GHOST (The Shadow in the Dark)

Part Forty Five

        He was lying down on a thick mat on the hill, just after the self-innovated bamboo chairs, by the large bamboo trees. I stood up and climbed the hill within seconds. I ran the rest seconds to him. There was no mask but he was wearing a sunshade eye glass and relaxing lazily on the mat. He was in his normal black T-shirt and black Jeans trousers, his legendary bag by his side.
“It was just a simple thing, put on the white gown made by Halima, put on the bead and the ring. Take the flowers and come and meet me at the river and I should have added shoes, not that you even followed anything.”
I ignored him and knelt by his left side. I held the glasses and he did not stop me as I pulled it off his eyes. The recognition struck me instantly. It was like seeing your parents’ childhood picture and without being told, you can point out your dad or mum or even your grandma, only, the reverse was the case here. Even at that, I still had my doubt because I was experiencing more than the impossible. I had another place to look at, the back of his ear. I never mentioned that to him but Ibrahim had a birth mark there. A small dark spot, the size of a pimple. I bent his right ear and checked the back. It was there, he was Ibrahim. I fell on top of him.
“Ibrahim, I can’t believe this, o my God. Ibrahim” I cried and wailed. If someone came to the river they would believe I was mourning.
My heart cried along with my voice. I was resting on top of Ibrahim, the man I did not even dream of meeting because I was sure he was dead. His uncle really had a lot to explain. He did not stop me and I did not know how long I cried on him, then started sniffing after exhausting my tears.
“Are you done?” he asked rubbing my back.
I started laughing, then started crying again.
“That’s enough tears Emmanuella, my top is drenched.”
I raised my head to look at him. He was handsome, tanned and handsome. Looked like Hausa, his eyes and straight face gave him away as Hausa but his lips were full, his nose was pointed and he had sharp cheek bones with side bears that was neatly shaven to this jaw and just sharp to touch. He was handsome by human standards.
“You are right, you are not handsome but you are also wrong because you are ugly.”
He started laughing and it was music to my ears.
“But I will still manage you, a show of appreciation for being a good bodyguard” I said rubbing his cheeks and staring at those beautiful eyes.
“I’ve always preferred your body and I know exactly what your body is saying” he said still laughing.
“Ibrahim, you are alive. You are real” I said resuming my tears.
“No, no no. That’s enough” he said in Hausa sitting down and raising me up with him.
“You’ve cried enough and yes Ibrahim is alive but you are seeing Ghost not Ibrahim” he continued in Hausa pulling me to him.
I pulled myself away and he allowed me. I looked at him again and sent a punch to his chest.
“What was that for?” he protested rubbing his chest.
“You should have told me. You should have revealed yourself, I would have recognised you. Idiot” I said punching him over and over again.
“I almost killed you without knowing you. You should have told me you lost your memory.”
I continued punching him, he held my hand and pulled me back to him.
“I was hundred percent sure and still sure that you wouldn’t have believed me Emmanuella. I confirmed it the day we visited the waterfall because all my attempts to make you think there is a possibility that Ibrahim is still alive did not work. I wanted to first clear your mindset about Hausas and Fulanis. We are peaceful and wonderful tribe. Also, I was confused because you said I was eleven when I arrived, it was not correlating with the age I knew with the help of Wild. I stayed three years with you Emmanuella. Now that I remember everything it makes sense. You always had issue with math and you never accepted I was ten, kept saying I was eleven.”
I stared at him looking guilty
“Wait, you did not complete what I wrote?”
I had no answer. He started laughing.
“What were you expecting me to do? Keep reading when I already know you are Ibrahim and you’ve already written where I can meet you?”
“Wow, so impatient just the way you are terrible with math. I won’t be surprised if you don’t remember your twenty first birthday is on Saturday.”
I did not remember, never thought about it.
He started laughing sending waves of heat to my body. I just stared at him thinking inappropriate things. 
“So you did not read where I wrote about your marriage story being wrong?” he asked pretending there was no tension in the air.
“How?”
“I told Grandma I will add one year not two years. Good you went for art not science. And she later gave me an answer.”
“I know that part, you were the one who did not allow me finish my story. You kissed me.”
I shouldn’t have said that because it brought more tension and awareness.
“Well Grandma already gave me the go ahead.”
“As long as you protect me, take me to school with you, take me back home with you, make sure nobody bullies me, then you can marry me when the time comes” I said smiling.
“Pride price paid in full. Thank you Grandma. I paid the bride price” he shouted.
“Stop deceiving yourself. You terrorized me, you did not protect me” I said laughing, my heart filled with joy.
“I’m sure you would have felt differently if you knew I’m Ibrahim and if you did not disobey the bible by hating your neighbors.”
I started crying because he was right, my hatred for Hausas and Fulanis crowded my view.
“I’m sorry, Ibrahim I’m sorry” I cried.
“Ghost please. Call me Ghost.”
“No I’m calling you Ibrahim, you need to know how I feel when you call me Emmanuella.”
“Okay but can you stop crying? We need to go, they are all waiting for you. Pastor Sam is waiting.”
I raised my head to look at him.
“I don’t understand.”
