow!!!” He was giving her a standing ovation without realising it.

“Wow … wow … wow! Look at you. You look gorgeous, mehnnn! I just feel like shifting the wedding date closer and marrying you right now right here.” Tomiwa said still shaking his head and clapping his hands.

Rachael chuckled. “Madam, can you imagine that?” She said turning her attention to Mrs Udofia.

“You can’t blame him. You look take home, you know.” Mrs Udofia responded with a wink.

“Gbam! Thank you, madam. Please tell her.”

They all laughed. Fully satisfied with their item, Tomiwa and Rachael left the shop. Tomiwa headed back to the office, while Rachael headed to Abigail’s place. She already took time off work and Abigail was on leave. When she arrived at Abigail’s place, she showed her the gown and she fell in love with it.

“Rachael, who chose this gown, you or Tommy? I can definitely see Tommy’s hand in this.”

“Big Sis, we chose it together.”

“Well, in that case, you guys have got eyes for good things. Nice choice. How I wish that idiot of a person called Nemuel sees you in this gown on that day. I’m sure, he will gnash his teeth and bite his finger in regret for the rest of his life.”

“Sister mi, abeg forget about that guy.”

“Yes, you are right jare. Let me forget about him and channel my energy to something more worthwhile.” Abigail said and hissed with a grimace. “Ehn-ehn, have you gotten your chief bride’s maid yet? I am available ooo.”

Rachael laughed hysterically. “Big Sis, you? Old mama and after three like you wants to be the maid of honour? You want all the available sweet sixteen’s to riot, abi?”

“Let my husband hear that you are calling his sweet sixteen, after three and old mama.” Abigail replied showing off her curves and plump body.

The gesture only got Rachael laughing out more which sent her sinking deeper into the sofa. “Sister mi, you can kill somebody.”

That was how close Rachael and Abigail were; they related as if they were mates. After they bored themselves with talks about the wedding preparation, they switched to other gossips. But as far as they were concerned, like ladies in general, they weren’t gossiping, they were simply sharing latest gist.

Back at work, Rachael was bestowed with a new status as she was given the moniker, ‘Our bride-to-be’ and she blushed each time she was called that. It was as if her cheeks were going to turn permanently pink as her name got to be mentioned several times a day making her blushed countless number of times a day.

Bayo, on the other hand, didn’t realise how fondly he had grown of Rachael until she showed up in the office wearing an engagement ring. It was then he woke up to the shocking realisation that he had developed a soft spot for her in spite of having two girlfriends at the moment. Anthonia and Bunmi? Who were they compared to Rachael? Didn’t Anthonia overstep her boundaries the other day when she started questioning him about Rachael as if she owed him and wanted to nag him to death? And Bunmi? Was he not tired of her already? Had she not given him enough reasons to send her packing? And was she not squandering the last and only lifeline she had left already?

It was time to let them go! After all, it was bad of him to be keeping two ladies at a time in the first place. It was high time he repented and stuck to one lady like the Holy Book commanded but instead of doing that with either Anthonia or Bunmi, why not let both of them go and focus on Rachael? That way he wouldn’t be adjudged as being partial and at least his conscience would not lynch him to death! But wasn’t Rachael getting married in a few months? And what about that? Well, getting married and being married were two different things, of course. These were his twisted reasoning!

Bayo thus became the green snake under the green grass lying in wait for the slightest opportunity to strike and hard he would when the time ever arrived!

The situation wasn’t much different in Tomiwa’s office except that everyone was truly happy for him. There was no one like Bayo who was resentful of the development. In fact, many of them thought he was already overdue and rejoiced over the much awaited decision to throw away the cloak of bachelorhood and embraced the fabric of marriage. Tomiwa in his usual comic character went about as if he was already married. He would jokingly tell his colleagues to call him a married man and he would refer to Rachael as his wife. Was it that he had never heard the saying that ‘you don’t count your chicks before they are hatched’? Maybe not or maybe he simply felt that it could never apply to him. He was so confident that the arrangement had been sealed by God.
Moreover, he and Rachael trusted and loved each other too much to think of entertaining such thinking.

