Interesting piece.

nice

Rozay we are still here

Episode 6

“this is your season to be blessed, your season to locate your partner, the devil has bound you for so long, come and receive your own husband…” pastor Chris Ojigbani’s voice boomed from her television

The last time she attended the program was last year, when Barido was still in her life, they have dated for three years without him asking her the dreamed question, she was worried. “I am still taking my time” Barry had always answered when she had voiced her worry to him. Barry was the latest of the many men that had entered her life and walked away leaving her dry like a desert.

It was Amaka that had suggested they should attend the program, “That was where Chimele and Chinwe went to and got married few months later” Amaka had persuaded

“Amaka that was the same thing you said when you wanted us to visit that Witch Doctor you called a spiritualist” she had reminded Amaka, feeling reluctant to follow Amaka

“Stupid spiritualist that made me wash my vagina in front of him while he licked his lips…not to talk of that thing he gave me to rub all over my body that made me smell like chicken feeds for three days” Elizabeth had added

“At least she gave us two full chickens to eat while calling on our Men…”

“That was a freaking voodoo Amaka!”

“But we eat full chickens now, when last did you have a whole chicken for yourself?”

“And where is Chike now? Has that made him my husband?” Elizabeth had asked

“Eh…Okay I admit it was a mistake, but we cannot stop trying now, this one is a church program and ladies a giving testimonies…”

Amaka had succeeded in convincing her, she was also desperate to get Barido to propose to her, she was thirty-three then.

It was like Nigerian movie when they got there, Men were proposing to their women in church, and some even got strange phone calls from men abroad proposing to them. A particular lady’s testimony got her shouting the loudest ‘Amen and waving Barido’s picture above her head as if God was short sighted and needed to see the picture very clear.

Her spirit was very high, and her faith as strong as the big rock at ‘Nsugbe’ when the program ended. She stopped by the market to buy stuffs she would use in making ‘Onugbu soup’ for Barido, and drove straight to his house unannounced.

She had met another woman in the kitchen, with a bum-short and a summer-bra, cooking with the utensils she bought. She didn’t need to ask who the lady was, the look on Barido’s face told her everything, and the girl asking him “Baby who is she?” sent her out of the house in a speed of light.

She didn’t know how she got home or how she survived the days after that night.

“…last year was a blast, we had over thirty proposals and marriages from this Alter…come the lord will do it for you”

Elizabeth chuckled and sipped from the cup of green tea she held. “some of us has finally realized that we can only fantasize about love and weddings” she muttered before she stood up to check who was at the door

“Big sis! I thought you weren’t around o, I was about turning back” Her brother pushed through the door, with a wrapped box of cupcakes in his hands. A box he had already torn and had already eating one of the seven cupcakes.

“Ike, I wouldn’t have opened the door for you if I knew you were the person knocking” Elizabeth followed behind

“You would have slammed the door on my face rather, have I not entered fast” He picked another cake from the box and sat down “I know you don’t want me around”

“You always spoil my things, so why would I allow you in?” She sat beside him “And which of your numerous girls gave you a box full of cupcakes?” she envied her brother for being able to eat anything without adding a single weight

“Hmm…which girl? They have all left me” he munched “…said I am unserious…” he bit and munched

“So where did you get it from? I know you are too stingy to give yourself this type of treat” Elizabeth said

“Big sis you don’t know me o… I can spend money o…but I didn’t buy this one” he glanced at his sister and hurriedly took one more cupcake “a delivery man gave it to me as I was coming to your house…” He looked at his sister again and noticed the change in her facial expression, he moved away from her “I think it is actually meant for you…” he fling a small card to her and ran inside the kitchen.

Elizabeth caught the card and ran after her brother who had already locked the door behind him “if I catch you eh… you will regurgitate those cakes oh” she shouted

“you no need am na, you dey watch your weight, I say make I help you chop am” her brother responded from the other side of the door
She walked back to the sitting room and read the card;

‘A little peace offering for last night, though you are still beautiful even when you are angry. E’

“A new guy huh?” her brother crept closer to her, he noticed the faint smile on her face

“Just an…” she hesitated, not knowing what to call him

“Just who sis”

“Just a guy I met few days ago” she saw the look her brother gave her “see there is nothing more to this Ike…”

“Why will a guy give you a box of cake if there is nothing going on between you two”

“I don’t even know his name…why am I even explaining to you? you are just like Mum” she left him standing and laughing. When she settled in her room with her legs curled to her chest, she pulled out the card and read it again

“I don’t even know his name”

*

“here I am, trapped in this god forsaking village, my men in a gun battle with some bloody militants at Bony water ways, and the thought of a beautiful lady fills my head”

He stepped out from the cabin that served as shelter for them, his legs sank with his boot in the muddy ground as he walked with his colleague towards the waiting speed boat.

