The December I Remember has faded away. When did we get lost
and go astray, with carols and games all here once again. Now all we see is no petrol, as we line up all day. The December I remember will come soon my way. Just give me a moment, to get up today.
It’s strange what your mind remembers, when it tries to escape.
Spinning blades, slice through the heat and spew out cool air, on sweaty epidermis. Short hair stands, stand erect, prompted by swollen follicles, confused and abused by ravaged beast’s, pretending to be children. These heartless aliens, wearing a human skin, talking as if they have done nothing to me. Trying to confuse me with warm smiles as they punch and blame me. Teenagers left unchecked, unguided and uncultured, have Blindfolded And Abducted The Lost Generation. With the female specie, bearing the brunt and assault of an evil, wicked face. Injected with poison, subjected to torture and filmed by these rabid animals.
Sadly, to understand this, you need to walk with me to the beginning. My generation, my classmate, that borrowed my book yesterday. Is responsible. He and his friends copied my notes and I had advised them, not to let it pile up, this much. Reiterate, to them, the need to get my note back quickly. Did they listen? Ha, if only, it was that simple. I am bound and have realized, It was all a ruse. A psychopaths game, that will end in me, losing my life. He convinced me, that he was normal and convinced his friends that his plan was bulletproof. His friends, agree to partake in this mayhem and I have unknowingly, fallen for their innocent ruse. I did not go to them, to collect my book, no. I was smarter than that. Teenage boys only want sex and, I was hard-working enough to stay awake all night to start and copy a new note. Just because, he refused to return mine. I am not like him, fortunate and well off to afford to hang around the area with friends. No. My mother said, education was never going to be enough, that I should learn a skill and learn to sew. So that, the small expenses would be covered. And like the good obedient, focused daughter, that I am, I listened. I am about to earn my first money from this completed skill, that I have acquired. I have finished my school homework, so I am free. I have collected two thousand naira to sew, my first dress ever. A six piece, mermaid bottom dress with invisible zip at the back. I am excited and I am almost at the accessories shop. When I spot my classmate, he does not have my book and I do not ask for it. He greets me and I do too. But a motor bike has crossed me, and another and I recognize the drivers. His friends and my classmates from school.
I am kicked and slammed on the floor and even though, I am in shock, I struggle. I screamed and bit at this my classmate. Asking and begging for my life and fighting to get away from the situation. Someone will hear me and stop this afternoon madness, I am sure of it. Instead I am gagged with rags and injected by four men and carted away. This cannot be happening.
The torture can only last for hours, I tell my battered body and mind. This must end. As if responding to my mind, my soul escapes it’s casing. I cannot survive this, how can I? Hours turn to days and several injection’s later, I do not want to see this. It is time to exit this cruel world.
But justice grasps at the tip and tail end of my soul and drags me back to my weakened body. Not to torture me and replay the assault I have endured as a teenage victim. No. To expose the mayhem these beast’s have continued to afflict on innocent young girls. To identify the evil neighbor, that smiles and greets your mother and buys and keeps weapons, shovels, to bury their sins and pretend to be human. Not anymore, I will survive and speak the truth. I will scream and shout your sins and survive and hope that you, all dangle and hang on an old high tree. So that, I, your victim will finally get justice and watch you die. And other victims, heave a sigh of relief, knowing, that you will not point and mock them for enduring in silence, the evil that men do.
Right now, I am facing my very own tormentor. This early in 2017. It is strange and scary and I know that before now, I had a gut feeling about this. But it has happened and I am here, with my unserious friend Nnoye. I am searching my mind and trying to remember if Nnoye ever met my ex. I don’t think so, she knows I almost married a deceiver, a snake that slithered it’s way into my life. Introduced to me, to date by my lying deceitful friend, Khadijatu. Why am I still upset with her?
The truth of the matter is that I am not, I just don’t get it. I would never ever introduce a guy I was intimate with to any of my friends. Yet Khadijatu was sleeping with him and set us up. She has now had his child, but there is more.
I am at my school, university reunion and I am just finding out that my ex, Frank, has been married all along. I know that is why I broke up with him in the first Lace. But I did because he was married to Lara. Right now, I am confused and hungry. The balls of fried rice I have been served on a golden platter is great. But, I doubt, that I will be able to eat it. Not with this distasteful lot around me.
Nnoye says, he is married to one, Christie and they married, straight out of school. That means, he was married, five years before he married Lara.
I bowed my head and laughed and then stand at akimbo, shake my head and laughed some more.
See this life eh, it’s totally amazing. All the wen in Frank’s life, had no clue that they were played. Because, right now, he is officially married to Khadijatu. But has never divorced Christie. What an unholy mess.
Frank is not happy to see me and quickly asked.
'Arent you, supposed to be on your honeymoon?’
The naïve wife is about to leave, and I physically pull her back and make her face him.
‘What are you doing?’, Christie asked.
My dear friend, Nnoye, suspects that I am about to unleash drama. She tried to pull me away and I shoved her hands off my shoulders.
'This is interesting, Christie meet Frank. He once gave me an engagement ring and was married to Lara ‘
Their eyes danced across the room and searched.
I glanced in the same direction and spot, Nose. He was a pastor way back, in school and I get it.
‘Your church pastor is here, good', I screamed and made sure I was heard by all.
