Intoxicated romance episode 1-10
INTOXICATED ROMANCE
EPISODE 1
Steven Eight years ago “mom, wake up” i shake my
mother but she doesn’t move. I
look to her bedside table and see the glass of
wine and her pill bottle. My
mother is schizophrenic. Its a mental
illness and sometimes she doesn’t
know what she’s doing. I am just
nineteen years old but i have
been taking care of her for as long as i can
remember. I even opted to study
in a polytechnic close to our house in
pti just so i could watch her. You are probably asking where my
father is, but like you, i don’t
know. He has never been in the picture and
anytime i asked my mother she
goes emotional on me so i stopped
asking a long time ago. My mom
has been living on pills for years now to
suppress her imaginations and hallucinations which are caused
by her illness. Last night, i got stalled because of a tutorial class
and by the time i finished, it was already 9:28pm. There was a
government imposed curfew and
i wasn’t able to go home. I slept at a
friend’s in school. As soon as it
was safe enough to leave, i came
home. I knocked the door and when
there was no reply, i knew
something was wrong. I used my keys to open
the door and immediately went to
her room. I called an ambulance and
they are probably on their way
here by now. I try to wake her up but she
doesn’t open her eyes. I place my fingers under her nose and feel
faint breathes on my hand. I sag
in relief. The ambulance comes and
my mother is taken to the
hospital. After checking her, the doctor
assures me that she is fine, she
is just very drunk. I thank the doctor then
walk out of her room for some
fresh air. Her room smells of antiseptic
and everything else that
permeates a hospital air. Outside her room
isn’t any better but atleast it isn’t suffocating. Being in there, seeing
her like that, almost brings me to my knees in misery. I cant help
her so i feel so helpless. I don’t know what else to do. If my
useless father was here, maybe
she would be better. Anytime she, has one of
her ‘episodes’, she calls me Leonard. I think that’s my father’s
name. I raise my head up when i hear a door open and i see a girl
of about 16 or so. She’s crying
and screaming for the nurses holding
her back to save her brother. I
look on as she is directed to a chair at a
corner to wait. She sits on the chair then cover her face with her
hands as she cries more. I should ignore her and think about my
own predicament, but my feet
starts moving towards her. I sit on the
chair beside her but she doesn’t
even notice. “he will be fine” i say silently. She
looks up then throws her hands around me as she ramble about
everything being her fault. “i left him alone. I shouldnt have. I
just wanted to have some alone time. I didn’t know that he would
walk into the pool. I am the worst sister ever” she says “its not your fault. God is in
control, don’t worry, everything
would be fine” i say then rub her back.
She withdraws from me then look
up at my eyes and i smile at her. “thank you” she says, wiping her
tears “you are welcome sweets” she
smiles and my heart goes warm.
Her smile seems to light up the whole
emergency ward and wipe away
all my stress. Its like we are both in a
bubble with nothing but the both
of us. I continue to smile like an idiot
at her until my mom’s doctor comes out and tell me to follow
him to his office. I stand to leave and her face falls. I want to stay
but i cant. I look at her for a second then remove the bracelet
on my wrist and hand it to her. “take this. Its my lucky charm” i
expect her to laugh in my face but she takes it and put in on her right
wrist. She gives me a wane smile and i sigh as i turn to follow the
doctor. I turn back and wave her goodbye. She waves me back and
smile. I notice she’s crying
through her smile. There’s nothing i can do
to help so i continue walking with the doctor. “your mom’s schizophrenia is
getting worse Steven. We need to
confine her before she hurts someone or
even herself” he says as soon as i sit. “we don’t have that kind of
money sir” “you need to figure something
out. I don’t like her results” he
tells me. I nod my head and walk
dejected out of his office, towards
my mom’s room. When i get there,
she isn’t in her room. I rush out to
the nurse station and i am told that
she just walked out. What kind of nurses let their patient leave like
that?. They probably thought she was well as she looked healthy. I
run out of the hospital which is along the road and look around.
Suddenly, i hear someone shout. I
turn my head to see my mother in the
middle of the road and the girl i
just gave my bracelet too is trying to
drag her off the road. My mom is bulging though. They seen to be
struggling and a lorry is coming towards them. I run towards
them. My legs doesn’t seem to run
fast enough as everything happen in
slow motion. Only the lorry seem
to be coming in fast motion. My mom is
pushed off the road by the girl before the lorry sweeps her(the
strange girl) off the road. “no!” i scream for the girl. There is
blood everywhere.
[12/1, 5:35 PM] +234 706 712 6964: INTOXICATED ROMANCE
EPISODE 2
Toni: “surprise!” i gasp in surprise as
my eyes scan the room.They are
about 25 people. I recognise a few as
my colleagues. I work as a
manager in this hotel and one of my superior
had instructed me to bring some documents to the private suite. I
was already on my way home but according to her, the occupant of
the suite is important so they sent me. I just started working here last
week and i didn’t want to make a
bad impression so i dropped my bag
and took the documents. I was on
my way with the document when Cynthia,
my best friend and colleague
called me to meet her in one of the private
rooms underground. The hotel
runs a night club downstairs and i have
never been there due to my background. My father is a pastor
while my mother is just as
devoted as he is and they brought me up
in a conservative way. No
trousers, no short skirts, no secular music and
the rest. I stand at the doorway and stare in confusion until
Cynthia walks toward me. “thank God you made it. I thought
you would stand me up because
of your over the top spirituality.
