NIGHT MARES

A STORY WRITTEN BY CHIWENDU ONUEGBU

CHAPTER 0NE

            In the month of October, when people were being given admissions into the higher institutions of greater learning, Stephanie had been at home for some time and due to fact that her academic pursuit in life was her ultimate, she became quite frustrated with waking up in the morning, preparing breakfast, tidying up the whole house, washing the school uniforms of Stan and Gold, preparing among all other chores.

One morning, the clock struck 4:00am, she rose up and decided within her that nothing would be done that day. The frustration made her think of nothing but leaving the house. “But to where?” this was the question that ran through her mind. Her friends gained admissions into different schools while she and a few others had to spend some more years seeking for admission. This made her to draw closer to God, but in the aspect of coming to God, the devil equally brought himself.

            New friends were made at the church ranging from the youths to the young couples and then to the little children; she being a lover of kids. On this day, she had gone to church late on the 26^th of December at the closure of service and was ashamed to enter into the church premises. It was then she met Emmy who had attended the same church; he was a short but fine looking gentleman but unknown to her, in every gentleman, there was a wild animal.

Actually, she thought to herself, “The devil equally comes to the house of God”. The choristers sang and the instruments were played while Stephanie moved her body especially her waist to the rhythm of the song. The first question Emmy asked was, “are you from Owerri?” she looked at him and as someone she hadn’t met nor talked to before, she replied, “no, but that is my maternal home”. “Wow!” he exclaimed and said, “I can see the reason your waist moves so well”. The young girl who couldn’t utter a reply only smiled and continued with her dance. At the end of the whole activities, contacts were exchanged and she headed for a vehicle which would take her home.

Their friendship began, Emmy did most of the calls while Stephanie on her own part received and paid attention. In most cases, he complimented her and told her how much he liked her.

Indeed men are deceitful; they act from their heads while the soft natured female folks act from their hearts. One day, he invited her over and she complied thinking that since they attended the same church and believed in the same doctrine, that nothing wrong was going to happen.

            She got his address, and arrived there on the appointed date. The compound was large owing to the fact that it was a family house, he was out to meet her and then he took her into his bedroom after introducing her to his siblings. He took her by her arms and led her inside, offered her a drink and a seat. They talked and he professed his love for her; she being a little girl couldn’t respond positively, he began touching her body, he felt her ass and touched her breasts but she pushed him away. “What is your problem?” Stephanie asked, “Can’t you stay on your own?” Emmy looked at her, hissed and said, “So I can’t touch you, as in?” She made way to leave and turned, smiled at Emmy and asked, “You wouldn’t see me off?” He kept his pretense to himself and walked behind her until they got to a tarred road where she boarded a bike. They only waved goodbye and she left while he went back to his little abode.

            There was a knock on the door. “Ann, check who is there” I sat still and picked the remote and began to change the channels to see if any station got my attention.

“Yeah” I said when I found this one which played the latest songs and videos as well. I tuned to it and saw some young girls almost nude, dancing to the rhythm of the song.

Ann approached the living room with a brown envelope shaking it like a child that one would think she was not up to 14 years of age. “Aunty”, she called out to me. “Who gave you that?” was the question that leapt out of my mouth.

I quickly dropped the remote that stuck like glue to my hand and rushed to meet the young lad. It was due to the recent bomb attacks on lives of people that possibly hastened my collecting the envelope from Ann. Since the suicide bombers had sought every possible way for the termination of the lives God gave to mankind. But my question was, “why would someone want to take the life of another or even that of himself whereas he can’t give life? Yes we are all sinners and God is faithful and just to forgive us all our sins but should these sins keep repeating themselves?” many things ran through my mind as I saw Ann dangling the envelope. “Ann, I called out to her and collected the envelope from my grip and dropped it on the center table.

She looked at me as though I had done something extra ordinary. I grabbed her by her arm and sat her close to myself. The song on the screen had been playing all through bit it seemed as if it had been ignored by the coming of the envelope.

