Ghostmode deactivated. I love dis story. More ink to ur pen.more update pls.

Thumbs up shewrites, it's a great story

welldone ma.
Gone tru al ur other stories, and i cud see that they all av a splendid ending... Which gives me the assurance that this one wont be different..

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..More ink to ur pen ma'am. Tanks for delivering well.

SheWrites:
@MilkyGalaxy... you can share the story

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Thanks so much @shewrites...
U're superb...

Shewrite please I don't want Bukky to suffer again o. Must everybody suffer in life . Pls o just let Bukky continue enjoying her life Dey go o. Nice write up though really enjoyed it. More grease ma

charytea:
Can i share on my Facebook page too please

Yes you can darling.

faithfulgrl:
Ghostmode deactivated. I love dis story. More ink to ur pen.more update pls.

Yippee! You welcome *hugs*

huntsman007:
welldone ma.
Gone tru al ur other stories, and i cud see that they all av a splendid ending... Which gives me the assurance that this one wont be different..

..
..
..
..More ink to ur pen ma'am. Tanks for delivering well.

Thank you so much.

shewrites dear, this is awesome. you're doing great, kwantinue.

wao
Bukky prayed for d Hebrew women kind of delivery for her aunt n Dat she got

Kip loving dis story,me too I will love to have a set of twin wen I get married
pray God grant me my heart desire

Shewrites am following u bumper to bumper

SheWrites and SheWrites Good...
m sorry 4 nt comending ur work b4 nw, ur work is d bomb, m rili into it... i still tink bukky is nt over gbenga yet, she is jst super mad at him, and chike is wise 2 rush tins up, bt he should b careful nd prepare 4 d worst, cos its yet 2 come, wen gbenga comes back successful

SheWrites:

Yes you can darling.

Thanks. you are a Darling...

Ma u r blessed. thumbs up.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Bukky and Chike strode bare-footed on the off-white sea sand, holding hands and watching the way the waves rolled over, hitting the rocks, back and forth, non-stop. There were several other people on the beach. Many were seated in groups of twos, three or more, under large umbrellas surrounded by plastic chairs, eating and drinking. Some people stood outside the mini-bars at the far end of the beach, dancing to the music blasted by the loud speakers.

A dark looking man in his late thirties walked up to them, holding about ten pairs of female slippers. He tried to cajole them into patronizing him, but, they were not interested. The moment he walked away, an average height woman, plump, in a blouse and a pair of jeans hurried to their side, waving a set of beaded necklaces, bracelets and ear-rings in their faces.

“No, thank you,” he shook his head at the woman.

She turned to Bukky, but the girl turned away. The woman left them and ran after a group of young women in skimpy outfits, laughing at an inside joke. Lucky for her, they liked her wares and started bargaining for a good price.

“I am beginning to feel cold,” she looked up at him.

He glanced at her, “Why did you leave your jacket in the car?” he liked the way the black sleeveless top hug her body.

She shrugged, “At the time, I was a little bit hot.”

“And now you are feeling cold.”

She nodded and shivered a bit.

He placed a hand around her shoulder, “It’s past seven. The darker it gets, the cooler it becomes.”

She leaned against him, basking in the warmth of his nearness.

“I have been here as late as ten and it wasn’t fun.”

“What were you doing here at that time?”

He grinned, “A course mate had a party here. It was a birthday party. I think we left the beach before midnight. It was freezing by then.”

She trembled against him. She couldn’t imagine how cold it must have been.

“Fun-time over, let’s get you back into the car.”

“Thanks.”

They turned around and headed towards the exit. On their way to the car park, she sighted huge rocks in a long line.

“What are those?”

He followed her gaze, “Oh… those rocks prevent the ocean from flooding the road.”

Her eyes grew big. She thought of the tsunami in Haiti.

“That’s Bar beach, or what is left of it.”

“Bar beach?” her alarmed look made him smile.

“Yes,” he led her towards the car.

“I have been there as a child. What happened?”

“Nature. Water claiming land.”

She waited while he unlocked the vehicle. “Did something like tsunami happen here on the Island?”

He chuckled, “No… not really, but, the incessant flooding of the road and surrounding buildings made the government to take action. Bar beach is
now a shadow of itself. I used to come here as a child back then too.”

