Chapter five
Obinna woke up a week after attempting suicide rather very excited; it was a special day for his only sister’s 21th birthday ceremony, who was a sociology graduate of Lagos State University. Adaobi is possessed with very charming and alluring features; dazzling white eye balls, glittering set of teeth, coupled with deeply brown pupils that looked exactly like stars. She was light-skinned and of moderate height.
Nobody had an inkling that something bad and disastrous would happen that Monday morning when Mama Adaobi and Papa Adaobi bade their only daughter farewell and left for their different destinations; they had no premonition that nature would show them its ugly side.
Papa Adaobi was a beverage marketer with Peterson foods while his wife was a trader selling kitchenware in the heart of Lagos. They lived in a mini-flat in Surulere, the outskirts of Lagos. About an hour after the couple left home in search of their daily bread, the firmament started gathering for a torrential downpour. Veronica, Mama Adaobi’s cousin had gone out early in the morning to welcome her Lebanese boyfriend from the airport, while Obinna was being expected to visit home. Adaobi was alone in the house cooking which is unarguably her best hobby.
The sky became cloudy and a powerful breeze kept blowing over the entire area. The breeze started whistling eerily. People ran helter-skelter for dear life. She became frightened when the breeze blew away a portion of their ceiling. The next minute, a tempestuous rain began, coupled with intermittent roars of thunder. The peals of thunder continued unabated for the next thirty minutes and the breeze blew away everything in its path.
She was aghast with fear. A large portion of their fence caved in and a monstrous whirlpool of rainwater rolled into their compound.
“Help! Help! Help! Somebody help me!” She screamed. The violent gush of rainwater was so fierce and gigantic that it broke down the door leading to their living room and occupied the entire space. She had run inside the kitchen for safety. The violent rainwater pursued her inside the kitchen; then pulled down the window of the kitchen.
All the while she was weeping and shedding sorrowful tears as the water submerged her instantly. The tide then swept her away into the other street. She had never experienced such turbulence in her entire life. She was rolling along a wide path created by the tidal wave and was still screaming for help as she rolled with the violent waves of water.
The rainstorm was calamitous and devastating. It brought down several houses, planks and trees; carried with it personal belongings of people. It destroyed cars and household properties worth millions of naira. For two agonizing hours, the downpour continued ceaselessly. It looked like the world had come to an end; something akin to Armageddon or apocalypse.
There was no doubt that she was on the verge of dying. She had swallowed large amounts of water and was gasping for breath. She had no strength to scream for help again. Suddenly, as the violent waves of water submerged and carried her along, she felt herself entwined and clustered among the strong branches of a tree.
She held tightly on to the tree and heaved a sigh of relief. “Even if death comes”, she thought, “it would meet me here…” She clung tenaciously to it. About two hours later, the rain stopped abruptly. The terrific tide had disappeared, leaving behind tales of woe. Some painful tears dropped from the corner of her eyes. She hiccupped four consecutive times and vomited the next minute.
The weather was now serene and calm when her parents, Obinna and Veronica arrived. The time was 5pm. They were all shocked to see the ruins caused by the rainstorm to their house. Mama Adaobi became anxious to see her daughter. She moved towards the bungalow and screamed: “Ada m! Ada m! Ada m! Where are you?”
Her husband hurriedly joined her in search of their precious only daughter. There was palpable and horrifying silence. Mama Adaobi’s heartbeat increased at an alarming rate when she couldn’t get an answer. They could only see the ruins and devastation of their house. In a split second, the thought of tragedy and death flashed through their minds. Now, they were not so mindful about the loss of their properties to the rainstorm. “Somebody help me! Where’s my daughter?!” She screamed while shedding painful tears. Instantly, a search party was set up by Obinna, comprising of about seven friends who had come to celebrate the birthday. Mama Adaobi had vowed that she would commit suicide if her beautiful daughter wasn’t seen; she was greatly disturbed and deeply agitated. Papa Adaobi begged her not to kill herself as it would not solve the present problem, but further worsen it.
For five hours, the search party combed every nook and cranny of the locality but she wasn’t found. It was even reported in the 6pm news that a young girl by name Adaobi Obika was missing after a terrific rainstorm ravaged the home of the Obikas, sweeping away the only girl of the family.
