SEE FINISH BY TREASURE EZURUIKE EPISODE 14

SEE FINISH BY TREASURE EZURUIKE EPISODE 14

CHIKANMA’S POV

I told him that all those men who finally made women choose between their children and marriage, were also nice to the children of those women which is why women fell for them, and then after they marry them they turn around and show their true colours. 

I did not want that and I was not ready for that. He told me it’s different for me because I can relate to what you are going through. I went through it as a child with my mother. 

I saw all her challenges, all the men who came around offering to help her just wanted her in bed, and once she was not willing to give in to their advances they discharged her immediately. 

It was a constant struggle until we found our feet through someone willing to help without any strings attached. 

Why do you think I started to treat you specially and differently after I found out that you were a widow? 

It’s because I can relate to your pain. Why do you think I will let your children play the way they do? 

It’s because I understand their pain. I was once like them and I know how It feels to not have the love of a father at that age. 

You can imagine how old Michael was, he was 9 and that will give you an indication of the fact that we had stopped having kids. 

But she gave me the cold shoulder, she use the silent treatment, she protested, she contacted my parents and my siblings.

She went to everyone she knew I will listen to you to tell them to convince me to get her pregnant one more time.

Today I regret giving in to her demand because if I did not she will still be alive and maybe she’ll be mad at me.

By now she would have forgotten about it and Michael will not consider me a wicked person. 

I’m just trying to help them not feel what I felt or the void created by the death of their Father. 

Why do you think I’ve never made a move on you and tried to harass you all the while we were alone in my house. 

It’s not like I never thought about it, just that I had to respect myself because I could not add to your problems. I know what my mother went through as a widow. 

Trying to add to the problems of another widow will mean that I never learned any lessons along the way. 

I looked at him in shock. It’s not like you never thought about it? You thought about making a move on me? 

Relax, he said what’s the problem with women?” Once someone tells you guys the truth you start to overreact. 

Of course, I’m human and I’m a man and you’re a beautiful woman in my house so I had such thoughts.

They stopped at just thoughts they never went beyond that. I’m never coming to your house again. I said. 

Oh come on, stop being so childish. Childish you mean? I’m childish for being scared about my security? 

Chi, can you relax? I’m not going to harass you or make a move on you, I’m just telling you the truth because you asked me. 

I’m telling you how I feel about you. I’ve known you for about a year and my feelings for you have not changed. 

So you don’t feel even a shred of guilt for the way you discharged Ijeoma? She pushed me. He said. 

She knew our love had waned yet she was acting like we just met and doing crazy things, having crazy expectations.

I had a conversation with her just before I met you. and told her we needed to move on. 

She rejected the idea and told me she wasn’t going anywhere. I did my part but she wasn’t willing to accept it.

She kept acting erratically. I warned her not to touch you or your children but she didn’t listen to me. 

She kept pushing me. She knew I had moved on then she crossed a line she shouldn’t have crossed telling my mum about you in such a negative light. 

That was the final nail in the coffin and she wasn’t even remorseful. Because of her I disagreed with my mum and spoke to her in a way I had never done in my life. 

I apologized to my mum and told her I couldn’t tolerate Ijeoma again. Told her I can’t marry her again.

It shocked her but I told her we had talked about it but she didn’t want to face reality. I didn’t cheat on her or use her. 

I helped her to become a better person. She had all these rules of no sex. I respected it. She won’t do chores and I respected it.

I loved her and Gerald’s eyes lit up, I did but she wasn’t willing to put in the effort I was putting into the relationship. 

She just wanted to fold her arms while I did everything to make it work.

Imagine I cooked the food we ate each time she visited. I did the dishes and washed her clothes. 

At some point, my friends felt I was under a spell but I wasn’t. That was how much I loved her.

She began to misbehave when she found out how far I was willing to go to make the relationship work. 

She was the first woman I dated. I looked at him in shock. He said what? You thought I was a player? With a body count of women and a long roll call?

I said nothing to him. He said consider me a naive man as long as the relationship goes. I’m 29 for your information. I started to chase my future when I was 12 years old.

I could not afford to be found wanting or sleeping on duty. My life was different. My father was more. 

I was all my mother had. She invested all her energy in me. I loved engineering and coding. She knew exactly where to take me.

