BELINA 2

Life After The Wedding 

Belina 2 – Episode 19

Written by Adetola Nissi

The pain coercing through me is so unbearable. It felt like the end of the world was just a breath away. Everything I thought of, everything I saw, everything I felt was pain. My water broke just as I played chess with my step-mum. She had been staying with us for two weeks now.  Richard’s mum wanted to stay also but Richard still could not see eye to eye with his mum. Through my efforts, he has been able to release some of the hurt he felt but he still could not handle having his mum helping me through the pregnancy period. He lamented that some of her promiscuous nature could be transferred. I felt he still held a level of grudge against her. Months flew by without me actually noticing it. My belly rose and rose and with each passing day, my joy increased and anticipation rose. Richard stayed at home most times, leaving the hospital in the hands of doctor felix. Something I never anticipated happened: we became friends with Kelvin. The past was buried and we became family friends. Life is a lot better when we forgive. I had always said that most women always exaggerate their labour pains. Even when Prisca was heavy and in labour, something still told me that it could not be that painful. Experiencing it now was giving me the first hand idea of what it is all about.

Richard drove in like a mad man, after the gateman had opened the door for him. He did not even kill the engine or shut the door of the car, instead, he rushed to take over from my mum; Prisca’s mum to be precise, who rushed inside to take a box filled with baby clothes. The scan had confirmed Prisca’s suspicion, I am expecting a boy. I tried to be brave, holding back the pain but I let out exclamations unconsciously every now and then. He murmured endearments, slowly moving me to the backseat. Mum ordered him to hand her the keys and seat with me at the back. There was really no time to argue, so he obeyed immediately. She drove in a sane manner, still on top speed.

Richard’s face was carefully guarded as he caressed my hair, dropping kisses on my forehead. He was visibly worried. I looked at him and smiled through the pain. Even in pains, my head still worked to capacity.

“Honey” I whispered and gasped as another wave of pain seared through me.

“Yes baby. You would be fine. Just take in lots of air.” Even as a doctor, he was I nodded filling my lungs with air.

“Would you make me a promise?”

Richard looked at me with dread. We had watched so many movies with this line of action, they don’t always end well.

“Don’t scare me Bell, please don’t. You would be fine” he murmured, his hands shook as he held mine.

I smiled weakly. “If our son comes out and he happens to be as handsome as you are, especially possessing your blue eyes, promise me that you would forgive your mother. Totally”

Richard heaved a sigh of relief. “I promise, just promise me you would be fine. We are meant to grow old together, remember?”

I smiled.  “I love you”

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Richard paced the waiting room restlessly. He could not even sit down for two seconds. People who were also nervous were trying to calm him down but it did not work. His parents, step mother, tony, Prisca, Mr. and Mrs. Jegas, and Kelvin were also with him. All the BRH workers were also in anticipation and seeing Richard so distressed made them even more anxious. Everyone had a prayer in their mouth. Doctor Felix was with Belina along with four nurses. They had refused to allow Richard in. Richard had wanted to go in, even if only to hold Belina’s hand through it all but doctor Felix had refused.

Mr. Branson, Richard’s father went and held Richard in a tight hug. He had watched his son move restlessly and felt the deep urge to reassure him.

“She would be fine. God is in control. She needs your faith, now more than ever” he patted Richard’s back while Richard nodded. He has never been in this situation before and now that was, his heart has changed location and is now residing in his mouth but that did not stop him from praying.

“I remember feeling this way when you were to be born” Richard smiled when he heard that. “It is well” Mr. Branson whispered.

Richard heaved a sigh and said, “Amen”

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Oyinade rolled and tossed on the uncomfortable mattress in her one room apartment. The mattress lay on the floor without a bed and the more she laid on it, the more her discomfort. She had rushed out of her own house some months ago and since then; her life has been a living hell. She had heard of the visit of the officials sent to her house to get her barely five minutes after her departure and she had thanked her stars for leaving early enough although her leaving happened to be the worst thing that had ever happened to her. Her account was frozen so there was no way she could withdraw any money. Her house was seized and she was left with only one thing: her car.

She had to pawn her expensive car for two hundred thousand in order to secure an apartment. Due to the fact that she was on the run, she left Lagostotally and got an apartment in Ogun state. She was only able to secure a one room apartment in order to buy some foodstuff and clothes cos she had only left her house with the cloth she had on.

Hunger raked her tummy and she grimaced. All she had left from the bag of rice she bought months ago would not last her a week. All her foodstuff was on the edge. Getting a job had proved to be a futile effort because she had to lie low for fear of being arrested. All these happened because of Belina. That little witch. Oyinade hissed, combing her hair with her fingers. She had watched Belina on television barely a month ago attending a red carpet even with Richard, Tony and Prisca. She almost used her eyes to abort the pregnancy through the screen. She made a pledge to have her revenge. She definitely would do that, even if it happened to be the last thing she did, she vowed.

