Hi Oila,
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“Go? why? You need to stay here for a while.”
“I can’t stay. Trust me you don’t want me to stay, not after all what I have caused.”
“I still want you to stay.”
“Your dad didn’t tell you did he?”
“Tell me what? I specifically asked my father not to interfere that everything would be sorted by me.”
“You could not have sorted anything out Samson, you were too short sighted.”
“What are you saying?”
“I am saying Sesan was Sean.” Samson looked like someone had just given him an heavy slap, making his ears ring, he ran his palms across his thighs nervously then casted his confused but almost disillusioned eyes on her
“Sesan was Sean?”
“Yes.”
“How? It can’t be, just because their names sound alike does not mean you should make false accusations. Sesan was my friend.”
“And he was my lover…..he asked me to kill you Samson. That night when I ran away, he had followed us all the way to the hotel. He made me come to meet him downstairs, he wanted it done, you could not be spared. I had to make sure you made me your sole benefactor which I was reluctant to do, even when you kept on bringing It up. He had said he would find a way to convince you, then he will cut off your brakes himself. I couldn’t let that happen…I…I” She choked on her tears “I loved you too much, I couldn’t let that happen to you.”
“But I met Sesan at Francesca’s wedding” You could see that doubt clouded him, she understood it, it was hard and painful to swallow. “ He had been with Marilyn at Francesca’s wedding, yes, yes.” he was pointing his fingers in the air as if they helped him remember the sequence of events. “he had asked me if I was with you and I said yes, he said I was a lucky man but he left immediately, he had something to do.”
“Sesan forced his way with me. He wasn’t a human being at all, I thought he was, but he wasn’t. he only took what he wanted. As you witnessed yourself he could do whatever he pleased and controlled with fear, when fear is present you become crippled. When I came back I was so much crippled in fear and my loyalty to him that I didn’t rat him out. It all ended when I came home and saw what he did to Demola, when I realized I had lost.” She knew the gravity of what she was divulging, but there was no way she could know peace if she didn’t divulge the truth, he had the right to know.
“ My father knew all this?” He seemed to be slowing grasping what was happening.
“Not all of it before killed Demola.”
“That is why Sesan is missing isn’t it.”
“Yes he told the Guard to arrange it. He is in the ground somewhere.”
“My father had always had a way of dealing with things, why I didn’t want him involved…..he did what he had to do as usual” He scoffed. “All these years I asked you to tell me about Sean, you do not and all of this happens.” His hands were rolled in a fist, he knew she was about to punch something
“I know it sounds sick but there was a twisted part of me that loved him, that wanted to protect him. I don’t know if it was the power of his words that made me feel that way or what we had gone through together, what I know is that there is a bigger part of me that is satisfied that he is gone and I will never set my eyes on him again. I even wish I could have spat in his face as he took his last breath.” He acted like he did not hear her but wanted answers to his own questions.

What happened that night. Our wedding night?”
“You know I told you I was coming, he had called from the front desk saying he had a special delivery and was going to bring it to the room. I hurried downstairs to meet him, because that only meant trouble. When I met him, he said I had to do it, I had to kill you. You must know that wasn’t the first time. I had come home once and found him in your bed, our bed, he had bribed the security. He was there at my birthday party also, I just knew I couldn’t stop whatever he wanted to do, the only way was just to run away. If I left he would never be able to hurt you. I wasn’t thinking properly, I was thinking for that moment only. So I did, I ran, so many things happened, l lived in a convent for a while, I swear sometimes I wanted to call you, I would almost dial you but I never knew what to say. I just felt it was better I was out of your life. I only came back because of Demola and look how I messed that up also.
“All this could have been resolved if you had told me, I could have handled it.”
“I didn’t think he would be of any harm in the early stages, he was getting married to Marilyn and I would be out of the case. But even if I told you, what would you have done? Give him money? He would always be back like a leech he would have stuck to you. He would have driven you mad…if only I wasn’t too selfish to stay. If I had ignored everything I felt for you and left before the wedding, before everything. It would have been good.”

“It doesn’t matter now does it, what you did does not matter, No more secrets?”
“No more secrets.” She really meant that and she knew she had to work hard at it, he was giving her his boardroom expression, she knew what that meant, but he had taken the news too well, he didn’t stomp or break anything, he had probably had been briefed by his father but wanted her to say it to him.

“Let us go back to the Mausoleum, I do not hear any noise coming from there anymore.” He got up and stretched his hand to reach hers, pulling her up, he then led the way in front of her, she managed to catch up with him when he came to a halt just in front of the Mausoleum, she knew that the father in him could not bring himself to climb the stairs into it freely, she knew because the same feeling had come over her when she opened the door to Demola’s room that night.
“I really didn’t know him, I only gave him toys, I never spent more than one hour with him and he was my son.” She bowed her head to the ground with her toes tracing circles in the ground.
“It was my fault, I did that to you.”
“If we have a boy again, we should call him Demola.”
Somewhere in her soul relieve set in, she knew they may get rebuilt, she knew she may have a second chance, she knew she had a lot of explaining to do to him but for now, they held each other’s hands and let the tears heal them.
Epilogue.
She wore the Guard his cufflinks and slightly readjusted his collar, she knew he felt uncomfortable while she did this and that was precisely why she enjoyed doing it. He didn’t like her touching him, but there was nothing he could do now to protest. She had asked for him specifically and with her new status she got everything she wanted.

“You need to be seated, you must be feeling exhausted he managed to utter, it was an obvious attempt to get her away from him. Why didn’t he wear the cufflinks in the first place?, they were a gift from her to him, It was only when she saw he didn’t wear it, that she demanded to wear it for him.

“I am six weeks pregnant not a disabled person.” She sharply retorted with the wave of a hand. He was right though, the heels she wore were hurting her, she had opted for the stairs and not the elevator for the exercise and now she may be regretting it, but she was bored, they had been waiting for the governor who seemed uncomfortable in his flowing Agbada to go over the documents and make up his mind. When Samson had found out that she was slated to see this particular governor, he was understandably upset because of her past dealings with him, but she let him know that it was not a disadvantage but an advantage. The poor guy still frets, how Samson still manages to care for her this much eludes her, she deserved nothing but to be thrown in the gutter, but life was as usual unfair and smiled at her. This time it was a good thing.

They had gone on a new honeymoon after a private renewal of vows. Ma Williams had done her thing and spun the press, she knew the woman still hated her but only tolerated her because of Samson and Pa Williams, her face was hilarious when Pa Williams announced he wanted her to be a board member. All the more reason why the Williams Matriarch went to work with public relations. She let out that Yinka had used black magic on her son, the woman was careful to say she didn’t really believe in black magic but she suspected she used some form of emotional manipulation. The whole world then was introduced to the drama of how Yinka was caught with fetish items and how she was disgraced out of the Williams home. Poor Yinka she wondered what she was up to, she was badly portrayed in the press especially in a nation of people that were highly superstitious. She opened one of the blogs once and saw how the rabid dogs pounced on Yinka calling her all sorts of names from home wrecker to fetish runs babe, she had dropped a comment as anonymous saying she knew Yinka was Zandra’s friend and what utter betrayal Zandra must have felt knowing that Yinka was after her man, she knew it was wrong but she giggled when her fingers pressed enter to fuel the flames. The official story was that, Zandra had gone on a mission for her NGO deep inside the remotes of Uganda and Kenya and she had lost communications with the world, while giving herself helplessly and fully to the poor, the dying and the starving. The outcome was that she was being hailed as a saint and because of her, prayers were being said against friends who want to take their friends spouses. It was hilarious how people were really sympathetic and wanted to know more about their lives, if only they knew the truth.

“Ma you need to sit down.” The Governor said finally finding his voice.
“Come on Ralph, you don’t need to call me Ma, you have always called me Zandra, we both have come a long way ” She said motioning on the pictures that laid on his desk, which was making him think long and hard about his next move, she sat down though because she needed it. This man was one of those people who spoke perfect English in flowing Agbada, he was wearing one of those flowing things right now and he was speaking in big words explaining to her why the contract would be difficult to award to their company because it was government property, she was nodding her head, she wasn’t listening to anything he was saying because she knew she would have her way . She knew the truth was that this man wanted to give one of his numerous girlfriends, the one musician that jets in and out of the country despite making no appealing music . She knew because this came up during her intelligence research. Intelligence was everything, if you know how to use it. Sesan had been graceful enough to keep his library of damming blackmail photos and conversations of all her clients they were all aligned in alphabetical order and the governor’s one had a B for Bako on it. It was time to negotiate

“I understand that if your tastes hasn’t change you love really plump women. So it is either plump girls or the pictures of your privates in the media. Pleasure or disgrace?” She slided towards him a brown envelop that contained pictures of two scantily clad plump women, who if memory served her were the kind he likes, she put it next to an old photo of him dressed in an adult baby diaper as a form of role play. “No one will believe that one is photo shopped if it gets out.” She pointed at it in all seriousness.

Ten minutes later, she was out. This one was just a chicken he didn’t even threaten to drag her name in the mud, he just agreed like that. She would of course let him have his plump girls, she had already contacted Mimi the youngest and freshest Madame in town to arrange them, she also quickly contacted Pa Williams to let him know of her success, he was pleased, she was pleased with herself also, she had been winning new contracts in never before ventured territories for the Wiliams, Samson was very proud of her, he showed his appreciation with gifts often. She was now inside the car, so she rested her head back to think, The Guard was driving her so she felt safe, sometimes anxiety gripped her but she always had to tell herself it was okay, there was nothing to be scared of.

A notification on her phone brought her to look at it, It was a message from Francesca they had lunch.

“She fell in love with your boss’s son, he changed something in her. The Oya I knew would have gone to the end of the world with me provided I led her. I lost her to Samson.” Sesan could hear the pain in his own voice, it was to be expected that was how he felt.
“ You probably need to tell her what you are telling me.”
“Probably,”
“I want to cut you a deal.” He couldn’t believe this was happening, he broke down the firewall that is the Guard, this day wasn’t going to end as bad as he thought after all, maybe there is some truth to that touted belief that the truth sometimes set you free.
“What is the deal.”
“You do not have to go today. I would give you time to go talk to Lady Zandra.”
“I don’t think she would want to. She knows I am behind, Demola’s death”
“ Hmmm but if what you say is the kind of relationship you had, she may want to hear explanations but I don’t care, what I am after is the money.”
“What money?”
“You said you had cash stashed away in banks.”
“Yes.”
“I want the account numbers to verify that they are true. I will follow you around to cash them, you will give me a share you see fit for my kindness, then you can run to anywhere you want to run to.“
Was it going to be that easy, you have worked for the Williams for as long as I know and you are going to sell them out for me?”
“If I am correct, there are millions in those accounts you mentioned.”
“15 million in one 23.5 millions in another.”
“There lies my motive.”
This chance was too sweet not to take
“Okay please pass me a bottle of water.”
One was flung at him, damn this sun was annoyingly dehydrating, the quenching of the thirst was just another relief to him, he had been successful in disarming this giant, but the giant seemed to want proof of the cash, so he showed him the account statements in the mail on his phone, they both joked about how his wife never touched his phones, how that made him the luckiest man in the world. He did feel lucky because he was getting out of a trap. Pa William’s traps are notoriously difficult to get out of, as far he knew he would be the first to come out of it alive with this negotiation. He would make Pa Williams and Pa Nwosu pay for this, while he hibernates in his own exile, he would find a way to torment them, all of them. This delighted him, but his thoughts were cut short by the pressing need to urinate. The water he had been drinking finally was getting to him, he felt the rush to his bladder, just after he poured the rest of the bottle on top of his head to cool down. He staggered to the side having finished the digging to pour his waste water to the ground….he heard a loud thud.

The Guard.
Watching him talk for longer was more grinding than he thought humanly possible, he had all he needed now so he took action and hit him on the head with a shovel. Pa Williams had instructed him to finish Sesan off the best way he could and this was a way that pleased him. He picked up Sesan’s phone that had fallen unceremoniously on the grass some meters away from his body, the information in it will be useful for Pa Williams, some added bonus probably. The best part had come when Sesan took the bait and began to spill his guts about his stashed away cash. All these people were the same, they gleefully gave out information they would guard with their life, when they were so desperate to get out of the hole they dug for themselves. He laughed at the pun that statement implied, little things like that amused him.

Laying on the grassy path Sesan looked like the carcass of a cow. He didn’t fall too far from the ditch he had been digging, so the Guard carefully rolled him into it, making the thud sound he was all too familiar with, he then gradually began the process of covering him up. He would have to not work his arms in the gym tonight because of this shovel work, he would do his legs instead, he thought absently rearranging his calendar. He had better hurry it would rain soon , he could see the clouds forming; this weather and its unpredictability. The change in weather meant he had to use the cement he had with him, to make the location concrete after the rain. Sesan was extra work and a pain in the arse.

He went into the car to smoke a cigarette as the rain began to fall, lucky enough it had mercy on him to cover up the body first. He wondered if Demola’s spirit still saw him as batman.


Sesan.
There was a moistness that awoken him, the soil was becoming wet, he could not bring himself to understand what situation his body was in, all he could hear was his Audemar Piguet ticking, it disturbed the silence, it heightened his constriction, he couldn’t claw, no strength to claw, maybe if……he slipped away again. Before he lost consciousness, he remembered that Pa Williams traps were notoriously difficult to get out of.

Zandra, January 16 2013

Funerals were not her thing, coffins had scared her since she was little, they made her close her eyes because she did not want to think of death the thought of the end frightened her, she had hoped to live forever, but like beggars and horses that wish could not come true, this was a cold reminder to her, a very cold slap in the face and a very hot branding to her hide. It was more heart wrenching that she was pouring sand on a coffin that bore her son. She did not know how all her life decisions led to this moment in time, but here she was burying an innocent child whose only crime was to be born by her. She had cried and cried and cried that there were no more tears in her, just fatigue, she had finally resigned, she did not care, she did not hope to care, she was empty, unsatisfied, broken.

Eight days ago they came to her saying that Sesan was dead, he had money stashed away in two accounts and they wanted her to have it after they get the bank to vomit the money. What was that all about, who wanted his money? She wanted her son. She told them to put it in a fund for children with heart diseases. She didn’t want it, she may need it to start a new life, but she did not want it….they could name the fund after her boy. Even that act of kindness to the world did not sooth the pain, it did not go away. It just did not go away, the pain tickled her allover, it tickled her to torment, nothing in this world would bring Demola back. She had thought to kill herself, maybe the pain will lessen, maybe she would have it better that way. It was a false thought, the aftermath of her agony. She just had to leave this place behind maybe she would forget, but she knew she could never forget, no one forgets a thing like this.

They were at the Williams Mansion, they had taken care to build a small white marble Mausoleum just next to Demola’s great grandfather, who also bore his name, that spot had been reserved for Pa Williams but he freely relinquished it to Demola, Pa Williams now stood opposite her holding his wife who was inconsolable. Some people had whispered that she shouldn’t be there when her son was put to the ground. What she actually meant was Ma Williams had whined to her husband and Samson that she was not meant to be present at the funeral, Zandra felt it was the last action for the woman to claim Demola for herself and alienate her but she not even care about all of that, what she knew was that she was there when Demola came to the world why should she be absent when there was a farewell ceremony for him? After all he lost his life because of her plain idiocy. Samson hadn’t come, she was relieved he wasn’t there, she didn’t know what she would say to him his mother and Pa Williams were there though, the woman kept on looking at her like she was covered in termites and maggots, while she mopped away the buckets of water on her face.

It was a little ceremony, no one else was invited but her, Ma Williams, Pa Willams and The Guard, she stood alone at her side of the grave, while the Williams and the Guard took to the right side. Zandra was an empty shadow, her head wrapped in a black scarf, with shades to block other people from seeing her blood shot eyes. He was gone Demola was truly gone, they were covering him up in dust. He did not exist to the world, nobody knew him, he had only had the best for a short period of time, the best she didn’t expose him to early enough, because of her failings as a mother, she wondered if there was a place in hell for her, she knew she was never going to see her son again, his pure soul belonged in heaven and her tainted one belonged in hell. It broke her the more, Demola would never exist, the world would never hear of him, she knew she broke Ma Williams heart because Ma Williams will never speak of him anymore, Demola’s place will always be there in the ground, he would not grow to be the entitled grandson of the Williams, he was now a name on a tomb in a mausoleum, with buried dreams and ambitions, no more plantains for him. She raised her head up and put her hands on her fore heads, she didn’t know if she should kneel, the grave was filling up fast, the priest was rounding up his prayers, she felt nauseous, this was the worst day of her life. It wasn’t those gory times as a youth, she didn’t understand the suffering then, it was now because she duly understood what was happening, how she had created a life, nurtured it and lost it.

A warm hand touched her, she turned to look at him and there was Samson dressed in a black kaftan, she didn’t know what to feel, she followed her instincts and fell into his hands. He was kind, he cupped her cheeks and placed her head on his chest and for the first time that day she let herself cry, she let it stream, she could taste the saltiness in her mouth, she knew she should apologize to him, she wasn’t the only one who lost a child.

“I am so sorry, I am so sorry, this is my fault, this is all my fault. I was weak, I did this to him, I did this to you.” He didn’t speak, he kept on patting her back as she vibrated with tears. She wished she wasn’t so much a pain, she wished she wasn’t here mourning Demola, she wished this was for something different, but she was relieved Samson wasn’t entirely mad at her. “I am sorry, she muttered again.” She knew she couldn’t say enough of those words, they would probably never take effect but she knew, she had to say them.

Now the grave was finally filled and the priest was already taking his exit, The elder Williams followed him, with the Guard, Ma Williams seemed a bit hesitant as if she wanted Zandra to leave first before she left, maybe she thought she would exhume the boy and run away, the woman amused her. She had told herself that she wanted to spend some time there before she left, she knew that with Ma Williams this uptight, there was a possibility she may often be denied access to the Mausoleum, besides she wanted to beg Demola to forgive her, she wanted to tell him to be happy wherever he was, she wanted to express with her heart words her mouth couldn’t express. She expected Samson to leave also, but he didn’t, he just stood there holding her, she wondered how much better it would be if she had been a good wife.
“Eskuss, sir, ma.” One of the laborers who were to seal the grave with marble begged for way to continue his job.

“I think we need to leave now.” Samson told her, he was still holding her.
“ I want to talk to him, I need to talk to him.”
“Do you want me to send them away to come back later then.” He didn’t let her go and for the first time in yonks she felt comforted, she didn’t want them stopping the work and having Ma Williams notice, to come down and scream at her son for allowing rubbish.

“I’ll wait till they finish. I’ll wait on the swings in the garden thank you” The swings were not too far off, a maze divided it from the Mausoleum area.
“You can come inside if you want to.”
“It will be awkward for me inside, I’ll be in peace outside.”
“I can wait with you there.”
“Will you?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s go.”

He held her hand and led her out, he didn’t speak to her as they crossed the grassy path that led to the garden, so many thoughts crossed her mind, a recurring one was the memory of when he told her he still loved her. She knew she didn’t deserve it but a little part of her desired that he would love her enough to have her back, he obviously was showing the love by staying with her right now or she may just be confusing his gentleman nature for his kindness. They were now seated on two of the four swings that resided in the area.”

“I thought you wouldn’t come.” She stated breaking the comfortable silence of grief.
“I wanted to remember him with life…I didn’t know him all my life, I wanted to be a good father, I didn’t get the chance, but I just wanted to remember him with life and not as a corpse, then I thought that was selfish of me, you may need me. You are his mother.” Damn she did not deserve this man, not in a million years.

“You still love me like before don’t you?” She dared to ask him, after stretching to hold his hand while looking into his eyes.
“Yes.”
“Even with all of the troubles I have caused?”
“Yes.”
“Why? Even with all this? Why? I am a liar, a crook and a bad mother, I let our son die.” He made a scoff.
“You are a liar and a crook, but not a bad mother…..I know the real you Zandra, I know who is inside there…..”
“and who is inside here.”
“somebody who makes a lot of mistakes, and punishes herself by sticking to those mistakes….” She didn’t let him finish, she needed to break his bubble and see her as she truly was, he had always seen her with rose tinted eyes.

“Has your father told you?”
“Told me what?”
“About Sesan.”
“Sesan is missing, his wife called me she was hysterical, she said she couldn’t find him, she has lost her baby also, she went for this check up and there were complications, before you knew what was happening, the baby died. It’s a shame because I know how they toiled for that child. She has moved in with her father you know.”
“At least she didn’t watch him grow, then die.” She knew she should be saying something sympathetic but she didn’t have the strength. Samson just shook his head, there was a spell of silence cast again, it made her uneasy, everything about this place made her uneasy. “I will be going back to Otukpo in three days and I think I should let you know a couple of things.”

Sesan, January 7 2013
He didn’t know why Pa Williams wanted to see him, but the old man had better hurry. He had a flight to catch to New York in the evening and his father in law will be pissed if he didn’t make it. He had tried to get out of it, but PA Williams had a way of turning things to his advantage, Pa Williams had his father-in- law call him to make the meeting, what he wouldn’t give to not be a puppet. So here he was waiting for his signal to go into the secret waiting room.

It must be something important for Pa Williams to want to see him in the secret office. Only important personalities who they did not want news that they came visiting to trickle into the streets use the room whose door resembled the door that led to an ancient dining hall, you would see on the set of an American movie set in the 1500’s. Presidents, ministers both for the church and for the people, governors and senators have passed through that door to negotiate business that raked in millions in dollars, so he was genuinely taken aback by the sheer secrecy of the urgent meeting. For a while he wondered if Zandra had spilled the beans, but then he remembered she could be easily painted as a delusional woman and she knew it herself. For safety reasons, he had called her to know if she sang like a canary, she sounded broken but she also sounded like she knew it was her punishment for falling off the track, there was no threat there, he simply wished her a happy new year.

What was taking so long? He had gone through the ritual of going in through the back gate and using the private elevator that linked only to that floor….maybe they want him to head a million dollar business, the thought of that delighted him. The Guard was there, he had made him comfortable but did not speak to him, their eyes occasionally met at awkward times but Sesan was always quick to cast his gaze away. That Guard just stood there like gladiator guarding its owner’s door and ready to go into a fight if the need presented itself. He didn’t really need to bother about him, what he was bothered about was Cornelia, she had refused to pick his calls and return his text messages, he tried to go see her in the apartment he knew she lived but he was informed she was unavailable.

Since he called her to say he had eliminated the threat of Zandra’s child after he confirmed that the deed was done, she had gone off the radar. She had let out a yelp when he told and the line went dead, she called back some minutes later explain that she had hit her leg against a table, but that was minor she wanted to know what happened to the boy and how he executed it. He had wanted to keep her in the dark but she was persistent, he let her know how he had procured the services of the nurse he knew at the William’s private hospital and convinced her to distract the in house nurse with the sleeper, then later giving the boy an extra doze of morphine, Cornelia commented that she didn’t know he had the extra streak of evil in him, he then let her know he did what was necessary to have his plans work, she had laughed and said she would get back to him and like a failed job applicant he hadn’t heard from her. He didn’t understand it, she should be happy, they could get the William’s fortune for themselves and no one would antagonize them, except that now that the boy heir was out of the way, she could make way for her own machinations, if she thought that, she had another thing coming. He had of course planned to seduce her and later blackmail her but that was to be further into the future. Now, she just wouldn’t pick his God damned calls, that upset him. He didn’t know if he was being put in the dark or she was going to rat him out. He already had a plan to get himself out of the mess if she wanted to rat him out, but first he needed to see her.

The guard cleared his throat while glancing at the clock which rested above Sesan’s head.
“It is time to go in sir.” About time he thought to himself, The Guard pushed a button and the doors opened, revealing a room of mahogany. Everything in the room was made of wood apart from the paintings of naked women that littered the wall, for a secret room whose legend has reached far and wide, it was supremely tasteless. He was disappointed, when he comes into power, he will redecorate.

He had been too focused on the tackiness of the room, that his brain had a ten second delay to register that his Father in law was seated on a chair adjacent to Pa Williams. It made his heart flutter a little, but he had to find out what this was all about first before he allowed his mind to make any suggestions or contingency plans, his hands sweated, they hadn’t sweated in a very long time. He expected them to ask him to take a seat but they didn’t, he stood at ease with his hands folded behind him.

