SEE FINISH BY TREASURE EZURUIKE EPISODE 4

SEE FINISH EPISODE 4

( KEISHA’S POV)

By the following morning, I was well-rested and still couldn’t make it out of town back to where I resided because I had no money of my own and I did not want to ask Jake for any money. 

Yes, Jake is his name. He’s the guy who rescued me from my attackers and took me to his parent’s home and cleaned up my wounds and fed me and clothed me. 

On the second day, I still wasn’t ready to leave because I was embarrassed to tell him I had no money to pay my transport fare back. 

Jake had to ask me what the matter was. I opened up to him and told him I had no transport fare to head back into town. 

Jake surprised me by driving me back into town, he told me I could have told him earlier that that was my challenge, and he would have helped me get back into town. 

He dropped me off at the gate of our home and asked me if I had a phone. I told him I didn’t, but he gave me his number anyway and asked me to call him with any phone I could lay my hands on.

When I stepped into our home, I did not meet my elder brother, but I met my elder sister who started to yell at me immediately she saw me.

She asked me if I was tired of staying with the man I had met when I went to take my exam. 

 

I woke my husband up by 4 a.m. He reacted angrily and said, “What is the meaning of this?  I reminded him that we had switched roles, and this is the time I wake up to do chores so I could meet up with other things, so he must get up and attend to the chores. 

 

I was so stunned but I broke down in tears and wept out my soul because I was still badly shaken up by the fact that I was almost raped.

Because my elder brother abandoned me in the motor park and paid for the transport fare of another woman and left me to my faith. 

He never came back for me and here my elder sister was yelling at me. I lost my temper and told her what my elder brother had done to me.

Took off my clothes and showed her my body and all the injuries I sustained fighting off my attackers who were trying to rape me. 

Asked her if these were the clothes I travel with or if she had seen me on them before. If not for Jake, who knows what story I’d be telling by now.

I was so furious and asked her even if she heard I was with a man, couldn’t she come to find me as my elder sister, and she was lost for words. 

She told me she could not believe my other brother would do that to me because he came back that night and said I refused to come along with him but decided to go home with a man I met. 

I asked her if since we’ve been growing up, I was the kind of girl who could go home with a man I had just met? She had nothing to say to me. 

She was older than my brother, so she had a phone, and he also had a phone. She called him immediately and confronted him about what I had said. 

He denied it immediately and said if I had any marks on my body it must have been injuries, I sustained from the man who was taking me home because he never abandoned me in the park. 

I told my sister I had no interest in any discussion about it because my other brother had done so much harm to me and I had finally written him off as a brother. 

I knew he was not reliable, but I never believed he would throw me to the dogs like he did that day. That was the final nail in the coffin for our relationship. It became non-existent. 

I thanked God that I wasn’t sexually harassed that night and I survived and returned home. I told my parents about my experience when they returned, and my elder brother denied it as usual. 

Mum supported him by saying that she believed I would have run off with a man because there was no way my elder brother would have abandoned me in the park. 

Dad supported her of course. It didn’t surprise me because he was an only son and they worshipped him. He could do no wrong. 

Only my elder sister consoled me and told me not to take it to heart. I fasted and prayed to God to ensure that I passed my JAMB examination and passed the screening exam.

That will get me into the university so I could leave home because I just couldn’t stand to live in that house anymore. 

God answered my prayers and I secured admission and left home immediately. Once I left home for University I never returned home even during holidays. 

I always found a reason to keep me outside the home and gave excuses as I had enrolled in some training, and I couldn’t come home. 

Had to put my entrepreneur skills to work just in case my parents decided not to stop paying for my tuition. Never wanted to return to that toxic environment ever again in my life. 

Was surprised to meet Jake again at the university during the orientation for first-year students. He was so happy to see me because I never called him or his phone after he handed me his phone number. 

I had no phone, and I did not want to start what I wouldn’t finish by calling him on the number of my elder sister or who knows my parents and he will begin to call, and they begin to harass me. 

