Hmmmmm. So many suspense

Madam Audrey you're too much

Waiting for the next update

Hello, wonderful people. I'm so sorry for the silence since. I'll reply each and everyone of you. Just very busy right now. Thanks for always being there. Tomorrow it continues by His grace. Thanking you.

I'd be ungrateful ass if I don't comment on this superb work....miss Audrey how do you guys do it....u are really good at it....I'm enjoying every single bit of it...I'd also love to write...can u be my mentor?...kudos ma'am

ozeepresh:
I'd be ungrateful ass if I don't comment on this superb work....miss Audrey how do you guys do it....u are really good at it....I'm enjoying every single bit of it...I'd also love to write...can u be my mentor?...kudos ma'am

hmm your dp sha, i comment my reserve

Jonathan2787:
hmm your dp sha, i comment my reserve

sire

Jonathan2787:
hmm your dp sha, i comment my reserve

sire

ozeepresh:

sire
sire

whats the confusion, ok make i tok am, YOU FINE O

I have been on nairaland for close to six years without a comment, but as history will mark it, AUDREY has broken my innocent virginity,,, all i can say is 'ride on sweet' # I am following

JIGGERNAPPY:
I have been on nairaland for close to six years without a comment, but as history will mark it, AUDREY has broken my innocent virginity,,, all i can say is 'ride on sweet' # I am following

innocent virginity? What kinda freaky phrase is that? It makes me all mushy inside

Jonathan2787:
whats the confusion, ok make i tok am, YOU FINE O

Oh...gracias

JIGGERNAPPY:
I have been on nairaland for close to six years without a comment, but as history will mark it, AUDREY has broken my innocent virginity,,, all i can say is 'ride on sweet' # I am following

. Lol.

i so much loooooooveeeeeeeee ur story!!!!!!!!!

A Nigerian Who write Like this should be recommended for Higher Sponsor.
The write up is a Movie Script. I wish I can work with the write to put this into a piece of movie.

AudreyTimms:


CHAPTER TWO

Some of us think holding on makes us strong, but sometimes it is letting go.
—Hermann Hesse

Episode 4 of Letting Go

GIOVANNI Ekwe mused as he walked to his room from the lecture hall. 

"Gosh! I miss my car. While walking is good for the body, driving my car would have stopped me from seeing these shameless girls hanging around me," he muttered underneath his breath. "Had it not been for those drunken b*stards trying to enact a live scenario of 'Fast and Furious' in the campus, cars wouldn't have been banned and I would be cruising to my room right now." He fumed.

"Gio, what's up?" Two girls greeted him but he ignored them and walked on. They hissed and walked past him. Gio continued ignoring the girls who greeted him but responded to the guys.

It was quite a distance from the lecture halls to the boys' hostels but Gio wasn't deterred. He made the journey everyday since the time cars were banned and he'd had to return his twenty-first year birthday gift from his dad back home-- a Toyota Camry Hybrid. A student had seriously gotten hurt when a group of boys decided to race down the smooth road to their hostels. Coupled with other near misses, the school authority had put their feet down in a meeting and an unanimous vote of stopping the students from driving cars in the school had been taken. Alternatively, shuttles had been provided to transport the students around the school. Gio had grudgingly started using the shuttles until he noticed that silly girls always found a way to sit beside him and try to chat him up. He'd made the decision of walking the long distance to his hostel when two sickos who called themselves ladies had quarreled bitterly over who would sit beside him in the shuttle. Guys had been amused and some had even sang his praises but he'd been clearly disgusted. He had been glad to notice that some of the girls had been irritated at the show of shame by their sex. There was still hope for the female race.

He finally got to the block of buildings which housed the male students and walked to his own room on the second floor. There were about four more of such four-storeyed buildings for the male students. His roommate, Tosin Oladimeji, the son of a billionaire shipping magnate, smiled as he entered the room. Tosin, with ample flesh on his body but couldn't be called fat was all of six feet with a dark skin and striking features. Girls actually drooled when he smiled, revealing a beautiful set of teeth with a gap tooth. He walked with a limp due to an accident he had as a child but he had perfected the act of walking with it, that only very observant and meticulous people would notice it. Most people thought he was just one of those guys who walked with abnormal gaits all in the name of feeling funky. He was as noisy as Gio was quiet. Gio tolerated his loquacious ways while Tosin tolerated the former's mood swings. They didn't have the best relationship in the world but they were pretty good friends.

Gio dropped his backpack containing his laptop and books on his reading table beside the book shelf and went into the bathroom to pee without saying a word to his roommate. He walked back into the room after taking a leak and zipped up his Gucci trousers. He sauntered to the mini-refrigerator which was in every room in the hostels to get himself a drink. He walked back to his bed to sit after taking a gulp from the canned coke and cast dark eyes filled with fury on his closest friend.

Tosin smiled, aware of the cause of his friend's ire. The wrapped parcel he was holding in his hands, which he had just received on his roommate's behalf.

"This just came in for you," Tosin informed his friend, smiling. He lifted the parcel to his ear and shook it. "I wonder what it is this time around." 

Gio strode to his friend, grabbed the parcel and made a nice shot with it at their waste bin. The weight of the parcel was however too much for the waste bin so it toppled over.

"What did you do that for? It could be a mobile phone," Tosin joked.

Gio finished his drink and tossed the can at the toppled waste bin also but the can bounced off towards his wardrobe. He grimaced and went to right the bin. He removed the parcel and dropped the empty can in it.

With a stern look on his face, he said, "Tosin, I've told you countless times to stop collecting parcels from dumb girls on my behalf. You know I don't like such things. Now, what am I going to do with this?"

Tosin laughed heartily. "It wasn't my fault this time around. Chuks in Room 20 brought it. A gift from his cousin."

Gio groaned.

"Do you know his cousin?" Tosin asked.

"Nope. Don't care to know. Why can't they all leave me alone?" He was at his thether's end.

His roommate chuckled. "Ah...lemme see." Tosin pretended to think and rubbed his hand across his clean-shaven jaw. "You're the son of a senator, you're rich...not to mention drop dead gorgeous...an Italian citizen...yes, hot cake and hard to get also. Put all that together and what girl wouldn't lose her head over you?"

Gio threw up his hands in exasperation. "You're incorrigible."

He walked to the door and opened it. He thrust the parcel into the unsuspecting hands of the first guy who came along and told him to keep it. It was already a known fact in the male hostels that Gio received numerous gifts from girls and gave them out also. 

He breathed a sigh of relief and went to lie on his bed with his hands folded behind his head. He stared at the ceiling.

Tosin studied his friend intently and wondered for the umpteenth time what made him tick. Gio was naturally cold to people, with an exception of his family and friends; the few ones he had. They had been friends since their first year in the university owing to the fact that they had been placed in the same room and were coursemates. They were in their third year yet he still didn't understand his friend. He didn't even understand the pull he had with girls because left for him, had he been a girl, he would have avoided Gio like a plague yet girls still chased him. It was amazing! He couldn't complain about that though because he had a number of girls who had drawn close to him in an effort to get him to talk to Gio on their behalf and they were willing to do anything, anything just to get him. 

It was unfortunate the school authorities didn't allow males to visit the girls in their hostels and vice versa, else he would have been a regular visitor there. Even leaving the school wasn't allowed without informing the school authorities. And permission to leave the school was only granted on emergencies. It however had not been like that at the inception of the school. Students usually did what made the school authorites ban things or cage them. At first, one was free to come and go as he or she pleased but students took advantage of that by going to Owerri to hold wild parties and get into trouble with the law. The school authorities had to be called a number of times to bail their students from police stations. As if that wasn't bad enough, students started getting missing. After a parent sued the school for millions of naira for his missing daughter, the school put its foot down and locked the students in. Now leaving the school was at the consent of both the school authorities and the parents. Even visiting of opposite-sex hostels had been banned because of rape incidents and orgies. The raging hormones of the youths were usually hard to contain. The school however provided every luxury or attraction that was outside the school for the students in the wide expanse of land. They had cinemas, restaurants, gyms, sports centres, picnic fields, to name a few, just to stop the students from longing for pleasures of the outside world. They were allowed birthday parties and the likes and at the end of every session, they held concerts where famous artists were invited to entertain them. But students being students; they still complained bitterly about their lack of freedom of movement. However, they found a way to let off steam when they wanted to. There were a lot of hidden places in the school. 

