tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18158817111083690342023-11-15T05:20:47.665-08:00'Mobola R.'Mobola R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01864402915112731422noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815881711108369034.post-52093100732881162882012-07-15T14:10:00.001-07:002012-07-15T14:10:37.712-07:00Wind in my hair<br />
Salt on my lips<br />
Taking in my mental escape<br />
This is my go to place, you know....<br />
The beach<br />
I hate the beach, but I love it too all at the same time<br />
I hate large bodies of water, but then again they give me peace<br />
My mental runaway<br />
Just me, walking right there on the water<br />
Wind in my hair, salt on my lips<br />
Aaaaaaah.......my escape!'Mobola R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01864402915112731422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815881711108369034.post-77073693410554198452012-07-15T14:03:00.001-07:002012-07-15T14:08:41.264-07:00Love doesnt live here anymore<br />
Checked out years ago<br />
Just uped and left<br />
Oh , but not before it, folded my things up in his bags and strolled out<br />
Like it was nothing<br />
Well, I kinda want my stuff back<br />
I have searched for love<br />
But he is so damn elusive!<br />
I have called the cops, hired private investigators<br />
look at me stalking happy couples<br />
Staring into their eyes for love<br />
Just to tell him, to please give me my stuff back<br />
Where is love?<br />
Please ask him ever so nicely, all y'all who have had a chance encounter with him<br />
All I want is my stuff back....'Mobola R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01864402915112731422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815881711108369034.post-84015581796800045882012-07-15T14:00:00.000-07:002012-07-15T14:00:03.688-07:00A cool November breeze<br />
gentle stroked my neck, tossing my hair back, ever so slightly<br />
The smell of wet grass at my feet<br />
I searched it out<br />
A huge sign to say Welcome home,<br />
This place, that I toiled for<br />
This place in my mind, built<br />
Come to reality<br />
This place so far, now I see so clear<br />
I search for the sign to say, Welcome<br />
<br />'Mobola R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01864402915112731422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815881711108369034.post-21913021262560500402012-04-10T04:34:00.000-07:002012-04-10T04:34:00.398-07:00Another post from way back when...<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">This is another poem from my old collection.... I realize now that none of my poems had names then....again, I dont know what inspired this poem, but it definitely glistened my eyes!</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Life is a tale</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">A tale told by a fool</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Its rather funny</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">we make wishes and hope they come true</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">but each time they do</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">The joke is on you!</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Or me?</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Yea, perhaps the joke is just on me!</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">I should just quit</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">This is like a drug</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">a habit I'm trying to curb</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Its pretty hard to quit a drug when you're the dealer</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">A tale told by a fool alright</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">I'm tired</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Too tired</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">To laugh, cry or show any emotion</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Here come the wall</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">The wall I spent so much time tearing down</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><strike>Why did you</strike></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><strike><br />
</strike>Cant let it come up again</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Cant</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">I'll fight this</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">To the end</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">I'll make this work</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Until, I'm finally happy...</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />'Mobola R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01864402915112731422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815881711108369034.post-47342454592541232112012-04-03T04:20:00.001-07:002012-04-03T04:20:01.339-07:00A note from a long time ago....<div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">On a recent trip home, to Nigeria, I found a bunch of my old poetry and short story books! Between when I was 13 years old and 17 years old, I found this poem in one of them and I have no clue who this poem is for, but I felt like sharing it any ways! Maybe I'll share more later!</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">It currently has no name, but feel free to give it one...</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">I think of you</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">And i think of all things, unachievable</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">I see your face</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">but I have to ask myself</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Is it really yours?</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Time and time again,</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">I see <em>them</em></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">and then I remember</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">a world of hurt and pain</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">I think a new story will begin with you</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">but it seems that in the end</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">I see too much of <em>them</em> in you</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">I like you</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">I really do</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">but i love myself more</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">and the pain that would be the outcome of being with you</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">I cant deal with</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Please dont beg me, or try to convince me otherwise</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">There's too much of <em>them </em>in you, the pain is inevitable.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">This may really sound selfish</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">But I've been drowning for too long</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">And I need to come up for air</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">I need to breathe</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">I need to live</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">......I'm so sorry...</div>'Mobola R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01864402915112731422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815881711108369034.post-86160821464552653362012-04-01T05:31:00.000-07:002012-04-01T05:31:00.220-07:00Onyx.................The End<div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">It felt so good to say the word, husband.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">We waved goodbye to our friends and family and left to the hotel.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Butterflies flurried in my belly, tonight was the proverbial night where, ‘<i>it was going to go down!’ </i><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Thanks to my best friend Ashley, the hotel room was fancied up with rose petals and candles and a sexy lingerie on the bed that would make any strong man turn to mush.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Everything was perfect.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Femi had to dash out for a minute to settle some little dispute between his best-men.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I used that time to slip into something ‘comfortable’.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">When he returned, I was sitting on the bed, smelling of lavender and cinnamon.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">He slowly crawled up to me and smiled.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“What a day it has been!” he giggled and reached across the bed to where I sat and tickled her.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“How does it feel to be Mrs. Daniels?” he stopped tickling and began to rub my shoulders.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘Breathe Bimpe breathe’</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> I psyched myself as new emotions suddenly began to engulf me.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Femi began to touch me and no matter how hard I tried, all I could think of was his step father, mentor, rapist old man.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">All I could think of was another place and another time and those words.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“<i>I know you want this, you beg for this all the time.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Femi pulled back and stared at me.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“What are you doing? What is it? Stop!” he yelled holding my arms.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“What’s wrong with you?”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“It’s ok, it’s only sex, you wouldn’t die, besides we are married now, so there’s nothing wrong with it!” he sighed<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Gosh, you are acting so weird!”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“I’m so sorry” I rubbed my head.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“It was…never mind” I sighed<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Let’s start again!” I giggled and got off the bed.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘I can do this!’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I tried I really did but like a deck of cards, everything began to fall apart, and quickly.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Before I knew it, I was yelling at him and saying things I didn’t mean.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“This is too messy” I sobbed.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Stupid, stupid, stupid therapist!”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">What was I to do now? I had no idea where he went.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I ransacked the overnight bag; my bridesmaids had filled it with lingerie of different shades and fabrics.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“I just need jeans, dammit.” I yelled at the open bag.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">At the bottom of the bag was a pair of jeans and tee shirts.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I quickly put them on and went in search of Femi.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Fortunately he wasn’t too far away. I found him just outside the lobby.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Femi, we need to talk.” He flinched as I placed my hand on his wrist.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Bimpe, don’t make a scene!” <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Femi, we’ve been friends for six years, please let me explain what happened.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">When he neither spoke nor acknowledged me, I moved to touch him again.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Don’t you lay your harlotry fingers on me!”He snapped <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Femi, please! For what it’s worth, just listen and make your judgements after.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">He chewed on his lower lip, something I’d only seen him do when he was really vexed.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I began to say prayers in my head, truly only God could save our relationship.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“I’ll listen.” he said, after what seemed an eternity.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I felt like I was being led to my execution as we walked into the hotel and took the elevator to our suite.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Femi didn’t look at me and kept his distance very much like the first day we met.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I felt like I had those stinky lesions all over me.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I invited him to sit with me on the bed, but he refused and chose to glare at me from the wall.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“I apologize for not telling you this earlier; I really wanted to, you have to believe me. I love you, Femi, more than life itself and it kills me that…”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Is this all part of your confession? I really don’t have time for all this Bimpe, I have called my lawyer and he should be here in thirty minutes, so please for your sake, get to the point!”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">His words came at me like whips. <i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">He called his lawyer? So quickly?