She opened the door and got in. “But, do people still go to the beach?”

He climbed in, “Sort of. The place is deserted. Everybody comes to Kuramo beach now.”

“So, Kuramo beach replaced Bar beach?”

“Sort of, kind of… some people prefer Bar beach because it has less crowd now, unlike before. Although I won’t advice a pretty girl like you to take a walk on that beach at night. Touts, thugs and criminals hide on that beach,” he pulled her cheek.

“Hmm… we don’t maintain things in this country,” picked up her jacket and wore it.

“Well, true.”

“We can spend all the money on things, but, we abandon it once the project is done. No maintenance culture.”

“You are right.”

“May God help us.”

“Amen. Hope you had a nice time.”

She met his smiling gaze, “Yes,” she smiled back at him, “I enjoyed our birthday celebration.”

“I had a good time too,” he brushed a hand over her face.

“When do you think we will get home?”

“If we are lucky, before ten.”

“But, if we are not?”

“Maybe sometime before midnight.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“Don’t worry, we will be home before you say Jack Robinson.”

“Okay,” she looked out of the closed window.

Chike picked up the paper-bag at the back seat of the car and brought out a small red box.

“Bukky…”

She turned her head and saw the glittering gold ring in the opened small red box. Her astonished dark eyes flew to his excited dark brown ones.

“Today, I ask officially, will you spend the rest of your life with me? Will you marry me?”

She breathed out loudly and looked at the ring. It was beautiful. “Yes, Chike. I will marry you. I will spend the rest of my life with you.”

“Do you even have a choice?”

She started to laugh. He slipped the ring on her finger and kissed her lightly.

“The convocation is scheduled for mid-October,” he informed her.

“That means our introduction ceremony will be that same week.”

He nodded with enthusiasm.

“I will let my parents know.”

“Mine are already preparing. They want us married immediately after my service year.”

She smiled broadly, “I will have it no other way.”

“Me neither,” he leaned forward and kissed her again.

Xxxxxx

Gbemiga and his friends stood outside the Silverbird Galleria. One of them hailed a cab and tried to bargain on a price. It had been a good day. His friends hosted him in celebration of his twenty-third birthday.

“Guys, let’s go,” the guy who stopped the cab beckoned at them. He had been able to agree on a good price with the taxi-driver.

Gbemiga and the rest of his friends climbed into the vehicle. It was past ten, hopefully, they would get home before midnight.

He looked out of the window and sighed heavily. His Industrial Training at his aunt’s firm in Abuja turned out well. He was able to move his family into a self-contain apartment in the area with some of the money he saved. His parents and sisters had been ecstatic. No more sharing toilet, bathroom and kitchen with dozens of people. No more living in cramped room with little or no ventilation. Their new place was sweet relief. The space was twice the size of their former accommodation and they were able to convert it into a bedroom and sitting area. Although, it wasn’t that conducive for a family of five, it was better than where they were coming from.

His thoughts drifted to his ex. Funny enough, he still had feelings for her. Assuming she wasn’t dating Chike, he might have been able to convince her to go into a secret relationship with him. Maybe in time, his family would finally accept her. During his I.T program, he had gone on a date or two, but, no one compared to Bukky. He missed her. He wondered if she was happy in her new relationship. Thoughts of the day he saw Chike kissing her flashed through his mind’s eye. His brows knitted in a frown. He hoped the guy wasn’t sleeping with her. Images of the times he had slept with Bukky at the back of the kitchen flooded his mind. He groaned in frustration, erased his torturous thoughts, closed his eyes and rested the back of his head on the car seat.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Chike and Bukky sat at the high table, amidst friends and family. It was their introduction ceremony. His parents and siblings stayed back in Lagos after his convocation, so that they could prepare for the D-day. His younger brother stayed with him in his self-contain apartment, while his parents, his elder brother and his wife stayed in a hotel in the area. A few of his relatives had been able to come all the way from Owerri to Lagos to celebrate with them. They were all happy for him.

