Chapter sixteen
The day after the extravagant traditional wedding between Okunade and his Adaobi, he instructed a printer to print several gold-coloured invitation cards for the special guests that would grace the christening ceremony of his new born babies. He bought ten big cows to be slaughtered for the occasion. Expensive chairs and out-of-this-world canopies were rented. The venue of the naming ceremony was a nearby open field which could contain large numbers of people and dignitaries from all walks of life. The couples were socialites who hobnobbed and rubbed shoulders with the high and mighty in the society. Choice drinks were bought; both locally made and imported, to soothe the palate of the invited guests who came from the nooks and crannies of the country and even from overseas.
The new couple’s budget for their children’s christening ceremony was the whopping sum of forty million naira. His friends also supported him financially to make the day a memorable one. There was no doubt about it; the couple had made a solid preparation to make the ceremony a day to remember for all and sundry. However, unknown to them, some daredevil armed robbers had heard about the proposed great children naming ceremony and made up their minds to storm the venue in disguise as if they were invited guests too. Their mission was to dine and wine with the couple and later move into their apartment after the celebration to rob them of cash, jewelries and other personal properties.
Finally, the great day came. The venue of the party was filled to the brim with important guests from within and outside the country. On the stage to thrill and entertain the guests were popular musicians like 2Face Idibia, P square and Flavour. As early as 10 am, guests had started trooping in. There was actually no wine, brandy, whisky or beer that wasn’t available. Television stations like Channels and A.I.T. were also present to relay the splendid event on the screen. The triplets were named Balajoko, Uchenna and Njideka amid pomp and pageantry.
The armed robbers came in two exotic jeeps. They were well-dressed and blended perfectly with the guests at the occasion. Their AK-47 rifles were hidden in their over-flowing agbadas. Some of the robbers wore expensive suits and cleverly hid their sophisticated guns inside them. When it was about mid-day, people started dancing and making merry and the couple started receiving very expensive gifts from the excited guests as was the tradition. The sweet and sonorous voices of the highly experienced R and B musician 2Face Idibia, enchanted the audience making them spray several thousands of naira. Some of the guests that came even sprayed foreign currencies like dollars and pound sterling. The money spraying later turned into a spree of sort to the delight of all. It was joy all the way without any inkling that danger, absolute danger lurked around the corner. Okunade and his wife were more than happy! They got cash gifts worth millions within the few hours of the celebration.
When it was around 10.30 pm, they retired to the comfort of their cozy house and had no premonition that some eagle-eyed, daredevil robbers were on the prowl, watching the proceedings of the joyful celebration. Few minutes later, they were busy taking off their clothes and arranging their gifts, both cash and material with John. At about 11.30pm, as they were making preparations to sleep, they heard the booming of guns. They were gripped with fear on hearing the nerve-racking sounds of the sophisticated weapons of the armed bandits. It was like Armageddon had finally come! They were really panic-stricken and filled with morbid fear.
“Open the door now or we’ll break it down!” echoed the guttural voice of the kingpin of the daredevil robbers; who was Adaobi’s only brother. It was the height of betrayal.
“Yee…the robbers are here!” The couple said while shaking nervously. They were filled with horror. In a jiffy, the robbers were right inside the apartment of the couple. They entered in commando style with masqueraded faces. It was like a movie scene.
“Where is everything-naira, dollars and pound sterling? All the money! Bring out the gold, mobile phones and other valuables right now, then lie facing the ground! I‘m Judas, the merciless robber that kills with joy! Don’t mess with us! The sight of blood makes me happy!” Obinna demanded.
Okunade was very rich from all indications but he got his wealth through hard work and God’s blessing. He was a deeply religious young guy and a very kind and humble person. He was generous to a fault. The robbers were about twelve in number and were fully armed with deadly weapons. The couple were visibly shaken, trembling and sweating like lily-livered kids who saw a ghost in the dark. The thoughts on their mind were of absolute doom and gloom. No one had ever escaped from the bloodshed of Obinna and his gang of robbers. People living in the other houses along the street were afraid because they knew their flats would be the next to be raided by the robbers who shot sporadically to scare their victims.
