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CHAPTER 32

“Amy!” Nora called, still trying hard to balance the suspended phone on her ear, using a raised shoulder; she didn’t want to let go off the vegetables she was chopping on the chopping board, neither the phone call.

“Nora, yah good?” Amanda inquired from the other end of the phone.

“Yea… but there is a little problem," Nora answered.

“What’s that?”

“He wants us to meet him at his place."

“How far is it?”

“It’s an outskirt of the state."

“No biggie, we’re going. Did you book an appointment…?"

“Awww!”Nora buttered in a scream. She lifted her fore-finger to see it bleeding in drops.

“Nora!...Nora!....are you alright, Nora!?”

“I chopped my finger tip on chopping board.

“Did you passed-out orsomething?... you got me real scared. I’m calling the medic."

“Something really weird took over my attention, but I’m fine."

“You can tell  me about it."

“I’m sorry, Amy, I can handle it."

“Aright, as long as yah good. So, did you book an appointment with the
psychic?”

“No… I wanted to tell you first."

“Tell him we’re coming tomorrow,” Amanda said,“Is that cool?”

“Yes… cool!"

The call ended.

Nora took her attention back to the cut. The healing process was quiet faster than normal, and her blood still flaming on the gas burner.

Is human blood flammable? Her curiosity geared up and she began to search answers on the internet, but found nothing tangible. Her memory travelled down the lane - to her childhood. She remembered how  
her mother used to call a divine child because of how immuned she was to sicknesses and how her wounds would heal-up faster than that of her siblings. Nevertheless, she’d never seen her cut close up and healed  in minutes – it used to take a few days, and her blood had never been tested on fire. She decided she would visit her mother for questioning, as she kept forcing the belief that what had happened was normal into her head.

Amanda on the other hand didn’t bothered much, she knew how hilarious Nora could be sometimes. All that was wooping in her head was how to save Jemeh before her cancer would take on her completely. She earnestly wished the Psychic would oblique to seeing them the next day which was a Saturday.

Saturday came, Amanda and Jemeh set off to catching up with Nora at her abode. Jemeh sat in the front passenger seat beside Amanda as she drove. Jemeh’s countenance since the past few days had been a despair to Amanda. She took a quick glance at him once again and shook her head. There came a sudden flashback of April first, 1998;
the day Amanda lost her mother to an auto crash. Her leg unconsciously stepped on the breaks and the car began to slow down in the middle of the fast lane. She narrowly missed a collision but the silent danger was broken by the hydraulic sound of the break pad of her car. 

“Are you Okay?” Jemeh asked, looking unrest.

“Yeah.. just a nastly flashback.”

"Please concentrate, you’re driving.”

“Aiit.”

As they got to Nora’s place, they met her waiting outside her house.

“Right on time!” Nora said as she opened the car door. 

“Yeah, you called him again?”

“Yes, he’s expecting us."

“Good!”

A few seconds after, Jemeh rang in Nora’s consciousness, then she asked, “Where’s  he?”

“Who?”

“Your friend."

“Oh, he moved to the back seat."

“Hmm!”

Nora remembered the belief about ghost - how they could be seen through the mirror. She threw a glance at the side mirror but all she could see was an empty leather seat, then she brought out a mini-make-up kit from her crocodile skin handbag and began to reflect the mirror to the back seat under the disguise of making up her face. Again, her eyes caught nothing. She hissed out her disappointment, which neither Amanda nor Jemeh 
was aware of.

“Wanna look good for yah old school nigger, huh?" Amanda teased.

“No!” Nora screamed, smiling, “I’m looking good for myself. Men are awful."

“You can say that again,” Amanda said, staring at Jemeh with the corner of her eyes to see his reaction to their discussion, but Jemeh wasn’t even paying attention.

They finally arrived the psychic’s house after an hour drive. They alighted at once and slammed the car doors. Nora reached for the door bell and punched on the button. After about two minutes, a healthy looking, dark chocolate lady responded to the bell call.

“Yes?" The lady answered as she opened the door partly and stood behind it, so that only half of her body was visible to the visitors. Her eyes flicked from face to face, then she continued, “How may I help you?”

Nora wanted to scream out the lady’s name, but she swallowed the hysteria to be sure of who she really was.

“Please I’m asking of Mr. Judas. Hope I’m at the right place?” Nora asked as she kept on peering into the lady’s face.

“Hope there’s no problem?” the lady asked with an unstable eyes.

“Not at all, we’re his friends.”

“Okay, you’re at the right place."

"Great! But excuse me, are you Freda?” Nora asked the lady.

“Are you Nora?” the lady asked back.

“Yes!" They chorused in delight.

“What took you so long Sis?” Nora asked and the 
two chocolates jumped on each other with a passionate hug and swung like palm fronds.

Amanda and Jemeh just watched behind with smiles.

“Feels so good to see you again. How did you find me?” Freda asked, releasing flashing Nora from the hug; she was even flashing the latest of Saint Laurent handbag to match her blazing gown and her friend looks foreign. Freda took a stare at Amanda and back to 
Nora.

“You’re not doing bad at all, Cousin. Twelve years had been wonderful on you.”

“You can say that again. You ain’t bad yourself,” said Nora.

“So, how did you find me?” Freda asked again.

“We came for Judas, but I’m glad to see you, but what’re you doing here?”

“I should be asking you that, because I stay here.”

“Really?” Nora leaned on Freda’s shoulder (she was taller) and said in a muffled voice, “Are you screwing him?”

“Hey! Nora, you haven’t changed a bit. I’m dating him! Not screwing him!”

The two ladies laughed out, then Nora turned around to introduce her friends.

“This is Amanda, my boss friend,” Nora pointed to Amanda, “And the second person, you can’t see, but just know we are three visitors here.” 

“Hi," Amanda said to Freda with a warmth smile which had covered her groans over Nora’s naughty and emphatic introduction of Jemeh.

“Where did you say the other person is, Nora?” Freda looked around.

“I said he’s invisible.“
Freda chuckled a smile.

“You’ll never change, Nora. Come on in, Judas has been expecting you guys.”

The sitting room was a small one but it had been decorated with nice cushions. The colour of the curtains matched with the colour of the rug laid on the floor.

Freda asked the visitors to their seats and went into one of the rooms to fetch Judas.

Amanda sat in a two-seater while Nora sat in a single, creating space for Jemeh 
by not sitting close to Amanda the - first time she was thoughtful of Jemeh.

A few minutes later, Freda came out with Judas.

“C’mon, Sis, lets catch up on old times. Are you still that foppish?” Nora asked as she stood up and moved to meet Freda.

“Well?"

They kept chatting admist laughter until their voice disappeared into one of the rooms. Nora had a tough time, convincing Freda that her friend wasn’t there for anything grubby but for business.

“So, can you help him with his memory?” Amanda asked Judas as they were now left alone.

"I'll try," Judas responded. He stretched forth his both hands and started asking the spirit to go inside him.
He repeated again and again and shut his eyes as he sat opposite Amanda.

“Is he ordering me?” Jemeh asked, looking at Amanda with a sigh.

“I guess so, but just do it, aye? It might work.”

“Alright." Jemeh walked nonchalantly to Judas and hesitated before disappearing into his body.

Amanda watched with wide eyes.

About a minute later, Jemeh hauled himself out of Judas's body with rivulets of sweat narrowing his face. Amanda jumped off her seat to meet him, “Yah good?”

“Yeah," Jemeh answered, looking down.



TBC....

EPISODE 31

Freda propped up, her back against the wall and started calling out in d dark room, "Judas!, Judas!, get up!" She slapped him on his back severally and rolled the duvet away from his covering after calling him many more times without getting his response.

Judas turned alarmed and propped himself up on one elbow and looked dazzled.

"What! What!" he groaned in a low deep voice.

"I feel hot," Freda said.
"Hot? But we are not in hell yet," Judas humoured. "I left the fan in the highest speed." Judas looked up to see the fan still in
motion.

"Judas, I'm not joking o, I said I feel hot," Freda reaffirmed, shifting uncomfortably on the bed, having thrown the duvet on the floor.

"If she could deceive me with a pregnancy, what else can she not deceive me with?" Judas hummed to himself. "I beg
you in the name of God, please allow me to sleep o," he shouted.

Before the spell of E R I C, the bed became a burning furnace; it all started with a creepy noise which turned out a ferocious fire that started right from their bed and gulped the entire building until it collapsed.

The fire men came so early that they met only the smoke to put off.

Judas and Freda were the only escapees of the outbreak except, Fatima who had half of her face burnt beyond recognition. She was devastated having her face in that shape. She was just sixteen, her face meant so much to her. She cursed death for being unfair by sparing her life. She could only hide in her mother's love during the day, and at night, she'd take to the company
of the seashore listening to the whispers of the sea saying, all is well.
********
Sesan's apartment lies after the staircase. He sat on a plastic chair looking out from the balcony of the one storey building to the quiet street and smiling as if being comforted by his memory.

"Daddy!!!" Deborah's cry echoed from the staircase. Sesan recognized the voice as a father to his daughter, he stood up and hurried to the staircase with opened arms to welcome his little girl. He caught her on the staircase and propped her into the air and caught her back in his rigid arms. 

"What did you brought for Daddy?" Sesan asked the little girl in his usual poor English.

Deborah stretched out her hand with a stick of Lollypop, smiling.

"Deborah love Daddy, right?" Sesan asked, peering into her eyes.

The little one shook her head in agreement.

Sesan knew her Mummy wouldn't be far away, so he started looking around for her.

"Oh, there you are!" Sesan sighted her on the staircase. "Dear welcome, how are you?" he said when she got to him.

"I'm fine, good evening."

"Thank you... you didn't bought anything for me ni, Dear?" Sesan said, seeing her empty hands.

"What did you expect me to buy for you before?"

"Debby," Judas called Deborah by her pet mame. "Mummy didn't bought Daddy anything."

"Daddy is not a good man, Debby." Deborah's mother said, trying to find her way into Sesan's apartment. 

"Is this what you have been feeding my daughter with, Titi?" Sesan snarled out his baby mama's name to show his seriousness, and used his free hand to prevent her from opening the door.

"Look, Sesan I'm done giving credits that you never earned to my daughter. If you want to be called a good man, act as one."

Deborah looked from her mother's face to her father's and vice versa, as they spoke. They both had more to say but for the sake of Deborah, they kept quiet and looked into each other's eyes with a silent peace talk. Then Sesan lifted his embargo from the door. Titi lingered for a while before joining Sesan and Deborah in the flat.

At the end, Sesan told Titi that he wanted Deborah and her mother under the same roof with him, now that things had started going rossy for him; he'd been miraculously taking up casting contacts at the construction site ever since he'd returned from Oshogbo one and half year ago.

"Chelsea! Chelsea!" Titi teased Sesan with his nickname which was coiled out from his favourite football club's name, which coincidentally was also his favourite alcoholic drink's name.

"Who talked you into doing something as reasonable as this?"

"Nobody."

"Lie."

"Am I not reasonable?"

"Of course!"

"Are you coming or not?"

"Well, I'll think about it."

"Oh, you are doing shakara."

"Why not, am I not still in shape?" Titi said, she stood up and bounced around.

"Okay o, just let me caught any bastard near you."

Titi laughed out in a brighter face, "Tell me you still love me."

"Why not, must I always told you?"

"Yes! Sesan, learn to be romantic."

"You can taught me after I finished paying for your bride price next week."

The most lovely words from Sesan, ever. Titi lost her eyes in Sesan's face in admiration. Light smiles crept out of her round face as she gazed at him without saying more words, and though she never intended to stay for the night, but then she did.


TBC...

EPISODE 30

"I’ll be home waiting for you."

Jemeh nodded in agreement.

“And please, don’t touch the power – the support machine works on it."

