PART 25
I wanted to go and supervise the women as he had said but he refused. “You are off today. You are spending the day with me. You just became a woman. You need to rest”
I couldn’t believe he said that. I had always been a woman. I then said, “What of your parents? I haven’t greeted them today”
“I told them I asked you to rest from the stress of yesterday. You will see them in the evening”
I then opened my box to look for a dress I would wear for the party. As I looked through Emeka went to his wardrobe and brought out an outfit.
“You might have to send your box home as you have more than enough clothes here you would wear. All those your maryamaka clothes will not be allowed here and I know you didn’t come with the clothes I bought for you the last time. I have a reputation to protect. I want you looking good always. I will choose what you wear and you will adjust accordingly”
“I thought you liked my clothes”
“They were nice for a girl on campus but not a woman. You are a woman now; my woman”
I accepted, there was no way I would even argue with him. he was older by ten years and he was supposed to be wiser. His next comment caught me offguard.
“When was your last period?”
“Eh?” I asked wondering if I didn’t hear right.
“What date was your last period?”
I felt embarrassed. Why would he ask me that? He turned and looked me as though to say, ‘I am waiting for an answer’ while holding a diary and a pen. “Last week?”
“When last week? When did it start?”
I thought about it for a few minutes then I said “On Sunday”
“Sunday was the seventeenth. How many days did it last?”
“Three days”
He looked surprised. “Is it always three days or this was different?” he asked as he scribbled away in the diary
“It is always three days”
“When did you see it last month? Try and remember, I need an exact date”
I tried to remember. It was on the 16th of May; It started in the examination hall. I had to tell the female invigilator who gave me tissue paper to go and pad up. “16th”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive”
“Good. I know you won’t remember when you had a period the month before. It looks like you have a thirty-day cycle. With time we would confirm. I have taken a record of your cycle. I want you to have a record too. Every month write when your period started, when it ended and how many days it lasted. I want to know too so I will keep a record”
“Why do I have to keep a record?”
“We have to calculate your safe period and during that time we will be play safe. Or are you ready to get pregnant?”
“No o. What do you mean by playing safe?”
“We will either abstain from having s£x or we use a condom”
“I don’t understand”
“You will with time. Let’s get ready. I asked my cousin to do your makeup”
“I will love to learn how to do my makeup myself”
“She can teach you. She’s here on holiday so you can learn”
“That will be nice”
“But you can only wear it while you are with me”
“Why? I can wear it on Sundays”
“It will attract attention to you. I don’t want that. You can learn but no makeup unless I am around”
“I have heard you” I wondered why he was so particular.
His cousin came to make me up. She agreed to teach me how to make myself up. She was a professional. She said she paid tens of thousands to learn makeup. When she started, Emeka left us to our thing. He promised to come back for me.
We talked while she made me up. She was about Emeka’s age so I called her sister Uju. She laughed and asked me to call her just Uju. She lived in Lagos, she wasn’t married although she had a fiancé, she had a studio and a boutique. I asked her if she went to the university, she laughed.
“I’m a graduate of Geology. I went to school with Emeka. I didn’t want to work for anyone so I started my own business. I was told you are an undergraduate, what are you studying?”
“Medicine and Surgery”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. I am in my first year”
“That’s impressive. I can’t believe Emeka settled for an intellectual. I actually thought he liked dumb girls. You are very different. And pretty too. Emeka has always liked fine girls. Fine yellow girls. I was shocked when I saw you. What happened to the yellow pawpaw girls he liked? There must be something about you that struck him”
I didn’t have anything to say. I keep hearing about other girls. How many girls did Emeka date before me? I only knew of Chisom.
“How did you guys meet?” I narrated the story to her.
“You mean he didn’t follow you home that night? He came to see your father the next day and was talking about marriage?”
“That’s how it happened”
“So with your father’s permission he was able to take you out and bring you here?”
“No o. Each time we went out I went with a chaperone. He never brought me here; yesterday was my first time of coming here”
“Chaperone? Are you serious? In this age and time? Biko how old are you that your parents are controlling you like this?”
“I am eighteen”
“What!” she exclaimed. “Eighteen? Emeka was attracted to an eighteen year old? Why would Emeka want a child?” she asked herself. She was deep in thoughts and I felt I had spoken too much. I tried to change the topic of the conversation.
Emeka joined us in the room. his cousin was almost done. He went into the bathroom to shower. He saw the bucket was occupied and he came out to ask me.
