? ? TEJUMOLA. ??
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? #Episode_7&8
I explained everything to Lina, but Akpan denied it all.
He told her I attacked him after he refused to suc¢v-mb to my
s£duct!ons.
I gaped at him, bruises and swells all over his face, his forehead was bleeding. He would never forget Tejumola all throu-gh his
life!
“Tejumola, I’m suprised at you.”Lina began
“How could you come so low?”
“Ma, you believed him?”myl-ips quivered “of course i do!”she snapped.
My eyes almost popped out.
“I’ve been living with Akpan for ten years now, i don’t think Akpan can do such. He is well-brou-ght up…”she began
I swallowed ha-rd and exhaled.
“Its in my interest to protect my gate-man, you nearly killed him!”she emphasised the ‘kill’
“In that case, I’m gonna pay you off.”she said carelessly.
I bit my ton-gue, I st©pped myself from apologising.
Tejumola isn’t that cheap.
“here’s fifty thousand naira, you have to leave now, you can go elsewhere, where they can gulp down your attitude”.
She concluded opening her handbag.
I collected the money, murmured a thank you, and made to go out with Eniola on my shoulder, I st©ped at the exit on impulse
“Ma, I really want to appreciate you for what you’ve done so far, you’ve tried…”I sighed.
“Its just that, Tejumola won’t sit back and watch some slum prey on her daughter…”I shook my head.
“May God bless you, for all you’ve done,
may he reward you abundantly.”I concluded with tears streaming down my cheeks.
Lina’sl-ips moved but no words c@m£ out,
she was full of pity and regrets. I didn’t wait to hear what she’d say, I walked out.
“Mummy sorry”Eniola sniffed as I packed our few belongings together.
“Eniola, can you do mummy a favour?”I asked without looking up.
“Uhm!”she whimpered.
“Mummy wants you to st©p crying, okay?
plea-se my one!”I pleaded with her.
“But you’re crying too..”she said amidst tears.
“Okay, mummy won’t cry again.”I turned to her wiping my tears.
“Now do the same.”I f0rç£d a smile wiping her tears.
“I won’t cry again.”she smiled reas-suringly.
I shook my head gently.
“I love you mum”she said throwing her arms round me.
“I love you my one and only.”I patted her
head.
“We nee-d to leave now.”I rose from my squ-atting position.
I’ve alre-ady made my plans.
I’ve made few friends, so I’d go to them now, I’d get an ap@rtment before the week runs out, I’d get a shop and start selling provisions.
At least two hundred thousand naira would do, I as-sured myself as I and Eniola walked towards Bola’s place. I and Bola have
become so close within those few months.
Bola welcomed us, she was homely in her one room self contained ap@rtment. She promised to help us get an ap@rtment
within a few days time.
I glanced at Eniola, she looked calm. For once i never regretted my actions, I would do even more than that to protect my child.
That’s why my name is Tejumola now. I smiled inspite of myself.
Eniola smiled too, she was watching me. I hvgged her, our bond was too strong.
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we got a one room self-contained within four days, not up to four streets from Bola’s place. I also got a shop in the market, I
started selling provisions and soup ingredients. Eniola enrolled in a school close to the market, so she could come to
me after closing from school.
Business went on fine, at least we didn’t lack anything.
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Eniola was trekking back from school withher schoolmates. They walked in groups,-in three’s and in four’s.
“Eniola hold my hand lets cross the road.”A neighbours daughter called Tola,told her.
She was older than Eniola, I had begged her to help my baby cross the road always.
“No”Eniola said defiantly.
“C’mon give me your hand.”tola said again.
“Nooooo”Eniola said again.
“Eniola, your mummy will beat you o”Tola
warned her.
“I am a princess, my mummy won’t beat me.”Eniola said laughingly.
“I’l beat you o”Tola was getting worked up.
“Ehn? Me? Don’t o! My father is a king!”Eniola was enjoying the whole game.
“Stubborn geh!”Tola snapped.
“Yes o!”Eniola replied before running into the road.
“Eniola!”Tola tried to hold her but she was far gone.
An on-coming car screeched loudly before coming to a halt, almost ban-ging into her.
She fell down due to fear. It’s occu-p@n-t ran
out.
“Are you alright?”David asked picking her up.
“Did you hit me?”she asked
“No, I don’t think so, I almost did… Errm, sorry.”
“I’m fine”Eniola laughed,
Tola ran to where they are.
“Sorry Eni..”she held Eniola.
“Next time you should hold her.hands”David cautioned Tola.
“She refused”Tola explained.
“I want to learn how to cross the road”Eniola said pouting.
David smiled.
“not now baby !”
“you should go home now.”he di-pped his hands into his pocket and produced some naira notes
“here take this”he gave Eniola
“No thanks.”she smiled before running off.
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“Mummy Eniola, good afternoon”Tola flexed
her knees as they got to my shop.
“Tola, bawo? Hows school today?”I replied hvgging them both.
I placed a flask before them both
“Tola eat before going home.”I instructed
“Mummy Eniola, one car hit your pikin today”Tola informed me gulping down some water.
“Tatafo.ofofo Tola”Eniola giggled.
“Sharra-p!”I chided her
“Tell me my dear.”I told Tola.
