The triumph of the water lily
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81 "Caustic Soda!" I exclaimed. "Can you be certain the fellow wasn't actually bluffing?" Nkem asked as she listened with raptured interest." "Well, Sam said he actually saw the bundle of naira notes and it sort of left him cold. Besides, he claimed the man looked desperate at the thought of missing his flight and was actually prepared to pay him off. He said he had qualms about accepting that sort of money." "I don't blame him! Talk about funny money! Imagine carrying all that physical cash on your person!" Nkem mused. "I wonder what sort of business deal he was pursuing, that made him have no reservations about parting with so much money at a time. You can imagine how much he was hoping to net from his so called deal." "I believe we're approaching the house now," Norman said, slowing down his vehicle and pulling to a stop at a house marked 121. Its architectural design was simple but nonetheless lovely and was spread out over a wide expanse of lush, thick, Bahamas carpet grass. It was obviously a family house and appeared to be a warm and friendly home, even from the outside. The gatekeeper let us in after I had explained that we were Maruwa's friends and that she was expecting us. The gardener was using a radial water hose on the African lily flowers, which dotted the lawn in a beautiful patchwork design. A dog barked from inside the house as we drove up and came racing towards the car, as Maruwa opened the door. She looked pretty in her sparkling, white skirt and blouse tennis outfit. She ordered the excited little fox-terrier back into the house. We all laughed as the little rascal whimpered and looked longingly at its mistress and retreated backwards into the house, just as a naughty child would. Maruwa shut the door firmly behind it and ran up to join us. Nkem opened the rear door so Maruwa could get in; she did so smiling, slightly out of breath and looking every bit as pretty as she did the last time I saw her. "Hello everyone!" she greeted cautiously. "Hello!" We all answered in return and I quickly made the
We soon arrived at the Tennis Club. Norman signed for a spare racket for Nkem, before leading us out to the court, where Chris was already tossing balls with a friend. He caught sight of us and came over with the friend, whom he referred to as Duncan. 82 "Hello there!" he called out, as they strode towards us. "Duncan, meet Norman, my elusive friend, whom you've heard much about," Chris dodged away smartly, as Norman playfully aimed the racket he was twirling at his head. Norman and Duncan shook hands and exchanged pleasantries, as Chris came over to Nkem, Maruwa and myself. "Hello!" he greeted, with obvious pleasure. "Awesome Effua, it is certainly good to see you again!" he said with mock seriousness. "It's good to see you Chris," I answered laughing. Chris was the witty, happy-go-lucky sort. His attitude and outlook weren't just cheerful, but also optimistic. His joie de vivre simply rubbed off on you. "Won't you introduce me to your friends?" "I believe you've met Nkem before?" I asked. "I think so," he replied hesitantly and proffered his hand to shake hers. "But honestly, Effua, I cannot recall where exactly it was I first met her." Nkem simply kept smiling. "I believe it was at the airport," Norman volunteered. "Oh yes, it was!" Chris exclaimed as his face broke into the happy sunny smile that characterised him. "It's good to meet you again," he greeted. "Thank you, the feeling is mutual," Nkem replied with the serene and
"And! this is Maruwa," I said, as I put an arm around my young friend, who had remained unobtrusively in the background and watched the rest of us with self-contained interest. "I'm pleased to meet you," Chris said to Maruwa, his tone was light, but I noticed something electric pass between them. It wasn't something you could perceive, but you could sense the raw male-female attraction that had passed between them. Maruwa had a female magnetism, which coupled with her youthful freshness, could be quite irresistible for a young hot blooded and fun- loving male such as Chris. He wasted no time in making it obvious he wanted to get to know Maruwa better. "Why don't we break up into pairs," he pressed. "Or a foursome better still," I suggested. "Why not," Chris enthused, obviously pleased at the idea of going off
