My Story episode 4

4(Final Episode)

My Story😭😭

Anna came to my apartment or rather snuck into my apartment around 8 that night. One thing I forgot to mention earlier was that I made a record of all the conversation at her apartment that morning.

I playfully offered her some alcohol but she turned down the offer.

“I don’t take alcohol”. She said.

“That is nonsense. Getting high and commiting murder, which is worse?”. I teased her.

She shook her head.

“Nina, I have told you this before now. I didn’t kill that girl intentionally, it was an accident”. She explained.

I laughed out loud.

“Please, bring down your voice, someone might be eavesdropping”. She cautioned.

I stopped abruptly

“I need to shower”. I said, and started heading towards the bathroom when her voice stopped me.

“Nina, please, we need to talk so I can get back to the house before my husband starts looking for me”. She pleaded.

“Okay, then. Let’s talk”. I turned back to face her.

“What do you want?”. She asked.

“No, the question goes to you. What do you want me to do with your secret?”. I asked, reaching for my phone, lying on the dressing table.

I fast forwarded the record until it got to where she made that confession earlier.

“Hey, Nina, you were recording?”. She cried.

“Yes, I was. Because I know your type”. I said, dropping the phone back on the table.

“Please, Nina, nobody should hear about this”. She pleaded.

“Nobody is going to hear about it as long as you cooperate”. I said.

“Money?”. She asked.

“If that is what you want to give”. I said.

“How much are we talking about here?” She asked.

“1 million naira”. I said.

She opened her mouth in awe.

“1 gini?!”. She almost screamed out.

“Why are you shouting?. Do you not know what you did?. You committed murder, murder!. There’s no worse crime than this”. I said.

“Nina, to be honest with you, I have never seen 1 million naira all my life. I don’t work, I am a housewife, there is no way I’m going to raise such an amount of money”. She confessed.

“Do you know that you’re not serious at all?. Instead of you to start today, this night to think of how to gather that money, knowing your life is ay stake here, you’re busy telling me your family problem. How’s it my business if you’re jobless?”. I asked.

“Nina, there is nowhere I’m getting that money”. She continued.

“Do you not have a husband?”. I asked.

“My husband will never give me such an amount, and besides, he hasn’t been working lately. Please, help me”. She begged.

“You’re talking bulkshit”. I said.

She knelt down, with eyes filled with tears.

“Nina, to God who made me, the only money in my account right now is not more than 75 thousand naira which I saved from housekeeping money. Please, take it, my sister”. She cried.

I frowned at her.

“I don’t think you understand the gravity of your offence. How on earth do you think 75 thousand can cover a crime as deadly as murder?. Do you have conscience at all?”. I yelled at her.

“Please, Nina, let me make it 100k. I will find a way to convince my husband to give me 25 thousand. Please, don’t say ‘no’ this time”. She begged.

I finally agreed to take the money from her. After all, it is better than nothing… I was so broke then that I don’t even have a dime in my account.

“It’s okay, I will take the money”. I said, facing the opposite direction.

She stood up immediately and started wiping the tears from her eyes.

“Thank you so much. Give me your account number, so I could forward the money anytime my husband sends it to me”. She said, handing me her phone.

“No, you have to cash it. And did I hear you say anytime?. I smiled.

…. Let me make this clear to you, if I don’t get that money first thing tomorrow morning, I’m going straight to the police station”. I threatened her

“No, Nina, it’s not possible tomorrow, my husband and I are going to Amaka’s village to inform her grandma of the latest development”. She explained.

“That is not my business, infact, leave my house”. I opened the door, and pushed her out.

Before I could wake up the next morning, she was already knocking at my door.

“This is 75 thousand naira. Please, I will get the remaining in two days time”. She pleaded.

I didn’t make a move nor utter a word until she snuck out.

I counted the money with a satisfied smile on my face. That day, I made a rich pot of soup.

Just as she promised, she brought the balance in two days time.

But it didn’t end there. I turned her into my ATM, threatening her each time I run out of cash.

“What business do you have with mummy Becky that she is always coming in and out of your flat?” Nmachi had asked one early morning.

“It’s nothing. You know, she only needs a shoulder to cry on”. I lied.

“Hmm, you just have to be careful, people are watching”. She warned.

This extended to like four complete months until Anna got fade up and started talking back at me.

I urgently needed money at that period to settle a personal issue. I went to meet her at her flat that afternoon.

“Nina, I have given you nothing less than 1 million naira since you started this, I’m not doing again”. She said.

