Protected
By Bebe Ernest
Episode 27 & 28
***
Sorry for not posting last night. Had a rou-gh day yesterday.
MAGIC.
It’s been exactly 4 months and a week since I first got into the maxwells household.
It has been going fine.
Wait.
Did I say fine?
It has been going, splendidly, spectacularly, marvelously, awesomely, beautifully well.
Oh God I have never been so happy in all my life.
After kele left, that was two months ago, she spent a week.
A week of fun and good food.
So,
After she left things went back to normal, no quarrelling, just the same old routine.
I even started school.
Yay.
Am studying art, with fashion as my major, I commute everyday and that has been awesome.
It’s all thanks to my b©yfri£nd.
Yes my b©yfri£ndjustice.
We haven’t heard anything form the witch of the south Selene.
Everything has been surprisingly dull and at the same time lively.
There has been no sighting of the gangster, none at all.
Justin says that at this rate the case will be closed.
So bad the man wasn’t caught and is still allowed to roam free.
Well.
Am free from watching my back at all times.
Justice is happy too, even though he didn’t jump the way I did he is still happy .
He even professed his will to protect me no matter what.
I feel protected.
It’s December.
Yup.
The month of so many possibilities and the month of our Lord Jesus.
It’s 21st.
Yup my birthday.
I am currently in the kitchen with julliet and Sandra and Tammy and kele.
Yes kele.
She c@m£ for my birthday..
She arrived Lagos yesterday.
Isn’t it amazing?
We are Trying to make a big cake for justice’s birthday.
Although he told me not to bother but I want to.
I mean he is my b©yfri£nd.
The house is full of streamers and p@rty lights.
We brou-ght out some of the Christmas decorations and used some for the birthday.
Some of his friends are coming over.
Speaking of friends, I have been in t©uçh with Maggie and George.
We even went out to get our nails done the other day. Maggie and I.
I am gradually turning to a city girl.
She told me about Selene and her misbehaviors.
Apparently she wasn’t able to find a job.
No b©dy wants to hire an herpes patient even though it’s now out that is was a rumour.
I think the joblessness is also due to justice’s influence.
My man is is fierce when it comes to revenge.
I like it.
“I think am going to throw up”
Julliet says and that brings me out of my memories.
“Just go sit and watch chicklet, I won’t appreciate it if you throw up all over my masterpiece”
Kele says.
Am concerned.
“Are you alright Jules?”
I ask.
“Ya, am just feeling very nauseous”
I exchange glances with Tammy and Sandra..
She has been feeling nauseous for some days now.
“Don’t you think it’s time you go to the doctor and check whats wrong?”
Sandra asks while leading her to a seat by the kitchen counter.
Julliet shakes her head.
“It’s nothing, I think am just having a mild bout of food poisoning”.
I roll my eyes, she can’t see me.
She has been having a ‘mild bout of food poisoning’ for a week now.
Tammy just sighs.
“Voila!”
Kelechi exclaims.
“Am done with the cake, time to go make the f!nger food now people”
“This looks good kele, I will prepare the salad spre-ad”
Tamara says.
Kele nod.
“I will shred the cabbage”
I say as I walk to the fridge.
“I will just shred the turkey then”
Julliet says.
“NO!”
We all shout simultaneously.
Julliet could not cook save her shredding turkey will be too much of a work.
Yes, it will.
And she might just throw up too.
“Jeez people, thanks for your faith in me”
She says wryly and we bur-st out laughing.
When we finally get everything done about 3 hours later we get dolled up.
p@rty is starting by 6 and into the night, it’s just past 4.
We have to hurry.
I get dressed in a jeans short shorts like seriously short because kele whistled when she saw it.
And a pink crop t©p that’s off the shoulders with a one blue hand glove.
It’s kind of my accessory.
It’s official, am a Barbie girl.
I have lots of black shamballa’s on my hands with a thumb ring and a gold charm br@celet Justice got me.
I have a drooping ear ring on one ear and a stud in the other with fake nose piercing.
Am kinda going for the gothic look.
Tammy did my make up.
I look lit, if I do say so myself.
I pair everything up with a high heeled platform sandals.
I rock.
I smile at the mirror.
I totally don’t look like Emily the village girl.
I look like magic, justice’s girlfriend.
I go down stairs and i see everyone is pres£nt, i was kind of the last.
So much for being a good hostess.
Justice turns from where he is bantering with Sage and takes a good look at me.
His eyes darkens.
I smile.
He strides to me.
“As much as I like that amount of skin on displ@ybaby girl, I also don’t like them being on displ@yfor my friends”
He says and I stick my ton-gue out at him.
His eyes darkens more.
“Make no mistakes Emilia, you are 20 and fair game right about now”
I frown not getting his meaning but when his eyes sli-ps downward to che-st level and stays there for a beat I blus-h.