“Well I had planned to wed you today but Wolf refused, he has claimed you as his kid sister and now we have to go through Isoko tradition but they are all waiting to see you and Pastor Sam wants to talk to you. He has also been convinced by Wolf to follow the protocol of counselling you to find out if you really want to marry me. It’s Wolf pay back.”
“But he doesn’t know me.”
That was not what I wanted to say. I was excited one of his brother has claimed me as his sister when I was not even qualified.
“He has not just claimed you, he has contacted Mama and his family and talked about you. You will surprised to know Mama knows Grandma.”
“Ghost you are confusing me.”
“Oh sorry. Wolf is Urhobo and Isoko. Mama, Wolf’s second mother is Isoko. Mama called that your Mum was her customer. Mama used to sell Garri at different market days. It made her travel to different communities including Ozoro. So Wolf has decided to take you under his wing and even Mama can’t wait to meet you. She was shocked to hear that Grandma is dead. And all these happened yesterday. So Wolf is going to make you move in with him and make me undergo the traditional way of getting married in his tribe. So Mama is even on her way to Benin and can’t wait to see you. She is going to be spending the holiday with her grand kids.”
I just stared at him and wondered what I had done to deserve him and his family.
“Not again. Where are the extra tears coming from? I was hoping you must have finished the one your body can produce today. Na wa.”
I started laughing. I was an emotional train wreck. I pulled him to the mat and placed my head on his chest. I just wanted to feel him.
“Emmanuella we need to go and you need to help me with Wolf.”
I did not answer, I was still trying to grasp reality.
“Emmanuella.”
“Just wait please. Wait!”
I sat up.
“Wolf wants me to move in with him?”
He nodded.
“Till we get married?”
He nodded.
“Then after?”
“We move to our own.”
“Where? I am still in school you know.”
He pulled me back to my position.
“Jason started building a three bedroom house by the side of the mini ring which is close to Wolf’s house. He said we were disturbing him. We kept leaving our base at Abuja because of the little creatures and invading his house and privacy. And Jason, well you already know. His parents were very rich and had lots of shares in many companies which Jason is making wealth from by using his skills to know which shares would make money although under Cindy’s name, he helps Cindy to predict profits and losses from the market. He gave me the keys yesterday as his gift. He will have to think of another solution to the other’s invasion.”
“Just like that? He just dashed you a house like that?”
“Early wedding gift. That’s where I stayed in yesterday night. He told me to furnish it myself. My family is bonded by love and oneness Ella. They can’t wait to meet the latest person joining our world. GG and Pearl are expecting you. I don’t know if AI understands much but she has seen your picture. Let’s go.”
But I went back to resting on his chest. I needed time to absorb everything he just said. I remembered Ken and raised my head again.
“What did you tell Ken?”
“I thanked him for taking care of you. I told him if everything were to be normal, he would have been the one for you. I apologized that you had to meet me. I begged him to talk to you because he was hurting you by ignoring you. I told him I owe him what I can never repay and we talked about other things. Also thanked him for showing love to Jamila and her siblings. I have been waiting for you to ask.”
I did not know what to say or how to answer him but a bird flew close to the mat distracting me. Ghost pressed something on his wrist watch, then caught the bird.
“Meet my eyes in the sky.”
“O my God. It was a bird? But it looks real” I said touching the feathers.
“That’s the purpose. It led me to you many times. It has been with you for so long.”
And I never noticed. Everything started making sense.
He threw it up and it flew away.
“Emmanuella let’s go to my world.”
I rested my head back on his chest and grabbed his neck.
“Not yet, can I stay like this for just five minutes? Let me absorb everything and I also need to go back to my room.”
“For sure, I can’t take you to see them like this and your legs might have bruises. Let me check” he said trying to raise me but I refused.
“Please five minutes, please. I need to recover from my shock please. I need to believe you are real and not just real but Ibrahim. I need to believe you are not a ghost.”
“But I’m Ghost.”
“You know what I mean.”
He pulled me closer and ran his hands in my hair.
“What if I am a real Ghost?” he asked after five minutes, after he failed to raise me up.
“Then I will become a ghost’s wife and I will also become a ghost.”
              (THE END)

(This is as far as I can write. If you want to know what happened next, about their wedding night, well I don’t know, please I never spoil reach there. I never even spoil. Just imagine it like your wedding night. Let me experience it first. Thank you for reading Ella’s story. I hope you enjoyed it?)
The circle standalone novels is not yet over but if you have not read:
The Next Two Days- Jason and Cindy
Untamed- Beast and Halima.
Nightmares of Pearls- Wolf, Pearl and family,
Now is a good time to read and enjoy them.
Coming Next …..Let the drum beat begin……
The next......will soon be announced.
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  Don’t forget: Our present is mostly due to our choices from the past and there is no forever-after, but now can be our forever. So get angry, forgive, love and be happy because happiness is a choice not a reward and mostly importantly, live today like it’s your forever- Omaholly.
Thanks, love you all, including my ghost readers. You gave me the will and desire to write.