“Where are the gold, cash and mobile phones, I mentioned just now?” Obinna threatened, hitting Okunade on the head with the butt of the AK-47 assault rifle. There was blood instantly on the forehead of the plump looking handsome man. He was filled with biting pain from the wound.
“Please, spare our lives. Take…everything but please spare our lives. Don’t kill us! Please we beg you in God’s name,” they pleaded. “These are the things you want…Please don’t kill us…” He handed them all the cash, jewelry and expensive mobile phones worth several thousands of naira to the merciless and heartless robbers.
“God! You just mentioned God! Who told you I know God? To hell with your God! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! Obinna burst into hysterical cynical laughter. “I’ll waste you and your wife right now! I’m always happy at the sight of blood and when people die! Are you sure that this is everything?” The kingpin further demanded.
“Yes! Have them please, take everything but please don’t kill us. I beg you in God’s name…” the mother of the new born triplets begged the robbers with tears streaming down her checks. At the mention of killing them, she had burst into tears and wept sorrowfully. She could remember now clearly how much pain they had endured from their parents.
“Rubbish! Make thunder strike both of you dead!” the kingpin of the robbers growled threateningly.
“Please kill me and spare the life of my wife,” he begged in tears. “I’ll gladly die, but don’t kill my wife and our babies please…Okunade closed his eyes and sobbed like a baby.
“You want to tell me what to do? Obinna hollered. “You are a stupid couple! He growled again. “You spend millions of naira because of the birth of new born babies! Just imagine! This is a wasteful expenditure! A common child, a common baby! You celebrate it with so much money! You waste money because of these new things! You want to tell me what to do? Now both your little toys will go first,” the kingpin grabbed the leg of one of the babies where it was placed.
“Please, spare the life of our babies,” begged the couple in tears “don’t harm our babies, instead kill us!”
“Sharrap” screamed the red-eyed giant kingpin. “You can’t tell me what to do! You are both crazy!” he thundered.
This very moment the baby was crying. The couple were trembling and fidgeting like lily-livered toddlers who saw ghosts in a dark cave.
“I’ll teach you the most painful lesson you will never forget, you nasty couple!” A female voice thundered in annoyance. She held the leg of a baby and shook it. The pain made the baby give a shrill cry. The couple were trembling and praying fervently for the girl to spare the life of their bundle of joy. The girl moved forward and at the command of the leader raised the baby up and was about to fling it powerfully against the wall of the room when a siren of the police team was heard. Adaobi’s heart shook giddily as she couldn’t understand how a girl could be so evil. The tears streamed down her eyes. She was really covered in heartrending tears. Okunade had lost all strength. It was like they were in hell.
“Boss, we are surrounded,” the girl said. “Let’s go and deal with the police outside and come back to finish our work here.”
“That’s okay, Liza. Let’s waste those police first!” Obinna growled thumping his chest in annoyance.
“We will be back; we are not through with you yet!” the female armed robber boasted.
As they went downstairs, Okunade and his wife who had almost fainted started praying fervently with tears cascading down their checks. They begged God for his intervention and help. They also prayed for the safety of John, a good family friend. They were unaware that it was John who had contacted the police team.
Within the next twenty minutes, the notorious armed robbers engaged the police in a fierce gun battle. The police couldn’t match the superior firepower of the daredevil robbers and about eight policemen lay dead, while two of the robbers suffered injury. The police retreated and the two surviving officers went back to their base to bring reinforcement.
Obinna and his gang were happy and felt like heroes or warlords. Confidently, they went back to the flat to take more loot and probably kill the couple and babies. Okunade and his wife were still crying helplessly. No sooner had the robbers entered the flat again than a heavy rain began. It was unusual for rain to fall at that time of the year. Despite the strange torrential downpour, the robbers didn’t mind but ordered them to lie down on the floor while they carted away more goods worth several millions of naira. They had really rendered the house bare.