Amanda was right, the guard returned almost immediately.

“Your time is up, Ma’am,” the guard said from behind.

Amanda pulled away from the door and started moving.

“Are you alright, Madam?” The guard noticed Amanda’s swollen eyes.

“Yea, yes I am, thanks,” Amanda responded without looking at the man.

“Is he your relative?” the guard asked.

Amanda nodded; she was being calculative in her responses.

“I always pray for him in my heart. They said, he was lucky to have made it to the ER, that there’s no bone left in him not fractured, no joint left not sprained and his spinal disorder would take a million years to  heal. Accept my condolence, but i pray he makes it,” the guard said as they were walking to the elevator.

Amanda wanted to inquire more about Jemeh but she thought the man might be suspicious about her relationship with the patient, besides, she was already smirking at the man’s last statement.

“Madam, please try and get a pass.”

“Aye,” Amanda said as she punched on a button on the elevator.

“Bye,” the guard kept waving and grinning like a Cheshire cat, even when 
Amanda had disappeared into the elevator.

In the house, Amanda kept pacing up and down the staircase, talking to 
herself.

“… family members? How do I convince em? Who do I say I am? Where am I gonna get em?” She wiped her face and brushed her hair to the back with her fingers.

“Yes!” she snapped all of a sudden, “Nora should be a good help.”

She took out her  phone and called Nora right away. Some hours later, Nora joined her.

“You mean the guy is in coma, while his spirit is with you?” Nora asked without waiting to drop her hand bag.

“That’s what I said, and stop looking like it’s yah first time hearing of such," Amanda said, believing Nora had idea in almost everything, especially weird ones.

“You’re right, it’s not  the first time, but it’s certainty the first time it’s happening to someone so close. Babe, I’ve only seen this in the movies.” She finally dropped her hand bag on the sofa in front of her.

“He’s about to die, right?” she asked in a muffled voice, as she walked closer to Amanda. “Wait o, is he here?” Her eyes waggle around as she spoke.

“He’s at da hospital with his body.” Amanda's reply normalized Nora’s breathing.

“Look, Amy, what I’m trying to say is that, when he dies on the bed, his spirit will go away for good. Or is that not what you've always wanted?”

“Think outside the box, Nora. Stop being so naive. We can save him.”
 
“Alright, but since when did you start giving a damn about that thing?”

“That’s enough, Nora!” Amanda yelled.

Amanda's dogged defence on Jemeh lately had been amazing, Nora frowned at the realization.

“Listen… I have this strong feeling that – if I have contact with his body or kiss him,” Amanda paused to observed Nora’s facial express with a corner-eye, before she spoke on, "...he may come back to life … You know, just like in the movies,” she stopped and waited for Nora to say something, but Nora remained quiet as she gaze at Amanda in disbelief. “But the problem is – I’ll need a pass from any of his family members, to have access to his ward," she continued, “And 
the bigger problem is – he still can’t remember his family."

“So, you want me to help you look for his family?” Nora came out of her silence.“I really can’t believe this is coming from you Amy. You really want to go through all these dramatic stress, when we can just burst into his ward and pull out his oxygen to free his spirit."

“Yah kidding me? I don’t want him dead, Bitch! Do you ever care about 
someone else but you?"

"Yes, I care about you. Can't believe you are in love with that ghost."

“Cut yah crap, Nora!”

“What if you help him back to life and he doesn’t remembers you?”

“Arrgh!” Amanda snarled, “He regained his memory of me already!”

"Hmmm! so he remember you, but doesn’t remembers his family? I said it, there’s something much more about you and that ghost.”

“His name is Jemeh,” Amanda gave Nora a displeasing stare.

“Okay, okay, so what else did he remember?” Nora asked.

“Nothing, not even what took him to coma,” Amanda replied and started thinking that Nora was only  venting her curiously into her questions, rather than thinking of how to help her achieve her aim. She wanted to shush her out of her house before…

“I  think I know someone that can help Jemeh remember his past?” Nora said.

Amanda’s face loosened up all at once.

“We were classmates back in high school. The asshole claimed to be a psychic and helped people to contact the dead.”

  “Really? Sounds good. When are you bringing him over?”

“We lost contact many years ago, I’ll have to contact some friends.”

“We ain’t having much time, girl. Can you get this done before the end of 
tomorrow?”

“Absolutely!... I mean maybe.”

“Be frank, Nora! Get up and get going, you’ve got to start contacting.” 

“Hey! I thought I was going to have dinner with my bestie,” Nora grunted with an attitude and relaxed back in her seat. 

“Nora!!!” Amanda shouted.

“Okay, okay, Boss! I’m gone!” Nora said getting up. 
“Just take care of yourself, Bae and say me hi to him when he returns." She was now at the door post.

“You can greet him yourself cos he’s right at da door already,” Amanda teased to get a little of Nora’s freakishness.

“Jesus!” Nora shouted, she turned around and stamped backwards to take refuge in Amanda’s side.

“Hahahaha! I was just kidding, but this guy’s so harmless. Why do you keep doing this, Nora?"

“Okay, I’m sorry, but be serious, Amy, is he truly here?” Nora asked, stamping her right foot on the ground and not letting go off Amanda's arm.

“He’ s not here, aye? Let me walk you to yah car,” Amanda said, moving towards the door. Just then, Fia showed up behind them waggling her white furry tail.

“How is Fia coping with that Jemeh?” Nora asked at the sight of dog.

“They’re now friends,” Amanda replied.

“Really? That Dog got nerves,” Nora paused her movement, bent over to lift Fia from the floor.

“Shush! C’mon to yah car, Funky,” Amanda said, pulling Nora by one arm.

Nora left with a trail of fear. As she drove, her eyes peered into the rear-view mirror several times as if expecting Jemeh in her car. She made a quick decision not to set her foot on Amanda's duplex henceforth until Jemeh had left.

TBC....

EPISODE 29

Two days later, Jemeh and Amanda sat in the garden lawn, facing each other, wishing they could have that hand shake again, and had even made several attempts. A day before now, Amanda took Jemeh to D2 lounge to see if it would strike more memories, but no memory was triggered, not even when she took him to some recreation 
centers and restaurants.

“I waited for you, Jemeh, but you never showed up,” Amanda hummed.

“I’m sorry, Amanda. Can’t remember what happened after the party.”

“Or maybe you just didn’t try to look for me at all,” Amanda said.

“I wish I have a clue.”

“You’re damn strange now, you came right to me.”

“I’m truly sorry, believe me.”

“No, just go away!”Amanda started whining in her grievance.

“Go I don’t need you here!” go!!!”she yelled.

Jemeh understood her pain well enough to just remain mute and allow her pour her heart. As she yelled on, her voice began to fade, her vision began to blur, and her strength began to shear. Suddenly, she slumped to her knees, panting for oxygen. Jemeh became dazed at the scenario; he didn’t know what to do - how to revive her from her unconscious state. He paced up and down the duplex like the husband of a woman in the labour room. There was no one around to help, and if there was, he couldn’t have been able to make audible sound to get attention. He glanced at Amanda who was now lying completely  unconscious on the floor and quickly withdrew his eye. A conventional heart started developing in his chest. The outcome of the reaction was a sparking blue beeper in his eye - like electric sparks.

Now he’d to just make an attempt to revive her in his own way, but the fear of hurting her more overtook him, as he was a tyro at that - the use of electric impulse. Some how he knew what he was doing, and even though he had lost his memory, some ideas and experience still hanged in there. He knew that human body posses some ions which would make it behave like an electric conductor from elementary science. A high impulse would waste her life, Jemeh thought and began to suppress the heat in his chest to minimal – to generate static charges. It was as easy as breathing for him to do that. He looked at her and send the charges into her motionless body. The impulse made her jerked upward on her chest as if being poked. After a few seconds, her breathing started leveling up. She opened her mouth to say something, but it was devoid of sounds; her lips were ice frozen, her eyes danced within their sockets, indicating that she really wanted to say something. Jemeh’s eyes became damped with tears and somehow he was mumbling some prayers.

“Are… are you alright?” he stammered. 

“Yes,” the word miraculously escaped from Amanda's weak lips.

Jemeh’s watery eyes became dehydrated all at once. He wished he could help her up to a seat, but could only watch helplessly as she struggled to get on her feet. Restlessness lingered in his countenance until she finally made it to a nearby seat.

“Aye, it’s okay, I’m fine,” Amanda muttered as she sank into the arm-chair.

“You’ll need to see a doctor,” Jemeh said.

“Yeah, it’s long over due,” said Amanda.

Jemeh’s stare turned into a bewildered one as he asked, “Have you been diagnosed?”

“No, I’m just depressed,” she lied. “I’ll be seeing  my Doc. tomorrow though.”

The next day, they took Uber Taxi to Elizabeth Hospital on the Island; an affiliated hospital to Elizabeth International Hospital, New York. The hospital had been Amanda’s family hospital since time immemorial and Doctor Malice had been Amanda’s
family private doctor ever since she moved down to this largest community of blacks in the world.

Jemeh’s face changed immediately he stepped out from the elevator  to the seventh floor of the hospital. Amanda noticed the changes, but thought the hurly –burly of the hospital was responsible for the agitation.

To clear her curiosity, she asked,“I saw you struggling to avoid collision
with people back there, are you okay?”

“I just feel strange – can’t explain the void inside me,” replied Jemeh.

“I don’t like coming to the hospital too,” Amanda said, then moved to the reception, and located a seat for Jemeh.

“Jem, sit here, okay? I’ll be right back. No snitching!” 

Jemeh smiled to the sobriquet and said he would try.

“I mean it, Jem,” she said without smiling.

Amanda walked back to the elevator looking back to Jemeh with a patronizing stares; Jemeh  wasn’t bought over by Amanda’s expression – he knew she was up to something and he was determined to find out. He walked to the elevator just after she was out of sight. He would have penetrated the elevator car but for Amanda's plead for him to be acting human, so he waited to join someone in the elevator.
Even though he didn’t know where exactly to look for Amanda.

Just about then, the elevator door sprang opened, and a man in black suit came out of it. Jemeh hopped in at once. Beside him was a young man in white overall. Jemeh interrogated him with a peering gaze. His tattoo and goatic beards were a point of attraction to Jemeh – he wondered why this very man in white overall looked different from others in that outfit.

The man hit on the tenth floor nob, Jemeh followed him out of the elevator car. There was an inscription on a metallic plate hanging down from the ceiling in the mouth of the floor, It read, 'ICU, No unauthorized person(s) is (are) allowed.'

The man grimaced to the dazzling white lights, bellowing out from the ceiling, as he tried to read the inscription before moving forward. Jemeh began to cast aspersion  on the man’s integrity from the look of things, and with no specific aim, he decided to follow the man. They moved along the quiet passage side by side, peering into each ward through the glass doors. There was a motionless body on each bed and a machine of the size of a microwave, beeping beside each bed.

On getting to the door, having 'Ward 10’ on top of the door, the man stopped ahead of Jemeh who’d slackened his pace behind. He looked to his left and right as if trying to be sure no one was following him, then he brought out his phone and dialed some numbers numbers.

“Llo! He’s on da Tenth flo, Ward ten, but he looks  dumped.” the man said into the phone.

“Is he still breathing,” asked the voice from the  other side of the phone.

“Yeah… da indicator is moving,” the man said.

“Okay,” the voice said.

“Send ma balance,” the man said.

After the call, he looked to his left and right again and walked quickly to the elevator.

Jemeh drew closer to the ward when the man was gone. Through the transparent door, he could see the patient in there with his face having resemblance with Amanda’s sketch. He penetrated the ward to have a better look. Could this be me? He rushed
out breathing heavily. In the next minute, he was looking for Amanda. He moved quickly, penetrating wall and doors in the search.

