WIFE INTERNSHIP

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED  (LEROI 2014)

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 Chioma sat on the blue plastic seat around the patio table with her friends on the grounds of the outdoor restaurant located in New Haven, a major urban suburb of Enugu city. The cool evening breeze blew strongly through the venue ruffling a few strands of her long soft hair. A tiny fly blown by the wind found its way into her left eye. She quickly picked up her small beaded bag and brought out a face mirror. She looked into the mirror and with the help of a white handkerchief proceeded to remove the offending fly that was lying on the tip of her lower eyelid. The reflection of her pretty face in the mirror held her attention for a while as she closely examined the outline of her face.

A chocolate complexioned young lady with an oval shaped face. Two gentle eyes that had an air of mystique and innocence about them, a flat shaped nose with tiny nostrils, full sensual lips with traces of red lipstick on the edges. The lips opened up every now and then to reveal a perfect set of white teeth. Two silvered coloured earrings hung on her ear lobes. Her short orange coloured baroque print dress fitted her slender body frame. Her two facial blemishes were perfectly concealed by the makeup on her face. She smiled with satisfaction as she admired the reflection. It was a Friday night and she was having a Girls night out with her friends.

The beep on her blackberry Curve 5 lying on the table drew her attention away from the mirror. She took it up. A new Facebook inbox message. She read the content of the message and curved her lips in a suppressed smile. She showed it to her three friends who were directing inquiring looks at her. They took turns to read it and giggled. A middle aged man with a bald head wearing a white singlet on his profile picture was imploring her in a mixture of pidgin & barely legible English to meet him at an eatery for a date that night. Her three friends doubled over with laughter as she scrolled up and showed them his earlier messages where he was showering her with praises for “looking very buerifool like an angle and shinjing like the moon”.

She stretched her long slender fingers and took up her vanilla ice cream cone wrapped in a foil lying on the flowery patterned tray. Her tongue attacked the chilled vanilla cream heaped on top of the pastry cone. She closed her eyes as the cream melted in her mouth and the delicious goodness spread through every fiber of her being.

She was living the cool life of a university undergraduate. She was young, sexy, wild and free.

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The young man sat at the table close to the live band. His eyes kept darting between the table at his far right and his table. He had been trying to establish eye contact with the chocolate complexioned young lady who was lapping up the cream cone ever since he came into the arena. A tall dark complexioned fellow, he had a clean shaven look with a thin line of side burns which ran down on both sides of his face to meet the small tuft of hair on his sharp chin. He was dressed in a white polo on top of a baggy blue jean trouser, with a beige Timberland boots to match. His fez cap lying on the table was all what he needed to complete the look of his favourite hiphop rapper Eminem.

As he stared at the young girl he noticed her eyes were shut for a brief moment and his fascination with her increased instantly. The air of innocence complemented by her pretty looks enthralled him. From his vantage position he studied her. She looked quite different from the other three girls seated with her, a homely yet sexy look. She was the type of girl he wanted.

 “Catch them young” was his motto and she looked young enough.

He sat debating in his mind on how to make a move on her without involving her friends. Despite the fact that he was hugely experienced in chatting up members of the opposite sex, he always felt uneasy when approaching a new target especially when she was in the midst of her friends. It was unnerving but it had to be done. He knew he was attractive and charisma, all he needed was five minutes alone with her to work his charms on her.

Another long glance at her direction brought joy into his heart. She was sitting alone at the table. Her companions had made their way to the dance floor escorted by male partners.

It was time to make the move.

He reached out and took huge gulps of the canned Gulder beer to boost his confidence level. He took a deep breath and walked straight to her table.

“Hello, good evening, can I talk to you for a short while?”

“Talk?” She said sizing him up with a calm look. “well…i can spare you five minutes”

“Thank you”. He pulled the plastic chair opposite her and sat down.

“I am Nnamdi, I saw you when you in here. I’ll like us to be friends” he said flashing a charming smile.

“Were we enemies before?” She replied with a coy smile.

“No, we were strangers but right now we should be friends” Nnamdi said stressing the word friends. He was leaning over to her hoping to work his charm and charisma on her.

The lady stared at the guy sitting opposite. He was undoubtedly attractive. His red lips was sending chills down her spine.

“I like your confidence, it is not every guy that is bold enough to approach a lady the way you did” she suddenly said.

