LOVE AND LIES
(30 and 31)
THIRTY
Nkiru laid in Kola’s arm and played her hand through the spikes of hair on his chest. They had the quilt over them. Both were n***d if not of the quilt. While Nkiru played with Kola’s hair. Kola played his hand over her large bum squeezing them at the same time. They kissed at intervals and spoke in soft tones.
” You would not believe what happened in my school today.” Nkiru broke the silence after a while.
“What?” Kola’s voice broke off like a grunt.
“I met Nonso.”
“Which Nonso?”
“That my former boss I told you about in lead city Bank.”
“Oh, you mean the one I accused you of having an affair with? Kola remembered. “What happened? He came to look for work.
“As if you know!” Nkiru sighed. “He came to my school today. I never knew his son was in my class. He couldn’t pay school fees for two years now. Can you imagine?”
“I knew he would soon lose his job!” Kola broke into a short laugh.
“Yes he lost it. He said they engaged in fraudulent activities and they were caught.”
“Hmmm!! The guy must be reaping from what he sowed.”
“I am telling you.” Nkiru sighed. “He said he just came back from jail.”
“That’s his punishment!” Kola put in and cleared his voice.
“His son is one of my best student so far?” Nkiru said. ” You wouldn’t believe that.”
“You really love those your students.” Kola teased her and laughed.
“Yes o. I can’t leave them o. They are my world!” Nkiru replied laughing.
“You seem to be doing well in this your teaching job. Why can’t you take a course in education and build a career?”
“I am thinking of doing that soon.” Nkiru agreed and sighed in thought.
Nkiru yawned and adjusted, holding Kola tightly in her arms. They talked and laughed until they
both slept off. They forgot to say this prayers as usual which they hadn’t been doing for some days now.
***********
The morning was not the usual one. Nkiru woke up and saw Kola staring at him dumbfounded. He looked strange. He only motioned. He couldn’t speak. Nkiru pushed him to stop the joke only to find out he had peed on the bed. Nkiru pulled him up but he couldn’t move his leg neither could he move his hands.
“What is wrong with you? Nkiru jerked him violently. He was gradually becoming lifeless. She began to shout “Jesus”. She didn’t know what to do. she ran helter skelter. She first of all got a bucket of water and began to pour some on his head. She dropped it when that could not work. His face grew more pale and he was clinching his teeth tightly as if he had something in his mouth he wanted to swallow really hard. She ran to her phone and called Dave.
“Hello Dave!”
“Yes. Good morning Nkiru!” A sleepy voice replied him.
“Please Dave I need to come right away. It is Kola. He can’t move nor talk.” ‘Nkiru panicked over the phone.
“What is wrong with him? Did he fall?” Dave asked. ” Okay I am coming right away!”
Before Dave came, Nkiru had managed to drag Kola out of bed and carried him to the living room. He was breathing helplessly. Nkiru began to pray and speak in tongues, running everywhere in the house. She managed to wear a good shirt and trousers for him. She remembered the threat from Lara’s mum and she began to panick more. She didn’t believe the woman could go such extent. They had equally forgotten because it happened months ago.
Dave drove into the compound and later rushed in. He found him helplessly on the floor.
“What happened?” He asked before he examined him.
” See I just don’t know Dave. I am confused. I woke up to find him like this on the bed. I thought he was joking until I realized he even peed on the bed.”
“Peed on the bed, that’s unimaginable!” Dave bawled out in shock.
“Let’s rush him to hospital!” Dave said before lifting him up while Nkiru ran to open the door. They dislodged him at the back seat of the car carefully before they drove off to the hospital.
They got to the hospital and they ran around as few tests were conducted. The results were supposed to be out later in the day. Nkiru sat in the hospital and waited for the test results while Dave went back to office. The results were later out and the doctor summoned Nkiru to his office.
” You need to be calm, madam”
” I am, doctor.” Nkiru spoke with a voice choked with tears.
“Well, all the tests we conducted were fine. We seem to be worried about your husband. His temperature, blood pressure and other things are ok. But we think he has a partial paralysis, something like stroke!”
“Stroke!!” Nkiru echoed in utter astonishment. “How come doctor?”
” I just told you. We am even confused ourselves because he seemed to be fine. We will carry out other test to find out the cause of his ailment. For now we will put him on drip and drugs that can boost his immune system.”
“Thank you doctor! But can I bring some food for him because he hasn’t eaten anything all day?”
“You can bring something liquid that can easily be forced into his mouth, not what he can chew. Hope you understand?”
“Yes doctor. Thank you. I really appreciate!” Nkiru stood up and edged her way tiredly out. She was confused. She really needs to go back to God in prayers. She told herself. If the devil couldn’t overcome her the first time, it would be definitely not now. She told herself. She drove her husband car back home and later went to make some pap. She drove back to the hospital and tried to force him to eat. He heaved and coughed. He couldn’t talk. Each spoon was fought with great effort into his mouth. ‘Nkiru was confused but she believed God was with her and would definitely not leave her alone in this. She was quite sure of that.
THIRTY-ONE
The sky was bright. A bright sun was glowing from the clouds. It was 11:00pm in the day. Lagos had become quite very busy. Cars were hooting noisily on the road filled with hawkers and passers-by. Traders also took a good portion of the road displaying different wares and things for sale. Fred was worried on how they would locate the street at the end of the road.