“who is this woman that has captured your heart?” Abdulazeez asked, he picked the two life jackets and handed one to Ebube.

“all I know about her is that her name is Elizabeth and she has a temper that can microwave a frozen pot of soup” he acknowledged the two junior officers in the boat

“My guy na die you dey o, how can you be attracted to a lady like that? You way no wan wahala…how you go take cope?”

“Abdul I said I like her there is nothing else going on, I have not even spoken to her more than twice, and those two times weren’t encouraging”

“Na una dey worry una self, if na my place eh, watin you go carry matured woman do if not to knack am clean mouth, na to go fine one small girl way no go give you wahala eh, marry her fiam! You don rest be that”

“You no well abdul…watin I wan carry small pikin do? I no envy you at all…” their boat docked at the Jetty

“Sir!” he was greeted as he stepped out of the boat

“What is the situation Commander?” he kept walking

“Not too good sir!” the commander followed him

“What do you mean not too good”

“Another Pipeline was blown up yesterday and Sargent Ayo said two vessels were taken over by these boys”

“they took vessels from you?” Ebube looked angrily at the commander

“They were more than our boys could handle…”

“Bloody idiots are more than you can handle?”

“Sir these boys have sophisticated weapons; we need reinforcement of arms…

“Also, these boys know the terrine more than we do, it has been difficult locating their hid outs and capturing them”

“It’s more obvious we will be staying longer than we planned Abdul” he thought of her again and suddenly wished he could see her.

*

“You ungrateful child! Come on follow me or I will hit you more”

The child was crying and insisting on not going anywhere with clara, her mother. Her grandmother has gone to the market, leaving her with a house help

“Auntie she say she no wan follow you leave am now…” the house help who has been shielding the child and has been taking the beating the woman meant for the child, said.

“Did you just talk to me! Na me you dey talk to? If I wooze you slap eh, your face go turn go back” Clara turned towards the crying child “ Oya make we dey go before I break this your legs and your papa no go know you again”

She dragged the girl and was about walking out from the gate when Mama Ebube came in, she ran toward the woman and snatched the child from her “Hapurum nwa m aka (leave my daughter for me)” she said

“Mama what is your problem now?” Clara asked angrily

“What are you doing here? I told you not to step your feet in to my compound again” the woman protected the child behind her

“Give me my daughter let me go!” Clara reached for the child but couldn’t get her

“she is nothing to you! you have not been a mother to her, why do you want her…”

“She is my daughter! The court gave me custody, she is mine!!”

The old woman left Clara screaming and threatening, and walked in to the house with the child, “Bia napunum ya naka…anumpama, I na acho nwata I na apigbu (Come and take her away from me let me see, you are looking for a child to kill)”

She watched the woman and the child disappeared and know there was nothing she could do , as much as she wanted to cause them pain, it would not be that day. But her day would come and she would enjoy watching them run around like mice with their tails on fire. Omalicha was her key to achieving her plan, until she would have her, Clara would have to painstakingly wait.

“Very soon Ebube, you will beg me”

thanks for d update .. but if u can b posting mmore frequently e go make beta sense ...your update b like nepa light ... am glued to your story

Well done OP

Oliver Twist has arrived.

Very Good story you've got here.

Please kindly increase the frequency of your posting

Thanks for updating

Tanks for the update

Thanks for the update

CHAPTER 7

“Another Saturday has come, some good girls are standing on an Alter with some people’s Sons saying ‘I do’ and we are here eating ‘Bole and fish head’”

It was a rainy Saturday and she was with Amaka in her fish farm. “and bitches are either the ‘Aso-Ebi’s’ or the maids-of-Honor” she cut a fleshy part of the fish head and threw it in her mouth.

