A Story Of Deceit

Episode 34

‘David, where did you get a car from?’, I asked. ‘Is that really important right now?, just enter, let’s go to a place where we can talk’, he said. ‘It’s important oooo, I’ve not seen you in two weeks, you show up with a car, and you expect me to just follow you?’, I questioned. ‘Okay, I got the car from my new business’, he replied. ‘What kind of business will give you a car in two weeks?’, I asked. ‘Actually, Uwa, it’s not just two weeks, the salary from Mrs. Martins, was very small, I had to go into this one’, he said. ‘So, how long have you been into this one?’, I questioned. ‘Since four months now’, he replied. ‘Four months!’, I exclaimed as I realized, that I didn’t know David as much as I thought. I didn’t know he was involved into any business that could give so much money in four months to buy a car, I didn’t know he could even drive. ‘So, get in, let’s go somewhere to talk’, he said. ‘Oh, no, sorry, I can’t, Ngozi might start looking for me’, I said. ‘Just an hour please’, he begged. It was a good thing, I was already properly dressed.

I wanted to spend time with him to ask for a solid explanation of why he had not been picking my phone calls. I dialed Ngozi’s number right away to tell her, I’d be back in an hour. She sounded worried and if she had her way, she’d have asked me to return immediately but she couldn’t.

I hopped into the car, I talked to David but, he replied less, his excuse was, ‘talking while driving is dangerous’. I decided to wait till when he’d stop driving, which I hoped would be soon. Minutes later, we arrived at an eatery. An eatery, not so far from my uncle’s house, it was my first in any eatery but it didn’t make me happy, considering the circumstances that brought me there. ‘Uwa, let me get you something’, he said. ‘No, David, let’s sit, we didn’t come here to eat, we came to talk’, I said. ‘Okay’, he replied and sat down. ‘So, Uwa, what’s been going on with you?’, he questioned pulling out a seat for me. Right there and then, I would have slapped him for that insolent question but for the people there, I didn’t want to create a scene. ‘What do you mean by what has been going on in my life?’, I said and sat comfortably. ‘Okay, let’s talk about your actions of late’, I said. ‘Why haven’t you been picking up or returning my calls?’, I asked. ‘Uwa, I’m sorry, it’s work’, he said. ‘Okay, so you work twenty four hours’, I mocked. ‘So, not calling on my birthday was also work?, you just kept away from me, if not for Dayo, I wouldn’t have known, you left that house’, I said. ‘You called Dayo!’, David exclaimed angrily. ‘I was worried, why wouldn’t I call him?’, I asked. ‘You should have waited for my call’, he said. ‘Are you listening to yourself David?, I should have waited for your call?’, I asked furiously. I was yet to get any apology from him, which only got me more infuriated. ‘I still don’t know the kind of business you’re involved in now, that is eating up all your time, so can you tell me about the job?’, I asked. ‘Uwa’, I’m sorry, I ignored all your calls, but, things will change now, I promise’, he said.

I wasn’t really observant to understand the fact that he dodged the question. He was able to convince me to forgive him, he still professed his undying love to me and made a promise, that he’d change. I informed him about my trip to fashion school in two days. ‘Wow!’, he exclaimed. ‘That’s good, how come I’m just hearing about this?’, he asked. ‘Were you picking your calls?’, I asked. ‘I said, I’m sorry na’, he said smiling. ‘I have heard you, you just said something that reminded me of it, that’s all’, I replied.

I was very conscious of time, such that after an hour elapsed, I pestered him to take me home. He tried to persuade me to stay a while with him but, I was persistent. I was happy and still sad. Happy because, I had seen David. Sad, because, something just didn’t feel right.

‘What happened, where have you been?’, Ngozi asked as soon as I got home. ‘Sorry for getting you worried, I had to talk a friend’, I said. ‘Hmmm’, she sighed. ‘Okay ooo’, she said. It wasn’t until I had settled down in my room, that I remembered, I didn’t really get a detailed elaboration from David about his job. I thought about his new success, if he could ride a car as fancy as that, I had already started picturing what his new home would be like. I decided not to worry about his job, ‘it skipped his mind to explain the job’, I convinced myself.
The next day, I went out again with David, the parents were not at home, so, not even Ngozi or Stella could stop me. I couldn’t go out the next day, which was Sunday because, my mum would never consent to me leaving the house.

David stopped ignoring my phone calls, he didn’t even wait for me to call, he did almost all the calling. I was head over heels.
Everything he said, was right, I had come to respect him a lot in just those two days, left for me to stay at home before school.

