When I was very young, my mother used to tell me to be careful of people, that the world was full of wickedness and evil. I did not understand back then as I was just a child, not yet ten. What could a kid of that age know about the wickedness of the world? Anyway, I began to understand what she meant as I grew older. I was 15 and in secondary school when my parents died in a car accident. I was the only child and since they were well-to-do, they doted on me, giving me whatever I wanted. I lacked nothing and in a way, you could say I was a bit spoilt. I lived a sheltered life, cocooned from all the harsh realities of life.
But all that changed when I lost both parents in one day. I was at school, in boarding house when the news got to me. I was devastated, feeling as if my world had come to an end. Who was going to take care of me now, to love and protect me, I kept thinking. Looking back, if I had known what life had in store for me, I would have prayed that I had gone with my parents back then. Unfortunately, I was left behind, all alone to face this terrible world by myself.
After my parents’ burial, I went to live with an aunt of mine. She was my dad’s younger sister and to be fair to her, she was very kind to me. She ensured I finished school and provided well for me. This was unlike my father’s other siblings who were only interested in his estate. They sold his thriving business, all his properties including some plots of land, the house we lived in and cleaned out his bank accounts. They kept everything, not giving me a single kobo. When I protested, they said they were saving the money, which ran into millions, for my university education. As things turned out, it was all a lie.
When I eventually got admission, I went to see the eldest of my uncles concerning payment of my school fees and other expenses. He only gave me a part of what I asked for, claiming my dad’s money was in a fixed deposit account and he could not access it till after some time.
“This is all I can give you now. You should manage with it,” he said, handing me some money. I looked at the money, then looked up at my uncle.
“But uncle, this is not even enough for the school fees. And I have books and other stuff to buy,” I protested.
He glared at me.
“You are really ungrateful! This is my own money, from my own pocket that I’m giving you and you are still complaining! What an ungrateful child you are! How many students see this kind of money to take to school? Spoilt brat! I was always telling your father that he was spoiling you but he didn’t listen! See the result now! You better take this money and go or ...” he said, making as if he wanted to retrieve the money from me.
I left then, feeling very sad and close to tears. When I told my aunt what had happened at my uncle’s place, she shook her head and hissed.
“He will never change. Greedy man!” she muttered to herself.
She promised to make up the balance before I resumed at school, which she did. I completed my first year at school without incident. I was almost finishing my 200 level when an incident happened that threatened to truncate my education. My aunt’s husband had been pleading with me to sleep with him ever since I started staying in their house. Despite the fact that I turned down his advances, saying it was wrong for me to be having an affair with my own aunty’s husband, he continued to pester me.
Things came to a head one day, though when he began to threaten me, saying he would throw me out of the house and ensure my aunt stopped supporting my education as well. I didn’t take him serious, thinking he was just saying that to scare me. But unknown to me, he went to my aunty and told all kinds of lies against me, that I tried to seduce him several times. It was all lies but to my surprise and utter shock, my aunt believed him and took sides with him. In anger, she threw me out of the house, shouting and cursing me.
“After all I did for you, you want to snatch my husband from me. Little tramp! I never want to see you again! Get out and stay out!” she screamed as she threw my bags at me.
I had no where to go as it was during the long vacation and school was closed for the session.
I called a friend of mine and she agreed that I could stay in her house for a while. When school resumed, things got worse for me. My uncles and other aunties were no longer interested in supporting me, as a result of the false story my aunt and her husband had been spreading about me. They called me all kinds of names and were even insinuating that I was a witch and was responsible for my parents’ death. I knew it was all lies, just a ploy to cut me from my inheritance. Because when I went to my uncle to ask him to give an account of my father’s property, he drove me from his house, saying that all the money my dad left was gone, that they had spent everything on my education! I was shocked when I heard that because I knew the total amount of money he had given me for my school fees and other expenses was small compared to my dad’s wealth. I begged and pleaded with him but he remained adamant. It was the same with all his brothers and sisters.
None of them wanted to have anything to do with me. They all abandoned me and I became virtually alone in the world, too young to fight for my rights with my father’s greedy relatives. Since there was no-one to pay my school fees, I had to drop out of school. I felt really bad and wept bitter tears of sorrow and anguish. I remembered how my dad had planned to send me abroad for my higher education and I became even more saddened at my present abject situation.
That my father’s relatives treated me in such a cruel way might come as surprise to many, but looking back, I was not really surprised. You see, my father’s family had never accepted my parents’ marriage. From the story I had heard when I was younger, my dad had gone against the family’s wish and married my mum who hailed from a neighboring West African country.
“Your father’s people never liked me and they did everything to break us up,” I remember my mum telling me some years earlier. To add to her sins, she only had one child- a daughter, with no son to bear the family’s name.
“How can a man have just one child and a girl for that matter? And he’s not even bothered about it. That foreign woman must have bewitched our brother!” my dad’s relatives used to say.

