Super Story: Karma’s Romance (Complete Episode)

[Miss Ifeoluwa]

(Episode 7) - Karma's Romance

The music was loud, the place was rowdy and the men were drunk. Inside the club, slim girls wearing nothing but bikinis went about serving drinks and entertaining the clients. On the 6 poles erected in the centre of the huge room were 5 slick beautiful girls dancing in different stages of undressing. On the 6th pole, a guy who was handsome and well-muscled, stripped for the benefit of the women who cheered him on and threw money and air kisses at him.

On the first floor above the very popular nude club were well decorated suites where anyone interested could be entertained for however long they wanted. One hour there was two hundred and fifty thousand naira and could be multiplied depending on the number of
hours a man or woman chose to spend with the beautiful high class sex workers.

One of the hottest women there was Candy. She was a well-known favourite who could turn tricks and do anything a client wanted without complaints as long as the client was good for the cash. Even her boss and the owner of the club had been known to visit her a few times to enjoy of her vast knowledge and experience.

Her real name was Kosi Ndimili and her real age was 39, against the age of 30 that was presently on her file in the human resource department. Kosi did not have a bad life. She had a good bank balance, a car of her own, a house she had gotten from a generous client in a choice area of Port Harcourt and she had worked hard to become Head of Team in a company where there was envy predominant.

As head of Team, she had nothing less than 17 girls and 9 guys who reported to her. It was also her responsibility to train new girls on how to satisfy a client and keep him coming back for more. Of course, to achieve all this, she had paid with the only currency she had had, her body.

On days like this, as she sat in front of the lovely dressing table in her room filled with expensive makeup and perfume, she could not help but remember the young girl with rose tinted glasses she had been.

The one who had thought she would get married and have four children. The one who had had dreams and aspirations beyond being a high class whore.

Her breasts, which used to be her greatest assets were slackened from misuse, her body looked tired and saggy, her skin was suffering from the different sophisticated bleaching creams she had used, her face underneath her makeup was old and tired. Her eyes had seen too much and she had heavy bags underneath them. Recently, she had developed pock marks and now, her face looked like a bad untarred road.

She wore her comfortable nightgown as she crawled into her huge bed two stories above the club but she could not sleep. She was overwhelmed with the knowledge that she had a house she hardly slept in because she hated being alone, she had a car she hardly ever drove, she had money she hardly spent on worthwhile things. The only things she actually spent money on were drugs for her manic depression, a condition no one else knew about.

She remembered the carefree young girl she had been during her brief stint at the University. How she had thought herself invisible and above error and mistakes. She remembered how happy, stupid and young she had been and she knew without a doubt, she would go back in a heartbeat to change some of the decisions she made all those years ago.

She would have kept from some actions, kept from some friends, kept from many many things she had done. She knew now that those things had ruined her life and made her the person she was today.

Mostly, she would never have allowed herself to have been part of what had happened to Ada.

That singular thing that she had done, that silence she had kept had cost her so much that she had never been able to regain her life on any reasonable level since that time. If only she had kept the right group of friends, done the right things, gone to school and read her books, her life would have turned out differently but she hadn’t.

After the disappearance of Ada, the guilt had begun to eat slowly at her until she had started to lose her mind. Lanke had tried very hard to caution her especially when a new girl joined them in their room in the second semester but things had only gotten worse.

Infact, she started having nightmares where Ada would call her to save her and she had usually woken up from her nightmares screaming Ada’s name. An occurrence that had woken the other 2 girls several times at night.

It didn’t take her very long to realise that when her dreams didn’t stop,

Lanke had to tell the guys that she was going to give them away and she wasn’t surprised when she saw the calculation in their eyes.

Especially James’ and Anslem’s. When Lanke started pressuring her to hang with them, something she hadn’t done since Ada’s dissapearance, she knew they had a plan for her.

It was for that reason that she packed her things after one weekend and ran away from school and never returned. She didn’t tell her parents, she knew they wouldn’t understand. All her parents had wanted was a daughter that would go to school, graduate and help them feed the 8 other children that they had. Her uncle was the one who had paid her school fees and he was the one who had refused to spend a kobo on her if she didn’t return back to school. Unfortunately, she couldn’t divulge to him the reasons why she couldn’t go back.

For all of her life, her parents had never been particularly good or caring parents.

All her father knew how to do was impregnate her mother and all her mother was good for was popping out babies like babies were finishing in Heaven. Her mother had managed to carry and give birth eleven times and lost only two of those babies. She had often wished her mother had lost more children so their lives would be easier.

As it was, she and her siblings spent a huge part of their lives hungry and desperate. It was hardly any surprise that her first sexual encounter was with their 68 year old Landlord. She was 14 at the time.

When the affair continued and her mother found out through the Landlord’s wife, she had thought her mother, a supposedly devout Christian would kill her. Surprisingly, her mother had defended her and called the Landlady a boring frigid woman. That was the day she lost all respect for her mother.

She came to realise that where her parents were concerned, it didn’t matter what their children did as long as they put food on the table. It was hardly any surprise that 2 of her brothers were well known cultists and armed robbers and her younger sisters had been total whores.

That was the reason she hadn’t been able to stand Ada in school, the girl just seemed to have everything. Her life had seemed charmed and in the end, she had joined in ending that life.

For a long time she hadn’t known what happened to Ada but when she now knew after reading about the discovery of her body on the internet: she had killed Ada as surely as if she had been Anslem. And she would pay for it. She knew that, infact, she was ready for it, maybe even a bit expectant. For the disease she had was killing her as slowly as a cancer but no one will ever know or care as long as she continued to turn tricks.
***
Lanke got out of the driver’s side of her huge jeep stealthily and her friends did the same thing. She looked at the compound she was parked in front of, it housed several furnished apartments and she knew for a fact that her husband was housing his filthy good for nothing mistress in one of them. She opened the boot and brought out the bottle of industrial Acid she had put there while her friends carried their scissors and knives, they were going to teach that woman a lesson today.

Lanke: “Titi, Kehinde, abeg lets go!” She told her friends.

Titi: “Should we not hide ourselves?”

Lanke: “Who is hiding anything? I want her and that stupid man to know who did it. Then it will teach them not to mess with me.” She said as she beat her chest. “Won ma gba!”

Lanke was very angry with her husband and his family and she was going to make them pay. She had met Lanre during her NYSC program in Osun state and barely 5 months into their passionate relationship, she had gotten pregnant. She had wanted to spring for an abortion but Lanre’s parents insisted that they get married and promised to take care of them.

After Service, Lanre got a job at an Oil company while she had to stay at home with her huge belly. She had a daughter and she was really spoilt by the family, especially her husband. She never had to do any work, she always had maids and servants doing everything for them. It didn’t take her long to get pregnant again and she had another daughter.

She decided then she was going to have a son as her husband started commenting on it but she didn’t get one. Infact, the next time, she had twin girls to her husband’s and in-laws’ dismay.

She went ahead to try again and had another daughter. By this time, she was worried sick and lost interest in everything she usually enjoyed. How could she have 5 daughters?

Despite her doctor’s warnings, she decided to get pregnant again and during the scan, she was told that she was carrying a boy. She told the family and they were ecstatic, they began to treat her as of old and she was really pampered for the rest of the pregnancy. Alas, when she delivered, her baby had Downs’s syndrome. She was devastated and wouldn’t eat or talk to anyone for weeks. She didn’t even want to see the child.

When she recovered, she realised she had lost all respect in the sight of her husband and his family and they treated her like the whole thing was her fault. Would any woman choose to have an unhealthy baby? The presence of the child annoyed her to no end. He was demanding and useless to her. Her husband never touched him and would always refer to the boy as “your child”

She thought she was coping admirably well with the whole thing despite the pressures until 2 years later, her Husband’s family invited her to a meeting where they told her to welcome her Co-wife. The co-wife turned out to be a friend, someone she had housed for a while when things were down for her.

