MY ADAOBI

My village was a relatively small one with a population of about 1700 people. My father was a high ranking member of the Igwe’s cabinet and as such has just been invited to come to the village for an important event. The governor of our state was coming into the village for a visit and also to take the hand of a daughter of the land in marriage. It was indeed a great occasion which required the presence of every notable member of my village.
I had managed to convince my father to take me along with him to the village, not really because i wanted to meet the governor, no, that was far from my concern. My sole reason was based on a matter of the heart. A girl i had fallen in love with the last time i visited my village which was over 2 years ago.
Her name was Adaobi and she was the only daughter of her parents, of course she had 3 other brothers who were all her elders. I fondly called her Ada.
I met Ada when my family visited my village for the Christmas celebration back in 2014. I had gone to the village borehole to fetch drinking water for our house. Having come back from the “CITY” i made sure i set a class between me and the regular villagers. With earphones in my ear and one jerrycan, i set out for the borehole which was a short distance from our house. I arrived at the borehole to meet a short line of gallons. I had to put mine in line and stand aside. I kept myself busy with my phone, chatting away on 2go with my friends. Whatsapp hadn’t become popular back then. The sun was hitting hard and i had always been uncomfortable being under the sun. Ada happened to be the owner of the gallons in front of mine. I walked up to her and Touched her. She looked up at me and i was dazzled by the beauty in her face and her eyes were out of this world. Her bushy eyelashes were dope enough to put the fixed ones to shame and her finely cut, bushy eyebrows needed no eye pencil.
She was Ebony black in complexion and her skin shone like a polished Italian leather shoe.
“Please help me fetch that gallon behind yours when you are done fetching yours, i will be under that tree” i said to her looking her straight in the eyes.. She didn’t say a word, she just nodded, i murmured my thanks and left to hide from the sun under the tree.
Sitting under the tree, i decided to take in the rest of the details. She was wearing a black gown which hugged her body and outlined all the features of her body perfectly. Her figure was the shape of an hour glass, her b-----s were full and stood firm while her hips wasn’t too much or too small, they were perfect with her a-s curving out moderately. Her sumptuous legs were a bit bowed which were really cute on her.
She fetched her cans, fetched mine and motioned to me to come for it. Soon we were on our way home. She had two of her cans inside a wheelbarrow she was pushing. I was dragging mine along with my hand, switching it from left to right at intervals. She walked before me and i followed. I watched as her hips swayed from side to side and couldn’t take it anymore. I increased my pace and caught up with her.
“Hey, wait” i called her and she stopped, dropped her wheelbarrow and faced me.
“which side are you going to” i asked and dropped my gallon. She pointed in the direction of my house. I dropped my gallon into her wheelbarrow and took over the pushing myself while she walked beside me.
“So, don’t you talk? ” i asked her as we moved. She smiled revealing her dimples and i fell in love with her more.
” I talk” she replied still smiling and looking ahead of us. She didn’t try looking at me.
“So you are shy then” i continued while looking at her.
“I don’t know” she said. We continued walking in silence. We soon got to the gate to our backyard. I stopped and removed my gallon from the barrow. She took back the handle and was about to leave.
“What’s your name” i asked her.
“Adaobi” she replied.
“Can you show me your house? ” i asked her.
“It’s just down there” she said pointing further down the path.
“okay, Ada can i see you again” i asked her.
“Why do you want to see me?”
“Nothing, i would just love to”
“Okay, you will see me when the time comes” she said still not looking at me.
“Hmm, can I help you push the barrow down to your house?” i asked
“No” she retorted.
“why?”
“my parents won’t like it and i really have to go, they will be waiting for me” she said picking up her wheelbarrow.
“Okay, i will come looking for you, bye” i told her and picked my gallon of water.
“Okay o, goodbye” she said and wheeled off her barrow as I went inside our house.
[]I didn’t see Ada again for over two days and in between those times, i was tempted to go out looking for her at her house but thought twice about it when i remembered what she told me about her parents.
On 24th night, my father decided we would be going for the night vigil in my village church. We were Catholics.
At the church, i made sure i sat alone and far from other members of my family. I took a seat in the last pew at the far end if the church where i would be able to observe everything happening within the church. The church service started by 10pm and everything went slowly like it always did at Christmas night vigils. I was always on the lookout for Ada or anything that looked like her. It wasn’t until during the offering time that i saw her. She was on a white fitted gown and had a black hooded sweater over it. Her hair was covered by a head warmer. I followed her around with my eyes and made sure i found out where she sat. I focused my attention on her right until service was over. Service was dismissed at a little after 1am and everywhere was already rowdy with the sounds from people, noises and flashes from fireworks. I got up from my seat and went after Ada as she was heading towards the exit door along with the crowd trooping out of the church. As i was struggling hard to wade through the crowd, i lost sight of her, she had disappeared into the sea of people. I walked out of the church building feeling very disappointed. I scanned the whole place with my eyes and couldn’t make her out, dejectedly i walked to where our car was parked and everybody was there except my dad. We all wished each other a merry xmas. I leaned at the boot of the car and started searching around for my father. I found him standing with the Rev Father who had officiated the midnight service and at their far right was Ada. She walked down to where i was and passed, she probably didn’t know i was there.
“you guys should go without me, i’m coming ” i said to my people and ran after her before they could ask where i was going.
” Why do you keep disappearing and reappearing?” i asked as I caught up with her. She turned to me and smiled
“Merry xmas” she sang out.
“Wish you the best, where have you been since” i asked
“Nowhere, why do you ask? ”
“Nothing, just that I’ve been looking for you for a long time now”
“Hmmm, where and where did you look for me ”
” Everywhere ” i said and we both laughed. I held her hand as we walked home. We took a lonely path, we needed no distraction. It was obvious we were into each other but i didn’t want to tell it straight to her that i liked her, i just wanted to let things play out by itself. I walked her to her house and we stood by their thatched fence and talked for some while. It was obvious we didn’t want leave each other’s company. Eventually i had to let go. She turned reluctantly to walk inside, i stood and watched her with love in my eyes. I called her back and hugged her. She pecked me on my cheek and we both left for our various destinations.

Our affair soon kicked off with the days that followed. She was a bit shy but can be naughty when she decides to. We downplayed out relationship, meeting only when nobody was around or in the covers of darkness. We would both walk together, hand in hand to a big tree that was at the back of our house, there we would snuggle together and tell each other the sweet tales of our lives.
We even taught each other how to kiss and how we would like to be kissed and it was the best practical i have ever done.
“Don’t you have a girlfriend in the city?” she would often ask me and i would reply in the negative, although it was a lie, I couldn’t afford to lose and ruin this perfect love with the truth. Sitting together, we would sketch love letters to each other and exchange them sealed to be read later at home. I got to know a great part of the village through her. She would give me a tour when she was less busy and we would walk hand in hand to place she thought were exciting and indeed, they were exciting. Our visit to the village stream was perhaps the peak of it all. We had targeted when nobody would be there, on a hot afternoon, we both set out for the stream. I held unto her as we climbed down the hilly part that led down to the stream. The stream was empty as everyone was either visiting relatives or spending time with their families. I stripped down to my boxers while she wore only a black singlet that showed her ripe b-----s and a tight boxers. We jumped into the water and held onto each other. She thought me how to swim, although it took long but i did learn. After a long time of playing games in the water, i swam to where she stood, grabbed her and we kissed each other, i pulled down her boxers in the water and carried her up, she encircled her legs around me as i inserted my s-x organ into hers. We made terrific love there not minding if we were alone or not. After the love making, i dressed her and carried her to the bank of the stream where i carried her on my laps as we waited for the water on our bodies to dry. We went home late in the evening.
The xmas holidays seemed to have ran past as we soon got to new year. As always, we went for the night mass only this time, i didn’t go with my family, i had gone with Ada. It took us almost an hour to make a journey of 5 minutes to the church, we would kiss, carry each other on our backs, run, walk and sit by the road side. Throughout the period the church service lasted, we were outside in a secluded corner loving up.
We prayed the holidays would never end but it did end and fast too. We both dreaded the day i would return to the city with my family. We tried our best to make good use of the time we had left. We spent more time with each other, we skipped meals, hid our from our various families just to be with each other. I loved Ada and it was a terrific kind of love. I had wished my grandma or grandpa was alive so i could stay back and in the guise of helping them out spend eternity with Ada but it wasn’t so. The day of my departure eventually came and i almost cried. We wrote each other the longest Love letter ever. The previous night was the most emotional moment i ever had in my life. We kissed, hugged, cried and made love like it was our last night. And when the time came, it was more than i could take. We hugged each other and i didn’t want to let go. She consoled me and we promised to speak on phone. Then we left for the city.
We got back to our house in the city a little later in the evening. I went straight to my room, locked the door and fell on my bed. I pulled a picture of Ada that she had given to me and stared at it. I had met so many other girls whom i had infatuated over, i fell crazily for them and when we lost connection, it had always seemed to me like i would never love another but then one thing over another, i always got back to my feet quickly and in search of new love. But from the first day, i knew Ada was going to be a different case. There was something about her that moved me. When you love someone so dearly, you can’t possibly say why, all you know is that feeling is there and they just seem to be perfect, that was how i felt about her.
A knock on my door brought me out of my thoughts..