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Tears rolled out of my eyes, going in the direction of my ears. I lay on the hospital bed, in labour. Sweat covered my face in the air conditioned room and a nurse was mopping my face, with words of comfort floating out of her mouth. I gasped as I took in enough air, as directed by the doctor.

“Push”, I heard the doctor say. I gathered all my will and groaned as I pushed hard. I gasped, filling my lungs. I had been pushing and pushing but it seems like the baby would never come out. The pain was so unbearable that I started doubting my ability to go through it all. I held on to God, the only one that could help me through it all. I envisioned God standing there with me and I got a renewed strength. The echo of ‘push’ rang in my head and I gave it all I could. I could only feel pain coercing through me like a thousand knives.

The cry of a baby pierced the room and swallowed. A weak smile was displayed on my face as I weakly took the baby from the doctor. I laughed weakly in tears as I stared at the tiny creature I was holding. The love I felt there and then is one which I have never experienced before. Even though I felt weak and semi-conscious, I knew that I would not leave my baby for anything in the world. The second I held him in my arms, I knew I would love him forever.

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Ronke grimaced as she stared at her profile in the mirror. She did not believe she could be dressed so moderately. Her usual bum shorts pant and showy tops were not the ones she had on. Who would have thought that change could locate her? She had been visited by the person known as Christ and everything about her had changed. Even though she had been spending stolen money, she hadn’t been able to get happiness. She felt more miserable by the day. She hadn’t even spent quarter of the money.

One day she just stood up and started walking on her street in Abuja. What prompted her, she could not even pinpoint. She had entered the church that always caught her eyes. Since that day, her life had changed. She stopped spending the money and started a teaching job. Returning the money was foremost in her mind but she was too scared to do it. She hoped that she would gather that courage after meeting with the pastor. She hoped that the people waiting to see the pastor would be few, being a mid-week service. She grabbed the small bible she purchased some weeks ago, put it in her bag and marched out with a song on her head.

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Richard was becoming more restless by the minute. He could not understand what could be taking them so long. He swallowed hard as he stared at the door countless number of times. If he hadn’t been so worried, he would have known that the time he had spent, waiting was not over-stretched. The time only seems longer when you are involved with the patient personally.

His heart skipped several beats as the door opened. He rushed there, along with everyone. Doctor Felix had a smile on his face. “Congratulations sir, you have a bouncing baby boy”. The once quiet room became noisy with jubilations. “And Bell?” Richard asked.

Doctor Kelvin smiled. He had expected that. “She is resting now”

Richard unleashed his joy as he yelled happily. He knelt down there, giving all the glory to God. He started receiving hugs from everyone. He even hugged his mother without noticing it. The last person he hugged was Kelvin. Prisca lifted Patricia in her arms, turning round and round until she became dizzy, saying ‘now you have a baby brother’. Patricia giggled and giggled, like she knew what had just happened.

Kelvin felt genuinely happy for Richard and Belina. Belina definitely deserves happiness and no other person can give her apart from Richard. He had felt a sickening dread during the waiting period and seeing Richard that worried gave him cause to panic. He had kept his extreme worry hidden even though his restlessness often took over him. He still loves Belina. He has accepted that they could be only friends but that did not stop him from feeling the way he did. He was content though. It is better to be her friend than have her as an enemy.

Richard finished his display of gratitude to God, and headed towards Belina’s room. All the workers in BRH were full of rejoicing. Not only is Richard the best employer you can have, he is also a friend. The most humble man you can ever come by. They had all prayed for a day like this for him. Belina was more of a friend to them than a boss. If there is anything like a perfect match, the coming together of Richard and Belina would be their own description of a perfect match. Their childlessness had affected everyone and they never failed to pray for them. Individually, they started thinking of what to wear to the naming ceremony.

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It is the naming ceremony day. Saying that I am the happiest woman alive is definitely not an understatement. Our extra-large compound seemed to have become a market place because everywhere was filled with people. Everyone in Nigeria seemed to have their eyes fixed on Richbel’s Estate as journalists came enmass to capture the event.

The large and beautifully crafted events centre in the estate is the venue for the naming. The crafts and art works were inspected by everyone that came. The flowers gave the environment a sweet smell and those who were not flower freaks started developing interest in them. My native attire dazzled and accentuated my body as I went from one place to another greeting people. It is certain that I would not be able to greet half of the guests but I still went about welcoming people. My mum was taking care of the baby and Richard has been held down by a group of friends. I saw some of those friends coming with Richard and I smiled. Richard and I had the same costume on and my heart swelled with pride as I gazed at my handsome husband. They took me before I could even protest and placed me beside Richard, with their cameras in hand. I laughed as we both tried to find a wonderful position and style. I ended up standing right in front of Richard. He had his hands on my waist and my hands were placed on his, my back resting on his broad chest. Everyone around joined the friends, bringing their phones and Ipads out and clicking away. We laughed and smiled as flashes of cameras continued to beam.

“How are you feeling today after close to three years of no issue” I heard a journalist say, standing right in front of me.