Living with Madam J.
One day, while I was still squatting in my friend’s house, I ran into an old friend of my mum. I narrated to her all that had happened since my parents’ death and she took pity on me. The lady, whom I will call Madam J took me to her house and I became a part of her household. She had some businesses including a boutique and restaurant. I started working at the boutique and once in a while I also helped out at the restaurant.
Madam didn’t pay me any salary. Though every month, she gave a small allowance which she said I could use to buy personal items I needed. I opened an account and started saving some of this money. My plan was to go back to school when I had saved enough money no matter how long it took. Madam J, though very strict, was nice to me and treated me like a daughter. I enjoyed staying with her and her family. She had a daughter, Jane who was about my age and we became friends.

Meeting Jovi
Madam J was separated from her husband and lived in a large house with her two daughters, Jane and Alice. Jane was about my age and with time, we became very close. She attended a university in another town but during the holidays, we were usually together. Jane was a party and fun-loving kind of girl. She didn’t like me working at the boutique and always complained anytime I was going to work.
“Must you go to work today, Nicole? There’s a place I want to go to and I want you to come with me,” she said one morning as I got ready to go to the shop.
I turned from the mirror where I had been fixing my hair to look at her. She had entered my room while I was dressing and was lying on the bed, her face still caked with the face mask she had applied the night before. Jane suffered from pimples and tried all kinds of beauty treatments to get rid of them to no avail.
“Sorry, I can’t go with you today. We are expecting new goods at the shop this morning and your mum wants me to do the inventory. Perhaps, I can go with you some other time,” I said.
“Ah, Linda! You are so boring! Work, work, work, that’s all you do. Girl, you need to catch some fun now that you are young and fresh. Is it when you are an old woman that you will start enjoying yourself? You never want to go anywhere but that stupid shop!” she grumbled, getting up and flouncing out of the room.
I turned back to the mirror, smiling ruefully to myself and thinking that it was the money her mum made from the boutique she referred to in such a derogatory manner and her other businesses that she used to pay her school fees at the expensive private University she attended. I often wished Jane would be more appreciative of her mum’s efforts and support her more. But all she did was party and spend money as if it was going out of fashion.
In a way, Jane reminded me of myself when my parents were still alive. All I thought about was myself and my own needs and desires, never giving a thought to other people’s feelings.
A few days later, Madam J sent me to the bank to deposit some money from the sales at the shop. It was over N500,000 cash and her driver took me to the bank. I had finished depositing the money and was about to leave when a gang of robbers burst into the hall. Their faces were covered with black cloth, leaving a small space for the eyes and they brandished some mean-looking guns which they waved around menacingly. The men shouted on everyone to lie down on the floor and place our hands above our heads. There were about five of them. Three went into the inner room where I had been depositing the money a few minutes earlier while the rest kept their watchful eyes on us. I was really scared and my hands shook as I placed them over my head. It was like a scene out of a movie.
I prayed fervently that they would not shoot us. I cautiously raised my head to see what was happening and my eyes met those of one of the robbers standing at the other side of the hall.
He shouted at me to face the ground, threatening to shoot me if I didn’t comply immediately.
“Do you have a death wish?” he shouted at me, coming over to give me a hard kick on my leg. I faced down at once, my heart pounding erratically. Soon, the other men came out dragging a few bags along. Then, firing a few shots in the air, they left the bank as dramatically as they had arrived. The whole operation had taken less than twenty minutes.
After they had gone, there was pandemonium as everyone made for the exit. I ran outside to the car and we left that place as fast as possible. It was a very traumatic experience, one I prayed never to encounter again.
It was about a month later and I was going to see one of our customers who was owing us some money. I stood by the roadside, waiting for a cab when a black-colored SUV stopped by me. The man driving, leaned across the passenger seat to ask for direction to a street that was not too far from where we were. After telling him how to get to the place, he offered to give me a ride.
I declined, telling him I was waiting for a taxi. But he insisted so I got in and he drove off.
“The name’s Jovi. What’s yours?” he asked.
I introduced myself and we got chatting. He told me he was a businessman into the import and export business.
We got to the street I was going to and before alighting from the car, he gave me his card. He wanted to wait for me to finish my business so he could take me back to the shop but I told him not to bother.
“I can find my way back,” I assured him. I stood waving as he drove off.
“Nice guy,” I said quietly as pushed open the gate of our customer’s residence and made my way in.
That was how Jovi came into my life, a chance meeting that would have profound effect on my life .
.......

