[Story] Ogechi & I (Complete Episodes)

Ogechi & I

EPISODE 31

That was just about it with Ck. Watching Ck and Mariana walk away together in that manner made me want to locate my prince as soon as possible. Where was he? I had prayed that he and I get together again soon. And when we do this time, I won’t let anything separate us again. I believe I’ve said enough already to you guys. I was supposed to tell you about my romance with my prince charming but I ended up telling you a whole lot more. I have to stop here before I tell you about my entire life. Thank you very much for listening, and I hope there isn’t anyone here from the press? Haha, just kidding. Now you’ve heard all you wanted to hear, can we now continue with the party?

Yaaayyyy, the listeners responded

Hmm, well, that was all Ogechi had to say for the night. I was impressed with the kind of life she had lived all through the years. There wasn’t any bad record, at least none that she spoke of except the very personal details which she refused to be discrete about. I had waited long enough to reunite with her and the opportunity finally presented itself. How do I go about it now with this disguised look? I asked myself. As everyone in the VIP section left to continue partying with the others, I stayed behind and sought for an opportunity to be alone with her when all the guests left so that I could reveal myself to her. But she left with the last of them. I followed behind her closely, seeking for an opportune time to talk to her, possibly in a secluded area of the house. But there were about five people with her and were heading outside where the party really booming. They all chanted her name the moment they set eyes on her and it seemed I was never going to get that opportune time I was waiting for. So I decided I was going to call on her in the presence of everyone and reveal myself in it got to that.

I was set to do it on three counts, so I started counting down from three, two, one, and then moved towards her. I had to squeeze myself to pass between the guests because their number was like that of the sand on the sea shore. I got very close to Ogechi and was like twelve feet away from her. Finally, I was going to reunite with my love and end this entire trauma. When I walked a little more close to her and was like five steps away, a man walked to her and greeted her, after which they started talking. I wasn’t ready to wait anymore for anyone to finish his or her speech with her before I approached her. If I wait, I might never get to her, so I walked all the way to her and joined those who surrounded her. They all turned to see who I was and none of them knew me. Ogechi looked at me and I said “hi” to her. “Hello” she responded “What can I do for you?” she asked. “I’d like to have a word with you in private” I said. “I’m sorry you can’t get that. As you can see, I have a lot of people to attend to, so I’ll let you have a word with me, but it’s going to be right here” she said. I agreed, and then she told me to give her a minute to be done with the man who walked in and started talking to her before I interrupted.

“I’m sorry for that” Ogechi said to the man. “I’m sure he’s one of my fans who wants to have a word with me and probably get an autograph.”

“That’s alright” the man replied her. “That’s what you get for being a star”

They all laughed, after which the man started talking about a music video Ogechi was about to shoot. I heard him tell her that the models were ready but that the pay for them was so high. From their discussion, I found out that Ogechi wanted to shoot a music video and needed very pretty models to feature in the video to boost the standard of the video. The models were ready according to the man, who I found was Ogechi’s manager, the very one she had been talking about all the while.

“You said the models are ready?” Ogechi asked her manager.

“Yes there are” he replied.

“Are they here?”

“No they aren’t. But their mistress is here. She’s here to negotiate the price for them. Are you ready for her now?”

“C’mon, you are my manager. That’s your job not mine. Go settle everything with her. We’ll do the rest the way we’ve been doing it all along.”

“She’s a top rated model, and demands to negotiate with the star singer herself. You know how you celebrities are sometimes, especially the ladies. I’ll just bring her in now.”

“Alright then.”

Ogechi’s manager left to bring in the top rated model in question and Ogechi seized that opportunity to attend to me, hoping to be done with me before the model came in. She took me to a table that hadn’t been taken by any guests and offered me a sit there, while she sat opposite me. That made me remember our first time out together, that was exactly the position we took on the table.

“So Mister, It’s nice to have you in my party. So what do you want to say to me? Ogechi asked me.

“Can we speak in private?” I asked again. “There’s something I want to show you”

I told you before Mr., you can’t speak to me in private. Say all you want to here. And make it fast because I’m seeing someone else right away. I wouldn’t want you to leave without having a word with me as you have requested to. So can you please get on with it now?”

I saw that Ogechi wasn’t going to give me the kind of audience I required, so I just proceeded to take off the afro hair I had on my head and the rest of the things I disguised myself with. But just after took off the black shades I covered my eyes with, Ogechi’s manager located us at the table with the so called top rated model. She was dressed in pink and was glowing as though she fell from heaven. Some people would have mistaken her for a heavenly being but I knew she was nothing more than a mere mortal. In fact, she was a lady, born of another lady. She was cute, adorable, light skinned and very attractive. To my utmost amazement, the top rated model was Cynthia. What???

“Oge, meet Cynthia, one of Regina’s top models. Cynthia, this is Oge the star singer from Nigeria.” Oge’s manager introduced.

“Wow! What a coincidence” said Cynthia with a big smile. I’m from Nigeria too.

“Really?”

“Yeah, really”

“What part of Nigeria?” Oge asked.

“The Eastern part. Imo State to be precise.

Oh my goodness! You are my sister! I’m from the Eastern part of Nigeria too. Enugu State.

“Wow! Nice to meet you.

“Nice to meet you too”

They both exchanged pleasantries, after which Cynthia and Oge’s manager took their seats on that same table. I felt like disappearing. I was so shocked on seeing Cynthia there that I couldn’t move any part of my body again. It would have been better if it ended at just seeing her there. The fact that she and Ogechi had business to do with each other almost drove me nuts. And having gotten to know about their origin, their meeting certainly grew from a business meeting to a friendly visit. I couldn’t say a word again. My heart was pounding seriously and all I wanted to do at that moment was to leave their presence immediately. But I remembered again that I was disguised and couldn’t be recognized by either of them, so I kept my cool and hoped that Ogechi would dismiss me soon enough and focus on Cynthia, whose presence was of greater importance than mine. But she didn’t. Instead she started discussing with her without bothering about my presence on that table. After all, it was a party. I just sat there listening to them talk money and fame.