“Good morning.”
“Ah Yes Sesan, come closer.” Pa Williams beckoned to him, his father in law did not even bother to look at him, he seemed to be staring absently out of a window, with a look on his faced that read I just gossiped about you, but I will pretend I didn’t see you. Was he in trouble?
“You know Samson’s son died yesterday, just over the new year.”
“Oh my God, how did that happen?” He put his hands to his chest.
“You tell me.”
“I don’t understand.” Shiit Shiit Shiit Shiit, this could not be happening he had been so careful, it may be a test, he had to keep a saddened face.
“Sesan……you have been asking for my wrath and you have gotten it. Pretense will only make me order my Guard to get physical with you. I have spoken to Zandra and she has told me everything. Did you or did you not send a nurse to kill my grandson?” His voice did not flinch, it was still in that soft cool baritone voice, but it threatened to drown him in the pit of hell.
“How can you believe that mad woman who came back to cause trouble, I have been here, serving you as a friend to your son and serving the Nwosu family with every toil of my sweat. How can it be so easy to disregard me and listen to a lunatic just because she had a son. I believe she is up to something and trying to weed out the loyalists. She will only cause trouble.”

Pa Nwosu turned his stare from the window to him, in all the years he had known this man, the man had never looked at him with so much contempt and disgust that it would crawl over him. He had not been scared like this before, it felt like something was snapping and his hands began to shake behind him, his hands were vibrating and the vibrations were about to hit his legs, he had to stand tall, he had nothing to gain by telling the truth absolutely nothing. Then again the truth came to him even though he wasn’t ready to speak it.

Ring, ring, came the loud amplified sound by a speaker box of a phone which had connected to who ever it was calling. Pa Nwosu placed a small speaker on the table attached to an mp3 player, he was a bit confused why this was happening, then the confusion gave way to anxiety when he heard his voice come out from the box. It was his conversation with Camilla, that wretched witch had recorded their conversation, Bleep, Bleep, he knew he shouldn’t have trusted a total stranger who he knew nothing about, Bleep, he felt like lunching at the damned device and breaking it but that will only make him look guilty. Crap he even described the nurse who he sent, was he drunk? This means if they got to her, she would affirm the story, Bleep. He opened his mouth to speak but Pa Williams cut him short.

“let me guess, you only agreed to what she was saying because she had been threatening you? Or you were forced to say it. Let us get this out of the way. I will not believe a single word you say, so let us save ourselves the senseless drama. You should know that nurse has already been apprehended and she confessed not only to this murder but also to helping you carry out some sinister operations with Zandra in the hospital basement. Shame on you….you would probably like to know that she is currently on her way to Kiriki in Lagos right now, you are luckier than she is, some people said she was enemy of the state of Nigeria, she may never come out even without trial” He had been effectively silenced him, he understood that these men had power in high places and whatever trumped up charges they wanted to hook around somebody’s neck, will stick like magnet to metal, he did not like to be in this sort of position. How everything could be going down the drain just when it just started to look up?

“You are going to New York and you are not coming back.” Pa Williams finally broke his silence
“But, but…”
“You seem to think this is a negotiation. It isn’t.”
“But Marilyn is carrying my child. How will I see my child?”
“Sesan, you do not seem to know that you have offended me greatly, and you do not seem to understand the consequence of offending me. It means that you will not have a child, as we speak Marilyn is having an abortion. Not of her own volition, she loves you dearly. She thinks she is going for some routine check up, her baby will not come out of it alive.”
“You can’t do this to her, you can’t do this, we fought to have that baby,….”
Pa Nwosu, stomped his hands on the table, it effectively silence Sesan when he noted the glare in his eyes.
“I will rather have a bastard or an adopted child take my place after my daughter, than the child of a conniving thief and murderer. Marilyn will be mad at me if she finds out, but I am her father she will forgive me, even if it is on my death bed.”

Suddenly Sesan realized that the venom that aggregated in the room was stronger than his, he was backed into a corner, but he was a ram, when he gets charged into a corner he uses his horns to fight back. Perhaps the thought had formed too quickly in his mind because Pa Williams asked for an interesting favor.

“We need you to do something for us. We have your whole life in our hands and we know we have purchased your soul at this instant so there is nothing you can do about it. That is why your bags will be transferred into the car which the Guard will take. There is a body in that car we need buried, just before you get to the airport. You will be of help to the Guard dispose of it and then you can go on your flight.”
Damn he was going to be escorted to the airport, and wait he was going to be taking part in an illegal burial. How can one’s life’s work, fall off your hands like sand the wind blew away in an instant.
“ I have never dug a hole for a burial before in my entire life.”
“Well there is always a starting point.” Pa Williams removed his glasses from his glasses case and wore them, he handed over a huge file of documents to Pa Nwosu, who started to look over it, Pa Williams also delicately started to sort another set of documents into place. That was it, he had been judged and the verdict had been given, he did not exist in the room anymore. .
****
Later

Dust had already turned his pristine white Valentino shirt to a shady brown colour, with some parts browner than the others, he was grateful that he made it a habit of his to pack neatly folded shirts in a briefcase just in case he had to walk into a meeting. He would normally use the airport restroom or the airplane lavatory to bring back his suave self. The sun wasn’t helping matters in anyway, it was like it was burning in all its glory,, taunting that there was nothing anyone could do about it, he was happy when occasional clouds seemed to cover it but it was back up there again. The Guard was a little bit helpful in contrast to the sun, he handed him a bottle of fresh water but he did not bother to help in digging the ground. He just sat on the bonnet of the car watching him like an elder brother forced to watch his irritant brother from his step mother. It was all the more eerie that they stood in an abandoned building in the middle of no where, you could see clothes beaten by weather tangled on the clothes line and you could see buckets littered around amongst the tall grasses that was taking over. There where patches of cement on the floor in odd places, but the dust still proved that it was dominant. The dust covered everything as if to claim ownership, the dust ha dnow covered him and the Guard in its glorious manner. His mind had been wandering, he was in trouble the big kind, he knew those old men were dangling him over a pit of lions with this trip he was going on, what he needed was a way to seal the lion’s mouths, with the miracle of Daniel, it felt impossible now but he had to try.

“How long have you been working for the Williams?” The Guard didn’t seem to acknowledge the question, in fact it was almost entirely like he didn’t exist. He instead took a bottle of water and drank from it, Sesan did likewise. He was in a pickle, he knew that heaven will forbid that he asked for some sort of negotiation from this Guard, he was the most loyal of them all, but everyman had his price and he had very little time to find out this man’s own.

“They use you a lot for their dirty work don’t they, I wonder if they pay you enough.” The Guard starred at him like he was a scrambled channel on a television box.
“You are trying to make small talk with me?” Hallelujah to the high heavens, he finally gets it, he sounded like a robot trying to figure out English.
“Apparently.” Sesan said casting the shovel to the ground and ferrying dirt to the mounting heap of dirt, he was almost done with the digging. He hadn’t done work like this since his teenage years, not in a million years did he think he would be doing this at a time like this, he was on his way to becoming a billionaire.
“People make small talk with me when I watch because they are uncertain of their future.”
“I am uncertain of mine.”
“Hence you talk to me.”
“Correct.”
“I must warn you about talking to me, sometimes it doesn’t always end well.”
“Look, it is only us two here at the end of the world, nobody is here it will be like a confession session.”
“You forget that you have a flight to catch Mr. Sesan”
“What if I wanted to miss that flight?”
“You are insinuating that you want me to disobey orders.”
“Yes, If I get on that plane I do not know what will await me. I will be in exile forever. I have money saved up in an account. I want to get to it. You and I know that Pa William’s is a dangerous man, let alone in combination with Pa Nwosu. I don’t want to play this game with them, they will chew me up .”
“How does it feel?”
“How does what feel?” He seemed to have returned to his robot like state, he was saying something and the Guard was asking something else.
“To have Zandra in your arms, for her to tell you she loves you and for you to make love to her. I mean way back not when you had to force her.” So this is part of the Guard’s confession, that pesky little demon called Zandra had toyed with his mind also, he knew she couldn’t help it, it was a habit she had picked up, but he could use this to his own advantage, that girl was always helpful at odd times.
“ I can tell you how to get her.”
“And the price will be for me to let you go.”
“Yes.”
“I am an Eunuch.” He was what? For once he saw the Guard in a new light, so this beefed up male specimen prototype, was an empty plastic whose main duty was to serve and to protect. The Guard had said those words with his chest raised up high that he could smell the pride from where he was protecting his face from the scorching sun.
“Is that why you never took her, you know nobody would have believed her if you did. She would have never spoken, she is a frail child that one.”
“Do you know what I did to the first man who spoke of rape to me? I took a dagger and stabbed him at the sides, you know just the way they did the messiah in the bible. He tried to fight me, he held my neck as if to strangle me and he hit me on the head, that only got me mad. I sliced his stomach and watched his gut fall out. Then I stood back to watch him crawl, while I admired the beauty of my work. You must understand I am usually rational but he was talking about my sister…..i do not take lightly violence about people I care for.” There was no flicker of anger in his voice, the Guard still sat with his legs crossed on the bonnet, for some reason he noticed his pecks and his well defined muscular arms. This man could snap his neck in a split second and no one would hear him. He had better corporate.
“What did you say you wanted to know about Zandra?”
“ How it felt to be with her.”
“Think of your favorite most meal that you haven’t taken in a while, you have longed for it, but you could not find it. Then on a beauty rainy evening, it is cold because it is rainy, to make matters worse you are famished, you haven’t eaten the whole day and you just want anything, water would even do to fill up your stomach to prevent you from fainting, but for some reason the gods have smiled on you and on your dining lays that one food you have longed for, your cook had finally found the ingredients; its scent so enticing you almost tripped on a rug in your rush to get to it. How do you eat this food? Do you use your fork and knife in every decency you have learnt or you ravish it like the hungry man you are? The feeling is always the same, the feeling of sweet satisfaction, the taste that soothes all your senses. Then it is over but for some reason you want it again next time, it converts to series of food you long for and you keep taking them, then she withdraws herself from you. You go mad because you want it, but it is no where to be found, you take substitutes but it is not the same. You want your oya….”
“That was what you called her, Oya?”
“Yes?”
“Why did you call her that?”
“Believe it or not I was a tout as a youngster, I get angry easily, I would cause fights, when things get so heated they would look for her, people who knew us together you see. They will get her to me and all she had to do was touch me. You know how Oya does to Sango when he breathes fire. She is the love of my life man, she ruined everything.”
“ How so?”

Zandra Later
How could he do that do her, own her like that, capture her soul like that and she would still be powerless to him. She was ashamed of herself, ashamed that Sesan was right, she was weak and pathetic and she didn’t know how to rise above it. She just didn’t know, she didn’t know how to free herself, the feeling choked her. She knew she could never expose Sesan now even if she wanted to, he knew ways to hurt her and she knew he must have set some devious plans in motion. Who was Cornelia anyways? She didn’t like where this was going, maybe she would call up Francesca in the morning and talk to her. She would probably have to leave her son behind and run away again, but she was scared for Samson, Could this Cornelia that Sesan be the completion of the plan she could not execute. She was guilty, she was torn

It was some minutes to midnight already, when she re entered the house. The security detail at the gate told her he thought she had gone for a new years party and that was why she asked for an extra nurse to look after her son. She didn’t ask for anybody to come over but she knew the William’s had this thing where they believed she was irresponsible and would send in extra care to check on the boy occasionally. It was all Ma William’s idea. She was now at the bottom of the stair case emotionally exhausted, tired, more confused than she had ever been, distraught. She didn’t know what to do, Sesan always did that to her, she never knew what to do when he was involved. He could spin things to make new clothes and Samson may never believe her, but she could never bring herself to betray him. He had been too good to her, but she didn’t want to bring pain all over into the life of the man she loved anymore. If she left here she would be good, not being with her son will be her punishment, but it choked her neck to think that Sesan may be up to something with this Cornelia. She needed a plan but she just did not have the strength or will power to come up with one, she felt like she was in a haunted mansion, haunted by her own choices.

There was a snore coming from one of the couches, she didn’t understand it, no one was meant to be downstairs. So she decided to investigate, when she saw the white uniform, she knew the nurse had zoned out on the couch, she had half the mind to smack her awake but it was the last day of the year and she didn’t want to end it with the tears of the aftermath of a riots act. Zandra eyed the cognac on the side table and the two glasses that sat there, the drink must have put The Nurse to sleep, she must be a light drinker, but something felt wrong, the second glass felt wrong. She didn’t like it, where was the second nurse who didn’t sleep off? Her heart began to beat fast against her chest. Stop it don’t think it, she told herself, mentally slapping her wrists, but the feeling wouldn’t go away it stopped her just as she was about to open the door to her son’s room. She didn’t know if she should say a little prayer, she didn’t, she opened the door.

Nobody was there, there was no nurse, there was her son and she knew it was true. She knew it had happened, Sesan had sent his message, she was no longer his Oya, she was his enemy, a used foil to be discarded and neutered. She couldn’t move, her hands wouldn’t even touch the tears that were streaming down her face, she didn’t dare move near the boy, she didn’t dare. It would only confirm what she already knew, she didn’t want it this way. She didn’t want a new year this way.

Dong, Dong, Dong, Dong, Dong, Dong, Dong, Dong, Dong, Dong, Dong, Dong, the clock struck 12 times, it was a new year. She could hear the felicitations from a distant church but her son was dead.

“Demola.” She managed to pronounce, there was a little hope in her that made her wish it had not happened, but the darkness that gave her the paralysis, knew her hope was nothing. She moved forward conquering the fear, maybe she was just scared, maybe because she had seen the whiskey she had thought to herself this was a sleeper case, where she and Sesan would drug their distraction with a drink and go to work, maybe it was her fears that was making her paranoid. So she moved closer to him in small steps, stepping on Barney and Sponge bob square pant foam dolls.

“Demola” she whispered again, then she touched him, he didn’t feel alive. Her son didn’t feel alive. She screamed out with all of her lungs, she felt the room shake but she didn’t care. He was dead, he was dead, she looked at his face, she touched it, she felt his breath, the warmth was no longer there. She bent down to kiss his fore head.
“Mummy failed you, mummy failed you. I am sorry, I am sorry.” The security barged in.
“Ma, I heard your scream.”
“Go away. Get out. You incompetent phlegm.” She flung a a train set that laid next to the bed side lamp at him. A sudden dizziness fell over her and she could feel her throat getting drier and drier, till she hit the floor. Nothing existed anymore.

Zandra 1st January 2013

A certain cold came over her, accompanied with wetness, her clothes were drenched, she laid on the floor of a bathroom and all she could see were feet. Another cold came upon her and this time it was not the cold of the wetness, it was the cold of the realization that she had lost her precious gift. Zandra began to shake violently, which alerted the people that she was awake. She still could not hear them or see their faces, all she saw was their feet but she knew she was shaking. Their faces came down to hers, she could almost grasp who they were but then she slipped unconscious again.

When she woke up , she found herself in a guest room she hadn’t bothered to decorate, it was just a bed and empty walls. The two chairs that stood directly next to her and the fan that blew cool breeze at her told her people had been in this room, she even spied the miserable nurse’s cap in a corner. Demola where was Demola? Where was her son. She knew she was asking herself a silly question, she knew he was long gone, but she couldn’t help but ask herself. She knew Sesan did this, she knew he was the only one who could have arranged such a thing, she knew that was the reason it was so urgent to get her out of the house and into the theatre, she had given him his victory. He had taken her joy from her and fed it to the dogs. If she saw the face of that spineless rat she would crack it open with a sledgehammer without thinking, the son of a mongrel had even told her not to look for him because he would be in church with his respectable wife. Why was she so silly?

Funny how a calamity befalls you and you understand why you shouldn’t have endorsed its variant in the first place, Sesan had grown several dragon heads, she let it grow herself and he had devoured part of her. She let it grow when she did not rebel against him when he murdered her first husband, she hated that he had taken somebody’s life but she secretly relished the freedom she had gotten from a loveless marriage. She didn’t turn on him then, she let him sooth her back to calmness, then she watched him take all of her money to feed his ambitions, she only rebelled with people that mattered to her like Samson but now he had taken Demola in his stead. The two headed dragon had taken Demola, the only thing she lived for, she couldn’t let him grow into a three headed dragon and take her or Samson, especially with this Cornelia of a person who may be the new pawn. Her hands began to tighten and she could feel the sweat form on her forehead even though the room was icily conditioned. She knew she had to get up, she knew she had to do something. She knew she wanted to rip Sesan’s heart out, her whole head felt like it had exploded, like she had come to a realization she was meant to have reached ages ago. She was meant to cut out that son of a dog from her and have him thrown in front of a bus.

Pumped up she stood up from the bed, she wasn’t sure if her feet were strong, she wasn’t even sure if she was strong enough to do what she needed to do.

Slow but steady she reached for the rails , she couldn’t bring herself to turn to look at her son’s room, with the transformer drawings on the door, she knew as a mother she should go look if he were still there but the truth was he was no longer there even if he was there. The last words he spoke to her was to ask her if he looked better. She had told him he looked like fried dodo to make him laugh, she had tickled him and blew air into his stomach. Dodo was his favorite food, she took in a deep breath then started down the stairs. She wobbled a little shaking a tiny vase that was laid on a suspended slab, veering it to the floor. The nurse and a security personnel popped their head from a room and ran towards her immediately.

“Madam you can’t be up, you can’t be walking” One of them was saying she didn’t know who, she sought the face of the Nurse who seemed worried, but this ant had slept after drinking cognac while her son was being killed. Zandra raised her hand to scratch her face, the woman yelped moving backwards a little, but then she wasn’t done, she grabbed her nose and closed it. The one guard who seemed stunned at first began to pull her off the Nurse but she was angry at him also. They let a stranger into her home, her sharp fingers poked his eye, while she took another vase and broke on the head of the nurse. She wished they were Sesan, she wanted to bite him and use her hands to pull out his manhood.

She was going to look for a knife to stab him. No wonder the basterd said she would probably feel the urge to call him, she felt the urge to murder him.

“What is going on here?” An authoritative voice questioned.

“Nothing.” The workers answered in a collective voice as if rehearsed it was a rehearsed chorus, It was Pa Williams in a robe and pajamas trousers, when did he get here? She could see the Conakry Guard just behind him, why wasn’t it that Guard with her boy, he would never have left Demola’s side, he would have snapped the neck of the perpetrator like a chicken that needed a quick death, why did the world gang up against her? At the same time she felt relieve Pa Williams was there, she wanted to see him, it was him she was going to look for. She had planned to run to him if she needed to. Her face became disfigured, the tears were welling up.

“I want to kill somebody. I want somebody to follow my boy to his grave.” Now she was heaving, she was out of her mind, she was burning out, she knew it but that desire to have someone dead did not leave, there was nothing she could do about it until it was acted out
“Leave us.” Pa William commanded, which led to a scurry to exit the room.
“If it were the Nurse and the Guard you wanted to kill, you were doing a pretty bad job there.” How could he bringing humor to a situation like this. Demola was gone. Not asleep gone, he was dead gone. She didn’t answer him, she sunk to the step on the stair case in a fetal position, hoping that it would pity her and swallow her. She must have been a bad mother, she didn’t sense when he was in danger, she did not know, she was busy having chit chat with the slime of a human.

Pa Williams stroked his chin, then reached for a jar that was placed on a coffee table, then poured the yellow contents into two cups, stretching one to her as he lowered himself to the staircase to sit next to her, she was reluctant to take it.

“I made this when I got here, you have been out for two hours, the security called me when you first fainted. No one else knows this has happened, only I do, unfortunately I cannot bring the boy back to life, my powers are limited in that aspect.” He paused as if to make sure that the words sunk in. “You have fainted twice already, so you need to rehydrate now that you are better to poke people’s eyes out.” She accepted the cup he was presenting to her after he drank his own portion. “ As I was saying, I am mere mortal, so I cannot bring him back but I can rain early vengeance on who did this. So tell me, who do you want to kill? ”

“Sesan, he took my boy, I have no doubt in my mind that he did it, he called me over to a cinema to make sure I was not home and sent a fake nurse to carry out the deed.”
“ I know this already, I took the nurse out of your room to interview her with the other staff for the past few minutes before you woke up, they corroborate what you are insinuating. we also have him on record telling Cornelia, he did it to get you out of the way, what I need from you is the total truth. You need to tell me how you know him and your dealings with him. Nothing you say will save him even if you try to protect him, you have to understand he has taken my grandson from me.”
“Cornelia is from you?”
“Yes. I have long suspected him, so I used Cornelia as bait.”
“Where is he?”
“Who”
“Demola.”
“Still in his room, he will soon be removed. I have arranged for it.”
“Can I be with him all the way.”
“We can arrange that.” She pulled the hair that was falling all over her face back, it was then she realized she was in damp clothes, she then remember the cold and shivers, they must have poured water on her, but it didn’t matter now. For some reason she felt like a dam had been open she felt the flood of revelations that was to follow, there was an unrelenting ease that accompanied this feeling. Ironic how few hours ago she would have protected Sesan, but he had taken something from her, something she could never forgive him for, she was ready to draw blood.
“You will not believe any of this.”
“Try me.”
She was going to try him, she began to speak

Pa Williams (Minutes Later)

Pa Williams strolled out of the house leaving his raging wife behind, he knew she would fume for weeks over this incidence, she would make plans and counter plans, when all that the story needed was to silence the people who made the discovery and say the marriage plans did not work out. That was not her, she will worry over the damage control that needed to be done, he wasn’t bothered about what people will think about his personal life, he was bothered more if the right or wrong thing was going on. He beckoned to The Guard to join him in the walk. He wanted him to witness what was about to happen. It will motivate him in the task he may need to do in the future.

The two men walked down the deserted street, barely talking to the other, they turned at a corner ten minutes away from the house and waited. He wasn’t weary of standing on the street, he was rich but he wasn’t famous, his wife on the other hand may pull a crowd as she wasn’t missing on the pages of the society magazines. It only made sense that she would be worried about her daughter in law to be, being caught using voodoo. It would be like her standing right here on the street corner, with people staring, watching and judging that she had a hole in her dress. She would rather die first than have a hole visible in her silk dress showing to the public. He loved that woman but she took things that were not serious too seriously. He supposed he should be thankful for her, she kept the family name clean no matter what happened. The rumors were always covered in glitter that dark truths became uncertainty and baseless gossip.

Their wait was cut short when a white car soon emerged at the end of the road driving towards them. It was later than he expected, but you can’t always count on other people to keep to your time. it came to a halt, Cornelia’s sunny face beamed at them, with some form of Nigerian rap music blaring from her stereo, he had mistakenly assumed that she didn’t listen to that genre of music. The Guard who had figured out the situation was quick to open the door for him, while electing to stay outside, but Pa Williams motioned to him to join in, which he did. When they were set, Cornelia took them on a drive.

“You are late. I do not like tardiness.”
“Yes but I had to make sure I was not followed, you don’t confront that kind of man and not go paranoid.”
“Good job, I have seen results already at this end, but I sense what you have for me may be juicier.”
“Results? Has he kicked out Patricia already? That will be fast”
“Yes, she was caught with voodoo, some hours again. We are all mortified.” Cornelia busted into laughter.
“Voodoo, really? He is quick”
“ I told you he was a serpent. Now do you have something juicier for me?”
“Oh yes, Oh yes. You will give me a bonus for this I tell you.” Casandra produced a memory card, which she inserted into a device to play on her car stereo. Soon the conversation between her and Sesan wafted through the air again recreating their moment together while Pa Williams rested his back, eyes closed to fully soak it in. He didn’t know this was the kind of animal he was dealing with, this one had to be cut off and castrated. He clenched his fists, while mentally kicking himself for allowing this to go on for so long. It was a cancer, cancers were to be cut immediately they start to grow.

For some reason he wasn’t angry at Sesan, he was at Samson, his own son could not pick of the traits of a masked monster. There was no way he would survive in this business if he couldn’t tell who a monster was. You just need to know. His anger subsided when he realized that he had also been fooled all these years and Nwosu had bought the con hook line and sinker. No one could fool Nwosu, it was impossible but this kid had managed it. If only he hadn’t crossed his path, Sesan might have been useful in other ways.

The recording had finished and Cornelia had now handed him the memory card which he handed to The Guard. He fished out a cheque he had written earlier to her non profit foundation, this way he could not be said to have paid her to spy, he was always extra careful to cover his tracks, it was an old habit of his. She gave him a dashing smile as a thank you note.
“ I will let you know the next step.”
“Okay sir.” She nodded while studying through her rear-view mirror. They were approaching the spot she had picked them up so he braced to get down.
“I will make sure you are safe from him. Some of my guards will keep watch over you from a distance.”
“Hmm, you mean like the hunky one over there.”
“This one is my head of security, I let him go once in a while, unfortunately I need him currently. You will have well trained men guard over you. Don’t worry you wont even know they are watching.”
“No, if they look like him, I want them to be at my side all the time.” He laughed at this, one thing he knew about this girl was that she was a flirt and would try to charm any man even one year olds with her ways. It was very useful for her and himself
“Behave.”
“Okay.” She said in mocking sulking tones “Alright this is where you stop. See you later.”
“Good bye.”