“I washed the bedsheet from last. I didn’t remember to tell you about it”
“I was planning to burn it”
“Why? The stains went off easily. It’s a new bedsheet; why burn it?”
“Since you said the stains went off, fine”
He went out with the bucket.
“’What happened to the bedsheet?”
“It got stained”
‘With what?”
I was shocked she asked. Before I could answer Emeka came into the room. She asked him what stained the bedsheet.
“Uju baby, I am married man and when a married couple spend their wedding night in bed and the man knows his onions, there are bound to be stains”
“I was just telling your wife that you liked yellow girls but now you married a dark girl”
“She is not dark, she’s light brown. It was love at first sight”
“We’ve not yarned. Wetin do Chisom?”
“I met my baby and everything changed”
“Everybody thought Chisom had won your heart. She was carrying herself about like it was a done deal. Your mother must have been distraught when you changed your mind”
“Distraught? Why? I later found out she wasn’t the one that brought Chisom; it was Jacinta. Why did Jacinta have to hide behind my mother to get me a wife? It was when I met my baby and I told my father about her; he was worried about Jacinta’s reaction. What did Jacinta have to do with it? Later, my mother confessed
Jacinta brought her. I called Chisom and told her I was no more interested after all we never discussed marriage when she came. She came to see me, spent the first night and then stayed on. I liked her and she obeyed my instructions to the later; no wife of mine will slave for anyone. She was good. I met my baby a week or so after Chisom came”
“Jacinta must have used her to set a trap for you. You are lucky you escaped. What was her reason for hiding it from you?”
“She said she was scared I won’t accept anyone from her. Why won’t I accept anyone from her? Did we have any issues? She asked me to get her somethings and I did. Why did she hide Chisom under my mother? And then Chisom went ahead with the scam. It was too late as I had fallen in love with someone else”
“How did you meet?” she asked. I was amazed she asked him the same question. Was she trying to confirm what I said? I wanted to hear his response. I was surprised he revealed a lot to her.
“I was her in church new year’s eve two years ago. She was with some village girls but she was different. The way she worked, so calculated. She was well comported. I saw her with another beautiful lady but she caught my attention. I went after her with Eddie. He was also surprised I was going after her. I told him I was going to marry her. This girl gave me subtle insult that day. She asked why I should stop her on the road to toast her. She said if I wanted to see her, I should come to her house. The former Emeka for don waka but this Emeka no gree and I did what she asked. Na brain babe. She cleared her WAEC and Jamb. She is studying Medicine. She dey with Jacinta for Enugu”
“You leave her with Jacinta?”
“This one na fresh fish; I can’t leave her on campus alone. Those boys will rush her whether she wants or not. Fine girl wey get brain. You don forget wetin happen for uniport? I no fit o. And I no dey around. I dey pay Jacinta make she stay there. I love this babe” he replied bending to me and kissed me on my lips. I felt special. I felt loved.
“I can’t believe it. Hard man Emeka fall for babe”
“I no deny am, I dey talk am, this babe I saw and I couldn’t take my eyes off her is the love of my life. I love her”
“Anyway, I hope she sabi make you no go dey find for corner”
“You no hear wetin I talk? Na fresh fish. We go yarn later”
I was interested in what they were saying but as at then I didn’t understand. I wasn’t brought up with pidgin English and slangs. These were strange words to me.
All the while Emeka and his cousin were talking, she didn’t stop what she was doing. She was very professional in in work. I had to learn this makeup. Emeka went in to take a bath while she was putting finishing touches to my face.
“You are a lucky girl. I have never heard Emeka talk so excitedly about any girl before. He truly loves you. Please, don’t disappoint him. And, be careful of Jacinta”
“Thank you”
My makeup was done. I couldn’t believe I was looking this good. I picked up the outfit Emeka brought out for me. It was a silver and black print halter neck play suit. When I wore it, the back was completely open and the neckline was deep. I couldn’t wear bra with it. I was uncomfortable in it.
Emeka came out from the bathroom wearing his boxers. Immediately he saw me, he went “Baby, you look hot”
“I am not comfortable in this outfit”
“What is wrong with it?”
“My entire body is exposed. My legs, my arms, my back and my br**sts. I cant put my body out on display like that”
“I want it that way. I want to show you off baby; I am proud of you”
“Please Emeka, can I not attend this party? I will wait for you here. I am not comfortable walking around like this. I am a married woman”
Uju burst out laughing. She picked her makeup trolley handle and left.