Tosin smiled as he remembered the rendezvous he had planned that night with a first year student. They were the most desperate and he capitalized on it.

His musings came to a stop when he heard Gio murmuring. He gazed at his friend intently. Gio was fond of talking to himself. When he had first noticed it, it had been pretty scary and had thought Gio had gone off his rocker but he eventually got used to it. Whenever he asked him why he always talked to himself, his roommate always denied it. He never had the nerve to press on because Gio could shut down on anyone in a matter of seconds or cut someone dead with a single word. Tosin felt he had to take the risk though and if Gio turned cold, he would go to their neighbour's room until the latter cooled down or better put, warmed up.

"Gio," he began after clearing his throat.

Only Gio's eyes moved to look at him.

"I've asked you this question a number of times but always receive unsatisfactory answers. This time around, I want the truth. Why...why do you talk to yourself?"

Gio looked at him as if he was going bananas, then he smiled.

"I don't talk to myself," came the noiseless reply.

"You do! I noticed it since our first year here." Tosin insisted.

Gio smiled charmingly. "Tosin, I don't talk to myself."

"Really? But you were doing exactly that a minute ago," Tosin pressed.

Gio sighed conceedingly and sat up on the bed to study his friend coolly.

Wasn't it high time he told his friend the truth? Gio asked himself. Would Tosin understand? Wouldn't he brand him insane? Was he mature enough to handle the truth? In for a penny, in for a pound.

"I don't talk to myself. I talk to Giordano."

Tosin froze.

"But...but...Dano is dead."

Gio nodded slowly. He knew Tosin wouldn't understand. He wouldn't understand the fact that he saw, spoke to and listened to his twin's ghost. How would he explain to his friend that Dano wasn't dead to him because he'd been communicating with him even before he was laid to rest? And while the doctors thought he had a case of Schizophrenia, he was really talking to his dead brother and had done so for the past four years.

His countenance changed. He was saddened by the fact that after three years of friendship with his roommate, he couldn't share his darkest secret with him. The last time he had shared his secret with anyone, he'd found himself locked up in a pychiatric hospital for a year.

Gio lifted a shoulder. "At the risk of sounding like a nut case, I talk to him as if he were alive. It's the only thing that keeps me sane in this crazy world."

Tosin breathed out in relief. He didn't want to be the one to call Gio's father to inform him his son had serious psychological issues.

Gio stared at his friend. He was glad he had chosen his words carefully. Tosin would really have freaked out had he told him the truth.

"You scared me for a minute there." Tosin laughed with unease. "I thought you meant you actually communicate with Dano. Thank God you only conjure him in your mind and talk to him...but is that healthy? Isn't that like living in an imaginary world? How do you differentiate between imagination and reality?"

Gio laid on the bed again. 

"I only talk to him when I'm alone. Sometimes I want to talk to him in public but the fear of being tagged crazy stops us...I mean me. Though I'm beginning to think it might be a good idea, to get those girls off my back. Loony boy equals runaway girls." He chuckled.

Tosin laughed. "Please don't do that. I wouldn't want to have to request to be moved to another room. We have been living amicably since we came to this school."

"Yep, and you've enjoyed a fair share of girls trying to get me," Gio said, tongue in cheek.

Tosin grinned and shrugged nonchalantly. "You can't blame me for that though."

Gio stared at the ceiling.

Tosin cleared his throat. "I've been thinking. Why don't you just accept one of those bimbos as your girlfriend? The rest will definitely back off."

His roommate dealt him an incredulous glance. "Are you for serious?" Tosin shrugged with a silly look on his face. Gio frowned. "I'm not interested in a relationship right now. Besides, they'd only look for ways to split us. I don't have the time nor patience for that kinda drama, cat fights and all that shi*t."

"Suit yourself but I think--" Tosin was cut off as they heard a commotion outside. 

Tosin sprang up, rushed to the door and went out while Gio took his IPhone 3GS to play a game. Tosin came back awhile later shaking his head and laughing like a guy who'd just been entertained by Basketmouth.

"These snooty rich kids are pretty hilarious." He sat down heavily on the bed and his six-foot frame shook with mirth. He knew not to waste his time waiting for Gio to ask him what the commotion was all about because the latter wasn't a tad interested in gossip. So he volunteered the info willingly.

"It was that same Chuks who brought that gift and his roommate fighting. You can't begin to fathom what caused the fight. They were discussing the latest Forbes list of richest men in the world when they started arguing. The argument later changed to their fathers; who is richer? That was what caused the fight. They have both been taken to the clinic 'cause blood flowed. Fortunately, no one called security. They would have been in deep sh*t by now."

Gio scoffed. "Fools! Arguing about their dad's wealth. Pitiful! That's the height of stupidity. If their dads were to go bankrupt now, what next? That's one of the reasons I hate this school. It's a total waste of time for some people here. They are just here to get a degree; then they'd go back home to sit on their a**es all day to wait for their fathers' death to inherit millions. They do not teach us to be self-made millionaires!"

Tosin was astounded at his friend's outburst. Gio usually took the silent way out, often shrugging annoyingly. He had expected such a usual reply not an outburst.

"Wow!" Tosin said. "I hope you haven't categorized me among those people."

Gio moved his eyes from the game and surveyed his friend steadily. You must judge a man by the work of his hands.

"Aren't you planning on joining your dad's shipping company after your youth service?"

Tosin became defensive. 

"Yes! What's wrong with that?" He intoned coldly.

Gio shrugged. "Nothing. As far as you don't change your mind and sit all day at home waiting for his death and will. But tell me something though," Gio sat up. "Why are you here studying mathematics?"

"Beacuse I love mathematics. It's my passion," Tosin slammed back at him with angry emphasis.

Gio's shoulders rose and fell in a nonchalant shrug. "OK. So what has mathematics got to do with your father's company?"

Tosin was disconcerted for a minute. "I plan on being his Company Accountant."

"You should have gone into applied mathematics like me or accountancy."

"You're just saying this because your dad is a senator not a buisnessman," Tosin countered impatiently.

Gio's gorgeous mouth quirked. "Had my dad been Bill Gates, I would still strive to make a name for myself; be greater than my father. I intend letting my freak flag fly instead of sailing through life."

Tosin nodded in understanding. "I can take my dad's company to heights it has never been with new innovations and stuff."

"Now, that's the spirit! Good for you! We really should stop waiting for what our parents or country can do for us and start using the brain God gave us," Gio commented with growling satisfaction.

"Yeah, rightly said from someone born rich," Tosin sarcastically replied.

"I mean business. My heart's cry is I wish I'd been born poor."

Tosin's eyebrows rose in disbelief.

"Yes," Gio stabbed a finger at his close-cropped hair, "then my brain usage wouldn't be limited and my focus wouldn't be on my father's wealth. I would be striving for ways to make money, be very creative--which I'm doing--and girls wouldn't be chasing me left, right, and centre."

"I'm really beginning to think you're crazy. Not to have the luxuries and pleasures of life? To have to think of where your next meal would come from and all that. I did a charity project with a group in church and the poverty I saw made me thank God he gave me a wealthy father." He cringed at the memory.

