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onyi4edu:
Hi nairalanders! I have just completed my first novel titled "The secrets." I have also decided to make it a "free read" in order to get sincere commendations, criticisms and advice. I adjure every lover of stories like myself to give me a helping hand in this journey of becoming an excellent writer. I welcome all kinds of criticisms (except violent ones though). Writing is my passion so I am doing this for fun, but if it yields other positive outcome, I will be happier. Please don't just read, tell me what you think about my writing, give me your true opinion.
Note... The Secrets is purely an imaginary story, but I have other stories lined up some of which are true life stories and myths. The 23 chapters of this book will be marshalled out one at a time, once every week.
Thank you.

Updating the first chapter of the secrets in few minutes...


CHAPTER ONE - THE SECRETS

Mmachi sat on the wooden chair close to her car after receiving a phone call on her way out of the office. Her legs became so feeble that they were unable to carry her so she needed support, she could no longer control the tears she has been holding back all through the conversation. “It’s over!” She said to herself. “It is finally over.” She repeated burying her face in her palms as she cried silently. Her relationship of five years just ended abruptly without any explanations or reasons from her boyfriend. She has invested all her time, energy and commitment to this bond, and now it has proven to be a failed venture yielding no efficacious outcome.
“Madam!” Aku, her driver called from the car “I hope there is no problem?” He inquired.
“No, there’s none.” She responded wiping her eyes with the back of her hands. Her make-up was already smeared making her face look like a painting board for children. She stood up and walked to the car, opened the right rear door and sat down quietly. “Please take me to Nnamdi’s house.” She uttered with an exasperated snort.
“You mean Oga Nnamdi at Asokoro?” The driver asked Mmachi simply expecting to figure out what was happening to her, but Mmachi was irked by his statement.
“I have just one Nnamdi and I am extremely certain you know this, take me there fast before I change my mind and board a taxi.” Said Mma sternly. She was irritated by Aku’s piqued curtness and was running out of patience with him but simultaneously, she doesn’t want to vent all her negative energy on her poor driver, her quandary wasn’t his fault.
All through the way to Nnamdi’s house, Mmachi was agitated unlike her usual self. Her thoughts stirred from one possible cause of the unanticipated break-up to another. “What have I done wrong? Where did I miss it?” She asked herself. “Nnamdi has to explain the meaning of what he precisely mentioned to me on the phone.” Mumbled Mma adjusting her sitting position to help calm her nervousness.
Mmachi reminisced on the first day they both met at University of Abuja, Nnamdi came to submit his thesis at the faculty of Social and management sciences. She was at 200level then studying Public Administration in same faculty. She missed Mr. Badere’s test and everyone in that faculty knew that missing Mr. Badere’s test was synonymous to failing it. Mmachi stood adjacent to Mr. Badere’s door pleading with him to let her retake the test but the man yelled at her to get out of his office before he would take a drastic action that she would regret. Mmachi overlooked his yelling and kept on with her persistent pleas which ceased when the young man, Nnamdi walked in.
“Good afternoon Sir, my boss and mentor” Nnamdi said to Mr. Badere presenting his hand for a handshake. Mr Badere replied Nnamdi’s greeting with a murmur, accepting his handshake. Nnamdi drew back the seat opposite Mr Badere and dumped himself on it, unaware of Mmachi’s presence. “Deeming from your look Sir, I can conclude that this time is a wrong time to discuss thesis with you.” Nnamdi voiced out, not appreciating Mr Badere’s mien. “Who is making you vexed this hot afternoon?” He asked.
“Nnamdi! You and this your empirical demeanour.” Uttered Mr Badere, smiling heartily for the first time, leaning back in his chair. “Students and their seemingly ignorant mentality. Here’s what happened, this young lady missed my test, and all my students know that in my rule book there’s no makeup test for anyone no matter the justification. My annoyance is that this same lady wouldn’t let me have peace, propelling me to conform to her caprice against my wish. Who does that? What would warrant these students to behave the way they want and expect me to comply with it?” Mr. Badere questioned in a belligerent manner as if he has had problems with Mmachi in the past, not awaiting an answer.
“Sir, I was purely beseeching you and not enforcing you. I am a devoted student and I have never missed classes. I was truly sick on the day you gave the test so I wasn’t able to come to school. Please sir, ask my course mates if you wish, I never miss classes except for cases like this one.” Mmachi implored softly. The sound of her voice indicated that she was crying but Mr. Badere disregarded her.
Nnamdi who has been sitting and listening to the contretemps looked over his shoulder to see the lady with the delightful voice he rightfully heard. It was at this juncture that he noticed the beauty standing behind him. He was dazzled and whispered “What a damsel! So beautiful and innocent looking girl.”
Mr. Badere cut in “How did you know she is innocent?” He asked Nnamdi who was drooling over Mma’s beauty. “She is beautiful no doubt, but innocent? I don’t think so.” He said discourteously.
Nnamdi replied him “Trust me, I know innocence when I see it.” They both laughed over their banters making Mmachi feel so uneasy, they were both talking about her as if she wasn’t there.
Mmachi left Mr. Badere’s office with teary eyes, unnoticed. She wanted leaving for home but had an inclination in her heart to wait and still entreat Mr Badere one last time when he is through with his visitor. She perambulated up and down the students’ lobby, fixing her gaze continually to his office, ensuring that she neighbours it. “I will go back to him when his visitor is out, I am optimistic that he will hear me out, I am sure he will.” She muttered to herself.
