Two days later, Onyi hurried across the street with a bag of medicines in her hand. She entered the clinic and with a few questions, she was able to locate Steve’s office. He was a young doctor who had taken a liking to her and usually checked on her mother.
Her mother had also tried by occassionally mentioning how nice and kind Steve was. She knocked and when she entered, he welcomed her with a smile.
“Wow…what a pleasant surprise” he said rising to his feet.
“I was passing by and I decided to pop in and say hello” she said as he motioned for her to sit.
“So, how are you?” he asked as soon as she was seated.
“I’m great. Just went to get some drugs for mama”
“I hope she’s responding to treatment”
“She’s still alive…so…” she sounded unsure but had a positive smile on her face.
“I feel like I’m talking to one of my patients” he confided and walked over and sat on the seat next to her.
“So how are things here?” she asked turning to him as he shrugged.
“Going well and …since you’ve decided not to have a phone and a stable time at home, I have to keep resigning our meetings to kismet” he said as she smiled and nodded.
She had never heard that word before.
“I should be on my way now. Mama must have woken up and would be worried that her dinner is not ready” she said as she rose to go but her hand hit the table and the bag fell from her hand spilling its contents.
“Sorry. I hope you didn’t hurt yourself” he said as he bent to help her but something caught his eye.
He sat up and stared at a packet of drug while Onyi packed the remaining drugs.
“Is this for your mother?”
“Yes, who else?” she muttered as if he had asked a stupid question.
He took the bag from her and began taking a look at the packets of drugs
He stared at the drugs, most of which were thiazide diuretics and beta-blockers. “Your mother shouldn’t be taking these” he said. “She should be taking none of these” he sounded angry. “Where did you get these from?” he asked as she stared at him in fear and tears welled in her eyes.
“A family friend” she replied slowly.
“More of a family foe” he said sharply. “You’re taking me to him or her right now” he said rising to his feet as she held him shaking her head.
“Please, he has given us a lot of drugs on credit…just give me the names of the correct drugs…please”
“But it’s bad to let him go. He could kill people”
“He probably made a mis –”
“No Onyi, there’s no room for mistakes in our field. Are these the drugs your mother has been taking?” he asked as she nodded.
“The ones prescribed by the doctor were far too expensive, so I asked for cheaper brands and she has been taking these since then” she explained.
“No wonder…it’s a wonder your mother is still alive considering how long she has been taking these” he said and sighed. “Don’t worry. I’ll get you the right drugs on my way home…but promise me you’ll never go to that man again”
“I promise…God bless you Steve” she said with tears in her voice.
*****
Nonso and Onyi walked quietly under the moonlit sky as though counting their footsteps. They had just left the house where Dimma kept on fussing about the numerous things that still had to be done before the wedding in less than a week.
“So, how is mama doing?” he asked finally breaking the silence. She had told him about Steve and his discovery of the wrong drugs her mother had been taking. Nonso had been so furious that Onyi spent a whole day begging him to let the issue die since Steve was going to help.
“I don’t even know, Nonso. Remember I got back home that day and saw the drugs on the centre table in the living room” she reminded him as he nodded. “Well, she’s been taking it since then but –” she stopped moving and faced him. “She has been complaining of numbness in her body; especially her legs…I mean her feet” she explained worriedly as he thought for a moment.
“It’s probably her reaction to the drugs. You know she has been taking the wrong medication for heaven knows how long. So just trust Steve” he could not believe he had made the last statement; he really did not like the Steve guy but he was grateful for what he had done for Onyi’s mother.
“Erm…that Ify girl…she seems like a nice girl” she changed the topic as a wide grin spread across his face but it disappeared the moment she turned to face him.
His father had invited his business partner, Chukwuma Nnaji, together with his daughter, who was Chinonso’s best friend.
“She’s actually a very nice girl” he commented honestly.
“Really?” she asked as if realization had just dawned on her.
“Yes; aside from the fact that she’s hot and rich, she’s also hardworking and a great cook. Trust me, you’ll love her food” he praised as Onyi glared at him.
“She’s not that hot” she said disapprovingly.
“Oh yes she is…hot and sexy”
“Seriously Nonso?” she said and began to move forward as he laughed and held her by her waist.
“I never said she was hotter than you” he whispered in her ears but she removed his hands as she blushed.
“Don’t patronize me, Mr. Okeke” she called him that whenever they disagreed on something.
“I’m not patronizing you, Mrs. Okeke” she said as she smiled while they walked on.
“Oh…how’s the case going?” she asked as his countenance changed instantly.
“It really is a dead end” he told her sadly. “No suspects, no witnesses…nothing. It just seems so weird in a way I can’t seem to understand…the officers I spoke to gave no positive response…it was as if –” he stopped talking as she turned to him.
“What?”
“It was as if they did not want to tell me something…one had even told me to drop the case while I could” he said as she gasped.
“Is the case that –”
“I think so” he replied before she finished her question. “And that’s why it doesn’t have to be a dead end” he began speaking more to himself than to Onyi. “It’s just like a mystery game, the moment you find the pieces of the puzzle and you put them together…voila” he said opening his eyes widely as Onyi stared at him and finally realized he wanted her to say something.
“…and you haven’t found the pieces yet?” she asked slowly and hoped it would not sound stupid.