First to comment...I like the story but you mixed Linda and Nicole there Please paragraph your work

Thanks

Correction noted,
Thanks for following..... That isn't d end, this is just d begining....

Well done nice story there...can't wait for ur next updates!

fankasibe: Correction noted,
Thanks for following..... That isn't d end, this is just d begining....

Coolies, waiting for the update

Nice job dude.......waiting jejely 4 next update

Nice story,I hope u will make ur updates regular?

guyz, thanks alot for following.......below is the second part.....

The gangster’s girlfriend (2)
The following week, Jovi came to the shop with a girl of about my age whom I thought was the girlfriend. But as it turned out, she was his younger sister who had come from their hometown to visit him. He had brought her to do some shopping and I was glad as he spent so much money that day on clothes, shoes, accessories and other stuff.

“So, when can I see you again?” he asked when the sister and an attendant had taken the items to the car outside.
I told him I was busy, that I would let him know when I was a bit free
“Please make it soon as I really want to see you,” he stated. Before leaving, he gave me some money as a tip, “for attending to us so well,” as he put it.
After that second meeting, Jovi kept calling me to take me out. I had no boyfriend then as the guy I used to date back in school had dumped me for someone else after I dropped out of school. Relationships were the last thing on my mind then as I just wanted to focus on my work and making enough money to go back to school. Jane had been on my neck, though, pestering me to start dating again. “How can you just stay like that, without a boyfriend when you are not a nun!” she often used to say.


One evening at the shop, we were getting ready to close for the day when Jovi arrived. I was not expecting him and I looked up in surprise when he came in through the door. He was dressed in shorts and a cream T- shirt.
He waited while I locked up and gave one of the girls assisting me some errands for the following day. We then stood outside by his car, chatting.
“So when can I get an answer to my request?” he asked, looking at me intently.
I shrugged.
“I don’t know. The thing is that, I’m not interested in a relationship now. Maybe we can just be friends or something.”
He sighed.

“I doubt if I can just be friends with you. You see, since I met you, I think about you all the time; you are always on my mind,” he said.
I smiled, then changing the subject, asked:
“So, are you going jogging or something, the way you are dressed?”
He laughed.
“Actually, I’m going to the football field. There’s a group of young boys I coach regularly at a school on the other end of town. We have a meeting this evening to discuss about a youth football tournament coming up soon. Will you like to come? Maybe we can go out for drinks later,” he asked.
I thought about it then said:

“I would have loved to but I can’t. I have to get home to brief my Madam on sales today at the boutique. I’m usually free on Sundays, though. Perhaps, we can make it then.”
“Ok. I’ll call you so we can fix a time. I really look forward to hanging out with you,” he said, smiling warmly at me.
The following Sunday, he came to pick me up at an appointed place and we left for the field where the boys usually practised every weekend. Most of them were already there when we arrived.
“Hope you won’t be too bored watching us practise,” Jovi stated as we got down from the car.
”Not really. I love football,” I said. The boys, who numbered over ten and dressed in a colourful mix of shorts and T-shirts, stood around eagerly waiting for their coach.

