[Story] Ogechi & I (Complete Episodes)

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Ogechi & I
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EPISODE 1

Lying alone on a massive bed in one of the rooms in my father’s house, thinking about almost everything that was there to be thought of in the world, a weighty thought pressed my spirit so hardly that it spilled out what I would refer to as a ‘way out’ of the predicament I happened to find myself in as at that point in time. Having completed my National Diploma Program, I was unable to secure myself a job for nearly two years before I got a job as a software engineer in a computer firm in Eket, Akwa Ibom State. My monthly pay was good enough for a 20 year old who was still living with his parents and had no bills to pay. Three years later I resigned from the job and travelled to Ebonyi State in search of greener pastures which I foresaw, but it turned out I was too forward to see forever from yesterday. Everything I had foreseen became nightmares and daydreams, and I got very familiar with misery and depression.

When I had it up to my neck I decided to heed the advice of MISH, a singer from Akwa Ibom State who with the lyrics of one of his hit tracks titled; ‘AKWA IBOM AYAYA’ (Akwa Ibom is beautiful) urged Indigenes of the State to return home before they starved to death in another man’s land. My mother was over excited on my arrival, and her warm welcome almost wiped off the memories of my ordeal at Ebonyi for the past eight months, but I refused to forget even the tiniest detail of all. Though my mother was more than willing to house me until forever, I grew very uncomfortable with the idea of still having to live with and be fed by my parents at 24 years of age, so I tried all I could to become independent but it seemed like the more I tried, the more dependent I was. The first thing I did was to leave home to stay with an Igbo business man friend of mine who virtually fed me every day. Secondly, I turned myself into an OLX market where sellers would advertise their products for interested buyers to purchase, but it turned out that when there were sellers, there were no buyers, and when there were buyers, there were no sellers. So I resorted to selling off those properties of mine that were of little or no use to me which I had managed to acquire during the past few years. Whenever I sold any item, I would come temporarily alive until the money discovered from the sale was finished. Whenever I sold an item, I would suspend my friend from providing food for us and take over that responsibility to also show how capable I was and how independent I could be. But as soon as my wallet was dry, everything returned to the way it was, and for a longer time than any of mine ever lasted. Sincerely speaking, I was tired of all that and desperately needed a change. But what was I to do?

Many thoughts crossed my mind. I thought of fraud, which I eventually got involved in and made 10k barely three hours from the time I was introduced into the game. Walahi, if you’ve ever hit a mugu, you’ll despise even the highest paid jobs. To me, I had found myself a job that was gonna pay me enough to enable me measure up with my peers who were already swimming in the ocean wealth. But barely a week into the game, my boss committed a blunder that nearly landed us in the EFCC net. If not for the mercies of God, I would have been less than history by now. After then, I thought of hacking into a bank database to transfer some cool millions of naira into my account. So I subscribed to the Airtel Nigeria 4GB plan at N1,500 and started my research on how to hack into bank database. By the time I tried the first and second step I found in my research, which I wasn’t even sure if it was gonna work, my 4GB reduced massively to 1.7GB. Hmmm, na only God go punish Airtel oo. I spent approximately 30 minutes online and my data was over 50% gone? So I started wondering how long it was gonna take me to successfully hack a bank and how much I was gonna spend on data. I realized again that it took money to make money. And in this case, the money to be made wasn’t even sure to be made. I could end up spending my money on data for nothing, so I backed out and began to think of something new. The next thought that got into my mind was football betting. Seriously ehh, I no be football fan at all!! I have never sat down to watch a complete 90 minutes play except in cases where my beloved Super Eagles was the team playing. Even at that, 50% of my attention would be on the reaction of the people watching the match, and whenever Nigeria scored a goal, I would scream to the top of my voice G..ooO..aaA..llL..!!!!!!! Amazingly, I ventured into football betting and was as hopeful as a politician that I was gonna make it in that line because I saw an advert on Surebet’s homepage of a man who staked N400 and won over N7,000,000. Chai!!! My head scatter!!! What have I been doing all these while, I asked myself.

From then onward, all the money that ever came my way again went into my nairabet account for staking. I began studying football, and I did so more diligently than I ever did study any course during my time in school. Soon enough, I was known as a forecaster by nearly all my pals, even the ones wey don dey stake game before me. During my course of betting games, I discovered that I remained nervous for 90 whole minutes while a match I had staked my money on was ongoing, most of which never ended to my favor. So I settled for another option called ‘VIRTUAL FOOTBALL LEAGE’ where a match only lasted for 3 minutes. At least, this one won’t keep nervous for longer than necessary, as the result was determined at the end of 180 seconds. And I would keep making money every 3 minutes, but it turned out I was losing money little by little every 180 seconds. When the whole money was gone, I would sit in front of my laptop and stare at it like a lunatic who wanted to jump into the laptop screen to retrieve the money I had lost to football betting.
After that, I would take a very long nap to dissolve the pain of losing since I don’t do alcohol and weed anymore. Lastly, I thought of doing something tangible with my hands, but it wasn’t easy finding a job either, except I was ready to take on the ‘lowly jobs’. By lowly jobs I mean stuffs like security jobs, brick laying, and whatever I could lay my hands on just to make some money. Indeed I was ready to do so, but definitely not in Eket, Akwa Ibom State. That’s where I grew up for crying out loud! How was I supposed to do such jobs there after such a wonderful reputation I had built for myself over the years? I even got promoted to the position of a manager in the computer firm I worked with before I resigned, and all my peeps knew about that. During that time, I was privileged to interview and employ staff, and also sack staff. How could the mighty fall so low? Nonetheless, the fact remained that I needed cash and I had to do those things for cash, so a very intelligent thought entered into my heart. ‘Since you can’t do those kinds of jobs in Eket, why not travel to a place you are not known and do them until a mega opportunity comes your way?’ That was the thought that came into my heart, and I bought it. Yes!! That was indeed the ‘way out’ of the predicament I happened to find myself in at that point in time. But there was still a problem.

