Love Will Always Die

Episode Four

Some days earlier…

The older Jessica got, the more she realized how very dysfunctional her family was. So many unfamiliar faces at the table whom she had to pretend to care about. Too many bitter people whom she had to call family, so as never to get to her father’s bad side. She wished above everything else that Etinfoh was around. That she honoured the invite this time being, more than anything, she wished she too could stop showing up for such feasts.

Just as she was about to stand to her feet, a hand-pulled her back gently, alarmed, she looked to her side to see who it was only to discover it was her distant cousin she hadn’t seen for years. His hands were wide open, to pull her into a hug and she obliged.

She, looked around the table, no one seemed to be registering his presence of course. They all seemed to be minding their business that is if ranting over the silliest things was ever considered minding one’s business.

Her stepmother was talking about the food, how horrible it tasted not minding who in particular might have had it prepared. She might as well be aware it was her husband, she might as well not be since she had been out of town for a couple of weeks. But there was no news who made such meals alongside the five cooks in the Uanzekuns mansion. So ladies and gentlemen, meet the stepmother she, Jess was undeniably proud of. She was African-American and her father’s first son was born by her. Their relationship hadn’t worked out and they never married. She was mostly out of the country but finally settled in Nigeria when her Mother Queenie died and Iya Oshogbo thought to resume her role as the wife she never was. Her come back story had been that she was fighting cancer. It was how she won their fathers’ heart back, had it not been for that, Uanzekun would never have taken any more interest in her. Despite her foreign home bringing, she was known to possess a certain level of what everyone termed “ruggedness” it was how she ever came by the name. On her short visits in the past, she made sure to make her presence felt, painting the town Brown, the colour of trouble. With her half baked Yoruba, which mostly came off as upsetting to peoples’ ears. She was the overpampered rich kid who also doubled as a bully. Her parents were her exact opposite. Calm and accommodating to people and in their lifetime, they could never really fathom how Iya Oshogbo, came to be Iya Oshogbo. She was a terror even to them, so Jess learned.

The way she used cancer to buy her way back to their fathers’ heart had been very funny. Because one minute the cancer was here and the other, it was gone. She had suddenly beat it. Never did chemo and her father also had been the most unbothered over everything, only pursuing business like his life depended on it. Why she ever came back, Jess didn’t know but suspected it had to be because of her father’s money and the promising status she could attain.

“How do you eat this?” Her cousin asked.

Jess retrieved her gaze back from her stepmother slowly. “Taco?”

She laughed shortly.

“Are you pulling my legs? The renowned Chef doesn’t know how to? Roam your tongue round the shell, draw the food out slowly.” She said and looked away from him shortly. Only to look back at him, when she caught everyone else staring at him. The table had also gone incredibly quiet, then a burst of very loud laughter followed shortly.

Her cousin got to his feet and excused himself. Jess brought out her tongue. “Now, that was mean.” She said holding back her laughter. Then before going after him, placed both hands on the table, whilst bending her body.

“Iya Oshogbo and family, can you please learn to treat my guests nicely?” She said this in a sing-song tone.

A little girl to Jess’ left and that looked too overdressed for a family dinner was matching towards her but the cold voice of Uanzekun jr. made her stop in her tracks.

“Are we enjoying the meal?” He asked even as he took his seat and tucked the towel on his neck region. Avoiding the happenings at the table upon his arrival. His face seemed devoid of emotion, his eyes a little darker. “Why isn’t Etin here yet?” He asked.

No one knew what or how to answer his question. And before Jess could think of a proper reply, her stepmother butted in.

“…all I’m saying, in essence, is that the first step to ending any of this is admitting we have a problem. As much as I would hate to use the word “we”, she is family. Etin has a problem we all are neglecting and that is detrimental to her being.”

“Iya…”

“Don’t you dare call me that again!” She slammed her foot against the table sending a shock wave to everyone around the table. “I won’t take that from you, not today again, not any other day.” She turned to Uanzekun shortly. “Your daughter Etinfoh has a big problem and the earlier you fix it the better!!!”

“Iya Oshogbo,” Mr Uazenkun himself butted in rudely. “My daughter Etin, is fine. Why don’t you ever miss the chance to display your stupidity? Am I a joke to you? Are my daughters any joke to you?”

“You make it sound as though my son isn’t your heir! You had your first seed by me. And after your daughters were two other girls by me. I’m only looking out for your miserable daughters.”

“Daughters? Oh, now we are both miserable?” Jess asked. Still taking in the discussions nicely.

Iya Oshogbo as she was fondly called, cast Jess an irritated gaze, then continued with her speech. “How else do you explain Etinfoh doing what she did with the child your private investigator found her with? Whose child is it? Why hide her from her family, why do what she did? Why give birth to it in the first place?”

Jess laughed out loud. “This is getting funny.”

Uanzekun narrowed his eyes at Jess. His head bowed in shame and defeat. Jess kept to laughing and no one understood what was so funny to her to have been making her laugh. But all along, she kept turning to see if her cousin was on his way back already.

“Father don’t you see how any of this is funny…?”