“Yes, who is it?”
“Its me”. She didn’t need to say her name for me to know it was our last born, princess. I hid the picture in my locker and opened the door, princess dragged her teddy behind her and jumped on my bed. I stared at her and she looked back, giving me her charming smile which always knocks me out.
“So?” i said trying to sound harsh
“Nothing” she said giggling. I smiled back at her and lifted her up from the bed. Princess was the last child of our family and she was just 4 years old, she took after our mother in skin tone and beauty. My mother was fair and pretty. She was tall like an average woman should be and three of my sisters took after her but princess was the carbon copy. I was the eldest and only male child of my father. While my sisters took after mother, i resembled my father. He was tall and dark in complexion with an athletic build. That description matched me although i was on my way to being taller than him. We were four children in my family. I and three of my sisters. Chinaza, Chidera and Princess. Cute girls that turned heads everywhere they went. Chinaza and chidera were equally fair like our mother and it was hard to say who was the hottest or most beautiful. They had this very set of eyes that gave them away as siblings. I was in my ss3 class and 17 years old, Chinaza was in her ss2 class and was 16, Chidera was in js3 and was 12. My father worked as Engineer in one of the oil firms and his works were mostly offshore which took him far away from the house most of the times leaving me to play man of the house most of the time. We were rich and we had anything we needed to an extent.
I believed i’m cute because girls tripped over me everywhere and i did enjoy the attention. Most of my flings had been with my sister’s friends whom often visited me in the guise of coming to see my sister Chinaza. Chinaza was beautiful like an angel but she wasn’t one, she knew why her friends visited and had often covered for me many a times. My family was a happy one.
[]I resumed school a week after our return from the village. My father would have the driver drop me off at school but i preferred going on my own which afforded me the chance to mingle with other students and talk to some girls too.
After the morning assembly, the first person to welcome me was Janet, my girlfriend. She lived a little far from our neighborhood and she was also from a rich family. She was a little fair in complexion, beautiful and saucy. She saw herself as better than anyone else and therefore wants more respect than she deserves. Of course she was beautiful and she knew it, she also knew a lot of guys would do anything to have her look at them, this made her more cheeky and i wasn’t spared of it at times despite being her boyfriend. But then, she can be sweet when she wants to. She was in art class and I was in science. We were both in our ss3.
She had ran to me while i was walking to my class and hugged me tight. I hugged her back.
“I missed you baby” she said and squeezed my hand.
“I missed you too” i said and pinched her on her cheek, she giggled revealing her open teeth and cute dimples. She walked me to my class clutching my hands in hers. She had always made it her special duty to show everyone that she had claimed me and therefore i was off limits for any other girl. Girls around her knew how rascal she could be when her interests were at stake and so flirt with me only out of her view.
My day at school were spent thinking about Ada, what she was doing at each moment and if she thought about me same way i was thinking about her. I would at intervals bring out her letter which i had neatly wrapped and kept in my wallet, read them over and over again and smile.
We always walked home after school because it was fun for us. Janet would often argue that we weren’t supposed to be walking home under the hot sun and would often threaten to abandon me and board a bus but whenever she sees that i’m not ready to budge, she will grudgingly walk with us making sure that no girl had more than her own fair of discussion with me. This was the case the second day of school resumption, we were all walking home with ever holding my hand when my phone rang. I brought it out and a totally new number was on display, i picked it and put it into loud speaker.
“Hello, baby it’s me” a female voice shouted. I quickly removed it from loud speaker and put it to my ear and to my Joy, i found out it was Ada. I shifted from Janet’s side as we talked. She was calling with her mom’s number which i can’t call back with no matter what, she was specific with that warning. We talked for about 2 minutes in which we said bye. I put the Phone back in my pocket and walked back to Janet who gave me the most epic look i had ever seen. She for sure heard what Ada said when the phone was on loud speaker. She hissed at me and increased her pace leaving me to run after her. I decided i was too tired to do that so i decided to pick another female companion, just then, Janet ran back and dragged me along with her..

I was Janet’s territory and nobody was allowed to trespass. She gave life to the word insecurity. She would get jealous at me for even leaving her to attend to my sisters. Yes that was Janet. So you could imagine the amount of tongue lashing i got from her that day after Ada called. I had managed to convince her into believing that it was my cousin from the village that called. One thing i loved about her was that she was easily pacified. She was sure to smile for you after after a few teases…
Three days after the day Ada called and i was desperate to hear her voice again. I called like 5 to 6 times and her mom always picked and each time i would drop the call and block her number from calling back. I was getting frustrated when an idea struck me. I ran into Chinaza’s room and met her changing from her school uniform, she wore only her pants and bra and quickly covered herself the moment i came in, i looked away and sat on her bed.
“The people who invented knocking on doors weren’t stupid you know? She said and rolled her eyes at me
“The people who invented door locks weren’t stupid too and besides what are you hiding?, remember i took care of you when you were this little” i demonstrated with my hand a little close to the floor “and that included bathing you”
“Silly boy” she said and wore the rest of her clothes while i waited for her.
“Naza can you speak English with the most local intonation you know” i chose English because apart from our parents, no one else knew how to speak our mother tongue Igbo.
“Why? ” she said and looked at me.
” Don’t ask me, just speak ”
” Hmmm, So why du yu wantu me to du dati” she said in a funny way and we laughed.
“Good, i need you to do something for me”
“What? ”
” You are going to call a number i will give you, an elderly woman will pick, you will tell her that you are Adaobi’s girlfriend at school and that she should give her the phone and when she does that, you hand back the phone to me, can you do that?”
“Its simple, it will cost you 2000” she said.
“Thats outrageous, 2000, just to call someone with my own airtime o” i said
“Then call her yourself ” she said and made to leave the room.
” Ok i will give you 1000″ i said as i was desperate
“Cool, where’s the number? ”
” You sure know you shouldn’t be using all these posh grammar and intonation on her, she’s not stupid and should sure know when she’s talking with a village school girl”
“I know, just get the number “..
She called, Chinaza was a perfect actor, i soon got through to Ada, i pushed Chinaza out and lay on the bed as i got emotional with Ada. We talked for as long as 15 minutes then we reluctantly said goodbye. I left the room for the parlor and Naza was there waiting for her 1000 naira.
“Kingsley is owing me 2000, take the 1k from him and tell him i said he can keep the rest” i said and laughed. Chinaza’s face puffed liked an over soaked bread. She ran after me with her slippers in her hand.
Kingsley was her boyfriend…
[]I was in the village and i was in the only place that i ever want to be with the only person that i ever want to see, under that tree with Ada and the sun was just setting. The sky was golden and the atmosphere was serene. We were sitting on the big outstretched roots of the tree, cuddling each other and talking sweet.
“How many kids would you like to have? ” i asked her. She giggled and say four.
” Hmm, same as me” i said
“I would like 2 boys and 2 girls, it would be even that way” she added. I smiled, closed my eyes and kissed her on the forehead.
“Quincy, i think someone is calling you ” she whispered. I opened my eyes and everything seemed upside down, a small part of my head seemed to sting, i closed my eyes.
” Quincy someone is calling you” Princess’ tiny voice rang out. I opened my eyes again and princess was sitting on me in the bed trying to hand over my phone which was ringing. I had obviously fallen asleep and was dreaming. I took the phone from her and put it to my ear, the ringing tone pierced my ear and i took it off my ear immediately, princess laughed while i smiled and picked the call.
“Hello baby, guess what?” Ada’s sweet voice shouted excitedly over the speaker
“Hey sweetheart, what?”
“Guess naa”
“Okay, the king’s eldest son just proposed to you?” i said and scoffed.
“Mad boy, noo”
“You won a U. S visa?”
“Hahaha, no again”
“Just tell me please ” i pleaded.
“No, keep guessing”
“Ermm, you are pregnant for me”
“You are silly”
“Ada tell me naa, before i die of suspense”
” Okay, I will tell you “she said and paused while i listened.
” Well, i’m coming over to the city for my waec exams” she shouted and i jumped from my bed.
“You are coming over here Ada?” i asked excitedly.
“Yes baby, i will be staying with my aunt”
“Please when are you coming? Today, tomorrow? When baby? ”
I was obliviously too excited.
“Don’t worry, i will soon be there” she said
“You know i have many things i would like us to do when you come. Please make it quick”
“I will, i have to go now, talk to you later”
“Okay baby, i love you so much”.
“I love you too, bye” she said and dropped the call. I threw my phone on the bed and jumped up on it. I looked at princess and she was staring at me.
“You love who?” she asked tilting her head in a funny way. I picked my phone.
“Oya take Phone, go outside and play candy crush” i said handing the phone over to her..
For the days that followed,all i did was wait on her coming like it’s the second coming of Christ. I had already thought out interesting things i wanted to do with her. I lit the whole house with my excitement. Even Janet got her own share of it. I kind of followed her up with anything she wanted to do, she was a sort of control freak and nothing made her more happy than having me do the things she wanted me to do, it gave her the idea that i loved her.
The day came, i was in Janet’s house, teaching her mathematics. She was slow with anything that looked like mathematics and was nonchalant about it. She just used the mathematics as an excuse to have me in their house while her parents were around.