I needed money for the relocation. I had to rent an apartment at Enugu, which is where I had chosen to relocate to. I chose Enugu because I was quite familiar with the place since I schooled there. Raising the money was a major challenge, as I needed to make my move with nothing less than N100,000, which would at least be enough rent me a room that goes for N60,000, while the rest of the money would go for a little furnishing of the room, feeding and some minor expenses until I was able to find myself something to do, which I was sure to find in no distant time. Sadly, I couldn’t lay my hands on anything more than N20,000 which a kind hearted brother in my church gave to me after I had narrated my predicament to him. I knew that if I stayed back and tried to find more money to make it up, I would only end up spending the N20,000 that had been given to me. So I packed my stuff and prepared to leave for Enugu, not minding how far I could go with that amount of money in Enugu without accommodation. On a very bright Wednesday morning, I went to AKTC park in Eket, boarded a bus for Enugu, and off I went! About four hours later, I arrived at Enugu. I went out of the bus with my big school bag which contained all my stuff, walked out of the park and stood by the side of the road. First thing I heard was the voice of a conductor shouting; Emene!..Emene!..Emene!..Hahaha, Enugu, I DON SHOW! Not knowing where to go from there, I just started walking along Garden Avenue, hoping that thoughts of the next step to take would cross my mind in no distant time. By then, I was left with N17,250.

EPISODE 2

After I had walked some distance away from the park, I got hungry and stopped by a local restaurant to refresh myself.

“Madam, wetin you get?”

“I get Egusi, I get Dror soup, Oha and Bitter Leaf. I also get Stew-Rice, Ofe Akpu and Pepper Soup. Which one should I brought for you?”

“Give me Bitter Leaf.”

“Garri or Akpu?”

“Akpu.”

“Make I put how many meat?”

“A plate with one meat how much?”

“N400”

“Ha! Madam ee too cost oo.”

“My son ee no cost oo. Ee go bellefull you well-well.”

“The meat na today meat?”

“Na today meat nah. We no dey do carry over for here oo.”

“Okay oo, oya bring am nah.”

“Okay my son.”

“(Soliloquizing) Inside IMT campus, a plate of food was N150 back in 2008. I don’t know if it has increased by now oo. No matter the increment, if at all there is any, it won’t be up to N400. For what? Is that how much I’ll be spending on food? N800 for two meals a day? From tomorrow, I’ll be eating inside campus. And I’ll still patronize that my 2008 madam. At least she knew more than embarrassing me by asking how many meats I wanted because she know say I no dey chop meat.”

After eating, I stayed back to watch television until it was closing time and I left. I joined a bus that was going to New Heaven, with no exact destination in mind. When the bus got to Otigba junction I told to conductor to stop. I stopped because it is always very lively there and remains so till the next morning. What made that place lively were the hookers that normally hung around there waiting to be picked up by customers. I located a nearby bar and ordered for bottle water, sat there sipping the water little by little while feeding my eyes. That became a normal routine for me. During the day I would go to a valley by Ebano tunnel where water constantly flowed through an opening on the surface of the rock to have my bath. That place was more like a stream for the guys. Girls were only permitted fetch water and leave, and that only happened when no guy was bathing. If any guy was bathing, a girl that wants to fetch water would have to wait some distance away till the guy is through before being allowed to step in and fetch. The wonderful thing about that place was that there had never been a rape case there, even though the environment was conducive enough for that. Sometimes, there could be up to 20 guys bathing and just one girl waiting to fetch, yet, no guy would harass her. Besides that, every other thing you could think of happened there, from weed smoking to ritual sacrifice all went on there.

Meanwhile, I had not forgotten the purpose for which I embarked on a journey to Enugu in the first place, so I was busy trying to find what to do before I ran out of money since a place to freshen up and a place to spend my nights had been settled. One day I stumbled into a little café with some inexperienced workers. From the look of things, the café was struggling to stand and could not afford paying for the services of capable hands. I took advantage of that and offered to render professional service for whatever amount they could pay. They doubted my capabilities at first and brought out a typing project with they had at hand and told me to type. They offered to pay me N50 for each page I typed, and that motivated me a lot. Omor come see typing! After my JSSCE exams, my mother had enrolled me in computer institute, and out of all I learnt, typing without looking at the keyboard was the lesson I was most passionate about because I watched American actors do so in the movies and I so loved it. So when I had the opportunity to learn about computer, I took it upon myself to study and master typing. I became a very fast at typing, and as soon as I had learnt how to type, I stopped going for the computer lessons. Eventually, I worked with a computer firm where I acquired the rest of the basic knowledge of computer. So when I was given this very project to type, I shone very well. I typed 50 pages within 90 minutes and got N2,500 for it. Oh, what a wonderful day! They asked me to come again the next day, as there was still so much to me typed. The typing lasted for 12 days, after which I was employed as a full time staff with a monthly pay of N5,000 only. How I wish there was always something to type. That way, I would make more money to rent an apartment. Well, no problems. Half bread is better than none.