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“My mother was seeing this man. His name was Mr Segun. He was really good to us. He paid my tuition as well as my mums. He cleaned us up and made us his family.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“On my tenth birthday, he made such a fanfare, oh my goodness! It was the best birthday any ten year old could ask for; I had princesses and bouncy castles and cakes upon cakes.”Tears gently coursed down my cheeks.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“I had fun!”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“That night, while I slept, Mr Segun came into my bedroom and took off my pyjama bottoms and demanded my innocence, as payment for his elaborate treat.” I paused to breathe, all this while Femi’s demeanour didn’t change, he continued to glare at me like a pariah.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“I begged him, I did. I begged him not to do it, but he didn’t listen.” I was sobbing now, my shoulders racked by grief, long hidden.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">As I opened up about that night, I began to realize that I had never really let my emotions out. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">In all my sessions with my therapist, I’d explained what had happened, I'd talked about how it made me feel; but I never once cried about it.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I suddenly wasn’t concerned about how Femi felt, or how he was taking it. I was suddenly overwhelmed by my sudden vulnerability.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">For the first time in my life, I wasn’t the strong, all mighty, Superwoman. I was a hurt woman, a woman acknowledging her weaknesses and so I sobbed like a little girl.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Femi peeled himself off the wall and held me in his arms.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“You should have told me all of this, Bimpe. How can I claim to love you, and not love your weaknesses too?”He gently rubbed my back.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“That’s not all; there’s more” I said between sobs.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Excuse you?” he backed away.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I was about to tell him the rest when the phone rang.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Femi rushed to pick it up, looked at me frowned and then mumbled something into the receiver.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Femi, remember the day I was to meet your father, and I passed out?”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Yea, what has that got to do with what’s left of your story?”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">There was a gentle tap at the door.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Hold that thought.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Femi opened the door and all I wanted was for the floor to open up and swallow me whole.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Femi, what’s going on here?”His lawyer demanded.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“First you call me to bring annulment papers, with your marriage barely a day old and then I come and meet your bride, with puffy eyes and a runny nose?”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Surely this is not how I raised you, son?”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Femi bowed his head and rubbed his temple.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“It’s not what you think, Dad.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I bit my lip and patiently waited for Femi to dismiss his father, so that I could explain the rest of the story, but Mr Ola was going on and on in what seemed to me to be a self righteous rant.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Femi, have I not exemplified how a man ought to act?”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“I am highly disappointed in…”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Oh shut up!”I leapt off the bed.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Who are you to pass judgement? Self righteous, pompous, bag of shit that you are!”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Bimpe!”Femi gasped.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I chuckled to myself and even though warning bells went off in my head, I couldn’t be bothered.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">For years, I had rehearsed what I'd say to the beast when I saw him and the moment was ripe for the taking.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“You devil from the pit of Hades!”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Bimpe, do you realize who you’re talking to?”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Yes.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Yes, Femi, I’m talking to the man who raped me when I was ten.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Mr Segun, is the same as Mr Folarin Olusegun Ola, your lawyer and father!”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">The words seemed to reverberate across the room.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“The hell are you saying, Bimpe?” Femi shook his head, as if to take my words out.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“What the hell are you saying?”He slapped me so hard, I toppled over the bed.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Mr Ola’s face sank as though he was staring at a ghost.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Ask him! Ask him! Ask the devil and let him tell you that I’m lying!” I held my cheek in pain and screamed.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“No, this cannot be true.” He paced the room.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Dad?”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Femi, I’ve changed! I’m no longer that man.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“It’s a lie! Father, did you…” Femi held his head and wailed.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“I’m so sorry, Bimpe. It was the devil! I swear! I don’t know what came over me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I laughed so hard my chest hurt.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“The devil?” I chuckled to myself.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Femi on the other hand grabbed the man by his Agabada and shook him so hard, I thought his neck was going to snap.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“She was freaking ten years old, sir!”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“How could you do that to her and just continue living?”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">As I watched father and son argue it out, one sobbing, one insanely vexed.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I began to recall all my mother and therapist had taught me, including something from a Tyler Perry movie.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">The character had said, “You know, you’ve truly forgiven someone and let go, when you see them in need of help and you freely help.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I stared at Mr Ola, as Femi shoved him up the wall and yelled at him and something opened up in me.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Stop it! Both of you! Just shut up!”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“You stole something from me, but I can’t continue to blame you for the rest of my life. I have spent years, not growing because I have held on to the hurt you created.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“And just when I was beginning to find happiness, you crept in again and stole it from me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“If I had a gun or a knife right now, I would plunge it into your heart, without a moment’s hesitation.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Femi stared at me like I'd grown horns.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“However, it still wouldn’t change what’s happened.” I wiped tears from my eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“I swear to you Femi, I’m sincerely sorry for keeping all of this away from you. I should have trusted our relationship and our friendship and if you take me back, I promise never to keep anything from you.” I knelt at his feet.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Bimpe, please get up!”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“I’ll be honest and let you know that I don’t know how to take all of this.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“First you tell me that you were raped, and then you say my father raped you. It’s too much to take in one day.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“My father has been everything to me, you know this!” He began to pace the room again.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“This is too much pressure on me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“One thing I do know is that I never want to see this man ever again.” <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Femi, Bimpe, I am eternally sorry. I have caused you enough pain and I agree with Femi, I think its best that I stay away from you both.” Mr Ola, wiped tears from his eyes and left us alone in the room.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I sat on the bed, waiting for Femi to say or do something.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“I’ve known you for about six years and I have had some time to think about everything you’ve said.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“I have concluded that keeping all this stuff from me, must have killed you and now that I know who hurt you, it makes even more sense to me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“However, I don’t think I can accept you as my wife; not right now and not under these circumstances.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“I’m looking at you now, and I can’t get over the fact that my father, the man I most respect in the entire world, raped you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“I’m sorry, Bimpe.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Maybe we can try to work this out, but I definitely need some space from you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">He walked up to me and kissed my forehead and left.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I held my head in my hands and wept.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">My heart felt like it was being wrenched out o my chest with no regard for any organ in its way.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I wept for my ten year old self, my soon-to be divorced self, and for my broken heart.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I wept till I had no more tears and no more strength.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Crawling under the sheet, alone on my wedding night, I sighed.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">For the first time in my life, I was Bimpe, unravelled, weak, alone, but free!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div>'Mobola R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01864402915112731422noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815881711108369034.post-38424914741657603322012-03-22T05:29:00.000-07:002012-03-22T05:29:00.561-07:00Onyx.................Part III<div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I remember the day. I was in the process of making dinner when Femi called and said that his Step father was town and wanted desperately to meet the lady in his life.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I was nervous and excited and petrified to cook for ‘the family’.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Femi had told me about this man. He wasn’t Femi’s birth father, but then again, according to Femi, his birth father wasn’t worth the mention.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">This man had paid for Femi’s education and mentored him, it was clear that Femi adored him.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I wanted to meet the man, who had made this man up just for me.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">We showed up at the hotel’s restaurant and when <i>the man</i> walked up to us; I passed out.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">For years Femi told me that the man’s name was Mr Folarin but when I walked into the restaurant, Mr Segun stood in front of me with his palm outstretched.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Bimpe, are you okay?” Femi dabbed my forehead with the damp cloth.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I stared at him hoping that I’d been mistaken and it was some bizarre resemblance to the man I once knew.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“What happened?” <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“My uncle was about to shake your hand when you fainted.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Are you alright?”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Femi, what is your uncle’s name?”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Mr Adefolarin, I thought I told you this before?”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“I mean, what is his full name?”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Femi frowned, “Adefolarin Olusegun Ola.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I sighed deeply when he said the last names.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Bimpe, whats wrong?”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“I must have had him confused with someone else.” I lied.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">How was I to explain to him that the man he most respected violated and took from ‘me’ away from me?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Where is he?”