“I didn’t know how and where to start looking for you. Where’re you coming from, Jemeh?” Amanda asked Jemeh  from behind.

“I’ve been looking for you,” answered Jemeh.

“But I told you not to move."

“Yes yes yes, I know, something came up,” Jemeh said, “Follow me." He started moving to the elevator. 

“What did you see?” Amanda inquired as she tried to catch up.

“I’m not sure, but it’s on the tenth floor.”

They hurried into the elevator and moved upwards. On getting to the tenth floor, they discovered that a security man had mounted the floor, but to their luck, he was backing the elevator and so, they’d the chance to hide behind the giant roll-up banner beside the elevator.

“He wasn’t there before,” Jemeh said.

“Maybe they saw you through their surveillance camera,” muttered Amanda.

“Perhaps, him – I’m invisible.”

“Who?”

“The man in lab coat.”

“Which man?” 

“I followed him to ward ten and … wait, let me try this trick, on the guard,” Jemeh said and focused on the electric bulb shinning above his head. Immediately, the lights in the entire floor began to flicker off and on and the man in uniform became agitated. He rushed to the elevator, maybe to report the situation.

Amanda was about to start mocking the guard as he ran past them, when she observed Jemeh’s face.

“Are you okay?

“I felt a bit nauseous when I flickered the lights. But I’m fine now.”

As soon as the guard was out of sight, they hurried to the ward. Amanda pressed her face against the door pan to see through.

“Baby, that’s you in there,” Amanda’s eyes pocked out in shock. She wanted to run away but she came back and pushed the heavy metal door, but the door didn’t move an inch. She gave up and steadied her gaze on the body on the bed.

Her feelings oscillated between mirth and nightmare.

“Yah in coma, yah still alive! Got to find out what happened to you, or 
can you remember anything?” Amanda asked with a lit-up face.

“No,” Jemeh replied.

“Go in, tryna posses yah body,” said Amanda.

Jemeh went in and buried himself inside the motionless body lying on the bed. After some seconds, he came out of the body with sweaty face and turned to Amanda with a disappointing stare. Amanda  understood Jemeh’s facial expression – she knew Jemeh’s effort didn’t work. What to do next? She became confused and started pushing harder on the door. So many ideas began to flaunt her head shortly after; she thought if she could have contact with Jemeh’s body what happened in the movie ‘sleeping beauty’ could be a reality, so she pushed even harder and harder on the door until sweat broke out of her face.

Jemeh wasn’t talking, Amanda wasn’t too; there was this brooding silence in the atmosphere until a hosky voice came from closeby.

“Excuse me, Madam!”

Amanda jerked and twisted her neck to see who had the voice.

“Oops! The guard again!” she said under her breath.

“Can I see you pass, please,” the guard said to Amanda as he was right behind her.

“I’m so sorry, I never knew I needed one,” Amanda said, now fully turned and facing the guard.

“I’m sorry about him,” the guard said, peering into the ward. “But you’ll need a pass next time. You can have ‘five’ though," the guard added and moved a little away.

“Thanks,” Amanda said with a forced-out simile and returned her gaze to Jemeh and his body. Jemeh had sat up beside his body on the bed, looking thoughtful and unwilling to leave.The only man who could have explained things to him in a clearified way had refused to show up again since the first day of Jemeh’s transition. He’d introduced himself as Gabriel; Jemeh’s most likely future guardian. Most of the questions Jemeh’d asked him that day remained unanswered.

“Please, you can’t leave me in this void like that,” Jemeh recalling his conversations with Gabriel.

“I said, stop following me, your time is not now!” Gabriel had yelled.

“Why’re you the only one that can see and hear me? Mr. Gabriel, be kind enough to explain na.”

“I’ll come back for you, if I have to,” Gabriel said while walking away.

“Baby, my time’s up. The guard’ll soon be here to drive me,” Amanda said in a damp voice, taking Jemeh off his thoughts. “Don’t push it too hard on yourself.  Remember we’re in this together. I’m gonna sort for a pass then make sure you make it out of here alive..
"

TBC...

CHAPTER 28


...the nerd scratched her forehead trying to remember.

Amanda and Jemeh centered their gaze on her in anticipation before she deadened the hysteria with her questions.

“Wait, is he in some trouble?”she asked.

“Nah,” Amanda answered, stamping her foot on the ground.

“Okay, is he – dead?”

“Nah! Amanda yelled out in impatience.

“I’m sorry Ma’am, I don’t think I know him.” The nerd finally murdered their hope.

Two days had now gone by with no success in their quest. Hopelessness resident in their countenance as they walk along the roadside.

“Are you as tired as I am?” Amanda asked without looking at Jemeh and stiffened a yawn.

“No, I don’t walk, I float,”Jemeh answered without looking at Amanda also.

Some minutes later, Amanda suddenly cheered up and got up from the sofa (they were now at home) and asked Jemeh out for a drink and some good music, instead of mourning their grievances on a Friday night.
Jemeh just played along. Quickly, she got into her bath towel, flung her clothes at Jemeh, smiling until she disappeared into
the bathroom.

“Come over here, don’t wanna be here along,” she shouted from the bathroom, but Jemeh pretended not to hear her. She then screamed so loud from the bathroom and Jemeh dashed in in a blink of an eye.

“What happened?” he asked, looking around.

Amanda chuckled and said, “Got you!”

Jemeh turned to her and flickered off the lights; the room became gloomy.

“C’mon, put em back on.”

Jemeh now looking away, queried,“Why did you do that?”

“To get you here of course!”Amanda smirked.

“But you’re …”Jemeh paused.

“I’m what?...  are you moved? Ain’t you supposed to be ghost?” she said, letting out contended simile.

In front of the closet, Amanda stood in her bathrobe and called out to Jemeh. He joined her at once. Fay came along with him.

“How did you get Fay to like you?” Amanda asked.

“Maybe she got tired of fighting” Jemeh replied.

“Yah such an amusement,” Amanda said and turned her eyes back to the closet.

“Would you prefer I wear this?” Amanda asked, pointing to satin red backout gown she held in the other hand and pressed
against her body to match her curves. “… or that?” she pointed to a black stripped sleeveless fish tail gown held up in a hanger in the closet.

Jemeh’s memory blipped at the sight of the red dress. There was this sharp pain like the piecing of a needle in his spine. He lowered to the ground and held his head in his hands with his eyes shut so tight. Amanda threw away the dress and went down with him. 

“Are you okay?” she asked, probing him with her eyes.

“Yes, yes, my memory flashed when i saw that dress on u.” Jemeh blinked his blue eyes many times, trying to bring back the memory.

“Did you see anything?” Amanda asked.

“No. It came and it's gone too quick.”

“Should I put it on?”

“Yes, please.”

“Aye.”

Amanda wore the dress again.

“Did you see anything?” she asked.

“No” Jemeh muttered.

Amanda moved to her library downstairs to play on her grand piano. What she was used to doing in time of sorrow.

She used to top up in music class back in high school.

 The notes started making sense to Jemeh as she started singing the piece she’d written year ago.

♫♪ say you love me?
     But you ain’t here to hold my hands,
     Say you ain't here to show me you care,
     Say you love me?  (x7) ♫♪

Jemeh was magnetized to the library from the upper floor. He stood
behind Amanda, as she played on and his memory ducked into the Halloween party at D2 lounge, Lekki. He could see Amanda sitting on a bar-stool at the bar a little away from the main hall.
She was on the satin red dress. She looked bored just as Jemeh was. Jemeh walked up to her with a glass of lemonade in his hand and took to the stool beside her. An old-school pop was playing low in the
background.

“This party is a big yawn,” Jemeh said to Amanda as he laid his cup on the bar cabinet. 

Amanda rolled her eyes. Who asked you? she asked inwardly, “but yah right.” She turned to him and voiced it out. “Yeah… yah right.”

“Could you please plop some ice in my drink?”Jemeh requested.

“Sure!” Amanda said and passed the jug of ice to him.

He plopped some cubes in his drink, “Is that your man?” he asked,
pointing to a tall man in blue shirt and black pant, chatting with some ladies in the main hall.

“Huh! He’s my ex. I came alone, but we ran into each other," she answered, but felt a bit embarrassed explaining herself to the stranger. “How long have you been watching me, huh?” she chuckled behind her mask. 

“Since I arrived.” Jemeh raised his shoulder.

“Damn! Yah so jobless, hey!”

“You can say that again.”

“Is that girl in green yah girl friend?” Amanda fought back.

“No.” Jemeh replied.

“I saw the way you’ve been staring at her."

“She’s my colleagues at work – my a friend.”

Men, always assholes, Amanda said in her mind.

“I hate their sense of music too,” Jemeh said, gazing at Amanda’s headphone. “What’re you listening to?”

“My song,” she answered.

“Are you an artist?”

“Nah, I do it for fun.”

Jemeh smiled and asked, “Can I have a feel?”

“Sure!” She said and gave him the headphone.
He plugged it to his ears and began to move his  body to the rhythm.

“This is cool," he said and started dropping rap lines,  not minding it’s coherence.
Amanda picked interest. A flicker of simile crossed her face as she watched Jemeh’s funny displays.

Jemeh smiled back – he could see her charming smiles behind her mask. “That was world class,” Jemeh said as he unplugged the 
headphone from his ear and gave it back to her.

“And yah lines were just made for the song.”

“Did you lost someone?” Jemeh inquired owing to the lyrics of the song.

“Yes. Did you?” Amanda asked back.

“Yes,” Jemeh answered.

“So sorry.”

“I’m sorry too.”

“So, yah a rapper?” Amanda asked.

"No, lets just, I’m just a creative personality.”

Amanda chuckled to Jemeh’s words of description on himself.

“Maybe you should consider rapping officially, aye?"

“Hahaha! That’ll be after I see you on stage.”

“But you don’t know me, and maybe never would,” Amanda said.

“My bad! I’m Jemeh,” he extended a hand of friendship.

“Amanda Walker,” Amanda took his hand.

That was the softest and most sophisticated hand Jemeh’d ever shook. He didn’t let go until a voice started yelling out his name from the hall – it was the girl in green. Jemeh became temporarily deaf that moment.

“Any chance of ever seeing the jewel behind this cat-face (mask)?” Jemeh asked, not moving his eyes from Amanda’s.

“It depends?" Amanda answered, smiling.

“Any clue?” asked Jemeh.

“Habert Building, Ikoyi,” answered Amanda before the girl in green came dragging Jemeh  back to the hall.

Jemeh returned from the flashback and met Amanda in the middle of the song. He 
waited for her to complete it, then he butted in his rap lines.

.♫♪….tell me why you have to go,
Why you have to leave me all alone,
You promised you’ll
train me to the throne,
Papa,
I need you by my side now,
Cos there’s no answer.
I wish to bring you back,
from yonder.
Your boy so grown now,
No longer the tender… .♫

Tears sprang to Amanda’s eyes, as she listened to Jemeh; her memory had revealed the flashback as well. She threw an anticipating glance at Jemeh, as she lifted her 
eyes from the keyboard.

"I’m Jemeh!” Jemeh put out his right hand.

“Amanda Walker!” she replied and took his abstract hand.

The pool of water suspended in her eyes finally broke loose and started plopping onto the keyboard. Amanda wanted to stop, get up from the piano stool but Jemeh motioned her to keep playing. Though she’d so much questions to ask him, but the music was a comfort to her soul; she played until sleep took over her.

TBC...

Chapter 27

Jemeh was not left out in the amusement.

“Yes, I think I’m alright,” Jemeh said, romancing his forehead.
“It’s healed already.”

Some minutes later, Amanda sat dazed and back to back with Jemeh. It look a few seconds before she could found her mouth again and asked,“What happened?” 

“I don’t know, but it looks like you can hurt me when emotional,” Jemeh replied.

“Are you worried about that?”

