AKWAUGO
PART 46
Towards Christmas, Emeka came back for Ugonna’s wedding. He came to see me at auntie Nneoma’s bearing gifts. I was happy to see him. Auntie Nneoma entertained him and we all talked at length. She gave us the opportunity to be alone in my room and talk.
“How far with your loverboy?”
“You mean Dubie? He is fine”
“Is he serious? Has he made his intentions known to the family?”
“He is ready to marry me this minute if my father would approve but father fixed the introduction for January”
“So, he has accepted him?”
“He doesn’t have a say? I accepted him. Before Easter, we should have finalized everything”
“Like we did”
“Well, not exactly”
“So, you are going ahead with this?”
“Yes, I am. He loves me and I love him too. I have met his mother; she is adorable. He has no siblings. I am not threatened in any way. He is my choice”
“Then, I will say congratulations in advance. I wish you well and I pray he makes you happy”
I was quite impressed with Emeka and his submission. He invited me to Ugonna’s wedding but I politely declined. I told him I would rather keep my distance from toxic people.
I reminded him about the money in my custody but he asked me to keep it until he nee-ded it or until I found a use for it. I asked if he would be interested in buying a property in Enugu as auntie Nneoma had a friend wanting to sell a piece of land in a strategic location. It was a distress sale and the price offered was a giveaway. He asked me to buy the property in my name and keep the docu-ments until his return. I wondered why he wanted the property in my name but auntie Nneoma said I shouldn’t challenge his decision.
I got a call on Boxing day night. I was in Enugu with auntie Nneoma. She didn’t travel to the village for Christmas, so I stayed back. I planned on spending the New year with my parents and also have the introduction done. The call came in very late at almost midnight. When I checked the caller id, I found out it was Scholastica. I was worried and quickly answered the call.
“I had to call you by this time when I was sure everyone had gone to bed. Something happened”
I was scared. I bombarded her with questions, “What could have happened? Was Emeka hurt? Did something happen to his parents?”
“It is not that. Today was Ugonna’s traditional and white wedding”
“O I see. So what happened?”
“It didn’t hold. Her in-laws didn’t come”
“What are you saying? Why didn’t they come?”
“They are not saying the real reason why but I suspect it has to do with you because Emeka was angry with Ugonna. He was shouting at her concerning you”
This information kept me awake for hours. What could have happened? I was due to travel on the 30th of December but with this information, I decided to go a day earlier. I knew I didn’t do anything to anyone so how was I involved?
I told auntie Nneoma the next morning and she asked me to call Uju and find out. I declined. I told her Uju would wonder how I knew and will know I had an informant in the house. Auntie Nneoma agreed with me. I travelled down to the village.
On the 30th of December, I departed for Umuoji. I met my parents and of course the story was already around town. They didn’t have the full details of what happened but they said Ugonna in-laws refused to come for her after all the plans that had been put in place for the wedding. No one had the real reason why they didn’t show.
Dubie came on the 31st of December night so we could attend Crossover service together. I didn’t see any member of Emeka’s family in the church that night but his cousins attended including Uju and her husband. They came home for the wedding.
After the service, Dubie had to wait for me to talk with Uju while her husband chatted with him.
“Did you hear what happened to Ugonna?”
“I just came back. I haven’t heard anything”
“Her in-laws refused to come for the high society wedding that was planned. You won’t believe we waited until 2pm. When they didn’t show, her father called the gentleman but he didn’t pick up. He also didn’t pick up Ugonna’s calls. It was when her father called his father that they were told they couldn’t marry Ugonna because she is evil, wicked and a murderer.”
I was shocked and speechless. “Why would they accuse her of that?”
“Well, the story took a different turn when her father, Adanne, Emeka and Chibuike went to meet them. They told the story of the accusations Ugonna and Jacinta levelled against you. They said Ugonna confided in her to be husband how she and Jacinta fabricated chats between Dr Maduka and you so they could get you out of their family. Her reason was that you were studying a prestigious course and felt so proud. Also, Emeka focused all his attention on you and did less for them compared to before you came into the picture. They had both agreed they wanted someone they could control to marry Emeka. Are you aware they brou-ght a wife for Emeka this time he came back?”
“I am not aware”
“A young girl of about twenty-one and also a V¡rgin. She has been in Emeka’s house since attending to him. He sent her home after this revelation”
“I don’t get it. Why didn’t the groom call off the marriage when she told him? Why wait until the wedding day?”
“You remember I told you Ugonna is not smart. Well, after she told him, he didn’t see anything bad in it until someone came to the family, a night before the wedding, to tell them of the wicked atrocities done against you in details including the death of your child and why you left the family even though you were still in love with Emeka. The evil done against you was what made them decide not to marry Ugonna or any member of the family. You won. You have been vindicated”
“I keep wondering how they were able to put those chats on my phone. I don’t know how they did it. What of Jacinta? Has she owned up to what she did?”
“That one is a criminal. She hasn’t said a word. She’s really looking good these days. What can we do? Ugonna shot herself in the foot by telling a man you want to marry what you did to your brother’s wife. Can you see how daft she is?”
