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Forty One
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Cold Stone Forty Two
42JIDEEveryone was dressed in formal clothing outside the restaurant. The party had begun three hours ago and yet, Ivory was not in sight. The high, middle and low class people chattered and got acquainted. Everyone seemed to be getting along. Except me. My eyes kept dashing to the gate anytime someone made an entrance. Where could she be? Was she still mad at me about the kiss? It was not that I did not want to; damn she was too attractive for her own good. But I was not sure if she was into PDA? I did not wish to choke her. Or force her into doing what she did not want, no matter the circumstance. I needed her to ease me into her life."Lover boy, where is lover girl?" Kofi asked behind me.I turned to face him and growled. "Quit calling me that.""It is time to cut the ribbon and she is not here yet?" He asked me."I guess we both know the answer to that," I sarcastically cut in. "Mr. Kevin would soon go ninja on everyone. He would think this is one of our pranks," he rambled.
Cold Stone Forty Three
43IVORYAfter we signed the necessary papers that I was acting according to my will, without force or pressure, I bade everyone at the farm farewell, as Jide and I climbed into the farm truck that would transport us to the airport. Tumpale sobbed profusely at a distance, swiping the tears that ran down her ebony skin at intervals. Mr. Kevin's face donned a blank expression. I felt very saddened to leave. I had come to love and accept them as family. "Thank you so much for accepting me," I grasped Mr. Kevin's palms through the window. "We have never been proud of a trainee this much. You have done exceptionally well. This gift you have given us, we would cherish it for the rest of our lives," he approved. "I will never forget you too." I responded, smiling warmly and fighting back the tears that pricked my eyes."Ivory, it was a pleasure knowing you," Kofi smiled. "You are a great vibe," I told him. He ducked his head and looked at Jide across from me. "Hey lover boy. Make sure
Cold Stone Forty Four
44IVORY"What is happening?" Jide asked. "What did I do?"They ignored him and when he tried resisting, an officer kicked him behind his knees, rendering him to the floor. "What? What is happening?" I asked, gingerly; the flurry of activities making me dizzy. "Ma'am, you both would have to come with us to the station," one of the officers said. "But we have a flight to catch," I responded. "You would have to come with us, ma'am," he insisted and I obliged. "Let him go. Uncuff him," I commanded. "I am sorry ma'am but we can't. A hardened criminal like him should be chained too," the same man replied. "What are you saying? Jide has done nothing wrong," I defended."What lies has someone fed you guys about me?" Jide asked, fury burning in his eyes."Everything would be cleared at the station," they assured us.We followed them silently, me worried and confused, Jide glaring and seething. I would not blame him, he was the one in the handcuff paraded as a criminal. I wanted to pluc
Cold Stone Forty Five
45JIDEI watched Ivory's eyes light up in awe at the city's beauty and colourful lights. The pickup of the hotel we were to lodge in drove us to Ajao Estate where the hotel was located in. We drove past Welcome Centre Hotel, Ajao-Estate Primary School before finally stopping in the parking lot of Rollace Hotel, Ikeja. "What was it you were saying about Nigeria again?" She asked me in a mock voice. "This place is beautiful." She effused.I rolled my eyes. Wait until we got to the actual place of assignment; my home, located in a village somewhere in Anambra. Two valets opened the doors by our sides and we stepped out. "This is not our final stop," I told her. She gave me a glare telling me to shut up. "Do you hate your country this much? Give it a little credit."Sure. Until you actually understand what I am saying. I could not deny the fact that this hotel was grand and beautiful. "It really is cold," she commented. I looked at the sky; it looked like it was going to rain heavi
Cold Stone Forty Six
46IVORYI woke to find only me on the bed. I rubbed my eyes as I sat up on the bed and stretched, smiling. I blushed as the memories of Jide's strong arms holding me flashed through my mind. This was the first time in five years I had felt comfortable sharing my bed with someone else. My phone dinged on the bedside table and I retrieved it. I noticed it had connected to the WiFi and there were so many notifications. I perused them and replied most. They were from Aunt Joan, Mother, Cassidy and some of the new friends I gave my contact to at the farm and orphanage. There was none from Grandma. I looked around the room to find it empty. There was not even a sound coming from the bathroom. Where did Jide go off to? I got out the bed and threw my night robe over my skimpy night wear and made my way to the balcony to watch the sun rise. Leaning on the railing, I looked up to the blue sky. There was a tinge of yellow over the horizon where the sun was peeking its way awake. I looked dow
