Epic 5
It was a hard decision for Leo to accept but he had to do so.
I went to meet Benjamin to let him know my final decision. As usual, he was already there before me."Good day". I greeted as I sat confidently close to him." How are you doing today my damsel?". He asked.“Well, I am doing fine as you can see”. I responded a bit harshly.“I can see that, so, what good news have you brought?". He asked confidently like he is already assured that I already accepted his proposal."Everything that happens in life is good news, depending on the perspective you are seeing things from. It is said that every disappointment is a blessing, so every bad news is good news". I said confidently while sipping the already served juice.“Wow! That is a nice combination, so what news have you brought?”. He asked."After a long thought and it being a hard decision, I accepted your proposal". I said though I felt a sharp pain inside of me after that.I saw how he screamed in excitement. He kept repeating the word " thank you“ like it was a big contract. Well, of course, it is."If I were you, I wouldn't be rejoicing much, I have brought an offer attached to it". I said.“what offer is that?”. He asked.“I can't do my wedding without my sister being there, so if you want the marriage to work so fast, I would advise you to see that the necessary things are being done for my sister to be out of that hospital". I said, though a bit scared."That won't be a problem, I will make sure she is given the best medical attention," he said, very excited.Ow! I wonder how he can offer help to me, with immediate effect, all because of his selfish desires."Thanks, but that isn't all". I further said,"What more do you want my princess, say it for I am here to see to your needs". He said, smiling sheepishly.How irritated I felt at this moment.“Well, if you want me to marry you, you must make sure, I am being given a perfect position to work at pine valley”. I said while returning his smile.I saw the immediate change in his mood.“Seems you are not able to fulfill everything needed for us to be husband and wife or don't you want to marry me again?”. I further said,“No! Of course, I want to, well, I can help you to get a job at Pine Valley, but that might take a little time and I won't assure you of getting a better position at the office,” He said sympathetically.One could predict his death at this point.“Well, if you are not going to help me get a better position at the office, then you have to forget the marriage deal, else you will take full responsibility for feeding my family”. I demanded.I could feel the anxiety on his face, guess I have given him a heavy task.“deal or no deal?”. I demanded, carrying my handbag to leave.“wait! Hold on, I...”He was still trying to talk without assurance as I took a step away.“deal!!!”. He shouted after me, confidently, I smiled, and walked back to my seat.“I thought as much”. I said and quietly sat down.“So, how do we go about my sister's health?”. I asked.“I am on it, let me make a few calls”. He said as he brought out his phone.I watched him make a series of calls. Within a few minutes, I got a call from Dinma.“Hello, big sis”. She said, panicking.“Hello my little angel, why are you sounding worried?”. I asked, pretending not to know what went on.“I am not fine sis, I think I am about to be transferred, sis, please! Do something, I don't...”.“shh! Allow them to do their job”. I said while shushing her.“What! A...r...e you in any way b...e...h...i...n...d this?”. She stammered.“worry not darling, I am about fulfilling papa's promises”. I said smiling, though a bit emotional.“what promises sister?”. She asked, confused.“worry not my baby, allow the doctors to do their work, I will have to go now, take care”. I said and ended the call.“that was angel, she said, she is being transferred to another hospital”. I complained to Benjamin, who let out a weary smile, which I cared less to.“Wow! That is good news”. He managed to say.“yeah! Good news indeed. All thanks to you”. I said smiling.“Welcome”. He said.“I will be taking my leave now, I have a youth meeting to attend at the church”. I said.“Okay, let me drop you off then”. He offered to help.“that won't be necessary now, maybe after I have properly introduced you to my parents”. I said.“Okay, if you say so, do take care of yourself”. He said as I left the place without looking back.I got home devastated, looking back on the discussion and the biggest decision which I just made. This wasn't the life I planned.This could be terror waiting for my tomorrow.I'm getting married to a strange man I know nothing about. What if I decide to change my decision now that Dinma has been transferred to a better hospital?That will be cheating, I trust karma on getting back at me.What about my real mother? How do I get to pay her back for all her deeds? She seems to be comfortable, I don't think I can ever avenge her. Maybe I should just quit this game and plan. I can't imagine my life being spent on some stranger all because of money.But, what if Benjamin truly loves me, I know he will take good care of me and won't let me lack."Dear Lord, direct my path". I mumbled silently before mama walked into the room."How did your day go?". She questioned as she sat next to me."it went... It was okay". I said while pausing on my words."Everything will be fine, trust me,“ she said while rubbing her hands on my shoulder."When mama? when?". I questioned while crying."sooner than you can imagine". She said while smiling at me.Mama seems to be a very strong woman, even in distress, she is still very much dedicated to her Christain life."God needs to do something mama, the punishment is much". I complained bitterly."He will," she said as she cuddled me, till I slept off.