CHAPTER FOUR

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But things weren’t looking good, his father had altogether stopped giving him money for school, he didn’t know how he was going to continue with his school, the money he made from selling and working couldn’t amount for anything after he and his mother eats and took care of their daily means, his school and then her. They lived like slaves in his father’s house, the man didn’t care. They were hanging by a rope.

She pitied him yes, she liked him yes, but really, “Na fine boy person go chop?’’. She was a beautiful girl, guys liked her, she already had a few offers to date another…

And she didn’t know how to tell him she wanted to break up with him, how would he be able to carter for her needs? Boyfriends were supposed to be ''Atms'' amongst other things right?

While her friends showed off things their boyfriends bought them, Gucci this or Gucci that, iphone this and jewellery that, she kept telling them that Emeka had plans for them and she wasn’t materialistic…but in reality she wanted to live the life she envisioned. A rich boyfriend should have been able to provide her with the luxury she wanted. But it was just an illusion, Emeka wouldn’t be able to give her what she wanted, she felt sorry for him and his mother, but she couldn’t date him anymore.

“Emeka, I know things would get better, I know, you just have to hang in there “ she tells him

“I am trying, just worried about my mother. Here I’m thinking if she is okay or if papa had done something to her again. I always go home with a heavy heart..because I always find her crying or hungry or locked outside the house …I am tired. And she is sick Dee, she isn’t looking so well and no money to go to the hospital. I want to sell my car, so I can be able to take her to the hospital“

“NO!!’ she says, if he sells it, everyone would finally see that Emeka was nothing and that meant they would see that she too had been nothing all along, no, she needed to jump off the train before he hits the rocks.

“what? My mother is sick, we have no means whatsoever, my father doesn’t care”

“You can hold on na, I am sure she just needs rest”

“Someone who couldn’t sleep all night and had a fever? No! I have already found a buyer, it’s for him to call me, later today”

Diana shakes her head biting her lips

“Look, God is alive up there somewhere but he had forgotten us, but I won’t let my mother die, if the car must go it would and everything else, if I have to remove my heart to save her I would.”

‘‘But your friends and everyone, the shame and all that”

‘I don’t care about all that, let them talk. My father makes it seem that he cares for us but he doesn’t, atleast shame would wash over him when people starts talking about how his son is trekking the hot son and all that, maybe it would make him do things right”

‘‘What about me?’’

“What about you Dee?’

“Have you asked me what I think about all these?”

‘’I don’t get you Dee, if your mother is dying, would you not want to sell that nice jewel around your neck to save her?”

She was quiet “that is not what I am saying”

“Then what babe?’

“That car takes you to school, covers a lot of shame“

‘‘So what would you have me do Dee? turn the other way? I don’t even know whether she has eaten, she has no drugs, I need to take her to the hospital and I won’t listen to anything else, it’s just a car Dee, it can be replaced, a mother can’t. I’ll manage ,we’ll manage, you talking about how you’ll get to school? I’ll come get you as always- “

‘With public transport?”

“Atleast we would be together”

“Okay, I am hungry, let’s go to Chicken republic, all these talk is making my head spin”

Emeka looks at her “Babe, I just told you about selling my car and you want to go to C.K? Okay, let’s go to Mama Basira’s,we can eat there, or rather I’ll go buy it and bring it here,I don’t have money for C.K, you know I would if I did”

‘’So while my friends and everyone else is doing C.K I should go to Mama Basira?”

“Babe, you know the situation of things, I have been nothing but honest with you have I not? why you making me feel bad?’’

“I am tired of the situation, my dad this my dad that, I mean you are his son damnnit!!He can’t totally abandon you, I know what the situation is, you are just proud and stubborn, maybe you have offended him and that is why he is upset, if you and your mother go and ask for forgiveness he would accept and you both are back in his graces and you wouldn’t lack neither would you be selling your car”

Emeka looks at her “You have seen my father, you have been to my house and you think it’s about going on my knees and all this would go away? Do you know how many times we have broken our legs and fell to our knees to plead with him, it never changed anything. My father is what he is, wicked before he is a man and me begging him never changed anything but he became worse. He simple does not care Dee, he doesn’t and being rich only made him very arrogant and evil. Look babe, I have just a year left and I promise when I am done and I start work with my degree, things would be better , you just have to be patient with me, I would do anything you want, give you anything you want, buy you the earth if you desire, I promise , babe..my baby, don’t be angry” he says touching her face, he leans in and kisses her forehead, her cheeks and brushes his lips with hers.

“I can’t anymore” she says pushing him away

“You can’t what?”

“This. Us. You and me. I can’t anymore” She says,

Emeka felt a sudden pain to his chest, he rubs it absentmindedly “Dee, what are you saying?”

“I am saying Emeka that I am breaking up with you”

*