PAPA LOVES HIS GIRLS (Part 19&20) – OPEYEMI AKINTUNDE
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Part 19
PAPA LOVES HIS GIRLS
Opeyemi Akintunde
“Marry you? What are you saying?” It felt like he was speaking Spanish. I stood up from where he had asked me to sit.
“Yes. That’s the only way I can protect you from what is coming.”
“Protect me? From what is coming? What is coming ? I don’t need your protection, I just need to get my children and I back to Rivers where I can’t be found.”
“Your enemy will not rest until you are dead!”
“Can you make me understand what you are saying. I don’t understand you. Why the sudden interest to marry me?”
“The thing is, I plan on rescuing my mama. While I do that, I still want to be able to protect you and your children. The only way I can protect you is if you are my princess . You will have twenty- four hours security, because Mrs Mayowa Nwosu, the people who want you dead are the worse kind of enemies to have.”
I didn’t understand why he looked so convincing and genuine. It looked like he was looking out for what was best for me. I wondered why.
“Did something happen at the Remembrance?”
“A lot…I saw a lot… Look, I may not be able to say all, but trust me when I say I am doing what I am doing for your sake.”
“So you are marrying me to save me?”
“I am marrying you to keep you safe because I like you.”
“You like me?”
“Yes. You are the kind of woman I have been waiting for. I have studied you in the past one week.
“I have two kids.”
“Who look like me”
“Sooner or later, your father will know they are not yours.”
“Let that time come and leave it to me to defend you.”
“No!”
“What is your greatest fear about me right now?”
“You are Igbo, and Royalty. What if you die tomorrow, I would be subjected to another cruel widow’s rite.”
“I will sign a document to that effect, plus my father has abolished some of those cruel rites. Moreover, I plan on spending forever with you. I plan on growing old with you. I will not die but Live long in Jesus name”
“Why does this feel unreal to me? Who are you really?”
“ I am me, Chima. I have been waiting for you all my life.”
The prince asked to see Nonso and Amaka.
As we got into the room , I met them praying.
They opened their eyes when they sensed I was in.
“Does the king know the truth?” Nonso asked me.
“Good afternoon sir!” Amaka greeted.
“Good afternoon sir!” Nonso also acknowledged his presence.
“How are you guys?”
“We are fine.”
“How come you ran away from this beautiful palace?” Nonso asked.
“My safety was more important. Sometimes we leave our place of comfort to hide in a new place to save our lives till our enemies have been defeated. Remember, Baby Jesus was also taken to Egypt when he was a baby to hide him, because Herod wanted to kill him.”
“Yes.” Nonso nodded.
“Even Baby Moses was hid in a basket and later through his mother’s plan got to the palace where he was kept safe.”
“Hmm…”
“So, it is possible for God to take us far away from our comfort place to hide us somewhere.” The Prince continued
“True. If you didn’t leave here, your wicked Step-mother would have killed you,” Nonso said.
The prince was surprised he knew the story.
“We heard the story from the King back at the apartment.”
“Wow! You are pretty sharp,” he said to Nonso. Nonso was very proud of himself.
“Since you are both smart children, it is best I run this by you. I went to your Dad’s Rememberance today and I found out that you and your mum are still in grave danger. There is someone wicked who is still after your mum’s life. To keep you safe like I was kept safe for fifteen years, I want to marry your mum and have you as my children. That way you enjoy maximum security.”
“Ha!” Amaka uttered, while Nonso’s mouth hung open. He looked at me and back at him.
“Are you sure, it is because you want to keep us safe that’s why you want to marry my mum? Or because she is beautiful?” Nonso asked
I had never felt as embarrassed as I did in that moment.
“Jesus! Stop that!”
Prince Chima laughed.
“Both reasons,” Prince Chima answered.
“I like you for my mummy,” Amaka said and before I knew what was happening I was in tears. I was weeping profusely. Why was God setting me up like this?
Why was I being proposed to in the most unlikely way after just two years of my husband’s demise?
“God, please let this makes sense to me.”
Part 20
PAPA LOVES HIS GIRLS
Opeyemi Akintunde
“The same Red Sea that swallowed the Children of Egypt is the same one that had given way for the Israelites to pass. The same Igbo land that caused you pain will give you Joy!”
I woke up hearing those words loud and clear in my ears. It was been repeated over and over in my ears as I struggled to get out of my sleep.
I had told the Prince the night before that I wanted to think it through over the night. One of the things on my mind as I drifted to sleep the previous night was how I could escape the palace. I was sorry that his mama had been kidnapped on our account, but I couldn’t dare think of marrying an Igbo man, not after what I faced in the merciless hands of my in-laws.
I had been thinking of several excuses of how I was going to escape the Palace; I thought of asking to see the town, and in the process escape. I immediately laughed at myself because of the impossibility due to the guards that would be going out with me.
I remember saying this prayer before I finally gave in to sleep.
“Oh Lord, show me the way to go!”
I thought the Lord was going to show me a powerful revelation that would be so self explanatory, instead what I got was the re-echoing of these words: “The same Red Sea that swallowed the Children of Egypt is the same one that had given way for the Isrealites to pass. The same Igbo land that caused you pain will give you joy!”
“What is God saying?” I remember reminiscing on those words
“Is God supporting my union with Chima?”
I sat up in my bed thinking in the dark.
“God! I have gone through too much pain to go into another round of pain. God! You know my heart. You know marriage is not even a priority for me, s€x is not even on mind. I just want to find myself first while raising my children.