One of those days I did a lot at work and was so exhausted. After dinner I went to my normal spot and bought a bottle of water. I started sipping the water and feeding my eyes, but before long, I fell asleep on the chair I sat on. I felt a very soft hand tapping me on the shoulder. I could tell that whoever had the soft hand was trying to wake me up, but the softness of the hand made it seem like a massage to me, so I lay back and enjoyed it while it lasted. If that hand had continue to try waking me up in the same manner it started with, there would have been no end to my slumber. But after a while of trying to wake me up unsuccessfully, I heard a slap on my left chick and the soft tone of a gentle voice screaming; WAKE UP! Immediately, I woke up. I noticed everyone running helter-skelter. It seemed like there was chaos, and I started weeping. LORD, PLEASE HAVE MERCY ON ME! HAVE MERCY ON ME DEAR LORD! DON’T LEAVE ME HERE WITH THE ANTI-CHRIST. PLEASE I WILL GET IT RIGHT THIS TIME. JUST GIVE ME ON MORE CHANCE.

“What’s wrong with you? The gentle voice which woke me up asked.”

I didn’t even pay attention to it. I thought the RAPTURE had taken place. I was still weeping deeply and asking the Lord for mercy, and then the soft hand that had slapped me before did so again. Then I noticed that it belonged to a very pretty damsel who was squatting beside me as though hiding from something or someone.

“What is wrong with you? She asked again.”

“Can’t you see that the world has come to an end? I replied. The saints have been taken up to heaven by the Lord and the sinners have been left behind. Now we will have to suffer for not paying attention the commandments of the Lord.”

“I can see that you had so much to drink today. That’s the only reasonable explanation to this drama, said the girl.”

“What do you mean by drama? I asked. Or are you so ignorant that you don’t even have a clue what’s going on?”

“I should be asking you that, she said. The police are here arresting people and there you are, pleading for mercy and begging for a second chance. Better keep your head low before we are spotted and arrested too.”

“You mean it is not the rapture?” I asked with much excitement. “So it’s the police? Thank God!!!”

There was a great relieve within me that I even forgot the police were on operation and nearly screamed but the pretty damsel stretched out her arm and covered my mouth with her palm.

“Are you crazy? She asked. Do you want to be arrested? Well if you want to, I don’t, she said. Just wait till I’m out of here before calling such attention to you.”

“I’m sorry,” I said. And suddenly, my courage, which seemed to have left me temporarily returned, and I remembered everything I had forgotten.

“What is your name?” I asked her, smiling.

“Seriously?!” She exclaimed. “Do you really think this is a nice place for that? We are caught up in the middle of a mess and all you can do is ask my name? Are you really that drunk? I bet the next thing you’ll ask for is my number. Crazy dude!”

“Don’t take my wanting to know your name the wrong way,” I said. “I’ve got a perfect idea of how we could get out of here unnoticed by the police. You know if we keep hiding here long enough, they will find us.”

“Really? Okay, my name is Ogechi”

“Now ogechi here’s what will happen……………………………………….”

I devised a means by which we escaped to a nearby hotel where we hurriedly checked into a room.

EPISODE 3

After checking into the room we spent the first 7 minutes in silence, cooling off the tension. When we were both relaxed we continued with the silence, waiting for the first person to make a speech. Whenever I looked at her, she would pretend to be looking at something else to avoid making eye contact with me. And when she finally turned to look at me, I would do the same. So about 10 minutes more was spent in silence. Then I started talking.

“So how’s the hooker thing going?”

“What? What hooker thing?”

“Come on girl, I’m not trying to nasty or something. I’m just trying to make a good conversation here.”

“And calling me a hooker is your idea of a good conversation? I think I better get going right now in case you think you can just say anything to me because you paid for this room.”

“Oh no, you don’t have to do that! Okay, I won’t say anything again till we leave. It could be dangerous out there. You could have told me you didn’t want to talk, and I would just keep shut.”

“You don’t get it do you? I’m not a hooker!”

“Seriously? Then what the hell were you doing out there with the hookers by this time of the night?”

“This time of the night? It’s just after 11pm, and this isn’t my first time of returning home late. I return home after 10pm on Friday nights because my fellowship holds a prayer meeting to pray and commit the weekend into God’s hands. We dismiss by 10pm. And what just happened today doesn’t take place this early. For some reason it did today and I happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Thank God I didn’t fall prey into the hands of the police.”

“(Smiling) Yeah, thank God I was there to rescue you.”

“(Laughs gently) You’re not serious. And you, what were you doing there? You went to pick up a hooker right?”