Anyways happy birthday!” Happy birthday?. Oh my God, Its April,
ofcourse it my birthday. “I totally forgot. It must have
slipped my mind. With the stress
of a new job coupled with my
planning for my wedding next
month.” I say and cynthia’s face falls at the mention
of my wedding plans. Kacy my fiance, is a close friend of hers
when she was in the states
studying and when they came back to
Nigeria, kacy courted me. We
were in courtship for two years before
I agreed. I am about to ask her
why she suddenly looks down but she
quickly diverts my attention by
dragging me to a table. They sing me a
birthday song and i blow out the
candles in a hurry as i still haven’t taken
the documents upstairs and it’s getting late. After blowing the
candles, i thank everyone then
turn to leave. “you should atleast have one
drink with us before you go”
Cynthia says and everybody murmur their
agreement. “come on cyn, you know i don’t
drink” she rolls her eyes at me
then pour some orange juice in an
empty glass for me then stretch it towards me with a smile. I collect
the glass. I am about to drink it all in one gulp but she stops me. “what now?” i grumble “a toast, to many more years and
a happy married life to our celebrant” she raises her glass
and i clink mine with hers.
Everybody in the room does the same and i
notice that i am the only one
drinking the orange juice. They are all
having champagne. As soon as i
down the whole glass of juice, i rush out,
before Cynthia comes up with something else. Cynthia is a party
girl but i am the total opposite. people who know us always
wonder how we became friends
but ever since she helped me when i fell off a
see-saw in kindergarten and hurt
my knee, we have been close. The
only time we were apart since
then was when i had an accident eight
years ago and when she studied
in the US. I notice she changed alot after she
came back, but she’s still my friend. I rush to the first floor and
wait for the elevator to take me upstairs so i can deliver the
documents. My mom would
already be worried by now. As soon as the
elevator opens, i rush in and a
wave of dizziness assail me. I stand
upright and shake my head to
clear my foggy brain. What is wrong with
me? Why am i dizzy all of a
sudden? I must be tired. The stress of my
wedding plans is probably getting
to me. The elevator opens at the top
floor and i get out slowly so i won’t lose my balance. I hear my
phone ring in my hand and i look
at the screen. It’s blurry but i can
make out kacy’s face on it. I go to answer the call but my hands are
not steady and my phone falls to
the hard floor and shatters
everywhere. Stupid phone. I bend
and pick all the parts i can find but i don’t see
my sim-card. I stand up, barely able to stop myself from falling
face down to the floor. I take in steadying breathe then walk to
the door of the suite and knock.
My body feels so hot. My stomach
keeps fluttering. I don’t
understand what’s happening to me. I fan my
self with my hands and wait until
the door opens. A goodlooking
young man is standing by the
door looking at me with glazed eyes. My body
heat increases and i start taking
my blazer off, then start undoing my
shirt buttons. The man’s eyes
bulge as he sees what i am doing. He
goes to say something but i shut
him with my mouth. He hesitates but
just for a sec. He grabs my waist, then raises me up as i wrap my
legs around his waist and he
takes me to his bed. A little voice at the back
of my mind reminds me of who i am but i cant stop. Kacy’s face
flashes through my mind but i
cant stop. I cant stop! Is that my hand
undoing his button? No! What am
i doing.My brain says stop but my
body doesn’t follow the
instruction. I wake up the next morning with
an headache.I look around and
see my clothes scattered on the
ground.How did i get here?. A
hand lands on my stomach and that’s when i
remember last night. I silently get
off the bed, put on my scattered
clothes and sneak out
[12/1, 5:40 PM] +234 706 712 6964: INTOXICATED ROMANCE.
Episode 3
Steven: “No!” i scream and sit up on the
bed with a start. My head spins at the sudden movement and i
clutch it. It feels like a metal band
is having a concert in my skull. What
a hangover!. ‘I am never drinking again’, i tell myself. I get off the
bed and realise that i am naked. Strange. I look around the room
and see my clothes scattered on
the floor. Okay, that’s certainly weird.
