bimberry1307:
I'm already sending a hug to the person (hubby) that recommended your books to me. He's actually someone you know.

Btw, thanks ma'am for this wonderful piece. Can't wait to see the end.

*hugs*

Send my greetings to your hubby.
Curious about his identity *winks*

Halyma:
It has been a while Rukky dreamt?

Abi...

Emeka don dey show him true colours. Thanks for the update ma'am

Adeola25:
Emeka don dey show him true colours. Thanks for the update ma'am

*winks*

SheWrites:


*hugs*

Send my greetings to your hubby.
Curious about his identity *winks*

Haruna Adinoyi Yusuf

Halyma:
It has been a while Rukky dreamt?

Hahahaha. Me wey dey fear her dreams. I just want justice for her.

Thanks for the update ma’am

bimberry1307:
Haruna Adinoyi Yusuf

I know him by the name Adinoyi :-) Pls send my greetings o.

bimberry1307:
Hahahaha. Me wey dey fear her dreams. I just want justice for her.

Hehehehe... Rukevwe the dreamer

Ann2012:
Thanks for the update ma’am

*hugs*

Ejiro, welcome to the reality : MARRIAGE Thanks for the update, SheWrites!

Now the beast is finally showing his true color, yuck
Ckukwuemeka behave nahh, a pregnant woman at that That's bad⛔
Thanks for the update SheWrites

PrudySara:
Ejiro, welcome to the reality : MARRIAGE Thanks for the update, SheWrites!

*winks*

YoungBruzzy:
Now the beast is finally showing his true color, yuck
Ckukwuemeka behave nahh, a pregnant woman at that That's bad⛔
Thanks for the update SheWrites

You're welcome

Set Apart resumes this weekend by God's grace.
The story continues...

Good afternoon Shewrites. This is quite unusual. I hope you are good.

@op, I hope you're fine? May God always be with you.

@op, I hope you're fine? May God always be with you.

SPDAZZY:
Good afternoon Shewrites. This is quite unusual. I hope you are good.

Hi my phone crashed oooo.
I have been trying to repair it.
Thanks for asking *hugs*

Opeade939:
@op, I hope you're fine? May God always be with you.

*hugs*
It's phone issues oooo

CHAPTER 13

Eru and his family and friends arrived at Ese’s home in Ketu bearing gifts. Ese’s parents welcomed them and the introduction ceremony commenced immediately. In less than forty-five minutes, the wedding list was given to the Etadafes. Once the dates for the traditional and court wedding were finalized, food and drinks were served.
Ejiro carried her plate of food and drink and went outside. She sat under the canopy with some of the guest. She ate the food quickly and gulped down the can of malt. She felt a little bit satisfied, knowing fully well that she would soon start to feel hungry again. Sometimes she wondered if she had more than one baby growing in her womb. She saw Rukevwe when she came out of the house. She had with her a plate of jollof rice and two cans of malt.

“Who gave you two cans of malt?” Ejiro eyed the drinks in her sister’s hand.

“Just forget it. I am not giving you one,” she sat beside her sister under the canopy.

Ejiro hissed, “Who is asking you for one?”

Rukevwe made a longer hiss. “The request is written all over your face.”

Her elder sister eyed her again and snatched one of the cans of malt from her hand.

“Haba!” Rukevwe tried to retrieve her drink, but her sister slapped her hand off the can.

“That’s your punishment for making an assumption,” Ejiro opened the drink and took a sip. “Hmmm… this is so chilled.”

Rukevwe gave a shake of head and opened the second can. “In three days’, we are going to Tega’s parents’ place.”

“I will be there, or else, Ochuko will hold it against me.”

She started to laugh, then her vision became blurry. Ese’s compound faded before her very eyes, replaced by another house. In the space of ten seconds, she saw her sister lying in her own pool of blood, crying hysterically. Rukevwe gasped and blinked several times. The images cleared and the blur disappeared. She turned her head to look at her sister.

“What?” Ejiro met her direct and intense stare.

“Are you okay?” her heart kept pounding against her chest.

Ejiro looked her up and down. “Do I look sick to you or am I incapacitated?”
Rukevwe shook her head. “No, but…”

“I am fine,” she took another sip. “I am pregnant, that’s all. Three more months to go and the baby will be here.”

She breathed out loudly. “I hear you, but seriously, is everything okay on the home-front and everywhere else?”

Her last argument with her husband flashed through her mind. Her brows came together in a frown. “Rukevwe, I am fine,” she downed her malt and crushed the can.

