She had longed for him all these years, hoping that he would return to her, that he would tell her how much he actually loved her. She was beginning to love him, but suddenly, he vanished into thin air. What is love as he claimed if you can’t stand up to what you love? If you cannot love unconditionally? She was still lost in the climax of her ocean of thoughts when he walked in unannounced admiring her. Immediately, she felt his presence and she started. ‘My love, how are you fairing? Do you know that am so elated seeing you? I mean, am over the moon.’ He said smiling and embracing her. ‘Please, don’t touch me.’ She said glaring at him. ‘Why? You are still the same old you dear. How can I make you understand? It’s really not what you are thinking. I still do love you. A moment did not pass by without me thinking of you. I actually did come to see you but I found out that the police were after me. I lay low for some months in another state handling some of my father’s businesses.
What was she actually going to do with him now that he had suggested that they would be going to meet his parents? Was she really ready for a relationship with him, no matter the nature be it marriage or casual relationship? From the look of things, he really wanted more from her. She could guess that he wanted a lasting relationship. What her children thought of the whole thing really mattered to her. She felt that she would go with whatever decision they had to take. She started hearing footsteps approaching her and she felt it could be her daughters that were coming to her. She turned around and saw them. She couldn’t believe her eyes. If she hadn’t left the house together with Sophia and having known the clothing she wore before, she wouldn’t have been able to differentiate between the two of them. They were incredibly unidentifiable. He took the pleasure of walking behind them. Mirabel was the first to speak. ‘Mum, here we are.’ She said gesticulating with her hands wide open.
She believed that her gorgeous looks and Jenkins’s love for her would do the trick. She shouldn’t have to do anything at all. She considered herself not like the other women who fight for their love by becoming mischievous. She was observing Chief Coker and Nma discussing some tables away and she could see his gaze at her every couple of minutes and some smile escaping from the corner of his mouth spontaneously. She felt so stupid for even asking Nma to enquire from her husband. What the heck, the deed had been done, she only had to wait for her feedback. While she waited, she remembered that she had left her precious gifts with their father, so she went to join them. Her mind’s eye could not help but take her down memory lane. It was mid-September, the rains were beginning to fall with great intensity, she felt so cold in that weather. She hadn’t enough clothes on her, she had exhausted all that she had. She needed a number of heavy clothing to ward away cold because her pregnancy h
The bus drove down the streets of Aguda in full speed. The shouts of the commuters brought back his senses. He sighed derogatorily because his thoughts were being disturbed. ‘Driver, why are you in so much a hurry?’ One of the commuters asked, tapping the driver at the shoulder as he was sitting directly behind the driver. ‘Haven’t you come across the slogan that says; there is no hurry in life? I beg you in the name of God; I’m not ready to die yet!’ The driver remained adamant and continued his driving. In a bid to remove his attention from the waggling commuters, he pushed his face out from his side of the window and blotted with his fingers on his nose as support. ‘This driver is everything but civilized. See the way he is even behaving rudely as if he is only carrying animals here instead of human beings,’ another commuter retorted. Instantly, there was uproar from the rest of the commuters as each was trying his or her best to be heard simultaneously. Justice, on the
‘Wow! That was close. If mother had demanded for money from me, I would have been in for it,’ he smiled as he had gotten a positive response for his worries. ‘JT, your food is served,’ his mother called. He walked towards the table, sat down and prayed before savouring the food. He smiled at each spoon he put into his mouth and relished the food that had so much great taste. He praised his mother’s cooking prowess. The birds were chirping in the neighbourhood. From one mango tree to another they made their nests. They hopped on top of all the trees from a mango tree to an orange tree and then to the hibiscus flower in front of Justice’s house. They tended to the flower with their constant hopping as Justice would do during his leisure. Apart from designing buildings as an architect, he also had another thing that turns him on, a hobby he wouldn’t dare let go even if he wanted; tending to the flowers. He lazily opened his eyes as the morning ushered in a new dawn. He made to
He knocked and there was no answer. He knocked persistently. ‘O boy, let it not be that I’m a bit late,’ he thought. Just at that instance, he could see a security man advancing towards him. ‘Who is there?’ The guard asked. ‘JT,’ he answered. ‘Whom do you wish to see?’ He asked. ‘Please, I want to meet with Prince.’ ‘Prince?’ The guard asked in confusion. ‘JT on realizing that he could not be granted entrance rephrased his statement. ‘I mean, I want to meet with the chairman.’ He knew that Prince would definitely be with the chairman. The security man opened the gate and ushered him in. JT walked towards the main building and never imagined that looking at the building from the outside, one would bet that the exterior is just as good as the interior. But on the contrary, the interior seemed much more sophisticated than the exterior itself. This artistic irony seemed to impress him more. The flowers! Yes, the flowers caught his attention. There were beautiful l
Immediately, he saw an oncoming bus, the conductor of the bus was calling out to passengers going to the Island. He hailed the conductor and the bus stopped. He was anticipating going to the rear as usual, when the conductor gesticulated that he should sit in the front seat since no passenger was there. He agitated but eventually gave in. He opened the front door to enter and while he was about to sit on the passenger’s seat, he noticed in front of the bus just directly facing the driver, the picture of Jesus Christ with a halo on it. He sat down and for some moments, was captured by what he felt was the presence of God. He sat still and prayed within him again for the second time that God should make his day auspicious. He didn’t want any inauspicious moments in his life again. He dozed off in no distant time and scenes in his life were just flashing before him kaleidoscopically. He opened his eyes to the clean mass of water. He realized he had reached the Island and sprouting f
He thought, ‘what drastic change of emotions.’ ‘JT, you have brought back my glory.’ I’ve actually waited for this break all through my life. Yes, I’ve made it in life. I have money, fame and prestige but I wouldn’t be happier than now. Thank you my dear.’ JT was surprised and elated the same time. He had never been more informal with his boss than this. ‘Are you here?’ He asked. He shook his head and answered. ‘Yes sir, I’m here it’s just that I’m short of words, I mean words seem to elude me.’ ‘My boy, finally we’ve gotten the contract; the long awaited contract to build the Miami tunnel. And as a matter of fact, the deal would not be concluded without you flying down there and giving the presentation yourself.’ ‘Wow! Wow!’ he jumped and fell on his knees and thanked God who had made it happen. He could see a lot of skirts and trousers moving up and down. There seemed to be seriousness in every corner. He removed the