₦airaland Forum

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Nnamdi was a dreamer, in every sense of the word. He dreamt every night , sometimes his dreams made sense sometimes it didn’t. someone had once suggested he buy a book “titled the interpretation of dreams” he always brushed it off, some people were just dreamers. But tonight as he slept this dream was different, he sat in his old family house with his whole family, his father’s laughter rumbled round the house loudly as he rushed back to the dining room to catch the joke but just as he got near them the doors closed quickly, he tried to push it open but it wouldn’t bulge, then he heard his brother scream he pounced heavily at the door screaming his brothers name , beating hard at the door like a deranged animal that was when the phone woke him up.

He looked at the clock it was 4.00a.m angrily wondering who would be calling at that time he heard his best friend’s odibo’s voice “Nnamdi you have to get to the general hospital there is something wrong with your brother chudi” throwing the bed covers off and ignoring the naked body by his side he rushed to the hospital but it was too late his elder brother Chudi had died of a heart attack at the age of Thirty Five.the doctors could not explain the incident,
“his heart just stopped beating” the doctor muttered confused,
“I have never seen anything like that in my life” “one minute we were making our rounds sharing a joke the next minute your brother just slumped and died”

Nnamdi was numb, he couldn’t feel a thing , the memories of the dream haunted him, he looked at his best friend Odibo and saw a grown man crying like a baby but for him the tears would not come. Maybe it was because people in his family, people had a habit of dying off suddenly.


He remembered being a kid growing up in his country home of Abalaka in the Eastern part of Nigeria, every year someone died in his family. No one could explain it, it was like death visited each clan killing off all the males till there was no one left then IT moved to the next clan. He remembered the day they ran away from home. He was sixteen and they had received another news of death again. His mother came into their room and told them to pack, him, his brother and his sister Mary had stared at her as if she was mad because it was about 7.30 p.m, she suddenly screamed at them “pack your things we are leaving this cursed placed before you all die!!!” that had been 12 years ago, it was only later that they discovered their father had died that night. Their mum literally out of her senses had dropped them off with her sister’s family in Lagos and walked out of the house. That had been the last time they had ever seen their mother again,
so death was not new to him. staring at everybody for a few minutes he tapped his 6ft 2 best friend on the shoulder. “Odibo take me home I left a street girl in my house I don’t want her to clear my property before I get back.”

The funeral was bleak like most funerals, the fact that the rain wouldn’t stop pouring down would not help, his cousins and aunty stared at him with pity in their eyes. He had not shaved for three weeks since he heard about his brothers death and the beard was beginning to itch. Odibo stood by the officiating priest going over some last minute details whilst his eyes wandered to three pretty ladies with short dresses huddled at the far side of the church, they were probably one of Chudi’s friends, being a doctor attracted a lot of women so he was not surprised that most of Chudi’s friends here were ladies. If there was anything about the men in their family they were never short of female companions.

He looked at the time it was a quarter to two, if this rain did not stop they might have to bury his brother in the night and there was something wrong about that, his sister Mary walked in accompanied by three nuns, her eyes were red and swollen in contrast with the sparkling white nun’s outfit she wore. She came straight to him and for the first time in three weeks he cried, the tears flowed uncontrollably from his eyes as his sister hugged him. “get a hold of yourself ND we need to talk” she nodded to the priest and pulled him away from prying eyes into the priest’s office.

She went straight to the point “did you dream about this??” without waiting for an answer she continued “you have to go back to the village, uncle Moses wants to see you” “go back where?..” “listen you are now the only man left in our family, all uncle moses sons are dead, uncle Nnanna everybody is dead…its not normal and this must stop.” She held his hands and looked into his eyes. “you can stop it , I have prayed to God and I have seen IT”
“seen what?” Nnamdi asked staring into his sisters eyes as it widened with fear
“Death." she whispered ."and it ‘s large cloak cascades all over our family house, it is black, faceless and hungry , go home and chase it out.” With that she cleaned off her cloak and was out of the door, for the second time in a month Nnamdi was numb, whispering to himself in trepidation“ Death?”


The descendant's tale II-IV Currently on my blog for those that want to follow this story, i update every monday.

www.dakkylove.com

Please read and share.

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She stopped suddenly as her feet crushed stone,
The pain sending shock jolts through her spine.
For a split second she made as if to come to her senses
Fear temporarily flashing by, crawling into her nostrils
“I must continue “ “I must continue “she thought to herself.
Salvation peeked at her a few steps away.

She stopped at the foot of the Iroko tree as was instructed.
With a blink of an eye she threw down her wrapper.
Stark naked she held out the calabash, staring at an unseen deity
Tears flowed freely down her face, her pride washed off she was now empty.
Incantations she had memorized she began to recite.
The smell of a cooked meal attracting the wolves for a bite.

Time stood still for a moment as the maiden waited for a sign,
Fear had returned, she began to doubt the eyes of the oracle
Tears began to flow down her face but for a different reason
Surely she had not risked it all to become prey for the ungodly.
With a swift motion she dropped the calabash filled with roasted yam.
She had done her part, death would not twist its way to her in this forbidden Lawn.
With a twist of her hands her wrapper was firmly back in place.
Her legs picked up speed she would not die in this place.


http://www.dakkylove.com/

©


She made her way silently into the forest,
The sounds of danger loud in the distance, did not fill her with foreboding,
Her pain and anguish led her on, halting temporarily her fear of the forest.
Wearing nothing but a wrapper across her chest, the despondent maiden made her way into the forest.

Seven years she had tarried, counting on sticks her monthly cycle.
Seven years she had prepared, for a sign of carrying a fetus.
Seven years she had cried as all her friends had brought forth their offspring.
Seven years was more than enough to push her into the shrine of the Oracle.

Her husband had brought their enemies to the ground.
With his spear he had charged and led their village to victory,
Countless battles he was the hero, But in this one thing he fell short.
He had begun to feel his manhood being questioned,
Who would sing songs of his great feats in battle?
If there was no one to carry his name at death.

Seven years he had waited, gulping all the herbal concoction they brought forth.
Seven years he had protected her, his family would dare not utter a word at his presence.
Seven years he was now wary, he would let his hand be forced.
Seven years he had loved her, now it was time to love another.


http://www.dakkylove.com/

Thanks a lot......

So i am excited to begin another project ...well sort of i still need to finish A tale of four women which i am working on and elaborate on a poem for joe , break it down and turn into prose but this story has been coming to me for a while so i decided to write a prologue so i would not forget about it and complete it.

going to share an extract of the prologue here, the concluding part of the prologue can be read on my blog.

your feedback is welcome.

©

[center]BLACK WIDOW [/center]


He walked into the study as directed by the manservant at the doorway, he marveled at its opulence and exquisite furnishing.
chandeliers dangled from the ceilings , it’s clear cut glass sparkled like diamonds suspended in the air giving the room a whimsical look.

he spotted by the corner a piano perched by the dining set, carvings etched on its wooden frame signifying it was an antique of great value, the sofa was soft to the touch he gave an involuntary whistle as he sighted the magnificent painting that stood on the far side of the wall , even to his untrained eye he could tell that it was of great value, with his hands perched in his pockets he continued to survey the room marveling to himself “There are Rich and there are “Rich” people “he thought, everything in this house smelt of long money, not quick riches obtained from Bank loans and sharp deals, the wealth he could see in this house was the type of wealth where Bank CEO’s outside the country would be on first name basis with the owner, surprisingly there was no tinge of envy and it was not just that the owner of the house lay dead in a mortuary in Ikoyi , Richard was not an envious man , dedicated and hardworking he would rather get his own things than look with envy at what belonged to another or so he thought until he saw HER.


A splashing noise turned his attention to the windows at the far left of the study, his curiosity got the better of him so he walked cautiously and peeped, what he saw took his breath away.

She glided out of the swimming pool like a siren rising out of the ocean, Wet Raven Black hair dropped to her shoulders framing her beautiful face, her skin was literally like pure cream chocolate, she held the railings of the swimming pool and paused throwing back her head and letting the sun rays fall on her body, he followed the rays as it revealed firm rounded breasts , literally almost bursting through a tiny lemon green bikini top, her tummy flat and spotless glistened under the hot sun as tiny drops of water glided down to her well rounded hips and legs….long legs that seemed to go on forever, Richard felt himself tighten before he let out a breath , he had never in his Thirty Five years seen such a beautiful woman up close.

Suddenly she opened her eyes and looked straight at him , he jolted back afraid of being caught , he took a second look at the drapes and realized there was no way someone outside could see into the main building “or could she?” he thought haphazardly , he turned back and slumped on the sofa remembering the warnings he had received when he had been assigned this case.


http://dakkylove..com/

nice

Zimbabwe: Mugabe Blasts Mandela, Claims SA Unemployment Causing Xenophobic Attacks




Admitting he was spewing "poison", President Robert Mugabe on Wednesday blamed unemployment in South Africa for the vicious xenophobic attacks against foreigners there, including Zimbabweans.

Clearly revelling in his role as Africa's political grandee and elder statesman, Mugabe claimed that Africa's second biggest economy needed help from its poorer neighbours.

"We must help them; they need another liberation," said the veteran leader who, at 91, is old enough to be the father of most SADC leaders.


He was addressing a press conference in Botswana after visiting the headquarters of the regional SADC grouping which he currently chairs.

Zimbabwe has struggled with a serious economic crisis for about 15 years. The crunch shows no sign of easing and has forced an estimated one million locals across the border into South Africa in search of a better life.

President Jacob Zuma, frustrated by criticism over his government's response to recent xenophobic attacks, challenged regional leaders to consider why their people were running off to South Africa.

Despite conceding that countries such as Zimbabwe needed to do more to stop the stream of migrants to South Africa at a SADC summit in Harare last month, Mugabe changed tack in Gaborone on Wednesday.

The problem, he claimed, was that South Africa is failing to create jobs for its people.

Independent economic commentators say unemployment in Zimbabwe is close to 90 percent but the Harare administration claims its just 11 percent since most of those without formal jobs work as vendors.

His government's optimistic view of Zimbabwe's jobless stats probably encouraged Mugabe to lecture South Africa.

"The pressures with people of South Africa are so much that we cannot avoid incidents of that nature (xenophobia)," said the Zanu PF leader.

"People are unemployed, lots of young men and women are in the streets so when they see people from neighbouring countries running small shops they conclude that it's these people that have robbed them of their chances, which is not the case.

"It's not the other African, but it's a factor of the whites that have kept opportunities to themselves.

"The political dispensation did not address the disparities between white and black with most of the land in the hands of whites and most of the employment opportunities enjoyed by them (whites)."

Mandela got it wrong

He would not resist another dig at Nelson Mandela - the globally revered anti-apartheid revolutionary who Mugabe sees as a rival in the pantheon of Africa's greatest liberation leaders.

Mandela, Mugabe said, forgot that political freedom meant little without the transfer of wealth from white former oppressors to the freed black majority.

"This is what Nelson Mandela forgot to do," said the Zimbabwean leader.

"He (Mandela) thought freedom was number one, which was correct but when they negotiated they got freedom but with European rights preserved.

"This was controlled freedom. So that is the problem. There has not been as much access (to resources) by Africans as we have here and in our countries."

After helping end white racist rule in 1980, Mugabe has overseen the transfer of prime farmland from a few thousands whites to black Zimbabweans and is now targeting foreign-owned mines and industries.