She felt betrayed and angry but what made everything worse was that Odunayo, her former friend now co-wife had borne a son for Lanre. A healthy, good-looking little boy. Her envy had known no end. She had gone home that day and cried her eyes out. She refused to talk to her husband but he did not care, he didn’t approach her or apologise for his actions.

She planned to leave the house for him and take her children except Junior but she knew that Lanre would never let her go anywhere with his children. He might fail as a husband but he cared about his children. In any case, she didn’t have any money to go anywhere. All through their marriage, all she had done was spend lavishly. She had never bothered to save for she had not seen the need for that.

When the depression had become too much for her to bear, especially after her father-in-law’s birthday party and Odun had been treated like she was the Queen of Sheba while she was a slave, she had decided to get even. No woman could walk into her home and steal it from her just like that.

These people did not know her or what she was capable of that’s why they were messing with her. If they knew her, if they knew what annoying her would cost them, they would have threaded more carefully with her.

Lanke had called Kehinde and Titi to help her in her plan to deal with Odun and here they were.

Not only would she wash Odun with acid and destroy the face she was so proud of, she fully intended to harm the baby in a way her husband would never forget. She would make sure that baby was no better than her own son.

Then, she would move wait for him to do his worst.

Lanke: “Lets go!” They pushed open the gate of the compound and walked stealthily inside. No one stopped them, there was nobody around anyway. Titi led the way, she was the one who had gotten all the intel for Lanke since she was still friends with Odun.

At Odun’s flat, Titi knocked the door quietly while Lanke and Kehinde hid behind her big frame. Odun’s younger sister, Christiana, opened the door and knelt down immediately she saw Titi.

Christiana: “Ha, aunty Titi, e ka són!”
Titi: “Kasón, Christy, what of your sister?”
Christiana: “She’s sleeping inside, ma.”
Titi: “The baby nko?”

Christiana: “He’s with her” She pointed to the bedroom.

Just then, Titi grabbed Christy as Lanke and kehinde pushed their way into the apartment and made their way to the bedroom.

Christiana: “Ha! Aunty Titi, why? Ha! Aunty Odun!! Aunty Odun! They are coming oh!! Wake up!” She screamed on top her lungs and struggled against Titi’s hold on her arms.

At the bedroom, Lanke tried to push the door open but Odun had woken up and was pushing against the door too. Kehinde joined Lanke in pushing, Odun was no match for the two of them and slowly but surely the door opened. When it did, Lanke pushed her way through, inside the room, Odun opened her baby’s milk bottle and poured the content in Lanke’s eyes.
As Lanke crouched down, unable to see, Odun and Kehinde started fighting. At the same time, Christy gave Titi a punch in the belly and ran to her sister’s rescue, Titi chasing closely behind.

In the bedroom, Lanke had cleaned her eyes and groped for the container of the acid, making her way to the baby who was now crying on the bed. Odun, seeing this started screaming,

Odun: “Ha! My baby, my baby!! Lanke, please, please, I beg you in the name of God!!!”
Lanke: “Did you beg when you slept with my husband? You shameless betrayer!!”
Christy rushed into the room and grabbed the baby from the bed.

Odun pushed Kehinde aside and grabbed the acid Lanke was holding.

Together, they struggled with it, shaking it repeatedly. Quite suddenly, the container exploded in both their faces. Screams of pain erupted from both of them and seeing this, Kehinde and Titi made their way out of the house and drove of in Lanke’s car.

To be continued...

Story by: Adelove

[Miss Ifeoluwa]

(Episode - Karma's Romance

Anslem marched swiftly into the reception of Alpha pharmaceuticals, angry and desperate. His tall and handsome bearing used to make the women in the office swoon whenever he entered and his casual greeting of Hi was enough to make any woman’s day. He was the darling of Alpha pharmaceuticals and he lived up to that role.

Today as he walked in, his panty dropping grin was missing and the girls who usually lined up to say hi and flirt with him were busy whispering about him behind their palms. He wasn’t moved, he hadn’t come here for them, he was here to reclaim his position as COO of Alpha. No one could get rid of him that easily.

He entered the elevator and made his way to the 4 th floor CEO’s office. As he entered, he watched as the PA, the secretary and assistant of the CEO all stood up simultaneously to block his path. He could not believe his eyes.

Brenda, the PA had been warming his bed regularly until 4 months ago when she realised she was pregnant for her fiancée and Joke, the Assistant had been giving him the eye for over 2 years but he had never taken her up on it, she was not his taste. The only one of them who had never given him the time of day was the secretary, old, haggard Mrs Lawson, who had never hidden the fact that she did not like him.

Anslem: “I want to see Oga.” He told the women as he cleared his throat.

Mrs Lawson : “I’m sorry, Oga has said that you should not be allowed in.” she said rather smugly.

Anslem: “What does that even mean? I am to be the future CEO of this company, go and tell him I want to see him.”

Brenda: “Sir, can you show a little respect here? No one is your servant here.”

Anslem was shocked, Brenda had never spoken so rudely to him. She had always been good and kind and responsive to him. Had she been faking it all along while she let him screw her?

Anslem: “Brenda, don’t forget yourself! Address me with respect, okay?”

Joke: “She will talk to you anyway she chooses, please sir, you must leave the office now.”

Anslem: “Was I talking to you, I know your bitterness stems from the fact that I never paid any attention to you despite all your pleas.”

Joke: Audibly gasped. How dare he? This stupid fool who had been unable to keep his marriage or his children? Where did he think he got off talking to her like that?“Who wanted you? You?!” She laughed clapping her hands together dramatically “You, that your Penis is everywhere like pure water? You that has no value!! Oshi!”

Anslem: “Who do you think you’re talking to? You stupid, senseless bitch! I will slap you!!”

Joke: “Slap me!! Slap me!! Isn’t that what they say you have been doing to your wife at home! Senseless animal!!”

Mrs Lawson : “Joke, that’s eno……”

Anslem grabbed Joke and slapped her before the other women could intervene. He lifted his hands and gave her another slap and shouts erupted. Mrs Lawson grabbed her shoes and started beating him across his back while Joke, crying, spat in his face and bit him. The pregnant Brenda stabbed him with an office pin on his butt from a safe distance and he howled in pain.

“What is going on here?” They all heard and separated themselves.

“What happened here?” The CEO asked when he saw tears running down Joke’s face.

Mrs Lawson : “This man came in here and when we said he couldn’t see you, he started beating Joke anyhow.”

CEO: “Really, Anslem, do you have no limits? You have now moved from beating your wife to beating other people’s wives, right? You stupid, shameless man!”

Anslem: “No sir, please listen sir, whatever Caroline told you, she’s lying. I would never hurt my wife sir!”

CEO: “You have forgotten Caroline is my daughter and I know her.”

The CEO shouted very angry. “I’ve known for a while that things were wrong in your marriage but I kept quiet thinking you would work on it. I know how you were sleeping with all the girls in this building including that idiot behind you but still I said nothing. But to find out that you tried to rape your own child?” Behind them, the three women gasped.

“You’re a disgusting man and I want you out of here, NOW!!”

Anslem: “Sir….” He begged kneeling down, “I would never do that to my child, I was only checking some things….”

CEO: “Inside the private parts of your 8 year old daughter??!!” His eyes goggled at the handsome nincompoop he had called son in law. “What were you looking for? Money? Or your car keys? And all the other incidents! The rape of your maids! The way you have been beating your wife to keep her quiet? How you have been destroying those women’s lives? If I was a better person, I would have you arrested. Just count your blessings and stay away from my children and grandchildren. Mrs Lawson, call security.”