“Remember I still have the evidence”. I said.

“You cannot do anything with that, you have been a part of the crime”. She said.

We argued for a while before we were interrupted by a knock on the door. When she went to get it, it turned out to be Krishna and a man, her husband I guess.

As usual, I left them alone, and went back to my flat.

Anna came back to my flat later that night.

“Have you come back to your sense?”. I asked as soon as I closed the door behind her.

“I’m not here to beg you oo”. She said.

“What then are you here for?”. I asked.

“I’m here to let you know that I, Annabel Fidelis Nwankwo, will never give you anything again. I have given enough!”. She said.

“Are you opening eye to me?”. I asked.

“That is what I am here for, you have taken more than enough from me. I have extorted my husband enough!”. She finalized and started walking towards the door.

“Anna, get ready because before this time tomorrow, you’re resting in one corner of the police cel”. I said.

She hissed, opened the door and left.

“That woman thinks I’m joking”. I muttered.

The next morning, after I noticed that her husband had left the house with the children, I went to their flat to meet her.

“This is your last chance before I go over to the police”. I said.

She sat on the couch with her legs crossed.

“Nina, you cannot do anything”. She challenged.

I wondered what was giving her such morale.

“It seems you’ve forgotten what you did”. I began.

“Hunhun, what we did”. She said.

“I didn’t do anything with you”. I said.

She smiled, picked up her phone from besides her and played a record of my voice, threatening to go to the police if I didn’t get my money in two days.

“You think you’re wise, right?”. I asked.

Just then, the entrance door flung open. We turned to behold Krishna walking towards us, followed by the police.

“Officer, see them here”. She said, pointing at us.

“Yes, thank you for calling the cops. See her here, she killed that girl”. I said, trying to move away from Anna.

“Hey you, stand still!”. One officer commanded in harsh voice.

“I am not among oo”. I tried to explain.

“Shut up, you liar!”. Krishna said.

I tried to struggled, but I was overpowered and handcuffed together with Anna.

“Now, move!”. The officer commanded.

We were pushed out of the flat. The neighbors were already gathered outside, watching and whispering as we were led away. Anna didn’t utter a word all along.

We met Fred right in front of the gate, about to drive in. He parked and hurried down from the car to meet us.

.”What is happening here?, Krishna you called. He said before he saw the handcuff on his wife.

…What?, why did you handcuff my wife?”. He quarreled the police.

“She has a confession to make”. One officer said.

“She has no confession, not with those handcuff”. He said, trying in vain to uncuff her.

“Listen, Mr Fred, your wife here was the killer of that little child”. The officer announced.

“It’s not true, my wife cannot do a thing like that, stop the accusation already”. He defended, still holding her hand.

“Mr Fred, the officer is right. Anna connived with this witch here, and together they murdered Amaka in cold blood”. Krishna said.

“It’s not true,. I didn’t do it’. I was saying but an officer hit me on the shoulder with the head of a gun.

“Shut up!”. He commanded.

I writhed in pain.

Mr Fred turned to Krishna.

“Stop it Krishy, Anna was supposed to be your bestie, why are you doing this to her?”. He asked.

“Fred”. Anna muttered.

He turned back to face her.

“Did you fight with Krishna?”. He asked.

She shook her.

“I’m sorry”. She cried.

“What are you sorry about, you didn’t do it, right?. Tell me these men are just lying against you”. He pleaded, almost shedding tears too.

“I did it”. She finally confessed.

He let go of her hand immediately as he opened his mouth in awe.

“I’m sorry, please save me, don’t let them take me away”. She cried.

Even as we were pushed into the van, he still didn’t utter a word. He just kept staring, like someone under a spell.

He remained that way, with Krishna standing behind him until the van galloped out of the street.

At the station, I tried my best to explain my involvement to the police, but they were not ready to listen to me. I opened my phone to play the voice record, but to my surprise, it was no longer in my phone… till today, I don’t know what went wrong neither did I know how Krishna came to find out about our secret.

I gave my brother’s contact to the police, and that was how the entire family came to learn about my whereabout. They were the only ones who believed me. My brother did his best to get me a good lawyer who advocated for me.

But on my final hearing, the man didn’t make any strong defense in my favor, and I think Krishna bribed him too.

Anna and I were sentenced for life.

I’m still in jail as I type…2 years and still counting. A 33 years old hopeless woman.

I wish I had listened 😭😭.

The end

Thanks for reading

© Joy Ifunanya

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