A few of his course mates at school were a bit concerned because they thought he was rushing things, but, he found nothing wrong in tying the knot at his age. He was already twenty-seven. By the time he was done with his service year, he would be twenty-eight. Time wait for no man.
While music blasted from the big black speakers, food and drinks were being served. He glanced at his bride-to-be and smiled. He liked the way the make-up on her face glowed. She looked very beautiful in the tradition attire. She had on a green lace blouse and wrapper, supported by a yard of green and silver coloured Aso-oke tied around her waist. Her head-tie was also of the same material. Her silver metallic high heeled sandals and purse glittered like stars in the sky. The way she looked so good at that moment, he wondered how it would be on their traditional wedding day.

“My African Queen.”

She turned to look at her fiancé. The way he was staring at her made her to blush.

“You look like a fairy princess,” he said softly.

She chuckled and smiled.

“I am so happy that things are going according to plan.”

“Me too,” she sighed with relief. She had dreamt about how the day would go. The ceremony was better than she imagined.

“I wish we don’t have to wait till after my service year before completing the marriage rites.”

She giggled and brushed a hand over his face. She wouldn’t mind being married to him earlier than planned.

“I can’t wait to ravish you,” he blew her a kiss and winked.

Her hand flew to her mouth, “Chike Nwosu,” she whispered.

“What? Don’t look so innocent,” he eyed her, “I know that you are thinking exactly the same thing.”

She burst out in laughter. He was right. It wasn’t easy abstaining from sex in their relationship. The physical attraction between them was electrifying and at times, it consumed them. But, they had both promised each other and God that they would wait till their wedding night.

Bukky’s parents could hear their daughter’s laughter from where they were seated. They exchanged glances and smiled. It was obvious to all that the couple were head over heels in love with each other. They thanked God for bringing their daughter a good man to marry.

The Nwosu’ watched the couple from a distance. They were happy that their second son had found a good woman to marry. If it was left to them, they would have made the couple to complete the marriage rites immediately, but, the girl’s parents felt that it was best that their son completes his service year first. That way, the couple could start their lives together without distractions.

Xxxxxx

Gbemiga sat outside his room, in the off-campus hostel, washing his clothes. The huge pile of clothes beside the large basin made him to groin inwardly. He had been procrastinating about his laundry for weeks, now that he had nothing to wear except the tee-shirt and khaki shorts on him, he had to do it. He didn’t even go to church that morning. he had the option of wearing what he wore last Sunday but, wasn’t a fan of repeating clothes back to back. Assuming he was home, his younger sisters would have helped him. He basically did nothing at home, except to eat, sleep and watch the television. He missed home.

“Hey… guy, you are washing,” one of his friends approached his door.

“Felix how now?” he raised his head. The brown skin young man was clad in a white long sleeve shirt and a pair of blue trousers. He held a bible in his hand and a bottle of coke.

“How was the service?”

“Okay. The Pastor asked after you. You were on the roaster this morning.”

“Oh…”

Felix sat on the bench beside his friend, “Weren’t you supposed to take the opening prayer this morning?”

Gbemiga returned his attention to his clothes.

“How come you have so much clothes to wash?” Felix eyed the pile of clothes, “Why don’t you call one of those girls or boys that do our laundry?”

His friend shrugged, “I am not ready to part with my hard earned money today.”

Felix started to laugh, “Na so. Which money sef? The one your parents gave you or the I.T allowance that most of us have blown before school resumed?”

Gbemiga decided not to respond. He had used all the money he saved during his Industrial Training to fix their new apartment. Since his aunt and uncles had decided to sponsor his education, they had been sending him monthly stipends. He won’t have to disturb his parents again for anything he needed at school.

“You won’t believe who I saw yesterday.”

He glanced at his friend.

“You know I went to Ikorodu to see my aunt since Friday, after lectures.”

Gbemiga nodded.

“My cousin and I crashed a party. It was the introduction ceremony of a young cute couple.”

“I see,” he picked more clothes and soaked them in the soapy water in the basin.

“I don’t know the guy, but, the bride-to-be, I can swear on my grandfather’s grave that she was the same girl you brought to my birthday party.”

Gbemiga dropped the clothes and met his friend’s excited gaze.

“The girl you paraded at my party as your girlfriend.”

“The dark not too slim chick.”

“Yes, that pretty dark babe.”

“The one everyone wanted to know her name and get her number?”

“Yes, the same one.”