“people get married when they have seen whom to get married to Lizzy, there are many good girls who are still single, example; you, and there are many Bitches that are happily married…”

“You are one of the few persons that thinks I am still a good girl” she took the last piece of the roasted plantain, “Anyway…thank you for the compliment”

“So…aren’t you going to tell me about it?” Amaka gave her friend a knowing look

“About what? I don’t understand”

“The ‘Prince Charming’ that visited you two Thursdays ago, see I say I no go ask you, na you suppose gist me sef”

“Who are you talking about?”

“…Comon comot for here, see your mouth, no use me play o, as you see me I no get another work today, na that story I come make I hear the full romantic gist”

Elizabeth threw her head backward and laughed “Chai! Tatafo republic, Amaka you too like tory…”

“Gist me joor…” they were both giggling like secondary school girls

“Okay…nothing happened” Elizabeth shocked her friend

“What do you mean nothing happened? You told me he came here…in the night! What will two adults be doing alone…in the night” Amaka pressed on

“talking!” Elizabeth added “Nothing! I am serious…”

“did he come to buy fish?”

“No he didn’t…”

“Then he came to see you”

“Yes…”

“And what happened after seeing you?”

Elizabeth saw how desperate her friend was and it made her laugh “Okay…first I was surprised to see him, and thanks to you, I was looking like a village fish seller…”

“But that’s who you are…”

“A fish seller yes, but not a village fish seller” they laughed

“Secondly, the guy is a freaking military man!”

“What! are you serious?”

“Said he is with the Navy”

“Did he kiss you? I can imagine a kiss from a handsome Naval Officer, sweeeeettt…” Amaka said dreamingly

“Amaka he didn’t touch me not to talk of a kiss, he just came to see me, that’s all…I don’t even know his name?”

“What is wrong with you girl, this guy is handsome, comfortable and he wants you…”

“He told you that? Because as far as I am concerned, he has not said anything to me” Elizabeth drank some water

“But the guy is shooting some shots at you” Amaka said

“And I am not seeing it, Anyway…” She wasn’t sure whether to reveal more “He sent a box of cupcakes the next day” she glanced at her friend and looked away, her stomach fluttered as she imagined him writing those words to her ‘you are still beautiful even when you are angry’

“aha! What do you call that? Is that not his humble way of shooting his shot?”

“Don’t be silly, He said it was a peace offering for coming unannounced” she avoided looking at Amaka, scared that Amaka might see through her and what was going on in her mind.

When she looked up, Amaka was carefully examining her and smiling, she smiled back, bit her lips and looked away ‘stop doing that…what you are doing with your lips…’ she heard his rich voice in her head,

“Lizzy” Amaka called out her name slowly

“What!”

“You are blushing! You are already developing something for this guy”

“that’s not true…”

“Then why are your eye lids fluttering and your cheeks are turning pink” Amaka laughed more

“Laugh all you want; I am going out to check on my fingerlings” she was smiling as she walked towards the pond

*

“We are not dialoging with anybody; it is either we get full control of our oil or we destroy everything!”

It was becoming obvious to Ebube that dialoging with the stake-holders would amount to a futile effort. The meeting with community chiefs and the youths, which started four hours earlier that Saturday, was yet to reach a conclusive end, and he was fast losing his patience.

“We have been here for so long and we have not arrived at anything, get your boys off our creek, then we can listen to you and your government” Chief Opubo retorted

“And watch your children destroy our Pipe-lines? What are you talking about?” Abdul said, he couldn’t hold his anger anymore

“The oil is our heritage, it belongs to us!, we can equally destroy it when we want…”

“So you are indirectly saying that you sanctioned the activities of these boys?” Ebube asked calmly, looking from one face to the other

He had thought that going into the community to talk with the chiefs to call their youths to order would have been a start to curbing the ugly situation, but he was wrong, there were many people who had stakes in the unrest than he imagined.

“Do not put words in our mouths Officer, nobody is supporting these boys, but you must admit that you can do little to stop this. The fight is not yours, it is between these boys and the federal government, get your boys out of the creeks and our water ways, stop terrorizing our women and children! We want to go to farm and fishing in peace without seeing your men with guns parading the water-ways!, we can only…ehm…these boys can only talk with the federal Government if the military leaves our community!” Chief Opubo said after a long silence

Echos of “yes!!!” filled the community hall

He was exhausted, hungry and angry by the time he got back to the cabin, there was no network in his phone yet “Damn it!” he swore under his breath and sat down to pull his boot off his feet.