They both got down from the car and started the journey back to the house.
“Looks like you are soon going to have a job on your hands.” he told the Guard, who didn’t answer. They both knew something was about to happen. The question was how soon?

Sesan December 31st 2012

Sesan’s eyes were closed, he could easily be mistaken for a sleeping man, but no one was looking, they were all engrossed in the movie that lit up the big screen. He didn’t bother to follow the story line, he had seen it before, the hero dies in the end. What he enjoyed more was the sighs, laugher and screams of the audience. He liked to compare an audience’s reaction with the previous audiences he had seen a movie with, will they laugh more at a scene or not laugh at all, will they moan in pain when the hero was being beaten up or will they be nonchalant unlike others, will their screams be angrier than the previous audiences. He took a mental note for his amusement, a little trait he had developed but found unnecessary to share with anyone, except Zandra of course…..where was she? He generally enjoyed cinemas, the only thing he hated about these movie houses was the sound of the crunching popcorn, accompanied by the noisy slurps of the drinks, he hated those noises, they irked his ears and he felt times without number like chopping off the hands that dug into the crunchy delights or stuffing a sock in the mouths of the rabbits that ate them. Pop corns should really not be the choice food for cinemas, they were noisy.

A mental note was made as the hall erupted in laughter when the comic relief in the movie asked the villain a silly question, while he was handcuffed to a sleeping tiger. This particular audience’s laughter was more than the one he saw the movie with his wife, it could as well be that there were more people here now, people who came to reward themselves after work while making sure to bug his ears with their chewing. For some reason, the chewing reminded him of Yinka and her incessant chewing of gum when she ran to him for help, after she had been found with items she knew nothing about, the chewing stopped when she realized that she was expendable when he refused to come up with a contingency plan. She had been furious, she didn’t understand how expendable she was, till that very moment but then she still did not understand, she still tried to call and sent him messages which he ignored. She was no longer a worthy pawn, she had to be executed, a tornado in the form of Cornelia had ensured that, the only threat he had to neuter was Zandra and he was waiting for her to show up, so his plan could finally begin.

Two things were important, he needed to take away Zandra’s power, while ensuring her silence. He knew she would most likely be corporative if he reminded her that the uttermost betrayal to their love, would be to go against him; he had reserved a seat for her next to him. He was seated near the front of the cinema for this purpose , because he knew that for some strange reason there was a magnetic field towards the back of the cinema hall that drew people to seat there, so far so good he hadn’t been disturbed by anyone, but as a precaution, he had taken one of Marilyn’s shawls and placed it on the seat beside him.

Zandra didn’t seem surprised he had contacted her for a meeting, in fact it seemed like she had been anticipating it. She had asked for the meeting location in calm tones and he had given it to her. He had also reminded her of the many intimate atrocities they had committed in film houses just to remind her he was the love of her life. He was going to remind her more of that this evening, but she was mere fish to be chewed, this would be quick, the real danger was from Cornelia.

Nothing fishy turned up on Cornelia when he had asked one of his boys to run a quick check on her, absolutely nothing he could use as leverage against what seemed to be a dangerous menace in his perfect plan. She must be really good, what pointed out how extremely good she was, was when she sent someone to deliver to his man who had been stalking her a plate of vegetable soup and pounded yam wrapped up in leaves, placed in a cooler, she had written a note saying, “You must be tired following me around all day. Junk food is not good for you.” The humorous thing was that his man was eating gala out of its sachet while drowning it with a bottle of lacasera, she had been kind to send along a packet of juice and wine. The surveillance had ended that day, she waved him goodbye as he drove away from where he was parked.

What he didn’t like was interference, Cornelia was an interference he had to deal with, he knew he couldn’t do anything to her because she was a hard nut, so it meant he had to partner with her, he didn’t like that she was in control, he liked being in control.

“Is this seat taken” Zandra’s soft voice whispered to him so that he opened his eyes.
“No you can take it” he said removing the silk scarf that was rested there.
“Is it a good movie? I know you must have seen it to be closing your eyes.”
“It is an okay movie…..it shows to the world how silly it is to do the right thing. The hero dies doing the right thing, he pays the ultimate sacrifice leaving his family to grieve him for the rest of their lives. They will remember him by pictures and a tombstone in his heroic memory but he is lost forever. He lost, he didn’t win.”
“Which brings you back to your ideology that it is good to be bad.”
“Yes.” Zandra was looking at him, so he returned her stare, the lights on the screen danced on her frail face. He could see the young girl who was helpless to the world, who was scared if it would bruise her, who needed protection. He had been in love with that girl, but the girl was now a stubborn tool, she didn’t allow him to own her and that displeased him. He leaned forward to kiss her just to see if she would resist, it came just in time when people were cheering on the movie’s hero. It was a deep passionate kiss, it tasted sweet like the freshest of cherries, she didn’t tug, she didn’t pull, it was almost like he had his Temi back. He bit her lip to taste the blood, it was an old ritual, the faint taste of her blood woke him up. It was easy to forget where he was when he kissed her like that but the audience’s groans at the screen slowly returned him.

When he drew his face away from hers to watch her again, it dawned on him that he had just received the kiss of a client. A very necessary evil in her life, she was no longer the girl he knew. She was a woman, a very dangerous chameleon whose mind he couldn’t read. This bothered him, it confused him for a minute that it showed in his face, but he didn’t need to be bothered as such, because his plans were in motion. Her being here in the cinema instead of her new home at this moment was very important. He just needed to know if she was still on his side, from the kiss he knew she was on her own side and not his.

“You have grown wings Temi.”
“Why do you say this?”
“You do not love me anymore.”
“We don’t have to go through this.”
“We just might have to, it’s okay you have moved on with your life, I have with mine in a way. Yet I expect my demands of you to met, for old times sake.” He rested his head back into the chair and closed his eyes, he was waiting for her to speak, he wanted her to beg him, he wanted her on her knees, to apologize for her stupidity but he knew she wasn’t going to do that, that was why he will make her wither, cut off her head and render her powerless like a headless snake. He thought he had no weakness, it only happened that she was his weakness; she hindered him.

“Would you love you, if you were me?” The softness of her voice often made him care but his selfishness would not make him act.
“I would still love me, especially since I brought you out of the gutter, coached you on what to do with yourself, tell me did you have a dream of whom you wanted to be? Did you think there was a better life than that hell hole there. I introduced you to the better things in life, but a rich boy comes in and you forget me.” He didn’t have to open his eyes to know that he was winning again, he knew those words opened the wounds of her guilt, he didn’t want to drive a knife into that same wound anymore. He wanted to neuter her completely and discard her. She had become a waste of space and breath.

“Sesan, you only taught me things that benefited you.”
“Didn’t the things that benefited me, benefit you?”
“ All I wanted was a big house, you and kids, to leave the ugliness behind.” Her voice was raising and they were getting looks, she knew to whisper so her voice dropped at the end.
“We could have had that.”
“How could we, when you were to marry Marilyn.”
“I told you, I only needed her for her money, she would have been discarded off and you would have been my new Mrs. I couldn’t when you opted for Mr. Charming.”
“I didn’t want games. Games has never been my thing. They were your thing, you are the cold and dangerous one. You are a vile little bat and you lie even with your breath. I am no longer that silly girl. You can do whatever you want but I will not be part of your ploys anymore. I want neutrality. I know things that can destroy you and I am not afraid to use it.” Sesan supposed that at hearing her threaten him for the first time, he should have opened his eyes and looked at her, but the threat was nothing, she could do nothing. In fact all her chips were gone and she would soon crawl back from where she came from.

“That was an impressive speech Zandra. Do you want to hear me say the words. I will say them to you Zandra, don’t worry.” He opened his eyes and turned his face towards her, she was looking at him so he could look into her eyes and crush her soul, while gently stroking her cheeks. “ I used you, I think you are weak and pathetic. Your weakness and pathetic pity of a life was of use to me in the beginning but now you are just a thorn in my flesh because you did not grow into a butterfly. You have wallowed in the pity of your past that you remain the same. You remain the victim, you remain exploited, you remain a slave. You do not have power over me. I am the one with the power over you, I know you, I know what you value most and I can make it so that your life is such a misery. I would have you at any moment I want,when my balls tingle. I will demand for you and you will come to me, because I have your keys. I haven’t begun with you yet, I am just beginning and there is nothing you can do, because we are going to be in this together. You do as I say….I own you.”

For a second or two he thought that she had stopped breathing but she hadn’t, her chest was still rising albeit slowly, she was looking down in an awkward manner as if she was staring at a pimple on the tip of her nose. He knew that look too well, she gave it to him whenever he clipped any wings she was growing.
“You are just cruel aren’t you?”
“Yes I am….a Miss Cornelia will be marrying your husband. You are not to create a fuzz about it, you would quietly and diligently be a good ex-wife and cause no trouble. I have taken extra precautions that it stays this way.”
“Precautions? What extra precautions?” She would find out herself, he didn’t have any words to say to her anymore, so he got up to go out, she grabbed his hand to make him stay, but he yanked it off.
“Don’t touch me, we are no longer a team. Sango and Oya are over. You are on your own now and you shall face the consequences.” He paused for a little and he added “ You may feel the pressing need to call me or drive to my home in the next couple of hours, please don’t. My wife and I won’t be home. We are going for a vigil. We can talk in the morning, happy new year in advance.” He knew that she knew better than to run after him, he looked at the faces in the crowd, the ones he stood directly in front of seemed uneasy, they wanted him to leave, he wanted to leave also, he did them and himself the favor, he was not a nuisance like the popcorn eaters.

Zandra Friday 28 December 2012

The shrill silence of the house made it seem haunting. The inconvenience of having Ma Williams checking all the rooms did not do anything to salvage the situation. The woman was as cold as ice could be and hadn't said a word to her since she had been back. It was Demola she wanted to see, Demola she wanted back in time for Christmas in the Williams Mansion, Demola she spoilt, she had to spend Christmas alone in this empty house just as she landed at airport in the wee hours of Christmas, she had been whisked away to the house she had picked from a selection of available houses to house her and her recuperating son. They didn’t want her complicating issues for the family Christmas,Patricia and Samson would be there, she had to remain invincible to the Williams family according to the gospel of Ma Williams. She understood the woman would rather not have her around but she was here to stay and there was nothing any one could do about it, even herself.


"So do you like the place?" Pa Williams asked his wife who was now looking at the curtains. Ma Williams had wanted to see where her first grandson would be recuperating, they were returning Demola back to har after having him since they arrived, they had agreed to let Demola spend the new year with her. Ma Williams had been upset that Zandra had been given the opportunity to choose where she would be staying with the boy and she had thrown a fit. This was the family assuaging her.
"It looks okay, but those curtains they look out of place."

"They can be replaced to your taste."

"No, now when it is not me that is staying here, let her have her choice. I am just not happy she will be receiving benefits because all she did was give birth and cause trouble." Her husband was swift to hold her hand to calm her down, Zandra knew that Pa Williams knew it would be wise to just let her vent. The woman was a grown child, but she felt so sorry she had betrayed her trust and didn't know how to make it up to her. There was another moment of awkward silence till she thought to break it.


"Mama please can I speak to you in private?"
"Me? Say whatever you want to say here. I have nothing to say to you in private." This woman was going to be a hard nut and cookie to crack, the way she was behaving, again she didn’t blame her .
"Go with her . She will not eat you." Pa Williams chimed in.
"You know I don't want to be in the same room with her. This girl is dangerous you don't know what she will do."
"Just go with her." Ma Williams husband prodded again. God bless this man, if he wasn't here she didn't know what would be happening right now.
"Okay but go and watch the boy upstairs, that was where I was going to go after now. Don't disturb him with all those your business calls O. Because I know you, you don’t rest but he has to rest."
" I understand your highness." The man said before turning to the flight of stairs that would lead to the boy's room.


For a few seconds, the words she had planned to say did not form properly in her head, instead they danced around and nothing came to her. Ma Williams decided to take it easy on her for some reason by complimenting her.


"The house is nice, I like the design. Do you think just two maids will be enough for you to cater to it? You know that boy must not be left alone."
"I will be doing most of the boy's tending to ma and since there is going to be a live-in-nurse, I don't think there will be a problem."
"Anyways I will be coming to check from time to time."
" Yes Ma I understand."
"So what is it that you wanted to discuss?”
"Truthfully as soon as I was given the chance to talk. It all escaped me." Zandra sank herself to the chair, she was tired. The events of the past few months had taken its toll, she didn't expect to find an ally in Ma Williams but what she did want was for the woman to know she didn't intentionally cause her pain. Ma Williams also took a seat, while watching her intently
.

" I know how you feel, your only son is ill. You won't believe this but Samson was also sick one time back in the states. I did not know what to do. I thought he was going to die...."

"Mama that is part of it but I…. what I really wanted to do was to apologize. I am sorry about all of this." Zandra found her knees on the ground, her hands folded together in pleading. Ma Williams looked shocked, as if she had just witnessed a wonder of the world that had previously not been discovered. "Mama I know this looks like I am faking it, like I just want to get in your good books, but it isn't the case. I have been thinking about it. You accepted me when I was difficult to accept and everything I have done was just to basically throw it back at you. I understand that you are bitter and resent me. Mama, you should know I resent myself more and do not know how I could make it up to you, because I cannot.”
The woman looked at her like she had gone insane, her mouth opened in wonder but she was quick to close it.

"Is this because you still want to marry my son? You know he has a better woman now."
"No it’s not that, I have done wrong. I know this. I just want your forgiveness. You will be around for the boy because I see you love him dearly. I do not want him to sense any form of bad blood between us. I want peace."
"Peace? What do you know about peace? Since the day you stepped into this family. What am I saying? Since you stepped into my son's life I haven't seen the traces of peace in you. You are now talking about peace. Whatever you are plotting it won't work."
"Mama. I swear on the spot that I will be buried. I am plain and simple. I know because of my past. I will be constantly reminded of the wrong I have done. I hate that I have done that but it is now my cross to bear. We cannot continue like this, the boy cannot know such enmity between us, we can’t because it will seem that he will have to choose one of us and that is wrong." She meant every word she said but she also knew that if she was to poison Ma Williams minds against Patricia, she had to at least be in her good books first. She didn’t need to marry Samson, but she wanted whatever toxicity she may have introduced into his life gone.

"Look child, God knows that I have forgiven you. You have not done anything to me. Going as far as friends again that will not happen. For the sake of the boy I will not cause any trouble, you can see I am civil speaking to you. So there stand up"

This was a first step in the right direction, she knew it, she was about to do the right thing for once. What she also knew was that her son was now healthy and got the proper medical attention he deserves. She didn't know how she would get out of Sesan’s claws yet but she knew she first had to remove Patricia, then after herself from Sesan. She still battled with herself if she should come clean and spill her guts, the thoughts were always quickly killed by her but it was there.


"Mama I have a question for you. You know I can talk to no one else, I have no friend or mother.” She expected her to feel a sense of responsibility when she made mention of the words mother and friend, she was implying that she wanted her as a mother and friend. Ma Williams took the bait, the woman was sweet even though she tried to be harsh.
“Ehen.”
“If you were to choose between your own happiness and the happiness of others what would you do. Say there is someone who has done a lot of good in your life, brought you out of a dark place….say this person wants you to do something, if you don’t do it it will be a mess. But not doing it will make you happy although you will destroy this person who has been there for you. Do you do it and risk your own happiness or not to keep him and everyone else happy.”She knew Ma Williams may interpret this with her situation with Samson, but it was really with Sesan, she was scared to throw him to the dogs.

The shrill ring of a phone stopped them. It was Ma Williams cell ringing, so she excused herself to pick it. Soon after she picked, she shouted so loud Zandra’s ears tingled, then she made a promise that she will be there soon. She didn’t even acknowledge that she was in the room anymore but instead ran up the stairs to go fetch her husband.

Zandra moved across the semi empty room, as they were yet to get proper furniture, she stopped by the window to mellow her mind. She caught a glimpse of The Guard’s bald head as he sat motionless on a chair downstairs. She hadn’t come in contact with him since she returned, he seemed to avoid her like a plague, he wasn’t even at the airport to collect her. He wasn’t really her concern right now, she wanted to know her next course of action and if she was safe from Sesan. She ran her hands through her hair, she was tired.

There was muffled sounds coming from the stair case. Ma Williams and Pa Williams seemed to be engrossed in a particular curious conversation, Ma Williams sounded hysterical. She wanted to shout at them to stop, so as not to wake the boy but she knew she couldn’t censure them. She was relieved when she saw that they were coming down the stairs. That will at least distance the noise from her child.

When they were in the same room with her, she sensed that whatever the phone call was it had shaken Ma Williams to her roots, her whole body was shaking in a faint tremor, you had to look at her twice to notice but Pa Wiliams seemed unmoved. He looked as regal as anyone could be. He must have gotten a lot of bad news in his life. Pa Williams unraveled the mystery for her.
“Patricia was caught with fetish charms, which included voodoo dolls that looked like Samson and we his parents.”
“What, how? I have never known Pat to do such a thing.” She was truly mortified, Patricia may do many silly things but do something like that never.
“She was caught, they caught her. Why can’t Samson find decent women? Why can’t he just find a decent girl and marry. All of them must have comma. That girl may have used love portion for him. Oh my God.” Ma Williams was hyperventilating, while her husband held her to calm her down again. The woman didn’t stop

It didn’t make sense. Patricia did not even believe in voodoo, she called it a waste of time. The only excuse she could come up with was that Sesan didn’t need her again and set her up for failure. She wanted Patricia out but the way she was going out wasn’t making sense to her. What was happening? What could be wrong? She had hoped all would be better when she comes back but this hasn’t been so. It keeps mounting like a pile of rubbish.

“I have to take a walk to clear my head” Pa Williams announced to the room, almost as if he was running away from the estrogen and panic that seemed to dominate the room.
“Are you leaving me here? What are we going to do about this?”
“We don’t want to talk about it now do we? I just need to clear my head for a while , you can go to dot on your sleeping grandson. I am sure we will find a way. We always will.” Those words seemed to calm Ma Williams down a little. She didn’t even turn to look at her again, she headed back to the stair ways that led to Demola’s room. While Pa Williams made his exit, she sank back into the chair, more confused than she was. She wanted Patricia gone, she had made a plan but Patricia was being weeded out already, she didn’t like the uncertainty, she didn’t know what it was going to do to her, her heart thumped when she realized she would soon have a visit from Sesan she wasn’t looking forward to.

Cornelia, Thursday 27 December 2012

Cornelia felt uncomfortable. The G-string was killing her, not that she was not used to them just that this one seemed to have an acrylic tag that was bent on giving her hell by nonsensically tickling her in the most inappropriate place possible. She shifted in her chair to craftily use her hand to correct the offending string, while looking around to see if any one saw her. The coast was clear, she just hoped there were no security cameras around.


The waiting room was decorated to match the festive mood, there was a beautiful recreation of the birth of Christ just beside her and She was seated behind three rather large vases that were meant to have the three gifts the wise men offered Christ, it must be the wise men vases because each vase was being hugged by an old man, which by their grey hair were meant to be wise. She had gotten bored of staring so she began flipping through magazines that were made readily available at each corner of the room, she wondered why seeing Sesan was taking so long, especially when he had given her a specific time to come to his office. She had contacted him declaring her intention to apologize on Patrick's behalf for the insane and rude behavior at the Polo club. He didn't complain that the incident had happened weeks back and should be forgotten. He had asked directly what she wanted from him. It wasn't his fault; ex beauty queens have a reputation of wanting to stick to the rich and the powerful. It wasn't too far from what she is about to be suspected of doing. She had calmly requested to meet him in a private place and here she was seated on a leather chair with an uncomfortable g-string.


The carefully crafted wooden door that led to Sesan's office suddenly opened and there stood an impeccable dressed man in a three piece suit. He was Sesan's secretary and he had been the one thing apart from the magazines who had kept her from poking her eyes out from boredom, by just staring at his delicious body. She was so naughty, she had made the guy uncomfortable by licking her lips when he had first talked to her to get her name and her purpose of visit. She had asked him to repeat himself because she wasn’t paying attention, she still couldn’t remember his name, shame.

She remembered hearing rumors that Marilyn specifically pointed out that there was to be no females working close to her husband. Unfortunately this particular Adonis could turn a straight man gay, so Marilyn was still in danger of infidelity. She sure knew she liked his looks so she let it known by scanning him with her eyes lustfully again, he gave her a pleasing dash of his teeth.


" Miss Cornelia Musa"
"Yes gorgeous?"
"The MD will see you now."
"Oh thank you....did anyone ever tell you that you have a coarse sexy voice to compliment your divine look?"
"I am afraid I do not get praised much, Miss Musa."
"Hmmmm its either you are lying or people are blind....okay we don't want to keep your boss waiting now do we?"
“We obviously do not.”
“Well lead the way while I stare at your behind.” The look on his face told her that he wasn’t sure if he should be contented with this new found attraction for him she was displaying. He would get over it, she was just having her fun and he won’t see her anymore after today. He was a good boy and led her through to Sesan’s office.

Sesan was bent over what seemed like a mountain of files, his office seemed devoid of the holiday spirit and decoration, it was almost saddening. He seemed like a very hard working man, she wondered why he would embroil himself with so many dirty deeds, but then again she knew that greed was a bastard. The perfectly crafted secretary stood motionless almost as if, if he spoke brimstone will fall to the earth. He only spoke when Sesan raised his head to signify that he was aware of their presence.

“Miss Musa is right here sir.” Sesan waved his hand to dismiss the Adonis and she found herself a seat without being asked. It was a rather plush cushion chair; her plan was to wriggle in it so that the offending G-string would ease her. She knew she would have to burn it after today, but back to business Sesan was speaking.

“What do you want from me? As you can see I am very busy.”
He didn’t beat around the bush, this was a direct man. She liked him for it. It reminded her of the man who wanted to woo her and asked her immediately to be his mistress just ten minutes into the dinner they were having. She was also going to be very direct with him since he was direct with her.

“Samson.”
“I am sorry he is not here, you would have to go to his office. This is a wrong office for a gold digger to come looking for Samson”
She stared at him knowingly, while playing with the fake pearls around her neck.
“You know what I mean.” She lowered her voice, as if she just whispered a dirty secret.
“I am sorry I do not. Please elaborate.” He was very irritated she could see, she wondered why he hadn’t asked for someone to come and get her out of his office, but she suspected that under that irritation hid curiosity. He wanted to know what she was going to say and he was soon going to find out.

She got up and wiggled her way to the huge picture of Chief Nwosu that rested majestically on the wall. It was a big and imposing portrait; in fact it was more than a little intimidating. The image of Chief Nwosu is going to be her first line of attack to intimidate him.

“Your father in-law is very handsome and full of life.”
“Yes he is.”
“I suppose you will be heading this company when he passes away.”
“If I am elected, yes I will.”
“ Oh yes” She snapped her fingers as if she had an epiphany “it is true your wife may want the power and you will once again be at the background. Just like you are in the background of this great man in this picture. Right here, right now, you are seated on that power chair but you are still in the background, you have no real power, you have to manipulate to get what you want.”
“ I do not know where you are going with this, but what you just said is offensive.”
“Yet you haven’t chased me out of your office. You want to know where I am going with this.” There was a squeak coming from his direction, Cornelia turned to look at him and saw that he had gotten up from the chair. She liked where this was going so she continued with her torment “I am sorry. I have a diarrhea stricken mouth. It just spills whatever the head is thinking without filtering it.”
“Are we done with this meeting?”
“No, you still haven’t delivered Samson to me.” She said folding her hands.
“ I told you, if you want him, please go to his office.”
“I want him through you.”
“You are speaking in riddles.”
“Patricia seems to be a sweet girl, I need you to weed her out. Just the way you planted her in.”
“Get out of my office.” He roared, she expected that, pretence’s first defense is anger, but for a minute or two she doubted the information she had been given and wondered if she was barking at the wrong tree, but she couldn’t stop now.

“Look, you do not have to act with me; we are both animals in this jungle trying to survive. You are a cunning red fox Sesan or should I call you Sean John?” He didn’t flinch when she called him his name. This guy was good, very good, but he took to the couch she had gotten up from and crossed his legs, at that she knew he was open to negotiation. The power rested with her now, she could jump up for joy, this meant she was going to get paid big time.

“Where did you hear that name from?” She didn’t answer but she walked up to him in a catwalk and lowered herself in his front so she would be at the same level with his seated position, he was also able to see her bosom, she liked it that way. She reached out to the buttons on his suit and started to play with them.