Tosin's comment aroused laughter in his roommate.

"And you like the fact that your life is no longer private? That every slight mistake you make is made known to the public by desperate reporters? And that you are ensconced in this private university instead of a federal or state university where you experience real life?"

Tosin moved a shoulder nonchalantly. "I know my life isn't perfect but I'm grateful I don't have to go without."

"It sucks being rich," Gio murmured quietly.

There was silence between them until a rapid set of knocks sounded on their door. The guy to whom Gio had given the parcel burst into the room.

His face was flushed with excitement. "This is HTC Hero!" 

Gio looked at him with disinterest. Tosin smiled.

"Are you sure you don't want it?" The guy asked.

Gio shook his head slowly.

He grinned. "Men! Thanks a lot. I've been planning on how to get the phone. My dad cut my allowance because I had some academic issues so it was almost next to impossible getting it. Do you know this phone's camera is five megapixels?" he excitedly told them.

"Yes," Tosin answered.

"You're the man.....emmm, incase more gifts come that you don't want, I'm in Room 44." He made to leave but came back. "I almost forgot. Here's the romantic card that came with it. Her phone number and pictures are inside it."

"Please keep them but please let her know you got the gift and appreciate it. Thanks."

"Will do. See you guys later."

Tosin and Gio burst into laughter when the door closed quietly behind the guy filled with euphoria.

*To be continued*

Jonathan2787:
innocent virginity? What kinda freaky phrase is that? It makes me all mushy inside

Smiles, really impressed with d storyline...

uniquebandi:
. Lol.

Is life really short?

Deedee we are waiting for updates ooooo
Good morning ppl

FancyDaddy:
A Nigerian Who write Like this should be recommended for Higher Sponsor.
The write up is a Movie Script. I wish I can work with the write to put this into a piece of movie.

thats why you quote all the story? You are so funny

Today's Saturday,we're waiting on you please.

Jonathan2787:
hmm your dp sha, i comment my reserve

wetin carry ur eyes go there better face front o

ozeepresh u look so so

I am so expectant today... A beautiful morning to our Audrey and everyone. We hv arrived ma'am... More energy and ink to your pen. I hail Oga Audrey (ur hubby)

Gbagam!!! gbagam!!!!....aunty audreyy....it's Saturday *smiles* we nid plentyyyyy update

@Henrique4real, lol. Thanks dear.


@kayemdy, thank dear.


@sammyendowed, thanks dear.


@eitsei, thanks dear.


@kingphilip, thanks dear. Amen.


@Jonathan2787, lol. Thank dear. Abeg o.


@JeffreyJamez, you like trouble ehn! I never said such.


@Abuklaw, thanks dear. Thanks for pointing that out. True, sometimes it's eagerness. Sometimes it's s sheer laziness going back to edit, sometimes it's migraine and also the fault of my auto correct. The thing has gone crazy. But not to worry, I intend handing it over to an editor before the final publishing. Thanks dear.


@HelenBee, lol. Thanks dear.


@Loisemm, thanks dear.


@mitchyy, lol. Hmm...lucky you. I had a wedding afternoon not a wedding night. We were so tired that very day. Then we decided to go on a road trip before getting home. We even visited hubby's mother before finally going home. Hubby couldn't wait till in the night so we closed the curtains and had a nice wedding afternoon. It took us almost a week before we consummated the marriage. It was fun though. We still tease each other about it. Thanks dear. Lips sealed about Fiorella.


@Debbime, thanks dear. You should also check out Unfulfilled Promises and Waiting For The Bouquet. Yes, it's definitely going to be handed over to an editor before it's published.


@Ashraf123, thanks dear.


@FIYINMI, thanks dear.


@Omoalhaja7, lol. Thanks dear.


@Izyyblaze, lol. Thanks dear. I'm organizing serious whips for you and ya boyfriend kingphilip. Love you too.


@humeehjay, thanks dear. God bless yours too.


@chizi007, hmm...heard I'm a sadist, right? Just can't let true love be. Thanks dear.


@Ciscodasilva, aww...*blushing* I wish you success in your exams. Thanks dear.


@Lildoks, really? That's good. You should also check out Unfulfilled Promises and Waiting For The Bouquet. Thanks dear. 


@virtuedagirl, thanks dear.


@smileysmiley, lol. Nice theory. Lips sealed though before mitchyy carry cane come. Thanks dear.


@Tife101, lol. Thanks dear.


@marveangel, yep, i get you. Romance is really unrealistic and exaggerated but hey, it helps us escape the real world sometimes and allow us bask in fantasies. That's what I do when I just get tired of stuff. I pick up a good romance novel. Thanks dear. 


@Richie990, that's nice. Thanks dear.


@uniquebrand, lol. Thanks dear.


@bummybummy, thanks dear.


@dupsai, thanks dear.


@yusufibrahim, thanks dear.


@Ali1king, guess.


@hordunhorlar216, thanks dear.


@ozeepresh, thanks dear. Hmm...I'm still in the learning process. Still can't properly discern the use of 'will' and 'would' as I old reach. Maybe you should google online courses in Creative Writing to get you started. When you're through, mail me at audreytimms83@gmail.com for my own small contribution. I wish you success.


@JIGGERNAPPY, really? That's fantastic. Innocent virginity? I like your choice of words. Thanks dear.


@pejxy, thanks dear.


@FancyDaddy, aww, thanks dear. You didn't have to quote the whole scene though but I understand you were trying to make a point. Hmm...let's keep our fingers crossed.


@kayemdy, good morning. Update coming up as soon as I finish replying everyone.


@Deluxewize, yep, Saturday is here. Update coming up.


@Loisemm, good morning, dear. How was your night? Hubby traveled but I will extend your greetings to him. Thanks dear. Update coming up now.


@amyvals, lol. Don't know about plenty but I'm about to update.

Even you Jonathan2787? Last warning or your captain armband goes to mitchyy. kingphilip, if I catch you! Hustler!

AudreyTimms:
Even you Jonathan2787? Last warning or your captain armband goes to mitchyy. kingphilip, if I catch you! Hustler!

hian, what i do?

The best skill at cards is knowing when to discard.
—Baltasar Gracián


Episode 16


Mr. Chiwendu and family received very angry visitors on Sunday evening-- Jessica and her parents. They ranted and raved about their slut of a daughter, Nkiru, who'd stolen their pregnant daughter's fiancee. They told Nkiru's father to tell his daughter off their daughter's fiancée and do something about the court marriage or else they'd face the consequences of their daughter's actions. No one could chip in a word as they nearly pulled the building down with their hysteria. Mr. Chiwendu was seething with anger by the time they left. The entire household was in shock except Nkechi who was more alarmed than shocked at the happenings. Their mother burst into tears and lamented profusely. Then she recalled that Nkechi just got back from Akure. She leapt for her second daughter's shirt to stop her from running when she called her name. Nkechi had wanted to bolt but her mother had been too fast for her. 

"Tell me what happened. You went for the wedding, didn't you?" She gripped her daughter's shirt tautly and it exposed her flat stomach. Nkechi stared at her flip flops. Njideka looked on in wonder while their father stared at the ceiling, repeatedly shaking his right leg. 

"Mummy, I don't know what you're talking about. I only went to visit Nkiru. I don't know anything about any wedding," Nkechi denied hotly.

"Chineke! So you want to deny it? A single bracelet does not jingle. You and Nkiru have always been partners in crime." More tears dropped from the woman's eyes. "Nkiru, why? Why? You, an Ada of all people. Tell me, Nkechi, who is the man who has made your normally wise sister do this foolish thing?"

Nkechi continued to stare at her slippers with a pout until her father yelled at her at the top of his voice for her to answer the question. She visibly shook. Even Njideka got up from her chair and moved away in fear. Their mother was also alarmed. She left her daughter's rumpled shirt and went to sit beside her husband. She held his hand. The man was obviously trying to contain his anger.

