WHAT LIES BENEATH
Episode 37
BY AMAH’S HEART.
I can hear the knock while bathing in the bathroom.
I wondered who it was.
I hope is not Eziaku again.
Yesterday after she left me very broken, just when I was about getting up from the ground to go to my room she c@m£ knocking again.
That was about 20minutes later after she left.
“Who’s there? I angrily asked because I wasn’t expecting anyone and not in the mood for anyb©dy.
I was done with women in general and have alre-ady made up my mind before the knock c@m£.
“Is me.. Eziaku… plea-se open.
“leave me the hell alone… go away. I have counted you as my lost and do not want to see you again. I’m done Eziaku… for real this time…”
She was quiet for sometimes while I properly locked my door.
“Listen to me first, I never left, I was within the compound…I was only very angry because of what you did. I did not sleep with any…
I quic-kly interrupted loudly and more angrier.
“I don’t care… I’m using the same line of words you used on me and i repeat it loud and clear…I don’t care anymore Eziaku. You’re no more my business. Go back to the guy that got you better than I do… the guy that you respect more than you respects me, the one that t©uçhes you differently, care-sses and k!sses you specially than I ever would. As much as those things you said to me some minutes ago still hurts so badly I promise you I will get over you in no time. I did before you showed up and try to mess up my life after I reopened it again. No more… I’m very done and I’m not looking back this time. You walked out by yourself and refused every of my plea….remain out and do not come back to my house or to my life. Take your sharp ton-gue and annoying self to your special man that you are always busy on phone with and have alre-ady sle-pt with you after you denied me. I’m not even angry because of that… I’m angry because I foolishly allowed you into my life again and look at how you mess it up… worst than ever. I was fine… very fine before you resurfaced, I never wanted to give another chance to any one yet especially not you but you managed to crept in and devastated every thing in me. I’m really done… no more. I mean my every word…
I turned and started walking away.
She was saying something else and knocking gently for me to open but I no longer care.
Anytime she is tired of knocking then she can go.
She was trying to tell me that she did not sleep with any one after behaving and acting like she has a secret lover, smashing her phone so that I won’t see who she speaks with.
I don’t believe anything she says and like I have alre-ady made it clear that is how I want things now.
I managed to take my drugs that night as my head kept ban-ging.
The headache was just too much.
I finally sle-pt off until the following morning.
My Mom called around 6am
Why is my Mom calling me so early, hope there is no problem.
Or did she see me in her dream getting married.
I thought within myself.
“Hello…Mum, Good morning…is everything okay?
“Morning son, off course everything is fine. How are you doing…and how’s Abuja in general?
I replied and she continued.
“I’m still waiting for the well anticipated news but none from you…yet. Your brother and sister are in abroad now, you’re atleast the one close to us. Do you remember Amanda, the one I try to match make with you…her mother told me that she is alre-ady engaged and will be getting married soon. You asked me not to interfere in your relationsh!plife and I stayed out of it but as a mother I can no longer be silent. My darling son… what is going on…?
If I tell my Mom that I don’t care about women she will be mad and disappointed. Is too early and as much as I’m dealing with a whole lot I will find a better ground to dismiss her.
“Nothin Mom. I haven’t find my spec yet but I will someday but for now women are not my problem. But Mom st©p getting bothered because of me… I’m very much alright and at the right time it will happen. You called me this early because of this…? I was afraid that it was something very important… I’m glad is nothing to worry about…
She was obviously saying something to my Dad and I heard him say
“no matter how much you worry you can’t f0rç£ a grown man into what he isn’t re-ady for”
She put back the phone to her ear and said.
“Your father kept supporting you. I just hope it will end well for you because all my prayers on your head can’t be in vain. You will end up with a well behaved, nice Lady who is everything you ever wanted in a woman. God is alre-ady working on that and I know he won’t fail me. Beside this is not the reason I called… I’m flying down to Abuja tomorrow, and before you say anything is not because of you. My church has an outreach program going on every year and I wanted to be p@rt of it this year. They provided h0tel but I have alre-ady made it clear that I will be staying at my son’s place. Is just for two days… don’t worry I won’t worry you much over your pri-vate affairs. I just want to stay with my darlin boy for the period of the church program. You will come to the airport and pick me up tomorrow evening… Hope I’m welcomed…or should I go ahead and join the people in staying at a h0tel?
