Who Knows Tomorrow Episode 2

• If you missed: AFTER ALL THESE YEARS Episode 10

*Isadora’s side of the story continues*

‘’fine I will take my chances. I will leave your house right now’’ I confidently breathed, surprising Obiora with my decision. He scratched his head as he stared at me with disbelief.

‘’you want to sleep outside?, I guess you don’t know the kind of danger lurking outside. This isn’t your village’’ he persisted while I shrugged.

‘’yes I have no choice. Sleeping with you is as good as getting raped. Thanks for the things you have done for me already’’ I muttered, went for my old bag, grabbed it and headed back to the door.

‘’wait’’ he softly said, stopping me.

‘’you can sleep here tonight. Just forget about what I asked for. Early tomorrow you can leave and go where ever you want. But I can assure you that you will never meet anyone kinder than me, or anyone willing to help you like I did. The country is hard’’ he muttered in resignation, fell back on his bed, backed me and faced the wall not caring if I stayed or not.

I stared at him for a while as my heart pounded furiously. Yes I was relieved and happy that he changed his mind but I equally was scared he could change his mind again much later in the night and come for me.

After standing and staring at him for few minutes, I nervously dropped my bag on the floor, laid down and waited for morning. I eventually slept but it was far from a normal good night rest.

As early as 5am the next morning, I picked up my things ready to leave.

‘’come on don’t be such in a hurry. I’m not going to hurt you. Wait till at least 6am before leaving’’ I heard Obiora say softly. I turned to face him, surprised that he was very much awake.

‘’good morning sir’’ I stammered.

‘’you can even go take your bath’’ he suggested with a smile while I gave him a very suspicious look.

‘’don’t worry thank you’’ I stammered.

‘’you are definitely going to regret not accepting my proposal. I offered you a very sincere relationship plus a

roof over your head but you chose pursing shadows. The city is full of evil people. Don’t allow yourself to be used for money rituals’’ he added with a mockery smile while I bit my lips in anger. It just appeared as if he was enjoying my plight.

‘’thank you. I’m leaving’’ I managed to breathe, turned and headed out of the house with great fear and expectation.

Seriously I didn’t know where I was heading to as I left his house early that morning. I didn’t know the city or the direction to turn to. My greatest joy was that I was able to resist his advances even though I gave him credit for not being too rough or hard on me.

I made up my mind as I left his house that morning not to seek assistance from a man anymore. I decided there and then to seek assistance only from ladies but unfortunately I walked round the city till 1pm without any woman accepting to help me. None of the ladies I talked to were willing to help until I made this well dressed woman trying to leave a supermarket.

Without hesitation I ran to her, shocking her with my swift appearance. She instantly looked around with fear, thinking that I was probably with other people.

‘’young girl you just scared me’’ she breathed as she opened the driver’s side of her car.

‘’please madam I need help. I’m starving. I’m homeless. Please I can work for you as cleaner, house girl, servant, salesgirl, anything. I’m good at menial jobs’’ I begged desperately while she stared at me suspiciously.

‘’I’m from Nsukka ma. Please help me’’ I begged as tears easily flowed down my eyes.

‘’alright fine, take this one thousand Naira and buy yourself anything’’ she muttered and reached for her handbag.

‘’no mummy, that’s not what I want. I need a job. I need a place to stay. Please help me’’ I begged, taking her aback with my demands.

‘’oh Christ, alright get into my car let’s talk’’ she breathed.

‘’hmmmm your story is really a long and pathetic one’’ she breathed after listening to my long story. I never knew she was going to have such patience with me and it kind of gave me hope.

‘’there is something about you I don’t understand that makes me want to help you. But you see having a young beautiful girl like you in my family is what I can’t risk. Now you look like an angel but my sons or husband could easily pick interest in you, causing problem in my marriage. You are just like an ant infested wood, I don’t really think any woman will easily accept taking you in unless…’’ she stopped as she noticed more tears running down my eyes.

‘’ But I have a friend that can take you in. her husband is late and her son is engaged to my daughter. You won’t have any problem there unless you are the lazy type’’ she suddenly added with a smile while I heaved a sigh of relief.

‘’thank you ma’’ I breathed with all my heart.

‘’let me call her and see if she would want me to bring you over now’’ she added with a smile, reaching for her phone.

Val’s side of the story continues

My mum, Jane and I were busy with lunch at the dining table when my mum’s phone rang.

‘’hmmm Jane dear your mum is calling’’ my mother said to Jane with a smile before answering her call.

‘’she’s coming over with a new house girl. It’s about time, the chores in this house is not what Martha can handle alone’’ she said to us after speaking with her friend (Jane’s mother). I smiled and faced my meal, saying nothing because the issue wasn’t my business.

