lovr happened, a story by rose akpabio

Episode 5


Soph, wake up, it’s morning’ Kachi yawned and
stretched her legs, she hadn’t much sleep due to
the big sized mosquitoes that fed on them during
the night.
‘I want to sleep some more, I’m so tired’ Sophia
groaned.
‘You know what I’m currently worried about’?
Kachi brushed her hair back to its place and
turned to her friend.
‘What’s that’? Sophia dipped her hands into her
pocket and felt for her car keys, she hadn’t
forgotten that.
‘The car’ Kachi replied.
‘What if it’s stolen?’
‘Well, who would want to steal a bashed car’?
Sophia asked still thinking about the rude man.
‘I am not talking about that mad man’s car
dummy, I mean your car, you know how unsafe
the streets could be’ Kachi explained.
‘Oh that, I took the keys, though I didn’t lock it, if
only I had my phone, I’d call Barbie to come get
the keys and get it off the road’Sophie replied
feeling much worse about what she’d done to
the stranger’s car.
‘You know a car could still get stolen without the
keys right’? Kachi asked.
‘I don’t know but that’s not my worry right now,
where do we get money to buy that man a brand
new car or even replace the parts. Did you see
that car’? Sophie’s eyes went wide.
‘Una too dey disturb, abeg shut up dia’ Shakira
hissed loudly at the duo who’d woken up earlier
than others and disturbed them with their
conversation.
‘Ignore her’ Sophia whispered to Kachi whose
tongue was already itching for something to say.
‘I am afraid, you know our shop’s going to open
next week, if this man insists we pay for his car,
then I am afraid, our dream shop would never
come to reality’ Sophia was sad by the current
developments.
‘Well, there would be a way out, but I still don’t
support the way that man hit you’Kachi replied.
‘Well, deed was done, let’s not argue over it’
Sophie replied still feeling ashamed by the way
the handsome stranger had treated her.
Why was she this way? she sighed and lay back
on the floor, this wasn’t the time to get
depressed over being called ‘fat’ or anything.
She prayed earnestly for the stranger to pardon
her.
Minutes later, the creaking of the cell gate
aroused them from sleep and they both looked
up.
‘Wey una two? Oya stand up comot come hia’
the female office thundered as she opened the
cell gate.
‘Is she talking to us’? Kachi sat up immediately
‘No, I dey talk to myself, e be like say dis place
sweet una, which kyn yeye question’ the woman
hissed loudly.
‘Ah, God you are so faithful’ Kachi rose quickly
and walked towards the gate.
‘Olosho, na god wey save you from my hands,
idiot’ Shakira cursed at her.
‘See who dey tok, you go dey dis place till thy
kingdom come’ Kachi fired back and the other
women laughed.
‘You really have time for these people, you
should learn how to ignore people once in a
while’ Sophia straightened her gown.
‘Whatever, that’s your philosophy of life, if you
look for my trouble, I finish you. I be Nigerian
version of Madea na, u no dey feel me?’ Kachi
was excited they’d finally been released.
‘I hear’ Sophia chuckled softly.
‘Uhmm, Kachi, you need to stay quiet, I can
handle this, besides everything is on me, I was
the one that bashed his car, so when we meet
with him, I want you to stand down. I don’t need
your ‘Madea’ skills, okay’? Sophia spoke gently
as they trailed behind the police woman.
‘Hmmm, so you want me to be quiet and watch
that rude brute insult you’? Kachi but her lower
lip.
‘Yes, something like that’ Sophia nodded her
head.
‘Okay, if you say so’Kachi gestured with her
hands.
‘Make una wait here, Oga go soon arrive’ the
woman offered them a seat behind the counter,
the ex governor’s son had called and asked them
to be released.
‘Thank you Ma’ Sophia tried sounding polite.
***
‘So here’s my car, here’s what those two crazy
people did to my car’ Lekan brought the car to a
halt and they both stepped down to the scene
where the collision had occurred.