Anslem: “Alright sir, let me take some things from my office, I beg you sir. We can sort out all the other issues later.”

CEO: “No way!! You’ll take nothing. You came in here with nothing and empty you will go. And we have no other issues to sort out!” At this point, two security men arrived. “Bundle this animal and throw him outside the gate!!”

Without words, the security men dragged and pushed him into the elevators, down the corridor and out of the building. He saw people looking at him and talking. The men who had envied his quick rise to success and his way with women, the women who had slept with him and been angry when he moved on and other people who hated him just because.

The security men dropped him outside the gate, making sure he fell down and rolled and made a mess of his suit. He stood up and felt like crying. He had been good to those guys. He had always complimented and tipped them. That was human nature, he wasn’t up anymore so they treated him like trash. Even Brenda, who only a few months ago had been willing to do it anywhere with him.

He stood up and dusted his suit, tears pricking a corner of his eyes.

How the mighty have fallen, he told himself as he cleaned his eyes and started walking away. His cars were gone, they were all trapped within the compound of the house he had been told he could not return to.

He tried to remember what had started the entire nightmare in his life but he couldn’t recollect how he got there. All he could say was it was obviously the devil. Or how else could he explain the sudden erection he had been having for weeks anytime he saw his daughter? Especially when she went about naked or tied a towel when having her bath.

As a rule, he wasn’t particularly close to his children and he didn’t bother about their welfare beyond their school fees, upkeep, and clothing and holiday allowances so he had probably roused his wife’s suspicions when he had started spending so much time with the children 3 weeks ago. She must have known he was up to something and he should have known she knew.

All his life, his good looks and charisma had always ensured that he got what he wanted from women and when he couldn’t get it nicely, he took it by force. He would never admit that taking it by force was usually more pleasurable to just been given. He had never wanted a woman he couldn’t get and that was why when he started having an erection around his child, he knew he had to satisfy it.

A week ago, he had sent everyone out to the pool on Saturday afternoon and lured his daughter into the bedroom with tales of ice-cream. The girl, who was hungry for a taste of her father’s love had followed him inside and promised not to tell anyone that he had fingered and licked her private part even though she had cried after what he did.

That night though, as he lay in bed, he had known that he had to finish what he started so he went back downstairs to her bedroom and called her into his library. He had been about to put his penis into her when his wife and 2 maids burst in on them. That night, she had called her parents despite all his pleas and threats and he had found himself thrown out of his own house. Granted that, his Father-in-law bought it for them.

He could not believe his wife had betrayed him for something so small. Over their 12 years of marriage, he had forcefully had sex with 4 of their household staff and mutually agreed affairs with at least 6 others that she had found out about yet she had never reported him.

He had beaten her several times when she complained of his inability to keep his Penis in his trousers and his constant spending of their money on prostitutes yet she covered for him.

Some women he had slept with had attacked her and mocked her, some from the office had even jeered her to her face and still she didn’t complain. This time, all he had done was just touch a child that was his as much as hers and she had reported him to the whole world. Stupid woman!! That’s what happens when a man marries a spoilt brat and works for the father of the brat!

She probably thought he was finished because they took his houses, cars, clothes and everything else he owned. Well, they were wrong! If there was anything Anslem knew how to do best, it was recover.

He was deep in thought as he crossed the highway that he wasn’t used to. He never saw the Ford explorer coming and so he did not know what hit him. When he landed in the gutter a few metres away, his eyes were already closed.

To be continued...

Story by: Adelove

[Miss Ifeoluwa]

(Episode 9) - Karma's Romance

Kachi watched, his heart in his throat as the jury convened after 14 hours of deliberation on his case. He sat beside his very expensive lawyer, Jeremiah Sands and held his breath, hoping and praying for the best even as tears slipped out of his eyes. God, what had he done to
deserve this?

Mr Sands : “Pull yourself together, Mr Onwumere. I know how tough this is but you must not lose hope. Anything can happen at this moment, I need you to concentrate.”

Kachi : “I can’t!! My life is finished!” He cried as he thought of all he had been through in the past 2 months.

He had come back to the huge 6 bedroom house he shared with his Black American older wife one evening almost 10 weeks ago and had
been vaguely surprised when he could not find his wife and children, never thinking anything was amiss. He had searched all over the house and had eventually gone into the basement where he had found the body of his wife and that of his 2 young children, Mason and
Charlotte.

He had screamed several times and checked to see if they were still alive, they weren’t. He checked their bloodied bodies and saw they had all been stabbed several times and left for dead but he didn’t know by whom. He sat there shocked for almost an hour before he decided to move. Believing, erroneously that he was going to be the first suspect for the murder of his wife and children, he stupidly didn’t call the
police.

Later that night, around 10pm, after making sure none of their surburban neigbours were awake or prowling, he had bundled the
bodies of his wife, 6 year old daughter and 4 year old son into big disposable bags, taken them out to his wife’s sedan and driven to the
corner of a deserted airfield a county away and buried them without telling anyone. He came back, cleaned up and made preparations to
leave the vicinity.

A few days before the murder, he and his wife had pulled a very big scam involving almost 30 million dollars and had already packed up in
readiness to leave the country with their children before the FBI caught up with them. He had personally cleaned out their accounts and made plans that would enable them leave the following week.

The next morning however, just after he finished packing up, the NYPD arrived at his door and arrested him for the murder of his wife and
children. According to them, his motive had been the tidy sum of 30 million dollars his wife had siphoned from the company where she had
worked.

They believed he and his wife had been partners in the scheme but when the time to share the money came, he had gotten greedy and decided to make away with the money all alone so had killed his wife and children and had buried them disrespectfully.

His pleas and denials made no difference to them. They had evidence that screams were heard in his house at the time of their death, his
finger prints were found on the murder weapon, a long kitchen knife that had been in his kitchen for years, his fingerprints were also on the
shovel used to bury them and his bloodied shirt found where he had buried it along with their bodies.

They also had evidence that he had closed all of his wife’s accounts before the murder and so the murder had been premeditated. He tried
to tell them that he met them dead when he got home but there was no proof that anyone else had been in the house or that the house was
broken into. He also tried to convince them that he had only buried them out of fear for his own life but that to them was further confirmation that he had indeed killed them.

His case had only been investigated for only a few days before the investigating officers had been sure they had enough on him to bring
him to court and nail him. The case was very high profile because of the role his wife had played in embezzling from a huge conglomerate.

A whole month of examination of witnesses and the suspect himself had drained him and left him feeling hopeless. The Prosecution’s
witnesses, which included members of his wife’s family had mentioned several times how he and his wife had constantly had problems and even neighbours could testify to the fact that they were always fighting.

Kachi agreed he and Dorothea had had issues but he had loved her and his kids. No woman had ever suited him so well. Despite the fact
that she was older than him, she had treated him like he was boss and hadn’t even minded his womanising at the beginning of their marriage and when she had found out about how he specialised in Scamming people for a living, all she had wanted was to join in the business.

Turned out, she had a flair for scamming. She had a natural gift for making people comfortable and she could blend in with any crowd.

From the moment she joined him, he witnessed amazing growth in his business and he became even more grounded as a husband and
father. He stopped womanising and keeping late nights but was more focused on business and his family.

Their business had boomed and soon, they executed several high profile embezzlement schemes that left them very rich, comfortable
and under the radar of the FBI. However, because of how careful they were, no one could get them easily which was why he selfishly hadn’t called the police when he got home to see his family murdered. He hadn’t wanted their backgrounds investigated.

If he had known this would happen, he would have called the police and faced an embezzlement case instead of going through a murder trial, he though as he wept sadly. A lot of the money he and his wife had scammed out of innocent people had gone into getting a good lawyer to get him out of spending the rest of his life in prison and he wasn’t even sure he succeeded.