83 alone with Maruwa to a smaller court slightly removed from the main big one, where Nkem and I played against Norman and Duncan. We had refused the men's offer to play a mixed doubles and they promised to give us a good thrashing to "Cut us down to size" as they put it. The going was difficult, but luck was on our side and we drew even with the men after the first three games, in which we had been beaten three-nil. At the end of the set, we were jubilant when we drew even with them, with a six-four score. By then, it was well past seven p.m. and we all felt we had had enough. Nkem and I were ecstatic at our chance recovery and offered to buy the men a round of drinks to compensate. They took it all graciously and claimed they had purposely allowed us the courtesy of winning the final round, since thrashing us more than they had done at the earlier stages of the game would have meant dampening our enthusiasm to return and play with them another day. Generally, it had been a delightful evening for everyone. Duncan left directly after the game, as he had to rush down to the University Teaching Hospital to collect his wife. She worked as a Staff Nurse at the hospital and was just coming off duty. As for Maruwa and Chris, they had been doing more talking than playing. Maruwa simply kept laughing softly; whatever Chris had been recounting to her must have been funny. Chris was a decent young man and so I hadn't any misgivings about the obvious interest he was taking in Maruwa. I knew that as men went, she was safe with him. Chris and Norman had been childhood friends. They had been students together at King's College, although Norman had been a class or two ahead of him, they had remained good friends over the years. Chris's late father had been the attorney-general of the Federation. He had been a remarkable man and the nation had been made the poorer by his death. His mother, whom I had had the pleasure of meeting on two occasions was an attractive woman. She was of mixed racial parentage and hailed from the riverine area of Aboh. Chris was her third born child and her only son. Her last child, Ebiye, whom Chris literally adored had been born only six weeks before his father's death. The child, a delightful and proverbial: "Dream Boat", was now eight years old. Chris had inherited his mother's attractive patrician features. He and Maruwa looked so right together; I decided this chance meeting must have been decided way back in eternity! The two trailed behind as Norman walked to the bar to order a keg of palmwine and a plate of Suya. Suya is a special Nigerian delicacy; it is basically strips of grilled beef 84 or lamb, spiced with ginger and pepper. It is always welcome anytime, anywhere in Nigeria; and that evening, we most certainly enjoyed it! It went down well with the smooth oil-palm wine we were served. We had several rounds of the two combinations, a number of Norman and Chris's club mates stopped to chat and say hello. The company was generally lively, boisterous and good-natured. We finally took our leave at about a quarter to nine. Chris offered to take Maruwa home, but she politely declined in a remarkable demonstration of reserve, she explained that she would prefer to return home in the company she had come. Norman went over to the utility section to return the racket he had borrowed for Nkem, whilst Chris and Maruwa stood apart having a last minute tete-a-tete. "It appears to be a case of love at first sight," Nkem said to me quietly with fond amusement. "Yes, it certainly is," I agreed with her. "And I must say I'm pleased too, Chris is a fine, caring person. "I got that impression," Nkem agreed; and just about then, Chris and Maruwa turned round to us saying: "How about an outing to the amusement park tomorrow." Before Nkem and I could give answer, Norman who was just coming up heard the question and answered: "Why not!" Nkem and I smiling, decided we might as well go along with their
We dropped Maruwa off at home before heading off for the guest house on Lagos island. It was a particularly chilly night. Nkem sounding happy, thanked Norman for a lovely outing and went on in ahead of me. "Good night Norman and thanks for a lovely time," I said softly as he took my hand and began the business of caressing and fiddling with it. His touch was as always disturbing and made me feel vulnerable. "I'm looking forward to seeing you again Effua," Norman said with
"Well tomorrow is only a few hours away," I replied light heartedly. Norman on the other hand, I believe, was about to give me a serious 85 response; but, I think he changed his mind, and simply said instead: "It's a chilly night Effua so I won't keep you standing out here for too long, sleep tight darling," he ended and brushed his lips very lightly against mine; before driving off into the night. I could still feel the light pressure of his lips against mine as I took the flight of steps leading to my apartment two at a time; for the first time in a long, long time, I felt very carefree and it felt so good to be alive! That Sunday, Nkem and I attended the High Mass at Holy Cross Cathedral. The Mass had been said in Latin and had taken the better part of two hours and so it was well past noon when we returned to the guest house with our arms full of the newspapers we had bought from a vendor just outside the gates of the church. I scarcely ever read my newspapers in great details during the week. However, Sundays were different; I literally pored over them, print by print, line by line. "Do you want any lunch?" I asked Nkem as we entered my suite with the heap of newspapers. "Nope!" was her immediate response. That heavy breakfast we had before leaving for church is enough to keep me going for the rest of the day." I too felt no need for food and so we