OSUWAKE
Episode 7
“No swearing again”. I have found my money”
“daddy how manage” i asked in shock.
He explained he believes strongly that it was his wife who took the money because he didn’t allow her to stay in the house. So, he was the one who swept the house and removed the foot mat. Nothing was there initially but after his wife came and carried her bag to the next room to sleep over; she may have placed the money under the foot mat and that was how he found his money.
The matter died a natural death but still my dad didn’t drive her away and things remained the way it was.
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After several months of living in our big aunty house; one of her male child had issues with my mum. He fought with my mum and injured her . I wasn’t very happy with it, so i hit something on his head. I broke his head and ran away.
I had nowhere to seek refuge and so, i went to meet my dad, he was my last hope.
My dad pledged that he was going to accept me but only on one condition which was – i should start talking to his wife. I agreed to his request because i had no other option. I told him i will do anything to reamain with him and he was happy.
He vowed that he was going to train me higher in school. He even discussed it with his friends.
I started living with my dad and his wife. My step mum was playing the role of a good wife to my dad, her husband and was playing the role of a good stepmother to me.
I was equally very friendly when it comes to making friends and so, me and she enjoyed a cordial relationship which made my dad to be happy always.
Along the line, my dad figured a plan and decided to open a small business of which my step mum should be the manager.
We started preparing ‘Bole’ (local name for roasted plantain) with stew or sauce. We found a space at one busy junction not very far from our place. Majority of my customers were okada riders and bus drivers, because it was along the road.
I started making alot of sales and had numerous friends and customers. I was stil very young then – between fifteen years of age
Most of my customers usually forfeits their remaining balance with me just to motivate me.
The business thrived and flourished. I started saving money from the grants given to me by my loyal and kind customers.
The relationship between me and my step mum remained cordial until i noticed that her behaviour has started changing towards me. She began acting strange and funny.
There was one agbero man in that same junction who started making advances towards me.
Before then, i and she had agreed that except those who knew us from home, if anybody asked me if it was her daughter; i should say yes and that has remained ever since we started the business.
But to my greatest surprise, when that agbero came and asked her who i was, she told him i was her step daughter. That singular response started changing things very fast.
The man said he likes me and to make matters worse, my step mum started preaching his sermon to me.
“this man likes you ooh and he is a very nice person” she wil say always”.
I coudn’t say anything to her because as of then, i was still very young and don’t really know what their plan was.
Their was a young man named Bosman. He sells fuel at that same junction. We were very good friends and he buys my market always. He buys me things too. My step mum wasn’t happy seeing me and him talking to each other.
This certain agbero man started playing uncle’s roles to me – anytime i would ask my stepmum for money, the man will give me. At first, i thought he was just doing it because he likes me as i don’t really know anything as at then.
the agbero man continued his benovolence towards me and even commenced taking care of me. Anything i ask him to buy, he will buy and give me. He was much more older than me and Bosman.
one day, my step mum opened the can of worms and urged me to date the man that he was a good man and will take adequate care of me more than Bosman. I was stunned when she mentioned Bosman.
“mummy do you thinks i was dating Bosman?”
“the way am seeing you, is like you love that Bosman” she remarked.
i told her that Bosman was just my friend and i’m not ready to date anyone.
we started having alot of issues and confrontations. Each time i ask her for money, she will refer me to the agbero man and i never liked that. It got to a point, the agbero man started chasing my customers away with the notion that, they were all fake and will soon impregnant me and abandon me to my own peril.
to be continued..
A life story saturated with intrigues, controversies and life struggles.
written by: ©️Emeka Nwobu
stay tuned for more..
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Stupidity on agbero’s part