MEMOIRS OF A PLAYER (Part 1)

Destiny has a way of twisting things. I came to know this as early as my childhood could permit me. I was one person who did not toy with my mind in anyway. I was always on my own imagining things. Nothing mattered to me when I get entangled in the web of my world.

So was it when I met this angel one day. Beautiful, slim, tall and dark. She had this pretty smile that comes with a dimple that can hardly be seen if you are not peering closely. Her name, Njideka.

I had come out of the exam hall with this crease on my face. Thinking how much the lecturers had finally caught us. GST 221, terrible people I must say. We had all passed their tests with flying colours and had gone into the exam hall with the same expectation in mind. To say I was shocked is an understatement; I was thrown out of my high horse of self confidence into the mud of heart pounding and regrets. Why did I not read between the lines? Story for another day though.

“Hi”

I said to her the moment she caught up with me. She turned and smiled before turning her head from side to side.

“Joseph, you will never change.”

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t know what she saw or what she had heard about me that made my simple “hi” suspicious. I needed to know more.

“Are you still going to like me if I change?”

I asked innocently; make my voice a pipe feminine. This drew laughter from her.

“You are now forming innocent eh? You that don’t go to church on Sundays.”

Oh, that? I heaved a sigh of relief. I crossed my hand over her shoulder and proceeded to give her a long sermon as on why I don’t like attending churches. I even made reference to my friend Charlie who had said it point blank that he hates Catholics with a reference to their many “occultic” activities as he would like to put them.

“So you see, if only you will come constantly to preach to me, I would one day change.”

I concluded. She only laughed more and said her trademark..

“Wonderful”

I knew I had to change tactics. Things were not working and I needed to get her full attention. I ransacked my head till I got to something I knew she would be interested in. In fact, every girl likes the topic. The four letter words that people hardly appreciate these days if you are not ready to pronounce it with blood ebbing out of your heart.

“I am in LOVE with four girls.”

I know, it caught you people too by surprise as it did to her. She stopped walking to look at my face before smiling and shaking her head. I continued.

“I really don’t know why mine is like that. These girls each possess qualities that are unique to them and what I am searching for in a woman. My problem now is how to combine these four ladies and turn them into a single entity. Make them my own.”

I breathed and waited for her to speak. By then we had covered a considerable distance from the school’s gate.

“Why don’t you make all of them your friends, draw closer to each of them?”

Njideka said smiling. I shook my head, it wasn’t going to work.

“No na, it’s not going to work. How can I make all of them my friends? I love them for God sake and I want to get married to them. You know I have to marry just one.”

This made her to stare at me oddly. I had to quickly add.

“You know that age is not on my side anymore. I am fifty already and I don’t want the situation whereby I would get married and before my child turns twelve, I would be 62. If you get what I mean.”

This made her to shake her head. She wanted to say something but ended up laughing instead. I had to continue the conversation. I was enjoying the laughter and those glances she was stealing at me.

“Let me describe the girls. The first one is in VCA (virtual and creative arts) department, tall, dark and beautiful. Attends DeeperLife. The second is in Economics department. Fair, lovely with a beautiful voice. Attends Redeemed. The third one is a catholic, tall, dark with a shape to die for. Has a beautiful voice and always says wonderful each time she hears something unbelievable.”

At that instance Njideka said:

“Wonderful!”

“The fourth one is Yoruba. Department of sociology, dark and tall. I like all these girls. Just don’t know how to turn them into one lovely woman.”

I ended my speech. There was silence on her part. Maybe I got her, I did not know, maybe I threw my chances of ever getting her eluded me. I just knew I had said my mind. But tell me, who falls in love with four women?

It is I, Joseph Success.

“Why don’t you get closer to her and get to know her, just maybe, you might end up getting her.”

Njideka said as we got to her corner. I had to put on my serious face and stare deep into her eyes.

“I will get close to you and get to know you. Thank God I have always loved you since hundred level. We shall see tomorrow, I have to go back now and join my friends.”

I said as I turned back and made my way to where Wilson and Charlie stood waiting for me. Wilson asked what’s up with me and I replied.

