I am relatively new here and one of my hobbies is creating stories in my head, so I am making a post of a story that has been with me since my secondary school days. I have never told it to a large audience like this before (that is if you click on it), which means I am kind of a virgin . So you guyz should please be nice and take it slow and easy with me, don’t make it hurt…….it’s my first time. *Doll face/ Derek Zoolander’s Blue Steel face*. Will post more if you want to know the end, thank you.

Prologue
The Esthetician wiped off the remaining residue of the gold mask from the Bride’s face, as she did this she studied the porcelain features of the extremely beautiful woman. The eyebrows were properly arched; she had done a good job, the Esthetician beamed with contentment. The Bride’s nose was small and slightly pointed and her lips after the sugar scrub were well rounded and succulent. Her cheeks were plump and rosy, her fair skin more radiant than four weeks ago when she started the procedure in preparation for the wedding. Thank God for this woman, the Esthetician thought to herself, she was able to pay her rent at a go this time. She had prayed for good work and that Thursday afternoon, Yinka walked into her shop requesting for the bridal package that will make her shine like Stephanie Okereke on her wedding day. At that very moment she knew her prayers were answered. All she had to do was reinforce the cliché that her wedding day was the most important day of her life, a bride couldn’t afford to look less than ordinary, and the gold body wrap was very important. It was an easy task; the woman was sold before stepping into the spa.

“A glass of sparkling water, please.” The Bride said, with her small still voice like that of an angel, mincing her voice because she was about to perform for God’s choir. Two maids rushed out of the room to quickly fetch that need. One came back with chilled sparkling water and the other, sparkling water in its natural state; they held glass cups that were already filled with water from the bottles they carried. The Bride got up as the Esthetician was done with her face, she stretched her hand to touch the glass cups and she commented in her slow and tired voice.

“It’s too cold, Amarachi, fetch a cup and mix it, I want it slightly cold, have you forgotten how I want my water, must I remind you every time?” The girl, who was obviously the Amarachi recoiled at the admonition and quickly jetted out of the room without saying a word to fetch another glass cup to mix the water in. The Bride picked up a mirror to admire her face and the big smile that surfaced on it was a sign that she was pleased. She looked at her wristwatch and let out a gasp then addressed no one in particular.

“Wow its 6am already, the church service is at 10am, we need to hurry up! Samson hates delay, he said he will be there by 9am. O dear Lord I am going to be late for my wedding!!!”The Esthetician moved forward to comfort her.

“You have a steam room here Madam, and I have already prepared your body mixture all I need to do is apply it, then you steam and have your shower. After you lather the cream I gave you, and the magic is done. You said you didn’t want me to do your make-up, but I brought my kit here just in case, you know am also a make-up artist. I did all the True Magic Magazine cover for year 2006.”

“No, No, No, No” the Bride cut in “I have told you, I flew in my MUA from London, she did it yesterday and she is going to do it again today. Please just do your work.” The Esthetician was put in her place and she knew it. She quickly started to apply the body mixture on the Bride and at that moment Amarachi came back in and offered the water to the Bride. She touched it and smiled it was obviously to her satisfaction.

Two hours and some minutes later, the Make-up artist had arrived and the Bride was done from her, she was putting on a shoe she kept referring to as the Cinderella shoe . The Esthetician felt a little shame because she had snickered at the vomit of colors on the make-up artist’s face, truthfully the woman looked like something a caricature artist would dream up, but seeing The Bride now, she was amazed at how much more beautiful she looked, there was nothing she could criticize. The Bride was a ten before but now she is more of a fifteen over ten, she was breath taking. She was proud to add her to her customer portfolio, even if she didn’t do the make-up.

The Esthetician found a comfortable seat and feasted on the array of breakfast options that were available; she was hungry and was not shy about it. If these tooth pick legged girls who were in the bridal train would only nibble like mice, she wasn’t. It was amusing watching these people, some of them were the daughters of prominent socialites, some she didn’t recognize, one she felt like taking a shoe to and beating her up, till she respected her mother who she was shouting at over the phone for being stupid and getting her an ugly bag on some trip, the lady seemed particularly pissed because the bag was from a designer that was not well-known. Another one was painting her nails while managing to look like a hawk, when she put out her hands to dry, by flapping those long finger and nails carelessly. She knew she was being judgmental but these people needed a bit of reality check and discipline, still she didn’t think it would occur in this clique. These people had money to go down for generations and money has a reputation for giving people silly behaviours. She felt privileged in a way, the only son of Damola Williams the oil tycoon was getting married, she was happy they even chose her. Her other high profile clients must have advertised her, that is why it is good to give satisfactory and enviable results. She was happy because the two million Naira rent was finally paid.

No expenses was speared, the wedding gown was rumored to cost eight million naira. The invitation cards were all in shiny gold envelopes, with a rose attached as a seal. It was a garden wedding with a house tent for hire, you know just in case it got too sunny or it decides to rain and they were not changing locations, at least that's what her ears heard. The same tent had been used for the engagement party and according to tale spreaders, no one was allowed in without a signifying material that was chosen by the two families…what a group of snobs. Anyway, Yinka Lawal is a lucky girl, there are rumors of honey moon touring countries for six months, the poor will cry at the extravagance.

At about Nine thirty am. The Bride was ready to leave to begin her journey into a new life, starting with the ride to church. In a hurry she made her way to a limousine parked outside with her bridal train. The Esthetician, Make-up artist and the maids were in a smaller limousine following The Bride and her bridesmaids. She didn’t have any other important thing to do that day, why then shouldn’t she use her free pass to the wedding, she would take pictures and drop it in during conversations, so that people would know she was there, she hoped one of those society magazines gets her picture, she would buy copies to distribute. It is going to be a perfect wedding; at least that was what was in the mind of the people involved. If only they had known what happened just as the Bride was wearing her clothes at around 8.45am.
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At the venue, The Bride and her train got down from the vehicle and a photographer went to work. It was a beautiful sight. Rose petals were scattered in reds and whites all over the floor. The bridal train was a mixture of the colors of the rainbow. This was because of something the groom Samson Williams had promised his wife on the night he proposed to her, one knee to the floor , at that silent street in Paris where a band of musicians were playing a string of love songs to the about to be engaged. Samson the ever Romantic man told his wife-to-be, that he would make her life as colorful as the rainbow if she would be his Bride. No girl with weak knees could have refused such an offer.

It was now ten minutes past ten, and the photo session near the fountain had stopped, just a few people were singling themselves out to take pictures and the well-wishers were being ushered into the tent by an alternate entrance. The groom was significantly absent. This was quite peculiar for Samson because he loved time and kept to it. People loose contracts from him for coming half a minute late and he wouldn’t bulge from the pleadings. It was quite strange indeed. Was he involved in a car accident? Did he have cold feet? Samson could never have cold feet, when he made up his mind to do something he did it with the blindness of a bat in the day and the determination of a chief hunter at night.

So many evil thoughts ran through Yinka the bride’s mind, she had been relieved earlier when she got to the venue before him, but now worries was taking its place in her mind. She had left her phone at home just because she did not want distractions and she hated to look weak or be in panic, but it was getting close to Eleven o clock. Just as she made up her mind to use someone’s phone to call Samson the Chief bride's maid phone started to ring. It was Samson, the way she would so kill him urgh! Yinka thought as she collected the phone.

"Hello honey, you are late, this is so strange and uncomfortable on our day. Am upset and am beginning to sweat, I am walking back to the car now because of the air conditioning in there and I am going to need some major touch-ups and of course a big box of chocolates as an I am sorry gift from you.”One of the reason’s she loved Samson was that he always dropped whatever he was doing to listen to her and never interrupted her. Right now he was breathing heavily on the phone, is he hurt? She should have asked him how he was, he spoke.

“Baby we need to cancel the wedding for today, I have already called my folks my mum should come out to meet you soon. I can’t talk right now but please trust me, I will find a way to get things sorted and make it up to you with more than chocolates.”
“Whaa, whaat, what?”Her hands began to shake her voice began to tremble, she was in a state of shock…. He had ended the call. What was going on, she looked up and she saw her mother and Samson’s mother coming out of the tent, they were walking towards her, her mother had removed her gele from her head, her mother would never remove her gele at a party unless it was critical and this was critical. She could feel the tears rolling down her cheeks darkened from the mixture of thick powder and mascara. As the two women approached her, she yelled at them not to come near her.

“Don’t come near me! Don’t come near me, I need to be alone.” They did not listen; they were drawing closer, looks of pity on their faces. She took off her shoes and ran into the limousine; she really needed to be alone. The driver was visibly stunned, she yelled at him to quickly shut the car door so the elderly women would not come in. He complied, he was scared of her on a normal day, he was even more scared of her when she got angry and she was obviously furious, he stood there, he didn’t know if he was to drive off or stay put, it was best to wait for further directions. The two women were at the door, knocking but she wouldn’t listen, she needed to think. Furious, she punched the numbers on the cell phone in her hand, why didn’t Sesan call her; he was the best man he should know, what in heaven’s name was happening. The phone rang four times and still yet no reply. She buried her face in her hands and wept hard, drowning the noise of the rapping on the window. A text message came in , it was from Sesan it read.

“Prepare! Zandra showed up from nowhere, I am staying here so I can listen to everything she has to say, will get back to you soon, don’t call back."

What the heck? Oh lord, Zandra, Zandra, bloody Zandra. She couldn’t breathe, the air was poisonous all of a sudden. Calm down, her inner voice said to her, she didn’t want to calm down, she wanted to tear the roof off the car and punch something, she wanted to explode, scream. The temperature had gone up all of a sudden and heat began to crawl all over her body, the hair on her head had become a burden to her, she wanted to tear it off, this must be why people contemplated suicide.

The tears came out all the way again even more effortlessly, because she realized she had lost Samson, there was no way she could have him completely with that evil witch around, she couldn’t compete. It was a lost battle, her dreams gone in an instant. A tear drop fell on the diamond engagement ring on her hand, and just like that she brightened. Wait, who did Samson give a ring to? It was her. Who did he pick a date with? It was her. There was no way in hell she would give up that easy, there was just no way. She had her ring, he had called her to tell her not to worry. He sent his mother out to get her, why was she thinking like a drunken monkey? Zandra could not win, she just could not, that good for nothing LovePeddler had a history of bad luck and wretchedness, there was no way Samson would willingly enter that witch's claws. She, Yinka Lawal will marry Samson. In fact wasn’t yesterday her traditional wedding?

Everything would be alright. At that she told the driver to open the limousine’s door to let her mother and her future mother-in-law in, she needed to be consoled.

Hmmm... Dis pretty kul but i tink u cud add to the description of d scenes to mak ur story mur fascinatin and spicy... Kudos

Wesslier: Hmmm... Dis pretty kul but i tink u cud add to the description of d scenes to mak ur story mur fascinatin and spicy... Kudos

Hi there Wesslier, thanks for that tip. I must admit I do get lazy with descriptions, its a personal flaw of mine and will try to work on it.I am following your story here....kudos.

Zandra, Saturday 24th 2012

It was finally seven am, time to go to work. Zandra said a short prayer to herself in silence.

“Dear Lord you know I have made these talents useless to me but you know I have to borrow one from them now, I have no money on me and I promise I will only take the greedy for a ride, thank you Father for answered prayers. Amen.” Technically those were not the kind of prayers she knew God to answer, in fact God had not yet answered the prayer to heal Demola, but she needed all the support she could get.

