WHISPERS IN THE DARK
CHAPTER 2
I was at Elvis’ elder brother’s place before four o’clock. They say first impressions are lasting impressions. I wanted to be there on time so that she would know that I was a serious guy. When I got there, I met Elvis already there, waiting for me. There was a mischievous smile on his face. I walked in, greeted him and sat on the bed, since it was a single room in a ‘face me, I face you’ compound. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Elvis asked whoever it was to come in. She walked in looking queenly and beautiful.
“Good evening, everyone.” She greeted.
“Good evening, please come in.” Elvin returned her greeting.
After she had sat down, Elvis made the necessary introductions.
“Welcome to my brother’s house. This is fine boy, Eyong and Eyong, this is the beautiful lady you said you wanted to meet.”
I was confused. Last time I checked, Elvis had told me that it was the lady that had requested to see me. How come he was now saying I was the one who wanted to see her? Anyway, I decided that I would talk about that to him later. For now, let me concentrate on looking at the beautiful face of the lady.
“Now that you have known each other, I will be glad to leave you two all by yourselves. Eyong, please, when you guys are leaving, lock the door and bring the keys to me. I will be in my house.”
“Alright, I will do as you say.” I spoke.
As soon as Elvis made his exit, I moved closer to her.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“Addie.”
“Beautiful name, just like you.”
“Thank you.”
“Who do you resemble? Your dad or your mum?”
“My dad.”
“Then your dad must be a very handsome man.” I flattered.
“Why?” She asked, raising her eyebrows.
“Because you are very beautiful.”
“Really, thank you. So, you asked to see me. Here I am.”
“Asked to see you?” I asked, surprised. “I thought you were the one who wanted to see me.”
“No, Elvis said you asked him to tell me to meet you here at 4:00 PM on the dot.”
“This Elvis!” I exclaimed under my breath.
“What did you say?” She asked.
“Never mind. It’s alright. Actually, what he said is true. I saw you the other day and it was like I had walked into a dream. You looked so beautiful just like you do now. That was why I decided that I would see you at all costs.”
“At all costs? Am I that important to you?” She asked, smiling.
“To be honest, I cannot say you are really important to me. I have only just met you; you know? But from the look of the things, you are going to be very important.”
We talked about a number of things, and she soon announced her going. She had to hurry home before it got too dark. She didn’t want her parents to get home before her. I walked her close to their gate, said goodbye and hurried home. I was very happy to have met her. I didn’t ask her out openly. I simply did what my friend and I called ‘taking’. Taking is a system whereby you asked a girl out indirectly so that if she refuses you can easily backtrack and claim that you were not actually chatting her up. It involved saying nice things to her and saying that you wished you were lovers just to test her interest in you. So far, she seemed to be showing interest.
I didn’t see her again for almost a week. I didn’t have a phone, but she did because she came from the city, and she was rich. I was a village boy and had never used a phone before. So, there was no way I could have been able to call her even if she had given me her number.
The following Sunday, she sent Elvis to tell me that she wanted me to accompany her to the local village field to go watch a football match. I was very excited and dressed in my best outfit. I met her by the roadside standing with Elvis and we all walked to the field. When the match was over, we walked home together just the two of us. Elvis had disappeared. When we got to our neighbourhood and were about to separate, she held my hand and looked into my eyes.
“You are a shy guy.” She began.
“Why do you say so?” I asked.
“You avoid looking into my eyes.”
“Not really, it’s just that your eyes are too intense, and beautiful too.”
She smiled.
“How old are you?” She asked.
“Nineteen and you?”
“Eighteen.”
“That is cool, it means that you are ripe for marriage now.” I laughed.
“You wish! Do you want to marry me?”
“Will your father allow me?” I ventured to ask.
“Maybe not now but someday in the future, when you have become a man.” She laughed.
“What am I now?” I asked, laughing back.
“A baby boy.” She laughed again. “My baby boy.”
“Mmmm!! That sounds sweet.” I spoke.
“On a more serious note, now. What do you do in this village? You look too good to be in this place.” She asked.
“I just completed high school.”
“What are your next plans? University?”