I g@sped out quietly.
“No Mom…I will love to have you around.
plea-se s£nd more details of your arrival time, the exact airport and other necessary info. I will be at the airport to get you”
She later ended the call and I breathed loudly.
I know what it intakes in having my overbearing Mom in the same house, breathing down on my n£¢k and preaching family to me.
She may even notice a sign of my black eye which was healing up and will want to know everything.
I will find a means to dismiss some of her questions.
Her program is just for two days, highest she stay for a week or so.
It won’t hurt to have my Mom around. Maybe it will even be a good distraction.
Around 9am, I heard a knock went to answer the door when I was throu-gh with what I was doing inside. The person kept knocking none st©p.
This was around 9am in the morning.
I was just finishing from getting dressed after freshining up.
The whole traumatizing moment with Eziaku yesterday haven’t left me fully but my mind was made up.
I’m totally done with women, I feel the anger su-cking throu-gh me anytime I flashed back to my whole saddening journey with them.
True Love no longer exist in my dictionary and I’m purging my mind from thinking about anything love.
I will live a neutral life and careless of the other gender.
They have knocked me to the ground enough and used me as footmat.
I gave that chance and a wi-de range room in my life and heart for them to toss and turn me as they wish.
Enough is enough. I don’t care how old I get I’m much more interested in my self acclaimed esteem and happiness that I seem to be loosing because of how much I try to plea-se others.
I love and respect my Mom, I know she only wants the best for me and her de-sires for me to settle down and have a family of my own just like my elder brother, is a fantastic idea but heaven can bear me witness that I have tried.
Anyone that thinks I didn’t try enough probably walked in a different size of shoe.
They won’t un-derstand anything untill they go throu-gh my ha-rd and struggling moment.
All that matters now is I’m totally done with them all.
Women in general. I can no longer deal with their excess baggages.
I know I’m not perfect but I try as much as possible to respect and value women in my life but they will rather throw me to a trash without a second look.
Look at Eziaku? The lady I love and value so much. She speaks with a ton-gue as sharp as razor blade.
I will sometimes wish she sl@ps me instead than say those words to my hearing.
Not only that, she denied me from tou-ching her and that caused a big rift between us that pushed me out to meeting Alisha
The so annoying p@rt is that she gave her b©dy freely to another man and then c@m£ back to ru-b it in my face.
“Women…!
I muttered outloudly.
“…Who’s there…
I asked but got no reply.
I checked throu-gh the security hole and a hand was covering it up so I won’t see clearly.
I opened the door and there she was again and my first question was.
“Why are you tampering with my security door check?
“I’m sorry… you may not want to open the door if you notice that I’m the one.
She said, her eyes was puffy, a little bit swollen like someone who did not sleep all throu-gh the night.
“But I asked you specifically not to ever come back here? Which p@rt of I don’t want to see you or have anything with you again that you don’t un-derstand Ezi? I’m very serious and I expect you to respect that and stay off. You ladies are bunch of trouble and I won’t be caught unaware again. Leave… don’t come back… I’m totally done…I said I’m done with you and women in general.
I turned to walk back inside and she st©pped me and began to speak.
“I blew h0t yesterday because it hurts really bad to know that you were with another woman and neglected me all throu-gh my period of trying to make things work. I was hurt beyond words and said lots of things that I later regretted. I’m sorry…I never got inti-mate with any man. And nob©dy called me at your place…i deliberately t©uçhed the ringing tone of my phone to make it ring, I bite you, smashed the phone because you will find out that I was only pretending and no serious caller in my list except customers and my school course mates. I have even try to move on after several cold feet from you but I can’t seem to. If it was easy with me I won’t be back here. I acted all of that yesterday to hide how I was hurting inside and to also get back at you for slee-ping with another woman…I..