The heavy rain continued ceaselessly-the robbers were more than happy. They raided the tastefully furnished flat with glee. Okunade and his wife were still down on the floor weeping sorrowfully.
Obinna moved towards the couple after they had finished the operation and hollered, “Now I have to give you couple a parting shot to say goodbye! I have changed my mind out of pity. I will kill the babies when you both are gone! I think…that is better or you give us everything. Everything and nothing else now…!” He raised his gun up and pointed it in the direction of the weeping couple.
“Please, I beg you in God’s name to spare our lives; we have given all,” Okunade pleaded in tears again, “Oh, please…oh please…” his wife added frozen with morbid fear.
“Oh no…Don’t kill us please” Adaobi begged between heavy sobs. But Judas and his gang were in no mood to pity the couple. Judas was about pulling the trigger to silence the babies when a deafening thunder rattled and struck him suddenly. The thunderbolt hit all of them at once. For a couple of seconds, it pierced through the already charged sky. It was a fearful and awesome sight! The thunder had a devastating effect and mission. After the frightening peals of thunder, the rain then stopped slowly. They were surprised at the strange development.
Miraculously, Okunade and his wife were not affected. The babies weren’t touched. They were shocked and surprised to see how the almighty God had fought for them! When they regained consciousness, they were so elated and happy. The first words that came from their mouths were, Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!” they continued screaming, “Hallelujah, Praise God!” the joy pervading the entire area was indescribable.
The neighbours in the next flats and John who had been hiding under the bed came to celebrate with the Okunades for their miraculous escape from the snares of death. About fifteen minutes later, the police arrived the scene to assess the situation. The dead robbers were all carried away to the morgue for autopsy. Only Obinna was spared but he left the house as dejected as a wet hen as he couldn’t muster the courage to carry the loot.
Chapter seventeen
“Please!!! Don’t beat me!” she pleaded in tears as her husband, Mr. Peter, descended on her, pummeling her with his iron-like fists.
“Leave my house now or your family will come for your corpse today!” He growled as he continued kicking and slapping his wife. It was a hellish day. She was on the floor, writhing in pains.
“I swear by the devil I’ll kill you, if you don’t leave my house and you won’t take a pin with you,” he opened the door and dragged his wife out of the house into the hot sun.
With swollen eyes, bleeding mouth and a bruised body, she found herself on the hot street in the excruciating heat of the day. This attack on her person today definitely looked like the last straw. She had no idea what always came over her husband at the slightest misunderstanding. In those moments, he will seem possessed by a wicked spirit that had no mercy at all. A mother of two and married for almost eight years. She had always endured but now she had had enough. Not even her children Uche and Ikechukwu could change her mind. Not even Akpos who saved the day some three weeks ago. Her mind was made up.
This last fight was caused by a minor argument over family issues. She knew her husband would definitely kill her one day should she continue living with him. Drenched with sorrow, she walked away towards nowhere in particular. She was still very beautiful and had a charming disposition. She was a loyal, dutiful and hard-working woman who never shied away from her matrimonial duties although her affair with the Landlord was nothing to write home about.
She wept as she trudged on the tarred road. She knew that she was suffering and facing this hardship because of the love she had for her two children. She had realized long ago that she was married to a man she really loved but who didn’t love her the same way. It was a misplaced love. What manner of man would treat his wife like that? She asked herself.
After trekking for what seemed like ages on the streets of Lagos, she felt dizzy. She staggered and fell. She lay still for a spell, and then she mustered all the energy she could and stood up again. She resumed her trekking again to nowhere right in the middle of the road. Motorists blared out their horns as they tried to avoid her. All the while, the scorching sun continued unabated with a fierce glare of rays. As she continued staggering along, she was almost hit by a BMW Jeep. The man swerved and applied the brakes, coming to a stop a few metres away. He got down and walked hastily towards her.
“Mrs Ifeoma, what’s the problem?” He asked with a voice full of concern.
