SHE WALKED AWAY (PART 2)

And Tunji couldn’t get his mind together because Bolu had threatened to tell Caro that he came late when he gets home.

“Am so sorry I came late” Tunji said.

Still there was this awkward silence and none of the kids said anything.

Tunji’s heart trembled! He wondered what his excuse was going to be, he had fun once and back to regrets.

They got home as at 7:30pm and Caro wasn’t home, it was unusual.

“Where is my mum?” Toun said with a mild and gentle tone.

“This house feels so empty, I am scared!” she said.

Tunji picked up his phone to call Caro, but he had no airtime.

“Irresponsible me again…” Tunji said to himself

“Okay kids, let us just wait a little moment am sure it is just a hectic traffic, she would be back soon okay?” he said

But unsurprisingly they both walked out on him, and headed for their rooms.

Tunji ran off to go prepare dinner at least he had escaped Caro’s query, but he was a bit worried.

“Things might have gone wrong, but I still love her” Tunji said to himself.

He had finished preparing dinner, so for the first time he decided to do something unusual by carrying their dinner’s into their rooms. Although he knew Caro was against it, he was ready to risk it.

When he got to the room the kids were both crying with a letter in their hands…

Tunji wondered what they could have read, so he dropped the food by the bed side table, collected the letter and read:

                           Bolu

                           I know I have not been a good mother so far as expected, because I don’t have so much

                           time to spend with you

                           I am truly sorry.

                           But today I have to tell you something I ought to have said a long time ago.

                           When Toun was three years old, I had to keep you and your sister with your                                                        

                           Uncle, Sam, because the doctor said I had cancer, cancer of the blood and I was

                           dying.

                         I thought things were going to be better, but no it’s not

                         I got back from the office around 2:15pm feeling a little unusual and I am sure

                         this is where it all ends.

                         So I am writing this letter just in case I don’t make it back home, to tell you how much

                          I am going to miss sneaking into your bedrooms and pecking you,  our movie nights on Friday’sour usual Shopping on Saturday’s and. I also want you to know

                          that Tunji is your father and he is going to take care of you just as I would have done

                          As you are reading this letter I am at Havana Hospital and I hope it won’t be too late.

                          Tell your father “I love him and I am sorry.”

                                                                                                                                         CARO                      

“Are you really my father?” Bolu asked with so much tears and a heart full of sorrow

Filled with tears and short of words, he grabbed both of them and left hurriedly to the nearest bus stop and got a taxi. They got to the hospital at exactly 11:02 pm

“Doctor Williams!” Tunji shouted on getting to the hospital

Doctor Williams was heading for ward 201 when he turned back to see who was shouting.

“Oh! Mr. Tunji, I have been trying to reach you” he said

“ I am here now, is my wife okay? did you handle it well?” Tunji cried…

“But Tunji you have always known it would end one day. We di-”

Tunji interrupted, “ Doctor what the hell are you trying to tell me?” he said crying out

“Tunji we did everything we could but am sorry to say we lost her”

Tunji  dropped to the floor and wailed in agony grabbing his children hugging them so tight as they all cried

The doctor urges Tunji and the children up and ushers them to the waiting room.

“Would  you like to see your wife before she is taken to the morgue?” the doctor said

“No… that’s fine I just want to take my kids home I would be back tomorrow” he replied

Tunji thought, where he was going to start from, how was he going to care for his children, how he was going to make them happy? He had no job, to him life was going to be hell

He slept that night in so much worry after putting his kids to bed, as he cried from the depths of his heart.

The door bells rings the next morning as at 7:00am, Tunji hurries to the door, while the children were still asleep.

He opens the door,

“Can I help you?”

The young lady replied, “are you Tunji?” she said

“yes I am” Tunji replied

“I have your wife’s will”

A CHRISTMAS PACKEAGE

After a Sunday service on the 24th of December 1980.