She and Cynthia got engaged in their talk about the music video that was to be shot and the models Cynthia was to make available for the video. It was about to 2am as at the time. Cynthia explained to Ogechi how she had to embark on a journey to Oklahoma without hesitation in such a short notice from Ogechi’s manager despite her tight schedule, stating to her that she did that because of the fat sum of money she was hoping to make from the business. But now that she had found out they were more like sisters, she was going to give her 20% discount. They soon concluded on business talk and proceeded to other personal talks like that. You know women nah.

Cynthia soon told Oge that she knew someone who can sing very well but is yet to come to limelight. She started talking to Ogechi about getting her and the person in question to work together. That was when Ogechi’s manager jumped in and started telling Cynthia how much it costs to feature Ogechi in a song. The talk continued until they all came to a term of agreement, after which Ogechi enquired to know a little about the supposed skilled singer. “His name is JB” Cynthia said. But I call him J for short. He’s my boyfriend. We’ve been together for two years now. I would have come along with him if he was around but he travelled to……………. That was when Cynthia suddenly remembered I told her I was travelling to Oklahoma. “You’re not gonna believe this.” Cynthia said somewhat surprise. “He’s here in Oklahoma.” He had a situation back at Regina where we live and decided to change environment for a little bit to try and get himself together. Barely 24 hours after he left, I got a call from your manager and here I am. What a coincidence. I bet he’ll be so surprise if he finds out I’m in Oklahoma too.

“From the way you’re sounding, seems like you guys are really into each other” Ogechi said.

“You can’t imagine how much” Cynthia replied. We barely stay apart from each other. As a matter of fact, this is about the only time we’ve been apart since we met. I think I better call him up and get him to meet you. You’ll be so impressed by his skills that you won’t want to do a single song with his voice in it.”

“Is he that good” Ogechi asked curiously.

“Yes he is” it’s almost like he’s obsessed about the whole thing. Besides just loving music and singers, he also goes ahead to follow every detail of them like he was a part of their lives. Sometimes I wish I was a singer too, that way I wouldn’t have to worry about contending for his attention with some female singers.”

“C’mon, don’t sound like that. From what you’re saying, he wouldn’t trade time with you for anything in the world, let alone a mere singer who he only gets to see on TV. For crying out loud you are a top rated model every man wants to be with according to what I’ve heard about you. I’d say he’s lucky to have you” Ogechi said.

“I really wish he wouldn’t trade time with me for anything in the world. Not quite long ago he left me when we were just about to spend quality time together to watch a TV interview featuring one singer the presenter called Oge.”

Cynthia’s countenance changed when she made that statement and it seemed as though she was trying to remember something.

“Wait a minute, you are Oge right? It was you!” It was you he left me to watch. Yes it was you that night. GRACIOUS HEAVENS!”

“Wait a minute. Are you sure?” Ogechi asked. “Think carefully. It could be someone else who looks like me”

“I’m sure.” It was you. He’s your fan I believe, though he’s never told me about you. But I believe he is, judging from the way he was so bent on watching your interview that night. Maybe he just discovered you and wants to get to know you better. Wow! Everything is just turning out so well. You and I coming together to do business only to discover we’re both from Eastern Nigeria, and now, my boyfriend who’s also a Nigerian happens to be your fan. Now you won’t have to charge me so much to do a song with him. He’s your brother as well.”

“Honestly, this whole thing is becoming like a drama to me. Your boyfriend is my fan and is from Nigeria? I bet he’s from the east as well, probably my village.” Ogechi said.

“Haha. That’s funny. Well he’s from the Niger Delta region. So what’s it gonna be? Are you doing a song with him or not.” Cynthia asked.

“I will, but on one condition. Slash your price for the models to be featured in my music video by another 20%, making the total discount 40%”

“Deal?” Ogechi asked

“Deal” Cynthia replied.

Cynthia brought out her phone with excitement and dialed a number. I didn’t know it was my number she dialed to break what she thought was good news to me. After she dialed the number, she said to Ogechi; Shhh, I wanna break the good news to him. And immediately, my phone rang. I trembled out of fright and immediately reached for trouser pocket, brought out my phone and rejected the call. Cynthia got the busy tone on her phone the moment it seemed to them like I brought out my phone and did something with it. They heard my phone ring. Ogechi and her manager didn’t notice anything unusual but Cynthia did. She noticed my sudden frightful reaction when my phone rang, and also got a busy tone the moment I brought out my phone and did whatever I did to it. She wasn’t sure what I did. Cynthia had her eyes fixed on me though she couldn’t recognize me, then she dialed the number again to see if my phone will ring again. I noticed and immediately stood up to leave, but the phone rang before I could do that, and I reached for it and rejected her call the second time. Again, she got the busy tone at that same moment. Cynthia suspected that something was not right. Immediately, Cynthia confronted me. “Hey mister, who are you?” she asked me.

EPISODE 32

I walked away speedily but Cynthia got up and ran after me. Ogechi and her manager were confused but however joined her in pursuit of me. Cynthia started screaming “Stop right there!” The attention of the people got directed to us, especially me since I was the one on the run. No guests tried to stop me; instead they gave way when I got close to any of them as none knew how dangerous I could be. I ran so fast and located a dark secluded area just by the beautifully trimmed flowers outside the building and got rid of everything I disguised myself with. I then mixed up with the crowd but was so careful not to let Cynthia or Ogechi see me. They found the items I disguised myself with and concluded there was an impostor in the midst of them. The cops were called immediately as panic spread among the guests. That was the end of the party, and the guests were advised not to leave the premises, as it was safer than the lone street outside which harbored renowned thugs and outlaws, one of which was believed to be present in the party.

Cynthia got worried sick about me. She thought something bad had happened to me which warranted a strange fellow to be in possession of my cell phone. She tried calling me again, but I had switched off the phone. The cops showed up soon enough and started searching the premises for any possible suspects. I didn’t have to hide from the cops; I only had to hide from Cynthia and Ogechi. If the guests had not been advised to stay back at the premises, it would have been easy to vacate the building along with the multitude of them. But if I tried to do so alone, I would be giving myself away to the last people in the planet I wanted to be seen by.