She had been awake since 4:30 am; at least that’s what the beggar she met told her, the night was a long one, sleep only came in brief seconds and minutes, then a sound accompanied by her thoughts would wake her. In all her travels and adventures she had never slept in a park. Yet here she was at Nyanya car park . She arrived from Otukpo, just a few minutes to eleven on Friday, the vehicle she took had kept breaking down on the road. Her piety had been reinvigorated as she kept on praying that she got to her destination before the haggard rickety death machine would pack up or have an accident. She had heard of so many horror stories about the road and she was so grateful to the Lord that she was able to make it.

Coming to Abuja was a difficult decision for her, in fact it was not an option until she made it an option immediately when the doctor informed her on Friday that without the surgery Demola would die. She knew there was no other alternative for her but to come back here. She was left with Twenty Naira after the trip and she was meant to be going to Maitama. She tried stopping cars to give her a lift but most ignored her and the men who stopped, wanted something she could not give. Defeated she resigned herself to the car park, hoping and praying fervently that nobody would come near her. Whenever she noticed a figure drawing near in the night, she would quickly start to scratch her body and mutter incoherent words, so that she could portray the picture of a mad woman. A bottle she had found lying around was her next line of defense, because she knew there were many weird people who sought after mad women. The scratching alone had proved effective.

Now, she had to leave, she put her hand to her mouth to smell her breath, it wasn’t the best smell in the world, maybe her twenty naira would go to work on some mints later, she didn’t think it mattered, she had to go that way with her smelly breath, she just had to be far away from the cab man she was going to use. Samson could smell her breath, it would be a sharp convincer of her haggard life, the Zandra he knew would not go out with a smelly breath. If she knew Samson well and if he was around or stayed where he used to stay, you only catch him on Saturdays in the wee hours of the morning, that is if he doesn’t have a lover with him, he stayed in when women were involved. She wondered how he would react about seeing her again, but she could not dwell on that now, if she thought about it, she would not step a foot near him, because there would be an invisible restraining order against her. It was best to focus on her task ahead and that was getting a cab.

Standing on the road by the waking city, she adjusted her clothes and balanced her falling scarf around her neck properly. She had stopped about three cab-men already and they all gave her moderate prices, so she had to let them go. Finally one came and declared the huge price of three thousand Naira for the fare, she smiled he was the one. She got in and directed him to a famous shopping complex she knew at Wuse 2.

“Splendid, we have to make haste, I have a flight for ten o clock and I can’t afford to miss it. I need to go shopping for a shoe, get to Maitama and then to the airport, you understand?” He nodded his head as she rushed into the car not giving him space to think, and of course conscious of her breath, used her scarf as a shield over her mouth, she hoped he didn’t find it odd. “No worries I will pay you whatever sum you want. I need you to be my personal driver today. Now hurry please, time isn’t my pal at all.”

The man grinned it was his pay day, and she wondered why he didn’t use his head to think why she may be here so early and needed to run obscure errands. If he had questions, she already had a prepared story about how she was travelling in a private car, which broke down and couldn’t wait for her sister who lived in the town to send her driver to pick her, but this one was not one of those chatty cab men, he didn’t ask and she was content. The first blow against him was how she rolled out her words from her mouth with an aristocratic air. It always floored these people, she would talk to him next in pidgin, that would make her more approachable. It was simple, she was first meant to be unapproachable then later down to earth, he would then be able to relate to her and that was the frame of mind she needed him in. There were other things to think about.

If she were Samson, would she forgive her? The driver was at top speed and she almost pitied him, but her thoughts didn’t give her the space to linger on it. She thought about Demola, how she had sold everything to her name to make sure that he got well, but the sickness which started two month ago, just would not go away. He had simply fallen into a gutter on his way home, and it started with a sprained leg. Four days ago, she sold her mobile phone to a cleaner in the hospital, so she could just pay some bills. The thought of losing him made her grip her chest in fear, she could not bear the thought, although it kept on coming to her that she might just loose him. She clicked her fingers over her head and murmured a little prayer that God will forbid such evil, his thoughts for her are not of evil but of good. Demola will see many more years, the devil was a liar.

They were pulling up at the shopping complex, most of the shops were closed but a few were opened. She got down from the car and quickly walked into the nearest opened shop. She met a lady sorting out the wares for sale. She didn’t waste time, she pleaded with the lady that she needed at least two carrier bags as if her life depended on it. She got four, she always got her way, she felt a certain kind of high because she was not as rusty as she thought she was. She moved out from that shop and got into another, where she requested for old newspapers. The lady in there did not have newspapers, but Zandra spotted a couple of abandoned foams in a corner and requested for those instead, the woman was kind enough to give them to her. When she was done from the store, Zandra stuffed the bags with the foam till it gave the appearance that it had something worthwhile in it. She casually walked to the car, prompted the driver to open the boot and deposited them there. She got into the car and gave the driver the directions to a street near Samson’s.

When they arrived at the street, she stopped him in front of a random house, then started with her pidgin.

“Thank you Oga, but kai I forget something I suppose collect for Wuse market.” She gave him her tried and tested helpless look, while biting her fingers. “…and time just dey fly anyhow today, how I go fit collect that gold now?…..you fit go collect am for me, I don pay for am just to collect.” The man obviously seeing this as an extra charge found nothing wrong in an errand to the market.
“No problem now, make I just collect am abi? It is nothing now.”
“Oga I fit trust you like this? That gold cost up to a million o, I bin want deliver am for Lagos, my customer don order am. May be I tell this my sister driver to go collect am.”
“Madam, it is like you don’t know what we cab men do, I don drive a politician overnight only us. We carry money for boot, millions of naira! He dey share am, when we get to a house he go carry small comot leave the rest for boot. I no run away with am, wetin I go use small gold do?”
“So no be today you don dey do work for people?”
“At all, I have a day job, I just use this one for change, I am a very honest person.”
“Okay, okay, it have do, give me pen and paper, make I write him number for you.” He fumbled around for a pen, and when it was obvious he didn’t have one, she had to stop the time consuming effort.
“Make I type am for your phone.”
“That one better.” He handed her his mobile and she punched in her landlord’s number, the man was notorious for leaving his phone unattended to and rarely picked it up when he was near it, because he was half blind. She should give him her own number also, he needed to come back to pick her.
“See my own number here, when you reach him side, call me make I speak to am. Then when you come back here, call me make I know say you don land. When you call am, tell am say from Alhaja Rukaya, he go understand. No dey squeeze face like that, if na credit I go buy you your credit back. In fact na the three thousand Naira you bin want collect I go give you.” That seemed to ease him.
“Okay, make I call you now, so you go know say na me?”
“Ah, I no tell you? That foolish driver don bring my phone come my sister house, you know say not all of you drivers dey use their heads, this boy carry me with car wey him no service well. When the car spoil near Nyanya, I give am my phone make he trace my sister come house, so the phone dey with my sister.”
“Ah sorry madam, some of us know what we are doing more than the others, I travel anywhere and I service my car properly.” There were loopholes in that story but she was happy that the thought of the money he was going to make didn’t really make him see sense, it always gladdened her when her prey tried to convince her they were the better man for a job. If he quizzed her the more and busted her, she was going to grab his clothes and call him a rapist and a thief so fast he would doubt his existence, it would only stall her meeting with Samson for a few minutes, but she was lucky he took the bait.
“It is okay, just remember when you get to the market gate, call the Mallam and ask for where him dey. If him no pick, just go to that side where dem dey park cars wait am. He go call you back.” Sad thing was her landlord never has credit to call, that was a good thing for her.

The cabman nodded like the good boy he was, and waited for his new madam to get down from the car, he wouldn’t ask for money now, she was a respectable woman who was sending him on an errand and still had her goods in his boot. She walked towards a gate and pressed the doorbell, hoping that no one would open. If anyone did, she would just ask if the Korede’s lived there. Luckily the man had driven off and all she needed to do was remove her shoes and sprint off to Samson’s street.

She caught her breath when she finally got to the house, Lord knows that she wouldn’t be able to think straight if she discovers that he had moved house. She would probably beg the new owners for cash in a nice way, while fishing for information about Samson.The house was still a fortress , nothing had changed in the past six years, she pressed the door bell and half expected the same old T for Timo the security guard to come out, what a reunion that would be. But instead out came this man, dressed in an army like uniform with the build of forty men rolled into one. She lost her voice for a minute when he asked her what she wanted in the best British accent she had heard in years, well this is definitely something that changed, she was floored.

“Hello, what can I do for you?”

“Ehmmmm, I am an old friend of Samson’s, I just came to see him, look I know he is a very busy man that is why I am here so early.”

“Do you have an appointment Madam?”

“Of course I have an appointment, what do you mean? I just can’t barge into somebody’s house unannounced; we are in the 21st century not the Stone Age.” Zandra said raising her hands furiously and sticking her head up high, this routine always works, they always feel she was somebody of importance when she does this. Well, she was really someone of importance, but this didn’t seem to be working, maybe it was her mouth odor. Normally she would walk into the space she was prohibited from entering while she said those lines, but this man was so huge, he covered the whole damned door. The security guard smiled and drew out a baton and started to play with it, he then spoke.

“Madam if you are as close to Mr. Williams, the way you say you are, you will know today is his wedding.”

She didn't know which one hurt more, the realization that Samson was getting married or the fact that she just got caught, wait she could still spin it by saying they didn’t discuss personal lives, but did she really want to discuss that with this evolving hulk here? She also realized the news of the wedding hurt more, but it was good news he still resided there. The security guard was still playing with the baton; she knew he was indirectly telling her, he could beat her up if she dared him and seriously she wasn’t ready to be bent into a pretzel. There were so many ways to make this work, she could claim she was a senior associate from a big company and he had promised her ten minutes before the wedding but that couldn't work because she was not properly dressed for that lie. She was in a traditional wear and a veil that made her look like the women they call Hajia, but Hajia’s could be senior associates couldn’t they? Not Hajia’s with smelly mouths, this man right here would see through her bull. She could faint but she didn’t know how many more guards could be inside if she decides to get up and sneak away, that is supposedly she was carried in. Screaming Samson’s name was the least effective, she would get tackled so fast she would think she was being exorcized. There was only one way she could get what she wanted, and that was to walk away for now, so she smiled and replied him saying.

“Oga thank you O, I just dey play before, I know say today na Mr William’s wedding, shai you know your job well o.” The Security guard did not drop the baton or reply her, he just watched her walk away.

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It was eight forty on the dot, that the gates to the Williams Mansion were opened. Zandra had found a tree a few steps away to stay under, patiently waiting. A Bentley started to make its way out of the house and she knew it just had to be Samson. He would not be in the back seat but behind the wheels. She knew him that much, that on a day like this he would not entrust his life to a driver. She got herself ready; she felt the adrenaline rush through her body as the car drew nearer to where she was. This had better work she murmured to herself, she hopes her calculations were right. At that she dashed right in front of the moving vehicle.

It worked perfectly, God must be on her side today, not that she had been badly injured in the past when she tried it but still thank God, the car had stopped just a few inches before impact. No one was coming out of the car. Wow they must think she was a lunatic, with her scarf covering her face. She needed their attention, she wasn’t sure if Samson was in the car because the windows were tinted. She had two viable options, it was either she threw herself to the floor and start to wail or she remove her scarf, both had their disadvantages but she had to think fast.

She removed her scarf.