“Don’t know.”

“Hmm..”

“You came back.”

“Yes, was kinda bored over there."

"Oh."

  “I never hated you though," Amanda said.

“Really?"
Jemeh said and turned to face Amanda.

"Yes."

“I’ d stay close to the windows in the evenings, hoping to see you drive in. I'm ready  to leave you in peace.”

“Are you still gonna leave?”

“If you insist."

“Stay!”

“Alright, thanks."

***********
“Hello boss!”

“Speak!

“A reliable source told me the target would be moved out of the ICU to another hospital tomorrow.” 

“keep your eyes opened. We wouldn’t be discussing this if you’d done your job perfectly.”

“I’m sorry…”

The call ended.

Chivera leaned her head against the steering wheel, thinking of what next to do.
She remembered warning Anderson about Jemeh’s insubordination several times  that he never took seriously, but in the end, the blame is always up on her. She scrubbed her golden hair with her elongated polished fingers and groaned to the thought. Each time she presented complaints against the 'boy', Anderson would tap her by the shoulder and say, she worried too much. She was lost in her thoughts until a foggy horn came from behind – giving her signal to move her car. She flicked a quick glance at the traffic lights, it was on green. She stepped on the clutch and accelerator, then released the clutch too fast as if starting a car race and zoomed off.
 
Anderson on the other end was becoming inpatient about the sudden setback in his plot. Taking away everything that mattered to Merit Walker was the only appealing offering that would calm the range of revenge in his heart. The deeper he
thought about all that had transpired between him and Walker, the darker his heart became. As he lit the tobacco pipe in the corner of  his mouth,  his mind flew back to twenty years ago, coincidentally the date on the table calendar in front of him. It was the day he received the most devastating news of his life – the day his father, his hero and role model was reported to have
died of  a heart attack; an illness out of overdue depression – a depression he had developed as a result of his lost out in the control of his tobacco company in Texas. 

Walker was the hungry investor that wanted the control of the company at all cost. He’d through blackmail and tricks achieved his aim and became the major shareholder of the company. It was unbearable for Anderson, when he discovered that the same man who took away his girlfriend with his two weeks old baby in her womb few years back was the pioneer of his father’s death. Only a mad man would stand in his way now that he’d spent fifteen years and a change of I.D. to come this close to his
only enemy. His eyes gloomed terror behind his lens as the words of his father ladened his eardrums as if the dead man was right behind him.

“My son, I’ve labored so hard to build this company. Ensure you make the best use of it while I’m gone someday."

Then next board of director's meeting would come up in two weeks, a perfect timing for a strike, but there was still no enough measure to put  walker under duress; to letting him relieve himself as the major shareholder of the tobacco company. The realization further brooded Anderson's eyes, then he took his phone and called Chivera.

“Hey!"

“Yes boss!"

“You’ve got to find the hospital as soon as possible and put an end to his misery. The meeting is coming up sooner than expected. Once you can clean up your mess, I’ll put up a plan for the primary target. Time’s not on our side."

“Copied!"

The call ended, Chivera scrolled down her phone book to call her source.

“Hello!”

“Yo!" A girlish  voice answered from the other end of the phone.

“I need to know where they’re moving the target, the security of the place and the doctor in charge before dusk,”

“That’ll cost extra hundred grands,” the voice said.

“Deal!” She hung up and flung her phone to
the bed and buried her head in between her hands.

Chivera knew by her mind-eyes that something wasn’t right about the mission, but for the honour of late Pa Okeke, she must finish what she’d started. She’d been a plot in the company by Anderson all along. She was having a good career in the
media industry before Anderson brainwashed her down to Lagos from New York, four years ago.

The Police followed Jemeh’s I.D. to Merit Plc. and discovered that his data wasn’t in the system; they’d come to see if there was any form of indemnity on Jemeh in order to lift the responsibility of his treatment to his employers. They however started smelling a rat, when they met the HR’s office empty, but the SWOT analysis exercise that preceded Niyi's resignation was a better explanation. 

Anderson’d been keeping his wife in the dark all along. His newly developed attitude might just throw some light into the
dark, if he continues with his many secret calls, less business trips avoidance of family prayers and an unusual closeness with
Chivera. His wrinkles and grey hair had tripled over in this short period.

Each time his wife tried to get something out
of him, he’d hold her by shoulders and gently say to her in half whispers, “You worry too much, Love, I’m fine!" Then kiss on her
forehead.

His safety and health was still her despair but Anderson would easily win her over with words. The same way he’d
penetrated her heart twenty four year ago when they first met. It was at a train subway station in Paris. While Anderson was going home from school, she was heading Lourdes, but her train had delayed behind schedule. It was a boring day, but Anderson was in his perky mood brought out two sachets of cheese burger from his backbag and beckoned on her to have one.

 “Kiffer?” he asked her in French. She let out a muffled simile and shook her head in disagreement. Anderson’d engaged her in so much conversation in French before he finally discovered she wasn’t a French Lady.

“Where’re you from?” he asked.

“Nigeria?” she answered, “How did you know I speak English?”

“From your accent. I’m from Nigeria too,” Anderson said, smiling.

“Family here?” she inquired.

“Yes, somewhere here in Paris, and you?”

“Just me and me,” she smiled aloud this time, “I’m a student at University of Gemble.”

“Oh great! I study at Ecole Normale Superieure, Paris,” Anderson said.

They got along so easily and when their train finally arrived, they were still sitting next to each other chatting.

“You don’t look all Nigeria,” she said.

“…some of my ancestors were white.”

 ********
 
In the kitchen, Amanda was making bacon and egg breakfast grilled cheese sandwich. Jemeh sat on a stool in the middle of
the kitchen, watching her swifty movement around in white apron. She beat eggs, milk, salt and papper in small bowl until blended, then heated one teaspoon butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot and poured in the egg mixture. As
eggs began to set, she gently pulled the eggs across the pan with an inverted turner, forming large soft cords. She continued with other procedures, while Jemeh watched in delight. Then finally, she grilled sandwich over medium heat, turning once, until bread was toasted and cheese was melted about three minutes.

“Yeah! Breakfast  is ready!” Amanda shouted admist smiles.

“Absolutely!” Jemeh concord, gazing at Amanda without a blink of the eyes. “Who thought you this?” he asked. 

“Ma mother… late mother,” Amanda answered. 

“So sorry about her,” Jemeh said, noticing her changed demeanor. 

“It’s alright,” she said, and had started dishing out the food in two plates, set on the dinning table before she reckoned Jemeh's situation. Her eyes oscillated to and from Jemeh’s eyes and the plate severally, and when she notice Jemeh’s facial
expression, she just had to say something. 

“I’m so – so sorry,” she said.

“It’s alright, I'm fine.”

Jemeh understood what she was sorry about.

“Don’t worry, everything’s gone be fine” she said with so much confidence in her voice.

Her words came cooling on Jemeh’s worried soul like the feeling of snow in summer. Jemeh listened to her like a church member to his prophet and wished she could just go on and never stop. After breakfast, Amanda decided to elude work that day.

“I’m gonna take a shot of you in ma phone and move around the neighbourhood - someone should know you around," Amanda said to Jemeh, who was now sitting close to her.

“Wow! Thanks, Amanda.”

“You now know my name, nice!”

“I’ve heard that girl call you by it many times."

“Oh! Nora?”

“Is that her name?”

“Yea, it's her name. I think I’m just gonna sketch yah face instead.”

“Why?"

“Nothing." Amanda lied to cover up the fact that her phone camera couldn’t see his reflection.

 “Don’t you wanna see how good I am in sketching?” Amanda asked with a light up face.

“Sure! Can’t wait," Jemeh said, “Should I stay right here?” he asked, taking to a frozen posture in front  of Amanda.

Amanda was indeed a good sketcher, that in ten minutes, she whooped up Jemeh’s portrait.

“Wow! You sketch real good," Jemeh said, investing his full concentration on the A4 paper laid on the dinning table. Smiles
surged out of his oval face as he steadied his gaze. “I’m sure the face on this paper looks better than my real face.” Jemeh smiled on; he’d not seen his face for some weeks now.

“Time up, Handsome! We’re moving right into the neighbourhood.” Amanda took the sketch from the table.

In the neighbourhood, the first two persons they’d stumbled upon said they hadn’t seen the face before. Others reacted with
apathy. Then, there was this nerdy that was whining.

“What did you say happened to him again?” the nerdy asked, revealing  her two oversized upper  incisors and adjusting her glasses.

“We don’t know!... I mean I don’t know, that’s why I’m here," Amanda said.

“We? Do you have more of you here?” 

“Just me, sleep of tongue. Do you know him or not?”

“This girl is a waste of time,” Said Jemeh to Amanda, “Let’s get out of here.”

“Well – I think I’ve seen that face before – around em….” the nerd scratched her forehead with a grimace.

TBC...

cover!

EPISODE 25
Amanda wanted to narrate her nightmare to Nora over the phone but she decided to see her one on one at the office instead. During lunch they remained in Amanda’s office. Nora was astonished by Amanda’s bravery at the end of her narration.

  "I'm not gonna leave my twenty fourth birthday most expensive gift to a ghost or spirit. 

“Yeah, that house is precious indeed – over a million dollars? Bae! Your Pops' the man. Nora said, what does he looks like?”

“Who?”

“Your ghost guest," Nora said, holding back a chucks so as not to sound sarcastic.

“Oh, I told you he’s not looking like an alien or something,” she continued, “He’s tall, fair and handsome – he’s got this
charming smile that makes him looks harmless. But, his trouting in and out of my house without the whirring sound of the door hinge freaks me out."

"Ghosts are dangerous, we're going to get him out anyways."

“Yea, that’s why I called to you,” Amanda said.

“My ten thousand naira is safe now, right?”

“He didn’t take the money,”Amanda said, “I only teased to get yah ass sobered up.”

At the end of their conversation, Nora  promised to bring a spiritual list over to Amanda’s duplex to cleanse it. Amanda was glad and contended with that, even though she’d little or no belief in such. If not that she’d learnt not to show all of her fears and worries, her productivity at work would have dropped significantly in the past few days.

Later that evening, Jemeh was on the swing seat hung down the Guarri tree in the garden, when Amanda walked up the sitting room with Nora and an older man in white robe. The man held a brownish Gold Thurible suspended in chains in one hand and a staff in the other hand. In no time, he started making some unknown utterances and moving from one corner of the room to the other, swinging the thurible.

Jemeh saw lines of thin smoke from the garden, bellowing from the window and thought there was a fire outbreak and, so he dashed up stairs to check it out at once. Walking into the sitting room, he saw Amanda and her friend, standing very close to each other in one
corner of the room. They were flicking a devastating stare at the man in the other corner, as they wrinkled the nose to the smell of the incense.

“Huh! What’s going on, are you alright?” Jemeh asked aloud, with the assurance that only Amanda could hear and see him.

“What does it looks like? He’s gonna get you  outta here,” Amanda said in a whisper, pointing to the spiritualist with the corner of her eyes so as not to distract nor scare Nora.

Jemeh said with a smirk, “On the contrary, he’s only going to get some noise out of the smoke alarm. BTW, how can he drive away who he cannot see?” 

Just as Amanda began to ponder on Jemeh’s words and Nora now asking who she was talking to, did the fire alarm began to hoot. 

Amanda sighed and began to ‘shush’ everyone out of the room.

“He couldn’t even see him," Amanda said to Nora in a low voice as they walked the man down the stairs.

Next was a Pastor. Amanda ushered him to the parlor up the duplex, where he made loud prayers in his nice looking suit. He'd wiped his face with a white handkerchief several times during the prayers and instructed Amanda and Nora to join him. Jemeh sat there in a sofa watching them without saying a word. After the exercise, the pastor said to Amanda and Nora that it was over – the spirit was gone, that Amanda could now live in her house in peace. Amanda looked at Jemeh with corner eyes, she could see him sitting comfortably in her favourite chair chuckling. 

