In the FLAMES of her LOVE: A SHORT STORY

IN THE FLAMES OF HER LOVE: A SHORT STORY

The way she shouted, you'd think she saw a thousand demons. But, yes she did...

Her 7.9-inch white Apple Tablet flung loose and dashed the windscreen of the ML350 4MATIC SUV. It left the screen of the IPAD in darkness as ink-like fluids covered the touch screen.
The lady was already dead I suppose because the tumbling of the car left nothing to be desired than instant death. Before the accident, I saw death..,

The ML350 4MATIC SUV, steered its way to the T-junction. The beautiful lady behind the wheel showed radiance as she smiled to her IPAD.

'Yeah, something must have made her smile, Spoilt brat!’ I said to myself as I watched her from the tip of my eyes...

But that smile was totally erased as the Trailer from the other side of the road rammed into the red ML350 4MATIC SUV. It tumbled amidst a loud bang on impact, sending the lady to hell's jaw. The car rolled over as if it was a soccer ball. The impact and noise attracted the attention of the busy bodies. Within some minutes, the red ML350 4MATIC SUV looked just like a piece of junk hammered with dreadful hammers. It looked like a piece of paper squashed by two muscular long palms. Everyone watched in fear as the ML350 4MATIC SUV crash landed with the four tires in mid air. Blood splattered on the windscreen and thick dust arrested the air. It was an awful bitter sight.

The dust settled but the Trailer was as perfect as I had earlier seen it except for some minor scratch near the big iron bumper. But the red ML350 4MATIC SUV was a total wreck. The accident added to the sadness I already felt..,

Earlier, in one of my numerous searches for a job, I came across a certain fair lady who probably was my senior with one or two years; who was among the panel of interviewers. I lost my temper and composure when she started chuckling amidst my presentation. The distraction made me stutter and sad.

‘A heavy slap landed on her cheeks' I imagined myself smacking her for that...

But I dared not considering the situation. She was a pain in the ass. That made me moody, sad and frustrated as I found my way out of the building. Gingerly, I made my way home cursing the lady in my heart. She was boisterous, proud, arrogant and a presumptuous brat. Her manner of showy display did not help matters as she moved up and down the office minutes before she called me for the interview. Her bossy and manner less attitude pissed me off.

'In my books she deserves 5 dirty hot slaps' I concluded in my angry mind.

So moody and pissed, I strolled to a horror accident scene. Everyone was busy watching, whispering and talking. The crowd of people in different tongues spoke. In fact, I wondered where they all came from.

Idle men, women, children with dirty and smelly clothes gathered watching with piercing eyes. Fear, sorrow, pain and destruction surrounded us.

It was in Obalande, near the BRT bus stop just at the front of the big flyover. The worst part of it all - nobody wanted to help - they all watched and stared with their legs glued to the floor. Some with pity written all over their faces while others blamed the lady because she was busy with her IPAD and driving at the same time. The paramedics were nowhere to be found.

The red ML350 4MATIC SUV had knocked some kiosks down as it tumbled. But no one was injured because the Kiosks were all empty. In fact, it was one of the kiosks that helped stop the tumbling car as it acted as a barrier.

The next thing I saw, a man suddenly rushed to the already condemned red ML350 4MATIC SUV, as he reached beneath, he beckoned me to come, waiving his hands at me.

'Come and help me before this lady dies here' he shouted at me as if I was his little brother.

It was at the crowd but he was looking directly at me with his crossed-eyes.
I looked at the crowd first, thinking his call was for another person. Then he stretched out his hands and pointed at me.

'You with a brown tie' he shouted.

'Me?' I shouted back so that he can hear me

'Yes'! He replied.

I reluctantly moved towards him, my tie still hung to my neck...
When I reached near the wrecked SUV, the crowd of onlookers looked on but none joined to help us. They were busy chattering in different languages.

‘Lagos indeed is no man's land. Now I understand'...

'If I move the body of the car that side, pull her body out through the smashed side-door' the short ugly man turned-helper said to me.

I looked on in surprise to see if he has a hidden supernatural ability to lift a big car of such weight.

He had short arms and fingers. He must be in his early 40's. A round hairless head with long jaws and a slight scar near his okro-shaped nose gave him somewhat of a tough personality. He wore a short jean and a fishnet singlet. He spoke Queen’s English with a good heart. The crowd watched just the way spectators watch a dull football match unconcerned.

