Black Pages Of The Past - Episode 4

 

THE NEXT DAY or so Chineye and I were back on the same track. We talked and played games together. She was pretty good at Chess and Ludo. It was as if there had been no four-year physical interval in our relationship.

Everyone knew we were close; they were already used to seeing us together. Although we had spoken, not too often, over the telephone, over the last four years, it was incomparable to seeing each other in the flesh.

Chineye took me on a tour of ESUTECH on the third day of my arrival . My uncle, by the way, kept helping out with my admission.

_______

On the fifth night of my arrival, I was lying in bed, in my room, on the verge of drifting off to sleep, when I kind of sensed someone’s presence; that someone was close to me. My eyes shot open and, to my astonishment, I saw Chineye, seated on the bed, beside me. The door to the guest room wasn’t locked. But I still wondered how she got in without me knowing. Did she ghost her way in? She must have been sneakily quiet.

Chineye had on her night gown. And from what I could see, she was naked underneath it. She had on a smile – the same seductive smile she had sent my way the night I got to my uncle’s house.

As I said, I was quite surprised to see her. I glanced at the wall clock opposite my bed

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/black-pages-of-the-past

. It registered: 1:45AM.

What is she doing here, in my room, at this time of the night?

I had observed that my uncle and his family usually went to bed between 10 and 10:30PM.

“Did I scare you?” my unexpected visitor asked teasingly, on noticing how astounded I was.

I quickly regained composure. “Of course, not. It’s just that I’m...er...”

“Surprised to see me,” Chineye finished for me.

“Er...yes...yes...surprised to see you. So...er...what are you doing here...at this late hour?”

Staring directly into my eyes she said, “Well, I came to check up on you – to know how you’re doing.”

Again, her gaze was piercing – this time, almost intimidating. Quite unexpectedly, I felt my heart racing.

“Well, as you can see, I’m fine,” I said, trying to sound as genially as I could.

The penetrating look remained. “Did you read my letter?”

I knew she was referring to the ‘Darling, I love you very much’ letter. But I feigned ignorance. “What...letter are you talking about?” At the same time I wondered why she was bringing up the letter issue now – after four years. I figured she’d forgotten about it – since she never mentioned it anytime we talked on the phone.

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Chineye asked, with a touch of anger.

I kept up with the act. “Honestly, Chi, I don’t know anything about any letter.”

Now, with more than a touch of anger, she said, “Don’t tell me you lost the letter...that you didn’t read it.”

I felt it was time to put her out of her misery. I smiled, broadly.

Then she knew I had been kidding with her. She relaxed.

She smiled, warmly. “So...you read it.”

“As a matter of fact I did.” I didn’t tell her, though, what I did to the letter afterwards – since I hadn’t taken it seriously.

Her next statements made me feel more than a bit uncomfortable.

“So...what do you think?”

“Well I...er...” I tried desperately to find the appropriate words, “...it’s natural for family members to feel...er...love for one another.”

She was quiet for almost a minute, but her eyes never left mine. At that stage I became rather concerned that someone might come looking for her – and end up finding her in bed with me.

Then Chineye drew closer to me, her full breasts jiggling slightly under her night gown in the process. “I’m in love with you, Mike.” She had an earnest look on her face. I didn’t doubt her. A painful lump formed in my throat.

“I love you with everything that is within me.”

The lump became bigger.

I was thinking on how best to respond when, to my utter surprise, she swiftly leaned forward, aiming her lips for mine.

Swallowing hard, I caught her, by the shoulders, just in time. “Chi, what are you doing?” I asked, alarmed. “Do you realise I’m your cousin – that I’m your close blood?”

“I know.” Her voice was clearly laced with indifference. “But, Mike, I can’t help how I feel about you. I just can’t. I’ve been in love with you for so long...it’s driving me crazy. Don’t you see? Don’t you love me? Don’t you want me? Am I not pretty enough for you?”

I knew I had to be very careful with my answer. “Chi, I...do love you...but not the way you want...not like this. We’re too related...too close to have passionate feelings for each other...it’s not right...”

“I don’t care if it’s right or not!” she said, cutting me off, her voice a bit high. With both palms I gestured to her to keep her voice down.

She did. “I’m madly in love with you, that’s all I know,” she continued, her tone lowered. She looked and sounded quite determined.

I tried another approach. “Chi, what you feel for me is not love...it’s...it’s infatuation. You’re totally infatuated with me.”

She laughed quietly. “Mike, I might be young. But I’m not naive. And I’m not stupid. I know what infatuation is. I know how I feel. I know what I feel. My heart beats intensely for you. I love you.” She tried to kiss me again, but I held her back.

Clearly, I could see she wasn’t in her right frame of mind.

Read " Love's Fool " by the same author ( Ikenna Igwe )

. I had to end this lunacy fast, before it took a turn for the worse. “Look, Chi, it’s late...and moreover, someone might walk in on us, and get the wrong idea of things.”

That seemed to jolt her back to her senses.

She rose slowly from the bed and sashayed over to the door. She leaned and placed her right ear against it, listening for any movements outside. Hearing none, and just before she turned the doorknob, she turned and blew me what I supposed was a goodnight kiss. She unlocked the door, slightly and cautiously poked her head out, glanced furtively along both sides of the passageway, stepped out of my room, and closed the door behind her. 

I spent several minutes trying to wrap my head around all that had just happened. What I initially felt was a mere joke had apparently turned out to be quite serious. Admittedly, I really loved and cared about Chineye. And I must confess, if she hadn’t been my close cousin I would, most likely, have fallen in love with her. But then, she was my close cousin – and that, without question, ruled out any form of intimate feelings between us. However, it was obvious Chineye wasn’t interested in keeping to the rule. I, on the other hand, was.

I was still mulling over my unexpected visitor, and the things she had said to me, when I unconsciously drifted off to sleep.