BEING ALONE
EPISODE 29
We just c@m£ out from a clas-s that lasted three hours. Trust lecturers, upon we were not up to 100 out of three hundred and something radiogra-phy students,he gave us a quiz. Kamsi and I stepped out of the clas-s three hours later and proceeded to the cafe which was always our consoler after such lectures.
We were almost there when we saw Rose leaving the cafe. Kamsi quic-kly ran up to her while I followed in quic-k steps. I knew Kammy was good at embarras-sing people but I just wanted her to let things end the way it had.
Kamsi: Hey!
Rose turned and her smile disappeared.
Kamsi: Have your ton-gue fallen into your throat?
Rose swallowed ha-rd as I c@m£ in to view.
Rose: Hi.
Kamsi: Better. So I heard you now sleep around right?
Rose: I…
Kamsi: Don’t. Better don’t stammer before me because I’m re-ady to tear you into pieces.
Kamsi had come prepared for a war. She was dressed casually in a jean short and polo, unlike Kamsi who wouldn’t look at a polo on ordinary days.
A small crowd had gathered, eager to know why people who were friends during their first year had now turned enemies.
Rose: Kamsi plea-se, you’re embarras-sing me.
A sl@p landed on Roses’ face and the crowd was filled with ‘”ohs” and “ouchs”.
Kamsi: When you were slee-ping with my sister’s b©yfri£nd, did you think twice before doing it? Did you think up the consequences?
Rose was ru-bbing her face now, with tears dropping from her eyes.
Rose: I…
Kamsi: Shut up. You had my brother, why would you go to Hillary? How shameless and disgusting.
Rose: But I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry.
Kamsi: You’re still talking eh? You’re still opening that gutter you call mouth?
Kamsi went for an attack but I was just in time to come between them with one other guy who received the sl@p meant for Rose. I looked up at his face and it was Hillary.
What insolence? So he c@m£ to defend her?
Kamsi: Cl@p for yourselves you shameless animals. You c@m£ to fight for her. You should be grateful that it was just a sl@p. And I’m sure you’re also here to take her home to compl…..
Hillary: Kammy st©p. Why are you doing this? We’re sorry. We shouldn’t be fighting and disgracing ourselves in public.
Kamsi walked up to him with scorn and hatred written on her face.
Kamsi: But that’s the plan. To help you wash your dirty linen in public. To warn people to be careful of you two backstabbers.
She pushed past Hillary and went to Rose.
Kamsi: Listen wh’ore,you should be thankful today, not because this woman eater c@m£ on time, but because my sister also c@m£ between you and I, which shows she’s forgiven you. But I hope the sl@ps are enough to redesign your br@ins and get them back to default mode. Shameless things.
She walked away leaving me behind. I went to Rose and she looked at me innocently.
Rose: I’m sorry.
Me: Save it. You’ve gotten what you deserve. Just know how to treat friends next time.
I followed Kamsi’s trail and walked out, hearing people murmur and say things I couldn’t hear. But one thing was clear, anyone who has Kamsi, has a fighter and an adventurer.
Did we go to the cafe? Nope. Instead, I met Kamsi at the school gate where we boarded a cab and drove home. Throu-ghout the ride, we remained silent, not sure of what to say to each other. But I’m not angry with her. She’s just looking out for me.
___________
Today is Thursday and our lecture free day. We were at the terrace, thinking up what to do with our free time.
Kamsi: Let’s just go out, since you can now drive, we’ll just go sight seeing.
Me: I want to visit my house.
Kamsi: The Okoye’s?
Me: Yes. I want to know how they’re doing and also know how they’re keeping the house.
Kamsi: You miss them?
I nodded.
Kamsi: Its alright. We’ll go but we won’t tell anyb©dy. From there, we’ll now go sightseeing. And dress in your best so they’ll know you’re living fine now.
I laughed and thanked her.
Kamsi: Big mouth Chinenye, I’ve not seen her since school resumed.
Me: That’s why I want to go and see them.
Kamsi looked at her phone.
Kamsi: Its 9:45 alre-ady, let’s go and get re-ady.
We both went down to our rooms and I started rummaging throu-gh my clothes to know the one I’m going to wear. I finally settled for a pink crop t©p, jean trou-ser and a pink boot and in the next 95 minutes, we were on our way to Abakpa, the location where my terror started with me behind the wheels.
We got to our location and rode into the streets of housing estate. As I drove past each street,I remembered that night I had bade them goodbye. The pastures were greener and looked like it noticed my pres£nce. I st©pped beside a school, two streets from the Okoye’s house and let my tears fall. Kamsi allowed me for a good number of minutes before she spoke up.
Kamsi: Don’t you think you should be praising God instead of crying? What if you had died that day? But he kept you alive, so that people will know your story and praise Him for His goodness? You shouldn’t be crying Amy because I’m sure you’ve overcome your fears by wanting to see them.
Me: I…
Kamsi: Don’t speak.
She helped me dab my face with her bandana and using the make up in her Marlboro purse, she remade my face.
Kamsi: St©p crying. Let’s go and see your family.
BEING ALONE
EPISODE 30
I nodded and brou-ght the engine back to life. I wasn’t perfect yet as we still had the L letter attached to the car and I drove carefully.
We got to the house and I honked, expecting the gateman to come out and open the gate but we were there for some minutes, yet nob©dy showed up.
Kamsi: I’ll see.
She got down and went towards the gate. She opened the small gate and went in, then opened the big one for me to drive in.