I made sure to be in the center of the crowd, where no part of me could be seen by any of the two. The cop’s search didn’t yield any positive results, so they stuck around to secure the place till the light of a new day approached. From where I hid myself, I saw Cynthia crying and refusing to be consoled by all who tried to do so to her. Ogechi didn’t stop consoling her despite her refusal to be consoled. It was then that reality dawned on me. I had complicated issues in my life by holding unto my feelings for Ogechi while having a romance with Cynthia. I regretted everything I had done. I said to myself; Ogechi had moved on with her life without me all these years. It’s true she still loves me, but she would certainly move on with her life without me. I had thought I could easily get around what I and Cynthia shared, not until I saw her lamenting and blaming herself for letting me embark on the trip to Oklahoma. “If I had objected, this wouldn’t have happened” she kept saying. There and then, I made up my mind for the last time that I was going stick to Cynthia and let Ogechi go.” After all, if Mariana hadn’t come up with the video thing, Ogechi may have yielded completely to Ck’s advances. Who knows?

My only prayer was to leave Ogechi’s house to my hotel room and call Cynthia as though I was just checking on her, and then act surprised at whatever she told me concerning what just happened. I also planned to get rid of my cell phone and tell her I lost it somewhere I couldn’t remember, but the problem was leaving Ogechi’s residence. The cops were everywhere, and any unusual move will be questioned. That would certainly draw attention to me. So I just kept my calm but my heartbeat ran so fast like I was guilty of a deadly crime. Some guests felt uncomfortable outside and demanded to go inside. I joined them and went inside in order to make sure I was truly hidden from the eyes of those girls.

As we marched inside, I turned away from the rest of the guests and made for a very secluded part of the building where I could actually monitor the movements outside. My plan was to monitor to know when Ogechi and Cynthia left so that I could seize that opportunity and leave that premises for good. I didn’t find exactly the kind of place I was looking for, but where I found could serve that purpose to some extent. I didn’t know what section of the house it was but I opened the door and went in, for people barely came around there. There was also a window from where I could monitor some activities going on outside the building. The section I entered was two times the size of a standard bedroom and was filled with jewelries, designer dresses and shoes, and the likes. I concluded it was Ogechi’s wardrobe. I went to the window of the room and fixed my eyes on all that was going on outside in order to know when the time for me to make my move came.

I eventually slept and snapped out of sleep at about after 4am. Everywhere was very calm. There was no noise and movements again. I could only see the police from the window moving and speaking to each other while constantly looking at their wrist watches to confirm what the time was. I noticed that guests were freely moving out of the premises without being stopped or questioned by the police. I knew they were doing their underground investigation anyway, but nothing about me suggested any ill impression, so I could also join the guests and leave. Perhaps it was time for me to leave and end everything without anyone getting hurt except me by my conscience. I was determined to tie the nuts with Cynthia the moment I left that place because I didn’t think I could bear to see her heart broken. Ogechi wouldn’t have any problem moving on without me. She even said something like; IF FATE BRINGS US BACK TOGETHER when she was telling her story that night. So I guess FATE DIDN’T BRING US BACK TOGETHER.

After scanning through every part of the outside of the building which my eyes could see without seeing Ogechi or Cynthia, I made my move. I exited the room I was in and shut the door behind me gently, then made way at once for the front door without any hesitation. Coming from a corridor, I found that some doors to the rooms by the side of it were open, and had people inside it either sleeping or discussing. Amazingly some were even making out as though there was no situation to worry about. I continued moving till I got to the sitting room, where there were quite a number of people talking about various things. It appeared I was the only on disturbed among all who were present in that building. Well, I didn’t have such luxury then. All I wanted was to leave there in the most unnoticeable manner ever. As I was peeping to see if Ogechi or Cynthia were amongst those in the sitting room, a door to one of the rooms behind me popped open and I dodged into an empty room that was just beside me and shut the door. I didn’t know who opened that door, but I just feared any such movements to be Ogechi or Cynthia. So it was better for me to prevent myself from being seen before checking to see who it was than checking first only to discover it was one of them.

My heartbeat had already accelerated again, so I remained in that room for a little bit to calm myself down before continuing. After I pulled myself together, I left the room to continue on my way out but there just so many people in that siting room that I couldn’t tell if any of the two girls were there or not. I decided to use another exit that was less revealing than the front door. The second exit was somewhere around the VIP section. I made my way there to locate it and leave. It was difficult to find the door. I increased my pace towards it the moment I found it, but almost gave up the ghost when the door popped open and I saw Cynthia wearily walking in with some people with her trying to console her. Until that moment, she was still worrying about me. I gave way to all the breadth I had taken in and concluded that this was it. My doom had come upon me, I thought. But then, it occurred to me that Cynthia’s eyes were so wet that she probably couldn’t decipher the still figure about 20 feet away from her, if at all she was even interested in knowing who anyone she saw was.

Immediately, I rushed into the VIP section and hid myself somewhere, waiting for her and her consolers to pass before I finally left. Luckily for me, the light in the VIP had been turned off. Maybe because it was night or there was no one there. What a long night it had been. My cover was almost blown, but I managed to keep things together. And now, as soon as Cynthia gets was away from there, I would leave and say goodbye to Ogechi and my feelings for her. I said in my heart; “don’t worry dear Cynthia; this will be the last time you’ll ever have to shed tears. I’ll make sure of that.” The first thing I was planning to hit Cynthia with the moment we saw each other again was a proposal. I concluded that Ogechi wasn’t for me. And I also reasoned that she would find it easier living without me than Cynthia would. Cynthia had done almost everything for me and was also in love with me. It would be a serious heart break for her if I ever left her. “Why did I even come to Oklahoma in the first place” I asked myself.