“I didn’t want to tell her why I was there because of shame. After all, we’ll go our separate ways in the morning. So why should I begin to let her in on such information.”

“Not really. I felt so bored at home. I had been sleeping all day and there wasn’t any sleep left for the night. So instead of just lying on my bed like that, I decided to……..”(Ogechi interrupted)

“I know! You decided to go there and get yourself a woman to keep you company till morning. ooOOhH’ Guys!”

“That’s not what it was. I just went there to have a drink and then, you know, feed my eyes a little.”

“Oh yeah? You expect me to believe that?”

“Of cause! How on earth could a man who went to take home a hooker be sleeping on a rubber chair in a semi bar with a bottle of water in front of him? Haven’t you thought of that?”

“It’s possible you just fell asleep, or you could be waiting for a girl you had already concluded arrangements with.”

“No! None of that happened! Just like you, I was at the wrong place at the wrong time okay?”

“Okay, I believe you. (Turns away from me and whispers) wrong place at the wrong time my foot. (Speaks out loud) I need to take a shower.”

“Yeah me too. You go first. When you’re done, I’ll do same.”

She got into the bathroom while I lay on the bed waiting for her to come out so I could also get in and take a shower. After we both took a shower, I asked if she wanted anything to eat before going to bed. She didn’t, neither did I. There was no pajamas whatsoever so we went to bed with the cloths we had on. Before we went to bed we watched TV a little. She sat on the couch while I lay on the bed. It crossed my mind to switch and let her have the bed in case we slept off, but the bed was so soft and comfortable to lie on, plus, I paid for the room and that was the first time I would be spending the night in such a comfortable place since I got to Enugu, so I should get all the comfort there was to get. I was still contemplating on whether or not to make the switch when she stood up from the couch and turned off the TV. Next thing I heard was, LET’S PRAY. I said okay and stood up without hesitation. We held hands, sang some worship songs, and then prayed. After the prayer, she at once made way for the left hand side of the bed and lied down, not minding if I was gonna sleep on the bed or not. I wasn’t really sure of what to do, but I decided to lie on the bed with her, expecting to get an objection from her but instead, she turned and faced the ceiling, closed her eyes and said goodnight. Good night, I replied. I was so happy she made no objections because I really wanted to sleep on that bed.
By 6am in the morning I heard a tap on my shoulder. Wake up, wake up, she said. I stretched myself a little and went back to bed. Wake up, wake up, she kept saying. Then I woke up still feeling sleepy. What is it? I asked. It’s morning, she replied. This is just 6am; allow me to sleep a little more. Besides, today is Saturday and the pay for this room expires by 12pm. So relax. Saturdays was usually my day off from my N5000 job. I didn’t know about her but I assumed she would also be free on Saturdays no matter what her occupation was. If she had somewhere to go, she could go ahead and leave. Why wake me up? She got up from the bed and stood beside it, looked at me and said; LET’S PRAY. I didn’t say anything more. I got up and joined her and we prayed. After freshening up she wanted to make use of body cream but there was none there. Oh! She exclaimed softly. What is it? I asked.

“I can’t go out without applying cream to my body.”
“You shouldn’t worry about that since you’re going home from here. You’ll do that at home. Or will you skin change its color if you don’t do so now?”

“Stop kidding! I’m not going straight home. First I’ll go cash some money from the ATM, and then to the market to buy some stuff for the weekend. I might not return home soon enough depending on the queue at the ATM and the total time I might spend in the market. So I must apply cream on my body to avoid some stuff like that. You wouldn’t know. You’re a guy.”

“Yeah, right. You’ll have to go home then and do so before proceeding with you plan.”

“Good idea, but my house is nowhere close.”

I didn’t know what else to say to her so I just proffered a solution that never existed just to appear to be kind and concerned.

“My house is just close by. I would have taken you there so you could make use of my cream if I had one. As it is now, na only Olive Oil I get.”

“(Cuts in) That will do! At least half bread is better than none.?

“(My eyes wide open)What? Olive Oil? no no no. That is definitely not good for the skin”

“Don’t worry. It is my skin. I’ll wash it off before the day is half spent. I just need oil on my body. So let’s go. Let’s not waste much time. There is a whole lot more to do today besides going to the market. I also have to cook, clean my house and wash some cloths”

“Ehm…, ehm…, ”

“What is it? You don’t want to go now? If you don’t want to go now, just let me know so I can be on my way. ”

“(I stared at her, looking confused and then said); it’s not that I don’t want to go now o o, but eeh…..,,”

“But what? In fact, I don’t know what the matter is with you oo. I think I better get going. Thanks for everything.”

She made way for the door of the room and I rushed towards her, held her back and said; you see…, the truth is that I don’t have a place to stay for now. I just got into town barely a month ago and have not gotten an apartment yet. If I had known you were going to buy the idea of making use of the Olive Oil, I wouldn’t have mentioned it at all. I was just pretending to be kind and concerned. You don’t have a place to stay? She asked. How then do you survive here? I mean like, where is your baggage? Where do you sleep, where do you have your bath and all that? Wait a minute, you live in a hotel? No I don’t, replied me. That place you saw me last night is where I spend my nights. I then narrated everything to her and she took pity on me.