“Yea, yea, he’s gone,” Amanda said with a ridiculous grin, as she motioned the pastor to the door.

“He’s still here right?” Nora’s eyes wild with horror.

“Yea… sitting right beside you.”

“Jesus!” Nora whirled herself out of the place at once, and when  she could find her breath, she asked, Amanda, “Did you kill a man? I’m asking because this spirit is so stubborn – like a revenging ghost o.”

“Of course not,” Amanda gave her a disappointing look.

Jemeh released a chunk of laughs, looking at the two ladies as he adjusted to a more relaxing position in the sofa.

“Don’t make fun of us!” Amanda snapped. 

Then, there was this third spiritualist that Nora brought. She was in an unaltered red garment, and her face, flamboyantly maked-up. Amanda had given her a chance because she 
was a lady, but then, she’d sprinkled a drum of water in the room with a broom already. Jemeh couldn’t stop himself from laughing out loud as he watched Amanda’s face getting clouded with anger – most especially because of her rug.

“Sorry…” Nora raised her shoulders, noticing Amanda’s demeanor.

“You ‘d better sharrap,” Amanda snapped at Jemeh and ignored Nora.

“Alright, alright… but it’s funny their tricks aren’t working on me,” Jemeh said to Amanda, “I told you I’m not a ghost.”

“Then what’re you, ah? Tell me!” Amanda yelled at him.

“I don’t know, that’s why I need you to help me find out who I am or was: my name, what I do, where am from, please I beg you,” Jemeh said and plodded out to the bathroom.

“What’s he saying?” Nora asked Amanda.

“He wants me to help him find out his I.D. – he can’t remember anything."

“Then do it, if that would make him go away.”

“How do I go bout that, ah? Don’t have such time, girl!". Amanda whispered to Nora, as she was walking out of the sitting room. "And you’d better tell that mistress to stop sprinkling that water before I dry em up with her garment." she was now at the door post.

Amanda walked to the bathroom and met Jemeh sitting in the dry tub.

“What’re you doing in my tub? If you’d excuse me, I wanna take a shower," she said.

“Use another one, I’m here already," said Jemeh.

“What? This ma duplex, you know that?”

“Then push me out.”

Amanda’s eyes darkened with helplessness. She dreaded the thought of losing her house to a ghost. The thought filled her grey eyes with suspended water.

On the other hand, Jemeh thought Amanda looked even more beautiful whenever she was angry; that was when her dimples revealed, and so he wouldn’t get agitated by Amanda's snarls. He gave her stares of admiration instead.

After that time, Jemeh started following her all around – everywhere she went; the office, shopping malls, road, restaurants and so on, pressuring her to help him to help him.

“I’ll make you look crazy if you don’t help me,” Jemeh had warned her before  now. 

At work, Nora would just stay away whenever she saw Amanda talking to herself. Others thought she was going nut.

“What’re y’all looking at?" she'd most of the time smear at the people. She was easily lured into talking by Jemeh, he could be so unavoidable.

After much pressure from Jemeh, she decided to run away to her father’s special Thatch – cottage house somewhere along the coastal region of the state. She wasn’t used to giving up a fight, but this one was out of her league. Her father had been away for sometime now. She alone would have to control Fray and the maids in the beautiful masterpiece. There was this security dog in the yard that’d succeeded in keeping Jemeh away from the house; Jemeh couldn’t stand the
continuous barking, which the giant dog let out whenever he tries to access the house. Jemeh hated the dog, Fay too; she couldn’t play freely around the compound as she always dud in her formal house without being chased by the big dog.

Being away from Jemeh was  an air of freedom to Amanda, but only for a few days - it wasn’t long before she became bored. A mixed feeling of loving the freedom and at same time missing the mischief maker engulfed her, but of course she couldn’t convince herself that she was missing him.

A  week later, in the evening, Jemeh stood at the window, looking out to the streets, and wishing Amanda could change her mind and return to her house. He’d made up his mind to let her have her peace, and would apologize even. Just then, he saw Amanda’s car coming through the drive way. His face brightened with joy, as he waited to tender his apology.

“Oh, my chandelier!” Amanda shouted on arriving the sitting room, “Who did this to me?” 

She began to collect the pieces of the chattered glasses from the floor. All of a sudden, Jemeh appeared before her and spoke in a low voice, “I thought I could only penetrate the lights but this thing just came down with it all of a sudden. I swear it isn’t intentional.”

“You can go into electric? Oh my God!” Amanda’s eyes became dark with rage and terror as she gazed at Jemeh in disbelief. She made an irrational conclusion that Jemeh was nothing more but trouble to hang with.
The chandelier was a special gift from her mother on her eighth birthday. The customized lights had Amanda’s pet name – ‘Pompkin’ in display; it meant more than a gift to her, it was a symbol of her mother’s presence, but it was all gone now - Jemeh had broken it. She began to breath heavily at the thought. Jemeh could see an assurance of trouble in her mien. She grabbed the  flower pot hanging on the wall behind her and hurled it at Jemeh. It  caught him on his forehead, blood accomplished the shattering and Jemeh fell to the ground.

For the next two minutes, they were both in gloomy silence, then Jemeh broke the silence.

"Yes! I told you I’m alive! Hahaha!”

He kept on cherishing the feeling of  pain and the cold blood creeping down his forehead until Amanda came standing in front of him with a sorry face and an ice bag in her hand, “Are you Okay?”she asked in a very low  voice and squatted to tend to his wound, but her hand went through. She withdraw her hand immediately in horror, gazing at Jemeh. The cut began to seal up right in front of her. Her eyes started asking so many questions as they waggled around their sockets. 


TBC...

Hello all, sorry 4d late post, I've been busy making a hard copy for this story.

EPISODE TWENTY FOUR

That night, after ensuring all the doors and windows were properly locked before going to bed, she was almost shocked to numbness when she found Jemeh sitting relaxed against her sofa cushion as she got to the sitting room the next morning. His daunting
eyes upon her further broke her, and it was a minute later before she could speak.

“Sweet Jesus! What're you still doing here?...thought yah gone for good?"

“Good morning, Ma’am,” Jemeh spoke softly, gawking at her - he was amazed, how beautiful she was, standing before him even though she’d just rose from bed.

“I said, what’re you still doing here?”

“I came back.”

“Through where?”

“The door.”

“You've always penetrated the doors, but yah so dumb to tell the truth all along, making me feel uncertain,”Amanda said.

“I’m really sorry for troubling your life, alright? I came back so that you can help me find out who I am because my memory is empty - I don’t know who I am.”

“No...no, no, can’t help. I’m not spiritual!”Amanda snapped.

“Please! I’m begging you.”

“I said I can’t, buh I’ll surely help you find the light, I promise you that and don’t come in the bathroom door,” Amanda said while walking away to the bathroom, "Snitch!" she hummed as she walked.

All of the time she spent in the bathing tub, she was soliloquizing on how to
get rid of Jemeh.

TBC...

Fazemood:
Oga authorsegun come and explain o. What is happening? What has happened to our Jemeh?

for my own film, even actor dey die.

Fazemood:
Oga authorsegun come and explain o. What is happening? What has happened to our Jemeh?

for my own film, even actor dey die.

EPISODE TWENTY THREE

Amanda held Jemeh hostage until police siren came disturbing in the neighbourhood. The uniform men got into the yard and spread all out. The leader of the team met Amanda holding a gun in the garden.

“Madam, please lower your gun, we’re here now, everything is under control,” the Officer said with a demonstration of alertness.

Amanda concord,“That’s him, Officer,"
she said.

“Sorry, Madam, but who?”
the Officer asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Huh!” Amanda sighed,“Him!”she pointed again at Jemeh.

The Officer looked at Amanda with the thought of Amanda being a drug abuser overtaking him, then he said to her,“There’s no one here, Madam."

The argument started.

“Yah kidding me, aiit?" Amanda chuckled.

“I suggest you follow us to the station to relax your mind, as you seem not in your right frame of mind right now,” the Officer said as he moved slowly to collect the gun from Amanda.

Amanda become momentarily stunned. She looked at Jemeh with a horrifying disbelief then turned back to the Officer and shouted,“What do you mean I’m not in ma right state of mind?"

“Madam, we are professionals, we know what we are doing.”

“Yea, I'm sure you are," Amanda said, tightening up her face.

When they got to the Police Station, the D.P.O knew Amanda's personality from her I.D.

“Why am I still here, someone has got to talk to me!” Amanda shouted behind the counter.

They had ignored her for other things for about thirty minutes now. The D.P.O requested for her, when she made mention of a Lawyer.

“But madam, why did you raise a false alarm?” asked the D.P.O.

“False alarm? Da man was standing right there, but yah men just couldn’t see.”

“Okay madam, but are you on any pills?”

“Pills!” Amanda flared up, “You don’t think I’m crazy, do you?”

“I never said so, madam.”

“Then lemme go, or do I need to call ma lawyer?”

“No, not at all. You are free to go, but you will have to pay for the gas my men
burnt to get to your house,” the D.P.O said, shifting uncomfortably in his seat as he spoke.

“This is crazy! How much?" Amanda groaned.

“Twenty thousand naira Only,”said the D.P.O with an unsteady stares from his spectacles.

“Aiit, I just wanna be outta here."

She paid from her hand bag and her gun was returned to her.

“So, Madam, do you need my men to drop you home or …?”

“Of course they got to,” she said and stamped out of the office.

“Very well, the Police is your friend,” the D.P.O said out of Amanda’s hearing with a contended smile.

Later in the day, Amanda stood by the window with her face pressed against the pan. She looked gloomily to the cloudy sky, then down to the tree in the garden. She could see green leaves dropping off the blue Guarri tree against the impact of the wind, while some brownish and dry ones remained fixed to the branches. The memory of what had transpired earlier in the day was dashing in and out of her mind as she stood there, then a voice came from behind.

“I’m sorry!”

Amanda turned around in shock and saw it was Jemeh.

“How did you get in?”

“Through the door.”Jemeh answered

“Shat da f*ck up! What da heck are you?” She lamented and quickly looked at the door; it was opened. But at this point she was no longer sure of anything - not sure if she’d left it opened or not.

“Look, I wanted to tell you….” Jemeh started moving closer to her.

“Don’t even come closer, what da heck are - you? You’re so scary like hell!”Amanda butted in with a shriek.

“Alright, alright,” Jemeh moved backwards, “The thing is that, I’ve been feeling very weird in the past few days. It seems I’m invisible to everyone else but you. I feel alive only when I'm around you - the reason why I keep following you.”

“Oh my God! I’m seeing a ghost already?” Amanda cried.

“Excuse me?” Jemeh snapped, ”I’m not a ghost!”

“You are, just walk to da light.”

‘What light? Can’t see any,” Jemeh said.

Amanda herself didn't really know what light she was talking about.

Jemeh began to wonder if he was looking very terrifying. He saw the full length mirror standing in the right corner of the room and started walking to it but all of a sudden, he began to move away.

“Eish! I’m not in the mirror," Jemeh lamented, “What’s happening to me?”

Amanda calmly watched him display even though she was horrified.

“Now you know, eh? Just
walk to da light,”she repeated.

Jemeh ignored as if no one was talking and looked around for something to
grab, the flower pot was just in front of him laid upon a book shelf that had been fastened to the wall. He reached out his hand to grab it but to his bewilderment, his hand went all through the pot. He retracted his hand in fright and tried a book on the shelf, again the book was abstract to his touch. He darted his eyes nervously and made another wasted effort. Then he wearily plodded out of the room, looking down without saying a word as he walked.