The man pressed his muscular body against the car and tried lifting it. He did move it a bit and I pulled the lady by the hand and dragged her out of the smashed glass of the car. She was already in the pool of her own blood. Her legs were visibly dislocated and blood gushed out from the right side of her eyes. Two swollen eyes and a bleeding mouth, I thought she was dead already.

The Brazilian hair dripped of blood revealing a deep cut just at the center of her skull. Even her red spaghetti top was torn exposing a chunk of her fair breast. I carried her in my arms the way a husband carries a beloved wife.

You don't know this girl. What is wrong with you? As I made to walk, I staggered because she was a heavy woman.
Her fair features, pointed nose and tall legs meant nothing anymore because she was steps away from death's grip.

'What do you think you are doing? Who sent you eh? What kind of a stupid man are you? Will you leave this lady alone and get out of here, fool' my mind cursed me.

'How can you carry someone you don't know like that? What if she is dead, even if she isn't what if she dies in your arms? Remember, the police don't ask questions in this part of the world. All they do is arrest you and cook up a story to implicate you. Better find a way and disappear from here now.' My mind continued

No wonder nobody wants to help. If the police arrive, they will arrest everyone on the scene and find a way to extort money from them after compelling them to write a statement. In some cases, they are thrown to the cells. So people don't want to get arrested for what they know nothing about and the best way is to stay out of it and stare

.
My kind spirit prevailed as some other guys joined me. We were four now, the short cross-eyed man with a kind heart left earlier. He got a call that his wife had a stillborn. He left immediately.

‘Please, help me call a cab’ I asked one of the three guys. He looked me in the eyes as if I was a masquerade.

'Which cab?' He retorted rather angrily as if I had offended him.

'Look at this small boy sending his Papa on errand' he said with a frown on his wrinkled face as he walked away. The others watched rather bitterly. Finally, one of them left and came back with a cab.

'Help me carry her to the cab' I requested but they refused touching the lady fearing she was dead. I had already checked the girl's pulse right near her wrist. I felt nothing. She might be dead after all.

'Please, I didn't say you should take her to the hospital. Just help me carry her to the back seat' I pleaded exhausted. One of them helped me as we saddled her to the backseat. I fell on the floor exhausted.

'Is she your sister' the cab driver asked the guy that helped me.

'No' he shouted as if trying to exonerate himself from a crime.

The girl let out a deep loud breathe from the mouth. I feared the worst.

'Somebody enter make we take her to the hospital before she go die for my car oooo! ‘The cab driver cried out.

He was already panicking. By now, the three guys that helped me suddenly disappeared one after the other. I was left alone...

What will I do? Should I follow this girl I know nothing about? What if she dies on the way to the hospital? What will I say or do? These questions troubled my soul...

It took five intense and heart beating weeks before she showed signs of recovery at the hospital. She was operated on immediately she got to the hospital. But the shocker was yet to come. I don’t know what happened.

But I found it hard to leave the lady's side. Maybe a brew of responsibility dawned on me because my heart was beating faster than that of a man on a fated airplane about to crash to death. Fear and anxiety filled my veins. I wanted to make sure she makes it. I wanted her to be ok. I can't explain how I managed to be at the hospital each blessed day. It was like being close to family and I never wanted to give up.

'Thank you my son' a heavily bearded tall man said to me.

His dark skin was as black as coal. He had enormous height like a nephilim and his voice was husky. He cupped my hands in tearful eyes.

'She is our only daughter' the man continued his long tale.

I listened attentively as if it was an important broadcast by the President of Nigeria especially when he 'wickedly' increased the PMS price for petrol that early January of 2012 thus increasing our suffering.

The man's beautiful wife who was as fair as a white woman with pointed nose sat by his side in same gesture. She is half-caste. She cried like a baby. I nearly laughed because it was strange to me seeing two adults shed tears... They couldn't thank me enough.

Heaps of assorted beverages, energy drinks, vegetables of different kinds and colors, get-well-soon cards piled near the huge table by the bed. A flat screen TV uttered almost mute sounds. Even the crowd of well wishers who trouped to the hospital amazed me making it look as if she was the President's daughter. I watched in awe as the man's mouth moved. Each speech sounded untold words of appreciation and blessings and eager words coated in much thankfulness. A nod from the wife follows each speech.