“I know you have 3 pink and 4 red bras, so you’re going to school and you dipped your hand into your bag randomly to pick one, what is the probability that you will pick a pink one?”
I was trying to explain to her the concept of probability. She just stared at me with a funny expression on her face.
“Jane see, you have to add the total number of bras in the bag and it would be….. ”
“Must you talk about my bra?” she interrupted me leaning on the table and supporting her chin with her hand.
“I’m just trying to give examples this girl ”
” must it be my bra? ”
” Ok, let’s use your pants” i said and laughed.
” No, Q why how did you know the color of my bras? ”
And that was how our maths lesson ended and bra colors took over. We were still talking about it when my phone rang. An unsaved number appeared on the screen. I rushed it before Janet could snatch it away, i picked and Ada’s melodious voice came up.
” Baby i’m in my aunts house ” she said excitedly. I maintained my calm. I didn’t want Janet intruding although whenever my phone rings, she automatically concludes its a girl that’s calling and she’s not always wrong. She stared at me as I talked with Ada, she gave me the address to her aunts house and it was a bit far but i guess love knows no barrier. I couldn’t wait for another time to see her and so i decided i was going to meet her right away.
“I have to go, there’s something i need to do” i said to Janet as i dropped the call and got up from my seat.
“Whats that? ” she asked looking up at me
” I have to get my mom’s car from the mechanics workshop” i lied
“Ok, i will go with you ” she said getting up from her seat
” No, i will first go to the Atm to get money for the mechanic and i will be trekking”
“I can cope, let me change ”
” No, i need to be fast, taking you along will delay me” i said desperately trying to keep her off.
“I will be fast, you know i walk faster than you”.
Janet is a stubborn girl but i couldn’t afford to compromise here, not because of her but for the sake of Adaobi.
“My mom said i should go alone “.
That was a lame excuse but i was running out lies.
“Quincy!!” she shouted
“See eh, don’t worry, i will be back soon” i finally said. I kissed her and ran out before she could call me back. I flagged down a bike as soon as i got outside and we rode off.

Ada came out to meet me at a spot a little distant from where they lived. She ran to me without her arms stretched for a hug, i hugged her and lifted her off the ground, whirled her around and dropped her. We held each other in a tight embrace for some time before i we disengaged and i observed her all over. She wore lose blue gown but her features were still well defined. I observed her long enough to decide that i hadn’t made a mistake in falling for her. She was my spec and i could trade anything for her even Janet. I took her to a nearby pavement and i sat on it while she sat on my laps.
“Who’s phone did you call me with?” i asked her
“My aunt’s own, don’t call it but i will always call you with it”
“Okay or maybe i will get my sister to do what she did the other”.
She smiled and her facial features lit up. In that moment that we were alone, nothing else mattered, not even the chance that her aunt could bust in on us, all that mattered was that we were together once more and was going to make the most out of it. The time was a little to 6pm and we weren’t in a rush to leave. Her aunt was a nurse and so had gone for her night shift while the husband was still at work.
“When will you be coming to my house?” i asked her
“Whenever you want ”
” I want now”
“You know its not possible, i just got here, it will look like am a bad girl” she said
“Hmmm, are you a good girl?” i asked her and smiled
“Quincy! ” she called and frowned.
” Don’t mind me, you know you are my queen, i was just kidding”. She smiled and kissed me, i held onto her as our lips made noise as we kissed. We laughed and she stood up. We decided it was getting late and we had to leave, i walked her hand in hand to their gate where we hugged and kissed each other Goodnight.
I was back at Janet’s house the next day where we Romanced her maths textbook. This time around, we were in her room and the door was locked on her parents suggestion, they didn’t want her younger ones disturbing us, if only they knew.
“I’m hot” Janet said fanning herself with her fingers.
“Of course you are hot, with your killer curves and everything ” i said pretending not to understand what she meant by being hot.
” Don’t be silly, can’t you see i’m sweating here”
“Yes now, you are smoking hot, why won’t you sweat”.
She hissed at me, got up from the bed and switched on the fan. She came back and sat on my laps. I dropped her on the bed and kissed her. We kissed and kissed and that was all that we did. She had earlier put a stop to our sexual activities ever since she attended a church program where the pastor strongly condemned premarital s-x, meanwhile the pastor had been rumored to be banging the choir girls. Hypocritical..
We ended our supposed mathematics lesson by 5pm and i got up to go. My eyes fell on a Nokia torchlight phone that was on her drawer.
“Are you using it?” i asked her picking it up.
“No, why do you ask?”
“I need it”
“what for?”
“for something, you ask too many questions” i said
“You always say that whenever you are up to something mischievous” she said.
“Don’t worry, you don’t need to know”.
I left with the phone while she saw me off, dragging me along.
I bought a simcard, registered it and gave the phone to Adaobi and that bridged our communication gap to an extent.
She had called me one day and asked me to suggest a school for her, her aunt was going to enroll her in a school and wanted her to make the enquiries herself. She had wanted to come to my school but i wouldn’t have that. It would be a total disaster considering that she may end up in the same class with Janet.
We ended up choosing another school which was a little close to mine and it was where princess schooled. A Clever me knew i had higher chances of seeing her everyday if she was there, my cover was picking up princess from school which was my mom’s duty until Ada came and i relieved her of it. She thanked God that her Son was shaping into a responsible young man who cared about his family while I thanked God for that beautiful opportunity.
I had only one problem. Janet. I was her boyfriend and also her handbag. She loved showing me off like i was an expensive chanel bag. She had insisted she would follow me anytime i went to pick Princess and i had bluntly refused. It became a messy issue, of course she wasn’t stupid, she probably suspected something was fishy. She fought and fought and lost. She was gradually losing her relevance to me, Ada had taken over. All my times were spent with Ada and Janet saw little of me. It drove her crazy until she couldn’t take it anymore. She came into my class one day while we were on break. She wanted to talk and i didn’t want to. She had insisted or hell would be let lose. I was scared of hell so i had to give in.
“Quincy was it something i did?” she asked as she held my hand. We were seated alone at the back of the class. She was getting emotional and i was disliking the whole drama.
“Jane you did nothing and nothing is wrong, i’m still with you, am i not? ”
” No, you are not, you are pushing me away and you know it, and it’s hurting me” she was obviously trying her best not to cry and i prayed she doesn’t, to save me the embarrassment.
“I’m sorry if you feel that way, its just that i have been busy and nothing more. I still love you Jane “. I said that but i wasn’t sure i meant it.
” Then why don’t come looking for me again? Why don’t you call, and when i call, you don’t pick, Quin why?”
” I told you i have been busy, i wonder why you are making so much fuss over nothing “..
The bell rang for end of break and she had to go back to her class. We arranged to meet after school. She would accompany to pick my sister from school. Adaobi didn’t go to school that day so it was safe.
We walked all the way to princess school and walked back together. It was a bit fun as k carried princess on my head. A feeling still existed between us but what i felt for Ada was much more and i had prayed it was not the effect of our newly found love which often faded as time goes on. I accompanied Janet right to their gate, she hugged me and i felt a pang of guilt pierce my heart. She obviously loved me but the feeling was deviating from being mutual.
“Janet” i called her as she wanted to go inside their house.
“Yes” she answered and turned
“I’m sorry but i’m seeing someone else” i said. I felt like I needed to let her know. I didn’t want to disappoint her or hurt her more than she already was. I don’t know how i expected her to react to it but her reaction wasn’t expected.
She barely nodded as a string of tear fell of her left eye. She said goodbye and closed the gate behind her. I carried my little sister home feeling guilty and free.

I felt a bit of pity for Janet even though I was blinded by my love for Ada. Asides her pompous and overbearing attitude, she was a sweet girl and did care a lot about me.
She came to my house the following day and i was alone. She seemed to have changed over night. She looked humbled and tired, her eyes were a shade of red and her face wasn’t so bright as before. Believe me, i wasn’t so happy this was happening but it was all pity that i felt, if love was ever in the equation, i will guess its so small to be consequential. She had sat and stared at me with pity in her eyes.
“What happened Quin, who is that girl?” she had asked me
“Her name is Ada, i met her the last time i travelled to my village and she is right now living in this town” i didn’t believe i was giving her the details, it only went further to prove how deep i was into Ada and i was ready to show her to the world.
“Quincy is there nothing left between us, is there Nothing i can do to get you back to me? ” she asked.
Dumping her the way i did was wicked in a way but giving her the answer to that question would be straight heartless of me. I didn’t know what to do or say. I went over to her and hugged her. She held me tight and sniffed.
” Just know i didn’t expect this to happen, we met and fell for each other and there was nothing we could do”
“You could have remembered that someone loved you and was waiting for you to come back, Quincy just have it in mind that you hurt someone that loved and cared about you, i won’t forget that”. She said and left. I can’t say i need her forgiveness because i didn’t think i did anything wrong. I didn’t exactly woo her or asked her to be my girl, back then everyone was after her in school because it seemed she was the next big thing, she was the queen of the school and all the guys wanted her but she wanted none of them. She was a girl that knew what she wants and wouldn’t hesitate to go for it. That was how she got close to me, she obviously was digging me but i needed her just to brag to my friends with her. She was a girl you could take to any party. That was how we kicked off.
I met Ada later in the evening. When her aunt had left for the hospital and her husband wasn’t back yet. I needed to see her to get out of the mood Janet put me in.