As he sat in his orange scrub at the defence table, looking at the men and women who held his life in their hands, he promised himself and
God that if he ever got out of this, he would go back to Nigeria and live the rest of his life as a peace-loving farmer.

Judge : “Has the jury reached a verdict?”
Foreman of the Jury: “Yes Your Honor, we have.”

Judge : “Will the defendant rise to hear the decision of the Jury?”

Kachi rose, along with his lawyers as he tried to put on an air of composure but inside he had failed woefully, he was really, really afraid. This pronouncement could mean life or death for him.

FOTJ : “In the case of the State of New York versus Mr Kachi Onwumere, we the jury find the defendant guilty of first degree murder with intent.”

Kachi fainted as the people in the courtroom started jubilating.
***
Biggie felt very heavy as he switched off the TV, the depression he felt as he saw what had become of a guy he used to call friend left him
feeling very sad. He walked to the windows of his house on the island and looked out. He was unable to remove Kachi’s miserable face from
his mind and he wished after all this time that they could go back to who they used to be before life separated them.

He and Kachi had known each other since they were children. They had played together and run around together. Whatever he had done, Kachi had done and they had gone to the same schools all their lives.

When he had gotten admission into Rhaddeus and Kachi hadn’t been able to afford it, they had worked hard to ensure Kachi went to the
state University so they could still be close.

After that though, things had gone downhill fast. When he had started dating Debo immediately he got into school, Kachi had felt jealous, alone and resentful. In a bid to make up for his sudden preoccupation with a girl, he introduced Kachi to the guys he had just started hanging out with, without finding out their real characters.

It wasn’t long before the easily corruptible Kachi had started manifesting different attitudes. By the time he learnt who and what
the guys he had introduced Kachi to actually were, Kachi had been too far gone. He had hung out with the guys so he could monitor Kachi
and get him out of their clutches but the idiot had only sunk deeper.

As he remembered the scene on the high profile televised trial, he wanted to believe that Kachi was incapable of doing what he had been accused of but he wasn’t sure. The Kachi he had known had been a part of a group of guys who were responsible for the disappearance of a teenage girl years ago who was found only a few months ago, dead and buried.

No, Biggie knew that whatever Kachi had been accused of doing, he was very capable of doing. As he started outside his window brooding, he felt arms wrap around his waist and he held unto them as his wife leaned forward and he saw her worried face.

Debo : “What is it?”
Biggie: “It’s nothing.”
Debo : “No, don’t say that. It’s something, just tell me what.”
Biggie: “They found Kachi guilty of murder”
Debo : “Oh, dear! What does that mean for him?”
Biggie: “Murder in the First degree? It would be a miracle if he got life
imprisonment.”
Debo : “You think they would kill him?”
Biggie nodded his head
Debo : “Oh dear, I’m so sorry. I know you were hoping for a different outcome"

Biggie: “I was but you know what? I’m not surprised. I knew something was going to happen to him very soon. Ever since, they
found Ada’s body, I knew a time of reckoning would come for all of us.”

Debo : “All of us? You had nothing to do with it!!”
Biggie: “I knew they were thinking of something!”

Debo : “You told them to stop but they didn’t listen. That’s not on you!!”

Biggie: “And what did I do after I realised that? Nothing!”
Debo : “It wasn’t your place, baby. It wasn’t, you went your own way.”

Biggie: “Sometimes, silence is just as bad a betrayal.”

Debo : “Look at me!” She said as she dragged his face towards hers, “You are not responsible for what happened, okay? We have paid our
dues. We have suffered and waited for whatever sins we committed.”

She said as she took his hand and placed it against her enormous belly. “God won’t punish us for something we weren’t responsible for.
You didn’t know so He can’t hold you accountable. Okay?”

Biggie: “Okay!”
Debo : “Good. Now, come and give me a massage and leave God to take care of his own” She dragged him and he laughed as he followed her upstairs.

He really had paid his dues, he and Debo had gotten married almost immediately after their Youth service and started building their lives
together. It came as a surprise first and a trial later when they weren’t able to have a child for several years of their marriage. When they
started having money, they had run all the requisite tests necessary but the doctors hadn’t found anything wrong with them.

When Debo hadn’t taken in for years, she was sure Biggie would leave her but he hadn’t. Besides the fact that he loved her quite desperately, he had been very sure that God was punishing him for keeping silent over the disappearance of Ada. It took him a while to accept that he wasn’t going to suffer indefinitely for something he hadn’t known
about.

It came as a surprise when after 16 years of marriage, after they had stopped trying that Debo had fallen sick only for them to realise that she was pregnant with twins. He was so grateful, he couldn’t hide his gratitude to God for the miracle of a pregnancy that they had never had before. All he was asking God now was to forgive his sins and let his wife deliver safely.

To be continued...

Story by: Adelove

[Miss Ifeoluwa]

(Episode 10) - Karma's Romance

Ayokunmi sat in her parent’s sitting room watching TV but not connecting with the program. She felt weighed down by the sadness that had engulfed her family and wished only that they could go back to the times they used to be so happy. At 16, she knew enough to know that only a miracle could make that happen ever again.

Her father had left the house for almost 2 months now, taking all of her siblings with him except her brother, Ayokunle. He had wanted to take her too but she had refused and insisted on staying with her mother and her younger brother who had Down’s syndrome.

After an acid fight with a woman who had had a son for her father, her mother was now badly disfigured and blind. Nobody wanted to tell her the truth but she heard that her mother had been the one to take the acid to the scene of the fight and in the course of struggling, the acid had poured on both of them.

The other woman had ingested some of it and died a few hours later at the hospital while her mother had totally destroyed herself. Her entire head looked like a big sore, her left ear had closed while her eyes had been destroyed by the acid. The only things she still had control over were her nose and mouth.

Kunmi knew that if she left with all her sisters, her father would totally abandon her mother like he had threatened and she didn’t want that to happen to her mother. She didn’t stay because she loved her mother or because her mother loved them. In fact, it had been a very long time since she had felt any kind of love from her mother’s end. But her mother was getting badly depressed and she didn’t want her to kill herself.

Today, after she got home from school, it was to find her mother fighting with the only maid left in the house. Considering that her mother couldn’t see or hear, it was a testament to the maid’s character that she hadn’t locked the door and beaten her mother properly like she deserved.

Kunmi had waged into the fight but had gotten a slap from her mother for all her efforts. Her mother had started saying mean things to her and even called her a bastard, all because she wanted to help. She felt so hurt and angry, did her mother even know how much effort she was putting into making sure she was okay?

She knew that if they lost this maid like they had lost all the others, her father would never employ another one. In a few months she would go to the University, who would then take care of the house chores or her brother?

Her mother didn’t even realise what kind of sacrifice she was making to stay with her. She could have gone with her father and sisters instead of staying in a place saturated with bitterness and anger but she didn’t. Did her mother not appreciate her?

She cleaned her eyes when she heard her phone ringing and picked up her call, seeing it was her friend, Sandra.

Kunmi: “Sandra, what’s up?”
Sandra: “Hey, dear, where are you?”
Kunmi: “At home, of course, what of you?”
Sandra: “Babe, its Friday, let’s go and hang out now.”

Kunmi: “Honestly Sandra, I’m not in the mood.”
Sandra: “Come on, Todimu is here oh!” she giggled.

Kunmi could not help rolling her eyes. Todimu was Sandra’s neighbour and she had had a crush on the handsome medical student ever since she saw him a few months ago. She knew she couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

Kunmi: “Where are we hanging out?”
Sandra: “We will go to Todimu’s place. He’s having a party.”

Kunmi: “Oh, Sandra, I want to come. I like that boy!!”
Sandra: “I know!!” She giggled.