When she got her breadth, she said, “aunty, what is the problem?” I looked at her and saw the scare and fears in her eyes. “My dear”, I said “You would not understand. So tell me who gave you that envelope”. When she got her breadth completely, she said, “a young man knocked at the door and when I went to open the door, he told me that he was asked to deliver the parcel”. I looked at the girl and my gaze moved to the envelope on the table. Well, the parcel had to be opened no matter what.

I got up and stretched my arms to retrieve the parcel I had dropped earlier. But stood aloof and the only thing that crossed my mind was the saying of Patrick White in one of his poems that said, “fear no obstacles admist ……….” With these words, I picked it up and opened it. Guess what! My fears were vain; the envelope contained some jewelries and money including a letter which my husband Chris had sent to me from Canada. Smiles eluded my face as I read the short letter. Chris was not a man of many words rather his actions spoke more; the letter encouraged and strengthened me especially the aspect that assured me of our marriage vows and commitments made.

Ann began to touch the jewelries which I had brought out and placed on the table. The moment her eyes met mine, she speedily dropped them. She removed her face and said, “Aunty, I hope there is nothing wrong”, I replied with the nod of the head that everything was in control.                                                                                  Curiously, she asked me about the content which I indicated were from her uncle; the young girl smiled and sat still, possibly waiting for me. I gathered the gifts together and sat down next to her as we were seated at first. She said, “Aunty, please continue” and then I began.

            Days turned into weeks while weeks turned into months but Stephanie was nowhere to be found and her phone numbers weren’t connecting. Emmy went out with other girls in the neighborhood whilst waiting for Stephanie whom he claimed to love so much.                          At last, the waiting was over, she gave him a call that she was prepared to visit him. He tidied up the little room and got a bottle of alcoholic wine haven known that she never took alcoholic drinks. Stephanie came and was welcomed; well, but her mission had always taken a different tone. She embraced him and sat on the couch, lifted his album and began going through the pictures; she saw the pictures of his siblings and that of his childhood. While these things happened, she had not said a word. Emmy who was confused at the turn out of events spoke out and said. “Stephanie, what a surprise to see you again”. She looked askance at him and said, “It’s not a surprise because I called you and informed you of my visit. So why are you acting as if you have just seen a ghost?” Emmy said, “Yes you told me you were coming, that is after how many months? Yes after two months, since May”. She said nothing in reply and he offered her the drink which she disproved of but he encouraged her and said, “it’s not alcoholic, its only 7% alcohol for this big bottle”. Stephanie said with a frown on her face, “you know I do not take stuffs like this, please” but he persuaded her until she succumbed and took little quantity. She said, “Am ok with this” as she tasted it, one would not detect if it were sweet of sour. She drank little more and relaxed with her eyes blinking. One would guess what he had done to her drink. He drugged it and alas, it had worked for him.

Ann shouted at the top of her voice “what! Men are wicked”. Well, that was the absolute truth, what could I say? I spoke aloud, “this is a man’s world”. Ann looked at me with a sad face and said, “Is that what the female folk face on the hands of their male counterparts?” I smiled and said to her, “my dear that is one of the reasons we have feminists in the society today, ok”. Ann asked, “What happened afterwards?”

            Afterwards, Emmy tried all he could but Stephanie resisted even in her sorry state, yet, he tore her clothes and put in his key into her tiny hole. When he got up, he looked into her eyes and saw tears yet the only thing he could say was, “do you know how many girls I sleep with in a day?”

“I wonder the sort of satisfaction one derives from an act like this, in the name of pleasure” I said to myself. I looked at Ann who had started sobbing even before hearing the last words.

The little girl Ann couldn’t hold herself and cried out aloud to my utmost dismay which got me a little worried because she was a growing child who was still in her early teens. I was forced to console my little companion whom at least in my husband’s absence stayed with me in thick and thin. I moved closer to her and held her tight, she raised up her face and stared at me for a long long while before eventually she spoke and said, “that girl has suffered, aunty, I hope she didn’t get pregnant after that terrible incident. “Oh! My God”, I said to her, “Ann! See, what people especially the females face every day in life is not easy. Their stories could make up an anthology. I just told you this so that in your dealings with people, you would be careful, ok”. Ann wiped her tears and nodded positively.