I waved a hand to her face to st©p talking
“I don’t care, I don’t want to know… I’m not interested anymore. All of this information would have been very necessary if you stayed back yesterday and talk things throu-gh. I know I was a j£rk and was covered with guilt when I got inti-mate with another lady. I couldn’t move on without confessing to you of how much I messed up. You c@m£ and saw me with bruises but never showed any empathy…even little. Ok…I felt I deserved that and it was not just your attitude it was every word you said, even calling me a woman beater a liar and the rest of other God forsaken things. You walked out and then showed up again after about 20minutes to do what exactly…to tell me that your whole drama was your way of showing how hurt you felt. And now you are back..I no longer care or give a damn to whatever you say or do. Ezi, I’m never like this…is your gender and that includes you that ha-rd ened me up. You pla-yed a hvge role in that and I won’t tolerate or allow that again… never again. Don’t come back here Eziaku I don’t want to use f0rç£ on you but if you keep coming i will have no choice than to push you real ha-rd and it will be deliberate and wouldn’t care of whatever happens next. Leave and stay out of my house and life… Is over.
I turned to go back inside and she said.
“Okay…I will stay out of your life but I no longer have a phone and you promised to get another for me. Are you also going to walk out on your Promise to get me one… phone is not in my budget because I have school and other personal affairs to care about. plea-se…I nee-d the phone and I promise to stay away after then.
She was the one that destroyed her phone but i will get her another phone so that she can keep off from me.
“You should have thought of not having budget for a phone before smashing the only one you got on the wall but you were thinking throu-gh your an-us while performing your drama…”
She wanted to say something maybe to get back at me but decided to stay quiet.
“… I’m not going anywhere today especially not because of your phone. I will be out tomorrow and will buy the phone for you. Come down on Thursday and take it and after then I never want to see you or have you come to my house again…”
“I have heard you. You have said that severally alre-ady and I get it. I won’t bother you again… after collecting the phone on Thursday. Thanks anyway…
She turned and walked away.
I went back inside.
The following day I drove out in the afternoon to get the phone for her. After buying a good phone that was better off than her old one, like a goodbye kind of gift, I drove to the airport to get my Mom.
I drove back home with my Mom as we kept talking over other less important thing.
The guest room was in place for her arrival and so was everything in the house.
I fixed her a meal after she got refreshed. She was plea-sed to see my comfortable ap@rtment and wonder why I’m still single.
She also applaud my new car and wondered why I’m not married or in a serious relationsh!pwith my whole successful life.
I try not to reply as I listen to her talk on and on.
It was well expected and I was only patient.
She saw the sign of bruise on my face and asked what happened I said something different to st©p every other interrogation from her.
She prayed fervently with me that night before be-dtime.
The following day, i drove her out to the program venue within the day and was f0rç£d to stay for a session.
I’m glad I did because it was awesome moment in God’s pres£nce.
After the day program I drove back home and we arrived around 8pm in the night that Thursday.
I saw Eziaku outside the gate.
Who knows how long she had been waiting. She doesn’t have a phone she could have called.
I will go inside and give her the phone and she can quic-kly be on her way.
“Who is she…?
My Mom asked while looking at Eziaku.
“Is an ex friend Mom. Nob©dy serious…
I said it without a care in my tone but my s-en-sitive Mom wanted to know more but I choose not to say anything about it again.
We got in and Eziaku entered the gate and stood at one corner.
I started walking inside with speed so that I can get the phone out.
I heard my mum called her to come and she c@m£ and greeted my Mom respectfully.
“I’m Austin’s Mom… are you single? What is your name… you have been waiting for him right? plea-se come inside.
What do my Mom thinks she is doing now.
This is the p@rt of her I dislike
Why is she asking Eziaku to come in.
I hurried up before they will enter.
I picked the phone from where I kept it and was hurrying out again
Just when I was about getting to the door I saw my Mom coming inside with her.
She looked at me and said.