“I am in love with four girls and will make each of them my wife.”

THE END!

By...
Joey Success
(Da Creativist)

Forgive my laughing o.... Seriously, I'm learning.

"Walahi this is sweet, kai... Emily you are za bomb walai"

Balewa said as he panted on top of Emily who closed her eyes to allow everything pass by. The old bed was croaking but Emily found it hard to decipher between the sound of the bed or the sound of the joint movement of the dirty old man on top of her. She knew she was being unfaithful to her husband but then that was the only way should could help in putting food on the table since she had no formal education.

"Gashi (take), use it to take care of my child"

Balewa said as he adjusted the "tazuge" (a kind of rope used as a waist band in hausa styled trousers) breathing in and out. Sure he had exacted enough energy but then it was worth every step of the way. He was attracted to Emily in a strange way, maybe because she never put up any resistance each time he comes. The only time she had shown some form of resistance was when he had first approached but since he had his way, it had been a smooth ride through.

"Alhaji, please come and start going, my husband might come in any moment from now"

Emily said as she covered her exposed chest with the only piece of wrapper she had. Her bosom still stood firm despite the fact that Alhaji always took a keen interest in it. (Not trying to digress, this is not an erotic write-up).

"Haba Emily, if he comes, you know I can say I came to look for him"

Balewa answered baring his kolanut stained teeth. Emily turned repulsively away, the sight of the old man sickens her but poverty is something that pushes one to the extreme to put body and soul together.

"You came looking for him inside the inner room eh? Biko, come and start going"

Emily was beginning to get impatient.

"Okay, okay, don't get all worked up"

Balewa answered as he backed out of the room to the part of the house that is partitioned as the living room. Using the word living room for that space is an abuse to whoever invented that word because the room was far from living, it should be named "dead-room". From the crooked, termite infested chair, unswept floor, rag hanging loosely as the curtain up to the cobweb filled ceiling. Everything stank but Balewa never minded once the stimulant "Maganin Bura Tashi" he always took before coming to Emily's place started working.

"If your husband should come, tell him I came to check for him"

Balewa said winking before backing out of the room.

"Please go"

Emily's voice was teary. As soon as Balewa backed out of the room and she heard his footstep back out of the compound, she broke down and wept, her tears flowing freely like they had gathered there for many days. Her lips shook as wave after wave of pains surged through her body but then those were the only antidote to the pain she felt within as she could not kill herself.

She felt a gentle tug on her side that made her jump and wipe her face before turning to face who ever had tugged her. Looking at her with eyes shiny and teary too was her son Ugochukwu, his innocence showed with the way he searched her face for explanations as he had heard her silent sobs and her bloodshot eyes were a testimony against his mother.

"Mama, did he hurt you again?"

Ugochukwu displayed innocence but the mother did not find it funny. She smacked him hard on the face and shoved him away from her like he was a kid infected with a communicable disease. Ugochukwu landed heavily on his backside and bust in a shrill cry, his little mind confused as ever. He had always noticed how his mother treated him each time the angry looking old man comes and goes. Never once had she been happy after his departure and today that he had summoned enough courage to ask his mother, she had smacked him. Why would mother beat him, he had not soiled himself, neither had he come back to the house with gutter on his body.

"Go outside and play with your friends"

Emily more of commanded than ask her son. She loved him truly but each time Alhaji visited, she would always be filled with guilt that she would wish she could turn back the hands of time to the day she discovered she had taken in. How she knew the Pregnancy wasn't her husband's baffles even her. The coming of the child had further confirmed her fears because he came out looking fair and frail with a cute little face which was a stark contrast to her and her husband's own. The child bore a stark resemblance to the landlord. Her husband had looked at the child only once and turned away from the room which still had the smell of blood in it. Since that day he had kept mostly to himself while she was left to live with the guilt. Even though he never questioned her and still treated the child like his, she knew that deep within him were questions and actions waiting to burst.

"O God, please help me"

She said a silent prayer as she stood up to go take her bath before her husband comes back from the days work. Her prayer could have been answered if she believed in it her self for she knew that God truly was far from her and redeeming her was something that needed more than grace to accomplish.