PART 6: THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS.
Months and years later when he thought about it, he
pondered a series of what ifs… If only he had been wiser; if only Nkechi was
not so beautiful; if only he had not met the kind woman; if only he had gotten
rid of his obsession… if…if…if…
For
days and weeks the obsession grew. He tried to get her attention. First, every
morning before he left, he would accost her on her way to bath and dress for
school. He would give her 500 for snacks and transport. She never rejected the
money but never gave in to his advances. Next he tried to buy her gifts. She
bought her a cheap perfume one day, biscuits and juice the next day, a fake
gold necklace days later, and then topped it off with a set of dozen panties.
She smiled sweetly as she accepted them but turned to stone when he suggested
she try them on in his room.
He
dressed neat to please her. He made big promises. Nothing could get him
anywhere so he became frustrated. One night, coming home late from work he was
surprised to see her alight from a shining car few blocks from their compound.
He quickened his pace, enraged more by the sight of shopping bags she clutched.
As the car drove away he accosted her.
“What?”
She quizzed, stone faced.
“So
nah car dey shack your head abi?”
“What
do you mean?”
“Nah
so you go dey follow man. Nah why you no gree for me, abi?”
“Nonsense!
David or whatever you call yourself, who I follow is not your business. I’m not
your girlfriend and will never be. You’re not my level. Nonsense.” She hissed
and stormed away. David was left devastated.
The pain he felt that night was unbearable. He felt
worthless and cursed. Her words echoed endlessly in his head. He was nobody.
For once he hated his parents for being poor. He hated his lack of education.
And he hated Nkechi for looking down on him. He swore to show them all.
For
once David had a masturbation free night.
Also unable to sleep that night was Nkechi. She lay
staring at their ceiling in the sitting room of their overcrowded one bedroom
apartment. Two younger siblings slept peacefully by her side. Her parents and
the last child, a two year old girl, slept in the bedroom. It was just too hot
for comfort.
She
was tired of poverty and wanted to escape. Escape really fast. She had always
dreamt of a good life and she believed she would get it. After all she was
pretty and she knew it, with a figure to kill for even for one so young. Wasn’t
beauty God’s greatest gift to woman? She would use her looks to get everything
she ever wanted.
At
15, men were already flocking around her, real men not boys her age. Men,
shameful creatures, she thought. They all wanted her tender womanhood. And she
made them want more. She had become a youthful femme fatale. She teased and
seduced and milked men dry. And when she gave her body to them, she did so to
pretentious innocence that aroused men more and made them want more. She was
sharp and oddly experienced at her age so she had them at her mercy. They were
slaves to her and they would lift her up from this poor existence.
Nkechi
dreamt of fast cars and cool apartments; expensive clothes and latest
Blackberry phones… It was 2010 and Blackberry was the rave of the moment. She
wanted and would get them all from men. She thought about her latest catch – he
was rich and generous, married but she didn’t care. Those were the kind of men
she needed, not that dirty illiterate…that bricklayer David. She screwed her
nose in disgust. The boy was clearly dreaming and he wouldn’t stop pestering.
Never would she give in to him. But he was becoming too annoying. She needed to
get rid of him totally. She needed a plan.
She
thought for a long time about what to do. By morning she had a plan.
It was
Saturday and David refused to go to work. He didn't even go to Ifeoma's house.
He sat outside, staring into space, still saddened by the insults of yesterday.
He was totally unaware as Nkechi walked up to him.
"David", she whispered.
He turned to her, then looked away.
What did she want? Hadn't she insulted him enough? Even though he was filled
with hatred, her presence still affected him.
"Can I talk to you?"
"Wetin you want?"
"I want to say sorry for
yesterday", she whispered softly.
David couldn't believe his ears. It was
not just her words but also the tone. She was indeed sorry! He melted. But his
face remained cold.
"I didn't mean to insult you",
She continued. "I'm sorry."
David remained silent. Then Nkechi
surprised him by sitting on the floor beside him.
"Things are just not good at
home", She whispered. "I'm scared."
David totally melted. He knew it.
Something had been troubling her. That was why she had been acting up. Well, he
was her man even though she didn't want him yet. He would save her. Whatever it
was, he would help her.
"WAEC is close. I have big problems
and my dad said he doesn't have money. That's why you saw me with that man. He
promised to help. I'm not doing anything with him. I just need his money."
"You need money and you no tell
me?" David finally said.
Nkechi gave him a very sad look.
"You don't understand. I need big money. You can't even help me. I need to
sort my WAEC. 9 subjects. 5,000 per subject. I can't fail WAEC."
David was taken aback. That sounded like
a lot.
"I need 45K. That's too much. I
didn't know how to get it."
David seemed so sad. That was more than
he had ever seen in his entire life. So this was exactly why he was below her.
He clearly couldn't afford her. If he couldn't give her 45,000 then he couldn't
make her his.
"The man nko? Him give you?" he
asked softly.
"Not yet. He keeps promising. He
said he has to sex me first", she moaned sadly. "I can't sex him. No
man has ever sexed me." She turned away to not betray that lie. Nkechi had
been laid more times than she could count. Infact, for big boys, she was a very
easy lay.
David was easily fooled. He couldn't
believe his ears. His angel was still a Virgin, ripe and waiting for him. In
that moment of foolishness he blurted out, "I go give you."
"What?" Nkechi seemed shocked.
That was totally unexpected.
"Just give me one week. I go give
you."