After those thoughts and much more, I returned my focus to the issue on ground. Cynthia and those with her walked pass the VIP section, probably heading for the siting room. The coast was clear. I rose from where I squatted and made way for the exit tiptoeing. I got to the door of the VIP section and peeped out to confirm for the last time if there was still anyone hanging around somewhere. I found there wasn’t anyone and I braced myself up to make the last move. Just when I was about take the first step of my last move, the lights in the VIP section suddenly came on and the darkness therein was revealed. I froze! Then I heard a voice from behind me say; “Who are you? And why are you snooping around?” I didn’t say anything in response, neither did I look back to see who was talking. The voice from behind said again; “I’m talking to you. Who are you and why are you snooping around? You better say something before I call the cops on you.” When I heard cops, I turned slowly to see who was talking. OH GOODNESS GRACIOUS MARY! It was Ogechi’s voice. Ogechi had been in the VIP all the while, and she was observing all my moves from the moment I rushed in there. The moment we saw ourselves, we both exclaimed simultaneously; WHAT??

EPISODE 33

I had never been in that position before. A position where all hell broke loose and I couldn’t seem to device a means of escape. She saw me. She couldn’t believe it was me. I stood still like a stature with a blank mind, while she was still trying to come to terms with the fact that it was really me she was seeing in her apartment. We stood silently in utter amazement on seeing each other for nearly 60 seconds before she finally broke the silence.

“Jesusboy?”

I didn’t respond. I didn’t move. I didn’t shake. I just kept looking at her like a lunatic. I wasn’t supposed to respond that way in that situation, but I guess the feeling of guilt had consumed me so much that I couldn’t help but act like a culprit. If Ogechi didn’t know me, I bet she would have called in the cops the moment she saw my face. Or maybe she could have called the cops if I still maintained that weird display of mine. But she called on me again;

“Jesusboy?”

“Ogechi” I replied.

Hearing my voice, she opened wide her mouth and covered it with her both palms, her eyes wide open in further amazement. She was confused. She didn’t know whether to ask how I got there or what I was doing there, or why I was snooping around and all that. She may even have thought it was my spirit she saw and not me. I made some steps towards her and she motioned me with her hand to stop right there. My problem from that moment was not Ogechi anymore. After all, she had seen me already. My greatest and only problem was Cynthia. I feared Ogechi was going to create a scene that would draw the attention of others to us, so I was very careful in dealing with her to avoid that.

“Ogechi it’s me.”

“You? How..how…how?”……

“I can explain please. I have a lot to tell you”

“Explain? I found you snooping around like a bugler. Do I take it that it was me you were looking for so you can explain? Who the hell are you? Are you sure you are the Jesusboy I know? I better call in the cops before I get hurt by whoever you are”

Immediately I interrupted her and said; “I’m the one the cops are looking for?”

Ogechi didn’t understand that too. “The cops are looking for you?” she asked.

“Yes” I replied. I’m the guy who came to earlier and demanded to talk to you in private.”

“Wait a minute,” Ogechi said, motioning me with her hand to keep standing still. Oh my goodness! It was you?”

“Yes it was.”

“Why did you disguise yourself?”

“It’s a long story. Right now we need to make sure the cops don’t know about this. This should remain between you and me. None else should know about this”

“Why are you so frightened? Have you done something wrong? I do not really understand all these. What are you doing in Oklahoma? In my house?! Please start explaining before I lose my mind”

I had hoped that our reunion was going to be initiated with a romantic hug and a long passionate kiss, but the reverse was the case. She didn’t get too close to me because she was still afraid, though she managed to keep her calm. It’s a good thing she didn’t scream from the start. Now she wanted to know what exactly was going on, and I started talking. I explained everything to her, starting from my arrival at Cynthia’s house till that very hour. Then she understood all I went through because of her. She didn’t need to tell me anything anymore, for I had already heard all she had to say about her life during her little story session in the VIP. We both knew all there was to know about each other again and it was clear that true love still burned in our hearts for each other. After I got her to understand the circumstances that surrounded my presence in her house, she gave up every fear and embraced me dearly. It was so warm that it felt like she just unleashed the warm she had been saving up all those years just to give to me the moment we saw each other again. And indeed, she kissed me passionately like I expected on a day we met again.

Tears started raining down our eyes as we held tightly to each other. We didn’t want to let go of each other again. We then sat down and began tingling our ears with romantic words for about ten minutes, after which she took a firm look at me and said; “I missed you,” to which I replied “I missed you too.” Ogechi held me by the hand and lead me from the VIP section to her room. We entered and she shut the door. You know that feeling when you find your long lost love and want to show him or her how much you missed them?” Well, that feeling registered its presence in that room and we welcomed it dearly. Hugs graduated to kisses, kisses graduated to cuddles, and the heat intensified. We lost stamina and fell right on the bed that was there to catch us lest we fall. We lay sideways on the bed facing each other and continued with the activities that pushed us down. Our heart beat increased, and we could hear the sound of breath loudly. Our clothes developed sudden hatred for each other and couldn’t stand each other’s touch anymore. We had to separate them to avoid a fight, as that was the last thing we wanted at such a time. So I initiated the process by quickly unzipping her dress from behind without a warning. I was so fast that she got tickled by the speed at which I drew the zip from her collarbone level to her waist level. It happened in less than half a second. She shifted closer to me in effort to prevent the zip from cutting her skin in the process, and then she gave me the “bad girl” smile, which I reciprocated with the “bad boy” look.

She then responded by ripping off the buttons of my shirt and almost doing same to my singlet if not for its commendable quality which prevented an easy tear. It was becoming more like a wild-wild west. We shared the same naughtiness, and our hearts could no longer contain the desires it had bottled up for the past years. We were on the verge of committing the sweetest taboo, and whatever was going to be the aftermath of that act was not put into consideration by either of us. Half way to the blonder, our whole being was overly ready for the merge that would fuel the transfer of all we had to exchange; the good, the bad, and the ugly. I guess we had played “the heroes” long enough and it was time to take a trip down to the valley. (Not Advisable)

A knock on the door was what continued the validity of our salvation, as it definitely would have gone down the drain if Cynthia lacked the courtesy of informing Ogechi before taking her leave. Though we had ignored it initially, Cynthia’s persistence certainly stalled our little foreplay, and we hoped to continue after attending to her.