Kunmi: “Let me ask my mom!” She quickly ran out of her room to her mother’s new room downstairs to get permission only to hear her mother fighting with her little brother who slept across the hall. She quickly retraced her steps to his room where her mother was shouting.
Lanke:“……..good-for-nothing, selfish…”

Kunmi carried her crying brother out of the room, knowing that his tears were as much from his mother’s shouts as well from his mother’s new scary looks.

Lanke: “What is happening? Where is he going?” She asked as she heard his cries getting more distant.

Kunmi: “Mummy, I’m taking him away” she answered her mother.

Lanke: “To where? You stupid disobedient bitch! How dare you?” She said as she followed after her daughter angrily and slammed into a wall. “Oh my God!! Kunmi, I will kill you!”
After dropping her brother with the maid, Kunmi decided not to tell her mother about the outing, she could not be in more problems with her mum. She quickly dressed up and left the house for Sandra’s place from where they went to Todimu’s house.
…………………………

Todimu’s parent’s house was large and quiet after the small hangout ended. Kunmi sat on the chair watching Nickoledeon, her favourite channel while he sat on the other end of the couch. At least that’s how it was until Sandra winked at her and left and he moved right beside her. She was scared at first when Sandra left but she was also pretty excited too. She had once told Sandra that she wouldn’t mind if Todimu turned out to be her first kiss.

So, while she was watching TV and he started rubbing her shoulders, she didn’t react, trying to dampen the nervous excitement inside her. When Todimu put his hands on the back of her head and turned her in his direction, she turned willingly enough and when he put his lips to hers, she allowed and even shivered a little. She finally got her first kiss.

Todimu took the kiss deeper and she was responsive. They kissed for about 3 minutes before he put his hands on her breasts. She withdrew a little at that but that didn’t stop him.

 He pushed her on the couch and put his hands under her top, trailing from her stomach to her bra covered breasts. Pushing the bra out of the way, he palmed her nipples and she pushed his hands and seeking mouth away.

Kunmi: “Todimu, please you’re going too fast.”
Todimu: “Going too fast as how? You want this now, what’s wrong with you? Your friend told me you had been panting after me for a while now so why are you acting up?”

Kunmi pushed him away from on top her as she got up from the chair.

Kunmi: “What do you mean by that? Yes, I had a crush on you, that doesn’t mean I expect you to try and have sex with me!”

Todimu: “Don’t dare play with me.” He said menacingly as he took off the belt on his jean trousers and unzipped. “I paid your friend for you already so don’t waste my time!!”

Kunmi: “Wh….ich friend?” She asked as she moved a step back, seeing the look of determination on Todimu’s face. “I don’t know what Sandra told you but I am not that kind of girl at all.”

Kunmi circled behind the chair to avoid Todimu. Opposite her, he took off his trousers and boxers, she saw his organ, bulging. Quickly, she ran towards the door and tried to open it only to find it had been locked. There, Todimu tackled her against the door and pushed her to the floor. She started screaming for help as Todimu tore off her top and grabbed her breasts.

His hands seemed to be everywhere at once and her tears and struggles seemed useless against him. He pushed up her flared skirt and tore off her panties and she cried even louder. She felt like she was going to be torn into two when he thrust into her violently and she nearly died then. It seemed to go on forever and by the time he was done, she was too shocked to even stand up.

Todimu: He stood up, smiled at her on the floor. “Sandra was right, you are very hot oh!” He picked up his clothing scattered in the small sitting room and went into a room. When he came back outside she was gone.

As Kunmi left his house, her torn shirt covering her breasts, she seemed mindless. She dialled her father’s number on automaton and told him where she was. She had walked almost all the way home when her father’s car stopped beside her. When he got out of the car and rushed to grab her, she went into his arms, bawling her eyes out.

Although all she wanted to do at that point was wash herself, her father insisted they go to hospital and also report to the Police. After much cajoling, she tearfully agreed and allowed him to take her to their family hospital where she was attended to. An hour later, he had called in a favour and 2 police women were there to question her and take her statement.

Her father felt incredibly guilty for leaving her with her mother despite knowing how selfish Lanke was and how much worse she would be right now. He also knew deep in his heart that he was responsible for how scattered his family was. His and his parent’s desire for a son had made him behave irresponsibly and had jeopardised the life of everyone connected to him.

As the police interviewed his daughter, he waited in the hospital corridor and started crying. He wished something like this hadn’t happened to Kunmi. She was goodness and kindness together and she didn’t deserve this punishment for the failings of her parents. He made a decision then, he would get Kunmi and her brother to come and stay with him and their other siblings, he would sell the old house and put Lanke in a nursing home somewhere.

A few hours after that, Todimu and Sandra were arrested while Lanke paced in a circle at home with her walking stick, not knowing where her daughter was. She was still pacing when she heard the door open,

Lanke: “Kunmi, is that you?!! Where have you been?!! Did you…?”
Lanre: “It’s not Kunmi, it is me, Lanre.”
Lanke: “Oh, what are you doing here?” She sneered.

Lanre: “Something happened and I wanted you to know…..” He sighed as he sat on the sofa.
Lanke: “I don’t want to know. Thank you!” She folded her arms across her chest and turned away from the sound of his voice.

Lanre looked at her from his position and was still amazed at how she looked. Lanke used to be so beautiful and elegant, with lovely teeth and gorgeous hair. These days she looked like a very ugly monster. They used to be so in lust, they called themselves Lanlan until he couldn’t stand her or their marriage anymore. He knew he failed and this was his punishment.

Lanre: “Kunmi went out to her friend’s place, her friend took her to a boy’s house and there, she was raped.”

Lanke: Gasping “Nooooo! You’re lying!! You’re lying!”

Lanre: “I am not!” He shouted at her as she covered her working ear and shook her head.
Lanke: “No, God, please no!”
Lanre: “The boy and Sandra have been arrested.”

Lanke: “Sandra? It was Sandra? How could Sandra do that to Kunmi? How could she? They were friends!!” She cried out even as she knew the answer to that question.

She moved herself to the single seater couch and started crying, seemingly heartbroken.

Lanre: “Lanke, it’s okay.” He was surprised at her tears, he had expected anger and plans for retribution, not this apparent heartbreak. He stood up and tried not to cringe as he went to comfort her. “We have arrested them, Lanke. I will make sure they are properly dealt with and punished.”

Lanke: “It’s my fault!” She said dejected. “It’s my fault.”

Lanre: “No, it isn’t. It was a terrible thing to happen to our child but if anyone has a fault here, it’s me.”

Lanke: She shrugged the hands he had been rubbing on her back away. “You think I don’t know what I’m saying?” She screamed. “God is punishing me!! Me!! Me!! Me!!””

Lanre: “Lanke, calm down. God won’t p…….”
Lanke: “I betrayed my friends in school. When I was a student, I led a friend to a group of guys and I knew one of them planned to rape her. I was even happy about it and i wanted to follow them so I could watch….”

Lanre: “Lanke, Jesus! You didn’t!!”
Lanke: “I did. I did! The worst part was she never returned. I don’t know what happened to her but she didn’t return to school again!!” she wept.

Lanre: “She left school without mentioning your name?
Lanke: “No, I think they killed her after that day but I never told anyone…”
Lanre: “Oh my God, you are evil.”

Lanke: “I know!” She cried, “God is punishing me!! On top of everything, when my closest friend threatened to unravel her secret, I told the guys about it and I would have led her to them too if she hadn’t packed her things and left the school. I deserve what is happening to me.” She cried out but there were no tears for she had no eyes.