Just had to avoid anything that would prevent me from leaving home. We struck up a solid friendship. In the beginning, I thought he was attracted to me and wanted a relationship with me. 

I was willing to say yes to him because he captured my heart that day he saved me and took me home and didn’t sexually harass me. 

Had to spend an additional day in his father’s house, and he still didn’t touch me. I did not know such men still existed. I knew I was attracted to him, but he was not attracted to me. 

As time went on, I accepted the relationship the way it was, friendship to the core and with no strings attached. 

He related to me like a sister and trusted me, I learned to trust him as well. We went through school and graduated. 

He had the links which I didn’t have and helped me secure my NYSC posting to Lagos and my place of primary assignment posting to a top firm that ended up retaining me. 

(NICOLE’S POV)

I woke Bernard up by 4 a.m. He reacted angrily and said, “What is the meaning of this?  Reminded him that we had switched roles, and this is the time I wake up to do chores so I could meet up with other things, so he must get up and attend to the chores. 

Bernard hissed and went back to bed, I crawled out of the bed to do the chores and prepare the children for school. 

I was upset because my husband did not do the chores as we had agreed. Got back from dropping the children off at school and had to do the remainder of the chores. 

Did the laundry, cleaned, did the dishes, and cooked but then I remembered that Bernard was supposed to do all that as we had switched roles. 

Packed the food into some bowls and put them in the fridge and left just what I and the children will eat when they returned from school. 

I said to myself I was on my own and he accused me of not doing anything in the house. Bernard suggested that we switch roles so let us switch roles. 

He had already defaulted by not waking up by 4 a.m. and doing the chores and now he expects that I will make lunch and dinner he would eat when he returns. I doubt that’s something I would do. 

When Bernard returns I said to myself, I will have to remind him that we had switched roles and he should be coming home earlier so he could make dinner not returning whenever he likes and requesting dinner. 

He wants us to switch roles and we will do just that. Bernard returned in the evening and requested water to have a bath and requested for his dinner. 

I reminded him that we had switched roles and for that reason, it was his job to make dinner not request it. 

Told him I and the children were waiting for him to return from work and make dinner for us to eat. He flared up in anger asking me the meaning of such rubbish. 

Do you expect me after all the work I’ve done to return home and make dinner for you all to eat? Are you mad? I mean are you crazy? He yelled.

Calm down sweetheart I said. It was you who came up with the idea that I do nothing in this house just because I said I was tired in just one night to be intimate with you. 

I didn’t turn you down I just asked to rest for 30 minutes, and you took offense and started giving me the cold shoulder and the silent treatment even when I offered myself to you. 

A few days ago, you took me out bought me gifts and took me out on a date just to thank me for all I do around the house. 

You told me I was doing an important job. Then the next day you return from work and accuse me of doing nothing because I said I was tired from the same work you are thanking me for doing.

You told me how I do nothing in this house other than sit down and watch TV and eat food with the money you provide. 

I tried to defend myself and told you that I do more than house chores because I spend money in this house.

For that reason, you decided that we should switch roles so I can spend money since I said I was spending money while you will do chores. 

It was your idea, not mine and it was your suggestion. You said we should switch roles to teach me a lesson, so I realize how important you are and how much money you spend on the family while I do nothing. 

Well, we have switched roles and you have not done your part. To start with this morning, you ought to have woken up by 4 a.m. like I used to do.

To do the usual things I do like pack our children’s lunchboxes, get them ready for school, and drop them off like I always do but you never did any of that. 

You know this is a new session and the children needed to pay school fees and buy some other new things that they needed but you pretended you don’t know because we have switched roles. 

I paid their school fees and bought the things that they need. Now you’ve returned from work and you’re sitting here requesting water to have a bath and your dinner. 

Are you trying to say you’ve dumped all the responsibility on me? Are you trying to suggest I will now be spending money and doing chores while you do nothing? I don’t think that will work. 