About thirty minutes later, Nnamdi came out of Mr. Badere’s office directing his stare from one angle of the waiting room to another obviously searching for someone. “Who is he looking for?” Mma thought, with a frown on her face. Instantaneously, their eyes met. Mmachi immediately shifted her gaze to the floor, pretending not to have seen him. Nnamdi smiled and walked up to her, he looked pithily into Mma’s misty eyes but she constantly avoided his gaze, bending her head down and clinching her stare to the ground.
“Hey!” He said to her in a friendly way. Mma eventually lifted her head and stared at Nnamdi’s face. She observed his gigantic eyes that could swallow her up in a gaze, and his pointed nose that looked like a steep slope descending into a valley, sweetly dividing his two bulgy eyes, with his luscious lips to compliment his oval facial features. His height was like that of an iroko tree, making her stretch her neck backwards to have a complete view of his nubile structure. Mmachi continued looking at him as though she was expecting him to say something. “I guess we made you uneasy with our silly jokes and that was why you had to leave.” Nnamdi said to her. Mmachi didn’t answer him, but kept staring at him credulously awaiting more communication from him. “Anyway, I saw your sincerity, and even though Mr. Badere is a very disciplined man, he has a kind heart too. I managed to convince him to give you a makeup test, I hope you are prepared for it.” Nnamdi said to her, twitching his lips and fluttering his eyelids, with his hands in his pockets, feeling like a hero.
Those words resurrected Mma’s cheerful nature when she heard them, her face lightened up and her misty eyes glowed. One could tell she was extremely happy with the news.
“Wow! This is unbelievable.” She giggled. “How did you do that Sir? You are my answered prayer. God sent you here at the very right time.” Mma said cheerfully, all at the same time.
“Hurry at this moment and go write your test before Mr. Badere changes his mind.” Nnamdi said winking at her with a smile.
“You are so right Sir, thank you so much.” Mma replied and dashed to the lecturer’s office.
Mmachi came out of the office relieved, she was nonplussed to still find Nnamdi sitting at the waiting room alongside where he met her. He was reading a book and wasn’t aware that she was out. She walked towards him and sat down unobtrusively beside him.
“Were you waiting for me Sir?” Mma asked him in a careful and gentle manner, looking at him bemused. It was then that Nnamdi looked up and saw her.
“I wasn’t expecting you out this soon, you were quite fast.” The stupefied Nnamdi responded. “I was engrossed with this book that I didn’t catch sight of you step out of the office. So sorry about that.” He said, stylishly ignoring her question.
“There is no reason to apologise Sir, you’ve done nothing wrong. But you are yet to answer my question.” Mma said inquisitively, she was curious to ascertain who he was waiting for, and why.
“Alright. I thought I could bypass that. Well I had to wait for you to be truly sure you took the test and that you had no problems with Mr. Badere.” Nnamdi said to Mma. What he said wasn’t the entire truth, he also wanted to build a connection between them seeing how mystified Mma was at first and how her immaculate spirit and gentle nature endeared her to him. “So how did it go?” He asked her.
Mmachi narrated to Nnamdi how she was hysterical at first but later calmed down when she saw the questions, and how she relaxed to answer everything correctly. She did so well that Mr. Badere had to commend her. She recounted everything to him so excitedly that her face beamed with so much beauty and splendour.
“Thank you so much Sir, you are an angel sent from above to help me. You made this happen.” Mma said to mesmerised Nnamdi.
All the while she was talking, Nnamdi listened to her in admiration, he didn’t realise when he spoke out his thought “Why are you this beautiful?”
Mmachi was caught off guard “Pardon?” She asked him. At that moment, his action dawned on him. “What did you say Sir” Mmachi repeated the question eagerly.
“It was just me thinking aloud.” He said shoving it away. “And please can you stop calling me Sir, it makes me feel old. I am a student like you and my name is Nnamdi, Nnamdi Odinachi. And you are?” Nnamdi asked bringing out his hands for a handshake.
“Mmachi Kachi.” She answered taking his outstretched hand into hers. “Odinachi is a very popular name, I know the famous oil mogul and philanthropist, chief Magnus Odinachi. Are you related to him?” Mma asked him.
“Yes, somehow.” Nnamdi maffled, tolling another line of discussion. He detests using his father’s goodwill to gain popularity or friendship, he has obtained a plethora of fake friends all because of that and it didn’t progress superbly. His endearment to Mmachi was so real that he wouldn’t want to possess her with his father’s magnanimous and prestigious personality. “Your name suits you. You are truly the beauty of God, such a brilliant beauty. Beauty and brain are hard to come by these days you know. I am immensely delighted to meet you.” Nnamdi said using coquettish prowess to woo Mma. Mmachi blushed. “Can I call you my Angel?” Nnamdi asked her. “I feel so protected and at peace being here with you.” He confessed.
“Sure! Feel free. I am cock-a-hooped to find out that I am able to give you peace and protection.” Mmachi said, giving him a cheery smile. “You are my saving grace Nnamdi, the pleasure of this conclave is all mine.” Mmachi glanced at her wristwatch and exclaimed. “Ooops! I have to get going, I don’t have any more lectures and I have to be in church this evening.”
Nnamdi solicited for Mmachi’s phone digits, it was a difficult thing for him to do having enjoyed attention and loyalty from all sundry of girls who would adjure him to collect their numbers or more so collect his and keep bombarding him with calls. He was slightly puzzled that Mmachi was hesitant about it at first but later obliged, he has sensed it already that she was a unique being. Mmachi was not the type that entertained giving out her number to strangers but this time the scenario was different. She liked the guy standing before her and he has helped her out too so she had to capitulate. They both exchanged numbers and when he volunteered giving her a lift, she subtly declined the offer. If her dad’s driver wasn’t waiting for her she would have gladly accepted the suggestion.