Nkechi tried straightening her shirt as she contemplated telling them the truth or not but her father made the decision for her with his harshly spoken words.

"If you know what is good for you, better speak now or else I'll throw you out of this house this minute."

"I...I..." she stammered in her haste to speak. "Nkiru invited me to be the second witness at her wedding."

Her mother put her hands on her head and lamented in a dramatic manner, saying her enemies had finally caught up with her.

"Is she pregnant?" she asked after her rantings.

"No." Nkechi slowly shook her head.

"Who is the man in question?" Mr. Chiwendu silently asked.

Nkechi twined her rumpled shirt in nervousness. "He's Senator Ekwe's first son."

"Obara Jesu! Senator! We're finished!" The woman began hitting her laps with her hands noisily.

Her father, a picture of calmness said, "Tell us everything."

Nkechi proceeded to tell them all Nkiru had told her so far. How she and Gio had met and fallen in love in school, the party, the pregnancy accusation and the wedding. By the time she was through, silence enveloped the living room.

"So you mean all those times Nkiru went to Abuja with the excuse of project nonsense, she actually went to live with a man?" Her mother broke the silence in bewilderment. Nkechi slowly nodded.

"And all this while, she has been living with a man she wasn't married to until recently in Akure?" Nkechi nodded at her second question.

"Who is Nkiru Chiwendu? Do I know her? Has an alien taken over her body?" Her mother shouted. Nkechi wanted to laugh at such questions but held herself rigidly from doing such. She didn't want to incur more wrath on her head. She faced the wrath anyway since she was the one present and was more or less an accomplice.

"And you! You knew all these were going on yet you didn't breathe a word of it to us." Before Nkechi knew what was happening, her mother rose and landed a slap on her face. Before she could hold her cheek in pain, another one landed on her other cheek. She screamed in pain.

"What about you? Where is your own husband? Is he the president's son?"  Her mother angrily continued beating her while she tried running away amidst pleas and tears. Njideka begged on her behalf. It had to take the intervention of her father for the angry woman to stop.

"It's okay, Obim."

Her mother looked at him angrily but stopped. Nkechi was on her knees.

"Go and call her. Tell her to come home immediately." Mr. Chiwendu rose rigidly and left the room. Her mother after placing a final knock on Nkechi's head went after her husband.

Njideka knelt beside her sister and held her as she wept. Nkechi stumbled up and went to her room to wipe her runny nose before picking her phone to call her elder sister who'd made her mother give her the beating of her life.

Nkiru had her head on Gio's laps on the sofa as he fed her an apple from his mouth while they were watching a movie on the television. She giggled when the apple he tried placing in her mouth fell to the floor. She got up to pick her phone from the table when it started ringing. She was shivering when she ended the call. Her husband lovingly held her.

"They know," was all she said. Gio led her back to the chair and held her while she recounted all Nkechi had relayed to her with tears smarting behind her worried eyes. He eased her up against him and stroked a hand through her hair until she calmed down. Her husband however had to pet her to sleep that night when worry overcame her again.

She called Nkechi back the following day to tell her she'd be home by Thursday. She had to wait to do her clearance first before leaving, which was a lie. Nkechi knew what she was trying to do. From experience, it was best to stay away from their parents, especially their mother when they were angry. They'd calm down eventually. 

Gio wasn't happy that his wife of just a week was leaving him when Thursday came but he knew it couldn't be helped. He'd begged to come with her but she'd informed him that his presence would only fuel the fire of her parents' anger. She smiled at him but he knew the smile was false. His wife was worried and scared and he could do nothing about it. He booked a flight for her from Lagos to Owerri despite her complaints. She felt they should start saving all the money they had since he'd been disinherited. He could only smile at her. He hadn't told her about his inheritance which his father could actually do nothing about. He just told her it would be the last time. 

They kept kissing each other goodbye in the house until Gio had to firmly put her in his car to take her to the park where she'd board a bus to Lagos. He waited there with her until the bus slowly went on its way. He felt as if his heart was going away with the bus. He entered his car and drove back home to prepare for his PPA.

Nkiru was jittery throughout the journey. But when her husband sent her a text message, she felt strengthened. His words were so lovely, she smiled and read them over and over again.

Even with the significant hue and cry
That resounds among the apostate scarecrows,
This Romeo must assure his lovely Juliet
That she is perfect as she is,
And because she thus accepts my humble self,
I shall make her the happiest among women.
My fondness for you is not the red rose,
For even roses will be pallid with time.
I love you because you are a bird;
The magpie of wits,
The jackdaw of the mental crossroads,
I see your iridescent plume up above,
In majestic copulation with the clouds.
You are the smiler with the sword,
But you strike without drawing blood.
You intelligence, baba--your ken--is a ship,
Well away from the perils of the lee shore.
Call her wits to questions and shoot bird in the dark,
In a country where there are fewer birds.

My love is not only a bird,
She is also a bee,
Known for sweetness and light,
As contrast with the dirt and poison of spiders,
In the web of today's love affairs.
She is the plain one I love,
I love her for her courage and strength,
If her pistol misses fire,
She is ready to knock you down with its butt

Stay strong, Luna. I love you, my very own Mrs. Giovanni Ekwe.

(Thanks LarrySun for the poem.)

However, by the time the bike pulled up in front of her house, she was a mass of nerves. She noticed with trepidation that her mother's shop was closed. She called Gio to tell him she'd arrived. He said soothing and comforting words which did nothing to her frayed nerves. She opened the pale blue gate and walked into the compound. Mrs. Ekwe came to a halt just before the wooden front door, her heartbeat accelerating, her mouth quivering a little in anxiety. She made the sign of the cross before pulling down the door handle.

Nkiru took a step back, startled.

As if they'd been expecting her, all her family members excluding the twins focused their eyes on her. Her handbag and small travel bag landed with a thud on the bare ground. Njideka and Nkechi who were seated together at the left side of the living room were the first to look away while her parents and elder brother who were seated at her right on the sofa looked on. Nkiru bit her lip and did the only thing she could do. She moved slowly and knelt on the old rug in front of her elders. Her father and brother were seated at both ends of the sofa with her mother in the middle.

She placed an open palm on the other with plea in her eyes. "Daddy, Mummy, please, I'm very sorry. I didn't mean to offend you." She fixed her gaze on the bare ground.

Silence greeted her plea. Her father looked away while her mother peered at her as if she had laser beams for eyes.

"Are you pregnant?" Mrs. Chiwendu finally asked.

Nkiru's head snapped up. "No, Mummy. I'm not."

"How much did he pay you then?"

"He didn't pay me anything. I...I love him," she stammered and before she could blink, a hot slap landed on her face-- her father's way of showing his displeasure. Nkiru burst into tears. Nkechi looked away as tears came into her eyes. Njideka looked on with sadness. Nnamdi got up to hold his father who wanted to vent his anger on his first daughter by pounding her.

"Daddy, please. I'll handle this." He pleaded with the man who looked as if smoke was coming out of his ears and nostrils.

Nkiru knelt on her hunches and continued crying. This was the first time her father had ever hit her. He'd beaten the others countless times but always issued a warning to her instead of raising a finger on her whenever she was naughty. She was his golden child. His star. She knew then the weight of what she'd done. She'd disappointed her father heavily. Now the consequences of her actions had well and truly come home to roost with her.

"Daddy please. Daddy please. I'm so sorry. Please." She lifted teary eyes to plead with his irate ones. The man took his seat and looked away. Nnamdi sat down also.

"NK why? Why did you do this kind of thing? Why did you shame us like this?" His words were like strokes of cane on her body.

