C6 Chapter Six

That day, after everything that happened while Ebere and Chidi were playing pool, Chidi dropped me off at home, and I went straight into my room.

I sat on my bed and cried.

I cried and wept until my bed became wet, as if someone had poured water on it.

“Wait a minute. Did Ebere really say I irritate him? Did Ebere say my presence irritates him? Did he say my face annoys him?”

My own man.

After three good years together.

I remembered the first time I met Ebere. I remembered how much effort he had put into getting my attention. I knew everything he had done for me. I remembered the things he bought for me and how long he tried to win my heart.

At some point, even my friends, Precious and Skyla, started begging me to give him a chance.

“Who knows?” they would say. “Maybe he is serious about you.”

I knew how long it took me before I finally accepted Ebere.

And today, that same Ebere looked straight into my face and told me that my presence irritated him.

I shook my head.

“No. This alone has proven to me that something is wrong with him. Ebere is not in his right senses.”

I refused to give up.

I told myself that I would keep trying. I would keep doing everything I could until Ebere came back to his senses.

That night, I lost my appetite. I did not eat anything before I eventually fell asleep.

The next morning, I woke up thinking about everything that had happened.

Since all this started, I had not been going to school. I had stopped attending lectures. I had practically locked myself indoors, crying and thinking about Ebere.

Then I remembered what Chidi told me.

He had told me that I did not need to kill myself because of what Ebere was doing.

That was when I decided to console myself.

“Why am I even killing myself?” I asked myself. “I have cried. I have done everything I can. I have even gone to his friend for help. Yet nothing has changed.”

I had visited Ebere several times, and each time he saw me, he either hit me, threatened me, or pushed me away.

Then another thought came to my mind.

“What if I keep pushing myself toward him and he seriously injures me, just as Chidi warned?”

I took a deep breath.

“Maybe it is time I listen to Chidi’s advice. Maybe it is time I stay away from Ebere.”

I decided to pretend as if nothing had happened. I wanted to give myself a chance to heal and move on.

Because every time I remembered Ebere, it felt as though an old wound was being opened again.

So that morning, I got out of bed and did everything I needed to do. I took my bath, dressed in one of my best outfits, and headed to school.

It felt like a new beginning.

I just wanted to be happy.

I didn't want to keep talking about what had happened. I didn't want to cry anymore.

When I got to school, my friends were so happy to see me.

Precious, Skyla, and Blessing rushed toward me and hugged me.

“Babe, we are so happy to see you again,” Precious said.

I smiled.

“Guys, I just want to be happy. That's all.”

They smiled too, and for the first time in days, I felt a little better.

But something happened that same day.

Precious and the others went out to buy something from the front of the school. After a while, I saw them rushing back, and they looked angry.

“What is the problem?” I asked.

I thought maybe they had quarrelled with someone, so I didn't pay much attention.

But then Precious rushed toward me and grabbed my hand.

“Chinyere! Chinyere!”

I became scared.

“What is the problem? Why are you shouting my name?”

She looked at me.

“Have you heard?”

“Heard what?”

“Ngozi came to school.”

Immediately, I froze.

“Ngozi came to school?”

“Yes,” Precious said. “And that is not even the problem.”

“What else?”

“Ngozi came to school in an SUV.”

My eyes widened.

“My mouth dropped open. “Are you serious?”

“Yes! Ebere dropped her off right in front of the school gate.”

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

Precious continued.

“Since you and Ebere started dating, has he ever dropped you off at school?”

I looked at her and said nothing.

“No,” she answered herself. “But today, he dropped Ngozi off.”

She shook her head.

“Babe, if you see Ngozi today, you won't believe your eyes. She came down from that SUV, and everybody was looking at her. Everywhere you go in this school, people are talking about her. Ngozi is the talk of the school today.”

I felt something inside me break, but I quickly reminded myself of the decision I had made that morning.

I had decided to move on.

I had decided that I would not cry again.

“So why should I care?” I told myself.

Then I looked at Precious.

“Well, it is none of my business. They should do whatever they like.”

But Precious refused to let it go.

She became angry.

“Babe, I blame you.”

Again.

She was blaming me again.

“Why?” I asked.

“You are the reason all this is happening. You are too quiet for my liking. I don't like the way you handle things. Imagine that girl going around this school, and everybody is talking about her. Who is she? Who does she think she is? Who is Ngozi for that matter? Why should I allow that girl to do this to you?”

I tried to calm her down.

“Babe, can you just forget about all this? I don't want to talk about it again.”

“That is the problem!” she shouted. “You always let things go. You always take everything so simply and easily.”

I looked at her.

“What do you want me to do?”

“Fight!” Precious shouted. “Babe, fight! Stand up and take what belongs to you. Stop always acting so quiet. Stop acting like a saint all the time. Sometimes, you need to stand up and fight for yourself. Sometimes, you have to take the bull by the horns.”

I stared at her.

“What are we talking about here?”

Precious looked at me.

“About the native doctor.”

“Native doctor?”

“Yes!”

I became confused.

My head was suddenly filled with so many thoughts.

I didn't know what to think anymore.

I didn't know what decision to make.

Should I accept Precious's idea?

Should I really do what she was asking me to do?

Or should I simply let everything go, just as I had decided?

I stood there, completely lost in thought.

To be continued.