RED FLAGS
EPISODE 14
I was in my large and luxuriously furnished office going through some ledger books my accounting officer dropped on my massive mahogany piece desk when a call came through my phone. I checked the caller and it was Bimpe. I smiled as I picked up the call and said:” Bim bim, you miss me ?” I asked her jokingly on the phone because we just spoke to each other last night and that was how it has been since the day I came to Abuja. When her children are on holiday, she brings them to Abuja with her to spend two weeks with me before school resumed. Bimpe has proved herself to be ‘ a friend in need is a friend indeed ‘. When I first settled in Abuja, she made sure to check up on me every day so I won’t die of depression and I guess it worked because she never let me feel I was alone same goes to my mom too.
Bimpe stood by me when I had nothing in Abuja and was just picking all my pieces up. She never left me alone and that made me realize ‘ When tough times come, you know who your true friends are’. She would make sure to pray for me every night on the phone before we call it a day. Now tell me why I won’t be forever grateful to God for giving me a friend like Bimpe. I gave Bimpe five million nairas to start her own business and stop been an employee when my business blossomed and she was more than grateful that day.
BACK TO PRESENT
“Anisha, I forgot to ask you this yesterday so I had to call you immediately I remembered. How far with you and Bode? ” She asked me.
” That one? You better let discuss another thing because Bode matter is not something to talk about at all ” I replied in a sarcastic tone.
” Anisha, you are not getting any younger again Who is going to inherit all your wealth? I thought you and Bode are serious but with the way you talked, I guess everything wasn’t as rosy I thought it was. You have been dating this guy for one year now and yet no proposal or wedding bells be…….. I didn’t allow her to finish her sentence before I cut her short and said:” Don’t even talk about that wedding bells or proposal because have passed that and I don’t think I need it at all. We live once, married once, and died once and I think have done one of what I just mentioned and I am not going to do that again “.
” Anisha, do you want to end up being alone for the rest of your life? At least have a child to call your own for goodness sake ” Bimpe told me with concern written in her voice.
” I can’t come and stress myself again Bim bim, what happened to adoption? I will adopt one if needed ” I replied her back.
Anisha, you have given up on yourself and I realized that today. Why did you think you can’t still have your own happily ever after despite all what you have been through? You are far away from God Nisha and that’s why you having this negative thoughts. Why didn’t you come to Lagos and meet my pastor about the deliverance maybe everything……. Don’t even go there at all Bimpe, I am not in for any kind of deliverance because God is not blind too ” I told her back angrily.
“Let’s not talk about that because I can see you are flaring up already. So what is wrong with Uncle Bode too? Bimpe asked me in a sarcastic tone.
” Bimpe, trust me, I never wanted to do this but there are some Red flags that can’t be ignored. Bode is a chronic cheater though he is caring and sweet but you see this cheating and Bode , they are like 5&6. You won’t believe Bode even spend my own hard-earned money on his side chicks and even got a car for one with my own money. Just look at the audacity? After he is done spending the money with him, he will come back to me crying and begging that he won’t cheat on me again and still yet the same thing happens immediately he gets some little change (money) from me. I can’t end up with that kind of man Bimpe, I am only keeping him because he helped me to grease my engine since ‘ body no be firewood’ I told her in a pidgin English.
” Anisha, let me tell you something today. No marriage is perfect, go and ask those women celebrating 25_50yrs anniversary in their marriage how they manage to keep their home for it to last that long and they will tell you a whole lot of endurance books they have read. If you are waiting for the perfect man with no flaws in this world we are in, I am sorry to say Ore (friend) you will wait till eternity “.
” I know Bimpe but have been burnt twice and I won’t allow the third one to happen. I married Gabriel ignoring the flaws and flags and what ended it? I endured Suleiman torments for a whole four years and what ended it too? Nothing but pain and heartbreaks. I am not doing that again, let me even tell you one thing you don’t know today. Bode proposed to me last week after we finished having s*x because I won’t call it lovemaking but I rejected his proposal. After all, I can’t enter the lion’s den and ended up covered with blood. If a man is cheating on his wife, if he doesn’t kill himself surely he will kill his wife with it and am not ready to die yet. I told him to be happy he didn’t organize any stupid proposal for me because I wouldn’t have to think twice before rejecting his proposal in public but I think he also sees it coming that was why he did a bedroom proposal. I rather remain single than go into a marriage that won’t last up to a year. My mum has cried and cried but she has no choice because this time she can’t force me into doing anything against my will since she learned her lesson from Gabriel’s own.
“I understand how you feel Anisha but what if this Red flag is just a cover-up for you not to be able to see the real problem? Come to think of it, every one of your past relationships always comes with a red flags that can’t be ignored. You have dated a jealous lover, Mama’s boy, and now a chronic cheater. Don’t you think there’s something wrong somewhere?”.
” Nothing is wrong anywhere Bimpe, God knows the right time for me jare “.
” Okay then if you say so but please try and move closer to God because he is the only one that knows what we don’t know. Nothing is hidden from him ” Bimpe told me.
” I will try. How are my babies?”I asked her switching the topic. We talked about some other things and called it a day.
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When I got home that day, I think about what Bimpe told me while lying on the bed that ‘ what if the Red flags in my pasts and present relationship is just a cover-up for me not to be able to see the real problem?’ But what could be the real problem? I have never fought with anybody in the past before so what could be the problem. I tried to think about it but I couldn’t come up with anything as drifted into the wonderland.