“, she told me that you have alre-ady broken up with her few days ago Austin…? Why… did she cheat on you….I guess not because Ezi like she told me is her name does not look wayward or such kind of lady. She is a decent girl and have been waiting outside for over five hours after you asked her to come but did not inform her that you won’t be around. Do you want to stay single forever Austin … why will you break up with a decent girl like this? I don’t want to know what the issue is but she is not leaving tonight…
“Mom… plea-se…I..
She shut me up
“Shut up your mouth Austin. I’m your mother and you will have to respect my decision because I will always mean well for you. Ezi has a good Dearing spirit and she stays until both of you sort your differences. Maybe this was the reason God wanted me to join in this year outreach because I have never wanted to go farther than Lagos until the program was announced. I’m glad I honored it this year.
I refused to be pu-ll-ed down and have anything with Eziaku or any woman.
“I’m done with her Mom and I’m very serious about it. I don’t want her in my life… there is nothing you will say that will make me have a change of heart. she should stay away from me… I’m tired of them all…”
“Why…? My mom asked and I did not reply.
“….I asked again why don’t you want her? What is her offense…if you tell me what exactly she did maybe I will reason with you and un-derstand the angle your anger is coming from….
she turned to Eziaku and said
….or Ezinne… did my son catch you with another man? What did you do to him that made him this angry…
Eziaku was quiet at first. She looked at me and saw how fierce and angry I was.
“No ma. I never cheated on him rather he was the one that…
She paused and my Mom alre-ady gr@bb£d what she was about saying.
“Oh… you mean Austin cheated and still have the nerve to break up with you? Where is the son I raised…I raised you well, to be respectful of others, in a Godly way and care about people’s feeling before ma-king any harsh decision. Can’t you see Ezi loves you, What happened to you son… why have you become so ha-rd ened over this lovely innocent girl…?
I looked at Eziaku and found out she was struggling with tears. She kept blinking severally with her face bent until she could no longer hold it in.
I was not moved.
Oby also cried her heart out while vomiting lies. Women are loaded with drama.
Eziaku’s tears poured down her face while my Mom was still bashing me with words.
Eziaku suddenly said.
“plea-se let him be ma. Is probably for the best…if he does not want to have anything to do with me then is okay… plea-se don’t f0rç£ him. I have alre-ady accepted the end of our relationsh!pI was only here to pick up something. He was the one that asked me to come today and after which I will never bother him again…I agreed ma and I won’t bothe…
Mom interrupted her.
“Keep quiet Ezi… wipe your eyes and don’t cry. I can un-derstand your pain and if Austin does not want you one of his unmarried cousin who is also doing well but based in Lagos is looking for a decent girl like you to settle down. Don’t worry you will like him… his name is Olisa. A very nice young man. my son is not serious and I’m alre-ady tired of talking over his issue. I will give Olisa your contact…I like you and want you close to the family Ezinne. If my son can’t see the goodness in you another will appreciate you better. are you not hungry because I am. Go to the kitchen and fix something for us to eat… after eating you can go and freshen up. You’re not going tonight… you will stay in his room… sleep well and don’t worry over anything because I’m right here with you…
I couldn’t stay still anymore I said to my Mom.
“She can’t stay in my room… where will I sleep? Or do you want us to sleep in the same room…what if we get inti-mate because I know you preach against that and wouldn’t want such or do you Mom?
I try to discourage her from letting Eziaku stay in my room tonight
My Mom began to laugh.
She later said
“Haven’t you been getting inti-mate before now? I won’t tell you what to do because you are grown. But, what I will tell you is that you’re staying in the same room with her… after all she no longer interest you and slee-ping together in the same room makes no difference. She is just going to be your roommate. A given chance also for both of you to talk things throu-gh but if there is no de-sires for that then just accommod@t£ her tonight. She won’t disturb you so don’t disturb her either. Is alre-ady late for her to go… the night is dangerous for a beautiful soul like Ezi to walk in.
She turned to Eziaku and took her by hand while they began to go towards the kitchen side.
I sat ha-rd on the chair feeling defeated.
Tbc