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“He had to leave for an urgent meeting, but he’ll be back later tonight. Do you think you’ll be up to it, then?”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“I don’t think so Hun. I think it’s that time of the month” <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Femi frowned again, “Bimpe, your cycle just ended a week ago.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“I know, but sometimes it comes twice, in one month. It’s weird I know.” I forced a smile.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I definitely need to make an appointment with my therapist.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">If Mr Segun was Femi’s father, he’ll constantly be in our lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“It’s such a shame; I really wanted you to meet him.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">The fake smiles were beginning to make my cheeks hurt.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Some other time, I promise.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Let’s order something and watch a movie at home then.” He smiled.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I was waiting at my therapist office as early as 8am.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Bimpe, you must really be distressed, my office isn’t open until 9am!” she laughed when she drove in at 8:30.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“It’s the worst that could happen, doctor.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">She took out her pen and notepad and urged me to begin to share.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I explained how I had bumped into my nightmare and how much I wanted to tell Femi, but I didn’t know how he’d react.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Sharing made me feel a lot better but didn’t absolutely remove my concerns.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">My therapist advised me not to tell him, perhaps after we have been married for a while and when Mr Ola has passed away.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">According to her, telling him something like that would not only ruin him, emotionally but whatever affections he has for me will suffer as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I had some doubts and thought it best to just tell him anyways but after her advice, it seemed wiser to just sweep all under the carpet.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">We talked about the awkwardness of being with Mr Ola and all the upcoming encounters.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I was very convinced that he couldn’t remember me, or maybe he did in the sense that he knew he raped a ten year old girl, but he didn’t realize that I was that ten year old girl.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">A lot of people said I looked more like my late father than my mother. I was much taller than she was and maintained a slim physique where my mother was a little chubby; I wore my hair short, just beneath my ears.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">My therapist agreed and advised that mum-was-the-word; if he didn’t say anything, neither should I.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">To be quite honest I though her advice was quite desperate, but then again, Femi and I had been together for six years and I felt what we had was worth preserving.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">As fate and Cupid would have it, Femi proposed a month later in the most romantic manner ever.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Warning bells went off in my head but I said yes anyways.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">During one of our marriage counselling classes the Pastor had asked us to share our deepest darkest secrets; so that our relationship would grow stronger.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">In retrospect that day would have been mighty awesome to tell him the truth but I clamped my lips shut and just smiled endearingly as Femi shared that he had slept with over ten females, including a mother and daughter and twins.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">We prayed about it and our relationship did grow stronger, but I never breathed a word of what transpired between his father and I.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">We met with Mr Ola on several occasions and I was more than convinced that the man had no clue who I was.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">It burnt me, to see him smile and laugh and enjoy life like he had not stolen in his past, like he had not killed in his past, like he had not raped me.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">During our dinner dates, I found myself often holding on to the carving knife a little too much and daydreaming a little too long.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I admit, I really shouldn’t have gone along with the bells and whistles of marriage or the wedding, fully knowing that I had skeletons in my closet.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">My wedding day was wonderful.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">It was more than a princess could wish for and right before my husband and I were whisked away into the honeymoon of our dreams, my mother grabbed my arm and pulled me aside.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Bimpe, I think I just saw Mr Ola.” I could see a mix of fear and anger in her eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“I know, he’s Femi’s <i>mentor</i>” I said, lacking a better word.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">My mother’s face fell,” you knew this and still married the man! He’s a monster Bimpe, just like his <i>mentor”</i> she made air quotes.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Mum, I know Femi and he is nothing like Mr Ola.” I replied a little too sharply.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Listen to me Bimpe, when I was dating Segun, it wasn’t written on his forehead what kind of horrible monster he was, in fact if anything he was sweet and kind and..” she stopped mid sentence, suddenly getting upset.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Bimpe, I think you need to call this entire thing off! Get this marriage annulled and walk away!”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Femi isn’t like that, trust me, I know what a beast is and Femi is not.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">She looked deeply into my eyes and sighed,” If that’s what you want, then so be it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I smiled and took her hands in mine compassionately, “You have been there for me mum, through a lot of nonsense. Remember that guy I was dating in my second year, Andrew?”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">We both laughed.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Andrew was a mess, an accident waiting to happen. His temper could shame ten demons. Thank God I found out quickly before he smashed my head with a rock!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“I promise you mum, everything is going to work out perfectly.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">She seemed unconvinced and about to ask another question but smiled instead.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Run along and have a wonderful wedding night!” she winked.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">With joy in my heart I picked up my dress and went in search of my husband.<o:p></o:p></span></div>'Mobola R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01864402915112731422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815881711108369034.post-80303789686279902232012-03-13T05:28:00.001-07:002012-03-13T05:28:00.731-07:00Onyx.................Part II<div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The beginning.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Meeting Femi was unbelievable. It was the most awkward meeting you can imagine, embarrassing as well, but definitely awkward.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">My friends and I had travelled up to the swamps for research purposes, unfortunately for me, on our last day, I brushed up against a viral tree and was totally consumed with lesions and rashes and had to be rushed to a hospital.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Of course, my regular doctor had to be out of town and not only was a cute doctor assigned to me, he just had to be Nigerian as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">With my partially swollen eyes, I drank in the handsomeness that Dr Femi was.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Nurse, please seal her off in a private ward, I don’t want her stinking up the entire hospital.”</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Those were his first words to me and before I got the chance to have a crush on him, his big mouth ruined it all.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I actually had good retorts for him, but my lips were the size of ripe bananas and no matter how hard I tried to speak, it all came out as muffles.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Ma’am, please stop trying to speak, you’re only going to make it worse.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Doctor, how long would it take all the rashes to go away?”My friend, Ashley asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“About a week; I’ll get a dermatologist in here to see her as well, but a week should do it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Hang in there Bimpe. I’d hold your hand but the Doctor says I can’t.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">It did take a week, with a lot of baths and lotions and IVs, but even I had to admit that my skin had never been as smooth and silky in all my life as it was when I was completely healed.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Hello there, Bimpe.”Femi walked in glancing at my chat and smiling.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">After his comment on my then terrible odor, all my possible ‘love’ had gone; but his smile could melt ice though.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“You are absolutely free to go! Your friend, Ashley called in and wouldn’t be able to pick you up, something about an emergency; she called a taxi for you and has paid for it, so you should be okay!” he flashed another smile.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Thanks” I smiled in return.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Doctor, I don’t have anything to wear.” I pointed at my hospital gown.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“I assume the clothes I came in have been thrown out or burnt.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">He frowned for a minute and then simply walked away.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I sighed; I didn’t even have slippers to leave in.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Femi was back in minutes with what appeared to be half of a department store.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“I didn’t know what you’d prefer, so I just got them all!”He shrugged.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Thanks, that was very sweet of you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“I’ll just take what I need to get home so that you can return the others, I’m sure this cost you a fortune.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I knew it didn’t cost a fortune; most of the items were jerseys from the clinic bookstore.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Actually Bimpe, Ashley could make it, I asked her if I could drop you at home instead, that’s only if you don’t mind!”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I hid a smile as I looked through the bags for the best fitting clothes.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“I guess there’s no harm in that.” <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“May I have a minute to change please?”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Sure.”he stepped out into the hallway.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The ride from the hospital to my house was the most bizarre moment in my life. Id seen people fall in love on TV and I’ve been quite cynical about it, but here was love at my very doorstep.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Cupid had chased me, tackled me and was making sure he shoved enough of those arrows into my heart that I wouldn’t be mistaken.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Femi was so easy to talk to, and even though while I was covered with lesions I hadn’t noticed, but he had the perfect sense of humor.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">It felt like I was talking to an old friend and I didn’t want to stop.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">So when we got to my apartment, it only felt natural that I’d invite him in for lunch, to know him better.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Dr. Femi wouldn’t have any of it, he insisted on cooking for me, and making sure I just relaxed and recuperated like a good patient.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Ah Cupid got me!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">We ate, we laughed and we became friends.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Just friends, we didn’t start dating until a year later, when we were sure that we had fallen in love with each other a long time ago and had fulfilled the formalities.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Our dating led to courtship and the relationship was respected with a holy reverence.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Not only would Femi not demand intimacy from me, he didn’t ‘tempt’ me either.