“I have my sources…look Sean. I can tear you down piece by piece and watch your house of cards crash while I smoke a joint. Or you can help me and I will help you. Remove Patricia, deliver Samson to me and I will share his wealth with you when I am through with him.” She didn’t speak like she was making a demand, she spoke like she was seducing him, it felt more natural that way. The danger of his refusal will present itself to him.
“What makes you think I won’t watch you burn first?” She gave a resounding cackle while throwing her head to the back.
“ I like you Sean. I really do, but you obviously do not know who you have met. Try to drown me and I will reach out for your neck to pull you down into the waters with me. I only need to fall sick and you should be worried, yes that’s right you are going to have to be sucking up to me and making sure if hair falls off my body it did so of natural causes or I pulled it out myself because two minutes after anything happens to me. Your father in law will know who Sean John was and his relationship with Zandra. Now why make a silly mistake like that when you are so close to your goal ? Just so silly. Are you silly Sean John, are you?”
“You are good.”
“One of the best.”
“What do you propose with Patricia?”
“Simple I want her out, you installed her get her out. She has to fall from grace.”
“What will I gain from this?”
“You will have my silence and I know you want some of the Williams fortune that is why you nose dive in it. I will deliver a share to you at the right time. Do not ask me when the right time is. That question will annoy the heck out of me.”
“ No, that is not what is on my mind. What is on my mind is the way you worded your silence. You said you will be silent but you didn’t say anybody else will be. “
“Silent about what?”
“My involvement with Zandra, Patricia and my past as Sean John”
“You have a paranoid mind don’t you? I wasn’t thinking about that but that may happen. Look at me as a mirror of you Sesan. You keep me happy, you will be happy and I will let you survive. You don’t, I really can’t tell what will happen. Life can be very unpredictable. You know what I mean.”
“Yes I do.”
“Good, now I have to go. Get to work immediately.”
“Don’t you want to know the details?”
“Are you crazy? Risk plotting a scheme with you? Never! I will hear what happened like others, be creative. It may make me like you the more.” At that she got up from her squatting position and looked into his eyes from where she was standing from. The eyes were clear and cold, the eyes of someone who when a detour happens, will be making further calculations to make up for the loss.
“You are scary Cornelia.”
“ I suppose it is normal to think so because I have you in my claws. See you later Sean, be a good boy for us. I am your mirror remember……compliments of the season.”

She took her steps to the door and turned to look at the now perplexed Sesan while giving him a beauty queen wave good bye. It was fun being a bad girl, it was more fun that she had the chance to manipulate a manipulator. She only wished she had come up with this plan herself.

“That was a quick meeting” The Adonis of a personal assistant said as he rose from his chair, when she met him in the waiting area.
“Yes, I bet you are used to longer meetings?” She had a double meaning to that and the twinkle in his eyes told her he got it.
“Hmm hmm.” He said nodding his head, there was a smile coming from him, a more than friendly one. “I am sorry; your name did not register previously. You are the Cornelia Musa, the former most beautiful girl in Nigeria.”
“ The one and only.”
“ I am sorry I did not recognize you.”
“Its fine. My reign has passed; I am getting old can’t you see?”
“That is nonsense, you still look 18”
“What do they say about flattery getting you everything you want?” They both laughed, the Adonis then proceeded to remove his business card from a corner of his table, she could see from his shaky hands that he wasn’t really giving her on a professional basis, he was trying his chances with someone who he believed was out of his league.

“Ehm here is my number” she collected the card and studied it for a while, she hadn’t listened to him when he initially introduced himself as Joshua, so she said the name out loud, while examining the card like a strange artifact. This was where she would have to dash his hopes.
“Oh darling you are cute but you are not my type. Sorry.” She handed him back the card and walked out.

groin. When the thoughts formed in her head, she summoned the power to free herself from the men and ran back to find Sesan. She was aware that people were running after her but she was faster than them. Sesan was backing the door talking to another man, spewing his lies about her, it was good that he didn’t see her so she jumped on him and landed on his back, her teeth was now on his neck he was now performing a dance, trying to get her off his back but she wouldn’t bulge. The men who held her were now in the room, helping Sesan to get rid of her. She didn’t care she was using her nails now to claw them and him, her teeth was now on his head and his shrieks of pain only fueled her. Three more men joined in and successfully removed her from his back, she was kicking and screaming as they dragged her, she got loose again and she launched back at him, she was bare feet she didn’t know where her shoes were, the effect would have been better if she had on shoes, but this would do. She ran straight to Sesan and kicked him in the groin,
She gave a little smile and licked her lips when she saw him succumb to the paralyzing pain. She was done here, he probably will take his own pound of flesh back, by hitting her but she knew she wanted nothing to do with him, he could go and have another fake suicide if he wanted. She was done. Pleased with her work she let the security men lead her away. It turns out they were going to arrest her, she would have to call Samson to bail her. He should be tired of her by now.

At the police station she gave them Samson’s number, he was there in forty-five minutes. What a slowpoke, he left his job to come to see her. He was a silly maggoty slowpoke, how could he leave his father’s office to come bail her from a mess she had put herself into? He had worry in his eyes as he scanned her body behind the police counter, her clothes torn, her hair in tangles he didn’t say anything, he didn’t even perform his normal ritual of mentioning his father’s name, she knew he was worried. He wasn’t angry he was worried. How could he not be angry at her? Then the shame of it all began to creep all over her, it started from her legs which began to tremble and when it reached her hands, she covered her face. She felt like sour milk.

“You are free to go now madam.” The not so interested DPO announced, removing the cuffs from her hands and opening the counter. Her hands were still over her face, but she released them. This man knew who she was and still decided to play with her he deserved what he got. She knew she was only telling herself that, she didn’t mean it, she just wanted to dull the shame, she wanted to be stubborn but she could not.

“ I am taking you home.” Samson informed her.
“ I am going to my own place, alone”

“ Not your place, mine. I don’t know if you are going to run off to do something erratic.”
“What is it? What is it? Did I ask you to fall in love with me? Did I place that burden on you? What do you want from me? Do you think I will change who I was all of a sudden? I am an erratic person. I do crap, you either have to accept me for who I am and let me be or just walk out of my freaking life.”
“Do you know you are the one woman who is full of so much shi…t it shows in every sentence you make. Tell me thank you for bailing your sorry asss queen of the damned.” She had successfully annoyed him.
“I didn’t ask you to bail me.”
“Then why did you call me…..look I am not going to play this silly game anymore. This is it. It is over. Walk home if you want I have done my part. silly ratchet whoore.”

No one had to tell her she had angered him, he would never have spoken to her in a million years that way, but here he was telling her to her face. Why did she always have to push the good people away from her. Samson had only done good to her and yet here she was repeating horrible things to him. She had to apologize, so she ran after him.
“Samson, wait.” He didn’t wait, he signaled to his driver to come around to get him, she was trying to explain herself but each time she got near he distanced himself from her. When the driver brought his car to his front. He turned and looked at her and finally spoke to her.
“ Look, don’t bother, it is over. I refuse to be the guy whose image you have formed in your head. No one treats me like this. Just don’t get yourself arrested anymore I will not be there to bail you.” He wasn’t joking; she saw the frankness in his eyes, the cruel anger and precision of a scorned man worse than a scorned woman. She wasn’t going to let him go, not without a fight so she went to stand in front of his car, with her hands crossed, she wouldn’t allow him go anywhere. The driver tried reversing but she was quick to follow him. Samson got down from the car, starred at her as she sat down on the dusty road. She knew she had courted his anger when he went back into the police station and out he came with him four police men who handcuffed her. His last words to her were.
“They will take care of you.” She was in cuffs again and back in the police cell. That didn’t go as planned

Zandra Tuesday 11:47 pm, 9 August 2005
He looked tired in his stripped shirt and charcoal grey trousers. She stood there looking at him and his eyes finally rested on her. For the first time she saw him in a new light. He looked like a ruthless predator who had sharpened his claws all of a sudden, for the first time she was scared of him, for the first time the threat of “I am a Williams” meant something to her. She had really taken him for granted, yet he had been merciful enough to tell the police to deliver her to him within hours he ordered her re-arrest.
“You look tired, I asked them to take care of you properly. I requested and paid for it”
“I didn’t corporate.”
“Why?”
“I was upset.”
“ You know your tantrums will continue if I didn’t discipline you. You were becoming spoilt.”
“Why did you ask them to bring me here, I want to go home.”
“ You are stubborn, still”
“Thank you for the help and everything but I really need to go.”
“Not even without a shower or food.”
“You broke up with me remember.”
“I am un-breaking up with you. Go shower and come here.”
“No I need to go home.”
“Here is home isn’t it?” she removed the ring from her fingers, it was best this way, she had tarnished him and he had tainted her. She would just have a fresh start with her life. She dropped the ring on the table.
“ No here isn’t.” That seemed to get to him, he rose up from the couch , she was scared he would hit her but what he did was hold her hand.
“Is this one of your games?” she shook her head indicating a negative. He sank back into his seat and buried his hands in his palm. Then she heard the soft sobs come from him. She didn’t understand it. Was he crying? How could he be crying?
“Are you crying? How can you be crying?” he didn’t reply her so she dropped to her knees, with her two hands holding her cheeks. What had she done? The truth was she didn’t know what she was doing, but one thing was for sure she was ruining both their lives and she was doing a pretty good job at it.

“I am sorry I am a shi..t. I am sorry Samson but I am beyond salvation. This is the only thing I know how to do. I can only sabotage myself. I can’t do anything right. I am no good. The right thing to do is just to let me go. Things will be better this way. Please let me go.” He looked at her his eyes bloodshot and watery, what was she doing throwing him away, but the reality was that she didn’t know how to keep him. He looked like a lost kitty that had wandered into her nest and for some sick reason loved it in the demented hell hole she could provide. She didn’t understand it. No man should want her like this, she deserved everything she had coming. “ I do not deserve you. I really do not. I was still with Sean even though I said I would end it, I have ended it now finally but I will mess us up. I will.”
“So why did you go through all the length with Francesca?”
“Because I think I need you” She was scared those words will come of her mouth but what stunned her was that he did not talk about her being with Sesan while still with him.
“ I knew only the mystery guy will make you act like a maniac. You would go hot and cold, I knew he was still there. I didn’t mind.”
“Listen to yourself. You are making a mistake.”
“Will you go back to him if he comes back?”
“NO! Hell no, he is scum and manipulative dog.”
“Then we can still give us a try.”
“I don’t deserve you.”
“Yes you don’t but here I am.”
“You locked me in prison”
“You were being a drama queen.”
“I forgive you. Do you forgive me?”
“Yes. Even though your sins are more.” He pulled her to his chest and began to stroke her hair, she didn’t understand why she was staying behind but she was glad she was . “ You need a shower. You stink”
“The cell stinks….don’t you want to know how I got there in the first place.”
“You will tell me if you want to.” There was a loud pause.
“ I am hungry” she didn’t want to talk about Sesan he was a monster and a scar, she was starting a new life with this man who could lock her up in a cell if she pushed him too far. She better behave, She loved him.

reached for her jaw with his right hand and forced her mouth open; he then stuck his tongue in her mouth. He playfully bit her lips with his breathing growing heavier.
“I have missed you, do you belong to me Temi?”
“Yes” she managed to whisper
“Good, will you do as I say?” she nodded again, her body still as his cold hands found its way under her gown to tug her panties aside, she dare not refuse him. She would always have him, she couldn’t escape him. Sesan had begun to amuse himself with her body. She was worried they would get found but she didn’t mention it. If they got found it may be beneficial to her, so she moaned as loud as she could, but it seemed that the music from the part drowned it. When he was through, he let her know she had his blessings but only like the last time an arrangement like this happened. It was the first time she ever thought about killing herself to escape something.

Dazed, she found her way back through the maze, she wasn’t ready to go back to the party so she went back to the room provided for her. She needed to talk to someone, she needed to lay it down in a pool and flush it down a latrine. She starred at her self in the mirror and this time she didn’t see who she had seen earlier. She saw a degenerate with leaves in her hair, with the once perfect gown ruffled in places that held secrets of another man’s touch. She felt a violent rising in her stomach, an anger, a rage that cursed through her veins. She loathed herself, she was a cud ruminated to be chewed, a disgusting little by product of flies. No form of intervention would remove her from the demeaning state she was in, she has a hopeless cu..nt. She knew she was at the point of breaking into something dangerous, but she held herself back, instead she hurled a box of make that happened to lie there at the disgusting reflection the image returned to her, cracking the mirror and flinging the box’s contents in all the directions available. She hated the girl in the mirror. She hated the girl because the girl wasn’t strong enough to make up her mind, strong enough to make a firm decision, too weak to do what was right.

Minutes later Patricia entered the room, Zandra was still standing in the same position, transfixed and didn’t notice her. It took her a minute to feel Patricia’s touch before turning to look at her.
“Zandra, Zandra, Zandra, Zandra” Patricia had been calling her, she turned to her and blinked.
“Yes.”
“What happened here? what happened to you? Where have you been? Samson and I have been looking for you. We went to look for you at the ladies, you were not there. We came here, you were not here. He is going crazy looking everywhere else for you now. I just decided to give it a try to come back here and this place is in a little mess.”
“Sesan was here, he was at the party.” She wanted to confide in Patricia, but she couldn’t. she knew she was sleeping with Sesan also.
“My God! My God!!, how did he know, how did he get in”
“ I don’t know, did you tell him anything?”
“ No never.”
“ My life is crap Pat, it is crap.” Zandra felt dizzy so she gradually resigned herself to a chair.
“Zee, look at me, look at me. You have to let Sesan go. You can’t let him get to you.”
“ How can he go when he keeps coming back. He is part of me. I am his ying and he is my yang. We are one, I cannot betray him. I am just so silly living a foolish life with Samson….. I don’t know what to do.” The tears finally came out, the more they came, the more pain and confusion she felt. Patricia ran up to her and began to try to make her stop.
“You have to be strong okay. You just have to be. Samson loves you.”
“Yes he does, but I can’t be with him. It is too dangerous for both of us and I belong with Sesan.”
“Then leave him.”
“I don’t want to.” There was a little silence and Patricia finally spoke.
“Look we need to go back to the party. You need to freshen up. We will talk about this later.” Patricia began to pick up all the odds that Zandra had scattered and place them back in its appropriate place. “We need to get back okay.” Zandra nodded, while she freshened up.

When they got back to the party it seemed merrier than when she left as the champagne bottles laid empty. The laughter of the people were like screeches on a chalkboard to her ears. Patricia was holding her hand with a plastic smile plastered on her face, she didn’t bother to smile. Samson was quick to meet them, she couldn’t help but feel of tug of hope when she saw him, but it was just a flicker.
“What happened, where did you disappear to?” He asked.
“Nothing, I had a walk to the other garden.”
“Why didn’t you tell me, I was worried”
“I will inform you when I want to breathe next time.”
‘What have I done wrong now?”
“Nothing.”
“Okay I am sorry, I get if you get claustrophobic and need air. I just need you to know that people worry about you. I worry about you. Its your day I want you to have a perfect time.”
“ I am sorry also.” He dragged her closer and hugged her. She felt so safe but she knew he wasn’t safe from her.
“Come let’s go cut the cake.” He said dragging her to a table where she could see Ma Williams eyeing her curiously. The Cake was this well designed piece of art and the Musician who she had slept with bursted into his own version of the happy birthday song. Her hands were shaky but Samson held them to steady it. “Don’t look at them look at me.” He advised when he noticed her nervousness, he was right , the calmness and happiness in his eyes were infectious as she starred at him. He pushed her hand down to cut the cake at the last hip hip hurray and he kissed her.

Soon he was on his knees, he brought out a small casing and opened it to reveal the ring she had designed, she didn’t expect to have butterflies in her stomach after the events of the night. Someone had given him a microphone and he didn’t say much.

“Baby, you said yes to me in my arms, will you say yes so that everyone can know?” He didn’t know what he was getting himself into, the show off, but she loved him. It was then she realized she had been quite and the room had gone silent as she starred at him and the ring on his knees.
“Uhm, hmmm,uhmm. Yes. Yes. Yes.” He got up and lifted her, turning her around in three sixty degrees.

'This is a new beginning for us' Samson had said, she couldn’t disagree more, she felt her heart harden, she will break it off with him when she can, she couldn’t embarrass him in the presence of all these people. She couldn’t bear to do it the way Sesan wanted with him, she would just have to lie again.

Zandra Tuesday 9 August 2005

Church bells. The sound of a thousand church bells, rung by an overzealous choir that was what she could hear, as she violated every traffic law there could be and probably invented new violations. She was now running up a stair case that led to Sesan’s office. She rarely came here, it was a taboo to be seen with him but she knew the place sure enough to navigate it. Today was one of those days he would be seen with her in public, she needed answers and very fast

A secretary was running after her mumbling sanctions like “madam where are you going to?” The lady had been unfortunate to touch her and she jerked her arm so violently she hit her chest. She could see Sesan through the glass windows in a room, it seemed like he was having a meeting . It didn’t matter she had to talk to him. So she kicked open the door.

“You are to wed next month. You are marrying Marilyn.” She yelled brandishing the newspaper she got the information from. She was upset, she was very upset, she felt like hauling a torpedo at him. He had been lying to her. Why didn’t he let her be when she said she wanted to be alone and now he was with Marilyn.
“Excuse me? Who are you?” Sesan said feigning ignorance.
“Oh cut the crap lover-boy. Are you going to get married or not?”
“Where is security? Why can’t security take care of this rubbish?” Sesan addressed the one secretary who now was looking perplexed with the rest of the people in the room. “ I will take care of this myself” he said walking past her and going into his office. It was his way of telling her to follow him. She did.

In the office, he was waiting by the door and gave her a welcome slap on the back, but that didn’t hurt her, she wanted to know the truth.
“Are you getting married to Marilyn?”
“Yes, but what are you doing here? Are you out of your mind, you are not meant to come here, leave.”
“I thought you said you were not going to marry her. You were going to marry me. You proposed to her on your trip together, with the ring you showed me, before coming back and daring to bullshit me about Samson and I”

“ You are to Marry Samson Williams and I will Marilyn Nwosu. Samson will die and Marilyn will die that is perfection.”
“You were against this idea before, you said I couldn’t go on my own.” A security guard came in at this time but Sesan shooed him away by saying he thinks she may have a problem and he was able to help her. After affirming that he was okay, the security left.
“ It is better this way.”
“I am returning Samson’s ring to him. I won’t be part of a murder.”
“Why ? because you love him more than me?”
“Because I won’t be part of your schemes anymore.”
“Aha, so you do love him and will pick him over me.”
“You have picked Marilyn also, it goes against every single thing you have told me.” She couldn’t believe she could stand up to him like this, but she was. She was mad at him, he had been lying, playing her, giving her items to this Marilyn woman and using her money to build a home for them. Samson was not the liar, this despicable excuse of an object was.
“Baby come here, I know you are feeling betrayed, but I am not. I do not always tell you things because you most likely…..”


She couldn’t hear what he was saying, she was deafened by the bells and the complete realization that she was a fool. He was lying to her Samson had been right, this man who stood in front of her was a manipulative little serpent who twisted and turned and she had let him coil himself around her long enough, he was crushing the bones in her body and she was letting him. Then she heard the little voice in her head, it repeated a suggestion to her in quick nagging successions. It said “bite him, bite him. Bite the bastard! “ So as he communicated his explanations to her at the decision he had taken she began to open her mouth slowly. Then her teeth was on his arm, he let out a loud yelp and grabbed her hair to pull her away but she was just starting. She switched to his chest, he was punching her but she felt no pain, she was on his stomach, biting away like piranhas. She felt a rush of adrenaline, this was what she should have done ages ago, bite the bastard.

Soon people were in the room, they were dragging her off him, “she is a mad woman “ she heard Sesan repeating, she was fighting these men kicking and screaming, they were taking her away, she wasn’t yet done, she wanted to kick him in the groin, he deserved to be kicked in the

Zandra,Saturday, July 30th 2005

Some event planners were wacko, this one was standing like an antenna, one leg up in the air with her hands placed in a weird contortion. This was her way of describing how to place a particular piece of flower while yelling at a staff in Spanish with a thick Yoruba accent; she wondered how Spanish was useful in the whole scenario, considering the fact that none of them knew Spanish. Then she remembered that the event planner never failed to mention that her sister was an ambassador to Spain and she just came back from visiting her sister on the request of Ma Williams to plan her birthday. She had left Ma Williams to deal with the woman as it was Ma Williams that knew her, she couldn’t deal with the pretentiousness. If there was a next time she was going to have an event in her honor she knew she wasn’t going to have this weird self important event coordinator involved, even if she had her she would take time to clip her wings before anything else, she didn’t care what Ma Williams would say.

Letting out a sigh she reminisced about the past weeks which had been a whirlwind. You know how the reaction of animals to threatening situations is meant to either fight or flight? Hers usually was flight. She had initially kept away from Samson ignored all his calls again and never left Sesan’s side at the hospital, she had renewed her vows not to ever leave Sesan. Sesan had become extra loving, and you could say she was almost happy, although she had to give up her space at the side of his hospital bed when he informed her Marilyn was coming. To keep up the charade with Marilyn’s family she had to leave. It wouldn’t look good on Sesan’s resume if she was there and they had planned this all this while, it would be selfish of her to want to stay so she left.

Marilyn didn’t let him go easy, she made sure her father moved him from the present hospital to a posh one and immediately suggested a vacation when he let her know he wanted to commit suicide because he was depressed. He had admitted to Marilyn that he tried to commit suicide, he was depressed and wanted to end it all but he removed the part about Zandra leaving him, he came up with a more self loathing explanation about how he was a complete failure, although his ideas were helping Marilyn’s father’s bank to make headway. Marilyn had cried her eyes out and said she would fix him, he didn’t say he was okay to stay behind with Zandra, he let Marilyn try to fix him.

It hurt her a little, it even hurt her more when he said he was going on vacation somewhere with Marilyn, he wanted her to come along but she would be unseen, he would creep to meet her when he had the chance to. When she complained he had carefully explained to her that if she was to be his wife, after he became one of the most successful men in Nigeria and didn’t have to do what she was doing right now as she hoped, she would have to share him with Marilyn. After all he had always shared her. So she let him go but chose to stay behind, she didn’t want to be selfish, but more importantly she didn’t want to feel used.

She had stayed in Sesan’s house trying her best to evade Samson, until he called her with a number she didn’t recognize. She wouldn’t have picked it but for some reason that day she took the risk and it burnt her. It was Samson breathing to her at the end of the line.

“Zandra what is this, what is all this, where are you?” He sounded like he was in pain, her hands grew heavy as she was about to end the call. All she did was stand there unable to provide an answer. She missed him so much, his voice, his concern, everything about him but she had to end the call. Two minutes later she called him back, she couldn’t just hold back, she knew she was courting danger with her confused mind but she couldn’t help it. She had apologized to him, she had said she needed some time alone, a lot had been going on in her head, she was in a hotel, then she lied that she finally let Sesan go when he asked her about him. He didn’t seem to care he just wanted to see her, so she ran to a nearby hotel, booked a room and told him to come see her there. She had thought about switching off again, her head kept on nagging at her to run away from Samson, but something else kept her glued. His voice alone brought back so many sweet memories that made her go wild with desire, her heart was pumping so fast she thought it would burst. She called Sesan to be sure he wasn’t coming back anytime soon to find out she had gone back on her words and betrayed him.

When she saw Samson, she wondered why she had abstained from him. He was so perfect, she was the luckiest girl in the world but yet so unlucky. Maybe she was drawn to him more because she knew she couldn’t have him, but she knew she didn’t want to let him go just yet so she surrendered to him again, scared for herself, scared more for him, haunted because she couldn’t tell him the truth. She didn’t understand how he could accept her back, it was like he knew she had demons and he was willing to fight them with her. She wished she could tell him she would never be his partner fully but after Tarkwa bay how could she tell him she couldn’t handle Sesan. She would just have to wait and see how this pans out.

“Birthday girl, birthday girl” Ma Williams was snapping her hands to gain her attention, as she was transfixed in her thoughts while clutching tightly to a glass of milk.
“ Yes Ma.”
“Why are you not prepping for make up? You have no mask on your face to prep your skin and the event starts in four hours. What are you even doing here, have you been following the beauty regime the beautician gave you. I can see a pimple popping up just under your chin.” The woman looked like she was about to have a heart attack, she wondered briefly if the woman ever had a relaxing thought in her mind.
“The pimple is nothing ma, it is getting ripe I will burst it.”
“ Burst what? Burst a pimple? Are you insane? This is why I like Francesca, she is proper.”
“Madam you can’t arrange Francesca anymore for your son, she is married and you know I arranged that right.” Ma Williams gave her a terrible stare which was meant to caution her but it amused her even more. This woman cared about the most unnecessary things.
“Go and get dressed now.”
“Okay okay. I am on my way. You really do not need to be a head mistress about it.” She only mentioned that because she knew Ma Williams was once a teacher and head mistress. She didn’t think she would make it as far as marrying Samson although she hoped she would, if it didn’t happen, she planned to have fun with this woman while it lasted.