Almost immediately the car doors flung open, she was right, Samson had been behind the wheel, but she was even more shocked when Sesan came down from the passenger seat. Damn! What was he doing here, first the wedding, and then Sesan was here. Samson looked like he had seen a ghost, Sesan just stood there with an expressionless face. Two men dressed alike in uniforms were getting down from the back of the car, they were coming towards her. The security guard she had met earlier was one of them, but Samson stopped them with a wave telling them to back down. She spoke her rehearsed words, she didn't wait for the shock to disappear.

“I know I have been away for six years but now I really do need your help, our son needs your help, he is dying. He has a hole in his heart. I wanted to tell you this in a more secluded place but I just found out today was your wedding, that man there wouldn’t let me in. I need 6 million Naira for surgery in India for him.”

“Who is this mad woman, why wouldn’t you let the bodyguards touch her, is this one of your charity cases?” Sesan asked Samson with a puzzled look on his face. Samson cleared his throat, perhaps a motion he did to get over the shock, he answered the question.

“No this is Zandra.... my wife......” He was staring at her intently, she looked at the floor, because she couldn’t bear the gaze, it reminded her of how wrong she , how she ruined everything and she didn’t want to remember. “Zandra why are you back with your lies, what kind of trouble are you into now that you need six million naira to get out of. A million naira for each year you left right, am I such an easy target?” That seemed to silence Sesan but she needed to defend herself.

“I am not lying or trying to con you. We do have a son, I named him Demola after your grandfather, he looks just like him from the pictures you showed me.......” A car at that moment was attempting to pass through that route and hooted so that they would give it way. It had been such an intense moment that they had forgotten that they were on the road. Samson looked at her and said.

“Get in we are going home.” Sesan cut in.
“Samson you must be joking, your bride will be waiting , you just can’t turn back because some crazy woman showed up.

“Sesan shut up, unless I divorce this lady here, I cannot get married and then again we need to keep off the street, we need to go home.” Samson never uses the words shut up except he wants to think. Her impact was definitely huge, that gave her a little bit of comfort.

That was final, everybody got into the car and she was sandwiched between the two guards behind, there was total silence except for the sound of the air conditioning, this was so inconvenient. She was sure without a doubt that everybody was thinking she came back just to ruin the wedding. She didn’t even know there was a wedding. She knew the argument would be that she heard the news somewhere and she decided to show up. When the truth was how could she have had the time to be listening to news or gossip about some miserable wedding when her son was dying? She had been trying to win a battle for almost two months for the boy and she had sold everything that had her name on it to pay for the bills. The simple thought of this forced a tear to her eyes but there was no way she would let them out, they would think it was an act, she would let the tears out when it was most effective. She was not to be trusted; she didn’t even trust herself back here.

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They were finally indoors, it was the blue room, she remembered going shopping with Samson to get pieces for this room. She picked the navy blue couch Samson was seated on, It was comforting that he had not thrown out pieces of her away from the house. Samson hung his jacket at the edge of the chair in preparation to listen to her, she had told him to stop hanging his jacket like that, he never learns. Sesan was seated on the same chair, both facing her, they were waiting for her to talk; she didn’t want Sesan in the room.

“Can we talk alone; I don’t want your friend here.”
“He is not leaving, he is not just my best man, he is also my best friend.”
“I thought you didn’t do best friends.”
“People change in six years Zandra.” Samson snapped, he was angry and he had every right to be angry, she was ruining his wedding, who wouldn’t be angry? She began her tale.

“We have a son Samson, he is sick, he has been for the past two months, he has something the doctors are calling Atrial Septal Defect. He had, had it since he was born but I didn’t know. He fell into a gutter two months back and sprained his leg. I treated that at home but he started to have shortness of breath, whenever he played and he would get tired for no reason, then resist food. One night it just seemed like he stopped breathing, I woke up all the neighbors and someone was kind enough to take us to the hospital on his motorbike. That was how it began. They didn’t know what it was at first until yesterday after an x-ray revealed there was a large hole there in his heart and he needed surgery. I have nothing again, I don’t even have my pride. I had to swallow my pride to come here because you are the only one who I know can come up with such an amount on short notice. I am sorry this happened today but I just had to do it. I can’t let my son die; I can’t let our son die.”

Samson shifted on his chair, his eyes were expressionless, she knew those eyes they were his boardroom eyes, there was no way she could tell what he was thinking except she asked him to speak the truth, and she lost the power to ask him years ago. She didn’t need to ask him because he served it to her.

“Firstly welcome back from yourself appointed exile, so nice of you not to provide us a reason for leaving without a trace......” She began to speak but Samson cut her short.

“Let me finish you had your chance! You come back with a dramatic waltz in front of my car. What is the name you used to refer that as? Oh yes the Nollywood accident con, I have a good memory you know. You come back here telling me about a son I do not know of. Then you tell me you need cash worth six million naira and you need to travel to India. I am so tempted to give you that cash right now and have you walk away from here, after you sign the divorce papers, but I am tired of your scams and whatever this new one is, we will get to the end and have you sent to a prison, without trial. Where did you say this hospital was?”
“Otukpo. Otukpo General Hospital.”
“There are no hospital papers or x-rays showing you have a sick person in the hospital or you expected me to just take your word?”
“I wasn’t thinking, I just told the doctor I was coming back, the only person who knew I was travelling is a neighbor who helps in looking after Demola. I wasn’t thinking of proof. I was thinking of my son’s life. You can send somebody to the hospital if you want to.” She didn’t try to fight the tears that were now streaming down her face, if she didn’t cry he might think she was joking, he needed to know how serious this was, the unfortunate thing was he may not be moved by it, he could be heartless when he wanted to. She watched as Samson stood up and walked to the bar area, he rested his hands on the blue painted wood for a while then pulled out a bottle of brandy and poured for himself, he took a sip and turned around and watched her again before he spoke, she could tell he was trying to be cautious.

“Otukpo, fine. I am taking a chopper ride to Otukpo on Monday and I will speak to the doctor in charge, if this story you are telling me checks out, I will exercise my rights as the father and ask for the discharge of the boy to me. You will talk to the doctor on my cell, give him the permission to release him to me and I will bring him to our doctor here who will give a proper diagnosis. You will remain here in Abuja in a hotel, your mobile will be taken away from you and the hotel phones will be disconnected. Sesan here will bring a phone with no airtime on it that I will use to communicate with you. Have I made myself clear enough for you, do you understand and agree with these terms?” Wow he was on a roll, he was treating this like a business negotiation, the difference was that a lawyer was not present, but she was glad he was not kicking her out.

“Yes, but how do I eat?” She said that because she had nothing else to say, he was in, she couldn’t believe he was in. Demola would be saved, she wanted to jump for joy!

“You will be asked by a staff at around 8am, 2pm and 9pm what you want to eat. You will have a security official stationed outside your door, so you know and realize you can’t play tricks.”

“I am not to be trusted remember, what if I cajole one of them to let me use their phones or I run off and come here to cause you trouble exercising my rights as your legally married wife?” She laid emphasis on the emphasizing her rights, he had said that about their son.

“I know you are sick and twisted Zandra, the boy no matter what will go through tests with my doctor and if you want to cause any other drama why don’t you start now? Look, if you dare cross me, you know me, you know my family. We have so many ways of making people suffer, so you better be prepared before you try any injudicious move.” His voice had gone ice cold and she knew he meant everything he said, she had forgotten how cruel he could be .

“I understand but I do not have a phone currently, I sold it.” Samson looked at her, there was distrust written all over him.

“You realize that you will be stripped and searched before you enter the room to assert that you do not have what you claim you don’t have. I have a fantastic team of loyalists you know?”

“Correct.”

“Good. Excuse me, I need to make a call to my future Mrs.” Samson brought out his phone and dialed, he didn’t call the bride immediately, he instead called his father and explained the situation to him, he kept on saying, “no I will handle it” as the two spoke, he instructed his father to whisper into his mother’s ears, so she could go take care of his Bride-to-be. Zandra imagined the kind of look Mrs. Williams would have on her face when she heard that the thing she detested most in the world had turned up on her door step. Perhaps a minor heart attack would follow if she starts to think about what the press would say. It seemed Samson had difficulty reaching his bride, the phone was ringing with no one picking it up, he spoke to Sesan.

“She must have kept her phone on charge at home, Sesan please give me the skinny girl's number”. Sesan passed his phone to Samson to show him the digits he required, this one was picked up and he directed the girl to pass the phone to the waiting bride. He muttered some apologies and how he would see her and make it up to her. That used to be her, she was jealous. When the call was done, he turned to look at her again and asked.

“Do you have any objections to my earlier proposal? I know you love your freedom.” It was obvious he was offering her a rethink, but she didn’t need it, what she wanted was to have Sesan out of the place, he had been watching her and she was uncomfortable, She only wanted to deal with Samson not him.

“No I don’t, it will for once prove that I am not lying or playing a fast one........I really don’t like your friend here Samson, I think it was a bad idea I spoke in his presence.” Sesan didn’t let Samson reply her, he quickly retorted.

“Says the woman who is meant to be her husband’s friend but left the post for a stranger to fill, look lady if I had my way, you wouldn't have the chance to say anything.”

“Would you now?” Came the reply, but Samson quickly cut in to stop the evolving argument.

“Please stop it, Zandra, you will be escorted to a car outside, the car will take you to the hotel. I don't want to see you anytime soon.”

At that, he walked out and Sesan followed him like his little puppy. Was that it? It all happened so fast, she expected more, she didn’t know what she expected but she knew she expected more. Almost immediately, the two guards came in and saw her off to a waiting car, the one who she had met earlier at the gate took the wheel and she sat in the back. She remembered the car too well and there were so many memories in it. There had been sessions of love making in every seat in the car, including the bonnet. She let out a sigh; she wanted to cry again, how on earth did she get to where she was? She had a dying son, a marriage she walked out on, and she had only twenty naira to her name.

She tried to wave away the jealousy, it could not be justified at all, he was moving on with a better woman , She even wished him well, she didn’t deserve him, that she knew. If she had been in Otukpo would she be feeling this way, she had her chance and she lost it. She started to cry but she made no sound, the guard was watching her from the mirror and she turned her eyes away from him towards the window. She didn’t need anybody’s pity or mockery; she just needed to be strong for her son. He was the only thing she had done right in her miserable life and there was no way she would lose him. If she had to pull the biggest scam she ever had pulled in her life , she would, even if it would send her to prison.

Slowly she reached for her veil to clean her tears, what was wrong with her? Regrets were hopeless. She chuckled at the thought of the solitary confinement she was going to face, at least there would be good food. It was just sad because she wouldn’t be able to speak to Demola. She hated that, but by Monday when Samson knows the truth he will let her speak to him at least. She let out another sigh. There was the case of that Sesan.......she had been so lost in her thoughts that she did not notice the golden envelope just next to her on the seat, the sun had just reflected on it, so it caught her eye. It must be the wedding invite, and she was sure Ma Williams picked the design, they had a mini fight over which invite design she wanted for her own wedding, Ma Williams selected the gold and rose one, she selected a mini scroll, with the bride and bridegroom stamp. She was tempted to pick the invite to read, but it was useless to her, she had no business with their wedding.

