[Story] Too late – S01 E11

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 11

Rosa got married at an early age, but within three years of her marriage, she encountered unimaginable problem. The man she married changed.

Jovita would beat the living day light out of her and then mess her up. One day she discovered that the source of her problem was Flora, her neighbour’s daughter.

Jovita made it clear to her that he was deeply in love with Flora. He brings her into the house and both of them pushed her to the wall. He married her and she bore him two boys. Though Rosa was living in the same house with them, she was not seen nor heard. Her voice was shut.

Then she discovered that for the first time in her marriage, that she was pregnant. He joy knew no bound. She endured the maltreatment from her husband and Flora. When beating was too much, she ran to her parents. She told her parents all she goes through but they advised her to stay in the marriage.

“You will gain nothing, leaving the marriage. Be thankful, you’re pregnant. Just focus on taking care of yourself and the pregnancy” she was told.

She returned from her parents home to discover that her clothes and certificate had been burnt. The only personal belongings was what she was wearing and the clothes in the small travelling bag.

Aghast! She screamed and confronted her husband.

“What is my offence?” She cried.

Jovita would not allow her talk, together with Flora, Rosa was beaten. She almost bled to death but for the intervention from neighbours. She lost her pregnancy and left the house very angry.

“I will deal with both of you” She told them before she left

Straight to Baba Ifa she went. She had known him since she was little. When difficult situations arise in the home, her parents always consult him. Baba Ifa saw her that evening and knew something was wrong. She narrated her ordeal to him.

“You would have come here since you started having problems in your marriage” He said.

“I thought my husband will change. He rumpled the love I have for him”

Baba Ifa’s thought went wild for a while.

“Let me bring him back to you” He said spreading his read cloth on the table

“I want to ask a question. Did Flora use any form of charm on him?”

“Let me ask the gods” He said and went into incantation for a minute.

“No!” He said firmly

“Then Jovita was just being wicked to me”

“Should I bring him back to you?” He asked for the second time. “I can turn his face towards you. Before you get home, Flora will be out of the house”

“No Baba! I showed him love like a wife should. He never took care of me. His attention was on my neighbour’s daughter.”

“Hmmm! Some men are like that. They value what is outside than what is inside. Don’t worry, let me direct him back to you, since he went astray ”

“No don’t bother. I don’t want him anymore. I want him dead. I want both of them dead. They treated me cruelly and forced my unborn child to suffer the consequence of their hatred for me. Let them die cruelly”

“Settled” Baba IFA said without hesitation. He went to work immediately.

Few weeks later, she heard that Jovita and Flora were crushed by a trailer on their way to a wedding ceremony. Rosa returned to the house, got the documents of the house and cars. After their burial, she sold everything and relocated.

Rosa no longer believe in love. How would one who claims to love you, treat you cruelly?, She often wondered. She didn’t feel any remorse for killing her husband and Flora. She had delve into relationships just for money.

“No man is worth my time or love.”

Marrying Stanley doesn’t mean she is in love with him. Baba Ifa gave her a charm. This was to enable her detect those who are wealthy. The last marriage she entered, she killed the man and claimed his properties. For her, it’s pure business, Baba Ifa is a beneficiary of her business marriage.

“If the wife or children of your victims are hot you won’t be able to succeed in your business” He had warned her.

“What do you mean hot?” She asked innocently.

“That is, if the wife and children of your victims and people who pray alot, we won’t be able to kill him”

“Ahhh!”

“Yes!”

“What should we do in such situation? ”

“Ensure that there is enemity between the husband his wife and children”

“That is easy” She said smiling. “How many wives pray for their husbands these days. Their attention is on their children or other things. I have been able to succeed, because the gates are opened for me to enter.” She said laughing.

When she moved into Stanley’s house, she sleeps uncomfortably because of the charms on her body. Chioma was always praying but now she discovered. everywhere is cold. She ensures that Chioma doesn’t praying at any given time. She gives her things to think about. She quarrels with Chioma so that she has no time to pray of read her bible. Chioma would cry into the night and forget about praying.

Now Chioma has successfully let her guard down. If Chioma does not give her further problems, She Rosa may eventually not kill her, but take only the properties of Stanley and abscond.

Rosa looked towards the door as Chioma entered with her two children. She wondered where they’re coming from. As soon as she saw them, she burst into a hilarious laughter. Surprised by the outburst, Chioma hissed and walked into her room, shutting the door behind her.

———————————–

Charles spent months in the hospital before he was eventually discharged. Each time he looks at his amputated leg, depression sets in. He would scream and cry in anguish and frustration.

While he was hospitalized. Karen was hardly there for him. She was always busy. The few times she breezed in from home to see him, he wasn’t impressed.

“Why are you dressed like this?. You are half naked” He complained.

She rolled her eyes and frowned.

“This is the way I like dressing. My boss likes it like this” She would say.

“No normal human being would accept this. You are not a prostitute. Be decent”

Annoyed, she would fume with anger.

“I better be going if everytime I come here we quarrel”

She would walk out leaving him confused and depressed the more.

When he was discharged, his parents took him home and took good care of him before he returned to his home. Karen was never home. She gives numerous excuses, why she is returning late or not coming home at all.

“So much work to do in the office. I will sleep in the office today. I need to travel with my boss…”

Karen no longer had time for him. Charles also began to notice that some of her things are disappearing from the home. He didn’t want to confront her to avoid more arguments. Charles was surviving with the help of his parents. When he was still hospitalized, his company was so cruel to send him a sack letter. The money he had, had gone into his treatment.

Weekends, his mum would come and stock his kitchen with foodstuffs, give him money and encourage him before leaving. Karen never dropped a dime or buy foodstuff to support him. One night Charles stayed up late, waiting for her. He kept peeping through the window. While waiting, he dosed off. It was the sound of a car driving into the compound that woke him up. Picking his clutches, he moved to the door to open it. He came out and saw a man kissing Karen.

“Stop it!” He screamed “What do you think you are doing Karen?” He asked, moving towards them with his clutches.

“Kissing my woman” the man said.

“Grow up Charles. This is my boss, my fiance now”

“But we are engaged, we are going to be married Karen. Is it because of the accident that led to the amputation of my leg that caused you to change your mind”

Karen laughed.

“You are no more complete Charles. I can’t present you to my parents. How will you take care of a gorgeous woman like me without money?. Please Charles, I appreciate all you did for me, but I am not born to suffer”

Charles stood speechless.

“Hurry up babe” the man said to Karen.

Karen walked past Charles into the house to pick her remaining things. Charles followed behind begging.

“Stay with me Karen. I love you so much. You’re the only woman I fell in love with. You’re the first woman I gave my heart to. Please don’t break my heart.

Karen kept mute. She removed her things from the wardrobe and threw them in a small box.

I should be angry that you caused this accident..”

“I did?. I didn’t know”

“It was..”

“Will you shut up Charles. Can’t you see that nothing good will come out of your life again? Who will help you?. Your parents are poor and you want me to die in poverty? No way! I can’t die oo” I didn’t come to Abuja to count bridges ”

She dragged her box to the sitting room.

“I have never loved a woman like I love you. Please, we will work things out. I will do anything to take care of you. You won’t suffer.”

“The engagement ring is on the table” she told him.

She dragged the box out and banged the door. Minutes later, Charles heard the car drive out of the compound.

Charles sat on the chair and wept like a baby. It was as if a knife passed through his heart.