*
Episode 6
*
Queen and Asha returned to the hotel where she
had packed her car and there they spent the
night. As soon as it was morning the next day, the
two girls drove back to Abuja.
Asha: “can you imagine the audacity that that
thing called Mercy has. So after all that we are
doing for her, she still had to go and tell your
parents about your lifestyle?” she asked shortly
after they had passed Ganaja junction.
Queen: “but now that I have slept over the matter,
I think Mercy is innocent. Remember that my dad
insisted that it wasn’t Mercy who told him about
what I do in Abuja and I know that my father
cannot lie about things like that” she explained.
Asha: “so who told them if she wasn’t the one?”
Queen: “you never call tell who. Remember that
the university is a place where we have so many
people, some of which we may even be related to
without us knowing” she said quietly for she was
beginning to regret walking out on her parents.
Asha: “don’t tell me that you believe that story
your father told you. Don’t you know that the old
man was only trying to wash you? Remember that
the person we are talking about here is his
brother’s daughter and so he wouldn’t want
anything to come in between you two for family’s
sakes”
Queen: “I am confused” she said trying to dodge
a trailer that was coming in at top speed from on
the one lane Abuja-Lokoja express way.
Asha: “there is nothing to be confused about. All I
know is that Mercy is leaving that house today.
Oops, I forgot that she is still with her people. All I
know is that as soon as she returns, we will throw
her things out. I cannot take the risk of allowing
her live with us, who knows one day she would
call my parents and tell them about me and you
know that my father is a retired old soldier, the
man will just kill me and bury me with his hands”
she said.
Queen: “but where will she go if we throw her
out?”
Asha: “how that one take concern me? She
should have thought of that before carrying tales
about you to your parents. If not for the runs that
you do in school, where will you get the money to
rent and furnish the apartment that she is
squatting in?” she asked rhetorically.
“hmmn” Queen inhaled deeply and exhaled loudly.
====
Mercy left her parents’ house for the Ayo’s home
so that she could meet up with Queen and Asha
who had told her to met them early so that they
could leave on time. She knew that the two girls
would not hesitate to leave her behind if she
wasted few minutes of their time. Leaving her
behind was what she wanted to avoid at all cost
because following them back to Abuja would save
her the money of transporting herself back to
school. She had already planned to buy textbooks
with the little money her parents gave her. She got
into the Ayo’s residence and knocked gently. The
couple who were having their breakfast of pap
and beans cake invited her in.
Mr Ayo: “how are you my dear? We weren’t
expecting you this early morning? How are your
parents? Join us on the table” he said amidst
mouth full of beans cake.
Mrs Ayo: “come over here and eat, I know you o,
next thing now you will say you are full”
Mercy: “thank you very much ma and sir but I am
not hungry. I already had something before I left
the house” she said politely.
Mrs Ayo: “I said it o, this one will never eat in
somebody’s house”
Mercy: “please ma, is Queen inside?” she said
holding on to her bag.
Mrs Ayo: “which Queen? The one that left the
house since yesterday without saying a word to
us?”
Mercy: “What!” her heart flew to her mouth.
Mr Ayo: “come o, Mercy. What is this news that
we hear about my daughter, your cousin flirting
with men in school?”
There was a moment of awkward silence during
which Mercy felt like the ground should open and
swallow her up.
Mr Ayo: “How true is it that my daughter us going
out with men old enough to be her father in
school?” he asked cutting through her chain of
thoughts.
Mercy who was struggling between saying the
truth and betraying her cousin’s trust or lying and
displeasing God decided to cover up for her
cousin since she had already promised that she
would not disclose her lifestyle to anyone.
Mercy: “don’t mind those rumour mongers o,
there are only trying to cause confusion in this
family” she answered tactfully.
Mr Ayo: “You have not answered my question. I
said does she flirt in school or are you trying to
hide her lifestyle from me? Wait a minute, are you
into that too?”
Mercy: “me? God forbid o. I am facing my studies
in school and Queen is doing that too. She is a
good girl, don’t pay heed to rumour mongers”
Mr Ayo: “Oda, tell me. Do you advise your cousin
at all? Do you know that she walked out on us
simply because we talked about her marrying
Peter who has been her childhood friend?”
Mercy: “We always talk to ourselves o. Don’t mind
Queen o, I am sure that with time she will bring a
man home. It’s just that this pursuit of a good
university degree leaves us with no time for other
things. Please sir and ma, just give us more time”
she said eager to leave them.
Mrs Ayo: “God bless you my child. That is how a
respectful child should talk to his or her parents.
If Queen had spoken to us the way you did, we
would have understood. Are you not somebody’s
child and yet you are this respectful? Why should
my own case be different?” she asked opening her
palms for emphasis.
Mercy: “It is okay, ma. I will talk to her when I get
to school” she said and excused herself without
giving the impression that she was supposed to
follow Queen back to the university.
Mercy took a car to the hotel in Lokoja city where
Queen had packed her car the previous day. On
making enquiries, she was told that Queen had
picked the car early morning. Mercy needed no
soothsayer to tell her that Queen and Asha had
gone back to Abuja without waiting for her.
Disappointed, she went to the park where she
boarded a bus going to Abuja. Just as she was
about to pay for her transportation fare, she was
told that someone had already paid for her. She
turned around to see someone smiling at her.
When she looked at the smiling face properly, she
realized that it was Peter. The same guy that had
gone to ask for Queen’s hand in marriage the
previous day. Her heart skipped a beat when she
saw him extend his hand to her for a handshake.
*
*
*
To be continued
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