“Hold on Cynthia, I’m coming.” Ogechi answered.

“She must not know about us. Say nothing to her” “okay?” “I’ll find a way to take care of things, trust me”

I had told Ogechi about Cynthia after she found me in the VIP section when I narrated the circumstances that surrounded my presence in her house to her. So she also understood the complications of the whole matter, and did just as I told her. I got into the bathroom to hide myself until she was done with Cynthia. She opened the door and Cynthia came in.

“I just want to tell you that I’ll be leaving now. I’m going to the police station to report my man missing.” Cynthia said wearily.

“What? You don’t have to do that. I mean, we don’t even know if he’s missing or not. He could just have lost his cell phone somewhere or got robbed or something. But not missing. He doesn’t appeal to me like someone who can’t take care of himself. He could already be in Regina as we speak.” Ogechi responded.

“You have a point there. But why hasn’t he called yet?” Cynthia asked.

“Have you forgotten that he lost his phone?”

“Yeah, you’re right. In that case I’ll hold on a little. If I don’t see or hear from him in three days, I’m going to the cops.”

“That’s better. I’m sure you’ll see him before then.” Ogechi said positively.

“About the models, there are ready for you anytime you need them.” Cynthia said.

“Alright. I’ll let you know when I’m ready.”

“Thank you. I’ll take my leave now.” She made to leave the room and suddenly remembered something. “Our deal still stands. You’ll pay 60% of the original price for the models and do a song with my man when he’s found. I know he’ll surely be found”

“Yeah. Surely! Deal still stands.” Ogechi replied.

They thanked each other and Ogechi escorted her to a cab, which drove her to the airport where she boarded a flight back to Regina. Ogechi came back to the room and I came out of the bathroom. The spirit we were in before Cynthia came was no more. The issue now was Cynthia. Ogechi wasn’t comfortable with her referring to me as her man. At the same time, she felt so bad for Cynthia. It was indubitable that Cynthia had to be out of the picture for our lives to be perfect and complete again, but I owed Cynthia a whole lot and she and Ogechi had become more like sisters on discovering themselves to be indigenes of Eastern Nigeria. There was no way for a happy ending to be without hurt feelings. Ogechi trusted me to come up with means that would save the situation to our favor. It was fully morning, and she had to go ahead with her superstar activities. We couldn’t have time to ourselves anymore because her manager was unto her to get ready for a performance somewhere. I got her number from her but didn’t give her mine because I was going to get rid of my phone in order to leave no traces to the whole night’s incident. We kissed again and I made to leave. She offered to drop me off at the hotel I lodged but I objected and she insisted on escorting me to a cab. Some people who saw us walk out of the building had confused looks on their faces, probably wondering who I was that made her give me such attention. We got to the road and I boarded a cab. We bade each other goodbye and off I went.

As the cab was moving on high speed, I winded down the glass and dropped my cell phone outside which got smashed by following vehicles. I stopped on the way to buy a new cell phone and SIM card before proceeding to my hotel room. On reaching my room I called Cynthia but the call didn’t go through. I called Ogechi and her manager picked it up. I dropped the call without saying a word. I then fell on the bed and began thinking about all that had happened. It was indeed an adventure. Finally, I reunited with Ogechi. We kissed, hugged, cuddled and nearly bleeped, if not for Cynthia who hindered the process. Talking about Cynthia, what was I going to do with her?

EPISODE 34

That’s all I spent the day doing. I was thinking about how to detach strings with Cynthia without hurting her feelings and breaking her heart. The kind of affection she had for me was too much that it frightened me. Was it even possible to leave her without creating enmity between us? As far as she was concerned, she had found herself the Nigerian man of her dreams. And no matter what ill displays of character I put up, she won’t consider them flaws. She had settled in her heart that heaven sent me to her to make her life complete. She over rated me, and that was a major problem which required the council of Ahithophel to deal with. In case you don’t know about Ahithophel, he was King David’s adviser whose council King David likened to THE WORD OF GOD. There came a time when Ahithophel joined in the coup to overthrow Kind David and crown his son Absalom as King of Israel that David broke down and prayed to God saying; OH LORD, TURN THE COUNCIL OF AHITHOPHEL INTO FOOLISHNESS. God’s answer to King David’s prayer was what saved the King from being a victim of such council. Now that was the kind of council I needed to handle Cynthia’s case. Too bad Ahithophel is long dead and gone, so I had to do what I’ve always done, which was consulting the brightest part of my brain for possible ways out. Perhaps I was the Ahithophel I needed.

I freshened up for that day by 7pm. I had been on bed since morning thinking of one person; Cynthia. After freshening up I went down to the bar of the hotel to cool off a little. All work without play, they say, makes Jack a dull boy. I considered those thoughts that played in my mind as work which I needed to rest from by relaxing in a bar where various activities would serve as a distraction from it for the time being. It was definitely coming back afterwards. But the bar proved not to be the best place to cool off, as what was served there was a little more than I had expected. I had Cynthia and Ogechi to deal with, and didn’t need another to add to them. So I quickly finished up my drink and returned to my room and thoughts. That was that for that day and before I knew it, it was morning. I brought out my new cell phone and called Cynthia.

“Hello” Cynthia greeted.

“Hi Cynthia”

“Hi, who’s on the line please?”

“You mean you’ve forgotten the sound of my voice already?” I said with a cold voice

“JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ!” Cynthia screamed. “Oh my goodness you got me worried. Where have you been? And why did it take you this long to call? And what the hell happened to your phone?”

“I’m sorry Cynthia. I lost my phone in a cinema where I went to entertain myself a little. You know how we do it right?”

“Yeahhh I do. But you should be more careful when out in such places. You got me worried sick that I almost cried my eyes out and blamed myself for letting you go out alone. That will never happen again”

“What? I’m a kid now huh? And why did you worry that much that you almost cried your eyes out? Because you didn’t get a call from me?