“Yes, and that is what bugs me. It’s as if the pieces are lying around…within my grasp but I just can’t reach them” he said his tone rising as she took hold of his hand.
“Nonso, everything will be fine” she consoled and looked into his worry-filled eyes.
“I just don’t want another little girl to get hurt” there was so much emotion in his voice that Onyi felt he would break down.
“I know”
*****
It was four days to the wedding and things were going smoothly. Onyi spent half her free time at the home of the Okekes and Dimma appreciated that.
“Wedding gown…check!” Dimma began and ticked it in her notebook. “Bouquet…check! Reception venue…check! Visa and flight ticket…check, check!” she said as Onyi and Ify who had been listening could not hold back a laugh.
“You’re studying mass communication, right?” Onyi asked Ify who could not hold back a look of surprise; because most of the time, Onyi tried to avoid her and if she tried to strike up a conversation, Onyi would simply walk out on her.
“Yes” she replied with her usual smile that made Onyi think made her more annoyingly beautiful.
“What university?”
“UNILAG” she replied without hesitation as the front door opened and Nonso walked in.
“Hello ladies” he said and walked past them without waiting for a reply.
Onyi noticed how Ify’s eyes followed him until he was out of the living room. “I heard there are a lot of prostitutes there” she said as Ify looked at her in anger.
“Onyinye” Dimma called angrily.
“What! I just want to confirm”
“You’re going to have to ask someone else…I don’t know” she said as she rose to her feet and walked inside.
“She’s not taking your boyfriend, Onyi” Dimma said dryly as Onyi turned to her but said nothing. “They’ve been friends for donkey years and if anything would have happened between them, trust me, it would have happened” she said and looked back at her list.
*****
“Knock knock” she said even though the door was open and he spun to face her.
“Ify-love, are you seriously knocking? Praise the lord!”
“Daddy said I should knock before entering anybody’s room, especially if it’s a guy” she said as he laughed.
“Since when did you become so obedient?” he asked as she shrugged and sat on the bed crossing her legs like mediums did in movies.
“You still don’t know how to sit like a lady, do you?” he asked with a smile and sat beside her.
“Mummy tried her best…God bless her soul” she said and chuckled. “So, start telling me everything. No more boring phone talk” she said as he stared intently at her. She had grown more beautiful and he could see why Onyi had showed signs of insecurity when she was around him.
“Nothing interesting. What do you expect from the life of a police officer?”
“As if someone forced you” she taunted as he laughed.
She was the first person he had told about his ambition and she had supported him all the way even though his uncle and aunt felt and did the opposite; they felt it was a very stupid dream to have. She had given him the courage to face his parents.
He had once had a crush on her during their teenage years. He was five years older than her but due to how mature she acted, he sometimes forgot who was older. He could not express his feelings then because he had been scared of losing the friendship he had with her; and with time they turned best of friends.
“So, who’s the girl?” she finally asked.
“The one getting married? Dimma of course” he replied as she poked him in the shoulder with a light laugh.
“Stop it Nonny”
“Fine” he said and exhaled loudly. “We’re still on a low key something” he said as she nodded with a look of interest in her eyes.
“She’s pretty?” she asked as he nodded with a wink of his eyes. “Is she fair?”
“Not as fair as you”
“That means I’ll like her”
“As if you hate anybody…It’s Onyi” he said as she gave him a questioning look.
“Remember I don’t stay in this village, so I don’t know many girls”
“You are just crazy…the girl you were talking with in the sitting room” he said laughing as she frowned and suddenly understood why Onyi was acting the way she was.
In the years they had been friends, most of the girls who had a thing for Chinonso always saw her as a threat but she cared less.
“She…she doesn’t seem like your kind of girl” there was an iota of disappointment in her voice and he could sense it.
“You don’t like her?” he asked as she shrugged and smiled.
“I met someone” she said as he smiled ready to hear her never-ending tale.
*****
On the eve of Dimma’s wedding, her parents had organized dinner and Onyi had been invited. At 9:50pm, she was walking home with Nonso. They had not spent more than a minute on the road when Onyi started to speak.
“Is anything going on between the both of you?” she asked as he tried to calculate his words and at the same time wonder why she would ask such a question.
He knew asking who she was talking about would only infuriate her since he knew she was talking about Ifeoma.
“No” he said simply.
“Then why was she all over you at dinner?” she asked as he sighed.
“Onyi…I’m seriously getting tired of this. Why are you feeling so insecure? If Ify was ever a threat, I would have been with her a long time ago; but I’m with you. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”
“It does. It means you were not her type and you had to settle for a lower class girl” she said as he frowned.
She was clearly looking for a reason to quarrel. “Very funny” he remarked angrily and walked on.
“It’s just that –”
“It’s just what?” he was losing his temper. “Ever since you met Ify, I have not heard anything except Ify is this or she is that. Why can’t you just calm down and –”
“I can’t” she almost screamed and then her voice broke. “…because I’m scared”
“Of what?”
“Ifeoma” she replied as he stared at her. “I heard her and her father while I was throwing out the trash. She was complaining…saying that a secondary school dropout was trying to take what belonged to her…and then he…he said he would deal with me…and if I’m too stubborn, it would not be so hard to get rid of me”
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