"What?!" Ame began to shake violently. Segun quickly grabbed her and tried soothe her. Femi held her hands more firmly. Osahon moved closer to them as well. Between them, Segun and Femi did their best to calm her down.
Ame found it hard to believe that Philip Omagbemi, the man she had loved almost all her adult life was alive! He had been alive all these while when she had cried out her heart sore, pining for him? He had been alive all those harrowing months when she had gone through the traumatic experience of the after effects of being raped, and then the gruesome torture of a loveless marriage to Dapo Adejare as a result of being found pregnant by her rapists! Oh, that her Philip had been alive, and walking the surface of this same earth as she had given herself up, albeit unwillingly, to a passionate experience in the arms of another man!
The tears flowed down her cheeks unhindered and none of the men in the room made any effort to stop them. A sudden h
The early morning sun smiled down warmly as Amenaghawon Obasogie made her way out of her father's limousine and into the grand Cathedral. She floated down the aisle on the arms of her father, who was dressed in the full traditional attire of a Bini chief. Philip and his best man, Julius, waited patiently at the level ground before the altar. When his bride reached him, Philip was expected to lead her upwards to the altar, where they would be joined in holy matrimony before a holy God and man.Julius, now a law student in a prestigious school in America, where he and Omar had since relocated to, had flown in all the way from America to grace his best friend's wedding. Omar too was in attendance, having flown in from Liberia, where he was attending a world summit Leadership conference.Even Philip's surrogate family members were also in attendance, with two of Amanda's children also there to give their support. Chief Adejare, who was still in America with his
The car turned round the bend and stopped in front of an impressive fence which was not too high. Any passer-by could easily tell that those who lived within the walls of the fence had a love for nature as the tops of several trees dotted the compound as far as the eyes could see. Some creepers adorned the beautifully-painted fence as well. And, it was a large compound, almost as if it took up the whole lane.The lone passenger, a young man in his mid-twenties, alighted from the car, which was a taxi, and paid the fare to the driver, who then sped off after thanking his passenger for the generous tip.The young man that alighted from the car was simply but tastefully dressed. His taut athletic figure was well enhanced by his cyan-coloured shirt which was tucked neatly into his immaculate white trousers and his polished black shoes gleamed in the sun. He walked smartly towards the massive green gate where he noticed a side door to which
As if he was told of her deep concern about his plight, Philip had turned from staring at the horizon and his gaze had suddenly locked with that of Ame's, making her flinch involuntarily.Ame would never fully understand what had happened to her at that very moment when her eyes interlocked with Philip's. She had felt a warm tingle run through her and she had shivered involuntarily as her hands had risen automatically to wrap themselves around her body.Philip had walked over to her with slow, deliberate steps, a warm smile transforming his face into the sunshine coming out on a black, cloudy day, drawing the very breath out of Ame. He had removed his jacket as he walked up to her, offering it as a peace offering as he got closer to her, his captivating smile never wavering."Never leave a lovely damsel in distress," he had said lightly as he reached her side. He was dressed in a simple but quality cotton shirt with floral print
There had been a liquid fire in Ame's eyes as she had sat up suddenly that day! She had spoken to Ego with a tone never before heard from her. "Don't, Ego! Philip is my life!" she had proclaimed, then retorted, "As for Dapo Adejare, I don't have anything, I repeat, anything, to do with him! And, I have never led him on or toyed with him, okay?!" She began to put on her shoes that was carelessly tossed at the bottom of the bed.Ego had walked up to her quickly and put a hand on her friend's bent form. "Hey, babe! Don't take it that badly. Please forgive me," she had pleaded.Ame had stared at her friend in anger. "What do you even take me for, Ego?! I don't lead men on, okay?! It's Philip I love, not Dapo or even anyone else, okay?!" she had stressed for emphasis as she paused in her venture.Ego had nodded apologetically and pulled her into an embrace. "I want you to be happy, Ame," her friend had muttered as she r
Weeks after Philip's visit to Ame's place, the Obasogies were in their family living room, having a family time out, watching a movie and cracking general jokes of related past incidents.Ame sat on the sofa near her parents' two-seater 'love seat' as it was fondly called by Segun, their elderly cousin from their father's side, who was currently absent. Osahon, her athletic teenage brother, who was in his second year at a federal university, studying architecture, sat to her left, fiddling with the controls of the television remote.Osaro was telling his own version of a particularly funny incident in which Ame was a principal actor and all the family had burst into laughter."Not fair, dad!" Ame protested amid the laughter. "Why don't we get to hear of Segun or even Osahon's silly escapades?! And I'm supposed to be your princess!" she said as she laughed."Eei! I thank God I was not a pr
"Rosa, my darling! Remember that the day Philip came was when I returned from Brazil, and you had specially prepared that meal to welcome me? I guess your daughter wanted him to have a feel of what good cooking is all about! Rosa," he paused as he lifted her face up to his again. "He merely praised your mastery in the art, my dear. He never ogled. As for the house," he swept his arm across the large but comfortable room they were in as he continued. "Anyone with a great taste for beauty can not help admiring our home. The structure is out of the ordinary!" he said proudly as he brought his forehead down on hers, smiling into her eyes.Rosa did not return her husband's smile. She still sported a frown as she argued further. "I know he's one of those people who take advantage of unsuspecting ladies. He has Ame wrapped around his finger! You should have seen how she ran to welcome him the day he was here! She behaved rather shamelessly, I'd say!" she complained fur
Dapo sat beside his mother on the bed, his expression suddenly serious. "Ame? Mother, she is not my type of woman."Abiola folded her arms across her breasts and looked at her son in a strange way, with her eyebrows raised. "And, who is your type of woman, my son?! Those free women you go about with?! They are simply for the fun of it, if you want to hear the bitter truth! Ladies like Ame are well bred and would add prestige to you!" Abiola told her son in a firm voice.Dapo bent his head and shook it slowly. "Ame is not interested in me either, mother," he explained to her. "She always acts elusive too," he complained. He was startled by his mother's laughter.Abiola tapped her son's shoulder when her laughter subsided. "There is your perfect example of a well-bred lady, my son! The easy going ones are the cheap ones. You have to dig deep to find diamonds, son; you don't find them strewn on the streets or at every
Nwakaego Kaodiliye, popularly called 'Ego' for short, was a fun-loving, strong-willed and hardworking lady. She was the only child of her parents still living at home with them. She was light-skinned, of average height and 'fleshy'. She liked to change her hairstyle often because she always wanted 'a new look every time'! She was Ame's best friend and was in a relationship with Jide Alatise a six-footer who was a dedicated banker.Now until he met Ego, Jide had been a seriously boring individual, lost only in the doldrums of his career as a banker. But all that changed when fate thrust Ego into his life 'by design' as Ego would always describe, for they had met at a fundraising event, where Ego was one of the speakers and Jide had gone there to represent his bank.Jide thought the world of Ego and the feeling was mutual. Jide began to see the world anew through Ego's eyes and he liked what he saw. He vowed to have Ego for keeps. He eag