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I recall the day I saw him in the shower, naked to the glory of God he was!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">It took all of me not to jump in there and ‘express’ the deep love I had for him.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I couldn’t not only because I knew Femi wouldn’t let me, but because, Femi assumed that the reason I abstained for physical intimacies was for religious purposes and that I was saving myself for our wedding night.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">This wasn’t true.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I had nothing of ‘myself’ worth saving. The surprise had long been removed from the package.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">When I was ten, my mother was dating this man; he was a lawyer a very successful lawyer, Mr Segun Ola. He was good to my mother, who at this time had never seen a good thing in her life.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">He cleaned her up in every sense of the word. Educated her, took us on vacations, he was the perfect man in her eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Mr Segun demanded nothing from my mother, he only gave to her. He always said that all he ever needed she already gave to him.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The meaning became apparent when on my tenth birthday; he crawled into my room in the middle of the night and collected his ‘reward’.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Have I not been good to you and your mother?” he growled, pulling at my <i>jammies.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Yes uncle!” I wrestled with his strong grip on my pyjama bottoms.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Strike one! He smacked my hand away from the pants and pulled them all the way down.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Everything in my mind, body and soul, screamed in alarm.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Strike Two.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Idiot! Are you trying to wake the entire house?” he punched me, smack in the face.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Blood trickled from my burst lip, my mouth filled with blood from a burst gum.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">It tasted acidic and salty.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Uncle please, I have been a good girl, don’t beat me!”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">He laughed then, heavy grunts and sighs as though it was funnier but he was attempting to hush himself.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“You enjoyed your birthday party, didn’t you?”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Tears welled up in my eyes and fear choked me. I was too scared to say yes, because then he’ll demand recompense and if I say no, I’ll be ungrateful and be punished anyways.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“I know you did! I saw you dancing and eating cake!” <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I frowned, what had that got to do with him on top of me.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">His sweaty body pressed up against mine was becoming really heavy.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Uncle, thank you for the party, but you’re heavy and you’re making me uncomfortable.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">He groaned strangely.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Yes thank me!” <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">And just before I could utter my thanks once more, the most incredible pain rocked my body.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I screamed, it didn’t matter that his huge hands grabbed my throat and shook me till I thought I had died.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Death would have been a pleasure in comparison to what was happening to me at that moment.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">He kept talking, whispering in my ears, at that moment, I couldn’t make it out, but years later those words would play over and over again, those words would cause nightmares and panic attacks.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Mummy!” I screamed.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">This time he covered my mouth with his palm.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">He heaved and grunted, forcing and shoving, smacking me when I made too much noise, until he was satisfied.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">The room smelt funny. A smell I’d never forget.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">He picked up my pyjama bottom and wiped himself with it and tossed it at me.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Happy Birthday!” he winked and walked out.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">He took all of me in a wink.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">That was all I got, one shut eye, a gesture of an agreed familiarity.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I didn’t move, I didn’t want to breathe even.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I decided to lay there until my mother came for me in the morning.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">When she did, she met me with a swollen face, legs apart with a pool of dried blood and my bottoms laying on my belly.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Oh my God!”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Segun!” she screamed<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“No mummy, not him! He did this.” I sobbed.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">She shook her head and tears began to well in her eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“No. stop lying.” She screamed.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Stop lying.” She sobbed.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“He did. He came in last night.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I could see my mother calculate it all and the revelation dawn on her.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Segun.” She slummed to the floor and wept.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I later learnt that he was charged and take to court, but he had a lot more money than my mother and there was only so long she could drag him to court, after a while she gave up.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">His lawyers sent her an enormous cheque, saying that Segun was innocent and he still loved us both and wanted me to get the best.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I forever wish that my mother tore up that cheque, because now, I feel like all that I have become, is payment for my tenth birthday.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I’d had to see psychotherapists and counsellors to get some of me back.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">I had to do a lot of healing exercises to get to forgive him, but having never had an intimate encounter with a man, I never quite realised what was left to be healed.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">My relationship with Femi was blissful and I psyched myself to tell him everything and let the consequences be damned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>'Mobola R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01864402915112731422noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815881711108369034.post-51342606860896642932012-03-07T05:26:00.001-08:002012-03-07T05:26:00.158-08:00Onyx.................Part I<div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span lang="EN-US">“What a day it has been!” he giggled and reached across the bed to where she sat and tickled her.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘How does it feel to be Mrs. Daniels?’ he stopped tickling and began to rub her shoulders<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘I am loving every minute of it, even though it’s only been for 6hours’ she laughed back<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">He slid his palm down the small of her back to her waist and she seemed to jerk at his touch<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘Are you ok?’ he whispered into her ear<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘Yea, I, sure’ she stuttered.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">He chuckled, ‘I understand, it’s your first time. I promise, I will take things slow.’<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">She let out a nervous laugh,’ I trust you, honey’<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Are you sure you are okay, you are shaking!’ he laughed again<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘It’s ok! I promise, its, happiness, excitement’ she laughed forcibly.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">He kissed the back of her neck, whispering sweet romantic nothings to her.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">She seemed to recoil at his advances, but he continued, passing it off as her nerves.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> She flexed her shoulders to throw him off but he didn’t stop. She shifted a bit, to push him away, but each time she shifted, he followed<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">He was crowding her space. Somewhere in her head, flashes, memories from a time way back, images suppressed. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">She kept repeating to herself,<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘<i>He is different, he is your husband, it’s ok</i>’ But she couldn’t shake it off<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">He slid his palm up her lingerie, and suddenly, it was as if she was ten again, she couldn’t see him, she couldn’t see the face of the man she had just married but the man who hurt her, the one who forced, who hit who…<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“What are you doing? What is it? Stop!!’ he yelled holding her arms<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“What’s wrong with you?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘ It’s ok, it’s only sex, you wouldn’t die, besides we are married now, so there’s nothing wrong with it!’ he sighed<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Gosh, you are acting so weird!’<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“I’m so sorry’ she rubbed her head<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘It was…never mind’ she sighed<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘Let’s start again!’ she giggled and got off the bed<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">He shook his head and chuckled again,’ whatever you say, ma’am!’<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">He got off the bed, walked up to where she stood and lifted her<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘What do you think you are doing?’ she laughed again<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">He laid her on the bed and placed his finger on her lips to hush her.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘You said to start again’ he said and leaned forward to kiss her.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> She giggled and wrapped her arm around his neck, in the pit of her belly, it just didn’t seem right<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Her palms were sweaty, beads of sweat appearing on her forehead.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">She giggled some more, to ease out the tension she was feeling.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">He leaned to kiss her neck, but it just made her recoil, memories, haunting memories she had suppressed.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">People, places, faces, she tried to push them to the rear of her thoughts<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Focus, focus, he is the one you love, she chanted in her mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">As his hand slid from her neck down, all she could think of was another time, another place, but there was no compassion in this scene, slaps and punches, blood and sweat choked her.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">She coughed as if the smell was present in the room; balling her palms into fits she pushed him off her again.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">He sighed, “what is wrong?’ his growing impatience becoming obvious<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘Nothing, I guess I am tired!’ she faked a smile<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘Tired?’ he stared at her intently.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘Yea! Tired’ she faked a yarn.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘I’m not stupid, you know! We have been together for over 6 years, I think I Know when my best friend is worried.’<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘It’s nothing, really, it isn’t.’ she got up and walked to the bathroom<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“I guess I am just tired, you know’ she turned the faucet and played with the running water<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘It’s nothing? You’re tired?’<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘Yea, you know, all that dancing, getting in and out of clothes, greeting people, is tiring’<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Tired?’ he repeated as if he hadn’t heard her<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘Yes, honey, I am tired, can we do this, this whole thing tomorrow?’<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘We are married, and the best excuse you can come up with is that you are tired?’