“The baby and you?” she was unwilling to give up. The pool of blood stayed glued on her mind.

“Perfect,” Ejiro said through gritted teeth. Her sister’s question was beginning to irritate her.

She watched her sister closely. She could sense that she wasn’t being completely honest. “Marital affairs?”

She forced a smile and turned away. “Intimate.”

Rukevwe raised an eyebrow, “Really?”

“Yes, really,” she threw her a glare. “Go and marry if you want to know the intricate details.”

Rukevwe observed her sister. She could tell that she was in no mood to talk. In the past, Ejiro was always willing to talk about her sweet relationship with her husband and she could go on for hours, non-stop.

She held the table with both hands and lifted her weight. “I am going inside to dance with the couple.”

“Ejiro wait…”

“Rukevwe, please leave me. I am in no mood for your shenanigans today,” she started to walk away.

Rukevwe opened her mouth and closed it. She wanted to tell her about what she just saw. She watched her saunter into the house, rubbing her tummy and mumbling. She pushed the plate of food away. She had just lost appetite because of what she saw. She was worried about her sister. The pool of blood flashed through her mind’s eye again and her heartbeat accelerated.

What was going on with her sister? Was she well? What about the baby? Is he or she healthy? Hope Ejiro and her husband were not fighting? She had no idea what the pool of blood meant, but she knew that all was not well. She decided to start praying for her sister and hope that she would be willing to open up sometime soon.

****

Ejiro sat by her dressing mirror, tying the gele on her head. She glanced at the wall clock again. It was past twelve. Ochuko and Tega’s introduction ceremony must have started. She looked towards the bedroom door. Where was her husband? She hoped he was ready. They were late already.

Chukwuemeka flung the door open and marched into the bedroom. He sat on the bed and began to pull off his shoes.

Ejiro watched him in astonishment, “What are you doing?”

“I am not going anywhere again. You can find your way,” he laid on the bed and closed his eyes.

She opened her mouth, closed it and frowned. She threw the gele down and approached him. “Why are you behaving like this now? You agreed to take me there, even if you don’t want to stay, just drop me off.”

“I said I am not going again,” he sat up and glared at her. “Don’t I have the right to change my mind?”

Ejiro shook her head. “No, no, no. This is not about rights,” she waved a finger at him. “It is my brother’s introduction ceremony…”

“And so what?” his red eyes looked her up and down.

She waved a finger in his direction. “Chukwuemeka, Chukwuemeka, why are you talking like this? What is all this for heaven’s sake?”

He crossed his legs. “Ochuko can be Bill Clinton or Idi Amin for all that I care. I am not leaving this house today.”

She stood in front of him. “This is wrong. It is not fair. How do you want me to get there? And in my condition for that matter?”

He glowered at her. “Are your legs broken? Can’t you walk? Don’t you have hands?”

“Ah! God,” she looked heavenwards. “What kind of wahala is this?” her sad eyes fell on him, “We agreed on something, now… now you are backing out,” tears gathered in her eyes.

He clapped his hands and hissed. “Your mates are out there selling pepper in the hot scorching sun, and you are here complaining. Stupid idiot.”

She felt exasperated, just standing there in front of him. “Oh-ooh. Is that why you married me? Do you prefer that I suffer? Is that what turns your evil mind on? Ehn? The Devil’s Advocate?”

Chukwuemeka reached out for his leather shoes and threw it at her, one after the other.

She tried to run, but one of the shoes struck her on the chest and the other on the tummy. “Yeh! Yeh!” She knelt down and held her tummy.

“Lazy bones, fool, useless brat!” he spat at her, unmoved by her pains.

“My God will punish you,” she lifted her tears stained face. “You want to kill me. You want to kill our baby. You will not succeed. Ah! God will punish you in hundred-fold.”

“If God punishes me, you will also partake of the punishment,” he carried all the pillows on the bed and flung them at her.

The weight of the pillows made her fall on her buttocks. “Aaaaah!”

“Useless human being,” he spat on her head.

“If I knew that this was the kind of person you were, I wouldn’t have married you,” she started to cry. “You are very wicked, it will not end well with you and the rest of your generation,” she sobbed.

“Are you talking to me?” he beat his chest.

“Who else is in this room?” she tried to get up, then her eyes caught the sight of blood on the French lace skirt. Her heart beat accelerated. She got on her knees and checked herself. “Jesus!” she placed a hand on her head when she discovered that she was bleeding.