Lord, you know how much I sacrificed for Chike, I toiled to send Chike to school, I forfeited my education to labour for him, and God you see how it all ended, Chike died with all my labour. He left me with no degree.
God! If there is anything I want now, it is self development. I don’t want to be at the mercy of any man. I want to be my own woman. Therefore becoming a princess is not what I desire. Bless my catering business back in Rivers.
Help me to raise enough money to train myself and give my children the best education they could ever have. God! Please I am not interested in marriage now. I am interested in You and in my growth.
I honestly do not have a problem with the man, this Prince, but I have a problem with rushing into marriage again and marrying an Igbo man again,” I said in all sincerity.
I looked to my side and I saw my children sleeping safely.
“God, I know this place will be a safe haven for my children; I know this could be an answered prayer, but I don’t want to get hurt again.”
“I promise not to hurt you.” I heard
“Jesus!” I jumped up from the bed in fear.
“I am sorry if I scared you,” Prince Chima said from the floor where he laid.
“What are you doing here? When did you get here,” I said with a disapproving voice. I did not like the fact that I was not fully dressed.
“It would be very suspicious if I did not sleep with my wife and kids in a new environment they are not familiar with, don’t you think?” He said with a smile in his voice
“Notwithstanding, you should have told me you were coming to sleep here.” I insisted
“I left my father at past one am. We had a lot to discuss.”
“Ok?”
“I told my Father the truth about us.”
” Ok?”
“I told him, you are a widow I am in love with and would love to marry. At first, he thought I was joking, because he blatantly argued with me that Nonso was my son, but when he realized I was dead serious, he finally swallowed the hard pill.”
“That means we can leave in the morning?” I asked happily
The Prince was silent.
“Please don’t misunderstand me, I am not a selfish person who doesn’t care about Mama that has been kidnapped on my account, but I feel like if I stay more around you I may bring in more problems to you,” I said.
“Do you honestly believe that? You are an asset to have. The few encounters I had with you back at the apartment spoke volumes about you. You have raised your children to honour men regardless of their status in the Society. For me, that is golden. You are therefore a treasure to have.
You are very selfless, you toiled for your ex-husband. Now that is a sacrificial person. So tell me again, do you believe that by having you in my life, I will experience problems?”
I could not give an answer. I had become a different woman after I gave my life to Christ. I knew the kind of wife I would be to any man. I was going to be the kind of wife that would pray for her husband, bless him, and like Proverbs says about the virtuous woman, I will be good to him all the days of my life.”
“I Thought as much. Mrs Mayowa, I heard everything you were saying to God, and I promise you that all that you said in the ears of God, I will be the channel of God’s hand of blessing towards you. I will sponsor your education if you desire to return to school. I have enough money.
All the apartments belongs to me. My mother left me a lot of fortune before she passed. She kept it in Mama’s care before she died. When I finished my Masters, I took control of everything. I just made Mama front as the owner of the apartment, so as not to attract too much attention to me.”
“So you want me to marry you, so you can give me the life that I desire?” I asked.
“That was before I heard your talk with God. No pressure. I am willing to help you without any strings attached. We could be good friends. While you go back to school, I will help you raise your kids. I will be working majorly from home as the Crown Prince.”
“Can’t I return to Rivers and you still help me from here?”
“I can only protect you from here. From here when you go to the State university, guards will go to school with you,” He said with a serious tone.
“The same Red Sea that swallowed the Children of Egypt is the same one that had given way for the Isrealites to pass. The same Igbo land that caused you pain will give you joy!” I heard the words echoing again in my ears.
“I will stay! But not as your wife, but as your fiancé. Since you have told the king the truth, I can live freely as your fiancé, so I can have enough time to study you.”
“Your wish is my command ma’am,” he said, laughing.
*****
I began to enjoy life to the fullest. The king spoke to both of us and approved of my decision not to rush the marriage yet, as I told him I needed to get my mother involved. Mama was released after the king paid a heavy ransom.
I was told the kidnappers refuse to give them the information about who sent them. Mama refused to return to the palace. She said she couldn’t stand the king. Therefore, she decided to continue the apartment business in another city. The Prince sold off the apartments and heavily compensated Mama.
Being engaged to the Prince came with its perks. I wrote most of my exams in the Palace. I finally got Admission to the State university.
By my third year in the University, the Prince and I had become very close, we were unmarried married people. The only thing that could separate us from married people was the lack of s€xual intimacy in our relationship.
However, at that point in my third year, I had become madly in love with him, and couldn’t wait for him to talk about us getting married, but he never mentioned it again. I believed he wanted me to graduate from the University.
My kids were attending the best school in the town. They were already referred to as ‘prince’ and ‘princess’ in school.
The only person that had not fully warmed up to us was Prince Enyinnaya. I couldn’t blame him. He was the first son and should by all right sit on the throne of the Crown Prince, but unfortunately for him, the throne rejected him.
Life was going all rosy for me, until one day that changed everything.
I had received a note from a girl.
“Please can I see you outside?”
My guards were sitting outside in the Royal SUV.
The handwriting was not familiar. Curiosity got the best of me.
As I stepped out, I saw a man standing afar off waving at me. He looked familiar.
My heart stopped.
Chike!
CLICK HERE TO READ ‘ PAPA LOVES HIS GIRLS ’ (PART 21&22) – OPEYEMI AKINTUNDE
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