Critics however, say his much-vaunted black empowerment policies have impoverished Zimbabweans with the country - a former net food exporter - now relying on food aid and imports with no formal economy to talk about as industries have collapsed.

Still, Mugabe said the ANC-led administration in Pretoria must, as he did, target the country's wealthy white population.

"It's a xenophobia of whites, not of blacks. You cannot live in palaces while others are living in shanties. Anyway, the ANC should take care of that," he said.

Having helped South Africa attain freedom in 1994, Zimbabwe and other neighbouring countries needed to do it all over again.

"So we must help them. They need another liberation," said Mugabe.

Aware that his remarks would likely cause disquiet across the border the Zanu PF leader remarked: "They will say this Mugabe talks poison.

"I give poison not for you to swallow but to give to someone else."

Thanks for the criticism duly noted.

So don't be upset guys i am not posting any more updates on this story, there are updates on my blog but i did not finish it because i am reworking it to be published, but the updates on my blog give you an insight on what the tea really is that connects this women.

when you get to my blog search the labels for Fiction Tale of four women.

http://dakkylove..com/

I might post another series of a story i worked on on NL, but i will be definitely be posting some poetry very soon.

thanks for following.

Mario1983:
There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you, i feel for jumoke because fiction is the truth inside a lie.

word ...there are people who are so angry and dismissive on the outside but people fail to realize they have bigger issues they are dealing with.....There are a lot of Jumoke's, Esthers trapped in a loveless marriage that has taken them away from their faith, Lillian's with so much pain and tribulation from their home's that drive them to use their body to survive and Ndidi's....who have been molded from Birth and situations to be overly ambitious, dogged in their approach and not recognize true love when it stares them in the face .

The Awakening ©

Jumoke tapped her fingers impatiently as she waited for the Legal Team handling the companies affairs to leave,
Lawyers were like Kangaroos, they appeared to jump at the slightest opportunity straining their long necks and always prophesying doom, they had showed up unannounced to her office to discuss the Companies financial situation , she knew that she would be deceiving herself if she thought they were remotely interested in the companies affairs they were just bothered about their Fat Retainers .

Her father had been unusually absent these days his vacation had been extended by one week then another now three weekd extra, she suspected as was always the case with her dad that he had come across some little young thing in the Bahamas that had him distracted,
"so miss Benson i suggest the best way to resolve this issue is for you to travel to India and bargain with the chemical companies" The leader of the group suggested politely, she managed to force out a grimace wondering why the Principal partner of the firm had thought it wise to be absent from this intrusive delegation he sent, in truth Jumoke's head was reeling she looked at them squarely, sizing each one of them in their smart suits and polished shoes they had been receiving N2,000,000 monthly as retainer for doing practically nothing apart from regular Insurance renewal and shipping contracts rectification , in all honesty if she was going to cut costs she decided that she would commence by moving their business to a cheaper law firm. She was not ready to move an inch out of Lagos State until she was certain Lillian was in stable condition and out of her coma, a part of her knew her behavior could be termed as irrational ,feeling so strongly attached to a a stranger but she felt that maybe in Lillian she had found the intimate relationship that she had been lacking all her life, she had not heard from her mother or siblings for almost two years and her father,s relationship with her was more business than personal , she decided that she would control her notorious temper and usher this lawyers out of her office cordially, she was aware that their contract with them had a few more months to run it's course and she did not want to expend the companies resources on a law suit that could come from their vendetta. Lawyers she thought to herself what a bunch of wolves.

Ndidi stretched in contentment as the sound of running water woke her up, she opened her eyes and for a minute and felt disoriented before it suddenly dawned on her that she was not in her own bedroom. "Fredrick" she whispered out loud suddenly remembering the events of last night, she looked down at herself and couldn't remember changing her clothes or putting on this over sized man's T shirt she was wearing ,
The noise of the running water stopped and she suddenly felt shy, Fredrick walked in wearing a pair of briefs with water dripping from his dark tan body, she tried not to duck under the covers she couldn't understand what was happening to her she was not this jittery under any situation. He stopped and smiled when he noticed she was awake "hey" he said softly, "hey" she responded sitting up, " didn't mean to wake you up" "it's fine" she responded wondering if she should just blurt out that she could not remember what happened late last night.
"i know that look Ndidiamaka" he laughed tossing his towel on the bed playfully "what look ..did you drug me last night this doctor eh?" she repeated playfully suddenly lunging at him, grabbing his neck and choking him mockingly , he picked her up effortlessly and threw her on the bed like she was some limp rag doll ,she loved playing around like this without a care in the world , she sat up grabbing his briefs for support as she placed her head on his flat tummy, he instinctively held her close , she sighed wondering where this man had been during the dark periods in her life.
"what happened last night Fred?" she finally asked. He pulled away and looked at her seriously "you were in shock, you kept muttering gibberish about some Nurse Esther and Rotimi, talking about blood this and blood that to be honest you scared me, i had never seen you like that and then you kept on shivering, when i looked at your eyes and noticed that your cornea was becoming dilated i gave you a cocktail of drugs to calm your nerves and then you slept off" she pulled him closer in gratitude brushing her face against his hairy belly "do you want to talk about it?" he asked stroking her hair softly, "no, i just want to keep on rubbing my head against your belly " she responded soothingly crushing him tightly "you,re like one big teddy bear fred with a big ass though" Fred laughed slapping her hands off ," If you keep that up i will show you how much of a bear i am " Ndidi laughed falling back on the bed , pulling off the shirt she was wearing and stretching seductively "Show me then, just how much of a bear you are."

Esther walked briskly into the Finance department of the hospital, as expected by 8.00 a.m the place was almost empty only Debo the secretary had come, He was busy munching on agege bread with tea when she came in,"Good morning ma " he greeted ,"good morning dear, is Alex not around?" she asked , "no not yet" he replied she knew that Alex the Chief Accountant came in daily at 9.00 a.m so she figured she had about an hour to source for the information she needed, "i really need to check my mails can you help me turn on his system, my husband sent me an important message from Ghana " she was surprised at how comfortable she had become with lying and worst of all how at peace she was with this arrangement with the reporter, last night she had slept well for the first time in a long time, she felt as if sharing her burden with another human being had made her feel lighter, Debo as she suspected was eager to buy her story and offer his assistance without hesitation ,her reputation in the hospital was solid everyone looked up to her. Alex's seat was located behind Debo's and the junior accountant Stephen's desk so it was very easy for her to delve straight to the hospital information software without Debo having a clue as to what she was up to, she was grateful for the minimal knowledge she had in computer applications so she did not find it difficult navigating through the system, she typed in Lillian Philips when the patient information list came up and was surprised to get no result, she tried again but got no match, she was surprised and began to panic, she scrolled to where patients names were arranged with an L ,patiently scanning through about a dozen names but she could not find Lilian Philips anywhere , she was confused according to what she was looking at here Lillian Phillips was not even in the hospital's directory as a registered patient,. she cringed as she heard Debo begin to scrape the bottom of his tea cup with his spoon, scooping the last remnants of the beverage stuck in his cup "Debo" she said sharply, perhaps too sharply as the young man jumped. "have you people updated your software?" "software ? " Debo repeated with a blank expression on his face, "our information system has it been changed" enlightenment suddenly showed on his face. 'no ma, it's the same programme we have been using." Esther was exasperated , forcing a smile to avoid suspicion she shut down Alex,s system and left.
she could not understand why Lillian Phillips was not registered as a patient in the hospital, for someone who was staying in the executive suite who was paying the outrageous bills she wondered to herself. she began to sweat on her palms the exhilaration of this morning leaving her, she suspected that if she did not give that reporter all she wanted she may report them to the police and she could not risk that, she walked to the end of the fourth floor and saw something familiar which made her stop, "The file room" she thought to herself, "it contained all the documents on patients including doctor,s notes and each file on a patient contained that patients ID no" she walked briskly to the file room, as expected it was open the file manager had either not come to the office or was busy eating breakfast somewhere, she walked to the cabinet and found the section for patients who had been registered three weeks ago, just as expected she found Lillian Phillips file, she quickly brought out her phone and took down the ID nos.

If Debo was surprised to see her return so soon he did not show it, he didn't even ask her any questions as she made a beeline for Alex,s system, the time was now 8.45 a.m and she was aware she had less than 15 minutes to extract the information and leave, the system took forever to restart and she was beginning to lose her patience , sighing in relief when eventually the system came on, hurriedly she sorted out patient's names through their ID numbers and gasped out loud in surprise when she found a match for Lillian Phillips , Debo who at this time had been chatting away in yoruba on the office phone line jumped again, "Nurse na wetin?" he asked , she forced a smile "Nothing dear , the message my husband sent" she lied " ..his grand aunt just died.' "sorry for your loss ma" he said half heartedly continuing with his conversation, Esther shut down the system and walked slowly back to her office, what she just saw made no sense.

Jumoke rushed out of her apartment almost knocking down a man in uniform in the process, "what is wrong with you are you blind?' she shouted angrily, "i am sorry ma " the young man replied politely tilting his cap as she gave him a rude look, " who are you by the way?" "sorry ma I'm Tony the new security man we will be taking over from akpan & co" "taking over?" jumoke queried, nobody had informed her of any change , she hissed loudly and continued on her way , she was running late for a meeting and would deal with this later. Breezing into the meeting she almost knocked over her secretary who was coming out of the meeting room carrying a tray filled with used tea cups "what is it today can't anyone see!" she barked angrily , she breezed in to see the other members of staff already seated, refusing to apologize she marched angrily to the seat at the head of the conference table, she almost screamed out loud when she heard a phone ring but held her tongue when she discovered it was hers , picking it up she shouted "what!" "hello is this miss benson" a cultured voice at the end of the line replied, she almost bit her lip in regret praying it was not one of their customers. "yes please who is speaking?" she queried. "i am calling from executive springs madam,there was no one else to call""yes" Jumoke repeated impatiently fearing the worst."i just want to inform you that miss philips has just come out of a coma" "what!" jumoke could hardly believe her ears "Miss Lillian Phillips madam, she came out of the coma she has been in about 15 minutes ago" Jumoke cut the phone and rushed out without giving the other members in the room a backward glance , all she could think of was "Lillian is ok now." this time she actually knocked down a messenger that had been bringing documents to the meeting room, "get out of my way!"she barked as papers went flying every where.

Ndidi threw another mint into her mouth as she danced out of Fred,s kitchen , she had just washed off the bowl they used to drink cereal and was humming away contentedly, this morning had been beautiful , she had literally pushed Fredrick out of his house to go to work this morning he had not wanted to leave her ,she could not remember the last time she had felt this happy in a long while, she knew she had to get to work herself but she was in no rush to get back into her crazy reality,her phone rang shattering her mood, rushing to the bedroom she hurriedly picked it up before it rang off, she stayed silent for a couple of minutes not saying a word until the conversation was over, throwing another mint into her mouth she smiled like she had just hit the jackpot muttering out loud. "well..well....well Dr Richard Omisakin what have you to do in our precious story line" she dialed Abbass's number immediately not bothering with phone etiquette as soon as he picked "Abbass it,s me" she blurted out "listen i need you to find out everything about Dr Richard Omisakin..yes owner of Executive Springs hospital, i want to know his connection with Lillian Phillips and why he is paying her hospital bills, ..yes of course do whatever it takes." Ndidi felt great with herself when the call had been completed ,she always liked it when her hunches were right. she had always known from day one that there was more to this story and finally the hidden characters were coming to life, she could not wait to get to the end of this story something big was brewing.....