She didn’t stop; but only spared a glance and kept walking. He held her hand: “Please I’m Obinna…Adaobi’s brother. “Who treated you this way?”
“Sir…please…let me go…let me die,” she said. But as she attempted to step away, she went down. It must have been exhaustion. He was a bit alarmed. But he rose to the occasion. Lifting her carefully, with some difficulty into the car, he drove to a nearby clinic.
Hours later, she had recovered enough to speak. He listened with interest as she narrated her story. She had made up her mind not to go back home. In fact, she confessed, she was contemplating suicide. Obinna tried to comfort her. He persuaded her to dismiss all thoughts of suicide and to consider her children and not make them motherless. She felt, she had found a perfect man.
At exactly 6pm she was discharged from unity clinic and the super-rich guy paid the bill and promised to help her and put a smile on her face again. He drove her to Rose Gardens Hotel located on the Lagos Island and booked three days for her. That notwithstanding, he gave her the sum of twenty thousand to take care of her needs. Ifeoma was surprised by this seeming unalloyed generosity. She thanked him profusely.
Four days later, he rented a two-bed-room flat for her and gave her the keys. This came as a big surprise to a woman recovering from years of maltreatment. To cap it, “Obi m” as she now called her benefactor, gave her the sum of two million naira to start a business of her choice. Tears of joy streamed down her face as she received the cash gift.
Ifeoma invested her money wisely and within a space of four months, she had become a rich business woman. She was also the proprietress of a flourishing hotel in Lagos and lived in a tastefully furnished duplex of her own, located in a rich neighbourhood in Lagos.
She was seated in the parlour, busy gulping a bottle of big stout and munching the laps of roasted chicken before her front when Obinna paid a visit. She had been admiring him and had been looking for the slightest opportunity to seduce him to bed not minding the abomination and damning consequences of such act. Surely, she knew it was a taboo. But to her it was better to die and burn in hell than to live in paradise without sexual bliss. She must use this opportunity to lure him to bed. She had been waiting for this moment to ‘do it’ with someone she loves and whom she was convinced loved her back.
“Obi m,” she called; I want to have a chat with you. Please, see me in the bedroom quickly.
“Okay,” he answered, not knowing what plans she had up her sleeve. As soon as he entered the bedroom, the enchantress began her lecherous moves cleverly.
“Please, unzip my brassiere; it’s really itching me at the back,” she said seductively. He knew what was happening. He responded to her request.
“You…are…beauti…” he tried to say as she turned and faced him. Before he could say anything further she moved closer and hugged him with these words on her lips; “Don’t you know you are my husband now? I will be happy to be your second wife. I’m a divorcee. I’m ready to marry you if you can only say ‘Yes’. I’m already in love with you! I’ll take good care of you and I assure you that you will enjoy every bit of the marriage. I will spoil you silly with love and care. Your good heart got me hooked and I just can’t help it. I need you badly. I have waited for this moment, I just can’t help it anymore… please …,” the chubby-looking woman pleaded.
He was lost for words. He could feel his chemistry reacting violently as she grabbed him and pushed him on the well laid bed. It was a marathon ‘love duel’. He soon realized that it was a betrayal of trust her wife had reposed on him, but something more hypnotizing and enrapturing had gripped his sense of reasoning. The ‘romance’ lasted for three hours, that eventful evening, thereafter; she went to the bathroom to have a good shower. He later wobbled into the bathroom extremely tired and fagged out.
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The following morning, Ifeoma was at a wedding party and was enjoying the scenery when she suddenly saw her former husband approaching her. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Yes the same husband that maltreated and threw her out in the scorching sun. Mr. Peter went on his knees and pleaded: “Please, Ifeoma I’m begging you…Come back home. Let’s resolve our differences. Come back home…”
“It’s too late Peter,” she replied, “the caged bird has flown away and landed in paradise. It will never go back to dine with the devil! Very soon, I’ll come for my children because they deserve love, care and all the good things of life. Don’t waste your time… I’m not a dog that goes back to its vomit. Moreover, I know very well that leopards don’t change their spots”. She left in anger as Mr. Peter looked on like one thrown into a miry clay pit.