Amanda wanted to feel sorry for him but she waved it. The last thing she needed right now was such a broad day light nightmare that somehow symbolized what would befall her soonest.

A deep feeling of relief submerged her as she watched Jemeh walked out of the duplex willingly.

TBC...

EPISODE TWENTY TWO

Arrgh! Nora! Amanda yelled in her mind.

“Aye, take this money and go for a delightful breakfast.” she extended some money she’d collected from her handbag towards Jemeh. “I’ll like to use my office right now, thank you… shush! shush!" She started moving towards her desk.

“No, thanks I’ll just leave,”Jemeh said and started walking to the door.

This wasn’t the first time someone would be barging into her office as a result of Nora’s carelessness, but the difference was that, this time, the stranger didn’t ask for money; she became security continuous – the man could be dangerous, kept yelling in her thought.

“Is that your Mum?” Jemeh asked as he suddenly turned around, pointing to the framed picture standing on Amanda's desk when he got to the door post.

“yes –?"

“You look just like her...beautiful.”

“Thank you," Amanda’s face loosen up a little as she spoke from her seat and with her eyes now fixed on her laptop screen.

“Aiit Dude, time to…”she said, waggling her eyes around looking for Jemeh as she took her eyes off the computer screen.

Jemeh was gone.

“Nora! get yah ass over her!” Amanda snarled on the intercom.

Nora walked in about a minute later.

“Yes boss!”she saluted

“Not in da mood for that!" Amanda snapped, “Why did you let that Nigga into ma office when I wasn’t on seat?”

“Which Nigga?”

“Don’t act dummy, Nora?”

“I’m serious, Amy. I didn’t let any man in.”

“You mean you didn’t see da man that just walked outta here?"

“I’m honest, Sis.”

“And you honestly left my office opened, aiit?”

Nora scratched her head trying to remember if she’d actually left it opened or
not.

“Maybe I forgot, I’m sorry," said Nora.

“Yea, yah always sorry.”

“Amy, I said I’m sorry, na.”

“Apology accepted buh yah owe me ten thousand grands; I gave da man for charity,”Amanda said, holding back a chunk of laughter.

“Charity? But you know I don’t do charity especially when it’s one-on-one. Amy, I've told you times without number, this is Africa, that man could be barbaric.”

“And I’ll give credit to you, if he harms me.”

“Hopefully he won’t, but Amy, I don’t have ten thousand Naira to spare, please, Amy.”

“Don’t bother, I knew just how to get it from you, shush!”Amanda nodded Nora out of her office.

“If that man ever cross this place again eh, I’ll screw his pathetic ass...I just pray make he come back.”Nora mumbled on her way out of Amanda’s office with a crying demeanour.

Later in the evening, Amanda drove home, into the garage in her usual skillful way. Fay ran to meet her, she wasn’t wagging her white fur enriched tail in her usual playful manner. Whatever must have induced sober into this most playful and friendly Maltese dog must be very frightening, Amanda thought in her mind.

She carried Fay in her hand, but she wouldn’t stop snarling. Amanda started looking around her to see if something or someone had sneaked into the yard.

As she climbed up the duplex, through the staircase window, half way up, she saw a man on the swing in the garden – sitting head bowed. His low fade hair cut and ox-blood polo shirt triggered a memory, but she wasn't in the mood to investigate the man’s identity, and so she began to think of the man as an imposter, an intruder, a thief. And all at once she picked her phone to call the police but changed her mind to approaching the man first with a gun before calling for help.

“Hey!" Amanda called on the man. She now had a chrome finished Pistol pointed at Jemeh’s head from behind. Jemeh turned around in shock and jerked backwards at the fright of the weapon until he just fell off the swing.

“Oh, it’s you again! This time, imma offer you some bullets in yah gat damn heart and not money.”

she motioned him up to his feet with the gun, “Hands on yah head.”

Jemeh stood up and followed her instructions nonchalantly; he could still see flashes of smiles creeping out of her intending mean face; her beauty had overwhelmed Jemeh's fear.

“You have a gun?... what on earth are you doing with it?” Jemeh spoke as if he knew her before.

“Shat da Bleep up! I’m da one with da gun, and should be doing da talking." Amanda shouted and took out the safety of the gun.

“Whoo! Easy, Ma’am!”Jemeh Sobered up.

“Imma ask some one more question, you answer em well, I let you go on one leg, but you answer em wrongly, I put a hole through yah chest, rodger that? “ she yelled.

Jemeh nodded in agreement.

“Now, who sent you?" Amanda asked with a steady gaze.

“No one, I just see myself hovering around you.”

“Hovering around me? What do you want?”

“ I don’t know, I swear I don’t know!”

“Snitch! You seem to know nothing. Yah gonna say something meaningful in da police custody,”Amanda said and took out her phone with the other hand and punched some numbers on the screen. She kept a watch on Jemeh with the corner of her eyes as she spoke with the person on the other end of the phone.

“Ma’am, please just let me go. I promise not to ever come here again," Jemeh said with a low voice.

“Too late, yah going nowhere.”

TBC....

EPISODE TWENTY ONE

“Grin!!!Grin!!!...Grin!!!Grin!!!..
.." the alarm clock started hooting.

Amanda twisted around the bed with groans as she buried her ears into the pillows until the clock just snoozed. In no time, the hooting came back. She dabbled her fingers around the bed lamp, grabbed the clock and muffed the sound under the pillow.

After a long weekend, Amanda would groan and moan before getting up from the bed on Monday mornings, and it was two hours later before she finally got up and sat in the middle of the bed, legs crossed. With heavy eyelids, she stifled a yawn and started looking around for her cell phone. In the process, her eyes collided with a familiar business card lying on the floor - the business card of the electrical company she’d contracted to fix her lights;
they were sending a technician by ten, her mind poked her.

“Damn! It’s almost ten!”she muttered as she looked into her iPhone, after which she made a sprint into the masters bathroom for a warm bath in the shower cubicle, definitely not in the bathtub.

In a few minutes, she dashed out of the bathroom, body and hair wrapped up in white towel.

Sitting in front of the mirror, she could see a young girly figure with an enchanting smiles. Her radiating light chocolate skin looked appealing, and her silky black hair extended beyond her shoulders, giving her a look of an African-American.

She was about to use the hair-brush when she saw revolts of water narrowing her forehead.

Out of rush, she’d bathed without the shower cap on. And now she’d to use
the hair dryer. She sighed as she took the machine and switched it on. But just before she started using it, she saw the reflection of what looked like a man walked past behind her in flashes of light through the mirror. Quickly she turned back but couldn't see anything. She became momentarily statled for a while, but not enough to stop her from what she was doing plus her doctor had told her she’d be seeing things.

Make-ups wouldn’t take much of her time; she’d been natural these days. But making her hair into French pleat all by herself would surely eat up her saved time.

If only mother was here, she groaned in silence and glanced at the framed picture place on the vanity table for a while before starting the battle with her hair.

In the end, she was transformed into an angelic figure an epitome of beauty and elegance, that stood about 5’11ft tall. She stood in front of the full length mirror and twisted around to observe the curves of her back side and adjusted her Vintage Cherry Short – Sleeved Fish Tail Trim Stretch Wrap Hip Brown Goon which was a perfect match for her animal skin stiletto heels.

Done, she rushed out to the garage, got into her convertable, flung her hand bag to the passenger seat, belted up, reversed into the street and zoomed off, trying to catch up on lost time.

√¶…dress it up with the tapping of love,
I’ll be captivated,
I’ll hang from you lips,
instead the gallows, or heartache that hang from above
And I’ll be your cry shoulder
I’ll be your love suicide
and I’ll be better when I’m older
I’ll be the greatest fan of your life…# d

Amanda was twerking behind the wheel as she listened to the piece by Edwin MC Cain, flowing out from the stereo; she moved her body easily to the rhythm as she steered the car. It became much more fun when she overtook any vehicle trying to race up with her.

She’d been living a very active lifestyle against the doctor’s advice concerning her health, and would have been charged by the police severally for over speeding, had the police in this country cared enough.

She got to her destination before she could slow down and then the zoom! zoom! of her engine announced to everyone of her arrival.

In the elevator, she met Nora – her secretary, standing in her usual nerdy glasses.

“Hi, Amanda,”Nora said.

“Hey, Nora! late as well?”

“No, I was in the third floor.”

“Girl! you been seeing Peter again? How many time he gotta knock yah gat
damn head before you realize it’s time?"

Nora blushed, “Hell no! I only went to submit a file to the MS department.”

“Oh, girl, I was just being naive. Did anyone came looking for me?”

“Non that – I’ve seen.”

Just then, the elevator door sprang open and the ladies stepped out.

The two ladies had a relationship that was beyond formal – they'd been confiding in each other ever since Amanda's arrival to Lagos from Atlanta Gorgia, about four years ago.

Amanda was disappointed when she met her office door opened; and disturbed when she met a middle-age man standing about six feets tall in her office, starting at the framed picture on her desk.

She did a quick inward rationalization: is he the man from the electrical
company? But he should’ve been held back at the reception. Or George – the man she once had an intimacy with; he was used to barging into her office even though they no longer date. No! he isn’t this tall. Then who da heck’s in ma office? Nora left my door opened! she groaned without letting out a sound.

She forced out a dry cough to alert the intruder. Jemeh turned around with a
bewildered look in his face; he gave her a continuous gaze with fainted smiles revealing his dimples. There was this soft light in Amanda face as she looked back at the man.

“Hi!” Jemeh said amidst his obvious stare.

Amanda trying to be as polite as possible, “Hello! Were you – sent by em…,”she paused, took out the business card from her hand bag and continued,“Were you
sent by Clif Electrical Services?”

“Nope – “

“Then who’re you – and how may I help you?"

“I don’t really know.”

“What! How yah get in, here?”

“Through the door?”

“You met it opened, aye?”

“yes.”



TBC...

does that means there is no need for CAC certificate for a self publisher?

EPISODE TWENTY

Several months had gone by, Jemeh sat out at ‘the Bull Inn'; a rich bar somewhere in Ikoyi. The bar was the coolest around, perhaps the only bar where you’re not permitted to get drunk? The high music started interfering with Jemeh’s meditations. Was the place meant for those that wanted to be thoughtful? He wasn’t really finding alleviation in the battle of whisky beside him. His head was a mess – verified by the colour of his eyes.

Shortly after, the lights and musical started flickering.

“Yes!... serves them right,” he hummed as he started walking towards the exit of the hall with the bottle of rum suspended in his armpit.

On getting to the carparks, he found Chivera sitting on the bonnet of his SUV. He threw a look of surprise at her and
sobered up a little.

“ How did you find me? “ Jemeh queried Chivera.

“Moche! Give me a map and a rule.”

“I’m not drunk, hey! Don’t give me that moche thing,”Jemeh yelled softly,
resting his hand on Chivera's shoulder.

"Your breath is fermented," Chivera shifted away "Let’s go somewhere peaceful,” she said and moved to her car.

Chivera's car took the lead and Jemeh followed behind. It was past ten at night, the usual humming of the traffic had gone. They drove to another bar and took to a table.

"...I wasn't following you. I was just on a slow ride when i saw your motor," Chivera explained.

"I've told you it's an S-U-V, not motor!"

"Outdated, eh? That SUV is a mess."

"Alright, alright! Where exactly were u coming from?" Jemeh asked.

"I was just going home from the club."

"So early? Tell me something else."

"Yeah, I forgot I'd to do some paper work before tomorrow."

"And it can't wait till tomorrow?"

"I said before tomorrow! What's eating you up, Jemeh? I'm here now, you can talk to me."

"I'm sorry, but this one isn't meant for you to solve, my supper friend."

"You're becoming secretive, Jemeh."

"It's nothing to hide, Vera, I can handle it."

"Then why do you need money so badly? Want a house?" asked Chivera.