«»«»«»Dinma's call woke me up, As I sluggishly used the vibration of my phone to hunt for it, putting my hands under my pillow and bringing it out where I had kept it."Hello". I said as my voice sounded so deep."sister what did you do?”. Dinma queried in an angry tone.“What a sister is meant to do”. I said while sitting upright on the bed.“By marrying a man you don't love, just to see to my health and your other needs”. She cried out.“What do you know about love Dinma? Life has taught me a big lesson, which l will never forget, even in decades of years to come. There is no word like love, so worry not and enjoy the little treasures of the world”. I said as my stomach grumbled a little.“Sister! You shouldn't have gone this far, this is your life, I would have managed. God would have provided someone that would have helped us without demanding anything”. She said in a low tone.“When would that be? When your condition gets worse, are you suggesting I would have gone with mama's idea, can't you see I am no longer working”. I said I was very annoyed. I heard Dinma sob in the background.“Hey! Are you okay? Dinma, talk to me ``.I said I was a bit scared.“I am fine sister, I will get back to you later”. She said and ended the call.I know she is not happy with my decision, and neither am I happy with myself. But, this is all for her.I went to the kitchen to dish out some food, as my stomach was already giving me signs.“Angel!", Papa said in a low tone."Yes papa", I answered a bit nervously, maybe mama must have told him what happened."Please, get me some water". He said as I went to the gallon which was beside the cooking pot and brought some water for him."Here you go", I said while handing the cup of water to him."Thank you". He said."Welcome". I said while trying to go to the kitchen before he called me back."Angel!" papa called out again."Yes, papa". I answered a bit confused, wondering why he is constantly calling me back."Seems like you want to eat?". He asked."yes, I am famished, should I also dish out for you?“. I said, concerned."It is nothing to worry about, I am not hungry, I want to have some words with you, once you are done eating". He said as he drank the water which he was holding."Okay, papa". I said as I went to the kitchen to dish out food to eat. I know what papa wants to discuss with me already. I know it is about Benjamin, I hope he understands and does not shout at me.I kept looking at papa as I ate my food, I kept wondering what kind of question he would throw at me.After the meal, I walked up to where he was."I am done eating papa". I said as I quietly sat down beside him."Okay, be blessed. So, your mother told me what is currently going on. I know I haven't been the best father to you, if I took up my responsibility as a father, I know you wouldn't be passing through this ', he said while pausing a little, his words were like a sharp knife, piercing into my heart. I wish I could stop him to prevent further tearing but I can't as he seemed not to be done with his words. Tears were rushing down my eyes before he stopped me with his words."It is nothing to cry for, you are a grown-up lady Angel, you are very smart, hardworking, and very strong. You are every man's dream woman, I won't advise you not to marry at this age or to marry at this age. All I want you to know is that you are of age, and can make any decision which you consider to be best". He said while pausing as he let out a little cough."Sorry, papa". I said as I watched him beat his chest softly."It is fine, so, as I was saying, make sure you make the right decision. If you love the young man, and he also loves you as well, I don't see any bad thing in you marrying at this age. It will only be bad if you both despise each other, you can still say no, if you have already said yes, and you can also say yes if you already said No, so just go in there, think about it over and over again and do what is right. I think I am done for now". He said while sipping the last water inside his cup."Okay Papa, thank you very much". I said and quickly left for my room.Wow! I have never seen this beautiful, caring part of papa.Hmm! Maybe I should think over this before things get out of hand. Just immediately my demonic mother called me. I just don't know what I did to this woman! She doesn't call at the right time and I am certain it could be another rubbish that she wants to vomit."What is it?". I said as I picked up the phone."Wow! Interestingly, she is a woman now, or should I say a wife-to-be. I guess I don't deserve some respect anymore since we are both soon going to be equal in the stages of life". She replied.Immediately my heart skipped. How did she get the information? Who could have told her, someone is possibly betraying me? Hold on, could it be Leo? No...no...no! Leo can't do that. Then who? Could Benjamin probably be working hand in hand with her? Yeah! That could be possible, maybe she is using Benjamin to get back at me."Hello! Are you lost or something? Why aren't you talking or have I made the beautiful parrot speechless? Wondering how I got the information right? You should know I always have my sources and just so you know, my informant isn't in any way far from you, so you should be careful and watchful because you are always monitored". She said while letting out her Cinderella's stepmother's evil laugh and immediately ended the call.I am indeed being followed, but who could that monster be? I swear on my late father's grave, that if I find out who that demon is, I will make sure he or she suffers from all this suffering.