The Moment I Met You (Chapter 460)

By Nightengale Ben-Onyeukwu

Chioma had just finished work a little bit late. Exhausted, she changed into her mickey –mouse printed yellow t-shirt with light blue jeans and walked out of the restaurant. She let out a breath and took out her phone which had died in the morning, and she had to charge it with her portable battery pack.

                  

As soon as she turned on the phone after charging it, Chioma began receiving a ton of missed call notifications, and Whatsapp messages.                                                                                                                                  

‘Chioma, you haven’t gone yet to visit Jessica…’ It was from Sharon.

 Chioma yawned and tried to respond to that message. Then, she saw a car pull up in front of her. Stepping out of the Black Porsche was Sharon, dressed in a pure black outfit with her hair tied up in a bun and matching high-heels. She had no cosmetics on her clean, delicate face. But her face was captivating and pleasing to behold.                                   

Chioma didn’t need to wonder what Sharon was doing at Star Restaurant, for she knew Sharon was here to see her and talk about helping Jessica.                                                                                                       

Sharon smiled while saying, ‘We’re going to the police station.’                                                                        

Then, she took Chioma’s hand and brought her to her black Porsche. The two of them got in the car.                                                                

  In the passenger seat, Chioma paused for a while before asking, ‘Isn’t visiting hours over?’                                                                                      

‘Money rules everything,’ Sharon turned to Chioma and said with a smile. 

‘Laws are made for poor folks. You might feel hurt with what I just said, but the world has unconsciously made it so. If you have money you’re sure to get too many passes even if you don’t want to. That’s why I am going to offer you a job. I have seen your profile, and I know that you’re fit for the job. You studied Mass Communication at Uniabuja…you’ll be able to manage my new TV station, Sharon TV…I had told my dad to give you political appointment, but he said that so many people will object it. So, he suggested that I start my own TV station in one of our buildings here in Abuja. Everything for it has been fixed and you’re hired. You need a job that will bring people to love and respect you and that’s what I am offering you right now. But If you don’t like to work in my station, I could offer you a job at Ojukwu Corporation.’

Chioma smiled but said after a moment of silence. ‘You don’t need to bribe me with a job. I was willing to help your friend even though she hurt me so many times.’                                                                

Chioma knew that Sharon was right. Money rules the world and can bring you to places you didn’t even think of. Louisa came from a well-off family, and she had so many talents from her mother. She had visited many interesting place that was fit only for the rich.  Later her father died in an accident, leaving Louisa no choice but to brave the world in poverty with her mother. Maria started from scratch and did so many menial jobs with Louisa just so they could have something to eat.                                                                                                         

Ten years after Louisa got married, Maria passed away from pneumonia. Louisa and Magnus later moved to Abuja with Andrew and Chioma.                                                                                                                

  Chioma only saw Maria when she was still little girl but could still remember the bond between them. She wished Maria wasn’t driven away by her husband relative after she lost Edwin. Chioma knew that if her grand father was still alive, no one would have looked down on her. Everyone would have seen her as fitting for Michael. Though her grandfather wasn’t as rich as Jessica’s family but then, the respect would have still been there. People regarded money as everything, which was wrong.                                                                                                 

Chioma checked her fully charged phone and realised that it was almost six in the evening and she was feeling a bit hungry. Yawning, she said to Sharon, ‘I know that money can do anything but right now, I feel like going home to rest a bit. I promise to meet Jessica at the police station tomorrow. As for the job offer, I’ll think carefully about it.’                                                                                                                 

 ‘Okay,’ Sharon nodded.                                                                           

Chioma opened the car door and went out. Then, she took a taxi and headed home.                                                                                             

Her phone started ringing right as she was about getting off the taxi. It was Audrey calling.                                                                                  

‘Hi, Chioma Chima…’                                                                                

‘Audrey.’ Chioma’s face turned into a smile as soon as she heard the voice on the other line.                                                                      

‘Chioma, I’m calling to beg you to see Jessica. I know that she has hurt you in so many ways and deserves to be punished without mercy. However, she is the only child…If she dies there I truly know that though you hated her, you might not be able to handle the shock. Is enough for her parents to go to gaol, but the three of them…no…Please, don’t help her because of your conscience but because Nathan is suffering the most.’                                                  

‘I didn’t put her in prison, why should I save her?’                                            

‘Because Michael only listens to you…whatever you want, he will gladly give it to you.’                                                                                         

‘That sounds like I am controlling him,’ Chioma laughed.                            

‘I never thought so,’ Audrey smiled. ‘But please…’                             

  ‘I am visiting her tomorrow.’                                                                   

After she hung up, Chioma went inside the house to see Louisa watching TV. Chioma stopped when she heard that court ordered interim forfeiture of Emmanuel’s homes and bank accounts.           

‘EFCC is investigating Emmanuel Nnaji and his wife,’ Louisa said when the news was over. ‘They couple is in detention…Emmanuel was arrested in Imo state while trying to fly to Abuja. He and his wife were involved in embezzlement of Imo State funds.’                                              

Chioma yawned and said, ‘Tomorrow I will visit Jessica. I am doing it for Nathan.’                                                                                       

  ‘Look politician always have a way of getting out of trouble. Once Emmanuel joins the ruling party, I am sure that Obinna would pretend as though he never heard of the misappropriation of billions of naira by Emmanuel. He’ll pardon him and let him be elected into the National Assembly as senator representing Okigwe senatorial district. No one will talk about it anymore. I suggest you let Jessica suffer a little. You’re not Mother Teresa.’                                                                                              

Chioma smiled and said, ‘Mum, I am only doing it for Nathan. Besides, if Nathan’s father is like that, Nathan wouldn’t need me at all’ with that said, she went into the bedroom, curled up on the bed and closed her eyes to sleep.                                                                                            

  The evening sunlight that came in through the window, shone beautifully at her, and Chioma felt a sense of happiness that she could not explain with words. She couldn’t quite figure out everything right now, but she felt that something good was about to happen. She felt the sunset brought a promise of a new dawn.                                                 

When she woke up, Chioma found a pink blanket on her. She knew that it was either her mother or brother that covered her. She let out a smile. Checking her phone, she realised that it was already nine o’clock. She had slept for about three hours. She was so hungry that she went into the kitchen to have dinner.