Jeez
This man.
“It’s my birthday too”
I pronounce.
“Am aware”
He says finally leading me to a seat, the dinning room is packed, all the furnitures re-moved and replaced with chaises.
Alec and Daniel are having a sleep over at one of thier friends, I think the p@rty is not suitable for un-der 18s.
I glance up and i see everyone having a good time.
Hmm.
Bliss.
I snuggle into his side and he pu-lls me closer.
We stay like that for a while before he gets up and gets me a drink.
When he returns we are bombarded by his friends and soon conversation is flowing.
I never knew a governorsh!paspirant can have such crude friends.
I have never heard such dirty words in my life.
Everyone one seems to take it in stride.
Even kele.
Ha!
Soon it’s gift opening time, his friends leave us because justice made it clear it’s family time.
I wanted justice to go first.
He just raises his eyebrows and says.
“Do I look like I open gifts little bit?”.
Ohkay………
I open the first one and I see it’s from Justin.
I shred the wra-pper open.
Inside I see it’s an online voucher for 2 months fashion courses from Marc Jacobs.
I squeal and I almost throw my self at him but justice holds me back saying.
“Mine”
Ohkay, moving on.
I open the next one, it’s from sage, it’s a pair of handcuffs..
What?
“For when he misbehaves”
I laugh and I open the remaining gifts.
I got an anklet from julliet.
A watch from Sandra.
A make up kit from Tamara.
A n£¢klace from Petr.
A new drawing pad from kele and a set of coloring pencils.
I love.
And finally I get an handmade card from Alec even in abs£ntia.
I almost cry at that, justice just k!sses my temple.
“Uh, we have one more for you magic”
Sandra says, as the official gift handler of the night.
“Who’s it from?”
“Anonymous, ooh, seems you have an admirer.”
Justice growls I just smile as Sandra hands me the box
I shred the wra-pper open and I open the box.
The smell as-sails me first and the sight follows.
I scream flinging it away from me.
Inside the box is filed with blood , rotten blood.
I begin to shake and sob..
Justice pu-lls me close, the p@rty gets quiet.
“Justin, get on it”
Justice says and Justin gives a sharp nod.
Sage holds julliet, Sandra and kele back.
Petr does the same to Tammy..
Am crying so ha-rd I have almost gone into shock.
“There’s a note”
Justin says as he returns and bends to the package.
“What does it say”
Justice demands.
“‘You can’t hide forever”‘
He says .
I sob ha-rder after hearing that, justice pu-lls me closer and stro-kes my hair .
Sage begins to lead the guests to the door.
Justice sets me on his l@p and consoles me.
Kele stro-kes my hair from the other side.
Sandra is at my feet taking off my shoes.
Julliet is pu-lling off my glove.
Tammy is wiping off my makeup.
The guys stand in a circle.
Am surrounded, am protected.
“Ummmm…..”.
I hear from the door way and I lift my head.
“What the ever loving goddess?”
Kele exclaims.
That is right..
Because standing there in the flesh are my guardians.
My aunt and my uncle.
Ohkay.
Today didn’t go as planned.
MAGIC.
What happened next I did not see coming.
One moment I was standing in justice’s arms sobbing and the next my guardians show up and then justice is pas-sing Me to Justin and pummeling my uncle.
“You bloody bastard. You dare to show up at my house?”
My aunt is screaming.
Am confused.
When did he move?
He doles out b!ow after b!ow, my br@in begins to kick in.
Sage and Petr try to get him to Leave my uncle alone but it’s not working.
“Justice ……”..
He still doesn’t answer, he is punching the lights out of my uncle, my aunt is shouting threats of calling the police.
“Justice plea-se….am scared, I nee-d you….”
I say this and he immediately freezes.
He turns blood sh0t eyes to me and I can see he was scared, my uncle was just there for the transfer of aggression.
All this am sure happened in a span of two minutes but it feels like hours to me.
He matches back to and pu-lls me from Justin giving me a hvg.
It is at this point that I notice that Justin made no attempt to st©p his brother.
Apparently, he is angry too.
Can’t say I care for my uncle one way or another.
I rest my head on his shoulder, am turned to the drama on the ground.
My aunt is trying to lift my uncle, his face looks like he k!$$£d a Mack truck.
“I will have you arrested for this, I promise!”
My aunt yells.
If I had the strength I would roll my eyes.
“You will do no such thing seeing as you will open that tra-p of yours and tell me what the hell you are doing and how the hell you got into my house.”
Justice says and turns to Justin.
“Fire all the bloody gate men and hire again.”
Justin gives a sharp nod.
We turn to the duo on the ground.
“Speak,” justice demands.
I can feel the anger running throu-gh him.
I entwine my hand with his and he settles a little.
“Aren’t you even going to offer us a seat?”
My aunt asks and sage replies with a growl in his voice.
