“Hi Jesusboy” Ogechi greeted.
“Hello. How are you doing?”
“I’m fine thank you. Where have you been
all these while? I had expected to get a call
from you. But when it took a while without
getting one, I concluded we might never get
to talk again for a very long while.
Nevertheless, something really important
has come up, and we need to talk”
“Alright. Go ahead. I have all the time in
the world.”
“Not on the phone. We need to see and
talk. That means you’ve got to come down
to Oklahoma. I would have come over to
Regina if you were still there. I’ve been
communicating with Cynthia lately, and she
told me you left after an argument you had
with her, and she doesn’t happen to know
where in the world you are. I could still
come over if you tell me where you are.”
“Don’t worry Oge, I’ll just come over to
Oklahoma. It’s not quite luxurious here, and
I wouldn’t want to try fixing a square peck
in a round hole.”
“Don’t be silly Jesusboy. We’ve come a
long way. I would find my way through a rat
hole to see you. But since you’ve chosen to
come instead, we have to fix a date.”
“I was actually going to travel to Nigeria in
four days’ time.”
“What? Please Jesusboy, we have to see
before you travel. Were you planning on
coming back to United States afterwards?”
“Not exactly.”
“Thank God I caught you before then. In
that case, we have to make it as soon as
possible. Tomorrow, to be precise.”
“Tomorrow? I’m not even prepared for a
trip”
“If you can’t make it here tomorrow, then
you have no choice but to tell me your
location so that we can come over”
“We? You and who?”
“I, I meant to say I.”
“Ogechi, what’s up? Is there a problem?”
“No problems Jesusboy. So are you giving
me your location or what?”
“Don’t worry; I’ll be in Oklahoma tomorrow”
“Promise?” she asked
“Promise” I replied.
I wondered what she wanted to tell me in
such a hurry that couldn’t be spilled out on
the phone. I got prepared for the trip and
left for Oklahoma the next day. That was
my second time of being in Oklahoma, and
it was for the same purpose; to see Ogechi.
On my last visit to her I had to disguise
myself and hide among people, but this
time around nothing like that was going to
happen. I just wished there hadn’t been
anything like the “renouncing” of our
relationship; I would go there with a great
joy. But no need to dwell on such thoughts
since I couldn’t become a reality under any
circumstances imaginable.
Ogechi gave me a big hug when I arrived at
her house. We were careful not to involve
our emotions in whatever we did in order
not to arouse feelings that might mar us
irredeemably. The radiance of her light skin
did not go unnoticed though, but I just had
to hold back my complements before one
thing led to another. One thing never really
led to another between us, but the fear of
danger made me overly cautious of even
the least of the things that could spell
doom. We simply exchanged courtesy and
humor as we made for the VIP, which was
where she normally received top shots. I
guess I was a top shot to her, even without
attaining any enviable height in life per
say. She offered me all she had to offer
me, as we sat in that VIP discussing
random topics for nearly an hour and half
without getting any closer to what would
seem like the reason for her inviting me
over.
Then Ogechi inserted a CD into the home
theater there and one of those jazz songs
we used to listen to back in Enugu on rainy
and cold nights started playing. That
brought back the very memories that were
supposed to remain indefinitely suspended,
and triggered abominable desires. Was she
trying to bring back the good old days? I
asked myself. That would be a very
dangerous thing to do and she knows it, so
why would she even think of such? The
light she saw in her dream may not have
mentioned what would happen if we decided
to get back together after Cynthia awoke
from coma, but I’m pretty sure something
would happen; something really bad. And I
wasn’t going to risk finding out what would
happen. So I braced myself and sat back,
waiting for her next line of action.
“Do you remember this song?” She asked.
“Yeah, I do. Why are you playing it? You
know you aren’t supposed to do anything
that would endanger us don’t you?”
“C’mon Jesusboy, I’m not endangering
anyone here. No matter what has happened,
we still deserve to be happy don’t we?”
“We sure do, but not a kind of happiness
that won’t last for long.”
“Don’t worry my dear. I know better than
jeopardize our lives. I just want you to take
your mind back to the days we wish never
ceased. Jesusboy, you know that I love you
and will love you till the day of my death.
It is true we can’t be romantically involved
anymore, but that doesn’t stop us from
being romantically involved with another
partner who’s ready to show us the love we
deserve. My mind will never be at rest until
I know there’s someone in your life that
will take care of you like I would or even do
better than I would. For this reason I
summoned you here today to persuade you
to take another woman for yourself. A
woman I know and am sure will take good
care of you till the end of your life”
“Ogechi, even my mother wouldn’t dare
choose a wife for me. Why are you doing
it? Don’t you believe I’m capable of finding
myself a woman? I might be broken at the
moment because I’ve lost you forever, but
trust me; I’ll get over it soon and move on.
Don’t worry about me falling into the hands
of the wrong woman because I won’t. I
didn’t the first time, neither will I the last
time.”
“As sweet as that may sound, I disagree. I
really want to be sure the right woman
takes over the egg that didn’t hatch in my
care. I will die if I hear that you are
troubled or shattered in the future as a
result of the woman you ended up with. So I
have to secure you a sure future with the
only woman I can trust to take care of you.
The only woman I know loves you as much
as I do.”
“What exactly are you driving at, Ogechi?
