A woman's dilemma - Episode 10

 

Unedited

Few weeks later

Amy:

"Make sure you concentrate on your studies. All of you. I don't want to hear that you're pursuing women around the campus." I warn the three already grown men in front of me.

"Loosen up, mom." Adrian, one of the twins says jokingly.

"Shut up, dumbass!" Aden, his twin brother slap his shoulder hard.

"What did you do that for?!" Adrian yells at him. I groan because I know how they can get when they start arguing with each other.

"Quit it, both of you!" Chinedu thankfully comes in between them.

"Listen sis, I know how hard it's been for you since the passing of Dad . The court saga. Taking care of all of us. Mom's illness. You've done enough." He sits beside me on the bed on which our mother died weeks ago. I've not been out of this bed longer than necessary since then. At her quiet funeral, Claudia was the only one who could get me to pull it together. I still don't know what to do from here.

"He's right, sis." Adrian sits on my other side and hug my side. Aden sits beside Chinedu.

"What are you guys talking about?" I look from one to the other. They look more like our father the more they age.

"We're saying let us take care of ourselves now

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/a-woman-s-dilemma

. We're men." Aden says and I frown.

"You're just 19." I point out.

"I'm going to be in 200lvl next semester. I'm no longer a kid." He protests.

"Shut up, you are my kid." I pout. When did he grow this much?

"What he's trying to say is, the three of us are going to relieve you of our burdens from now on." Chinedu takes my hands and push a paper into them. I look down at the paper. It's a cheque and it says N100,000 addressed to me.

"What's this Nedu?! Where did you get this kind of money!" I snap at him.

"We saved it for you." Adrian takes the cheque from my hands and put it in my purse.

"There. That's where that belongs." He says. My purse feels suddenly too heavy.

"How?"

"We want you to live your life now." Chinedu continues without really answering my question.

"What do you mean? I'm living my life right now. That's taking care of all of you."

"No. That's living father's life. We can take it from here. Let me take care of you now." Chinedu tells me.

"Let us. Take care of you." Aden corrects.

"Yeah. Look for years I've let you baby me. You feed me. You clothe me and all. I've  always thought it's  my right. That's  until mom died and I saw your suffering." Chinedu says with so much emotion. I shake my head at him.

"I'm not suffering. It's my job. You're my baby brother."

"I'm no baby. I'm 24. But that's  not the point. I've  finally gotten off my ass and guess what? I got lucky on  the first try "

"What are you talking about?"

"I have good news. I submitted my resumè  for a job last month. I got the job!" Nedu grins at me.

"What do you mean resume? You haven't graduated." I point out.

"I mean my polytechnic certificate. I am to start work tomorrow." He pulls a paper out of his pocket and shows me his appointment letter.

"That's an engineering firm!" I gasp.

"Yeah, sis! I just said I should try when I saw the ad on a newspaper and voila! I got in. I might have gotten a little help  from dad's friend at the firm but If I work hard enough I'll get promoted." He says.

"Dad's friend?" I blink at him.

"Yup. Engr Powers. He was in charge of the employment process. He called me when he saw my surname and state of origin. Can you believe the luck?!" His eyes have never been this bright for years. I touch his cheeks lightly and smile. Is luck finally shining on us? Something hits me for a second though.

"You got a job! Oh my God!" I jump on him and hold him tight only to pull up just as quickly.

"Wait, how bout your University degree?" I ask.

"Who cares about that now?" Aden asks and I frown at him.

"I want all of you to be graduates." I protest.

"Sis! It's N200,000 monthly. And a six months paid training to Germany!" I gasp and look around my brothers to make sure they aren't playing with me. Three faces beam on me.

"I was able to get some money from engr Powers. I want you to use that to enrol in school." Chinedu says.

"No. You should use this for upkeep when you travel. And the twin's tuition. Various loans still have to be paid. I can't take this." I start to pull the cheque from my purse.

"Stop it! That's not even anything compared to what you deserve. I've been such a liability to you for too long. This is my job. Let me do this." Chinedu pushes the cheque back into my purse.

"What do I know about studying anymore? It's a waste of time" I tell him.

"Whatever. Just use that to start up something when you get to Lagos." He says.

"Wait Lagos? What's this about Lagos?" I ask.