Two minutes later she was removing the invite from the envelope, just to see how it was engraved, that was what she told herself. She wasn’t prepared for the name she saw….Yinka Lawal weds who? Not her own Samson definitely….will Samson wed Yinka? The shock that went through her body froze her for about two seconds. Which Yinka? The same Yinka Lawal or was it another with the same name? It had to be the same one. Yinka of all the people on planet earth, there was an immediate look of disgust on her face. She was aware that the guard was watching her but that was his own prerogative. How could this have happened? How? There was no way she could let Yinka wed Samson or what nonsense was written on the paper?

“Hi, Oga.” She tapped the security official’s arm, he raised an eyebrow and looked at the mirror.
“Sorry to disturb you, but this Yinka Lawal, is she fair? Well-endowed in the chest region, talks very slowly, is that the Yinka your boss is marrying?”
“Personal affairs are not my forte, you have to ask Mr. Williams Jnr yourself if it is the woman you described.” He placed his eyes back on the road, what was this one’s problem? Did he think he was the substitute for The Terminator? He was no use at all but damn! damn!!! damn!!! Could Yinka really be marrying Samson? It had to be her, there could be no one else, but that would only happen over her dead body. She folded the invite back into the envelope; she had to hatch a plan. She would have to die first for this to happen.

Hmm...impressive,am enjoyin d suspense...I like d way d story is unfolding...keep it up OP.

Khia! I don late alredy, 2nd day of job i go receive query letter, courtesy of ... xenia, u are doin well jare...

Love it... Love it..

Nice story,weldone.but please dnt keep us waitin for long before anoda update.......

Babe, you are gooooooodddddddddddddd.
Please dont keep us waiting o, abeg.

Fkforyou: Hmm...impressive,am enjoyin d suspense...I like d way d story is unfolding...keep it up OP.

Hello Fkforyou am glad you enjoying it, hope I don't disappoint in the future.

Wesslier: Khia! I don late alredy, 2nd day of job i go receive query letter, courtesy of ... xenia, u are doin well jare...

Ahhh Biko no query for here O, especially when you are involved. Please send me your Oga number, let me tell him who you are. doesn't he know that it is you? Arrant nonsense !!!!

IzyLuv: Love it... Love it..

Awww and I am loving you,loving you for loving it. how come there are no hug and kisses button here . xoxo should do then.

Beckytee: Nice story,weldone.but please dnt keep us waitin for long before anoda update.......

tijehi: Babe, you are gooooooodddddddddddddd.
Please dont keep us waiting o, abeg.

I am glad I caught your interest and I thank you for the encouragement BeckyTee and Tijehi. I will try to update as frequently as I can but after today's post I will be gone for the weekend, will be back on Monday or Tuesday. I am really glad you guys are enjoying the story. xoxo

Samson, Sunday 25th 2012.
It was 1:30 am in the morning, Yinka was lying next to him, sound asleep after a wild session of lovemaking, it was one of the things he thought would ease her. She had burst into tears immediately she had seen him, he was unhappy he made her this unhappy, she looked so beautiful in that gown she had dutifully hidden from him, he didn’t mind that her face was smeared like a child’s colouring book, she was still so beautiful and fragile. He had held her and used his hands to clean all the tears and kissed her, he wouldn’t let her be affected by the entire trauma he had invited into his life. His father had made a comment, he had said “you don’t meet a girl in odd circumstances and expect everything else that follows to be normal.” His dad was always right, he also understood what his mother had been saying that his rebellious actions would affect everyone and by looking at Yinka he finally realized what damning all the consequences by marrying Zandra caused, he was tearing Yinka and his family up. Yinka had been hysterical, confused, and you can say afraid. What woman wouldn't be afraid? But he assured her he felt nothing for Zandra anymore; there was no space in his heart for her, he had told her. He had told Yinka about the sudden son and like the wonderful person she was, she had eagerly asked to adopt him if the child was actually real.

Numerous thoughts ran through his mind, the light from the bathroom was faintly illuminating the room and shifting his focus to the small brass image in the corner, the statue was grinning as if it were reading his thoughts. His mother had been furious; he was sure that if she could have dragged him by the ears she would have, she wanted everything sealed away from the public, nobody could know that the Williams masquerade was back. After a chat with his father, they concluded that Pa. Williams would have nothing to do in resolving the case, his father wanted to have a chat with Zandra but Samson wanted his Father out of it for now. Damola Williams had a strange way of dealing with things, people end up disappearing forever when his father was involved, he didn’t like that side of him.

A certain uneasiness fell upon him, he had to get up and walk around or even rehydrate, but he wasn’t sure he was thirsty. He gently removed Yinka's hands off him and walked to the kitchen to get himself water. He poured himself a glass full but he couldn't drink it. He had a son. His son was sick. Was it a lie? Why would that woman just walk in now at the most crucial time? Walking in to ruin everything was her specialty; this was not the first time she would do this and he was cautious not to allow her again. Damn the day he met Zandra, if she hadn't stolen his engagement ring, he wouldn't have known she existed.

His regrets came knocking at his memory, he had just made up his mind to marry Francesca some eight years ago; she was everything he dreamt that a woman should be. She was beautiful, smart, hardworking and she understood him. One Saturday afternoon, he found himself in a jewellery store where he bought the biggest diamond ring he could find, it was his style, he wanted people to see the ring before they saw her, he didn’t want her left hand to fit into a small clutch purse, he wanted everybody else to be jealous of her. It made him happy, it stroked his ego.

Like most things in his life he had gone to consult his father about this decision. Not the decision to marry Francesca but the choice of ring he had purchased for the woman he wanted to be his wife. His mother didn't need to approve of Francesca, Francesca was an A-list actress and his mother liked that very much, it was a chance to introduce fame to money, what was to dislike about it? When he went to see his father, Pa Williams humoured the subtle showing off of good taste. He had commended the ring and sarcastically chipped in the story of the diamond ring and necklace he got for Samson’s mother on their thirty-second anniversary. They were worth a hundred and eighty million naira and were initially made to be presented Middle Eastern royalty, but Pa Williams made sure he purchased it for his wife instead. That was a nod to Samson saying you can't beat me son, his father was a bigger show off clown than he was, perhaps when he was his father’s age he would be worse. He remembered that day vividly, as he and his father were taking jabs at each other over other things, his phone rang.

That phone call changed his life. It was his childhood friend who they had committed all their juvenile crimes together. They got detention together, shoplifted together and got arrested together. It was when he was arrested back then that his mother began to panic, her sun was on the path to become a criminal, what will people say? They sent him home to finish his secondary school and to live with his grandfather, who straightened him out, but he missed The Rascal, as we all miss people we have fun with. They had reconnected when they bumped into each other at the airport and they had exchanged numbers. Two weeks later The Rascal was calling him to come to meet him at his hotel. He had nothing else to do, it was either he stayed with his father who would make fun of him because he bought cheap rings or visit an old friend who promised some fun and excitement, at least that one would like the ring and admire his taste if he showed it to him. So without much thinking he left his father’s house.

When he got there, after the hugs, handshakes and special greetings, he noticed two impeccably dressed ladies seated on the sofa in the room. His friend handed out an envelope each to them; they got up kissed him and left. As he settled down to talk, the door to the bathroom opened and out came another lady. She was practically naked, except for the g-string and a tiny gold waist chain she had on, she wasn't all that beautiful but she had well defined features. He couldn't help but stare at her body, it was well sculpted and looked like nothing was out of place. She evidently knew he was staring at her hence she made her steps slower than usual. He turned to look at his friend, but The Rascal was already getting up to meet the lady half way. The Rascal grabbed one of her chest mounds and bent down to suckle the other, while rubbing his face between them when he was done. She pulled away and made it known that she had an appointment for 8 pm, she needed a shower and a full makeover to look like a secretary. It was a role play appointment she had explained. She chided The Rascal for having two extra girls who she didn’t like, she complained that one of the girls knew nothing about cunninglingus, and she had to fake some of her oohs and ahhs. The rascal grabbed her closer to him, this time playing with her butt cheeks, he pleaded about the two ladies and said he was incredibly sorry about the two ladies he had then explained that he only used them because she insisted on working alone. He promised to raise her pay for the inconvenience and he would make sure he was the only mouth down there next time he wanted a ménage a trios or quart. She seemed happy with that, she even let him use a butt cheek of hers to sniff the cocaine he later carefully arranged in straight lines on her bum with his credit card.

That was the first time he had met Zandra, she was an un-introduced hooker being fondled by his childhood friend who he had doubts he wanted to continue a relationship with. He probably would have never known her better than he did, if she had not relieved him of his engagement ring and his wallet which contained sixty-thousand naira in cash and his business cards. When they became good friends, she had revealed to him that she took it when she fell clumsily to where he hung his coat by the side of the chair. He should really stop hanging his coats on the arm of a chair.

When he had discovered he had missing items, he had immediately called The Rascal, who swore he had not seen anything like that. He vouched for Zandra because Zandra had never taken anything of his before. He had described Zandra as his special lady, she attended to him whenever he was in the country. What the rascal did not know, which he later got to know was that, Zandra never stole from her clients to keep her record clean, it was bad for her business. What she did was steal from her client’s friends and associates. She did it so well it was never traced to her.

At the time, he quickly made arrangements to purchase another ring for Francesca; he believed she deserved the best as his woman and was ready to buy a ring worth more than what his father had bragged about. The arrangements were kept on hold when he saw Zandra having dinner with a customer at a restaurant he had a meeting at. It was a tiring Friday evening and he was only at the meeting because his father had made it a priority, it was a bunch of old men who were looking to get richer by making some crucial yet devastating cuts, he always wanted to punch people like that. It drained him anytime he had to explain why they couldn’t stop paying workers for a month to keep in a bank account to accumulate interest; his workers were his ultimate asset. Those old men knew every dirty trick in the book and it felt like a battle against him, but he was happy he was victorious, even with their name dropping and age guilt-trips. He was in such a good mood that he dropped a huge tip after paying the bills and was ready to take off with a friend who had been kind enough to meet him up at the restaurant so that they could have a relaxing Friday. Alas, he heard a laugh so distinct he had to look at who it was.
It had been Zandra, immediately he saw her, flashes of her naked body came to his mind but he quickly chased them away, their eyes met and she looked away to her client, he headed out. He was almost at the door when he decided to look at her just one more time. She was well dressed in a peach well-tailored skirt suit that fitted her , emphasizing her voluptuous figure, although that became lost to him when he noticed his engagement ring on her neck. She had converted it from a ring to a pendant; she wore it with a tiny silver necklace. He was furious.

Samson had immediately walked up to her table, leaving his friend stunned, he had introduced himself politely to Zandra’s companion and called her to the side to talk to her. The most infuriating thing was that she could not recognize him, he had initially thought it was an act but it seemed like she genuinely could not recognize him, until he yanked the chain off her neck, taking the ring. Samson had begun to walk away when he turned back to demand for his wallet, his cash and other items. He had threatened her with the possibility of an arrest, before she seemed to want to corporate. She had asked him to be patient while she walked back to her client, to end the night perhaps postponing it to another time, the man didn’t look very happy.

Zandra had explained to him in calm tones that she needed to use her ATM to get him his cash, his wallet would be in her drawer at home, so would his business cards. She didn’t seem shocked. She acted all cool and natural, as if he was there to beg her for money or to extend a loan repayment. He was never one to beat up a woman or shout at her in public, this one made him close to that point. Yet her mannerisms made him smile. He remembered thinking, how decent she would have been if she had not been a thief and a hooker.