I am almost obsessive about orderliness. It wasn’t really my
best idea to drown in so whisky
after taking my pills. I had been so
angry and sad yesterday, i
couldn’t sleep. The sleeping pills i usually
took didn’t do the job so i added whiskey to the mix. I stagger to
the fridge and pour myself some
cold water. I turn to get some pain
relievers from the cabinet but stop myself. I have enough chemical in
my body for now. I drink the
glass of water then drink another and
another but my mouth still feels
like a gutter. My headache seems to be
getting worse. I think the only solution for this hangover is to
shoot my brain out of my head. I
sway as i walk back to the bedroom
and realise that i am still drunk. I need to sleep this off. I crawl into
bed and that’s when i notice the red stain on my sheets. I look
more intently to inspect it and
realise that its blood. My heartbeat shoots
up in panic. I check myself for injuries but there’s none. Then
whose blood is this?. I think
deeply on the happenings of yesterday. I remember being called up by my
dad to his office. He had sounded angry on the phone so i dressed
up and hurried to his office. He
was livid about the land deal i wasn’t
able to close. I had lied to him that i already landed the deal so
how did he find out?. Only one person could have told him. My
brother. My step brother to be
precise. Ever since my dad brought me
into his house, there has been a
form of rivalry between us.We both
wanted our father’s approval. My
father has always loved the rivalry between
us. He fueled it actually.My father is a hotelier and we have multiple
hotels within and outside the country. La casa is the latest hotel
of our company. My brother
wanted to be in charge of that project but
my father had given it to me. James(my step brother) has been
trying to bring me down since
then. I have been able to buy all the land
we needed around the site for the project except one. A particular
man wouldn’t sell. I have even offered him more money to no
avail. I was trying to placate him
on the phone when James heard about
it. He must be the snitch that told father. “i thought after taking you from
your mother and brushing you
up, you’ll be more useful but i can see
that you are as useless as your crazy mother” my father had said
to me. That alone had set me off
and as soon as i convinced my father
to give me till the end of the
month, i drove to James’ house. His gate
man had let me in and i barged
into his house to receive a big
shock.There my brother was,
sitting majestically on his sofa with a
bottle of Goldberg in one hand
and my fiance’s boobs in the other. Jane
was sitting on his lap, naked from waist up while straddling him and
her eyes were closed so she didn’t see me at first. James saw me
though, and he gave me a wide
grin. The anger of the day flashed through
me and i rushed to him and
decked his face. Jane’s eyes widened as she
saw me and she tried to pull her
top up to cover herself. My brother
just smirked at me and sat back probably to watch a lover’s
quarrel but i didn’t give him the satisfaction. I just walked out on
the both of them. I remember
Jane following me while begging for
forgiveness. I didn’t give her a passing glance though. I just
drove like a crazy man to the suite
i currently live in at one of the hotel
branches i manage. I remember coming home and tossing and
turning until i took my sleeping
pills coupled with alcohol. I remember
hearing a knock at my door and
going to inspect it. There was a lady at
the door. I don’t remember her face. Its all blurry in my memory.
Who was the lady?. It must have been Jane coming to beg me. Did
something happen between us
last night?. If something did happen, it
still doesn’t explain the blood on my sheets. Did she hurt herself?.
Maybe she was in her period. I
rub my head in frustration. Thinking
isn’t helping my hangover
situation. I have to sleep this off. Maybe
everything will come to me when i
wake up. Plus, i still have to think of a
way to cajole that pastor to sell me his land. The fact that he is a
pastor is probably the reason why money couldn’t convince him. I
have to look for that pastor’s
Achilles heel. I remember my father’s
words about my mother and i
clench my fist painfully. I just have three
weeks to figure something out or risk losing to my brother. After
what he has done, i just cant lose.
I have to win this one no matter
what. I lie on my bed and close
my eyes as sleep claims me.
[12/1, 5:51 PM] +234 706 712 6964: INTOXICATED ROMANCE.
Episode 4
Toni: its been more than a week since
the incident and I still cant think about anything else. Only one
night’s event has ruined me. My family,my career and my
impending marriage. How would i
explain to kacy about how i lost my virginity.
I have been avoiding him and i haven’t retrieved my lost sim-card.
That morning, i had sneaked into the house without my parent’s
notice and gone to work early the
next day. When i got back, i only met
my younger brother at home. Thankfully, my parents have gone
on a two weeks prayer
programme in owerri. They would be arriving
tomorrow but i still haven’t found
a good cover story though. My
parents won’t be able to handle
the truth of my circumstance. My mom
would probably have a heart
attack. I didn’t see Cynthia for two days
and when i asked about her from
other colleagues, i was told that she was
ill. I went to visit her yesterday and i found out that she was
drugged, just like me. Who could
have done this to us?. Was it just a
prank?.I sigh and rest my head on
the glass door of the hotel’s pool
house. I notice someone in the
pool. Its too early in the morning for
someone to be swimming and the
pool is supposed to be locked by this
time. I press my head to the glass and peer inside. I remain like this
and admire the gait and agility of the swimmer. He really is good. My
mind takes me to the time i loved swimming. Well, not anymore.
Ever since my brother almost
drowned, i have been scared of swimming.
The swimmer starts coming out of
the pool and my eyes trace his body
from his feet upwards to his
muscled legs and thigh. He must work out,
i think out loud. My eyes continue their journey and i realise that he
is just wearing a tiny swim short. I stare, as if hypnotized and lick
my dry lips. I continue my perusal of his body till my eyes reach his
face. I jerk backwards in shock
and my heels slide on the tiled floor
thereby causing me to lose my balance. I yelp loudly which
draws his attention to me.I crouch
on the floor and crawl away quickly. No
no no! Its him! The guy i molested/raped. He didn’t seem to
protest that night though. It isn’t rape when there is no protest
right?. By the way, What kind of
guy would just sleep with a woman he
doesn’t know? If he had turned
me away, maybe i wouldn’t be in the
hot mess that i am right now. This
is also his fault. I hope he doesn’t
recognise me. This is all so embarrassing. I thought he would
have lodged out of the hotel by
now. I haven’t seen him since that
morning when i sneaked out of
his bed. “antonia, you have a visitor
waiting for you at the reception
hall” mercy says and this snaps me out
of my thoughts. I thank her and
move downstairs to meet my visitor. I
have no idea who it could be. As
soon as i get there i see kacy. His back is
to me and i admire his lovely backside unconsciously. I never
want to hurt him but right now its inevitable. He has been very good
and patient with me. I cant
imagine my future without him in it. I cant
lie to him, that would be the ultimate betrayal. But how do i tell
him?. “toni” he says my name and i cant
hold back my tears. I burst out in tears and kacy rushes to me. “oh my God toni, what’s wrong?. I
have been trying to contact you
for more than a week now. I was so
worried. Please tell me you are
okay?” his concern for me fuels my tears.
