[STORY] DIARY OF A MAD IGBO WOMAN (Episode 05)

Episode 05.

Adaeze was surprised to arrive at the company that Monday morning to find someone already in the general office.

She was always the first to arrive to work at six a.m.

But finding a lady that has already arrived felt like a threat to her.

Who the h**l was this lady?

She didn’t look any bit familiar. “Who are you?”. Adaeze asked her as she watched the girl seated cross legged on one of the vacant seats in the general room.

“Good morning to you too”. The young lady responded sarcastically. Her tone implying that Adaeze didn’t have courtesy but Adaeze ignored it and questioned her again.

“If you don’t tell me about your identity, I promise to call the security right now”.

The young lady chuckled and rose to her feet. “My name is Dorcas Adedeji. The daughter of chief Adedeji”.

Adaeze gasped. “Daughter? What are you doing here?”.

“I came here so that you will teach me how to replace you”.

Adaeze was confused. “How do you mean?”

“My dad wants you to teach me how to play the role of the head of department”.

Adaeze dialled Chief Adedeji’s number immediately and he connected.

“Boss, someone here just said…”.

“Yes, my daughter is right”.

“Why do you want me to teach her my role? Will she take my role eventually?”.

“Your only role in life is to be my servant and nothing more. Come to Vap pool by 12pm tomorrow, we need to discuss about my competitors”. He disconnected the line.

For the first time in a long while Ada felt so threatened.

She drove to the pool the next afternoon and he was waiting under one of the beautiful coconut trees in Vap garden.

She sat before him. “How do you think the aboki will come with his strategy in eradicating you??”

“He will use his son. His son has Bayo’s heart already”

“Are you insinuating that Sanni will use Daniel to draw Bayo close so that he will hurt him?”.

Chief Adedeji nodded. “Protect my son with your life”.

“I will boss”.

“How do you intend to do that?”.

“I will become Bayo’s friend and block constant communication between him and Daniel”.

“Good idea”.

They heard footsteps from behind.

It was chief Adedeji’s full family.

His wife, Bayo, Dorcas and their teenage lastborn, Timi.

Adaeze didn’t expect to see them there that moment but chief Adedeji looked like he was expecting them. “Boss?were you expecting them?”.

“Today is outing day with my family”.

“Was that part of the reason you called me here?”. She asked him hopefully.

“You? I only called you to discuss business’s and nothing more. You are not my blood. This is my family outing”.

Ada stepped aside and watched them all excitedly rush towards the pool to change into their swimming wears.

Ada watched them from afar as she sat on a big stone under one of the coconut trees at the far end.

Bayo rushed to her and stretched a hand. “Join us in the pool”.

“No, it is for only your family”.

“You are like a daughter to my father right? You are accepted here”.

“I don’t need acceptance”. She turned away.

He walked back to join his family and they jumped into the pool.

The laughter, the love, the togetherness, she envied it all.

Deep down, she wished she had enjoyed all that even for a second.

After swimming for the day, they sat under the coconut tree and played games.

It was a beautiful sight.

A beautiful sight.

She left.

She couldn’t bear the sight.

She drove to a mall and bought four mannequins.

Was she running mad?

She bought four mannequins that will represent her family.

When she entered her house, she dressed them up one after the other according to the roles they will play in her life from now on.

Her father, mother and two sisters.

Now she was going to create the kind of family she always craved.

She waved at the male mannequin, representing a father figure. “Dad, I now have a rival at work. The only man I want to please with my heart, someone else has taken him from me and she is even his blood”. She chuckled bitterly. “I was deceiving myself all these while that chief Adedeji will accept me as his daughter. How can he even accept me when he already has a daughter?”. She blinked off the tears off her eyes and shrugged. “Well I am quite indispensable to chief Adedeji after all his daughter cannot risk her life for him, but me, I can risk my life. That makes me more useful to him than his own biological daughter”. She laughed excitedly.

She heard someone knock at the door.

It felt strange. No one has ever knocked on her door.

Not even her neighbours.

She carried all her mannequins into the storehouse and rushed back to the door.

She pulled it open.

It was Bayo Adedeji.

He smiled warmly at her. He was holding a big carton of pizza. “Can you allow me in, my hand already hurt so much because of what I am carrying”.

“How did you find out about my home address?”.

“Through my dad. Please let me in”.

She allowed him in. After all she had a mission to protect him. “What did you come here for exactly?”.

He walked to drop the tray of pizza on the centre table. “Tonight, just see me as the only family member that you have”.

“Family member?why?”.

“Just a role that I want to play for the night”.

“Why do you want to play family role?”.

“He gutfully sat on one of the cushions. “Pretend like I am not Bayo. Pretend like I am one Okonkwo or Livinus like that”.

She stifled laughter. “Livinus?why Livinus?”.

“Are you not aware of the Igbo English names that we have in Nigeria? We have Livinus, Cletus, Milinus….”.

She chuckled. “Majority of Igbos are Catholics or Anglicans. We always have a baptismal name, so, that is how names like Clement, Livinus and the likes come in”.

“What is your baptismal name?”.

“Hannah”.

“Whoa! Hannah the mother of Samuel!”

He opened the carton of pizza. “Can we eat?”.

“I know you are doing all these because you think I felt bad watching your family have a good time at the pool today but you are wrong. I don’t get bothered by things like that”.

He blinked cluelessly as he began to eat the pizza. “Will you join me in eating this heavenly pizza or you watch me take it down the drain?”.

She sat beside him and began to eat with him since her stomach was already rumbling.

Ever since she had lost her sisters, she has never eaten with anyone.

It felt good to eat with someone. She thought to herself as she munched the pizza.

She cleared her throat and met his eyes. “Since I came to the company, you have been trying to gain my favour, Bayo Adedeji. What exactly is your intention?”.

There was a knock at the door and they both looked towards the door.

“Who could that be again ?”. She whispered and rushed to check through the window.

It was Daniel Sanni.

Her heart slipped.

What intention did Daniel Sanni have that moment to come to her house?

She turned to Bayo. “Can you hide somewhere right now? It is your friend. I don’t want him to see you here”.

Bayo rushed into the storehouse since it was the closest reach and Ada walked to open the door. “Good evening Daniel”.

Daniel brought out a gun from his trouser pocket and pointed it at her.
To Be Continued… . . .