The Moment I Met You (Chapter 296)

 By Nightengale Ben-Onyeukwu

‘That’s really nice to hear.’Chioma was pleased.                                            

Chisom brought the big bowls of rice and spaghetti to the table. Those that wanted more refilled their plates. Andrew refilled his plate with spaghetti, and then passed it to a neighbour who refilled his plate, and placed the big bowl to his side.                                                                          

  ‘Chioma, I was discussing with your mother that since you don’t have a boyfriend yet, you could date my son. He works at a foreign-owned enterprise, and thirty something years. He is handsome, tall and even own properties in Asokoro and a storefront in Garki District. He has at least enough money to care for you. If you say yes, then, I will arrange everything when he comes back from Japan. He is on his one month leave, so, he decided to travel to Japan to watch diamond snow and eat crab. Isn’t that cute?’                                                       

‘Aunt Sola, I do have…’Chioma wanted to say that she had a boyfriend, but remembering that it wasn’t announced yet to the public, she said instead, ‘You don’t have to bother about me. I’m sure Gbenga will find someone that is meant for him.’                                                                       

‘Chioma’s absolutely right,’Segun added, spooning a mouthful of rice into his mouth. He knew about Chioma’s relationship with Michael but hadn’t said a word of it to anyone.                                       

  ‘But you’re the one that I want for my son…’Muttered Sola, then she suddenly thought of something, laughed and asked, ‘Chioma, could it be that you’re waiting for your dream boy to appear in real life, just like most girls endlessly wait in movies?’                                                       

Chioma raised her head from her food. ‘My dream boy has appeared,’Chioma said, and Sola along with the rest that didn’t understand what Chioma meant saw it as joke. They laughed at Chioma’s statement and didn’t seem to take her serious.                                                        

After dinner, the neighbours left for their homes, and Chisom helped Andrew to clear up the dining table. They cleared the cups and jug first, then the stew-smeared bowls and cutlery, and finally they stacked plate on top of plates. Andrew carried the plates while Chisom took the spaghetti bowl and rice bowl. The remains of foods on the plates were slide into the dustbin. Then, they began to wash the dishes.                                                                                                                                                   As they were washing the dishes, Chisom said, ‘Perhaps, you know about Michael and Felix’s relationship. I think they might be related somehow.’                                                                                                               

‘They are,’Andrew replied and immediately the spoon Chisom was washing dropped to the floor. Chioma who was sitting in the living room sofa, playing with her phone didn’t seem to have heard the sound. She was obviously engrossed with what she was doing with her phone.                                                                                                                                     

‘This might cause civil war for the Njemanze family,’Chisom said after a while. ‘And this might ruin Chioma’s entire life.’ A tear stole into Chisom’s eyes as she spoke. ‘If that bouquet of flowers came really from Patricia, it only met that she is aware of Chioma’s existence and isn’t in support of the relationship.’                                                                                  

‘It is obvious,’Andrew sighed. ‘Patricia Njemanze had sent those flowers. I overhead a few nurses discussing that when I went to the hospital to help my mother bring back Chioma stuffs from the hospital.’