'It shall be well with you, son' the man concluded and gave me a hug. She did same too.

'Lizzy will be very grateful too' the wife followed.

I nodded in earnest, a little bemused and dumbfounded. Surprise looked me in the face as I blushed.

'I never bargained for this. I was just helping another human' I told myself. But seriously, that was not 'just help'. It is far more...

I knew it was easier said than done. She would have died there if help had not come early enough. Just as people stared, her life would have steered away...
I just sat on the upholstery in the hospital room reminiscing...

'Good day, sir. Madam, how are you? Glad to see you two here this morning.' The young Doctor said.

'She is recovering very well and fast too. Thank God for this fine young gentleman' the Doctor chipped


'Thank God, sir' I blushed...

A week later, I got a call that the girl woke up restless.

'Please come quick something has gone wrong'

Lizzy's mom shouted over the phone.

She was already crying. Suddenly, my heart was on fire again.

'What could have gone wrong, again? Oh, God help us' I begged the almighty

I couldn't contain myself because I was already sweating even in the cold weather. The distance from my house to the hospital was far and out of anxiety I couldn't wait for the car to come and pick me. I hopped into one Okada and asked him to drive James bond style. Soon, I was the one begging him to slow down because I wanted to get to the hospital alive. The Okada man drove like a dare-devil leaving in his wake myriads of curses and abuses from other motorist. I just smiled away.

When I sighted Lizzy, I felt internal peace and total calm. Like the feeling you get when you pour a bucket of cold water on your body after running a 20kilometer race..,

She look distressed, lean and nauseated. I walked through the paved cement floor towards the door that led to her hospital room. She was taken to an exclusive resort-like room at the wish of her father. She was sitting on the big hospital bed with her hands to the jaw thinking. She didn't see me come towards her. No bandages and the scars have all healed. She looked tired and distressed. Then she turned towards me.

How she recognized me, only heaven knows. The moment she saw me, smiles filtered her face. This is a girl that had never opened her eyes throughout my stay in the hospital. When she did, I was not around...

Now I was baffled as to how she recognized my face since she had never seen it before. Limping towards me, I'd say she practically jumped from the bed and limped - no ran towards me.

Surprised, I looked at my back to see if she saw someone else but there was nobody. Her parents were baffled and all smiles. The speed at which she slammed into my sweaty cloth and body nearly made me fall a thousand times. She was a huge and big woman. Tall, huge with outstanding blue eyes, pointed nose and long hairs, All the while my eyes just downloaded all these within some seconds. She hugged me so tight that I thought she was going to squeeze life out of me. It was so tight that her nipples were pressing against my flesh. I was choking; I couldn't utter a word in such a wonderful moment. She was nearly my height. A towering 6 feet 2inches...
As fair as and prettier than her mom, she was a total replica of her mother but with a better height. Her parents watched in amazement shedding joyful tears.

'Hell no!' I told myself. Why would they be crying again? Is it that easy to cry? Are they actually Nigerians? I wanted to tell them to stop before this joke enters another level. The next thing I saw, Lizzy was sobbing uncontrollably in my arms wetting my white shirt. I thought maybe she was hurt. I asked her but only sobs came out of her eyes. She was overwhelmed. I tried examining her body to know if she's hurt but found nothing. She just wept profusely in my arms. I was flabbergasted that I became ashamed of myself.

When all the dust settled and the oranges have dried of tears, we prepared to be discharged.

'Son, you are going home with us immediately' Lizzy's Dad told me after the Doctor gave the okay for Lizzy to be discharged.

'Em em sir but eeee' words failed me. I didn't know what to answer him.

I nearly fainted when we stopped at the gigantic white gate. As the gate opened its mouth, it revealed a colossal ceramic walled building all in gold.

'Impossible, this can't be in Nigeria. Never!' I struggled in the depths of my heart to differentiate reality from dream.

But it was no dream. The big Jacuzzi and a green garden of vegetables stood near the parking lot showcasing about 7 exotic cars. The floor of the building was tiled with gold-colored inter-lock tiles. Two outstanding gold-colored lion sculptures with open mouths stood just outside the iron door that secured the building. I noticed the zipping sound of close-circuit cameras. It was truly a marvelous sight to behold. A three storey mansion!

