KISS OF BETRAYAL

Chapter-2

Christian Chukwu simply could not believe what he just read. "Please read this for me." He passed the phone to his friend Iyke, interrupting his video game. Iyke pouted in annoyance. "Haba. Is it that you cannot wait until..." One glance at the text, Iyke stopped short in shock.

"Chris I know u care 4 me & I appreciate. But I will really lyk 2 call this relationship quits. I've found d right man 4 me & I really won't lyk u 2 come ard & spoil things 4 me. Pls, don't contact me or even chat me Biko. I personally, will delete your number after this, I just wnt u 2 move on without making a lot of fuss about it. Finally, u will do well not to talk 2 me again, I don't wnt him 2 find us together at all. Abeg o. I will even pretend I don't know u. If you doubt it, try me."

"Who wrote this?" Iyke asked nobody in particular, looking like he just ate ube kotuma, the type that slaps you when you eat it.

"Damn if I know!" Chris bellowed, slamming his palms on the table. He bit down on his lower lip, staring into the empty space as if he was seeing invisible forces.

"Did you see what I saw? I mean, what I think I saw?" He whispered, his voice shaking.

He peered into Iyke's face, hoping his friend saw something different. Maybe he didn't see right. Iyke's shocked expression was not helping matters at all. He threw a punch at the nearby cushion, growing madder by the minute.

"Hey, guy just relax," Iyke soothed, when he finally found his voice. "This might not be the real information, I know Lily. I mean, she might not mean what she wrote. You know girls can be funny."
Iyke's words didn't even sound convincing to his own ears. If this was a joke, it was a very expensive one.

"The text might mean something else when read from another angle," Iyke tried again, but Chris was no longer hearing anything else apart from the sound of his own heart.

Iyke turned the phone over, read the text from different angles and upside down. He wasn't sure what else he expected to find, maybe a hidden word to solve the puzzle or something.

"Why would she type this na?" Iyke muttered, frowning.

"Jubakwam," Chris cut in, grinding his teeth.

"You know the text might mean something else when soaked in kerosene," Iyke said, still not believing that Lily was serious. She adored Chris.

"What do you mean?" Chris retorted, springing up from the cushion.

"I mean, you can forget the text and call her." Iyke reasoned.

Chris was sitting on the floor now. The cushion was too hot.
"Eeh? Did you say call? Guy did you even read the text? She said I should not call or text her or even appear before Her Majesty. She's literally telling me leave her alone kpam kpam just like we never met."

Chris struggled to keep a tight rein on his emotions, he was loosing it. His heart was not breaking. Hell! Nobody could do that to him again. After he lost his mother to the dirty hands of poverty, his life was shattered into diminutive pieces. He clamped his eyes shut in pain.

He didn't know how he managed to survive, but he made it, didn't he? Now he was thinking he found a consolation, a girl whom his future plans revolved around. She was a lot like his mother, gentle, tender and he could have given anything for her. He had even used style to introduce her to his mentor, a Pastor, who had approved of her. Little did he know that this rose had thorns, plenty of it.

What did he get for all his efforts? Some stupid text message, roughly typed in indecipherable short hand. Without even simple courtesy and threats to cap it all. Jesus. What did he do to deserve this? Just what? This wasn't like his Lily, not flower. But girls, do you ever trust them? Any man not killed by a woman will live a long life.
He glared at the phone like it was Lily, then turned to glare at Iyke. He hated the way the dude kept staring at him pitifully.

"What?" Chris snapped.

Iyke jejely turned back to his video game like a good boy. He knew that mood.

Chris suddenly jumped up and picked his phone, his face set into scary hard lines and calm resolution.

"What are you doing?" Iyke asked cautiously, taking the risk of getting a serious smack at the back of his head.

"Doing the right thing. Soaking the text and the texter in cold water," Chris replied with a surprisingly calm voice.

"Hmm... I don't know o. But I think you should just call. Anyway, what's the need? She knew you would try to call and warned you off before hand," Iyke said, looking disgusted. "Girls sha. Do your thing bro."

Chris carefully blocked her on facebook, whatsapp and every other social network he signed up for. Then he forwarded her number to his lost SIM, in case she suddenly decided to call and explain, perhaps by some stupid prick of conscience. He got his shirt from the room and headed towards the door.

"Where to?" Iyke queried, alarmed. Hope this guy wouldn't try something stupid. Abeg, let all that crap about people killing themselves for girls remain stories.

"Bar," Chris growled and slammed the door.

When did Chris ever drink? Iyke shrugged again in disgust.

"Girls! After dem don chop your finish, dem go begin blow grammar. Leave you alone? Why would he leave you alone, return his money jare," Iyke vituperated to the empty room.

And Chris his manest man for that matter. He loved that girl like nobody's business, always talking about her and buying her things. All his decisions were based on whether Lily was okay with it. He was even decorating the whole house with Lilies and planned to finally invite her to visit them next week.

He even made arrangements to host her birthday and make it big. Well, what did he get for all his efforts? Tufiakwa. Girls were very wicked creatures. He slowly dropped his video pads as he wondered if he shouldn't just teach the Lady one or two lessons. He knew Chris wouldn't support it, but see na? Did this look good at all? After he had set his mind on her, she dropped the time bomb. It was so unfair. He would just teach the stupid girl one small lesson so that she wouldn't try that again with any man in the future.

"Just imagine," he spat again in disgust. He would have to do something soonest, so that the silly bitch would be feeling the pain same time Chris did. Nonsense.

To be continued...

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Glossary
Ube kotuma: A local pear which tastes sour.
Jubakwam : A word in Igbo language meaning, ask me o.
Kpam kpam: (an Igbo word) Entirely.
Abeg: (Pidgin English) Please.
Tufiakwa: (Igbo) God forbid.