Cupid’s arrow had struck the heart of Ifeoma and she had fallen in love with the handsome and ebullient multi-millionaire young man. But Obinna had a wife at home called Funke. It wasn’t that she came from a poor background like Ifeoma; her parents were very rich but she had a passionate and sincere love for the seemingly good-hearted guy, who indeed understood the science of worshipping women.
Although Funke’s parents kicked against the relationship at the initial stage, telling her to look for a well-educated suitor she had already made up her mind. She told her parents that she was deeply in love and that there was no going back. Within a short time, she dropped a couple of men who were also interested in marrying her and stuck wholeheartedly to her heartthrob. It was he and nobody else; and he had promised never to disappoint or break her heart.
After dating for four months, they had a society wedding and became husband and wife. Funke and her husband enjoyed conjugal bliss as time progressed. There was no cause for alarm as he spoilt her silly with money and showered her with love and adoration. She travelled all over the world, both for visiting and business trips; Dubai, France, the United States and Europe were places she frequented on weekly basis. Her globe-trotting trips were sponsored by her loving husband. Theirs was a marriage sealed and consummated in heaven, or so it seemed. Three years into the relationship, she bore him three lovely children.
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Ifeoma knew from the outset that he was married with children but she was very ready to damn all the consequences. She went headlong into the relationship not minding whose ox was gored. She was really happy that he fell for her antics. She was the ultimate seducer. A couple of days after the love affair in the bedroom, Obinna had mesmerized her senses completely with cash.
“I have hit it big in this dry Lagos, Chinyere!” she said to one of her intimate friends one night on phone.”
“What’s it?” Chinyere asked.
You know about the big fish! Nothing is going to stop me from eating it anyhow I like!” she replied with a self-satisfied grin on her face.
“You mean the married man? Are you dating him? She probed further.
“Of course yes and very soon I’ll take over his house,” she answered sarcastically and continued: “I know he is married. I even know his wife but she’s no hindrance for me to actualize my goals. I have caught a big fish and I have a big plan in my mind on how to eat it.”
Obinna kept his new romance affair from his wife. She didn’t have any reason to believe her husband was seeing another woman because he continued to shower her with the usual love.
She became pregnant after a litany of bigamous affairs. He still kept the relationship secret and dear to his heart. He even bought her a brand new Lexus Jeep and bought a better duplex with all the trappings of wealth to celebrate the pregnancy.
Nine months later, she was delivered of a bouncing baby boy. Secretly, a low-key traditional wedding ceremony took place. Funke was still unaware that her husband had become a father to another child out of wedlock.
A year later, Ifeoma took in again before one could say “Holy Tommy” she had been delivered of her second child-a baby boy too. After the christening ceremony of the new baby, he suddenly felt he should let the cat out of the bag, open the secret and bring her in as his second wife.
After thinking over it for a while, he felt his family should come in to break the news to her because anything could happen. The following day, his immediate family called Funke for an impromptu meeting, and the bombshell was dropped. Obinna himself was in attendance but his father was absent. He had had enough of his son’s madness and had left that morning as cheerless as the grave to visit a friend for a beer-drinking spree. Mama Adaobi even went on her knees and pleaded with tears. The family members pleaded too and begged her to welcome the new wife with her kids in the spirit of Christian love. For a moment, tears streamed down Funke’s eyes. She was shocked and lost for words and continued to cry even as she stood up and headed for the bedroom. Her husband followed her, petting and consoling her in the process. The elders of the family came into the bedroom too, to lift the heartbroken woman out of her obvious sadness and melancholy. Between sobs and heartrending tears, she bared her mind:
“I bear no grudge or hatred for the new wife,” she said “but I’m a human being with feelings…and it’s painful when the man you love turns around to stab you in the heart. She’s welcome into the house and I accept her with open arms.”
In a