While she was getting pampered, Samson came to check up on her, he seemed more excited than her. He was giddy as he made her guess what he had gotten her as birthday gifts, she had guessed wrong by mentioning jewelry, he had bought her that on two occasions as pre-birthday presents. It was insane how he treated her like a princess, when in fact she was the lowest of the female hierarchy chain. He finally let her know that one of the gifts included a Ferrari he had always wanted for himself but since she drives him around a lot, he got it for her so they could both drive it. She knew he was just trying to make it seem okay that he was spending an insane amount of money on her but she didn’t care. She got up to hug and kiss him with excitement, leaving all the hair rollers that was being put on her head to fall off while spilling the tray of fake nails the manicurist was about to attach to her nails. She couldn’t help it when she heard Sesan’s criticism that Samson only did this because she amused him, as she was a freak show entertaining him, she wished that cynical voice wasn’t there yet it taunted her. Samson could feel her go cold, when he asked her if she was okay she answered in the affirmative. He soon excused himself to let her finish up.

It was curiously silly how she let Sesan’s words affect her she knew. Samson had gone through great lengths to arrange a birthday party for her, yet she was here acting silly. They were having it in the larger of the two gardens of his parents house, Samson had made sure of it, it was his way of introducing her to his world she knew, no other parties were held at the Williams Mansion except important ones. The event planner had turned it into her version of a Babylonian garden with a little influence from the oriental midsummer night dream. He wanted to introduce her to all his friends and Ma Williams was tasked to introduce her to the who is who. A smile formed on her face when she remembered going through the guest list with Ma Williams, she had given the woman a mini angina by pointing out the men she had slept with on the list and how she would just like to be introduced to new and interesting people first. She didn’t believe in lying to the saintly stuck up woman who had called her a love peddler even before she knew she was one she was only confirming the woman’s suspicions and fear.


Worries came flooding in, but worries have a way of disappearing when you see a vision of yourself. When the beauty team was done with her, showing her a mirror to reveal to her what they had done, she didn’t recognize the woman that was reflected back to her. It looked like a different person in the mirror, looked like a respectable decent person, something looked so different with her glittering in the turquoise glittery gown. She bursted into tears, when one of the women chirped in a happy birthday. It all sank in. It was her first birthday and all these people were here because of her. The women she had no idea who they were formed a human tent around her and had started to clap but when they saw the tears they started to hug and pet her. This was a different life, a very different one from the one she was used to. Patricia who was in make up next to her had gotten up and told her she deserved every single bit of the day. Patricia reminded her that she was a good person and she deserved it, she had thanked her for being a friend and not snitching on her to Samson. She let the women perform their magic on her again, then she was ready for her party.

It first felt like a dream sequence as Samson led her into the garden which looked completely transformed into some sort of ideal paradise. It was not only her birthday it was also her introduction into high society as Samson Williams girl friend. To make it legitimate Francesca was even there seated a few tables away with her new husband. Then it began to feel like a sham when she began to see the men who would pay her obscene amounts to get immoral with them, pretending to be perfectly moral people next to their wives or significant others. It was only Samson’s presence that grounded her and injected life back to her. The thought crossed her mind that if she died at that moment she would be fulfilled just by having him there.

Ma Williams was quick to answer questions about Zandra as if she knew her. She had been reinvented into this pure charitable soul yet the people who knew the truth, knew it and she was grateful they kept it a secret, perhaps it was a form of quid pro quo. She was quite about them, so they were quite about her. She was glad no one got up and pointed at her shouting in a loud voice that she was not meant to be there but belonged in the gutter. She was in bliss

All of the merriment changed when one of the the waitresses handed her a scrunched up paper. It read.

“Meet me in the back in five minutes.” Shi..t. Shi…t. Shi…t. It was Sesan’s writing, how did he find out? The room began to look hazy and the juice she was sipping on felt like bile had found a way into her system. When she turned to look at the waiter who now headed for the exit towards to back, she knew that those precise strides only belonged to Sesan and no one else, he was wearing an afro wig but it was him. She brushed her hand through her hair and swallowed her saliva as she knew she had been found wanting again. She quickly made her excuse to Samson that she needed to go to the rest room, he asked to see her off but she let him know she wanted to go alone. He had pushed further in lovey dovey tones but she let him know again that she was not a kid and could find her way to and fro from the toilet, when he saw that she may start a fight over something so minute he let her be.

At the exit she sighted the dim light of a cigarette, followed by a puff of smoke in a distance coming from a slim figure who she believed was meant to be on a vacation with Marilyn, but here he was in a false wig and beard. She began to advance towards him. Sesan walked further away and entered a maze that led to the smaller garden. She took in a deep breath and followed suit. He paused in the middle of the maze taking in long puffs of the cigarettes, she didn’t have to be told, she walked to his front and knelt down. It was an event she had to get back to, if she didn’t do as required she would be beaten badly and she would have to come up with an elaborate lie. Sesan took in the last few puffs of cigarettes and blew it in her face, she dint dare cough, she held in the cough that was about to follow.

"Happy Birthday Zandra” She wasn’t meant to answer that, so she didn’t, he then began to confront her with the lies she had moulded
“ I thought you said you didn’t know Samson Williams, why are you having a birthday party in his father’s house?” She didn’t reply, he flicked away the cigarette and she was grateful he didn’t throw it on her.
“When did you start lying to me Temi? When did you start lying to me because of a rich boy? When did you start betraying me because of someone else?” she had no answer but he continued. “Do you want me to take my own life my Oya?” He was prancing up and down, fidgeting. She didn’t want him to die, she owed him too much to have him die because of her selfishness.

“I don’t….buh, buh….. but you were with Marilyn”
“I asked you to come with us, but that is not the issue here, the issue here is that you lied to me and you are having a celebration with a rich boy. How did he even pick a date? Are you with him because he is richer than I am? You know this thing with Marilyn is for us”
“He picked a random date and I am not with him for the money.” She didnt look at him. She looked at the ground she was scared to look at him.
“I am furious that you love him and you want me to stay with Marilyn. When it is us that is meant to be together. You said you would renounce your love.”
“I tried but I went back” This seemed to annoy Sesan, it was evident in his eyes and the way he performed a furious 360, but he calmed down and he appeared like a bulb had lit in his head.
‘You will marry him if he asks?”
“No I belong to you”
“No you will marry him. We will play our old game.” God what had she done? How could this be happening ? She was cursed, this kind of thing could only happen on her day, she wasn’t meant to be happy.
“I can’t marry him on those terms.” He put his left hand to his left ear, indicating that he may have heard wrongly, she was meant to repeat herself but she couldn’t, she was too afraid to give the wrong answer again. He grabbed her neck very softly at first but she began to fill the pressure, she felt the coldness of it as it raised her fear, he shoved her to the ground, his hand still around her neck. This confirmed that he was really upset with her; he presses her against a wall or the ground when he goes full on mad at her.
“ I asked you if it was Samson Williams you said no.” She couldn’t talk, she was too terrified to let words escape her mouth, she would say the wrong thing. She didn’t want to apologize; she loved Samson she shouldn’t apologize for it.
“Are you mine? Do you belong to me?” she had to answer this one. It would only ruin things further, she attempted to nod her head in the affirmative but the grip was so tight it choked her harder, so she coughed it out. She feared her silence this time would cause more damage than good. He didn’t care to want to know the answer but he released her neck.

She quickly tried to recover her breath; she wanted to insult him spit on him. How dare he, how dare he? He had been off with Marilyn and she couldn’t dilly dally with Samson. But he was Sesan anything he said and did was law she was to accept it but it was unfair to accept it. He

Hello folks,
I am sorry this story was wiped out due to the outage Nairaland experienced as Candis09 and Vigorous V (thank you darlings) pointed out. Funmercy1 directed my attention to this by mail and here is the completion of the work. I am delighted you are enjoying it and want to hug you all in gratitude. Hope the ending does not disappoint you. Cheers, hugs and kisses.

so it was all a dream?! Hehehehe. Now I wanna watch a ram fight.

No, he can get anybody he wants.”
“And it doesn’t seem odd that he is choosing you. Even though he can get anybody he wants…..you are a play thing an expensive toy and you used to be smarter by making all the rules but you are now selling out. You will be discarded when you cease to amuse him. When another hot attention grabbing specimen or a modest woman comes along, do not come back to me when this happens, I will not be there.”
“It’s not true. He…. He…. He.” Nothing could come out of her, she didn’t know what to say. He may be right and he may not be right. There was no real way of her knowing except she took a leap but then Sesan would say she left him for wealth. Sesan stood up and walked past her to a shelf. He fished out a box from there and brandished a ring when he opened it.

“Look what I got us.” Now she really didn’t know what to say. “ I will have to return it now that my greatest fear has come to be.”

Zandra found herself on her knees, it was true she was ungrateful; this was what they had always discussed about. He would marry her after all what they had gone through and they would have won the world together. It was so wrong of her to have fallen in love with Samson. What on earth was she thinking? She knew deep down in her that she couldn’t help it. She really shouldn’t have enabled him, she really shouldn’t have enjoyed his presence, she really shouldn’t have laughed at all his jokes. She really shouldn’t have let him in. she was a doomed woman.
“ I am sorry. I am sorry” she knew nothing else she could say, she was wrong.
“You see why I always like to manage everything? It is because of weaknesses like this. You do not know when you are being played. I cannot believe you.” He was towering her and she could see the veins rising in his neck, his Adams apple threatening her. She didn’t know what to do. So she grabbed his leg and pleaded desperately. For some reason she could feel Samson’s presence behind her, ashamed of her, hurt at her betrayal, but what if she was really Samson’s play toy? What if all was not genuine? Sesan was still talking. “I cannot give you this ring now, you have to prove to me that you deserve it. I do not know what has gotten over you.”

For some reason those words did not hurt her, they would have a few months back but they did not, they were like pins to a rock, what was she doing? Why was she groveling? This man right here didn’t excite her and yet there she was cowering like a disgraced slave. She let go of his leg and stood up.

“Proove to you what? Prove to you what? I must prove something to you again?” she was enraged, she wanted to add that he should go and have intercourse with himself but that will be too rude.
“So you don’t want to prove that you love me? That slowpoke has filled your head with nonsense. Go ahead leave me, go to him. Betray me.”
“ I am so tired Sesan. I am so tired. You know with him I do not have to try. I do not have to prove anything to him. I am just me, nothing else.” There was the sound of thunderclaps, it was the sound of his hands making contact rapidly four times with her face at the speed of light. She staggered backwards twice dazed at what just happened. He was shouting something about how dare her compare him to the spoilt brat, but she couldn’t hear properly because she was deafened. She felt for the knife in her pocket it was still there, but she didn’t need to use it. She could just leave.

Slowly, she started walking away using her back, her hands to her face still feeling the after effect of the slaps. He was still shouting and as she moved backwards she saw him follow her. She couldn’t speak, she couldn’t warn him off, she just kept on moving. He was asking her where she was going, she didn’t reply, she turned at the table where she left her car keys and picked it up, he was getting dangerously close so she began to run. He didn’t run after her, he waited to see where she was headed; she knew she was a sight to behold because she knew she was acting like a drunken fool. He didn’t chase her, he didn’t shout for her to get back. He just watched as she ran into her car. She was relieved he didn’t chase, she just had to go. She had to leave. What she wasn’t quite sure of was if she had broken up with Sesan or not. After this talk she knew she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do. If only he didn’t hit her or do the things he did. If only he were only more like Samson.

Her heart was beating fast, she knew she could have a heart attack, she wanted to scream out loud but instead she parked her car at the side of the road and hit the steering wheel repeatedly. When she was spent she just sat there staring at the muted movement of the city. The sound of her phone disturbed her reality, the name Samson popped up on the screen, she didn’t know if she was in the right frame of mind to pick it but she picked it all the same.
“You are running late.”
“Late?”
“Are you okay? You don’t sound good, what’s up do you need me to come over, where are you? I can hear traffic.”
God he was perfect, he knew when she was upset. It dawned on her she was meant to pick him up from work and they were meant to go have dinner together. Crap.

“I can’t make it Samson. I need to be alone today.”
“Have I done something wrong?”
“No. I just want to be alone. I just need to be alone. Is that too much to ask?”
“Fine, as you wish. I am here when you need me.”

She had no idea what she was doing. Why was life so complicated? Samson could be a demon Sesan says and Samson feels strongly that Sesan was a demon. She didn’t know if she should tell all to Samson but that way she would be betraying Sesan. They had made a pact, they were Sango and Oya, they would rule the world together and bring it down but now she wanted to be with Samson. She also could not tell Sesan who Samson was, it would lead to his death and she didn’t want him to die even if he was using her. She hated her life, maybe she needed another slap to get her right. She had to go home, at least that way she could sulk alone.

Getting home, she saw Sesan’s car parked, for a second her tortured mind convinced her to turn around to look for a hotel to stay in, there was no way she could handle another confrontation with him. Then she remembered the knife in her pocket and she knew she would absolutely use it this time around, even before he raises his hand, she will close her eyes and cut him like mince. In fact she removed it and brandished it just as she opened her front door. If Sesan wanted war, she had war.

It was not war he wanted, he was on the floor, and a Nile of blood was trailing from his slit wrists from what looked like a lifeless body. Was he mad? She ran to him and was relieved to see his chest rise up and down. She needed to get help as soon as she can; this day wasn’t exactly her day.

“Why Sesan? Why?” The knife had fallen off her hands, her whole body was trembling. He pointed to a squeezed up note that was stained with his blood. She picked it up with her shaky fingers, It read
“Temi, there is no Sango without Oya. Goodbye.” Her heart sank, she was killing him, how could she be killing him with all they had gone through together. She was the one that was insane. She ran out like a mad woman and began to bang on the door of the apartment opposite to hers. She screamed her lungs out asking for help and when it finally opened. She showed them the blood on her hands; this was enough for them to follow her. She was a quite one she didn’t bother them on a normal day so they must have known this was an emergency.

This sealed it, there was no way she could leave Sesan. She would be a maggot to. She rested her head against the wall as she watched how two men propped Sesan up to take him away. She would have to stay with him in the hospital. She switched off her phone, she didn’t want Samson calling her, it would upset Sesan.

“You seem angry at me.”
“I am not.” It was a lie, he was angry at her and himself.
“ Do you want to listen to my own heart beat?” He knew she sensed something was wrong so she changed the topic, he would oblige her, she was smart, she should be, she has had so many lovers and was trained to please men. He wondered if truly he would go with this, perhaps what he had to do was take a break from work and go somewhere with her. He would bang her brains out for a week treat her like a piece of meat, maybe if he did that he would get tired of her and be weaned off her. He could start now but he knew he didn’t want to right now, he was a mould of clay and wasn’t shaped for anything. He turned her over and placed his head on her chest under her left bosom and he listened to how the heart beat went from slow to fast in an instant. He closed his eyes as she started to play with the hair on his head, stroking his head in appropriate places.

“Your heartbeat is fast as well.”
“Yes, it quickened when you placed your head there.” She cooed with a childlike innocence
“So what will it do if I placed my hand just right here?” He said as he put his hand on her chest mound.
“ I think it may quicken more but you may be paying attention to the wrong area.
“ You are naughty .”
“Yes I am.”
“ I am rarely in this position.”
“What position?”
“My head on a woman’s chest.”
“I guess there is a first time for everything.” He was still playing with her so she answered in soft whispers and let out a moan. He loved when she did that, he also knew how easy it would be for her to fake these things, that dampened his spirit.”
“Do you fake anything with me?”
“What do you mean?”
“The kisses, the moans, you coming.” She gave a snicker, why was she laughing this was a serious issue.
“We have only made love once and I wanted it then. I didn’t only want it I let myself go completely and let you have the whole of me. I have never done that with anyone even with Sean. I always to it because I felt it was my duty. I didn’t do that with you. I even said to myself that if you didn’t want to I would make you do it out of pity. You are the first man I voluntarily gave myself to and nothing was fake about it. It was real.” They could hear the waves again and he knew he could not enact the plan of getting tired of her, he would only want more of her, it felt like he had a virus and she was the usual dosage of calm to ease the disease off him. An incurable disease and a cure he was getting addicted to .
“We should get married you know?”
“Hmm. If we are to we shouldn’t rush like Francesca and Ishmail, no one is chasing us.” He actually wanted to marry her so she wouldn’t change her mind or have Sean do what he does best with her.
“ Do you want to slow down because of Sean?”
“Sean is not a problem.” She was still stroking his head, he hated that she was lying, he may be paranoid but he felt firmly that she was lying.
“Okay.” He was now scratching the mat on the ground with his blunt nails, this was what she did to him, she made him an infant. That was what felt strange about the whole thing, him putting his head on her chest, allowing her to get away with everything. It dawned on him that he was helpless with her, he didn’t have his war mask and armor on and he was okay with it. It scared him, how could he be okay with it?
“Let’s go swimming.” She announced all of a sudden
“What? You are crazy, it’s past midnight.”
“So? The beach is quite it will be perfect for us.”
“You are crazy, I am not going anywhere tonight.”
“Okay don’t. I will.” She declared pulling herself from him and removing clothes .
“Wait, are you really going there and without clothes?”
“Yep.”
“You are crazy. What about the cold?”
“You will join me, so I’ll be warm.”
“You are out of your mind if you think I will come with you.” He watched as she finally stripped bare, all the curves in place just like the first time he saw her. This image turned him on a lot.
“You will come find me, you want me.” She said as she coyly glanced towards the bulge in his lower region, she blew him a kiss and proceeded to the stairs that led down to the beach. He got up and went to see if she really would go and there she was sprinting towards the water and jumping into it. She must have done this a thousand times in her village stream. He watched as she bathed and he felt like David watching Bathsheba, the only difference was that he knew he couldn’t call people to fetch this one for him, he had to go get her himself. So he removed the pieces of clothing he had on and went to look for her.

When she sighted him, she beckoned to him to join her, how could he deny himself and her the pleasure? So within minutes he was swimming alongside her. The water felt refreshing and for some reason he believed there was nothing else that could be right for him than what he was doing this moment. They played a little game of catch me if you can in the waters, where she kept swimming away from him while he tried to catch her.

Soon they were laying in the sand by the shore and occasionally the waves came to wash away specks of sand off their bodies, while adding to other places. He had caught her and dragged her back to shore and laid her on the floor, her hands were around his neck and he showered her with kisses while she moaned.
“July 30th” He finally said breaking their lack of verbal interaction.
“Urh?”
“Its your birthday. July 30th.” Another wave hit them up again tingling their bodies.
“ I have never had a birthday.”
“So we throw a big party for you. It will be our official coming out party and you can wear your ring there.”
“God, you do love putting up a show don’t you?”
“I do. You know this now.”
“I agree, as long as it won’t leak into the papers.”
“Do you mean you want me to hide you? I can’t. I am not ashamed of you or us.”
“ I know but please do not invite the press. I know it may be good as Francesca is married for them to see you with another woman, but I cannot be seen with you on the pages of a magazine.”
“Sod Francesca and her wedding. Are you scared of all the other men? They won’t touch you as long as you are with me and there will be no defaming of you I promise.”
“No, I can handle those. I just don’t want a circus.”
“Why, because of Sean?”
“Please stop bringing him up, it is annoying.” She turned her face away from him to show her spite. He turned it back to face him.
“Why then?”
“I just don’t want it. Stop nagging me about it and Sean. In fact I do not want a birthday party anymore.” She pulled herself away from the knot they had formed and was about to get up when he pulled her down again.
“What is your problem? What? Why do you think giving up and walking away is the best thing to do. You always walk away from me when I bring up sensitive issues.”
“Let me go Samson. They are sensitive issues for a reason.” Her tone was hash and pained.
“No.”
“Let me go” This time she accompanied it, with a slap which turned his face left. He turned his face back towards her, resisting the urge to shake this lady he allows to maltreat him violently.
“No. Not letting you go anywhere, do your worst at most you will end us and I will let you go. Tell me you don’t want me or whatever you feel for me is a lie and I will let you go.” He watched her breathing, scared for a second that he was really holding her against her will but she didn’t answer she turned her face away again.
“Stop asking me about Sean. I do not like it. He is not part of us.”
“But can’t you see he is part of us? You jump to his tune, you remain loyal to him, you ask how high when he asks you to jump.”
“I said he is gone, he is not part of us. I will handle it.”
“Will, so you haven’t handled it when you said you had?”
“Yes.”
“Will you handle it now or you want me to?” He had always known so it wasn’t a shock.
“No I will….I am sorry I lied I just wanted to be back with you. He is difficult to shake off, he raised me.”
“I know.” It hurt him more than he realized but gazing into her eyes he realized that she was more in confusion and pain than he was, she was truly defenseless and he wanted to protect her with everything he had. He buried his head on her chest as it dawned on him that he was defenseless against her, defenseless like the day he was born, defenseless like he was lying there unclad with her.“ I wish I knew you before him.” He finally quipped.

“ I think if you did I would have been adopted by your parents. We would be a taboo.”
“You have a weird mind Zandra.”
“No please call me Temitope that’s my real name.”
“Temitope, Temitope, Temitope.” He sampled the name in his mouth “it doesn’t sound right.”
“Well that’s my name.”
‘ I know I saw it on your birth certificate.” A big wave came and washed them up again.
“why do you go out of your way for me? Take me home, face my mama, spoil me, those things and more.”
“ I don’t know, you do things to me no one has. I am in love with you.”
“You make it hard not to love you Samson.” She said tweaking his nose.
“ I am glad.” He bent down to kiss her and she wrapped her legs around him , he felt her raise her lower body towards him. So he took her cue and met her halfway easing himself into her. “ I love you Temitope.” He said looking at her, her eyes were closed but she opened them as he said those words.
“I love you too Samson.” Her eyes were innocent and clear; they dug into his soul, so he didn’t doubt her words, as he saw hers through his. She removed her hands which were placed on his shoulders and circled his neck drawing him closer to her. “ I love you like I have loved nobody else. “ she whispered to him as their body gyrated and the waters of the beach danced behind them, occasionally washing them as it was its nature to come to shore. He closed his eyes. He was a happy man.

Zandra. Thursday 23 June 2005
The dining was set, she quickly scanned the table knowing that the last bit that was missing was the warmer of coconut rice she just placed on it. She was in Sesan’s apartment waiting for him to get back from work, she didn’t have to wait long anymore as the sound of opening of the automated garage door declared his arrival, so she breathed in and out. She took another deep breath, and mentally cautioned herself to allow him finish the food walk away from him keeping a distance then break up with him. She held with her a little knife in her shorts just in case he got violent. She would stab his hand and run away, she hoped this messed up plan would work and there would be no need to use the knife. There was no way she could keep living a double life with Samson, it was bad for them and unfair on him. Sesan could marry Marilyn, it was a simple solution and everybody will be happy.

“That smells nice.” It was Sesan coming in and throwing his keys on the table, while walking up to her to give her a squeeze from behind, she turned her face towards him and he kissed her. “I can’t wait I am famished.”
“Dig in then, its coconut rice and some grilled chicken as u requested. Ice cream is still in the fridge and you can start with the catfish pepper soup.”
“You spoil me. I had been dreaming of your delicacies all day, even when I was away. That’s why I called you to come today.” He came back the previous night and immediately let her know she was needed.
“Thank you….Marilyn doesn’t cook does she?” she found herself asking, for some reason she was severely irritated. He had begun to irritate her recently but she dared not show him.
“Nah we always go out.” She nodded, he loosened his tie and gave it to her, she folded it neatly and went to drop it in his bed room, when she came back into the dinning he was already eating so she went to the other room to mentally prepare herself, he could take care of himself couldn’t he? There was no need feeling sorry for him about her leaving. She was pacing up and down, the urge to do it kept on growing till the point that she couldn’t wait for the meal to finish, so she went back into the dining making sure that he was at a distance, she counted up to three then let loose her mind.

“I want a break up Sesan. I want out. I need out.” He sat comfortably on the chair, but soon he dropped the spoon he was just about to put in his mouth calmly and directed his gaze towards her.
“Why the sudden the change of heart Temi?”
“ I want to be with somebody else.”
“Our rich benefactor, who stopped you from turning tricks while I was gone?”
“Yes.”
“Who is this mystery man?”
“You’ll know when the time is right.
“Fine you can go to him.”
“Are you serious?” She didn’t think it would be that easy.
“Yes I cannot hold you back, your wish is to be with someone else.”
“ I am so relieved. So glad you can see sense. This way you can marry Marilyn and I can go my own way to do my own thing, we can still be friends.”
“Why would I marry Marilyn? I am not a traitor like you.”
“I am not a traitor, how can you call me a traitor?”
“Yes you are a traitor. You get a taste of what wealth is and you run away from your roots detaching yourself.” She could tell he was angry so she dug her hands into her shorts to feel the knife, just in case he launched towards her but he didn’t he just sat there shaking his head furiously.
“I am not running away from my root.”
“Then what are you doing?.....tell me.” He yelled stomping his fists on the table, she held on to the knife, she had angered him.
“I want to live a better life not sleep around to make ends meet. I am more than that.”
“I can hear your rich benefactor talking. Your brain has been evacuated. Where was he back in the hood when we had nothing to survive? He was drinking tea and pooping flowers. Where was he when I fought to keep you alive. I have risked my life for you numerous times and what has this one done for you? Give you money to sleep with you! Something all other men have been doing for years. Do you think most of those men will not put you in their homes as trophies if you let them? So I leave you for a while and you are telling me to go and marry Marilyn while you cavort with some rich basterd. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed.”