"Oh you're leaving now. With Claudia. Aden, get her bags." Adrian says to his twin. Aden stands and leaves the room. I gape after him.

"Wait. Wait. Wait. What's happening?" I ask when Aden leaves and Claudia comes in.

"Babe, what's going on?" I ask her when my brothers don't say anything.

"Well, I got a new house away from my father." She shrugs.

"And?"

"And I was hoping your offer you made years ago for us to share a house still stands." She says casually. I stutter a little bit more.

"I--that--I mean--" I just stop trying to form a sentence.

"Here are her bags." Aden comes back with a suitcase fully packed.

"You touched my stuff!" I protest.

"It was entirely necessary or I really wouldn't. The things you girls keep as properties. I even found a man's handkerchief! B.W what does that stand for?" He pulls the handkerchief I've been hiding for years out of his pocket and read out the initials on the bottom. I jump off the bed and grab the handkerchief from him.

"Jerk!" I spit at him.

"Hey, what's the story behind that handkerchief." Claudia asks my brothers who continue to laugh at me. I smoothen the edges of the handkerchief and place it carefully inside my purse.

"Oh, it's the mystery man, sis Amarachi is crushing on." Adrian doesn't fail to embarrass me more. I give him the evil eye and he raises his hand up in surrender.

"Our sister here wouldn't be apart from that thing. I've caught her sniffing it more than once!" Aden ducks when I swat at his head then hides behind Claudia who's bent over in laughter.

"I forgot how much I love your brothers." She pat Aden on the head and I see him buff out his small chest. I roll my eyes.

"Okay. That's enough for now or I'll pee my pants. Plus, I want to get to the city on time. I have a meeting at 6:00pm. Move your ass, Amy" Claudia claps sharply to get me to move.

"So bossy." I mutter but do as she says anyways.

"We'll miss you sis." Adrian comes up behind me and throws his hand around my midsection. I pat his big hands.

"Me too." Aden hugs me from the front. Chinedu bounce on his toes awkwardly in front of us. Of course, he's a man. He doesn't show emotions.

"Go hug your sister." Claudia push him and he acts like he's relunctant but comes to my side to hug my shoulder.

"Group hug!" I sob and squeeze the hell out of three of them.

"I love you guys." I whisper, sniffing back tears of joy.

"Okay, break it up. Chinedu grab your sister's bag. Let's go. Come on." Everyone pulls apart and we all walk in a line out the door and to Claudia's new car. Aden and Adrian look starstruck or carstruck as they finger the car with their paws.

"Get off my baby, boys!" Claudia laughs at them. They move away sheepishly.

"Goodbye sis!" All of them call from outside the car as Claudia starts the engine.

"Call me when you get to Lagos." Nedu adds.

"Bye guys! And Nedu keep me posted on your job. I'll call you guys every day." I wave at them until they are out of eyeshot. I turn back to my friend.

"You didn't tell me about this." I accuse her. She just grins at me as she expertly drives into the highway.

"You didn't tell me anything about a mystery man." She says instead.

"Because it's nothing." I say sheepishly.

"Liar."

"Okay fine. At Francesca's wedding when I found out about my father, I almost lost my mind y'know. That's when I met him. He helped me get a bus and all. Even paid for everything. He was cold but warm. He's just someone who was there when I was vulnerable and needed a shoulder to cry on." My heart warms at the memory.

"Well? Did you guys keep in touch?"

"Not really. I don't even know his name. All I have to remember that day is his handkerchief he left with me."

"So a man took you in his car. To a park. gave you money.

Read " Set me free " by the same author ( Ameh juliet )

. Even let you cry on him. And he didn't make a pass on you." Claudia says like it's impossible.

"Yh. That's pretty much it." I say.

"Oh, that one is a keeper. We have to find him." She overtakes a slow Mercedes on the road before turning back to me.

"It's in the past. So how about Frances?" I say to distract her from my mystery man. I prefer him safely in my head than to meet him.

"I'll let you change the subject for now because Francesca is important. And to answer your question, we're meeting her on Monday! We're going to surprise her!" Claudia says and I chuckle. Oh Francesca does like surprises. I can't believe this but I actually feel lighter as we leave this village behind us. It's going to be uphill from here. I'm optimistic as usual

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