"No, my flat is cool for now. I have a court case with my uncle. He's trying to claim my late Dad's properties".

"Moche! That's awful. But why is that?"

"It's an an African problem. How did you know i needed money?"

"Nase! I work in account, remember?"

"Yes...emm, you told me you were born in Paris, grew up in New York before coming to Nigeria. I want to ask; why Nigeria?"

"Personal," answered Chivera.

"Really?"

"I'll tell you someday, if you never cross my path."

"I can beat you hands down. C'mon let's get a try," Jemeh stood up, making a zigzag movement and punching the air.

"You're embarrassing, sit down!" Chivera said, smiling as she grabbed Jemeh by the hand and pulled him down to his seat with great force.

"Woo! Easy!" Jemeh exclaimed. "You have the bones of a granny clothed in a young flesh."

"Oh really? You're not the first to say that," said Chivera.

"I can still kick your ass," Jemeh said.

"You can't get close to it except I ask you to."

"Like I'm an intimacy gadget?"

"Hahahaha, girls rule!"

"O yeah?"

"But frankly, I was impressed how you acted like a gentle man for the short time you stayed in my house."

"I'm not a saint."

"You were seeing someone?"

"Nope."

"Then why didn't you make a move at me? Were you scared?"

"Maybe you read my mind."

"C'mon give it a shot right now, Jemeh."

"Poom! Will you be my girl?"

"Silly!" Chivera threw a light punch at Jemeh, "That's not how to woo a girl," she said, then her phone started ringing.

Seeing the caller, she walked out of sight to answer the call, after which she came back only to say goodbye, ignoring Jemeh's inquisitive questions about the caller.

"See you at work tomorrow...chao!" she said and left in her car.



TBC...

should I beg u guys for more likes n comments?

yomioliver:
wanted! wanted!! wanted!!! authorsegun is officially wanted for quick update

hahahaha! noted, man.

queenitee, where are you na?

EPISODE NINETEEN

Chivera could be quiet laconic when it comes to official dealings and she was
pretty much a manic. Jemeh was just discovering all these about her.

In Niyi’s office, Jemeh looked perplexed as he spoke, “Sir, I’m sorry, I don’t drive,”he said and dropped the key on Niyi’s desk.

“What? How did you get this job in the first place?”

“I never had the opportunity to learn driving, sir – my father never owned a car.”

“Nonsense!” Niyi snapped. “ I didn’t have a car, my father neither but I could
drive at ‘twenty.”

Niyi collected the car key from the desk.

“ You may call Uber for all I care. All I want is the errand accomplished before ten. You may leave."

Jemeh left in search of Chivera once again. He hated the fact that she was his only friend around, despite her audaciousness. He found her, and told her he wasn’t having enough cash to take him down to Ikeja as Niyi had insisted and she helped him with a petty-cash from the accounts.

Upon launch, Chivera took him to a cross-road restaurant some meters away from the office building. There they sat facing each other. Chivera’s facial was sort of Janet Jackson. Jemeh had been an admirer of the singer since he was a teen. He loved most especially, the contour in her lower jaw. He giving Chivera an obvious stare as they sat exchanging a scanty conversation. He couldn’t understand the many favours from the ‘Chocolate’ girl sitting in front of him, when in all ramifications, they were a million miles worlds apart.

Chivera thought of fried rice and chicken as an acceptable food for Jemeh and Chinese rice for herself, so she made the order through a whisper, as the waiter lowered her head.

“As i was saying, Mr. Jemeh, you’ve got to step up your lifestyle,” Chivera said, searching for Jemeh's brown iris. "Do you have an international passport?”she asked.

“No,” Jemeh replied, not looking up from the flowers on the table. He wished he could just vanish.

“This organization sponsors staffs abroad for conferences, capacity building and the likes," Chivera continued as she received her order from the middle age waiter. “you'd need a passport and some driving skills."

"Alright," Jemeh said, waggling his legs underneath the table unconsciously.

“Woops! careful, you almost spill the drinks everywhere!” Chivera shouted.

But it wasn't Jemeh’s knees that had propped the table from its balancing.

“So sorry,” Jemeh quickly said as he lifted his head from the table. He was beginning to be a mess, he'd better put up a composure, he thought and sat uprightly.

“I’m sorry, I'd to make the order for you” Chivera said, Pushing the plate of rice burdened by a roasted chicken lap to Jemeh.

“It’s alright, I can’t ask for more,” Jemeh said in a low voice; he hadn’t been his usual perky self since morning.

They finished up with eating and went back to the office building. Jemeh thanked Chivera once more as they parted to their respective offices, but if only he knew he'd just dinned with a she-devil.

By the time Jemeh got home that day, it was quarter past ten at night. He was hot and frazzled from the terrible traffic on the mainland bridge.

As he trudged his way up the stairs, he met Fatima on the staircase but couldn’t give her any attention.

Getting to his room, it was void of heartbeats. He took off his tie and flung it to nowhere. He unbuttoned his shirt and collapsed on the sofa - the cocktail party had drilled him. Although he’d made a few friends from it though and his appointment letter lay on his chest as he slept off.

Judas later got in with Freda. he picked up the letter and read through.

Life is a race; it doesn’t matters who started first, agreed Judas to his own rumination. But as much as he now wanted Jemeh to stay, he knew it won’t be long before Jemeh would get his own apartment and put Freda to quietness.

TBC...

thanks for following, man.

Ann2012:
Thanks for the update

Jemeh, don't go and meet Fati, you'll regret your actions later bcs you ain't in a relationship with her yet.

thanks for following, dear.

EPISODE EIGHTEEN

Jemeh ‘d been up since half-past four. It’d be his first day at work. By now, he was almost done with dressing; he wasn’t the foppish type, yet didn’t lack Style. The light-blue button-down TM-Shirt and black pant trousers from the shopping he’d done days ago was a perfect blend for an office outfit. He flickered another nervous glance at his new wrist watch and added more speed, as he struggled with the black tie, hung around his neck in the barely light-up room.

The first time he'd much battling with a tie was on his matriculation ceremony day at the Polytechnic. And at
the end of the day, it was his father who came to his rescue. The throwback erupted remorse in his face but couldn't get him to slacken his concentration; all he wanted right now was to beat the traffic on the mainland bridge and some folks had given him the clue to a cheap escape. He wish he could get a glimpse of what his tasks at the office would be.

He kept ruminating about his task as he arranged his credentials into his file-bag and soon look ready to bounce.

He took his last glance at Judas and Freda, he knew somehow they were awake, even though they never moved nor groaned as they laid under the mosquito net while he was dressing up.

As Jemeh was inside the bus, he thought of what could have made Freda suddenly decided to move in with them in a one room apartment even though she'd a better apartment for herself; what was keeping her till date?

Coincidentally, the answer to his inner voice was telling in the quarrel between Freda and Judas back home.

“… for how long, Judas?” Freda yelled as she propped herself up on one elbow
on the bed.

“for as long as he wants to stay”, Jemeh yelled back, getting up from the bed.

“Tell me, why are you trying to be nice to him, after all this was your idea?" Freda asked aloud and got up at once and followed behind Judas. “Or is it because he now has a job? Hmmm! I said it!”

“Don’t count your chickens before the eggs have hatched, “ Judas said without looking back.

“If you want to talk to me, talk straight and face me… I don’t have time for your stupid proverbs. How am I so sure that you even love me? How am I sure you are not still dating me only because you don’t want to pay back the money you owe me?”

“Watch your over free tongue, short woman!”

“I hate you, Judas!” Freda’s eyes loomed up anger all of a sudden. She hated being reminded of her height - the height she’d inherited from her mother - an inheritance that had robbed her off her runway model dream.

“A lot of people hate me, I don’t care”, Judas chuckled.

Freda’d followed behind him to the bathroom and now they were back to the room. She took out the DVD player and was about to smash it to the ground.

“I’ve not yet married you, you are already destroying things and giving order on who stays with us or not. See, you can’t come and cause enmity between my brother and I. Freda, I think you should just go because Jemeh will stay for as long as he wanted."

“What things?” Freda asked still holding the player. “The one that I bought with my money or which? For your information, I'm tolerating you only because I’ve taken in. I ‘m pregnant – I’m carrying your child," Freda reiterated, peering into Judas face, which was looking like… ehen? Is this the first time we are hearing that? “And for your information," she continued, "I’m not going to abort it. I won’t fold my arms and let you ruin my life."

The words of Freda was a dew that damped Judas' countenance. He’d always been the one giving up in their quarrels, and this time, it was another big surrender. For the first time, Freda
was making sense to Judas. To start with, Freda was clocking twenty eight the following month, she wasn’t jobless neither shapeless, he stole a new glance at her.

“But…but why are you just informing me about the pregnancy now?”

“I don’t know!” Freda snapped.

Judas didn’t doubt her. He could almost trust her fidelity. And he didn’t forget the countless number of unprotected sex they'd had especially since she moved in about three weeks ago. He’ d also noticed the changes in Freda: spotting, frequent urination, sore boobs, fatigue, morning sickness and so on.

Even though Judas wasn't so educated, he was a good observer. He lowered himself to the sofa like a weak old man and sat with his heard buried in between his hands. He never wished to raise a family in a single room apartment and
in such environment – he wasn’t even sure he was ready for one, and if it wasn’t for his nagging mother for a grandchild, he wouldn’t be considering settling down right now.

At the end of their arguments, they’d managed to get ready for work and left in the same bus.

They worked very close to each other, while Judas was a production line supervisor, Freda worked as an accountant in a law firm close by; that was where they'd met three years ago; in their work environment.

“Hey, Mr. Jemeh! Welcome on board!” Chivera appeared just on time to calm Jemeh’s uneasiness as he looked around in the reception room, not sitting. She was looking smart as usual in a milk pantsuit, neutral closed-toe pumps, and a conservative blue blouse to match. Her make-up was unobtrusive.

“Thanks” its good to see you again,” Jemeh said admist warm smiles.

“Nice blend you’ve got there, buh…,”Chivera said stealing a gaze at Jemeh’s outline.

“Oh! Thanks once again, Miss Chivera,” Jemeh said very fast, glancing at himself.

Chivera moved closer to him and balanced his tie which was slightly askew and tapped him gently on his chest. Jemeh felt a little embarrassed. He understood her sarcasm. If only she knew he couldn’t use the mirror and how much effort he had used to put the tie that close.

“Follow me, I’ve been asked to show you to your office,”Chivera cut-in and led the way. They got to the office next to Mr. Anderson’s and stopped. The luxury of the office settings took Jemeh abake. He wanted to let out his euphoria but he could stillsuppress it.

“Here we are! Your duties lie between a Secretary and a Personal Assistant to Mr.
Anderson, the tall man, you know him,”she continued,“Your obligations are somewhat similar to mine, except for me being your superior – and also in the accounts and you’re not.” she grinned at her own whine and leaving Jemeh to himself.

Jemeh hated her guts already, but having her around was worth her sarcasm at least for now. He stood at the door post, finding it hard to convince himself that the office was really his. Dry whispers of laughs crept out of his mouth as he made a jest of himself for being scared of the kind of life that he used to imagine.

He flipped another gaze at the black giant swivel chair placed behind the desk and smiled to the chilling air conditioner with the corner of his mouth. The set of computer and printer on the marble desk gave him an assurance of the demand for Microsoft excel knowledge and maybe much more. It wouldn’t have been a problem if only he'd not read the course having to do with Microsoft excel only to pass his final exams.

His mind beeped up and he slightly raised his face to see the CCTV camera hung at the right corner of the ceiling.

“Eish! No privacy!” he murmured and sat on the chair, leaving the door partly
opened and not fully relaxed on the chair - maybe he needed someone to break it down to him again that he was in his office and wasn’t a visitor there.