“Sir…can I come in sir?” one of the Junior officers stood by the door

“Come in Aminu” he straightened himself and fixed his gaze on the officer

“Sir, I think there is something going on beyond what we are fighting” the young Officer said, looking on the floor

“What are you talking about…and look at me when talking to me officer!” Ebube ordered

“Sure sir!”

“So what do you mean?”

“I am suspecting that one of us is giving the boys information about our strategies…”

Ebube got more interested, “What are you talking about officer, do you realize you are talking about Sabotage here?”

“Yes sir…isn’t it obvious? How come we would get information on where they are in a moment, and they are no longer by the time we raid the hideout?”

“These boys know these creeks like the back of their palms, you don’t. they are raised here; you are not” Ebube tried to dismiss the suspicion

“I know that sir, but think of it, they may know this area, but they will not always be accurate all the time, we have been here for some weeks now and cannot say we have captured a single suspect” He looked at his superior and continued “Not to mention their arms, these guys use fully automated guns and flamethrowers, someone is supplying them these arms…” Officer Abdul couldn’t continue

“Are you suspecting anybody?” Ebube asked

Aminu was mute for some time before he answered “Not yet sir”

“I will think about what you just told me Aminu, if you suspect anyone, feel free to let me know”

“Okay sir…thank you sir”

He dismissed the Officer, sat on the wooden chair and reminisced on what the junior officer told him, he would investigate further on the matter.
He picked his phone and was relief to see two bars, network was weak but he could make some calls, he thought of calling her and decided against it, what would he say to her to justify the call?

He called his mother and Mark,

“Oh boy make then no kill you there o, I still wan hang out with you” Mark had said to his amusement.

The urge to call Elizabeth came strong, this time he did. The phone rang but she didn’t pick, he tried two more times with same result.

That night he slept little, but when he finally did, he dreamt of a curvy lady with beautiful eyes.

*

She lay awake in the dark stuffy room, listening to the snoring Man beside her and the buzzing of the mosquitoes, she slapped herself periodically in a bid to kill one or two of the mosquitoes, but with no success.

The sleeping Man turned towards her and crossed his hands around her naked body, she cringed, he wasn’t her type of men, not that she had any choice though, she needed to survive. The Money Ebube gave her was fast dwindling, she had called him but his phone has been unavailable for the past two weeks. Papa Ochuko became her alternative.

She took up a job in his palm-wine and pepper soup joint, “You sabi cook?” the fat man that had grown bags on his stomach said

“Yes sir, I sabi, I don work for restaurant before” She answered

“Eheehn…I go test you first na, make I know whether you sabi as you talk”

She agreed, desperate to get herself fixed and start making money while waiting for when she would make demands on her ex-husband

When the test ended, Papa Ochuko took her to a small room at the back of the bar, without much words, she already knew what he wanted,
she removed her cloths and stood before him naked. “Good gal” he said, but he had another thing in mind. He turned her around, bent her over and slid his Penis inside her.

She felt nothing as he humped. She was relieved when he pulled out after he had crocked like a frog, held her tight and ejaculated. He threw a dirty piece of cloth on her and took his cloth “you go dey work both day and night o” he had added to her job description

Clara looked at the Old man, it was the second time he had fu**ked her since that day. She removed his hands from her body and picked his trouser where he abandoned it. She looked back to make sure the Man was still sleeping before she searched all the pockets, she left him with four thousand, seven hundred and twenty-five naira and took the rest, the Man drank too much last night, he may not remember how much he had in his pocket.

When she settled to sleep, she moved far from him, wishing she was in Bed with someone else, ‘Ebube’ her mind went to him, he was looking good the last time she visited him, so built and toned. What would it be like to have him yearn for her again? To have him bath her body with his sweat as he rides her?

She craved for him, and would do anything to get him back

i am so sorry, please i will try to update often

efeteb:
Oliver Twist has arrived.

Very Good story you've got here.

Please kindly increase the frequency of your posting

Thanks for updating

bizza45:
thanks for d update .. but if u can b posting mmore frequently e go make beta sense ...your update b like nepa light ... am glued to your story

thank you so much, i will try to be frequent

Thanks for the update ma'am

Ann2012:
Thanks for the update ma'am

thank you so much for reading sis

interesting.
keep it up .
Thanks for the update .

a quick one, i am traveling today and will be offline till Tuesday, enjoy the Easter with this

EPISODE 8

“We have been called to return to the Base” Ebube said casually.