I smiled at the camera as all the journalists gathered round to capture my speech. “I feel ecstatic. I am so grateful to God for a day like this. I feel I am the happiest person alive. Nothing compares to the joy of being a mother. To my loving husband who stood by me throughout the waiting period, you are the best husband ever. I owe it all to God. Speaking of children, I have to get back to my angel. Chao” I turned back and hurried inside.

The ceremony was very interesting and wonderful. It ended after about two hours. Our pastor was the one that did the naming. My son was giving three names: Roland, Samuel and Promise. We were asked to dance after the ceremony and we danced and danced. People came around and danced with us. Immediately after the dance, someone stood in front of Richard and i. Richard’s mum was glowing in her native attire and her beauty was evident. How could she not give birth to someone as handsome as Richard? I wondered. Even at fifty, she easily turns heads. I looked at Richard, reminding him of his promise with my eyes. He smiled. The reconciliation is long overdue. He went forward and hugged his mum tightly. Cheers filled the air, as cameras clicked. Tears flowed from the eyes of Loretta, as well as Richard. They helped wipe the eyes of each other and held on to each other again. Tears threatened to go down and it flowed down unhindered as I looked at them. She took little Roland from my hands for the first time, beaming with the joy of being a grandmother.

“I am proud of you” I whispered to Richard and he beamed. We both watched as my mother-in-law held Roland with so much love. Richard’s friends came and took him. It all happened within the twinkling of an eye. Loretta let out a scream and before we knew what was happening, a gun was placed against her head.

“Nobody moves or I’ll blow off this woman’s head along with this thing she is carrying” I heard a familiar voice say.

I saw with horror as Oyinade’s face came into view. Richard was moving closer slowly, I saw from the corner of my eyes.

“Don’t you dare move. Don’t dare me. I would blow her head off. I swear” she yelled at Richard. Obviously, she had seen him.

A sickening dread covered me. A fear I had never felt before. “Leave my child out of this Oyin, your problem is with me.”

She laughed. “Really? He is the reason why you won. Tell me something: don’t I have the right to be with the man I love?”

“You don’t have the right to be with another woman’s husband” I said quietly.

She laughed. “Well, I don’t have the time to banter words with you. Since I can’t have Richard, you also would not have the chance to be with him. Bye”

My face grew pale. “No”, I heard Richard yell as he ran towards me. The gun shot echoed, shattering the silence that had once engulfed the air.

Next Episode

Previous Episode 

 BELINA 2

Life After The Wedding 

Belina 2 – Episode 18

Written by Adetola Nissi

I woke up with the intense desire to cook something wonderful for my hubby – it is a Saturday. After praying a short prayer, I set out to do just that. Richy had a very stressful day yesterday followed by a very extensive talk/argument. Yesterday night, we had talked and talked about all the events of the week. He had arrived looking so stressed out and tired that I almost discarded my anger to pamper him a bit, just as he does with me; but I reckoned that doing that would push aside the settlement of what was on ground.

***

He entered and I welcomed him in a casual way without the usual welcome kiss. He looked at me critically with his tired eyes almost pleading for a loving affection. “What is the matter honey? No welcome kiss?”

I shook my head slowly. “No sir. No kiss today, we need to talk”. I wanted to continue but I just couldn’t. He looked really tired that I decided to relent a little bit, even though I still had that carefully placed casual look. I collected his laptop bag and suit jacket, carrying them into the room. He tagged along, not uttering a word but I knew he must be terribly curious.

Immediately we entered the masters’ bedroom, he just lay flat on the bed, closing his eyes without removing anything. It dawned on me that he must be terribly tired; that could only explain why he was not pestering me already.

I pulled off his shoes and socks, massaging his feet with my hands. I moved to his shoulders, massaging them slowly. His tension eased a bit and he opened his eyes slowly. I felt stupid for challenging him immediately he entered even though that was the most reasonable thing to do when we tend to postpone issues a lot, enjoying each other’s company. Maybe that is why he did not even remember to tell me about Oyinade, I thought. Maybe he fired her because he already has a child on the way. I banished all evil thoughts from my brain as I stared at Richard’s tired profile. I tugged at his suit.

“Why don’t you take a shower while I set your dinner” I said quietly. He looked into my eyes with his blue eyes, maybe reading my thoughts. Normally, he would have tried to know what was on my mind but he just nodded and sat up; maybe he hadn’t even heard me. He started unbuttoning his shirt but I went and took over from him, he shook slightly and I smiled. He smiled back. “You know the power you have over me, don’t you?”

I feigned innocence which only made him smile more. After I had removed his clothes, I marched him to the bathroom like a kid, leaving him there to prepare his food.

We lay on the bed after eating and listening to news. He was fidgeting with my hair; he loves touching it.

“I am all ears. What do you want us to talk about that deprived me of my kiss?”

Oh! So he heard. I sighed. “We can start by you explaining why you sacked Oyinade without telling me anything about it”

Richard’s hand froze. I took that as affirmation and stood up. You are keeping secrets from me Richard and it is hurting me.” The very first time in months I would call him by his name. “I know the girl is a harlot bent on ruining other people’s marriages and I am partially happy that she is out of our lives but that does not negate the fact that you almost got her pregnant in the quest of having a child”

Richard was up too, looking at me tongue-tied like something was wrong with me. That even made me angrier. “Tell me: since when did you stop believing that I could actually get pregnant?”

