By Nightengale Ben-Onyeukwu
Chioma had been walking vacantly, not knowing was she doing. Unknowingly, she boarded a taxi and headed back home. Louisa was sitting on the living room sofa, knitting a yellow sweater. She wanted to distract herself from thinking too much about the demolition of the house. Andrew had gone out to ask for help as well as look for a job. She tilted her head towards the door when Chioma pushed the door open and entered. Immediately, she saw Louisa tears surged forth again. She ran to Louisa and said through tears, ‘Mum…’
Louisa stood up, hugging her tightly. She could feel that Chioma was hurt. ‘What’s the matter? Chioma, why are you crying? What happened to you? Did Emeka fire you? Did anyone hurt you?’
‘Mum, I want to know if I did what was right today…I don’t want to stay here anymore. Can we look for another place? Can we go back to Imo State? Mum…Lagos State is one of the best business locations in Nigeria, maybe we should go there.’Chioma pleaded as she cried like a child that was helpless and sad.
Louisa was shocked, and she asked, ‘Chioma, what exactly happened? I am aware that you went to Star Restaurant…What really happened there? I know for a fact that something is really wrong. What could it be? Did Michael hurt you in anyway? Please tell me, okay?’
At the mention of Michael, Chioma cried even more. It was only in front of her family member that she had cried without reservations, as if she had found the perfect place to relieve her pain. Chioma cried and said, ‘Mum…I had to end things with Michael today. I made a promise to Jessica that I will from today henceforth stay away from Michael…’
‘Emmanuel planned all these…he had to pretend to develop this place, so he asked for the demolition…so as to push you into a corner. He really wanted Michael for his daughter, and to get you to end things with Michael, he had to use this unspeakable move…Emmanuel was too clever to realise that your weakness was your family and neighbours…he felt that our neighbours will curse you for causing them misery, so he had to strike with this method.’ Louisa wasn’t surprised; she calmly analysed the situation.
Chioma nodded as fresh tears flowed out again. Louisa’s heart ached. She had never once heard Chioma cry like this; even when she the media wrote lies about her, she didn’t cry this much. Hearing her cry pained Louisa. For Chioma to cry this much, it meant that she felt as though her heart was in excruciating pain. Her tears could not be held back as they continued to fall.
‘Mum, I have to release a message to everyone…telling them that I have ended things with Michael,’Chioma cried as she said these. The word seems difficult as she spoke them.
‘This day will be history someday…and when the time is right you will be happy with the man that you love, and no one will be able to compel you to do things that will hurt you this way,’ at this time Andrew’s voice resounded from behind. Both Chioma and Louisa looked at Andrew who stood by the door, holding a plastic bag. ‘Chisom told me what happened, so I bought some fruits to celebrate your bravery and Jessica’s downfall.’
‘Are you happy that I ended things with Michael? Ain’t you ashamed of me…to have a coward as a sister?’Chioma asked Andrew, her eyes still teary as they shined. ‘Do you want to see me in pain?’
Andrew was silent.
Chioma went up to him and hugged him. Andrew glanced up at her, he could feel her breath. He knew that they were laced with pain. Chioma tightly hugged his neck, and she sobbed and said, ‘Andrew, you are my only handsome brother. I love you so much and wouldn’t want to see you in pain…but today, I am in pain…I had to end things with Michael… don’t be mad, okay? Just like you said, today’s story will be history by tomorrow …I will be fine, you will be fine. Mum, will be fine…everything will be fine someday.’ She released her hands, meeting his eyes as she added, ‘When you get rich in the future, you will never let anything stand in the way of you and Chisom’s relationship, okay?’
Andrew looked at her as he asked, ‘How do you know that I will definitely be rich in the future? How could that be when destiny has already made me jobless?’
Chioma smiled. It was the first genuiue smile she had today. ‘Because I strongly believe in you, big brother. I believe that you will succeed at your field, I believe that a day will come when you will be employer of labour?’
‘Why do I feel you’re like someone that is about to run away from everything, ‘Andrew said in a deep voice, gazing deeply at her face. Chioma turned her face away as tears trickled down her cheeks.
‘No matter what happens, I don’t want to see you cry. I am so worried about you. I bought fruits for us to eat, not bucket for you to put your tears.’ He dropped the bag onto the floor, and pulled her face to his gaze. ‘I am happy to have you as my sister. You will be fine; in the end you will have your Michael, for I am certain that he will never give his heart to anyone but you.’
‘Thank you…’Chioma was moved as she kept on crying.
‘After you release a statement, we will move to Lagos.’Andrew said with reassuring smile.
Chioma smiled, opening both her arms, she gave him a hug. Sniffling, she said beside his ear, ‘You and mum are the best ever. I hope that we will leave a better life in Lagos.’
Andrew nodded, and then raised both of his arms, to return the hug. He hugged her tight as if he wanted to take away her pains.
Louisa was touched as tears streamed down her face. She wished that her children will find happiness and laughter- for all the days of their lives.
The next morning, after Andrew went to book
a ticket to Lagos on the 6pm bus, Chioma’s phone started to ring as she lay on
the bed. Reaching for the phone, she saw that it was an unregistered number
that had called her.
‘Chioma Chima, I heard that you agreed to end things with Michael, but you must immediately let the public know.’ Emmanuel sounded serious. ‘If you don’t do that before noon, then I will go ahead with the demolition plan.’
‘I will, Sir,’ Chioma said calmly.
‘Good.’ Emmanuel was satisfied with Chioma agreeing to move away from Michael’s life, so that his daughter could have a place in Michael’s heart. So before noon, if Chioma releases a statement as regards to that, he would stop the demolition and relocation of that area. As Chioma let tears trickle down her cheeks, she sent Chisom a Whatsapp message, saying that she was unwell, had to stay at home, and that she might come around in the afternoon or tomorrow.
Chisom was very worried. She asked Chioma where she was feeling unwell.
‘My heart is sick.’
Chisom sent a smiley and replied, ‘Michael’s the only doctor for that.’
Chioma knew that Michael would only have feelings for her; she wanted desperately to hear his honeyed words. But how could she hear his mesmerising voice if she had blocked his number.
‘Chioma…stop crying. I know that you’re crying and thinking about him. I’m sorry you heard to sacrifice your happiness for your neighbours and family…’Chisom wrote.
Chioma wiped away her tears with the back of her hands, and she forced out a smile with great difficulty, ‘Thank you for being my best friend… Jessica’s father called me, asking me to make everything public…I got to do that now.’
‘Then Michael will find out and he will fight for you…’
‘I blocked him already…before he finds out we have already moved to Lagos. I got to go.’
Michael was the first person she had fallen in love with. He was important to her, but right now, she had fallen into a defeated state that she had no choice but to break his heart. Was she being selfish or selfless? Why was it easy to fall in love but difficult to break up, especially if you were deeply in love with the person. If only there was another way, she wouldn’t have sacrificed her relationship. She wondered if Michael would despise her for this.
Chioma just sat on the bed, curled up as she hugged her knees and dug her face into her knees. I love you so much Michael, but I am sorry that I had to end things with you.
‘I should do this because it’s the right thing to do even though it hurts so much, ‘Chioma said in her hoarse voice from all the crying. ‘I don’t want to be the reason for other people’s pain… doing this will help everyone.’
She picked up her phone
again, clicked open the Whatsapp app, and wrote on her status; today I, Chioma Chima officially break-up
with Michael Njemanze. I was wrong to fall in love with him… I will be glad to
accept interview before noon.’
The same message was also sent to her facebook timeline. Many people reposted
the message. In an instant, it became the most talked about.
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