<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">He walked to the bathroom,’ we haven’t even been married more that 24hours and the excuses begin’<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">She looked at him and laughed’ you know what I mean, please, tomorrow’<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘It doesn’t make any sense to me, you are hiding something, and I don’t like it’<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘Drop it, please!’ <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘Look at me! What’s the problem, why we are here, if you can’t talk to me? Why are we married then?’<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘Stop bugging me, I asked you to drop it, let me be, I am tired. Accept it!’ she hit the knob of the faucet so hard, it looked as though it was going to come out the other side of her palm<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘Ouch!’ she cursed and stormed past him.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘Let you be? What has gotten into you?’ <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘Nothing, nothing! Okay, leave me alone!’ she yelled, cradling her bruised palm in her hand.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">He walked up to her, ‘sweetheart, you can’t keep telling me nothing’s wrong, when you stand there yelling at me!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">He held her in his arms,’ you can tell me what it is, I am your husband!” he reasoned.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">She had to retain the anger, how was she to tell him now. She looked into his eyes, how?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">She cursed and walked away.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Cursing every man, under her breath, weren’t they satisfied with all they had stolen from her, now this, the one man that truly loved her, they must take too.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The tears streamed down, her shoulders slumped.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Now, you are crying?’<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘Talk to me please’<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">He motioned to hold her, but she put her arms up, stopping him<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">With tear stained cheeks she looked at him<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘you want to know?’ you really do?’<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">She sobbed, the news would crush him. She slammed her fist into the wall<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“stop it!’ he grabbed her<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘What’s come over you?’<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">She stuttered and then turned away.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘Would you say it already!’ he had never seen her like this before<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Why was this behavior manifesting itself after he said I do?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘Yes?’ he tilted her chin, to look into her eyes<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">She turned and looked away<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘I was raped’<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Silence.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">His pushed her away from himself and looked at her quizzically, hoping she would laugh and say it was some sick joke.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">She slumped to the floor and wept.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> ‘Excuse me?’ He bent and lifted her up<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘What did you say?’<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“nothing’, she wiped her tears<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘I said nothing’<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘Ooh, it’s too late my dear. You were what?’ his voice rising<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Everything was falling apart so quickly<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘I wanted to tell you earlier, but I was scared you will leave me, and I couldn’t bare the thought’ she sobbed.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘Oh really?’<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“But now that we are married, it’s suddenly the appropriate time, no?’<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">He let out a cynical laugh<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘I would never have thought that you…’ he turned and walked to the door<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘Please don’t go!’ she called out<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“excuse me?’ did you just call my name?’<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Are you mad?’<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘You wait, till the night of our wedding, to tell me, of your stupid, promiscuous ways?’<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘Are you crazed? Do you know what love is? What trust is?’<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“I didn’t want t loose you’ she squealed<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘Ooh, oh, it’s too late now!’ he laughed bitterly<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘You? Lie and deceive me, all this time?’<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘oh my God!’ he held his head in His palm’<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Do I even know you at all?’<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘You have to believe me, I wanted to tell you, but I didn’t want ‘this’ to happen.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">He chuckled and mimicked her.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘And I am supposed to believe this story, why?’<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">You were raped and you didn’t tell me, the first year, not the second, nor the third year of our courtship, not even the 6<sup>th</sup> year, no, you wait till we are married and pull this façade of being..’<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">He could barely speak<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">He only stammered when he was absolutely upset<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Please, don’t leave me, I beg you don’t’<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I love you” she cried.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“No, dear, you don’t. if you had you would have told me, at least given me the chance to be the jerk, not lie to me and tell me on our wedding night’ he spat out and walked out, slamming the door behind him.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bimpe held her head and sobbed terribly, she should have told him everything<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div>'Mobola R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01864402915112731422noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815881711108369034.post-27189980023179192962012-02-16T08:55:00.000-08:002012-02-16T08:55:13.370-08:00Been there, done that…Don’t believe I did that.<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">This year, I am more determined than ever to get my old body back. It is at this point that I introduce you to the ‘old body’ story.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><u><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">The ‘old body’ story.<o:p></o:p></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">About two years ago, I didn’t know what I weighed. I was a happy young lady, eating whatever I wanted, not taking the stairs- yes even to the second floor! Life was good! However, I wasn’t all too comfortable with my body. Before you judge me, hear me out! I am a petite little person with a body of a video vixen, seriously! I’m not exaggerating! Most people would consider this a blessing but I’m not the type of person that likes to draw attention to myself, and whenever I wore a very simple dress, I always ended up looking like the upper half of Pamela Anderson and the lower half of Kim Kardasian! Again, you may think it’s a blessing; it really isn’t, when you can’t find jeans your size!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Now this is where the story gets really interesting! A lot of ‘friends’ began to be ‘concerned’ and advised me to put on a little flesh, just to fit into those jeans, or not looking like an overdone plastic surgeon candidate. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">(Now you can begin to shake your head)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">I decided, hey-what can a few pounds hurt… Two years later, I’m still trying to shake off the ‘few pounds’.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">I can’t say I hate my body, that’s a little too harsh, however, I don’t feel right in this skin and I desperately want my old body back.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">As to the true meaning of the post title…well I guess you’ll find out in the next post.<o:p></o:p></span></div>'Mobola R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01864402915112731422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815881711108369034.post-10032918999269613172012-02-11T12:46:00.000-08:002012-02-11T12:46:29.898-08:00Publication SurveyIf there is anything I have learnt in life, its that the customer is ALWAYS right.<br />
In that vain, i have created a survey, to weigh people's preference to book publishing.<br />
I'd really appreciate it if you take out 2 minutes to fill out this survey, thanks.<br />
here's the link to the survey: <a href="http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FQ9S3R7">http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FQ9S3R7</a><br />
Thanks'Mobola R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01864402915112731422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815881711108369034.post-85432496880882547042012-01-31T16:19:00.000-08:002012-01-31T16:19:00.187-08:00" Oh No I've Run Mad Again" IV- Insane in the Membrane.<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Insane in the Membrane<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“When the baby is born, you wrap him in this towel. None of that diaper nonsense”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Babies, they don’t know diaper or towel. They shit too much.” The mid wife bit on her chewing stick aggressively.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Faded tattoos and blackened lips, her earlier life must have been wild.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Breathe and push with all your might.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Aargh” I pushed.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“God if you let this baby live, I’ll be the best mother, I swear.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Look at this one, becoming religious, because of common labour.” she laughed.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“My friend, push like a woman!”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Just as she said that, the power went out.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Panic embraced me.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Oh God what is this?” I cried.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“My friend, forget about the electricity and push! Do you know how many babies are born without power in this neighbourhood?”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">What kind of life is this child being born into? </span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I sobbed.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I swear this baby will be something good, someone who would take me out of this slum.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I bore down and pushed with new determination.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Ehen! That’s it!”The mid wife smacked my thigh.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Wiggling the baby, carelessly, in my face.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“It’s a boy!” she smacked his bum and he squealed in pain.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Ayomide.”I sighed and reclined.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Listening to the best song ever sang, my baby’s cry.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">In seconds he was washed and cleaned and in my arms.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“N500.” She stretched out blood stained hands to me.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I unfolded the wad of cash from my bra and handed it to her.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“I’ll be back in the morning to help you with the recovery."<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">She counted the cash again and let herself out.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Out of routine, I knew where the lantern was.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I got up and guided myself, lighting the little lantern and then holding it over the make shift crib.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Ayomide.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I looked into the eyes of the most beautiful baby.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Love overwhelmed me and I cried.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I was truly glad that no one else was there. This neighbourhood had no time for tears or fickle emotions.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I had not made a lot of myself, but my child would. I grabbed his feet and swore it with my life.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I truly had not made a lot of myself; dropped out of school at fourteen, pregnant at twenty.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Ayomide.