There was an ATM near the restaurant which she used that to refund him; she then comfortably sat in the back seat of his car with him and his friend in the front, while she gave directions to her place. He wouldn’t talk to her, she also made no sound until she commended his friend’s Armani tie. She had explained she had a good eye for designer labels and she was sure his friend had impeccable taste. To Samson’s dismay, Patrick took the bait, he had responded with just a thank you but later out of curiosity had asked, what she does. Zandra had not winced when she had said in a calm tone.

“I am into the personal entertainment business, sometimes it is referred to as escorting. I give men and occasionally women erotic pleasure, according to the price they can afford.”
Patrick his friend had looked back in that instant, he obviously had a lot of questions in his mind. Samson had not told him any of the details of what was happening, he had just seen him yank off something off her neck. The floodgates of questions started. He wanted to know her rates, she was too well dressed for a hooker, how did she know Samson? Zandra had answered very calmly yet directing Samson at the appropriate turns. She had stated that she took something off Samson and she had to return it, she clarified that he was not her client and she was well dressed because, her rates were high since she catered to a particular set of clientele. His friend was hooked.

When they got to her apartment, he was taken aback because it was situated in one of the best areas in town, nevertheless her rates explained how she could afford it . She invited them in and had them seat down at the lounge, the lounge attested to her good taste or probably the good taste of the interior decorator as he marvelled at the exquisite pieces that adorned the place. At this point he was no longer angry, instead he was filled with intrigue. She disappeared into one of the rooms and for a second he was scared. She could have gone in for a gun or brought him to a very dangerous place. His fears disappeared when Yinka came in from one of the rooms, she was a mousy lady dressed in pyjamas, she didn’t seem to be a threat. They had been flatmates then, he had erroneously dismissed Yinka as a hooker but down the line he was to know better. Yinka had recognized him and was surprised he was in her house. She began to talk to him but he was in no way ready to be associated with a hooker and her friend. She had resigned and switched on the television to watch. Some years down the line when they started dating, she had revealed to him that she believed then that he was just being an arrogant donkey. Samson smiled at the thought of this.
A couple of minutes later, Zandra emerged with about eight different wallets and asked him to pick his. He was appalled but he did not show it. He selected his from the lot and decided to take his leave. Unfortunately Patrick would not go with him. He had opted for Zandra’s hundred thousand night time treatment. He was surprised because Patrick was a family man who he believed would never sway. Yet here he was, willingly going to someone who could have a million and one diseases. Back then he had no idea he was going to marry that woman. He had felt there was no way he would need the services of a hooker. He just wanted to have the whole drama behind him at that point in time. He could not help but giggle that he earned her an extra forty thousand Naira, improving on the sixty thousand Naira she had stolen from him. Zandra had always had a way of winning things.

Lost in his thoughts, he had no idea he had walked up to the balcony, the cool breeze of the early morning brought him back to reality. He walked back into the living room and walked straight back to the bedroom, abandoning the glass of water he carried on a shelf. He had to correct this particular problem; he could not let Zandra make a mess of things again. He would not make the same mistake he made with Francesca with Yinka. They were women who deserved him and knew his worth. Yet he could not but wonder. During the early years of Zandra’s disappearance all he had wanted was for her to come back and tell him what happened to her, why she ran away. Was it her ever lurking in the shadows love-vendor and boyfriend, he highly suspected that was why she left. But the years began to increase and his hope was replaced with anger. He had been swindled by her again. She had left that night not only with his heart and perceived future but he realised that about eighty-five thousand dollars was missing from the hotel safe, which was when he ruled out kidnapping as an option and called off the police. She had just said she wanted to buy a particular bead work that caught her eye down stairs and he never saw his wife again. Why would she wait till she married him? She could have had everything she wanted, but no matter how well you dressed a pig, it would roll in the mud to cool itself when an opportunity presented itself, Zandra always ran to her lover when he called. The truth was she never really was in love with him, it was painful to realize, she must have gone away with the Sean John fellow, it incensed him, after everything he had done for the female dog, this is what she does. He was very certain, she was up to another game but this time around, he would remove his heart from the equation. He didn’t want her to suffer, if she was in some genuine trouble he would help, but he would rubbish her con game if it turned out to be a lie.

He had been standing in front of a camcorder, that laid on the small table in Yinka’s room. He had placed it there the previous night as Yinka went for a shower. He had instructed The Guard who took Zandra to the hotel to have two female workers in the hotel take a recording of Zandra undressing to change to clothes he had asked the hotel to provide after they frisked her. The hotel and his family had a wonderful working relationship. All their clients who did not live in town had the most exclusive suites there for their temporary home and they catered to whatever need, no matter how odd it seemed. He wanted a recording of Zandra undressing because he did not trust her. She said she had no cell, yet one could be hidden on her. She had hidden his wallet on her body before, once she hid two bottles of whiskey and a huge confidential file. There was nothing she could not hide on herself, experience had thought him. He wanted to watch her do this himself, he could have gotten The Guard to do it because he was very loyal but for some reason, he didn't want a man doing the job it seemed inappropriate. He had instead instructed the guard to tell Zandra what was to happen. Let her know she had no choice and call in the make shift inspectors to do the work in the bathroom, while The Guard stayed close to the door, listening to any conversation. He felt Zandra might try to sweet talk the staffs for a better deal.

The previous night, he had watched the recording, while Yinka had gone into the shower. The video proved she did not have anything hidden on her or she did a very good job convincing them. He reached for the camcorder once again to view it. Zandra had begun to remove her blouse, she still removed her clothes like an expert. Her skirt followed, then her bra and panties. She was naked and his breathing began to get heavy. Her chests did not look like a baby had suckled them, they were still taut yet drooping downwards a little they were the way he remembered them. She had shed a little weight but that did not subtract from her appeal. He wished he was not aroused by this but the truth was all the blood in his body seemed to find their way to a certain point. A female with a glove appeared in the recording, she stared to frisk Zandra’s body until it was certified that she had nothing hidden anywhere in her body contours. For a little while he had a flashback to him touching her in a more subtle manner, the long foreplays they had. Damn this Zandra was a problem and he had to fix it as soon as possible.

Silently he switched off the camcorder, he knew the next thing Zandra had done in the video was ask the ladies if they were done and when they answered in the positive, she stuck out her tongue at the Camera , while using a finger from each hand to pull down the flesh below are eyes, as if to say “I told you so.” . He got up and went to lay next to Yinka, his member still sticking out and he was trying so hard to subdue it. Yinka turned towards him and kept her hands back on his body, she spoke drowsy from sleep as she began to stroke the hair on his chest.

“Babes, your side of the bed was empty for a while.”
“Yes I know, I got thirsty.”
She made a small noise of approval, then she inquired in a clearer and worried voice.
“Are you sure it is not the Zandra case? You know we are going to win this together?”
“Yes my angel.” Yinka planted a kiss on his lips and at that moment her hand brushed his member.
“Wow is that for me?” she asked in her naughty voice.
“Yes my darling it is.” Yinka reached out immediately to the accused part of the body and started to handle him, she climbed on top of him and bent down to kiss him. The thoughts of Zandra began to fade away from his mind. It will be fine, he had a beautiful woman who loved him and he loved back.


Sesan Monday 26th
Where on earth could he get Boli and local green pepper from? Marilyn had told him when he dropped her off from the hospital that she needed to eat Boli, with palm oil and the local green pepper. The palm oil he knew they had at home but the local green pepper and Boli he had no idea where to get, she wouldn’t eat micro waved plantain, she wanted the one done locally with coal and fire. Sesan wished he could just send someone to get this for his wife but all the servants were on a particular errand for her, she was a cranky and needy pregnant woman, she would wake him for odd reasons in the night and she always got back massages every other hour. Marilyn his wife was four months pregnant, they had just come back from the doctors when she started craving another odd delicacy, one she didn’t stop to buy on their way home but she conveniently remembered she wanted some five minutes after getting home. From time to time he thought she did this on purpose, but he didn’t want to get angry. They had been married for seven years and they had five miscarriages already. He knew that depressed Marilyn, she had turned religious, prayed more than Elijah, she could get pregnant but she seemed to not know how to keep it. Now that they had a fetus that seemed to want to stay she must not get upset and must be pampered.


Sesan instructed his driver to drive to the nearest place they could get his wife’s latest cravings. Samson’s assignment would have to wait for this one. He didn’t understand how Zandra could be such a huge disturbance at this critical stage. He had tried to get Samson to see some sense and even invited the Lawyers to try to find a remedy to the situation but Samson would have none of it. Samson believed that Zandra needed to be dealt with carefully but Sesan believed she was a spineless rat who needs to be taught her place.


They were at NNPC towers area and the driver, had parked to go look for the Boli and green pepper, he was left alone in the car thinking about what alternatives were available. It was futile; Samson would not listen to him. In the almost six years he had become best friends with Samson and his right hand man, Samson had never rejected any of his advices but in comes the annoying ant and a plug in his brain goes loose. The only damage control Samson had allowed was to let him give a public statement about the reason why the wedding could not hold and that was a re-echo of what Mrs Williams Samson’s mother had said. They had told the guests and the press that Samson had to quickly travel on a very important official assignment to the United States. This didn’t stop many rumors but thankfully none was about the ex-wife.


When Zandra had disappeared it had been treated like a kidnapping that they did not want to leak out, but when they discovered the money missing as Samson would later tell him he believed Zandra was at her game again and the official story was that a separation had occurred just after a couple of months. They became friends almost immediately Zandra left and nothing had threatened that till Zandra’s return. The Driver came back in and Sesan collected the keys to the car from him, he needed to go the hotel as fast as possible, the message felt urgent all of a sudden. He gave the driver a couple of a thousand naira notes to take a cab, it was more than he needed to deliver the food to his wife. At this he kick started the car and set off to the hotel.

****
The guard was outside the hotel room as expected, Sesan let him know that he was there on an assignment, The Guard already knew so there was no problem. Sesan wondered how this guy did it, staying here all the hours of the day, but that must be the result of his excruciating military training, it must be easier because he changed shifts with a less terrifying one, but it didn’t change a thing about the stories he heard about this one. He once heard that he was an expert in twisting necks, he had also heard that The Guard’s punch once killed a dog, he wasn’t sure about that but the mass of muscle looked like it could do so. The Guard opened the door for him after they both exchanged pleasantries and he entered the room. He placed on the door latch because he did not want to be disturbed by the guard or anybody else.


Zandra was lying down on the couch, reading the Gideon's bible he was sure she found it in the hotel drawer. Immediately she saw him she sat up frozen, she was meant to be expecting him Samson mentioned it ,why was she now seating up like that? He stood there looking down at her. He smiled because he knew he was in control, she was afraid of him and he was going to use it to his advantage. He spoke after a long silence.


“Do you really have a child?"
"Yes I do."
"Is it for him?"
"Yes."
"Are you back to cause trouble."
"No." Zandra replied with a sharp voice as if she was offended.
"Did you leave because of what I told you?"
"Yes."
"He changed you and I don't like it."
"You know I never liked us doing that."
"Yes, that is why I never let you know the first time, but this was different, you fell in love with him, you were not supposed to fall in love."