Lanre: “Yes, you deserve what happened to you! My daughter however did not deserve that fate but the evil you did brought this upon her. You selfish, wicked bitch!! You’re evil; and I never want to see you again. Tomorrow, when Kunmi is released from the hospital, I will have her come and pack her things and Kunle too. Then I will wash my hands off you!! No wonder you could kill Odun so easily!!”

Lanke: “Nooo! Lanre, please don’t leave me here alone, those children are all I have left!” She cried out but her only answer was the sound of the door slamming. Lanre had gone.

Later that night, she wondered if she would have done anything in her life differently. At 39, her life should just be starting but hers was almost over. She had 6 children, 1 was retarded, four had left her without a backward glance and the one who was kind enough to stay had been dealt with, a recompense for her mother’s sin.

She thought back to the time with Ada and realised how mean and selfish she had been to actually lead a friend out to rape, humiliation and death. She thought she had gotten away with it but she didn’t know that Karma was just in front, waiting for her.

She wept bitterly for the dreams she would never see fulfilled and for the children who would not miss her and the husband who would probably be relieved if she ceased to exist. She opened her bedside drawer and got out all the drugs prescribed for her and poured them out of their bottles and unto her bed. After saying a short prayer for God to accept her soul, she picked as many as she could and swallowed them at once.

An hour later, Lanke was gone.

To be continued...

Story by: Adelove

[Miss Ifeoluwa]

(Episode 11) - Karma's Romance

“Tony Igwebuike!! Come outside now!” The Principal called out on the Assembly ground, standing beside a gathering of debt ridden students.

The 13 year old bowed his heads as his mates started laughing and booing, deeply ashamed. He almost didn’t go out but he knew what Mr Osas was capable of doing to him. He stepped out of the line of JSS3 students as he heard his sister’s name also being called out.

When he had stood with the gathering, his sister also joined them, her head bowed down like his. He looked down at her and saw tears already gathering in her eyes. He wanted to hug but he knew the whole school was watching to see what would become of the debtors.

For 3 years, he had watched from the side-lines as this happened to other students all the time.

He had never seen it as wrong or felt particularly sorry for those it had happened to until it happened to him and his sister. He felt so embarrassed, he just wanted to sink into the floor and die.

When Assembly dispersed, the Principal turned to the 20 or so of them who had been called out for defaulting on school fees payment. One by one, he addressed them. When he got to Tony and his sister, who was in JSSI, he had no mercy and spoke to them like they were professional debtors like Gbenga, an SSI student who was known to never pay any school fees until Exams.

Tony felt slighted. They attended one of the best Schools in Ibadan and they had hardly ever defaulted on payment. In fact their father usually paid their fees before resumption.

 However, in the past few months, things had been going badly for their father so he couldn’t afford to give them the standard they were used to.

He felt the Principal should have considered that before lumping them in with some of the school’s worst debtor. It wasn’t fair that the first time their father defaulted on timely payment, the school treated them like shit.

Principal: “Of everyone here, Tony and Susan Igwebuike, you are the worst of all! While other parents have put in something as a testament of good faith, your parents haven’t paid a dime.

 This makes me very ashamed of you and for you. You haven’t paid for school bus and extra lessons too. Your father has told me to exercise patience with him and I have tried but the term is running to a close and exams are starting in 3 days. I’m sorry you will have to go home till your father makes some payment.” He concluded.

Tony held his sister’s hand as she started to wail, deeply distressed for he had plans to study for his exams that particular day at the school library.

Tony: “Alright sir, we will go but we don’t know the way home by ourselves…!” He said in his quiet ajebutter accent.

Principal: “Don’t worry, because of the courtesy your parents have always provided by paying promptly, we would have the school bus drop you at home with a note for your father.”

Tony nodded as the principal ordered both of them and another student to wait for the school bus while he dispersed the rest with severe warnings that they wouldn’t be allowed to write the exams without complete payment.

They waited for an hour before the School bus picked them and dropped them at home. Their mother was in her shop that was attached to the front of their huge house in felele when the bus got there. She felt her throat close when she saw her dejected children step out of the bus.

Tony and Susan : “Good morning, Mummy.”
Seun Igwebuike: “What happened?” She asked.
Tony: “We were sent away from school for owing school fees.”

Seun Igwebuike: “Oh dear!” She exclaimed as she tried not to cry. For the past few weeks, Evan, their last child had also not being going to school too because they could no longer pay his fees. She couldn’t cry in front of her children though so she hugged them and sent them inside.

When they had gone, she opened and read the politely insulting note telling her that her children would not be allowed in school until they paid their fees. As it was, she didn’t know how they were going to get those fees to pay.

Her husband, Nelson was a very hardworking man who since she met him, always seemed to have more than enough for her and their children. She had been inclined to call her husband’s life charmed for there was nothing he wanted he could not get. He was into logistics and transportation and had had almost 16 trailers moving from one end of Nigeria to another carting goods, properties, petroleum resources and others all around.

He had made a lot of money and built his official base in Lagos. When she had gotten pregnant for their second child and he was due to be abroad for a training, he had switched their base to Ibadan so she could be closer to her mother, who hailed from and still lived in Ibadan. After his return, he had decided he liked the city and had moved his family there entirely.

From Ibadan, he visited his headquarters in Lagos once every week for he had trustworthy and knowledgeable people working for him. From Ibadan, he continued to run his business and make marvellous earnings. He hadn’t allowed his wife work since they didn’t think they needed the money she would make to survive.

However, the last 4 months had been jinxed for him. Not only had they lost 11 of their buses – 8 had been engulfed by mysterious fires, 2 had been stolen by their drivers and 1 had just broken down one day- 4 had just suddenly started rusting and 1 had been involved in an accident that killed 13 people. The driver had run away and her husband was being held responsible.

She was a dedicated Christian and she liked to think God was just testing their faith but this was just too much for her to bear. She couldn’t sleep at night anymore and she had lost so much weight. She knew it was the same for her husband. Their house in Lagos was being foreclosed by the bank over a loan Nelson had apparently taken just a month ago to branch into oil and gas. If not for the sudden problems, they would have made it but now they couldn’t even afford to pay their children’s school fees which totalled less than 4 million, how would they afford to refund a loan of 139 million?

Even worse was the fact that her husband hadn’t even enjoyed the benefits of that loan that he was being made to pay for. No one had told her before she quickly built a shop in front of their house with her savings and started her provisions business. This way at least, she could afford to feed her children without them begging.

If God wasn’t testing their faith, then she was sure it was some of their family members who were ashamed of their success. God would destroy them!
………………………………………

The sisters of Our Lady, Queen of Mercy sang hymns as they made their way back from Enugu in the compact Toyota hiace bus. They had gone on a medical mission to minister to the orphanages and widows in some villages in Enugu and the lord had taken control for they had shared love, help and hope to many people in children in need.

Behind them, their big bus plied the road leading to Benin. In the bus, Sister Rita was not singing. After her dreams all those months ago, she was constantly plagued by a great need to reach out to Ada’s family and tell them what she knew but it had been 20 years and she convinced herself to let sleeping dogs lie.

 Afterall, nothing she could say could bring Ada back and the people who she suspected were responsible for her death would not be so easy to find.

She sat down 2 seats behind the driver ruminating on her dreams. Just as the driver was about to make a bend, a trailer turned the corner and raced towards them with no likelihood of stopping. Their driver tried to turn their bus in another direction but he moved too fast and before they knew quite what had happened, their bus tumbled out of the way of the trailer into the gulley beside the road.

As it rolled down the steep hill and somersaulted twice, the sisters screamed for Jesus and the Blessed Virgin. And just like in her dreams, Sister Rita heard screams of agony and she saw blood, most of the blood was hers and she started crying.