He stands there awkwardly, while
i cry like a child in the middle of the
reception hall as people watch us. “what are you doing to the
lady?”a voice booms from behind
me and suddenly, i see a guy seizing kacy
by his collar. Kacy starts to protest but he isn’t given any
chance as the guy’s fist connects
with his stunning face. “no!” i scream and run to kacy
who is now on the floor. “are you okay?” i ask him as i
bend to help him up. He shrugs
me off and shoots me an angry look. “ofcourse, i am not okay. Didn’t
you see this lunatic punch me in
the face?. I think the mother f----r
broke my nose” he grumbles and
hold his nose. “that should teach you to never
make a lady cry again” the guy
says. “what is your probl–” i turn to
shout at him but my words hang
as i see who it is. I turn away
immediately. Why do i keep
seeing him today?. Its the guy at the pool. He
is clothed now though. “my problem? I was just trying to
help you” he says. I cant see his face, but i know he looks puzzled. “umm..you shouldnt have done
that, i didn’t need your um help”i stammer still not looking at him. “you didn’t?” i shake my head “but i thought-“he walks to my
front and i turn the other way. “could you atleast look at me
while you talk to me?”he says and
moves in from of me again and i turn the
other way. I see kacy stand up
from the ground as he watches us.The
guy keeps trying to look at my
face and i keep turning the other way. “umm sorry for the disturbance
and thanks for trying to help but
um, i have to um, leave now”i stammer
again and try to flee but he holds
my shoulder and turns me to face
him. Our eyes meet and i see the recognition and shock in his eyes
before i flee.
[12/1, 5:52 PM] +234 706 712 6964: INTOXICATED ROMANCE.
Episode 5
Steven: i cant believe this! The lady i have
been looking for is actually here. And by the looks of her
clothes, she works here. My
hangover lasted for two days and after then,
my memories of that night came
to me. I remember everything and i
have been searching for this lady
ever since. I need to confirm and now
that i have the opportunity, i
won’t let her run away from me. I don’t
trust her. What was her reason for coming to my room and seducing
me when i was drunk?. She’s
probably a gold digger who thinks sleeping
with the boss would help her up
the social ladder. I just hope that she
doesn’t claim to be pregnant because i have no plans of ever
getting married after what Jane
did to me. I really loved her(Jane) and
she betrayed me with my brother.
All women are the same. I jog behind
her and catch up with her when
she meets a dead end. “nowhere to go now” i say and
stalk towards her. I reach where
she is and tower above her. She looks
so small before me. We stare at
each other for a while and i feel the
chemistry buzzing around us. An invisible magnet seems to be
pulling me towards her and i find
myself leaning in to kiss her. Her eyes
flutter close. I am so close to kissing her but i stop myself and
divert my lips to her ears. I won’t let this gold digger affect me. I am
not falling for another ‘Jane’. Jane also worked here before i
proposed to her. She was so nice
to me when i first got here and i loved
the innocence she portrayed. I
never knew it was all a ploy to get to me.
Thank God i found out her true colours before i married her. “you are not getting a kobo from
me” i say and she open her eyes
confused “what?” she asks me “sleeping with me wouldn’t get
you a promotion” “i don’t know what you are
talking about” she says and i
laugh bitterly. “drop the innocent act. It won’t
work on me.” i look at her from
head to toe and observe the long
length of her pencil skirt. “these church girl clothes don’t
fool me. You are a s--t!” i say and she slaps me. Hard!. Stunned, i
look directly into her eyes and i notice that they are shining with
unshed tears. “oh, there’s no need to cry, it
won’t work on me also. It just
makes you look like a pathetic gold-
digger” as soon as i say this, i see
her hands go up to slap me and i hold
her hand before it connects with
my face. She struggles to get free but i
hold her firmer. Her tears starts to fall and my heart sinks.
What is wrong with me?. Her tears are probably fake so why am i
affected? “who do you think you are, to
insult me like this?” she asks me “oh,i am your boss but you
already know that right?. That’s
why you sneaked into my room and
seduced me” i notice her eyes
bulge when i say that i am her boss. “my boss!. Oh no!” she tries to
free herself again and i let her go
this time. “stop the pretence. I don’t want to
ever see you again. As soon as
you are done here, pack all your
belongings and leave my hotel” “It would be my pleasure.
Working for a jerk like you is so
appalling. And for your information, i didn’t
know who you were that day and
i was drunk so stop calling me a
gold-digger because, i don’t need anything from you” she says this
and walk pass me with her head
held high. Could what she said be
true?. Was she really drunk?. Did i
go too far? Well whatever, i don’t
care. Atleast now, i have gotten
rid of her. Through-out the whole day, my
mind drift to antonia. I asked
about her from one of the staffs and got
to know that her name is antonia and that she just started working
here. Was she saying the truth
about not knowing who i am?. No, it
cant be. Everybody knows the
akhigbes. We own almost all the hotels in
this town and our names were
always on the business part of the papers
and news. I was even given most eligible bachelor in the state last
month. I take my mind of antonia and concentrate on the
documents in front of me. I
contacted the pastor yesterday and he agreed
to meet with me tomorrow. I hope
he accepts my deal. I have only a
week and some days left and my
father just upped the stakes. Who ever
can get him that land would be inheriting his legacy. I bring my
best suit out of my closet and iron it to perfection. I am dressing to
win tomorrow. Narrator Cynthia pace round her house in
anticipation. She keeps looking at
her phone like she’s expecting a call.