There was no reply, Sesan moved forward and loosened his tie. He could see she was still transfixed in the same position she was in on the chair, she was shaking slightly, he loved it.
" Take off your clothes Temi." he always called her Temi because he knew the effect it had on her, Temi means “my own” in Yoruba and he knew how deeply reassured she always feels when he calls her that. It was to his amazement that she replied in the small still voice she used earlier.
"No."
"You won't UnCloth?"
"Yes." Zandra replied while firmly gripping the chair as if she was finding it difficult to stand her ground. Sesan immediately bridged the gap between them, he landed her a slap and she fell back towards the chair half dazed. She let out a loud yelp and as he tried to pin her to the chair she struggled with him, he believed she wouldn't shout out loud he believed if he kissed her, she would melt like butter in his arms. Sesan was surprised when she began to scream but he was quick to cover her mouth.


Zandra bit his hand, he recoiled from the pain and she began to run towards the door. He was swift also, he ran after her and caught her as she was just reaching the door, his many years of football training came in handy, both as a goal keeper and a defender. Sesan grabbed Zandra by the neck, stifling whatever scream she was about to produce, instead she made a choking sound and she tried to remove his hands, but he raised his left hand and slapped her again. He kicked her legs so she lost her balance and she descended to the floor. At this moment the door opened but the latch on it prevented it from opening ajar. The guard's voice was heard.


"Is everything all right in there?" The Guard asked, Sesan looked to be sure that the guards eyesight did not reach them, he was relieved when he noticed there was no way he could see Zandra choking from the hand he kept on her neck.
"Yes it is, please go back to your post."

The guard paused for a second or two, and then gently closed the door. Sesan released his hands from Zandra’s neck, she looked up at him hurt and afraid, her body was beginning to shake violently. He felt like dragging her with her hair into the bathroom and put her head down the toilet, that would be his next mode of action if she resisted him. He spoke to her instead.


"You know nobody will save you, nobody is coming to help you, so I need you to be a good girl, it is just me, Temi". He told her that to torture her, he knew the deep effect those words had on her, he wanted her weak again. He didn't know if she would fight him but he was prepared to kick her and drag her, if she proved stubborn. She was becoming annoying and irritating, she had always obeyed him.

Zandra was catching her breath, it seemed like she was weighing her options. She was lying down looking at him near the door, she spat on his face and tried to hit him but he held her hand then pinned it to the floor. He didn't bother to wipe off the spit on his face, Sesan bent down to kiss her, she bit his lips, he felt the sharp pain and it didn't in any way turn him away. This one turned him on. He had missed her body, he knew every contour of it and she had bitten him loads of times while they made love. This is just the beginning of another feisty relationship. He pulled off her top and grabbed her chest mounds, she made none of her usual sounds. It seems she didn't miss him the way he missed her but he did not care now, he missed all of her and he wanted it now. They will deal with how she was obstructing his plans later.


Sesan bent down and started suckling the mounds on her chest, the hands which were hitting her earlier began to explore the routes he was all too familiar with. He knew she liked her bum to be grabbed, he knew that she loved small anti clock wise motions on her thighs and he knew she loved the lips between her thighs properly paid attention to by the hands and the mouth. His kisses were trailing down south when she cleared her throat and spoke, her voice cracking and when he looked up there were tears in her eyes.


"Stop, Sesan stop, I don't want us to do this, I don't want to repeat this cycle again. I thought we were meant to end when you got married."
"No you said, you wanted to end it when I got married. I never had that intention. I wanted you then and I still want you now." He tried to kiss her on the lips again but she turned away her face. He was getting angry, he owned her and he was claiming back his lost property. Why was she acting like a novice? As if she did not want him, he strongly believed that she was just putting up an act.
"Temi it is me Sesan, your first true love, it is us Bonnie and Clyde, Sango and Oya. Why are you acting this way? I know I hurt you and I didn't seem to give you the best but you are back and all could be better. My own Temitope who else knows you by that name? Not even fate can separate us, we go through it together". He had been looking into her eyes, he had no idea what her thoughts could be, she shut her eyes as if she was getting blinded by the tears. She whispered.


"Am not running away, just wanna go to the bed, please let me go" He didn't let her go, he picked her up and carried her to the bed by now her tears were dried. He almost did not want to sleep with her anymore the way she was behaving like a cold fish, that was not his willing Zandra, but there was no going back. She had taken herself from him for so long and he was claiming her back.


Almost forty-five minutes later, they were both naked on the bed. Zandra had made no sound all through, she was still like a log and she wouldn't speak. Her blood was all over the place, it formed the same pattern bedwetting would but this was red like sin. He had taken her when she was on her period before but he knew this was different when she began to bleed while he was pounding away into her. She had made no sound of lust and pain. He shrugged as he wore back his shirt, there was no going back. She would listen to him and obey him. He dropped the mobile Samson had instructed him to give her on the table. He wasn’t scared if she told Samson what just happened, she would be complicating a lot for herself and he could defend himself.


Fully dressed, he bent down and kissed her. He whispered into her ears.
“I love you” She gave no reply, she was looking at the ceiling, he had no time to attend to her emotions, he was running late for a meeting with his father-in-law. He had to go.
Outside the room, the guard was still in the at ease position, but he didn’t pay too much attention to him, his job was simply security and taking orders, he does not get involved in any drama at home, so he was sure this would not be reported even if he knew. They both nodded their good byes and off he went.


Sesan was deep in his thoughts. From all indications it appeared Samson was still in love with Zandra or wanted answers. Yinka might not be able to give Samson the same thrill and excitement Zandra provided Samson which made her different. He loved Zandra also, but he had no problem sharing her, he had shared her all his life and she was always useful to get what he wanted. This was an odd situation and he needed a master plan to get things to work out.


Just as he drove his car out of the hotel his mobile rang, it was Samson.


“BOSS MAAAANNNN ….I was just finished delivering your mess….” Samson didn’t let him finish
“Sesan, he looks just like my grand-father, he is just a copy of him. Do you think she went to look for a look alike? I am yet to call her but he looks like him.”
“Boss man, calm down okay, I am driving right now but wait a minute, let me switch to my bluetooth headset.” Sesan looked for his head sets and connected it to the phone.
“Okay Boss man I am listening, let us work this out.”

Na wa o. But come o, where have u being hiding all these years? you are so good. You're just like Omolola1 (HEART OF STEEL). You guys are the best jare. you can actually publish this, and I assure you that you'll sell like wildfire. Keep it coming. KUDOOOSSSSSSSS

Really good,u write really well, tenses are in check and I'm flowing easily with it. Good job

although.......i have to say it kind of reminds me sort of, of false pretenses. I'd really like to see where its going, I must say, I am definitely following.

Wow! Wow!! Wow!!!
N u say we might not like this? Ds not not even look like ur 1st...

*grabs pen*
U r added to my list of great writers on NL

Great job

Xenia,what av we dne to deserve no update 4rm u?

Wow, am feeling d flow of ur story, u must publish dis o.

@OP i stoped reading fiction 5years ago with Hardley chase.i just stumbled on this and couldnt stop reading.i'v vowed to follow.excellent job.have my 1m contribution to have it published.

@OP i quit reading fictions 5years ago with Hardley chase.i just stumbled on this and couldnt just stop reading to the end.i'v vowed to follow the story.excellent job,good plot,breathtaking suspense.have my 1m contribution to have it published.

Subscribing

tijehi: Na wa o. But come o, where have u being hiding all these years? you are so good. You're just like Omolola1 (HEART OF STEEL). You guys are the best jare. you can actually publish this, and I assure you that you'll sell like wildfire. Keep it coming. KUDOOOSSSSSSSS

Awwww tijehi, thank you I am thoroughly pleased you are enjoying the story and I will start reading Heart of Steel tonight, since you like it that much…… I just glanced at the intro and I can say it is brilliant; the lady is a wordsmith I tell ya. About where I have been hiding I really don’t think I am a writer, I am a gister, because I can gist in an animated manner and even better still listen to gist very well. Besides, writing takes time! In the time it takes to write thoughts which may not come out well as the gist, I would have tortured my sister, made deadlines, watch a movie and caught up on really interesting gist. But I am extremely happy knowing that someone like you, likes what I have written. Gal I need to buy you suya…..hope you not a vegetarian.

Candis009: Wow! Wow!! Wow!!!
N u say we might not like this? Ds not not even look like ur 1st...

*grabs pen*
U r added to my list of great writers on NL

Great job

Candis009: Xenia,what av we dne to deserve no update 4rm u?

Hi hi Candis009, sooooo I made your list! Yipee I am doing a white girl dance. You know like Lagbaja described in his Konko below song …..one head in Lagos, one head in Porthacourt, head nodding like agama. Thank you so much for your encouragement, I am blowing you a kiss that I am sending to you in a well wrapped pink box (please insert appropriate colour if you dislike pink), hope it reaches you safely. I am sorry I was missing in action during the weekend. Weekends are always so tight for me, because I have to be somewhere or have a deadline to meet. I will always try as much as possible to update as many times in the week as much as I can, except for Wednesday’s though. Wednesday is like Monday to me, it’s a scary day . Once again I am overjoyed you like the story. Xoxo.

repogirl: Really good,u write really well, tenses are in check and I'm flowing easily with it. Good job

although.......i have to say it kind of reminds me sort of, of false pretenses. I'd really like to see where its going, I must say, I am definitely following.

Hiya repo girl, thank u so much and I am really happy you like it, seeing that you write also, it feels awesome that you like it. I just checked out the intro to false pretenses and I couldn’t help but smile. First there is the Williams name, the lady Kite is a con artist like Zandra can be and it seem to be set in Abuja, lol. This Williams name sha, recently I found out that a main character’s family in Tinsel bears Ade-Williams, I think it’s the tushness of the name that makes it almost synonymous to wealth. I mean we have prince Williams my teenage crush also. Then that Kite I am sure will cause trouble although I have not gone far, I will continue tonight or tomorrow night. I like her, she is different from Zandra, she seems to be a strong and independent character. Thank you for following this story.
Signed,
Your new biggest fan.

rapmike: Wow, am feeling d flow of ur story, u must publish dis o.

Hello Rapmike, I am glad you following the story. I so hope I don’t turn it into a cold something for you later. About publishing I am happy that you think it is good enough to publish, but this story don dey public forum now, I am happy people get to read it and its not playing inside my head. Bleep.

Consent: @OP i quit reading fictions 5years ago with Hardley chase.i just stumbled on this and couldnt just stop reading to the end.i'v vowed to follow the story.excellent job,good plot,breathtaking suspense.have my 1m contribution to have it published.

Ahhhh Consent, so after James Hardly Chase na me you dey read ? Damn you just gave me a shot of weed and I am so high I have shot past cloud 9 into space and I am still going..... I probably won’t sleep tonight now, I will jejely bring out my Makosa tape and dance till day break. I think you should check out the stories that were mentioned here. I just read the intros and I am loving them. I mean Hearts of Steel and False Pretenses. Then you should definitely read Red Dragon by Thomas Harris. If you have seen the movie, forget about it! The book is in a league of its own, I will be more than happy to loan it to you if you are in my area and my guilty pleasure novel is Constantine, I recommend it also but not as strongly as Red Dragon(Am I jumping to conclusions have you read it already?). Thank you for following the story once again, I more than appreciate it. Mwaaaaaah.

joshmoy: Subscribing

Thank you Josh. xoxo.

The Guard, Monday 26th 2012
The Guard watched Sesan go down the hallway, he patiently waited for him to corner at the end of the corridor, he made sure to hear the beep of the elevator and then waited for the sound of the closing elevator doors, when he was satisfied, he barged into the room. He didn't care much for the lady, but he would not let her die on his watch, he knew from the earlier raucous he had heard that Mr. Oladele must have done something to her. His thoughts were not far from the truth.

