CHAPTER 2.

Christian Chukwu simply could not believe what he'd just read.

"Please read this for me." He passed the phone to his friend, Iyke, interrupting his video game.

Iyke pouted in annoyance. "Haba. Is it that you cannot wait until..." He took one glance at the text and his mouth fell open.

"Chris I know u care 4 me & I appreciate. But I will really lyk 2 call this relationship quits. I've found d right man 4 me & I really won't lyk u 2 come ard & spoil things 4 me. Pls, don't try to contact me or even chat me up biko. I will also delete your number after this. I just wnt u 2 move on without making a lot of fuss about it. Finally, u will do well not to talk 2 me again. I don't wnt him 2 find us together at all. Abeg o. I will even pretend I don't know u. If you doubt it, try me."

"Who wrote this?" Iyke asked nobody in particular, looking like he just ate ube kotuma, the type that slapped you when you ate it.

"Damn if I know!" Chris bellowed, slamming his palms on the table. He bit down on his lower lip, staring into the empty space as if he was seeing invisible forces.

"Did you see what I saw? I mean, what I think I saw?" he whispered, his voice shaking.

He peered into Iyke's face, hoping his friend saw something different. Maybe he didn't see right. Iyke's shocked expression wasn't helping matters at all. Chris threw a punch at the nearby cushion, growing madder by the minute.

"Hey, guy just calm down," Iyke soothed, when he finally found his voice. "This might not be the real information. I know Lily. She might not mean what she wrote. You know girls can be funny."

Iyke's words didn't even sound convincing to his own ears. If this was some prank, it was a very expensive one.

"The text might mean something else when read from another angle," Iyke tried again, but Chris could hear nothing asides the sound of his own heartbeat.

Iyke turned the phone over, read the text from different angles and upside down. He wasn't sure what exactly he expected to find. Maybe a hidden word to solve the puzzle or something.

"But why would she type this na?" Iyke muttered, frowning.

"Jubakwam," Chris cut in, grinding his teeth.

"You know the text might mean something else when soaked in kerosene," Iyke said, still not believing that Lily was serious. She adored Chris.

"What do you mean?" Chris retorted, springing up from the cushion.

"I mean, you can forget the text and call her," Iyke reasoned.

Chris was sitting on the floor now. The cushion was too hot.

"Eeh? Did you say call? Guy did you even read the text? She said I should not call, or text her, or even appear before her royal majesty. She's literally telling me to leave her alone kpam kpam." He clapped twice, to buttress the last two words. "Just like that. Just like we never met."

Chris struggled to keep a tight rein on his emotions. He was losing it. No, his heart was not breaking. Hell! Nobody could do that to him again. After he lost his mother to the dirty hands of poverty, his life was shattered into minute pieces. He shut his eyes in pain.

He didn't know how he managed to survive, but he made it, didn't he? Now he was thinking he found a consolation, a girl whom his plans revolved around. She was a lot like his mother; gentle, tender and he could have given anything for her. Anything at all.

He had even introduced her to his mentor, a Pastor, who had approved of her. Little did they know that this rose had thorns. Plenty of it.

What did he get for all his efforts? Some stupid text message, roughly typed in indecipherable short hand, without even simple courtesy and with threats to cap it all. Jesus. What did he do to deserve this? Just what?

This wasn't like his Lily, not his flower. But women. Did you ever trust them? Any man not killed by a woman would live a long life. He glared at the phone like it was Lily, then turned to glare at Iyke. He hated the way the dude kept staring at him pitifully.

"What?" Chris snapped.

Iyke gently turned back to his video game like a good boy. He knew that mood. Chris suddenly jumped up and picked his phone, his face set into scary, hard lines and calm resolution.

"What are you doing?" Iyke asked cautiously, risking getting a serious smack at the back of his head.

"Doing the right thing. Soaking the text and the sender in cold water," Chris replied with a surprisingly calm voice.

"Hmm... I don't know o. But I think you should just call. Anyway, what's the point in doing that? She knew you would try to call and warned you off before hand," Iyke said, grimacing. "Girls sha. Do your thing bro."

Chris carefully blocked her on facebook, twitter, instagram, whatsapp and every other social media he signed up for. Then he blocked her contact, just in case she suddenly decided to call and explain. Perhaps by some stupid prick of conscience. He got his shirt from his bedroom and headed towards the door.

"Where to?" Iyke queried, alarmed. Hope this guy wouldn't try something stupid. Abeg, let all that crap about people killing themselves for girls remain stories.

"Bar," Chris growled and slammed the door.

When did Chris ever drink? Iyke shrugged again in disgust. "Women! After dem don chop your money finish, dem go begin blow grammar. Leave you alone? Why would he leave you alone? Return his money jare," Iyke vituperated to the empty room.

And Chris his closest buddy for that matter. He loved that girl like nobody's business, always talking about her and buying her things. All his decisions were based on whether Lily was okay with it. He was decorating the whole house with Lilies and planned to finally invite her to visit them next week. He even made arrangements to host her birthday and make it big.

Well, what did he get for all his efforts? Tufiakwa. Women were very wicked creatures. He slowly dropped his video pads as he wondered if he shouldn't just teach the Lady one or two lessons. He knew Chris wouldn't support it, but see na? Did this look good at all? After he had set his mind on her, she dropped the time bomb. It was so unfair. He would just teach the stupid girl one small lesson, so that she wouldn't try that again with any other man in the future.

"Just imagine," he spat again in disgust. He would have to do something soonest, so that the silly bitch would be feeling the pain same time Chris did. Nonsense.

To be continued...

Glossary

Ube kotuma: A local pear which tastes sour.

Jubakwam : A word in Igbo language meaning, ask me o.

Kpam kpam: (an Igbo word) Entirely.

Abeg: (Pidgin English) Please.

Tufiakwa: (Igbo) God forbid.

Biko: Please