Cold Stone Forty Seven
47IVORYI felt feathery kisses on my face. "Go get ready, so we can get breakfast and explore." Jide tapped my ass, waking me. Our activity that morning had worn me out that I dozed off in his arms immediately. Getting up, I quickly did as I was told. We had little time left and I did not wish for our exploration time to be shortened by another second. It was around 10am when we both exited the room. He wore a neat red polo and a checked shirt with its buttons undone. His legs were covered in blue denim trousers and his feet spotted blue crocs. I put on a small white crop top, that revealed my belly button piercing. A yellow Ankara short hugged my waist, stopping mid thigh and my feet was clad in bold white sneakers. I applied dark themed make up and pierced studs on my ear tips. My hair bounced down my back as we made our way to the elevator. I held unto Jide's bicep. Jide gave me a ghost smile as he pushed a button and I beamed back at him. I put on a cheery face as the elev
Cold Stone Forty Eight
48IVORYWhen we got into the house, Jide's mother sat me on a sofa and said something to Jide in Igbo before disappearing into an adjoining door. Jide sat beside me with a heavy sigh and a warm smile. "What did she say?" I asked him. "She is preparing a meal for us," he said. "What did you tell her about me? She was excited to see me," I asked. "Told her you were a friend. People here really like whites. That is why you garner a lot of stares," he explained and I blushed. "I would really love to have a bath right now. I am all sweaty and sticky. God. How could they pack us all like sardines into that tiny space without enough ventilation or even an AC?" I complained. Jide laughed out loud and muttered something in his language. "Are you mocking me?" I asked him. He smiled and took me into his arms. "Of course not." He kissed my hair. "It was just an 'I told you so' statement."I leaned into his hold. "I have to say you were right on this one. Damn. What is with the roads? It
Cold Stone Forty Nine
49IVORYAfter Jide's mother showed me where to get water to bath and how to go about it in funny gimmicks, I had my bath. Even though it was much of a struggle, it was successful in the end. I wondered why they had taps that were dysfunctional when they could call a plumber to just fix it.I changed into the pyjama I had brought along with me to the bathroom. I was drying my hair with my towel when the lights went off. I hung my towel around my neck, blindly found the door and exited"Jide," I called, feeling around for anything that would give me a clue of where I was or where I was headed to. "Jide," I called again. I bumped into a slender form and landed on my butt. Squinting my eyes at the sudden flash of torchlight on my face. "Who be this one?" I heard a hoarse female voice ask. "Ivory," another flashlight from a distance called. The flashlight sprinted to me and I felt Jide's arms lift me up."Are you hurt?" He asked worried. "I am fine. What happened? The power suddenly
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Cold Stone Fifty Six
JIDESeeing blood drip from her injured wrist brought back painful memories. Memories I had managed to tuck into the furthest part of my brain. I watched the blood trickle down and grimaced when she winced. "Jide," Ivory breathed out in a whisper. That drew me out of my frozen state and I hurriedly guided her to a low stool. I got a bowl of water and dipped her hand into it, the water immediately turned red. The cut was not deep but it drew a great amount of blood. I quickly dashed into Mama's room to search for a first aid kit. I checked her medicine compartment in her dresser and found the contents of a first aid kit laying around. I assembled a pair of scissors, a bottle of methylated spirit and a wrap of cotton wool and dashed back to the kitchen. I felt pained to see her fighting back her tears. I removed her hand from the water and let it drip dry before using cotton wool to dry it. She winced when the cotton wool dipped in methylated spirit came in contact with her skin. I
Cold Stone Fifty Five
55JIDE I had woken up by 5:10am to find Ivory searching for something frantically in the sitting room. "Where the fuck did they keep it?" She muttered to herself. "What are you doing?" I asked and she whipped her head to the sound of my voice. She smacked her head childishly and I wanted to laugh at how cute she looked. "You were not supposed to find me here if I had found that key by now," she said frustrated. I was worried. "Why are you searching for the key?""I wanted to see the sun rise from here. I have never witnessed it. And I wanted to begin sweeping the front yard before Mama wakes," she confessed. I smiled. I walked up to the television stand and put my hand behind it. "It has been there. How did I miss that spot?" She screeched lowly. I chuckled at her bulging eyes. I unlocked the door and we strode out. It was dead silent and the morning wind teased our skins. She inhaled deeply and smiled. Watching her was enthralling. "It smells like wet sand," she commented.