Her phone rings and she pick it up immediately. “you couldn’t even do that simple
task right” the caller says without any form of greeting. “I’m sorry, after she drank the o.j.
We lost her. We couldn’t find her.” “you know i needed that plan to
work, so i could have something
to blackmail her with. So, is your
cover blown?” “no, she’s so stupid. It wasn’t
difficult to deceive her” “good. Stay close to her” “alright, i will. Oh, how i miss you
baby. When are we going to stop hiding our relationship?” “i already told you, we need to
finish this plan, then we will get married in any country of your
choice” “oh i cant wait!. Ok, goodbye and i
love y–” she says and the line
goes dead.
[12/1, 10:53 PM] +234 706 712 6964: INTOXICATED ROMANCE.
Episode 6
Toni: i cant believe this. Now, i am
jobless. That’s yet another thing i have to explain to my parents
when they come back about an
hour from now. What do i tell them. Hey dad,
i raped my jerk of a boss and it got me fired. No way!. What do i
do?. I pace up and down our
sitting room which isn’t exactly big. “come on sis, your pacing is
giving me an headache. What’s
wrong” “what?. Nothing.” i squeak “toni, i always know when
something is wrong with you so
stop pretending and tell me” “its nothing” “you sure?” “um yea” “okay whatever” my kid brother
says and plug in his earphones
probably to make the fact that he is
ignoring me, obvious. I sigh then
continue my pacing. I am always truthful,
so coming up with a good cover
story is so hard for me. I jump in
nervousness as i hear a knock at
our door. They are early. I look to my
brother but he pretty much
ignores me. I have to go out and let them
in. I clean my sweaty palms on my long flowing skirt and walk to the
door. “welcome home d–” my eyes
widen to unbelievable proportion
once i see who’s at my door. He also looks
stun. I come out of the house and
lock the door. “are you following me?!” he asks
and i laugh. “why would i follow you to my
own house?. It seems to me that i
am the one being followed” “your house?. Isn’t this pastor
Solomon’s house?” “how do you know my dad?” “your dad?!” his eyes goes so
wide and i fear that it may pop out
of their sockets. “antonia” i hear my mom’s voice
and i jump in fright. As i jump, i clash into my boss and he holds
my hips from behind to steady
me. I freeze and look to my dad who’s
watching the both of us. His
hands start to caress my hip and i sag
against me. He feels comfortable which is weird as i barely know
him. I have never felt this kind of connection with kacy. I look
behind me and my eyes lock with
his for a moment. “what is the meaning of this?!” my
father bellows and snaps me out
of my daze. I step away from my
boss. “um, dad” i say and nothing else
comes out “who is this young man and why
does he have his hands all over
my daughter?” “he is no one” i say but my boss
steps in front of me “i am her boss” he says and
stretches his hand to my dad for
an handshake. My dad just looks at
his outstretched hand dubiously.
My mother takes the hand though. “wow. You are really young to be
a boss already. That’s how young
men should be.” my mom turns to
me.”Antonia why didn’t you take
him into the house? Where are your
manners?. Come in my son. I am
sure antonia has something prepared” i watch
with my mouth open as my mom
hook her hands in his arm and they walk
majestically towards the house. I
look towards my dad and he just
shrugs and walks behind them.
Am i the only one who finds this situation
awkward?. When they get to the
door, my boss unhooks his hand and open
the door for my mom while
grinning at her. “your majesty” he says and
spreads his hand towards the
door. I see my mom blush as she walks pass and
pat him on the shoulder. The door
is still held open as my dad walks
through. The jerk has my parents fooled. They must think he is a
perfect gentleman. I expect him to lock the door on my face but he
holds the door till i enter before
he closes it. I feel him beside me but i
don’t pay him any attention. “we have to talk” “about what?. Didn’t you say you
didn’t want to see me again?” “am sorry about yesterday. I
realise that i was too harsh. Could
you just please hear me out?” “i don’t want to” i say and walk
away from him. The next half hour is just plain
weird. My mom fuss around him
during break-fast. It’s fun to watch him
interact with my 16 years old brother though. They talk sports
and game. My brother is just so impressed by him. I can tell by the
way he hangs unto every word
that comes out of my boss’ mouth. He
even makes my dad laugh when
he talks about his 11 months old little
niece who during a sermon,
shouted the pastor’s name. I ignore him
throughout the meal and
concentrated on my foot which i was just picking at.
The sight of him interacting comfortably with my family was
not good for my appetite. If only
they knew who he was and what the
both of them had done. After
everybody was done with their food, i stand
up and start clearing the table. “that was delicious” he says as i
pack his plate. I don’t answer him but my mom does. “antonia is a very good cook. She
is always experimenting in the kitchen. She’ll make a great wife
don’t you think?” she says to him and i know what she’s trying to
do already. “yes, she will” he affirms “too bad, her talents would go to
waste on that no-good fiance of
hers” “mother!” i scream “i told you, i don’t like him” “well i am an adult and i can make
decisions on my own” “do you even know what he does
for a living?” “he said he’s an importer” “of what exactly?. I don’t trust
him. He always has this calculating look in his eyes”i go to say
something but my boss clears his
throat and i remember that he’s still here.