However, Lanre, a very close colleague shared a completely different opinion about trust and women.

“Tommy, women are not to be trusted hundred percent. The biggest mistake any man can make in his entire life is to trust a woman with all his life.” Lanre opined one day on their way home after work when the issue of trust and women came up.

“Lanre, I don’t completely agree with you. Yes, you may be right to some extent but not completely. True, you can’t rule out the fact that some women cannot be trusted but not all of them.” Tomiwa countered.

“Tommy, I know what I’m saying. See, no woman on earth is absolutely trustworthy. You won’t know until you get married to one of them. That’s when they will show you their true colour. The day they get someone else that knows the right spot to touch that is the day their love for you grows cold and they start cheating on you if not abandoning you and trust dies unceremoniously.” Lanre insisted.

“Well, I don’t know of other women but for Rachael, my wifey, I trust her hundred percent. She is different from all other women.” There he went again.

“Tommy, don’t be naïve! I have been married for five years and I know what I am saying. I’m not saying you shouldn’t trust your lady but I just want you to leave an allowance for the unforeseeable so that when it eventually happens, the heartbreak will be at least bearable.” Lanre made his point and changed the topic.

That night, when at home, Tomiwa reflected deeply on what Lanre said earlier in the day. He said it with so much conviction and he even gave verifiable instances to back up his point. Could Lanre be right? Could all women—including his Rachael—be the same, deficient in trust? Could Rachael’s love for him someday grow cold to the extent that their trust in each other would fiddle away like a flower that blossomed in the morning and withered in the evening? Could Rachael ever give in to any temptation or circumstances that would undermine his trust for her? These were thought-provoking questions and indeed, they provoked sleep out of his tired eyes.

To be continued...

Don't let it go as you're putting it o

Dhen dhen dhen...... Bayo abeg stay ur lane o

Lanre....wise man

olorun mamaje ka rogun Bayo ooo,


Nawa oo, Rachel should ought to have notice d stupid hindrance Bayo ooo,


OP tanks a lot for the update, More wisdom oooo

Bro your is very interesting n fascinating with a lot of suspense, i'm really enjoying my self. Kudos...........

Thanks for the update, kudos bro!

Mtbail:
Bro your is very interesting n fascinating with a lot of suspense, i'm really enjoying my self. Kudos...........

Mtbail, glad you are enjoying the story. Thanks for the compliments.

Episode 21 (Chapter 20)

BAYO’S DESIRE FOR RACHAEL continued to grow like wild fire and he kept fuelling it steadily until it became a monster that even he couldn’t tame. This desire must be satisfied at all costs. But how could he win over the heart of someone madly in love with another? It wouldn’t be easy but he knew a way out—it was the powerful secret that many didn’t know. It has often be said that ‘the deadliest weapon is doubt! If successfully planted and nurtured in a person’s mind then the person is captured for life!’ Bayo was cunning enough to know this and he was prepared to use it to his advantage! All he needed to do was to subtly sow seeds of doubt and discord into Rachael and in time, she would fall flat at his feet. And when the golden opportunity presented itself, he grabbed it with both hands!

Saturday morning by 6.30 am …

Rachael was still engrossed in her sleep curdled under her duvet when her phone rang. She woke up to see who was calling that early… it was Abigail, her elder sister.

“Hello, Big Sis, Good morning …” She answered yawning.

“Rachael, Rachael, have you heard?” She sounded apprehensive.

“What is it, Sister mi?”

“Sam … Samuel … is dead!” She said sobbing.

“Samuel? You mean Samuel Tokunbo? You must be kidding me! I still saw him yesterday and he was healthy or so it seemed to me. He didn’t appear like anything was wrong with him. So what happened?” Rachael asked. She still couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Tears were already welling up in her eyes.