“So how soon do you plan on getting yourself an apartment?”

“As soon as I have saved up enough money for that, let’s say two months.”

“(She went into deep thoughts for a moment snapped out and said) I live alone. I can’t bear the thought of letting you continue like this when I can do something to help. That would be against my believes. But that will only happen if you promise to be of good character during the period of your stay in my house.”

“Haha, don’t worry girl, I can take care of myself. I’d rather sleep on the streets than in the house of a girl who will have me live by her rules. What do I look like to you? Your kid brother? Kill that! I’m a big boy, and big boys don’t cry. I’ve been in this position before and I survived. Thanks but no thanks.”

“Hmmm, I see your ego is getting the better part of you. I wish you would just understand that I’m trying to help. Come on, you’re a guy, and I’m even offering to let you stay at my place. Isn’t that strange enough? It could be a very big risk because I don’t know you and what you’re capable of. But none of those matters because I’m doing this for Christ’s sake and I believe God will save me from any danger should you turn out to be undeserving of this kindness. But I can’t path ways with you just like that after what you just told me. Allow me to help. Just be of good behavior.”

“I don’t need your help g..i..r..l. I can take care of myself. And I must tell you to be careful of the kind of kindness you show to people you don’t know. I could just be a member of an occult group seeking whom to kill and sacrifice to keep the money flowing, and then you show up like this with such offer? You would have succeeded in making things quite easy for me you know? Be careful! I warn you. You don’t know who I could be.”

“Whoever you couldn’t be last night, you won’t be within the next two months. Besides, if you were anything that ugly, you wouldn’t be exposing yourself would you? So let’s go.”

(After much convincing words from her, I succumbed. But I had already agreed to her offer in my heart the moment she voiced it out. Just that I didn’t want it to look like I was waiting for her to say that. It also amazed me that a girl would take a guy into her house to live with her without even knowing him. And that she said she was doing for Christ’s sake. Or could it be that she’s an agent of darkness looking for guys with bright future to destroy? Well, I’ll find that out soon)

“Seems you don’t want to let it slide. Okay, I’ll do as you say. And know for sure that I didn’t ask for this. This is sorely your choice. I’m just playing along because you said you’re doing it for Christ’s sake. I wouldn’t want you go against your believe.”

“(Murmurs) Egotistical fellow!”

“Say what?”

“(Sharply) Nothing. Let’s go.”

We left the hotel room to the ATM. She withdrew some money and we boarded a bus to her residence. You are welcome to my humble abode. I hope you find it very comfortable. By the way, where are you belongings? She asked. I came here with just a school bag and I keep it in a store at my office. I’ll go over there later on and get it. She raised her shoulders and said; ok then, let me prepare you breakfast before I head to the market. Thanks, I replied. She quickly prepared tea for me with left over bread that was there. While I was consuming the bread, she went into the bathroom with some set of creams and cosmetic. I wondered what would happen to her if she didn’t apply cream for one day. I used that time to survey the house she lived in. It was a self-contain. She had a set of electronics and a refrigerator in it, a bed big enough for two, a reading table and wall hanger. I wouldn’t know what she had in her bathroom and kitchen. This kind of houses cost a lot in Enugu, so I concluded she must be a rich girl. After a short while, she came out of the bathroom glowing like a diamond in the sky. I stared at her in an unusual manner, and she noticed. Immediately, she dropped those cosmetic in its place and said; I’m heading for the market now. See you when I return. Okay, I replied. She got to the door of the room and stopped suddenly, turned towards me and asked; I forgot to ask what your name is.

“oOhH! My name is Jesusboy”

“Like seriously?”

“Yeah, that’s my name.”

“Okay, enough with the joke. What’s your name?”

“I’m not joking. That’s my name”

“As in, that’s the name your parents gave you at birth?”

“Nope! I gave it to myself”

“And why would you call yourself Jesusboy?”

“Because Jesus is the one I claim.”

“(Kind of short of words for about 5 seconds) Okay Jesusboy, see you when I return from the market.”

“Okay, goodbye.”

She left shaking her head and smiling. I quickly got up to analyze her from the window. That was when I realized that she was a beauty to write about. She had long black hair, amazing curves and was about my height, probably my age. Her fair skin glittered at making contact with the light of the sun. Her slow and gentle steps made the guys around take a second, third, fourth and fifth look at her. When I noticed these things, I was glad that I was gonna be staying with her for a while. I watched her until she boarded a bus to the market before I returned to the breakfast she had prepared for me. I couldn’t stop thinking about her afterwards and couldn’t wait for her to return so that we could enter into some real conversation.