He got back his tongue. “What nonsense are you ranting?” he growled.

My eyes widened. “So now I am saying nonsense, right?” I spat glaring.

“I don’t know what the hell is going through your brain but I certainly don’t know how a mere flimsy hug translates to getting her pregnant. What on earth put that idea in your head” he almost yelled, glaring.

We glared at each other for some seconds before I looked away.

“Well, it was not just the mere hug” I said quietly, boiling with anger. “I received a call a day before from an anonymous caller telling me of your escapades with your mistress. The hug was a confirmatory sign.” I laughed slightly; bitterly. “As if that was not enough, she had the guts to visit me on the hospital bed after I fainted to explain to me how you desperately needed a child and that since I could not give you one, she was-”

“What?” Richard yelled, cutting me short. He was pacing angrily while I stood with arms akimbo. “What rubbish? That lying wench…” he paced and paced, making me dizzy.

“Oh… so she is lying? Easy to say since she is not here to defend herself.” I said cheekily.

He stopped and glared at me. “You don’t believe me? Ok. Tell me what is between you and Kelvin. You met him before you met me and you must love him more but why must you have anything to do with him after all he did to you. I got the picture where you were holding him so affectionately and I saw him in your office also, so confident that you would not reject him. Tell me: what is going on?”

“I don’t love him. I didn’t love him before. I guess I was just attracted to him and I definitely did not hug him, I bumped into him” I said then proceeded to explain how it had all happened.

He nodded. “now, you want me to believe all that and you won’t believe me?” he said quietly. He inched closer to me, his anger obviously fading. “Oyinade is just an over-ambitious girl. You’ve known me for a long time now, who do you believe? You do know that you are free to believe what you want”

I looked at him silently. I trust him and always have but the evidence I had got was too much to put away. I looked down but he used his finger to raise my chin, causing me to look into his eyes again.

“I want you to discern the truth from my eyes, look at me. I have not told you about all these because I did not want to hurt your feelings; and also due to your condition. You told me you didn’t like her and I did not listen and it hurt me to have her confess her guilt. Prisca found out the truth and was wise enough to play the detective role” Richard smiled, causing me to smile also.

I scoffed and said in a quiet voice. “And do you also believe that there is nothing between Kelvin and I? I don’t even love him, at least not even up to a quarter of how much I love you”

He smiled. “I knew that and that is why I made peace with Kelvin today”. I raised my eyebrow in surprise. He laughed. “yes, I was surprised I did that too. He finally gained consciousness and I just felt pity instead of the usual anger I feel. He challenged me for helping him despite our dispute, saying that all I wanted was to shove my victory in his face” he shook his head. “all I saw then was a man who is deeply embittered about the prospect of losing you. It is definitely too much to handle and if I were to be in his shoes, I would have done likewise. I offered him my friendship after a long time arguing my intentions, he accepted. I guess he was just touched that I could help him after all he did to me.”

I laughed happily and hugged him tight. I have already forgiven Kelvin immediately I heard of his accident. “I love you Richard, very very much”

He pulled me and held my waist, looking into my eyes with a thoughtful look. “Do I love you? Hmmm… I love you like kilode”

We roared in laughter, laughed and laughed. The Yoruba language sounded so awkward from his accentuated mouth that the mere thought of the word made me laughed the more.

“I love you” he kissed me deeply. “so we are settled now right?” he stretched lazily. “Do I now get a proper welcome kiss?”

I scoffed. “What of the one you stole now?”

“As you’ve said, it was stolen” he stood, waiting. I inched closer slowly and when his eyes were dropping shut, I kissed him on the cheek, leaving him spell bound. I jumped on the bed and covered myself with the blanket. Trust him, he ranted and ranted about how unfair that was, coming over to disturb the living daylight out of me.

***

Richard held my waist from behind, startling me. The aroma in the kitchen was so heavenly that even my mouth watered. After the usual kisses and greetings, I turned to him, holding his neck with my hands and gazing up at him. He looked round and round, trying to determine what I was preparing but I refused to tell him. After an extensive try, he gave up and took my advice of sitting in the sitting room and watching TV. I smiled. He has no idea what I had in store for him.

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Oyinade frowned as she stared at the screen. She jumped up when the realization of what had just happened hit her. They had murdered the wrong person. It ought to be Ronke and not this Adejoke girl being displayed on TV. She became slightly dizzy. It had taken a whole lot of will-power to attempt murder and now to complicate issues, they just murdered the wrong person, meaning Ronke was still free. She hadn’t called for the past three days but that made her even more dangerous, not to mention the fact that they just killed her favorite step-sister. She remembered Ronke talking about her extensively countless number of times.