He flicked the power button of the computer set and the screen beamed up. Then he began to comb the system to see what documents and applications they’d installed in it.

He also discovered an active Wifi, which made him super excited. If only he knew the manic lifestyle of the office, he wouldn’t been joyous.

Not so long, a man barged into the office. He darted a surprising gaze at Jemeh, who was totally lost in the screen in front of him and let out a dry rasping cough. Jemeh jerked and lifted his eyes to see that it was Mr. Niyi. Jemeh’s inferiority complex which had almost vanished returned immediately at the rare sight of Niyi. Sober came dancing in Jemeh's face as he saluted the huge man standing in a long and big tie worn around his short neck – It was the longest and biggest tie Jemeh’d ever seen.

“hmm, young man, I can see you made it through, eh! Congratulations! But you’d better perform to expectations as my Personal Assistant, else, I won’t hesitate to show you the way out of this company," Niyi said as he dropped something on jemeh’s desk, which turned out to be a car key and a brown parcel envelop.

What! Mr. Niyi's PA! How come na, Chivera! Jemeh almost voiced it.

But then he quickly reminisced the words of his late father : the best way to calm a furious man is to make him your teacher.

“Thank you, Sir. I’ll do my best under your supervision, Sir,”Jemeh said, looking up at the man.

“hmm! smart one!” Niyi said, letting out a devastating smile. “That’s
the key to the black camry at the subway. Take the document to merchant bank at Ikeja – the address is on the envelope. The bank manager is already aware I’m sending you. I need it done before ten o’clock this morning,” he said and walked out immediately, frowning about being left out of the final selection process of the new employees.

Jemeh took the envelope and keys and stepped out of his office in search of Chivera. He didn’t see her at the reception, it was another lady that was behind the desk.

As he moved about, the older workers gave him a blind stare. The organization would do an introduction of the newly employed over a banquet dinner party - a laid down tradition of the organization and it was also there the organization would give out appointment letters to the freshers.

Jemeh’s frenetic looks caught Chivera’s attention, when she found him roaming in one of the floors.

“Moche! You're looking horrible, what’s up?” Chivera asked, peering into Jemeh’s face.

“Is driving part of my job?”

“I said what happened?”

“Mr. Niyi gave me this car key, to run an errand.”

“And...?"

“And I don’t drive.”

“Nase!” Chivera shook her head in disapproval.

Jemeh rolled his eyes,“What’s that?"

“It’s boring you can’t move a car, you know?”

“My Dad never owned a car, neither did I.”

Jemeh was beginning to sound awful, so she dismissed him.

“Go, go… go sort yourself out with him, arrgh! See you at lunch," she said, tapping Jemeh on his left shoulder and walked away.

TBC....

note: update is now twice weekly, thanks!

Another reader can see it this way: when a writer describes a character with word(s) meant for the opposite gender, it simply shows the character in question posses some traits of the opposite gender.

Fazemood:
Mind explaining what you meant by 'purposeful one'? I don't understand it sir.

done already.

I write from characters view...their perfections and imperfections are revealed in the dialogues, thoughts and narratives.

That is Jemeh's imperfection flaunted there. I should have had it quoted, that was the mistake. But I appreciate your keen observation, thanks!

Fazemood:
Jemeh!!! Guy as a guy I say "GO", but as a child of God I say "GO AWAY" . Terrebul temptation na this one o.

Authorsegun, this update is great but a little correction, Boys are referred to as 'LADS' while the girls are called 'LASS'. That's it.

Thanks for the correction, bro. But the error is a purposeful one.

EPISODE SEVENTEEN

“The deal is over, Judith.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yes!... and you’ve got to leave my house as soon as possible, in fact today!”

“Go to hell, Judas, I’m leaving right away!”

Whenever Judas needed to be confrontational, he’d transmogrify into a mental conversation and practice what to say and how to act.


Jemeh stood at the door post and let out a dry cough to bring back Judas from his mental rehearsal of imaginative conversation with Judith. He'd seen Judas that way a couple of times before.

“What are you looking at?” Judas snapped, his eyes dancing around.

“I’ve been wanting to ask, has Judith come to stay finally?”

“For what na! are we married?“She’ll soon leave.”

Jemeh looked at Judas with startled eyes, and wondered if the asshole knew already that his salary would be five times as much as his. Jemeh stood there smirking and chuckling to every other kind gesture showed by Judas.

Fatima came a bit later (about eleven at night) than usual, looking exhausted. She trudged her way upstairs and
met Jemeh snoozing at the balcony. She understood he’d been waiting for her, so, she moved closer and poked him by the side, then whispered,“Hello baby.”

“Huh! Baby?” Jemeh almost said aloud.“I must have nodded off. Fati, what kept you so long? I told you to be time conscious.”he said with heavy eyelids.

“No, you were knocked off," Fatima said, laughing.

“O yeah? Just as your awful smell is about to knock me out. Go and wash up abeg.” Jemeh smirked.

“You have started abi? Leave me alone!” Fatima forcefully pulled off Jemeh's hand from her body,“can’t you see that I have been working since six?”she flung the take-away pack in her hand at Jemeh and stamped heavily into her room.

“Thanks, Fati!, Fati!”

“mitchewww!”

The takeaway pack housed Jemeh’s fovourite for dinner: fried noodles and fried egg. Fatima had made this one specially for him, unlike the ones she made for her customers. Jemeh love the aroma and the spices in it: it'd been greenly garnished. He became a little uneasy with himself when he remembered he wasn’t going into any relationship with the 'lad'. But he’d been enjoying her company especially sometimes when being put off by Judas’s primitive attitudes.

Few minutes later, Fatima came out in her usual nighty - a baby-doll that exposed her turgid thighs. She sat, her legs astride the bench. The scent of her weavon oil was visible tonight; she smelt real good, wrapped up in the women’s fragrance.

Jemeh moved closer, “Fati, guess what?”he said.

“Just tell me. I can’t guess!”

“Alright, alright… see, I’ve been called to resume work at Merit Plc. next Monday."

“Wow!” Fatima screamed and jumped on Jemeh's body without waiting for details.

She held her arms around Jemeh’s neck as her ‘unbrad’ bosoms rested hopelessly on Jemeh's bare and hairy chest.

Jemeh felt apprehended by the multiple of sensation stimulated.

While they were both in foggy silence and still holding each other, Fatima extended her mouth to Jemeh’s numb and succulent lips and kissed him slightly. It was the kiss of emotional resurrection that made Jemeh reached her arms and pulled her closest. He tilted her head to a convenient angle and gave her a French kiss.

That was it, the very move that escalated the feelings. Fatima started creeping around Jemeh's body like a snake until her ass was right on his upper thighs with the tip of her bady-doll less an inches away from her ‘unpanted' ponny. Jemeh lost himself to the chemistry at that point, his instinct, moral and philosophies, nowhere to be found. He'd his eyes shut to the tingling in his body while sniffing in the musky fragrance of her hair and his fingers waggling about her soft spots. She let out a girly groan to the pleasure of her arousal. She could feel Something creeping underneath as she abandoned herself so much to the mercy of Jemeh’s unrest fingers.
.
The feelings seemed unstoppable but Fatima managed to get up all at once and tip-toed to the door post of her room so as not to alert her father, the landlord, whose room was opposite hers and looked back to Jemeh with an inviting stare.

Jemeh stood up, looking like an hypnotized dog while going to meet her. But he stopped halfway and began to rationalize whether to advance or retreat.

TBC...

EPISODE SIXTEEN

Sesan was no where to be found in the excitement a moment after. And even though he'd tried to hide it by keeping their conversation going, Jemeh was a good observant, he knew his success had driven him into the depth of despair.

In life, there is a dichotomy, a big one between success and failure. The failure of one friend brings sadness, what about success? Sadness and joy mixed up in Sesan's heart, he knew the end of them had come.

“Sesan, what's up?, why’re you moody?”Jemeh asked

“Baba, nothing o," Sesan answered, "Just that soon I’ll be hanging alone once again in here. By next two weeks I will travelled to Osun state, my level must change too na."

“I understand Sesan, you’re a big dude – I trust you’ll be just fine.” Jemeh said, tapping Sesan by the
shoulder. “I’ll keep in touch through correspondence. We’ll be hanging out.”

“What about the blocks?” Sesan butted-in.

“I’ll be here tomorrow to get our cash from Engineer Saliu and also to introduce you to him.”

That was cool to Sesan, who saw that as consolatory favour.

“You said you have an OND, right?”

“No, it was NCE.”

Was? Jemeh yelled in thought, maybe next time it’d be SSCE.

“Alright, will let you know, if anything shows up when I get there.”

Later that evening, Jemeh took the lead, unbelieving, leading Sesan by ten. There was no much conversation between the two and when darkness came snarling, and the guards came chasing. Jemeh left, but not Sesan, he knew how to sneak around the premises.

The next day Jemeh would lift a few blocks to make a round figure to boost his T-fare for the new job. He’d leave the greater portion to Sesan to lift in order to meet his yelling needs.

TBC..

EPISODE FIFTEEN

Jemeh bade Sesan goodbye and exited the site some minutes later. Sesan never had to leave the premises; he’d made the uncompleted buildings his estate ever since his arrival from Osun state. Later in the day, he’d retire to Madinat’s kiosk for some sticks of cigarette and sachets of herbal alcoholics before kissing his pillow of thorns.

The following day was a Wednesday. There had been a heavy downpour the previous night. Jemeh walked
on the water-logged field straight to where he’d worked the previous day. There he met Sesan already moving
the blocks. He wasn’t surprised at all – yesterday made it three months he’d been with this dude.

There was no chit-chat that morning before Jemeh swung into action. It looked they’d it all planned out to break only when the sun started throwing hot rays down the clear horizon. Sesan was at the lead as usual. Was he born for this? His energy seemed to be beaming up sequentially. Jemeh’d need a thousand years fitness training to match up.

“I’m not competing!" Jemeh said under his breath, consoling himself.

By noon he was starting to gasp for air and few minutes later, he’d no other choice than taking a break.

"Jemo! oya, oya, is not many again, let finish once and for us,” Sesan said to Jemeh on sighting him perusing for a dry portion to sit on.“…oya na, take trans, make you ginger.” his voice reduced as he climbed higher on the
stairs.

Jemeh knew it won’t be long before he'd join him, so he just let him talk to the air. And in the next minute, Jemeh was proven right.

“Jemo! How many did you carried?”Sesan asked as he took his seat beside Jemeh.

“A hundred and eighty, if I’m not mistaking,” Jemeh answered.

“You for try and complete it two hundred,”said Sesan.


“Don’t worry, before you return from outside, I’d have moved everything here," Jemeh said admist smiles. He knew Sesan don’t miss going out in succession to renew his energy.

“Hahaha! Jemo! Na magic?”Will you buy anything? I am going out or shall we just roll
together?”

“No, don't want to go out,” Jemeh emphasized while deeping his right hand into his side pocket.

Sesan gulped
down the chunk of saliva in his throat, looking at Jemeh’s pocket unblinking. He’d wanted to borrow some money from him but didn't have the courage because of his previous unaccountable debts with him.

Jemeh brought out his phone, it was a text message buzz.

Sesan withdrew his gaze, loosing the light in it.

“Yes!!!” Jemeh jumped up to his feet.

Sesan returned his eyes with a questioning gaze. “Fatima have agree for you, abi?” Sesan asked with a sigh.

“Huh!" Jemeh looked at Sesan with rolling eye balls. "Do you remember the last interview I had?”
he asked.

“Yes – the one for Island, abi?”

“Exactly! They’ve just texted me to resume work on Monday!”

“Wow! let me see." Sesan took the phone from Jemeh. "Baba, you don go o, level have change!”

“You can say that again,” Jemeh asserted and collected the phone back from Sesan.



TBC..