She didn’t know what to say, was he right? Was she another object of lust that a man wanted? Was she really betraying Sesan. It was true Sesan had been there for her all her life and now she wanted to leave him. He could be mean sometimes but he always comes right. No matter how he maltreated her he would apologize, let her know and realize that he had been angry. Samson rarely got pissed at her but he may be pretending.

“He is not what you described. He doesn’t get angry, he also is nice and he is doesn’t want me for my body.”
“But he gave you cash “
“Yes.”
“Has anybody ever given you cash for free?”
“He gave me for free .”
“If I am correct this guy who can afford to pay you off is a billionaire and can spend money how he pleases because it is an available resource. He can afford to give you cash free till he gets what he wants. You thrill him…….why did your first husband want to marry you.”
“He was fat and slobby and couldn’t get a decent girl.”
“Is this one fat and slobby?”

Samson, Saturday, 11 June 2005
He really did not want to call her and he knew he was committing a worse crime by coming to her house. The pain he felt when he was last there resurfaced as he looked at the spot where she told him off, letting him know that he was not currently needed. He shouldn’t be back here but yet here he was at her door like Aladdin returning to the treasure cave where he would be trapped; pressing the buzzer instead of saying open seseme and wondering what she would say when she sees him. He should have held back, not call or come to her but he really was not in the mood to play games, he just wanted to get it all over with. It was either she stays or leaves; there was no way he would allow her to continue toying around. He wanted her back in his house wearing shorts, making meals and teasing him. He was demented to wish this he knew, but his common sense could not block it away.

The door flung open and there was Zandra standing there in a pale pink dressing gown, her hair was wrapped in a towel and her mouth was foaming with toothpaste with the tooth brush still in it.

“Hi, I didn’t want to call as you predicted. So I came over.” She rolled her eyes and left the door ajar while she went back in. He followed suit. Patricia was in the lounge area so he did the correct thing by saying his hello and she waved back at him. He wondered why she didn’t answer the door, but quickly let it go, he was there because of this vixen that didn’t want to take him seriously.

Now in Zandra’s room, he noticed that everything was topsy-turvy, it only meant one thing and that was she was preparing to go out, she was usually well coordinated so that was the only reason the room would be a mess. His heart sank a little when the idea that she might be going to see a client occurred to him. She was in the bathroom brushing her teeth and he sat down on the small place that was devoid of clothes at the edge of her bed. When she finally surfaced from the bathroom with the towel in her hair gone, she motioned to him to pass her the hair drier which laid close to him. He did this promptly, he didn’t understand why he wasn’t talking but whatever he wanted to say will surely drown over the noise of the drier, which she had just switched on. So he yelled.

“Francesca is getting married today.”
“What?” she said stopping the hair drier.
“I said Francesca is getting married today.”
“Yeah I know, that’s what I am preparing for.” He didn’t know if he should be appalled or astonished but he was relieved it was not a client.
“You know about this how?” She had put back on the hair drier so he had to yell again.
“I introduced them, you know trade by barter so I could have you free.” She yelled back.
“Now I am a commodity?”
“No you are not……please come and help me with my hair. I will bend my head down so you dry the hair, that way it is faster. I don’t want to be late. You are coming right?”
“What? No”
“No to the hair or to the party?”
“To the party” he said taking the dryer off her hand.
“Why? It would be fun.”
“ I think it is a little bit obvious why.”
“Bollocks, if you are pictured there it will lend credibility to the story she is telling that the whole thing about your proposal was just publicity for the movie and she had secretly been dating Ishmael all along, she didn’t want the press to intrude on her privacy.” She bent her head down as she said and he switched on the drier.
“There is a preplanned story?”
“Of course there is a preplanned story, everybody saw your engagement besides you have to save face.” She directed his hand to where she wanted the heat most.
“This is incredible, you shouldn’t be a military general, you would plan a coup.”
“Come on, it’s elementary. You have been dating her for four years without a ring, you finally do give a ring and you end up playing games with me. It does damage a girl’s self esteem, besides society has been pressuring her. Why shouldn’t she jump into the arms of a sure thing which I was ready to provide.”
“She was meant to be in love with me.” He said not knowing exactly why a woman would want to leave him.
“Sorry darling, but what is it they say about everyman having his price? Hers was security over love. You couldn’t provide that. Or I made her think you couldn’t…….okay that’s fine stop the drier, the hair is dry.”
“You are a dangerous conniving machine you know this right?” He watched as she applied moisture to her hair, tying it into a ponytail, then wearing her wig cap. She didn’t answer his accusation; it was like she was mocking him to deal with it. She moved to the bed and picked up two clothes a gold and a lilac one. She brandished it in her front and he knew she was asking her to make a decision for her.
“Gold.”
“Thank you, I like the gold better also.” She then moved to her mirror and started to apply her makeup.
“Look I need to talk to you.” He couldn’t stand the playing around anymore.
“Listening.”
“Are you ready to have an exclusive relationship with me? By exclusive I mean no clients, no Sean. Just you and I. I don’t believe you went through all the trouble to get me out of an engagement to want us to play around.”
“Okay.”
“Okay what?”
“I told you, you would call me.”
“Yes you did. I can’t have you as a side lover as you suggested. It has to be the real thing.” She dropped her powder brush and turned to look at him.
“I do want the real thing with you.”
“Then let’s do it.” She smiled at him and returned to her makeup. It was done very unceremoniously, they had a deal and they were going to see where this would lead them. If nothing comes out of it, he could say it was fun. She wasn’t exactly the kind of woman that would make his mother happy, but she sure did make him happy and that was enough.

“First girlfriend request is to come with me to this party. I am not going to be available for pictures but you can take some so people see you were there.” He didn’t like the shade of red she was using on her lips.
“That red doesn’t suit you. I think it makes you look old.”
“Oh thank you,” she took some tissue and removed it then fished for a lighter shade, which he didn’t comment about.
“You really want me to come for this wedding don’t you?”
“Yes.” He thought for a second with his hands in his pocket looking at her, heck there was nothing wrong about going to your ex-fiancee’s wedding with the girl who stole the ring you were meant to initially propose to her and broke your engagement when you finally proposed to your previous dream woman.
“Do I look good enough?” He found himself asking, he knew his jeans and t-shirt wouldn’t suffice.
“No, we will drive to your place first and you change into a tuxedo. You are driving by the way. This whole set of gorgeousness can’t be bothered by driving. It’s too much work.”
“Yes madam.” She was one huge risk, he was taking. He didn’t know why he was taking the risk, but heck, you never know. “I have this beach house at Tarkwa bay, do you want to come there for the weekend? We go after the wedding” He knew she was going to say yes. There was no way she was going to say no.
“ I packed for your house, I guess I can include some beach wears.”
“What a manipulative cunning vixen you are.”
“That’s why you can’t stop thinking about me.”
She was right, that was why he couldn’t stop thinking about her.

Saturday Night
They were laid on a mat watching the clear night sky on the roof of his house in a transparent tent. The tent had cushions and fluffy pillows in crimson arranged in a circular motion but for some reason Zandra had chosen to lie on the mat on the floor, dragging him down to it, she said it was easier to watch the night sky that way. He didn’t care to counter her claims.

Serenity was an understatement of how he felt, they had left the wedding early so they could hitch a ride to Lagos in a friend’s private jet, but he didn’t really think he attended the wedding. He and Zandra were in a corner engrossed in the other, he found pleasure stroking her legs and he found himself kissing her occasionally, on the lips, on the hands on the neck, he couldn’t bear to turn his eyes away from her for a second. The guests who were seated next to them and others who walked up to them to mingle were soon ignored, he was annoyed at the photographers who distracted Zandra. She always turned her face away when they were around or she held her clutch up high to cover her face. He had asked her why she kept doing that and she said she couldn’t be on the pages of magazines, it was bad for her. It had saddened him because he knew that it meant she was hiding from Sean or didn’t want to be on because a famous face turned off her clients, one of her best bargaining power was her anonymity. He knew he would have to deal with it later.

When Francesca came to the table to say her thank you’s, he felt a pang of guilt. Not because he was with Zandra but because Francesca looked so beautiful in her wedding wear, he realized he had deprived this woman of a piece that would make her happy for a long time. He had been wrong, selfish and guilty. He had gotten up to hug her, he had told her she looked happy and he was happy she was happy. She had thanked him and told him he and Zandra looked in love. That gave him more joy than he could ever imagine. He knew right there that he wanted to marry Zandra. It was funny, seeing Francesca married made him know that was what he wanted with Zandra. Life and its ironies.

Now watching her in the tent, Zandra laid cupped against his body, so that he was spooning her and he could sense that she was dozing off. They didn’t make love they just cuddled and held each other. She revealed more and more about herself but she made no mention of Sean except when he asked. He knew that she had not left Sean no matter how she continually repeated that he was out of her life when he asked her about him. He was wise enough to know that Sean couldn’t leave her with just a click and a snap. It hurt him that she was lying but he wanted her still , it was against his principles but for her he was making an exception. So he decided to ask her.

“Will you marry me?” She was drowsy with sleep he had whispered it into her ears and waited for a reaction which came as a tired moan.
“So you choose me after your lover left you?”
“You made her leave me.”
“So what’s your point?”
“Marry me.” She turned to face him, she seemed less drowsy and cupped his cheek, then kissed his lips tenderly. God he loved her, it was wrong but he did, his mother will have a heart attack.
“I know I have a ring already but what of the grand gesture and the theatrics?” She said sticking out her tongue at him.
“That ring will become a necklace, you have always worn it that way. I want you to design your ring yourself, pick the stones, whatever you want. You are unique I want you to run the show.” She burst into tears, he wasn’t sure what to do. Was she manipulating him again or this was the real thing? “ Are you crying for real?” He managed to ask but she didn’t reply so he just hugged her and let her sob it out.
“Yes” came a tiny voice from her, the most gentle voice from her.
“Yes what?”
“I will, but I think you may be making a mistake”
“I think so also, but we can always give it a try. I’ll let you go if you can’t stay I promise.”
“I want to stay.”
“Then stay.”
“Even with my horrible past?”
“Don’t worry my mother will make that go away.” He was still holding her afraid she may change her mind. He knew deep in him that letting her go will hurt him in every way possible and he was petrified he may have to let her go, so he held her tight, he wanted her to be born again.
“ I think she hates me.” Her face was pressed against his chest so her words came out in muffles but the tears were gone.
“yes she does, she told you didn’t she at that dinner we had. She said she hated glorified payed lovers.”
“Yes she did.”
“ She indulges me, so don’t worry she will accept you.”
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why are you choosing me?”
“I don’t know why did you steal my engagement ring and wallet? We would be strangers if you didn’t, so this is your entire fault.”
“I wanted to make a quick buck.”
“hmmm…I want to make a honest woman out of a thief! Perhaps I should have a rethink.” She gave him a little punch, so he fell to the floor as if she had done him great harm. She bent down worried that she had indeed hurt him but when she saw the smirk on his face she punched him again and he pretended like it was a fatal blow laying almost lifeless on the floor. He squinted his eyes to see her reaction and he could see that she was staring at him, smiling. “Won’t you give me the kiss of life?” he asked wondering why she had not done what he would have done.

“Dead people don’t talk you know.”She was a stubborn one, so he dragged her down towards him and kissed her rolling her over so she was beneath him and her left leg was circled around his body. “Dead people don’t do this also Samson.”
“I am not dead.”
“Yes I can feel it” She said indicating that she felt the increasing swelling between his legs.
“I am besotted by you. I think you make me do illogical things.”
“Same here, you have derailed everything I stand for.”
“I hope that is a good thing.”
“I hope so.” He realized that she was also taking a risk more than he had thought about. She had planned her life according to this Sean individual and he was there crumbling the walls and empowering a resistance against his tyranny. He felt good about this, for some reason it boosted his ego, he might be a pervert but he couldn’t help it.

“Will you be mine and mine alone?”
“I want to be.”
“But you can’t?”
“I can” He knew this was a lie , he could hear Sean lurking in the shadow of her voice as she lied to his face. He was incredibly disappointed that he couldn’t throw her out when it was obvious she was lying to him.
“I know he is there.”
“Who?”
“Sean.”
“ He is gone from here.”
“But he still has your heart.”
“No, he has my loyalty.”
“You would go back to him then?” His voice croaked as he said this, as it dawned on him he may have to share her all his life. He was not good at sharing his favorite things. He was the only son and he had always had what he wanted, if someone else wanted to share and he liked the person he would simply buy a replica for the fellow. He didn’t share his things especially the woman he loved and wanted to marry. It sank his heart. So he let go of her and laid on his back, putting his hand behind his head watching the sky, while wondering why exactly he got himself into this mess. It was an investment in his life and by all means of analysis this may be a bad one except in some way he was able to reinvent it and it looked like a hard task. Yet he could not get his mind off this high drug she fed him, he was a junkie for her. She had laid back down and put her head on his chest while wrapping an arm around him. The sound of the waves form the beach filled the silence until she broke it.
“Why is your heart going so fast.”
“ I don’t know, you tell me.”
“Have I done something wrong?”
“No, why?”

@ Scon-P (Big smile) glad u love the hugs cos me I enjoy am pass u. Thank you for being patient darl.

@Stefikal. Sweetie I swear I didn't know you write until I saw your story on the board. Chai I don book mark that page. Ghen Ghen go happen for there. Thank you for the encouragement darl.

@ice4jez. Kai y u just want give me heart attack like this? Now you love my story, tomorrow u wish u never read it? Kai I no go fit eat again cos of u O. Oya sorry na, can I bribe u with coke or fanta?

@Candis009 shey you know say I fit risk this 14 years jail sentence because of you right? You a rock star darl.

@ Princessa. Hey dear you know I saw your story and had to pause what I was doing to read? I didn't know you write also. Damn girl! I know what I am doing during my break. Its hot chocolate mornings and taking chances.

@Hardeluv. Sweety your words are far too kind. God bless you for me.

@Ony073 dear. Thank you for reading darl. I am sorry this update took longer than usual. Please help me manage it and my behaviour.

@Candy. My yummy yummy chocolate flavored Candy. Thank you darl. It delights me that you are enjoying the story. Sending you a big piece of my heart. You lovely. Darling pls forgive me for posting late. I have that sickness I have found out. I am looking for a cure.

@Soul Minister you are so wrong. Shakespeare, Sidney Sheldon, Voltaire, Jeffery Archer etc. Fantastic male authors, so what will now hold back a genius like you? Btw I really don't think I am as good as the people you mentioned. I may have a good story but I lack experience and technique. Thank you for enjoying it sweetie. Looking forward to reading you. Hugs and kiss.

@FKforyou. My personal person. Please that Isi-ewu and beer na me send waiter make them bring am for you. Na because of the ginger you dey give me for here. Chop Kilz....Bigone.

@shaks97. Samson's name sake, I see that you are enjoying the story still. Chop knuckle boss. Gbogbo bigz boys things.

Hey guys. So I am just reading all the comments and shame dey catch me(covers face) . I had written a post since last week tuesday but for the life of me I have not been able 2 make a post on here.

I really don't want to keep disappointing you guys but wishes aren't horses for me. This is one of the parts of my life that has to give.

I am currently not with my laptop because I have to move around a lot today but when I get to it later today. I will make that post. The next post will come on thursday or friday next week because that is when my one week break starts. Cheers you guys. Happy Holidays. Xoxo.

“No. I am asking you to leave Samson.”
“Am I being punked? Where are the cameras?”
“This is for real. I need you to leave him?”
“Are you a journalist waiting to write a special scoop story?” It was obvious Francesca didn’t believe somebody will have the cheek to ask for such a thing.
“No.”
“The only reason I am seated here is because I am in shock and in a way interested in this loony idea of yours, but I have listened enough, tell Donald I will kill him so he should be prepared. Goodbye” Francesca got up to leave.
“Samson cheated on you with me. I am the one he slept with and he crawled back to you when he realized I wasn’t ready for him in my life. You will only be taking second best.” That seemed to stop her; this time around Francesca turned around and poured the drink on Zandra’s face. Then she gracefully left, that lady was an angel she did everything gracefully. Okay that didn’t go according to plan. She threw the last few snail Kebabs in her mouth and refilled the glass.

It was time to go with plan B, she called Donald the producer and informed him of the death threat that was hanging around his neck, she then asked him to feed Francesca information about Ishmail Danladi and Bode Oguntoyinbo. Ishmail was the son of an ex president who literarily swam in money but of recent was looking for a fantastic wife and Bode was a multibillion dollar jet owning pastor’s son who was ripe for marriage but needed somebody credible. They had both told her about their worries and needs in past sessions and she knew Francesca was just the right woman for them. She didn’t know yet if Francesca thought she was the right woman for them, but she would find out.

Sunday 29 May 2005
Zandra walked up to her terrace and felt the morning breeze kiss her, she looked at the barely busy streets and all of a sudden she felt alone. Yinka was away to see her folks and Sesan had gone on another of his business trips with Chief Nwosu. So she was indeed very alone it was disheartening, she didn’t think it was Yinka or Sesan she missed, she knew she missed Samson and she just hopped her cunning plan would work. The sound of a young man sweeping leaves off his space area in the garden below her drew her away from her thoughts but then again she felt the overwhelming sense of loneliness and uncertainty.

She dabbled with the idea of calling Sesan and telling him it was over between them and she would pay him off but she knew that was damn near impossible. She wasn’t ready for that right now; she would beg him to please let her go when she feels the time was right.

Her door bell rang and she cursed out loud because she just wanted to be alone this Sunday, she toyed with the idea of ignoring it but the sound was becoming annoying so she went to the door. She looked through the peephole and she was surprised to see a woman covered in a scarf with her head bent. This was a strange one. So she opened the door, only to find that the shrouded in mystery scarf woman was. Hmmmm her plan was taking shape, so she placed her hands akimbo and asked.

“ To what do I owe this august visit? I can’t believe you are in my house, especially after our last meeting. How did you even find out where I live?”
“You have your sources and I have mine.”
“Okay that is top notch, I am impressed…..are you here to warn me about Samson again? You know I can’t make him do what he doesn’t want to do right? Besides I respect your decision. I will not be chasing after him. The only way I can do that is if you agree to leave him.”
“That is what I came to speak to you about?”
“What?”
“I want his number?”
“Whose number?” Zandra was amused, she knew whose number, that it had to be one of the two men but she feigned ignorance.
“Ishmail’s number, I would like to speak with him if we are going to be on the same page.” Those words were music to Zandra’s ears, so she would have a chance after all.
“Hmmmm, you made the right choice, Bode can be a self serving righteous hypocrite”
“What do you mean hmmm? Oh wow gee thanks for recommending Bode then” Zandra could tell that Francesca was tense.
“Calm down, I will call Ishmail right now and I would have dissuaded you if you picked Bode. Anyways why did you change your mind about his arrangement?”
“Because Samson is mad about you, if you come up on the radar again I fear it would be a sorry case. I need security and from what Donald said you can guarantee that with one of these men.”
“He is correct, Bode will never divorce as long as his father is alive and Ishmail is a hopeless romantic, if he maries you, he will want it to be for keeps. I wish you had let me explain to you but I trust that Donald did in very good terms.”
“Yes he did.”
“Please come in we shouldn’t stand at the door all day.” She ushered Francesca in and led her to her lounge while she went to get her water and find her phone. Francesca accepted the water after asking for lime to be squeezed in it. They were fast becoming strange friends. Zandra relaxed on an adjacent sofa and started to scroll through her phone.
“I will call now.”
“No wait before you do.” Francesca said in between water sips “I have questions to ask.” God this match making thing was more difficult than she thought; she had to answer questions also.
“Shoot.” She said clapping her hands as if to signify the start of a timer.
“Is he really a good man, I know he is wealthy but that does not make him a good man.”
“As far as I know he is a good man, he can be a little bit arrogant and you will have to prove to him that you are not one of those women who want him for his money. He can be erroneous by thinking his money makes everything come to him, so you have to disagree with him occasionally so you stand your ground. Agreeable but cutely disagreeable so that he respects you.” Francesca nodded as if her lecturer had just exposed some words of knowledge to her, but indeed she had told her the key thing to handle Ismail, he was a spoilt rich brat who needed to be handled firmly or else she would turn to a toy.

“Have you slept with him before?”
“What kind of question is that? I have of course, how do you think I know him and know intimate details about him?” Zandra saw the frown form on Francesca’s face and knew she may have said a little too much, but the girl had to know if she was marrying him.
“So you are telling me to marry a man who you have slept with”
“I slept with Samson also and you want to marry him.”
“I guess you are living up to your love peddling ways.”
“You know that hurt, but I will ignore it. We are here to help the other. Ishmail is a good Muslim he prays 5 times a day and he had often let slip that after his wife he will not have to pay anymore. It will be a gross disobedience to the will of Allah as he would not love them all equally besides he didn’t need to if he found a good woman which I am sure you are. He also talks about the hatred polygamy breeds and how he didn’t want that. He only paid me because he often needed to get his load emptied when he was between ladies, most of the women he found out were with him because of the money and they had poor attitudes. That was why I felt you will be the perfect choice for him. Yet if he is a stubborn man and all he has revealed to me are lies, I have ears in the call girl circles and so I know what is going on. We could arrange a ban from the elite which he only patronizes although I cannot guarantee you a ban outside the country.”

“So there’s a possibility he may cheat?”

“ I cannot vouch for him a hundred percent, I mean you thought Samson wouldn’t but look what he did with me.” That was the reply to the insult Francesca had implied earlier and they both realized it. Francesca made a funny sound with her mouth perhaps because she was weighing her options, she couldn’t really tell but for some reason Zandra felt calm, she knew she was winning this.

“Call him.” Those were the sweetest words she had heard in a long time, so she was happy to oblige. He picked after the second try, she kept him on speaker and didn’t even let him say Hello.
“Your Excellency sir” She liked to call him your Excellency to humor him.
“You this girl.” Ismail laughed his deep rich laughter in the Hausa British accent, she loved to hear.
“What have I done now, your Excellency?”
“ I have told you not to call me that…..what do you want, it is when you want something you butter me up.”
“You have missed it this time around; you are the one I want to give something to.”
“This is sounding interesting tell me.”
“Does the name Francesca sound familiar to you?”
“Francesca, Francesca, kai you know I have met many Francesca’s now, why are you talking in parables?”
“Okay another clue, Francesca from Nollywood.”
“Ah yes, that fantastic actress, very shiny skin and kissable lips. I have seen some of her movies.”
“Really, Mallam so that’s what you remember about her….so you like her?” Zandra glanced towards Francesca and she could see that she was positively beaming. ‘Ashewo’, Zandra thought to herself.
“What man in his right senses wouldn’t like her. I have seen her at an event before but we were on separate tables.”
“Okay what about you two sitting on the same table next time you meet. As in a date, I told her you were looking for a wife and she said she would like to meet you.”
“Zandra, Zandra! This woman that I know got engaged when or you think that I do not read all these your soft sells?”
“I am giving you confirmed information right now. She will like to meet you, that her Samson no sure. She wants a stable and God fearing man and that is you”
“Wow, I am finding it really difficult to believe you. You know because that woman is out of this world.”
“Okay you know how they say seeing is believing. This time around you will know speaking is believing. She is right here and wants to talk to you.”
“Really, stop kidding me Zandra. Is it fools day?”
“It is not fools day at all. Just know that you will settle me after this works out between you two.”
“ This girl, this girl, I thought you said you wanted to give me something for free in the beginning. Okay let me adjust my body so that I can converse with her properly and woo her.”
“She is free now, it is me you are settling. You are just a clown. What are you adjusting?” She imagined him dusting off and adjusting whatever he was wearing, it seemed ridiculous.
“Zandra, I don’t want to hear your voice again. Put gorgeous Francesca my wife to be on.”
“Yes your Excellency.” She returned the phone to its handset volume and handed it to Francesca then walked out of the room to her terrace. She wasn’t interested in what they were going to discuss, she will definitely teach Francesca how to behave with him but that will be all. She knew they would get married they were too perfect a match not to.
Forty-eight minutes later she heard a rap on her terrace door, it was Francesca who was beaming, and for some reason Zandra felt content with herself.
“He wants to speak to you.” Francesca said handing her the phone, which she took.
“Were you people trying to recreate the world on the line, I don’t understand the length of that call. To say that was my airtime.” She said jokingly.
“You know I will refund you don’t you. But first thank you, she is so soft spoken and she seems very shy. I have been begging her to tell me where you are so my driver can come and pick her.”
“Oh so you are in town”
“No, but I don’t want her to change her mind, so she would not run away. If she see’s my house she may love me more.”
“ You are wrong there my friend. You have quickly forgotten that she is engaged to Samson Williams, so she knows how opulence looks like.”
“Why must you rub that in? She is not engaged, she is previously engaged. In fact if this girl agrees I will marry her next week.”
“So much haste? ” She said in fake shock while winking at Francesca.
“I can’t afford to let her escape. She is the woman of my dreams.”
“Well you know I will put in a good word for you to let her off the William tree and into yours.”
“Thank you…..your account number is still the same as before right?”
“Yes but do not bother, this was between friends.” She knew Ishmail will still send her cash, but she really meant that she didn’t want it. He was doing her a huge favor by needing a wife.
“Such a darling, but you know I will still send. I am so happy.”
“You really do not have to…..bye for now Ish”
“Bye naughty one.” She hung up the phone and she found herself smiling.
“Why are you smiling?” Francesca who was watching her intently asked.
“Because I know next week I won’t be lonely.” They both knew what she meant, but she understood more than Francesca could ever do. Francesca’s phone began to ring in the purse she had abandoned in the parlour. She ran to fetch it.
“It’s Ishmail” she whispered
“You gave him your number already”
“Yes, should I pick it?”
“No, don’t. Lets have tea and watch a movie, he will keep calling, you'll pick at night. You can tell him then you kept your phone on mute. Which I suggest you do right now, because that phone will keep ringing. When do you need to go back to your shooting location? You can stay with me if you want to. Ish will be flying in to see you.”
“I have a hotel room booked, you know I can’t tell Samson I am in town.”
“Nonsense you are my guest and we are helping each other.”
Francesca nodded her head, she understood, both women had come to an understanding.