"I know you're not influenced by money so why did you do this? I know society has gone crazy these days but I never thought you'd fall prey to it. When did you start lying so much? You went to stay with him in his father's house. Not only that, you were living with him in Akure before the wedding. And to crown it all, you got married to him without our knowledge and consent. Why Nkiru? Was Daddy wrong to have allowed you go to a higher institution? How could you have changed so much within the space of a year or so?"

Nkiru's face could rival a flowing stream. She couldn't stop the tears from flowing. She didn't even know what to say in her defense. She regretted her decision of not allowing Gio come with her. He would have known what to do in such a situation.

Nkechi couldn't take it anymore. With tears streaming down her eyes too, she stood up in defense of her elder sister.

"Daddy, Mummy, Brother Nnamdi, please forgive her. Despite the fact that she went to Abuja to stay with him and is living with him in Akure, I know for a fact that she didn't give herself to him before the wedding. The...her husband is also a decent man. He didn't ask for s.ex from her. Nkiru and I confide in each other a lot. She really had to marry him without your knowledge because that Jessica girl had set him up and they didn't want to lose each other. I know you're all angry but please, please find it it in your heart to forgive her. The guy, her husband, is prepared to come and do the necessary things to marry her properly when the dust settles. Biko." She went on her knees beside her sister who was still weeping gently.

"How are you sure he isn't responsible for the girl's pregnancy?" Nnamdi asked to break the silence that had ensued from his sister's passionate plea. Nkechi turned to Nkiru who had her head hung and urged her to talk. She held her hand and rubbed it. Nkiru lifted her red eyes to look at her brother's own, ladened with pity.

She sniffed. "She has been trying to get him since our university days. She tried so many times to break us up. Gio even told me what happened that night. She came into his room but nothing happened. His sister came into the room while she was there so she thought something happened. Jessica told me to my face that she'd never allow me get married to Gio." She sniffed heavily before continuing. "Her parents went to Gio's house to tell them about her pregnancy using his sister as her witness. Gio's father was trying to force him to wed Jessica. That was why we had to do something drastic. Their introduction would have taken place last week Saturday." She allowed her gaze flicker to her father who was staring at his leather slippers and shaking his legs, then her mother who had her hands across her chest, staring at the ceiling.

"Daddy, Mummy, you know me. You know I usually don't act out of character. You know I don't go against your wishes or do something to shame you people. For me to do such now ought to make you realize that my hands were tied. I don't expect you to understand the kind of love Gio and I share but remember that I've never brought a man home or ever had a boyfriend. I'm sorry you're hurt, angry and disappointed in me."

The uneasy silence thickened by the minute. Her mother placed her hands on her laps and sighed heavily.

"Nkiru, one falsehood spoils a thousand truths. How do we believe you now?"

"Mummy please. I'm telling you the truth. Gio and I had to get married to save his future.*

"Hmm...Gio? What kind of name is that?" she asked.

"Giovanni. It's Italian."

"Hmmm...I've heard of the senator's obsession with Italy." She moved her head to look at her silent husband. "Nna yin, what are we going to do?"

He sighed and stared at his weeping daughter. "I'm very disappointed in you." Nkiru lowered her eyes and let out a sob. "But what's done is done. Let's be solution oriented. Tell the young man I want to see him as soon as possible." Mr. Chiwendu stood abruptly and left. His first daughter's marriage was a fait accompli.

"Nkiru, this thing you've done is very strong. You've gotten us mixed up with the Azubuikes. You know they have a bad reputation. You should have seen the way they spoke to your father. They promised to harm you if they couldn't get your marriage annulled. I don't want anything to happen to you.The poor man and the rich man do not play together. I've said my own." The woman retied her wrapper when she got up and walked away from the living room. Nnamdi held his sister's hand and helped her up. Njideka came closer. Nnamdi put his arms around the still weeping Nkiru. 

"My darling sister, please stop crying. It's okay. Enugo? The same sun that melts the wax, hardens the clay. All will be well." He placed her head on his shoulder and rubbed her back in comfort.

When Nkiru related the events of that afternoon to her husband, he clenched his fists. He was sorry she'd gone through all that alone. He however told her he wouldn't be able to make it to her place soon because his father had also summoned him home but he promised to be there at the earliest time possible.


When you are rich, you are hated; when you are poor, you are despised.


*To be continued*

*Continuation of Episode 16*


The forlorn girl huddled herself on the old sofa and wondered what she was going to do next. Her aunt had told her to forget about her admission into AAU and also about furthering her education since she she got herself pregnant. The angry woman had told her to either go and continue with her recharge card kiosk or go learn tailoring or hair dressing. That had hurt Ivie deeply. See where premarital s.ex had gotten her. If only she could turn back the hands of time. She would never have visited Felix in his hostel room. Oh, God, she missed him so much and she was so lonely yet she couldn't be with him.

Hearing that Felix was in the hospital as a result of an auto accident just a few minutes from when he left her house had got her scared. She'd prayed and prayed helplessly that nothing would happen to the father of her baby. Guilt had also flogged her. Maybe she should have found a better way of telling him he was going to be a father instead of just blurting it out like that. And the most painful thing was that no one brought her any information about him. Her so-called friends had all abandoned her. After gathering her last savings to transport herself to Irrua to see him, she'd been turned back by the nurses under strict instructions from his mother that she wasn't to see him. How she had wept that day! So she was now an outcast. It was obvious to her now that she'd been welcomed wherever she went just because of her affiliation with Felix. What a painful thing. Even Obehi didn't want to see her in her house. She'd slammed the door twice on her, calling her a harlot for sleeping with her engaged brother. What was the point of living? Everywhere she went, hatred went with her. Maybe she was cursed. She'd been an illegitimate child, now her child would follow the same path. Oh, what a pity!

Ivie was still musing sorrowfully when she heard a small knock on the door. Her head went up. That was unusual. No one came to visit her these days and her aunt would have opened the door without knocking. The knock sounded again. Ivie hastily wiped her face with her dark-grey blouse, rose from the sofa and walked slowly to the door.

Speechless was what she became when she saw who was standing at the other side of the door. Looking drop dead gorgeous as usual was the father of her baby clad in all black. From his jacket to his trousers to even his shoes. He looked like someone set for a funeral. Gosh, the boy was fineeeeeee.

Removing his foldable aviator sunglasses, Felix fixed his shocked gaze on his ex-girlfriend. WTF! Why was she looking like someone who just came back from pulling tubers of yams in a large farm under a hot sun? Her cheekbones were now pronounced and her eyes had shrunk in its sockets, her pallor was as white as that of a vampire and her whole pysique was sickly. The only thing she seemed to have going for her was increased bust size, probably due to her pregnancy. Morning sickness was definitely a b*tch.

"Felix! When were you discharged? I'm so happy to see you. Thank God you're okay. Please come in," Ivie joyfully chattered and stepped aside for him to enter the sparsely-furnished living room. She shut the door when he was inside and motioned for him to take a seat.

His gaze went round the living room before resting on her. "I didn't come here for pleasantries. Are you still pregnant?" he questioned coldly.

Ivie took a step back in shock. This was a Felix she'd never known existed. His face was a cold mask and his posture, rigid. She felt he was so distant, she couldn't get in touch with him yet he was standing right before her with icicles for eyes. What happened to him? Had the accident changed his warm, lively and boisterous personality? Or was he angry she hadn't come to the hospital to visit him?

"Felix, I went to the hospital to see you but your mother told the nurses not to allow me in. I went..."

"I neither have the time nor the patience for this hogwash," Felix cut in harshly. "Are you still pregnant?"

Tears smarted hotly in the pregnant lady's eyes. She turned away for him not to see them. Never again would he see her tears. She had to be strong for herself and her baby. Taking deep breaths, she pulled herself together before facing him with a haughty look on her face.