EPISODE 4

The evening met us eating vegetable soup together which she had prepared on her return from the market. While eating, we discussed about many things. My eyes were fixed on her face, as her smile made me want to tell all the jokes in the world. She treated me like a brother. She had no fear of me and attended to me as though it was her obligation to do so. I had never been in that position before. I only imagined it. Right then I found that there was a remarkable difference between imagination and reality. We finished eating and she took the plates away. The TV set was on, the sound of the ceiling fan could be heard clearly, and she was talking to me and laughing all the while. She was a very joyful being. But in all that made sounds in that room, all I could here was echoes of angelic voices miming to heavenly songs as she was talking. I wasn’t listening to her. I could only see her lips moving. The allurements of her lips almost led me to overcome my conscience and fears. Just then, my phone rang, and my brief mind travel ceased. I answered the call. It was my mother calling to check up on me. I told her everything I hadn’t told her yet except that I shared the same room with a girl. A very pretty one at that. After the call, Ogechi and I conversed a whole lot. I told her about myself and she did same. It continued until about 10pm when she asked me to join her in prayer, after which we retired to bed. (On the same bed)

The next day was a Sunday. We prayed and prepared for church service. She was a member of Christ’s Embassy. I followed her there. On arrival, almost everyone we came across stopped her to say a thing or two before letting her proceed. I became more like a bodyguard, having to wait until she was done with whoever she stopped to converse with. It seemed to me like she was really popular there. When we got to the main building of the church, she handed me over to a pretty female usher who took me in and gave me a seat. I didn’t know where Ogechi had gone to. I expected her to sit right next to me in that church. Soon enough, the chairs in my row was filled and she still hadn’t come. I got my mind off that and concentrated on the brother who was taking the opening prayer. Midway into the service I couldn’t still lay my eyes on Ogechi anywhere in the auditorium. When the choir was called out to minister their song, I looked, and there she was among them. She hadn’t told me she was a chorister. The choir director introduced the song and handed the mike over to guess who; Ogechi. She was the lead singer. When she started singing, first thing that stood out was her angelic voice which made its way at once to my body system to awaken sleeping cells and tissues. While the congregation was getting blessed by the lyrics of the song, I was all the while admiring and adoring Ogechi. She was simply awesome. Her uniqueness kept unfolding as the days passed.

After service, almost everyone complemented her for her performance during the choir ministration. I had to wait until all that was over. She introduced me to a couple of the brethren there as Jesusboy. They kind of marveled at me for bearing such name. And whenever any of them asked why I beard that name, I would say; because Jesus is the one I claim. Some of them would laugh to that while some others got short of words. However, they would all call me Jesusboy afterwards. They asked Ogechi how she got to know me, and she said; I met him two nights ago under an unseemly circumstance and he turned out to be a good acquaintance. I know that in no distant time he’ll be up and serving in one of the units here in church. She turned to me and said; right Jesusboy? Definitely! I replied. It will be my pleasure to make myself useful to the Lord in this great house of worship. They were all glad to hear me say that, and they commended her for bringing me to church. To some extent, I felt she was proud of me because of the speech I just made. I wouldn’t know since I never inquired.

In the evening that day, I wanted to hang out a little since I was already used to doing so every evening before I met her. I asked her if she had anything doing that evening and she said no. why? She asked.

‘I want to hang out a little. I was wondering if you would join me’

‘N..a..h., I’ll just stay at home’

‘Look, I know you’re reserved and all that. I also am, but once in a while you need to loosen up. And in case you’re afraid ‘What happened on Friday night might repeat itself, don’t be. I’ll be there to protect you if it does’

‘(She lay there on the bed looking at me without saying a word, probably wondering what made me think I could save her from the police) Don’t worry. Go ahead. I’ll join you some other time’

‘Come on Oge, it will only take a while. I’ll be so bored hanging out all alone’

‘Then find some girl out there to keep you company. Like you said, it’ll only take a while’

‘That would have been a good idea if there was some girl out there as beautiful as you are. A pretty girl like you by my side will give me a memory to hold on to. You never know what you might derive from this time out. Just come with me, I beg you’

She still didn’t yield to my plea, but as soon as I went on my knees, it was like I had cast a spell on her. I couldn’t believe that the girl I had spent quite some time trying to persuade to hang out with me just consented helplessly. As soon as I knelt down, she immediately jumped from the bed and said; I WILL COME WITH YOU. She said that three times without me saying anything. I was greatly amazed! I kept that in mind. That seemed to me like her soft spot, and I planned that I would use it whenever she grew tough. So I rose to my feet and thanked her for agreeing to come with me. She told me to give her some minutes to change into something nice. She went into the bathroom and came out in a red gown that didn’t go down below her knee level, with precious stones glittering all over the gown.

‘You look extra ordinarily gorgeous’ I remarked.

‘Thank you’ she replied blushing

I stood there for 30 seconds staring at her with a grin without saying a word. I think she loved the way I was admiring her because she smiled all through the time. Then suddenly she raised her eyebrows, clapped her hands a few times and said; ‘HELLOO? CAN WE GO NOW?’ I gave her my hand, she took it, and we left.

AT A SIT OUT

‘What do you care for?’ I asked.

‘I don’t know. Anything will do’

‘Okay. Waiter! Please get us two bottles of Legend Extra Stout’

‘Legend Extra Stout?’ She exclaimed.

‘Of cause! Thought you said anything?’

‘(Aggressively) Y..e..a..h.., but not alcohol’

‘Oh’ really? How was I supposed to know that? So now, what do you care for?’

‘You’re really crazy you know? I’ll take malt’

‘Waiter, please change of order. Two bottles of malt instead. And tell that mallam to bring suya worth N1,000

‘Okay Sir’ said the waiter

‘Thank you’

‘Why did you change your order too? Don’t you want to drink Legend again?’ she asked.

