LONELY
I hate the rain.
No, do not get me wrong; the rain, I mean the water that falls from the sky is absolutely wonderful and relevant, it’s a source of life, so to speak. But “the rain”, as far as I was concerned was a harbinger of bad news. Let me explain what I mean.
The night my father turned mum into a cripple, scared me for life and walked out of our lives forever; it had rained cows and bulls literally. The day Peju, the girl that took me off the streets and cleaned up my act died, Bariga had been flooded. The day I got shot in my left cheek, it had been raining non- stop for two days.
That was not to be taken to mean that every time it rained, some shit happened. No, I had some cool memories too, around rain. What I meant was, “the rain”- hence the relevance of quotation marks, was of a particular kind, that kind that started with no warning, that kind that soaked you to your skin within moments, that kind that rained forever. That was the kind I meant.
The wind picked up again, gusts that whipped my hoodie and jeans closer against my body. Snuggling deeper, I squeezed my eyelids to a squint, trying to see far ahead. Traffic was practically non-existent and it was dark. Rhonda had not wanted me to come out in this, I recalled. But then she hardly wanted me to do anything. I noticed a peculiar kind of waiting, watching around her the past week, almost as if something- she was waiting for something to happen…
Rhonda.
A fresh gust of wind blew up again as I huddled deeper into the hoodie she had insisted I wear as I left the house. Boy was I glad I had listened to her for once. I also had not wanted to go anywhere, but I had to work. I had not been able to look at her as I shrugged away the restraining arm she placed on my arm, but I mumbled a low “I’ll soon be back” and bounced, not waiting for her reply. For almost a year and some, she and I had been sharing my small self- contained apartment. She’d needed a place to stay, and I’d needed some female company; someone to keep the place in shape. It had been a mutually benefiting arrangement.
I still did my dirt, even when she began sharing my bed. I mean it wasn’t like we were in a relationship. She knew what the deal was, had known it from the get go. She was a soldier, Rhonda. She never complained.
What upset everything though was that after eight months of our living together, my mum had come visiting. Right there, I watched my carefully orchestrated bachelor life go up in smoke. Mum had fallen irrevocably in love with Rhonda. She must have been like the daughter she’d never had. After a week, she had left, but not before reminding me about the fact that she was all I had (she never remarried after pop), and that she wasn’t getting any younger. Where were her grandchildren?
“Mum” I said feeling exasperated, “Be patient. When my life is more together than it is right now, I’ll look for a girl….”
“Look for a girl?! Pikin, are you mad? This girl nko? What is wrong with her ehn?”
Fortunately Rhonda was away then, so there was no one to overhear us. I tried to reason with mum.
“Rhonda is just a friend. She’s just staying here for awhile until she gets herself together. She’s not…..” Mum interrupted.
“I did not raise you single handedly for you to grow up into a fool. So you are just going to sit back and watch some other boy come and take away this girl? I think you are smarter than that. What more could you want?”
“Mum…” I began, but Rhonda came in at that point and that was the end of it. Looking back over time now, I could see why mum had become so besotted with her. But then I began to hate her for warming her way into mum’s good graces, and fool that I was, I refused to see the wisdom in mum’s words. I had no friends, was a doctor, but once or twice I heard whispers of “what a great girl” and “what is she doing with him?!” All that did was make me madder, and I began to lash out at Rhonda, poor innocent girl who was just trying to make me happy. I did not believe she could put up with my crap, but she did. What a girl!
Well, that was going to change tonight, I thought, feeling the bundles of N1, 000 notes in my pocket. I had been a mere tarmac boy, grabbing twenty bucks from filthy conductors, when I met Peju, a girl who belonged in another world. She cleaned me up and took me to her dad, the Union’s legal adviser. He had moved me to the president, who made me his bookie- no more walking the streets. By the time Peju died from jaundice, a year later, I had saved enough to put mum in a flat, get her round-the-clock help, and move from my shanty into a better place. Whatever was left of my savings had gone to playing a role at her funeral. I’d had to start over.
