NWALA ; The Bittersweet Story (Part 21&22) – Opeyemi Akintunde

Part 21
NWALA ; THE BITTERSWEET STORY
Opeyemi Akintunde

I was not planning to see Reuben that night. I just wanted to return to my hostel. I texted another protocol officer, telling him he should see to Pastor Reuben, that I was not feeling up to it. I told him I had gone to the hostel to rest it out.

As I walked back to my hostel, I was clouded with several thoughts, but a phone call that shattered me completely came through.

The caller ID revealed it was my Mum. In the past three months, whenever she called, she tried not to raise any dust, we just spoke mainly about my wellbeing, my academics and a few times she would casually say

“I hope you are hearing from Reuben” of which I would say yes.

I wasn’t lying, his text messages was a way to hearing from him.

I picked up my Mum’s call, and at first, I could not make sense of what she was saying, because there was so much noise in the background…

“Can you see what ‘Your’ Daniel is doing here? He is breaking the windscreen of all the cars in the house. I am sending you a clip right away” My mother said sounding very distraught.

She Ended the call angrily.

I waited anxiously for Mum to send the clip.

Finally after waiting few minutes, it dropped…

I downloaded the video and what I saw broke me further.

“You don’t want your daughter to marry me, because I am a pauper… No, I am not a pauper, it is people like my father that made you. My father fixed the cars you brought in” Daniel was saying.

As he was speaking, he was breaking the windscreen of the cars and the side mirrors.

“Let me tell you if she doesn’t marry me, you all will live to regret it…”

My mother turned the camera to my father who looked perplexed. The look on my father’s face as he turned to the camera broke me…

Thankfully, I was close to the school garden on the way to the hostel. I ran inside the garden crying.

A text dropped. It was from my mother…

“Is that the man you want to marry? He is breaking things now, if you marry him, he will break you. Now can you see that he is really a broken man?”

I wept sore…

******

About fifteen minutes later, Reuben starting calling continuously. I didn’t have the strength to talk, but I picked up when it was obvious he was bent on hearing my voice.

“Hello” I said faintly

“Where are you? I got to your hostel and your roommates said you are not in”

“Why do you care, Pastor Reuben” I replied.

“One of the protocol officers said you were not feeling okay. I just want to check on you”

“I am fine, I just need sometime alone, some time to think about my complicated life” I failed myself as I broke down in tears.

“Where are you?”

“School garden close to the hostel”

“Ok”

He ended the call…

I wanted to call Daniel and tell him how stupid he was. To think we were already making some progress with his Christianity…

“Don’t you think this is God showing you that Daniel will be a terrible husband?’ A small gentle voice said to me…

******

“Nwala” I heard Reuben’s voice.

He sat beside me…

“Would you want to speak here or should we go somewhere more pr!vate?” He asked

Few people were in the garden, through it was dark, I could see that people were looking towards our direction.

“Somewhere else”

He stood up and helped me up. Some students called his name and he wove at them.

We got into his car, and I told him where to drive to, I knew the College area would be quiet at that time.

I needed somewhere I could scream… The moment we got there, I got down and let out a scream…

“Nwala… calm down”

“I can’t calm down; Look at what this stupid Daniel has done”

I passed him my phone and played the video. He watched it and was silent.

“Are you not going to say something?”

“As your friend? As a Pastor? Or as someone who wishes to be in his shoes?” he said ending with a smile.

The smile warmed my heart…

“Anyone Reuben, just say something to make me not run mad… I love him Reuben, I love him from like way back. He is a good guy, yes I know he has anger issues, and that’s because he hates the fact that he is from a poor background… With all that is happening, I can see that he will be violent in marriage, but I am thinking, I can control that…” I was just talking and crying.

“Nwala! Calm down… I want to speak as a friend with no strings attached…” He said pulling me to the car and resting my back on the car. He also stood by my side resting his back on the car.

“Nwala, all you are seeing are signs on the wall, if you marry Daniel, he will be overprotective, aggressive and violent towards you. As a friend, I will advise you look to elsewhere. Now, as a pastor who just ministered on knowing God’s will, I will advise you seek God’s face”

“I already did…”

“And?” Reuben asked

“He told me to honour my father and my mother” I replied

“And that would be in which way?”

“That would mean ending it with Daniel, my mother wanted that, now with him destroying my father’s car, I believe honouring my father will be to have nothing to do with him” I replied

For the first time Reuben was quiet… I could understand his dilemma

“I have to call him and do it now”, I said crying…

“Ok…” was all he said

I dialed his number and after about 3 rings he picked up.

“I am sorry babe; I don’t know what came over me… Please tell mummy and Daddy I am sorry…”

“Where are you?” I asked

“I am still in your compound; they have locked the door to the main house”

“Daniel, get out of my house, and don’t ever come back, get out of my life and never you call me again. It is over between us…” I said

“Nwala, what are you saying?”

“I am saying I can’t do this again” I started with a firm voice, but suddenly my emotions failed me… I started crying while talking to him…

“Daniel, you did your worst today, I have been fighting for us, I was ready to fight my mother for us, but you just shot yourself in the leg. I am sorry… God knows I love you, but I am done”

I ended the call and switched off my phone…

I cried like someone who just lost a treasure, and Reuben gave me his shoulder to cry on. In the midst of that, he said to me…

“You did good by honouring your parents, and I believe part of honouring mum is to give me a chance. Now I speak like the man who has always wished to be in Daniel’s shoes; Nwala, give me a chance and I promise you that till we are old and grey, I will not cause you pain or make you cry..”