The day was far spent and we weren’t hungry but could only take a glass of juice or two. I rushed to the refrigerator for the fruit juice I bought two days back on my way from work and also two glasses. Speechless Ann didn’t utter a word as I approached with the drink and glasses, I poured out a little quantity into a glass and gave it to her while I poured myself a glass too.

I looked and kept looking at Ann and thought to myself, “what an emotional creature”. I rushed my juice and said, “we have to go and sleep and prepare for tomorrow. We would have a tedious day”.       She finished hers and followed behind me.

 

                                    CHAPTER TWO

            “A call coming from the office says that there is a meeting slated for Thursday at 10:30am in port-Harcourt. That means we would be leaving tomorrow morning. You are lucky your school is on vacation” I said to Ann in the bedroom. Ann got up and made for the wardrobe and said, “Let me start packing my clothes” “No”, I said, “that would be done in the morning, ok. It’s just a weekend trip. Not much to pack”. She laid back on the bed.

The night was so calm and as I turned, I saw little Ann’s pretty face and felt that she had taken a lot already; the thought of the Port-Harcourt trip crept into my mind. “Wow!” I uttered almost inaudibly and thought of my sweet husband whom had gone through thick and thin to endeavor to go down the aisle with me. After all the wrongs which I had done to Chris, who would think we would be together? My experiences in the hands of the male folks had turned me into a monster when it came to the issues concerning men.

What an incident! I met Chris at a wedding, although he looked responsible and expensively dressed, I bluffed him aside when he asked for my audience. You wouldn’t blame me, would you? After my experience in Port-Harcourt the last time I went there.

            Come to think of it. It all started one morning, Ugo came to the house at that time, Oluchi had gone to work and Chioma and I were left. The electronic gadgets as at then were limited and the youths had none compared to this present day when every Tom, Dick and Harry possessed at least an expensive mobile phone. That was what year? If I could remember vividly, that was 2006, wow! Years ago.

Ugo had this gadget and frequented the house with it and so got our attention. I was younger and more naïve than Chioma was and so she asked me around as one would do servants although we were cousins.

On this particular day, she asked me to go to Ugo’s shop and get his phone so that at least we could see pictures and play some songs, which I did. He gave me the phone and promised to come and collect it at home when he was done for the day. As a young girl, I collected it and raced to the house and then gave it Chioma. Ugo came after about 20 minutes and then I was in the bedroom but upon hearing my name, I emerged from inside on one of the singlet and short my mum had bought for me, the orange was my favorite because although am not light, the colour went well with my skin tone; as I entered the sitting room, I noticed his eyes on me and at once I became shy so shy that my limbs couldn’t move either forward or backward that I speedily ran to the nearest couch. As a little girl, I said nothing and took it as nothing. After he had left, it was Chioma who said, “He likes you”. I was dumbfounded and had nothing to say but only smiled and returned into the room.

Days passed on and no one saw or heard from Ugo but suddenly he showed up one day when it was drizzling and Chioma and I were outside and being the younger, had come in to take the clothes which had been washed earlier. After keeping the clothes on the bed, I came out only for me to meet with Ugo who requested for drinking water. How was I to know that he had something else in store. He collected the water and drank his fill while I went inside to drop the cup, I made haste so he could leave likewise myself. Lo! The next thing I noticed was that my legs could not touch the ground. “Was I floating?” I asked myself with tears running down my checks, he threw me on one of the long chairs and began kissing me passionately. The tears never seized flowing. I hid my lips but he forcefully kissed me and gave me a deep bite. He tried and tried but when I acted as though I had been defeated, he got up from me and left the house. Tears never seized flowing till I left Port-Harcourt for Umuahia to meet with daddy and mummy. Chioma who called herself my cousin cared less but only pointed out that I had left her outside whereas I was enjoying myself inside. Look at that, “even the so called females are in opposition” I said aloud.