“Mariana road. Charlton street right?” Fred asked. Tony could not answer. He was coughing and shivering. He had become sick for months and they had rushed him from one hospital to the other. When that couldn’t work, they took him to the man that prepared the concoction for him that he ate to make his money.
The man stated at him and observed his eyes and his pale hands.
“But you said the other day that he doesn’t have a child with the woman he used for the ritual?”
“Yes he doesn’t.” Fred answer. “Fred was his good friend and they had taken that quick route to make their money together.
“That’s not true?!” The man put in angrily.
“She has a son for him.”
“Is that true? Tony?” Fred asked with a scowl of confusion on his face.
“No, the baby was meant for another man.” Tony coughed.
“It could probably be yours.” Fred put in, confused.
“Not probably. The son is yours. And you know I warned you. See until you find that child and bring him. You are going to die in few days.”
“Jesus!” Fred shouted.
“Don’t call that here o.” The man retorted. “You better take him to that Jesus now, may be he can save him.”
This was few months after their graduation and they hadn’t seen Lara or her friend Tolu. Few of her other friends they found told them Lara was already dead and Tolu was already working as a customer service agent at Mariana road in Lagos. They decided to visit Tolu if she knew the whereabouts of Lara’s child.
Fred got down from the car when he found the building. Tony decided to stay back in the car. He was looking really frail and sick. His hair had overgrown giving his head an ugly size. His eye had run into the eye socket making them to glow weird. His cheek bones were already seen from the skin. He had really emaciated.
Fred adjusted his trousers and went into the building. He found a young lady dressed in white shirt tucked into a navy blue skirt. Her hair was packed into a bundle. She stared at Fred with a radiant smile.
“Good morning sir and how may I help you?” She greeted, flashing him a white set of teeth.
“Good morning. Please I am looking for a lady called Tolu.”
“Tolu?” The lady winked her eyelashes. “She is one of our customer service agent.”
“Yes.” Fred replied in excitement.
“Sit here and wait.” The lady pointed to a vacant sit and strolled off. She returned later with Tolu looking really beautiful. She had added a lot of flesh. She wasn’t that skinny girl anymore. Her shirt was tight over her fitted trousers. Her strands of hair well-made flying about her head. She stared at Fred. She could still make out the face as one of those unserious students in university those days.
“Good morning.” Tolu greeted, looking alittle worried.
“Good morning”Fred greeted. ” Please I need to speak to you for a minute.”
“Go ahead!” Tolu intoned.
“Do you still remember Lara, your university friend?”
“Yes.” Tolu nodded her head.” I heard she died of recent.”
“Please how can I locate her parents?”
“Is there any problem?”
“Tony is in the car. He was her boyfriend. Hope you remember?” Fred said. Tolu stared into the car parked a distance away. She could make out a frail look of a man, coughing and scratching.
“Yes I remember Tony!” Tolu confessed.
“Please how do we see her parents? Lara had a son for Tony which she kept as secret. Do you know about this?”
“I don’t know about anything.Please! Lara loved the kind of life she lived which I detested. We were just hostel friends. Thats all.”
“How can we find her parents?” Fred asked apologetically when he sensed she was flaring up.
“She told me they are in Ibadan. Just ask of mama show when you get to Gbagi market in Ibadan. Her mum is a popular woman. That’s all she told me then and that’s all the information I can give.” Tolu concluded in a hurry. It seemed she was wanted back on her duty post. She was uneasy as she stood.
“Mama show in Gbagi market right?” Fred echoed in excitement.
“Yes.” Tolu said in a hurry. Fred thanked her and walked away. He got to the car and pushed the door open before he ducked in. He flopped into his seat tiredly.
“How did it go?” Tony asked in a hurry. His voice was a gruff.
“She told me her mum sells cloth in a market in Ibadan.”
“Wow, then let’s go right away!” Tony said in excitement.
“Go where?”Fred barked in anger. “Guy abeg I don try for you. You can get down and take a bus yourself.”
“Fred abeg don’t do this to me now. You know I am not strong enough to make the journey alone. Please let’s go right away.” He begged before he went into another bout of cough.
“I can’t go anywhere oga. I have a club party I want to attend tonight. Please I can’t go there and be tired. Please come down from my car.” He ordered.
“Fred please now. Okay let’s go tomorrow. I know I have few days to live if I don’t find this boy but I can still make it.” Tony begged, crying.
“See I will help you there tomorrow but that will be the last thing I will do for you.”
“Alright!” Tony agreed. Fred started the car and they zoomed off. Tony never believed Fred could change so fast like this. He was the one that actually introduced him to the native doctor and he led him throughout the time he carried out the whole ritual. So when everything has turned this way, why can’t he stick with him?” Tony was thinking. He hoped he would make it. This would probably teach him a great lesson.
“Please you need to get down at the next bus stop” Fred bawled with a voice that had an edge of anger.
“Why now?” Tony asked. “I thought you are taking me home.”
” I want to see my babe and I don’t want him to see a sick person in my car. Just take a cab. We will see at home.”
Tony got down weakly. He struggled to cross to the other side of the road. He was shivering. He found a taxi and he was driven home. He felt like crying. He really wished he could turn back the hand of time. His situation had taught him that friends only stick with you when you have money and not when you have problems. He wished he had learnt that early in life.
To be continued…
ยฉ Emmanuel Erondu, 2019