....Love this

i will give you a tip Lillian is not dead so her story isn't finished yet......but yes every story needs that protagonist and Ndidi is the strongest character of the lot and jumoke is my least favorite ....they are all my babies though and i tried to make the characters as realistic as possible, for every character there are people who can identify with their struggles. cc@fareedah86 @Mario1983

A reader told me that i was dismissive with Lillian's character and generous with Nididi's character, what do you think? I cant lie she is my fave character and i might develop her as a protagonist in a full novel who knows but was i too dismissive with Lillian? what do you think?

A TALE OF FOUR WOMEN (Scratching the surface) ©

Ochuko walked into his father,s 11th floor office with a scowl on his face, He had been getting ready to witness the Formula one Monaco Grand Prix competition in Monte Carlo when his father,s call came through, his father's voice was even less curt and harsh than usual. "Oghenochuko where have you been? " he barked, " you were supposed to be back in Nigeria since last week have you been following the news " "Dad.." he had tried responding " you better be here by Tuesday latest " with that he hung up, that was three days ago, dressed in a Polo T shirt and jeans Ochuko swung his long legs with confident strides as he made a beeline for his father,s office, the stir amongst the office staff was evident, the atmosphere suddenly becoming quiet and a re echoing of "good morning sir" following him, he ignored them all, stopping only at his father,s door to chat with the secretary a middle aged skinny woman who was standing over a young pretty woman in her early twenties typing on the keyboard with alarming speed "Ochuko he,s been waiting for you since yesterday." the woman said casually not looking away from the computer screen , he smiled feigning surprise "really!" "Morning Sir" the young lady said nervously, he saw the older woman scowl but he ignored her. "are you new here miss.."he inquired raising his eyebrow "Jackelyn Sir..yes i am" Ochuko peered at her low cut camisole giving him ample view of her cleavage "not bad" he half muttered to himself, " your wife has been calling, she left several messages with your father." "wife?" Ochuko queried he had almost forgotten that the traditional wedding made him a married man "yes ..Lucy i will call her " he replied shrugging nonchalantly "so chief is in." he asked tearing his eyes away from the lady,s breasts , she nodded Ochuko didn't even wait for a response before bursting into his father,s office.

His dad sat with his glasses perched on his nose, he was dressed in a neatly tailored dark suit with his bulging stomach protruding visibly from under his trouser belt . He looked up as Ochuko approached, grunted noisily and continued reading the papers,
"Miguo Papa" Ochuko greeted , as expected his dad ignored him, they had played this scene before, he went to the large windows and stared down at the activity below, he remembered peering through this window as a child and getting excited viewing Tin can island port visible at a distance from the view the windows exposed , dreaming of becoming a sailor ,that seemed like a life time ago right now. "Ochuko tell me which married man leaves his wife for three weeks without even calling" his father began after he had folded the newspapers he had been reading neatly on his table, Ochuko said nothing experience had taught him to let his father vent responding was just going to make matters worse "and to make matters worse you fly from the UK to Yemen to Mexico and then Monte Carlo making it difficult to track you down, you told me you were going to be gone for one week to attend a friends wedding and you suddenly disappear!" Ochuko kept his gaze firmly fixed on the window with his hands in his pocket trying not to get upset, he was thirty five years he didn't need to be scolded like a baby but his dad was still his boss 'for now' "as if all that was not bad enough it,s all over the papers that the prostitute you,ve been parading around for several years attempted to commit suicide because you did not tell her about your marriage with lucy ' his father continued "what!!" Ochuko screamed swinging from the window and facing his father
"bring down your voice this idiot she didn't die" His father retorted angrily, his head was reeling, lillian he murmured feeling sick to his stomach he was surprised none of his friends had informed him, "look as i told you stay away from that girl, she is bad news and obviously mentally unstable. go and see your wife i,ve been pacifying her father since you left and i hate baby sitting.there is also the thing about that Sapetro contract meeting due for Friday, did i have to drag you down here to remind you? sometimes i wonder what will happen when i am not here to chase you around "He muttered angrily , Ochuko knew better than to ask his dad if he knew the hospital where Lilian was recuperating ,he would most likely shout his ear off he was filled with a mixture of emotions and suddenly realized he missed his dark honey. He sat down and braced himself for the continuous insults he was expecting his father to throw at him.

Ndidi sat inside chicken republic itching for a smoke, she stared at the woman who sat across from her fidgeting with her bag , it had been an absolute nightmare trying to get Esther,s daughter to leave the table so the two women could speak privately, Ndidi had finally agreed to buy her a second cup of ice cream if she played video games at the cafe spot for thirty mins, "so Nurse Ekong are we going to get to the bottom of this or not." Ndidi asked abruptly she was getting tired of the whole foot dragging , Esther bit her lip to stop it from trembling, she stared at the woman in front of her searching for some form of sympathy ,she steeled herself as the woman,s liquid brown eyes stared back at her emotionless she took a deep breath and began her story "have you ever been married Miss Akiwu?" Ndidi raised her eyebrow and said nothing she knew when not to interrupt a dam that was about to burst "i got married fifteen years ago to Desmond he was .." her voice faltered with emotion "i thought he was my husband sent from God, he proposed after a month of meeting him and i said yes." Esther continued telling her of how naive she had been when she got married, even after Desmond was posted to kaduna, she stayed optimistic quickly adapting to a long distance arrangement plan ,traveling to visit her husband at least once in a month, it wasn't till their seventh year in marriage that she began to see the cracks, he had been re deployed back to Lagos and they were under one roof for twenty four hours she began to realize her husband was no Godly soldier bent on redemption,his exploits during the war had turned him to something else, it began with the court-martial by the army, her husband had been accused of unbelievable offenses whilst serving during the Liberian peace keeping mission, the offenses included rape , murder and armed robbery, she had given him 100% support believing the charges to be false , she remembered going on dry fast for three days, praying that God would silence all their enemies who were trying to bring them down , it was the final charge that came during the last days of the trial that stunned her, two brothers had accused him of sodomy they had been fifteen at the time , at this point the tears rolled slowly from Esther,s face, it occurred to her that people might be looking their way but she just felt relieved to be able to share this with someone else, for Eight years she had kept this alongside everything else to herself, this was not the kind of information her family needed to hear, God had been her only confidante for Eight years. Ndidi felt sorry for this woman, tears rolling down uncontrollably from her eyes she reminded her of her own mother and the similarities were there, married to men they knew next to nothing about before marriage , wishfully thinking prayer was the answer to everything but staying in that kind of marriage instead of leaving. "would you like some water?" Ndidi asked when Esther began to tremble she felt the woman needed a break to collect her thoughts together, Esther nodded gratefully.


Five minutes later when Esther had finished drinking the bottle of water she looked down at her hands clenched in a fist ."God has never ever let me down you see" she continued as if she was in a trance "i didn't believe the man God had set aside for me was a monster, i felt that maybe it was all some big mis- understanding, but anything was better than fully understanding that i had made a huge mistake." Esther continued to tell Ndidi her tale as if she was sitting in front of some grand inquisitor , the court martial had ruled that there was insufficient evidence to give a guilty verdict but there was enough evidence to show that her husband's conduct had been dishonorable he was discharged from service ,

her husband had changed considerably after that he came back at odd hours of the night reeking of alcohol and cigarette, he refused to follow them to church and started keeping mistresses by the side,"one day he came home drunk and i had challenged him tired of all the evil he was bringing into the house, tired of his immorality , i was surprised when he threw me against the wall hitting me continuously .." Esther's shoulders began to shake at this point her eyes red and lips trembling "i thought i was going to die when i saw the blood flowing down my head, he called me all sorts of names, accusing me of being a witch in disguise, that everything bad had begun to happen to him when he met me, "where is your God" he had shouted shaking me, "where is your God now for me !",wounded i crawled to my room thanking God Grace had gone to my parents for the weekend but he was not done with me," she continued wiping her face with her hands " he burst into the room tore my clothes and began to rape me through my anus". Ndidi gave an involuntary shudder as those words dropped from Esther,s lips of all the things she had expected not this kind of horror."i screamed from the pain as he rammed into me again and again and again and when he was done i looked up, my eight year old son favor stood at our door staring at us speechless." Ndidi got up and walked to the counter to calm her nerves, Esther had excused herself to go to the bathroom, at this point she needed to make a quick decision either to let this poor woman be , a woman who had endured this kind of ordeal or let her continue so she could chase her story, five minutes later she gulped the cold water like her life depended on it, more than ever her fingers twitched she needed a smoke. Esther came out of the bathroom with water dripping down her face, she had not even bothered to wipe her face she needed to feel the water on her skin to remind her that she was still alive, the last thirty minutes had seemed like years in a therapy session, she was beginning to like this reporter whoever she was , she could not even remember her name. She did not look at her with contempt or judgement in her eyes instead she had looked at her with pity, that she could live with, she looked at her watch turning back to check up on her daughter who was now dozing off on the computer screen at the cafe section of the eatery.


Ndidi had made up her mind, she saw when the woman had looked at her watch and turned to check for her daughter that might have been her cue to say "you can go home now " but she was determined to finish this , pain or no pain this woman had a major confession to make." so how does Rotimi play into this scenario now?" Ndidi asked prompting that scared look she had seen initially from Esther .'Rotimi" Esther repeated wearily sitting down , "you see Favor became his father,s re incarnation, at eleven he was already getting into fights , at thirteen he had been sent out of almost every secondary school i sent him to, his father became less and less visible in our lives, he would show up and stay for two weeks or so and be gone again, i decided to send Favor to a boarding school in Benin, i felt that maybe he would receive the discipline he so desperately needed if he was away from home, that was where he met Rotimi, they became very close, if Favor was a bad boy Rotimi was worse, i would receive calls from the Principal almost on a weekly basis on their exploits, three months ago the worst i feared came , the Principal called that the school had expelled them both , they had been accused of forming a secret cult in school, it was when a student had been injured during one of their initiation ceremonies that the truth came out, i was confused ,humiliated and distraught , luckily for me Desmond came home that night and he was in one of his good moods , i felt grateful at least there was a man in the house to handle Favor,s increasingly bad behavior, Favor and Rotimi came home the next morning, both looking rough and unkempt, we called Rotimi,s parents in Ibadan and they said they would come and pick him up the next day, Desmond was furious and for the first time i was glad he was an ex soldier he put fear in them warning them that he would lock them up at the dungeon in the barracks if they continued the way they were going, i was on night duty that day i left for work.around 6.00 p.m ",suddenly Esther stopped talking, Ndidi leaned forward this was where she had wanted her to go all day, she had spent almost an hour with this woman she could not stop now, "what happened when you got back from work Esther?" Ndidi prodded softly, Esther,s eyes were gone "i usually come home around 6.00 a.m but i could not wait, i was anxious to check up on my son, we had already sent Grace off to my brother,s house the day before when we knew favor was coming back, i needed to have family prayers with both men under my roof , i needed God to take control in my family as we were disintegrating, i parked my car around 5.30 a.m and opened the door with my keys , the first thing i saw was the blood." Ndidi leaned closer as Esther had began to whisper at this point as if no one was supposed to hear this part of their discussion. "whose blood esther? whose blood?" "Rotimi lay naked dead on the floor, his neck had been sliced open. Desmond was crouched naked at the corner ,blood was streaming from his hands, my fifteen year old son stood shaking with a knife in his hands , blood was everywhere" Ndidi paused to take it all in, her breath caught in her throat she could see Esther,s mind was relieving the events as if they were happening before her , her eyes looked glazed and out of it. suddenly she snapped out of it and looked at Ndidi squarely in the eye "i have forgotten your name Miss.." "Ndidi ma'am Ndidi Akiwu" "well Ndidi my son caught his father and his best friend in bed making love to each other," she narrated bluntly the tremors and emotion gone from her voice " he stabbed his friend and sliced his throat and then stabbed his father five times on his arm, i came in just in time to stop him from making it a sixth, my husband and i washed the blood away whilst Favor locked himself in the bathroom, we wrapped Rotimi,s body in the blood stained carpet and placed it inside desmond's truck, he told me he would deal with the body himself and we must not tell anybody about this if not favor would go to jail" " I Esther Ekong lied to his parents that Rotimi had decided to leave for home himself that morning but i knew they would never see their son again" she continued matter of factly, " i have not seen my husband since that day and my son...." she paused sighing " my son has not said a word to me since that day, God has left my house Ndidi ,i pray to Him every night but He does not answer because that home is defiled with lies and blood and i can not surrender my son to the police ..i can't , i have no husband literally i cannot lose my son." with that Esther was done she dropped her head on the table and began to sob.