Yea, I knew it wasn’t any fault of mine that Chris had to go through what he went through in other to marry me.

            That wasn’t all, you could imagine; he who called himself “my cousin”, indeed this cousin thing doesn’t work. Seriously, it doesn’t; Mezie couldn’t stop frolicking with the vital parts of my body, he squeezed my breasts and ass at any given opportunity and each time I complained, he only said, “I can do anything but not sex with you. Blood is thicker than water”. Hello………….. What name would one call what he did to me at that tender age. Yet, no one asked me anything, they only pretended as if they were unaware.

            I couldn’t tell anyone all I was going through in the hands of strangers and relatives. Mum never sided me on issues like this and dad? Let’s not go there, that was no go area. One could not talk of issues concerning male and female to their hearing. All they wanted to hear was academics and current affairs. That was not all life had in store, there were other issues aside these but the only time dad spoke about men coming close to me was probably when he got drunk or had issues with mum. That was unfair; I had to go back into my cocoon because I didn’t have friends either who were close to me.

I felt pity for Chris but I was scared too because of previous occurrences. Life is indeed a misery; one can’t solve all the puzzles life puts in front of us.

            I could remember one day after school, I in company of my classmates decided to go home and take off our school uniforms then change into casual wears. Of course, who wouldn’t want to go out with her classmates? I got home and changed my wears, informed mum and dad of my outing with my classmates and obviously got the permission.

Victor’s house was quite large and spacious that everyone took to doing anything, some of us played cards, some sang, some danced while others chatted away their time. The guys thought it wise to go back home because they lived far away while the girls lived close by. We stayed back i.e the four of us including myself. A call came in and two left for that of a friend of theirs and then Uche and I were left. Obi came in and started up a quarrel with Uche which landed in a heated argument. Uche ran away and left Obi and myself inside the house. Come on! I didn’t think of ant thing because we were classmates and he was our class representative for that matter. Although he looked irresponsible, he had a lot of responsibilities on his shoulders, I thought.

Unfortunately, the lock at the door could only be unlocked from the inside- a fact that was not known until the end. Obi lifted me up and covered my mouth so that I couldn’t scream, talk nor cry; he took me into Victor’s room and threw me on the bed.

Tears filled my eyes. I was confused, victimized and ill-treated by my classmate. Obi was too strong possibly because during weekends, he helped in the construction sites for pay, I could imagine the kind of jobs he did there.

He looked into my eyes, hissed and then took away his heavy self from my petite body. The only reason Victor knew what may had gone wrong, was the sound of the bed when I was being thrown on it. Victor shouted at the top of his voice and said, “Obi, I don’t like that, leave that girl alone, I don’t like that”. Obi left the house and banged the door. It was due to Victor’s intervention that I wasn’t hurt; Victor and Uche kept pleading and apologizing trying to console me. I was ashamed to enter the classroom the following day; but I had no choice and as I walked, I counted my steps and kept quiet throughout.

            Chris approached me and to me, he struck like one of them but I guess he is quite different although we hadn’t stayed for long in the marriage. My attention was called back at the striking of the clock which revealed that it was 6o’clock am but the day was still young and dark. The light in the room shone so bright it revealed the face of Ann who stared at me without my knowledge and I haven’t even known how long that little child had done that. I had so much love and affection for that little child may be due to the fact that I gone through a lot before I got to her age.

I got up and tapped her who had closed her eyes in sleep and moved for her to get up. We a little late for our morning prayers but we had to as a matter of must, do it. She got up and we began praying- prayed and sang hymns.

The day had begun and we had to do a lot. The wardrobe was flung open and then I brought a sizeable box and some clothes while Ann stood looking. When I noticed that two hands alone did the work and the hands were that of mine, I spoke without lifting up my face and said, “come, do you expect me to find your clothes too?” she said with fears and scare in the tone of her voice, “no, I was waiting for you to finish”, she bent and began picking her clothes and put them into the same box. The packing didn’t take long after all, it was just for the weekend.

Breakfast was made- toasted bread with tea, and the dishes were tidied up, the kitchen was arranged and we had our bath. We were set for the trip.