He stood up from his wooded chair, gulped the Lipton tea on the desk and made towards the door. It has been four days since they had the meeting with the community members, a meeting that almost turned to a fight.

Even after joining forces with the Army, they didn’t break through, no militant was captured, they couldn’t stop more pipelines from being blown up, and his men were discouraged and frustrated.

“This mission should be aborted captain” The admiral had said to him the day he visited

“Give it more time sir, we can still take control of the situation” Ebube had insisted

“It will still be the same thing, these boys are in control” the Admiral was ashamed to say this, he had known him for years, he wasn’t a man to accept defeat and hearing this from him made Ebube want to go back to the water ways and make everything right. “these are their water-ways and their creeks, they have learnt to hide so well…our men have little chance if we continue going after them” he had sat down, his shoulder sunk in frustration. He had spoken to Ebube like a distress father not like a superior.

“So what do we do now sir?”

The admiral exhaled “You said they want dialogue with the federal government?” he asked

“Yes sir”

“Then let us make provision for it, but first you have to go back to the chiefs and tell them that we are ready to back off, if only they will promise to also get these boys off the remaining pipelines”

“I will do that sir, but the chiefs are claiming they don’t know these boys”

“And you belief them? Son…” Ebube loved it when the Old Officer called him ‘son’ “…We have been in this country old enough to know that a man that dances in the market square, has a drummer in the bush”

“I am suspicious too, but they would not admit to it” Ebube said

The Admiral wiped his face with his palm “Tell them to call those Bastards off the creeks as well, they know those boys, they are their sons” Admiral could Call any one ‘Bastard’ when he gets angry, and Ebube knew he has gotten to his boiling point, the Admiral was only trying to put his anger in check.

“So…our boys should…”

“Tell them to get ready, we are moving out tomorrow, the speed boats would be coming to get you guys…the federal government gave the order after much deliberation with him yesterday, the ball is in his court now” The admiral walked towards Ebube and placed his hands on his shoulder

“Son, I know how much you value this job, I know how you would want to fish these boys out, I would want to do that too…but sometimes we need dialogue more than conflict…look at this place, it is no longer a home to even the indigenes! Maybe there is need for that dialogue…” He held his shoulder “The oil maybe the life-wire of our dear country, but these people have no other home that this place, and there is nothing left for them here, they want dialogue, let us give them the chance…”

“But who will the federal Government be dialoguing with? These boys are faceless…” Ebube said

“Their chiefs and elders will come” he made for the door

“There is a suspicion of sabotage Among us sir” Ebube said after the Admiral who stopped by the door “I got the report from a junior officer who didn’t mention any name…he said that someone within gives these boys information about our strategies and possibly supplies arms to them…”
Ebube held his breath and wait

“No name giving?”

“Yes sir”

“Hmm…investigate on this when you get back to Port Harcourt, but then…it could be a false wolf cry”

The Admiral was gone, he had visited every Chief and elder he could remember with the help of a local, who he gave two-thousand Naira to lead him, the news has gone that morning that the federal government has call off the operation, to the jubilation of the locals. He looked out from his window and saw him men parking, the boats were already waiting. He couldn’t look the junior officer in the face

“So we are abandoning the operation?”

“No…We were ordered to leave this place”

“We failed sir”

Ebube saw the disappointment in his face “No Abdul, I failed…” with that, he hung his bag and walked out to join the others. Two questions remained unanswered in his mind

“Who was sabotaging their efforts? And why”

*

It was dark when he disembarked from the boat, and entered the waiting vehicle to his house. his heart suddenly felt so heavy and the urge to talk to someone came strong to him. He tried starting up a conversation with his driver but the poor man was very careful with his choice of words.

He dropped the conversation after he realized the driver was scared of him. He would have called Mark but he was not sure what he would want to talk to him about,

“Take a U-turn to Eliozu…I want to visit a friend”

“Sir…by this time?”