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tears welled up in my eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Perhaps when I was born, my mother looked over me as I did him and prayed over me, but she could not give me what she did not have.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Hope.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I had no hope, and to be honest, I didn’t know how or where I’d find some, but I needed to get it quick for my son’s sake<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The electricity returned, flickering for a brief second and going off again.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">It was as though someone at the office was sending an official welcome.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“<i>Welcome to the land of haves and have-nots. Dear Ayomide, you are a have-not. Goodbye!”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I grabbed the only pillow I had and lay it under him.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">My neighbourhood had not intended on being a slum.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">It once stood high in the middle of Lagos, a proud site.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Fresh paint air, shiny windows and balconies that looked on to the gardens below.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">It definitely had not intended on becoming 'the slums'.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">But what was it to do when the hundred and something people it was intended for invited a hundred and something more. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I was in the number, of the hundred more invited.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">A sparkle in my eyes, determination in my heart to make it in the city of prosperity, Lagos.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Everyone was told a story of the person who lived in a village and then moved to Lagos and suddenly became a ‘somebody’, everyone wanted their own nugget of the goldmine.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">On a rickety bus with over thirty passengers I rode from Akure to the City of Excellence.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Lagos herself welcomed us. Arms opened, throbbing, alive.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">My first five minutes in the city included being in an accident with a motorcyclist and then having my wallet swiped.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Lagos, Lagos, Lagos, like the heartbeat of a race horse, always pulsating; always alive.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I struggled as hard as I could to become one of its success stories, but the harder I pushed forward the more the inflow new comers pushed me backwards.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ah, I see you snickering at me and rolling your eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I tried, you really must believe me!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I tried hair dressing, dress making, cleaning, cooking, nothing ever lasted, as soon as the next idiot from some village came, I was out.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">In the end, I was introduced to Madam Rosa. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Madam Rosa ran an institute for women. The women were entertainers you see, it really wasn’t a difficult job; lay down, shut your eyes, get paid.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">It became my life, until Ayomide.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ayomide was a strong boy.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">He was unlike any other child in the neighbourhood.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The women downstairs were always complaining that I spoiled him.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">They complained that I never found him guilty of any offense.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">How could I, to begin with, my Ayomide could do no wrong; he was a sweet young boy. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I do admit that I had seen an occasional pencil or candy that wasn’t his in his school bag, but kids would be kids right?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">As my dear boy grew, I knew I had to stop working for Madam Rosa.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I was determined that my son would go University and become ‘a somebody’.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I was awfully surprised when I learned that Ayomide had skipped out on most of his SS3 and University was far from hopeful.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I spoke to him about it and his explanation seemed valid to me.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">We decided that in his best interested, a trade would be worthwhile.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Still neighbours whispered behind my back, <i>‘She’s spoiling that child! She should have smacked him, she should have…’<o:p></o:p></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">They didn’t know Ayomide like I did; he was a sweet young boy and would hurt anyone.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I cannot deny the fact that overtime, the pencils and candy had gradually turned into money, clothes, phones etc.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I knew they were gifts they just had to be! My Ayomide had no iota of wrong in him.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">My high esteems of my dear son came crashing down one sunny Saturday morning, when from outside my window, I heard violent chants.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">One of the women downstairs mumbled something in Yoruba about ‘a child that doesn’t learn manners at home will be taught somewhere else.’<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Ayomide!” I ran to my son’s side but I was stopped by the neighbourhood’s chief vigilante.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Madam, wait there!”His voice, rough from years of drinking and drugs, most likely.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“That’s my son!”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Ehen, so? This boy na thief, we just dey wait make im mess up!” <o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">It was then I realized that he was holding a can of kerosene.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“What do you think you’re going to do with that?”I screamed.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Seeing that I was about to lose my mind, the neighbours held me down.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Ayomide, tell them! Tell them you’re innocent!”I wept as my boy was stuffed into a tire.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Ayomide!”I screamed, tears streaming down my face.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“You knew then as you know now!”He smiled.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Why the hell was this stupid boy smiling at me?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Ayomide, please tell these people that they are wrong.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Eventually it had to come to this! Eventually some justice was to be carried out, if not by you then, I guess by them.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“I blame you though.” He continued.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">All this while, the big man with the rough voice was dousing him and the tire with kerosene.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“I’m not blameless in this, but I blame you. If you had done something earlier, we both wouldn’t be here right now!”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I sat on the floor, watching helplessly as my dear little boy was consumed by the flames.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The neighbours chanted and screamed. Most of them pointing at me and whispering.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I was forced to sit there, on the muddy dirty street and watch as my son burnt to a crisp.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The vigilantes made me sit there, until the flames finally died down.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Ayomide…”I crawled to his burnt remains and held him.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Not caring that the embers burnt my skin, I lay there and fell asleep, apologizing for all my errors.</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><u><br />
</u></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>This story is my opinion of Boko Haram and the current President. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>I have long felt that Boko Haram and their acts, where no more than a little child acting up and throwing tantrums for attention. When I was a kid, I did stupid things, but as soon as I did, a parent was there to stop and curb that habit!<o:p></o:p></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>In my opinion, these so called terrorists have been testing the ‘discipline’ of the President and so far he’s been very tolerating.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>As in the above story, with Ayomide’s mother, who knew what her son was becoming but refused to curb it, these ‘terrorists’ very much like Ayomide are only going to get worse. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>In the end with Ayomide, it wasn’t the police who ‘disciplined’ him, it was the neighbourhood vigilante.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>I believe a time is coming when people aren’t going to wait for the parent; they are simply going to march into the streets and take matters into their own hands.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div>'Mobola R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01864402915112731422noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815881711108369034.post-11926973442515971652012-01-23T15:52:00.000-08:002012-01-23T15:52:34.477-08:00BLOG GIVE-AWAY ONEITS GIVE-AWAY TIME<br />
One thing I absolutely love to do, is to have give-aways<br />
Good news for you!<br />
<span style="text-align: center;">Today I'm giving away TEJU COLE'S OPEN CITY!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://thehungryreader.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/open_city_-_teju_cole.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://thehungryreader.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/open_city_-_teju_cole.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><span style="text-align: center;"><br />
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All you have to do to win this, is be a follow this blog and beneath this post simple leave a comment with any three digit number!<br />
FOR EXAMPLE: I want that Book, totally love Teju Cole! 455.<br />
Entries open up today and close Feb 4th.<br />
Best wishes!!!'Mobola R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01864402915112731422noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815881711108369034.post-55066329477447660612012-01-20T21:29:00.000-08:002012-01-20T21:29:01.488-08:00You Wanna Read This Trust me!!Howdy there loves!<br />
So I recently got an offer to write and become an editor on a rapidly growing Canadian Website, I'm so magnanimous it hurts! LOL<br />
If you're interested in being a part of the 'team' just send me an e-mail: mobola@dudunorth.com<br />
Check the website out: <a href="http://www.dudunorth.com/">www.dudunorth.com</a>. Literature is under DuduLove.<br />
I'll be on the look out for your e-mail.<br />
Deuces!'Mobola R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01864402915112731422noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815881711108369034.post-79832460709197419892012-01-10T19:53:00.000-08:002012-01-10T20:13:51.324-08:00To be Honest...Right Now, I have a huge migraine and I've had it for about 20 hours .<br />
I know its because I have a lot on my mind and as much as I try to get old thoughts out of the way to make space for the new ones jumping in my head like firecrackers, there seems to be very little time between the two processes.<br />
To be honest I have been trying my hardest to write something about the situation in Nigeria, you know, as a continuation of the series, but I just cant seem to type the right words.<br />
I read blogs and Newspapers and all these literary pieces with eloquent words and when I open Ms Word, all I can seem to do is stare at my cursor.<br />
To be honest, I have come to realize that my heart is far too broken, and the disappointed and pained tears have since dried from my eyes and words really cant be used for what I feel.<br />
I dont want to write a humorous, satirical, sarcastic, event brilliant, short story as to how I feel.<br />
My heart is too broken, too many times, too much pain and disappointment have caked up my eyes so now all I see is a white screen and a cursor, but words cant explain.<br />
All the promises and lies, from past leaders have left me feeling like a a bride left waiting for a groom at the alter.<br />
I feel like I've been raped raw by hope, the hope that things will change.<br />
I've watched innocent people get shot by 'accident', just for waiting for the bus, women get raped, just for wearing skirts, children denied education just because their parents arent governors, uncles, left to die in front of hospitals because they didnt have registration cards....<br />