At 10:21am, Ann and I were already at the station waiting to purchase the tickets; the queue was so long that people began to retreat. Finally, at 11:24 am, which was over an hour, we got our tickets and went straight to the luxurious bus which had waited for so long to be heated by the butts of the travelling people. We got into the vehicle and at least relaxed our bodies that had gone through stress haven stood up for over an hour. The vehicle left at 11:45 am and then the journey began. The journey was not an easy one.

            Just as it all began. Ann had already slept off a little while after the vehicle took off. I felt a little revealed for virtually everyone had slept and I had to have the entire serenity to myself until anyone awoke. In the middle of my happy mood and amidst the quiet environment, the sobs of someone was heard.                       A young girl, whose age was probably between ages 17-21 sobbed with difficulty? I turned and she was at the 2^nd row after mine and fortunately enough for her if I were to put it that way, there was a passage for easy movement but the problem was where I was to sit and sympathize with that poor girl. “Ok”, I said to myself. When Ann made a   little move of which I took the opportunity and asked that she exchanged seats with the girl. Ann grudgingly accepted haven been sleeping. Ann left without a word but all her words were buried in her face but although I felt bad, the most important issue was the reason for the tears. The young girl sat close to me and continued with her worries, I asked, “dear, please, what is your name?” she replied with her face down and wiping her tears with the palm of her hands, she responded, “Stella”. I said, “Ok Stella, why are you crying?” “You wouldn’t want to know”, Stella said. I kept my gaze on her and said, “If I   according to you, don’t want to know, I shouldn’t have met you in the first place. So tell me what I need to hear ok” her sobs increased, “quite crying, stop stop” I continued. This was one of the traits I portrayed, trying to console, sympathize and advice people but I never liked to be treated that way. Stella said, “It’s my in-law” I said almost at the top of my voice, “what about your in-law? Is he or she dead?” Stella shouted as she responded, “no, he is alive and well but it would have been a little bit softer if he had died”. “Why say such of your in-law? He is married to your sister or what?” Stella nodded positively to affirm the question. I asked her again because I thought that maybe, she didn’t hear the question and said, “What did he do to you?” she raised up her face and for the first time since we had been talking, she looked at me for a while and shook her head and then said, “I went to my sister’s house to help her take care of the house because the nature of her job didn’t really give her time for house chores. The recent happenings of house helps and peoples husbands made a lot of people change their mind towards the issue. My sister promised to train me in the University and we had just taken JAMB but the result is not out yet”. She continued with her tears and spoke, “this man who calls himself my sister’s husband, came back from work one afternoon while I was tidying up the kitchen. Funny enough, I don’t prepare his meals, he came into the kitchen and pushed me aside feigning anger but I only greeted him and continued with my work. While I was doing that, he approached me still and told me that he noticed that I am beautiful, young and have my packages in the right places.” She paused and moved on, “suddenly, he began kissing and caressing me and when I tried to move away, he smooched me to the wall and then I had no option than to push him away and run. He adjusted himself and went into the sitting room, he called me but I ignored him, and when I responded, I came into the sitting room and called me but I ignored him, at the time I responded, I came into the sitting room and he instructed me not to tell my sister”. “Wow”, I thought to myself, what an instruction. One did something terribly wrong and instead of apologizing, he only issued an instruction. I said, “But that is not enough for the tears, is it?” she continued again, “to cut the long story short, he forced himself on me severally and one day, a neighbor caught us and reported to my sister who didn’t even give me time to explain things, she came into the house and asked me to pack my things and go back to my parents”. Hmm, that story was really a touching one but her sister didn’t act well neither did she. Yeah! The case was not taken likely because it seemed as though it ill-favored one person and I asked, “What happened to her husband?” Stella said that she didn’t know his own judgment. Again, she spoke and said, “I don’t know if she would train me in school again” and she began to cry once more. I pacified her to stop and told her to all things to go down then call the sister, apologize and narrate to her what had happened. At least, there was a proverb that stated, “The anger of a sibling does not get to the bone” possibly, there would be a positive side to the story. Stella accepted and thanked me for my time, listening ears and advice. At that time, the passengers had started waking up and so she returned to her seat while Ann returned to hers fully awake. The journey had almost ended and so I thought the bottle of drink which I bought before boarding the vehicle and sipped haven known that I could ease myself any moment from then.