I didn’t say a Yes or No… I didn’t have to , the situation I was in, had given him what he wanted…

He took me back to my hostel before the hostel gate was to be shut. He told me he had to leave by 5:00am because of a meeting he had to attend to. He jokingly confessed; he came to the program so he could see me.

As I laid on my bed, all I could think about was my mother and father’s state. I had failed them. I was always the hard child. One of the cars Daniel had destroyed, I knew how much the side mirror of the car cost, it was in hundreds of thousands, how much more fixing all he had damaged.

I turned on my phone and text messages had poured in . Chika, Chinwe, Amara, even the twins in school had sent me messages. I know my mother would have done a good job of circulating the video.

I opened the messages and the messages were all similar…

“You should leave that idiot forever” Chika texted

“Nwala, a word is enough for the wise, drop this guy like I dropped my ex. It will hurt for a while, but you will be grateful later… End it with him” Chinwe texted

“This is what we call a mess, quickly drop him and pick Reuben up, before someone else does” Amara texted and that stuck. I hope she was not the someone else she was referring to.

“Daniel is messed up, run for your life” John texted…

“Tell that stupid Daniel, that if I see him, I will kill him. I hear you don’t want to leave him, I hope he doesn’t kill you before I kill him” Jeremiah texted…

I didn’t respond to anyone of them, instead I decided to heal my mother’s broken heart…

“Mum, I am sorry for how my coconut head has always brought you pain… I have decided to honour you. I have broken up with Daniel and I have pitched my tent with Reuben. I know you know the best for me. Thanks mum. Please apologize to Dad on my behalf”

I decided to text my Dad as well

“Dad, I am sorry for what I have caused you, please forgive me. I have ended it with Daniel. I apologize for the damage”

I felt like a heavy load had been lifted off my shoulder. I felt relieved…

“From all indications, I am meant to be with you. I hope I won’t regret this ride with you…” I texted Reuben

“No you won’t, I will make the ride bump free and exciting by the Grace of God. Thank you Queen Nwala… Now that I have the Drivers’ license, I want to say, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH, thank you for making today memorable for me.

I didn’t bother replying, instead I checked Daniel’s text;

“I promise you that you will regret this action. No words for you, but lots of action”

I wasn’t moved, I knew it was empty threat or was it not?

Part 22
NWALA ; THE BITTERSWEET STORY
Opeyemi Akintunde

Being in a relationship with Reuben was a different ballgame. It was love wrapped up in maturity. He would buy me gifts and flowers like every two weeks. We knew when to act like lovebirds who were drunken in love, and we knew when to discuss serious issues.

There was no stones unturned with Reuben, he wanted to know everything about me, my hopes, my expectations, my fantasies…

Just like he had hinted in the early days of our friendship that it was the day I gave him a yes he would tell the world about us, he indeed told his parents about us.

Reuben told me they were surprised especially with Daniel’s fiasco at the church.

“What about the boyfriend?” His mum had asked

“They are not together anymore, he was her childhood sweetheart, and that was why the young man was threatened by me” Reuben had said

“So that’s why he came to church announcing his right over her. I am happy she didn’t end up with him” His father had said speaking In my favour.

“Good to know, but I hope the gentleman won’t be a threat to your relationship?” Reuben had told me his mother had said in concern.

He told me, he laid her fear to rest.

I, however still had the fear and three months into our relationship, something life changing happened. I could sense Daniel’s hand in it.

Reuben had become a regular visitor on campus, it was no longer news that we were dating. I had even become a popular face on social media, thanks to Mass Communication students in my school, who had done a story titled “All you need to know about Pastor Reuben Acme’s lady”

Like Seriously right?

The drill was that Reuben would come Saturday morning and we will spend the entire day together. By 9:00pm he would retire to his hotel room. By 5:00am on Sunday, he would leave to get to the 2nd service.

That fateful Sunday morning, he had called my line to tell me he was leaving. We gisted for about 15 minutes as he drove. I ended the call telling him to concentrate on his driving.

Forty minutes later, I saw his number calling as I was leaving the hostel for service.

“Hello Baby Boo” I said

“Hello… Hello… The person that has this phone don have accident, e don die”

“Hello… What are you saying?’

“Accident for Aguro junction. Shebi you are his wife, he store your number as ‘My Heart”

“Yes… uncle please take him to the hospital, I am coming, please he can not die”

“Hospital? Ha! I don’t want police case”

“Please! I will defend you… please”

“Ok… but Aunty, this Uncle is dead ooo”

“The hospital can revive him”

At this point, I had created a scene, because I was shaking and crying, where I was in the hostel.

“Take it easy… what’s wrong?’ My roommate June asked…

I couldn’t hear what they were saying, I put a call through to my mum, I walked away from the crowd that was gradually forming around me..

‘Mummy, a man just called that Reuben has been in an accident and is dead at Aguro junction, Mummy I am finished”

“What! Jesus… He was coming from your school?”

“Yes…”

“Ha! I am finished… I am on my way”

My life was shattering as each second passed by. In my head, I was telling myself this was Nemesis catching up with Reuben and I for treating Daniel the way we did, or was this destiny’s way of bringing Daniel and I back together or was this Daniel himself getting his revenge?

******

” He is dead!”

“He can’t be dead!”

CLICK HERE TO READ “NWALA ; THE BITTERSWEET STORY” (PART 23&24) – OPEYEMI AKINTUNDE