While my mates were playing I was coding and learning how to build websites and create apps. I took part in competitions. 

My mum’s ear was always on the ground listening to know where the next competition was being held.

I attended training to hone my skills so I could scale. My big break came when I was 19. I knew my way around but my mum still had my back. 

She traveled with me everywhere. I created an app that just went viral with downloads.

Things just started looking up for me from there. I just got into the university. Girls were not my thing. 

I had no time for them. I had a destination. I was on a journey. I didn’t need anyone to slow me down.

If I was invited anywhere my mum would come with me. I don’t play with my mum. I never will. Any woman around me has to love my mum if not I can’t be with her.

My mum is my mum, my wife would be my wife. I’ll find a balance but I’ll love my wife to have a loving relationship with my mum because she has no daughter. She should just be like a daughter to my mum.

My mum is an easy-going woman so any woman who can’t bond with her won’t bond with anyone.

NNENNA’S POV

Ikenna was more generous than any man I’ve met outside family members. 

I earned money but there’s a special feeling that comes from someone who loves you spending money on you. Ikenna gave me that without my asking.

He never forgot important dates for me. He’ll go all out to celebrate on those dates. I never wanted to compete with any woman and he made sure no other woman made me feel uncomfortable. 

I loved chastity and he respected that. He was just everything I wanted and more. His public display of affection was top-notch. If he saw me in public in the company of his friends. 

He would ask to be excused and walk up to me and shower affection on me. He made me feel so special.

We dated for 18 months before tying the knot. My wedding proposal was so beautiful. He took me out on my birthday and upset me intentionally. 

I was so upset and I left. As I was walking away through a hallway I had come through. I saw everywhere decorated with soft playing music.

It was evening and all these lights glittering. I wondered what was going on. I kept going because I was upset. 

I suddenly sighted an inscription Nnenna would you marry me? I was stopped in my tracks. I wondered if it was my Nnenna or another one. 

Well it couldn’t be me I said, but then Ikenna’s favorite music started playing and it got my attention. He sang it to me all the time.

I slowly turned around and saw him looking so sober on one knee. He just couldn’t find the words. 

I walked over to him and slapped him. He was so surprised. He asked what did you do that for? I ignored him and walked away. 

He stood up and ran after me saying please I’m sorry. I didn’t know when I started crying. 

I sat on the floor and took off my heels. He sat beside me and said you are ruining your makeup. 

I looked at him. He wiped the tears off my face and said I’m sorry for making you cry but would you marry me, please. 

You would make me very happy if you said yes. I was still sniffing but I asked him how much he’ll pay if I said yes? 

He asked how much I’d like. I said how about all the money in your account. He gave me his ATM card and told me the pin. I told him I didn’t believe him. 

He asked would you like to try? I said yes but I gave him back his ATM card and said yes. He thought I was joking, and he said are you serious? I said yes. I can’t forget his expression after I said yes. 

He worshipped the ground I stepped on. I was so emotional. I asked him why all this decoration and effort? He told me I deserved it and more.

Our marriage ceremony was a blast. I just can’t tell how everything went wrong. Thinking about it all made me understand why I stayed despite the domestic violence. 

I just wanted it to work. I loved him and still do but it’s different now. I don’t trust him anymore. He has hurt me deeply. 

The way he acted when his sister hit me made me realize he still cared. When he found out I was pregnant, the way he behaved made me feel there was hope.

Then I remember he abandoned me and got my brother kidnapped. Then I just felt everything was just for show. 

We partnered with various businesses to make the expansion of our business feasible. One of those businesses pulled out at the last minute.

My boss worked around the clock to find a replacement. 

He succeeded in finding a new partner and it was Ikenna’s company. I was livid when I found out. 

My mood instantly changed. My boss noticed and asked if everything was okay. I told him everything was fine.

I knew Ikenna wouldn’t send a representative. I knew he would come himself just to get to me.

I dreaded that day but it arrived. Just like I expected, Ikenna came by himself. He shook hands with my boss and we got right to business. 

Ikenna was distracted throughout the meeting. He kept looking at me. My boss had to write me a note asking if I knew him before. 

I just responded yes without spilling any more tea. It was such a relief when the meeting ended.

My boss accosted me outside, asking me where I met Ikenna. I told him he was my husband. He spilled his drink in shock. I apologized to him. 

