With The Devil

Episode 19

I headed straight to Pretty’s place,trying so hard to forget about the incident with Amara(which naturally of course,I can’t forget) and infusing too many not-Amara-or-girl-related issue.

One of the things I hate about my phone being off is that am a point of contact for so many of my course mates because I live in Aba.So,even though I shut my phone down cuz I was avoiding any mess with Amara,I knew I could also be blocking access to many people who need info about certain things in school.

This was the thought that bore heavily on my mind as I dropped off from keke and started trekking to Pretty’s place.But,as is usual for such minor thoughts,I ascribed it that a day off Ur some hours off Wont kill anyone . .

And then as I entered their street,I remembered the tug wannabes that wanted to take advantage…

I didn’t even know when I was standing and knocking in front of her door with all the thoughts wobbling and bubbling in my mind. As she opened the door and let me in,my only wish is for Pretty’s to just give a kinda foreclosure from the self-induced haunting thoughts in mind..

“I was beginning to think that you wanted to play me..and your line was not going;what happened?” Nothing.

” Even an unborn kid will catch this your lie without a glance” she said.

“You just won’t understand!” I told her.
“Tell me first.what happened?” She insisted.

“Don’t worry about it.Am here now.” I said,smiling.

” You know,what bothers you,bothers me too even though you may not know it” she said sadly.

“I just don’t want to bother you with trivial issues that irritates me.nothing much.” I said.

“If it irritates you,then it is not trivial,don’t you think?” She said,smiling.
I know she was not going to stop inquiring to know what the problem is,so as I delayed the inevitable,I used the opportunity to conjure up some c–k and bull story that will sound real and pleasant to the ears and that can be related to..

“Its Jane!” I said.
“Who is Jane?” She inquired.

“For you to have conjured up a dream in a special house that somebody I really loved lived in,you must have known them or gotten to know them somehow.I don’t know!” I said.
She smiled at me,and said:
“I don’t know who that is!”
Well,her smile betrayed her cuz I don’t know how,but I was very certain she knew about her.
“Why would you think I know her?” She asked further.
“We f*cked in their house, remember?…” I asked.
“You are really making me laugh Michael” she said.
“So where was it then?” I asked her.
“I don’t know.” She said and then continued:
” Here is what I can tell you though,whatever place or whoever you saw in your dream was not of my own making,it was your own experience and projection and I just tap into it.Do you think am toiling with your mind?”

“Truth is,I will be lying if I say that such thoughts have not crossed my mind.” I said and she continued staring at me,probably for want of words(I assumed,didn’t know for sure) and then I continued:
“But I know that you love me and that you wouldn’t do such thing to me”
Seriously, I didn’t even know when I said that,but it brought down tempos and the highly needed relief.
” Thank you for saying that..But,I need to apologize to you for something I did.” She asserted.

I immediately did a quick crosscheck of why she said that and found no reason whatsoever, and so,I paid rapt attention to what she had to say.
And she started thus:
“I don’t know if you noticed it,and maybe it was because I wanted and needed you and believed it was for your own good,but,I made you fall asleep against your will.” She finished, with a kinda serious ‘i’m sorry’ written all over her face and body.

Guess how I felt at that moment,totally f*cked!
“Am really really sorry” she said again as I continued looking at her not knowing whether to feel good or bad for myself.
“Say something now?” She pleaded.
“Am not angry with you if that’s what you are thinking” I finally said.
“Why not? ” she queried.

“Do you want me to start being suspicious of you?” I asked her.

She nodded her head in decline.
” No need deliberating on something that needs no such attention” I said to her.
I had expected her to smile at this point,but she didn’t,which obviously means she believes or still have doubts that am counting it against her..
“Am really serious, I don’t hold anything against you.I can tell you the simple truth that I didn’t really know how I felt when you told me that,but anger and betrayal was not one of them” I eulogized, and extended my hands and held her wrist in a caring way.
“Are you sure?” She asked and I reaffirmed and reassured her that my earlier affirmation was sincere. But was it? No!
I just didn’t want us deliberating on something that has to do with me being manipulated against my will,even though it was for my own as she said.
“Let’s go swimming na?” I infused in-between a short silence that came up.
“Am not sure am really ready for that.” She said.

“Well,I can carry you on my back to that place If you want” I mildly joked,and she laughed making a caricature of me by insinuating that I can’t carry her.
I took it up with her and told her that I can carry her,that I have carried heavier things in my life.She continued her fun-poke at me and then I now told her to just stand up let’s see… and she stood up.

“So how do you want to carry me?” She asked.
“You tell me by choosing between this two available options:
– to carry you at my back;or
– to carry you like a baby in front” I finished.
“Carry me at the front!” She replied!
I did carry her as requested and while I held her up there tightly hugged and latched onto my body,I told her to tell me what just happened.
She simply laughed mildly and gently told me:
“You have won,let’s go and swim” …
I smiled and brought her down calmly.

She prepared for the outing,and since I didn’t even have it in mind that I was going to go swimming that day,I decided I will buy a tight tug along the way..

---

Five minutes later,we were on our way to swim when the same guy that approached me the other time approached us as we were about trekking off their street to enter keke.
Apparently, he wanted to talk to Pretty alone from her demeanor and Pretty symbolically told me to give them space a bit..

They started talking or miming as I made it my business not to focus on them;and then,my own thoughts returned.

I started imagining whether or not Amara has called me and what she must be feeling right now.I wanted to switch on my phone that instant,but then Pretty walked by and asked me to guess what she was discussing with the guy.

“Its very clear na.need I tell you again?” I said.

“You will be surprised at what he just told me.” She said.

“Tell me na?what did he say?” I queried her.

“That I should be careful of you,that he knows my history” she said.
“What?” I said,not expecting any reply whatsoever.

” Leave him.I guess he’s just sad seeing that he couldn’t have me” she said.
“Which kind mumu boy be this one.See person wey i been dey think say na coded boy.I mean which kind person go dey snitch on a total stranger just cuz of a girl?” I said.

“Its okay o” Pretty said to me.
I stopped walking,and told Pretty that I need to confront that dude and give him a serious warning.
She told me to let it go and held me by her right hand, dragging me alongside herself as she walked on..