“I don’t like the way my uncle looks at me” she told me as we strolled around.
“What? He doesn’t like you” i asked
“No, he looks at me like he wants to eat me” she said and we laughed
“So he is eyeing you? ” i asked
” I think so, just yesterday when my aunt was still out, he was asking me if he could help me carry my waist as if it was heavy”
“Hmmm, tell him that I’m strong enough to carry it for you” i said and she hit me on my arm.
“Don’t be silly, I’m just avoiding him for now, i don’t know why boys are always looking at me whenever they are around me”
“Its because you are beautiful”
“I don’t like it, it makes me feel like i’m wearing my cloth upturned and i may trip and fall one day from their looks.”
I held her hand and squeezed it, she squeezed back and kissed her on the forehead.
“I love you, just know that no one will ever love you more than i do” i said and she hugged me.
“I love you too ”
” I’m lucky to have you, can i help you carry your waist?” i asked smiling.
“Its yours “she said as as i lifted her off the ground.
Life moved on smoothly, I virtually spent more time at Ada’s school than i spent in mine. We were the exam class and so we went to school only when we felt like. Ada would come over to our house in her school uniform and there we would spend the rest of the day having the fun of our lives and when it was time for school to dismiss, i would drive with her to their school, pick up princess, drive her back to their house and then go home with princess. It was the perfect arrangement and we enjoyed every moment of it. Something about her uniform always turned me on, perhaps it was the way it brought out her curves and everything. And one would wonder why guys won’t stare at her. We were always all over each other and i just couldn’t get enough of her.
“My body has killed you ” she would say to me
” Its not just your body, its everything about you”
I loved walking behind her anytime we were together, the way her hips swayed like they were liquid made me thank God each time that she was mine.
She had called me up one Saturday morning to come and pick her up.
“My aunt is on morning duty and her husband is at home, i’m not comfortable here o” she had said over the phone. My mom had gone shopping with two of my younger sisters and i was babysitting my favorite sister, princess. I was a jealous lover and i wouldn’t want anybody to even see what my girl had talk more of tasting it, i had that exclusive right and it was not to be shared.
“Where will you tell him you are going? ” i asked her
” I already told him i would be attending lessons at school today”
“Sharp girl” i said.
We dropped the call, i quickly dressed up and i carried princess to my dad’s car, a tinted black Toyota Hilux truck. We sped our way to Ada’s house and i Parked opposite their gate. I called her number, it rang but she didn’t answer. I called five times but still she didn’t pick. I had to leave Princess in the car and snuck my way into the house. It was a regular type of bungalow, they lived alone in the house.
I opened the front door and found myself in their parlor. At the far end was a door that led to a corridor. I followed it and found a door to a room slightly opened. I took a peek and saw a man with his back to the door, he wore a singlet and boxers and behind in front of him was Ada.
She was crying and begging him not to do whatever it is that he was trying to do which was obvious, he was trying to rape her. The tears on Ada’s face made me crazy and the sheer thought of the shameless brute forcing himself on her drove me mad. I wanted to jump into the room but checked myself. It was obvious he could overpower me so on a second thought, i ran outside, found a piece of long wood and came back in with it. I took a peek at the room again and this time he had thrown Ada on the bed and was ripping off her pant, blinded with fury, i ran into the room and with all my strength, i smashed the wood on his head, he landed on his stomach and tried getting up, filled with anger and rage, i took a another shot at the back of his head and he fell flat and didn’t move again. Ada jumped up from the bed, terrified and hugged me. I kissed her before we moved to observe her uncle, the foor was already wet with his blood. We shook him but he lay motionless. Ada shook him violently and called him uncle many times but it yielded no result. She stood up and covered her mouth with her hands. I was too scared to do anything.
“we have killed him” she cried
“No, it was me” i said, i didn’t want her Sharing the blame.
“What do we do?” she asked
“Nothing, let’s run” i said
“But we can’t leave him here” she said as she cried more. I couldn’t wait any more. I took her hands and we ran out of the house to the car. We quickly got in and i drove off…
We drove back to my house silently as Ada sobbed. Princess stared at us from the back seat. I wasn’t in the mood to say anything to her. It was funny that after all that had happened, i was only bothered with Ada’s welfare. We got home and i carried Princess while i held Ada’s hand as we went inside. I left princess in my mom’s room and took Ada to mine. We both Sat on the bed and stared at the wall. Ada had stopped crying, she just sobbed and sniffed.
“What do we do?” she asked me
“I don’t know, he deserves whatever happened to him for Trying to force himself on you” i sounded stone cold and mean. It was Ada and i cared less about any other person. She snuggled closer to me and rested her head on my shoulder. She cried and i consoled her. It hurts me when i see her crying. I loved Ada fiercely and it even scared me.
“we need to take our bath and you need to change your cloth” i told her and she nodded. I heated water for our bath and we both went in together. I virtually bathed her as she was to numb to do anything. It was a bit refreshing as we cuddled under the shower. I kissed her a number of times before we left the bathroom. I wrapped her in my very big towel as we went into Chinaza’s room to look for clothes.
“I don’t think any of Chinaza’s pants can size you because your butt is two times her own” I said and she gave me the first smile since that day and it lit my heart. We scavenged through Chinaza’s wardrobe and later found a gown i assumed will fit her. It did fit her, all though a bit tight on her, it was perfect and made her look more sexy.
I checked on my little sister and she had fallen asleep. I went back to my room with Ada and we sat on the bed.
“What would you like to eat?” i asked her
“Nothing, i don’t have the appetite ” she said calmly. I too didn’t have the appetite.
” Do you think he is still lying down there?” she asked me with worries all over her face.
“I don’t know, where are your aunts children? ” I asked as i remembered that i didn’t see them.
” Uncle sent them out to a friend’s house. Maybe he didn’t want them to be around when he wanted to rape me” she said.
“I think we should go to the police ” i said, it was eventually dawning on me what i just did. I had probably killed a man.
” But they will arrest you, Quincy i don’t want anything to happen to you because of me” she cried.
“Ada i don’t care.. ”
” Let’s go to my house and check on him, maybe he didn’t die, maybe he just passed out” Ada said with tears in her eyes. I cuddled her to myself, i was trying to comfort her but i also needed comforting myself.
“Let’s go to your house first. You will eventually go there in the end, so i think its better we go now” I said. She agreed. I woke Princess up and we took her with us. I couldn’t leave her alone in the house. This time around, we didn’t take the car. We took a bike.
We got to the house and everywhere was quiet. We slipped into the room where everything happened. With my heart in my mouth, i pushed the door open and the floor was wet with clotting blood but the floor was bare. His body was no longer there..

We searched around the house but it was virtually empty. We went back to the room wondering what must have happened.
“Quincy whats that red thing on the ground” Princess asked me
“Its tomato sauce ” i replied her
” It looks like blood” she said.
“No its not blood”
“I don’t like this house, let’s go home” she said. Neither of us liked staying there too. We left the room, on our way out to the parlor, Ada’s aunt came in.
“Aunty good afternoon” Ada greeted her and i too greeted her. She was on her uniform, she looked smart in it but her face wasn’t so bright. She looked all worried. She had barely nodded at our greetings.
“Adaobi where have you been since?” she asked
“Aunty i was at school, i’m just coming back now” Ada lied. She was fast with the reply like it was premeditated.
“And who is he?” She asked regarding me
“He is my friend, i attend the same school with his sister”
It wasn’t exactly a lie but she left out the fact that little princess was the schoolmate. Her aunt didn’t bother to ask.
“Aunty i saw blood in your room, a whole lot of blood and i became afraid, that was why i invited him”
“Ada its your uncle o” she said and her eyes moistened “I came home only to meet him in his own pool of blood, no one was at home and i had to call people who helped me take him to the hospital.” she finished in tears.
I didn’t know how to react, i wasn’t an actor. I just kept mute and stared like i was shocked. I wasn’t supposed to act more than i did, after all i was just meeting her aunt and the husband for the first time.
“What happened to him?” Ada seemed to shout.
“He had injuries at the back of his head, he is unconscious right now and the doctors are trying to revive him, he lost a lot of blood and they are looking for donors.” she explained.
“Let’s go and see him” Ada said.
“We will go back, let me cook something for when he wakes up”.
She went to prepare food, while Ada wiped the room of the blood. Little princess walked all over the house like she had lived there for a hundred years. Soon we were set and we left for the hospital. The doctor was still looking for blood donors, apparently, his wife’s didn’t match his.
“Can you check mine?” i asked as they were making calls trying to contact their family members. Everyone looked at me and i shrugged. I was immediately checked, scans conducted and my blood matched his. I was drained at intervals. It wasn’t a wonderful experience and i couldn’t believe i did for a man whom i now hated so much but then, the harm was done by me in the first place and if he died, it would be my fault. His wife and Ada thanked me so much. Ada was by me as we went through that phase, our bond grew stronger by the minute and she couldn’t hide her affection for me even in front of her aunt.
I guess she was too occupied to even bother. The man woke up later in the day, he was grateful for my help. He said he had fallen down in his room and busted his head on the tiled floor. The wound on his head made the story a convincing one.