“Thank you and it is not every lady that will calmly attend to a guy that walks up to her. So what is your name?” He inquired.

“I am Chioma”

“What a cool name! Your name means God is good. It reminds me of this song we used to sing in church; 

"God is good to me he is good to you hallelujah!’”

She laughed out heartily.

The familiarity in their conversation was creeping in fast, the connection was instant. They conversed as if they were old time friends. Both of them felt strangely drawn to each other. The five minutes time span Chioma gave to Nnamdi stretched to twenty minutes.

From their conversation they found out that both of them were students. Chioma was a Year one student of Enugu state university of science and technology studying Food science & technology while Nnamdi was an Architecture student in his second year in the same school.

“Let’s dance” Nnamdi was suggesting to Chioma as he pointed to the live band who were playing some highlife beats.

“Why should I dance with you? I have only known you for few minutes” Chioma gave him a surprised look.

“You should dance with me because we are friends now. Today has been my lucky day so why not make it my luckiest day by dancing with me” Nnamdi said flashing a flirtatious smile that was directed at breaking her stern resolve.

She hit the table playfully as she declined the tempting offer.

“No.…go away! Don’t push your luck too far. I am waiting for my friends and I think your five minutes is far spent”

“Alright, we will chat next time?” Nnamdi said with a shrug. “It was nice chatting with you Chioma. Have a wonderful evening”.

He left the table. It had been a fruitful evening. She had given him her blackberry messenger pin and phone number. He left the table with the knowledge that Chioma wanted to meet him again. The subtle hints and clues she dropped in the conversation were crystal clear. As he got back to his table he turned in her direction; her eyes were trailing him.

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Chioma’s was ruminating on the chance meeting with Nnamdi as she lay on her bunk in Block A female hostel room 4 in Agbani campus later that Friday night. Chioma was used to being hit on by guys and turning down their advances at the drop of a hat. However with Nnamdi there was something unique about him that made her drop her contact details with him without any hesitation. It had to do with his personality. He was good looking, chivalrous and from the look of things would be a fun person to be with.

“Be careful of guys in this school. Don’t be deceived by their looks and sweet talks. They are all deadly. They will only use and dump you!”

That was the advice the senior colleagues often gave to year one female students. With Nnamdi she felt she throw the caution in the wind. She knew right within herself that she would like to see him again. She had fallen for him. That was the truth. She would wait for his call and ping.

“Chum chum what is it? You are looking quite pensive tonight” Angela a friend & fellow roommate questioned walked up to and questioned her.

“Oh it is nothing Angela. I am just tired. I had a stressful day”.

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Life on campus is simple as long as you have your set goals and work towards fulfilling them. Campus life could however be overwhelming for the year one undergraduate. Chioma’s goal right from the onset of her admission into Enugu state university of science and technology was to graduate with a good result. This goal determined her choice of friends and companions. Her closest friends Daisy, Onyinye and Immaculata were of similar mindset. They were girls who studied hard and partied hard while fending off advances from the opposite sex with ease.

With Nnamdi getting into her life, it was obvious that she would have to shift grounds to accommodate him. She only hoped his entry won’t disrupt her normative life routine. That four lettered word Love was a strong disruptive emotion.

The first official date with Nnamdi was on a wet and chilly Thursday night. Nnamdi had waited for Chioma at the common room of her hostel. By the time she finished dressing up and was finally ready to set out with him, the time had gone to 7 pm. Chioma was a little nervous and was pleasantly surprised to find out that Nnamdi had a car; an Audi Q7.  He drove her to Carly cooks, a new restaurant in town that was the rave of the moment. The restaurant was located along Independence layout, a cool classy place. Smartly dressed waiters provided professional and courteous service to the customers. Nnamdi and Chioma sat in an enclosure shielded by giant artificial flowers, listening to the soft melodious tunes playing on the sound system while waiting for the waiters to attend to them. They knew they were about to enter a defining moment in their life.

Chioma ordered lobster rice salad with chicken wings from the menu. Nnamdi played the perfect gentleman. He ordered same meal alongside two chilled bottles of Eva wine.

 “Tell me more about yourself”.

Chioma asked Nnamdi as she reclined in her seat. The atmosphere in the restaurant was very relaxing. She was worried about how little she knew about him.