“You can leave the car with me and go home, I can drive myself John”

“No sir, I will drive you to anywhere you want to go sir”

“Good”

*

“So much for a peace offering…he has not even called since then” She murmured as she stepped out of the bathroom. She didn’t know why but she had expected him to call, or even visited “At least to make sure I got his peace offering” she had complained to Amaka two days ago

She jammed the bathroom door so hard, and kicked her slippers off her feet carelessly “Not that I cared anyways…he is nothing to me” she tried convincing herself, but she knew she was developing something for him “Don’t deny it Liz, you are growing fond of him” Amaka had said “Not after just two meetings…give me a break, I am not that cheap. Besides I was done with this kind of thing last year after I broke up with Barido…” She had defended

But she wasn’t sure now, no matter how much she tried, his thought filled her head. There was a knock on her door, she jerked up in alert; the knock came again, this time it was louder

She checked the time and was worried, she wasn’t expecting anybody, her brother could come to her house late in the night, but he had traveled to Owerri two days ago, she called Amaka “Are you at my door?” she asked

“What are you talking about, I am not anywhere close to your house…”

“Wait, you sound like you are with…”

“Yes! I am on top off something please get off my phone” she laughed

“Eeeewwww! You are such a spoilt girl…enjoy” she laughed and walked out of her room to check who was at her door by nine thirty-eight in the night.

*

He has already giving up and was walking back to the car when she opened the door “Who is there?” he heard her asked and smiled to the voice that hunted him while he was away

She dropped the mop-stick in her hand as he turned to face her “You? what are you doing here? Where have you been? And why did you disappear after giving me a box of cake to eat and grow more fat?”

“Nice to see you too” he said, looking at her as she tried to cover herself, her night gown hid nothing “Am I welcomed?” he asked

“Ehm…yes sure..” she walked in and he followed

“A lovely house you have”

She turned to him, her face red with anger “is this a bad habit of yours or you just want to get me angry, why would you always show up in my house without pre-information? Are you looking for an excuse to send another Peace offering?”

“I call you twice but you didn’t pick” he was calm and she didn’t like it, she wanted him to react.

“Lier? I didn’t see any call…”

“If you have bothered to check your phone you would have seen the missed calls”

She knew he wasn’t lying, her phone rang when she was in the bathroom, but she didn’t call the number back, “if it is him, he will call again” she had thought

“Just as I called you two times few weeks ago and you didn’t pick” He added, observing her

“So why are you here?... why will you always come in the night?”

He was hurt, he couldn’t stand and listen to her rant while all he had dreamt of was her smiles and something else…something beautiful.

“I am so sorry I came; I will not bother you again…I promise” he walked out

She stood there, mouth opened, “What have I done again” she asked herself, she had allowed him to walk away from her on two occasions and he kept coming back, today she did it again.

Without thinking, she ran after him “Wait! Stop!!” she called out.

He was holding the car door when he heard her “Please!” she added

“Why?” he asked softly, he was tired

“I don’t know…” she answered

He ignored her and entered the car, she came closer to the car, he wound down the glass and asked again “Why?”

“Because…I want you to stay…I have missed you”

“Don’t wait for me John, I will drive myself back” he said, he handed some money to the driver and took the car-key from him, before he stepped down.

She was sobbing softly by the time he got to her “You stubborn mule, can’t you see how much I want to be with you?” he held her in a warm embrace.

thanks, y did y choose to end it like that,leaving me to complete it with my thought

It is not ended o

E don balance


Tanks for the update

nice 1 OP

chai,lovely update oh...i wish it didn't end dea..



OP u want to commit murder abi,dz suspence z loud..

You can't stop there, OP biko come and finish what you started...

nawa o,all this romantic stories will just be making someone yearn for the impossible.

keep it up,I'm following you anywhere you go.

by the way,I think this cut across slim girls too,I mean reeeaaaaaal slim girls.

ukaface:
nawa o,all this romantic stories will just be making someone yearn for the impossible.

keep it up,I'm following you anywhere you go.

by the way,I think this cut across slim girls too,I mean reeeaaaaaal slim girls.

You got sheeply smiling about following you anywhere you go as well.

thanks for the update.
hmmmm the story is romantic

This update is really romantic, I have a perfect picture in my head

Well done ma'am

Am expecting more.kudos.

Ann2012:
This update is really romantic, I have a perfect picture in my head

Hmmmmmmmmm,

Nice one.

MORE!

�Rosey,no Easter tori ??

bring it on