Obiageli - Episode 21

"Obiageli where have you been?" Oluchi came out of her hut to ask..Obiageli froze and held on to the broom she had been using to sweep the compound

"Mama, I was around o"

"What do you mean you were around, when I woke up, you weren't there.?"

"Eh, I went strolling, then I went to Chidinma's house"

"What did you go and do there, you should restrict your going there, Chidinma is newly married"

Obiageli just pursed her lips and continued sweeping, she was the only child in the house now so did most of the duties, she tried to train herself for the day when she would move to Uche's house...

"Besides you shouldn't be parading round the village flaunting yourself as a young woman" Oluchi was saying

Obiageli stood up"Mama I don't understand "

"I hope you have not gone to see Uche"Oluchi finally said

Obiageli blew a breathe "Mama what is it, Uche is my friend"

"No he is not, I know you like him but I want you to go to college"

"Mama that is already settled"

"Then you should stop seeing a man, or don't you know he is a man, if he gets you pregnant and ruins your chances..."

Obiageli dropped  the broom and went inside in anger

"Mama I'm not a child o, my mates are married"she murmured

She was 18 now and couldn't understand the problem, there was something behind her not being able to see Uche..even her father stares at her weirdly these days. She sat down in her hut and saw a lizard, then another one came to join it..then both scuttled away

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/obiageli

. She decided to go to the farm to fetch firewood, to get her mind off the problem at home. She didn't know why everyone was treating her weird.

She got there and was able to gather them, she kept her cutlass beside her and tied them together, as she rolled her cloth to carry it on her head, Someone tickled her on the waist from behind, she turned and saw Ifeanyi

" My Queen"he said, she hissed and turned back trying  to carry her firewood, but he helped her put it on her head, she glared at him as he blocked her way from passing

"Been looking for you"he said

"What for?"

"I heard you are seeing Uche."

She made to go, he stopped her

"Why you doing this Obiageli, you need to stop all this your forming eh, see I like you a lot, I'm ready to give you the world, if you just become my wife"

"Ifeanyi...stop now what is it, I have told you no severally or is by force, I don't want to marry you"she said plainly, bending to pick her cutlass

"But why, am I not good enough, why do you keep avoiding me like you are scared of me"

"Go and marry my friend Chiamaka now, she likes you a lot, she is a woman like me there is no difference"

"But you're the one I want, not Chiamaka, is there anything wrong in liking you, I've not wanted any woman like I want you Obi, please give me a chance"

She knew the only reason he was begging her was because her father had rejected his request, she wondered why he wasn't married till now, what was his problem even, wouldn't he give it a rest if a girl says no, he got closer to her 

"I know you like me, you just want to give me a hard time, but I have tried now, i've been toasting you for years now "

" You are wasting your time Ifeanyi, my heart is with somebody else"she said

He paused "Who, Uche?"he asked, she rolled her eyes

"Please leave me alone" She said and suddenly discovered they were alone in the farm as she turned to go, her heart began to beat fast as he discovered it too.

She wanted to run but he had already grabbed her by the waist, her firewood fell with her cutlass as he put her on the floor, her screams were not heard by anyone close as they kept fighting on the floor, she kicked him and tried to run but he grabbed her again and pinned her to the floor, tears were in her eyes as she finally took her cutlass which was nearby and hit him on the leg

"Heeey" he shouted but that was all she needed before she grabbed what was left of her clothes and ran back in tears to the village.

She refused to speak to her mother, she kept crying on her bed. When her mother finally learnt what had happened She went to Ifeanyi's house to fight his mother.

It was finally settled between the families because nothing had happened, but that was the least of their problems, his injury refused to heal a week later. When it began to get rotten everyone turned to her for explanations

"What did you do to Ifeanyi?" Oluchi asked her coming into the hut to meet Obiageli who just sat and stared, she saw the gravity of the sore the cutlass cut had developed and it wasn't nice, they had taken Ifeanyi to every herbalist known around but the sore kept growing..

"Whoever touches her would face the wrath of the gods"

Oluchi remembered and exclaimed "Eow..Ifeanyi mo" She was more determined now more than ever not to allow anybody marry her, especially not Uchenna who was more like a son to her. Ifeanyi's mother came to beg her when it began to spread upwards. Obiageli just turned away.

Chiamaka came to her compound

"Obiageli.. Obiageli "she called

Obiageli came out wondering what the problem was

"Obiageli if  you have done something to him, please reverse it, he is the only man I have ever loved, don't allow him die"

Obiageli was surprised, even her friend

"Chiamaka, he tried to rape me...and almost succeeded, is that what you would be saying, I don't have a hand in it, whatever has befallen him he brought upon himself"

"You cannot say that Obiageli, I know you have a hand in it"She shouted

"Are you calling me a witch Chiamaka?"Obiageli pointed at her chest surprised

"I don't know what you are, but we both know you almost drowned Ego, and what ever is happening to Ifeanyi you did it, you hit him with a cutlass"

"When he tried to rape me"

"He did not succeed now....please, don't let him die" Chiamaka was in tears, Obiageli thought she was pathetic, here she was crying for a man who would never love her, who had tried to rape her best friend, Obiageli knew she didn't need such friends in her life. She left her and went back inside her mother's  hut.

"What do you think happened to Ifeanyi?"Nonso asked Uche as they sat and drank palm wine in his house

" I don't know, everything is happening"Uche replied

"I heard he almost raped her and then he fell sick, do you think that is a coincidence?"

"Nonso, if he wasn't sick I would have gone to kill him myself, I've always known he was useless, the only person I pity is Ekene, he feels really bad"

"I heard it has spread to his neck, tufia, aluu" Nonso said spitting out.

Ifeanyi was bedridden for two more weeks before he joined his ancestors.

*hmm, sad

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