I breathed a sign of relief when everything was over. I, Ada and Princess went home later in the evening. I escorted Ada to their house, kissed her Goodbye and and took my sister home.. ..
Things moved on. I became a highly placed guest at Ada’s home but that in no way affected my hatred for the aunt’s husband. Ada always liked to have me around the house, first, for my company and secondly, in case her uncle decided to do something funny. Our waec exams were getting closer and everyone was busy with studies. I started attending extra lessons. Ada managed to convince her aunt and she too joined me. We would go by 2pm and come close by 6pm, by the time we were through playing love and everything, we would be getting home around 7:30.
Everyone at the lesson center knew us as a couple. Most of our various school mates attended the lessons with us and that included Janet. She had stopped talking to me and i supposed she had moved on.
Surprisingly, Ada was smarter than she looked. She loved answering questions there and soon became popular, all the guys wanted to know her, she was cute and sexy and so it was a normal thing. I loved showing her off to everyone and my classmates thought she was cute. I was the mr handsome and every girl around wanted to fling. I did flirt around but i tried to keep it moderate. Ada didn’t mind much, she seemed glad that a lot of girls wanted what she had. She knew she had me and in the end, it was us alone in our world.
I seemed to notice that Janet stared at me once in a while. She would take her eyes away anytime i caught her. I decided it wasn’t cool for me to observe her from afar, after all we were once together.
“Janet” i called her as i walked up to her after lesson one day. She looked at me and looked away.
“Are you now going to start ignoring me” i asked her
“What do you want from me” she asked facing me.
“Nothing, just thought i should know how you are doing for old times sake”
“I’m doing fine as you can see” She was trying her best to sound harsh but I saw through her camouflage and i saw the softness in her. I know Janet like i know the palms of my hand, she wouldn’t even be standing there with me if she didn’t care.
“I see, nice to know” i said.
“So that’s the village girl you are sleeping with now eh? ” she asked with so much bitterness in her voice. I looked at Ada’s direction and saw her smiling at me. A guy was telling her something but her attention was on me. I loved being cocky atimes, so i decided to give Janet a cocky answer.
” Yes, she’s the one”
“So she gives it easily to you or what, is that why?”
“Hmm, maybe, i don’t have to fight for it”. The reply got to her, she stood speechless, we stared at each other for a while before Ada came and took me away.
I was in my room that night when my phone rang, i looked and it was Janet. Curiously i picked her call.
“Hello?” i said
“Quincy. Its Janet”
“Oh, whats up? ” i asked
” nothing, will you be free tomorrow? ”
” It depends on why you are asking”
” I want to see you ” she said with a little stammer.
” Why, what for? ” i asked
” I need your help with my maths, i’m serious now”
“Fine, lets wait for tomorrow ”
” Goodnight”
” Yea, Goodnight ”
I was really apprehensive about Janet’s motive, she could get anybody she wanted to teach her mathematics. She had chosen me definitely for a reason and i was afraid i may not be able to resist her.
Janet came around the next day, around 11 am. I was alone in the house. She looked good and was on a black gown that outlined her body, she looked sexy on it.
We took the study to the study table in my room. I was determined to keep the relationship on a study basis. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy but i did try. She seemed to be learning quicker than before and that made it fun.
I tried my best to clear up any issue that may come up in the future, i made sure Ada always came in time to meet us studying, she would join us and when it was time for us to go for our lessons, we would go together. Ada didn’t mind mind, i couldn’t say the say for Janet, if she did mind, she never showed it but she always seemed quiet and so distant anytime Ada came in. Ada was becoming a little more carefree and bold which was a little contrast of Janet. I don’t think she liked it and i don’t think i cared.
My private lessons with Janet went on normally for days until after sometime, i noticed i was becoming more attracted to her and i didn’t know why, maybe it was as a result of her sudden humble composure. Janet had never been much of a talkative but she wasn’t timid either, one could easily tell by observing her that she was so full of herself. She had everything that any girl would pray for so it wasn’t out of place for her to be proud of it. All that seemed to have changed now. She actually now listens when people speak, people like me, and admits her faults unlike before. I found myself helplessly getting addicted to her, i started looking forward to our private time together. I didn’t like it but i couldn’t help it. She seemed to have known my weakness and was using it on me, she let herself be controlled by me and did all i asked her to and that was all she needed to get to me. She seemed to have taken a little part of the space that Ada had occupied all these while and she didn’t even work hard for it.
On a day like any other day, we were on the table, solving her maths textbook, we looked at each other more than we looked at the textbook. Her radiant skin, her crystal white eyes and lovely smile formed by a deep pink lips got me weak. I really wanted so much to hold her like i used to but i didn’t want to let Ada down. She seemed to have noticed my uneasiness and smiled, she held my hand on the table and i looked away, i wasn’t talking anymore, in that flipping moment of passion when it seemed that i wanted nothing else, nothing more but her, to kiss her, hold her in my arms and tell her that she was beautiful, all i could do was wish that Ada would come in and put an end to all this nonsense but Ada was nowhere to be found. I looked at janet and she was still staring at me.
“Janet please, lets not do this” i said weakly and she smiled
“Not do what Quincy? ” she asked, she had this way of calling my name that i really loved and at that point in time, it made things worse. I just bit my lips and stared. I have always loved girls and they in turn had loved me back. Janet put her hand on my cheek and caressed it, it was more than i could take, i grabbed her and kissed her like i had always wanted to do it. I pulled her up and soon we found our way to the bed. She quickly undressed in a frenzy and i followed suit. She grabbed me and we kissed more before i spread her legs and ……………….

It was fun while it lasted but i ended up regretting it the moment it ended.
I came outside the house and it was raining, through the mist i could see Ada, she stood far away in a white gown and looked exceptionally splendid, i went into the rain and walked slowly towards her, i heard the sound of someone sobbing, i looked around and i saw no one, i listened again and this time it came from Ada’s direction, i wiped the rain from my face and looked at her once more, i saw the tears in her eyes, the atmosphere became clearer and i could see blood dripping from her hands and a little smear of it on her chest. Confused, i advanced towards her but the closer I got, the farther she was. I increased my pace but she only moved farther until the mist covered her up again and she disappeared. I fell on my knees, closed my eyes and cried, my heart ached so much i felt it would bust. Then i felt someone touch me, i opened my eyes which was blurred with tears and through the blur i could make out Ada’s face, i blinked hard and she was there alright, a smile in her face.
“Why are you crying in your sleep? ” she asked me as i jumped up from the bed
” It was just a dream, how long have you been here? ” i asked as she sat beside me on the bed.
” i’m just coming in” she said
“Are you alright?” i asked holding her hands.
“Yes, anything the matter?” she asked with much concern in her eyes
“Nothing, i just wanted to know ” i said and hugged her wondering when Janet left. I believe i had fallen asleep after the s-x. As I looked at Ada, i regretted my actions and became more scared as i remembered the dream.
” Won’t you go for lesson today? ” she asked
” No, lets stay here today, i don’t feel like going” i told her. She accepted and we lay on the bed, she placed her head against mine and i held her tight as i pondered about the dream. Was it because of my affair with Janet or what, i didn’t know, but i was soon to find out.
I drove with Ada to pick princess at school before taking her home around 5pm. We got home and i called Janet. She was trying to suck up to me on the phone but I wasn’t in the mood for it. I told her that whatever relationship we had, whether study related or friendship was over. I didn’t want her in my house again and i made it clear to her. She didn’t protest much. I would have said ugly things to her if she had, i was mad at her and myself. From that point i had decided i was going to make it up to Ada, i was going to let the whole world know she was mine and that nobody else mattered, not even myself. That was how much i loved her.
The next day, we had walked in together to the lesson center, hand and hand. Everyone stared at us as we came in. They always did but this time it was different. They stared like we were doing something unlawful. Ada never bothered, she slipped off my hand and soon became chatty with the girls around. I walked up to my guys who stared at me uneasily as i came.
“Guy whats up naa” i said as i shook hands with all of them.
“Shey you are still dating Ada?” Toni, one them asked me
“Yes, any problem? ”
” I need to show you something” he said and pulled out his phone. He pulled up a picture and i froze as i saw it. It then dawned on me what all those looks were all about.
I took another glance at the picture and i wished the ground would open up.
It was clear there and our faces can not be mistaken, Janet under me, clutching to my singlet and i on top of her, my boxers pulled down. The looks on both our faces could not be missed. I took a look in Ada’s direction and she was looking straight at me with a phone in her hand. I knew i was done for. I walked up to her, i started to talk but it was obvious i wasn’t making sense even to my self, she let the phone drop from her hand, slapped me and with tears in her eyes ran out of the premises. I stood rooted to the ground..
[]I have never felt so bad. My life seemed to be crashing in my face and i couldn’t do anything about it. I didn’t partake in that days lesson, i just went home straight. I tried calling her but she didn’t pick, i must have called a hundred times. I couldn’t wait for morning to come, i couldn’t sleep, i lay on my bed staring into space, wishing all this was just some ugly nightmare but it was realer than real. I fell asleep early in the morning and woke up around 8am heavy in my heart. I waited for everyone to leave for school and my mom for work before I decided i couldn’t take it anymore, i cleaned myself up and without breakfast, i set out for Ada’s house.