Nnamdi from his short narration was 26 years, the first son of an Onitsha based couple. His parents were into several lines of businesses. They were wealthy and he was being groomed to take over the family’s car importation business. He was a hiphop lover, an ardent Eminem fan, he was considering going into the music scene as a rapper.

“Why do you like Eminem? Chioma suddenly asked.

“You are very observant’ he replied with a knowing smile. Chioma must have observed the Slim shady bangle on his left arm.

I like his rap music, he raps about issues I can relate with. I am an Eminem Stan!"

“What is an Eminem Stan?” Chioma interrogated.

“It is just a term for anyone who is a dedicated fan. Eminem rapped about Stan in one of his hit tracks.

“I don’t know what it is with you guys and hiphop” Chioma shrugged her shoulders and continued “I don’t like rap music, I don’t even like Eminem! He raps with so much anger.

Whenever I listen to his songs I can’t understand why he is so angry”. I love R&B music…Songs by Chris brown, Trey songz, Celine dion, Bruno mars etc….They bring out the emotions in me, the mushy side of me gets released whenever I listen to their tunes” she said in a low tone.

 Nnamdi was leaning over her and had taken up her left palm in his.

“Talking about emotions Chioma, how about discussing our emotions? Chioma I love you! I know this may be coming a little too fast but I feel it deep within me. Right from the first day I saw you at the outdoor restaurant i have been having this strong conviction that you are the one for me!” He proclaimed passionately looking deep into her eyes.

If Chioma was a Caucasian lady, Nnamdi would have seen the deep blush that appeared on her face.

“I..i don’t know what to say” Chioma replied averting her eyes from his, trying to avoid the fire that was burning in Nnamdi’s eyes.

“Sweetheart just say ‘Yes’…I know you feel the same way I do. I can see it in your eyes” Nnamdi whispered as he brought his face two inches closer to hers.

“I….well…..i am just overwhelmed…..Yes I love you too!” Chioma blurted out. She couldn’t keep it to herself anymore that she was in love with Nnamdi.

His red lips was sending shivers down her spine.

Nnamdi stroked her hands tenderly while she looked down staring shyly into her plate of lobster rice. It was a new beginning for them.

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The relationship was in full steam, a whirlwind romance experience for the two lovers. They were virtually inseparable. All their friends and colleagues on campus knew that they were lovers. The date nights were long and many, short walks at night, excursion to romantic beaches.  Nnamdi showered gifts on Chioma. Chioma had never felt so much in love in her life. She was willing to do anything, willing to make any sacrifice for Nnamdi.

 On a Friday evening close to one month after the start of their relationship Nnamdi  made a request as they strolled out of Kunis central plaza walking hand in hand .

“When are you coming to visit me at my place?”

“Whenever you invite me!” Chioma replied.

It was odd that Nnamdi had not invited her to his house ever since they began dating. All their meetings were in the school environment, restaurants & hangouts in the city and in public parks. She knew Nnamdi had a cozy apartment somewhere in town. She had asked him about it once, she wanted to know where it was but she got a lukewarm response from Nnamdi. She didn’t feel the need to press the issue further as she knew that it will come up naturally one day.

“You should come tonight but you will have to sleep over”

“Sleep over?” Chioma raised her eyebrows. Their one month old relationship was not consummated. She had told him that she was not ready yet when he made a near fatal move on her. The closest they had gotten to consummation were light pecks and smooching. Nnamdi always exhibited a great deal of self control. He was willing to wait for her.

Sleeping over made her feel apprehensive. She had not been with a man before, she was like a fresh untapped palm tree. Can she still trust Nnamdi?

“Why tonight?”

“Sweetheart I think it is proper that you should know where I live. I promise nothing untoward will happen. You should spend this weekend with me. I will be a gentle man as always. Just come and know my place that’s all!” Nnamdi appealed.

“Hmmn...this sounds tempting…but if that is the case then I am game. It is weird that I don’t even know where my boyfriend lives! I’ll definitely come!”

Nnamdi gleefully cupped her face in his hands and slowly nibbled on her earlobes. She liked it whenever he did so. Her earlobes were the most sensitive part of her body. The nibbling always tickled her nerves sending pleasant pulsating sensations through all her body. Sometimes the sensations were so extreme that she had to beg him to stop.