To be honest, I have no words for the way I <b><i>really</i></b> feel........the disappointed and pained tears have long dried up in my eyes...'Mobola R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01864402915112731422noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815881711108369034.post-81295888570240209212012-01-04T13:35:00.000-08:002012-01-04T13:35:19.333-08:00" Oh No I've Run Mad Again" III -Bla Bla Blah Sheep<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><i>I once heard that fear is the best way to condition a person’s mind. Instil fears into the hearts of your followers and provide yourself as their only hope and help and they will follow you like mindless zombies.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“It’s offering time!” The man boomed into the microphone.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“Therefore, you <i>must </i>give.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">The instrumentalists and singers quickly marched behind him and began a rendition of ‘<i>Give and it will come back to you.’<o:p></o:p></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">The holy man gyrated, stylishly eyeing the donations being inserted into envelopes<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“Give and it will come back to you I say!”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“I want you to know that God is in the house tonight!” He did his special dance.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">The congregation shouted in response.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“Choir sing that song one more time!”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">The ushers went about with collection bowls, passing them along so that the faithful could put in their envelopes.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“I want you to know that it’s the season for your great reward!”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">The congregation shouted and applauded.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Gbemi wasn’t used to this sort of crowd.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">She had been born in the States and had only come to visit her father’s parents.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">They’d insisted that she come to see ‘the Holy man’.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">She thought it’s been weird that she was not invited to the Church, or participate in the service, but all her grandmother could chatter about was the ‘Holy man’.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“He wears white because it’s the color of God and only uses purple items.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“His seat in the church is purple, his cars are purple, customized with purple interiors as well.”Her grandmother had said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Gbemi fanned herself in the back of the building. She couldn’t bear to use the word church for it.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">The Holy man raised his hands again and the congregation shouted and applauded.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“This time, I tell you that God is in the house.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">More cheering and applause.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“Your offering must be no less than N1,000.”He nodded affirmatively.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“What?”She gasped in shock.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">What was more bewildering was the fact that like brain washed persons better yet zombies, the congregation cheered on.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Gbemi was in a pained surprise, especially because it was visible that a good third of the congregation were in the lower class percentile.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">They didn’t strike her as persons who had N1,000 to deposit in an offering bowl.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">On closer inspection, Gbemi saw the saddened pained expressions on their faces.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Made worse with the Holy man’s proclamation that ‘God would not be tolerant of less than N1,000.’<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">He went on to say that every member should take out the money from their envelopes and lift them up, to be visible by him and no usher should accept an offering less than the amount specified.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Oh Gbemi was incensed.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Her lip quivered and she motioned to say something about it, when her grandmother pinched her.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“Don’t you dare, embarrass me here tonight.” She cautioned severely.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Her grandmother waved crisp thousand naira notes.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Gbemi was painfully appalled and saddened, even worse as she had no outlet to her anger.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">In the back, those who obviously had less than a thousand naira sobbed and cried out to God for forgiveness.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“Holy Man!”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“Holy Man”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">The congregation boomed, running to his feet and tossing scrunched up naira notes.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“Bless you!”He smiled in appreciation as each patron tossed their hard earned notes at him.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“This is madness! How can one man make a people feel less than worthy of God because of money?” Gbemi asked no one in particular.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“Holy Man”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“Holy Man”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">The congregation continued to chant in the background.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
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</div>'Mobola R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01864402915112731422noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815881711108369034.post-64746714122694050732012-01-01T23:15:00.000-08:002012-01-01T23:18:01.918-08:00" Oh No I've Run Mad Again" II -The Twist<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><i>Even I have once chuckled at the idea of sitting on a couch and talking to a psychologist. We aren’t that kind of people, we are strong and if we fall we get right back up.</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><i>Psssh, depression? Counselling? It’s for Westerners that have no spine and too much money!<o:p></o:p></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><i>Even I have once chuckled at the idea.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b><u><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">The Twist<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">She bought the rope on Monday.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">After a weekend of loneliness, she went out and bought the rope.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">She had never assumed herself to ever be as tired of life as to want to take hers but everyday she spent alive these past months have been worse than death.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Antonia counted the money and handed it to the attendant. She bought the pills on Tuesday.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">As a kid she had played with dolls, brushed their pretty little heads and even learnt to make pretty little braids.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">As she grew, she read books and learnt everything there was to know about children.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">It was as though it was her life’s worth to be a mother.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Of course her friends laughed at her. All through University all she read and talked about were children.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“<i>Wa bimo lemo!”</i> Her granny had prayed on her 24<sup>th</sup> birthday.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Blessing her with the prayer for twins.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Every morning, Antonia sang the prayer song.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Every morning till her period didn’t come.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Till the monthly blood flow was replaced by cramps.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">So she went to the hospital and was told that her womb had an infection.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">How could her womb have an infection? She had done nothing with it!<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“These things happen.” the doctor said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“Is there something I can take for it?”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“I’m sorry but at this rate, to save your life, we must take out your womb.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">To save my life?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Antonia died in the doctor’s seat that day.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Did he not realize that the children her womb was to bear <i>was</i> her life?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">But he insisted, her mother insisted, even her fiancé .<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">In order to save her life, she lay on the bed and allowed the doctor, take her life.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Everything from then on became shades of appalling gray.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“Antonia, it’s not the end of the world you know. You could always adopt kids.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">It was an idea, a really good idea.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">She decided that she’d bring it up when her fiancé came to visit.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">He didn’t.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">She was in the hospital for two weeks and not once did he come.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">So she went to his house, upset, yet worried that something had happened to him.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">And there he was, with another.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“She’s a woman, you’re not.” He was his sole explaination.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“You’re not!”</span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> Like ripples on water, like the fanning out of alarms, those words, reached into her already dead self and killed her, again.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">She wasn’t ill anymore, not physically at least.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Not in the places that eyes could see and hands massage out. Pain that no pill had yet been created for shot through her.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Antonia went home to find peace, but broken hearted, she was of no use to anyone.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">She couldn’t laugh and tickle her siblings as she used to.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">She didn’t want to eat, drink or go out.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“Is she still in her room?”She’d over heard someone say.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“Why is she acting like a baby? Is she the only one that something like this would happen to?”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“All that rubbish of just crying and crying. If it was left to me, I’ll give her a good slap!” They’d said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">She was no longer a woman. She no longer had any usefulness.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Her fiancé who she thought would love her through fire and hail, who knew her more than any other, who supposedly loved her, couldn’t anymore because she’s become a figurine.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“She looked like a woman sounded like one, but really wasn’t.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“<i>Who would want her now?”</i> They all whispered it when they thought she was asleep.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">So she took the rope in her hands and twisted it round her neck.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">She stood on the chair and began to weep.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Then from the living room she heard a voice say, “Is that silly girl still crying? This is rubbish! If she doesn’t stop, I’ll kick her out and send her to the village. She can go wallow there in self pity!”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Antonia shut her eyes and imagined what her children would have looked like as she gently nudged the chair out of place.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">-Not trying to be a downer, I assure you these two are the saddest of the series! Thanks for stopping by!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