Ndidi was still parked at the car park across chicken republic forty minutes later, she had just finished her third stick of cigarette but her body was still shivering, it had taken all the self control she had in her not to express as much shock as she felt within when she listened to Esther,s story, after Esther had calmed down she had told her exactly what she needed from her , Esther had nodded in agreement like a zombie, she should be elated that she was finally getting what she wanted but she found herself still in a daze, without thinking twice about it she picked up her phone and called Fredrick. as soon as he picked up his line she blurted out. "I need you Fred , i can't be alone this night." Fredrick did not even hesitate "can you drive home?" he queried "yes" "go home, take a shower and pack a few things i will come and pick you up within the hour." Fredrick,s voice was like a soothing balm, like a light in a dark twisted world, she put out the cigarette and started the engine thinking to herself, just when she thought she had heard it all more things come to light and she knew there was more to come, this was just scratching the surface.

where is @ki02020 ? i hope you came back for more than the third paragraph cos i haven't heard from you in a while.

A TALE OF FOUR WOMEN (ESTHER"S DARK SECRET) ©

Esther made her way home grudgingly, she had to drop off one of her co-nurses by bode thomas before driving through terrible traffic to get to her place at Aguda, surulere. as soon as she drove in as expected the light in her son's bedroom went off and she heard his door bang. she sighed quietly wondering how she was going to survive another night in this house.
she opened the door to see her little 9 year old daughter seated on the floor in the sitting room almost entering the television screen munching biscuit ,
"grace what did i tell you about going so near the TV, you will hurt your eyes." "welcome home mama "her daughter greeted nonchalantly her eyes not wavering from the TV, this was the time her husband should have scolded her daughter for being disrespectful but he was gone, this time around she had not heard from him in two months and she was too tired to play daddy and mummy, she was tired of everything.
"have you and your brother eaten?" "yes we ate indomie with fish" Esther shook her head and walked into her bedroom, the house as usual was in disarray, dirty socks and clothes littered the passage, without even dropping her handbag she began to pick up clothes, pencils, socks she heard the music blasting from her sons room turned up loud as if he were in a party, she knew that if she knocked on his door to tell him to reduce the volume , he would ignore her or even worse scream at her and probably lash out , she opened her bedroom door, dropped her stuff and slumped on her empty bed crying , the tears rolled fast and continuous she hugged her pillow and said the same prayer she prayed every night "Father in heaven have mercy on me and let this cross pass over me , for it is too heavy "

Ndidi changed for the umpteenth time, she could not believe she was making an effort to dress up , she always threw on her tailored shirts and jeans but today she brushed out the hem of the blue Michael Kors halter dress she had on, her light skin glistened in contrast to the dark eye make up she had on, she had brushed her brown hair backwards smoothing the sides with a comb so that the tinted blonde hair slanted visibly by the sides .she tried to tell herself that she was taking the extra effort to look this hot because she needed to impress her brother's crowd but she knew she was lying to herself, she was making an effort to impress Fredrick, she had not seen him in two weeks and it was partly her fault,she had not returned his numerous calls and had not bothered to send him an acknowledgement that she had received the vase of flowers he had sent first to her house and then another to her office eventually he had sent her a text last week friday,
the text read "thinking about you is driving me crazy but i will stop hounding you ,my wounded pride cannot take this anymore" she had been in a meeting with Abbas and his cohorts briefing them on the information she needed about Esther Ekong when the text came in and for a minute she had lost her train of thought, it wasn't as if she did not want to call him but every time she picked up the phone to dial his number her body shivered, she was a novice at this kind of relationships and she just didn't know what to say, eventually after the meeting she had called one of her girlfriends and gone out drinking to dull the pain, she was damaged goods anyway Fredrick would be better off without her.


Jumoke sat at the meeting bored with her staff, the recession had hit her father's companies hard as demand for their products had reduced drastically, her dad had put her in charge of the strategy session to brainstorm on other avenues to make income or they would be left with no choice but to lay off 40% of the staff, the feedback she had been getting from the committee was pathetic to say the least, she looked at the time it was almost 8p.m and still no headway she had hoped to stop by the hospital to check up on Lillian today but with this clowns throwing childish ideas back and forth that was out of the question, she felt a sense of happiness when she thought of herself as the only visitor that came to see her neighbor Lillian, she felt as if when Lilian came out of the coma she would be grateful of that and would be forever indebted her, she hid a smile as she remembered how she would brush her hands through Lilian's hair ,when she was sure that idiotic nurse wasn't coming back to the room anytime soon and talk to her for hours , she had read somewhere that there was a theory that patients in a coma were still aware of familiar voices and smells whilst in a comatose state , she always made sure she brought a christian dior poison perfume and put on her wrist before she left every day because she had noticed that Lillian loved that perfume, hopefully she would be out of the coma soon presently she tried to feign interest as she listened to the head of marketing educate the group on some crazy idea of bringing a painting workshop for children to the market she adjusted her legs and tried not to scream.

Ndidi walked into the conference room at the moorhouse hotel Ikoyi and heard the gasps as soon as she walked in, for a minute she wondered why everybody was staring her way for someone like Ndidi her looks always took a back seat to her achievements in her career, most times she forgot that at 5 ft 11 inches and with her features she could be mistaken for a model, she saw her brother weave his way towards her wearing a nicely tailored suit and smiling from teeth to teeth she could not have been more proud, James was now a doctor. He came and swept her off her feet screaming "everyone meet my big sis !", the ruckus that followed was crazy , she kept on being pushed from face to face with James doing the introductions they were all young men and women giddy with wine and excited at their achievements or beaming with joy for their relatives , her eyes kept scanning the room and James prodded her "he is not here sis he is on call?" "who ?" Ndidi queried feigning ignorance James winked and laughed at her "you think i don't know about you two " she shrugged and began to walk away, James could be annoying leaving the noise from the party she stepped out into the adjoining room which appeared to be a lounge ,
she slumped on a couch watching what seemed to be a music video on the TV screen she must have sat staring blankly at the TV screen for about 5 minutes before she nodded off because it was his voice that woke her up she heard his deep rich laughter before she saw him, she quickly began to fret, quickly retouching her makeup and adjusting her dress , her insides began to quiver as she heard his quick determined steps coming her way she quickly got up and began to swirl the drink in her glass pretending to be engrossed with the music video .

"Hey beautiful " he said softly standing at the doorway staring at her she turned and had to steel herself from buckling, she had forgotten just how handsome he looked, dressed in a black tailored tuxedo and dark blue bow tie which he had let hang loosely untied on his neck his dark complexion looked even more intoxicating in the brightly lit room ."James said you were on call" she blurted out stupidly. "yes i was but i called someone to relieve me i had to be here for him...and you." Ndidi began to blush the way he paused before adding that last statement made her a little bit giddy she began to think she had drank too much ."so Ndidi are we going to have this conversation?" He continued in that dangerous soft tone of his ,"what conversation?." she responded hurriedly "don't patronize me you owe me that at least" he growled angrily coming closer there was something about the way he looked at her, she could see the anger and hurt in his eyes and something else "i need to understand you what are you afraid of?" "afraid" Ndidi repeated "i,m not afraid it,s just work and erm" " if you,re not afraid then why are you shaking" at this point he was standing not less than 5 inches from her and she actually began to feel herself tremble and she knew it had nothing to do with the cold air wafting from the central air conditioner "i..erm its..erm" she began to stammer, one minute she was staring into his dark eyes the next she felt his lips touch hers ,it was like pouring molten lava into hot coal the effect was electric, his tongue played with her lips until she opened up to him in surrender and then he began to devour her, even the noise of her glass as it slipped from her fingers and shattered to the ground did not break them apart it was James voice as he rushed into the room that pulled them apart Ndidi had to turn away to catch back her breath, James smiled with understanding "you two should try not to destroy this place before this party ends ,my first salary is already going into this party can't afford to pay for more broken items" Fredrick smiled adjusting his tie , james could not resist as he turned to walk away "Big Fred just so you know if you,re going to come into the family come with ear plugs she snores in her sleep" James rushed out before the pen she threw at him hit him. there was an awkward silence between them and she was glad when her phone rang she picked it up gratefully it was Abbas. "boss lady come right now i have explosive news on the case."

Ndidi waited patiently in her car outside Light of the world Mission church, she was told Esther Ekong brought her daughter here every Thursday for choir practice, her head was still reeling from the information Abbas had given her, a part of her told her it was too over the top to be true , she had come in contact with all sorts of characters in her job but Esther Ekong,s skeleton was too explosive for the profile she had placed her in,she sat up as she saw a dark plump middle aged woman emerge with a young girl of about 8 or 9, she looked down at the picture she had asked Dike to scan to her confirming that it was nurse esther , the child had a large nylon of boiled groundnut in her hand munching away happily as they made their way to a dark blue 504 car parked at the corner of the road, Ndidi made her way to them cautiously, the woman seemed to be trying to convince the girl to stop loitering the ground with groundnut shells but the little girl ignored her mum running around like a hyperactive energized bunny , Ndidi frowned at that age her father would have given her a large slap at the back of her head if she tried that with her mother. "Nurse Ekong" ndidi called out when she was a few meters from them she felt the woman stiffen "yes can i help you?" " my name is Ndidi Akiwu you night have met my colleague Dike" esther hissed cutting her off, "Grace get into this car this instant" Ndidi smiled "Mrs Ekong i,m not the lady you want to walk away from " "all you blood thirsty reporters you have no respect , hounding me even when i am with with my family " Esther opened the car door and was about getting in when Ndidi dropped the name "how is your son doing ..what,s his name favor?? and his best friend Rotimi i,ve been hearing stories about them." Esther froze in shock, she looked up at the tall lady and she seemed to be smiling knowingly. "how did you.." "let,s talk Mrs Ekong you and i..away from prying ears maybe you might want to follow behind my car i was just about to head to Chicken republic just by the corner ,i,m sure your daughter would want some ice cream." Grace started jumping in the car seat "yes yes yes" Ndidi turned without even giving her an option of responding, five years in this business and she knew when she had a target cornered ,the fear in Esther,s eyes had her given away "my car is the grey colored Hyundai" Ndidi called out as she walked to the other side of the road " you will have to keep up with my driving madam i,ve been told i drive like a lunatic" Esther watched in fright as the tall woman walked briskly away her eyes beginning to swell up with tears , her worst nightmare had come to light someone had found out about her secret she hurriedly opened her car door she had no choice but to follow her , she always knew this time would come she had only prayed for more time.

aww thanks a lot @crazygod that's why i decided to post this up in nairaland, so i can grow from the critique.