My dad and brother just look everywhere except at us
[12/1, 10:55 PM] +234 706 712 6964: INTOXICATED ROMANCE.
Episode 7
Steven: okay, this is totally weird. I cant
believe this cute little gold digger is actually pastor
solomon’s daughter. Well, it has
always been said that the pastor’s children are
usually the worst. Her family is so nice. Having breakfast together
and chatting amicably is not something that happens in my
family. We hardly eat together and
when we do, its a business dinner or
something. I interact with them
and i cant help but feel welcome, which
is the complete opposite of what i feel when i am with my family.
Ever since i was given to my father after the accident eight years ago
when my mother was locked up
in a psychiatric hospital, i have never
felt at home, anywhere. I have never felt loved by My father who
is a tough man who doesn’t show affection. His wife hates me,
probably because i am the
product of her husband’s first marriage and so
does her son, James. I am on
speaking terms with her two daughters but
they are both married now so that sums up my family. Sitting here
with Antonia’s mother fussing
around me almost brings tears to my eyes.
I miss having a mother. I wonder what hospital, my dad is hiding
my mother. No matter the fondness i feel for
antonia’s family, i still need their land. That land automatically
makes me lord over my dad’s empire, giving me the power to
free my mother and i have gotten
the perfect plan to get it. From the
conversation i am hearing,
antonia’s mother doesn’t like her fiance.
He’s probably the guy i punched yesterday. I cant believe he
walked away even when he saw
his fiance running away and another
pursuing her. Well, this gives me
the opportunity to engage my plan.
Thankfully, pastor Solomon has
never seen me. He has never agreed to
meet with me and now, it will play
to my advantage. Antonia and her
mother’s argument gets heated
and i clear my throat to interrupt them. “excuse me ma’am but i have a
meeting in an hour and i have to
talk to antonia before i leave. Do you
mind if we go out to the eatery
across the street to talk?” i ask “yes!” “no” antonia and her mother
answer at the same time. “you can take her, my son” Mrs
Solomon says then give her
daughter a hard look. “stop being rude to your boss
and hear him out. Its about work
right?” her dad says “ofcourse dad. What else could it
be about?”antonia asks
defensively. Her reactions is going to make
them suspect something is up. I
am sure they don’t know about their
daughter’s immorality. “i just need her to say yes to an
important request of mine” i say “oh, she’ll say yes” Mrs Solomon
puts in and i laugh. Antonia just narrow her eyes at me. “let’s go?” i say and stretch my
hand toward her for her to take
but she just drop the plates she was
carrying and walk ahead of me. “make sure you say yes darling!”
her mother calls from behind us. I smirk to myself. She may be
joking but what she doesn’t
know is that her joke isn’t far from the truth. Antonia and i walk in silence until
we reach the eatery where we sit at a table at the back. I watch
antonia for a while thinking of a
way to go about this. I hear the
eatery’s door open and close,
then i notice antonia’s eyes go wide. I
turn towards the door and see a
guy and a very pregnant lady walk to
a table. The guy is very attentive to the lady as he helps her sit and
kiss her cheeks lovingly. Why is antonia so fixated on them, i
wonder. The guy walks around to
the chair opposite his pregnant wife
or girlfriend and now that he is sitting, i see his face fully. This is
the same guy that was with antonia yesterday. Oh no. If he is
her fiance then this is bad. The guy and his pregnant companion
doesn’t notice us due to where
we are seated. I turn to look back at
antonia and notice her eyes are
shiny with unshed tears. As soon as she
sees me looking at her, she sniff back her tears and smile at me but
i am not fooled because antonia wouldn’t normally smile at me.
She is just trying to mask her pain from me. I go to say something, i
don’t even know what but i stop
when the waiter brings us two glasses
of water and the menu. Antonia
thank the waiter and pick her glass of
water. “What do you want from me?” she
asks as she tip the glass to her mouth. Well, if she doesn’t want to
beat around the bush, i wouldn’t either. I look straight into her
beautiful eyes. Okay, stop. Where
did that come from?. I just need her
for her land and she probably
needs me for money so no more
thinking of how beautiful her
eyes are. I shake my head to clear my
jumbled thought. “i want you to marry me” i drop
the bomb and watch as antonia
spit out the water she was drinking all
over my face.
[12/1, 10:58 PM] +234 706 712 6964: INTOXICATED ROMANCE.
Episode 9
Okay guys, some of you are
confused about the characters.
Toni is antonia, the heroine of the story.