“Of course not. It all started when I called you and heard your phone ring from the pocket of a strange guy who took to his hills the moment he saw that he was discovered to be in possession of a cell phone that wasn’t his.”

“Wait a minute, you mean my cell phone found its way to Regina in just a matter of hours after I lost it? And in possession of a guy just close by you that you could even hear the phone ring from his pocket when you called? Are you sure you know what you are talking about?”

“Yes I am. I know what I’m talking about like the Pastor knows his word. He had you cell phone with him and absconded before I could confront him.” Cynthia affirmed.

“If what you’re saying is true, then someone is trying to play some prank on us. You may have to leave Regina for a while to avoid danger.” I said as though ignorant of what she’s saying.

“It didn’t happen in Regina.” She replied.

“Really?” Where did it happen?”

“Oklahoma”

“What?”

I exclaimed over exaggeratedly on hearing that. If Cynthia’s mind was not beclouded by L-O-V-E, she would have picked a thing or two from my exclamation that depicted more of an act than a reality. But she fell for it as usual and began telling me about her trip to, and encounter in Oklahoma. She told me why she went there, and also of her new acquaintance, Ogechi. Then she said she had good news for me but won’t break it to me on phone. I knew what she wanted to tell me; that same good news that almost brought about a scandal at Ogechi’s party. Nevertheless, I pretended not to know and promised to be home that same day. The kind of joy she expressed when I told her I was coming home made it seem like I had been away for years, and I wondered what she would do if she was Ogechi who had been away for years indeed. Our talk came to an end and she gave me a kiss on the phone. It was really going to be difficult ending things with Cynthia. Did I say difficult? IMPOSSIBLE!

I was in Regina before 6pm and found Cynthia already in the airport waiting to receive me as though I was a first timer at Regina. Smiles, smiles, and smiles took over her beautiful glowing face. I could see the joy in her heart finding expression through her smiles and actions. Indeed, if Ogechi had not found me in the VIP that night, I would have tied the nuts with Cynthia, not minding if she was five years older than me in age. After all, I never felt like I was with an older person during all my stay with her. Instead, she made me feel like a King whom she was working hard to deserve, despite the fact that she literally catered for my needs and exposed me to people that mattered. Breaking up with her was no way to repay her kind gesture. But my meeting with Ogechi and our little romance session wasn’t something I only wanted to make a memory of. Our bond was strong, and if we ended up with different partners, adultery would be the sin that would d##n our souls. I could never resist her, neither could she resist me. Clearly, Cynthia had to know about Ogechi, and I was going to tell her on our arrival at home.

While we were still on our way home, she began singing about the good news she had for me. She told me to guess, and I guessed the wrong things on purpose. For whatever reason, I believed that if I kept guessing the wrong things I would get her to forget about the subject and get to something else. That didn’t happen, as we kept playing the guess game until we got home. As soon as we got to the sitting room Cynthia sat me down and said; take a deep breath, which I did, and then she said; let it out, which I also did, after which she began her story.

I got a call from a guy I knew when I got to Regina newly. He was into music, but the music thing didn’t favor him, so he resorted to managing singers, and that fetched him quite a lot of money. He talked about hiring some models for a music video he wants to shoot for one of the singers he’s managing, and that made me embark on a trip to Oklahoma which is where he and the singer in question are based. We met and talked business, but then it happened to be that the said singer is Nigerian by name Ogechi, my fellow Igbo girl. Can you imagine that? She has been abroad for years now doing music and I didn’t even get to know. Well, I don’t blame myself for that since I’m not much of a music person. But the good news is that I talked to her about you and she’s willing to do a song with yoooouuuuuu. Isn’t that great!? We had a fair bargain on that. What’s left is for you to get ready to go over to Regina, this time not to try and recover from sleeping sickness that never existed but to get famous! Your time has come darling. There’s no stopping you now.

I’m sure by now you know how difficult the whole thing is going to be for Jesusboy. Yes you do. So what now? Well, I couldn’t break the news to Cynthia again the way I wanted to. I had to think of another way of breaking the news to her that won’t drive her nuts. Does such a way even exist? The next thing Cynthia wanted to do was to celebrate her so called good news by making love to me. d##n! Wahala don dey! Why would I do that to her when I was planning on leaving her for Ogechi? I had done a lot already by concealing some facts from her which had become a thing of concern to me, and was I going to add to that by making love to her before leaving? That would be a very wicked thing to do. But how do I get her to understand? And I dare not resist her this time, for that would spell out loud large question marks. As she was unto me with kisses and cuddles I paused her in-between them and said;

“Cynthia, I need to talk to you about something.”

“Oh’ dearie, whatever it is can wait for later. I’m not in the mood to listen to anything now”

“It’s very important. You have to hear me out”

“oooOOh’ what’s the problem again? Why are you like this? I’ve told you, I don’t want to talk. All I want to do is to ease up my tension. I’m sure you need that too.”

“No I don’t” I replied gently. “I really need to tell you something”

“Well I’m not ready to listen to anything now” she retorted. “What’s up with you J?” Why do you get like this whenever I give myself to you?” Do you have a problem or something? C’mon J, if you do, you can talk to me about it. We’ll find a solution together. I’m sick of always trying to get you to do something it seems you don’t want to do. Or don’t you want to do it for real? Are you gay?”

“d##n it Cynthia!” I retorted. All I want to do is talk! If you don’t want to, fine! Just don’t call me names.”

“It didn’t call you gay to get at you J! But from the way things have gone between you and I all these while, I couldn’t help but think you are. If you really aren’t gay, then prove it!”

“Don’t push me Cynthia. You’re not going to like this.”

“Try me.” She challenged.