“Alright, boys! Let’s get going,” he shouted and blowing a whistle vigorously, he started running round the field, his wards trailing behind him. They did a few laps before settling down to a game, with the boys divided into two teams.
I stood by the edge of the field, watching them as they played, with Jovi regularly shouting and dishing out instructions to them. I was so engrossed in the game that time passed quickly. Just before it got quite dark, Jovi blew the whistle for the last time and the game was over.
“Till next week then. No late coming! And behave yourselves!” he said.
“Yes, sir!” the boys chorused.
“I have to push them really hard as I want them to be fully prepared before the competition,” Jovi said after the practice. He drank some water from a bottle and after wiping his sweaty face on a towel, we got into the car and left.
He took me to an eatery not too far away and as we ate, we chatted.
“You really enjoy training those kids,” I commented.

“Why do you say that?” he asked.

I shrugged.

”I see it in the passion and zeal you show while doing the job. So, tell me, how much are you getting paid for all this hard work?” I asked.
He laughed briefly before saying:
“No one is paying me a dime. I enjoy what I do. Besides, it’s my own little way of encouraging these kids, to make sure they don’t go astray like I did when I was their age,” he replied.
I looked up quickly at him, surprised at his words.
“You? I don’t believe it! You look so cool and responsible!”
He laughed again.
“Looks can be deceptive so you better believe it. I was a real wild child, a truant who got into all kinds of trouble. I really gave my parents, especially my mother tough time,” he said, smiling.
He put down his fork, then looking at me keenly, said.
“Enough about my bad past. What about you? What was your childhood like? What kind of pranks did you play?”
At his question, I grew quiet and just stared glumly at my plate of food.
“What’s the matter? Did I say something wrong?” he queried, a slight frown on his face.
”No, it’s not that. It’s just that, it reminded me of my late parents, brought back memories of happier times with them,” I stated.
“I’m sorry. I wouldn’t have asked if I had known,” he said apologetically.
I looked up then.
“It’s ok. I’m fine,” I said smiling a little.
Then I told him about my parents, how they had showered so much love and affection on me and all the horrible things that happened after their death, especially the issue with my father’s relatives.
He listened quietly while I spoke. Then when I finished, he shook his head.
“You mean you went through all this, at such a young age? How sad!” he stated.
I shrugged and said:

“That’s life. You never know what it can throw at you at anytime.”
“Yeah. You are right. But is there anything I can do to help? Especially concerning your uncles. They shouldn’t be allowed to get away with what they did. It’s criminal!” Jovi declared vehemently.
I shook my head.

“There’s nothing anyone can do now. They got away with it because of my age then. I was too young to fight them. Besides, my dad never wrote a will so even if I want to, I can’t take them to court so as to get my father’s properties back,” I explained.
“Those your uncles are really wicked. How could they do such a thing to their own brother’s child? Nasty people!” he said.
“I’ve left the matter to God to judge. I know he will see me through these dark times. And as for those my relatives, they will surely reap the fruit of their evil deeds and all the pain they caused me,” I stated.
“And I say Amen to that,” he intoned.
Later, after we had left the restaurant and were driving away, he turned to me and said.

“You know something, at least you were lucky to have inherited something from your parents, though those your greedy uncles took everything away. As for me, all I got from my old man was an old, rusted dane gun.”
“What! A gun,” I exclaimed in a surprised tone of voice.
“Yes,” he said. “It belonged to my grandfather who was a famous hunter in his day. I remember when I was a young boy, my father used to take us to the village once in a while. My grandfather would take us deep into the forest to hunt. He taught me how to use the gun and with time, I became very good at handling it. Once I killed a small deer and I was very happy.”
I looked at him, a quizzical look on my face.
“Were you not scared going into the forest? What if you were bitten by a snake or something,” I queried.
He laughed with great mirth.