Mrs Caroline had a wonderful day at the Church, she strolled back home with her friends there was just five of them and they all had lunch at Mrs Caroline's house. just as they were eating and cracking jokes the door bell rang at exactly 4:15pm. Caroline wasn't expecting a visitor at that time.

she headed for the door and when she opened the door she there was no one. she stepped out a little and looked towards her left and she saw a huge package. she reached for it and realized it was addressed "a gift from your love" and she smiled saying this must be Dickson my husband. she dragged it in and showed it to her friends and they all teased her. and it was time to go home so they all left Mrs Caroline's house happy and full of merry.

That evening Mrs Caroline was filled with so much joy as she waited for the arrival of her children Jamey, Fred and Sally. it was 5:30pm and she became worried, her children were not back so she called her husband but his phone was switched off as expected he must be piloting! Mrs Caroline then called her friend Mrs Pat and told her she was worried and sad. Mrs Pat asked her to come over so they could both go to the airport and find out what went wrong.

it was 8:00pm Mrs Caroline and Mrs Pat headed for the airport on getting there they were told that her children's flight had arrived an hour and half ago. so Mrs Pat consoled her and told her to go home that they are probably waiting for her at home. so they both went to Caroline's house. just at the door step of the house Caroline saw 4 extra packages but she was so unhappy to smile and this time the packages were not addressed. Mrs Pat assisted her to drag them in.

she was astonished by what she saw! her house was beautifully decorated, Christmas balls everywhere, huge white Christmas trees at the corner of the house, and a dinner table set, she saw a letter on the table in it was written Happy Christmas Eve. Mrs Caroline thought; Oh! this must be my amazing kids. Her heart was filled with so much joy, her heart beat ran faster her blood pumped love that her eyes couldn't hide

Hurriedly Mrs Pat called the rest of her friends to come see the biggest surprise for Christmas. Now Mrs Caroline had 5 packages to herself. so her friends decided to help Caroline unpack the gifts so they told her to turn around and she did. suddenly her friends screamed! and Carline turned back to see what it was as she knelt down in tears as her heart beat even faster she had seen the head of her husband Dickson and her children Jamey Fred and Sally it was exactly 12:00am and in the last box was a note in it was written Merry Christmas...

OVER 10 YEARS...

Writing letters became the order of my day...

I dint believe people change or that love dies
I loved her and she loved me, we were play mates, party mates, food mates and we cared so much about each other. Most times we quarreled but they found a way to overcome it.

After college Jane told me she was leaving Australia to continue her study in Nigeria  leaving me behind. I couldn't stop her because her mum had made her decision and neither could I follow her because I  had nothing there for me nor anybody I knew.
But Jane had to go, so she left.. We used to chat via Facebook and I would call her and we would talk. she one day asked me "Tom are we ever going be together forever?" and I said " one day I would come get you and marry you" but I was just 21 and she was 18.

one Friday I got a per time job at a medical outlet and I wanted to tell her but her phone was switched  off so I decided to send her a message on Facebook which I did but there was no reply and I was a little worried. I sent another message to her telling her that I am ready to come over to spend time with her in Nigeria tat all I needed was her address but still no reply. I thought just maybe she wasn't allowed to access her Facebook anymore so I decided to mail her yet there was no reply and I was too worried.

But I still saw pictures of her on Facebook and I thought she probably dint have my time and its over a year since she left. so I decide to focus on my career for three (3) years I abandoned face book to pursue my career. when I was done with school I realized its been four years since I last spoke to Jane so I tried her number and mails again but to no avail. I was at work one Saturday night and I bumped into her old friend who gave me Jane's address.
When I got back home I decided to send letters everyday in a year to the address I was given and I did that for another 6 years telling her how I missed her and that I hadn't forgotten my promise to marry her and that if I had offended her I was sorry.

i got an alert on my phone one afternoon from Facebook. A good looking guy as old as me who posted a picture of her saying "I miss you darling" and I thought oh! she probably is in love with someone else
but I was certain that she loved me, so I got a ticket to take me to Nigeria to find Jane. Wen I got to the address I used to send all those letters to I saw all my letters in the mail box.

