Seeking Truth

Episode 3

Anyways, it’s been more than 8 years now since all these happened! I’ve remained in Port Harcourt and on the same job. I’ve grown to the position of a Unit Head after all the slow climb. Things were fairly back to normal. A few guys had tried switching me on again, but then I have always been the one to pull out. Either because of the fear of being hurt again or the slimmest assurance that the dude in question wasn’t even serious about anything other than getting into my pants. I fell for a few though but was wise enough to limit the damage much better. I had learnt to be lonely and by myself. I had begun writing short stories and posting on a friend’s blog. All just to keep me occupied. So it should be clearer now, why it felt like a massive burst of colourful lively bubbles, when Chinelo called me on the phone on a certain night, to ask me if I would be willing to have Chiboy spend part of his holiday with me, in my house! I nearly screamed into the phone! I hadn’t seen him in 10 freaking years and had had no form of contact with him whatsoever! I was still occasionally speaking with his mum, who barely discuss him apart from very few occasions. I needed not be told his was going to be much older now. He would be 17 given it’s 10 years already since after he spent his very first holiday with me as a 7 year old. Just like the previous time, the excitement of his coming spontaneously gripped me so tenaciously and I began earnest preparations! I was now 42 and not even sure how I was supposed to get along with a 17 year old! But I saw myself repeating a 10 year old feat. I secured a leave at the office; repainted my living room and purchased a gaming console. Chiboy had to enjoy his latest stay, even if I wasn’t sure of his preferences anymore!

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I picked Chiboy up from the bus park with my car, the Saturday evening he arrived Port Harcourt! Meeting him after 10 years had to count as one of the greatest shocks of my life! I had all along been expecting to meet the usually tiny Chigozie but was dead-stunned, when I found a rather well-built teenager! And he was still only 17! I couldn’t even tell how I managed to recognize him as he was totally changed from whom I had known him to look like. He was now taller; something in the neighbourhoods of 6 feet. And looked even more like his dad than he was as a kid! I had to wonder what they fed them at boarding school! It was so very effective!

“Auntie Daniela…” he began calling, probably as soon as he noticed me. He was all smiles and was waving a hand. That was when I found him too and out of shock, placed a hand over my open mouth!

“Wooow…” my eyes had gone wide too! “Chiboy!” We got closer and embraced very tightly!

“Good evening auntie” he greeted after we had found our breath.

“Good evening Chi. How are you doing? You have grown so much oh!” I couldn’t hide my excitement and on a larger scale, surprise!

He smiled at my sheer enthusiasm. He was being a ‘man’ and doing well to conceal his own thrill. Exactly as his dad would do.

“Come. Hop into the car…” I went ahead of him, helping him with the hand-carry he had on him. It was quite heavy – had to be his cloths and stuff. We hit the road in seconds.

“How are your folks?” I started asking after driving for like a minute or two. I was also flashing him the occasional glance as we conversed. He hadn’t just gone taller and stronger, but equally handsome! In fact, he was breathtakingly handsome now. His hair was uncommonly curly and his eye brows were full and thick! He was simply a more attractive version of his dad.

“They are fine ma. They drove me to the bus park this morning” he looked at me and looked away.

“Ok. That’s good. So…you are now in what class?”

“I’ve finished school ma”. He surprised me. “I’m waiting for my JAMB result.” I couldn’t believe I had lost track of his progress in school. What distance could do.

“Wow…that’s good. So what course are you looking to study?”

“Medicine and Surgery” was his brief answer

I laughed loud and then commended his choice. I was so pleased with his growth all round. My little Chiboy was rapidly becoming a man – both academically and otherwise. He didn’t seem to be as free as he used to be when he was much younger, though. He appeared a bit more in-between being reserved and extrovert. He wasn’t shy at all but also looked like you’d need to do some work to get him to say things to you. I was generally pleased anyways. For the first time in our lives, we eventually transitioned into a no-talk moment and for the final 15 or so minutes of our drive, we both didn’t say anything to each other. It was quite awkward to say the least, and if not for the fact that I caught him staring at me several times during that period, I would have thought he wasn’t comfortable around me. He had to be, given that he even had the boldness to gawk at my partly exposed thighs, and for quite a long time too!