She left in anger after saying that, expecting that I was going to want to prove myself not to be gay by coming after her to screw her. I went to my room instead and freshened up. Cynthia’s maid came to my room and called me to come down for dinner. Cynthia was there eating already. I joined her but we said nothing to each other until we finished our meal. She stood up and went to watch TV in the sitting room while I went back to my room. It appeared to the maids as though we were holding grudges against each other, something that had never happened before. By that time I had three months left to be done with My Masters’ degree program. I went up to my room afterwards and called Ogechi. Her manager picked up again but this time I asked him to let me speak with Ogechi. Still, he refused. I had to lie to him that it was something about the models Ogechi needed for her video before he connected me to her. Even at that, I had to hang on for thirteen minutes before talking to Ogechi. Hmmm.

Ogechi finally came on the line and we got talking. I made her understand how displeased I get whenever that manager of hers tells me I can’t speak with her. I told her to make him know who I was in order for him not to prevent me from taking to her whenever I call. She just laughed and said okay to that. “How about Cynthia?” she asked. “Have you told her yet?” I explained what happened to her. She didn’t have to instigate me to act fast and get done with it quickly. Of course she knew she had my heart, so she didn’t have to contend with it anyone for it. We stopped talking Cynthia and began talking us. We confidently said all we used to be afraid to say to each other before. We soon got fed up with audio call and switched to Skype; that was her idea not mine.

She went into her room, shut the door, and we started talking. Our discussion was so enjoyable that I laughed out loud to her jokes. We were having such a good time; a kind we hadn’t had in years. Nothing in the world was going to come between us again. As soon as I was through with my program I was getting back with my Ogechi full time. Before then I must have found a way to deal with Cynthia; so I thought. I and Ogechi had been Skyping for nearly one hour and it felt like it was just ten minutes. Someone knocked on her door to inform her that she had a guest. She told the messenger she was coming and the messenger left. “This is where we end it for today” I said. But she objected, telling me she hadn’t had enough yet. “What about your visitor” I asked. I’m going to dismiss whoever it is soon enough and come back to you. There’s a lot to be talked about. There’s a lot to be watched too…..,. Don’t go anywhere. Stay on the line until I return. “Yes Ma” I replied. She grinned, gave me buzz and left. I was just smiling like those guys on the cabin biscuit packet after she left to attend to her visitor. Nawa o.

I was there waiting for her return so that we could continue our chat but she spent a lot of time out there. The Skype call was still running. Thank God it wasn’t those days when I had to subscribe to MTN’s 200MB for N1,000. I definitely would have ended the call before my MB was exhausted over nothing. Thanks to the unlimited internet access in Cynthia’s house. I could afford to Skype for three days and three nights without having any fear of MB being exhausted. But when I waited fifteen minutes without Ogechi’s return, I decided to leave my reading table where I usually kept my laptop and lay on the bed to relax a little. I didn’t know when I dozed off. What woke me up was the loudest scream I had ever heard in my life. Even a dead man could be brought back to life by such a scream. The scream brought me back from dream land to the real world, and I saw that it was Cynthia who screamed with her both hands on her head and her eyes wide open in amazement. “Why was she screaming?” I noticed she had her eyes fixed on my laptop computer and I turned to see what freaked her out. Hell no! It was Ogechi on the other end. She was sleeping too. Obviously she had come back to continue the call only to see that I was sleeping. Instead of hanging up the call, she left it running and positioned the device she Skyped with such that she could be seen lying on her bed. She had rolled and rolled while sleeping that her nightie gave way to her killer body. That was what freaked Cynthia out.

“Cynthia” I called out with a shaky voice.

EPISODE 35

Cynthia stood still like a dead tree with her hands on her head as though she was surrendering to the cops, and her eyes wide open in utter amazement. She studied the image on my laptop very well to be sure if it was really a live image or a wall paper. Her doubt was cleared when she saw a girl breathing in and out noticeably. She was shocked! She looked at me as though trying to figure out if it was really me or someone else, for she hadn’t expected me to be of such behavior, neither had she observed or noticed anything pointing to the fact that I was capable of doing what she thought I was doing. I, on the other hand had already wore the guilty look on my face, and that confirmed her suspicion, though her suspicion was wrong. She turned to me and screamed;

“Seriously?! You’re flirting with a prostitute on the internet!? Jesusboy is this what you do!? Wait a minute, is this really happening? Are you really flirting with a prostitute on the internet? All these while I thought of you to be the most noble and respectable man I’ve ever seen in my life and have held you in high regard, only to discover otherwise today? Answer me you b#####d! So you prefer a prostitute on the internet to me!? Oh MY GOSH! How pathetic! You are a b#####d! You b#####d! You coward! Son of a biitch! You are a p#####t! Bloody a#s-whole! I have had it up to my neck this time. I can take anything from you but not this unimaginable crap” Cynthia said, pointing at my laptop. “How did you even fool me into believing you’re more than the dung you really are?”” I wish the earth would just open up and swallow this corpse you call a body.” “Why won’t God just withdraw his breath from you and d##n you dark soul? You devil’s incarnate!”

Cynthia screamed various unwholesome names at me, accusing me of flirting with a prostitute on the internet. Apparently, she didn’t recognize the Image on the other end or perhaps was too outraged to take a careful look. She was unto me with slaps, hits and punches. She threw whatever she found on me; pillow, hanger, creams and anything she laid hands on. That wasn’t enough. She held onto the collar of my pajamas in tears and bitterness. If there was a gun close by, she would have shot me to death. As she jumped on me, I fell on the bed with her on top of me, punching and attacking me by all means possible. The kind of strength she exhibited that night baffled me. I never knew she was that strong. She didn’t even look that strong. As a matter of fact, she wasn’t that strong. But I guess the beast in her was awoken by the night’s incident.

I didn’t do much to defend myself because I wanted her to display all her anger on me until she cooled off. But instead of her rage diminishing, it was increasing by every passing moment. She even pressed my head against the bed with a pillow as though she wanted to kill me. That was when I knew she was out of control and pushed her off me. I got up from the bed and she continued her attack on me. Her maids heard the sound of falling items in my room and rushed upstairs to see what was really happening. Cynthia’s eyes were bl0*d cold. She looked like a serial killer who was bent on taking my life away in the cruelest way ever. She never stopped coming after me to hurt me. Her maids intervened by holding fast to her to prevent her from continuing with the havoc. I voiced out sorry words as they held onto her but it wasn’t getting into her head. She had gone GAGA, and the only thing that could calm her down was perhaps my death.