“If the world would have been kind on me, I would have loved to go to the university. But unfortunately, I don’t have the money. My father died not long ago. My mum barely manages to take care of me and my sisters.” I explained to her.
“Oh! That is sad. I am sorry about your dad. It is funny how life is. You want to go to school but you don’t have the means. As for me, my parents literally beg me to go to school. So funny.”
The discussion had now taken a different phase. Things were getting serious. She had brought up the issue of school. That particular topic was sore to me. I hated to think about the fact that at the beginning of the academic year, my friends would be going to school, and I wouldn’t. I wish I had the same opportunity as my friends. I had already lost hope but my conversation with her had started restoring my hopes. She was proposing something that could be of interest to me.
“I will be going to the university this coming academic year.” She spoke. “I will be renting in a hostel close to the school. All arrangements have already been made. I will be living alone. You could come live with me, and we will stay together. If and only if it’s okay with you.”
I couldn’t believe my luck. My life was about to change. I had only just met Addie and she had already begun to create an impact in my life, a very big impact. I now believed what my mother used to say. She used to say that, sometimes, God doesn’t use people, he doesn’t use angels, sometimes he leaves his throne in heaven and comes down to earth himself to remedy a particular situation before going back. Truly, God was here.
“I will be happy oh.” I said with a straight face. In my heart however, I was dying with joy. “But then, what would your parents say?”
“How do you mean?”
“I mean about the fact that you are living with a boy who isn’t related to you, especially one from a poor family. Remember you are only eighteen years old.”
“Eighteen years old? So what? Last time I checked, the age of consent in this country is eighteen. Look, let me tell you. Have no fear. My father is a very busy man. He will never ever come to my house to look for me. The least he can do is to call me to meet him somewhere when he is in town. As for my mother, don’t worry about her. She is a sweet soul. I can take care of her.” She explained.
“Okay, I understand. My accommodation is now taken care of. How about school fees and the rest?”
“That is taken care of too.”
“Please, I don’t want you to carry all of my burden. I am the man here.”
“Man indeed!! I beg be serious for once and stop pretending. You think I don’t know what is going on in your mind. You are very happy, and your heart is “sugar sugar.”
She was right. My heart was sugar sugar. My dreams had finally come true. My dreams of going to the university had finally come true. Not only had it come true, but it had also come true with almost zero cost. I was so grateful to her and in my mind, I still couldn’t believe it. I felt like I was dreaming.
I looked at her and I wondered how someone with such a beautiful face could also have so a beautiful heart. What she wanted us to do was risky, very risky, in spite of the fact that she made it sound so simple. If we were caught by her parents, all hell would be let lose. That was a major worry to me. Another worry was my mum. What was I going to tell her? That I was living with a woman, and a woman was paying my bills? Was she going to approve? I was so confused.
“Thank you, Addie, thank you so much. You are a God sent. I pray our friendship grows stronger and stronger.”
“Of course, it will grow stronger. Are we not going to start living together soon as husband and wife?” She laughed.
She was such a sweet soul. She was always laughing and took everything likely. She was also generous and intentional. I was only nineteen, but I decided that I must get married to her when I grew up and there was nothing her rich father could do about it.
“You have to go home now, Addie.” I spoke. It’s getting late.
“That is true. Let me hurry home before that old man raises hell. Bye for now. Hope to see you again tomorrow.”
“Bye Addie.” I said as she turned around and started moving away. I moved away too for a short distance. When I turned around to look at her, it was at the exact same moment too that she too turned around to look at me and our eyes met. She smiled a warm, sweet smile, ran back to me, hugged me and pecked me on my jaw. As I stood there stupefied, she ran away and disappeared around a corner.
I went home feeling happy. When I got to our house, I met Elvis. He was waiting for me. He asked me where I was coming from and I told him that I was with Addie. I told him that I was just from walking her home. Elvis smiled but the smile was not a genuine one. There was an evil glitter in his eye, and I realized that jealousy had set in. I decided that I would be wary about him henceforth and also warn Addie. Elvis, I could be the beginning of our troubles.
TO BE CONTINUED…
