Featherlight Heart

Episode 5

“So you sounded really chirpy over the phone, what’s the happy news? You finally got yourself a girlfriend, oh wait she is pregnant and you finally made your mother a granny?” Tayo says taking off his suit and seating down.

Emeka was smiling, he was twirling the glass of wine in his hands, his lips twitching
Tayo grabs the bottle of wine “D–n man, you must be really excited about something to have had them bring their best wine, this is like 35k for a bottle, I know you rich but… you have to tell me what’s the news because I am dying to know” he says, thanking the waiter and orders a plate of shredded chicken
“Well, let’s just say, the devil came visiting today”

“The devil huh? So was he wearing a red cape, got horns and have fangs for teeth and oh don’t forget a tail” Tayo snickers
“Oh he had one better, he had a name, Mr AMBROSS CHIKURDI”
Tayo frowns “Mr AMBROSS CHIKURDI, Mr Ambross… why does that name sound familiar, is that not… wait is that not-” Tayo’s eyes grows big,
“Your father,the devil!!!’’
“yes brother, yes, one and only devil, I swear he was in detail… you never forget a man who sent you to hell thinking you were going to die, he forgot that when you send a man to die during Easter, he is going to rise” Emeka laughs so hard his body shook

“Tell me everything, how, where…everything“
“Oh I will- It started with a call and I didn’t know at first because it was my secretary that handled that, anyways, she fixed a meeting with him and then he strolled in and the dude didn’t know that I, Emeka Odinaka Uchendu was his blood, that he threw out on the streets with his mother and guess what he called me? Sir! With respect, and when I told him I was going to take his company and turn it into a hair factory, his eyes nearly popped out”

They laughed “Savage Son! Oh dear lord Emeka, he had no clue?”

“None son, none. And here I was staring him in the eyes, daring him to remember but he didn’t”

Emeka’s countenance changes “You know I asked him if had a family, ever been married, he said no”

Emeka shakes his head, suddenly became angry “he denied me to my face again Tayo, he did and right there and then I wanted to scream and tell him I am Emeka, the son he didn’t want, the one he left to die, but I said no, I was going to make him suffer, I would take all hat he owns and turn it into ruins, I would kick his breath from under him and then I would watch him suffer, just like he did”

“Hey easy son, I know you are pained, your seeing him is just bringing back old memories, opening old wounds”

“Yeah, that wound never healed but I vowed to make things good for my mum and God has been faithful, but I also vowed that if I ever ran into that man,that Amnbross I would make him pay… and God just delivered him to me on a platter of gold, and I can’t wait to cause him pain and misery Tayo, I swear I would make it rain on him like acid, and my first start is with his company..” he smiles into his glass
Tayo looks at Emeka “I hope you don’t lose yourself in the process”
“it would give me peace”
“Do you think that is what your mother will want? Revenge?”

“I will make decisions for her” he says then suddenly he turns to Tayo “I saw her”
“Saw who?”
“The girl who ripped my heart so long ago and gave it to the dogs to chew”
“Who, your first girlfriend, first love, Delilah Aka Diana?”

“Yes!!!”
“S–t mahn, how are you… are you okay. Both of them under one day”
“Yes, I told you, the devils is in detail”
“Did she recognize you, your father couldn’t ,I guess she didn’t “

“Oh she did, she did alright and she called my name and then I walked away, and didn’t look back’’

“Good! You don’t need her crap, she is in your past”

“Oh, I know that, but pain does something to you Tayo, it changes you”
“I know that look Emeka, what do you plan to do? Just let sleeping dogs lie”
“Oh nothing, I won’t do anything. You know what happens when there is a pile of s–t on the road?”

“Flies gather it?”
“Yes Tayo,flies. And trust me, I don’t have to do anything, the flies will come and when they do, I would take it up and then slam it on the ground, harder than the way she dropped me and I would let her shatter. I mended a broken heart for years, unable to give another woman a chance because I was afraid to let another come in and ruin me again.

Now today God brings her in my way again, and I need Closure Tayo”

“So you are going to date her?’’’
“Oh no, I’ll let her assume that, I will do to her what she did to me, the difference is she wouldn’t see it coming plus, I will feel nothing. Nothing but satisfaction for her pain. The rest of everything will happen on its own. The devil is in details remember” Emeka laughs

“Dude sometimes you scare me, I know you talked about revenge all this years but, I never thought the day would come’’
“Oh well, I guess Christmas came early, “
“Are you going to tell your mother, about your father?’’’

Emeka shakes his head “I don’t need to, she doesn’t need to be reminded of him, it would only give her pain .It took years for her to let him go, I don’t want her falling sick over remembering s–t”

“Well, it’s understandable, but Emeka, don’t you think you should let it go? I think you telling him who you are and watching shame wash over him would be enough payback. The boy he felt would amount to nothing without his help is the same one he goes back to for help, you don’t think that is enough?”

