ERUKA (episode 15)

© Oby Chinyere 
Dave later traveled on a business trip that will take him up to two months, I gathered almost all the money i saved up with the one Dave gave me to opened another slot in a busy location, and filled it up with goods, it was very expensive but I did not mind since I will still recover all my money within a year or two. that will be my third slot, it was located in the heart if the market, the slot was expensive compare to others because of it’s location, I paid up for it because I know I will recover all my money due to it’s busy environment, people will patronise me there very well and whoever I will put there will be so busy
I haven’t gotten anyb©dy yet, I want to be sure that the person that will manage there Will be ha-rd working,
Kuma c@m£ again pleading on her knee for me to help her, I told her she should go and look for another job to do because I got nothing for her, she Left and return the following day as she continue to plead, I got fed of seeing her beg continuously and since I haven’t gotten anyb©dy for the new busy slot due to I have being so occu-pied with works, i decided to put her there, she was so happy and kept thanking me, I told her not to try anything stupid with my goods, the new slot is very busy and is also expensive and I expect a certain amount in a day she should make sure I don’t have any reason to complain, otherwise I Will dismiss her and find a better hand, she promise to follow all rules
I did not let her know that I’m aware of her involvement with Bazil, I just decided to let it go by giving her another chance, we all deserve that, no one is perfect, Kuma has learnt enough lessons alre-ady, she will behave better now than before.
Well, so I thought.
That week she comes early and closes late, and her turn up sales was encouraging, she delivered just like I wanted and she continued that way as weeks unfold
Mara drove down to the market one day to see me because I’m ha-rd ly at home, she was not looking angry, she acted all nice, even asked me how my business was going, she saw fine wears and wanted to buy them I offered her a seat.
“I don’t really do my shopping here, I buy my stuff abroad, I don’t trust anything from this country, you know being beautiful also requires I wear clas-sy things, not all this cheap things I see everywhere, but I like this dress, I can see you have a good taste too, you have nice stuffs but they aren’t original like the things I buy outside the country but I can manage it anyway, or even look for who to give it to, I really don’t wear stuffs like this, I’m a Lady with clas-s, is only those poor country people that patronises you, most of them have not travelled out like me before…
She kept talking I got tired of listening and left her to attend to my customers, when I returned back to her she was alre-ady checking out some cloths, I showed her even more clas-sy cloths that she may like, she picked a lot, I discounted all the cloths for her before giving her the price
” that price is too much Eruka, they are not even original like my usual clas-sy wears, I just want to patronise you that’s all, when this is not abroad, is only in abroad they will give me price and I can’t negotiate I Will just pay up with my credit card, do you know what credit card is, have you seen dollar or pound before, I guess you haven’t. things should be less expensive here, give more discount or give them all to me for me free after all I helped you recover your money from Bazil
“Giving you free is not a problem, you can have them all but I’m yet to receive the money you recovered from Bazil…
” Eruka, don’t be stupid my darling, all the money I recovered is all mine, I told you in the beginning I wasn’t going to collect anything from you, I said that you don’t have to pay me but I never said I won’t get paid, but it won’t come from you, the money I recovered is my own payment, don’t you know that even in Freetown nothing is free, I know I was going to get paid one way or the other, I don’t work for free sweetheart…
I looked at her as I remain speechless, Julio said it but I didn’t believe her, Julio has said that Mara was upto something and here I can see all her suppose kind deed c@m£ with a price tag, I quietly nodded before telling her that all the cloths I gave her c@m£ with a price tag too, I changed my mind of giving her for free after all they are not so clas-sy like what she buys abroad, I asked her to pay with the money she collected from Bazil.
We were still talking when Kuma c@m£ to deliver some cash to me, Kuma saw Mara and was shock, she bent her head and try to hurry out, Mara was busy checking out the cloths again did not see Kuma, I intentionally spoke to Mara so that she can raise her head and see Kuma, and she quic-kly did, before laughing out
“Eruka, this girl works for you? hahahaha, she’s one of Bazil’s babe, but he beats her up, I was there that day when she tries to insult me after she met me in Bazil’s place and I watch as he beats her up, before pushing her and her things out, she was threatening to tell you about what Bazil had being doing with your money and Bazil dared her to go ahead, Bazil said she was as guilty as him, that if she do such that she will be ex-posing herself too…so she c@m£ back to works for you?…this so funny, this girl got no shame or she’s up to something…I like you Eruka you are indeed too soft and I hope when bring a request to you you will also grant mine…
Mara was expecting me to beat Kuma up so that she can have More fun and Kuma was expecting me to sack her immediately as she went on her knee begging because she realized that I knew all this while, I asked her to return back to her slot, I made her to un-derstand that I knew who her suppose b©yfri£ndis, I told her of the night we almost clash in to her in the bar but she escaped and all the things she has wanted Bazil to do for her with my money, draining me and owning shop for herself which she will later employ me as her sales girl… I told her everything but still ask her to return to her slot, she thought I was joking I repeated myself and she thanked me with tears in her eyes before running off
I returned my attention to Mara who has packed up her cloths by now
I repeated the total Price to her and let her know that nothing is free in this p@rt of the world, she said she didn’t come out with cash, i told her i have POS.