Finally, we got to Port-Harcourt and stopped in the station where we would stay till meeting was over and we were set to go back. We got into the taxi and asked for a nice hotel of which the distance was a bit far, the taxi took us to the hotel.

 

                                   CHAPTER THREE

            The previous day’s trip had been memorable; various people with their own experiences and dark sides of life.

Eric’s birthday was on Friday and he had invited Oma his girlfriend his house at Port-Harcourt to celebrate with him. Oma left her school on Thursday morning so that she would get there on time and prepare for the mini-celebration. At about 10:48 am, she got to his place and dialed his number to inform him of her safe arrival. She had the keys to his apartment and had to stay there alone until lunch time when Eric arrived from work. They embraced each other and settled down. He made her lunch being a guest although they had been dating for some time. He prepared a delicious plate of indomie for the both of them and brought two cans of juice due to the fact that none of them took alcohol. They played, ate and drank before he went back to work. Oma slept throughout the day haven been left alone till about 5:00 pm when Eric closed for the day.

He came back and the fun continued. Eric remembered the time they started dating and said, “my silly soul mate”, Oma looked at him with a feigned frown and said, “How come the title?” he asked, “what title?” and she said, “the title silly”. They both laughed over it and cuddled themselves whilst they slept.

            The day broke quite early. Oma was still engrossed in her love affair with Eric while he untangled himself from the mesh and dressed up for work. She turned and said, “Sweetheart, good morning. Happy birthday” Eric lent close to her and gave her a kiss and then said, “Thanks dear”. Oma rose up and adjusted his wear while he took his briefcase and said to her, “make sure you have something for breakfast o. you know you don’t like to eat”. Oma smiled at him and said, “Do not worry yourself ok, I will. Have a nice day”. Eric left for work and she laid back on the bed.

In the later hours of the morning, Oma got up and stretched herself and then staggered into the bathroom, had her bath, and dressed up and then off she went to the kitchen. She had her breakfast and tidied up the house. Since there was nothing much to do, she saw some movies and slept.

Eric returned quite early probably because it was his birthday. When she saw him coming, she ran and embraced him and they both kissed and she said to him, “hope your day was fine” he looked at her, smiled and said, “Yea, hearing your voice on the phone made it splendid”. She replied, “Wow! That’s so sweet”. He dropped his bag and took off his clothes and came into the sitting room where she lay reading a novel. Eric said to her, “Baby, you would do the cooking, hope you know”. Oma smiled and said, “I know, birthday baby. So, what do we use for the birthday celebration?” He said, “Well, it would be rice and salad”. Oma left and started the cooking and before long, the food was ready.

            It was evening and there was no light, they waited patiently, closed up the windows to avoid the free entry of mosquitoes and then sat down patiently in the compound, chatting and playing. Eric got up, went to put on the generator set while his dear friend retired to the living room. The light shone in the entire house and suddenly there was a knock on the door, Eric peeped and discovered who it was. It was Mirabel- his ex-girlfriend; he rushed into the room and embraced Oma to her surprise, she asked, “what was that for?” the look on his face was not encouraging and then he said, “Baby, please a friend of mine just came to surprise me on my birthday”. Oma looked at him, smiled and said, “That’s nice, so where is he?” not knowing that the figure was a female, she stepped away from him but he held her back and explained things to her and at the point she heard that it was his ex, her smiling face turned to fierce anger, she spoke out and said, “I don’t get it”. Eric haven known that it wasn’t going well with her said in a gentle tone, “she came to spend the night here and would be leaving tomorrow”, Oma stared at him and tears filled her eyes but she held them from flowing, she said nothing and Eric continued, “Oma, you are not saying anything, talk to me please”. He held her tight but she moved away from his grip and said, “What do you want me to say? Well, she is your guest, give her your best in terms of hospitality”. Eric looked at her, shook his head and said, “Is that all you would say?” Oma whose anger had risen to bursting point only looked at him, hissed and left. Then, he opened the door for Mirabel, embraced her and ushered her in.