A TALE OF FOUR WOMEN (ESTHER"S STORY) ©

Esther looked down with pity at the lifeless patient on the bed, she checked her pulse and confirmed that the cocktail of drugs in the drip attached to her veins was flowing properly, from experience she knew that one could not gauge when a patient would come out of a coma especially with a blood pressure rate this low, it was at times like this that she closed her nursing books and picked up what she knew best her faith.

Esther was a strong christian, she had grown up in a strict christian household, the middle child and only female child in a family of four males. Growing up with her parents had been tough, her parents believed that sacrifice was one of the greatest callings of a christian, so she was not allowed to watch "secular programs on TV", she was not allowed to wear makeup or jewelry or allowed to ask for extra pocket money to buy desserts after school, her fathers motto was "deny yourself and live within your means". she didn't really mind, she was extremely shy anyway and was too caught up in her choir practice to be envious of other children,

her friends were other church members who had similar upbringings like she did, life was simple , she concentrated on her studies, participated in church activities and was a good daughter at home, becoming a nurse was no surprise to anybody, she loved taking care of people. after her graduation from the university of calabar she received the news that her father had suffered a slight stroke, there was no question about it she went back home to nurse him back to health,her brother took over from her father as the active pastor in the church and as her father's health improved she felt no hurry to go back to calabar , she decided it would be best to continue with her certifications here in Lagos whilst she also oversaw the welfare department in her fathers church.The problem with pouring everything she had between the church and her education was that esther did not meet many suitors that were not family friends or members of her fathers church which she found disconcerting , she wanted something else for herself, she itched for something different, she felt as if her life was going in one single direction and at the age 27 she suddenly found herself alone and confused. she began to meditate and seek earnestly for God's plan in her life, she applied for a position at the general hospital and was excited when she got the job, she tentatively began to take more care in her personal appearance, she began to experiment with make up and started wearing trousers around the house on her days off, if her parents noticed the change in her demeanor they said nothing, with the increased medication her father needed for his condition and her countless sacrifice for the church her parents felt that it was not in their place to control their daughters decisions anymore.

It was not until her 30th birthday that Esther began to fret about her single life, she couldn't understand why the men had stopped coming for her hand in marriage, she was by all means considered beautiful, with her dark chocolate skin and plump curvy figure, she had started wearing weaves and with her increased income had started wearing jewelry to complement her dressing, she was becoming tired of being in bridal trains for her friends and she had become increasingly desperate to settle down. It was on one of her days off sitting alone in the church waiting for the carpenters to finish working on the roof so she could lock up and head home when she saw him, He came in silently ,peering around as if in fright , the first thing she noticed was how dazed he looked, he carried a bag which loosely dangled from strong toned arms ,his clothes were neatly tucked in which contrasted sharply to a good looking face that seemed as if a razor had not touched it in weeks, her first instinct was to call out for help, she could not be sure that this was not some drugged deranged robber coming to rob the church, she stood up, unsure of what to do but when he came closer she saw something in his eyes that made her stop "where is the pastor?" the man spoke in soft well spoken English, "erm can i help you sir?" she asked tentatively coming forward , it was if he didn't hear her because he continued "where is the pastor?? i need the pastor" as he came closer she could see him clearly now, he had a bandage on his right arm and his eyes were firmly fixed on the wooden cross placed on the altar " where is the pastor please" she noticed too late the discoloration in the man's eyes suddenly before she could catch him he collapsed on the ground.

Nursing Desmond to health became Esther's side job as she took care of him daily, it turned out that He was an Ecomog soldier returning from the Liberian war, wounded physically and emotionally he left the barracks to look for some kind of peace after all the atrocities he had committed while at war, the church accepted him into their fold and she nursed him to health, she did not tell anyone of the sudden warmth she felt whenever she examined desmond's wounds with his shirt off, or of the dreams she had at night when darkness came. It was her mum that called her up one day "esther " she began walking into her room whilst she was preparing to go to work "i am becoming worried about you, this closeness with brother desmond , people in the church are beginning to talk," esther stopped mid way from applying her make up and looked up jokingly at her mum "mama i am a nurse, the man is injured this is what i do" " i know i know but don't forget you are not married and we do not know him very well..my advise is that you be careful and my advise is for you to also encourage a permanent you know.."her mum faltered not meeting her eyes,

esther was shocked "mama which one is permanent you know ? " esther queried in surprise " look you are not getting any younger and most of the eligible bachelors have taken wives so if desmond is showing interest he should only be encouraged if the desire is permanent in nature if not you should not spend so much time with him that's all i am saying." her mum responded shortly walking away and banging her door whilst she muttered something under her breath in their native language, she was shocked , what happened to the mother who would continuously extol on her the benefits of keeping your integrity, how not to be tempted into rushing to do things out of desperation what was she asking her to do now, she was becoming confused.

That week she avoided going to the boys quarters behind the church premises to check up on Desmond, his wounds had healed considerably and she did not think she needed to continue her daily check up, she needed to clear her head. coming out from evening service her heart skipped as she saw desmond deep in conversation with two of her brothers, "Esther come come its good you are here you need to hear this" her elder brother Akpan called out as she was looking for how to sneak off unnoticed,

"Desmond has just received a letter , he is returning to Kaduna for training, he leaves next week sunday, is that not good news." she felt a lump in her throat she couldn't speak she only nodded and muttered something unintelligible, she walked slowly trying to hold back tears, she had almost gotten to the gate of the church when she heard her name "esther wait!" Desmond called out, she stood in embarrassment, she did not want him to know she had been crying "did you forget something?" she asked with her back to him. "i cannot thank you enough for how you took care of me, you literally saved my life.." "it's my pleasure i am glad to have helped" she replied hastily cutting him off almost running off. " i also wondered if you would do me the honor" he continued almost running to keep up with her , she stopped suddenly not believing her ears "do you the honor?" she could not hide the excitement in her voice praying in her mind "God please let this be real" she thought. he looked straight into her eyes, with the improved health and grooming his boyish good looks were set straight and his adam apple trembled a bit from nervousness "i came here a damaged man, there are things i have done...i may not ever be able to tell you everything, but this past month in your care, waiting anxiously for your voice and touch everyday" esther began to blush seriously ,"i didn't know how to explain what i was feeling or if it would be reciprocated and receiving this letter i know deep down that i will never meet another woman like you and i was wondering if you would do me the honor esther okot, of being my wife." esther's scream was heard by people still in the church and they rushed out wondering what the commotion was all about but she did not care she was finally getting married.
Fat forward to this present day, staring down at the beautiful unconscious face of the patient on the bed it occurred to her that she might have made the worst mistake of her life fifteen years ago.

She placed her hand on the Bible she had dropped by the patients bed, " how is she doing nurse?" the visitor had asked for the umpteenth time "as i said earlier miss benson we can only pray now, one never knows with patients who are unconscious, the best thing we can do is to try to administer as much help as we can but in truth at this point we can only hope for a miracle" "Miracle?" jumoke repeated quietly, "i was hoping perhaps you could join me in prayers for the patient, i wanted to wait until her family arrives but seeing that .." " i am a muslim so i wonder how that is possible nurse." jumoke responded angrily picking up her laptop to signify the conversation was over, in truth she was born a muslim but was actually an atheist , she believed in the power of knowledge, she found it difficult to put all her worries on an unseen deity and she was not ready to be dragged into a religious teaching so claiming she was a muslim was a good exit strategy. "i apologize ma'am i did not mean to push" " perhaps you should see to that bottle of water i requested 30mins ago then nurse" jumoke replied without looking up from her system, "of course i will confirm from the people downstairs" Esther could have replied that it was not within her job description to run errands for visitors who stayed even after visiting hours but she had received instructions from her boss to cater to this woman's every needs. she took the back staircase to avoid the swarm of reporters besieging the reception and the front door, she slipped out to the back and almost hit a man crouched at the foot of the staircase, she almost shouted in fright "i am sorry i didn't know anyone was here " she replied as she noticed that she sent his papers flying all over the place, he smiled and said nothing , she thought nothing of it as she made her way to the laboratory after discussing with some of the attendants on her patients blood work, she was deep in thought coming back that she almost knocked the guy down again "excuse me what are you doing here again?" she could not mask the annoyance in her voice, "erm i am sorry Mrs Ekong i am actually waiting for you." she looked at him thoughtfully, he looked harmless but she could not tell, she looked around warily , "how do you know my name??" "madam don't be startled, my name is Dike Lawson i work for Flash newspapers i just want to ask you a few questions.." esther did not even allow him finish, she gave a loud hiss and walked off, this reporters were like ants, she remembered when her boss called her to his office the day before yesterday to brief her on her new appointment, she had worked for five years in the general hospital before moving to the orthopedic hospital as an assistant chief nursing officer, she had applied for employment in this hospital five years ago when she had learnt through a mutual friend that a multi millionaire was desirous of operating an exclusive hospital that would cater strictly for the rich, after a series of grilling interviews she had eventually been offered employment here, even though most of her colleagues were now Chief nursing officers she did not mind not being on the same level because her salary was much higher than all her senior colleagues still in the government hospitals, as a matter of fact the staff in this hospital were amongst the highest paid in the country, so being assigned this special assignment was an honor she was desperate to perform to the best of her ability, Her boss Dr Omisakin had insinuated that her performance of this task would be greatly appreciated and with her desire to be promoted she was not going to let any reporter quote her into wahala. as it was she was already feeling the brunt of being the sole bread winner of her family, with her husband being continuously away and her kids demands weighing on her she was not going to utter a word to any of the members of the press.

Ndidi listened quietly as her subordinate stammered incoherent explanations on the other side of the line, she was with the commissioner for Finance of Lagos state trying to get his statement on a controversial fraud allegation against the permanent secretaries for a number of ministries in the state, it was an interview she had had to squeeze a lot of palms to get and she had to pretend to be in high spirits even though Dike was sounding like a big fool on the other end of line,his inability to deliver on this case came as no surprise to her anyway, she was aware that she would have to personally handle the investigative aspect of this story. Dike was as adamant as ever "madam this esther lady she will not utter a word, all the people working here i have interviewed say the same thing, nurse ekong is the most loyal staff here, she does not participate in gossip or discuss her patients outside the official lines of communication, she is known to be a pious, faithful and unwavering christian.." Ndidi cut the phone she had heard enough, she made a mental note to deploy dike to their offices in Gombe state or somewhere else in the north when she was through with this story, it was bad enough that he could not take directions when she offered them but to look at an obstacle as insurmountable that aspect she was not going to tolerate . "sorry about that sir, you were on the phone yourself and i was anxious to receive feedback from my colleagues in the field." she explained after she cut dike off, placing her mobile phone back on the table, she forced a fake smile as the man made polite gestures in agreement , and had to force a fake smile though the 30 long minutes it took to get this interview over with, as expected the commissioner had nothing concrete to add to the other players statements that the allegations were absurd and were the work of political opponents, her mind was already circling through her contacts before settling on who she would need to contact for this job, she suddenly smiled as her mind settled on Abbas, if anyone could get her information on Nurse Esther Ekong it was Abbas, she looked at her wristwatch impatiently indirectly bringing to an end this boring interview ,she was eager to begin to discover what skeletons esther ekong had in her cupboard it was time to take this into her own hands.....to be continued.

yeah random...side eyeing moderators why is my story not on the front page ?, come to think of it ,In general literature pieces are hardly on the front page, why is that i wonder??

