Emmanuel showed up by 7:30am, beaming with smiles as he walked into our house.
“Please don’t be too hard on him or to yourself my dear. Behave like a good girl which you are, okay!” “i will be expecting you next weekend” Mum advised as she kissed me goodbye.
I finally left our house that fateful Saturday morning with Emmanuel, who had a new aura of self confidence in him. Silently he drove to the capital, while my thoughts kept me company as i thought about school, my future, my life and even about Samuel.
“Who knows how he is?” i wondered with mixed feelings.
He silently drove without bringing up any conversation, till we got to my hostel, an hour and half later.
“This place surely brings back memories” he murmured with a smile as he killed the car engine.
“Surely it does” i responded before alighting. He dutifully helped me carry up my luggages and organize my room. Fifteen minutes later, we headed to his apartment which was just few kilometers away from my lodge. It really was the first time i was visiting his apartment, and even though he wasn’t a stranger to me, i still felt a bit nervous, which made him stare at me curiously, as soon as we arrived.
“My dear why do you look so intense?” he asked with a smile,
“Because it’s the first time i’m visiting a place you rented with your money” i replied with a smile. He scratched his head and laughed.
“So my family house you visited months ago isn’t mine abi?” he joked. I smiled silently.
His three bedroom apartment really was very simple and a bit scanty, perhaps because he was yet to save enough money for adequate furnishing. The chairs in the sitting room were plastic chairs, however a plasma screen television, sound system and some simple gadgets adorned it.
My heart skipped five beats when i got to his kitchen and saw lots of dirty dishes pilled up in a big basin, waiting to be washed. I had no choice than to get to work immediately, even though he weakly objected.
“I’m the happiest man in the world right now, you are so lovely, so beautiful, so enchanting, i will forever worship you” he kept singing, with hands in his trouser pocket as i did the dishes.
“When is she coming?” I asked after a while, interrupting his praises. He glanced at his watch and shrugged.
“She should be here by now, she promised to show up before 11am, now it’s past twelve” he replied.
“Hope you didn’t trick me into coming to your house?” I asked suspiciously.
“Of course not” he answered innocently.
________
At exactly 2pm his phone rang,
“She’s at the door” he said to me after answering the phone call, rushed to the entrance door and opened it. My eyes followed him expectantly, while my heart pounded very fast.
A young girl soon walked into the sitting room carrying a child with her. She froze as our eyes met, while my heart melted with pity.
She looked so young and beautiful, but was wrapped up in sadness.
“I’m so glad you came” Emmanuel said to her with a quick smile. She nodded and stared at me suspiciously.
“Meet my fiancee Mary” he introduced me to her, “Mary meet Stella the mother of my daughter” he said to me. I rose up polietly, reached out and made to carry her baby, but she drew back and stared at me murderously. Tears quickly formed in her eyes, while her lips shook.
“What? Jeez I can’t believe my ears, your what?” she asked Emmanuel, who instantly looked away, placing his right hand on his head.
“You are his fiancee eeh?” she asked, facing me angrily,
“Yea and i asked him to invite you so we could straighten things out” i murmured nervously,
“Straighten what?? You must be mad if you think you can involve me in your little prank. He abandoned his responsibility for your sake and you are now here playing the saint. I’m not a fool sis. I’m not” she sobbed.
“Calm down dear, i have your interest at heart, sit down let’s talk please” i begged.
“I can’t calm down, and i can’t stand this scene either. I’m leaving this moment, but i assure you that i will be back. Go ahead be his fiancee, enjoy yourself” she poured out with tears, before running out of the sitting room with her child. Her action and tears really touched my spirit, but i equally was a bit angry at her for not calming down and listening to me.
“You have now seen for yourself what i have been avoiding. I knew it wasn’t a good idea getting you to meet her. You see?” Emmanuel murmured bitterly, while i looked up at him searchingly.
“Now what do you think?” he asked,
“I don’t just know, but i’m having a very bad feeling right now” i replied calmly. He quickly drew close and held me.
“I think it’s better we get married before Easter. Let’s move our wedding forward, i can start making the necessary arrangments instantly” he proposed nervously. I breathed deeply, raising my eyebrows.
“I think it’s better we shift it farther, perhaps move it to December” i said thoughtfully, while he gasped with disbelief, “or maybe till we settle issues with her” i added cautiously,
“What’s there to settle with her eeh?” he asked sadly.
“A lot my dear, a lot, because i don’t believe she will just sit calmly and watch us get married” i replied with a quick smile. He quietly sat on the floor, looking dejected and sad like a man who just lost a big fortune.
Even though i appeared calm and relaxed, i was equally far from being pleased with the direction i feared our relationship was heading.
I felt like visiting a fortune teller that moment.
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