Adrenaline pumped through my veins as I strut across the room and drag Noar, into our growing circle.
Frank grabs my hand and I slap it off, in all my rage.
'Never, in your life, touch me'
He stepped back and starts to beg.
'Ade, please don’t do this. You are married and have your life. This is all that is real, to me'
Like a market woman, I sigh and clap my hands, three times for that matter.
'So , the other women are fake?’
Frank changed tactics and grabs Noar.
‘Pastor, let me explain’
Nnoye grabs me again.
‘Ade, you are making a scene’
'What is your problem?’, I snapped at her.
She points at Christie, who is crying and has her hands covering her small face.
The rage melts away and I recognized her shame and freeze for a moment.
I did not pity her, she was a vindictive little tram who was enjoying humiliating me. But because, I am human. I stop trying to make her feel worse than she does.
The babe crashes to the floor and starts to wail and I watch people take pictures and film her shame.
'Stop it, stop filming her pain’, I shout at them.
The phones move tome and then, they all lower their phones and stop filming. Nnoye is on the floor, trying to help her stand up and the crying woman stretched her hands at me.
‘For give me Ade, please’
Proof that this woman, just loves drama. I yank her up and drag her into the next room’ and push her into a chair. It’s much better than a slap, across the face.
‘What for?’
‘I’ve said so many evil things about you and spread all sort of cankerous stories ‘
As I listen to her, I know she has no clue that I have heard not a single word about her rumors about me. I just wanted it all to be over.
‘You are the reason, I stole my husband’s password and started going through his phone and emails’
Like I care, I was watching the exit and deciding when I should make my great escape.
‘He is obsessed with you and I don’t know how to handle it’
‘Why do you say that?’, Nnoye asked baiting her to say more.
I give her a mean look and she acts as if she didn’t notice.
‘Frank talks in his sleep and I listen, listened to him try to win you back….’
This maybe therapeutic to Christie but irritating to me.
'….Look, in the eyes of God, he is your husband. I am legally married to mine. So let’s just forget this'
'But..’
'No but’s, I’m relocating to America, this weekend and you have your pastor and church prayer warriors that can handle this’
I was walking towards the door and she holds my hand.
'You believe so?’
‘Nothing is impossible, God answers all prayer’s’
And he answered mine, because she let go. I kept on marching, until I got to the car.
It was frustrating to realize that I didn’t drive there, Nnoye drove us here.
She was running on her toes and trying to catch up.
'Eh Hehn, wonders shall never end. So, it’s Christie's husband that tried to catfish you’
I wanted to correct her and explain that catfish term was for online encounter’s. But, I did not and I grab the car keys from her and start the engine.
‘Why the hurry?’
'Nnoye, have you forgotten Noar. The man thinks he is the biblical Noar and we are all his animal’s. He will come and start harassing us with words I do not want to hear’
Nnoye laughs.
‘You were always a church brother magnet’
'Make them hold themself oooo’
I reverse and speed out if there. And as expected, I spot Christie and Noar trying to wave me down from the sideview mirror.
‘So Ade, if I didn’t come out nko?’
‘I have called my cab guy, this 2017 I am not spending one minute listening to rubbish’
I made her drop me at an ice cream palour and reassured her that Henrik would join me.
Two full scoops later, I call Henrik and invite him to join me. It feels good to watch him walk in and even better in his warm embrace.
'Oh oh, what happened?’
'My dear husband, you need at least two scoops to endure this gift’
'Not Frank again’
I laughed and he didn’t, so I stopped laughing.
It made me a little uneasy and only when he smiled did I relax.
'You scared me’, I said with a lot of relief.
‘It’s like you get that vibe, just before you see him'
‘Really?’
‘No, I’m kidding. But you didn’t want to go for your university reunion. But you are excited about your secondary school reunion, why?’
‘Because, my university friends met me at a very challenging time in my life. They kind of remind me of all the room’
‘What?’
'I mean, they didn’t really know me. But in secondary school, I was myself, innocent and untainted by vanity’
Henrik was laughing so much he fell into my arms and I smiled at him.
'So, this reunion…’
'I met some fanatic, going on and on about why I’m still single and she is not. She really had it out for me and I don’t even remember her from way back then’
‘What was Nnoye doing?’
‘Looking like fish, anyway when I corrected her. Then her husband shows up’
‘The notorious, serial marrying guy’
'It the third, that I know of'
‘What did he do?’
‘Panic, try to get me to hide what he had done. This was his real crowd and he was afraid, I would ruin it'
‘Really?’
‘Christie and him, made a pact and swore they will marry after school. Both parents hated each other’s choice, so they married in secret ‘
'That’s sad’
‘No child, no clue, I’m the only one she knows about’
'How come?’
‘Apparently, he talks in his sleep’
'Good for him'
'And I’m moving to America tomorrow’
‘Perfect’
We both laugh and then, I had a sinking feeling in my guts. Why have we not discussed relocating? Or are we ever going to?
Life is funny, it’s easy, to laugh at other peoples situation. But the reality of yours, is to scary to face.
What is happening concerning my immigration to America, or am I ever going to?
**Season 1, Episode 99**
*"ADE'S JOURNAL", 99, COPYRIGHT 2017*
**BUSOLA ELEGBEDE, COPYRIGHT 2017**
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