«»«»«»After weeks of getting to know the better part of Benjamin, we went out more often. I realized I was making the right choice, Dinma was given the best treatment as her healing increased rapidly. "Don't you think it's time I get to see your parent"? He said while holding my hands as we both strolled."Well, I think it is, I will get them informed before I fix the appropriate time for that". I said as he smiled at me showing his dimples."So, what is the best advice you can give someone that is about to buy a car for the first time?". I asked.”Well, the advice I will give someone that is about buying a car for the first time, is to make sure he already knows how to drive, knows the traffic rules and regulations," he answered."Wow! That is quite an impressive answer, what about the car maintenance?". I asked."Wow! That is the most important thing" he exclaimed while trying to shy away."Thank God you said it is the most important thing, now consider me as the new car, are you willing to take full responsibility?". I asked while noticing the immediate change on his face."Of course, I am willing to, so why did I choose you? Do you think I didn't see other finer women?". He asked.Well, I have never thought of that, Benjamin is a very nice man every woman would wish to have. He is tall, handsome, well-established, and caring.“Well, that is true, but you can be pretending as men are known mostly for pretends”. I said while hiding my face away from him.“Well, that is true, and I also believe you have known me for too long, to know what I am capable of”. He said, which made me speechless.Quietly, we strolled down the street before we parted ways.While I was walking back home, I saw Leo. I felt very uneasy because it has been a long time since we talked.“hi! Leo”. I shouted immediately after I saw him but he gave me a weird look, as he only looked at me, waved and continued to where he was going.“hey! Chill okay! What is wrong?". I questioned as I ran after him immediately."I was surprised you can still remember my name". he said immediately as he removed my hands from his."I know I haven't been the best of friends, for completely ignoring you, I am sorry. Please know you are the only friend I have if you leave I might die of loneliness". I complained.“Well, I happen to be your only friend, what about me, did you ever consider if I had another friend? Did you even consider that I could also be dying of loneliness, I endured the fact the only girl I ever felt something for, didn't notice it. I tried my best Angel! I tried showing my gratitude, I thought I could endure. Yeah! I tried but I was dying within, I felt you deserve the best, and I can't give you that best which you deserve, I had to let go. Not only did I get that from you, but what did you pay me with all the time I have always been there? You ignored me, I know you are happy with your Mr right. Good luck Angel”. He said and immediately left.I was dumbfounded, could it be that Leo has loved me all this while, why didn't he open up? God! I am really confused, I can't hurt Benjamin now, he has already tried for me, and it will be unfair to pay him back in a bad way. I went home with thoughts of many things. I didn't know what to do, but I had to go with my decision. I can't go back now, it is already late, Leo said it all late.«»«»«»After a few days, I was ready to introduce Benjamin to my family, everything worked perfectly well.Papa and mama blessed my new home as we both kicked off our marriage where Dinma, who has fully recovered at this point, happened to be my chief bridesmaid. With my eyes, I searched for Leo, I couldn't see him, I hope he has not done something drastic. I told some people to go look for him, and they came back, with a rather discouraging look. But, while everything was happening, my eyes caught on someone. The game began to be a bit clear to me.How come? This was the question I asked myself upon seeing her. Could she be working for my main mother?Epic 6It is no longer a story in the town that Dengel or Angel the late blind man's daughter got married to a wealthy man, who is working at Pine Valley company. Well, that is a 1997 story to behold. Benjamin gave me the best life I can ever imagine. He stuck to our marriage plan. Not only did he shower me with lots of love, but he also extended it to my sister and my foster parents. I thanked God for a life-changing opportunity like this. It is so painful that I happened not to see Leo after my wedding day, nobody seemed to know his whereabouts. Months passed, and I haven't taken in for Benjamin, it got him worried. I was worried as well, but it seemed to be a normal thing, lots of people stay years in their marriage, yet they end up conceiving, ours is just a few months, and he is already worried this much. After a few more months, I started noticing some strange behavior, which Benjamin started developing. He no longer eats my night food, always coming back with an already fille
Epic 7"It is Benjamin''. I said angrily while referring to Dinma.“I understand the fact that you are angry at the moment, but you need to calm down, you don't have to retaliate with anger, you might make a mistake”. Dinma advised.I was trying to calm my nerves when mama went into the ward.“You are back?”. I said as she had left earlier to inquire when I will be discharged.“Yes, the doctor said we can leave anytime if you want to, that you are totally fine, just that you were hit by a shock”. Mama said “Ow! Okay, I think it will be best if we leave now”. I said while trying to stand up, Dinma helped me up as I found it a little difficult to stand on my own.“What about papa?”. I asked.“He is at home, he is getting some rest”. Mama replied and we all started going home.Dinma followed me home, she wanted to stay back but got an emergency call from home.“I will see you later big sis, please try to eat something and get enough rest, please!!! Our baby needs it, do take care”. She
