This was like the most serious discussion I had ever
had with Deola
“Wow! This is huge…
Do you really like
him though?”
I nodded but it was obvious I was afraid of something
“With what I
know about Captain, he’s a straightforward guy….at least, his friends say that
behind his back. And if he is promising all these things, it seems he’s
planning a future with you in it.
Chief confided in
me that he was one of those that advised and persuaded Captain to find a good,
young girl and live his life so he doesn’t die in loneliness
You like him and he
seems to like you too…
Sweetheart, not
every girl gets that lucky
Most of us didn’t
get in the game to find love or a husband…we went all in for the money
Let me be frank
with you, even with all the money we make and the opportunity to roll with the people of affluence...deep
down, every girl, including those that ‘form’ big girls, hopes for a good
future with a good man
So if this is for
real, then I can’t help but be happy for you.
Don’t worry about
the details, they will sort themselves out”
Deola’s words were so comforting and eased many of my
fears…I hugged and thanked her for always being there for me.
She advised me to visit home as soon as possible since
they knew the strike had been called off. That way I could use my exams to buy
some time and then work on how to go back with Captain.
“The older the
pregnancy gets, the easier it is to spot. So do it before suspicion sets in”
I picked up my phone and informed my mum I would be
coming over the next day.
Deola went with
me and drove ‘my’ car but we had to pretend it was hers.
My mum was so happy to see me, likewise Sister Grace. Even
my brothers were around to welcome me. They begged us to pass the night but we
quickly flashed the exam card.
“Or is it
because we don’t have Air Conditioner here?” my mum asked jokingly
Sister Grace then insisted that since we would not be
sleeping over, we had to stay with them till evening before leaving and we
obliged
I had divided the stuff Captain bought for me into two
and brought them one portion (it was a lot)…I also gave them some money; I had
a little something for everyone. My mum could not hide her feelings; she prayed
for me and also prayed for Deola…who she claimed changed our lives for good.
We ate lunch and watched some home videos while we
shared stories and experiences from our supposed internship. It was fun to be
with my family…it had been a while.
As we were about to leave, Sister Grace called me into
her room and asked if I was fine. She said I looked tired and a little
different.
I blamed in on the strenuous months of internship and
promised to come home as soon as I was done with my exams so I could rest.
She looked at me again, hugged me and told me to keep being
good; that it was almost over.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We got back to school and preparations were in top
gear. As promised, I went to see Captain that weekend, but I had to leave that
same day. To surprise me, he had bought a bassinet and it was so cute…I told
him I would like to inform my folks as soon as I was done with my exams. I
didn’t like the way my sister was looking at me and I was sure she would figure
things out by the time I returned home. Captain was cool with this and promised
to start making arrangements.
He took me out for lunch and we stopped at a photo
studio for me to snap some passport photographs. Evidently, he was already
working on my International Passport…everything was taking shape but deep
down, I could not shake the strong feeling that something was wrong. It had
been there right from the start but there were times it went into hibernation
mode.
I was going to visit Captain the following weekend but
he called on Thursday evening and told me not to come…that he had to travel.
I was glad he said that because I had a lot to do
academically, coupled with the way I felt every morning. He sent some money to
me that week but I didn’t really need money; I had a lot stashed already.
I kind of knew Captain’s work routine and as a rule, we
didn’t spend a lot of time on the phone during work hours. My exams even made
things worse as we reduced the talk
time some more. We would only exchange a couple of text messages during the day. These,
and not seeing Captain that weekend made me miss him so much. I just wanted to
be with him, spend time with him and couldn’t wait to see him the following
weekend. I was actually planning to spend a night. Unfortunately, he cancelled
on me…he had to travel again.
He could tell, over the phone, that I wasn’t happy with
the development. He said he was sorry and promised to come see me in school on
Friday before leaving for the trip. At least, that was better than nothing.
When a military car pulled up to our BQ that Friday, I
rushed out only to see that it was one of Captain’s orderly and the maid at the
house.
The maid informed me Captain had been trying to reach
me all day but the service was really poor. He could not make it as promised;
his meeting at Abuja was rescheduled for an earlier time so he left for the
airport sooner than he had planned.
They brought me Egusi soup because I had told Captain I
was craving it. The maid helped to bring the things inside.
She could tell I
wasn’t very happy…but what could I do? Work called and knowing the nature of
Captain’s job, I had to cope somehow. As she was about to leave, I gave her some
money, I also gave her some of my clothes that I had stopped wearing…I had
always done this from the time I moved into Captain’s house. This was one of
the things I learnt from Deola.
She thanked me and as she was about to step out,
she paused for a moment…it was as if she wanted to tell me something. I asked
if there was a problem
“Auntie…you have
been really nice to me and my conscience will not let me rest if I see
something that could hurt you and don’t tell you
I don’t want to
lose my job either because this is how I take care of my younger ones”
The confusion on my face could not be hidden but then
the orderly showed up at the door to check on her and remind her of heavy
traffic they could experience if they didn’t leave soon.
“Don’t worry ma,
I will see you when you come to the house” she said as she hurried out of
our room