both sprawled out on the carpeted floor of the suite reading the papers. We soon began to get dressed at about a quarter to two o'clock. It was whilst we were doing so that Nkem announced her plan to travel to Europe. "Effua, I plan to go away to Switzerland for a short while," she said to me. She had her back to me and I turned round to look at her; a bit surprised, she had obviously been giving the prospect some thought. "I think it's a good idea," I said softly, as I turned down the collar of the blouse she had on when she turned round to face me. "I've been planning to go and spend some time with Jayesie and her husband. They have repeatedly invited Odili and I to Switzerland for a visit. We nearly did go last Easter, but something came up just at the last minute to foil our plans. I believe I'll take up their invitation this year. The break will do both Odili and myself a world of good! It would give me time to be by myself and get things into perspective again; it would also help Odili get over his uneasiness with me and his discomfiture over Comfort's pregnancy," she ended with a sigh. "I think it's a very good idea." I repeated as I came to sit down on the bed beside her. "Besides, Odili would be glad to know you would be 86 spending the Easter in good company." "Tell me, how closely related is Jayesie to you?" I asked with curious interest. "Very close," she answered. "We're first cousins, I thought you knew." "No, I didn't!" I answered rather surprised. "Wait a minute! Is she the daughter of your Aunt in Fernando-Po; the one who used to come to see you at Legon?" "Precisely! She is the one!" Nkem answered smiling. "Aunty had Jayesie by her first marriage," she continued to say, as she
"My Aunty was only sixteen at the time and had only just lost Jayeie's father. I understand he had been poisoned or something like that." "You mean your Aunty has been through that kind of trauma and yet manages to remain so attractive and optimistic about life?" "Oh yes!" Nkem answered, as she checked to make sure she had secured the lock of her valise. (We had decided she would take her things with her so that Norman and I could drop her off at her home after our visit to the park). "As a matter of fact, Aunty Eliza's present husband, who is Greek incidentally, is her third in a row of husbands. The second died in a car crash." Nkem burst into laughter at the look of utter disbelief registered on my face. "MY! She is one person who has received a few knocks from life," I said. "She's remained resilient and resolute in the face of it all." "Its incredible!" I said quietly. "Was she your mother's elder or
"She was her twin sister," Nkem answered with a wistful smile. "They were so very close; she has never quite recovered from my
"What is the secret of her resilience?" I asked, genuinely intrigued. "Does she find strength in her religion?" "I cannot honestly tell you Effua; but I know for sure that she has the love of a man who virtually adores her. Uncle Achilles -which is what we all call her present husband - is a priceless gem. Not only is he a caring and generous person; but he is also erudite and comfortably well off. My aunt isn't that well-read, but she seems to hold so much magic and appeal 87 for him. The love they share is mutual, my aunty put her life on the line a couple of years ago to have a son by him." "You don't say!" I said, thrilled as I listened with rapturous delight. "Oh yes and Odili and I were there to share all the joy and merry
Nkem, smiling as she reminisced, went on: "My aunt narrated to me what happened soon after she had delivered
"I remember she used to come to see you often when we were at Legon," I said, as I recalled the pleasant-faced woman whose visits used to herald a feasting session, as Nkem and I used to relish the parcels of delightful home cooked food, which she always brought with her. "She was a generous woman," I said. "Oh yes and she still is; she is forever fussing over me. She feels she
We were cut short by the loud shrill of the telephone. It was the reception ringing to announce Norman's arrival. Nkem picked up her valise and we rode down the elevator to meet him. "Hello!" Norman greeted with pleasure as he bent down to give Nkem and I a light kiss each on the cheek. "I feel so elated to be the lucky escort of such a gorgeous looking pair. I hope some jealous guy doesn't aim a shot at me," he said cheerfully, as he led the way out to the car. "Well, you don't look so bad yourself, your lithe and formidable looks would definitely deter any would be attacker!" Nkem countered happily. "Thank You!" he replied with flourish. Lets hope I live up to every expectation! and rise to every challenge!" "What is the valise for?" he asked, as he helped Nkem into the back seat. She quickly explained that she would be returning to her home in Apapa after the visit to the park that evening. I had remained silent for 88 most of his time. I had been taking in Norman's superb appearance; the man simply had a flair for clothes. He had a knowledge of what was appropriate to wear on every occasion; and he wore