Oyinade grabbed her head, roaming the sitting room. She called Tikes but his number was not going through. She threw her phone on the chair. Ronke just got more dangerous. She had known that Ronke was too clever to be eliminated so easily but she also knew that Ronke would not have expected her do anything so stupid. What would Ronke do when she find out? She could not begin to imagine.

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Ronke got tired of shedding tears. She could not imagine that she had lost her step-sister, the only family she had left. She still saw her yesterday looking so alive and happy. Why had she asked her to go over to the house? If she hadn’t done that, she would be alive now. She wiped her eyes after hours of wailing and crying. There was no one to comfort her in the hotel she was lodged in and she had to comfort herself.

She engaged her thoughts now. Who could have wanted Joke dead? She is the liveliest person she knew and could not think of anyone trying to harm her. ‘Wait. What if I was the target?’ the thought slammed into her, making her dizzy. It could have been her obituary on the screen. She shook her head vigorously, dismissing such evil thought. Silently, she thanked God for her life.

She poured herself another shot of whiskey and downed it at once. ‘who could have wanted me dead’ she wondered. The old man crossed her mind. It was a possibility but she felt the man could not be as stupid as to do that; killing her would mean he would not get his money back. That dismissed, only one person could have done it – Oyinade. She remembered that the deadline she gave would have ended yesterday, meaning, the truth would have been out today. ‘So that useless pig wanted to kill me ehn? She killed my Joke, my own Adejoke.’ She shook her head. She couldn’t come out of hiding because she was still wanted for theft, making her quest for revenge harder. She still couldn’t kill her. Even though it hurt so much, she could not imagine herself murdering a human being and not a fetus. “Ok. Let me give her exactly what she was preventing.” She said out loud.

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Oyinade’s phone rang and she ran to pick it. It was a hidden number and only one person call with a hidden number.

“Hey you…. What rubbish did you do” she yelled.

“Would you shut up?” she heard over the receiver. She froze. She never expected to hear that voice again. She should be dead but by sheer luck and braveness, she was still alive. She shivered.

“Hey R…Ronke… I… I heard about your ehmm… your”

“Would you shut your dirty mouth you murderer. You think I am so dumb as to not know who did this? Just listen; you just stepped the lion’s tail, get ready to go down. After you go to jail for the fraud you committed, you would then hang for murdering my only family. They should be at your doorstep now. See you in hell”

The phone dropped from Oyinade’s hand and scattered all over the floor. Ronke had reported her. She was almost peeing on her body and her body shook so violently that you would assume she just had an encounter with Titanic’s iceberg. She picked her purse on the chair, gathered the ruins of her phone, took her car keys and dashed out. She drove out of the house without closing the gate.

Next Episode

Previous Episode 

 BELINA 2

Life After The Wedding 

Belina 2 – Episode 17

Written by Adetola Nissi

Richard and I ran into the house laughing and pursuing each other like two teenagers. He was pursuing and I was running. I stopped immediately I entered the sitting room and he almost ran me over but held me for support, due my condition. If it had been just a month ago, he would have run me over and we would have fallen on the deep rug, him beneath and me on top of him. He held on to me as we tried hard to control our laughter.

The dinner date had been so romantic and awesome. It was a candle light dinner in the open veranda of a beautifully decorated eatery. The smell of the flowers flowed into my nostrils as the cool breeze made me feel totally awesome. The music was just right and I could not fault anything at all, the place was simply divine. My loss of appetite vanished immediately I perceived the aroma of the delicacy in placed in front of me. It was a french dish and the taste teased my taste buds as I savored it in my mouth. We talked, laughed and talked more as we ate, forgetting our table manners. The event on the past week was not mentioned at all, it was as though he did not want to remember it at all. It was good because I also did not want something so sore to affect our dinner. He came back from BRH obviously after reading my message but I still felt there was something else that propelled his leaving.

The laughter vanished and we became silent. I held on to Richard’s hand, trying to remove the heels I had on. The comfortable feel of the rug greeted my feet making me relax fully, though I was still standing. The penetrating gaze from Richard was making me very uneasy as I looked everywhere but his eyes. After browsing virtually everything in the sitting room, my gaze finally landed on his. The deep desire I saw there did not surprise me, it only made my heartbeat race faster than usual – that is what I get for putting on an extremely seductive cloth.

“You have the habit of making me very nervous, don’t you?” I said sarcastically, trying to lighten up the mood.

He smiled, making me feel more uneasy. “I am just repaying the favour. You had the prologue, I have the epilogue” he whispered.

I shuddered visibly as he inched closer, so close that our bodies touched and his breath was felt on my skin. My knees were weak and on the verge of giving way as I stared into his desire clouded eyes with equal desire. His soft manly perfume teased my nostrils.

He placed his hands on my sides, moving them downwards to come to a halt on my hips slowly. He breathing became ragged and his voice husky. “Why did you put on this dress? You should know that no good would come from you seducing me, you might just get more than you seek”

I breathed, trying very hard unsuccessfully to draw a descent breath. “I don’t know what you are talking about” I feigned innocence.