Tuesday 24 May 2005.
Zandra.
White could make anyone look virginal in the right shape and cut, so she chose to wear white. She was seated at the William towers lobby in a white skirt suit and a big black and white floppy hat, she looked like she was an heiress, a dainty virginal heiress, that was what she wanted to look like. Sesan had informed her that she had received a call from a Samson who had promptly ended the call when he picked it up, she had of course had minutes of an explanation session that seemed to last forever about this particular Samson.

It was not the popular Samson Williams he had read about, this Samson was a plumber who was meant to fix a leak in the kitchen, she thanked God profusely that there was really a leak in the kitchen. She had teased Sesan a little that he had become fixated with Samson just after he had read that article about his engagement, he asked her repeatedly if she knew him and she always denied, he was bent on ways to introduce her to him even though she said she did not know him or want to meet him. She prayed that will not happen, but she was here now.

The newspaper in her hand serving as her camouflage just in case her sun shades did not work, had begun to tire her hands. This guy needs to come out of his office as soon as possible, not everybody was keen on playing the waiting game. She wondered what she would tell him, it was so unlike her not to rehearse her lines, all she knew was that she wanted to see him and here she was, she would just let the words blurt out of her mouth once she gets his attention. She loves getting his attention; she loved all the attention he gave her. For some reason she was finding it difficult to accept that he will be giving all that to Francesca and that was why she was there. She wanted to say she was sorry, she wanted to beg him to have her in her million broken pieces, she knew it was insane and highly improbable, but what do people say about never knowing until you try it.

For some reason she felt like biting her fingers, she had accepted that she was sad and pathetic and there was nothing she could do with it. So what she wants now is to have a piece of happiness that Samson gave her. She would either have it as his friend or his lover; she didn’t mind playing second fiddle to Francesca. Sesan would never know the cheap thrill and dangerous game she will be playing on the sides, she knew she risked being sent to Hell fire if he found out, but he never will, she just couldn’t risk that.

Oh God its him, its him! She nervously crossed and uncrossed her legs as she witnessed the all too familiar scene of Samson leaving the office. She knew this too well, it will take him approximately eight minutes to get to where she was seated, because there will be a flurry of people walking up to him to sign this and that and get clarification on this and that. Damn why did she sit in the same position she usually seats to wait for him when he comes out of his dungeon. For some reason she was no longer sure of her plan, what exactly did she want, did she have the guts to carry on like this? Lie to Sesan and worst of all Samson, something in her was pushing her to get up and run, it was all a mistake. The desire was not strong enough but instead she clutched firmly to the papers in her hand as if it was a life saver. She would probably let him walk past her and she will move back into oblivion.

He wouldn’t pick her calls to him, so why was she here. God what was she doing? This was a man who wanted to set his life right by being with the woman who was the right fit for him and here she was dressed up as a mirage of that woman who she was nowhere near her perfection. She wanted to bring to his feet her evil temptation and wreck his life. For some reason she seems to thrive in chaos and where there was peace and harmony she could not stay. She wished this wasn’t the truth but it was. Why did she stick to Sesan when Samson was there? She knew there was a deeper reason, she knew Sesan would hurt Samson if he found out, she was absolutely stupid, what on earth was she doing here, what demon possessed her to come? This was the worst decision in her life after she bleached her hair blonde that one time.

It was that eight minutes or so and she could see Samson and his crispness walking towards the door she sat next to. He walked right past her and she could see from the corner of her eye hid behind the newspaper and sunglasses the motion detecting doors give way to his presence. She had better leave, but she had to wait some minutes so that his car will leave the lot. She was lucky enough that her car was out of sight and he was highly unlikely to sight it unless he was looking for it.

Twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven……..she could feel air hit her face all of a sudden, her newspaper fortress was gone and there above her was Samson looking down at her. Definitely her attempt at counting up to a hundred was not going to work to avoid him, it was so sad because she had already wasted the voice in her head, counting up to twenty seven. He was saying something, she had better ignore the whisper of the workers, who were turning to look at her.

“What in the name of the Father are you doing here?” At least that was better than the daggers of fire she had envisioned. It dawned on her immediately that she really missed him.

“Will you make me your lover?” It just came out of her mouth, that wasn’t what she intended, she was meant to say ‘Hi there Samson or maybe how are you Samson?’ He ignored the question.

“Did you think I would not know that you were the one seated here, I spotted right away…..get out.”

Okay this is understandable, he was angry and she had absolutely no place there. Zandra was aware of the gathering multitude who she was sure wanted to witness the scene. Heck she would have joined in if she had been standing around to see what she would do. So she did one of the things she knew how to do best, she started to cry.

Not wails , no sound came from her, but she felt the pearl shaped droplets of water fall down her face and she could see the expression on his face soften. He moved forward to touch her shoulder but he dropped his hand almost immediately. The silence began to speak, they just looked at the other and she made sure that the tears did not stop. The Tear Jerker as she called it had a ninety-eight percent effectiveness, it had originated when Sesan had asked her to continually recreate her vulnerability just like when he first saw her by the road side. In the earlier years on slow weekends, he would position her at huge event halls where a wedding or any other jubilation was taking place and he would ask her to cry, to get the sympathy of the rich patrons. It was extremely ungracious to wail with tears therefore she learnt how to cry without opening her mouth or spoiling her face. There was of course a back up story then, it was that she lost her mother, but later the story changed to her father gambled away her tuition fees. She got sympathy mostly from rich old men, who often turned her to their kept woman. This was even how she met her first husband.

“Follow me into my office.”

It worked! She knew it worked ninety-eight percent but for some reason she had little faith and thought that this will be the 2 percent it didn’t. She was glad it worked, she reached into her small clutch purse and cleaned the tears. She knew she was about to con him to have her back, she knew it was wrong but it was the only way.

It was a really long ride made harrowing by the silence, she looked at her shiny red shoes the only piece of color she brandished and played timidly with her finger. Samson wasn’t looking at her but she felt like he was boring holes all through her body, like he knew about her plan then he was going to rubbish it and shame her. When they got to the office door, he opened it and let her in. she should say thank you but she was too sober to do that, she needed her wits here, she wanted to cry. God she loved him.

This was more awkward than she had thought it will be, he walked to his couch and sat down there, this was officially an unofficial meeting since he did not go to his high priest chair, so she went to sit on the opposite couch without being asked to. He didn’t let her talk he already started.
“ I am afraid that cannot and will not happen?”
“What?” She knew what he was talking about but she still had to ask.
“You being my lover, I am getting married.”
“Why?”
“I am getting married and you have your Sean.”
“He is out of my life, that is what I came here to tell you. I walked out on him.”
“I don’t believe you, you can never walk out on Sean”
“It is the truth, when I saw those pictures of you and Francesca, I thought that should be me. I heard bells in my head when I saw that ring. I have grown attached to it, it is like I have the fake somewhere with me and you gave her the original.”
“I apologize; you can keep it if you want to. I wanted a ring in a hurry and the Jewelers could not get anything more expensive, less expensive means my father would bully me.”
“So you opted for a diamond ring and five golden rings.”
“Yes.”
“How’s your dad?”
“He seems fine.” Silence filled the room again, she had already gotten the answer she wanted and she knew the next step she had to take.
“So if Francesca left you, you would consider me again”
“No you are bad news and Francesca won’t leave.” He was very calm about it, it amused her.
“Sean is gone” It was a lie but she needed to sound convincing.
“Great you can make a good life for yourself then.”
“With Sean gone will you consider me if Francesca left?” He didn’t answer
“Will you?” There was this sense of urgency in her voice, it wasn’t really urgency, she was desperate.
“I guess.”
“Great. Francesca will leave you in at most three weeks, call me when she does, I have a shoulder to cry on.”
“That sounds interesting, but you are forgetting something, I am a Williams, women don’t leave the Williams. Besides she loves me.” He was looking at her like she was some entertaining show.
“You are deluded and I am going to make it happen, you’ll call me don’t worry.” At that she got up, walked up to him and kissed his forehead, he didn’t flinch, she had to leave but he stopped her by holding her hand.
“The crying at the lobby, that was a con right?”
“Yes.”
“You are good.”
“I know.
He let her go, she caught a glimpse of him smiling at her as she walked towards the door in the decorative glass on the walls. She smiled because she knew she would have him back.
Hopefully.

Friday 27 May 2005

Setting up a meeting with Francesca was easier than she had thought, it only took her a call and a promise to give a discount to her movie producer contact Donald when next she was available which she knew wouldn’t be soon. She really didn’t know how all this would pan out, all she knew was that she needed Samson back to her. So there she was in a restaurant waiting for Francesca, after flying in to Port Harcourt from Abuja.

The movie producer she knew had told Francesca there was this new project that will be good for her and increase her versatility in acting and the lady in charge of it would like to talk to her over dinner. It was a swanky upper class restaurant with very posh cubicles that had curtains at their entrances neatly parted to each side and secured by ribbons. Francesca could of course dine here as it would be easy to close the curtains and talk serious business; she wondered how she would react when she asks her to give up the man who had proposed to her with such grandeur and was the stuff dreams were made of. She hoped her trade by batter idea would work.

It was already some minutes past the designated time, she had dunked a glass of cosmopolitan and was now asking for peppered snail kebabs and a bottle of champagne, so she wouldn’t just look like she was warming the seat and would end up not getting anything. She adjusted the skirt suit she was wearing and took a minute to reflect on her life. She was utterly confused but she knew she had to keep moving, she wondered if she was wasting away. She doubted that she wanted the reality of a life with Sesan but she knew they had been on the streets together since they were kids and she owed him her loyalty to that. This rich man’s son was doing things to her as she knew Sesan would say.

There was a few gasp and sighs from the open restaurant on the ground floor and she could only imagine that it was Francesca making her super star entrance, so she immediately got up to go look but she was disappointed when she saw instead a governor she did not want to see. He had a ridiculous pot belly and bad breath; he was a good payer so Sesan always made her go with him no matter what. She immediately retreated into her cubicle and released the ribbons that secured the curtains, so he wouldn’t see her peradventure he was led to the exclusive area which he would most certainly will be entertained.

It was beginning to look like Francesca was going to stand her up. That would really upset her, so she made a call to the producer who assured her Francesca would be there, she then restated that she was in cubicle 9, so that the royal actress would not bother her pretty self stressing or worse leaving . At least her over priced snail kebab’s came so she could feed herself. She had always loathed using fork and knives to eat because they hindered her, so she placed aside the utensils when the waiter was gone, took out some wet wipes from her bag to clean her hands then she started to enjoy the delicacy. Another added advantage for having closed curtains, was that she could gobble like a starving person. For some reason she longed for a yoghurt drink, unfortunately they didn’t serve that there, so she poured the wine bottle she had ordered in anticipation for Francesca. Surprisingly the wine tasted good with the snails even better than the yoghurt would have.

As she threw the third to the last piece of snail in her mouth, the curtain parted, thinking it was a waiter coming to check up on her she was about to ask for more snails, but looking up she saw this beautiful make up free creamy skinned goddess Francesca and there she was with her mouth stained from snail pepper in the most uncultured way possible.
“Oh I am sorry, wrong cubicle.”
“No. Its me.” She said quickly using a napkin to wipe her mouth and hands.
“You?”
“Yes, I am the script writer slash producer you are meant to see.”
“Oh okay.” Francesca said skeptically.
“Please sit down, I am sorry to have started the merriment before you, what will you have?” Francesca sat down after carefully scrutinizing her, she was a little embarrassed, there was this piece of snail in her mouth she had not finished chewing and she didn’t want to spit it in the plate, so she just swallowed it and , pushed it down with some champagne before pouring herself another cup. She probably looks like a lunatic.

“I am terribly sorry, but I am on a diet, I need to be a certain figure for my wedding.”
“Wow, I saw that in the news congratulations on that.”
“Thank you.” Francesca said giving an affectionate smile.
“Where will you get married?”
“One of these Islands I suppose, we have not yet decided. We will decide when we pick a date. I am terribly sorry I didn’t come early enough by the way. I am a terrible night driver and I had to call the management to let me in through the back door. I hate being noticed in crowded places especially when I just want to just relax and have some alone time, as you can see I am in my sweats and no make up.”
“Its fine, I understand. I am over dressed.” Damn, this lady was just a decent lady, how would she bring this up?
“No please don’t feel embarrassed. I should have made more effort but today is my make up free day…..So straight to business, what is this script about?”
“Uhm” she cleared her throat “It’s about a woman who is about to get married to her dream man but find two better offers on the table.”
“A temptation, how intriguing, but I’ll have you know that I stopped playing roles like that a while back. I am experimenting and now play roles with a message to pass on.”
“I wasn’t talking about a movie role Francesca, I was talking about you.”
“Excuse me?”
“ I have two better offers than Samson Williams for you.” Francesca looked at the half full champagne glass in Zandra’s front and Zandra could only imagine that what was going on in Francesca’s mind was to pour the contents on her face. Zandra knew that’s what she would do if anybody had the cheek to ask her what she was asking Francesca.

“Are you drunk?” Francesca finally let out.

Omg so much love and disappointment from you people. I can’t believe it, this is some self esteem boosting dope right here due to the love. Thank you so much I am grinning from ear to ear. I promise you guys to finish the story, I have just been crazy busy that I didn’t have time to write. Please forgive me.

princesa: You've got a fan here, so do update as promised.

The Lord is ur muscle

princesa: The writer has gone awol, wouldn't make sense to put it on frontpage when she wont be around to continue, till she's serious...

princesa: The writer has gone awol, wouldn't make sense to put it on frontpage when she wont be around to continue, till she's serious...

@ Princesa, I know I have disappointed you by not posting, please bear with me. I will steadily get there. As you said the lord is my muscle. I believe he is yours also. Xoxo darl.

scon-p:
Scon-p is waitin

@Scon-P, biko no vex for me my love that I kept you waiting for long. Hugging you tight.

Sophiatabitha: Na wa o. So after all the scrolling i no even see anything read. My down button is beging for mercy. Plis update ni. Dying

@Sophiatabitha. My dear kai see me covering my face I don’t know what to say to you, hiding. Please accept my apologies, it is the devil that wants to break us up.

Hardeluv: Well dear, God z ur strength. I realli dun knw ur bday date, buh all dat I can say z wishing a great n apy bday.
Have fun on ur bdae.
Cheers!!!!

@Hardeluv. Aww thank you for the bdai wish. God is your strength also. So sorry I haven’t post for long, please forgive me.

Bimcious: Am also h*appy birthday in arias or advance o. Lot of love. When am i getting my cake?

@Bimcious. My bimbilincious Bimcious .Cake it haff finish O. Rat ate it. I am so sorry dear that I didn’t post for a while please forgive me, hope you still enjoy the story.

SPLENDIDFLOZZY: Firstly... Hapy birthday 2 u, wish u LLNP. Wud b expectin my cake nd i hope it wil get 2 me. I'm sowie 4 d late wish nd i hope it counts.

Secondly.... D updates u promised, hop we get 1 dis week. Tnx in advance

@SPLENDIDFLOOZY Darlinnnnnnng cake it haff finish  I know say it go turn to double vex as I no post since. Biko no vex for me. I am still loyal.

Enache: Halooo,pls wats hapening 2 d posts na.hop al is wel

@Enache. Hi sugs, thanks for asking after me. All is well, life just caught up with me, will post as much as I can darl because of people like you. xoxo.

Tinu-02:
Let nominate this thread for front page...my opinion though

@Tinu-02 awww thank you for thinking I am good enough fora special mention. It does mean a lot to me. Your opinion rocks btw. Xo. Mwaaaah.

Candis009: Xenia,Y r u fallin my hands now?

@ Candis009. My dearest I have disappointed you again, seems I am the bad one in this love affair, what manner of love expression will I do to win you back my love? No vex for me, the witches in my village don’t want us to be together.

zubis05: Really..if there is any thread on NL I want finished,its this one. OP,wetin we do u na? Come finish sumtin jhare

@zubis05 Shai you have provoke for me. No vex my dear please na. I will complete it. I promise, no worry about that.

stefikal: Wow....dz story is superb

@Stefikal . Hi dear glad you love it. I am sorry for not posting for long, please bear with me, hope I do not disappoint with the ending.

ony073: Xena.... U are a pure class.

ony073: Haba,xenia..it's gonna be approximately 1 month 2moro u update. E no gud like dis oooh.

@onyx073. Wow, thank you. Kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss and some more puppy dog kisses. I really didn’t know time had gone that far. Damn, please forgive me. I am only human and a terrible multitasker.

Pastor Olu T: I wonder why such a good story is yet to make frontpage? Some stories not as good as this would just have a page n they on the frontpage. Anyways kudos xenia u are doing a great job!

@Pastor OluT. Thank you Pastor for thinking I am good enough for special mention. It doesn’t really matter hitting front page if people like you enjoy the story here and I guess there may be a criteria I am not meeting. Thank you so much for the vote of confidence. I would have said kisses but I don’t know if it is right to shower pastors with kisses.

Dadymonso: What an interesting and captivating story, pls Xenia what is still holding you from updating. I was late to work for 3day and was queried just because I was glued to my phone throughout the night reading your write up. Pllllllssssssssss more of it.

@Dadymonso. I beg no dey receive query because of me O. I go finish the story no worry you hear, but biko no more queries that thing they fear me like sword. Thank you for following and I am sorry about the late post.

dolly dolly: Xenia where are u!!!! Since November dear! Its not good o!

@dolly dolly. Pls no vex. I am kneeling down, I am checking my calendar now and see that it really has been long. Don’t be pissed at me please I am trying my best. shey you will hug me because you are not pissed right darl?

gandyluv: hp al is well wit u

@gandyluv. Thanks for checking on me. I am fine, I have just been too busy to take care of myself and unfortunately you guys also. Please forgive me, I am trying my best humanly possible.

Oluwason: Captivating, but @ op u have kept us up for long what's happening? U are one of the that inspired me to join n start writing so pls come back

@Oluwason. Pls I beg you in the name of Oluwa, do not be pissed at me. I am happy you joined because of me and I am sorry I started to disappoint, I couldn’t help it. Please forgive me.

Ice4jez: Sadly I can help be hrt broken when I. See such good story go to waste

@Ice4jez. Not to worry this story will not go to waste I will finish it. Please forgive me for keeping away so long.

Hey Guys,
I am deeply sorry I have not been able to post all week. As usual the week has been crazy and I have had to travel to three states this week, I have just been notified that I am on a 6:45 flight out of lagos tomorrow morning, so there goes another morning I promised to write for you guys. This is a hindrance, coupled with the fact that its my birthday weekend, so I have to prepare for that also. I am so sorry that I have not been able to post, I am trying my best to update, please do not hate me, it will kill me if you do. family hugs and kisses.

PS: I can tell you guys that the next bit of the story will have Zandra waiting for Samson at the Williams Towers lobby, so she can chat him up. She is wearing an over-sized floppy hat and sunshades, while using a newspaper to cover her face so that she won't be easily recognized. Samson of course easily recognizes her as he strolls out of work for the day. He wanted to walk away but he finds himself stopping in her front and yanking the newspaper away from her face........

Love you guys.

Zandra Saturday , May 21 ,2005
"So all these shoes are new, yes?" Sesan was saying as he picked his teeth with an unusually over sized toothpick, he had just had lunch and he was doing that thing he normally did after food, where he would lift up his shirt and rub his belly counter clock wise, it was even more comical now that he was getting a pot belly. He had been screaming about his dire need for some pounded yam and egusi soup since he came back, so she made it a priority to cook it for him. He was thankful, but now he was more interested in the unopened shoe boxes, she had in a corner. She had forgotten about them, when did she buy it self? Oh when that sale came up.

"Yes they are...very lovely shoes, got them on sale".
"Good, good. You are size 39 right?"
"Yes I am."
"That I am going to need."
"What do you need?"
"The shoes."
"Why? You are wearing women shoes now?" She knew she could make a joke like that right now because he had eaten and was happy, if he was in any other mood she knew that she would have to eat back those words. She felt so different all of a sudden, it seemed like being with him was no longer her dream, she had always wanted to marry him, have his kids, give their kids a life they couldn’t afford when she and Sesan were little, but now she was becoming unsure of that reality.

“I need them for this girl.”
“Which girl?”
“As if you don’t know.”
“Who now? Tell me now.”
“Marilyn of course.” She shifted on her chair, was she hearing right, when did Marilyn turn to a girl who he gave gifts to? He never gives gifts, instead he collects.
“When did you start giving Marilyn gifts?”
“Why are you asking this kind of stupid question?” It was her cue to back off but she just could not let it go. The deal with Marilyn was to date her and use her to get to the top; he would then break up with her later. He was so near to the top already, he didn’t get there by giving gifts to any woman; he got there by cajoling the chairman and romance with the daughter, which had never for once involved gifts.

“Do you want to marry her?” He stopped picking his teeth and clapped his hands like a market woman would to an insult; thank God he was in a good mood.
“You think I can marry into such a frustrating family? None of them can know happiness in that house, and what are you going to say about us if I marry her. You are the only woman I love and can marry. That one is just a wobbly chewing gum, she is not as rugged as you. You would go through fire with me, she doesn’t know the taste of fire. I can’t even believe you are bringing this up. Shame on you for thinking such a thing.”
“Okay ” she said smiling, that reassured her, he would be a great confidence building coach or motivational speaker, if only he could venture into that business. Then a little voice whispered to her, “but you can marry Samson if he asked you to…..” She didn’t want to think about it, she was meant to be a good person and let Samson go, she was meant to give all to Sesan the love of her life but she didn’t know why she wanted to break away.

It made her sick and uneasy , she should probably take her mind off the issue. The problem was she had trouble sleeping, she woke up at odd times in the night and it really pissed her off. She couldn’t tell anyone, Yinka wouldn’t understand, she would probably laugh, call her selfish. It was a crime to tell Sesan, she knew about a thousand things he would ask her to do and she would have no choice but to smile and do them all. She wanted to cry, but it would be suspicious, maybe she should call Samson, he was the only friend she had, but she was not a decent person, she slept with him already. He would be happier now, she hoped he missed her.

She was an extremely selfish person, she had just realized it, she didn’t want to let Samson go and she was not ready to give up Sesan either. It was selfish to leave Sesan, he made her who she was today and they had gone through the rubble together, she felt like a married woman who cheated on her husband with a more successful version of him. The only problem here was that she was allowed to cheat but she was not allowed to fall in love, her heart was sinking, she felt it was so visible that Samson would notice but he wasn’t even looking at her, he was still reading the paper and sipping on spirit and smoking his cigar.