Now, Dayo had still not given up on calling, neither did I give up on ignoring his calls and text messages. He had not met my terms, which was to call Yemisi and apologize for his misdeeds. Each call from Dayo reminded me of my wrongdoings to Yemisi. That Sunday evening, I brought out my phone to call Yemisi. ‘Hello, Yemisi’, I said calmly as a still river. ‘Ah, ah, Uwa, what is it?, you sound weak, are you okay?’, she asked. ‘Yes, yes, I’m okay’, I replied. ‘Uwa, you don’t sound good at all, what’s the problem?’, she asked. ‘Abi, you’re not going to fashion school again?’, she questioned trying to find out why I sounded sulky. ‘Yemisi, see nothing is wrong, everything is fine, but I just feel that, going to fashion school tomorrow is going to be a fresh start for me, I don’t want to be guilty’, I told her. She let out a loud laughter and said, ‘Uwa, Abeg talk joor’, she persuaded me. After a while, I began. ‘Yemisi, I’m really sorry, I… I… I knew’, I was cut short by her yell. ‘Knew what na, Uwa, talk Abeg’. ‘Hmmmm, okay Yemisi, see ehn…, I uhm knew who Dayo was right from the start, we were even dating. At a time, I thought I was pregnant for him but I wasn’t. I’m really sorry, I didn’t tell you, I was really selfish, I thought if I had told you, I would lose my job, please forgive me’, I pleaded with her.

‘Uwa, I just want you to know that I’m not stupid, I knew about it’, she informed. My heart beat increased faster when I heard those words from her. ‘how….how?’, I stuttered. ‘Uwa, do you remember that day, you left your phone in my room when you came in and saw me sleeping?. Well, while you were in the kitchen, I heard a beep on your phone and I was very curious. I checked the message, it was Dayo and I read a little preview of the message, that’s when I knew. I didn’t scream because, I received a message from Dayo, I screamed because I saw Dayo’s message on your phone, I just held my phone for showcase’, she elaborated.

After her elaboration, I knew I was the big fool, Yemisi knew all this while and didn’t raise any issue about it. ‘I’m really sorry, Yemisi’, I apologized. ‘But, why didn’t you say something?’, I asked. ‘Because, Uwa, I was also at fault.
Yes!, you were just a maid in my house but you were sincere to me about everything except Dayo. I figured, you didn’t want me to get hurt, that’s why you kept it a secret from me. I also understood that you were avoiding Dayo’s messages, because, I read your texts almost everyday. I’m sorry because, I knew about your feelings and still went ahead with Dayo. Besides, I didn’t know you two got intimate’, she informed.

We didn’t say anything for a few minutes and I don’t know why, but I laughed, I was, blaming myself and killing myself with guilt when all I had to do was to just open up to Yemisi. I’m sorry Yemisi’, I apologized again. ‘Uwa, I should be the one apologizing’, she said. ‘uhm, why?, it wasn’t your fault, so why do you have to apologize?’, I asked. ‘Hmmmmh’, she sighed. ‘Uwa, I have something else to say’, she apprised. ‘Okay, go on’, I said inquisitively. ‘See ehn, Uwa, I was really in love with Dayo, I also knew, you were in love with him, so uhm’, she said, ‘I… ‘, she stopped when she heard her name from her mother. ‘I will call you back Yemisi, I don’t want to rush what I have to say’, she said and ended the call leaving me in great anxiety.

Whatever she had to say was important due to how hesitant she was in revealing it. I just couldn’t pin my hands on anything. I decided to be patient and wait for her call.

Despite not knowing what her last words were, I was still happy that I had cleared the air and freed myself from guilt. I was enthusiastic, I couldn’t wait to attend my new school. My uncle said the school was Far from the house but, not too far anyway that I couldn’t come home each day but he said wanted me to focus on school and forget distractions from the house. I couldn’t express gratitude enough to my uncle. Yes!, he left my mum and I all this while but now, he was ready to take on the responsibility of caring for us. What if he decided to overlook my resemblance to my mum when he first noticed it?, my mum wouldn’t be in Lagos, I’d still be working as a maid, without hope of a better life. I was truly grateful.

My things were already packed up, I had provisions, everything I needed had been paid for and I was sure, my uncle would give me some amount of money the next day.

Finally, I’d be liberated from the evil clutches of Mrs. Martins and especially Stella. I wasn’t really worried about my mum, I knew quite well, that she could handle them in her own terms. Happiness engulfed me, David and I were communicating consistently, I didn’t have to work for single meal, I had a room all to myself, a comfortable room and well, maybe a loving family. Some minutes after 8:00pm, Yemisi called. I picked up hurriedly and, after exchanging pleasantries, she began, ‘Uwa, see, I don’t have much airtime, so I may have to speak fast’, she informed. ‘I have airtime, I’ll call you back if your airtime finishes’, I replied laughing.

‘Okay, Uwanah, what I want to tell you is, that I, okay I’ll just go straight to the point’, she said. ‘Yes, please do’, I said calmly. I understood the tension behind confessing. ‘Okay, Uwanah, I knew that Dayo was in a relationship with you and you had feelings for him as much as I did’, she said. ‘See, when, Dayo stopped returning my calls, I thought, he had forgotten about me and he wanted to come back to you, I was really jealous, so, I figured, that lying would make you hate him more’, she notified. ‘Okay, so what did you lie about?’, I asked. She hesitated. ‘Yemisi, just tell me, I no fit vex for you’, I assured her. ‘Okay, Uwanah, Dayo wasn’t the father of the child I lost’, she apprised. ‘Sorry, come again, what did you say?’, I asked. ‘I knew that you’d hate Dayo if I lied’, she said in a remorseful tone. ‘I know na Yemisi, I said you should repeat those last words you said’, I told her. ‘Uwa, Dayo didn’t impregnate me’, she said again. I felt a loud bang on my head and asked, ‘Then, who is the father?’.