Johnson’ s residence.
Chief Adediwura Johnson was in his private study with his first son Kelvin. Is this the demerit of sending one’ s child to school abroad? they become too opinionated, its like they left the respect back home in Nigeria before boarding the plane abroad and when they got back they just couldn’t find it anymore or don’t care to.
” Dad i am telling you I can’t marry that girl! Hell no! have you ever spent even an hour in her presence? she’s too arrogant and rude! ”
” Kelvin the marriage rites were done when you were both babies! this is for our own good….her father has multinational companies in five different countries!”
” I don’t care! I don’t f—–g care!”
He stood up and faced his son.” If you refuse to marry her i will disown you! never will you step your feet into this house again or even speak to any member of this family! I am your father! When i talk you listen because i have been on this earth before you! You were both aware of the fact that you will become man and wife right from cradle! ”
” I will not marry her and that is it dad!”
He walked out of the study banging the door after him. His mother called out to him but he ignored her and walked out of the house. It was drizzling lightly, he got into his car and pressed the horn angrily. Musa the gate man opened the door for him and he drove out.
Thank God he saw the apparition in time, it was a bundle of white silk and a mass of tangled hair that tried to run across the street, if he wasn’t an experienced driver he would have knocked her into the gutter. He was furious now and he marched out of his car angrily.
” Hey you! Are you blind?! ”
She continued walking in the rain acting like she couldn’t hear him. The fool. The least she could have done was to apologize but Nigerians…….he got back into his car and rolled the car to where she stood waiting for a bus.
” Where are you going?”
” Leave me alone! You almost killed me and all you could do was to shout at me! I am not surprised tho! Its typical of you Nigerians!” She shivered.
He couldn’t help laughing.
“I could say the same of you too.”
She looked like a rat caught in the rain. A sexy rat….he amended and laughed out again.
” What is funny?”
” Nothing. Where are you going?”
” Thank you. I will wait for a bus”
” Your choice. ” he said and drove off. He was just about getting to the end of the street when the downpour became heavy. He should just drive home, she wasn’t his business but something told him It was the right thing to do. He found himself reversing back to where she stood.
” Get in” he shouted.
The drenched bundle of silk and tangled hair got into the car, dripping water on his car seat.
” Sorry about the mess”
His eyes dropped to her feet. One of her shoes was missing.
” Where is your shoe?”
She bit the bottom of her lipstick smeared lips in embarrassement. ” I can’t find it. You can drop me off in front of bright crescent school ”
He gave her a look of pity. She was a beautiful lady but right now what he had in front of him wasn’t even worth being compared to beauty.
” Don’t worry i will drop you off in front of your house. Just give me the direction ”
” Thank you.”
The rest of the ride was in total silence except for her shallow breathing. She was coming down with cold.
” What were you doing out in the rain. Umbrella is quite cheap these days or don’t you think so?”
” Here. Please stop here.”
” Alright. ”
She alighted from the car, her legs wobbled, she held onto the door of the car to steady herself. Kelvin came down from the car and gave her a helping hand.
” Oh my goodness!” He screamed.
She had thrown up on his body.
” I am sorry…… I’ m so sorry ”
The smell of whatever she ate was galling. He helped her to her apartment, opened the door when she couldn’t open it after three attempts. Her house was like a rabbit hole, there were clothes and bits of things everywhere.
He couldn’t resist asking. ” Is this a mobile shop?”
She gave him a dirty look. ” The bathroom is that way. ”
He walked into what was a supposed bathroom. There were novels on the egde of the bathub. A nail polish was on the toilet flush, he spied some silky panties hanging on a rack. He sighed heavily. Who is this girl? he got some water and washed the front of his polo. It stank after the wash, there were two feminine perfumes on the toilet seat which had been placed down. He took hold of one, spraying it on himself generously.He brought that particular part of his polo to his nose, the smell was minimal. Good to go.
” Hey I am through. ” he called as he walked back into the living room.
” In here” she said in a little voice.
She was on her bed in the drenched muddy silk gown.
” Do you want to die? or you think pneumonia is something to joke with?”
” You may leave now, i will rest a bit and get out of these cloth”
” You should get out of it now, is there someone you could call?” He touched her forehead and snatched his hand back.” You are burning with fever! stand up! go remove the cloth now”
” No, no, go! ” she moaned.
He carried her out of the bedroom while she gave a feeble struggle. He took her into the bathroom and dumped her into the bathub.
” My novels……they will get wet”
He took the books into his arms, he threw them in a corner of her room. He waited for her in the living room but when he didn’t see her after some thirty minutes or thereabout he went to knock on the bathroom door.
” Miss! Miss! are you in there?”
He opened the door gently. She had gotten out of the wet cloth but she wasn’t in the tub. She was unconscious on the bathroom floor. He checked her pulse and shook her gently and She gave a little moan. She was alive. He carried her back into the bedroom, he threw open her wardrobe looking for a duvet to cover her but the wardrobe was bare. He saw a bulky bag that seemed like a lundary bag. He found the duvet in there, it smelled of heat but he covered her with it anyway.
” I want to go get you some drugs. Is there anyone i should call? Or your neighbor?”
” Neighbor is a guy…..my head!”
” Who else should i call? a husband, brother or boyfriend? ”
” No, no, i don’t want him here! You can…..can ……go”
” Cool. I am going to get you some drugs now. What is the name of this street again?”
She whispered it and he raced out of her apartment.
To be continued..