"Yes. So?"

He smiled a little. It didn't reach his eyes. He put his hands in his pockets and brought out a wad of one thousand naira bills.

"This is thrity thousand naira. It should be enough to handle it."

"Han...handle what?" Ivie swallowed thickly.

Felix smiled again. "I don't have to spell it out. I don't care if it's mine or not. After that, let's forget we ever met, let alone dated."

Despite her resolve, tears ran unheeded down Ivie's eyes. Shock made her immobile. Felix was asking her to abort his baby? He didn't even believe it was his. And he wanted her to forget the last few months hadn't happened. What she'd considered the best and happiest times in her miserable life.

Felix turned away when he saw her tears. Witch! She knew her tears always made him soften but not this time. He meant business. She'd deceived him one time too many. Lying about his mother when she'd not stepped a foot out of her house. Obehi had told him when she'd informed her about the accident and suggested going to the hospital to see him, she'd declined. Now she was claiming she'd gone and not been allowed in. Utter nonsense! That wasn't even what was making him raving mad. It was that after everything, a night after he got home after being discharged from the hospital at his insistence, he'd needed to see her to make sure she was alright even though she hadn't cared to visit him in the hospital. He'd snuck out of his house that night and walked the whole distance to her house despite his weak state and bandages, only for him to see Ehis sneaking out of the house. It had been like the small part of his heart he still kept for her fell right there at his feet. Deciding to forget about her totally, he'd gone home a very angry man. But her pregnancy still had to be taken care of whether it was his or not. Hence his visit after healing and swallowing his anger.

"You want me to abort your baby?" Ivie finally asked when she found her voice.

Felix focused his angry gaze on her. "Correction. I want you to abort the baby."

Anger surged inside Ivie. She found stength from within and pushed him roughly. He stumbled.

"Gerrout! Get out of my house and never come back, you self-centered bastard!"

Felix was astounded at her reaction. "Ivie, take the d.amn money."

"No!" she yelled at the top of her voice and it broke. "I don't need you or your money. I don't need anything from you." Tears poured out from her black eyes. "I curse the day I met you. I curse the day I allowed you get into my pants. As long as I live, I will never forgive you for ruining my life."

"Ivie..."

"Shut up and get out!" She gathered strength, pushed him to the door and opened it.

"Ivie, take this money. If I leave now, I will never step foot in this house again and you will never see me again. I came here to take responsibility even though I believe it's not my child. Do you think you're the only one who regrets our relationship? Had I known you'd throw your skirts up for every Tom, Dick and Harry after I had you, I wouldn't have come anywhere near you."

Too much for her to take, Ivie lifted a hand and moved his head sideways with a sharp slap. Felix touched his smarting cheek.

"Never it be said I didn't try." He pocketed the money. "Have a good life." With that he stepped out of the house, away from Ivie forever.

Involuntarily, Ivie shivered, her stomach turning over sickly. For a split-second she was consumed by the sort of panic that made people jump out of windows in a fire, sheer cold terror. She wanted to call him back, fall on her knees before him and beg him not to leave her but her pride wouldn't let her. He wanted her to abort the baby and forget about him as well?

That she would surely do!


When a man is stung by a bee, he does not destroy all beehives.

**********

When Gio got home, he was angered to discover his father wasn't there. He and some other senators had been summoned by the president. He thought of going to see Nkiru's parents but decided against it. Maybe his father had changed his mind. If he had, it would be better going to see Nkiru's parents together. He prayed it would turn out that way.

Little did he know that the fast paced events that took place from then on would be a test on his sanity.

**********

Nkechi was tugging a comb through the tresses of the woman who'd just come out of the dryer in her salon when her mother called. She placed the phone between her shoulder and right ear as she continued combing. The phone fell from her ear and clattered with a loud noise on the tiles when her brain processed what her mother had just told her.

Nkiru was in the hospital.

Someone had hit her head with something hard and she was bleeding profusely.


**********

Gio swayed as he stood up from the bed. He doubled over as pain racked his stomach. He breath came in short pants. He felt as if his intestines were trying to come out of his throat. Another bout of pain racked his body and he fell on his knees gripping his stomach in intense pain. He welcomed the darkness slowly swallowing him from his feet upwards.

**********

"Aunty please. Aunty please," Ivie pleaded as she ran from her aunt who was chasing her all over the house with a shoe. Due to her weak state, she hadn't been able to avoid being beaten by her angry aunt.

"Please what? When you were opening your legs for him, you didn't know please then. I.diot!" The furious tall, fair and thin woman shouted at her niece as she continued hitting her all over the body with her shoe. The woman was infuriated because just that morning, Felix's mother had come to fight her in the house over her son's stay in the specialist hospital which she believed was Ivie's doing and also for the poor girl claiming her child was Felix's. That was when Ivie's aunt realized who was responsible for her niece's pregnancy after receiving two hot slaps from Felix's mother. Known for her prowess in beating up people at the slightest provocation, Ivie's aunt had pleaded with the irate woman that she would handle the matter. And handling the matter meant pouring her anger on poor Ivie.

Ivie wished death would come for her at that moment as she tried hiding behind a chair from her aunt. After Felix's insulting visit, now this! How could his mother have come to fight with her aunt that morning when she'd gone to buy bread in order to force herself to eat because her tatse buds had gone into hibernation since she discovered she was pregnant? Felix had already told her to abort the baby and forget they ever met. So why the embarrassment? She'd come back home to meet an angry aunt with reddened cheeks who had wasted no time descending on her before telling her what happened. Felix's mother had overheard her son discussing her pregnancy with his friends and had come there to warn her not to pin her b.astard on her son. She had even accussed her of witchcraft after saying their family was cursed.

What was the point of living? Her aunt hated her now. Felix who didn't believe she was carrying his baby had asked her to abort it even if it was his and his mother believed her to be a witch. What a miserable life! She really ought to take the concoction a neighbour who had noticed her pregnancy symptoms gave her. The said neighbour told her she'd used it to flush three pregnancies before and it worked like magic. At that moment, Ivie wasn't just looking for what would flush the pregnancy but what would kill her as well. The recommended dose was a cup but she would drink the entire contents of the Eva water bottle. Life was not worth living anymore.

"Useless girl! Now you will be like all these girls in this village who have illegitimate children. While I was busy hustling to pay your fees and taking care of your grandfather, you were busy opening your legs for all the boys in the village. I should have left you in my late husband's village. I will beat you till you miscarry that b.astard," Her aunt raged on as she caught her behind the chair.

Ivie ran to her room and locked the door with her aunt hot on her heels. She quickly went on her knees beside the bed and removed the bottle of concoction. Twisting the cap, she opened it. The pungent smell made her feel like gagging but she had to do it. Ignoring her aunt's knocks and abuses at the door, she gulped down the liquid.

By the time her aunt angrily pushed the door which wasn't properly locked open, it was to see her niece writhing in pain on the bare ground. Her shocked eyes took in the empty bottle. She forced her weakened legs to move when Ivie suddenly went motionless. After turning her over, she realized her niece's breathing was shallow. Fear paralyzed her. After a few minutes she rushed to her feet and ran outside to shout for help.

When she came back into the room with good samaritans, Ivie was no longer breathing.

A person's life is dependent on a listening ear.


*To be continued*

*Continuation of Episode 16*


**********

The tension in the huge living room was palpable. It was so thick one could taste it. Eyes were locked on each other in a war of sight while some were avoided. Three families were seated in the large living room. Jessica, her parents and her uncle sat at the north side of the living room. Nkiru, Nkechi, Nnamdi and her parents occupied the east side. While Gio, his father and his aunt graced the west side facing the Chiwendus.