‘I will if you will’

‘I don’t take alcohol’

‘Well, same here’

‘Why then did you order for it in the first place?’

‘Because……..(waiter interrupts)

‘Here’s your order sir’ the waiter said as he dropped our order on the table.

‘Thank you. (Turn to Ogechi) So Oge, you never told me you were a chorister’

‘Yeah, it never crossed my mind to do so. But now you know. You have a problem with that?’

‘Absolutely not. On the contrary, I love music, as well as singers. Especially singers like you who can pitch high’

‘Great! Thank you. I wouldn’t be wrong to assume you’re a chorister would I?’

‘Not exactly. You see, I do music, but I’m not a chorister. I’ve never been in a church choir or music group before, but I’ve recorded quite a number of songs’ I said, feeling like a star.

‘Wow! You’re a musician! Small world! I’ve always dreamed of the day my church choir will start doing studio recordings. I look forward to the day our songs will go global and touch lives. We have so much to offer, and it has to go beyond the four walls of the church to the world at large. I just don’t know how soon that is going to happen. My choir director doesn’t seem to be as eager as I am to see that happen. And I’ll have to wait until he does’

‘You’re wrong. You must not be in a church choir to make that happen. You can always go solo if you are that eager to reach out to the world. Who knows if your choir director will ever buy the idea of getting your choir to record an album? Maybe all he wants is just to minister in church. I’m not certain about that anyway. But that’s a thought you should take to heart’

‘(Ogechi pondering on what I just said) It had crossed my mind to do so. I just didn’t find the right motivation’

‘It’s finally here isn’t it?’ I said confidently.

‘I guess it is. But I’ve never recorded a song before in a studio. It’s all going to be new to me’

‘There’s always a first time. Besides, that’s not what you should be worried about. You should be more concerned about the writing and composing aspect of it’

‘That’s the problem’ she said sadly.

‘What do you mean?’

‘Song writing is not really my thing. That’s the reason why I couldn’t do without my choir director. He writes our original songs, and I give melody to it’

‘That won’t be a problem. I’ll do the writing for you. It is a good thing you can create melody. And I’ll also assist in that, if at all you need my help at any point’

‘How come you can do all that when you’ve never joined a church choir or music group before?’

‘I’m sorry you may have to direct that question to G.O.D’ I said, feeling funky.

‘Are you serious about this or you’re just playing pranks on me like you did with the Legend Extra Stout thing?’

‘Of cause not! I’m serious. Like I said; I’ve recorded quite a number of songs’

‘I’d like to listen to your songs. If what you’re saying is true, then let me listen to them.

‘You still don’t believe me right? Okay doubting Thomas. My songs are all on the internet. I’ll give you a link to one of them. If you like them,
I’ll give you links to the others. Are you ready for the link?’

‘Just a second. (She reaches for her pus and brings out her blackberry z10) Okay, go ahead’

‘Okay Mister! I’ll do so before I retire to bed tonight. Let’s drink up and get going. It’s getting pretty late’

‘Alright Miss! Whatever you will, that shall I do’

‘You’re a really funny guy’

‘And you’re the cutest girl I’ve ever seen’

We stared firmly into each other’s eyes after I made that statement. It was as if I had dropped the bomb. The longer we looked each other right in the eye, the closer our faces got to each other’s. Oh’ my gosh!!! Was this really going to happen?

EPISODE 5

I got really nervous as the gap between our faces reduced to three inches. I saw this willingness in her eyes that made my eyelids want to hug each other as the motion continued. But out of nervousness, my left hand, which rested on the table between us mistakenly hit the glass of malt that was in front of me and it spilled all over the table. Immediately, we retreated to our normal positions, and the drink that had spilled on the table became the talk of the moment till we left.

Next morning belonged to a Monday, and I was up and prepared to leave for work while she was to leave for school. Ogechi was a first year student of Creative Arts in the University Of Nigeria. We bade each other goodbye and left to our different destinations. Before we left, she smiled at me and said; I enjoyed your music. It’s really nice. More grease to your elbow. Thank you, I said, and we left. Sometime later, Ogechi suggested to me that instead of continuing my education at IMT, where I obtained my ND certificate, I should apply for direct entry at UNN and continue there. I told her I didn’t want to spend more than two years in any higher institution, explaining to her how long Ive spent already after obtaining my ND. She went ahead to explain to me that if I’m taken into UNN via direct entry, I’ll start from year two and will only have to spend three years. Isn’t it better to spend three years to get a university degree than two years to get an H.N.D, considering the fact that more value is placed on a university degree? She tried to make me see reasons with her.

After many arguments, I consented, not really because of the B.A and H.N.D thing, but because I was going to become her course mate if I did. I studied Communication Arts at IMT, and would be admitted into the department of Creative Arts at UNN with the necessary steps taken. I had grown so fond of her that I didn’t want to be apart from her when I finally left her house. And talking about leaving her house, I was to leave after two months. But this is the third month since I moved in. She hadn’t said anything about me leaving. Seems like she had also gotten to love my company so much that she didn’t want me to leave again, plus, I was really of good behavior. On the other hand, I didn’t want to leave because I wouldn’t get the kind of treatment she was giving me anywhere else. There was another reason why I didn’t want to leave, but I hadn’t figured out what that reason was. I just knew there was. All the same, I knew I was going to leave some day, hence the suggestion she brought up ensured that our worlds never went apart after I left.