“No, it would be enough when I see him broken down like us, then it would be enough’’
“And then Diana, what will you do to her, break her heart too?”

Emeka smiles “ everything will happen on it’s own, everything will” he smiles pouring wine into Tayo’s glass “Here is to revenge, paybacks and broken pieces” he laughs
“Dude, really, don’t lose yourself in the process” Tayo repeats
Emeka stares away
“I lost myself a long time ago when the girl I loved left me and when my father sent me to the streets, I am me because of my mother’s strength, love and prayers and her labour. I lost myself a long time ago, losing some more wouldn’t change nothing”

But Tayo didn’t agree with him, but he said nothing more.

---

“Babe,whats wrong ,why are you banging on my door like that, my son is asleep” Grace opens her door and Diana rushes in going to sit on the bed, her hands on her head, she is crying.
“Hey Grace! what have I done, what have her done?’’ she wails

“What is wrong, what is wrong?’’ she comes to her friend, removing her hands from her head “Dee talk now, you are scaring me”
“Hey Grace you wouldn’t believe who I saw today, you wouldn’t”she jumps as she sat on the bed, tears streaming down her eyes,her hands goes back to her head

“Ehen, who? Tell me why are you crying, who did you see Diana?”

“Hey God what did I do oh, what?” she wails
“See if you won’t say anything, leave my house, Ahain!! My son is sleeping abi you want to wake him?You know how he gets when he is awake“

“Hey Grace,I saw Emeka, I saw Emeka ooooo!!”

“Emeka, Slyvannus Emeka?” she asked
“No, Emeka ehhhh!!!” she cries biting her hand, raising up her dress, clearing uneasy
“Which Eemka na, no be Ruth brother Emeka, or is it our erm what’s he called, our Ijeoma Emeka, that works opposite my office?”
Diana is shaking her head “No, my Emeka, my Emeka” she hits her chest

Now Grace’s frown deepens “What nonsense are you saying, do you have an Emeka. The dude you were dating is James, and that was three months ago, so who be Emeka again now?’’
Diana wails “Emeka Odinika Chikurdi, my ex back in school. The one I left, the one we saw that was selling on the streets years ago. The boy I dumped. That Emeka, that my Emeka”

Grace bends her head to the side, then turns away, then back to her blinking rapidly… “That Emeka you lied to us that had traveled to the states and the one you use to flaunt about that his father was rich, that Emeka you used to drive his car around in school, that Emeka was so crazy about you and you dumped and denied that day we were going to your new boyfriend’s house, that Eemka?”

Diana wails nodding her head
“Yes,yes! that my Emeka”
“Which your Emeka? You dey craze! why is he your Emeka now, wait sef , where did you see him, what is wrong with him, why are you crying, is he dead? No one has seen or heard about him for what, over nine years now or soo, ehen na since that time we were in year three, he never returned and you know I went back to search for him that day on the streets but no one knew who he was, so what is it, why are you crying, what happened to him?”

Diana wipes her eyes and stares at Grace “I saw him today. You know that company that is on Brooke street, with foreign people working there too, that oil company now, that is a car servicing company plus deals with importation of things like spare parts, cars and-‘’’

“Ehen yes I know, it a big company na, I hear their have others spread across within and outside the country.. I hear it’s owned by a young guy oh, all the young boys where get sense use money do better thing.. you know I applied to work there once but I got pregnant with junior and you know his father was a d–k and wasn’t ready to settle down so I missed the interview, ehen na the same company you were supposed to have an interview in today na, ehen what happened it, wait, you went for it abi?”

She shakes her head “Didn’t. That company, that whole thing you just said now, it belongs to Emeka, my Emeka, hey God !!’

Grace blinks, then she begins to laugh, then she stops and then she laughs slapping her hands together

“Wait, I don’t get, Emeka, like Odinaka Emeka, no, what are you saying, did you drink?” she touches her neck, but Diana hits her hands away
“No, I went there you see, and I wasnt looking and I hit someone and when I turn it was Emeka, my Emeka!!”

“Shut up!!stop calling him ‘My Emeka! But are sure?”

“See I didn’t know at first but his voice and then his eyes, you know it was his eyes I was drawn to at first in school, it was warm and s—-d you in, and then the way he sounded, my head shook and then I looked up, I swear my mouth said Emeka before my head realized that it was trully Emeka and he- he recognized me,”
“Ehen, it still doesn’t make sense what you are saying”

“when I called his name” she continued “He pulled away from me as though he touched a hot coal or fire and then he walked away, entered a clean sweet convertible and zoomed away, I kept calling him, he didn’t deny and say I am not Emeka I am this or that Grace, he just looked away and drove off, then here is the kicker”
“Ehen’’

“One of the workers there who helped me with my bag told me that was his oga and his oga’s name isn’t Emeka, but that company, that company is his, he owns it all”

“Mtchew!! You see, you are seeing things, you don’t know who you saw”
“No Grace, it is Emeka, it is I swear it“
Grace looks at her crying friend “Okay let’s assume it was Emeka and that he is the owner of that multi-billion naira company, why are you crying now?”