A TALE OF FOUR WOMEN (Ndidiamaka's story)contd ©

Ndidi came out of the bathroom confused, events from last night kept on haunting her and she didn't mean just the phone call, she had crossed a line and suspected her younger brother would be furious with her, she glanced at her bed, He was still sprawled out asleep, her eyes drank in the sight of him, 6 ft 3 inches ,lean all muscles hard male, her brother would be mad she slept with his mentor but standing there staring at him and recollecting last nights activities she felt a rush in her insides and knew she was not sorry.

30 minutes later standing in front of her bedroom mirror in her bra and a pair of black denim jeans, putting the last strand of her tinted dark golden blond hair into place she felt her visitor move, "you're a sight for sore eyes" he muttered in that deep baritone voice of his, she felt herself blush all over and steeled herself, "one would think i worked you to death last night with the way you slept all through the night " she responded coyly , he wrapped her bed spread around his waist and swung his legs out of bed so fast she almost laughed out loud, wrapping his arms round her waist he put his head on her shoulder, she had never felt so secure with a man for a long time "was that movement supposed to show me how agile you are ?" she joked, trying to control her voice from shaking, she didn't want him to see the effect he had on her, "no" he replied after some minutes of silence "..that was to show you how much i wanted to just hold you in my arms, last night was beautiful i,ve wanted you for a long time." she allowed herself relax in his arms for a minute then quickly removed his arms and put on her shirt frowning, " you know last night was a mistake, james will not like this, you are his mentor, his boss , lets just pretend this did not happen and move on." she felt bad saying that but she had to be realistic, she did not have time to be all mushy, they were too many things at stake and the connection with James would just complicate issues, she turned her back to him and pretended to be spending so much time buttoning her shirt so that he would not see how conflicted she really was, after 5 minutes of unbearable silence she turned to face him and was surprised to see him back on the bed, adjusting the pillows to go back to sleep, "Fredrick didn't you hear a word i said?" she exclaimed , he just stretched his long body like a cat ,with his hands behind his head on the pillow watching her, after a while he whispered so low that she had to strain her ears to hear, "you and i know that James is not the issue here" " you know this was bound to happen sooner or later, i am not those kids you pick up and dispose of the next morning, i know you Ndidi, i,ve watched you for two years..this act" he continued raising his hand and pointing around " this hard babe act you put up, i am not buying it, when i drove you home from the party last night and you asked if i wanted a drink upstairs i looked at your face , not the beautiful cold distant mask you carry along but i looked at your real face, and a part of you wanted me to say no and i saw the fear in your eyes, what's done is done i,m not going to forget this ever happened , matter of fact i am not going to let you forget." she stood there astounded with her mouth open , she was furious , her brown eyes beginning to grow tiny with anger " before you go all gangster on me, because i can see those cat eyes of yours dilating just know i have a hangover, trying to keep up with your alcohol intake last night has ruined me." she melted, crossing her hands and shaking her head "what am i going to do with you Fredrick?" " you could marry me?" he joked she ignored him and reached out for her shoes, "or you could cook me breakfast" he continued " guy i am late for work , cook breakfast yourself this is not a service with breakfast motel" she saw his hands sneak up on her from the other side of the bed and darted to avoid it, " where are you running to now, how about morning service , if i won't eat breakfast at least feed big Fred he is hungry" Fredrick joked as she literally ran out of the bedroom, "big fred, is that we call it now" she responded laughing "leave my key under the mat when you are leaving this man, and go to work don't you have patients to attend to this lazy doctor!!" she shouted from the parlour "i'm too hungry to concentrate on my patients and its all your fault, drive safe love" she didn't look back, she would have seen her security man staring at her in wonder as she drove past him in her Grey colored Hyundai Elantra, Ibrahim was thinking to himself for one year he had worked in this apartment building and he had never seen this oyibo madam smile , today not only was she smiling she waved to him.

Breezing into her office she ignored the fake smiles her junior colleagues threw at her and went straight to her desk, it was no secret that her colleagues disliked her, they called her "wannabe bitch" behind her back but she didn't care, in less than three years since joining the newspaper, she had risen from ordinary contributor to the role of associate executive editor ,her colleagues felt slighted, some of them had been here before her but her work spoke for itself and the editor in chief believed in her,she itched for a more challenging portfolio, but her big bellied executive editor was in her way, .

flinging her sunshades to the side she buzzed in her young goggle eyed secretary and confirmed her schedule for the day, "Dike is already at the hospital ma for the Lilian Phillips story" "has he called to submit a progress report?" Ndidi queried, "only to state that Miss phillips was alive but was in a critical situation,apparently she is in a coma" Ndidi felt relieved, at least the air head was alive."what hospital is she in?" "Executive springs ma, she was transferred from general hospital to executive springs early this morning" Ndidi was pissed, getting information out of executive springs hospital was like getting water out of sand, they were known to be extremely secretive about their patients hence they enjoyed high patronage from the rich, Ndidi was bummed, this meant that she had to personally handle this story, Dike didn't have the skills to get any useful information out from a place like that.she was already mentally going through her contacts trying to see if there was anybody she could squeeze information out from and forgot that her secretary was still standing there staring at her. "yes " she replied impatiently, " Mr Akinlade wants to see you" Ndidi was pissed, she hated going into that fat slobs room and didn't need his constant harassment, she was aware that her second boss purposely killed some of the controversial articles she and her staff had written, and was also involved in limiting her funding especially when it was necessary for a huge story, she was not too bothered, she had some very damaging evidence of him lobbying for bribes from influential individuals all caught on tape and written documents from some junior staff complaining of sexual harassment from him, she was waiting for the right time to strike she pretended not to hear her secretary and reached out for her pack of cigarettes , her good mood from the morning was quickly dissipating,her secretary sensed this and began to edge away, "peace! " she called out sharply, "put a lid on this Lillian Phillips story i don't want anybody apart from Dike hearing this, the last thing we need is a media frenzy on this story breaking out before we get a large slice of the pie" " yes ma" peace nodded literally running out of her office, Ndidi hid a smile as she lit a cigarette, she was aware of the effect she had on her junior staff members and she didn't care, her father had taught her early, "you need to remind people who is the boss, you do that either by putting fear in them or by teaching them a lesson when they cross you, everyone can't be loyal to you but if they fear you enough they might have no other choice." her former secretary had been fired because she gave out information prematurely on a story she had been working on over the phone to another colleague, the woman had been much older than her and a lot of people had come begging on her behalf, Ndidi had ignored them, fired her and suspended the most persistent plea maker for a month without pay, the begging stopped after that.

Driving into the Executive Springs Hospital complex at Ikoyi she was surprised and upset to recognize one or two faces from other media houses already circling the complex, she was about to light a cigarette when she sighted the security personnel giving her an evil look, seeing that she might need information from him soon she changed her mind, put the pack of cigarettes back in her purse and got out of her car, a young man with white shirt tucked untidyingly in a pair of dark brown trousers began to approach her, Ndidi looked at him with contempt she wondered why journalists chose to dress like waiters in a restaurant while on a hunt for a story and complained that they were treated badly afterward.

"madam good morning i.." Ndidi cut him off with a wave of her hand and signaled for him to get into the car, he quickly obliged and she drove off to the car park across the hospital complex near what appeared to be a restaurant, winding down her windows she lit a cigarette and inhaled sharply, her eyes covered behind dark shades never leaving the hospital complex, she let him stew in his seat for about four minutes whilst she finished her stick of cigarette. "Dike " she began in her cold voice "what did i tell you about dressing like a refugee reject?" He looked down at his clothes in bewilderment, he was about to stammer a response but she raised her hands to cut him off, "who are those other journalists and when did they get here?" "erm i don't know who they are but i got here before them, they have been going around trying to get information but nobody is talking." Ndidi rolled her eyes unseen behind her sunglasses, the incompetence of her staff annoyed her sometimes." so you are here , you notice your rivals in information arrive and it doesn't occur to you to find out what media outfit they work for?' Dike was becoming visibly annoyed . he didn't understand why that was relevant to the investigation. "so you,ve been here since 6.00 a,m i presume , give me a situation report" Ndidi was expressionless whilst Dike gave her an update on the story, apparently Lilian Phillips and her neighbor were rushed to general hospital by 3.00 p.m yesterday, apparently Lillian phillips had overdosed on pain killers and slit her wrists ,the neighbour had regained consciousness but lilian was in critical condition, by 9.00 p.m they had received an instruction to move lillian to Executive Springs Hospital, the transfer had been made by 11.00 p.m last night and there had been no more information, the only visitor Lillian Phillips received was the neighbour who had been in the hospital since 7.00 a.m this morning." Ndidi lit another cigarette and analyzed the information. "do we know who gave the instruction for her to be moved?" "no ma we don't, i tried squeezing my contact in General hospital but that was all he knew." "and the neighbour who is she? anybody important" "olajumoke benson, she is the daughter to a wealthy business magnate , he is also the landlord of the apartment building they both stay in and.." Ndidi turned sharply she heard the instant hesitation in Dike's voice, he looked uncomfortable "and what? spit it out" "well there are rumors that she is a lesbian, but erm they are unconfirmed.." Ndidi smiled ,this story was getting interesting "so apart from the lesbian neighbor who discovered Lillian Phillips she has received no other visitors" "no ma, nobody else." Ndidi was calculating, she found it weird that neither rich boyfriend nor family members had visited the popular model. "who is the doctor in charge of Lillian?" she continued "its the hospital owner ma , Richard Omisakin she is staying in the executive suite only the doctor and nurse have access to her, it's at the topmost floor, cut away from other patients " Ndidi was now really bummed, getting the doctors working in this hospital to talk would have been difficult but getting the owner Dr Omisakin to talk was impossible, she would have to explore another angle. "the nurse in charge what's her story?" "erm she is a head nurse here" "you mean she is not the matron?" Ndidi cut in, "no she is not the matron, i understand the doctor wanted someone who would give miss phillips 24 hour attention." "beautiful" Ndidi muttered, a lower ranking nurse was most likely to squeal out information than a matron. "lets drop a hold on her, feel her out, see if she can provide access to miss Phillips" "erm ma there is a problem there, you see from the little i have gathered about her she is a pious christian, you know daughter to a pastor, she even leads the fellowship in the hospital she doesn't seem like someone that would co.operate" Ndidi removed her sunglasses and gave Dike the full glare of her cold stare , her brown eyes seething with anger "i didn't catch your last statement, do you want to repeat it?" she asked coldly but Dike was already shaking his head, "no problem ma i will get right to it..i mean her , will do all i can do." he almost fell off from his seat in his haste to leave her presence, he did not need a prophet to tell him not to argue with her when her eyes turned like that. Ndidi did not even take a second look at him as she sped off, Dike stared at the back of the car as it got smaller with distance and wondered if his boss didn't have a hidden penis somewhere in her body.