Now two years down, and the president had thought to reward me for years of faithful service. When he called foe me that evening, I had no idea what was in the offing. He spoke about loyalty, gave me a meal and offered me a choice of three (obviously university girls) with him. When I declined, he chuckled and muttered “Rhonda”. Then he gave me three bundles of Ni, 00 notes and a deposit slip which showed an account in my name with a balance of three and a half million bucks. Just like that, I had become a millionaire. He had sent me home with a pat on the back and ordered Jacobi to drive me. I declined, saying I wanted to walk. I was still in shock.
Suddenly, my irritability at the weather returned. I wished I’d allowed Jacobi to drop me like the boss suggested. I wanted to get home in a hurry. I started jogging. As I neared my house, the scar on my cheek began to itch. This is not good, I thought. A few minutes later, I rounded up the corner and came in sight of my apartment. There was a light in my window and I felt gladdened by the sight. She was waiting. Why then, was I feeling uneasy? Why was it raining like that again? Grunting to myself about superstition, I opened the gate, jogged into the compound and round the back. Within seconds, I was standing in my warm sitting room.
“Babe, I’m back.” I call as I take off the water- proof hoodie and hang it on the verandah. I come back in and start to take off my sneakers when I notice she hadn’t answered. I frowned. That was so unlike her. I stand up, pulling the bundles out of my pocket and placing them on the table. Then I notice two covered plates and beside them a note. Inexplicably, I’m terrified; I go barging into the room and flick on the light switch. Her bags are gone. Stunned, I walk back into the parlor and slump into a chair. She’s gone, is all I think. As I look around, my glance falls onto the note and I reach for it. Opening it, I read;
Darling,
I’m so sorry. I can’t live with you anymore. It’s no fault of yours; I’m the one who fell in love. We had an arrangement; I should have stuck to it, but you are so kind, so gentle; I got carried away.
I love to look into your eyes ,but those same eyes tell me its no good, to stop wasting my time, you’ll never feel the same way…I should just let you be, live your life in peace..
I sincerely hope you’ll be happier now. Do find somebody, okay? Don’t be selfish or scared, you have so much to give the right person and I have no doubts you’ll make a great father. You deserve your own family.
I’ll miss you.
Absently, I touch the plates; then I start startled; they were still warm. She could not have gone for long. I rush for the door, and then I stop and walk back slowly to sink into the chair I just vacated. I did not deserve her, I think. It’s better this way. She’ll find someone better, someone who had more sense and did not live in his own world, someone who…
And outside, the rain continues to fall.
The End
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Seun-Odukoya @Seun-Odukoya
Feels like the greatest gift God gave him would be the ability to scam people into thinking he can actually write....Go to Seun-Odukoya's profile, and read more of his/her posts.
Hmmn, the former bad rains might not have been his fault but the blame for this last one rests squarely on him. We never realize what we have till we lose it. Too bad for him.
Nice story, Seun.
*’scared me for life’ should be ‘scarred’*
Thank you Lade…you wouldn’t believe how many times i re-wrote this story and i still did not see that!!!!
Oh no!!! Why didn’t he go after her??? I wish with all my heart that he made his happy ending complete by including Rhonda in it.. Great Story Seun..
Thank you Mercy…that happened because life does not always have a happy ending…
Thank you
Dude should have gone after her jare, which one is ‘I don’t deserve her’?
Seun, were you in a hurry with this? Noticed a few mistakes:
then I start startled
Ni, 00 notes
I enjoyed it, though. Well done.
Uche…you know how sometimes we like to play martyrs…even though its the DUMBEST thing to do…
Thanks for your observations but ‘then i start, startled’ is not a typo.
You know you’re my vice/secretary sha…?
I know.
hmmm… good story, he shouldnt have let her go, but for a mere tarmac boy, he sounds correct…
watch those typos, oh! good one!