I got there and met the gate open. I walked in and stopped at the door. I knocked gently and no one answered. I knocked a number of times before i opened the door and went in, i had become a regular visitor there so it wouldn’t be out of place for me to walk into the house, i was very welcomed at anytime there. I had decided i was going go to go on my knees and beg, if anyone was around, i may have to implore him or her to beg on my behalf, i was scared, i wasn’t ashamed, i loved Ada and I didn’t care what anybody thought. All i knew was that i couldn’t afford to lose her.
I went into the parlor and saw trails of blood leading to the corridor. My heart skipped as I tiptoed quietly to Ada’s room and there the blood train stopped and met with a larger amout of blood and beside it was a kitchen knife covered in blood. The house was empty.
I ran outside, mad thoughts roving through my mind. I loved Ada and she loved me back, we were no doubts fiercely in love with each other but then, i also had doubts about her wanting to kill herself because of me, all these thoughts ran through my mind as i ran through the streets blinded by hot tears, i knelt in the middle of the road and prayed to God, i cried to him not to let it be Ada’s blood on the floor. As i ran through the streets, so many thoughts as of where to look for any of them ran through my mind. I then remembered her Aunt’s hospital, i checked my pocket and i didn’t have enough money to take me there and i wasn’t with my phone. I took a bike straight home and ran into my room, i met my phone ringing and before i could pick it, the call cut. I checked and saw 15 missed calls from Ada. Fear gripped me, i imagined it could be her aunt calling me to tell me about the suicide..
“Quincy i killed him” Ada’s voice cried out as i called her back, she was breathing heavily and i could tell she was crying.
“Killed who?” i shouted as i felt relieved hearing her voice and then apprehensive on hearing the word kill.
“My uncle, Quincy i stabbed him, i killed him, he came again and, and, and, was trying to force himself on me and i stabbed him, Quincy i stabbed him ”
“Where are you?” i asked her as i picked my wallet.
“I don’t know, i ran out of the house and i don’t know where i am, i’m still running, Quincy am scared, i killed him, i didn’t mean to do it” she said and cried loudly.
“Just stay where you are, I’m coming for you, stay there” i said and we dropped the call. I ran blindly to my mom’s room. Picked the key to her car and drove out in a mad haste.
My left hand on the wheel, my right hand on my phone, my eyes 40% on the road and 60 parcent on my phone calling Ada, everything happened in a flash, i couldn’t find the brake and when i did, it was late already, screeching of tyers and a deafening noise, a head on collision, i was conscious enough to feel the strength of the seat belt and the airbag hold me back and Loud shouts from people around. And everywhere blacked out…

It was all happening again..
I came outside the house and it was raining, through the mist i could see Ada, she stood far away in a white gown and looked exceptionally splendid, i went into the rain and walked slowly towards her, i heard the sound of someone sobbing, i looked around and i saw no one, i listened again and this time it came from Ada’s direction, i wiped the rain from my face and looked at her once more, i saw the tears in her eyes, the atmosphere became clearer and i could see blood dripping from her hands and a little smear of it on her chest. Confused, i advanced towards her but the closer I got, the farther she was. I increased my pace but she only moved farther until the mist covered her up again and she disappeared. I fell on my knees, closed my eyes and cried, my heart ached so much i felt it would bust. Then i felt someone touch me, i opened my eyes and my mother was massaging my head. I was having that dream all over again. Finding my mother by my side was a surprise to me. I tried to get up buy felt a sharp pain on my left left leg, all my body hurt and my head pounded.
“Easy, keep your head down” my mom said as i lay back and closed my eyes. I opened them again and i saw my leg suspended in the air in bandages. I took a look around and for the first time, i saw that every member of my family was in the room, my father inclusive. Then i remembered the accident. Remembered Ada and the house.
“Where am i?” I asked as i looked from one person to the other
“You are in a hospital, just rest” my mom said and i looked at her, her eyes were red and i could tell she’s been crying, my sisters too. My father carried Princess in his arms.
I had been unconscious for 2 days, i was told. The car i had collided with was my fathers. He was on his way back for his vacation when i ran into him. He had escaped with a few scratches and had immediately rushed me to the nearest hospital which was the same hospital Ada’s Aunt worked in.
“Where is Ada” i asked after i had been told everything
“Who is Ada? ” my mom asked.
” She was the one i was going to see when i had that accident, where is she and where is my phone?” i asked, i was becoming restless, i was afraid and worried about her more than i was for myself. My mom calmed me down and had my phone brought to me. I had over 40 missed calls from Ada and some other number. I tried calling her back but her number was off. I didn’t know what to do, i cried silently as my whole family watched me in silent expecting some sort of explanation. Then it occurred to me to ask for Ada’s aunt. She came in looking all worked up.
She had been checking on me since i was brought in and when they told her i had woken up, she ran to my ward.
Her husband had been rushed to the hospital by a keke driver who saw him as he crawled out of the house clutching his belly where Ada stabbed him. He had lost a lot of blood and was taken into surgery immediately and moments after, my father had rushed in with me. Her husband had woken up hours later, he told her that Ada stabbed him for reasons he didn’t know. Nobody have seen or heard from her for the past 2 days and she was getting worried. She lamented about knowing Ada as a good girl and couldn’t associate her with wanting to kill her husband. My whole family watched in silence and Amazement as the whole story sounded Greek to them. I wasn’t in the mood to explain anything to them, at least not yet and it seemed like they understood and didn’t press me for details. I cried as i kept calling Ada’s number and it was always switched off each time. Ada’s aunt left after sometime as my family surrounded my bed. I looked at my father, he wasn’t angry, he was worried, i was his only son and nothing else mattered but my wellbeing.
I remembered there were missed calls from other numbers asides Ada’s own. I called the first one on the list, it rang and no one picked. I called the second time and then someone picked.
“Quincy! ” Ada shouted and my face lit…
[]”What happened, where have you been?” she asked in an excited voice
“Ada i had an accident, I’m in your aunt’s hospital, please come there”
“No, i can’t come there, i killed her husband, i can’t come, i will be arrested ” she said
” please where are you ” i asked her
” I’m in a friends house, Quincy i want to see you ”
After much cajoling, she agreed to come. As a measure of reassurance, my father had agreed to pick her up, she came in and ran straight to my bed and hugged me, as we held each other, the pain seemed to vanish from my body, all that existed was the desire to be with her forever. Her aunt was called in, she looked more happier on seeing her than she was angry. She hugged her and they both cried.
Then she told her story..
The knife had always been in her room since the last time her uncle attacked her, she knew he was going to come again and had prepared for it. On that fateful day, her aunt had left for the hospital and she was alone in the house. Her uncle came back some moments after her her aunt was gone and straight for her, everything happened so fast, she left the knife in his stomach and ran out of the house.
Her aunt believed her, she knew Ada wasn’t bad and also knew whom her husband was, they had lived together for years and she knew what he was capable of. The real untold story of his head injury also surfaced, Ada left my role out of it, she covered up for me and had said she pushed him down which resulted in the injury.
My left leg was fractured, a minor one but i wasn’t going to make use of it for some time. Naza didn’t return again after the first day at the hospital and i was worried. Her number was switched off throughout and i couldn’t check up on her due to my confinement in the hospital. I called her number on the third day and it went through. I waited anxiously for her to pick and she picked.
“Ada, where have you been” I asked her
“Nowhere”
“You didn’t come to see me again, why? ”
” nothing ”
She sounded cold and i didn’t like it.
” why are u sounding like this, are you ok? ”
” I’m fine” she said and sniffed, i noticed she started to sound like she was crying
“Ada, what is wrong? Please come to the hospital, i want to see you”
“I can’t come ” she said
” Why? ”
” I have gone back to the village, i couldn’t stay there again, i had to leave and what you did with Janet Quincy, it’s tearing me apart” she cried and everywhere stood still, i was dumbstruck and my heart banged.
“You didn’t tell me you were going, you didn’t even give me a chance to explain, i was sorry Ada, couldn’t you have told me?” i said as my eyes soaked.
“I didn’t want to see you again, i will hold you and never let you go if i did, i love you Quincy but i need to be away from you, i need to be alone for now, remember that i love you and will never forget you” she said and cut the phone. I tried calling back but her number was off already.
I laid my pounding head down, closed my eyes as hot tears escaped from the shut lids..

Moving on was hard, i couldn’t imagine it but i had to and i wasn’t easy. For days on, i kept calling her number which was always off. The days that followed were the saddest in my life, nothing interests me anymore, my siblings would come to the hospital everyday they were free, they would fuss all over me and that lit me up each time. Little princess was my most priced asset at that point in time, the innocence in her face, her eyes and the funny way she asked her questions kept me cheered up.
Janet had snuggled herself back into my life, i was too sad to notice. She was sweet throughout the period i was bedridden. She had been sorry for what she did and had asked me to put myself in her shoes, what would i have done to get Ada back, i would have swam a thousand oceans, walked a million miles and climbed a hundred mountains for her but apparently, i couldn’t even go to my village to see her because one of my legs was useless for the time being. However, i did see things from her own point of view, when you love someone, you just love them and no matter what, you would always want to be with them. I needed company and Janet provided it. We got back to studying together, she kept me busy but Ada was always on my mind and i became moody each time the thought of her crossed my mind.