She was seated at the edge of the left side of the bed, her head bowed; one of her hands was on the bed and the other supporting her forehead. The hand on the bed, left tiny blood stained marks on the bed which confirmed his suspicions; the disorderly sate of the room cemented it.

"Madam are you okay?" There was no response, he expected to hear soft weeping but there was nothing coming from her, maybe she didn't hear him, so he decided to ask again.
"Madam are you okay?" She didn't turn, but she replied him in a morose voice.
"I guess you are freaking blind, do I look like I am bloody okay?" That was rude but it was a reply, he had seen a dozen and one cases like this back in his early years, but he could tell this one was going to be different. That could be a good thing or a bad thing, it is either she was strong or she was suicide prone, time would tell.

"I am sorry Madam, but it looks to me that you are losing a lot of blood, I am going to get you a couple of first aid and you are going to need at least two packs of sanitary pads because you will bleed for a minimum of two days." There was no reply from the lady she just sat facing the wall, the sheets under her gradually soaking wet with blood. The Guard went to the mini bar and found himself some ice, he took a napkin and filled it with the ice then placed it on the bed just a distance from her, he knew she was upset right now and could turn on him.

"You need to apply a cold compress down there Madam. Please do not let it stay above thirty minutes; I am going out to help you get some medication." There was no answer from her; he sincerely hopes she was not suicidal. It would really mess up his day; he needed to watch a basketball match by 4.30pm, he had planned on how he would open the opposite room and place the television in there in such a way that he could watch it. He turned and walked out of the room, he had to call housekeeping when he was sure she was alright to change the sheets.

The order he had received was not to leave the post for any reason especially if she had tried to sweet talk him. Mr. Samson Williams had warned him about the sweetness of the lady's tongue, but that woman there was drained and would not be able to do anything. He was now at the elevator, he pressed the down button and waited for the lift to answer his call, he got into it when it arrived.

Seeing that lady for the first time, when she tried to gain entry into the house, he knew there was something off about her, but he didn't know she carried a colossal secret with her. He was gob smacked when he found out that she was the wife of Mr. Williams Jnr, he had heard rumors of some woman in the past when he started his employment with the Williams, but he had no idea she would just show up. He had thought she was a lunatic when he turned her away from the gate, he had seen her emerge from the trees but was too slow to warn Mr. Williams Jnr, well here he was now tending to her, like a nanny.

She showed up and something fishy was cooking. Mr. Oladele had come to deliver a message and he used the advantage to force himself on the woman who he learnt her name was Zandra. There were many things that could be going on, this lady Zandra might be back for a revenge scheme but got thrown off track or is still very much on track. She might have been having an affair with Mr. Sesan Oladele before she left or the Mr. Oladele had, had his eye on her from the very beginning and this was his opportunity to get to her. He was thinking too much, it was probably a ploy by Mr. Williams Jnr himself to destabilize her, he had done a lot for the Williams clan and knew what they are capable of.

The ding of the elevator arriving the ground floor returned him to reality. He shook his head knowing he was not meant to play detective, but to guard the Williams. He didn't see it fit to report this event to Mr. Williams Jnr because for one he did not see it posing any security threats to him, besides it might be a planned attack to break down the woman who was about to spoil a beautiful thing from happening. As long as it did not pose a security threat, he felt it was another soap opera in their rich also cry lives.

He was now at the hotel pharmacy; he wrote out a list on a piece of pepper and asked the attendant to get it for him. He hated seeing women suffer, to him they were a special breed and were to be taken care of , they were never to be treated like cattle. It reminded him of his time growing up in the slums of Conakry, how his sister took care of him and his brothers. He missed her, he should probably take a little vacation to see her after this assignment, his nieces and nephews would be delighted.
"Could you please wait a few seconds, I want to check if the levonelle is available in the store, it is not presently on the shelf?" The petite lady in the white lab coat asked, he was in a hurry but he could wait so he nodded in approval. He checked his pockets for the room key card just to be double sure he was with it, he didn’t want his charge sneaking away. There was no way the lady could have taken it off him, but from the warning he got from Mr.Williams Jnr, he had better check. Mr. Williams Jnr had repeated to him a hundred and one times how the lady could be a snake. Two minutes later the pharmacist came out from the back room and dropped the levonelle on the counter, beaming like she had won a victory while she packed the items in a small carrier bag. He paid for all the merchandise and proceeded to the door and back to the elevators.

It had been a while he had been on babysitting duty and he sure as hell did not want to be babysitting in a situation like this. He hated it, he was best in the field, moving from place to place and taking orders this dulled his senses but he owed Chief Williams, his life and he was on a job. So he just had to do this job and shut up, this would make him grumpy.

He took a deep breath as he stood in front of Zandra’s room; he fished out the key card from his pockets and opened the door. He heard the flush of the toilet as he entered.
“Mam are you there?”
“Yes am in here, come in I won’t bite you.” Zandra’s cheery voice called out from the bathroom, she walked out almost immediately in a white towel into the room. She tiptoed toward the bed and flung the towel to the floor, revealing her smooth and silky back, but she was wearing a tiny pair of panties. She had showered he noticed, and from the protrusion in her panties he could see she had piled up an enormous amount of tissue in there to soak the blood that must be coming out of her. He was stunned but his years of training made him stand at an attention like he was in front of his commander. Was he mistaken? Isn’t this a woman who was sober and wouldn’t turn to look at him some few minutes back? She turned to look at him and gave him a huge smile, then she walked up to the wardrobe and picked up a bra from the selection Mr. Samson had requested the hotel to provide. She put them on with ease then she beckoned to him still facing the wardrobe to help her with the bra hook.
“I like a man, helping me with my bras, one tore it off just now, and you are in charge of me you should help me up with it……I know you would be good and nice with it daddy.” He was not her daddy, but he would help her.

The Guard moved forward like a programmed Zombie and did the hook for her. When he was done, she turned round and hugged him, and then her fingers began to dance around his back. He dragged himself from her embrace, this one was a loony. She gave a small evil cackle, pulled out a dressing gown from the wardrobe, wore it and went to sit on the couch, pouring herself a glass of wine she must have opened in his absence. He noticed there was a spare wine glass there and he wondered if she kept it there for him? It was then he realized he had gotten her what she required.

“Here are some antibiotics, blood supplements, a morning after pill and some sanitary pads for you Madam.” He dropped them on the table and turned to leave, while making sure his card was in his pocket, Zandra spoke.
“You know, I know you didn’t help me because you did not want to get involved and you are not paid to protect me, you are charged to make sure I do not run away., I have noticed how you always tap your pocket for the card by the way. The truth is if I wanted to go, I would be gone since day one.”

He had a half smile on his face, did this woman think she could escape him? That was the most laughable thing he had heard in a long time, it was good that she believed in herself, he began to walk to the door. Then she said something that stopped him.

“I know you are an Eunuch by the way, that’s why I came out naked, you know I wondered why you are so big , I didn’t know it was because of that.” She paused to see the effect her words had on him, she was teasing him, he could tell from her tone. How did she know this? “I just got off the phone with Samson, he let that slip, not his fault, the poor boy probably thinks I will sleep with any man I meet. Don’t worry you will probably stop seeing me after tomorrow, my son is coming. I spoke to him you know, Samson let me, why am I telling you this?” There was a pause and he heard her cracking her fingers, she continued from there.

“I am telling you because you just let a man force himself on me.” She paused as if she was thinking, he imagined her looking up while she thought about what she had said, then she continued. “Okay it wasn’t really your fault, but I could say you didn’t care but you do, if not you wouldn’t go to get me what I needed. You need to complete the job. I have heard some good news, I will see my boy tomorrow or next so you cannot leave me in this room thinking of how that scoundrel took a lady that was no longer his and how I cannot be angry with him for doing so. Or you explain to your boss how you have a piece of folded paper in your pocket instead of the key card to the room.”

That last part should be a lie, the key card was in his pocket. He turned around and fished out the keycard from his pocket and instead there was a folded piece of paper with the hotel logo on it. How did she even do it? Damn! She must have pulled it out when she hugged him, but how could she have hidden it, she had barely anything on. This lady was good. She was now removing the pills from the bag he had dropped; she pulled out a pill from each packet, glancing at the clock in the room, she popped them in her mouth. He was surprised, people rarely surprised him. She was still talking; this one was a crafty parrot.

“If I get this right, I am not meant to tell you anything about me so you don’t pity me and fall for whatsoever sinister plans I have. But I find you interesting; you are the first man I have met who has been neutered like they would a dog. So I don’t need to tell you how a chicken gave birth to an elephant, you will tell me about you so I feel better about myself. Your story has got to be sadder than mine right? I mean you got nothing in your workshop, those poor girls who would be smiling at you, because of your muscles, not knowing no one is home.” For some reason, he thought about the beaming pharmacist.

He could strong arm her and get the key card from her, but he knew she needed some company. He was wrong about this one, he did not understand her yet, she had his admiration, she was not suicidal or strong, she was crazy. He would tell her now about his past but he would not hesitate to take her life if it was required. He reached out for the wine bottle and poured himself some wine into the cup that laid there. The cup was his after all, he needed some alcohol to let loose the past.

“I have a condition?”
“What is that?”
“We watch my team play together at 4.30 pm.” It would be more comfortable than to stand out the door, while straining his neck to watch it in the opposite room.
“Deal.”

Samson, Tuesday 27th 2012
The wind was blowing and the clouds seem to be gathering from afar. Samson could tell that the rain was going to be a heavy one, lucky for him he was already at the hotel. He had a meeting for eight am and he also needed to see Zandra, so he decided to bring the mountain to Mohammed by having it in the room next to hers , they had rented the whole floor to protect the secret of her return and he moved discreetly, because he didn’t want some nosey reporter or blogger take a picture of him in the country . When he passed her door he had said his hello's to the guard and explained to him how he was not quite ready to go in, but he had a meeting in the next room . The meeting was now over and he was watching the gathering storm.

This guard was a new one, he had received the Conakry guard’s report at 12am in the morning he was always prompt to send his status report. It was just two lines.

Vacating duty for new officer.
Woman safe; visited by one male, Mr. Oladele.

He had kept on reading the status report, he wanted to know more about her, what was going on with her? Did she try anything, she must have tried something, he wanted to know, he knew Zandra she always tried something. He was even surprised when Sesan said she was quite all along and didn't make a fuss when he went to drop the cell phone. That wasn't Zandra, Zandra would cajole you, try to get her way at least that was one of the reasons he fell for her, she knew how to bring out the weakness in others and made it look like it was something they should not be ashamed of. The sad thing was she guarded her own fragility with the fire of dragons, that was her own flaw, she wouldn’t let you help her in entirety. What even made him look for her? He wished he had given the assignment to someone else and not her.

His father had needed urgent information on a Mr. Jacobs, he was the only one holding an oil deal with the crazy wheel chair genius Obadiah that promised to be very lucrative. He wouldn't sign the necessary papers claiming he had proof of some liabilities that would be incurred, which was total hogwash. Samson's father knew he was courting others with the deal and he needed fast information on who it was and what was their plan. Now you can get a private detective to dig up dirt about anybody but not Jacobs he himself was a rabbit. You could not take him out for drinks because he said he couldn't stand drinks to intoxicate him, you couldn't intimidate him because he had an army of attack dog lawyers, the only window of opportunity they had was, Mr Jacobs loved the women but then again those he never really allowed too close to him. He knew he needed a special brand of woman; she had to be intriguing and had to know how to get things away discreetly. The perfect match was Zandra, she had stolen his ring.

