****EPISODE 16***
However, all her efforts proved futile, Daisy lost her mum some months later, she felt her world crumbled.
She was a little fortunate that she had completed her registration at Boston University and was a fresher reading Nursing there before her mum’s death, now she worried about her chance of ever completing her education, considering the fact that most of the money for her schooling had gone down the drain. Daisy considered herself an orphan, she held no grudge anymore against her mum but transferred it to her father, reasoning that he and his people caused her mum to come live far away from home thereby making her prey to death.
If Daisy thought her nightmare was over, she was mistaken ‘cos months
after the death of her mother, her mother’s husband started making
advances towards, his excuse was that he’d always have a thing for
African beauties and Daisy looked so much like her mother, therefore she
could continue where she stopped while he would provide for her always.
Daisy could not be more angry and repulsed at his offers and one day,
she quietly packed all her things out of his house to go see what the
future holds for her.
****************
Daisy, now living more like a destitute was switching between two jobs, working as a part time cook and a waiter at an African restaurant there in Boston, due to the nature of her job, she changed over to part time
in her school in other to meet up with the demands of her job and her education. It was while working at the restaurant oneday that she met Mrs Bimpe Olukoya.
Mama took a liking to the young African lady who had a sadness about her inspite of her open cheerfulness and she was curious to know what her story was. Experience had taught her that most Africans who found their way to America had a story or two to tell.
When they finally got talking, Daisy intrigued her the more, she found
out the cause of sorrow that trailed her and her attempts at surviving, she also loved the fact that Daisy was technically Yoruba and spoke the language fluently too and she was moved to compassion for her.
One thing led to another and they became good friends. The elderly woman decided to strike a deal with the younger: she wanted Daisy to resume full time at the College, to drop her job with the restaurant and come work for her part time as a ‘practicing’ nurse. While she contributed to Daisy’s education and Daisy could pay her in the future when she graduated and was working.
Daisy was elated, it seemed fate wasn’t really cruel to her again, she accepted the offer and promised to pay back the money as soon as she could. She however secretly kept the cooking job because cooking was one of her passions, though she bargained for lesser days and shorter time. Mama later got to know of it, but she didn’t seem to mind.
And so, their relationship went beyond nurse and patient affair, Daisy became like a family and daughter to mama and soon she became her unofficial assistant, helping her run errands for the company. Mama was the overseer representative of the Family company down in Nigeria, she took care of the purchase and exportation of the household items in which the Olukoyas company deal on and Daisy naturally offered assistance wherever she could, but still maintaining her job as mama fussy nurse.
Since Daisy practically was family, Mama introduced her to her son and his children down in Nigeria, it wasn’t a physical introduction per se, just through conversations, anecdotes and photographs, Daisy gathered that Jide was the stubborn and favourite grandchild of mama and that had intrigued her young heart.
When she eventually set her sights on a picture of Jide amongst the album mama kept and showed her, he caught her fancy the more and unconsciously held her heart, she never knew she had fallen blindly for him, until when years later he had visited Boston for official reasons, Daisy who was 22 then, saw her Picture idol come to life and that had cemented and strengthened the feeling, she knew then that she was sold out completely to the handsome, stubborn, arrogant man who was so sure of himself.
Jide on his part, wasn’t any particular about Mama’s little assistant, he was simply civil to her the very few times they met in mama’s house, but then he only stayed a week before traveling back to Nigeria, America and its fancy wild girls held no allure for him and he was glad to be done and off with.
Daisy however felt more, Jide was the perfect man she felt could rescue her and give her the fulfilment she had long craved, she let her young heart dream on and on about him. She became mildly absorbed with fantasies of him, so much so that she had secretly stolen that picture of Jide and stashed it away for keeps.
When she wasn’t into bickering and girls stuff with Brenda or running around and taking care of Mama, keeping up with her studies or trying to make
her relationship work with Peter, she was busy building up fantasies of Jide and her. Even though Daisy was matured enough to know that at her age, she should be able to tell the difference between love and infatuation, she cared not neither did she try piece the difference when it concerns Jide.
It was years later, that Brenda caught on to her friends secret admiration and she very well didn’t approve of it, to her, it was so pointless that a pretty and matured girl like Daisy should waste her precious time pinning over a guy that wasn’t aware of her affections nor
was guaranteed to return them if he ever knew. But Daisy always got defensive when she tried to set her straight and since it became a bone of contention in their friendship, Brenda just allowed the matter slide. It wasn’t worth it for it was Daisy’s life and most definitely her heart which would receive the heartbreak when the time comes. She reasoned.
However, Brenda let go of the issue only too late after mama got wind of the situation, it had first amused her and she had hoped Daisy would snap out of the illusion. But when reports of Jide’s bachelor behaviour filtered in. Her diagnosis
was to get Jide settled down and the most appropriate candidate was her very own Daisy. She counted on Daisy easy acceptance but hadn’t anticipated that strong opposition would come from her dear favourite grandson, Jide. ********
To be continued…….
By Oden Green
TAKING CHANCES