“Yes. So I heard too. He was alright up till they slept last night. I guess he had an attack around 3.45 am and they rushed him to the hospital but he gave up at about 5.30 this morning.”

The Tokunbos were family friends of the Jacksons’. Their children were like brothers and sisters to each other. Samuel, their third born son was diagnosed of sickle cell anaemia when he was a baby and had battled the disorder for Twenty-eight years. The Tokunbos had successfully managed the situation for that long that people believed Samuel had somehow outgrown the effects of the disorder.

“Just like that? But … I thought they outgrow it. I thought once they are able to survive up to a certain age, then it wouldn’t affect then again … but this? Samuel dying at age twenty-eight?” Rachael said amidst the sob.

“So I thought too.” Abigail concurred. “Rachael, we need to talk. When do you think we can see?”

“What about later this evening? Will that be okay?”
Rachael responded, trying to dry her eyes with the back of her palm.

“That will be fine. One more thing, don’t tell mummy yet. You know how she will react.” Abigail quickly chipped in before hanging up the phone.

Rachael couldn’t sleep again after the news; her heart was too heavy to allow sleep take hold of her eyes. Her natural instinct was to call Tomiwa and pour out her grief to him but she hesitated along the line. She stared absent-mindedly into the air. The death of Samuel touched her beyond words. They were very close; it felt like she lost her blood brother.

Later in the evening, Rachael went down to Abigail’s place. They sat down in the living room to talk. Moses Okon, Abigail’s husband, was also around.

“Rachael, how did you see the death of Samuel?”

“Sister mi, I’m really dumb-founded. To hear that someone I saw yesterday was gone this morning … just like that still beats my imagination. Ah! Is this how transient life is?” Lamented Rachael.

“You know what? This recent happening got me thinking seriously about you and Tommy …” Abigail started

“What about us?” Rachael interrupted.

“Have you given deep thought to the fact that both of you have AS genotype?” Abigail continued.

“This means that you are both at risk of producing sickle cell children and that can be …” Moses was adding when Rachael protested:

“But you know we love each other dearly and we have gone far, Sister mi. In fact, our wedding gown is right here in your house.”

“Yes, we are aware of all of that. We supported you guys this far because we had faith in God that it wouldn’t happen to you and that’s the same faith you’ve hung on too but since Samuel’s sudden death, we have come to see things clearer. Who could have thought the Tokunbos could lose Samuel at twenty-eight? I don’t want that for you, dear. I don’t think I want to support this union anymore.” Abigail bore her mind.

“But, Sister mi …”

“Yes, we understand Rachael. Though it will be difficult but I know you will get over it. See, it is better to be heartbroken now than to live the rest of your life in pains of nursing sickle cell children.” Moses tried to pacify her.

Rachael stared into the air with tears trickling down her cheeks; her mind was far away. She thought of all the wonderful moments she shared with Tomiwa. Her memory raced back to the very first day they met and how the resultant spark between them had changed her life tremendously ever since. Motion pictures of their romantic getaway on the rock top in Ilesha and how Tomiwa saved her life played in her mind with alarming clarity. The encounter with Mr Aregbe in the examination hall when he risked his future for hers was as clear in her mind as a theatrical spectacle right before her very eyes.

At the same time, she imagined the agony, pain, anguish, trauma, and grief her life might be tainted with if she continued with the union and life decided to play one of its agonizing pranks on them by giving them children with sickle cell anaemia. Caught between the worlds of contrast, she became confused not knowing the way out. The trickling tears gave way to a torrent as she ululated inconsolably.


To be continued...

Hmmmmmmm

Hmmmmm like i knew!!!

This is serious and heartbreaking

I'm telling you

Ann2012:
This is serious and heartbreaking

Uniquechild:
I'm telling you

I can't imagine how this will end.

Oh my God, this is really sad but its better than having anemia for a child

2 bad for both of them...I guess this is the perfect time 4 oga bayo 2 strike.

becca2017:
Hmmmmm like i knew!!!

Oh-oh!