[Story] Deadly desire – S01 E07

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 7

Nicole sat opposite her parents in their spacious living room. It was well furnished. When Nicole made money, she furnished the house to her taste. She replaced the old furniture with new ones. She spent lavishly on the house. Overnight she became the darling of the family.

“I will be returning to Lagos tomorrow, I have booked my flight”

“Aah aah! Wetin happen to your motor?” Her mother asked.

“Nothing! I don’t want to experience the horrible thing I experienced when I was coming. I have instructed my driver to drive tomorrow but for me, I am taking a flight”

“Okay”

“You have been a blessing to this family my daughter. Because of you, I can talk when my mates are talking. God will bless you” her father said.

“Amen”

“Knee down make I pray for you”

Nicole went on her knees and her father prayed for her.

“As you be blessing for this family, na so blessing go dey follow you. You no go marry anyhow man. The one wey go love you well well, go come for you. Poor man go dey look you from far, but no go near you. That rich man wey God plant for your way, na him go see you. As I talk am, na so e go be”.

“Ise!” Nicole and her mother chorused.

Nicole thanked her father and left the sitting room to her room with her mother trailing behind. They sat on the bed.

“I think sey you go come with a man Nicole but I no see a man by your side as you come for your sister marriage”.

“Iye!(mother), it’s part of the reason I travelled down here. I wanted to have têtê a têtê with you”

“Enh!, Before I continue, who be that your driver?”

“Him name na Eghosa, why you ask”

“That man fit cause trouble for you”

“Iye! Eghosa na beta person. E sabi pray and he get boldness wey I like”

“Wetin I mean be say, e fit go challenge person wey pass am, and you go enter trouble”

“Enh enh!”

“Yes nah!”

“See Nicole, I look am very well and my mind tell me sey, him dey use juju. E put hand for something. Na wetin make am fit challenge that rain maker. No mind all this native doctor wey dey pretend like sey dem be pastor. Shine your eyes. If e wan give you problem sack am”.

“I hear Iye!”

“So when you go marry?” She asked.

Nicole sighed and looked at her mother.

“I want make you advise me Iye”

“Enh enh”

“Yes! You remember Nosa” She asked.

“That useless man wey give Itohan belle?, Who go forget how he disappoint you? Na God go punish am. E no go ever see better thing”

“Iye! E don do, Nosa dey suffer now”

“Na God dey punish am so”

“Listen! Somebody advice me say make I help Nosa to stand as man again…”

“Tufiakwa! God forbid, God go punish that person. Which kain stupid help be that, no try am at all”

“Iye, Nosa show me shege and I go do am back. I wan show Itohan pepper. Itohan know sey Nosa wan marry me, but she chook head put”

“So wetin you wan do” Iye asked

“I go help Nosa but I get my plans”

Iye gave it a thought and nodded approvingly

“Make she sef cry. All the cry wey I cry for many years, she go cry for one day”

“I like the plan Nicole. Na person wey laugh last na e laugh best oo”

Nicole gave her mother thumbs up. She brought out her travelling box and her mum helped her to arrange her things into it.

———————————-

Nosa and his family had already spent a week in Uyi’s house. Even though he knew Uyi was cheerful, he was grumbling. No one told him Uyi was trying to be accommodating. The mouths waiting for him were many. The weight of feeding was killing. That morning Uyi called him to eat but he refused.

“Why are you not eating”

“I am ashamed ”

“Why?”

“I am ashamed of myself” a tear drop escaped from his eyes. Uyi left his food on the dinning room and followed Nosa outside. When they had settled on a long bench outside, Uyi began.

“If you had bought my advise, you wouldn’t have been in the mess you are”

Nosa looked at him and closed his eyes, but Uyi continued.

“Nicole is your ticket out of poverty, all you need to do is ask her for forgiveness. You know Nicole is kind and……”

“That was years ago Uyi. She can never be kind to a despicable person like me”

Uyi laughed boisterously

“See, she has money but not married. That is to say, you have a great chance with her”

“And my wife?”

“Make her comfortable and she will shut her mouth up. She doesn’t need to know you more than what you tell her”

Nosa shook his legs and tap his feet noiselessly.

“Come on Nosa! I am not saying you divorce your wife neither am I saying you should marry Nicole. Just play your card well and get out of poverty. Tell your wife only what she needs to hear and limit what she knows”

“Hmmm!”

“Let me still think about it”

“When will you make this decision. Put your children into consideration”.

The one room Nosa shared with his family was like a cage to him. Several nights after Uyi sow the seed in his heart, he finally gave it a shot. He thought of his wife and children. He thought of the terms his children had missed school. He thought of all the good things Itohan had done for him, all the sacrifices.

“Aaah! My family deserve more than this”

Itohan woke up and looked at Nosa sleeping.

“You talk to me”

“No! Sleep you hear”

Itohan drifted back to sleep. He listened to her snoring on the bed.

“This woman has tried. For years she has been putting food on the table and I was searching for job”

The room was suddenly hot. Nosa left the chair to the window. He raised the curtains up. Instead of returning to the chair he carefully walked to the bed and sat. He looked at his sleeping children on the floor and sighed.

” Life isn’t easy but I am going to make it” He lay beside his wife and cuddled her. He whispered into the ears of his sleeping wife.

“I have taken a decision that will favour us”

He gently placed her head on the pillow. Nosa stretched noiselessly on the bed and slept off. It was a sleep where he dreamt of gold, mansion and dollars.