Eventually her anger subsided, and she began to pay attention to my plea. I begged Cynthia with tears in my eyes to forgive all I had caused her. I told her I didn’t know it was going to get to that.

“It is not in my nature to hurt people my dear Cynthia” I said. “If I had known the future will play out this way, I would have prevented the emotions that aroused love between us. If there is any wonderful woman in this whole world, that is you Cynthia. You are the epitome of beauty that princesses envy. Kings will gladly share their kingdoms with you without fear of anything. And the young girls’ desire is to be like none other but you. I was also of the school of thoughts that angels only dwell in heaven with God and never come down to earth except on assignment, but changed those believes when I got to know you. Even at that, calling you an angel would be an understatement because angels are messengers. You, my dear Cynthia, are more than a messenger. You are a queen in many kingdoms, and it will be to the honor of any man who is able to secure himself a place in your heart. If I could turn back the hands of time, I would, and undo all the wrongs I’ve done to you. Breaking your heart is one thing I would never do, even with a gun pointed to my head. But I’m afraid the situation on ground outweighs the dread of gun point.

I said a whole lot of stuff that was way beyond mere apology for flirting with a girl on the internet, and she got confused. As I kept confessing nonstop, Cynthia screamed at me to STOP! It was obvious to her that there was more to my words than mere apologies, and she wanted to be sure what it was. So she screamed “STOP!” and that finally woke Ogechi up on the other end since the call was still on while all these were happening. During my little wrestle with Cynthia, things had scattered in the room and we ended up at the edge of the room where Cynthia’s maids held her as I apologized. When Ogechi heard Cynthia’s scream and woke up, she looked to her device and saw that the call was still on. She could hear voices but couldn’t see anyone, as our location in the room was away from the laptop’s cam. Out of curiosity she called out to me while I was still trying to explain things to Cynthia. Cynthia had thought all the while that she was a prostitute. Ogechi’s voice halted our conversation. Everyone paused and turned to the laptop to see who was calling on me. Ogechi had called my name three times without any response from me, so she decided to switch from calling me by my default name to a name that might perhaps win her a response from me.

By this time Cynthia had ordered her maids to let go off her. She walked slowly confusingly towards the computer, probably to unleash the same hell on the supposed prostitute. Just then Ogechi’s voice echoed from the other end saying; “ARE YOU THERE SWETIEE?” Cynthia increased her pace towards the computer on hearing that to do whatever she had in mind to do only to discover that the girl she saw wasn’t a prostitute after all; she was Ogechi.

There was a great shock on both ends. Cynthia couldn’t believe her eyes, and Ogechi could say a word. Immediately, tears began flowing freely from Cynthia’s eyes. She didn’t understand what was really happening. As far as she knew, I was the guy who had been living with her for over two years now, and Ogechi was the girl she met barely two nights ago at Oklahoma. How come we were now calling each other and she was even referring to me as “swetiee?” In a voice as that of a child pleading to be spared from strokes of cane, Cynthia said to me, “J, what’s going on? I beg you to tell me what’s going on please.” She drew near to me, held me by the hand tenderly and begged me to tell her what was going on. I could read from the tone of her voice and the countenance on her face that she wouldn’t mind whatever it was, as long as all it required was her forgiveness and the continuation of our relationship. Yes, it indeed required her forgiveness, but not our relationship anymore.

There and then, I broke the whole news to Cynthia with tears in my eyes. Even Ogechi was also shedding tears. When Cynthia heard that I and Ogechi were in a relationship, she retreated from holding me. She stared at me in utter amazement, then turned and looked at Ogechi from the computer. She repeated that a couple of times, and then she asked;

“FOR HOW LONG?”

“Over five years now” I replied.

On hearing that, Cynthia lost stamina and fell on the floor. She fainted. Hell no! Ogechi screamed from the other end and wished she could jump in from the laptop to help out, but that was impossible. Hurry! Let’s take her to the hospital, I said to her maids. Ogechi wept profusely from the other end and I quickly bade her goodbye and proceeded to take Cynthia to a hospital. There was so much tension in the air. Cynthia’s maids couldn’t help but weep as I drove us to the hospital. At a point, the maid who carried Cynthia at the back seat of the car started screaming; “She’s not breathing anymore! Please drive faster, she’s stopped breathing.” I nearly ran over another car when I heard her say that. I quickly rebuked her, telling her not to make use of such negative words. “But she’s not breathing anymore” the maid kept saying.

We finally got to the hospital and were attended to immediately. Cynthia was taken in to be checked on while I and her maids waited at the reception. Those girls were soaked in their own tears. I tried to calm them down, assuring them that it was nothing serious. They shook their heads and sat still. But I was very afraid, not because Cynthia fainted, but because of what one of the maids said about her not breathing again. She seemed to very sure of what she was saying. And I didn’t have the time to confirm that before Cynthia was taken inside because of the quick response of the nurses who came to get her on noticing it was a case of emergency. I was really bothered about what that maid said and had to fight that thought off my mind.

Several minutes later, the doctor who attended to her came out in search of those who brought her. The maids jumped up immediately from their seats as soon as they saw the doctor. I also went after them to meet the doctor.

“Are you the ones who brought in that young lady?” The doctor asked, pointing to the direction Cynthia was taken to.

“Yes,” the maids replied anxiously.

“Are you her sisters or something? “The doctor asked again.

“No, we are her maids.”

“What about you Mister? Are you her fiancé?”

“I’m a friend” I replied. “Is everything alright doctor?” I asked.

The doctor stared at me without saying a word for some moments, so I asked him again;

“Doc, is everything alright?”

The doctor moved towards me again with an apparent sad look on his face as he put his hand on my shoulder and said;

“Call upon all your strength, for what I’m about to say to you will hit you hard.”

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