I knocked and her mum opened her door, I asked "where is Jane" and she said she died 10yrs ago
Tom ran to the nearest bus stop took a taxi to the airport and traveled back to Australia and said to himself "this must be a Joke!"

HOW WAS I TO KNOW?

“Wake up children”! Mum said repeatedly, it is time to prepare for school.

Sam and I hate school so much, but mummy says “school makes us better people” and I don’t believe that. I hate school; I have no friends because they keep hammering on the fact that I have no dad. They tag me as “the fatherless girl”. It is disheartening knowing that people don’t take my emotions seriously; instead they whale at me, and make me remember how much my mum hurts when Sam and I are away from her.

“I don’t want to be in school”! I told mum. “School doesn’t make everyone better” I said. Am tired of school mum I want to be with you, mum hugged me and whispered “Lorry you make me…” I did not understand why she said that, it just couldn’t be because I said I wanted to be with her. As I raised my head hoping to understand what she meant by her statement, mum was in tears… I couldn’t figure why she was in tears, I have always known my mum to be “the tough weed”.

When Sam entered the truck, ready for school, I thought! Sam was unusually quiet and I was confused! “What exactly is going on here”? I said, and then Sam said he was hungry. I was hungry too but I couldn’t say, because there was obviously nothing to eat. There was no food, no money, no friends, nobody. We just had ourselves and our neighbors, a home without a father, a home with so much sorrow, a crying home. I held up my tears, which was like being at the top of a mountain surrounded with dark waters. When I got to class all I wondered was why did dad have to go? Why did I fall into such a hopeless family? For a second I thought, am I not being heartless by words? Then I began to reason out ways I could help my family, and yes! I was going to do all I had to do to make money regardless of what the outcome was going to be. After school I did not wait for mum to come pick Sam and I, instead I took the risk to go home. On getting home it felt like no one was home so I assumed she went to pick us up, when I got to my room there was a letter on my bed…

A letter from mum saying “ My lovely child, I have done all I can to keep you till this very age although I hid so many secrets from you but now I would tell you all”. I paused because I was scared to know what she had to say, besides where is mum? I was worried there was an usual meal set for Sam and I, I was happy about that but still I was surprised.

I continued the letter “daughter I have Kidney disease, ever since before your dad died. I have been in pains each day, hoping I would be better but I was wrong and am sorry”. It was like I was struck with sudden pain in my head, I felt my eyes full, my hands wet, I was tensed! I shouted “mum”!! I ran off to her room, mum was right there on her bed starring at me. I was scared… I got closer placed my hands on her but she did not move, I looked closely, Mum is dead! Was I to know mum was going through all this pains? She never told me what was wrong each time she cried. When Sam walked into the room in tears holding a white paper, in that paper was a test result showing mum’s critical illness. Why didn’t mum tell me?

Mum left us hopeless… but how was I to know what the problem was when she didn’t tell me?

MARIAM

Waking up to see a bright beautiful morning,

Hoping to get through to my destination in a faraway land

A world familiar to me but unfriendly to me

Wondering if my life was a mistake

Living in fear with a blank hope for tomorrow

Playing hide and seek so I don’t get caught

And when I decide to explore a little,

I get chased like I have no right!

But everyone has a purpose (me included)

I would just have to play all day till I get caught

But I am just a little ant…

What is my wrong?

       

IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE FIRST!

I got it! I got the ticket! My first summer outside Nigeria!

I always envied my friends when they told me of their vacations. Today, it is exactly one week after I got my free ticket to France; I was headed for the airport. I was anxious, it was my first flight ever and I was very excited.

