CH 01|| How it started

Disclaimer : This is a pure work of fiction by me. The characters in this novella is a pure work of fiction and most places as well are a mere figment of my imagination.

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Hello, this is Eddie. Very soon I am going to turn 19. I'm not much of a popular person anywhere except at home because I don't talk much. It is a huge hassle for me to go to college from home due to the distance.

Many of my acquaintances live in hostels or lodges which are much closer to the same but I don't. I'm a college student. Reading love stories, novels, magazines is really my thing because I believe the fantasy world is a great escapade from reality and in some corner of my mind I thought they exist. I even read about marriages- how marriage is a bed of roses if you are able to pluck the thornes out for good.

I would often find myself daydreaming about the man I am going to marry. You know about whom I can say to the world that, “HE IS MY MAN!”. Cringy much? I know right!

Don’t get me wrong. I am pretty ambitious too. I have my own dreams and priorities strengthened out. However, there is a thing called destiny in everyone’s life. And lets just say it is pretty unpredictable.

This is a story of my life, how destiny tilted my world....

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Unreal pictures and motions of my unconscious mind were slowly fading into a pitch dark background and the peace, quietness which I was enjoying then being replaced by screams. Once again.

My mind was fully awake but my body was still limb, I laid numbly on the bed while the annoying screams from outside disturbed the serenity of the environment. Sitting up, I raised a fist to rub my right eye and yawned. It definitely must have been 5:00- 09 by then.

I climbed down from my now messy bed, moving towards the window with lazy steps facing the compound the noise is coming from. Shifting the curtain a bit, I fixed my gaze on the dimly lit compound a few meters from ours. There were small movements moving aggressively past windows I could view.

The loudest and the most aggressive voice was that of a woman. She was screaming acrimonious words directed towards her husband,while the man exchanged just a few but very harsh words. It was like this for quite a long time.

The wife always accused her husband of cheating because well he comes back late everyday but she should have considered that before agreeing to marry him. The marriage is only six years old. Quarrels started when she was pregnant, perhaps 6 months because her stomach was really round so fast. But by that time their marriage was only 4 months old. So I don't know how that happened.

Suddenly the outside lights were turned on, making me shut my eyes in pain. Opening it back, my eyes slowly adjusted to normal. The man was outside now with the woman following behind. He got into his car and revved the engine while his wife banged at the side window. I closed the curtain and walked further into my room already knowing what will happen next.

Like already on cue, a hard slap was heard followed by a scream, next the car started driving off. I shrugged my shoulders, excavating such thoughts and dumping it in the ocean. My own future family will be perfect, I will never hate my husband and he will love me for who I am. But he should wait for my priorities first before we get hitched and then it will be perfect.

I smiled and walked out of my bedroom to the next room where I saw my second sitting but resting on the headboard of his bed with his phone on. "You're not sleeping? Or don't tell me you didn't sleep throughout the night" I said, crossing my arms at the door.

He looked up at me with tired eyes, "The normal mess woke me up, now the best way to start a morning is to play a soccer game"

"Have you checked your exam score?" I asked, still standing by the door.

"Leave that stuff... If I don't pass, there'll always be next year." He relaxed more. "I can't kill myself for college, I'll still get in and once I do, I'm leaving this house for mum and dad. I can't bear their lashes." He sniffled.

"How will you know if you don't check it out.. Gosh you can be so stubborn." I attempted to leave. He lives a carefree life and that annoys me but that doesn't mean my brother is blank, he is actually smarter than I am.

"Girl, it will always get back to me" He said, matter-of-factly. To avoid an early morning argument, I left him to the kitchen where I met my junior sister of 16 years old drinking a fruit drink directly from the carton by the fridge. When she saw me she almost spat the drink from her mouth.

"Stealing?" I asked rhetorically, moving to the fridge to get a glass of water.

She wiped her mouth, the juice pack still in her hand. "Didn't hear someone coming" She peeked at the door from my side.

"I thought mum said you were temporarily banned from drinking any drink from home because you can't drink from a cup or glass" I emphasized the cup and glass.

She pouted, "Just like you can't stop staying away from milk, so can't I stop doing my thing" She turned towards the sink giving me a chance to play a prank on her.

"Becca mum's coming!" I whispered loudly which caused her to jump in fear, quickly opening the fridge and putting the juice pack back into it. I watched with concealed amusement as she arranged her night clothes, showing off her thick thighs and big round hips. Lucky girl.

"Where is mummy?" She asked with a slight frown which made me laugh. She jumped on my back, wrapping her arms tightly around my neck while I ran around the kitchen choking. It wasn't really bad anyway.

Mum got into the kitchen and reprimanded us for the childish play and I felt it though. That was childish. After Becca left with mum, I started setting things for breakfast as I normally do. Mum helps me at times when she knows I'm late for a class or something related. Or maybe when she feels like cooking.

After breakfast, I ran off to school, the main reason is I don't want to bore myself at home doing nothing.

********

I came back from school, tired and hungry only to be welcomed home by noise and confusion at home one boring afternoon.

Seeing big cars parked outside and guards with heavily built bodies scared me to the fullest. Suddenly I saw my mum hurtling towards my direction.

"Eddy, Eddy, your father...my God " cried my mum

"Mommy stay calm....what is going on? I asked as sweat started streaming down my face.

"Your father will not kill me in this life.. Your father has already killed us. Do you know that he has been owing somebody N10 million all this while? "

"Tell me you are joking mum" I said, getting more confused.

I immediately ran inside to see my father on his knees begging for mercy so I pulled up my dad to his feet with all my strength since my dad was being reluctant.

I faced the man I thought was the owner which actually is.

"I apologize in place of my dad for all the troubles we've caused you. I plead on his behalf for an extra year to make the full payment of the loan."

"No child... Your father is either going to prison or he hands me the loan. That loan has been kept for five years but I like a loyal person. "

" Have you no conscious heart?... You allowed a man close to your age to kneel in front of you. I'm sorry but when it comes to my family, I have to protect them even if it will cost me."

I told him to give us a year span so we could pay him but he refused. I was as confident as ever to look him in the face and tell him that, so he did not say a word. A woman placed her hand on his shoulder and he turned to her. They exchanged nods and left quietly.

One day, two day passed, three days passed, no response, I was scared.