“You won’t wear this for me?” Emeka asked trying to blackmail me.
“Please Emeka, I don’t want your cousins looking at my br**sts or touching my bare back. it is sacrilege to me. My body belongs to you alone. Only you cane those sensitive parts. Please, I don’t want to go like this”
“Ok” he brought out a white and black stripped jumpsuit. It was a bit tight but it covered up. The only other downside was it was off the shoulder. I wore a bra and used pins to attach the cloth to my bra. I didn’t want it falling beyond a particular level otherwise my br**sts will show.
Emeka wore a black jeans and a white polo T-shirt. He gave me a new bottle of perfume to wear. We were ready. I wore a low heel sandals while he wore boots. We looked good together. We stepped out for the party.
Emeka introduced me to around again. He held me by my hand, from behind with his hands encircling my waist, he also held me by the waist beside him. There was music and dancing. I observed there were mainly guys; just a few ladies.
As we settled down, Emeka went to get me something to eat and drink. He got me peppered goat meat first and malt. It wasn’t long after, girls trooped into the party. These girls were scantily dressed. What I wore previously was saintly compared to what most of the wore. Even when the family members came out, I couldn’t believe they were the same people I knew. Uju joined us wearing a black mini dress with a long chain. Jacinta wasn’t left out. I didn’t feel comfortable in the presence of so much nakedness.
I thought that would be the worse but I was mistaken. Chisom came out with Ugonna. My jaw and those of everyone who saw her dropped to the ground. Chisom was endowed. She had hips and bum and also had a full bosom. She
wasn’t tall but she has a sweet height. She wore a nude coloured tie back playsuit that was very tight. The neckline plunged lower than my playsuit. Her back and skin where on display. I understood why Emeka wanted be to dress so scandalously.
Chisom and I were two very different people. While she was well endowed, I was moderately endowed. I was slim with a sizeable hip which fitted my stature. I had moderate sized br**sts; they were not too big and not small. I had a nice figure but I was not ready to put it on display. I was a wife and not a girlfriend. Somethings are expected of wives. It wasn’t Chisom fault.
Emeka didn’t leave my side. If he looked at Chisom whom I believed had left in the morning, I refused to notice. I tried to enjoy the party even though it wasn’t my thing. I danced with just Emeka. He held me close as we danced; it was embarrassing. I then went to sit down when some girls took over dancing with him. I had a drink and just watched smiling. Uju came to meet me.
“You are not used to this lifestyle”
“I am not. It will require getting used to”
“This is the time we let down our hairs and go crazy as family. Most of the girls came to help liven up the party. That was why I laughed when you rejected that playsuit that sat perfectly on you. you are not looking bad right now but imagine how you would have made an entrance with that outfit. Also, don’t be coming out with Emeka; learn to be fashionably late”
Why was she telling me all this? Why was she being nice?
“Can I tell you something?” she asked.
“Go ahead”
“Don’t create a scene here no matter what you see. Just smile; if it is too much for you to take, go to your room”
“What are you talking about?”
“Chisom wants to dance with Emeka. Keep your cool”
I smiled. She joined the girls dancing with Emeka and at a time she was the only one dancing with him. She was rubbing her body against his while the guys cheered. I laughed at the whole scene; it looked ridiculous from where I sat. I turned away from them and picked my phone. I checked messages and responded to them. Uju tried to make small talk to distract me but I kept telling her with a smile on my face, I was fine.
Not long after, Emeka came to join me. “That Chisom girl is crazy. Should I get you pepper soup?” he asked me.
“No thank you” I was upset but I had to put my emotions in check. I expected more from. He should have walked to me. He shouldn’t have danced with her.
Uju left us while we sat with his other cousins who joined. I set an alarm on my phone so it will prompt me; I planned on using it as an excuse to go in. Thirty minutes later, my alarm goes off. I told Emeka I needed to take my drugs. He wanted to escort me to the room but I didn’t want him coming in.
At the entrance of the house, Emeka asked me “Are ok?”
“I am. I have a headache and want to sleep”
“This is your key. Open the door but remove the key from mouth so I can open from outside”
‘Ok.”
He hugged me and then whispered to me (Don’t remove the make up please. I will join you soon. You are so beautiful”
Normally these words make me smile but that day; it didn’t. I went in, changed to
my nightly and waited for him.
AKWAUGO