I LOVE YOU, BUT…. (Part 19&20) – OPEYEMI AKINTUNDE

Part 19
I LOVE YOU, BUT….
Opeyemi Akintunde

” Stop there!” Beauty heard the voice of Baba Shagba…

” Where do you think you are going?” Baba Shagba asked

At that point, Beauty concluded that there really was no God. She had prayed to God to prove to her He was real, but He just failed her…

” Reverse and get back to your room before I teach you a lesson you will never forget in your life.”

******

Ajoke saw Pamilerin in her dream tied to a tree. Ajoke tried untying her, but it was becoming complex instead. The rope was getting tighter than her intention.

Ajoke woke up confused…

” What kind of trouble has Pamilerin gotten herself into?…..but how come as I was trying to help her, things kept getting complicated..” Ajoke reasoned

” I better let her be, before she starts seeing me as a witch… Eledua, you know I wish her good, all I do is for her good ooo” Ajoke said to the empty space in front of her.

There and then, she made up her mind to give Pamilerin some space…

*********

Winter was trimming her nails, she didn’t know she was going to be meeting Freeman’s wife , so she had to work on her appearance.

She knew no woman wanted to see a beautiful woman working with her husband. Winter trimmed her nails and made it plain like that of a secondary school student.

She stood in front of the mirror thinking of what next to do to make her less attractive.

” My hair!” Winter said to herself.

Winter took her scissors and trimmed her long hair to be very short.

She took her a makeup kit, and spoke to it like she was talking to a friend…

” Dear Make up kit, you will be going on a break for about two weeks, your girl has to go low key for a while…don’t worry when this is all over, I promise to kit you up more. I will add up more to you”.

Winter opened one of the drawers and threw the make up purse in there.

” Now …it’s time to get dirty.”

*******

Freeman found himself smiling all through out the night. He kept imagining what 70 million dollars would do to his life.

He wasn’t going to marry Mrs Winter on paper. He had a plan. He would draw her close to his family, make them become best of friends. That way, she would build the trust in him.

” Thank you God for this jackpot”

*******

” The next time you try escaping from here, I will turn you into a goat, at least that way I will be able to tie you down as someone advised me to do ” Baba Shagba said. He had followed Beauty to the room. Their voice had woken Lara up.

” Someone? Who is the someone who asked you to tie me down… Winter my friend? I know everything. I may be blind but I am not ignorant of what is happening”.Beauty summoned the courage to say.

” How dare you talk back at me?” Baba Shagba replied as a cover up for his shock.

Baba Shagba walked out of the room thinking how she got to know the truth about her friend..

” Tell Winter not to come back here, because if she does I will kill her..” Beauty shouted

******

Winter was through with achieving the new look she wanted to carry. Her phone rang and the last person she wanted to hear from was calling her…

” Baba Shagba What is it?”

” The bird already knows …”

” What do you mean she already knows? How?”

” I don’t know but she said she. knows what you are doing… in her words she said ” I may be BLIND, but I am not ignorant”

” Oh she is not ignorant, that means she knows too much… Baba Shagba, I give her to you as a gift, whatever you want to use her for, you have my permission. No one will ask of her if she disappears.”

” Winter, if I understand you clearly, you don’t want to see her again?”

” Exactly, and I hope you get rid of her fast, so I can bring other jobs to you, you know as long as she is there, I can’t come there anymore…”

” I know what to do. Before you finish what you have to do for the two weeks you said, I would have discarded her .”

” Alright! But Baba Shagba what is happening to the Man’s wife. She ought to be dead by now.”

” I am still working on a powerful arrow of death.”

” Ok, her death must happen within this two weeks.” Winter urged

” Don’t worry, it is done.”

*******

Freeman tried as much as possible to suppress his excitement as they waited to receive Mrs Winter that day.

The kids had gone to school, he, Remi and Pamilerin were the only ones at home…

” You are sweating? Why?” Pamilerin asked Freeman

” No I am not sweating…I just have a little sweat on my face.” Freeman said

Pamilerin looked at Remi who was also surprised at Freeman’s words…

” You are not sweating but you have a little sweat in your face?” Pamilering repeated the statement to Freeman

” Are you okay, babe?” Pamilerin asked

Freeman realizes his stupidity…

” What did I say?” He asked

Pamilerin laughed at him , while Remi did same but was more discreet.

The bell chimed…

It was the security guard informing them about Winter’s arrival.

” Let her in” Freeman pressed the receiver’s end before saying.

Pamilerin stood up in anticipation, likewise Freeman found himself expectant of her coming.

Pamilerin and Freeman walked out to the compound to welcome her in honour.

But as Winter stepped down, Pamilerin’s immediate reaction told Winter she had succeeded in convincing Freeman’s wife that she wasn’t going to be attractive to her husband.

On the other hand, Freeman stood in shock at the transformation. The beautiful woman he saw yesterday was not the same standing in front of him.