Kacy is her fiance and Steven is the hero of this story. Narrator: angelica tap her feet nervously on
the ground. She look around the eatery where she told antonia to
meet her. No one seems to be
watching her. She pick the glass of water on
the table and the water splashes on her hand due to the tremor of
her hands. If she gets caught
talking to antonia, she’ll definitely be in
trouble. She look down at the phone in her hand. Its 11:31,
thirty minutes past the time
antonia was supposed to be here. What could
be keeping her?. Angelica
thought out loud. Ten minutes later, antonia is
still absent and angelica’s nerves are closer to snapping point. She
notice a man in black clothing observing her from across the
eatery and that’s when she knew
she had to leave. She bring her phone out
and type a message for antonia. Antonia, you have to be careful
and beware of your friend,
Cynthia. I cant say much now but you
should know that my husband
was hired to marry you so he could get your–‘
she doesn’t finish her message as she’s grabbed from behind and
dragged out of the desolate
eatery. She screams but There’s no one
around except the creepy waiter
who has already been paid off. Angelica’s
phone fall of her hand and her
half finish message gets saved as
draft. Toni: After contemplating for an hour
on if i should meet with kacy’s
wife, i decide to go. I board a taxi
which takes me to the secluded
eatery is told me to meet her. I am about
an hour late but i hope she’s still inside. The taxi drop me off in
front of the eatery and i am about
to go in when a state of nausea hits
me. I hurry to the nearest corner and puke my guts out. I thought
these vomiting was because i
have the flu but its been two weeks and it
hasn’t stop. Infact, it has gotten worse. I was supposed to get my
period last week but its still in nowhere land. The possibility of
me being pregnant is becoming
more of a reality. I need to buy some
pregnancy tests, just to put my
mind at ease. Ok, note to self; buy some
pregnancy test kits on your way
back home. I wipe my sweaty brow
and my mouth then turn around
when i hear a car. I see a pregnant woman
being carried into the car. The
pregnant woman seem to be sleeping. Isn’t
that the woman with kacy at the eatery the other day?. I start
walking towards them to know
what’s up but then another wave of nausea
hits me and i rush back to the
corner to vomit. I see the car drive away
in my peripheral vision. After wiping my mouth again, i decide
to check inside the eatery to make sure kacy’s wife is really gone.
The eatery is completely empty
when i walk in, except for a waiter. I
wonder why she was carried out
of here. Well i don’t want anything to
do with kacy anymore. Our
wedding is supposed to be two weeks
from now but i still haven’t told
my parents that he is a married man. I
just don’t know where to start. I turn to leave the eatery and i Clash
with the waiter. My bag falls off my shoulder and all its contents
scatter everywhere. The waiter doesn’t even apologize. He just
walks away. Jerk! I mutter under
my breathe. I bend down and pack
everything from the floor without looking at what i am packing. My
attention is just on the jerk of a waiter who just stare at me. This
place is starting to give me the chills so i pick up my bag and
hurry out. I don’t find a taxi
around here so i walk for a little distance
before i start seeing cars. I wonder why kacy’s wife
suggested that we meet here. I
haven’t even heard of this eatery before now. If
not for her good description, i probably wouldnt have been able
to find it. I quickly board a taxi. On my way home, i stop at a chemist
and purchase six different brands
of pregnancy tests just to make sure
there’s no mistake. As soon as i
get home, i lock my self in the toilet,
then pee on the sticks. During minute i wait, i pray silently that it
should be negative. I cannot be a single mother. I don’t even have
a job right now and my parent’s name would be dragged to the
mud. Nothing good can come out
of my being pregnant. Oh lord pls, don’t
let me be pregnant. I have gone through alot this month, i don’t
want more tribulation. Its been
more than a minute but i cant bring
myself to check. Ok be brave toni,
you are probably not pregnant. I steel
myself and check the tests. All six of them indicate that i am
pregnant. Oh no! I sit on the floor
and sob. After about an hour of crying on
the toilet floor, i walk numbly to my room. I have to think of a way
to resolve this. Having an abortion is not an option. The only option
is to marry the father. I just hope that ridiculous deal of his still
stands. During our one year of a sham marriage, i will make sure
he falls in love with me and our
baby. I won’t let him know about my
pregnancy yet. He probably won’t
believe me. I’ll tell him after we get
married and when i am sure that
he wants us. Yes, that what I’ll do. I
place my hand on my still flat tummy. “don’t worry sweedy, mommy
would make sure your daddy
accepts you” i search my bag for my phone
then take it out. My boss’ number
is probably in the hotel card. I
search in my bag for the card and
i find it,I also touch something like a
phone and when i bring it out, its not mine. Its broken. I must have
picked it up from the eatery’s floor. The phone doesn’t even
turn on. The owner must have
thrown it away. I take the phone to the
kitchen to dispose of it but my
brother takes it from me. He probably
wants to use it for his many experiments. My brother is kindof
crazy about stuffs like this. As soon as my brother leave the
kitchen, i dial Steven’s number. “hello” his deep voice says “will you marry me?” i ask and the
line goes silent.
[12/1, 11:01 PM] +234 706 712 6964: INTOXICATED ROMANCE.
Episode 8
Toni: “wh–at?!. You’re kidding right?.
Am i on candid camera?. Is this a prank?” i sputter out as soon as i
wipe the water that landed on my chin. There’s water on my boss’
face but i ignore the funny sight. I am still reeling from the fact that
my fiance is sitting just few feets from me with a pregnant
woman. I have been trying to
convince myself that there is a perfect
explanation for it. She may
possibly be his sister but i don’t remember
kacy, mentioning any sister. My
head is just about to explode with
these conflicting thoughts and
now my boss’ has dropped a bigger
bomb. I would have walked out
of this place but i don’t want kacy to see me.