Ndidi was deep in thought as she headed out of ikoyi, a suicidal model, a lesbian, a rich boyfriend that would not show up and an unknown benefactor paying for her bills,plus where were Lilian phillips family members she had never even heard of them in any gossip or press story, this story was getting interesting she needed access to that hospital room and she hoped Dike could deliver, she almost laughed out loud as she remembered his excuse, the nurse was a pious christian, she had heard that line before when she decided to go after a well known pastor after receiving various tips on his involvement with a notorious arms smuggling gang,she had met a brick wall at every step of the way, the man was a holy man, pious from childhood, called to lead the flock, was all she got by people she had pressed for information she got her big break when an angry ex mistress of the pastor was looking for revenge, she talked giving her names of associates she could get more information from, she dug more and exposed all, that story had given her very first promotion. "pious christian my foot" she muttered under her breath, everything was all either good or bad P.R she believed every human being was the same ,you push hard enough the real man would come out. she jammed a Dbanj cd into her cd player and nodded her head whilst the sound blasted from her car stereo, she could almost smell her next promotion, if she could get a fantastic story and remove her boss, Ndidiamaka Akiwu was heading for the executive editor position she could almost taste it. "daddy would be proud." she thought to herself

Thanks for the compliment, sorry about taking time to update the stories but it actually took me a week to update when i first wrote it on my blog,

http://dakkylove..com/ i guess habits die hard, i will try to fill in more updates before the day runs out or first thing tomorrow morning......

Ladies and gentlemen meet my fave character from the 4

A TALE OF FOUR WOMEN (Ndidiamaka's story) ©

Ndidi sprang up immediately she heard her phone ring, she listened quietly to the caller on the other line and felt slight goose bumps all over her body. she glanced at the wall clock for the time it was 2.00 a.m , pulling up her pajamas trousers she reached out for a cigarette, opened her bedroom window and inhaled, feeling the warm nicotine smoke fill her lungs, it moved down her lung pipes like soothing menthol, her body began to relax and her mind started working. one of her informants had just called to inform her that Lilian Phillips had
\attempted suicide and was rushed to a private hospital, her condition was currently unknown . Ndidi felt the pangs of guilt begin to subside from her system, true she wrote the expose article on Ochuko douglas's secret traditional wedding but if Lilian Phillips was dead she refused to blame herself, what Nigerian woman committed suicide because of a man, that was not a usual occurrence the lady was just mentally unbalanced. she stared thoughtfully at her male companion still deep asleep on her bed and let her mind wander. This situation just raised the story profile on Lilian Philips and Ochuko Douglas from entertainment to explosive breaking news and Ndidiamaka was already calculating what her next move was going to be, dead or alive the story just picked up pace and she was determined to follow it to the end.

Ndidiamaka Akiwu knew quite a bit about survival, she was the first child and only girl to Sylvanus Akiwu, people popularly knew her dad as Silver.
Growing up she had been inseparable from her dad, her other sibling James was a mummy's boy and had never really bonded with the man but not her, she was always there waiting for him when he came home late from work, she was the one who would sort through his clothes and select the outfit he would wear,most weekends he would take her in his Peugeot 504 to almost everywhere he went to, her mother had complained about their closeness, telling him that he was teaching their little daughter hard things reserved for men but he would not listen , her father was a man who did what he wanted, he was tall about 6 ft 4 inches and dark skinned , with blood shot red eyes that most people found menacing, he did not talk much, Ndidi never found it odd that unlike most fathers her dad was always in the company of men built just like him whom she called uncles and didn't seem to know their real names apart from their nicknames, she also did not find it odd that unlike most fathers her dad worked only at night,it was when she turned 13 that she began to have an idea of daddy's true calling,

it was Friday night and as usual she had stayed up late reading a novel waiting for her father to come back from work, around 2.00 a.m she jumped up as she heard the screeching tires of two cars brake loudly in front of their compound, rushing to the door she flung it open to find her father and his friends carrying a blood soaked man into the house. they stopped suddenly when they saw her standing there and her father stared at her for some time, "amaka where is your mother?" he asked calmly, "she is sleeping in James room, he has a fever" she responded trying not to sound scared , she knew her father hated it when people showed fear and she did not want to disappoint him."can you be a big girl today?" she nodded. " good girl i need you to get me warm water and fresh towels ,also go to your mother's room and get our special tool set ,the one in brown rafia bag, bring them to my room. Uncle Friday needs our help" Ndidi quietly did as she was told and that was the first in many nights of helping wounded men at odd hours of the night , at 15 she finally learnt the truth about her Father , he was Silver shadow ,leader of the most notorious armed robbery gang in Obiwo town, Imo State.

Discovering your father robbed people for a living was surprisingly not as troubling to Ndidi as her mother had expected, her mother scared of the repercussions of having a teenage daughter who was increasingly becoming too comfortable with cleaning out bullet wounds and machete cuts had sat her down and in tears narrated her fathers true nature to her . "my daughter i did not know until it was too late " she pointed out tearfully when she had finished ,"so you see that is why you must go far from here, your father's dark side is beginning to corrupt you, i see the way you handle those injured men and the blood i don't want you to be like him." her mother at this point had started to wail. Ndidi was not perturbed "mama stop crying if he should come and hear that you gave me this information you know he will flog you again" "what is it the bible says?" she continued nonchalantly "the sins of the fathers will be paid for by the children so James and i are already cursed, my going away will not change anything ,i can only do the best with what i have, besides papa would never want me to follow in his footsteps." dusting her shorts as she got up, Ndidiamaka patted her mum on the shoulder and went into the kitchen to prepare dinner, her mother stared back at her as she left ,her mouth wide open in shock.

Things finally reached a crescendo on Ndidiamaka's 18th birthday, her father had retired from an active life in armed robbery, he became interested in politics , within the last two years they had received several high profile visitors including the State commissioner of police,her father had ditched his T shirt and trousers daily wears for native attires, the guns had been retired for words, that year her father took her to most of the political rally's he went for, she was his own personal assistant and knew everything that went on behind closed doors, the bribes, the blackmail, threats , Ndidi was carried along in everything, her father had once jokingly told his new political friends that his daughter was a beautiful feminine version of himself. the odds were stacked firmly in his favor to win the elections, his thugs harassed his opponents and he used his street connections to ensure that his ambition and that of his senior party members were not thwarted , everyone in the household was excited for the elections and they all thought this was going to be a fresh start for them in their life.

Her father in his excitement decided to mark her 18th birthday in a big way,he was going to throw a big party for her to celebrate becoming an adult and also to congratulate her on passing her SSCE results with flying colors, the Akiwu household had begun to forget the blood stained nights, or the sleepless nights laying in terror not knowing if their father would make it home alive or dead. The day of the party her father had come into her room full of pride, she was dressed in the new outfit her mother had made for her, a long ankara dress, standing at almost 5 ft 11 inches Ndidi was tall just like her father but that was where the resemblance ended, she was light skinned like her mum, with full dark hair which she always cut short, her body was lean just like a boy's but she had just enough curves to remind you that she was a woman, smiling excitedly she modeled her new dress for her dad but her father just stared at her for a long time his eyes swelling with tears, she had never ever seen her father cry so she was shocked. "papa o gini?" removing his hands from his long agbada he brought out a wrapped box and placed it in her hands , he cleaned his eyes and sat down forcing a smile "Happy birthday my daughter, you have always been the strong one so i want you to know this" he paused and looked straight at her." some party members are trying to replace me, you know i wont give up without a fight but they might want to eliminate me" Ndidi felt her legs give way as she sat on the bed , "but..but they cant, after everything you have done for them" she stammered her father looked at her and smiled, his blood shot eyes weary with fatigue, "its no secret i have led a rough life, living on ill gotten wealth stolen from innocent victims and there is no excuse for what i did but i never ever killed anyone in all my operations, and i never betrayed my gang but this politicians" he continued in anger " they don't understand loyalty they are of a different breed even worse than me." he sighed holding her hands and looking distraught, " if anything happens to me take care of your mother and brother, make sure you leave this town, i built my name with blood and theft but that does not have to be your fate, make sure you finish school and do something good with your life . remember me with love my daughter and try to enjoy your birthday."He opened his arms and embraced his daughter for the first time in her life, with tears in her eyes she watched him leave the house surrounded by his men, some dressed in their old garbs and some dressed in native attire, she remembered watching by the doorway like this as a child wishing he would take her with him, but she knew this trip was his to make. just as they were about to enter their cars her father looked back and stared at her brother James who was setting up the DJ booth under one of the canopies set up in the compound as usual James acted like their father did not exist and did not even look up as the cars sped off.That was the last time they saw their father, three days later they found the bodies of her father and his men, they had been shot and hurriedly buried in a narrow grave several miles away from town, two days later the dogs began to circle, the same men who came and lobbied in her fathers house went on air to denounce him, exposing him as the famed Silver shadow an armed robber and murderer who had deceived them to gain access into their party , the cause of death was not looked into instead the media beamed their search light on the acts her father had committed as an armed robber, members of his former gang who were not killed were hunted down and arrested, it didn't matter that most of them had changed or had turned a new leaf they were an example of what the new breed of politicians would do to men of the underworld in that community,it was all about getting the votes of the people and they had found their scape goat.

It took Ndidiamaka a month to tidy up their finances and leave Obiwo town, she took her mum and little brother and set off to Lagos, she dropped the amaka in her name and was known as only Ndidi here. Seven years later with a degree in mass communication and several controversial articles under her belt Ndidi was now a full fledged journalist. Her methods might be morally questionable and unprofessional but her Editor knew that if he closed his eyes and let her follow her instincts she was always going to get a hard hitting story, she put out the cigarette and looked at the wristwatch on her dressing table which was her father's last gift to her , the time was now 2.30 a.m , tomorrow she would head to the hospital and do some ground work her nose had picked up on a story and she was going to follow it to the end.

Thanks guys for the feed back.

© The Tale of Four Women (Olajumoke's story contd)


Olajumoke's affair with Rashida ended as briefly as it had started, one saturday evening she came back late from work to find rashida's things gone and a note from her stating that she was heading to France because Lagos had become boring for her.

Jumoke was not hurt, truth be told she knew that what she and rashida shared was simply borne out of loneliness, they were complete opposites, whilst she poured herself into her work rashida partied all day and night most times with her cash, she began to prepare for the inevitable when Rashida started bringing ladies home with her

"let's have a party" she had suggested one night , jumoke did not even bother to look up from her laptop as she continued reading the report she had to place before her father the next day, "did you say something?" jumoke asked nonchalantly. "yes i said lets have a party, it would be fun . i am getting bored." jumoke rolled her eyes, they had had this conversation before, rashida was like a little child, all she ever thought about was sex and partying . " that's never going to happen dear, it's not my cup of tea." " it's not your cup of tea!" rashida queried, "before i met you ,life was not your cup of tea, you did nothing but eat and work , now that i ask for something little in return, something to make me happy." jumoke was fed up " rashida i am getting tired of this, you wanted a power bike to make you happy so i bought you one, you wanted to travel to south Africa with two of your friends for some zulu festival to make you happy i paid your bills, you wanted a huge birthday party in yola for your birthday i threw it for you i am beginning to think this relationship is just about making you happy.i am not having a party with you and some stranger, i am not filming any love sessions nothing, i happen to be a reputable business woman i wont risk my reputation over making you happy." jumoke ranted, when she was through Rashida cocked her head to one side looking at her in that unusual fashion of hers, but jumoke was not even bothered. she ignored her and continued to work on her laptop only looking up when she heard rashida bang the door to her room. one week later she had gotten the note, Jumoke shrugged and moved on with her life. she had avoided all kinds of relationships since then.