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Nnamdi’s apartment was a one bedroom flat located in Ogui road axis of the city. Three blocks of flats separated from each other by tall green shrubs planted around the perimeter of each building. Nnamdi’s house was painted with light blue texcoat paint. All rooms were floored with ceramics tiles. The living room, a moderately sized room was sparsely furnished with three plush cushion chairs, a cuvet glass 4/5” cocktail table served as the center table and a 21 inch Lg plasma tv hung on the wall. A ceiling fan hung from the ceiling. Four decorative portraits hung on the wall. At the right corner of the room, a quartz wall clock tickled away. The single sliding glass window in the room was covered with two pale green curtains which had flowery designs on them. Two spiral shaped fluorescent light bulbs casted a white glow across the room. The scent of Ambi Purr air freshener wafted across the room.

Chioma moved around with Nnamdi as he gave her a guided tour of the house.

A small dining room was tucked in-between the living room and the kitchen. A thermocool refrigerator stood close to the kitchen door. The kitchen was a long rectangular room with creamy tiles. Nnamdi had the basic kitchen items. An electric cooker stood near the wall socket, a green stove laid on a table, plates, spoons and other utensils were stacked in the cabinet on the wall. A water faucet stood over the sink. Chioma’s eyes fell upon a cup, a spoon and a tray which appeared to be the remnants of the last meal lying in the sink. Nnamdi caught her looking at the direction of the sink and offered a mock apology.

“Sorry dear I was in a hurry for lectures this morning and I had to drop them there to meet up with time”

“It’s a lie you are a lazy bachelor” Chioma disagreed as she hit him playfully on the shoulder.

The tour ended in the bedroom.  A small room with a single sliding window. A single set mahogany bed that was wide enough to fit in two people occupied a large portion of the room. The mattress was covered with a plain white bed-sheet and two duvets. The bed felt warm and inviting as Chioma sat on it. Nnamdi eyed her and the bed mischievously. His wardrobe was built opposite the bed. Three wallpaper arts were displayed on the wall.

“Well as you can see that’s all there is in this house. I am sorry, it isn’t much. This is where I lay my head”

“Come on dear, don’t even try to downgrade yourself. This place is absolutely fabulous! I couldn’t have thought of a better place to live in!” Chioma exclaimed.

She was beginning to see herself as the mistress of the house. She could see herself washing the dishes, preparing the soup, sweeping the house, doing the laundry, chasing Nnamdi around the house. It was only a matter of time.

“Make yourself comfortable. What should I offer my queen?” Nnamdi asked.  “Name it brandy, whisky, fruit juice, apple drink, water etc. I will offer anything in the world for my queen!”

“I want to eat first jor, do you have indomie?” She inquired.

“Yes there are some packets in the kitchen cabinet”

“Let’s go and get them”

They went inside the kitchen. Nnamdi brought out four packets of indomie from the cabinet. He announced that he was going out to buy eggs at the small provision store down the street as there were no eggs in the refrigerator. Chioma plugged the electric cooker and set out to prepare the indomie meal. Nnamdi was back with the eggs in no time.

“Now run along let me prepare a decent indomie meal for you tonight!” Chioma said and made a move to chase Nnamdi out of the kitchen. She was delighted with her current position as the madam of the house.

He ran out laughing.

From the kitchen she could hear the home theatre system playing in the living room and as she pricked her ears she caught the lyrics of an Eminem track.

“I'm beginnin' to feel like a Rap God, Rap God

All my people from the front to the back nod, back nod

Now who thinks their arms are long enough to slap box, slap box

They said I rap like a robot, so call me rap-bot”

“How unromantic” Chioma sighed to herself as she stirred the noodles in the pot.

The evening was a pleasant one for Chioma; one of the best that she had in a long while. Lying on the couch and watching a Nollywood movie with Nnamdi brought a sense of marital bliss to her. She admitted to herself that she loved it here. She would be coming more often to her boyfriend’s place.

The night went on well. Nnamdi slept on his couch in the living room while she was in the bedroom. The apprehensive feelings returned to her. Will Nnamdi sneak into the room at midnight? will she be able to resist him if he made sexual overtures? The unanswered questions troubled her mind as she drifted into dreamland….a world where there was a constant pattering of tiny baby feet around a home filled with laughter and joy.

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TO BE CONTINUED