Discretion did not let him ask his friend for her number, so that fateful evening he drove down to her house and hoped for the best. He should have known he wouldn’t find her, he met Yinka who was brief in telling him that Zandra was not home and she didn’t give out her contacts before slamming the door. He remembered thinking how annoying she was. He waited outside her house for almost an hour that day before he finally gave up and called his friend. He had come up with the excuse that he needed her for another friend, which was true Mr. Jacobs was a friend of the family.

Ringing her was strange, she picked at the forth ring, she had been very professional, a soft sultry yet incredibly professional voice. She had recognized his voice immediately, she had giggled playfully asking if he still felt like having his ring stolen, he didn’t believe she had turned it to a joke, he almost ended the call but if he had ended the call, he wouldn’t be in the mess he was in right now would he? He explained to her that he needed to see her in his office; he had business to talk with her. He was almost shocked when she had said she needed to crosscheck with her calendar, she had set a date that was suitable for both parties.

She was there on time, and you could easily mistake her for one of those young bank marketers who went from office to office. He had explained the situation to her, he needed her to get two files marked Orion Consult from Mr. Jacobs and get him to talk about his plans. He would be waiting outside to get the files from her, so he could take their pictures or scan them with a portable scanner. She didn’t even ask him about the risks, she simply asked if he knew what kind of service he thought Mr. Jacobs would like and he honestly replied that he wasn’t sure. Zandra then explained how she was going to charge him, she was going to get the target herself, a seduction fee was placed for that, then she would provide the target some service the cost of which she would know after the job was done, she was to relieve him of some materials and finally get it to him safely. She had called the number six-hundred thousand naira without the bed service like it came natural to own such an amount for a night’s job. The business man in him had wanted to beat it down but she taught him something about bargaining that day, you couldn’t bargain with Zandra if she had made up her mind, she would have her way.

Whatever doubts he had about the job failing eased immediately Zandra walked up to Jacobs at the party they held in honor of the American ambassador. She had looked lovely that day; she looked just like a Greek goddess, in a flowing Grecian style tube gown she wore, with a dramatic neck piece. He couldn’t call her beautiful, she was indeed plain looking, but she carried herself in such a way that you just had to pay attention to her, because she held a secret she wasn’t going to tell you. Francisca was with him at the party and she had questioned him when he noticed he kept on glancing at the Jacobs table, she had made a rude comment about Zandra’s breasts because they seemed to be only covered by the neckpiece she wore, he had not laughed at her humour, he had kept his eyes glued on Jacobs and Zandra.
There had been a live band, they were playing away and Zandra was seated next to Jacobs, deep in conversation. Jacobs seemed very different that night, his military demeanor was turned to that of a child, he was laughing and for the first time in his life Samson saw Jacobs drown liquor like it was water. Even Samson’s father passed a note to Samson saying “the girl is good”. In the middle of the merriment while dinner was being served, Zandra stood up and walked up to the band, his eyes were fixed on her, what was she doing? The band leader was nodding like an agama and he smiled then gave the microphone to her.

She started with a good evening, her voice turning everybody to her. She had humbly taken permission to sing a song, she had first looked to the Ambassador’s table, apologized for being rude but she knew he would enjoy her song. Then she broke into an Itshekiri song, while she turned to Jacobs table, looking at him and you could almost think he would weep. Jacobs was Itshekiri he knew but it was later he found out that the song was a song Jacobs mother used to sing to him. She held the audience spell bound with her voice, he had no idea she could sing that good, some people even believed she was an exotic musician they had hired for the event . She received a standing ovation after she finished the last note, he smiled while she took a bow, his father winked at him.

Not long after she left with Jacobs, it meant he too was going to take his leave also. He gave his excuses to Francesca and dashed to the car parked outside waiting for him. He waited almost three hours a distance from the house before she called him to say she was coming to see him. Some few minutes later there she was with the files tucked inside her clothes, she also provided him in soap cast keys to his office and house and the combination to his home safe, she wasn’t done she handed over to him a bottle of whiskey she said she would come back for. She explained how she had slipped Jacobs some sleeping pills just after he made love to her and how she left a note by his bed that she had to go just in case he woke up. She had told the security her house was on fire and she needed to go. She would tell them it was a false alarm when she goes back in, but create a huge fight with Jacobs the next morning by telling him to pay her if he wasn’t willing to pay, she would scatter the whole house till he makes a payment or she gets thrown out, but make him her customer if he did, if he didn’t want her to make him a customer for obvious reasons, he would pay a severance fee, he agreed to pay. Everything worked out perfectly; Jacobs did not know what hit him when the companies he was courting suddenly stopped returning his calls.

That was not the end of Zandra in his life as he would have thought but instead it was the beginning. She had come just in time when he was leaving work for home. She had asked for her bottle of whiskey, her payment in cash like she requested and a lift because her car was with the mechanic, he had told her to take a cab because that was obviously the way she came, but she just smiled and told him, she wanted a chance to talk to him and give a second impression from that of the thief he had of her. He had given excuses like she should take a cab or she should talk to him in the office but she calmly rejected each one. It was all a ploy, he wanted her in the car with him, he really wanted to know more about her, she was a fascinating little thing.

She had been so chatty in the car, while he kept quite listening to her, she described in full detail her night with Jacobs, she describe the grunts he made like that of a birthing cow, she made him laugh. She complimented Francesca she was awed he was dating a super star, she had slept with more than twenty actors she said. She was shameless, unrepentant for who she was, she was his complete opposite, she talked about everything with ease. He had called one of his dad’s chefs to tell him what food he was going to prepare for him and bring home and Zandra had collected the phone to cut it off. He was amused at himself for not getting angry over what Francesca wouldn’t even do. She had said she was against men having cooks, they needed to eat meals from their own kitchens, she had bullied him and stopped at a market where she took cash out of the pay he gave her and told him to wait so she could find him groceries. He was enjoying himself.

Since that day Zandra would pop in at odd times to drop him meals, sometimes she would be in his house tricking T for Timo his gateman to let her in, so she could prepare food for him. Her excuse was she needed a friend, a man who wasn’t sleeping with her, she had no friends apart from Yinka she had said and Yinka was too busy being a lawyer and going to church. His was intrigued by her, besides Francesca was not around she was away for a movie shoot, and he needed whatsoever distractions he could get from the headache from work. Zandra even went as far as helping him plan his proposal to Francesca, she was the nicest most generous girl he had ever met and being his friend she never stole from him, he had began to fall in love with her, he denied it but deep inside him he knew what was happening and sometimes he wished he could see her unclad body again. He stayed clear when she made arrangements with clients in his presence, although he wanted her to stop but it seemed that made her happy. She never talked about why she sold herself, when he brings it up, she would act like she didn’t hear him so he let it go most times. She obviously did not want to talk about it and he didn’t want to upset his crazy new friend.

The sound of the thunder , alerted him that the rain had started. He had another meeting by 11am and here he was still thinking, instead of going to see Zandra and giving her the news. He was meant to call her but he preferred seeing her himself to tell her that her son was being flown in by an air ambulance to their private hospital that morning. It was another lie he was telling himself, he wanted to see her, wanted her to talk to him, he half hoped she would beg for forgiveness and confess all to him. He hoped.

Samson opened the door, turned right then proceeded to Zandra’s room; the new guard made his salutations and let him in. He took a deep breath and moved forward, Zandra was seated on the couch, her hair was packed up making them look like strands look like palm fronds. Her breakfast was still in front of her. She didn’t wait for him to talk she muted the television and smiled at him saying.
“So you gave me a juicy one, an Eunuch, why did you tell me? So that I would know I won’t be able to have him get up?” Something had changed between the last time he saw her and now , this person he was speaking to sounded more like the Zandra he knew from the past not the scared woman who had showed up some days ago. Was this a ploy? Was he playing in her elaborate game, well the DNA would tell.
“No, he was on duty I assigned him to you.”
“When did you start having people like that around you, I thought you hated it, you only had a gate man back then. Moreover why did you tell him he was cut off? You were taunting me weren’t you?” she said crossing her legs. The answer was actually yes but he wasn’t about to tell her that now.
“Demola, is coming to town, he does look like Papa.”
“I told you he was yours.”
“He looks like Papa, but he would still do a DNA test.”
“Do as many tests you want, I just want to see my son.”
“You see him in two days when the test results are out.” A sad look fell across her face like a shadow, he could tell how disappointed she was but he could see how quickly she chased it away.
“Fine, I guess you would say I could manipulate the thing........if you think I was a devil why did you let me in your life the first place”
“Let you in my life? You barged in, forced yourself in and you left when it pleased you and now you are back because it so suits you. Do you think I am someone who you can just walk all over? You do things without explanations and you expect me to carry the burden? Look, that might have happened in the past but it wouldn’t now, you are an ungrateful silly conniving manipulating wretch.” He didn’t know he was that angry, he had the right to be, after everything he had done for her, she was ungrateful, she was tiring, and he was tired.
There was silence in the room, lightning struck outside and the sound of the thunder that followed it rumbled like the belly of a thousand hungry men, he didn’t mean to tell her that but she had to know he was angry, after all he had done for her, she repays him with this.
“I guess it is too late for me to tell you I love you Samson, I do not deserve you and you do not deserve to be held back from your happiness. I just want my son alive.” She paused a little as if she was thinking carefully about what she was going to say, she was biting her lips, and then she spoke again.
“I don’t want you to marry Yinka trust me, I don’t think it is the right thing to do, it might be a bigger mistake than marrying me.”
The anger swelled in him from the bottom of his belly, he wanted to yell at her, who did she think she was? Did she think he would listen to the gobbledygook she was about to spill? Did she think he was a sucker that he wouldn’t see through her acted concern, revealing the poor bitter jealousy she exuded? He had made a mistake by coming here, his head had told him that but he wouldn’t listen, he had nothing else to say to her again. He walked out of the room; he was half disappointed she didn’t run after him, that didn’t go well at all. He didn’t know what he expected.

Xenia Onatopp:



Hi hi Candis009, sooooo I made your list! Yipee I am doing a white girl dance. You know like Lagbaja described in his Konko below song …..one head in Lagos, one head in Porthacourt, head nodding like agama. Thank you so much for your encouragement, I am blowing you a kiss that I am sending to you in a well wrapped pink box (please insert appropriate colour if you dislike pink), hope it reaches you safely. I am sorry I was missing in action during the weekend. Weekends are always so tight for me, because I have to be somewhere or have a deadline to meet. I will always try as much as possible to update as many times in the week as much as I can, except for Wednesday’s though. Wednesday is like Monday to me, it’s a scary day . Once again I am overjoyed you like the story. Xoxo.

Yes oooo.. I luuuv it.. Anoda 1daful update

About d Williams trend here,I was like wow wen I met d Williams on ur thread cz it's also d Williams fmly in "Despite All Odds by Bukkydan"

Na d Williams dey reign o

XO u know u're my besty right now. You're good with words and ur story line is perfecto.

I've been missin d hell out... Ur work a splitin up lyk d normal Nairaland way. I just saw dis post... Wow "you dey ryt!"

Wow! Wow! Wow!
Am glued!!!
Good job.