I soon became able to make use of my legs again which was a big relief. The long stay indoors had added some fats on me, even though i looked cute, i needed to burn it. Janet would take me out for walks in the evening, we would walk hand in hand around our streets, Janet loved me and i needed nobody to tell me.
Everyone had his responsibility in taking care of me, my mother’s was making sure i took my drugs regularly which was a bit of a job cause i hated drugs, who doesn’t?. My father took it upon himself to rid me off the fears i had developed with driving after that accident, i think he too needed to be rid off it himself and so he just used me as an excuse. My sisters didn’t enjoy their own job much but they had no choice, they cleaned my room and did my laundry. Princess, my little princess, there was never a moment of rest with her, disturbing me was her Responsibility and she was never found wanting.
Coming back to school helped bring me back to my former self though not fully. A big part of me was still missing and that was Ada.
Janet had improved, she wasn’t the cocky Janet everyone once knew. The new her looked more attractive. I decided to just stick around with her, she had tried her best and i thought she had earned me. Life had moved on as it used to be before the emergence of Ada into my life.
We traveled to the village once in a year and that was the Christmas period, that was the only chance we get to meet our relatives and know people we were supposed to know. But this year was going to be different. My father was required to come home for the visit of our state Governor to our village. He was the the Junior brother to our King so i wouldn’t call it a visit. He was also coming to perform some marriage rites with a girl of the village and my father had to be there as an important personality. My father had decided to allow me go with him as his first son, he said i needed to know more of my distant relatives. That was cool but it was also none of my business, i was only going there in quest for my long lost love.
My father was a big man and like all big men, he never missed out on any opportunity to show that he was a big man. He was tall and handsome and looked classy.
So it was just the two of us going to the village for the occasion, my mom had this fear about the village filled with people of ill intentions. So she did her best to always keep us far away from the village, she had only agreed to my father going because of the need for him to be there.
As we drove to our destination, the constant thought on my mind was Ada, what she would look like, how she would feel on seeing me and what her reaction would be.
After several hours on the road, we hit our house in the village around 6pm. My father didn’t want much people knowing he was around, i loved the decision, it also saved me the work of bringing kola and others for visitors. We unpacked and soon i was out in the neighborhood, strolling around in hope of seeing Ada. Every footstep, every shuffling of leaves, every breath i tooth and every scent i inhaled seemed like it was hers. I was tempted to go and look for her in her house but i wasn’t ready to face her parents.
The night passed without any sight of her. I only hoped she was in the village.
The next morning was the D-day. The day for the occasion that had brought us home, brought my father home actually, Ada brought me home. I was still asleep when my father left the house, he passed all messages he had for me while i was on the bed. I drowsily repeated “yes sir” to each one. He left some money on the bed for my breakfast.
“Make sure you eat and come over there for your lunch in the afternoon”
“Yes sir”
“And don’t walk all the way to the palace, take the small car, you are a big boy and shouldn’t be seen patrolling the village ”
” Yes sir”
“Good”
“Yes sir”
“And don’t knock people down”
“Yes sir”
He left and i continued my sleep.
I woke up around nine and cleaned myself up. I took a walk around the house before going back in to change from my pajamas.
Through the back gate, i went out again, i was headed for Ada’s house, i was determined to see her, come what may. I went in through the gate made of rusting aluminum roofing sheets, the fence was thatched.
I walked silently to the front of the building, the door was open and revealed a dark room, i clapped my hands together and called Ada, no one answered. I turned my back to look around the house.
“Quincy, Quincy! ”
I heard my name and turned to see who was calling me, from the direction of the open door, Ada ran like she was mad, her hands flung wide in the air and coming for me.

She jumped on me with so much force that i staggered back. I lifted her and swung her 360°, twice and then held her. We squeezed each other hard like we couldn’t get enough of each other and true, i can’t ever get enough of her.
“Quincy i missed you so much” she said as she held me
“I missed you too, i’m sorry for everything”
She cut me short and planted her lips on mine, we kissed for a while before she dragged me into the house. She took me to a room, small in size and scarcely furnished. I sat on the bed while she sat on me and rested her head on my shoulder.
All those times we were apart, the times that i have missed, all together can not measure up to the joy of being with her once again. Her skin on mine, the feeling, the touch, i loved Ada and only the heavens could help me.
“What are you doing back here? ”
” my father came for the governor’s visit and i came to look for you”
“Will you go back today?”
“I don’t think so”
“Hmm, i wish i can go with you”
“I can talk to my father, he may accept, i don’t want to stay so long without you again”
“It’s no longer possible, maybe it could have worked in the past but not anymore ”
” Ada why? ”
” Nothing, let us forget about it”.
She sealed my mouth shut with hers, pushed down on the bed and unbuttoned my shirt. I pulled the zip to her gown and unhooked her bra, pulling it off her. I lay her gently on the bed and kissed her passionately.
“Adaobi! ” someone shouted. We jumped up and an elderly woman was facing us.
“Adaobi what are you doing?” she asked with her mouth wide open.
“Mama nothing”.
“Papa Adaobi come and see o, come and see your useless daughter what she is doing ” she was screaming as she left the room, probably to call papa Adaobi.
” Come lets go” Ada said as she dressed up, still confused, i sat on the bed mopping. Ada pulled me up from the bed and we ran out through the the back door. All the way, we ran blindly, Ada leading me, grabbing me by my hand like i was going to disappear if she didn’t.
We went through a path that i never knew, narrow and curving into more narrow bushy baths until we ended up at the stream where we had our first s-x….
[]We went into the water, stripped down to our inner wears, holding each other, we basked in the euphoria of past memory, the pleasure, the laughter, the pain and the happiness. Love triumphed above all else, we were with each other and that was all that mattered, there was no fears, no regrets, just our love for each other and it was in quantum.
Inside the water we found peace and calm, we bonded in a way neither of us could explain, we didn’t want to leave the water, i wished we could stay there forever.
We were soon out of the water,we dressed up and went deeper into the bushes, we needed solitude.
“Why did you come looking for me” she asked me after we had been walking silently for some time..
“I missed you, i thought i was going to die if i didn’t see you ”
” I missed you too, i wish i never left but i had to ”
” I understand ”
We sat on a felled tree and i cuddled her to myself. We were silent for a long time, not because we didn’t know what to say to each other, we cherished the silence to whatever word there was to say.
” Where is your father? ” she asked
” At the Palace ”
” waiting for the governor? ”
” yes”
“Hmm, the marriage won’t hold”
“Why do you say that? ”
” Because i’m the bride to be”
It flew past my ear like a little fly. Maybe it was because of the causal way she had said it, maybe its because i thought it the most impossible thing that can happen.
“What do you mean you are the bride? ” i asked, pulling her up to face me
” I’m the one the governor is going to marry”.
“How?, that’s not possible, your age, Ada don’t joke like this ”
” I’m not joking ” she was crying “i know i’m too young to marry him but my father doesn’t care. He saw me as a commodity and he sold me” she cried and i held her. I was hurt, devastated to say the least, i didn’t know what to do but i knew what i wouldn’t do and that would be stand aside and watch someone else take her away from me, i was not going to let her go again and definitely not to marry a man few years younger than her father.
“What are we going to do? ” i asked her
” i don’t know, few hours ago, i had decided to resign myself to whatever life and fate threw at me but now that you are here Quincy, i’m not going anywhere without you, i would rather die than do that Quincy ”
She gripped me tight and sobbed. I wasn’t saved the emotion, i realized my eyes were wet, i didn’t want to cry, i just wanted to be strong and console her.
” We are here now, we won’t go where they would see us, they can’t find us here and when they are done, they can all go to hell and burn” she said, a firm determination had replaced the sorrows that had littered her face, but the tears were still there and were still falling. I wiped her face and held it to my chest and closed my eyes.
A glance at my watch placed the time at 2pm. I picked my phone and called my father.
“Hello where are you? Are you still coming?”
“No dad”
“Why? ”
” I want you to come home, i need to tell you something”
“Quincy don’t be silly, i can’t come home now, the marriage rights will soon commence and i need to be here”
“There won’t be any marriage ”
” Why, what do you mean?”
“Come home first”
“What, Quincy are you alright? ” he sounded worried
” Come home ” i said and dropped the call before he could say anything else. We were on our way back. Ada had decided she wasn’t going to run anymore, it was her life and nobody was going to make her decisions for her. She was going to go home and tell it to their face….

”What is wrong with this girl? ” Ada’s father asked to no one in particular as we stood and faced him, everyone watched.
“I won’t marry someone i don’t love, you can’t force me”. Ada retorted.
The whole village must have been a witness to this scene of self determination played by Ada, she had clutched me by my hand and standing besides me, declared me the love of her life whom she wouldn’t leave for any one else, not even the United states president. Everyone watched in awe as we stood there, i wasn’t ashamed, i wasn’t scared, i was just in love and stupid about it.
The convoy sent to pick and deliver her to the palace had arrived and waiting for her. My father too arrived in the middle of the whole drama. Whatever little doubt i had faded with his presence, i knew that no matter what, my father would always be for me and never against me, his only son.
A security man that had come with the convoy approached us, he had intentions, bad intentions obviously.
“Hey, mr man, if you lay a hand on any of them, i am going to make your life miserable for you”.