When it was around 10pm and she was yet to be found, her Mum collapsed. She was rushed to the nearby St. Mary’s Hospital. Her husband was confused and heartbroken. The man simply broke down and wept bitterly.
“This will be double tragedy!” Papa Adaobi said thoughtfully. “My daughter is missing; I don’t know if she’s dead or alive, and my wife is in coma…O God, I’ll kill myself if the worst happens.” He was soliloquizing as he left the hospital premises, wandering aimlessly to an unknown destination.
Papa Adaobi, a tall, dark-skinned and lanky man had trekked for about thirty minutes and he became very weak and tired. He was so hopeless and worn out; he then sat down beside the road, not knowing where to go and what to do. His eyes were heavy with grief. He lowered his head in sorrowful meditation and wiped the dripping tears off with the tip of his shirt.
Time was 10.45pm. He shook his head in melancholy and obvious gloom. Just then, he raised his head up and lo and behold, he saw his lost daughter lying dangerously on a nearby tree across the road, he was elated and ran to her.
“Oh daddy, I’m happy you are here to save me! Adaobi exclaimed joyfully. “You’re a great dad! Where is Mum?” she asked.
“She is in the hospital, let’s go”, he replied. Hand in hand, both father and daughter headed for St. Mary’s Hospital. When they got there, she was still in stupor. The doctors scurried here and there to revive her. Adaobi was really afraid for the life of her mother. She moved closer to her and touched her forehead softly, then said; “Mummy, wake up, your daughter is her…”
It was like magic! The words had a miraculous effect. Instantly, she opened her eyes to behold her lovely daughter. An indescribable joy enveloped them. Minutes later, Obinna and his team arrived to share in the immeasurable joy. They were all smiling and giggling. He drew his sister aside.
“I’m happy you are hale and hearty after having a good swimming!” he snapped.
“Ha-ha-ha-ha, you can say that again! With that…you should be nominated for an award or included in the Guinness book of records for the best swimmer of the year.” Veronica added to the joke.
While the invited friends had left because of the level of the insecurity in Lagos, Obinna and Veronica were determined to make the day a memorable one. As they were in the sitting room having a good chat while enjoying some fruit drinks and the cake. Obinna reached under the pillow, brought out a magazine; drowned himself totally in the contemplation and flourished the magazine, open in the middle.
“Eh…Veronica…How is that your good-for-nothing boyfriend? I keep wondering what you are doing with that ugly guy, with your beauty and youthfulness,” he spoke with a blissful smile as boisterous as a stormy sea wind. He was always ruthless nowadays when it came to relationships. Angela had taught him a lesson on “Lagos love.”
Veronica suddenly realized that she was strapped, as one on the top of a tree about to break. She was afraid to look back into the worthless sight of the past as she began to sob at the question. She looked like one ferried to a village farm by the torrents of a rainstorm. The love bug had bit her conscience again. However, she had all the seductive and alluring qualities a lady should have. Everything was in the right proportion-white set of teeth, well-curved shape, a lovely nose and sparkling starry eyes that could tempt any man. A young girl in her early 20s; possessed by the triple grip of money, lust and greed, and had a boyfriend who was handsome, tall and dark-skinned. She was very cunning and could tell lies to her numerous boyfriends without the slightest suspicion as her lips were more vibrant, smooth and ever rosy when she fabricated lies to convince them to do her wish or to extort money. Her lies could move mountains. Truly, she would pretend to be faithful. Some men believed her completely. In fact, majority of her catch never doubted her sincerity in matters relating to love.
Ikedi, no doubt, was a very cunning man too and even a greater liar. His lies and wiles were superb and sweeter than the cunning of the fabled tortoise, for when he told lies, he would be so extremely serious that the most sensible and tricky of girls wouldn’t doubt his honesty. Then the memorable love saga started without much ado. She would tell him to be faithful to her, that he was the only one in her life. That she thought of him every second while alone. She even confessed dreaming of him in her sleep every day. She said if he should marry another lady she would commit suicide. She said she was a virgin and that her love was more than Juliet’s love for Romeo. But all these were lies. Utter lies! She would flirt about with other men at the slightest opportunity. At that very moment she had about seven regular boyfriends in town.