He wanted to laugh but the laughter came out more like a groan. The evidence of his desire made my breath vanish totally as my leg brushed against his hardness. He groaned, pulling me to him roughly. He bit the arc between my neck and my shoulder softly causing me to moan softly. He kissed my eyes, nose but stopped just a breath away from my mouth. I raised my head, standing on tip-toes but he maintained the slim distance, making me go crazy with need.

“You want me to kiss you? Ask for it.” He said; his mouth just an inch away. I was stupefied. I did not want to give him the victory but his torment was making it increasingly difficult to keep a straight head.

“Please” I whispered hoarsely.

He smiled slightly. “Please what?” he asked.

I groaned. “Kiss me damn you” I yelled frustrated slamming my fist softly against his chest. He did not wait a second longer. He covered my mouth in a fierce hungry kiss which I returned in like manner. It was like the first time; every time is like the first time but more so now. All the material barriers were removed as we basked in love, right there in the sitting room.

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Ronke stood up from the bed, trying to dress up. The idiotic pig had used her and used her over again to his satisfaction. Can she blame him? She had made herself available. She looked over her shoulders at the snoring pot-bellied man and had the instant urge to throw up. She wanted to kick him in the butt and yell for him to give her her money so she could leave but she wanted to be dressed when she wakes him. She could not allow this despicable man to stare at her nakedness like he owns her. She decided a little shower would be great; to wash away the hands of the filthy man before it sticks to her body. Confident that the chief would not be roused from his sleep, she arranged her clothes on the bed and made for the bathroom.

She had her hand on the door handle as she was closing the bathroom door when her eyes fell on the brief case under the bed. She closed the door, dismissing the briefcase for a mere documents box and slipped into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. As the water hit her body, she shuddered and relaxed. The box still tugged at her brain though. She put off the shower and dried her body hurriedly in order to satisfy her curiosity. She would shower later, she thought, sneaking out of the bathroom carefully in order not to rouse the sleeping man.

She pulled put the briefcase and tip-toed back into the bathroom. Sitting on the toilet seat, she tried to pry the locks open. She tried everything she could ever think of but the box just would not give way. She groaned softly. She remembered that he had once told her the password to unlock his phone and she turned the locks. ‘2552’. The box gave way and she heaved a huge sigh but the sigh immediately turned to a quick gasp when her eyes caught a glimpse of what laid in the box. She pulled up the cover slowly and her eyes widened. Saliva was threatening to escape her mouth and a tiny ounze dropped before she could think of closing her mouth. Staring at her was a box full of pounds sterling bundles. She could not even imagine how much the money would be. She closed the box in a hurry, dropped it carefully on the floor, peeped to be sure the chief was still asleep, then tip-toed out of the bathroom. She gathered her clothes, went back into the bathroom, and wore everything in a record-breaking speed limit; the bath she had planned to have did not even cross her mind. She picked up the box and left the bathroom, picked up her shoes and slipped the briefcase into her extra-large handbag – thank God for big ladies’ bag. Shoes in hand, she got out. Wore the shoe in a hurry and hurried out.

‘Oyinade can go to hell as far as I am concerned. This money is the koko’ she thought, flagging down a bike outside the hotel, with plans to elope on her head.

**********

**********

Oyinade had cornflakes in her mouth as she watched a Yoruba movie in African magic. She watched as funke akindele entered the house of an herbalist and a thought occurred to her. Maybe she would have to visit one herself, she thought. The pressure she had been feeling had been lifted immediately she made the phone call. It is just a day to the two weeks deadline and she was feeling perfectly at ease. She laughed at the hilarious display on the TV and focused her attention on the movie.

The ringing of her phone diverted her attention and she picked it with her eyes still glued to the TV. One glance at the caller’s ID made her loose total interest in the movie. Tikes had promised to call yesterday in order to get descriptions but he hadn’t called.

“Hello”… “I have one”… “Alright, I would send both to you now”…

She rose to her feet, heading towards the kitchen. She dropped her empty plate in the zinc and rinsed her hands with the water from the zinc tap. After drying her hands with a towel, she went back to the sitting room, picked up her phone and started pressing her phone. After typing for about a minute, she paused and stopped to inspect what she had typed before sending it. When she got the delivery report, she dropped the phone with a smile. No matter what happened, nothing could be traced to her because she had ensured that her ID was hidden, everytime she either called or sent a message. She relaxed fully, resuming her movie.

**********

**********

Ronke spent nothing more than ten minutes in her house. She had spent five minutes taking out anything that had her name on it, her pictures, her files, international passports, ID cards and so on. All her clothes were left where they were. She removed the briefcase and stuffed all her findings in her bag. The other five was spent confirming that she had indeed picked everything. Carrying everything, she left the house in a hurry. She flagged down a bike and mentioned an address. Without negotiating, she climbed the bike, looking as calm as possible in order not to rouse any suspicion. When she got there, she paid the bike man, asking him to keep the change. The hail of the bike man followed her as she walked away.