This must be what it feels like to have a guilty conscience, it was a rare disease she caught and it was eating her raw like leprosy. She felt like scattering the room, breaking all the breakables, destroying something , pulling her hair out and screaming. But she was reasonable, that only happened in movies or with Samson, she almost giggled at that thought. She had been unfair, she could slap Samson anytime and anyway she wanted and he would be gentle and tolerant . Sesan would give her additional marks on her back by using her to mop the floor. She felt like writing a letter to him and apologizing, that would be silly and what did she know how to write? Instead she opted for a shower.

When she came back into the living room, the television was switched on and a music video she didn’t think was important was blazing out of it, Sesan was engrossed in a newspaper, so she relaxed into the sofa, in her bath robe. She had nothing else to do, but had her thoughts to torture her, she scrolled through her phone contacts and contemplated calling a couple of them to signify her availability, but she didn’t know how anymore, it felt wrong in a way, in every way. She had lost her touch. Sesan would be pissed, he must not find out, he knew that she had a mark who kept a constant supply of cash to her, he needed to know why some of the customers had called him to ask why she was unavailable. He would be furious if he found out that she was no longer interested in the game anymore.

“Hmmmmm, na wa O.” Sesan let out, was he reading her mind? Did she say something out loud? She kept still so that she would not give anything else away.
“These rich people self, they will not kill us.”
“What happened to rich people?” She was forced to ask what he meant, she was almost sure she was paranoid, only asking would clear out the doubt.

“Is it not the way they want to give us the less privileged heart attacks, let me read this out to you….. This is an exclusive scoop, Olofofo’s on the set of Sudden where Actress Francesca Bright plays the role of grass to grace female politician, has provided us with pictures and juicy gossip of how her boo of many years the heir to the Williams oil estate, came on set at around midnight and proposed in the most spectacular way .He had with him the 12 gifts of Christmas a true love would give to his lover. There was a partridge but no pear tree, two turtle doves, three French hens, four colly birds, six geese, seven swans, eight maids that held up placards that said forgive me , nine ladies that were actually dancing, ten men, 11 pipers and 12 drummers beating a tune to the dancing and merriment. People who were there said production had to be halted because of the scene the lover boy was creating. He was said to go on his knees, and pretty Francisca burst into tears when he said he knew he was not the perfect man in the world but he wanted to be perfect for her. He then asked her to marry him, he said if she would say no, she should say it indoors so as to spare him the shame, but he promises to spoil her for the rest of her life if she did. The smart lady was quick to say yes to the offer” Sesan looked at her after reading it all, he motioned to her to come over “Come and see the pictures, this boy is not joking at all.”

She had been frozen on the couch, she didn’t expect such news to tear her up, when she was already tearing up at the loss of her friendship with him. She was meant to be relieved; nothing good would have come out of their union. Did she even think that he would marry her, she was a common comfort lady, where on earth did she get such a stupid idea from? She got up to see the pictures and the first thing that caught her eye was the replica of the ring she had stolen, then there were pictures of the circus of people and birds he had employed for the proposal, there were two pictures of Francesca smiling her eyes off, one where she was covering her mouth when he was knelling down. Why do women cover their mouths when they propose to them? It was a silly gesture. She wasn’t sure if it was the jealousy in her that made her think that way, but her heart sunk when she saw Samson hugging Francesca, he was looking straight into the camera as if he intended for her to see it, to let her know she was spitted, he had a more beautiful and respectable woman who loved him. It was as if she was hearing him say those words to her. She returned the paper to Sesan, she had seen enough.

“ I have a headache, these pictures are not that special.”
“You are a liar, what do you think this spoilt brat is doing with five gold rings and a diamond ring. These are the people ruining Nigeria with their money. How can you do such a thing for a proposal?”
“I am really not interested in talking about it” The irritation and anxiety was now evident in her voice, that was the problem with Sesan, he didn’t know when to stop. If it were Samson, he would have let her be or she would have walked away. He always let her cool off, she couldn’t even believe she was still thinking about what Samson would do in this situation, she was obviously insane and out of her mind, he was now an engaged man and she was a soon to be engaged woman.
“Do you know him?”
“Know who?” she knew he was referring to Samson, but she had to ask so that it wouldn’t be obvious she was not thinking about him. She had to fool herself and him.
“Samson Williams.”

Fear is a terrible feeling it grips you in the heart like the talons of a bird but then you realize that it wasn’t only your heart that felt this way, your stomach was in chaos, it didn’t rumble like she was hungry, instead she could feel the hard lump building like a mountain in her stomach. She hated to be scared, it didn’t do her justice but she was and there was nothing she could do about it.
“Do you know him?” Sesan asked again, her mouth was dry, very dry but she summoned the best of her acting skills and gave him an odd look.
“No, I don’t, where will I meet him. You saw Samson Williams and you are calculating already.”
“Tell me if you yourself do not like money….but come , have you started to lie to me? I won’t take it easy if this a lie.”
“I have never lied to you, never have and never will”. It was a lie, it was the beginning of the lies to him, strangely the fear had given away to a peaceful and contended feeling. He would never know, it was best that way. She got up and left the room, she needed some sleeping pills, she needed sleep.

Samson Tuesday Evening, May 24 2005.
Zandra was the last person he expected to see her name on a hamper basket congratulating him on his engagement. Frankly very few friends had bothered to send gifts, his business associates were smart enough to send appropriate gifts but he didn’t expect any from someone like it. He kept on staring at the hamper and wondering if she was playing a game with him. Why would It send such a taunting gift? For the very first time in his life after his grandfather weaned him, he had wanted something so wrong and so bad for him, he tried to make it good, he knew he tried his best but It was rotten to the core. He didn’t want to refer to her as a human anymore she was an It.

It had to be a good bye gift from It to him, he was so angry that It had so unceremoniously ended their blossoming affair. It crashed into his reality, then woke up one day and went into It’s own reality with such a callous attitude. His father had noticed, he snarled instead of his calm put offs his father had immediately guessed what had happened. He had likened the thing to a hangover, you are high when you are on it but the headache and the sudden realization of how far off you had gone hits you in the morning. The thing about hangovers is that they make you swear off drinks, you go on certain lengths of drink celibacy but then again you begin to crave the thirst. He had done the right thing to tell Francesca what had happened, her later forgiveness and acceptance of him made him realize how wrong and stupid he had been, he had thrown himself in a lost ocean to a poisonous siren and….. he didn’t want to think about the damning viper, he should be thinking about Francesca.

Most men do not deserve a woman like Francesca, she was kind, gentle and poised. Although she had her moments when se was awkward, she was a breath of fresh air. She knew the correct thing to say, she knew just how long she was meant to use to punish him for his digressions and he loved her enough to want to marry her. It was the practical thing to do to remove the bitter taste of that girl from his mouth, his father had warned him against this, but it needed to be done. It was easier to forget a woman when you drown her with another more perfect than the previous. The hurt he had given Francesca made him more protective of her. Francesca had called his mother and wept to her the next day he broke the news of his affair to her, she had fallen sick, she couldn’t act. She just laid on the floor in her hotel room a frail broken figure. He hadn’t seen her but he imagined the way she would look.

His mother had taken action immediately, she had stormed into his house and raised hell, it was like he got a bad grade in school again the way she shrieked. Yet he wasn’t moved something had died inside of him and coldness had risen in its place, he was attending his own funeral, gloom had covered him, he was grieving. He understood that Francesca was rightfully mad at him, he understood that his mother was losing her head but what he failed to understand was why he couldn’t just go on. It had become more than a hangover It had become a craving and his mother’s shrieks were nothing to make him feel the shame. He knew he was wrong but he just did not feel the shame, When he realized this he knew he had to do something, so he asked his mother if she could help him ask Francesca that if he proposed will she agree especially if he promised not to hurt her. This had stopped his raving mother on the tracks, she calmed down and sat next to him. She had told him he was taking the right step. It didn’t feel right but he knew in time it would.

Again most men did not deserve Francesca, she had told his mother she would marry him but she wanted to talk to him first. He was with her within three hours she made her decision known to his mother, He had to be quick, he wasn’t sure if he would change his mind but he was in her rented apartment in the city she was shooting that very night. She looked so delicate in the jeans and cardigan she wore, her naturally long and healthy locks were combed out, she had just loosened a hair style, a stylist was to pit in a new one the next morning on set, she looked frail, she looked injured, she looked beautiful. It made him realize his mistake. He was indeed a spoilt brat, they starred at each other for minutes till she broke the silence, she asked him if it were the same girl people had told her about, that she was worried about previously and made her come to him. He had answered in the affirmative and he could see the hurt look more visibly in her eyes which were clear and pristine. That was when he fully realized the extent of what he had done, he had broken something really special. So he decided to tell her everything, he wanted a clean slate, he wanted to rebuild it back. He wanted to atone to Francesca what he had done, she didn’t deserve to be treated the way he did her. She had forgiven him but she let him sleep in another room and not with her, she had kissed his forehead, she was still hurt.

The time alone got him to thinking about how he would propose, it had to be befitting of her. He stayed up all night thinking of a befitting way to do it and by morning all the emails were already sent to everyone who was to be involved, he moved out of her apartment that morning, he wanted to give her space to breathe, they could go for dinner together and he would work from his hotel room. He thought it would be a slow road to their recovery but she invited over after three days then she cried and cried and cried. He had done her wrong. It then occurred to him she may love him more than the way he actually loved her but he knew love grew, after all it grew within the space of Jack Robinson for the other girl. They were engaged that weekend, he had doubts if she would say yes, he had nothing to worry about, he had been forgiven so he begged her to come home to him after her movie, she agreed, everything was back to normal.

Except there was this abnormal hamper basket he was staring at, it was a representation of something he did not want to remember. His Grand-father had taught him to cut off connection with whatever he did not want to be associated with; this one had a hamper basket congratulating him in his front. The pain came back, he couldn’t block it, the pain formed her figure in his mind again, she was not a thing, she was a taboo he was never meant to indulge in that scarred him. It came back, how she rushed him away like he was insignificant, how she obviously chose somebody else over him who was trying to help her. He just began to understand why she may have done that, he knew he would have chosen the hot mess of a girl over Francesca who was the best for him, it was strangely illogical of him but he knew he would have.

The thought of ignoring it had crossed his mind, in fact he had ignored successfully since it arrived yesterday night but this evening it was getting more and more difficult to ignore. He could smell her perfume just by looking at the hamper, he could smell her cooking, there was something definitely wrong here. He even contemplated voodoo but he knew he was being silly. He would just give the hamper out to his gateman but he should at least call to say thank you. It was a tempting idea, very tempting, he was nervous she would pick up the phone in her sharp courteous business manner which included teases reminding him he was just now a friend and he could call her up anytime. She would joke about herself being a futile transformation case, because she would always and forever be the bad girl. At least he should call her for a proper goodbye, he would of course tell Francesca so there will be no secrets between them.

It was a deep husky voice that picked up with a resounding hello; he said nothing for about two seconds and then cut it off. That must have been Sean John; her conquests he knew were not allowed near her personal property. What was he thinking? It was absolutely foolish of him to even try to call. He deleted her numbers so he wouldn’t have to anymore. Ten minutes later a number that seemed to end with her last digits called him, he ignored it, he didn’t pick calls from people who are not on his contacts list.

I am sorry guys that this came so late. Bimcious, Ijib, Hardeluv, Candis009, scon-p, SPLENDIDFLOOZY and tollydoll, I am on my knees right now begging you people, when you a read this imagine me on my knees, because I am kneeling down to type this. It has been crazy hectic here and recently four new projects got added to my table, meaning I won’t be able to post more than once a week because my writings will be delegated to few minutes in the mornings. I beg you all no vex for me, it is Satan that wants to drive a wedge between us, but it no go possible. I want to thank you all for giving me juice to write all along. Family hugs and kisses.
Tollydoll I have not seen your comment here before and I am sorry the first one you will put is one where you have to ask for an update. I dey cry, but glad you are following and hopefully enjoying.

Sunday Night, 9,pm.

She woke up and looked around, he was nowhere to be found, she couldn’t remember the trip home, her mind had been filled up with nothingness all she knew was that she didn’t feel like talking and Samson was smart enough not to ask her what was wrong with her or how she felt. Funny enough she enjoyed the silence , it let her open her mind to the blankness, and the nothingness. She had occasionally glanced at Samson and thought to herself that he might be the most perfect man in the world and Francesca was so lucky to have him. He made her happy; in fact he made her very happy she was beginning to be ashamed of it. It meant she was ungrateful to Sesan who brought her out of that hell hole to live a better life, he had made her promise not to be an ungrateful bowl of slime but the well chiselled features and kindness of this temptation they call Samson Williams made him a threat. She was going to thank him at least for letting her dump her past and not making her look like a mad woman on the road. She wasn’t sure when she slept off again but she found herself awake now on her bed.

When she found him, he had in front of him an almost empty bottle of Johnny Walker, he was seriously enamoured by a game he was playing on his xbox. It was very rare to see him in this light, especially since he only ever was seen in that slavery suit he wore to work, he looked good in it but his expressions always resembled that of a funeral director. He noticed her looking at him from the door way, he paused his game and directed his gaze towards her.


“You up?!”
“Yup, obviously” She was still at the doorway, she didn’t dare to move an inch, she was shy, embarrassed, happy, thankful and guilty, so she tore her eyes away form his and glanced at the door. He got up and moved toward her to give her a hug, that wasn’t what she expected but it was very welcome.


“I hope you are better now, I am sorry if that was too much of a shock for you but you needed to see that, that is not who you are. It’s the past and you chose today that you did not want to have anything to do with I, except maybe some funding. I am proud of you.” Those words were soothing although they were the repeat of what he had been telling her for a while, she hated broken records, but he was an exception, she felt so warm and accepted in his arms and his breath gave a faint scent of the alcohol he had been taking. She decided to take the taste off him so she kissed him.


It was very slow at first, she had expected him to stay put like a statue and give her the stony expression he gave everybody, she had planned in her mind to fall to the floor and cry if he did, at least he would have pity intercourse with her or console her saying she was distraught. She knew she wanted to screw his brains out and she was happy he did not push her away, instead his hands found his way to her butt cheeks and cupped them, pulling her closer to him and his lower region, she felt like a school girl discovering the joys of being turned on for the first time, she could probably re-lose her virginity again tonight. His hands were now touching her bosoms and she could feel the conditioned air hit it as it found its way out of her bra and blouse greeted by his plush tongue, He scooped her up soon after wards and placed her against the wall, he looked straight into her eyes and that was when she lost her senses.





Samson,Monday 8th, 1:45am
Some mornings he hated his alarm, he had a headache and the piece of crap was going off at 3am instead of its usual 5.30 am, he had set it a little earlier for Sunday morning so he could do his customary thirty minute workout, close some files he needed to work on later in the day and then take Zandra back home. Drats Zandra! He immediately turned to the side of the bed she was meant to be, perhaps to watch her sleep he did not know, but she was not there. She must have gone back to her room, he couldn’t believe himself, he had slept with her. How did that happen? That was a silly question, he knew how it happened, he knew that there was a little voice in his head warning him to take his face away when she leaned forward to kiss him, but he knew that he didn’t want to resist her, he needed to have a taste for her lips, he needed to have a taste of every part of her body. But where was the girl now?


An empty bed and bathroom signified that she wasn’t in her room either, he checked everywhere but she was no where to be found. That was strange, did she disappear in the middle of the night? For sure she couldn’t have gone, could she? He reluctantly pulled himself to the window to check where her car would normally be packed but unfortunately it was nowhere to be found. She was gone! He didn’t understand it, how could she have gone after last night? He felt like calling the security to confirm but there was no need. He went back to her room and noticed what he hadn’t noticed before, all her bags were packed. There was nothing in the room that said Zandra to him, she was gone without a word or a note. He was angry, she took the ring with her again.


Nobody had made him feel this way for a long time, what was this all about? How on earth could this chic just vanish. He stopped at the bar and poured himself some brandy. What has he done? He slept with a leopard that wouldn’t change its stripes, when he had a beautiful lady who loved him that he should focus on. Not in a million years would he say he would have cheated on Francesca, but he tried to dine with the devil with a long spoon, invited her into his house, let her cry and weep in his arms and he started to fall. Crap what was this? Did he hope for a happy ending, he just had to tell Francesca. He made a mistake, he had fallen.


Instead he dialled Zandra’s line, it wasn’t reachable, he at least wanted to talk to her, wanted to know why she left, but then he soon realised he was making excuses for her and his cheating behavior. He wanted to see her again, he wanted her back, and he wondered if she was ever going to accept him. He was a good man, what was he thinking? He just had to confess to Francesca and let her decide what to do with him. He felt so many things at that instant but he knew he was not ashamed of what he did, he wished he was, but he wasn’t. He didn’t want to be given any form of preferential treatment by Zandra though. He would send a cheque to her for her services later in the day, he would include a note that says. “I trust in your discretion, keep the ring ”. Even if he did something he didn’t want it to be public knowledge. Yes he made a mistake, he hoped he had helped her a little, it was time for this chapter to be closed, he just couldn’t help but wonder if he got it all wrong, if she had just gone home to do something, but people just don’t pack all their stuff and leave somebody who they just slept with in the wee hours of the morning. It was a message to him and he got it loud and clear. He had intruded long enough....He just wished he was more welcome. He hoped that wasn’t what a heart break felt like.


Monday 8th 2005, 4.12pm.

What was it they said about a woman scorned again? Zandra had barged into his office; her eyes looked like she had just borrowed the flames of hell to put in them. In one of her hands was a cheque he had written and told one of the drivers to deliver to her. Did the cheque bounce? That question was soon answered by her own question.

"What is this? "
"A cheque, what does it look like?"
"I know what a cheque looks like but what is it for?" She wasn’t shouting, she was whispering as if she was ashamed somebody could hear their conversation. It was then he knew that she was hurt and he began to see the foolishness of his actions, but now he was confused, why did she leave?


"For yesterday night." She was bent looking down at him like a mother looks at an erring child, but she straightened up when he gave her his reply, she did a millisecond dance with her mouth then spoke.


"I just wanted you to say it. You short changed me if this was for yesterday night, I let you kiss me and it was without protection adding to the risk of some disease; please include a hundred thousand naira to this sum. Or I raise my voice higher than it is." He couldn’t believe himself, he was paying for intimacy and not from anybody but from a hooker he had sworn he would never sleep with. He hadn't seen himself in a million years doing this, he didn’t want to have an argument with her, she would win.


He was now writing a fresh cheque but what he really wanted to ask her was, why did she leave? He wished he didn't care but he did, flashes of what had happened kept on appearing in his mind, her moans, and her gasp when he first entered her and the perfection of her body. Her presence there didn’t make it easier but he believed whatever unspoken contract that bound them was over.


"Here" He said extending the cheque to her and her hands were fast to collect it, just like the hands of a pickpocket, which she was. She examined the cheque carefully like a physician would a patient. She then turned her back to him and towards the door, she reached the door and came back again, this time, she had daggers instead of flames in her eyes. Her hands were doing something rapid, she was tearing the cheque into pieces and she littered the floor with the white flakes.


“I should slap you, but I do not have the strength in me right now to do so. How dare you?!” With that she walked out of the office. He deserved that he was scum.


Monday 8th, 8:16pm.
Nobody was answering Zandra’s door. He had been knocking for the past few minutes but he didn’t get an answer, he even pressed the faulty doorbell occasionally. He kept on dialling her number but she wouldn’t pick up. Sometimes the annoying user busy message pops up on the screen, other times it was an annoying female voice that bitched to him in a nice tone that the person he was trying to call did not want to speak to him.


Maybe he had to become a nuisance, he pondered for a moment on those movie scenes where the hero goes to meet the heroine and he would stand by her window playing a special song till the lady comes out of her makeshift cave. That couldn't work because they didn’t have a special song and even if he did he didn’t come with a stereo that was loud enough to make a fool of him, so consequentially he couldn’t make enough noise to fish her out of the sixth floor. It would be wise for him to send her a text message informing her that he was not going to leave and he was there with wine and two boxes of ferraro Rochere’s her favorite chocolates. Instead of knocking, he should send her texts. So he started. “I am sorry, I was confused why you had left with your things.” Okay maybe he needed to send another. “I am here in front of your apartment, I will not leave until you come out, I have your favourite box of chocolate and wine as peace offering.” Would that work? He was desperate to be texting her, he wasn’t entirely sure she would get all what he meant. He wished he had Yinka’s number her room mates number, so he would call her and ask when she would be back home from work, but he had a feeling that girl hated him, the way she acted towards him, so he never got her number and he wasn’t if she would be much help.
Perhaps he had to knock again, he would continue texting later, as he raised his hand to hit the door, it opened, it was almost too late because his extended hand was about to hit Zandra and he was glad she dodged it. Damn he came here to apologize not to cause grievous body harm.

"I am sorry, I am sorry he blurted out". She didn't act like she heard him, she shut the door firmly and pulled him to the staircase. Perhaps she didn’t want to scream at him at her doorstep, but he was sure she didn't want him in her house.

""I got your message, I have been in the room with the television on, you know how hard it is to hear when that thing is on....what are you doing here ? She queried.
"I am here to apologize."
"Okay apology accepted but you need to go" That was a quick approval.
"We need to talk about what happened..,..I was daft I treated you poorly. I was ju....."
"My boyfriend is around, he can't see you here. It’s why I left that early in the morning. He just can’t find me talking to you here. He can’t and must not know who you are". He felt like he could hear a loud gong being rung in his ear. Was she serious?


"Are you serious? Who is around, Sean your love-vendor?"
"Sean my boyfriend." He wanted to shout some obscenities that starts with F right in her face, he didn't know if he hated her, but there was a boiling feeling in him. He needed to punch something, he only felt like this when he is about to lose and he hated loosing.

"Are you insane? You are calling that animal your boyfriend, after us? After paying you not to shag around, you are going with an idiot who bloody wants you to sell yourself for money. God dammit! Why are you acting like a stupid piece of crap? That bloody asshole, sodding wants you to mess around for money…….I have loads of that, loads of it I can bloody give you and instead of kicking his ass to the last hole of hell where he belongs, you bloody run to him when he comes back.Drats. Yassus!" He had definitely had lost his gentle man and Zandra didn't seem to care. What was he even doing there? He was Samson Williams! He didn't have to beg anybody for anything, they willingly gave it to him.


"Do you expect me to leave Sean just like that? I met him before I met you. I will see you later, please leave he can't see you here. Please. I promise to come over. I am sorry okay, but there is nothing I can do for now. Please its for your own good, he can't see you".
"And what if he bloody sees me?"
"Please go, please." She was retreating from the stairs back to her apartment, her voice the shadow of a hush, he didn't follow her, his pride wouldn’t let him as he realised he was the other man in her life. It was at that same moment it dawned on him that he had fallen in love with her. He was a big fool. She had now retreated into her apartment and he was still by the stairs, he wanted to knock down the door and throw down the stairs whatever piece of maggot he might encounter there with her, fortunately for him his gentleman was back, so he made his way back to his car, with his peace offering. He clicked on the third speed dial on his phone and it was picked after the first ring. An all too familiar voice breathed to him at the end of the line.

“Hi baby.” Francesca said, he didn’t reply
"Darling are you okay?"
"Yes...no." He could hear the concern in her voice as she gasped at the no.
"Awww, what’s wrong baby? Did you have a terrible day at work? I wish I was there to pamper you."
"Francesca I need to talk to you."
"Please share, you know I am here for you."
"I shouldn't say this over the phone, I need to come see you ."
"Baby, please talk. I don’t like the tone of your voice."
"I should tell you this in person, but I have suddenly realised that I am a coward"
"Baby, you are scaring me."
"I slept with someone"
"Pardon?"
"I said I slept with someone". The phone went dead, he redialed but no one picked it, it was switched off at the fourth try. He deserved to be treated like scum.

SPLENDIDFLOZZY: Tnx God today is tuesday... Jus finished readin ur last update, sayin it was superb wil b an undastatement it was wondafuly writen.., more ink to ur pen... U r doin awesomely grt

Thanks darl I finally found the kiss button so pls take loads of it

Bimcious: Swetheart, u post got me smiling. Now, lot of #kisses, #hugs and love. This was Fantasic. Sorry for using d F word

Baby gal I am feeling this love and kissed O. I send many of mine back to you sweets. Hugs Hugs Hugs Okay don't let me nauseate u with love.

Candis009:

My sweetum! I see that you are smiling and laughing, this is giving me joy in my heart. Kai chop kilz my love (Very long one ) no homo so they wont give us 14 years, you know Nigeria now.

shaks97: we Samsons are just the bosses

Yes BOSS!

Adinije: I just stumble on the thread yesterday and couldn't sleep till l finished it. more grease to ur elbow...I want some more. I can wait to see how pa Willams treat Sesan's Bleep up.

Hi Adinije, welcome on board and I am so glad you are enjoying the story, hope you enjoy it thoroughly till the end