I WANT TO JAPA!

 "Ahhh!" I screamed immediately when I got home. Why was all this happening to me? Celine was right. They all were. Nonso was cheating on me. I had just caught him that night with some fair girl. And to make things worse, he showed no remorse! He claimed that men were polygamous and he was not doing anything wrong!

 "Ahhhh!" I screamed when I remembered what he had said next. 

 "If you can't handle that, leave."

 The audacity! 

 I left his stupid mansion and the stupid car he gifted to me there. And for the first time in years, I used public transit. 

 "Stupid, cheating dog!" Now, I was home, I just couldn't stop screaming. The reality of what he had done slowly sipped in while I was on the bus. And the words I should have said to him started dropping from my lips. 

 When I got inside, I met my father watching the News. I was sure he wouldn't believe what happened if I told him. Not the cheating part. The part where I called off my wedding to a rich man!

 Just knowing that fact made me fume all the more. 

 "Good evening, sir!" I greeted him only to receive a nod. He didn't even look at me. Stamping my feet, I walked to my room and locked myself in. 

 I was sure my father wouldn't be the only one disappointed in me for breaking up the engagement. My mother would too. Hopefully, my siblings would understand. 

 So, when my younger sister knocked on my door, I opened it. 

 "Sister, good evening. Mummy said I should tell you to stop visiting Brother Nonso too much until the wedding. And your food is in the kitchen. " She said immediately she got in. 

 "Tell mummy she doesn't have to worry about that anymore. I have called off the engagement." I retorted. For a minute, I had forgotten what a tattletale my younger sister was. Immediately after I finished my sentence, Amara, my younger sister went to the passage to scream.

 "Ahhhh! Mummy! Sister has broken up with that rich brother!"

 Immediately she screamed, and my mother appeared out of nowhere. "What did you just say?" She asked Amara. 

 "Sister has broken up with brother Nonso." Amara didn't fail to repeat. My mother faced me with a look of disbelief. 

 "Chimamanda! Is what your sister said true?" 

 "Yes..."

 "Ahh! What happened?" As my mother asked, Amara ran out to tell everybody in the house the breaking news. 

 "Sister has broken up with brother Nonso!" I could still hear myself yell out. 

 "Tell me, Chimamanda! Why did you end things with him suddenly? Didn't he just propose to you yesterday?" 

 "Mummy, that doesn't matter. He is cheating on me. " I explained to her. Even while I said it, it felt strange in my ears. Never in a million years would I have thought that Nonso would cheat on me, even after proposing to me. 

 "Is that all?" She asked.

 "Mummy, what do you mean by is that all? We are not even married and he is cheating on me. What do you think he would be doing once we are married?" I was not surprised at my mother's reaction. 

 "You let it go. As long as he is taking care of you, feeding you, taking care of your family, and fulfilling other duties, you let it go. Every man has their own flaw. You are lucky that this is his flaw." She tried to reason with me.

 Just then, my elder brother, Anthony came in. "Amanda, I hope what I heard from Amara is not true."

 "It's true. I am no longer getting married to Nonso." I said firmly. My decision was final. 

 "Why?" Immediately he asked, my mother responded in my stead. 

 "Because he cheated o!" She said it like it was nothing like I was being unreasonable for leaving a cheating partner. 

 "No o! Amanda, you can't just break up with him." He shook his head in disapproval. "I need him to invest in my business. How will he do that for me when you two are not together? Biko, call him now and reconcile."

 "Yes, o. Amanda, don't do something you'll regret later." My mother chipped in. I was speechless. Even my younger sister, Amara looked confused.

 "Mummy, I thought cheating was a bad thing." She innocently asked. 

 "Come on, go to your room." She was dismissed immediately. 

 "Come here, better call him now and reconcile. Don't let it pass this night," she warned me.

 "What is happening? Why are you all gathered in Amanda's room?" My father came looking at everyone, confused.

 "Your daughter just broke up with Nonso." Anthony pointed at me.

 "Why?" My father turned to me with concern written on his face. "What did he do?"

 At that moment, I was tired of talking about it. "He is cheating on me," I said expecting him to react the way my mother and elder brother just did. 

 Surprisingly, he agreed with my decision. "It is good that you found out now. It would have been more difficult if you were already married to him. You did the right thing." 

 "She did what?" My mother could not believe her ears. Neither could I.

 "I can't believe you are supporting this," Anthony muttered before angrily leaving my room.

 "How will I train my daughter in the university for years to be a doctor only for some brat to treat her anyhow?" My father yelled. "Who does he think he is? I thank God my business is moving fine, we are living fine, we are not poor. We don't need him. " 

 My mother hissed and angrily left. Soon, my father followed. Within seconds, I was left alone with my thoughts. Closing my door, I went to lie on my bed. I revisited the job offer I had received a few days ago. 

 The job would enable me to live in the country and work as a psychologist for some rich dude. I had contemplated accepting the offer because I didn't want to leave my life here in Nigeria. Especially after Nonso had proposed to me the other day. But, considering all that has happened, the job was exactly what I needed. 

 Besides, I would be earning up to Ten thousand a month, and my traveling expenses and accommodations would be covered too. The only problem was that it was too good to be true. It was a little suspicious because a lot of doctors in my field had rejected that offer. I even heard a rumour that no therapist has survived a night with him. 

 All those rumours didn't matter to me. As long as I would leave this country and start afresh somewhere else. Making up my mind, I accepted the job offer. Whatever madness that was scaring another therapist wouldn't scare me. That was what I thought...