“Why should he? when this is a matter of grave importance?” Iya Oshogbo asked. “Since you are so keen on what isn’t the truth to be the truth, why don’t you prove to us that she wasn’t with a child? And that at any time she hadn’t given birth to the child she later did what she did to it.” She looked at her girls now and signalled at them to leave.

Jess shook her head. “You just had to spill the tea first before sending them away. Anyways, I still think you are up to nothing. I mean, nothing you’ve said is making any sense. No offence.” She yawned.

“Even with her craziness, I still prefer her over someone like you. You’re a total joke, a nuisance…”

“Enough!” Shouted Uanzekun.

Jess’ eyes had become incredibly red. There was no denying the words from her stepmother were shattering. No one had ever addressed her that way and she was bound to prove to her just how very wrong she was about her older sister.

Etinfoh was no Monster. %%%%

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Presently…

“Who are you?” She asked before he covered the distance between them. He had left her question unreplied but pulled her in for a kiss that seemed to have lasted for a century. Her senses were heightened, goddamit, his lips were very soft, very moist and sweet that she didn’t know when she leaned in for another kiss. And in the short time, their lips were pressed together once again, she could swear she couldn’t compare how she felt to any other feeling in the world.

“Obaze,” she mumbled quietly against his lips.

“I thought you’d forgotten my name.” He said.

“How can I?” She asked, even as she pulled him into a warm hug.

“Where is our baby?” He suddenly asked out of nowhere.

It was at that time, Etinfoh woke up panting. She held her forehead which had become incredibly warm. She looked behind her and evidently, the day was dark. She checked the time and was surprised to find that it was nine p.m. She had never stayed that late at work. Work that day had been tedious and right after the visit of a renowned model, she lay down on the couch, telling herself she was going to relax for a little while, but unavoidably fell asleep on the couch.

Her students and staff were always first to leave, and they did so once it was time without having to inform her, it was what she wanted but now, she felt some ways being alone in the office. Especially after having her recurring nightmare.

She felt her lips as if she couldn’t believe she had kissed the stranger in her dream or had it not been her? She couldn’t get over how real the kiss had felt and still feels, how soft and warm his lips were. How inviting they were even as he continued talking to her thereafter. Then suddenly, she remembered his question. What had he meant by their child? Why did she have to dream about the same person over and over again? Her head was scrambled no doubt, and unlike the previous dreams, this was less daunting but also very disturbing.

What if he was her spirit husband? God forbid he was. God forbid she ever had one. And just like that, she became entirely saddened. She was sat at the couch for a while, till she noticed something moving past the colourful fabric curtain. She got to her feet at once, dashed to her desk for her bag and dashed out the office, and down the stairs. Not looking behind her till she was outside.

The compound looked deserted and quiet. Dark even, and there had been a single light from the detached house just beside the gate, built for the security personnel.

“Musa, the gate.” She said, having peeped in the house through the window.

He stirred, then put away his Radio. “Ah! Madam you still dey here?”

She sighed. He didn’t expect her to answer his question. She moved away from the door in time before he opened it. Once he had opened the gate, she walked back to her car, then looked up at her office looking away without hesitation and as quickly as she had first looked up. There was no denying she was tensed and it was all because she recalled her dream. %%%%%

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He should have noticed it the first time but he also hadn’t. They both had slender yet curvy bodies. Both were the perfect mix of sexy and cute. Both loved to wear sweaters that still somehow managed to make them incredibly hot. Now that he had the time to go down memory lane, he figured Etinfoh had always been someone he knows. She used to bring her car over to the mechanic workshop where he previously worked.

He hated how she reminded him of Mira but he would be lying if he said he also didn’t feel good. She was like an unsolved puzzle now, and he was willing to unravel the mystery that was her. Something new and unnamed kept pushing him to want to know her. This was no longer about helping Ovbo, it had become a personal mission. Although one that tensioned the whole of his being.

How or where to start from he didn’t know.

Whilst still in his room, a nice breeze floated in through the window, but that hadn’t been enough to make him stay any longer in his room as he had been very hungry. He got up, changed into something comfy and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him and using a key to it.

He had to meet the demands of his aching stomach and there was only one place that came to mind. Mama Do-Good. She worked late into the night most times, and she really didn’t have to bother about her safety, as she was also very much protected by the street boys. She was a mother to all, considering the many mouths she has fed and keeps feeding without asking for anything in return most times.

He had just checked in the back pocket of his Multi coloured shorts to be sure he had left the house with money when he came across the silhouette of a girl standing next to a car that seemed to be hers. Haven moved closer, he found out who the person was.

He swallowed. “My colour,” he teased. “It’s you again.”

At first, he had read her expression to be that of daggers coming without pitty at him, but he soon noticed the small smile at the side of her lips that she was holding back.

“My car stopped,” she said. A hundred years had past and after what seemed like a lot of contemplation, she said. “I’m glad it’s you. You can help right?”

She had never been that soft-spoken and he wondered if it was because she needed his help that she thought to tune down the rude and disrespectful tone of hers.