Chukwuemeka froze when he saw his wife on her knees, in her own pool of blood.

“Jesus!” Her shriek echoed through the walls.

****

Ochuko and his wife moved their bodies in flow with the rhythm of the music played by the hired DJ. They were both happy that the major part of the ceremony was over. Their families and the guests were eating, while some were with them on the dancing floor.

“The list your family gave me, it is enough to buy a hundred cows,” Ochuko teased his fiancée.

Tega started to laugh. “They know that you are very capable,” she winked at him.

Oghenekaro and Itoro moved closer to the couple. As they danced, they pasted naira notes on their foreheads.

Rukevwe stood by and watched the happy couple. It was hard coming to terms with the fact that her brothers were going to get married weeks apart from each other. Her parents must be counting their blessings by now.

She felt the vibration of her phone in her hand. She checked the caller’s I.D. and frowned when she saw her sister’s name. Where was she? She had been trying to reach Ejiro since the ceremony begun. Did she miss her way? Was she lost?

It was a bit difficult to locate Tega’s parents’ place. She wouldn’t be surprised if Ejiro and her husband missed a turn or two. She moved away from the loud music and picked the call.

“Hello…”

“Hello, Rukevwe…”

“Where are you? Where is your husband? Both of you are very, very late.”

“I know. We know.”

She rolled her eyes. “Where are you? Did you miss your way? I can send someone to come…”

“Rukevwe, I am at the hospital…” her sister’s voice sounded cracked.

Her heart missed a beat. “Hospital? What hospital? What are you doing there?” the thought that they must have had an accident made her afraid. “What happened?!”

“I… I had a miscarriage,” she heard her sobbing.

“Holy Spirit! Jesus Christ! Oh my God!” the news that her sister lost her baby broke her heart.

“I am at the hospital at the end of my street.”

“Okay, okay, I am on my way,” she ended the call.

Tears gathered in her eyes. She cleaned her face quickly so that no one would see the tear drops.

“Oh God. What sort of problem is this?” She looked around and saw her eldest brother in the company of his fiancée and a few friends.

She approached him and led him away to a quiet corner.

“What is it?” he noticed her sad expression.

“Ejiro called me.”

Eru hissed. “Where is she? She and her husband are late.”

Rukevwe breathed out loudly. “They won’t be able to make it.”

“Why?” his brows came together in a frown. “Ochuko will have her head. Wherever she is, she better come.”

Her eyes darted left, then right. “She said she had a miscarriage.”

Eru dropped his jaw, unable to say a word. He placed both hands on his hips and directed his gaze at their parents. “We can’t tell them. Not yet, anyway.”

She followed his gaze and saw their parents dancing with Ochuko and Tega.

"Okay.”

“What hospital? Did she tell you?” Eru glanced back at her.

She nodded. “Yes, erm… it is the one at the end of her street.”

“Okay, okay. I know the place,” he looked towards the corner his fiancée was seated. “Just go, I will meet you at the gate.”

“Okay,” Rukevwe dropped her phone in her purse and headed for the gate.

Eru walked up to his fiancée and spoke in her ears. Her alarmed gaze met his worried ones.

“Stay with my parents, I will call you as soon as I am sure that she is fine.”

“Okay. Are you leaving with Rukevwe?” she looked towards the gate.

He followed her gaze. “Yes. Don’t say a word to Ochuko or my parents.”

She nodded her head. “Okay, okay.”

“Talk to you later.”

“Okay.”

He pecked her on the cheek and hurried towards the opened gate.

Ese frowned. She wanted to come along. She didn’t want to babysit his parents. What was she supposed to tell them when they start asking questions?

Love at first sight is dangerous. Thanks for the update

I really feel for Ejiro!
If only she knew the.kind of person Chukwuemeka is, before getting pregnant and then marrying him.

PrudySara:
I really feel for Ejiro!
If only she knew the.kind of person Chukwuemeka is, before getting pregnant and then marrying him.

SheWrites:


Hi my phone crashed oooo.
I have been trying to repair it.
Thanks for asking *hugs*

Sorry about that. Good to hear from you

So much to learn from this story well done SheWrites keep up the good work.

Please continue with the story abeg @shewrites

Thanks for the update

aprilwise:
Love at first sight is dangerous. Thanks for the update

*winks*

SPDAZZY:


Sorry about that. Good to hear from you

Babes thanks.

Missmossy:
So much to learn from this story well done SheWrites keep up the good work.

*hugs*

Adeola25:
Thanks for the update

You're welcome