COMPLICATIONS
By Onyekaba N. Charles
EPISODE 4
“I don’t want water” She murmured. “please sit down” As I took my place close to her on the bed, She wiped her face thoroughly with a white handkerchief she squeezed out of her hand bag. After which She held my two hands closely, and said with a firm voice; “Ken, Emeka proposed to me last week” “Emeka! Do I know him? “Yes you do!” She replied almost immediately. I could already sense some panic from the warmth of her hands. The only “Emeka” I remember Shantel and I have a common knowledge of, is my erstwhile best friend in my university days, whom I have since lost communication with. The last time I checked, I heard he now lives somewhere in Benin. “Hmmmmmmmm, wait a minute, is it Emeka Okoye, my……….” She cuts in before I could complete my sentence. “Yes, it is Emeka, your best friend.” She said, as she began another session of sobbing. My head sunk and the wind was knocked off my sails, immediately she confirmed it was Emeka. I was so shocked and confused that I gently pulled my hands from hers, stood up and wandered around the room. I just couldn’t fix my thoughts on one direction. Many unanswered questions kept coming up in my mind; “Does it mean Shantel was cheating on me while we were dating?” “If not, where on earth did she meet Emeka?” “How long have they dated to have considered marriage?” “Why did both of them keep me in the dark all this while?” I paused for a while, turned around to observe Shantel’s reaction. She was still sobbing quietly and was so shy that she couldn’t even look into my eyes. She probably feels my disappointment and knew I needed her to make some clarifications, but Instead of attempting to straighten out things , she turned her left wrist, checked her time and whispered; “Ken, I have to start running home, it’s already 6:30pm” “Go home? You aren’t going nowhere, I screamed!” as I pulled her up rather violently. At this point, I had obviously lost my cool. “What gives you the impression that you can come to my house and announce your years of unfaithfulness without even an explanation?” I continued. “You are hurting me Ken. Let go of me!” She screamed. The atmosphere of the room was so tense and moody that one wouldn’t believe it was an amicable one just a while ago. “You were cheating on me, Shantel!” I said quietly. “I didn’t, I never did” she said emphatically. “You should know me better than that” She continued as she picked up her bag from the edge of the bed and prepared to leave. “Then what happened? Why Emeka of all men?” I asked curiously. “Because I love him” She managed to say. “Oh really? You love who……………………?” I was interrupted by the ring tone of my phone. I paused for awhile and was in two minds whether or not to pick the call. “Won’t you pick your call?” She asked. I made my way to my reading table, picked the phone. It was Timi, my neighbour but as I attempted to pick the call, but it dropped. I waited awhile hoping he will repeat the call and within seconds, he was calling again. This time around, I picked the call almost immediately. “Hey, Ken! you dey house?” “Yea boss, you don come back? I replied. “Yes oh, I dey your flat door” he answered. “I will be there in a jiffy” I said as I cut the phone and turned back to face Shantel who was now set to leave. “You have to wait Shantel, don’t go leaving me in the dark again. I have been there for too long that all I demand at this moment is just the truth.” “Its 7pm Ken! I’d rather go and see you some other time. You know Lagos traffic na?” She replied, as she tried dodging me on her way to my room door. “Okay! No problem” I accepted reluctantly ” I’d call you”. She nodded her head in agreement as we both made our way to the entrance door of my flat. I opened the door and a man in his late thirties, of average height and medium complexioned was already waiting at the landing of the stair hall. “Good evening Ken” Timi said as we quickly exchanged pleasantries. “Timi meet Shantel, my friend. Shantel meet Timi, he stays in the opposite flat. ” I quickly introduced both of them and Shantel who already had one foot in the stair hall had to come back up, to shake hands with Timi. “Timi, i dey come abeg. Make I quickly see her off” I said. “Okay! No wahala, he replied with a smile and face gesture which suggested that I should enjoy and take my time. Timi made his way to the seat on my balcony while Shantel and I went down together. “Ken, I didn’t know it was this late oh. Am sure, my dad will be vexed at me” She said, as she looked up to the already darkening skies. “Oh sorry!” I sympathized with her. “Oh shit, there are no bikes around”, she said immediately she made her way out of the blue gate of my compound. “I’d rather pay a taxi to take you home direct, since you are already late” “That will be nice, thanks!” She said with a fake smile. We continued chatting but albeit in a sour manner. The pleasant mood we enjoyed when she arrived had since changed with the news of her getting married to my friend. I was sad, but couldn’t pick out the specific reason why I was. She didn’t help matters too by deliberately avoiding my questions. That alone, made me very strong in my resolve to get to the root of the matter. “I don’t understand how you can keep your relationship with Emeka secretive for this long?” I said bitterly but she halted me with a hand gesture almost immediately. “Ken! I thought we had agreed to discuss this later” She said rather rudely. “What a pity! I felt we were enjoying ourselves until you came up with this news of your mysterious plan to marry my friend” “I beg your pardon Ken!” She said with a very stern voice. “You are beginning to get on my nerves please” “Sorry” I sheepishly apologized for my rude remarks. There was a moment of silence as we strolled down the street until she spotted a taxi. “Taxi! Taxi “we both screamed and waved at the taxi. Eventually, the taxi turned up and she got in after the rather long negotiations. “Can I see you tomorrow after church? I asked as I brought out #2000.00 from my wallet to pay the driver. “Let’s see how it goes” she murmured. As the 1999 model Camry sped off, I could clearly see her sticking her head out of the back window with her right hand on her cheek. A gesture which probably suggested that she will call me later. ——————————————————————————————————————————-JOIN ME NEXT WEEKEND FOR EPISODE 5
Charleyrosu 