"Why?"
"Because you be my baby. I go do
anything for you."
"But where will you get such
money?"
"No worry", he said
confidently. "I just need one thing. If I give you, you go gree be my
baby?"
This is clearly not going according to
plan, Nkechi thought. She had merely meant to frustrate and discourage him. Now
this poor, dirty boy was offering her 45,000 to sleep with him. She did not
really need the money. She had never seen nor dreamt of 45,000 and she was sure
the boy had never seen such either. Now she had a decision to make, to play
along or come clean. She thought fast. If she came clean, the boy would persist
in his chase. If she played along, what if the boy brought the money? Should
she take it and let the boy have her once? The thought disgusted her. The boy
was dirty. How could she lower her standards? But then there was no way the boy
could get 45,000. Best to play along. Then when he failed, she would finally
get rid of him. She was sure she would fail.
"If you give me", she said with
fake sincerity, "I'll give you myself body and soul. Any time you need
me."
David felt his heart explode. His wish
would finally come true. At that moment he swore that come rain, come shine, he
would give her the money.
Nothing can spur a foolish man on like the desire for a
woman. His lust for Nkechi made David hustle so much the following week. But it
was not to be easy. Things were simply terrible. There was no work. By Thursday,
two days before the week was up, he had on 4,000 in his possession. He had
denied himself life to save up, spending less and barely eating all to satisfy
that devil between his legs. He became sadder than ever as hope dimmed.
But being
a smart boy, always ready to grab any opportunity that came by, he quickly
recognized one…
On Thursday
morning, a public holiday, he was washing madam’s SUV when she drove in. she
parked the Camry. David looked and saw her open the glove compartment and
extract rolls of 1,000 naira notes. She closed the compartment, put the money
in her bag and stepped down.
“David,
why the sad look? Wetin happen?”
David
put on his saddest face. “Madam, nah nothing.”
“No,
it can’t be nothing. Tell me.”
“No
worry, Ma. Nah nothing.”
Ifeoma
shrugged. “Okay, if you say so. Please clean the inside of this one. It’s
dirty.”
“Yes
Ma.”
Later
as David cleaned the inside, he thought about madam’s concern. Maybe it could work.
Maybe she could help him. She had been good and generous. She was rich too.
45,000 was peanuts to her.
He turned
out the keys in the glove compartment. Those were the spare keys to the house
that madam kept there for safety. He cleaned the glove compartment, put back
the car particulars first then the spare keys. He was done. He took a deep
breath and headed to the house.
The moment he asked her, he realized he had made a
mistake. Madam was clearly not in a good mood. Something had happened to change
her mood. First, when he walked in, she had been on the phone screaming angrily
at someone over money. Now she was nearly screaming at him.
“You
people always think that my money is an ocean. That’s why everyone wants money
from me. Is it because I give? Am I a bank? Give me, give me, every time. Well,
I don’t have money! 50,000 naira!! How can you ask me for that amount of money?
Did you not know that your house rent was expiring since? What happened to all
the money I’ve been giving you? You spent it all and just assumed I will dash
you 50,000? Just like that?!”
“But
madam, I go pay back. I go work free for 3 months.”
“Nonsense.
I’ve told you, I don’t have money. Now get out before I fire you this very
minute. And don’t ever ask me for money again!”
David walked home totally damaged. He couldn’t believe
what had just happened. The woman he always thought was so nice, so generous,
so grateful what he did for her, had suddenly turned hostile. It was hard to
imagine. She was no longer his good big sister. Infact she had treated him like
other people had always treated him – with disdain. She hated him. She was his
last hope and now she had abandoned him.
If only
David was wise, he would have known or thought that something had happened to
upset Ifeoma moments before he approached her. That she didn’t hate him. She had
only been feeling vulnerable at that moment and was protecting herself. The truth
was that later, Ifeoma would regret lashing out at him. But David didn’t think
of all that. All he thought was that Ifeoma had denied him the chance of a
glorious love affair with Nkechi. She had become the enemy, the stumbling block
to his progress.
David
neither worked nor ate for the rest of the day. He locked himself up in his
room and thought of what to do. He analysed his situation carefully. He must
have Nkechi even if it meant doing something terrible. Thoughts of her had
darkened his mind. He realized that he must do something fast.
He was
going to commit a crime.
David went to work at Ifeoma’s house the next morning. He
cleaned the cars like always. But he took his time. By the time madam and her
daughter came out to leave, he was cleaning the Camry.
“Madam,
good morning.”
“Good
morning.”
Diana
mumbled something that could have been a greeting but no one heard. They made
for the SUV. David approached.
“Madam…”
Ifeoma
turned to him.
“Madam,
I want say sorry for yesterday”, he began. “I no mean vex you. I just no get any
person wey I fit tell my problem.”
Ifeoma
raised her brow.
Abeg
ma, forgive me. I dey thank God every day say I dey work for you. Abeg no sack
me.”
Ifeoma
gave him a half smile. But inwardly she was very pleased. David had a good
heart. “Don’t worry, I’m not sacking you.”
“God
bless you, Ma.”
“You
too.”
As she
drove off moments later, a feeling of guilt washed over Ifeoma. Maybe she had
not treated David as good as she could have.
David waited five minutes after they had gone then went
for the Camry. He opened the glove compartment and took the spare house keys. As
he moved towards the house entrance there was only one thought in his mind…
He was
going to steal from the woman.
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