Withered Flower - Episode 11

“What are you doing here”? She asked, looking suspiciously at Emem.

Without saying a word, Emem walks towards Iyeke, pulls out a Revolver, aims it at Iyeke’s face and pulls the trigger.

Iyeke felt an excruciating burning sensation and a feeling of the hot blood pouring out of her mouth and down her back. She felt frozen to the ground and couldn’t move or breathe well and then she started falling to the ground.

As she was falling, all she could think about was what was going to happen to her Grandmother. She was comforted with the fact that if her grandmother was to die as a result of shock, they would meet on the other side.

Then she hit the Ground and woke up startled. “That was a hell of a dream” she muttered to herself and then got up and started pacing across the room. She couldn’t remain here, if she was to survive. She had to find an escape route, otherwise she would be dead soon.

There was a glimmer of hope when she saw that one of the burglary proof in the room was badly rusted and with a little effort, could create a small hole to allow her size 10 frame out of the room. 

Armed with that knowledge, she frantically looked around for something to work with. She soon settled for a piece of cloth and her the heel of her shoe, thank God she had worn Wedges.

Before starting work on her escape route, she had to make sure that the door was firmly locked. Slowly she grabbed the handle of the door and pulled down quietly. When she was sure it was locked, she proceeded to the window. She wished she had a chair to use in supporting the door. Well, she had to work smart and very fast.

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Ugoeze stared out of the window as she waited for her husband to come home from work. They have been married for 34 years and she still loved him like they just got married yesterday.

From the first time she set eyes on him, she knew he was the one but she had to do small “shakara”…did she just say “small”? She did a lot of “shakara” and eventually agreed.

Uzomaka, their first daughter had come a year after and being proud parents for the first time, they dotted on her and made sure she lacked nothing. Ukamaka, their second daughter had come a year after her sister. It was a funny story. During Uzoamaka’s delivery, she had very bad tears and was told to stay off sex for about a month and then come back to certify that she could start having sex again.  A month after she was lying on the table waiting for the verdict on whether she could start having sex again (even though she knew she had resumed 5 days after). Upon examination, the doctor told her she was pregnant already.

After Ukamaka, Ugoeze and her husband waited a whopping 3 years before they had Kenechukwu. There was no way she could contain her joy. In Igbo land, a mail child solidified your place in the family. She had named him after a friend of hers (of course with the permission of her husband).

She walked towards the bed and picked up the package she had received earlier that day. The first time she had received one of these, she had cried, blasted her husband and even packed her things and children back to her father’s house. He had apologised and begged that it wouldn’t happen again. Of course, it was okay for a while and then she had to find a way to cope because it was never going to stop.

The girl in the picture must be in her 20s and seemed younger than the rest that her husband has always been with. She was a beautiful girl and had that twinkle in her eyes like a teenager in love. Ugoeze smiled to herself, picked up the envelope and dumped them in a box with all the other ones. These girls never learn.

The sound of the horn signified that her husband was back. She locked the box and returned it to where it was. She will have to deal with this later, she had a husband to take care of.

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“Nkem, we have to strike. This guy is asking for N30Million and there is no way I am going to release that amount to him. The guy is a rogue”. Kene said with a raised voice. He hated being this angry and someone was seriously getting on his nerves.

“Oh boy take it easy. We can’t be behaving the way we used to, when we were in school. We are adults now and should act that way”.

“So what do you propose we do? Pay? Do you have that amount of money to pay?” Kene said.

Nkem hated when Kene threw money at his face. Guarantee, the guy was rich. In fact, Kene was born clutching a Silver spoon and a Platinum spoon in his mouth. He had rich father and was even rich on his own. It was not his fault.

Giving him a look a disgust he continued “Let me speak to him first and if he doesn’t respond, then we will decide on the next thing to do”.

Kene was just going to say something when they heard a knock on the door. They both looked at each other. Nkem looked at his wrist-watch, the time was 12midnight. Who could be at the door at this time? He wondered.

“Are you expecting anyone at this time”? Nkem asked.

“Nope. You?” Kene asked.

Nkem gave him a weird look “Idiot, nah my house be this?”

“Who is there?” Kene asked with a raised voice.

The voice of the person on the other side of the door was very faint and sounded tired but Kene could make out his name. He looked through the key hole and saw a rather skinny that bore the same resemblance as Iyeke. Immediately he opened the door and Iyeke collapsed on him. He wondered how she got here and he lifted her to the couch.

Nkem shut the door and looked at Kene before both of them turned to look at the beautiful girl lying on the couch.