“Because, I broke up with him thinking he wouldn’t amount to anything, now see, see, not only did he amount to something, he- …hey God, he owns a freaking company of that magnitude. He is made and I threw him away just because of his present then and forgot about his future, hey what will I do?”

“I don’t understand what do you mean what will you do how?”

“I have to go and apologize and tell him I am sorry, to explain things, it was the devil. I wasn’t in my right senses. Grace, I would have been Mrs by now, married to him, enjoying this wealth. Chai, who did this to me? After ten years I run into Emeka and he sees me, with disgust he turned away from me. I am finished, what have I done Grace, help me!”

“You are mad! You are really more than mad” Grace says point at her temple “Your head no correct you hear? You broke the guy’s heart and you think you can just waltz into his life now like nothing happened?Are you smoking a new kind of crazy weed? You lied to all of us about his state just because you wanted to save face, you knew apparently he was going through s–t yet you didn’t care you left him. Everyone knew that guy loved you to pieces and you left him, denied him on top and you think after ten years, because he is the best thing after dangote now you can go on your knees and beg him for mercy and that he take you back?’

“Yes, yes”
“You are mad, Diana! We know what you want, not his love but his money. May God forgive you but even so, it’s not Emeka you saw, it’s not and even if he was the one, I pray he doesn’t give you a chance”

“How can you say that, we are friends” Diana cries

“Yes, that is why I would be honest. You messed up big time, you don’t deserve a second chance, you left a good guy when he was in his low and he was looking for a breath of fresh air, you were his safe haven at that time Daina, yet you took his breath away and that could break a man totally, now you want to waltz back? You have no conscience. Leave the man alone, the least you can do is to apologize to him and get the hell away from his life, you don’t deserve to tap from this happiness of his, you don’t”

Diana wails “No I do oh, i will. He would take me back”

“After ten years? You definitely are on crack”
Diana wails, she shakes her head from side to side

“If junior wakes up, just know that you are taking him home with you”

While Diana is crying,Grace takes her phone and googles the company, looking for a picture of the founder. She clicks on CEO, Mr E.O. Unchendu, when his picture pops up, her mouth drops open
“Dear heavenly father, truly it is Emeka!!“ she covers her mouth with her hand, Daina rushes to look, seeing the picture and she wails again
“Hey God! hey God!!’’
“Kai shut up jor!!“ she tells Diana “You are crying? You never start heheheheh” she begins to laugh “You know that saying ‘No condition is permanent?’ Well Emeka is a living testimony, I am sure he has one banging hot chick like that, that is giving him seven days a week, two ways to Sunday and maybe they are married with three kids and he don’t give two shits about you” she laughs,

Diana bursts out crying, Grace continues
“yes, I am sure of that, maybe he bought her a city or had a little island named after her, you know, the chick must have fallen in love with him on the streets, struggled with him so he owes her everything…d–n! I am sure there is a wedding picture somewhere” Grace is laughing while Diana is wailing painfully
“You are a wicked friend, instead for you to help me… you are torturing me”
“Me to help you? You are high! See, forget Eemka, he don’t need your baggage, not now, not ever.You dumped him remember, let him have peace I beg you’’

“No!he can’t forget me, he can’t. I will go and apologize. Ten years isn’t a long time, he would forgive me and you will apologize for all these“

Grace yawns “Right, biko I need to get back to my laundry”

Daina grabs her bag and she leaves.

---

“Yes how may I help you?”
“Yes please, my name is Diana Nkenchior, I would like to see, Mr Odinaka Uchendu”
“Do you have an appointment?”
“No, tell him my name,he would want to see me”

“’Sorry ma’am you have to have an-“’”
“Just tell him, please”’
“Very well ma’am”

---

Emeka is staring out the window from his office overlooking the city
“Emeka?’’ the voice calls behind him, he turns

“I- I am so sorry” she says going on her knees “I am so so sorry” she begs
Emeka turns and then sits down “I have two questions for you, Diana, what in the devil’s name made you think you can assume I want to see your face? And secondly when you are done, get up and get out!”

Diana blinks “Emeka please, Emeka I beg you in the name of God please,I… I was young and stupid and, I was under a lot of pressure and look Emeka nothing I say can make it better, just forgive me”

“It is Sir to you or Mr Odinaka Uchendu Diana, you don’t call me Emeka”
“okay, please, forgive me please” she is still on her knees

Yes, he told Tayo, just like flies, She would come
“Why?“
“Because I am sorry”
“Sorry? You must be out of your mind, Get up and Get out!!’’