Cold Stone Fifty Four
54IVORYMama called me into her room later that night after we had had dinner. Jide had switched off the generator and it was dark. He had gone off to sleep then. "Ivory, my dear," she called me after she had been silent for over thirty minutes. The crickets chirped into the night while the owls hooted to the rhythm that was made. It was very hot but my shawl was over my shoulders. "Yes, ma'am," I replied uncertainly, wondering what this summon was about. "I know you will understand me. Even if Jide does not, you should because you are a woman like me," she said calmly. I nodded. "I have talked to Jide a lot of times on how he treats you. He is a good man, I know, but he still needs some touches here and there. I am trying my best, ma'am."She looked at me, then looked away, sighed heavily before shaking her head and making a tut sound with her throat. "You are a good person, Ivory. Very nice. Your mother must have brought you up well," she commended. I smiled. "My mother was
Cold Stone Fifty Three
53IVORYThe market was rowdy and muddy. Mama led me through the tight spaces in between people and flying sputum. We got to an one storey building containing stalls. Mama walked to one on the ground floor and extracted some keys from her bag to unlock the huge padlocks. After opening the doors, we brought some wares in cartons and shelves out in front of the doors with a little passageway the customers could enter the shop from. Customers filed in and Mama attended to them while I watched closely, intent on learning quickly. If Mama thought Adanna was good, I needed to show her I was better. "Do you have Magi?" A woman asked me later that afternoon, after Mama had left to get something nearby. "Magi? The men who came to see baby Jesus?" I asked, bemused. The woman looked at me like I was psycho. "Wetin this one de talk now? Who leave oyibo inside shop?" The woman mumbled and turned to leave. Mama was coming in at that moment. Mama conversed with her in Igbo before giving me sco
Cold Stone Fifty Two
52IVORYAfter washing my face that morning, I put on a pair of flip flops I had brought along with me and found my way to the front yard where Mama was sweeping. I watched her move the dried palm branch and was totally intrigued. "Let me help you, Mama," I offered, walking up to her. She smiled and nodded, letting me take the fronds. With one swift sweep, I scattered the dirt she had gathered. She burst out in laughter. She was like Jide, finding my ignorance quite amusing. "Come on, Mama. You should know this is my first time," I cajoled her. She smiled sweetly. "Let me show you."She retrieved the broom from me and showed me where to place my hands and how to apply pressure to gather the dirt. She returned the broom to my waiting fingers and I continued from where she stopped. There was progress but it was little. Mama watched me as I took baby steps sweeping the front yard. People who passed by shouted greetings to her in their language; some conversed with her longer. "You c
Cold Stone Fifty One
51JIDEI watched, just like everyone, as Ivory was led to the back row of the church hall."Attention, people of God. Do not let the devil distract you," the priest said in Igbo, returning the attention of the members back to him. Mama gave me a scowl before bowing her head in shame. I could imagine the storm she will brew once we got home. Some older members gave us disgusted glances while some hissed and gruntled. The younger members had excitement dancing in their eyes; they chattered happily and I could tell they admired Ivory's bravado. Ivory quietly followed the ushers who led her to the back. She looked exhausted and like she wanted to elope from here. The priest concluded the sermon and prayed to conclude the service. After the service, the congregation avoided me and Mama since Ivory approached us. "Mrs. Nwosu, I would like to see you, your son and your daughter in-law in my office," the priest said to us. We followed him into his office and sat down. The priest rested h
Cold Stone Fifty
50IVORYThe number of kicks I received last night from Adanna's horrible sleeping positions were uncountable. When I finally got a peaceful sleep was in the early hours of the morning when I thought Adanna had awoken and left the bed for me. I slept until the sheets were pulled from underneath me and I landed on the floor. Why was this familiar? Oh. This was exactly what Makena did to me on my first day in the farm. I opened my eyes and rubbed my forehead. Adanna was standing above me with her feet wide apart. I looked at the time and it was 5:30am. "Is this how you use to sreeping in your fada house in ala oyibo?" I thought she asked me. "Can you just go away? The fuck." I swore and stood, rubbing my throbbing side. She exclaimed something in Igbo before referring to me. "I cannot goes away. You is a bad visitors. You is here sreeping while Mama Jide dey do the work. After you go come chop. There are a no food for a lazy mans."I can't possibly deal with this my whole stay her
Cold Stone Forty Nine
49IVORYAfter Jide's mother showed me where to get water to bath and how to go about it in funny gimmicks, I had my bath. Even though it was much of a struggle, it was successful in the end. I wondered why they had taps that were dysfunctional when they could call a plumber to just fix it.I changed into the pyjama I had brought along with me to the bathroom. I was drying my hair with my towel when the lights went off. I hung my towel around my neck, blindly found the door and exited"Jide," I called, feeling around for anything that would give me a clue of where I was or where I was headed to. "Jide," I called again. I bumped into a slender form and landed on my butt. Squinting my eyes at the sudden flash of torchlight on my face. "Who be this one?" I heard a hoarse female voice ask. "Ivory," another flashlight from a distance called. The flashlight sprinted to me and I felt Jide's arms lift me up."Are you hurt?" He asked worried. "I am fine. What happened? The power suddenly
Cold Stone Forty Eight
48IVORYWhen we got into the house, Jide's mother sat me on a sofa and said something to Jide in Igbo before disappearing into an adjoining door. Jide sat beside me with a heavy sigh and a warm smile. "What did she say?" I asked him. "She is preparing a meal for us," he said. "What did you tell her about me? She was excited to see me," I asked. "Told her you were a friend. People here really like whites. That is why you garner a lot of stares," he explained and I blushed. "I would really love to have a bath right now. I am all sweaty and sticky. God. How could they pack us all like sardines into that tiny space without enough ventilation or even an AC?" I complained. Jide laughed out loud and muttered something in his language. "Are you mocking me?" I asked him. He smiled and took me into his arms. "Of course not." He kissed my hair. "It was just an 'I told you so' statement."I leaned into his hold. "I have to say you were right on this one. Damn. What is with the roads? It