Yeah…like most of my stories…the character is based on a real-life friend of mine who was my classmate in Baptist Academy…before i lost my marbles. Dude ended up on the streets. but the kind of English he speaks is….
hmmmmm I echo Lade,never know the value of what you have till you lose it.For that gurl,it’s good radiance to bad rubbish,for the guy,it’s the rain.
Seun,you did this well,almost didn’t think t’was you,where’s ur ever mad and hilarious part?
You rock
Gretel dearie…thank you o jare.
You know how there are several layers to your skin…you never know till you dig a bit deeper…
The mad/hilarious part is around here somewhere…you’ll see it again soon enough…
You’re sweet. You know, i see a picture everytime i read something from you…
Thank you all…bless GOD..!
I like the mad hilarious Seun and I like the sober Seun from Baptist Academy.
You think I’m sweet,Mercy thinks I’m sweet,yea and my big sis Lade,am I that babyish?”pouting”.Thanks dear,I think you’re cool and kind and you make me laugh and I like it so much.
So what sorta picture d’ya see?
I see a beautifully built, delightfully chubby and bubbly girl…who eats a lot of chocolates…i see you lying on a bed with a ton of romantic novels on one side and a ton of chocolate bars on the other…typing on a laptop…
Lol…
Another nice one here … Seun, keep it up!
Thank you so much…congrats on your congratulations!
@ Seun, I really liked this: you were able to tell it like a whole book in just one part. I’m impressed, and I totally got the story: hustler-guy has no time for real love
. Meanwhile, pls tell him not to eat that food o, lol. Just a hunch I have that the poor girl might have poisoned it or something. (**I really need to stop watching those Nollywood movies 
).
Marya…thank you for your observations…i like the ‘poisoned food’ angle…
Thanks…
PS: you really do need to stop seeing them nollywood movies!!!!
Kinda happy she left and he didn’t go after her. Both can be still be BFF’s and have wonderful memories of each. Think it was Estrella that said “some lovers were/are not meant to be”.
Good work man. Think you are really good. My kinda writer.
Thank you so much JAY…i feel like that is really high praise…
Bless God…you guys are the BOMBS.
Well done Seun; nice story.
Life’s the way it is; sometimes its cool; other times its not.
You wrote this well.
This is definitely another layer of skin for you. lol
Abby…thank you. You have to know….
lollllllz,you got everything right except the tons of romance novels,serzly I don’t do romance oh,aaahh,the chocolate part,dentist are making money from my teeth yet I won’t stop,
Well…i try na…
So don’t stop so the dentists don’t go broke…they gast to eat one way or the other!!!
You sweet.
ROFLOLMAOFIAW,thanks much,you’re so kind.
You’re so……
Hey…considered the ‘first lady’ thing yet….?!
This is very good Seun.I enjoyed reading it.Maybe its just me though,but giving a bookie 3.5m,methinks that not true to life o,but maybe its just me she…..
OF COURSE IT’S NOT TRUE TO LIFE!!! DIDN’T YOU READ THE TAGS??? FICTION, BROTHER!!!
THANKS…GLAD YOU LIKE!!!
Seun, no scatter gretel head for us o! Nice write up. Sometimes they’re better off without us joo…
You’ll make me write horror o.
How i go scatter my ‘intended & promised’ head…?? IMPOSSICAN’T!!!!
THANKS SICKKO>>>YOU MEAN SAY YOU NEVER START TO DEY WRITE HORROR..??
This chap dulled me abeg! Why didn’t he storm after her? Most times happy endings are not a product of fate but of choice jare! silly man!
I like the way you built his character in such short space.you did good dude…
Thank you estrella…you inspire me.
i guess the saying is true that we never know what we have until we lose it.
great story.
well done.
Thank you man!!!! Appreciate.
i should have written my comment on this before reading through other people’s comments. now all i can think is SEUN AND GRETEL…HMMMM!
WETIN HAPPEN TO SEUN AND GRETEL????????????????????????
you better go out into the rain and never come back until you get her back !!!!
Kinda too late for that Xikay don’t you think?