it with masculine grace. On this occasion, he had a pair of snug fitting Levi jeans with a combed cotton shirt of black and gold stripes. His eyes caught mine as I studied him with appreciation. I had quickly looked away in embarrassment as he winked and put away Nkem's luggage. Chris and Maruwa had been at the Amusement Park long before we joined them; and they appeared to be having a wonderful time. They were like a couple of kids, who had been let out of school early. We soon joined them, but Nkem and I settled for the more conventional things such as shooting darts and taking straight shots at lined up objects. We also went on the merry-go-round, but refused to ride on the spinning carts, nor take a ride on the crazy automated ram cars, which ran, on electric tracks. Norman, Maruwa and Chris, who were much more daring, had a go at practically everything and enjoyed themselves immensely. Nkem and I equally indulged ourselves hopelessly, without any reserve or thought about our weight or dentition; we gorged down all sort of locally made sweets and coconut brownies, biscuits and candies. Norman also bought us each a huge cone of chocolate ice-cream. "I'm making a total mess of my diet," Nkem moaned, as she licked off the ice-cream that was trickling down her hands. I'm definitely going to weigh a ton after this!" she cried mournfully. "Never mind, Norman consoled. This will help you burn it off," he said as he pulled us towards the Pony Ride. We enjoyed our ride on the ponies but discovered we had to have an erect posture to be able to ride the animal properly. Norman, Maruwa and Chris were however not contented with riding just the ponies; they also wanted to have a go on the huge African elephants. Nkem and I refused to go with them on top of those huge creatures, but when we saw how much fun they were having, we decided to join them. It was quite some fun too. We discovered the elephant is a remarkably genial and even-tempered creature for an animal of its size. However, Nkem and I shrieked with, fright, when it rolled up its trunk and gave a loud grunt, soon after we got on top of it. The park attendant quickly reassured us and made soothing noises to the elephant. Maruwa, Chris and Norman doubled over with laughter at the petrified look on our faces. After the elephant ride, we all agreed we had had enough and found 89 our way to the Museum kitchen, which was nearby and had a delightful fete there. The meal we ordered comprised fresh crab meat, cooked in a rich melon and green vegetable stew, (Egusi) with lots and lots of prawns. We ate the "Egusi" stew with, hot white mounds of pounded yam and finally washed the whole lot down with delectable, sweet pure, palm- wine, bursting with nutrients and served in gourds. We could scarcely get up from our seats after that. Chris took Maruwa home, whilst Nkem and I lumbered ourselves into Norman's car. We dropped Nkem off at her home and found we couldn't stop for a chat and a drink as she wanted us to. Norman had a call to make to the president's office at Ribadu Road that evening at nine-thirty and it was well past eight p.m when we arrived at her house. I helped her take her things upstairs and we hurried down the steps together. "Thank you so much Effua for a lovely weekend," she said, hugging me close as we stood in the hallway. "I'll phone to let you know when exactly I will be leaving for Switzerland. I'll have to talk it over with Odili before I can be certain," she added. "Great!" I answered. "In the mean time you just take it easy with yourself," I said, returning her tight hug. "I will," she promised with a smile. I rushed back to Norman, who was waiting patiently in the car. Nkem stood waving in the doorway until we were out of sight. "You know even after all these years, Nkem has remained an enigma to me," Norman said, as he sped the car in the direction of Victoria Island. "I know what you mean," I answered with a smile. "She has hidden depths." "But surprisingly, that is the secret of her appeal," he continued. "You just want to come closer and find out more." "I know," I answered again, nodding, very much aware of this alluring aspect of Nkem's personality. Norman's powerful vehicle soon ate up the miles between Apapa and Victoria Island. We arrived at the guest house well before nine-thirty and since Norman's house was only ten minutes drive away from the guest house, he decided to come upstairs with me for a drink. Red Dubonnet wine was all I had and I poured some of it into two 90 Directory: standing standing -> Region III standing regional response team (rrt) meeting williamsburg, Virginia Thursday, January 12, 2012 standing -> Information and Communication Technology (ict) Products and Services available to Victorian schools on a Department preferred supplier basis standing -> Desktop computers standing -> Mobile United Committee Highlights 2014 standing -> The catholic university of america standing -> Episcopal Diocese of Rochester Standing Committee Minutes Download 1.22 Mb. Share with your friends:
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