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</div>'Mobola R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01864402915112731422noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815881711108369034.post-10906718492209220512011-12-31T10:04:00.001-08:002011-12-31T10:04:09.338-08:00Hello There!<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">The first set of stories are in a series called "Oh no, I've run Mad again!"<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">They are stories based on my recent experiences in Nigeria.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">This series includes: The Mad Hearter, The Twist, Bla Bla Bla Sheep and Insane in the Membrane.<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Enjoy!</span>'Mobola R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01864402915112731422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815881711108369034.post-90322498735580792652011-12-31T09:39:00.000-08:002011-12-31T10:02:27.171-08:00" Oh No, I've Run Mad Again!" -The Mad Hearter.<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">This story is inspired by a young Nigerian woman who was murdered by her husband on June 24, 2011. No one knows exactly what transpired between them that day but when she didnt show up for work, family and friends got concerned and called the police. When they got to the couple's home, they found her dismembered body.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"></div><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><i>They say when death approaches, you know.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><i>I often wonder if I’d notice death, on my way to cross the street, in a plane, on a boat cruise, saying ‘this would be the day’.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><i>I wondered as her insides turned out on the cold kitchen floor, if that morning as she brushed her hair, if she knew that death was following her…</i><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><u><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">The Mad Hearter.<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“Did you see it again today?”Jumai whispered to Ben in the break room.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Ben raised a brow and stirred his coffee, not saying anything.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“I think we should tell the police.” Jumai asserted.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“Jumai, I think we should mind our business.” Ben replied firmly.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“What good would come of it?”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“We tell the police, they’ll ask him if he did, he’ll deny it and she’ll be in big trouble.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“Boarding house should have taught you that much! You don’t snitch!” He finished, taking a bite of his donut.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Jumai was unsatisfied, “I still think we should do something.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“I agree with you. I recommend we shut up and mind our own business.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Jumai hissed, “Men! Talking to you guys is like talking to the bark of a tree, useless!”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Ben looked up at her from the rim of his mug and shrugged.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">She’d already submitted two anonymous letters to the manager, citing the need for urgent investigation and assistance.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Her co-worker, Linda, had been showing up with all manner of bruises for months and although she tried her hardest to disguise the marks, it was painfully visible.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Everyone in the office <i>knew</i> but they didn’t want to interfere, worse no one knew how to ask the question “<i>Is your husband hitting you?</i>”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 22pt;">§<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><i>I recall from my childhood, a neighbour of mine.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><i>Her name was Edet. A light skinned lady with big bulgy eyes. I recall that Edet regularly had huge red blotches on her face, made worse with foundation that was two shades darker than her skin tone.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><i>But no one said anything. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><i>We smiled politely at the grocery store and made our hair at the same place.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><i>I recall her eyes screaming out to me, I remember her eyes had a message for me. I just didn’t know what it was then, but what I recall is that, no one said anything…</i><o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 22pt;">§<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Linda’s husband was said to be a man disappointed too many times by life.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">He graduated the top of his class but never found a job.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">He’d ironed shirts, polished shoes and knotted ties. Climbed stairs and smiled as he handed out copies of his resume, but he was never called back.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">In the end, he tucked away his pretty shirts and humbly accepted the government issued jumpsuits. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">His dream had been to repair the roads as an engineer. His reality became repairing the streets, one scrap of paper at a time as a cleaner.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Linda, his wife, didn’t go to a University like him; she went to college, night school actually.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">With the money he had made cleaning the streets.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Now, she worked in a bank.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">She wore the suits and polished shoes and made a pretty knot with a scarf round her neck.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">She paid the bills and made the meals.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">She became <i>him</i> and he resented her for it.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">He had nothing left of ‘man-ness’ but his fists, and he sure showed her who the man was.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">I</span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> knew Linda, not dearly, but enough. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">She respected everyone and adored <i>him</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Yet he hit her.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">I truly wonder, if as she brushed her hair and slipped in her heels, if she knew death followed her.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 22pt;">§<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“Linda!”Jumai waved and quickly caught up with her.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“Linda, would you like to stay over at my house for the week?”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Linda stared back, confused, “A week? What’s going on?”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“Nothing.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“Well, I need your help with some reports.”She quickly added.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“Jumai, I’m married. I can’t leave my house for a week!”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“Perhaps during the break and after work, we could work on the reports.” She smiled and turned away.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“Linda, please don’t go home. I know your husband beats you and I’m scared for you” The words hung in her throat but never came out.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“Sure, thanks!”Jumai called after her.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“Tomorrow, I’ll talk to her. Yes tomorrow.” Jumai grabbed her keys and headed home.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 22pt;">§<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">He kicked off his boots at the door. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">It had been a long and tiring day.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">He’d been assigned a street that had had a party the previous day and the garbage was ridiculous.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Hungry, he stormed into the kitchen, but there was no food.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">He frowned, “this is the kind of nonsense that I don’t like.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">He looked into the bedroom, his wife wasn’t home.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">He glanced at the clock on the wall, it was 7pm. She got off work at 6pm.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">The bank was at best thirty minutes away from the house. What was taking so long?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Hungry he paced about the house, gradually becoming more and more vexed.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">It wasn’t as though he could just storm out and buy food from a canteen. He had no money!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">The supervisor wasn’t in town, so he wasn’t going to be paid for another week.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">He needed her to give him money.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">The thought provoked him even more.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">8pm, and she still wasn’t home.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“She’s leaving!”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“That’s what it has to be! Why else wouldn’t she come home?”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">He trembled in fear.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Even <i>he</i> knew he hadn’t been the best spouse, but he loved her in his own special way.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">After all, he did pay for her lessons; the lessons that got her the job.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">He heard the footsteps approach the door.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“Linda!”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">She isn’t running away!<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“Sorry, a tanker fell over so I’ve been stuck in traffic.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“I’m sure you’re hungry!” she took her shoes off and rubbed her feet.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“Oh so you have come back from work to insult me <i>ehn?</i>”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“What are you talking about?”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“You’re insinuating that if you don’t provide food for me, I wouldn’t eat.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> He grabbed her neck and dragged her up.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“You’re choking me!” she croaked.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“Every day, you flash your money in front of me. Every day you go to your office and make jokes about me. How I can’t provide for you and how you give me allowances.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“I don’t I swear.”She cried.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“But you do!” He grabbed her tighter.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Suddenly she wasn’t just Linda, she was ‘the system’.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">She was the system he hated; the system that wouldn’t give him a job; the system that took his manhood from him. He hated the system.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">If he could hold the system by the neck, he’d take a knife and plunge it deep into its sides and watch it bleed.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Yes, bleed, the way they had made him bleed.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">He’d watch the blood ooze out and life slowly ebb from it.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">All he’d ever wanted to be was an engineer, he never realised that he’d struggle to even recall how to be a man.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">If he could hold the system by the throat, he’d slice it open and remove the good fortune from within it and smear it over himself so he’ll never lack.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">It wouldn’t matter if the system choked on its blood and gargled for help. He wouldn’t mind, in fact he wanted the system to weep and scream for help.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">If he could…<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Something fell from his hands. Distracted by the sounds he snapped out of his reverie.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“Linda?”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“Linda?”he screamed.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“What have I done?”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“Help!!! Help!!”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“Somebody please help me!!” <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">The neighbours rushed in, but it was too late.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">They clasped their hands on their heads and lamented.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">They’d all heard the screams but didn’t want to interfere, and now it was too late<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“It was supposed to be the system!”He clasped his bloody hands on his head.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“It was the system” he explained to on lookers.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Outside Jumai locked her car door and quickly strode towards the house.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Linda had forgotten her watch in the ladies room.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">She made her way through the mass of people at the bottom of the steps and into the living room.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“Linda!” she gasped.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">On the kitchen floor laid the lifeless form of her co-worker.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Her body chopped up and mangled. Her insides all out on the kitchen floor for all to see.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“I shouldn’t have waited!”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“I shouldn’t have waited till tomorrow.” She sat on the blood stained floor and sobbed uncontrollably.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>'Mobola R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01864402915112731422noreply@blogger.com3