Episode 5

4:30pm somewhere in Enugu. Jane is seen lying beside a good looking young man It appeared as if they just finished making love, Jane’s side of the story

‘’my love I do need you here with me every minute, every hour. We can’t continue like this. It hurts my pride’’ Charles breathed, softly biting my lips. I smiled as I stared at him with great love. Yes he was the love of my life. My breath, my everything. But unfortunately he wasn’t financially buoyant or even employed. He was incapable of being my boyfriend talk more of husband. He was just my weakness, the dark side of me. He was my boyfriend right from my first year in university of Nsukka. The typical bad boy every girl drooled to have but unfortunately after graduating, he faced the realities of life. He couldn’t get a job and we both knew we couldn’t marry each other. Val eventually came along through my parents. It was just the typical matchmaking between rich parents. Luckily he fell very much in love with me and I equally adored him because he was very young, resourceful and hardworking but what I felt for him wasn’t as strong as what I felt for Charles but still enough to take us to the altar, to be his wife. For a year and six months I had managed to keep both Val and Charles under my control. Yes it was a very super game only the most brilliant chicks could pull off. Seriously I really didn’t know where my relationship with Charles was heading but I couldn’t let him go. I needed him as much as I needed Val. Leaving Val’s family house later that afternoon, (minutes after the new girl Isadora arrived).

I had headed straight to Charles apartment to have a breath catching quickie with him. Yes he was so good at it. He was very much stronger than my fiancée Val who just wasn’t himself the previous night. ‘’so how about the money you promised to lend me to start up a business once you return from the U.S’’ Charles asked, bringing back my wandering mind. ‘’I’m still working on it dear. Three million Naira is a whole lot of money and I don’t have access to such fund. I can’t pull out such amount from my father’s business without my brothers questioning and blocking the move since they are the ones now virtually running the business. The only way right now is to rely on Val’s money and I can’t just ask him to give me such an amount. I have to work out a strategy’’ I explained while he frowned. ‘’you better be fast my love. I can’t continue being idle. My mates are all doing well right now and I’m still here. You are my guardian angel and you know that. I have never done anything to hurt you even though you have done a lot to hurt me’’ he sulked while I sat up on the bed and stared at him for a while. ‘’yes I know moving on with Val really hurt your pride and everything but must we talk about this every time?. I did what I had to do as a woman. We are still here together. I never abandoned you’’ I defended weakly. ‘’but you still will one day. I know that’’ he added feebly while I rolled my eyes.

Val’s side of the story continues from the previous episode

Seeing Isadora that fateful afternoon really made my heart jump. I was lucky that my reaction wasn’t noticed by anyone. Isadora on her own part acted as if she didn’t recognize me and I couldn’t tell if she did or not. Minutes later, Jane left the house while my mother and Jane’s mum went to the sitting room to chit chat, leaving me with an opportunity to talk with the new girl. I quickly headed to her room but she wasn’t there.

After a little search I found her at the backyard with our old house help Martha who was putting her through some tutorials. ‘’can you excuse us please Martha’’ I politely demanded. She looked at me with great surprise, shrugged and walked away, leaving Isadora and I alone. ‘’you never bothered to be friendly with me the very first day we met. You never even told me your name. Yesterday I drove round Nsukka looking for you but fate brought you here Isadora’’ I breathed with a smile while her eyes dropped as her color changed. ‘’perhaps coming here wasn’t a good idea’’ she muttered. I drew closer. ‘’I’m so glad you are here. You can’t imagine the joy in my heart right now’’ I breathed. She raised her beautiful eyes to meet my gaze. ‘’can I ask for one thing please?’’ she softly demanded. ‘’yes of course’’ I nodded. ‘’can you please leave me alone? I don’t want you putting me into trouble. Many women rejected assisting me because they felt I would cause more harm than good. Only your fiancée’s mother assisted to help me and I’m very grateful and loyal to her. I came here to work and not to play your game sir. I need food, shelter and money right now. I won’t risk anything for that sir. Please I need no special treatments or favors from you. You are my boss, let it remain that way’’ she breathed quietly hurting me immensely with her words. No woman had ever addressed me that way and I was just thrown off balance. I didn’t know what to say or act before her. All I did was just breathe her name “ISADORA”

To be continued