“Snake, ke! That’s the last thing on your mind when you are in the bush. All you are thinking about is how to get as many wild animals or bush meat to kill so you can make some money!”
“It sounds scary,” I said.
“Yes. To an ajebutter babe like you. But to a tough guy like me, it was fun,” he said.
I laughed at that and we continued chatting till he dropped me at home.
Before driving off, he said to me:
“I’ve enjoyed our date today. Hope we can do this again.”
I had no objections to that. I liked him and enjoyed being with him so I accepted and he left.


In love
Jovi and I saw each other regularly over the next couple of months. From just liking him, I began to fall in love with him. Maybe, this had something to do with the way he treated me. Since I told him about my parents, he became very protective and was always concerned about my welfare. Nobody had cared about me that way since my parents died and I felt really touched. He was like an older brother as well as a boyfriend.
I was always happy whenever he was around. He made me laugh and helped take away some of the pain I felt from all the nasty things that had happened to me since my parents died. With time, I even introduced him to Madam J. He had come to the shop one day when she was around and I had taken him to see her.
After he had left, she said to me:
“He seems a nice young man. What does he do?” she asked.
I told her and she nodded.
“He must be doing well for himself considering his lifestyle,” she remarked.
Then pausing briefly, she asked with a slight glint in her eye:
”So, when are you two getting married?”
“Ah! Auntie! He hasn’t proposed yet! Besides, I don’t want to get married right now. I want to complete my education before thinking about such things,” I stated firmly.
“That’s ok. Getting an education is good. But marriage is also important. You know, Linda, you are like a daughter to me and I want you to be happy. So, if you like the young man and he makes you happy, then there’s no harm in considering him as a future partner. Think about it,” she said.
“Ok, Auntie,” I said smiling and left to go back to work.
That weekend, Jovi came to pick me up and we went to a wedding of a relative of his. After the ceremony, we ended up at his house. He lived alone in a nicely-furnished apartment in a quiet neighborhood in town.
“I’m hungry! Can you fix us something to eat?” he said as he made for his bedroom to UnCloth.
“But you just ate at the party! How can you be hungry again so soon!” I exclaimed.
“You call that food? That tasteless crap they served us? I need something tastier. So, get into that kitchen and fix something really nice for me, ok?”
“Yes, sir!” I stated playfully and pulling off my shoes, I went to do his bidding...
After eating, we sat watching a movie on the cable channel and by the time it finished, it was nearly 7pm.
“I’ve to get home. Auntie J will be worried about me,” I said as I got up to look for my shoes and handbag.
He came up and held me from behind.
“Must you go? I want you to stay with me tonight.”
I wriggled round to face him.
“You know that’s not possible. Auntie won’t be happy with me, sleeping outside. You know she has been very good to me and I don’t want to do anything that will upset her,” I explained.
“Ok, ok. I understand. In that case, how about staying for a little while longer. There’s still time. Don’t worry about getting home as I will drop you. There’s something important I want to discuss with you,” he said, taking my hand and leading me to the couch.
I looked at him expectantly.
“So, what was it you wanted to talk about?” I asked curiously.
”Relax. This will take some time,” he said, bending down to remove my shoes. Then reaching up, he began to unbutton my blouse.
“Jovi, what are you doing? So, this was what you had in mind all along! You are a really bad guy,” I said.
“Yes, I know. I’m bad. And looking at you makes me worse. Because it makes me think of ‘bad’ things I will like to do to you...”
“Like what?” I asked.
“Like this,” he stated, cradling my face in his hands and kissing me, before starting to caress my body in a slow, sensual manner. Before long, he had taken off the singlet he had on and I ran my fingers over his chest which had a sprinkling of dark, sleek hair. As my hand slipped down towards his navel and below, he began to moan with pleasure...











.......THE STORY STILL CONTINUES......