Gio had eyes for only his wife, Nkiru who was staring at him blankly. He was setting eyes on his wife of over three weeks for the first time in over a week. His eyes roamed all over her body in wantoness. He missed her but he was mad at her. She hadn't called him in the three days he'd spent in the hospital due to food poisoning. Had one of the cleaners not found him in a pool of his own vomit, he was sure he would have died there and his wife would have probably danced joyfully on his grave. He mentally made himself to stop thinking such. She probably had a good explanation for not calling him in a week and also why her number was forever switched off, even Nkechi's. What scared him was the blank way she kept staring at him whenever their eyes met. Did something happen to her also? Was she also angry with him? She'd lost weight since he last saw her. Maybe she was sick too. Her pallor alarmed him. She'd gone back to wearing her hideous clothes. Was she trying to make a statement with it? By jove, the scarf tied around her head made her look older than her age. He was still lost in thoughts when his father cleared his throat beside him.

"I called this meeting to clear issues once and for all and for us to find solutions amicably. My son, Gio, got married to Nkiru over three weeks ago despite the..." He paused to look at Nkiru who'd gasped loudly and was now looking at Gio with widened eyes.

"What's the problem, Luna?" Gio asked when Nkiru continued to stare at him like a stranger. She looked to her left at her mother and to her right at her father before pointing a finger to her chest. "Are you talking to me?"

Gio sighed. She was definitely angry with him. He kept quiet. He'd sort out everything when they were through.

"Gio is now legally married to Nkiru and..." His father couldn't help pausing again. Nkiru had gasped again.

"My daughter isn't married to your son. It's all a hoax," Mr. Isaac Chiwendu chipped in. Gio's eyes hardened as the man continued. "I don't know why your son had to choose my daughter of all people as his pretend wife but I know for a fact that she isn't married to him."

Murmurings from the north side filled the living room. Jessica's mother clapped her hands with glee. The senator was too shocked to say anything. Gio's eyes never left Nkiru's face. He fluidly pushed himself to his feet.

"Luna, may I speak with you privately?" 

Mr. Isaac Chiwendu got up also. "She's not going anywhere with you, young man."

Gio ignored him and looked at his wife. "Nkiru, please come with me." He stretched forth his hand. His wife stared at him as if he'd gone bananas and shook her head slowly.

"I'm sorry but I'm not going anywhere with you. I don't even know what I'm doing here in the first place."

Gio sighed. "Why are you doing this? Why are you angry with me? What did I do to you to deserve this?"

Nkiru shook her head. "I really don't know what you're talking about."

With amazed eyes, Gio moved closer to her but her brother moved to stand before him.

The senator held his son's hand and made him sit. He sat down too and stared at his supposed daughter-in-law.

"So what are you saying, Nkiru? Are you saying that Gio didn't marry you in the registry in Akure on the 19th of January, 2011?"

Nkiru laughed. "Marry Gio of all people? That's a laugh. I don't even like him."

Jessica and her mother burst into laughter. Jessica's mother went as far as saying, 'The stubborn grasshopper ends up in the stomach of a bird.' Gio closed his eyes as the realization of what was going on hit him. He should have realized it when he noticed the countenance Jessica's family came in with wasn't that of anger but glee. There'd even been a smugness about them. They knew what they'd done. They knew they'd bribed Nkiru and her family to concoct lies against him. Why Nkiru? Why? He gritted his teeth until his jaw resembled something carved out of a rock.

He remembered then that he had two witnesses. He opened his eyes immediately.

"Nkechi, you were there at the wedding, you were one of the witnesses." His hope in her died the minute she shook her head and looked away. 

"I don't know what you're talking about. This is my first time of meeting you." She told him and covered her eyes with her right hand. He could even hear the tears in her voice.

Rotten wretched family, he thought but there was one last hope. His aunt would never fail him. He turned to where she was seated at the other side of his father.

"Aunt Peace, you were there. Please tell them everything."

Tears glaced Gio's eyes when his aunt shook her head slowly. Tears rolled down her eyes.

"I wasn't there." was her simple reply. The senator gave her a sharp glance.

Gio stood up in anger. "Even you too? They were able to bribe you too? How much did they give you? I'll double it. Please just tell them the truth. Please." He put his hands together in a desperate plea. Nkiru did not appreciate her and her family being called money mongers and she flashed him an accusing look. 

"Gio..." Aunt Peace stopped as a sob caught in her throat. Gio quickly turned to look at the chair he'd vacated. He took the file from the small stool beside it and brought out their wedding pictures. He made to show them to Nkiru but her father and brother stood up to block his path.

"Please I need to show these to her."

"No way. They are probably photoshopped."

"Photoshop? Are you for real?" It wouldn't be right to give his brother-in-law a black eye so he side-stepped him but his father held his arm firmly.

"Giovanni," he called softly but Gio yanked his hand from his and tried to forcefully push Nnamdi out of the way.

"I need to speak to my wife. Let me speak to her," he yelled and the atmosphere burst into flames with the sheer force of his fury. Nnamdi and her father blocked his path. Something made Gio stop struggling. What he noted froze his blood. Nkechi and her mother he noticed couldn't contain their tears but Nkiru sat there dried eyed, staring at him as if he'd gone berserk. She wasn't sorry for what she was doing to him. She even looked as if she didn't care that she was breaking his heart into tiny fragments that could never be pieced together again. Her true colors were being revealed.

With that realization, he walked out of the living room, rushed to his room and slammed the door. He sat down heavily on his bed and put both hands over his angry eyes. Behind the anger lurked pain and fear and a terrifying sense of betrayal. He punched a fist into the palm of his other hand with a sickening thud. Barbaric fury throbbed from every tensed line of his long, taut body.The sad figure of his late twin sat beside him.

"She sold me out, Dano. She sold our love to the highest bidder. How could she? What did I do to her? Her heart is set in stone."

"Gio," his twin softly called. "Calm down. Don't let your emotions rule you. Calm down and think of this. Isn't her behavior unusual?"

Gio jerked upwards. "How can you tell me to calm down? My wife of over three weeks just denied me in front of everyone down there."

"Yes, she did, but is that the Nkiru you know and love?" Dano inquired.

Gio paused and his life with Nkiru flashed before his eyes. How they met till the present time.

"No! That isn't my wife!" He rushed out of the room. He opened the door to the living room and discovered Nkiru and her people were no longer there. He ran to the heavy oak door and pulled it open. He saw the party at a distance and ran like the devil was after him and caught up with them at the gate. He held Nkiru's hand and hugged her. He ignored the fact that she remained stiff in his arms. Mr. Chiwendu stopped his first son when he made to go and yank Gio from his sister's arms. He whispered to his son to allow Gio say goodbye to his wife.

Gio released her and held her face in his hands. He spoke words of Italian that he knew she'd understand but she stared at him blankly. Tears made a slow decent down his eyes.

"My Luna, my precious, my Miss Hazel Eyes, amore mio, moglie mio, I don't know what's going on here but please don't leave me. I don't understand your performance in there just now but please let the pretense end." Ignoring the soldiers by the gate who were looking with keen interest at the rare film show, he went on his knees before her. "I love you so much. Remember you promised not to leave me again. Are you angry with me over something? I was in the hospital for three days. That was why I couldn't communicate with you. Please come back to me." He was pleased to see tears in her eyes but her words rubbed him of his joy.

"Why are you doing this? Is it because we're poor and so cannot sue you and your family for this? Maybe I shouldn't blame you at all. After all, I've heard rumors of your insanity in school but this is the height of madness. Where you expecting me to go along with your false claims because of pity? Please you need psychological help." Gio's hands dropped from her waist as if he'd been burned. Nkiru took slow steps away from him and away from his heart and life. Gio remained in his kneeling position even when they'd gone. 

He held his chest in pain. His heart beat became faster. The maddening headache was there again and he could see Dano vividly now. He felt himself floating as if he was falling into a deep dark hole. The symptoms were familiar.