He asked me why he was looking at me like that. I told him we were separated without telling him why. 

He said wow I was going to shoot my shot. I had no idea you were married and have marital problems. Dubem never mentioned it.

KEISHA’S POV

 You are acting exactly the way I expected you to act for which I said no, a man in my generation will not go to my parents.

He will try to convince me first but a man from your generation will go to my parents and make them convince me and it won’t work.

You just told me how you felt about me which I had no idea about.

I said no to you, you never discussed it with me again. Instead, you tracked down my family which till now remains a mystery to me. 

How you found my family still surprises me. I know I filled in my next of kin while I took this job but I never believed you will go to check there.

Then go to my family’s house and tell my parents you want to marry me. 

If you must know I don’t have a good relationship with my family, especially my parents so going to my parents just sent me a million miles backward. 

I am so sorry he said I have obviously misfired, but at least we can work together even if we can’t relate on any other level. 

Please come back to work. I miss you. I miss our work. I’ve gotten so used to working with you that I’m not going to replace you anytime soon. 

I rolled my eyes as he spoke. He told me he needed to make a trip because of a job and he needed me to go with him. 

He asked me where I was and I told him. We agreed on where we were going to meet. The first thing he said when he saw me was you, you are something else. 

I miss you. I hope you’re not as upset as you look? I said you ain’t seen nothing yet. 

After the job, I met his three daughters. They were beautiful. They said hello to me and the way they related to me told me that their father had been talking to them about me. 

They were so full of respect for me like I was twice their age. I did not want to get carried away by it because I did not want to be played. 

I was suspicious of everything they were doing. They asked me for my social media handles and followed me on social media. 

They asked for my phone number so they could call me to say hello. I will have to admit I enjoyed the attention but I still was suspicious of their intentions. 

We got back to the city where the company was based and Richard fell ill. 

I didn’t see him for a few days and didn’t suspect anything. I thought he had taken some days off like he does most of the time. 

I got a call from his first daughter telling me her father was hospitalized. I didn’t expect that. I expressed my sympathies and asked the name of the hospital. 

I went there and I met him and he was seated on the bed and I said I never knew you would come if I did, I could have told you earlier. 

What is wrong with you I asked. The doctor says I’m too stressed and I overwork myself for my age so I need to slow down. 

I pulled the seat and sat close to him. He took my hand and said are you still mad at me?” 

I pulled away my hands and said you should focus on getting better first. I feel better he said.

I was asked to rest and I’m resting here. I was asked to take a rest for a week so I won’t be coming to the office. 

You have to fill in for me, he said. Why is your son not close to you? I asked 

My question seemed to have taken him by surprise. You’ve got just one son so I don’t understand why he is not here with you and he has never been in the company ever since I resumed working for you. 

He didn’t have any words to say to me but he knew I was right. You need to bring him close to you, I said to him. 

He would have to take over from you someday he needs to learn the ropes of the business. 

I can’t force him to take interest in the business. He said. The death of his mother affected him and he blamed me like I was responsible. 

She died giving birth to a baby. I lost both her and the baby. My late wife and I agreed to try one more time for a male child. 

I wasn’t bothered but my wife wanted to cement her place in my home and insisted on trying one more time. 

You can imagine how old Michael was, he was 9 and that will give you an indication of the fact that we had stopped having kids. 

But she gave me the cold shoulder, she use the silent treatment, she protested, she contacted my parents and my siblings.

She went to everyone she knew I will listen to you to tell them to convince me to get her pregnant one more time.

Today I regret giving in to her demand because if I did not she will still be alive and maybe she’ll be mad at me.

By now she would have forgotten about it and Michael will not consider me a wicked person. 

All he knew was that his mother was pregnant for another child who had come to take his place and she died while giving birth to the child.

She gave birth to a female child who died at birth and she died shortly after that. 

The truth is I don’t know how to get through to him. I know it still hurts. He acts erratically and I know he’s trying to punish me. 

I stood up and told him I’ll be right back. I went outside and called Micheal on the phone. 

He was surprised to hear from me but I ask him if he was aware his father was ill and in the hospital. 

He acted so nonchalantly and told me he had no idea. He asked me if he was still alive and I said yes.

Why are you not close to your father I asked him. That is none of your business he responded.

To be continued

© Treasure Ezuruike.

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