OKEZIE

(...continued...)

It came like a bombshell. The poor woman moped at him, mouth agape, short of words. It was not what she expected to hear.

  “Did you hear me?” Okezie asked after a while of silence.

  “I heard you but I don’t understand. You stole? How? Why?”

  “Aunty it was the devil o.”

  “Tell me exactly what happened.”

                Okezie told her the full story from how he met Nkechi, how Ebuka advised him to take money to impress Nkechi, how he was caught and arrested. When he was done, his aunty kept quiet for a while, then said to him, “You got yourself into all these just because of a girl?”

  “Aunty I don’t know how it happened.”

  “Did she use juju on you? If she say she doesn’t want you, why didn’t you let her be. There must be other girls who like you. I know some of them around here. What of Cynthia, Ciro, Ogechi…”

  “Aunty I know. I totally regret going that far.”

                She sighs then says, “you are lucky you confessed and gave them back their money.”

  “Yes o. I felt bad.”

  “So they fired you?”

  “No ma. They suspended me for six weeks.”

  “They are good people o.”

  “Yes aunty. I think it is God giving me a second chance.”

  “Now what will you do with this six weeks?”

  “I don’t know aunty. If I stay here, people will notice that I don’t go to work and will start asking more questions.”

  “Then go to the village.”

  “And stay with grandma alone?”

  “That’s the only option you have right now. Unless you will leave in the morning and come back in the evening.”

  “I will try it.”

  “Okay.”

                She got up to leave and asks him, “what about feeding? Do you have food stuffs?”

                Okezie scratched his head and hesitated in answering.

  “That means you don’t have,” she said. “You will eat in my house this night. Come later.”

  “Thank you aunty.”

                She opened the door to leave.

  “Aunty please don’t tell anybody what I told you o.”

  “What do you take me for? I will just tell those who ask that you were set up. The truth is between me and you.”

  “Thank you ma.”

                She walked away. He went back and checked his food store. he was running short of food stuff but what was left could last him a week or two depending on how he manages it. Thus he made up his mind to stay in the town for a while, going out every morning and coming back in the evening. He totally disliked the idea of going to stay in the village for six whole weeks.

                That night, he went to the aunty’s house. Her children who were around asked him what happened. He just told thm that he was set up, they felt sorry for him and the matter closed. He ate there and as he was leaving, she gave him some food stuff and condiments to add to the ones he had at home.

(to be continued...)

Chinedu Isaac