God! He was going crazy again.

Money can’t talk, yet it can make lies look true.

JIGGERNAPPY:
I have been on nairaland for close to six years without a comment, but as history will mark it, AUDREY has broken my innocent virginity,,, all i can say is 'ride on sweet' # I am following

Oga u never reach 6 years for nl nw abeg try de lie small small

You've made over 20 comments before this too

BTW she's married n you calling ha sweet might not be palatable to me her husband

AudreyTimms gudam

**********

Senator Ekwe rounded on his sister-in-law the minute they got to his room after dropping Gio off at the hospital. His face was like thunder.

"How could you have done such to him, Oby?" His nose flared at the calm beauty who sat on his bed.

"You don't understand." she quietly told him.

"Understand what? That you made an insane person of my son this afternoon?" 

"They will kill her!" she yelled.

"What are you talking about?" He paused before her. 

"Didn't you notice anything odd about her?"

He nodded slowly. "I noticed she was the one acting crazy not my son."

"That's because she has lost a part of her memory." 

"What?" Senator Ekwe was bamboozled.

"She has amnesia. She doesn't remember Gio as her husband. She only remembers him as her school mate."

"What hogwash is that? Amnesia is a myth. Especially in Africa."

Peace shook her head vehemently. "No, it's not. Don't give me that. You, a pharmacist of all people should know it exists."

"Have you ever seen anyone suffering from such?"

"Yes. Back then in my secondary school. She was a senior and a hostel mate. She had a ghastly motor accident where she was the only survivor on her way home for hols. We didn't see her till the end of the next term but we knew about the accident. The doctors told her parents to bring her to the school to see if the familiar surroundings would jolt her memory. It didn't. It was so disheartening watching a once full-of-life girl a shadow of her former self. She couldn't even remember her best friend. Eventually, she had to be withdrawn when people started saying she was going crazy because she had nightmares of the accident which woke us almost every night. Some said she was possessed with mermaid spirit and all that. She never came back. That's the reason why you've never heard of it here in Nigeria. Because of the society we are in. No one wants to be branded crazy or something but believe me, it exists."

The senator laughed in spite of the situation. "So they're claiming she has amnesia?"

"Nkechi called me weeping when she heard you'd summoned her family here. Nkiru was in the hospital for a week. Someone hit her with something hard which they suspect is either a big plank or an iron rod. They had to stitch her head. When she came to, she wasn't herself for some minutes. Chuks, she went crazy." The senator froze and his black eyes pierced hers.

Tears gathered in her eyes. "She lost it for about thirty minutes. When she came back to normal, they discovered she couldn't remember events from about a year ago.  She thinks she's still in the university. She doesn't know anything about Akure or that someone tried to kill her. They're only trying to protect their daughter."

"But why didn't they tell Gio the truth?"

"It'll only make matters worse. Gio will never leave her if he finds out, exposing her to more danger. One who causes others misfortune also teaches them wisdom."

His teeth clenched. "I'll have Jessica and her family arrested."

"With what proof? They'd only call it a random robbery since her phones and money were stolen. They'd say she was probably struggling with the thieves when they hit her. Please let them go with their daughter. Even if a rat stinks, it has a family."

"And what about Gio? Should I allow him go back to the way he used to be? You saw the state he was in at the hospital."

"Gio will get over her but please let her be. Let her pick back the pieces of her life."

"But what of their marriage?"

"Let Gio decide on that. I feel so sorry for her. She really loved Gio."

"Then you want me to fold my hands and do nothing while such love is interfered with? Just like i did years ago?"

"I'm only trying to save a life." She moved to place her hands on his shoulders. "Throwing them in jail won't bring Nkiru back if they succeed in killing her. There is no medicine to cure hatred. They will keep trying till they get her."

"So I should just fold my arms and allow them go scot free when they tried to commit murder?"

"We don't have any proof, Chuks. Remember they are related to the Chief Justice."

"Oh! Is this a power tussle now?"

"No."

"Don't worry, I know what to do."

"Please Chuks. Remember their threat of going public."

He sighed. "There's no way in hell I'm going to allow my son into that family. I really wish I'd made that decision sooner and told him my secret plans. Gio wouldn't have married Nkiru so soon and they wouldn't have tried killing her. My plans failed when that second paternity test came. It just scattered everything I planned and made me assume that Gio had started blanking out again. Another mistake made in the life of my son."

"It's alright, darling. There's more than enough time to make it up to him."

"I'm sorry, Oby. I can't fold my hands and watch my son suffer from another disappointment in his life. Remember i faced the same disappointment as well. I have to try in a subtle way to get them back together again."

"I understand."

A person once bitten by a bee gets frightened at the sight of a house fly.


**********

When Gio's eyes fluttered open, he wondered where he was. When he saw Dano standing by his bed, he became alarmed.

"Don't tell me I've come to join you."

Dano chuckled. "You're in the hospital." He became solemn. "You know you have a serious psychological problem, don't you?"

"What are you talking about?" Gio looked around the private room he was in. It was a typical hospital room. White walls with drug posters on them, white tiles, yellow flowered curtains, television hung against the wall, white beddings, cabinets and drip stand. He hated the place.

"You passed out. You were entering into oblivion again. I had to push you out of it mentally. What's wrong with you? Why can't you handle disappointments like every normal human being."

Gio slowly sat up, trying not to upset the drip attached to his left hand. "Thanks for calling me crazy."

"I'm serious. You really need to get help."

"What I need is my wife back. By the way, how come I can see you clearly again?"

"Because you've closed your heart again, fool! You've allowed your insanity take over again."

Gio cocked an eyebrow. "Grouchy much?"

Dano's face expressed anger. "I'm tired of staying in this world with you. I want to go! Let me go, Gio. Let go!" 

Gio tightened his eyes shut. "I don't know what's wrong with me. Mum knew. When she thought I was still in a coma one day when we were kids, I heard her talking about it and apologizing to me. She did something to me when we were babies. Why don't you ask her?"

"Go and get your wife back," was all his twin said.

"Why?" Gio yelled. "Didn't you hear her deny me and call me insane? How do you expect me to go back to her?"

"Because your happiness lies with her! Have you forgotten how she brought you out of your darkness? She's your moonlight."

Gio closed his eyes and leant against the wall. "But she doesn't want to have anything to do with me."

"She loves you."

"Talk's cheap, Dano, but where was she when the chips were down? She went after money," Gio said with rich cynicism.

Dano hung his head in immense sadness at that.


The End


Lol. Just kidding.


*To be continued on Sunday.*


Yep, sadist am I. For those of you who may want to quit this story because it's not turning out the way you want, haba! Na every time una dey get wetin una want for life? I'm trying to pass a message across here. Remember Unfulfilled Promises was almost like this. When life throws you lemons, make lemonade out of them. Because things didn't work out doesn't mean you can't move on and still succeed in life. What was the essence of Ivie taking her life? Genevieve had a daughter in her teenage years. Isn't she a star today? The title is Letting Go. Stop carrying excess baggage. It's weighing you down. Fi carried excess baggage of hurt and jealousy and hurt not only herself but her family as well. Nkiru and Gio did nothing wrong but their love needed to mature for tough times ahead. It is said that when you let something go, if it is destined to be yours, it will come back to you. In the words of DMX, 'Give a dog a bone, leave the dog alone, let the dog roam and it'll find its way home.' Stay strong, people.

Thanking you.

AudreyTimms:
Even you Jonathan2787? Last warning or your captain armband goes to mitchyy. kingphilip, if I catch you! Hustler!

I've stopped o n you've started calling my name again

Jonathan2787:
whats the confusion, ok make i tok am, YOU FINE O

This are what you does. Walking in kingphilips footsteps.