When the bus stopped rolling, she saw that several of the women were okay, albeit scared. She heard voices outside as the windows were broken. She knew even as she lost consciousness that help had come, she just wasn’t sure it came for her in time.
………………………………

Rita heard the voice in her head telling her to wake up but she didn’t want to. When the prodding wouldn’t stop, she finally opened her eyes. She felt rather than saw the man standing next to her. He held a flashlight and in his hands and was shining it in her eyes.
Doctor : “Rita, can you hear me?”

Rita: “Yes…… I can.” she answered groggily as she opened her eyes and saw she was in a hospital room.

Doctor : “Okay, that’s good. Do you know your name?”

Rita: “Yes, I’m Reverend sister Rita Elomien”
Doctor : How many fingers am I raising?” He asked as he showed her four fingers.
Rita: “Four!” She said feeling tired.

Doctor : “Do you remember how you got here?”
Rita: “I…. think…yes, yes…I do. There was an accident, right?”

Doctor : “Yes, you had an accident. You were injured. You had a concussion and you broke 2 of your ribs, your left arm but you’re fine now.”
As he said that, she began to feel the pain in her midriff area. She looked and saw she had been bandaged and her left arm was in a cast.
Rita: “Oh, thank God, what of the other sisters?”
Doctor : “What?”

Rita: “The other sisters? How are they?”
Doctor : “I’m sorry, there were no other sisters brought in here. I was told you were the only one injured in the accident.”

Rita: “Me alone?” So the dream was really just for me she mumbled to herself.

Doctor : “You have been out of it for a couple of days now so I’m going to do a quick test, okay?”

She nodded her head as he took a small thin iron and touched different parts of her body. Each time, he asked her if she felt the cold iron and she said yes. When he got under her feet however, she felt nothing and she communicated her distress to him. Quickly he moved it higher.

Doctor : “Do you feel this?”
Rita: “No. no, I don’t.” She said trying not to panic.

Doctor : “How about this?” He asked as he moved to her knees. She shook her head and he quickly rounded off the tests, a worried frown on his face.

Hours later after she had been taken to the Lab to have X-rays and some other tests done and then returned, Reverend Father Paulinus came to see her bearing bad news.

Father Paulinus : “My dear, they say you have lost feeling in your legs.” He held her hands.
Rita: “Oh, dear Lord, what does that mean, father?” She asked as she cried.

Father Paulinus ; “It means you might be paralysed. Your spinal cord was affected in the accident, my child. The damage wasn’t seen quickly but they are looking at your test results now.”

Rita: “Is it forever?” She cried as she held on to his hands.

Father Paulinus : “They don’t know yet, I’m sorry, Sister Rita. Have faith in God, he will never fail you, okay?”

Rita: “Oh God, I had this dream.” She said as tears poured out of her eyes and dropped on the sky blue pillowcase. “I should have known God would punish me!”

Father Paulinus : “Do not say that, sister Rita! God isn’t punishing you, He is testing you!”
Rita: “He is, father, he is!” She cried out.

Father Paulinus: “What could you have done to deserve Gods punishment? You’re one of the kindest people I know.”

So she told him of her friend, Ada, of their quarrel, her disappearance and everything that happened since.

Father Paulinus : “Oh, Sister Rita, why didn’t you say something afterward? That was so wrong. Even if she wasn’t your friend, you should never have kept silent.”

Rita: “I’m sorry father, help me tell God that I’m sorry. Please father!”She cried louder.

Father Paulinus : “Sister Rita, the Lord is merciful, he knows and he hears you. You must restitute. As soon as you’re discharged here, you must look for her family and let them know what you know. You owe them that. Do you understand?”

She nodded still crying as the Doctor entered, coming in with another Doctor.

Doctor : “Sister Rita, I have good news.”
Rita: “What is it?”

Doctor : “We checked the damage to your spinal cord and we see you developed a cyst that gathered pus. We have assessed it and can tell you for a fact that it isn’t life threatening. We would perform a surgery and take out the cyst, it shouldn’t affect your ability to walk for too long. After the surgery, you would have a little physical therapy that will allow you to be walking in less than 3 months.”

Sister Rita : “Really?” She cried.

Doctor : “Yes, really.”

Rita: “Oh, thank you so much! Thank you, Lord!” She cried as she held tighter to father Paulinus’ hands. Glad for another chance to make it up to her friend she had betrayed.


To be continued...

Story by: Adelove

[Miss Ifeoluwa]

(Episode 12) - Karma's Romance

A man that laid in the men’s ward of Igbobi general hospital was scared. He had broken his bones while taking a motorcycle to work that he should never have been on in the first place.

 His brother had told him to wait for him to drop him at his office but his eagerness to beat a co-worker to the office had caused him to take a bike that had landed him in trouble.

Ever since he got here, he couldn’t help being scared at the different cases around him.

 Although his leg had been set, he was still very scared and his presence in the room was worsening his condition. There were men groaning in pain all around. Some were asleep but when they were awake, they usually seemed in pain.

The man beside was almost comatose in pain. Whenever he looked at him, he felt very bad for him. He didn’t need to be told that the man would have been very handsome before whatever accident had brought him here. He looked like he would have been tall with wonderful fair skin and a full beard of hair.

Looking at him now though, his skin was grey in suffering, his beard had been shaved off haphazardly, his eyes constantly dulled out from pain and his legs were gone from the knees downward, all the man had left were thick bandaged stumps where his leg should have been. Worse still was that, in his two weeks here, the man had only gotten one visitor. An old woman who most likely would be his mother.

Anslem turned his head and saw the young man in the bed next to him watching him again. If he had the strength, he would tell the man to concentrate on his own healing. But he didn’t have the strength, neither did he have the will power. He was too tired and he wasn’t sure he cared anymore.

He turned his head from the staring young man but was careful not to look down at the stumps that were now his legs. He never wanted to see it, ever. His life was finished, he was finished. Emasculated. Destroyed. He would never be the confident, charismatic, good looking young man he once was.

What would he achieve with his legs like this? What could he ever amount to? Who amongst those women who had fluttered around him would want him now? Who would look twice at a man without legs? Caroline and her father finally got their revenge after all. He would never be anything more.

Depression ate at him as he realized he had nothing at all. All the money he had was used in taking care of his bills here, neither his wife nor children had visited, none of his numerous friends had lifted a hand to help at all. He felt very hurt, very small and very alone. The worst part was he was too much of a coward to even kill himself and end it all here and now.

While lying on the bed there, he had a lot of time to reminisce on his life and all the decisions he had made. Including the unfortunate accident that brought him here. He remembered how it had given him pleasure to lord it over a woman. To hold her life in his hands like it had been with several maids his wife had brought to their house.

Their fear had fed his ego, their cries had made him feel stronger. He had felt fulfilled making women as he believed they were, the weaker vessels. He had laughed at men who said some women were strong. It had been about the power for him, about women looking up to him in fear and trepidation, alas, that would never happen again. For he could not even frighten a baby the way he looked.

The doctors talked about prosthetics legs, that they would help him. How could he even afford it? He had no money left. His wife had taken his houses and cars from him, his father in law had taken everything else. His only surviving sibling was abroad and would not lift a finger to help him. She cut him off the day she found out he raped her husband’s younger sister and had refused to call him since he was admitted.
Now, he felt what those women had felt, what Ada had felt the night her life had gone out of her. What must she have been thinking?

 Feeling? Experiencing? How could they have buried her in such a place? An unmarked grave like she had no one. He would go back if he could. He would never have hung with those guys, never have made that stupid bet, never have started what had been the beginning of his end.

He lived with the mind numbing fear that he was finished and could do nothing about it. All the people who could help him had deserted him and he was alone with the aged mother he had never bothered to take care of when things were good.

