OKEZIE

(...continued...)

         Ebuka kept trying his line the whole of that day but Okezie did not pick. He did not tell anybody the truth about what happened to Okezie as it would implicate him also. When Okezie was not picking his call, he sent text messages but Okezie did not reply. Okezie was still bitter.

 The following day, Okezie dressed up early as usual and left the neighborhood. He went to a library and stayed there till evening when he came back. No one asked him anything as everyone thought he went to work as usual. He did that for a week and got tired of it. He was bored. He changed location to a construction site where he hung around for some days. Whenever he met people he knew, he always had one story or the other to tell them. Soon, he ran out of food stuff. Then he decided to go to the village and spend the rest of his suspension days.

                The village experience was worse as regards boredom. He had to stay with his grandma and a little cousin alone in the house. He didn’t move out often to avoid people seeing him and wondering what he was doing in the village. The few that saw him, he told them that he was on leave and came to spend some time with his grandma. He often thought about his mistake and what made him do it.

  ‘What if I go back to the office and they say they don’t want me again, what will I do?’ he thought. He regretted ever coming in contact with Nkechi and worse still, heeding the advice of Ebuka.

When it was exactly six weeks, he went back to his house in the town. He cleaned up everywhere in preparation for his resumption the following day. He packed the foodstuffs he had brought from the village properly.

  “Uncle good evening.” A little boy, one of his neighbours greeted him when he was out of his room. “Uncle Ebuka has been coming to look for you.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes uncle.”

  “So what did you tell him?”

  “The times I saw him, I told him you travelled.”

  “Okay.”

                Okezie thought of what to do about Ebuka and decided to forgive him since he had shown that level of remorse and they were good friends.

  “If you see him,” he said to the boy, “tell him I am back.”

  “Okay uncle.”

                Later that night, Ebuka came. Okezie was sitting outside enjoying the soft breeze. NEPA had seized light as usual but the moon was shining, so the place was illuminated.

  “O.k.” Ebuka called as he drew closer. “Is that you?”

                Okezie did not reply so he halted and advanced cautiously. Okezie didn’t feel anger or animosity towards him but just wanted to pull his legs.

  “O.k.” Ebuka called again and stood still, not knowing what to expect.

   “Come if you want to.”

                On hearing that, Ebuka practically ran to him, held his hand and asked him to forgive him for misleading him.

  “I am not angry with you,” Okezie said. “Sit down.”

  “I am sorry,” Ebuka said with a cracked voice as he sat beside Okezie on the bench.

  “I told you I am not angry with you.”

  “I really don’t know what came over me. See all I have put you through.”

  “How did you know I am around?”

  “I have been coming to check on you every day since that incident.”

  “Okay.”

  “What did your office people say?” Ebuka asked after a moment of silence

  “Nothing. They suspended me. It ends today.”

  “So you are supposed to resume tomorrow.”

  “Yes.”

  “So what do you want to do? Do you want to go back there?”

  “I don’t know how they will be seeing me now. I don’t even know whether my position is still vacant but I have no other option but to try.

  “Chai. All this because of a girl. See temptation.”

  “Don’t blame the girl. She did not send me to steal.”

  “I did. I am sorry.”

                They talked for a while and Ebuka took his leave.

(...to be continued)

 Chinedu Isaac (c) 2014