She took out her phone as she walked and dialed a number. ‘Hey Jim, whats up nw… I need a favour ooo… I want to put my house in another person’s name, can you do that for me as soon as possible?… ahn ahn… no ooo I need it in an hour nooowww… don’t worry, I would settle you, you trust me now… Ok… I am coming over” she smiled victoriously.

After thinking for about a minute, she dialed another number. “Ajokybaby” she said immediately she phone was picked. She laughed heartily at the response. “Bawo ni?… don’t mind that one jare… Everyone dey do hin own runs now… na so… as to the real matter, how would you like to live in my house?…” she laughed at the response. She had expected it. She went ahead to explain everything she had planned on saying, enjoying the excited squeals she was receiving.

**********

**********

I knelt down beside my bed, talking to my Father. The discussions I always have with my father in prayer are always as if I am talking to a physical being. It helps me to see God, not just as my God and creator, but also as my father. I noticed the difference it makes: when you pray the normal routine-like prayer, you tend to forget that God is actually your father and you pray amiss. The true meaning and relevance of ‘The Lord’s prayer’ which starts with ‘Our Father who art in Heaven’ had become more real to me when I decided to turn every prayer into a conversation with God. It gives you the feel that God is listening to what you are saying as a father listens to his child and it makes prayer more exciting and appealing.

After about thirty minutes, I stood up. Richard had already gone to the hospital. We already had our family prayer before he left but since I have been signed to stay put at home, I decided a lengthy prayer would be wonderful. I have not stopped thanking God for the miracle happening in my tommy and I would continue to thank Him for as long as I have the strength to.

I showered and combed my hair tenderly after massaging enough oil and cream into it. I was fully dressed and was standing right in front of the mirror, checking myself out and combing my hair to perfection. I still could not figure out why I had to stay at home. I miss my office terribly. I am not yet heavy for crying out loud. Yesternight had been so wonderful, simply mind-blowing. I had even forgotten to ask about the hospital, about Kelvin, his assistant – the little whore and many others. I was just contented having my love with me. The hospital has not been discussed at all since last week, it was as if he was avoiding the subject, like something would upsetting him if he as much as talked about it. I wanted to bridge the topic yesterday but something stopped me – it was the desire to have my husband to myself without any work related talk.

My phone beeped and I smiled when I stared at the screen.

“Hey Pric…” I laughed at the long sermon Prisca was ranting due to my not calling her for three days. “I am sorry ma… No, don’t. I am coming over… Cmon now, what is wrong with everyone these days? I am pregnant not crippled… my being pregnant does not stop me from moving now… stay right there, I am coming over and that is that.” I dropped the phone. Now, everyone wants to take Richard’s stance? I would not allow that. I laughed as I remembered the words Prisca had said, trying to convince me to stay at home. The baby is in my tummy for God’s sake, not on my legs. I shook my head with a smile and picked up my purse, phone and car keys.

Episode 18

Richard sat in his office, feeling very excited. He had enjoyed every bit of last night. The dinner out was awesome but the conclusive part of the day had been simply mind-blowing. Belina had been so tired and sleepy this morning, understandably so, that he had made breakfast for her in bed. They had prayed together and he had prepared for work.

Richard was expecting Doctor Felix, in order to receive reports of how the hospital was after his departure. He was considering the prospect of making him his assistant now that Oyinade was gone. He responded to the knock he received and Doctor Felix waltzed in, in his usual manner.

Richard gestured a seat and listened as the doctor gave a detailed account of the welfare of the hospital.

“… the patient in ward 9 by name Mr Kelvin is now out of coma” he said after some minutes.

Richard’s interest was pricked. “Wow… when did that happen?” he asked, sitting up.

“About 5:23 yesterday sir” he responded, and then took his eyes away from the book, looking at Richard.

“Sir, do you know the man personally?” he asked, although he already knew the answer to that; Richard’s behaviour when the patient was to be treated showed it. He did not expect their relationship to be a pleasant one, though.

“Yeah. Yeah, I do” Richard said, letting out no emotion.

“Obviously… The patient was restless when he found out that he was being admitted in BRH and more so when he was told that you attended to him” Doctor Felix said. “He became so violent that we had to sedate him. He tried to escape around 3am this morning but we caught up with him and since then had someone to monitor his room”

Richard became worried and his face portrayed this but he knew that only one thing can make someone that restless – guilt. He stood up. “I am going to see him now, you may go”.

**********

**********

I arrived Prisca’s boutique and was greeted by all the smiling workers. They all looked beautiful as usual, in beautiful clothes and nice braids. I looked around, admiring all the beautiful clothes surrounding me.

“Sweetheart” I was jerked from my window-shopping when I heard Prisca’s voice.

“You make me feel as though you wanna buy everything here”. She said, coming over with a smile. She faced one of her workers and gasped. “Did she drop a mouth-watering cheque?”

Everyone laughed hard, including me. I walked up to her and gave her a cool hug.

Prisca and I proceeded into her office where I was served a very cool drink. I looked round at the beauty of the office. The office has changed since the last time I came which was about a month ago.

“So, how is my nephew doing?” she asked immediately we sat.