Ikedi was very clever too. He would claim to believe her and claimed that his very existence depended on her love. He fabricated lies that his father had mansions, duplexes, and company’s everywhere and that he was a millionaire. He told her that if she would marry him, she would reap all the bounties of his family. Whenever he borrowed his friend’s cars he would claim it was his. He normally borrowed expensive clothes from his friends. He told her that he had been to many places in the world, and mixed with many rich and great men of the world. He even told her that she was the only girl in his life and would flatter her about the extra-ordinary and superb marriage they would have in the near future. He claimed to be a saint and assured her that she had met the right man.
All that he claimed and pledged to do were the direct opposite, for at time, he had about five girl friends scattered all over the town. He was not even from a rich family. He was from a very poor family and his father, whom he said lived in a posh duplex at Victoria Island in fact, lived in a ramshackle house in the ghetto of the “notorious jungle city” called Ajejunle. The man, he claimed had a Rolls Royce, a Hummer Jeep and other Cars did not even own a bicycle not to talk of a car. He was a retired policeman.
The storm started gathering one day when he declared that he was checking out of this god-damn country for the USA, God’s own country. She shed crocodile tears and said if he should go away and come back with another lady, her corpse would be waiting for him.
He begged her not to commit suicide because he would be back to marry her. Then, she asked when he was leaving for the airport so that she could see him off but Ikedi sensing the danger dodged the proposal, saying he may still go to Abuja to partake in the opening of one of his father’s companies. He claimed that, he might be leaving for the USA through Abuja after the celebration. After shedding many crocodile tears, Veronica said she too would start a nun’s life until he would come back. She swore that lightning should strike her dead if she ever spoke to another man in his absence. He too confessed that he would live a monk’s life in the USA, that if any lady, no matter the beauty, talked to him, he would just snub her for trying to pollute him and make him unfaithful to his love. You see, his lips were so sugar-coated that when he said anything, no lady, no matter how intelligent, would doubt his sincerity, but then, he was not travelling anywhere. He was just going to Mgbidi to loaf and stay with one of his friends. Coincidentally, it happened that Veronica too had a boyfriend in that same building. The tenth day after he left was the day of great surprises! On that very day, Veronica decided to see her boyfriend without knowing that he was somewhere in the same building enjoying himself. You know, it is a saying common among Igbo people that “every day is for the thief and one day for the owner of the property”. Now we have two thieves trying to steal from each other.
He had been in one of the flats in that building for ten consecutive days now, frolicking with his girlfriend called Tessy. He didn’t know that Veronica was in the same building and she had planned to go out with her other boyfriend. And he had planned to go out too, about the same time. Coincidentally, as the lovebirds came out, a great drama unfolded.
Unbelievably traumatic! Veronica was shocked to see Ikedi whom she thought should be in the United States of America with a girl in Nigeria. Terribly amazing! He was shocked to see her who was supposed to be living a nun’s life in a man’s arms. Next, the wiggle waggle of tongues, then eruption of anger, leading to some tongue-lashing, but first from Vero:
“You shameless dog” she thundered, “you are not even ashamed of yourself! Is this your USA? You liar! You should have been named Judas! Who is that girl with you?”
“Sharrap, you dirty harlot,” he retorted. You bastard daughter of the devil, you should have been named Delilah or Jezebel. You are bearing the wrong name. Who is that guy with you?”
At that moment her eyes were very sore and red. She tried to fight a suppressed anger and she was powerless. “And you too,” she thundered, you wolf in sheep’s clothing, you ought to be ashamed of yourself, you Judas, snake, leopard, alligator, chameleon, you cunning tortoise…”
In a jiffy, a terrible fight began. They were now stark naked as they had torn each other’s clothes in the scuffle. The fight attracted many people including the eagle-eyed news men. In the confusion and brawl that erupted, Tessy and Henry left together leaving them alone in the shameless squabble. After several hours that looked like eternity, the fight was finally settled at the police station.
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The birthday girl and her brother were still lost in thought at the sudden reaction of Veronica. She had no history of mental disorder or dementia. Events had taken a bizarre turn as she began to cry bitterly which attracted Mama Adaobi who was sleeping after a rough bite with the hospital some hours ago. All were taken aback to see the exquisitely beautiful and delectable eyes in a torrent of tears.
Just at the wrong time, Okunade entered. Adaobi left the sofa and flew like an eagle and embraced him. All were caught in the dilemma.