(CHIKANMA’S POV)

I secured a teaching job as that was the fastest job I could find. Also had skills in tailoring, hair making, and catering. Did extra lessons just to get things to balance. I didn’t want my children to suffer and be out of school.

They had lost their loving father and that was hard enough. The life they lived now was different, but I wanted them to be comfortable.

I taught for two years before deciding to leave the job because it began to choke me. The owner of the school didn’t want any of the teachers to have a life.

I did other things on the side to earn money and needed some freedom, but it wasn’t forthcoming, so I quit.

Used the money I could save to get a sewing machine and items for my catering business and made hair whenever the opportunity came.

It was so stressful, but it was better than nothing. I continued to push further hoping for the better. From time to time my in-laws would threaten me with a new phone number because I blocked them all, but I didn’t care.

I wasn’t scared of them because I gave birth to my children not them and no one would take them from me except God.

One day I left my children with my mum and went to hustle. I got a contract to make meals for a big company, I believed it was my big break because they were willing to pay handsomely.

 When I arrived at the company, I got the shock of my life. They’ll give me the contract if I warm the bed of the CEO. He knew I was a widow who needed money.

My friend who was assisting me to secure the contract told him about me out of the goodness of his heart hoping he’ll be sympathetic towards me and give me the job, instead he used it against me.

I pleaded with him telling him my children didn’t have food. He laughed at me and told me to do the needful but I couldn’t do it.

I had never slept with a man to gain favor. Even though I was out of options it wasn’t an option.

Cried bitterly as I left his office. He laughed at me and called me a fool. I went outside and sat on the floor crying and called my friend Jay to tell him what had happened.

He couldn’t believe it, he said but he is a married man with a beautiful wife and children. Jay told me he’ll call him.

He called me back and told me he was sorry because the CEO told him it was his company and he’ll do whatever he wanted.

I wept uncontrollably where I sat on the floor, I didn’t care who was staring at me because I was simply tired of life.

No one cared to find out why I was crying, they all had their problems. I sobbed for a while because I needed to unburden my heart.

As I sniffed, a guy walked up to me and asked what the problem was and I was surprised anyone would even care.

He offered me his hand and pulled me up and took me to his car and offered me a bottle of water and some tissue because I had lost my voice from crying. Why have you been crying he asked because he had been watching me.

I narrated my ordeal to him, and he was sympathetic towards me. Told him I needed to pay rent.

He asked me for my account number and transferred 200 thousand to me. I went to my knees thanking him. He told me to stop embarrassing him because it was fine, he just wanted to help.

The good samaritan introduced himself as Gerald. I told him my name is Chikanma but I didn’t tell him I was a widow with children.

Gerald offered me a job to supply food whenever his establishment had an event and also hired me as his chef.

He made his meals but said he was tired of doing it and he didn’t like eating out but preferred home-cooked meals. I asked him how this arrangement would work.

Gerald told me I’ll come to his apartment to cook the meals. I didn’t agree with it because I didn’t want to be sexually harassed. Told him that I couldn’t do it because I was afraid of being harassed.

Gerald assured me of my safety, but I wasn’t convinced. He got my number and told me to think about it and call him to let him know what I decided.

You won’t live with me, he said. You’ll just come and make meals twice a week or whenever necessary and leave. I’ll give you a key, so I don’t have to be home when you come.

Gerald told me he would provide the money for the foodstuffs while I buy them and do the cooking, but I still wasn’t convinced. He said he just wanted to help.

Gerald offered me 150k a month. The offer seemed so tempting but I was worried about my safety, especially with the way the world had become.

I thanked him and left, had to stop by the market to buy food items, and headed home. Bought snacks for my children and the toys I promised them for a long time.

I got home and told my mum how I was disappointed, told her about the job offer and the money I received. She told me to take the job because she’d pray for me.

To be continued.

© Treasure Ezuruike.

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