” Welcome ma…I love your haircut…” Pamilerin said in other to break the ice…

” She is not here to snatch my husband ” Pamilerin said reassuringly to herself “ Freeman can never fall for a woman like this

” Aww…thank you ma Mrs Freeman….. And I must say you are a beauty to behold ….” Winter replied. She noticed Freeman’s wife was limping…

” Are you Okay?” She said pointing to the leg…

” Just a minor accident ” Pamilerin replied

” No accident is minor, can I take a look at it… I did a short course in alternative bone treatment. My husband had…I mean my late husband had rheumatism. I am sorry I havent gotten over the death of my husband….so I still forget to add late to him when referring to him….” Winter said

” Oh I am so sorry….” Pamilerin said

“It’s okay… I will be fine, it’s just a hard pill for me to swallow, you know when God gives you the perfect husband and you lose him, you just know it’s all over…, but I am grateful anyway that I got to enjoy love at some point in my life.

Some of my friends tell me to remarry, but I have told them NEVER! I can never find another man like my husband…” Winter said in a rush, she wanted to pass a message to Pamilerin. She wanted Pamilerin to think she was not here for her husband…

” I am sorry, I am meeting you for the first time and I have not even stepped in , here I am telling you all about my life… forgive me, your leg brought back memories”

Freeman could sense what Mrs Winter was trying to est@blish, but he was wondering why the change of look…

” It’s okay ma, I can imagine what it feels like losing someone you love. Don’t see your bone treatment training as a loss, I would definitely need your help with my leg”

” Aww…Thank you for your kind words…”

” Please come in”….

Winter saw the door of the house opening unto her, she knew she was going in to wreck the home. She smiled to herself and she felt someone giving her a pat on the shoulder…

” Winter the Wrecker, Wreck this ship and steal all the treasures they have on board…” She said to herself with a smile no one saw..

Part 20
I LOVE YOU, BUT….
Opeyemi Akintunde

Remi saw the strange woman walking into their house. She had shivers all over her body, the moment she set her eyes on the woman. That resulted into her dropping the glass cup in her hand….

” Remi, Are you Okay?” Freeman looked at Remi angrily.

” I am sorry sir, I am sorry ma…Welcome ma..” Remi said running back into the Kitchen…

Pamilerin quickly followed Remi into the kitchen. It was odd. Remi was always very careful.

” Remi, what is wrong with you… Why are you shaky?” Pamilerin said on entering the Kitchen.

“I don’t know ma, but I feel all shaky. The moment the woman entered…my body started vibrating… Mummy, who is she?” Remi summoned courage to say…

” Well… she is Daddy’s new business partner!” Pamilerin replied.

” Ok… I hope she is a good person. I have never felt like this before… I am shaky and my heart is b€ating so fast like something terrible is about to happen and there is strong urgency to it” Remi said…

” My baby is speaking big English these days ooo, is it the course you are going to study in school that is making you speak all these big grammar ” Pamilerin said not regarding all Remi said about the woman but concentrating instead on her use of words…

” Yes ma, I have been picking new words” Remi quickly said..

Remi stared at her expecting her to say something about what she raised concerning the woman…

” Why are you staring at me? Oh! The woman ? Don’t worry she means no harm, maybe you are shy and that’s why you are shaky!” Pamilerin said and walked out after filling the glass cup with water…

********

While Pamilerin was in the kitchen, Freeman ceased the moment to ask the question that had been tugging at his heart..

” Why the new look ? The hair cut? This was not the you I left yesterday.”

” I like to build trust, I wanted you to be less attracted to me, and make your wife see me as a no rival…” Winter said

” Oh…that’s nice, but you didn’t have to do this..I feel it’s too extreme and besides if you are trying to look less attractive, I think you have failed, because the haircut actually makes you look younger ” Freeman said laughing making it look like a joke, but Mrs Winter pretended not to get the joke as she looked blankly at him.

” Are you okay?” Pamilerin said to Winter from behind Freeman.

” I am fine..” Winter replied

Freeman and Pamilerin could send something was wrong…

” Ma, your countenance has changed” Freeman said

” Yeah, I just heard something that threw me off balance…I should go, I can repeat this visit another time” Winter stood up pretending to be on her way out.

” Ma… what’s wrong ? Did I say something to upset you.” Pamilerin said

” I shouldn’t bother you about it, I thought sacrificing my hair would make you accept me but I guess I failed.”

” What are you talking about?” Pamilerin asked as Freeman stood there perplexed. He didn’t know what game Mrs Winter was trying to play…

Winter turned to Pamilerin and said..

” I guess I better say things the way they are…”

Freeman kept watching her. He was so shocked at how things were unfolding right in front of him that he found himself tongue tied.

” Ok? ” Pamilerin said setting the glass cup on the table and getting a seat to sit on to prep herself for whatever blow that was coming. The leg pain was suddenly swallowed up by the anxiety she was feeling.

” Actually, this is not my look. I had to shave my hair yesterday because I was coming here. I didn’t want to look too glamorous so I don’t look to you that I will snatch your husband from you since we will be working closely as a result of my intended investment.