You already have a woman prepared for
me? Oh my gosh! Do I look that vulnerable
to you? Of course you know I won’t
subscribe to that idea. I wonder why you
brought it up in the first place, Like you’ve
forgotten it’s the same old me.”
“You’re right there. I knew you won’t
consent easily, that’s why I made it a do or
die affair. I never knew I loved you this
much. Now I know, and I’m very much
unwilling to let you fall into the hands of a
woman I’m not sure will love you like I
would. If you choose not to go along with
this proposal of mine, then today might me
our last on this planet.”
“Ogechi, what has come over you? Do you
intend to kill me and kill yourself if I
don’t?”
“Exactly, but in the sweetest way ever.”
“Has there ever been a sweet way to die?” I
asked.
“I can’t say for sure. If there hasn’t, this
will be the first. And if there has, this will
be the best. But if you go with my
proposal, we won’t have to go through this”
“You mean you’re really going to kill me? I
asked surprised. “I don’t see any weapon
that will aid that. Or do you have a short
gun hidden somewhere?”
“Weapons and guns wouldn’t make it sweet
would they? Now listen my dear, we aren’t
supposed to do anything born of true
affection after I renounced my love for you
because of Cynthia. If we ever happen to do
anything that shouldn’t be done between
people who aren’t lovers, we will die the
death Cynthia would have died if I had not
denounced our love. But believe me
Jesusboy, if you refuse what I ask of you
today, I will make sure we make sweet love
for the first time and die afterwards. I’d
rather call down death upon me than let you
settle for some strange woman who might
not truly cherish the beauty of your soul.”
“Ogechi, I would never believe your mind
would conceive such thoughts. You want us
to die after making love? And what future
would await us after death?”
“I don’t care. If you really care about that,
then accept the woman I have chosen for
you. You know I would never do anything to
hurt you. I chose this woman for you
because I know you’ll find the happiness I
would have given you. But if you won’t,
then I have no other option than to bleep
you and die.”
“You sound as though you’re going to rape
me. We both know you can’t overpower me,
so where is all these confidence coming
from?”
“You’re right. I can’t overpower you, neither
will I try to. But there is one thing I know
you can’t do anymore, and that is resisting
me. Do not try to draw strength from past
glory, for you only successfully resisted
me back then because I never had any
intensions of getting laid like I do now if
you refuse my offer. I give you to the end
of 60 seconds to decide which it’s going to
be. Take the girl I have for you, and live
happily with her ever after. Or reject her,
and we make out passionately before
dying.”
It was of a fact that I lacked the strength,
or even the will to resist Ogechi if seduced
by her. The girl was the kind Kings will give
their kingdoms to have. I wondered what
came over her that made her resort to such
option upon my refusal to go with her idea
of choosing me a supposed worthy
replacement for her, and the more I
pondered on it, the closer it was to 60
seconds. Finally, it was past 60 seconds
and I hadn’t said a word, which only meant
one thing; that I was ready to board the
abomination that would drive me to my
grave.
Ogechi stood up from her position opposite
me and advanced towards me with the “I’M
SORRY” look on her face, and my heart
skipped three times in a row. Death was
coming, and I could do nothing to avert it. I
wished I had time to write about my life
before I passed away. At least, it would
serve as caution to the wise, and a lesson
to the strong. But I never had that
opportunity, and there I was, heading to
hades in the most unusual way ever, driven
down there by my one and only true love.
I had already lost it before Ogechi
performed her first three arts of seduction
on me, and it was nothing but a go. She
came to me on the sofa, and began
unbuttoning my shirt. Being fully aware of
what the ultimate future held for me, I bent
my head and said a prayer in my heart;
Dear Father,
I tried my best to climb up the ladder,
That would have led to where the saints
gather,
A place designed only for men that truly
matter.
I had made it so far into the skies,
Was supposed to reach the heavens before
the set sunrise,
For I was much afraid of how the sun’s heat
fries,
But now gravity calls to me, promising
safety, but it lies.
Even at the verge of doom, they can still be
safety,
Pardon the garment of weakness I’ve put on
lately,
Save my soul before it transcends to
depths so lengthy,
For Your love is unconditional, and Your
grace is always plenty.
Redeemer! Redeemer! The great Lord of the
strong,
You are the strength of the weak; You’re
merciful all day long,
Look down upon me with mercy, and forgive
all my wrong,
Take me to paradise like You did to the
thief beside the cross You hung
After making that prayer, I relaxed every bit
of me on the sofa with absolute calmness.
All of me responded positively to Ogechi’s
touch, but all of a sudden, from nowhere I
managed to gather the strength to say the
words; “I WILL.” Only my mouth spoke the
words. No other part of me was in
agreement with the idea. As soon as Ogechi
heard that, she retreated hurriedly like she
never really meant to do it in the first
place.
“Thank you so much, Jesusboy. My joy will
now be complete” she said extremely glad”
“After I managed to return from the height
she had taken me to without crashing, I
opened my mouth and asked;
“Now you’ve got what you wanted. I just
pray the girl in question is as pretty as you
are from inside out. If not, count me out.”
“Of course she is. And you’ll definitely love
her” Ogechi said confidently
“If you say so. So who is she? And what’s
her name?”
“She’s someone you know quite well. Her
name is Cynthia”
To be continued.
