“No, Mama, I bought it myself.”
“With what money? You stole my rice and now you are trying to lie. Give me that rice and get out of my kitchen quickly, little witch. Baba is no longer here now to protect you. You’ll see what I’ll do to you in this house.”
She burst into tears and ran back to the church. She was hungry and cried helplessly. A few minutes later, Ife brought her a plate of stew. She ate quickly as if she had never eaten in her life, while everyone watched them.
The next day, Emeka visited her in the church for the first time. He explained that he would be leaving for the base the next day. Ogei felt a glimmer of hope. She hoped he would change and love her again like in the old days.
The next day before leaving, she hugged Ife.
“Thank you so much for everything, Ife. You are very kind, and like Baba did when he was alive, you have helped me a lot since I’ve been here. I will always pray for you, and I promise to come back and see you no matter the circumstances.”
After two hours of travel, Ogechi and Emeka arrived at the base. Instead of opening the door directly, Emeka knocked. Suddenly Linda came out of the hut and ran to kiss Emeka.
Ogesi was stunned.
“But Emeka, what is she still doing here?” she asked, looking lost.
Emeka replied, “Did you really think I brought you here to live with me? I don’t love you anymore. The only person I love is the beautiful woman you see behind me. I would give my life for her. I have nothing left to do with you. There is a hut over there in the back among the weeds. I rented it with my own money. You can go stay there. But I don’t want to see you pass by here again. I don’t want to see your face anymore.”
Ogi started to cry. Had she been too naive? She regretted trusting him so foolishly. Emeka had only brought her there to save face in the village.
She headed toward the hut Emeka had shown her. All night long she did nothing but cry. She was thinking about what solution she could find when she remembered Aunt Uzoma. A smile returned instantly to her face. She left the hut and went to her place that very night.
When she arrived, a man opened the door for her.
“Good evening, ma’am. What can I do for you?”
“Good evening, sir. I’m looking for Aunt Uzoma.”
“She is no longer here, ma’am. She moved away. I’m the one living here now.”
Ogechi felt a chill run through her. She started crying again, realizing that her last hope had just slipped away.
“Do you know her new address?” she asked, her face flooded with tears.
“No, ma’am, I’m sorry,” the man replied.
She went back to her hut crying.
A few weeks later, Emeka came to visit her in the hut.
“I’m moving with my wife tomorrow. We are going to settle elsewhere because she is pregnant and I have to take care of her. I have a longtime friend who is looking for a maid. I don’t know if it’s true, but he told me he now lives in the city. You can go work for him if you want and he will pay you a little money each month. That will allow me not to have to pay your rent anymore and also not to see your ugly face every day. But if you don’t want to leave, know that you’ll pay the rent yourself because I’m leaving.”
Ogei knew she had no choice but to accept. In any case, she was struggling to feed her child.
The next day, Emeka moved out as planned with Linda. A week later, Emeka’s friend arrived at Ogei’s hut in the village. He was very well dressed and had come in a beautiful car. He took Ogesi and her child into the car and drove them to his home in the city. It was the first time Ogei had ever gone to the city.
When she arrived inside the house, she looked all around, stunned by its beauty. Once in the living room, the man tried to ask her a few questions.
“Good evening again, Ogei. You can call me Mr. Ikena. This is my house, and this is where you will work. I just want to make it clear that you are not here to work as a servant, but rather as a housekeeper. It is important that you understand the difference. I am hiring you because my wife, whom you see over there, is pregnant and I no longer want her to work. In addition, we are going to get married soon, and you will take care of all the tasks that need to be done on that day. I will pay you a good salary so that you feel comfortable, and you will be fed and housed here. Now I’m curious to know a little more about you, your life, and your family.”
Ogesi lowered her head sadly. She did not know where to begin. She began to tell her story to the man sadly, trying not to cry.
When she had finished telling the whole story, Mr. Ikena asked, looking perplexed, “So my friend Emeka is the father of your little girl?”
“Yes, sir,” Ogesi replied sadly.
“How could he make you suffer so much when you are the mother of his child?”
Mr. Ikena was disappointed. He took out his phone to call the police, but Ogetchi stopped him.
“No, don’t do that, Mr. Ikena. I would not want him to go to prison. I leave my case in God’s hands.”
“I am truly sorry for everything you went through at your age,” Mr. Ikena said. “In your place, I would have informed the police so he could pay for these crimes. But I am not here to force you to make that decision either. However, you can start working here tomorrow. Don’t worry, I will pay you more than the salary I promised.”
The next day, Ogei began working in the man’s house. She woke up early and took care of all the domestic chores in the house. Mr. Ikena paid her a lot of money, more than she truly deserved for her work. She was very happy.
Over the years, she slowly regained her love for life, and her daughter Femi grew a lot. She spent a lot of time with her and easily provided for all her needs.
Meanwhile, Emeka was living the good life with his wife Linda, who was nearly full term in her pregnancy. He had never thought of asking about Ogei or his daughter. The only person he cared about was his wife Linda.
A month later, it was the wedding day of Mr. Ikena and his wife. Ogei woke up early and cleaned the yard of the villa where the ceremony would take place. She took care of preparing all the meals by herself with the help of her daughter Femi. Several important people from the city had been invited to the wedding. Ikena was a great businessman with many connections.
While the festivities were taking place in the yard of the villa under Ogei’s watchful eye, her gaze fell on the silhouette of someone in the distance. The person seemed familiar. She looked carefully at the woman’s hair and her doubts disappeared. She walked toward her, and as soon as she saw her, she jumped into her arms.
It was Aunt Uzoma.
Leave a Comment