“I have to agree with you. Probably she was carried away by the love and felt she should share everything”
“It was a good thing she did. Now we know what truly transpired between you and Dr Maduka. Emeka didn’t spare them. He chased the girl and Ugonna out of his house that night when they came back. The disgrace was too much. There was excess food that we had to give out to people. The cakes were wrapped and sto-red in the freezer. Adanne is speechless. I know Emeka is coming back for you. Do you truly love this Dubie guy?”
“I love him. He has proved to be a man. He stands firm on his own decisions. His mother doesn’t have a say in our relationship. He respects me. I cherish our time together; it means the world to me”
“Emeka has lost out then. When is the introduction?”
“In a few days”
“I wish you the best”
“Thank you”
I shared the story of my vindication with Dubie. I expected him to be happy for me but he was not. He said my parents want me to marry Emeka and not him. If they get this news, they would not give their blessings to our marriage.
“What are you talking about?” I asked him.
“I am saying your father wants you to remarry Emeka and not me”
“Why would you say so?”
“The house. They refused you returning the house. Why would they insist on you holding on to something that belonged to your ex if they didn’t want him back?”
“The house is in my name. It belongs to me. It was a gift from Emeka to me. You said I should return what I laboured for; why? I agreed just to make you happy but when I reasoned it with my parents, I didn’t see why I should. By the way, if you bought me a house in my name and we separate, would you want the house back?”
“Of course, I would unless I wanted you back. The only reason Emeka is hanging around is that he believes his gifts are working”
I was silent from that point on. When we got to my house, before I got down from the car, I turned to Dubie and said to him, “If the property is purchased in my name and we part ways, I will never return it to you. Emeka has never asked for that property back. I built that house in Emeka’s name and when we separated he was shown the house. He transferred it to my name saying it belonged to me and he left the country. I am glad I didn’t do what you insisted on” I came down from the car and walked away. It was the first day of a new year and I began to realise some things about Dubie. He was vindictive.
Dubie tried to talk to me the whole of that day but I refused to pick his calls. He arrived in the afternoon looking very sober and sad. He asked my father if he could talk to me privately and he gave his consent. I took him to my room.
“I am sorry. I realise how I sounded earlier. I’m just envious of the relationship you have with Emeka. I don’t like it. I feel he can get you back at the drop of a hat. With this revelation, he will want you back and you might want to go with him”
“Why would I want to go with him? Are Jacinta and Ugonna still his sisters? Yes. Have they changed? No. I am not going back. Emeka is history”
“I am insecure when it comes to you Akwaugo. I don’t want to share you with your ex or anyone. I am willing to keep myself for you alone. Please un-derstand Akwaugo”
I un-derstood. For him to confess to his insecurities, it meant he was becoming a better person. We came out and spoke to father. He told my father he was willing to marry me immediately since we loved each other. We just nee-ded his consent. Father told him to be patient. He told him to hold on a bit. He will get back to him. It didn’t go down well with Dubie and I knew from his countenance when I saw him off.
“Ada m” my father called after Dubie had left, “I am not convinced about the source of Chidubem’s wealth. His uncle who trained him is a known drug baron. Are you aware?”
“Uncle Ken?”
“Yes. His mother was a courier. She made her money from trafficking drugs. Her husband was killed in Thailand for carrying drugs. His family rejected her because she introduced him to drug trafficking. The drug barons settled her for life because of her husband’s death so she stopped trafficking, that was why Chidubem had such quality education. I got all the information yesterday. I do not think he is a good fit for you based on his background”
“Is Chidubem a drug pusher too?” I asked him.
“There is no evidence to support that but, his friends have a questionable source of income. It might not be drugs, it could be fraud. Remember the saying show me your friends and I will tell you who you are. That’s the case here”
I was silent for a long time thinking about what my father had found out. I suspected there was something fishy about his father’s people rejecting his mother; it all made sense now. I was devastated by the news. I knew it would be difficult to purge myself off Dubie; I was in love with him. But I knew there was no way my parents would ever support my marriage to him. I was in a dilemma
The next day, I went to visit Dubie. He was surprised to see me in his family home. I didn’t call him before coming. He had his own wing in the family house, so I went there to see him. I already knew he believed my father disliked him because of Emeka so I had to play it a different way without dragging my parents into it. I had planned how I would present the case in my head on my way to his village.
“Dubie, as is customary, my family sent someone to investigate your family. The outcome was revealed to us yesterday evening and that is why I am here”
“What did they find out?”
‘You didn’t tell me your uncle Ken is a drug baron”
“What?” he asked.
“Yes. I was also informed your mother too was a trafficker and your father was killed doing the same trafficking to Thailand. Isn’t that why your father’s family rejected your mother?”
Dubie stood up and was looking at me. I could see he was shocked we had all this information. I realized it wasn’t common knowledge; no wonder it took father this long to get all the facts.
“Dubie, I would love the truth from you this time. I want to know the true situation of things. I love you and I want to be with you but the truth will determine if that will happen”
Tbc