I flashed her a big smile. It was big wry smile, the sort that told you that you’re probably not making any sense at all.
“No, Aunty Meg, there is a very big difference!” I shot back at her, my voice laden with indignation. “I am not his wife, his wife is at home with him right now as we speak. She is the one he recognises as his wife, not me, not any other woman! Except of course if you want me to be deceiving myself, which I definitely won’t!”
Aunty Meg was quiet. She knew I was right, there was no way she could try to make me see things differently, I had spelt things out for her as brutally as I possibly could.
“Okay, I hear you, you’re not officially married, right? I hear you,” she gave up. But not completely.
“So, you like this Prince James guy because he’s cool, right?” she asked.
I nodded, a triumphant smile of victory on my face.
“Do you know even know what he does for a living?” she quizzed me. “All the money he throws around, driving big cars and spending money like its going out of fashion, do you know where he gets them from?”
I shrugged. “I hear he’s into imports,” I replied, my voice low and unsure.
“Imports my foot!” she returned. “Don’t tell me you believe all that nonsese! The guy is a big time criminal, take it or leave it!”
I felt I had had enough. I knew what she playing at. I understood the game she was playing perfectly. She wanted to do everything she could to make Prince look like a terrible person to disuade me from going ahead with my plan. But she was wasting her time. My mind was made up. MD must pay for making me go through all the pains and heartaches he was putting me through.
“Okay, ma, I have heard you very well and I thank you,” I said to Aunty Meg. “But I will not change my mind about him, he is not a bad guy, that I am very sure,” I said to her with a voice laced with a bit of malice.
“And I do understand that you’re trying to protect me and keep me from trouble but I can assure you that you have nothing to worry to about, I will be fine Prince,” I reurher.
“You will be fine with a criminal? An armed robber? A drug baron?” Aunty Meg returned, her countenance looking combative.
”Oh. My God, Anita, what has come over you, this girl? Who is doing this to you?”
I shrugged. “It is common sense that has come over me, Aunty, nothing more than that. And nobody has done anything to me, I am the one who has just realised that I should stop deceiving myself, MD is only taking me for a ride, he can never find the liver to go against his wife’s wish and marry me as his second legally married wife, never! Except of course, if he finds out that he’s about to lose me completely!”
“And you don’t think that could be counterproductive?” Aunty Meg cautioned me for the umpteenth time. “What if he becomes so disappointed with you that he does not want to have anything to do with you again? Have you thought about the possibility?”
I was silent for a few seconds then nodded. “Yes, I have thought of it, it’s a possibility, but it’s a risk I am willing to take, I need to do anything and everything I can to make that man come back to his senses!”
That was when Aunty Meg gave up. She had done everything she knew she could do but no luck, I had made up my mind.
“It’s okay o, Anita, it’s your life and you’re already an adult, you can choose to liver it any way you want,” she added.
“Thank you very much, Aunty Meg, for your concern, I appreciate, I really do,” I said to her. And without waiting to see if she had anything else to say, I reached for my phone and began to call Prince James……
Aunty Meg was puzzled. She was just staring at me, unsure what I was trying to do.
“Who are you calling?” she asked me, eager to get my response. But I didn’t give her any response. Instead, I pressed the phone to my ear, waiting for Prince James to pick up.
“Anita, answer me now, I say who are yoiu calling and why are you making this call right in the middle of our discussion?” she asked me, sounding really agitated.
There was no response from Prince James. I called again.
“I am sorry, Aunty Meg, I am trying to call a friend,” I replied, sounding like I had no idea what I was doing irked her a little.
Again, there was no response from Prince. I was upset but I tried to hide my disappointment so that Aunty Meg would not notice. It would’ve been a perfect time for me to call him, put him in speaker and let Aunty Meg hear how much he desires me.
“Anita, please, don’t tell me it’s who I think you called that you actually called, please, tell me I’m wrong,” Aunty Meg said to me.
I smiled. She was smart. But how could she tell so easily? Did I give myself away so easily like that?
“And how did you know it was Prince I called?” I asked her, looking away from her probing eyes. That was how my mother often looked at me whenever she knew I had done something really bad.
“So, I was right?” she retorted, not able to conceal her disgust.
“I didn’t say that,” I’d shot back at her.
She shook her head in a way that showed she was sorry for me, for whatever reason.
“So, you two now call each other, right?”
“Of course, we do, I told you we are friends, remember?”
She nodded. “Yes, ma, I haven’t forgotten. And from what I can see, he is a very, very special friend,” she added with a note of mischief.
“But I beg you, just remember what I have told you, there could be consequences to what you’re doing, this Prince you want to start hanging out with is nothing but a criminal and you won’t…..”
My phone began to ring, it was Prince James calling!
…To Be Continued