I remembered that Dave was the one that help me get two POS machine For those who don’t move around with Cash
but Mara said she forgot her ATM card at home, I told her to drop the cloths, she should come and pick them up anytime she has the money, she was so pa
ined and seeing her saddened face gave me joy, I just wanted to let her know that she’s not smart as she think she is, I finally changed my mind and ask her to take the cloths for free, I watch as the smile returned back to her face
She packed the cloths to her car and drove off.
the following day she retuned again to my shop
She told me why she c@m£ looking for me yesterday but couldn’t really say it because of the cloths I gave her, she may say it and I will end up taking back the cloths
“I just wanted to kindly ask you to leave Dave for me, he is my man Eruka and I can’t share him with anyone, I’m a jealous lover, I hate to see another woman close to my man, me and Dave got something together, we make up a perfect couple, he is a man with a clas-s and am a clas-sic lady, we belong to each other, if you want Bazil’s money in return For Dave I’m re-ady to give you but that will be when I’m sure you have left him…I will give you half of the Bazil money and keep the rest for the service I rendered
” point of correction that’s not Bazil’s money, all the money is all mine, but thanks anyway for offering half even though I don’t know how much you collected, I’m not interested you can keep everything as you have wanted to do before, don’t bribe me to leave Dave, because I’m not holding him…maybe you should channel all this energy you use in coming here to bribe me to finding another man for yourself, Dave is taking sweetheart.
I knew this is what Julio will say if she was here, I felt proud of putting up a real attitude just like my sister.
“Okay…you can have all the…I mean all the money I collected from Bazil, is a good offer Eruka, I can add something more from my personal cash, take the money and leave my man alone or I will fight you with my last blood if you don’t. even your saviour sister Will not able to do anything because i will so deal with you…Eruka
” bring it on, I Will be waiting Mara…
She was about leaving when we saw Bazil coming, she stood and waited
Bazil started counting his steps as he saw me and Mara, he had a confuse face but quic-kly tried to pretend
“Ruka is this your friend…I…I..have not being able to reach you…the money… I…do you know her….
Mara spoke quic-kly
“My Friend shut up and st©p blabbing, you are acting stupid, or you thought I was real with all that act, all I wanted was the money and when I felt I drained you enough I decided to leave your carcase, I would have hurt you further if Eruka has giving me a go ahead, anyway go back to Eruka and beg her to return back to you, do whatever you have to do so that she can stay away from my man, because I will unleash terror on her if she dares me. Eruka here is your b©yfri£nd, forgive him and continue your life with him, nob©dy is perfect, Bazil loves you go back to him and leave Dave alone, don’t say I didn’t warn you
She quic-kly left, Bazil watch her and she walk to her car and drove off, I guess he was surprise to see her with a car, because Mara acted like a broke girl to him, he turned to me looking like a lost child, he was saying something but wasn’t ma-king s-en-se
” Bazil I don’t un-derstand you…yes I know her, her name is Mara and we both set you up and you fell woefully just as expected, I also know of Kuma she’s back working for me she is my sales girl again, I beat both of you to your own game, your ATM machine has st©p dispensing cash because she decided to renovate her br@in, now she knows better, she knows when to dispense and when not to dispense, my phone never got lost and there was no pregnancy, in that way I recovered some of my money from you and left the rest with Mara, you have not being a able to reach me because I blocked you, i ended things with you for a very long time I was just pla-ying along, and I’m back to Dave, yes The same Dave that I broke up with because of you, I’m back to him, Mara also wants him but that’s non of your business, I have told you everything that you nee-ded to know, now leave my shop and never step an inch close to this place again or I will tag you a thief and get you arrested… Shhhh
.I don’t want to hear my name in your mouth…just turn and leave same way you c@m£ from…right now…
I screamed the last p@rt and he quic-kly turned and left with his confused face and Left.
days later i noticed that Kuma has not being delivering a complete money to me, I asked her she said the sales there has dropped, is not like before.
A week later she wasn’t coming to remitted her sales at all to me just as usual, I called her that evening but her line was off, the following morning I decided to go to her slot first before going to my shop, I was dumb founded at the sight of my busy slot, it was empty
My money and goods were all gone, Kuma has disappeared with everything.
I put my hand on my head with my mouth opened in shock as I stare at the empty slot
the goods in the slot was far more than the other slot because it was a busy area.
What do I do now
I know have worries about Mara’s threats but with what Kuma did to me by emptying my slot and taking my expensive goods and money to disappear
I felt like going crazy in the market as tears poured down my eyes
It was just too painful.
To be continued… 
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