3
"So this girl is gong to come from nowhere to
just get the guy we have all been struggling to
get? Lies!" Obehi mused as she watched Ivie
trying on the things Felix sent to her through
Kenneth who'd come home to get some food
stuff and other things. The clothes were
beautiful and clung to her like a second skin,
bringing out her beautiful figure.
Obehi looked around her at the bare room which
Ivie called her own. The tattered mattress was
on the bare ground while for furnishings, the
room could only boast of a very old cupboard,
torn curtains and a half-broken mirror hung on
the wall. The ceiling was yellow with age and
had ugly patches at some places which showed
signs that at some point in time, the roof had
leaked. The whole place reeked of poverty. The
three-bedroom, unplastered, unpainted house
built by Ivie's grandfather in his prime had seen
better days. Rumour had it that the family was
cursed. The number of funerals that had taken
place in the family was enough to make an
undertaker a millionaire. Ivie, her grandfather and dresses for second weddings
her aunt were the only surviving members of the
entire family. Everyone had thought her aunt
dead until she resurfaced with her niece in tow
some months ago. People had also counted the
number of years left for her to live for coming
back to live with her father who they believed
was the one responsible for the numerous
deaths in the family. It was said that he offered
his family members as replacement for his life to
the god he served, in order to keep him on the
earth longer. When the last family member had
died, people had thought, now, he would surely
die but then Ivie's aunt had foolishly shown up to
give him more years on earth with her death and
that of Ivie also.
Her thoughts came back to the present as she
watched Ivie speaking to Felix on the phone, all
smiles and twirling a strand of hair along a
forefinger. Envy exploded inside Obehi. After
she'd warned the silly gir not to give Felix a
listening ear, she'd gone behind her to tell him
yes after the playboy had played her like a song.
What did Felix see in her anyway? Was it
because she was stunning to look at? So
stunning to him that he'd broken his rule and
started dating. She, Obehi was beautiful too,
wasn't she? A black beauty. Was it because her
father's wealth showed on her body? Didn't Felix
know Ivie was slim because she didn't have
much food to eat? Keep Ivie in a house filled
with food and watch her become a participant in
the show 'Biggest Loser' How can she, Obehi,
see good food and allow it pass her by? But, oh,
she so wanted Felix as her boyfriend. She would
be the envy of all the girls in Ubiaja as they all
envied Ivie now. It was unfortunate that it was
Ambrose Alli university, Ekpoma that she'd finally
gained admission into, not Felix's school which
she'd originally intended. But no hope lost. If she
played her cards right, Felix could be hers. He
was handsome and from a wealthy home. But
first things first, she had to lose weight. After
trying to catch Felix's eyes several times without
success, she'd overheard him telling someone he
didn't like girls on the heavy side. Time to
change her size eighteen into size twelve,
preferably ten. But first she had to go home to
eat dinner of fufu (cassava meal) and egusi soup
garnished with goat meat, pomo and, stock and
smoked fish. Her taste buds salivated. Her last
supper.
Ivie watched her friend go and wondered if she
was imagining things. There were times when
she suspected that Obehi wasn't really happy
with her relationship with Felix. Sometimes, she
even felt it was more than unhappiness, that
jealousy was in the picture as well. Obehi tried
to hide it but Ivie knew the difference between
her genuine smile and her fake smile. Whenever
she was talking to Felix on the phone or talking
about him in general, the fake smile would be
pasted on her face but when it was on other
matters, she would smile genuinely. Her aunt had
warned her about her relationship with the girl
but since she was the first girl to befriend her,
what was she to do? She noticed some girls
stopped talking to her ever since she started
dating Felix. Where girls that petty these days?
He was just a guy for cryimg out loud. Some guy
though, her mind corrected her.
She sat down on the tattered bed with the faded
bedsheet and held her phone in her hands to
stare at Felix's picture for the hundredth time
that evening. Love was such a beautiful thing.
Who would believe that she who had been locked
up in one dead village some few months back
would meet and fall in love with the best guy on
earth? Now she knew all that had been said
about Felix were fabricated stories. Maybe they
all saw the attraction between them that very
first day and decided to put a halt to them ever
being together. Thank God fate had decided
otherwise. Was there really another guy like Felix
out there? So sweet, so caring, so understanding,
so generous, so considerate? How come a
womanizer who is rumoured to have slept with
half the girls in the village had never asked her
to bed, was contended with chaste kisses and
respected her heart desire of keeping the
marriage bed scared? Girls! They were devious
and conniving. The earlier she stayed away from
them, the better for her. She would keep an eye
on Obehi as well.
When the moon is shining the cripple becomes
hungry for a walk.