My husband left more than 70 million dollars to me, and I can’t just invest it somewhere and walk away…So me having this look was to make you see me as unattractive but as Mr Freeman was asking me why the hair cut , I explained why and to my shock and disappointment he told me the haircut still made me beautiful… So it kind of hit me badly that you may be seeing me as an attractive lady who may seduce your husband…” Winter gave her calculated explanation.

” Aww, you shouldn’t have done that, I trust my husband… “

” Really? Wooowwww….Thank God! I mean It’s hard to find understanding women like your.” Winter replied

” Only insecure women fear that their husbands will be snatched from them” Pamilerin emphasised

” That means I can be myself whenever I am around your family”

” Sure…” Pamilerin said

There was a brief moment of silence. Each person thinking different things.

” 70 million dollars!” Pamilerin exclaimed in her thoughts….

” So this woman had 70 million dollars to her name…?” Pamilerin reasoned.

” I must get close to her…really close. I can’t leave Freeman alone to build the working relationship with this woman. I must build a strong friendship with her. Who knows she might give me some millions to start my business”

“So where do you stay?” Pamilerin asked wanting to change the line of conversation

” I stay at the Renaissance apartment. I was thinking of getting an apartment like yours but I think it’s not wise, since I will be the only one. That’s why I opted for a one bedroom apartment at Rennaissance…”

” But isn’t that on the high side…I mean Renaissance…we are talking weekly rent in millions…”

” I don’t have an option…”

” You don’t have relatives here?”

” No, they stay in the east…”

” Friends?”

” Lost contact with them, you know I relocated after my secondary school, I was hoping to reach out to them… but there is a popular saying about not knowing what your friends have been up to since you left them, so I am a bit skeptical also.”

” Yeah…you are right” Pamilerin replied…

” But, I think I found a family friend in you” Winter said

” Aww, that’s such a honour ma” Pamilerin said

******

Remi stood by the kitchen door eavesdropping.

” There was something off about the woman” Remi could tell

” God please let mummy see this woman for who She is.” Remi whispered

*****

Winter could tell she was winning…

” I should be leaving but I was hoping to see the Kids.”

” Why? Are you in a hurry to leave? You have not tasted the delicious meal I prepared..” Pamilerin said trying to create more familiarity…

” And we could go pick up my daughters together.” Pamilerin said

Winter and Freeman shared a look.

They could see that their working relationship would be smooth…

******

” I advise you accept your fate. Stop fighting where destiny has put you. Some of us are not fortunate. I don’t know what I am doing here, pr€gnant for an old dirty, wicked herbalist. I have accepted my fate.

I advise you do the same, so you don’t end up dead or you become an inanimate object. I heard he has turned a woman who refused his advances to a stone. Embrace this new life… I see you as my elder sister. Let’s be there for each other. I promise to be your eyes around here…” Lara said to Beauty.

Beauty had been sobbing non stop, since her plan to escape failed.

She nodded in agreement with Lara…

This was her new normal.

********

Pamilerin was so excited , she couldn’t contain her joy.

” I like her…” she said to Freeman on the bed

” Yeah..she is nice”

” She is like our door to greatness” Pamilerin said “With her investing that amount of money into you… Jesus!!!! we are made forever.. Freeman please don’t mess this up…Opportunities like this come once in a while.”

” I will make use of the opportunity well” Freeman said

” And I was thinking… that money she spends in that place she is staying is way too much… We can let her stay in the kids room, while the kids move to Remi’s room. That way, she will know we also care about her and we are not after her money alone…”

” Alone?” Freeman said as he could tell his wife had switched to the business minded Pamilerin

” Babe, don’t let’s deceive ourselves, we are after her money…, but let’s make it subtle… Let’s build her trust in us…”

” But living with us?”

” Temporarily… After about a month, I will convince her to buy a house instead, but let us use this one month opportunity to draw her close to us…Freeman, don’t let another person get hold of this woman oooo” Pamilerin said

” Ok.. you are the woman of the house… Whatever you say is fine…” Freeman agreed. A part of him wasn’t totally comfortable as he was scared of having Mrs Winter in close proximity everyday…It was going to be tempting…

” Thank you Freeman…Let me send her a message.”

Pamilerin picked up her phone and she sent a text to Winter. They had exchanged numbers earlier before she left…

The text read…

“It was nice having you at our place today. It felt like I have known you all my life. I am however worried about all the money you are spending at Renaissance…If you won’t mind staying at our place till when you get a permanent accommodation, it would be a pleasure to have you.”

*****

Winter was applying her night face cream, when she got Pamilerin’s text. On getting the text, she jumped up continuously, running around in the room, and into the living room screaming…

” Yes…I did it…I am the baddest girl in the building… Winter,you are the bomb!”

CLICK HERE TO READ ‘I LOVE YOU, BUT…’ (PART 21&22) – OPEYEMI AKINTUNDE