‘Whoa, that’s a huge one sir, they have to pay for
it, you just bought this car last week, how many
times have you driven it’? his lawyer asked.
‘Just twice Ade, but let’s forget it, these women
cannot afford to pay for my Honda, just look at
what they rode in’ he pointed towards the
women’s car that was parked behind it.7
‘Well, Toyota isn’t bad, it further shows they can
afford it, please let me handle this case, let me
teach them a lesson to be careful while driving
on the road’ Ade insisted.
‘Okay, I give up, do whatever you want, just do it’
Lekan was tired of arguing with his lawyer.
‘Then let’s get going sir’ Ade said.
‘Excuse me for a minute’ Lekan walked towards
the Toyota and noticed the glasses hadn’t been
wound up.
‘What are you looking for’? Ade followed him.
‘They forgot to lock their car’ Lekan remarked
and suddenly felt guilty about the way he’d hit
the fat lady. He knew he had anger issues but he
hated it when men hit women. But he want going
to apologize to her, she still bashed his car.
‘Let me get those phones’Lekan opened the car
door and picked the phone on the driver’s seat.
‘We can go now’ he announced and wound up
the glasses.
‘Alright sir, when last did you hear from Ise’? Ade
asked as the drive began. He had been a family
friend to the Olaoluwa’s for some time now,
before he even had admission into the University,
he knew them very well.
Lekan’s father, the ex governor, was friends with
his own father, though he was late now, the
governor and the late chief Judge of Osun high
court were good friends, so he knew a great deal
about the family.
‘I don’t remember the last time I saw Ise, I
haven’t been home for five years now’ Lekan
hated talking about his family.
‘You’re still angry with your father’ Ade
remarked.
‘No, I am not angry with my father or my half
brother Ise, staying away from them is the
healthiest thing for me’ Lekan replied. Since he’d
found out his father had slept with Adesua, the
girl he’d fallen in love with, their relationship
which had already been filled with loopholes had
worsened.
‘So why haven’t you gone home since you
returned from London’? Ade asked.
‘Ade, you know everything about my family, you
know how my father forced me to study
Engineering when I wanted being an artist, truth
is, I don’t have time for them, my mother had
only me, so I don’t have a family’ Lekan felt
unhappy discussing this subject.
‘When last did you go for therapy’? Ade had
heard about the circumstances that surrounded
Lekan’s childhood, that explained why he had
anger issue and flirted with all kinds of women.
‘I am not crazy Ade, Psychologists work on crazy
people alone, there’s nothing wrong with me, I
am perfectly fine. And never you bring up this
subject again’ Lekan felt his blood rise, he’d tried
to forget his childhood. He’d repressed those
painful memories of losing his mother to
schizophrenia, those sad moments of his
childhood, when he’ll be left alone and his father
would go out fishing with Ise, his half brother.
‘I am perfectly fine’ Lekan hit the steering and
brought the car to a halt as they arrived the
station.
‘Are you’? Ade threw him a question and stepped
down from the car.
‘I don’t know’ Lekan whispered and placed his
head on the steering. No, he was fine, he was
totally in control of his anger.
He still remembered the way her eyes went wild
as she screamed, her hair was a mess and she
smelt of alcohol. His mother who had been an
angel had suddenly turned into this grotesque
creature.
She was always cursing his dad for cheating on
her, then one day, he returned from school
hoping to see her again, praying in his childish
mind that his dear mother would go back to
being an angel.
He’d found Mrs Olaitan weeping sorrowfully in
the kitchen, and he’d rushed to her side, that
was how he learnt his mother had escaped from
her room.
‘I am perfectly fine’ Lekan spoke the words again
and tried to shut the memories that disturbed
him.
From that day onward, Mrs Olaitan who was a
young and childless widow at that time took care
of him like his own child.
Even when he decided to leave his family at
Osun and come stay at Lagos, she begged to
follow him and he allowed her.
He was now grown, he had changed, why
couldn’t the memories leave him be?
‘I can do this, I can handle my poo’ he swore and
stepped down from the car.