Gbemiga steadied his rasp breath. The only girl he took to his closest friend’s birthday party was Bukky.

“She looked happy. I heard the guy she would be marrying is an Igbo boy.”

He blinked and swallowed hard.

“What happened between you two? I thought you really liked that girl.”

He pressed his lips together and remained quiet. It was hard for him to process the information. If his ex and her new boyfriend just did their introduction, that means that they would be getting married soon enough. He couldn’t believe that he was going to lose her indefinitely.

“The way I saw you two together, I thought you had found the one.”

He cleared his throat twice and continued to wash his clothes.

“Gbemiga…”

“Hmm…”

“What happened?”

“We broke up.”

“Why?”

He coughed and cleared his throat again. How was he going to explain to his friend that the only reason why he broke up with his ex was so that he could finish his tertiary education without hassle and take his master program all-expense paid.

“Gbemi…”

“Felix, I don’t know what to tell you.”

“Talk to me man. What are friends for?”

He caught a glimpse of his friend’s concerned look. “I don’t care who Bukky is with right now, all I know is that, our paths will cross again in the nearest future and she will be Mrs. Gbemiga Phillips.”

Felix busted into laughter, “You are on a long thing. She just had her introduction.”

“So, has the guy paid her bride price?”

His friend shook his head.

“The deed is not done yet,” he pushed more clothes into the basin until it was full.

“If you liked her that much, you shouldn’t have let her go in the first place.”

Gbemiga shrugged. He believed that somewhere in Bukky’s heart, she still felt something for him. When the time was right, they would be together again.

charytea:
He is sorry abi? he wasn't sorry when she was giving him money for upkeep and even bought him a phone. Why didn't he tell his family about all these? Is he really sorry or envious? obviously, he wants her to wallow in self pity and keep waiting for him.. Agbaya like him. He would av cooked up a plan with Bukky that will still permit them be together. but he concluded and accepted the family offer without even thinking twice?? #TeamChike

Yeah. He should have also told them that she was working on herself in terms of education.

My mind is telling me that Bukky will later end up with gbemiga.....

If i wea in gbemiga's shoes i wud av done same...lyk seriously such opportunity cannot come twice..bt den he shud leave bukky alone...nice story serah

Am Happy For Bukky

I dint want to comment on this story till the end buh i couldnt contain myself anymore.
Shewrites, you dont need me to tell how you how good you are in this field of yours because its obvious you are well acquinted with that fact. So i'll skip the appraisals annd simply say Wehdon Ma!

As for Gbemiga, i hope you suceed in your quest cuz i dont trust Chike @ all. How can one be without a blemish? How possible is that
Also i believe the saying that goes thus: the devil you know is better than the angel you dont know.
#Myopinion

jummiepearl:
My mind is telling me that Bukky will later end up with gbemiga.....

lailai,remove that thing in your mind o #teamchike
Gbemiga has lost the race.

NYC story shewrites, more ink to ur pen

spiceybae:
If i wea in gbemiga's shoes i wud av done same...lyk seriously such opportunity cannot come twice..bt den he shud leave bukky alone...nice story serah

Thanks

MhizDherbee:
I dint want to comment on this story till the end buh i couldnt contain myself anymore.
Shewrites, you dont need me to tell how you how good you are in this field of yours because its obvious you are well acquinted with that fact. So i'll skip the appraisals annd simply say Wehdon Ma!

As for Gbemiga, i hope you suceed in your quest cuz i dont trust Chike @ all. How can one be without a blemish? How possible is that
Also i believe the saying that goes thus: the devil you know is better than the angel you dont know.
#Myopinion

*kisses*

chara019:

lailai,remove that thing in your mind o #teamchike
Gbemiga has lost the race.

Lol..with the way this story is going anyways waiting for shewrites to do justice to that
#BukkyChike2017

Xo xo api 4 bukky. Gbemiga kip dreaming u hear. Continue d gud wrk sis

Gbemiga should not do anything rash o

I smell a rat.... nice work ma

hmmmmmm,i dont lik d way dis story is going o!........Gbemiga nd Bukky noooooo_i dont want any twist o! But what if Chike has a skeleton in his cupboard??

Am following dis story very seriously.

Welldone Shewrites