A Story Of Deceit

Episode 10

I listened to the conversation between Yemisi and Dayo, I wasn’t hearing Dayo though but from Yemisi’s questions, I could guess Dayo’s replies. It’s not like they were speaking like lovers, they spoke as friends but I found myself getting jealous. Then, I thought, ‘why was Dayo following me that morning?, that guy dry craze oooo’.
Yemisi’s grin was becoming wider each time she laughed, I thought the edges of her lips would tear. They spoke for a while and ended the call, I felt sad, when Dayo was with the other girls in the village, I decided to overlook it, I was better than them after all but now, it was Yemisi and obviously, she was better than I was. She tried to say more things about Dayo but I intentionally waved it off with different topics of discussion.

It was time for lunch, I remembered that, I hadn’t even had breakfast. I forgot the nylon, which contained the bread and bean balls (akara), at the farm. ‘where’s the food, she said she will bring? ‘, I said in my thoughts , it seemed like Yemisi read my thoughts because, almost immediately, she said she was going to the kitchen to get lunch. She returned few minutes later with a large tray that contained two plates of jollof rice, fried fish, two spoons and two glasses of water. The food looked homely and tasty, I asked, ‘did you cook this? ‘, ‘yes I did ‘, she replied, ‘okay, it’s good, you can cook ooo’, I complimented her.
To me, she was perfect, she was beautiful, learned, smart and a good cook, I wished I was like her.

I couldn’t wait to taste the food but I still had my manners, I followed her every move, the way she took out her food from the tray, the way she held her spoon, the way she closed her eyes while she said a little prayer and we eventually, started eating . Few minutes later, after taking about three or four spoons from the rice, I coughed and gulped down my own cup of water hurriedly. The food was horrible, it was too peppery, it tasted like pure salt, burnt tomatoes and okpa ( moi moi), igbo bean cakes). I couldn’t take it anymore, if I had to eat more of that food, I’d probably choke to death. ‘What is it?, is there something wrong with the food? ‘, she asked with concern, ‘hahahaha’, I laughed and breathed in, ‘nothing is wrong with the food, I’m really surprised that you cooked this, it’s just that, I’m not hungry, I ate too much this morning, I’m still full that’s why I coughed, if I eat more, I will even choke’, I explained, ‘ oh, okay, I thought it was the food, no problem, I won’t force you’, she said, sighed with relief and started eating again. I looked at her in awe as she savoured every taste of the meal, I wondered how she was able to eat like nothing was wrong with the food. I smiled at her, thinking about the fact that, I was a better cook, not that, I was happy that she couldn’t cook but it was an edge I had over her, despite all her qualities.

When she finished eating, she made emphasis on her wish of wanting to be with me everyday and then, one of the days, I’d take her around Boma, to try and locate Dayo.

I had not told her, I knew Dayo, there was no way, I’d tell her, I knew Dayo, much more his house. I consented to what she said but I also showed remorse on the fact that, staying with her, would not be possible, I had to work daily except on Sundays. ‘No, I’ll talk to my dad, you’re the only girl in that farm, I’m sure, those guys would pester you, I’d tell him to employ you here as a maid and pay you the same amount you receive while working on the farm’, she assured me. I stared at her blankly for a few minutes, of course, I was happy but it was too good to be true, I was a bit skeptical that her father would agree because there was really nothing to do in the house, it seemed neat to me, except, washing clothes and doing the dishes.

It was time to leave, it was getting late, I felt I had overstayed my welcome, though, she asked me to stay a little longer. ‘Uwa’, stay a little while’, she pleaded with me, ‘sorry, I can’t stay, it’s getting dark’, I told her, ‘okay, I understand’, she replied . ‘Uwa, you don’t have a phone, right?, I have a small phone, that needs a SIM, I’ll get one for you so that I can call you anytime’, she
said, the assurance that I’d have a phone, got me excited and very grateful too, ‘thank you, Yemisi’, I expressed gratitude, ‘you’re welcome’, she said, while we walked to the gate. Mr. Shola stood at the gate and gave the worst smile I had ever seen to Yemisi, it was the first time I had seen him smiling, ‘maybe, that’s how he smiles’, I murmured. I didn’t want to ask him for my money, I assumed, he’d be with it and I was right because when I got closer to him, he stretched out his hands with the money to me. I thanked him and collected it. Yemisi walked a distance with me and bade me farewell with the assurance that she’d talk to her father about my job and the promise of getting a phone for me.

When I got closer to the farm, I met Bola, I didn’t expect him to be there, it was almost dark, everyone had gone home, he was with my nylon which I had forgotten in the morning, he handed it over to me and I thanked him, ‘you forget this tin here this morning as you dey comot’, he said, ‘yes, thank you for keeping it’, I replied, ‘how you dey now?, wetin happen since morning?’ ,he asked looking worried, ‘nothing jahre, I’m fine’, I replied, ‘okay, I think sey, Mr. Soji dey vex for you’, he said, ‘no, he wasn’t angry at me, I went to see his daughter’, I told him, ‘ah ah, im get pikin?’, he asked, ‘yes na’, I answered. He didn’t say anything after that, He just kept staring at me, I broke the silence when I said, ‘I’m going home na, it’s getting dark, see you tomorrow’, I said, ‘ehen, Uwa’, e get something wey I wan tell you Uwa’, he said, ‘eh, not now oooo, abeg’, I said in my thoughts, I knew what he wanted to say. I hurriedly said, ‘it’s late na, tomorrow, we’ll talk’, I walked past him and walked as fast as my legs could carry me. I didn’t look back so I don’t know if he stood there or left too.

I got home, my mum wasn’t back yet but I met the one person I would have sworn that I could kill if I had seen him that afternoon. ‘Dayo, who are you looking for? ‘, I said and looked at him despicably, why was he at my house?, I was ready to use my sandals on him again.