Obiageli - Episode 16

 

An owl hooted as she left her father's compound, there was no one in sight, no moon, only stars, it was cold, she recalled she had forgotten to take her wrapper in her haste... .

Arms crossed she made her way towards the village square, deciding not to go further than that for it was scary coming out this late at night, all because she was curious about what he wanted and if Uche had tricked her......She heard whistling and turned thinking it was a bird, what was he doing on a tree?

"What took you so long?"he whispered now like a ghost sending chills down her spine as he began his slow decent from the tree.

Immediately he dropped down she said "you were so sure I would come"

"If you hadn't I would have come to your father's compound and carried you myself" he said taking her hand, she laughed as he led her away

"where we going?"she looked around "Uche its late and.."

"Dark?..don't tell me you're scared of the dark"

"Well only Witches operate at night" she said

"Then from now on, I'm a wizard and you're my witch"he said

she laughed again as they walked further, finally stopping by a huge Iroko tree, she looked around, she was far away from home

"Okay, why did you call me out?" She asked rubbing her arms from the cold as he leaned on the tree staring at her, she needed to get back home soon before her mother suspected. She had never done this before and wondered why she had made an exception, though she knew her friends were already doing it

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/obiageli

. Uche was just different, he made  her feel....different.

"I wanted to talk to you.." he paused moving away from the tree "ask you something.. "

"What about..?" She asked

He came closer so she looked down, he reached and touched her hair

"You loosed your hair" he said

"I told you I would"

"Silly girl" he said smiling "..I like it"

She giggled moving to lean on the tree, another owl hooted

"I want you to tell me the truth about what happened the day before" It was past twelve already

She looked down" I told you I fainted" she said but as he waited, she decided to tell the truth

"Alright I went to the underworld like people say", Saying that out loud felt weird and knew Uche would soon be running for the hills...

"What did you see?" he asked instead, She stared long at him, surprised he wasn't scared  of her or shifting away

"People, places.. things" she said in random...without thinking..not even her mother knew where she had gone, but here she was, telling him everything...Well not everything...

"Were they beautiful?" he asked putting his hand on the tree, She looked at his hand then looked at him

"Yes" Was he using jazz on her..she wondered

"Like you?" he asked his palm raising to caress her face, She shut her eyes and leaned into it

'I want you to be my n'anya"he said without flinching, She opened her eyes and looked at him, he was very close to her, and she wondered again why he wasn't scared, why he wasn't running... 

She smiled and looked down

"What is that?"She asked

"It means we'll meet here.....every night" he said, she was silent as the birds kept chirping in the dark, crickets increasing their pitch, along with her heartbeat

" What about Ego?"she asked

"What about her?"

"I..she.." everyone had seen them around the village and Ego had told everyone who wanted to hear that Uche was her man

"Ego is my friend" Uche said" I never made any promises to her....Its you I like Obim....you have bewitched me with your beauty, I can't sleep with thoughts of you..I only know I have made the right decision if I get to marry you "he said touching her bead

Obiageli felt her heart thumping very fast, she had always admired him too but thought him and Ego had something..she didn't want to start a war with a human

" so ..what do you say?"he asked

They held gazes for long "What would your friends say?"she asked because she was still skeptical, she wasn't supposed to fall in love with anyone but Uche had got her sprawling...

"What would they say....they know I like you"

She blushed and moved away from him then turned

"What would we do when we get here every nite?"

"Play games..talk..anything?" he replied

"What kind of games?"​​​​

" you'll see"he said

She crossed her arms"What am I going to get in return, are you going to be giving me from your Catch?" She heard he was a very good hunter but was stingy with his Catch

He was silent, smirking, wondering at the conditions, Ego would have jumped at him  even mentioning marriage...

"Anything you want"he said and went close to her again" mine now, you'll come earlier than usual every Eke day"

"Why?"

"I didn't ask you why in yours"

"Okay ..I ll think about it"

"When are you going to give me an answer?" he asked eyebrows furrowed

​​​​​"Uh..maybe.." She thought "tomorrow" she said

His hand trailed down her neck up to her bead

"Don't fail" he said

She succeeded in getting back in that night, Oluchi had not woken up. Obiageli was restless in the morning, replaying the night over and over again and daydreaming about it, that day was her birthday and they made sure they bathed her with water to her protest.
She went to the farm with her mother and Nnenna to uproot Cassava, she weeded her own portion, while her mother was working far away from where she was. She saw Ifeanyi wandering around the entrance to the farm, but chose to ignore it.
 When she was done, she arranged the cassava in a basin while Nnnena and her mother still worked, to take it back to the house.
 Ifeanyi blocked her on the road
" Hey..lemme help you with that" he had gone to tap palmwine obviously and rolled his bicycle trying to catch up with her
"Thank you..but I don't need your help?"she said and kept walking.
She didn't like him and did not hide it, she wiped her brow with her wrapper
"If you are looking for Amaka she's ill at home" to remind him about her friend who obviously was heels over him
"I know that but it's not Chiamaka I came to find, its you I came to look for".he said
" what for? "
"How is your father?"he asked instead "I'm supposed to give him a keg, freshly tapped" he smiled at her.
She rolled her eyes "please, you can see I'm busy, I have to hurry and return back to carry more cassava "
"If you allow me help you, it would be faster"
She continued walking
"Leave me alone Ifeanyi please" she said irritated, it wasn't the first time he was blocking her and she wondered what he wanted.
Ifeanyi watched her go, believing she liked him but was just forming, all he needed was to take a keg of palmwine to her father and discuss his intentions... he needed a wife and she was the one he had chosen.

Obiageli hurried home wondering what he wanted with her when her friend obviously liked him, she couldn't tell Chiamaka her supposed lover, Ifeanyi always blocked her on the road as if he wanted something.
She decided to go visit her when she was done, maybe it was time to tell her about it.

*Okay, does anyone sense trouble coming, are the two men playing with fire?

Comments please.

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