I got to France a day after to spend a couple of days...
 I was led to the room by the receptionist the hotel was nothing like home, and it felt like heaven! My room was on the fourth floor, when I entered the elevator it was like space!
So many luxuries, I was stunned by the beautiful environment. I took pictures to lay as proof to my friends that I left Nigeria for summer.

At 1:30 pm the next day I decided to explore so I had my first stroll,
 France is indeed big and beautiful as everyone claims,
 but just as I stumbled upon a big attractive building one mile away from the hotel, there was a tall handsome man I saw.
 I could stare all day, but I didn’t I was too curious to discover what was in the building, so I walked confidently into the building and I was amazed!
People shopping, eating, watching movies, gambling and more, it was something I had never seen it was like a different world.

I got a drink at the bar and as I turned to get a sit, the same man that stole my attention for a second stood in front of me and said, “I am Augustus Caprio”.
 It took me seconds to respond as I was still dazed by his hazel eyes and warm body physique, yet I said “I am Linda Bootleg” lovely name, he replied.
So engrossed in our discussion while we had lunch,
 Lunch? I wondered if it was the first date. He stared at me and held my hands; it was the first love I felt.  Augustus asked me to be his girlfriend without a second thought I said yes.

It was 7:35 pm I had to go home, Augustus wasn’t happy but he understood. Surprisingly, he kissed me it was like a feel of cold ice through my veins, it was the first kiss in my first relationship ever.
On my way home I felt dizzy...
 but to my consciousness I was on my bed late for my English test, I got dressed and left hurriedly.
And on my way I bumped my leg against a stone and I had a cloudy head.
 Suddenly!..
 I heard shuffling of feet and I opened my eyes to see people exit the conference hall of “the power of women”. I looked around, saw my tag, I am Cassey Thomas, still in Nigeria.

The first dream held my first love and my first kiss. If only it was not the first dream but indeed the first.

SHE WALKED AWAY (PART 1)...

Tunji! Tunji! Tunji!!

"i hate when this man wastes my time" Caro said

"There is no excuse for this!"

Tunji approaches Caro all wet and looking rugged...

"I was having my bath, i didn't know you were set for work" Tunji said

"Do you expect me to wait all day for you?" Caro said with a stern look

and Tunji trembled with so much fear and said "I AM SORRY"

Caro walked out angrily and slammed the door, before Tunji could get to the door, she had drove off

His inner thoughts spoke...

"what kind of life am i living?"

jobless and penniless as Tunji was he promised his every tomorrow to be better...

He prepared lunch and set out to see an old friend of his.

"hello!" "Justina" He said

"where are you" Justina replied 

"i am at 1004 is that not where you said you would be?" He said

"of course i am there now..." she sighed!
They had planned to meet there for Justina's friend's birthday party 

"ok! ok! i see you just wait for me" she said

Just as Tunji turned to get a sit, he saw Justina 

She had changed!

"Justina you look amazing, i mean beyond amazing" He said still gazing at her, he couldn't help but stare. Her eyes were like the clouds in the sky, with her body like that of a polished log 

"Tunji! Tunji!!, stop looking at me like that now... she spoke with so much sarcasm 

"Am sorry" he said as he smiled. it was the first time he apologized with a relieving smile on his face

Tunji was so happy, as they laughed ate and discussed. it had indeed been a while

"Oh my God! what am i going to do" Tunji said while looking at his wristwatch  "i am late" he said

"What is it? it is only just 4 pm and by the way late for what?" Caro asked with so much curiosity

"i am supposed to pick the kid from school at 4 pm " he said

"Tunji! have you become a nanny?" Justina asked with so much hope for a negative answer

"I am sorry... i have to go" he said as he got up and hurriedly left to get the next cab to take him to British International School

Tunji got to the school as at 5 pm, he was an hour late!

Bolu was sitting outside because the school had closed and everyone had gone home

"Bolu, ... i hope you  are okay?" he said

there was no response he got into the car angrily and murmured

"what a father i have"
" wait till we get home and mummy gets to know you came late" Bolu said