“The driver even dash us money, but we didn’t collect.”she said with a mouth full of food
“I wan hold her hand before o, but she refused o”Tola shrugged
“Eniola? Is that true?”I asked
she giggled softly
“is that a laughing matter?”I glared at her
She bent her head in remorse
“sorry but I was learning how cross the road”her voice was low.
Stubborn girl! I thought.
Well I’m not suprised, she took well after me. She was a real Tejumola offspring, I was tem-pted to laugh but kept a straight
face.
“Never try that again”I said sternly
“Sorry mummy”.
“Eat your food”I told her, before rising to attend to a customer…
? TEJUMOLA ?
?
#Episode_9
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“what other five lettered words do you know?”I asked Eniola.
I was helping her with her homework.
“Errrm..M-U-M-M-Y….”she scratched her head.
I laughed”write it down.”
“I don’t know anyone again..”she said looking up.
“What about D-A-D-D-Y, DADDY?”
“I don’t want to write that”she frowned
“Why?”
“I don’t have a daddy”she looked down
“You do have a daddy”I corrected her.
“I don’t, i can’t see him”she squealed.
Just then a customer walked in.
“plea-se I nee-d a bottle of water”he said.
“Okay, gerrit from the fridge!”I replied without looking up.
“Good afternoon sir!”I heard Eniola say.
“Hi pretty, what are you doing here?”he replied.
“Mummy, look at the man that nearly hit me that day.”Eniola informed me.
I looked up with a smile, but…
I just froze. The whole place bec@m£ tensed;
I could ha-rd ly breathe, what does he want here? How did he know I’m here?
“Teju?”David found his voice.
He dropped the bottle of water he was holding.
“I….errm..Teju…what are you doing here?…I mean..errm…how did you get here?”he looked plea-sed.
My ton-gue cleaved to the roof of my mouth.
He hasn’t changed a bit..still the good- looking guy that ruined my life. I swallowed ha-rd .
“I…errrm…is she your daughter?”he persisted.
I felt anger surged throu-gh my veins.
“Yes o! She’s my mother”Eniola quipped,
“Shut-up Eniola!”I screamed at her, was suprised at my outbur-st too.
The startled Eniola walked gently back to her book.
“And you!”I turned to face David.
“You c@m£ to buy water abi? Now take your water and walk out.”my voice was rising.
“Teju…”he began.
“I’m sorry…I really am..”he moved towards
me.
“Sorry? What for?”My voice was suprisingly
calm.
“I never meant to hurt you…”
my cruel laughter cut him short.
“I’m sorry Teju, I don’t know why you hate me so…”
A resounding sl@p st©pped the gibberish
talk.
“now you know how much I hate you huh?
Leave my shop”I told him with my hands
akimbo.
I expected him to hold his cheeks or make an expression, but he didn’t seem to care about the sl@p.
“Teju plea-se, we nee-d to talk..”he tried to take my hands.
“if you t©uçh me ehn? I swear, I go wooza you!”i threatened.
He smiled, turned to Eniola, squ-atting
beside her he said.
“Baby…what’s your name?”his voice was cool.
“Eniola David.”she replied slowly with fear in her voice.
He held her chin softly, he examined her face, his hands patted her eyebrow..he searched her eyes..
“Take your filthy hands off my daughter!”I retorted, pu-lling Eniola away from him.
“She is mine right? She is my baby huh?”he was wearing a weird look.
“see thief o…”i cl@pped my hands.
“you hate me so much, you claim to love my daughter…”he said in a lament.
“she’s not your daughter!”I skrie-ked.
“she is! Her name is Eniola David..which other David do you know ap@rt from me?”
he moved towards me”Isn’t it so clear? She has my face…”
“leave at once!”i cut him short
“I will, but I’d come back tomorrow to pick my child.”he said stressing the word ‘child’
I watched him as he left my shop.
I turned to glance at Eniola, i knew i was in de-ep mess if he should sue me to court. I don’t think I can survive Eniola’s abs£nce.
“mummy don’t mind him you hear?”Eniola said hvgging my w@!st.
Tears streaked down my cheeks.
Is this my destiny? Do I have to suffer? In what way did i go wrong? Do i deserve all these?
Tomorrow! He said. I nee-ded to act fast. He definitely can’t take my daughter away.
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I rested my head on the window pane, the events of the day flowed throu-gh my mind.
David’s voice echoed loud and clear.
My God! I g@sped. Tejumola where did you go wrong? I asked myself
I looked at the bright moon searchingly,
maybe I might find a solution there; but the moon seems dumb. I turned my attention to the stars but they were dumb too.
“What do I do?”I racked my br@in.
Of course running away isn’t an option.
Bola said so when I told her about David few hrs ago. She had warned me sternly not to run away, unless I want to vacate the
earth.
Could she be right? Maybe I should just drown myself or I should drink poison?
No! I shook my head, I can’t! If I do, what would become of Eniola, besides I love my life.
“Tejumola Benson, think ha-rd o”I told myself.
Eniola stretched and turned in her sleep, murmured something throwing the covers away.
I redressed the covers, covering her properly.
“Leave me!”she protested
“shhhhh, keep quite, its midnight!”I hushed her back to sleep.
I l@ybeside her, trying my best to sleep but it eluded me. I gazed at the ceiling till day- break.
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Story_Continues?