I scoffed. “What makes you think I am bearing a boy?”

“My instincts tell me Richard is much more stronger than you are” she replied with a grin.

“you would be surprised” I replied cheekily.

“have you gone for scan?”

I shook my head, sipping my drink. “No. Richard is too over-pampering, he won’t allow me lift a finger. If he knew I stepped out of the house, he would explode” I sighed visibly.

Prisca laughed. “can you blame him? It is his first child we are talking about here”

I scoffed. “was it this terrible when you had Pat?” I asked synically.

“it can’t be this way forever dear. Tony was also this over-protective at first”

I smiled. “I can’t say I don’t enjoy the pampering at times.”

She laughed. “corrupt soul. Anyways, I think he is just trying to make up for the serious incidents of last week. That oyinade girl is a witch”

I hissed. “don’t mind that harlot. I have not had her time”

Prisca shook her head. “thank God Richard fired her before she did any more damage”

I opened my mouth. He hadn’t told me that. Prisca took one look at my stupefied face and deduced what I was thinking.

“he did not tell you?”

I shook my head. “not a single word”.

“I shouldn’t have then” Prisca said, obviously saddened that I had to hear it from her. I pestered her but she refused to say any other thing. I resigned. Richard obviously has some explaining to do.

**********

**********

Ajoke popped open a bottle of champagne to the cheer of her friends. She could not believe her half sister could be so generous as to transfer her beautiful house to her. They were just like twins even though Ronke is about five years older than her. It hadn’t taken her three hours to pack her luggage from her friend’s room. She had been squatting with her friend for about six months and the despicable girl never failed to remind her of that fact. She had asked to stay with Ronke but Ronke had told her that she used her house for her ‘business’ and it would be a real inconvenience having her there. She had sent money to her but she decided to endure the insults of her friend in order to use the money for the Ipad she had desired. When she got that call, she had packed all her belongings in a flash. Met with her sister, collected the documents of the house and stormed the house like a real house owner would.

Not even ten minutes after her arrival, she had received a rather unexpected guest – a man, accompanied by two police men. Instantly, she knew that the cocktail that Ronke had told her was just a cover-up. There was no one interested in marrying her. Ronke had told her that a man was interested in her and asked her to live with him and that that was the reason why she decided to give her her house. she had accepted the story that was due to her exceeding joy of having a house in her name. staring at the police men and the raging man, she presented an innocent and confused face. Now that she has a house in her name, she would not give it up so easily.

“Yes, what can i do for you” she said, closing the door behind her and stepping out. the fat man scrutinized her.

“She is not the one” he said to the police men. “Eh you, where is the owner of this house? i believe she must be your sister”

Ajoke glared at him like he had lost his mind. “Mr man, i don’t know what has got into you ooo, this is my house” she adjusted her shirt and squared her shoulders.

“Woman, you better cooperate with us” one of the police men said.

Ajoke turned her smiling face at the young policemen. “Listen to me guys, i am the owner of this beautiful house, thanks to handsome guys like you. You can come and check my documents” she said blinking while the old man was foaming. The men were wooed by her gestures. they followed her inside checked all the documents and confirmed it did not have the name mentioned by man, not even the surname. the requested for her national ID card and she fished it out. The old man just looked like he was dreaming.

The ever accommodating Joke brought out a bottle of champagne and invited them to join. What do you expect? the policemen obliged.

“Is this what i brought you here to do?” the chief yelled.

The policemen glared at him. “Shut up your mouth old man. Wetin you expect make we do? We suppose arrest you sef. You no know the person wey you dey find. Na God catch you. Old man like you go dey pursue small babes wey we suppose dey hammer” one of the policemen ranted, sipping his wine.

The chief, obviously frustrated stormed out cursing.

The policemen had left minutes later, apologizing for the inconvenience and Joke called her friends for proper house-washing celebration. This house has become hers and she would not let it go for anything in the world. Over her dead body.

**********

**********

Chief Rammon got to his house dejected. He could not believe his bad luck. He had woken up to an empty room with his briefcase nowhere to be found. The money is not even his own. Fifty Million Pounds. So much bad luck for wanting to cool his blood. He swallowed as his wife ranted and ranted about his useless life. He did not even yell back like he used to before, only walked into his bedroom like a robot, locked the door and fell on the bed in tears.

He had hurried to Ronke’s house< hoping to still find her there but he met a locked gate. He had assigned someone who was close by to inform him immediately there is any slight movement and had received a message after four hours. Before that time, he had called and called but it did not go through.

He placed the pillow on his head. His life is ruined.

**********

**********

Tikes arrived Ajide Close in a vehicle with two of his guys around 9pm. Oyin had told him that the girl is a very sharp and cunning girl. He had boasted of the fact that she could not do anything but he decided not to take chances. He would do a clean job.

He checked for number 44, noting the colour of the house. He checked the picture again and made a mental picture.

He got to the gate and pressed the bell. A figure came out and he immediately identified the lady as the one he had seen in the picture.

She opened the gate and he smiled.

“Hello” he said and pulled the trigger.

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