JEREMY
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Episode 10
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“I went over to serve one particular table and then decided to take a seat and watch the show that was on stage. The two women seated directly across from me brought up a subject that I believed to be quite fascinating, without knowing that I was in any way related to the bride. No matter how compelled I was to probe further and fill in the gaps in this story, I was able to control my need to avoid coming across as an eavesdropper. I wanted them to keep chatting. The women appeared to be from Jeremy’s family or to be familiar with Jeremy and his relatives. They started by expressing what a wonderful queen my daughter would be as they danced to the loud music booming from the stage while holding a bottle in each hand. It wasn’t until they continued talking about how peaceful and lovely King Jeremy would be when he eventually took the throne that I realized they were talking about the same Jeremy. They claimed that they had waited five long years for him to eventually occupy that throne in his proper place and that they couldn’t be happier that their lengthy wait might finally be coming to an end. They claimed that this stunning bride’s family will finally understand the family she is marrying into.”
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“Wait! What issues are you bringing up? Queen Ke? Who will be a wonderful queen?” Confusingly, my mother enquired.
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As she saw the soon-to-be “Queen Mother” looking perplexed, my auntie laughed and said, “Wait and let me finish my spiel, na! As I mentioned, I was inclined to interrupt these women as they were speaking in order to elicit information that would have allowed me to fill in certain gaps, but I was unable to do so for obvious reasons. But, based on what I’ve learned, Jeremy and his family are royalty. Before he passed away, Jeremy’s father barred him from taking the throne until he had changed his life and, particularly, found himself a wife.”
“…changed his life, ke? Uju, what do you mean?” This time, my mother asked, her face showing that she found Aunty Uju’s explanations very incomprehensible.
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“Sister, as I previously stated, I am not entirely certain of the circumstances, but it appears that Jeremy has been a really, really nasty boy. He must have even been involved in the demise of his father, based on what I was able to infer from the dialogue between those women.”
“JESUS! Do you even understand what you’re saying, Uju? How on earth could you ever say such a thing? Are you sure you understood what they said? Are you certain that conversation involved our Jeremy?”
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In response to my mother’s query, Aunty Uju nodded. She acknowledged that she was as astonished as anyone to learn this.
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“The women’s dialogue was non-specific because they clearly already knew the background to what they were discussing. I told you, sister, that all I had done was put together the little facts I had managed to compile on my own. Although my assumptions may not be entirely correct, I can reasonably say that I am aware of what I heard.” Aunt Uju remarked.
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At this moment, I wasn’t sure what to think or how to feel. A part of me questioned what had caused these women to allegedly go as far as they did in their talk, according to Auntie Uju.
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When will Nigerians ever quit snooping around at weddings and talking about couples? You never know who might be listening, for crying out loud, since it’s a public event.
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One may have believed that Aunty Uju was “working an angle” with this purported revelation if it weren’t for the fact that she has always liked Jeremy since the first day she met him.
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Interestingly, it took my mother four days to tell any of us about her conversation with Aunty Uju. The most amazing part of it all is how she managed to keep such a big secret from her husband (my father), especially given how close they are and how poorly they keep secrets, especially between themselves.
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It was during morning devotion that mama broke this news. That morning sermon naturally turned into a speech about me. Papa kept on preaching about how I was still very young and didn’t need to be rushing into marriage, especially in light of the fact that we had just received a warning about the kind of man my Jeremy might turn out to be.
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The phrases were the most repulsive sounds my ears had ever heard before.
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I didn’t utter a word.
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I hurried into my room after the morning devotion and started looking around for my phone. As soon as I had it in my hands, I scrolled to Jeremy’s number and pressed the dial icon. I was so eager to verify everything I’d heard at this point. I wouldn’t mind telling Jeremy who my source is, just so he knows how serious this problem has become.
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My emotions started to run wild after all the criticism my father heaped upon me during that morning devotion. I was so furious at the time that I wished I had been standing next to Jeremy because I felt like I had been betrayed and deceived.
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I dialed Jeremy’s number, but he did not pick up.
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Even after my fifth call, Jeremy was still not answering.
To be continued…
Moshood Avidiime
