Consequences

Chapter 32

When Ola told me he had told Kemi not to come to the house anymore, I decided to avoid having discussions with him by seeing her at her place. This was our meeting point. On most occasions though, we would meet at the house of some of her friends, before we would all go out together.

With Kemi it wasn't always about going out and having fun. Sometimes she would call me up only to say, she wanted me to accompany her shopping. I was thrilled when she called as each time we went out, I would most certainly come back home with a new pair of shoes or a 6yard wrapper.

On reaching home, I would gladly show them to Ola who would sometimes frown. I didn't know why he exhibited such attitude towards the gifts Kemi was giving me. But I concluded he was a bit jealous, probably for the fact that to him, perhaps the gifts were not directly from Kemi.

He made me know how he felt about it one day, when I came back home. I had just got back in time to prepare dinner as I knew he would soon be back. On entering the house, I had dropped my bag and the items Kemi bought me on one of the sitting room chairs.

When he came in, I was in the kitchen preparing dinner. I think he must have looked at the items considering the amount of time it took him to come and meet me. In his usual style when he got to the kitchen and I was there, he would always come in and give me a kiss, before heading to the bedroom to change his clothes.

As he came into the kitchen, he came behind my back and wrapped his arms around me, giving me a kiss.

"Kemi is so generous with you I sometimes find it hard to believe she's the one buying you those gifts." He said

"Coming from a jealous man, it makes sense." I replied without looking at him..
"A jealous man you call me?" I turned and faced him while wrapping my arms around his shoulders.
"And who else is here?" Ola slowly nodded his head while looking calculatingly at me.
"Just me and you. " I kissed him and he held me tight. We continued kissing for a while before we broke off. I stared into his eyes and smiled.

"Jealousy." I said
"And what about it?"
"You're using it to get romantic with me."
"Isn't being romantic with you a good thing?"
"Soon you'll want to take me somewhere, to someplace where you'll want to do something." He smiled
"And wouldn't you want to take advantage?"
"Quite an enticing offer, but I have food to prepare." Ola let go of me and left the kitchen. When I finished preparing the food and we ate, I could only imagine what went on in his mind. I could see he was jealous and this jealously was slowly rising.

But as it was slowly rising, his dislike for Kemi kept increasing, such that he considered her not healthy for me. I was in the house when Kemi called me. She wanted me to accompany her on her usual shopping. I agreed but told her I would wait to tell Ola when he came back from work.

When Ola came back I waited for him to settle down before I told him. I saw the look on his face after I told him. He didn't like it. He had always frowned upon my relationship with her since he came to know she had rich Alhaji friends.

I stood waiting to hear what he had to say. While he had never refused me to go out with her. On this day, he had something to say.
"Tola, it's like you don't take what I say seriously."
"Ah Ola, say what you want to say, now."
"I keep telling you that woman you call your friend, is not healthy for you."
"Why?" He kept quiet, "tell me what you have against her?"
"Nothing."
"So why is she not healthy for me? I mean you must have your reasons for saying that?"
"I have nothing against her." I sat down next to him and sized him up.
"It's hard to believe you, Ola. It really is hard to believe you have nothing against her." He looked away for a minute before he faced me again. I instantly remembered the dream I had about him being shot.
"Or you have something with her that you feel I'll come to know about?" He looked at me sharply and frowned.

He was refusing to talk, just like he had refused to talk when we were at the restaurant. Back then, I had asked him if there was another woman. He had refused to give me an answer. I got up from sitting next to him. I was a little saddened by his silence. If truly there was something going on between them, I had to know.

"Ola, I remember telling you that if you had issues with another woman, it was best you settle it, before the unthinkable happens. I pray whatever happens, doesn't in any way affect me."

I left him sitting down staring at me while I went out. I got to Kemi's house and banged the gate. It took a while for the gate man to come and open the gate. When he came I saw the look on his face. He seemed to have woken up from a disturbing sleep. I felt a little uneasy seeing him that way.

"Ah madam na you?" He asked me.
"Where is my friend?"
"Madame no tell me where she dey go. But she say if anybody come ask of am, make I tell dat person say she commot." It surprised me that Kemi had told me to come only to go out. But I figured she wasn't sure if Ola would allow me to come out.

I looked at the gate man and a strange feeling like something was wrong suddenly came to me. When he saw me staring at him, he also looked at me. The urge to ask him if everything was alright came to me.
"Shebi everything dey fine?" I asked him. He nodded.

"We dey fine o madame. Na God we dey pray make he do him miracle." I brought out my purse and gave him some Naira notes. He opened the palms of his hand and bent his head when I gave him the notes.

"Here put dis one for pocket and tell madame say I come." He thanked me so much.
"Ah you do well o madam. If your friend come I go tell am say you come." I left Kemi's house feeling a little disappointed she had gone out without waiting for me. It disturbed me as she had never done that before.

While I was worried about her behavior, the disturbing look on the face of the gate man kept coming to my mind. Something had to be wrong, and I was beginning to think Kemi was in trouble.

But if truly she was in trouble why didn't the gate man tell me about it? Most likely she had told him not to tell me anything. But why? I had to find out what was going on and so I stopped at a nearby supermarket and called her phone. It was off. I tried and tried again, still getting the same response.

Failing to get in contact with her, I decided to call Ola and tell him that I didn't see Kemi. And that I was returning home. I dialed his number and after some minutes he picked it up.

"Tola? Tola?... "
"Ola is everything is okay?"
"Please Tola, listen carefully!" He seemed agitated and was shouting at the top of his voice. I had a feeling he was in trouble. I tried to talk to him but he wouldn't allow me say anything.
"Tola when you get back home there is a bag, take it and go to the usual place and wait for me...," He cut the call immediately. I quickly kick started my car and drove as fast as I could to the house. When I got there the front gate was wide open. The gate man wasn't there. I drove in and rushed into the house.

There, lying on the floor in a pool of blood, was my husband, Ola. He was shot holding the very bag he had told me to take. I stood horrified at the scene and put my hands to my head.

Tears rolled down my eyes as I started crying. I knelt down beside him careful not to stain myself with his blood. I listened to his heartbeat for signs of life, but there was no sign of life. The one thing that came to my mind was to call the Police.

I quickly got up and took my phone from my bag and was about to dial the Police when I stopped. I knew calling them meant, they would arrest me. They would want to know if I killed him, or if I hired someone to kill him.

They would want to know what I don't know and can't tell them. And as if that isn't enough, they would put me behind bars and accuse me of the murder. I will be locked up and perhaps, for a very long time.

I had to act fast, so I quickly grabbed the bag and briefly opened and looked at the content. It was filled with dollar bills. I almost fainted at the sight of so much money. I quickly closed the bag and taking it with me, hurriedly left the house. I got into my car and drove as fast a I could, far from the scene of the crime.

I drove far away from the area with no fixed destination in mind. I only wanted to go as far as I possibly could. But I was tired and exhausted, and I had to stop at a small hotel to get some rest.