That became the awakening of my romantic life. Lizzy's father helped me get a lucrative job with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. It came with a jumbo salary, a car and a house. In fact, the Williams transformed my life. But things went sour!

Lizzy and I prospered into a heavenly relationship but it didn't last.

Lizzy told me a devastating story that nearly gave me paralysis.

'Sorry babe, I call it quit' I told a baffled Lizzy inside the expensive eatery at Ikoyi.


But how did I not remember? How could I have forgotten so easily?

'Promise you will not leave me if I tell you' she had made me promise but after listening to her story, it was more than I promised.

I moved on with my life and left her heart in tatters. Who wouldn't after what she told me.

'You heartless bitch' I shouted at her as I made for my Hummer Jeep outside the eatery.

She sobbed on relentlessly. My mind was made up no going back.

Her mom called week in, week out and so did her Dad. Lizzy called endlessly, tendering apologies in letters, cards and even on billboards in the city. But I was already tired of her too much care and love. I really wanted to 'taste' other girls as well. I wanted to be free of her and her influential father. She took me as a god and nearly worshiped me. But I needed none of that maybe because I was a rich young man who wished to explore the world...

I was pissed with her perfect life. Her every gesture to please me irritated and bored me. I wanted to see the wild Lizzy. I wanted her bad side. But she resorted to pleasing me to displease herself. I took her for granted, period!

Imagine she called me her lord. I didn't want that moreover I wanted to enjoy other girls too. I wasn't ready for commitment.

I yearned for a new beginning, a fresh start and that was what I got. So I started seeing other women in different sizes and shapes. Most were after my money. I used them, it was all about sex. But I felt nothing for them. It was already 5 good sexually active months since I moved on. The call from Lizzy's parents didn't stop because Lizzy completely changed.
When the news came that Lizzy nearly committed suicide by trying to jump off a bridge it pricked my conscience. That is madness. I couldn’t bear it anymore. I needed to grow up and face what is facing me.

'What is it you cannot forgive your fellow human and Lizzy for that matter?'

Her Mom asked me. She came to my palatial bungalow in Lekki. She begged me like my own mother. Then when the tears dropped, I knew I have been broken.

Lizzy is or will I say was the so-called lady who humiliated and made me stutter during the interview on the day of the accident. She was the lady I wished to give 5 hot dirty slaps because she made fun of my ego. She made public caricature of my manhood and hurt my pride as well as worth. She was the one that showed off just because her father put her in such a position among the panel of interviewers. She brought my self-esteem and worth to zero. She humiliated me. It is payback time; let her suffer her own piece of misfortune. After all one good turn, deserves another. So also is a bad turn... Mtcheeeeew!

'But my son, how can you destroy what you built? You saved her, you made her. Now don't let her die. She can't do without you. She owes her life to you' her Mom begged.

'No Mom, she owes her life to God' I corrected a little relieved

'It’s ok. I have heard you. If God forgives, who am I not to forgive? I have already missed her. Just that I was really hurt. Even the girls I went to look for brought me no happiness. I can't wait to see her' I said from the bottom of my heart.

'She came with me, she is outside the veranda, Thandi' her mom said.

'Hell no! What have you done? Why didn't you let her into my house? These are all hers; all I have, she made it, oh my god!' I shouted as I ran outside into the sobbing but waiting hands and gorgeous face of Lizzy.

She was sobbing like a baby. Tears have made a mockery of her makeup because it colored her face. Her knees were knelt on the floor.

'I am sorry baby, I am so sorry Hun. I am ashamed of my deeds' she said sobbing.

With a kiss to her lips and my arms over her back, our arms locked in a warm eventful embrace.

'I will be your handsome prince forever' I promised with the last drop of my blood and I meant it.

Everything to her I owe because she made me...
If I don't forgive and forget who will?
In the flames of her love, I am lost...

Dedicated to the memory of my sweetheart and the most beautiful mother of all - My angel and shining star, my champion and Queen
- Late Mrs. Chinyere Priscilia Ubani.

Mom you are most loved,

[Disclaimer: This story is the fictitious imagination of the writer]

Read more a†̥̥ http://ubanichijioke.hubpages.com
A piece of creative writing bƔ
Alexander Thandi Ubani
A Poet, writer, Novelist and Thespian.
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