Ogechi got so concerned about the low state of my finances and offered to borrow me some money to start up any business of my choosing, so long as I promised to make refund on a promised date. I agreed to that, and got N100,000 from her, which she gave cheerfully. She really trusted me. I added that to what I had saved up and invested it in FOREX business. From then, the mornings met me in front of my laptop, and nights left me still trying to make some profit out of the stock market. The time I spent conversing with Ogechi reduced, we didn’t hang out often again, we rarely came together except we wanted to have a meal together, which we always did. I just had to make enough profit to repay her on time and also have enough left for me to become a big boy. After countless sleepless nights, I started making profit from the FOREX business and soon enough, I hit my initial mark and repaid Ogechi. Then my approach towards the business intensified.

It wasn’t quite long before Ogechi’s elder brother who graduated from UNN called in and announced his coming over to Enugu in three weeks for his clearance and some other things he needed to do before going for Youth Service. Ogechi was dull after the call. I asked why she was dull and she told me. I had only three weeks to get my own apartment and leave before her brother came in. Of cause everything was now okay financially. All I had to do was to find a good apartment for myself. I started my search for a house and found one after nearly two weeks. I paid for it and moved in without even furnishing it. My plans was to furnish it little by little after moving in because I didn’t want to spend more time at Ogechi’s house in case her brother decided to hasten his journey down to Enugu. Ogechi accompanied me down to my apartment on the day I moved in. The apartment was virtually empty. The only things that could be found in there were the ceiling fan, the carpet, wall hanger and the mattress. These were the first of the items I bought for the apartment after I paid for it. We both sat on my bed watching a movie (love don’t cost a thing) with my laptop. It was about after 8pm when she asked me to see her off. I urged her to stay a little longer.

By precisely 9:30pm when she was about to leave, the cloud changed. It was definitely going to rain. She had to pick a cab or board a bus before the rain started. We both went outside and waited for the next available bus or cab. Seemed like the bus and cab drivers also wanted to hurry home to avoid being caught up in the midst of a heavy out pour. We still waited for a driver that probably was still willing to do a little business before retiring for the day. Then suddenly, the skies gave way to volume of water it held and it met us right there. Apparently, there was no way she was going to get a cab or bus to take her back home that night. The only option we had left was to head back to my apartment, and we did.

We started running back home, but before we reached my house we had already been soaked by the rain because my house was some distance away from the tarred road. We stopped at the veranda and waited for some water to drain off our cloths before getting inside the house to avoid messing up the carpet. I took off my shirt and trouser and hung them on the burglary proof. I was left putting on boxer and singlet. I turned and looked at her, and she asked; what? You expect me to do that too? I’ll do that in the bathroom, she said. We went in afterwards and she hit the bathroom to dry herself up and all that. I heard her call my name from inside the bathroom. I answered and she asked me to get her something to change to. I had no girl cloths whatsoever, so I brought an oversize t-shirt that was given to me by my father and handed it over to a hand belonging to a body which hid right behind the door of the bathroom.

Some minutes later, she came out of the bathroom with her hair loosed and scattered. The t-shirt swallowed her but was a little bit above her knee level. I also got into the bathroom to get refreshed. On getting in there I noticed something. Not only did I see her dress hanging in there, her under garments were as well. She had nothing on except the oversize t-shirt I gave to her. On realizing that, my heartbeat increased. I had promised to be of good behavior, and I definitely was while at her house. This was my house for crying out loud. Does that promise still stand? Many negative thoughts crossed my mind. The more I tried to dismiss it, the stronger it got. Then it became like Satan himself had sent me a voice message from the depth of hades when what I refer to as; ‘THE STRANGE VOICE OF A DECEITFUL THOUGHT’ crossed my mind. This is the voice I heard in my head;

When the time comes, you will stop,
For now, you can go ahead and sin.

Even God knows you will flop,
So just keep the mess from being seen.

These sins take long to fill a cup,
So fear not God’s judgment, His mercy will always win.

If you fall today, God knows there were times when you were up,
So don’t panic, soon, you’ll again be clean.

Come on; take some time out from the top,
She eagerly awaits your arrival at her in-between.

It’s been forever, since anyone went there to shop,
So hurry! She’s already high on dry gin.

She wants to be harvested like a wild crop,
Ha-ha, don’t be amazed, it’s a thing in her gene.

Play her like hip-hop,
Forget the saying that God watches you like a TV screen.

After that finished playing in my mind, I rushed out of the bathroom with an attitude of determination and met her lying on the bed and scanning through the songs in my laptop’s music library. She noticed my unusual manner, sat up and stared at me confused while a song was still playing from the laptop. The look on her face showed that she perceived something strange about me. But she neither asked nor said anything. Instead she lay back on the bed like one who ran out of defensive measures, surrendering to an opponent that couldn’t be defeated. That action of hers provoked a powerful response from my body system and……,

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