I woke up the next day and was surprised to see the bed stained with my blood. Why did my period come early this month? Was it not supposed to come a week after this? I asked no one in particular as I got down from my bed and went into the bathroom to take my bath and get change. After I was done cleaning myself up, I take out the bedspread full of blood and dump it into the washing machine as I replaced another new one on the bed. I got dressed after eating my breakfast and headed to my office. I just drove into my company premises when I heard a loud commotion coming from the reception. I quickly parked my car in the parking lot and got down as I hurried inside to see what was happening. I hope is not one of those troublesome customers ” I thought to myself as I got to the entrance as the security guard collected my handbag.
” Bode, what’s all this commotion for ?” I asked him immediately I came face to face with him and my receptionist in a heated argument.
“Ask your stupid employee” Bode replied angrily.
I ignored his stupid reply and asked my receptionist:” Stella, what happened?”.
” Mummy, Uncle Bode just arrived not quite long and told me to give him your office key but I told him I can’t because that was the instructions you gave me to not to drop your office key to anybody… Bode cut her short and said, “Am I, anybody?” I eyed him and that makes him keep quiet. I gave my receptionist the go-ahead to continue and she said:” So when I told him that, he gave me a hot slap and said am been rude to him and God knows I told him politely” My receptionist said and burst into tears which I guess she has been holding it for too long.
“I am so sorry about that Stella, please just take it that I was the one that slaps you. Please don’t be annoyed? I will make sure to make it up to you ” I told Stella and pat her back as she nodded and bend her knees a little bit to show her appreciation. I was boiling with anger but I had to control myself because I didn’t want to wash my dirty linen in front of my workers. I headed into my office while Bode tagged along.
Immediately we got into my office and the door was closed, I asked Bode angrily:” What was that stunt for? Why will you just slap my workers for no good reason, Bode? I was the one that gave them instructions not to give you my office key again since I noticed my money was always missing anytime you come into my office without my knowledge” I told him angrily.
” So I am now a thief, Anisha? ” He asked me and gave an evil laugh.
” What are you please? Oh, I forgot to add that you are a thief, a bastard, and a chronic cheater ” I told him angrily and I guess my emotions are heightened due to my monthly flow because, on a normal basis, I would have let it slide since this is not the first time he has done something like this but guess I was just tired with his bullshit.
“How dare you, Anisha? After what has done for you ?” He said and burst into tears.
” Don’t even go there at all because we both know you have done nothing for me except the D**k you have to offer me. I have fed you, clothed you, and gave you money but what did you do? You throw it on my face and still went out to cheat on me with some stupid set of ants that are not even up to my standard and here you are saying ‘After what you have done for me?” I said mimicking him.
” I lost my job the day I started dating you, I lose a lot of contracts the day I slept with you. I know you are using my glory but I still stayed with you despite the rumors have heard about you and yet you still rub my past mistakes on my face ” He said angrily.
” You know what, am done with you, Bode. You can go to hell for all I care. Am no longer interested in this stupid relationship again. Please walk out of my office and I don’t want to see you near me or my company again. You know what am capable of doing if you try to act any smart ” I told him angrily and sat on my chair.
“Anisha? Just like that? You are going to regret ever saying that to me ” He told me and walked out of my office angrily slamming the door.
I heave a sigh of relief after he was gone and rest my head on my office desk for a while before I sit upright and start attending to the files on my desk. A month has passed after I broke up with Bode but my monthly period has decided not to stop. I have used every drug prescribed for me in the pharmacy, I have gone to the hospital and complain to the doctor. They carried out different series of tests on me still yet they could not find what is the cause of it. Three months passed and I am still using pads every blessed day. I had to phone Bimpe because she is the only person I can talk to apart from my mum.
Bimpe was more than shock when I explained everything to her with tears on phone. She could not talk for two minutes and I have to break the silence and said:” Bimpe, I am tired of getting away from another problem and going into another. I can’t go out without wearing a pad and this past week, I have been using diapers because the blood flow was too much” I am tired Bimpe. I think at this stage I will have to commit suicide because this is just too much for me. I could not tell my mum so she won’t develop high blood pressure. I don’t know what to do Bimpe, who do I offend that’s punishing me like this?” I said and burst into tears.
” Anisha, I will advise you to come to Lagos and meet my pastor maybe is because of the delivery……. don’t even go there Bimpe. I am not coming for any stupid deliverance ” I told her angrily.
” So what do you want to do? Because this issue looks spiritual to me “Bimpe told me.
” Let me think about it first,” I told her and went silent for some while and said:” Bimpe, you don’t have to worry again. I know who is behind this ” I told her happily.
” Who is it ?” Bimpe asked me.
“I think is Bode because he threatened me that am going to regret breaking up with him and I know him to be a fetish person. I will go and arrest him tomorrow and make sure he released me from where he ties me” I told Bimpe happily realizing where it all came from.
“Don’t do that Anisha, I will advise you to come… I didn’t allow Bimpe to finish her sentence before I blew her a kiss and ended the call.
“Bode, you think you can use juju on me because I broke up with you right? I will make sure you regret it after am done with you ” I said to myself and laid on my bed happily with the mission of arresting Bode tomorrow morning.
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