Wasted Years (Episode One)

Episode four

Wasted Years
(Episode 4)

I remained calm when Dakota held my hands to his chest. He'd apologized.

We were now at peace, loving each other.

I'd spent half day at work, and half day at his house; of course, the way to an African man's heart is through his stomach, and Dakota had always given me praises after eating my foods. I spent most of my money, decorating the house and buying him clothes, wrist watches and designers perfumes and sent wrappers, some of my jewelries and money to his mother in the village. She always called, and wanted to see me for the first time.

"I will be spending my weekend at Inyene's place." I said to him as we were eating dinner. He raised an eyebrow, reminding me that Inyene and him weren't in good terms. "I mean no dishonour by wanting to see my cousin. I haven't seen her for over six weeks now." I said.

"You're going to see her after she insulted me?" He said and averted his gaze, blowing out a massive sigh. "She is my only family here." I said calmly as I sipped the water from the ceramic cup.

"I didn't say she was not. I am just bothered, you're going to see a girl who doesn't have a single iota of respect for me as the man in your life."

"She was trying to protect me, she didn't mean to sound rude."

"Well, I forgive her because I love you too much."

I smiled, it was exciting to hear that he loved me, I liked it when he said it. It was the kind of thing that made me crazy over him.

So after we had dinner, he kissed me on the cheek and said, "Send my regards to her, and tell her that I forgive her."

That evening, I drove to Inyene's apartment and before I'd arrived there, it was almost a quarter past eleven. Lagos traffic as usual.

I knocked on the door, and she peeped through the window, "Who's there?" She asked shrilly.

"It's me,"

"You who?"

"Open. Can't you recognize my voice?"

"Oh, if it's you Ifure, I won't open this door for you." She said.

"In my house?"

"Your house? When last did you renew your rent please?"

"What is the meaning of this Inyene?"

"Go back to your useless boyfriend's house, go worship his feet, go kiss his feet, suck his balls and lick his ass. Leave here now, or else,"

"Or else what? Open this door and listen to me, he sent his apologies, he is sorry."

"Fuck him and his apologies. Fuck you too." She said and I could hear her lock the window against me. I had stood there for close to an hour, waiting patiently to see if she would change her mind and open the door for me. But no, she wasn't going to do that, except I was going to wait there till the next morning.

I strode back to my car, and when I got there, I stayed in there for long moments before I drove back to Dakota's house. I'd called him several times to inform him that I was coming back home, but he wasn't picking my calls.

I got back to his house at past one in the morning and as I packed the car, I couldn't wait to fall in his arms and tell him the horrible things Inyene said to me.

I knocked on the door several times, and just when I didn't expect, a woman opened the door; She was wearing one of the blouses I'd sent to Dakota's sister in the village. I knew she wasn't his sister, I'd seen his sister's pictures in his phone, and this light skin woman right by the door wasn't anywhere close to his sister in resemblance.

"Who are you?" She asked me meanly.

"I should be asking you who you're." I replied her.

"Who is there honey?" Dakota's voice came in from inside.

"I don't know who the mannerless idiot is," the lady said. I held her neck firmly and asked "Who is mannerless? me?"

Dakota rushed at us, and pushed me off to the wall, "Stop disgracing me, you're not the only woman who has a boyfriend Ifure." He slammed the door against me, the both of them where in there, while I was sitting on the verandah, in that cold I could hear their moans; he was making love to her in the sitting room, and I could hear her scream so loud. I got a stab of jealousy as sharp as a real pain.

I was bittered, so bittered I couldn't control myself. I hit on the door countless times, but none of them responded. I laid back on the cold floor, tiredly and let my mind rake through the past, through the years when Dakota had nothing. He was once loving, once loyal and faithful, and never in my wildest imaginations would I have thought that he would ever cheat on me. The next morning, at exactly five in the morning, I heard the door click open, the lady stepped out first, then he held her hands to protect her against me.

He'd driven her down to the main road, and then came back.

"Madam fighter, you have revealed yourself to me that you don't have one single wife material in you. A good wife should have simply kept mute and not try to fight. That was disgraceful."

I shook my head and smiled painfully, the indulgent smile that stretched across my face when he talked about women being submissive to idiotic men like him.

I stood weakly to my feet and walked out on him, rushed to the room and began to pack my bags. I was tired of being ridiculed in the name of love. I didn't know my stand in his life anymore. I was drunk with a tearstained face.

"You can't stand this Ifure, how would you cope in marriage?" He asked.

I turned to him and all I could see was a man who would never stop hurting me if I continued dating him. I needed the mind to walk out of his life and never return.

"marriage isn't painful Dakota Idem, Love doesn't hurt this way. My heart bleeds."

©Vicky Bon
2018