By Fred Doc Nwaozor
“Hello
handsome!” Lady Bolanle greeted.
The salutation was dished out
as she walked closer to the supposed recipient having caught sight of him in
the distance in one of the most famous supermarkets in Yaba, Lagos State,
Nigeria.
Bolanle, a single mother at 45 whose only
child begotten out of wedlock was ten years old, was no doubt a prosperous
importer who specialized in all kinds of gold jewellery. Owing to her ego, she
had vowed never to settle down with any man or to be under any mortal in the
name of matrimony; to her, marriage was a forsaken union. Towards quenching her
libido, she went for any young man whom she chose or whomsoever she found
suitable for her classy person.
“Hi!” the supposed recipient, Akeem responded,
still concentrating on the wares showcased in the shelves.
Going by the tone of her abrupt
greeting, he needed not a seer to interpret what she was up to.
Akeem a
bachelor at 30 though deeply engaged, was a graduate of Human Physiology from
the Lagos State University (LASU), Iyana-Oba, Lagos State who was yet to secure
a promising job.
“Sorry for bashing into you.”
Bolanle tendered.
“Noted,” Akeem said, looked at her. “What can
I do for you?” He added unfriendly though seemed charmed by her elegant look.
Balanle who had her handbag in
her left hand was indeed both in nature and appearance a very attractive lady
that had all it takes to win the attention of any man regardless of what he was
made up of. She was fair, huge and about 1.75-metre tall. She put on a
multi-coloured dress, grey balanced-heeled sandals, low-cut hairs and sunshade
spectacles coupled with designer perfume and various gold jewellery ranging
from earrings to necklace, wristwatch and what have you; everything on her was
golden in appearance as it could be testified by even a visually impaired being.
On his part, Akeem, clad in black
jean trousers, light-green shirt, black trainers spotted with red colour and a
red cum black baseball cap, was about 1.70-metre tall, chocolate and plump. Although
financially less-privileged, he was actually looking resplendent and buoyant in
his dress.
Bolanle, who leaned on one of
the shelves, stylishly removed her specs. “Don’t you think you are being
harsh?” she queried cheerfully. “Common.., be a gentleman.” He urged
submissively, smiling.
This time, they were facing
each other and closer too. Both of them were carrying their trolleys in their
right hands.
“Sorry if that was harsh.”
“It’s okay,” she said. “Well, I am
Bolanle.., but you can call me Bola.”
“Alright,” he replied. “I am
Akeem.”
“Let me not waste your time,” she hinted, dipped her right hand into her
handbag. “This is my card.” She added handing over her complimentary card to
him.
“What for?” He queried, ignoring the offer.
“Please take it,” she enjoined. “Call me anytime, we need to talk.”
He reluctantly collected the document and
glanced at it stylishly.
She smiled over the compliance.
“I still don’t understand,” said
Akeem. “What are we to talk about?”
“Till you call, Mr…” She said, seemed to had forgotten his name.
“Akeem.” He reminded.
She nodded. “Mr Akeem, please try and call me,
okay?” she reiterated, looked into his eyes passionately. “You would be glad
you did.”
“I will try.” He replied, looked
away and continued with his shopping.
“Cute man indeed.” She thought
pleasantly, looked at him for the last time and left the arena for where she
was, felt fulfilled.
On Friday, 22nd
March 2002 being exactly three days cum three nights after the incident, having
employed reasonable delay and tactics, Akeem made up his mind to put a call
across to Bolanle with the opinion that the lady might be of help to his future
since he was still job-hunting; a call that instantly transformed his status
from a weary to a magnificent one just like a magic.
During the phone call, they scheduled for a
meeting at her office. Consequently, she succeeded in luring him into her net.
Akeem concurred with her proposal to go on a date with him having disclosed to
her that he had a fiancée. Keeping a ‘sugar mummy’ in his life was one of the
‘evil’ experiences he never dreamt of, little did he know that he would someday
fell prey to such a mess.
Afterwards, the moment the romantic affair
commenced, Akeem was provided with everything a man of his age needed as he was
promised. He could boast of a car, expensive wears and a befitting house in Benin,
Edo State where he chose to relocate to.
Prior to this time, he had lied to his pretty fiancée Bukola who was
also resident in Lagos State that he secured a job in Benin with an oil
servicing firm. The lie became consequential because he needed to distance
himself from her in order to avoid any iota of suspicion that might arise in
the future.
Bolanle was very comfortable
with the arrangement. She was frequenting Benin whenever she wanted to meet
him, or she would send for him directly to a hotel suite in any locality in
Lagos – apparently the choice was hers.
The ugly scenario proceeded for over six
months till one fateful day when Akeem thought it wise to lead Bukola down the
aisle. Hence, he disclosed the intention to Bolanle who rejected it
emphatically and threatened to make his precious life miserable if he dare went
ahead with the plan. The unpredicted altercation dawned the awful truth on his
person.
He was so myopic to be preoccupied with the
notion that whenever he disclosed to her the intention of settling down, she
would hastily hug, cuddle him and therein lick his toes since he told her from
the onset that he was seriously engaged.
Though at the beginning, she
agreed to allow him get married with his fiancée whenever he chose to, but just
like the saying goes ‘it’s easier said than done’. No sane woman would be glad
to watch her man walk out of her life let alone when the woman in question had
spent a fortune on him.
The depressed and flabbergasted
Akeem who felt suppressed, later wore a bold skin, hence decided to give her
warnings a deaf ear. Thus, he went ahead with his plan to settle down with
Bukola having estranged from Bolanle. In view of this, he sold his duplex in
Benin and relocated to Asaba, Delta State having told his wife-to-be that he
got a transfer.
Bolanle seemed to had been spying on Akeem
right from when their estrangement set in contrary to Akeem’s presumption that
there was no way she could trace him; needless to state that she was smarter
than him.
Two
weeks on, Saturday 14th December 2002 specifically, Akeem who hailed
from Ogun State headed for Oyo State to pay Bukola’s bride price. On his way to
the epoch-making ceremony in the company of his friends and relatives including
his parents, the beautifully groomed bridegroom who wore a traditional tartan
kilt was brutally murdered in cold blood along Lagos-Ibadan expressway. The assassins
comprising three huge men whom had stopped the deceased’s motorcade for a brief
scrutiny disguised themselves as policemen.
It was a very hard blow to his parents
alongside the bride who got the news in a jiffy.
Nwaozor, a playwright, novelist & poet, could
be reached via frednwaozor@gmail.com
Twitter: @mediambassador
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