If Jumoke had learnt anything from the whole Rashida situation it was never to allow herself become so despondent that another human being would take advantage of her, she began to work less and rest more, taking vacations to just travel and feed her eyes, unfortunately that meant she got further acquainted with her first love food, she began to come home early from work and sample through slimming products, she would drink a cup of slimming tea in the morning and feel justified enough to snack on three chocolate bars as a result, just when she thought she was getting fed up with the monotony of her every day life her agent informed her that he had leased the apartment next to hers to a Nigerian celebrity,Lilian Phillips high fashion model and girlfriend to oil tycoon Ochuko Douglas , Jumoke was ecstatic at least another nigerian, a female for that matter was moving in next door , her fathers apartment building was popularly leased out to expatriates who didn't spend more than two years in the place. maybe she would be able to make a much needed friend finally.

she remembered the first day she saw Lilian Philips, she had received the call that her neighbour had finally arrived from her agent, being that the apartment building was her father's she was obligated to introduce herself and welcome the new tenants,she had knocked on the door and a tall good looking dark complexioned man had opened it, he didn't even ask who she was he just looked her over in a demeaning manner and raised his eyebrows,

"sorry to intrude i am olajumoke Benson , chief Benson's daughter i just came to welcome the new tenant to the building "she explained "ah yes sam the agent told us you were next door " the man replied smiling and opening the door wider for her to come in "i must confess you are not what i expected i know your sisters you must take after your father " he continued looking her over with amusement in his eyes, Jumoke felt humiliated, she knew exactly what he meant dressed in her large T shirt and baggy jeans she was nothing like her model thin sisters who were always impeccably dressed "brute" she whispered underneath her fake smile , suddenly Lillian walked in and jumoke almost stopped in her tracks,she was dressed in cut off shorts and a long Tee shirt which she had tied around her slim waist, her hair was pulled back into a bun revealing her strikingly beautiful features , even with no make up on she still looked breath taking, her long legs were spotless and her complexion was like dark smooth chocolate "hi neighbour" lillian had said warmly giving her a warm hug , jumoke had felt tingles all over. after exchanging a few pleasantries jumoke left the apartment feeling as if she had just received the best present in the world.

she had never seen such a beautiful dark skinned woman in her life and had never felt so envious . "such a sweet beautiful young girl to be in a relationship with that snobbish brute" she thought aloud to herself , jumoke had become enthralled with her next door neighbour, she began to buy any magazine she saw with Lillian on the front page and began reading up about her . soon jumoke's boredom turned to anticipation, she would rush to her door anytime her neighbours door opened and peep through her peep hole to catch a glance of the beauty, soon she began to calculate when lillian would come back from her daily visit to the gym and walk out of her apartment at that instant just to talk to her, she daydreamed that one day Lillian would invite her into her place and they would become close, if Lilian felt she was being stalked she never showed it, she was always so polite and sweet to jumoke, complimenting her on her latest hair style or outfit and chating briefly with her about things to do for the weekend before going into her apartment, her demeanor only changed when she was with that boy friend of hers, when they were together lillian would only smile at her and rush past while ochuko would barely even glance at her, it was as if the poor girl was afraid of the guy or something.

Today was no exception immediately she heard lilians heels climbing the stair case she cleaned the chocolate smear out of her mouth adjusted her kaftan and stepped out of her apartment, "Lilian dear that red dress looks hot" jumoke complimented but lilian just rushed past her not even uttering a word, Jumoke felt as if the wind had been sucked from her, she just stood there shocked for some seconds and walked away angrily, she felt hurt ," all she could have said was hi, even if she was in a hurry" she climbed into her X5 jeep and drove angrily to park and shop, 45 mins later panting loudly as she climbed the last staircase she stood by the wall to catch her breath, she made a mental note to call the building's agent to get someone to fix the elevator , she and staircases where not the best of friends, she paused as she looked over at lilian's door which was wide open. "strange" she muttered to herself, it was unlike Lilian or anybody in this place to leave their doors wide open, true they had excellent private security on the premises but she had never seen Lilian leave her door open, she walked slowly to the door out of curiosity, " lilian " she called out, " are you there" she peered in and saw lilians hand bag and shoes right by the door way, her eyes scanned the apartment and she saw nothing out of the ordinary. "lillian your door is open o" she called out but still no response, she quietly walked in and was impressed with how neat the apartment was, she made a mental note to clean her apartment when she got in today " lillian!!"

she stopped suddenly when she saw water on the floor, her heart racing she began to follow the noise of running water, " perhaps she slept off in the bath tub" she mummured now getting anxious, she opened the bathroom door and saw water gushing out into the passage as she stepped into the bathroom she screamed and saw why no one had answered her when she called, lying on the floor with blood dripping from her wrist was Lilian's lifeless body, the last thing she remembered was cold ice water hitting her face as she collapsed on the floor.

Thanks dear i hope to post more soon.

The second character is introduced to this tale,

© [center]A Tale of Four Women.(Olajumoke's story) [/center]


Jumoke peeped consistently at her door, munching on a bar of bounty chocolate waiting anxiously to hear the sounds of her neighbor Lilian walk back into the next apartment, this was her daily routine, she would do anything to catch a glimpse of her beautiful next door neighbor, the feeling it gave her was indescribable ,this situation she knew was an unhealthy one but olajumoke Benson was used to unhealthy situations, she tipped the scales at 120kg ,scattered all over her apartment were empty chocolate wrappers, cartons of biscuits arranged side by side with various slimming products, she had tried forever living products, Tianshi products ,Chinese products after a while she had come to accept that she would probably be fat for the rest of her life.

Olajumoke adebisi Benson was the first child of Alhaji Moshood Benson, the owner of one of the largest paint companies in Nigeria, her mother on the other hand was a former beauty queen who was currently with her fourth husband,her mother left her dad after only three years of marriage and she was the only issue from that union ,growing up with her mum had been tough, jumoke was not tall and light complexioned like her mother, instead she took most of her features from her father, she was 5 ft 5 inches tall and was as dark as they come, her eyes were large and some of her friends had teased her back in school that her eyes were like torch lights round and white, the only striking thing about her features was the dimple on her right cheek but because she didn't smile quite often they were barely noticeable.



Her mum had been ashamed that she had such an "uninteresting child" as she had put it during a conversation with her socialite friends which jumoke had eavesdropped on, she had been sent off to boarding schools from the age of 8 and her siblings from both sides would not identify with her, her mum's 3 other kids all took after her good looks , tall light complexioned and beautiful while her dad's 7 children from two other women always looked at her as an outsider. she was always alone , the only true friend she had ever had was food, what her mother didn't give in emotion her father made up with money,he had always just provided financially for her , she remembered the incident that led her father to take full custody of her, one Christmas holiday back in her teenage years, she had watched in horror as other students parents had come to pick up their kids and nobody came for her, it was after a teacher had found her wandering around the hostel that they tried to reach her parents, her mother had taken her other children to Dubai for the holidays and had forgotten about her, her father came to pick her. He had looked with sympathy at the overweight depressed child waiting in the sun for him to come and take home and swore that he would never let her go back to her mother's house, he took her with him everywhere including his business meetings , that was when jumoke finally found out where she belonged.

she embraced the art of reading and soon began topping her class in all the subjects, during the holidays she did not fraternize with her mates at parties or hang out spots she interned at several of her fathers companies, learning the ropes of business, it was no coincidence that immediately she completed her masters in business administration her father made her a director in his company.

she might not be beautiful or graceful but she was good at her job, she worked non-stop, she took holidays only when she needed to do some research in one country or the other for the companies benefit, it was common knowledge that her father would hand the reigns of the company over to her very soon when he retired, being successful and rich was good but it did not keep her warm at night, men did not even take a second glance at her unless it was all about business, miserable she sought for comfort in food, she ate when she was sad, angry, anxious even when she was sick she ate, her doctor had told her to try and lose some weight but she couldn't find a replacement for the food urge in her life, everything she tried did not seem to work.

she was not always this lonely, she remembered the only man she had ever been with Isaac, he was the son of the head driver in her father's house, she had met him when she was 19. tall and shy isaac had been the perfect confidante in a house filled with energetic siblings who did not pay any attention to her. his father had asked her to assist him with his Physics assignment one day and they had become fast friends, he eventually was successful with Jamb and got admission into one of the federal universities, one year later when she saw him again her mouth had dropped open, gone was the tall lanky boy who stared at his feet when he walked, isaac had filled out nicely, he had grown a beard which made him look older,and his lanky frame had given way to slight bulging muscles, he had started to learn Karate in school he told her , suddenly Isaac had grown into a man overnight and jumoke took notice, they began spending more time together,one thing led to another and jumoke made love for the first time, at that time she began to make a serious effort to look good for her man and eventually lost 40pounds, their relationship continued even after she came back from the US after doing her masters programme , she had believed that she would marry Isaac and have his kids but that all changed one day when she had come home early from work and caught Isaac in bed with her half sister,she moved out of her father's house and moved into this 2 bedroom serviced apartment in maryland ,that incident was 6 years ago and there had been no man ever since.

As the years went by she buried herself in work and food, she gained back the weight she lost and even added 10 additional pounds , work was all she knew and was interested in till she met Rashida at the airport. She was a tall interesting looking woman who walked around with a bald head and almost always wore t shirts and jeans , it was Rashida who actually approached her and introduced herself when they had both been stuck at the airline when their flights to port harcourt had been delayed for several hours they soon became fast friends, Rashida was funny and fun to be with and the friendship helped jumoke loosen up ,one friday evening after work Rashida had showed up at her apartment with an overnight bag and insisted "i am staying the night with you i don't feel like sleeping alone" jumoke was excited, Rashida was always great company.

Jumoke woke up suddenly as she felt herself being touched, she bolted up to see Rashida naked on her bed, "whats going on..?" "sshhh" rashida replied using her hand to cover her mouth, "don't you know how beautiful you are.." jumoke was stunned, not just because no one had ever called beautiful but also that there was a naked woman in her bed. "listen Rashida i don't know what game you are playing but i am not interested." she muttered getting up from the bed and crossing her hands in anger. rashida cocked her head to one side for a minute and watched her quietly, just when jumoke thought this was some kind of sleep induced behavior and rashida would snap out of it any time soon ,rashida lay back on the bed caressing herself, "you know playing hard to get only turns me on" "i have been watching you for a while, burying yourself in work and junk food all because of a man, for how long will you do this." "men are vultures" rashida continued spitting out in anger, "why do you need to deny your body pleasure all because a vulture hurt you in the past." unbelievably rashida began to writhe like a snake towards her, slowly crawling till she got to the edge of the bed. jumoke inched backwards in shock "love does not have to be about gender, it doesn't have to be about pain " at this point rashida had slipped her hands between jumoke's nightie and her hands were climbing up,her eyes holding jumoke spell bound "love can be beautiful between two sensitive women "rashida continued whispering in her ear " let me show you" at this point rashida's hands gripped her breasts and jumoke shivered uncontrollably it had been too long since she was touched and she was beginning to enjoy this "let me teach you another way to love, another way to please yourself, another way to let go of the pain" jumoke began to moan as rashida's fingers began to work through her body her hands were no longer crossed to her sides but were now gripping rashida's bald head. she had tried the (man woman love )and it wasn't for her, perhaps this was her true nature . perhaps love could also be found in the hands of a woman, jumoke closed her eyes in defeat as rashida dragged her to the bed..Jumoke had become a lesbian.

Love your poems ....keep it up.