That was my father, he had that intimidating voice and aura. Everyone’s eyes focused on him as he walked to us. The security man was cowed.
“What is happening here Quincy?” he said looking at everyone.
I had no immediate explanation to give, i just stared at him.
“Are you not Ada?” he asked facing Ada.
“Yes sir”
“And what is happening here, why all this people? ”
” I don’t want to marry the governor which is what my father wants to force me to”
“Marry the governor? , who the hell is the governor and what has that got to do with my son”
“Ehe, the governor is the governor of our state, he is the one at the Palace waiting for my daughter, to marry her and this your son here, has deceived her, i don’t know what he said to her to turn her mind upside down but i know it won’t work for him” her father said almost shouting.
My father looked at him in surprise and then at Ada.
“Please let’s go inside, this is not a matter for the streets”
My father had found it utterly appalling and amusing that the sole reason he was in the village, the marriage he was there for was going to be between an executive governor and a little village girl who is in love with an ss3 boy. Though Ada was growing into a woman, one could easily tell she was still a small girl, probably too young to marry such a man, but it was none of my father’s concern, his concern was me and me alone but Ada was a big concern to me and so she was his own concern too.
“Ada, you are going to go and meet the governor, alone, at least you ought to respect him with your presence and then when he makes his proposal, you can then politely decline, maybe in private but for you to drag Quincy behind you like that, that would be very silly of the two of you” my father explained.
“Decline gini, she won’t decline anything, she must marry him o, don’t mind this shakara you are doing, it is small girl that is worrying you, the two of you” her father scolded.
“I am a small girl and yet you raped me and now want to sell me off” Ada said, everyone turned in his seat to look at her and then her father whose eyes had widened.
“Eh?” my father exclaimed
“This girl what are you saying? ” her father said
” Don’t even try to deny it, you are evil and i’m going to tell it to everyone today”
“Papa Adaobi is she telling the truth” her mother spoke for the first time clutching her wrapper to her chest and facing her husband.
“What do you mean is it true?, how can i sleep with my own daughter?, so i will leave all the beautiful women in this village and come be sleeping with this small child” he stammered.
By this time, my father was too dumbstruck to speak, he just sat there, looking. I was shocked too but i was also consoling Ada who had started crying again.
“Oh you can’t sleep with her because she is a small girl, but you will marry her out to someone who is probably 2 hours younger than you all because he is a governor” my father was obviously bitter about everything.
“In fact, that wedding won’t hold and i will make sure of it, this is pure child abuse, i’m going to the palace right now” my father said and stood up.
My father left for the palace but not without making sure i went home, i was able to leave with Ada because her parents were so engaged with each other that they didn’t know when we left
We were alone in our house, me and Ada. She had cried herself to fever, talking about her father’s carnal knowledge of her had brought up unpleasant memories which caused her nothing more but misery.
“Why didn’t you tell me about this at first?” i asked her
“it hurts me to talk about it, i was afraid you may leave if i told you ”
” You know i would never leave you, no matter what, it wasn’t in any way your fault ” i said and held her to me.
Her father had first raped her when she was 13, that was her first time so he broke her, as time went on, he blackmailed her into it and had raped her from time to time until she couldn’t take it anymore, she had threatened to expose and report him to her mother if he ever laid hands on her again, that made him stop, the anger she had within her for her father was all she vented on her uncle in the city when she stabbed him. Now she had murderous intents for her father and it scared her, she wasn’t going to let any man alive lay a finger on her and succeed.
“Quincy will you ever leave me?”
“I won’t even think of it, ever”
“No matter what?
“No matter what, i promise you..
She had fallen asleep on the couch when my father came back, everything had been settled to an extent, her father has been summoned by the king to answer for the accusations. The marriage was put on hold and the governor gone. He felt he was too big to be insulted by a little girl he was trying to help by marrying. “Hmmmm”.
My father ensured we all slept in separate rooms that night but then, that didn’t stop me from going into her room and making love to her like it was our last night.
We were all at the Palace the next day, my father didn’t find it amusing that i was dragging him around because i had fallen in love with the wrong girl but he had no choice. Her father turned out to be a full fledged irresponsible man, he told lies, lies that ridiculed his daughter before everyone and he didn’t care about it. In the end, the king gave a devastating ruling, Ada had no witness and things would have been easier if she had reported earlier enough and not at that point in time, after so many years.
My heart bled as I watched her cry her eyes out, nothing could console her. We drove home in utter silence only broken at intervals by Ada’s sobs.
It started raining as soon as we got home. My father had decided he has had enough of the village and couldn’t wait to get out of it. He had intended we leave for the city immediately we got back from the palace but the rain didn’t allow us.
“Quinn, she is going to stay back with her family while we leave after this rain stops”.
My father had called me to tell me.
“Why? ” i asked
” Why what? You can’t take her away without the consent of her family which i’m very sure you won’t get and doing that would amount to kidnap”
“No, she must come with us, if she doesn’t come, then i’m not going back with you ” i said it and i meant it.
” Don’t be silly boy, don’t you think you have caused enough headache for me in one lifetime?”
“I’m sorry but i’m not going if she’s not coming “.
My father brought out all the best argument he knew in view of showing me why bringing her along was a bad idea but i had always been stubborn with unnecessary things talk more of when my heart was involved. We were still at it when we heard the back door bang shut, Ada had obviously been eavesdropping and had run out of the house. I went after her while my father relaxed back in his seat, he was probably tired of us.
I went out of the house into the rain, i ran blindly to the back and found the gate open, i came out of it, took a look around and couldn’t see her. Looking at the water soaked ground, i made out her footprints, i followed it and it led all the way to their house, from a far distance, i saw her standing at the gate made from rusted aluminum roofing sheets. It all seemed like a deja vu to me, like i had seen it somewhere before, i wiped the water from my face and called out her name, she didn’t answer me but she walked slowly towards me, as we came closer to each other, i saw the blood on her white gown, dripping from her hands. My heart in my mouth, i ran to where she stood, i got to her early enough before she fell into my arms. I looked into her eyes and she looked into mine, the rain was on her face but it was very easy to make out the tears. My eyes soaked as i held Ada in my hands.
“Ada” i called out in a shaky voice which was almost drowned by the falling rain.
“Quincy i’m sorry, I had to do it”
“Do what?” i asked.
She didn’t need to answer me, I heard a loud scream from the house, i looked in the direction of the scream and saw her father, he covered his stomach with his hands as he came out staggering, his clothes and hand was covered in blood. I stared with my mouth ajar, he walked a few steps and fell on the wet ground. I turned my gaze towards Ada and her eyes were shutting.
“Quincy i’m sorry, i love you so much and i don’t think i can live a life without you in it” she whispered as i cried. I held her hand and for the first time noticed the blood that spurt out of them, i held it up and took a closer look, it was then that i saw the gashes, the source of the blood.
“Ada why?” i cried out “Why?”
The blood was draining from her face as she shut her eyes and then i remembered the dream……………..

Ada held my hand as we walked through the field, everywhere was so green, the atmosphere so serene and Romance seemed to be in the air, everywhere seemed to have been prepared for us and it was perfect.
Ada looked exceptionally beautiful and happy. Each time i looked at her, i wished i was grown enough to marry.
“Do you remember how we met?” she asked me
“I could forget where i was born but not that”
She smiled and squeezed my hand.
“Meeting you was the second best thing to ever happen to me Quinn”
“What was the first? ”
“You loving me, that was the first and best”
“i’m blushing”
“You are dark, you can’t blush”
We both laughed, for some reasons, i couldn’t say much to her, she did all the talking and i didn’t know why.
“Quinn, i will always love you, i hope you know that and i want you to know that you can live without me, you can move on, you have a life to live ahead of you” we were facing each other by this time and holding our two hands.
“You gave me life a meaning, my heart isn’t in my chest anymore, its you that’s there”.
I held her face in my hands and wiped the tears that had appeared there. She held my hand up to her face
“I hate to see you sad whenever you think of me, just remember the good memories we made, the lovely times we had and keep that to your heart, you are the one beating inside my chest and i love you. Quincy live for the two of us, its so cold out here without you but i will survive “.
The tears came to my eyes as she talked, i closed my eyes and kissed her, her lips tasted salty, the tears were in them but i didn’t care. I opened my eyes and only the empty air was there and i was alone, the tears still in my eyes.
I didn’t even know how i was able to get through that phase, i should have died from shock and pain but i didn’t, i can’t deny that i once out of many times contemplated suicide, that also wasn’t easy, i had been selfish enough and i needed to think of other people for once, to think of my family who loved me and had stood by me each time and never for once complained of my excesses.
Life moved on, slowly, my family as usual was very supportive, princess was always there to snap me out of my misery, my two sisters were sweethearts and my father, through all those moments never for once complained, he knew i was young, naive and in love. My mom, well, she was just being my mom, it was her duty to care for me and she never lagged. One person that always seemed to be there whenever i needed someone didn’t disappoint either, Janet, she stuck around for me, she was supposed to be gone but she stayed, yet the void was still in my heart but i did notice her.
My waec exam came and passed, i wasn’t able to write it. My father thought i needed a change of environment, i needed to get away from all that sorrowful setting. I was going to Join my uncle in the United States but I have to recover first.
Ada may be gone but she was always there with me, every night in my dreams….
THE END..