I drove into the familiar compound. Nothing had changed. Everywhere was littered with dried leaves from the fruit tree that stood in the middle of the compound. I got out of the car and joined Kamsi.
Kamsi: This place looks isolated.
Me: You sure they still live…..
Nenye: You don’t talk to me because you put me in this situation.
Kamsi and I turned to the direction of the voice and saw Chinenye, coming out from the backyard with a baby bu-mp. She saw us and froze.
Mrs Okoye: Who drove in?
She joined her daughter and she couldn’t hide the shock on her face.
Kamsi and I greeted her.
Mrs Okoye: Amanda?
Me: Yes mum.
Mrs Okoye: What are you doing here?
Me: Uhm….we c@m£ to see a friend who lived in the estate so we decided to come and see you.
Kamsi: Yes ma.
Nenye ran into the house without turning back.
Me: I’m sorry mum but you people didn’t inform us that Nenye was married.
Mrs Okoye hissed and I looked at Kamsi.
Mrs Okoye: Don’t mind that girl. She got pregnant and she doesn’t know who’s responsible. I don’t know what I’m going to do with her. Since then, she’s refused to be polite to anyb©dy.
Kamsi: Doesn’t make s-en-se. How can she not know who’s responsible for her child?
Mrs Okoye: My dear,you two should come in. How’s your mother?
Kamsi: She’s fine ma.
We followed her inside where she offered us seats. The interior still looked wonderful and I was grateful for that.
Mrs Okoye: What do I offer you girls? You people are now big girls so I don’t know if you still take jui-ce.
Me: I…
Kamsi: We’re fine ma. We’re filled.
Mrs Okoye: Ah! At least, take something nau.
Kamsi: We’ll leave with a pack of jui-ce.
Mrs Okoye: That’s better so how’s school?
Kamsi: We’re fine o. School is fine. Just….
Me: Mum, can we go and see Nenye?
Mrs Okoye: Uhm… Yes.. Why not? Its your house
Kamsi and I quic-kly ran up the stairs, very well aware of the eyes that followed us. I led the way to where I know was Nenye’s room and after a knock, I pushed the door open and we both went in. Nenye was lying on her side. I bolted the door because I knew that we three had issues to settle.
She sat up and threw us wicked glances.
Nenye: Get out of here now.
Kamsi scoffed and folded her hands below her brea-sts.
Nenye: You both are just here to mock me so just get out.
Kamsi: If I were you, I’ll be quiet and listen.
Me: Kamsi plea-se.
Nenye started sobbing audibly and I cast Kamsi a pleading look.
Me: We’re not here to mock you. We don’t even know u a pregnant
Nenye looked at me.
Nenye: You didn’t know I was pregnant?
Me: Not at all. We’ve both missed you, worse still, school resumed properly last week but we didn’t see you around so we decided to come and check on you.
Nenye: Really?.
Me: Yes. We can never mock you. We’re all women and don’t know what our future will be like.
Kamsi sat down beside Nenye and I smiled inwardly.
Nenye: You’ve got a goof heart Amanda. I wonder why I’ve being blind to the truth all these years.
Kamsi looked at me and I knew she wanted to say something
Kamsi: Everything has a right time. Maybe this is your own time to see a change.
Me: Yes. You were just blind all those years because you loved your mother and….
Nenye: And she put me in this condition. I hate her. She’s not my mother.
Kamsi: What? What are you saying?
Me: Nenye, tell us. What are you saying?
Nenye: We’ve run bankrupt. We don’t have anything now except this house. She’s sold everything father had. When she realised she couldn’t sell the ones in your name, she started slee-ping with father’s friends. I didn’t say anything so long as she put food on our table. I was in the sitting room one night when she c@m£ in with a man, introduced him to me as her clas-smate way back in the university. She left both of us to talk and went into her room. That night, this man took advantage of me and no matter how much I screamed, mum never c@m£ out to help me.
Kamsi: Jesus.
Nenye: It was when he was re-ady to leave that I knew they staged it.
Me: How?
Nenye: He dropped twenty thousand on the table and asked me to give it to my mum, then he gave me five thousand naira saying I wasn’t as good as my mum had said.
Tears ran down my eyes. How can a mother do this to her own child? I un-derstood it when it was me, but her own child?
Nenye: When I realised I was pregnant, I told mum and she said she would call him. I later found out that she doesn’t even have his number let alone knowing who he was.
Kamsi: Oh my God. Did you go for a lab test?..
Nenye: I did. I treated gonorrhea for weeks.
Kamsi: I’m sorry to say this but your mother is wicked.
Nenye: She’s not my mother. I regret the day she conceived me.
I had to st©p crying and we three went into a warm embr@ce.
Nenye: plea-se forgive me. She poisoned my mind against you,saying your mother was a witch and tried to kill her while she was pregnant. That was why I was against you.
Me: I knew there was no smoke without fire. Let’s not talk about the past anymore. Let’s look for a way forward.
Kamsi: Yes. Let’s not discuss the past anymore. We’ll go home and think of a way to help you out.
Nenye: plea-se, come and take me out of here. plea-se.
Kamsi: Don’t worry. It will be over soon.
Kamsi and I gave her some money before she esc-rted us out. Mrs Okoye was no longer in the sitting room so we just left the house without bothering to look for her.
We spent the rest of the day at new berries, talking about the Okoye’s family.
WATCHOUT FOR EPISODE 31