However Jane’s mother showed up exactly fifteen minutes later with the biggest surprise of my life. Standing right beside her, grabbing an old bag was the village girl I traveled right back to Nsukka the previous day in search of.

I was so shocked, so speechless, so breathless

‘’her name is Isadora and she’s here to serve’’ Jane’s mother breathed with a smile as Jane, my mum and I left our eyes on the young girl.

4:30pm somewhere in Enugu. Jane is seen lying beside a good looking young man. It appeared as if they just finished making love,##

*Jane’s side of the story*

my love I do need you here with me every minute, every hour. We can’t continue like this. It hurts my pride’’ Charles breathed, softly biting my lips. I smiled as I stared at him with great love. Yes he was the love of my life. My breath, my everything. But unfortunately he wasn’t financially buoyant or even employed. He was incapable of being my boyfriend talk more of husband. He was just my weakness, the dark side of me.

He was my boyfriend right from my first year in university of Nsukka. The typical bad boy every girl drooled to have but unfortunately after graduating, he faced the realities of life. He couldn’t get a job and we both knew we couldn’t marry each other. Val eventually came along through my parents. It was just the typical matchmaking between rich parents. Luckily he fell very much in love with me and I equally adored him because he was very young, resourceful and hardworking but what I felt for him wasn’t as strong as what I felt for Charles but still enough to take us to the altar, to be his wife.

For a year and six months I had managed to keep both Val and Charles under my control. Yes it was a very super game only the most brilliant chicks could pull off. Seriously I really didn’t know where my relationship with Charles was heading but I couldn’t let him go. I needed him as much as I needed Val.

Leaving Val’s family house later that afternoon, (minutes after the new girl Isadora arrived). I had headed straight to Charles apartment to have a breath catching quickie with him. Yes he was so good at it. He was very much stronger than my fiancée Val who just wasn’t himself the previous night.

‘’so how about the money you promised to lend me to start up a business once you return from the U.S’’ Charles asked, bringing back my wandering mind.

‘’I’m still working on it dear. Three million Naira is a whole lot of money and I don’t have access to such fund. I can’t pull out such amount from my father’s business without my brothers questioning and blocking the move since they are the ones now virtually running the business. The only way right now is to rely on Val’s money and I can’t just ask him to give me such an amount. I have to work out a strategy’’ I explained while he frowned.

‘’you better be fast my love. I can’t continue being idle. My mates are all doing well right now and I’m still here. You are my guardian angel and you know that. I have never done anything to hurt you even though you have done a lot to hurt me’’ he sulked while I sat up on the bed and stared at him for a while.

‘’yes I know moving on with Val really hurt your pride and everything but must we talk about this every time?. I did what I had to do as a woman. We are still here together. I never abandoned you’’ I defended weakly.

‘’but you still will one day. I know that’’ he added feebly while I rolled my eyes.

—————————————————

*Val’s side of the story continues from the previous episode*

Seeing Isadora that fateful afternoon really made my heart jump. I was lucky that my reaction wasn’t noticed by anyone. Isadora on her own part acted as if she didn’t recognize me and I couldn’t tell if she did or not.

Minutes later, Jane left the house while my mother and Jane’s mum went to the sitting room to chit chat, leaving me with an opportunity to talk with the new girl. I quickly headed to her room but she wasn’t there. After a little search I found her at the backyard with our old house help Martha who was putting her through some tutorials.

‘’can you excuse us please Martha’’ I politely demanded. She looked at me with great surprise, shrugged and walked away, leaving Isadora and I alone.

‘’you never bothered to be friendly with me the very first day we met. You never even told me your name. Yesterday I drove round Nsukka looking for you but fate brought you here Isadora’’ I breathed with a smile while her eyes dropped as her color changed.

‘’perhaps coming here wasn’t a good idea’’ she muttered. I drew closer.

‘’I’m so glad you are here. You can’t imagine the joy in my heart right now’’ I breathed. She raised her beautiful eyes to meet my gaze.

‘’can I ask for one thing please?’’ she softly demanded.

‘’yes of course’’ I nodded.

‘’can you please leave me alone?. I don’t want you putting me into trouble. Many women rejected assisting me because they felt I would cause more harm than good. Only your fiancée’s mother assisted to help me and I’m very grateful and loyal to her. I came here to work and not to play your game sir. I need food, shelter and money right now. I won’t risk anything for that sir. Please I need no special treatments or favors from you. You are my boss, let it remain that way’’ she breathed quietly hurting me immensely with her words. No woman had ever addressed me that way and I was just thrown off balance. I didn’t know what to say or act before her.

All I did was just breathe her name “ISADORA”

To Be Continued...