He felt the helplessness that he was sure Ada had felt at her death. The impotent unproductive rage that left you empty and aching. All he asked God for now was forgiveness for the way he had lived his life, for the mistakes he had made, for his thoughtlessness and selfishness. If he had another chance, he cried, he would live life well. He would never hurt another person again.
But God did not answer.
……………………………………………………………………………

The Auditorium was crowded, the place was jam-packed full of people. The atmosphere was alive. Praise and worship had begun and the spirit was moving. The man sitting on the chair tried to move out of the way of the enthusiastic dancers around him and he searched for his church member who had pushed him there but he could not see her.

He quickly realised he would have to stand up so he would not be trampled upon by the many people trooping in and out of the stadium. It was a prayer, worship and praise night organised by one of the leading ministers of God, Pastor Dare Ajuwon. He hoped against all hope that he would be able to see the Man of God so he could receive his healing.

The vigil was huge and it only happened one night in a year. It was characterised by anointing, holy spirit baptism, healing and deliverances hence the reason why there were over 17, 000 people in the stadium that night.

2 hours to the end of the 10 hour program, James was beginning to feel desperate. He had succeeded in moving closer to the centre of the stadium where Pastor Ajuwon was but he was still yet distant away from him. At this point, all he wanted was a prayer, a little laying of hands and he would be satisfied.

When they called out those in need of healing an hour later, he ran as fast as his swollen legs could carry him to the front of the makeshift altar. Pastor Ajuwon started a series of deliverance prayers for them and James eagerly shouted Amen and waited for total deliverance from the troubles that plagued his severely weakened body.

During the prayers he felt something leave his body and he felt suddenly relieved. He walked back to his seat in less pain than he had been in for almost a year. Indeed, God was in this place, he told himself.

Barely a week later, James was rushed to the hospital again when his blood pressure suddenly rose and he was scheduled for another dialysis. After the treatment which he had been undergoing for four months, he called the doctor aside.

James: “What is my condition, doctor?”
Doctor : “Mr James, I have told you before and I will tell you again, you need that surgery, nothing else will save you!”

James: “But Doctor, I received my healing, my Kidney should have recovered. A man of God prayed for me, he did!” He cried to the Doctor desperately.

Doctor : “Mr Samuel. I have looked at your test results again, your Kidneys are barely existing at this point. I don’t know if the man of God prayed or not but God hasn’t answered yet.” He said seriously to James who started weeping on his bed.

If only, he thought to himself. If only he could go back to the young man he had been, he would have told him not to abuse his youth for he would pay for it later. He remembered how he had enjoyed taking drugs and alcohol when he was younger. He remembered being advised to stop but he hadn’t listened, he actually hadn’t cared.

He was arrested in his 3rd year for executing the gang rape of a 200 level student. With the help of his very distant father and the Police, he managed to escape. Of course, he hadn’t let that disturb or distract him from his goal. He had joined a huge criminal gang and terrorised a lot of states in the west. His mother had died from a heart attack when she heard and confirmed that her son was a criminal, an armed robber, rapist, kidnapper and Killer.

A superiority battle had eventually broken out between him and another deadly guy in the group years later. Their leader had died in a gun fight with the police and several of them had been arrested. The rest who escaped decided to regroup a few months later and they needed a new leader. He had wanted the position, so had General, his rival. In the end, General had tried to kill him to get the position so he had fled.

Coming to Lagos, he had tried hard to enter into any of the several groups and cults that existed there but he hadn’t even been given a chance. In order to join in, he had to go through the bottom first. There were several guys at the top already and none were willing to shift or even give an opportunity for a newbie to show them up.

Realising that the battle between he and General was nothing compared to Lagos Criminal politics, he had quickly shifted and gone underground, doing petty crimes and small online scams to survive, eventually he had started forming his own gang too but went out of business when majority of them were arrested.

After that, he had gone to work for a Politician who needed young men as thugs. It was in the course of doing this that he met with a group on evangelism. They spoke to him about the Salvation of Jesus and he gave his life to Christ with immediate alacrity. He couldn’t say for certain what had been different that day, for he had heard the word several times, but that minute, he gave his life to Christ.

He had gone on to join their Church, a strong bible believing church, ministering the word and bringing souls to Christ. He even went back to Bible school and was very well versed in the word of God. He stayed far away from women, drinking and smoking. He was on a path to rebuilding his life.

Later, when the Church wanted to build a parish in Ilorin, he was nominated as the person who would shepherd the new branch. He was excited and grateful for the opportunity and was almost immediately ready. He was told however that he had to get married for that responsibility. At the time, he was already 36, so he agreed, after all he wanted children.

That marriage proved his greatest undoing for it was like the woman had been brought to him as karma for all the other women he had hurt in his life. She had tormented him day and night, nagged him to deafness, stolen his money, burnt his car, torn his clothes, in private and public and refused to have children for him, she constantly took pills and mocked him with them.

He reported her several times to the Pastors at the headquarters in Lagos and they spoke to her all the time. She would promise to change and as soon as they left or dropped the call, she would threaten him severely. Sometimes pouring water on their bed so he wouldn’t sleep or locking him inside the house after taking his key out with her.

He became severely afraid of her and slept with one eye open at home. Realising things weren’t going to end, he had started sleeping in church to avoid his wife’s trouble at home. And then, one of the matured unmarried ladies started bringing him food in the evenings. She comforted him and made him feel like a man again.

He thought he knew the devil, he was very sure the devil was at home in his house but the devil left his house and came to him in church. One cold, dreary night, Sister Folami had brought him rice and pepper soup and they had ended up warming each other up on the rug in his small office.

After that, everything in his life started to fall apart. His wife burnt the house down on herself, members of the church, that had boomed from the beginning and increased even with his wife’s hysterics began to reduce gradually and soon he was left with only the very few that had started the church with him.

In his lust hazed, grief- pretending mind, he hadn’t seen that his adultery was what was causing the problems, he had assumed his wife’s death by burning had been the reason why people lost faith in the Pastor-in-charge, he had been sure that given time, he would right everything and the old members would return.

Sister Folami’s pregnancy ruined all that. When the Headquarters heard of it, he was immediately suspended and asked to report to Lagos while another Minister was appointed to his former position. He had been very angry by the Church’s dismissal of him and had refused to report in Lagos.

He married sister Folami and had opened another Church there in Ilorin. The church had never gone past the primary school room they were renting and his only members were his wife and 3 other people. When Folami lost their second pregnancy, she had become very discouraged and lost interest in the church and him. He had returned one day to find her gone and that marked the end of his stay in Ilorin.

He had returned to Lagos and joined another church. The fact that he hadn’t completed his tertiary education meant that he couldn’t get a satisfactory job and he was barely able to make ends meet. He had done small, small businesses on the side and was managing to survive before his health started to trouble him.

Not able to afford good hospital treatment, he had used local herbs (agbo) and other herbal products to deal with his health challenges and was able to temporarily diffuse his issues. Of course, it wasn’t very long before he started seeing signs he could not ignore in his body. He started peeing blood, his legs began to swell and he experienced immeasurable pain.

Eventually, his church had financed him to run a test and that’s where he found it he had end stage Kidney problems. He was told he would need to raise 8 million Naira for a surgery abroad and would also need to get a donor that would match him. His church had started helping him raise the money but he was still unable to find a willing donor.

Unwilling to die so young, without having achieved anything, he had started to run to different men of God for prayers for healing. So far, he had been to 14 of them. After the prayers, he would feel a lightening of the load but soon enough, he would realise the disease was still there.

The money the church had raised had so far been mostly expended on dialysis to keep him alive before the surgery would happen. He knew he was responsible for what was happening to him, he only wished God would have mercy on him, forgive his sins and help him out. He wasn’t ready to die yet, he still had a lot inside of him, why couldn’t God see that?

To be continued...

Story by: Adelove