The issue then was that all the rooms in the house were occupied by Eric’s friends and the only place that was left unoccupied was the sitting room. Eric took Mirabel into his bedroom and took away Oma’s bags and wears. Could you believe that? What a cruel world. How could someone who called himself someone’s boyfriend do this to a lady? Well, that’s not the end of it all.

            Oma was at the balcony when she got a message on her phone from Eric, apologizing, and asking for her forgiveness. After reading the text, she smiled mockingly and deleted it.

When she got into the sitting room, she saw her bag well-arranged at one corner of the room, she was dumbfounded, angry, worried and all but just settled down there and picked up a novel.

Eric approached from the bedroom and sat down close to her and waited for to bring up a discussion but to no avail because she had concentrated on the novel as though she didn’t notice his presence.

He haven noticed that she was in no mood for any discussion, he said, “Am going out on a stroll, when you are hungry, eat ok. I will be fine”. Oma didn’t utter any word but only looked at him as he got up and left the house.

Oma couldn’t eat anything because the anger was boiling inside her; she got up, had her bath and changed into her nighties. Since she was to pass the night in the sitting room, she laid down on the couch. Eric came in and asked her if she had eaten but she replied, “Am not hungry”; he passed a glance at her and made for the bedroom, called Mirabel out and went into the kitchen, dished out a quantity of food for himself and Mirabel and they both went to the balcony and began playing like two love birds. “Are you serious? Are these people really past or continuous? Were they still dating?” these were the questions that Oma asked herself because unknown to them, she had tiptoed to find out things for herself. They ate together and then he returned the dishes to the kitchen where he met with Oma who left him without a word.

            Oma laid down on the couch till day break. She couldn’t sleep nor was her mind at rest after the incident of the previous night. The weather was too cold that she caught cold and ended up with a swollen face because of the tears she had shed.

As early as possible, she got up, had her prayers and went into the bathroom, had her bath, dressed up and was making up when Eric came in. he was astonished at her actions and then asked her, “Baby! Why are you all dressed up?” Oma looked at him and only asked him, “how was your night?” Eric who was confused said, “Please don’t do this to me”, Oma who was controlling herself in other not to burst spoke out and said, “What am I doing? Oh! Eric, you abandoned me here all through last night and you were with your friend, or would I say ex whom you did nit dim fit to introduce to me.” Eric heard these words, stood up and said, “Baby, am sorry I didn’t introduce her to you because I do not know how you would react to it nor how she would react too. Am sorry, I don’t want you both to create a scene please”. Oma only picked up her bag and gave him a hug and left.

            As I turned, I felt someone beside me. “Oh, it was only a dream” Ann was sleeping like a little baby and I couldn’t have woken her and so I got hold of my phone and checked the time, only for me to find out that it was 04:32 am. The sleep had disappeared and so I faced the ceiling and my thoughts went back to my dream.

That city had a lot in it which were negative to myself; I had to leave as soon as possible and I was glad the meeting would last for only 2 hours at its maximum. I had to leave immediately after the meeting but it was a pity I had to cut Ann’s weekend vacation, but I had no choice because I couldn’t go through any more traumas.

            At 01:30 pm, the meeting had ended and I was glad I was leaving. I got to the reception hall and picked Ann who had waited there for me all through the meeting. I stopped a taxi which was to take us back home. Ann turned to me and said, “So my vacation has been cut shot”, I smiled and said to her, am sorry dear. We would take another holiday but that would be in another city, ok?” she smiled and gave me a positive nod. My thoughts went to my marriage with Chris and I said, “I pray my husband would be different so that I would seize to go through these terrible experiences”. I smiled to myself and it was then that I noticed that Ann had been staring at me. The cab stopped and we entered and we waved goodbye to Port-Harcourt.