Epic 8 So, meeting Micheal seemed so much like a new life. He became a replacement for Leo who left a long time, he is a dedicated Christian, and he helped me to build my Christian life back, I told him a little of my story, he was at the peak of helping me find Lisa, he promised to pay the people that adopted her their fee back and more just to make sure I gained back my happiness.I was so in love with him, that I knew he did like me as well. I have always wanted him to make his moves on me, but he seemed to be the shy type, or could he be afraid of me? He left me with so much thought, just like every good Christian Brother every good Christian sister would want to have, Michael seemed to be that perfect guy, every lady wanted to have him all to themselves.Just the other night, while we were both walking down the subway station a lady ran up to him and gave him a rose flower. I was a bit jealous, but he smiled and gave the rose to me, perhaps he noticed my reaction.Days, weeks, a
Epic 9With the look on Dinma's face and the pace she used in entering the house, I already knew what had happened. Mama has called her. "What happened?" She questioned immediately as she entered the room. I didn't have the strength to explain, so I just gave her the package." It's a picture! Are you trying to explain that with everything mama told me, it's just a picture that you have been crying for?". Dinma asked. But, I didn't respond to her questions, I just watched her as my eyes became more cloudy."What in the name of God is this? Isn't this mother with Benjamin? And also Mich...", she got stuck in her words. She joined me in the crying. "Micheal has always been the Informant, he is the one giving mother all the information, my pain is that I told him about Lisa, it is certain now that Benjamin knows that Lisa isn't dead". I cried out." Oh My goodness! What? You told him everything! You see why it is difficult for me to trust anyone, they are all betrayals. What are we goi
Epic 10I checked my phone to see the caller, I wasn't expecting the information to be spread so fast. Hope he got a vital one.“Hello!”, I said while picking up the phone.“yeah! How are you doing?”, he asked.“Good as always. Any news?”, I asked.“Sure there is”. He replied as I gave out a warming smile. I trust you to do lots of things.“Wow! That's fabulous, so, what is the good news?”. I said while stretching out my hands.“I have got the most shocking details you need to know about your mother”, he said.“most shocking indeed! You know I would be pleased to know something much more than shocking news”. I said and we both laughed.“She has a son”. He said.“Wow She has a son! Where can I find him?”. I questioned.“Heard he is in V.I, I will send his picture for you”. He replied and ended the call and almost immediately, My phone beeped, it was a message from him."Cute son huh", I said while looking at his picture.He seems so grown up, could she have given birth to him before ge
Epic 11Alex walked up to where I was and sat down beside me.“Hello!”, I said while adjusting a little.“what's up? I am not going to work today, so I thought it would be nice to have some chat with you, hope you don't mind?”. He said while looking at me.“Of course, I don't mind”, I said smiling.“Cool, so, how have you been doing? I am sorry I haven't been able to give you feedback based on the work which you applied for, I haven't gotten any information about that, and I promise to let you know the outcome”, Alex said.I even forgot I had written an application for a job. “Well that isn't a problem, I wasn't that worried”, I said while rolling my eyes a little.“oh! Thank God”, he said smiling while tapping his hands on his lap.“yeah! Umm... I want to ask you something, hope you don't mind?”, I said, not nervous.“Sure, go ahead, I don't mind, that is what I m here for so that we can both be open with each other”. He said happily.“thank you so much for the assurance, well do yo
Epic 12I had my bath and went to the sitting room to join Alex.“Wow! You look so amazing, you see, it is evidence that crying doesn't suit you”, he said, while letting out a little blush which I also did in return.“Stop standing there and come and join me to have some fruits”, he added while stretching out the bowl of mixed fruit which he was holding.“Thank you”, I said while sitting near him, and grabbing a watermelon from the bowl.“You are Welcome, umm! Steph, you know I was thinking if it will be cool for you to join me at the fellowship today, it's the youth conference meeting, and trust me, it's going to be fun”, he said smiling.I hope Alex isn't seeing me as a pagan, youth meeting has always been the best part of me being a Christian, but, I don't think I can go, because they might end up speaking up about something relating to my current mood.“I would love to, but I would rather wish to stay at home"."No! That isn't going to be possible, I am with you okay? Don't worry
Epic 13I woke up to the sound of my Alarm, I started to prepare for work, and before Alex could wake up, I was done preparing breakfast.“Hmm! Looks like someone didn't have a nice night's rest from thinking about her first job”, Alex said while smiling at me.“Good morning!”, I said, returning the smile.“Are you ready?”, he said immediately after he finished having his breakfast.'`yeah!”, I said smiling while carrying my black handbag which he bought for me.“Let's go then”, he said and we both left for work.As the manager said, I had to undergo some training before starting work officially. So, throughout the week, I was getting some training from hired professionals.Alex and I kept on leaving fine and became close that I wished he wasn't my brother.After a stressful week, I was able to handle the position of secretary.While Alex and I were in the car, I got an unexpected call, which I refused to pick up.“Why aren't you picking up your phone?”, Alex said.“It is not advisabl