“B-ch, speak”.
Justice just takes a menacing step towards them, taking me along.
“Fine”
She says and stand with as much dignity as she could, considering she is also trying to lift her husband..
“We c@m£ from onitsha to find our niece”
I just take a step back and justice pu-lls me closer.
“Woman, I don’t care if you c@m£ from the moon to find earth, I want to know how you got my address”.
Justice says.
“Well…”
Am fed up.
“Aunty plea-se talk plea-se….”
Am so tired, I just want this night to be over.
“You ungrateful witch, you took my money and abandoned me in poverty ……..”
Justin steps forward and for once I can tell he is angry.
“You either start answering our questions now or we move to the p@rt where I make you disappear from the face of the Earth, are we clear on that?”
My aunt swallows and nods.
“We followed her”
She points at kele and I turn confused eyes to kele.
“What?”
Kele asks confused.
Did kele betr…….?
No….she couldn’t.
“We know today is her birthday and we know that if there is anyone who knows where she is it would be her”
She says this pointing at kele.
“When we saw her ma-king preparations to travel we took a wild guess and followed her, it brou-ght us to this ungrateful witch”
She states..
“I don’t think you have gotten something clear aunt of magic, but you are not at home,
You cannot come in to my house and insult my sister, you will die b-ch”
Julliet says and am shook.
If I had strength,.I would cry, right now am just locking up my emotions.
“You don’t speak to my wife that way bi….”
“Don’t even finish that statement”
Sage growls and my uncle shuts up.
“What do you want?”
I ask in a whisper.
“Well we want you to come home with us of course, you are our Ward, you have strayed for too long”.
She says in a put upon way.
I just chuckle softly and I walk out of justice arms and I take a seat.
“You want me to go home with you?”
I ask.
She nods.
“Is that why you s£nt that threatening pres£nt?”
She frowns confused.
“What are you talking about?”
She didn’t s£nd that?
Someone else did?
Moving on.
“Why do you want me to come home with you?”
I ask.
“You are our Ward and……”
I raise a palm, she quiets.
“You’ve said that, a thousand and one times, do you want me to come home with you so you can sell me?, or wait so he can r@p£ me?”
I ask pointing to my uncle..
Justice growls.
“I told you she heard us that day that’s why she left ”
My uncle says unwisely.
My aunt throws her a look as if to say ‘shut up you moron’
“Your uncle will never r@p£ you, he loves you, I love you,……”
“Oh plea-se spare me!, Just spare me this obvious bull$h!t,
We both know you care nothing for me,
All you care for is your self and nothing but your self,
So plea-se just go away, am having a good life here.
Don’t ruin it, just go”
I say and she sneers.
“You think he is going to love you forever?”
What?
I frown.
What is she talking about.
She points at justice.
“He is not going to love you forever, when he gets what he wants you will be done in his life,
Don’t you get it? We, your guardians are your only constant,
We will never leave you,
Just come with us.”
She says and I sigh and say softly.
“Get out”
“What?”
She asks in confusion.
“Get out of this house and never come back,
I know what you want, it’s money, it’s obvious.
You find out am leaving in Bliss and your next instinct is to ruin it for me, just get out”
I say and she sneers.
“We don’t want your money”
She states.
“Honey……we want the money..”
My uncle says in a mock whisper.
His face is so swollen, I am sure he will nee-d a doctor and he would have to set something.
I just roll my eyes.
I stand up and I walk to justice, I di-p my hand into his pocket and i gr-ab his money cli-p.
I take all the notes of one thousand naira and I hold it in my grasp.
I do the same for Justin and sage and Petr and finally when I am sure the money is up to fifty thousand naira I walk to her and place it in her hand.
“That should be enough for your transport, now get out and get out of my life”
I walk back to justice and he immediately pu-lls me close.
“Emily….”
She starts.
“You heard the woman, get the hell out.”
Sandra says
“Hear, hear”
Kele concurs.
I don’t turn around to watch them go , they are dead to me.
I hear the the double doors open and close and I know they are gone.
I step out of justice hands and I pick my shoes and I walk upstairs..
I can hear justice following..
When i get to his room I just drop my shoes on the carpet and I str!p down to my un-derwear.
He starts towards me.
I escape by entering the bathroom.
After a while I come out and I see that justice has cleared up my shoes and clothes.
I almost smile.
My OCD b©yfri£nd.
He isn’t in the room so I walk to his closet and I drop the towel, I change into a polo and bo-xer.
As I come out he enters, his hair is we-t , he must have taken his bath in a guest bathroom.
I stand still and he comes to me.
He picks me up and takes me to the be-d.
He pu-lls the cover over us and we spoon
Am so exhausted.
I don’t want to talk about what happened today, I just want to forget.
Tomorrow, Tomorrow.
***
Like for three more episodes today.