Confronting him in public is too embarrassing. I look around for a
way of escape. “you don’t have to be too happy
about it. Just say yes so we can
start the preparation” my boss says
and i stop my searching and look straight at him. “are you serious? Like serious,
serious?” “i am dead serious. I have been
looking for a wife and now i
choose you” i cant help it and i laugh. A
full belly laugh. Who is this clown? “for your information, Mr–” “Steven” he says and i laugh “don’t you see the absurdity of
your words?. Are you sure you
are not drunk or something. I didn’t even
know your name and you expect
me to say yes?.” “isn’t this what you want?. Money
and fame?. I’ll give you al that. Just say yes”what is he saying? “let’s say i believe you. So why
me?. Why did you choose me?.
You don’t expect me to believe that
you magically fell in love with me within the few minutes it took us
to get here.” “ofcourse i am not in love with
you. This will be purely business.
We stay married for a year or two
then we divorce and i compensate
you with the sum of 10million
naira.”he says this grinning,
probably thinking that the money would
persuade me. Not in this life!. I see kacy leave with the pregnant
woman and i sigh in relief. Now, i
can leave this clown. I stand up from
my chair and smirk at him. “For your information, even if
you’re the last man on this earth,
I’ll just become a nun.” i say and i
hear him scoff as i walk out on
him. As soon as i open the eatery’s
door, cameras flash on my face. I raise my hand to shield my eyes.
What’s going on?. “someone just tipped us that our
most eligible bachelor is here with his fiance. Are you the one?” one
reporter shout at me. “how long have you guys been
dating?” another says “when is the wedding and
where?” “we just saw you guys having an
intimate breakfast. Give us
something. We have been looking for his
mystery woman.” i just stand
dumbfounded. The cameras keep flashing and i
think i am going blind with the
light. I want to move away from them
but it seems my legs are rooted to
the ground. My eyes p---k with tears
and i wonder what i am crying for. There’s just too much happening
to me right now. I’ve lost my virginity and my job in just few
weeks. The man i am going to be marrying few weeks from now
may have another woman. A
pregnant one for that matter. I didn’t cry after losing
my virginity and my job and it must be catching up with me now.
This is a nightmare. I am going to fall apart in front of the media. I
grab my head in frustration and scream. One of the reporters
shakes me and i feel myself falling
to the ground but i don’t fall. I feel
strong hands around me, holding
me up. I don’t open my eyes to see
who it is. I know its Steven. I wrap my legs around his hips and bury
my head in his neck. I can hear
the cameras flashing and the
reporters excited mumu but i
don’t let him go. His scent settles me. “take me out of here” i whisper
into his neck and he starts
moving, with me wrapped around him. “get away from her” i hear him
yell as he starts moving faster. I
hear him hail a cab. “you have to let go of me so we
can get into the cab” he whispers
to me. I hang unto him for a while
before i stand on my feet. My legs feel like jelly and he helps me into
the cab. About fifteen minutes later, i put myself together. “stop the cab” i say and the car
slows to a stop. I open the door
and wipe my eyes. “am sorry, antonia” Steven says
and holds my hand. “get your hands off me” i say and
remove my hand from his. “i hope this is the last time we
meet” i say as soon as i am out of the car. I close the door. I hear the
car roar away and my heart sinks which is ridiculous. He is nothing
but trouble. Just few encounters with him and i feel my heart
getting involved. Falling in love
with him wouldn’t end well. My parents
must be worried about me. Thank
God i retrieved my sim-card yesterday
after i got fired. I bring my phone out to call them and i notice a
message from an unknown
number. ‘stay away from kacy. he is my
husband. This is for your own
good.” oh no! bile rise in my throat and I
run into the bush and vomit
violently.
[12/1, 11:10 PM] +234 706 712 6964: INTOXICATED ROMANCE.
Episode 10
Toni: “are you still there?” i ask when
the line is silent for too long “umm yea, you took me by
surprise that’s all. Lets meet at the
address I’ll send you, to discuss the
details.” “okay” i say and the line goes
dead. Ok, this is it. My baby isn’t really the only reason why i am
agreeing to marrying Steven. I feel the chemistry between us and i
want to explore it. If my plans to capture his heart doesn’t go well,
the 10million I’ll get at the end will help me start a new life. I
might open my dream restaurant.
I close my eyes for a while and pray
for the best. “so what made you change your
mind?” Stevens asks. We are in a
small cozy restaurant at the end of my
street. The place is dimly lit and our table has two pink candles
casting a romantic feel to our
table. I wonder why he chose this
restaurant. Anyone looking at us
would think we are too lovers, hopelessly in
love with each other. They
wouldn’t be able to fathom the kind of
situation we are in right now. “marrying you would be an
adventure i cant miss” i say
nonchalantly and shrug my shoulders. “an adventure” he muses. I have
to be more convincing. I cant let
him think i have an ulterior motive. He
will surely doubt me if i come straight out and tell him i am
pregnant for him. He already
thinks i am a gold-digger. “10million naira is alot of money” i
say as a way of explanation. His face falls for a sec then he smiles. “then its a deal?. Marry me for a
year and walk away with
10million naira?” “i have some rules I’ll like to
enforce during our sham
marriage” i say and steven’s brow rise. “go on” “before our marriage, you buy a
house and i get the house after
our marriage” he raises his brows at
me then gesture for me to
continue. “during our one year of marriage,
there would be no sex between
us” i continue “i have no problem with that” “no infidelity” “i can do that” “if anything happens, say you find
out something you don’t like and
it breaks the marriage before the
completion of the year, i still get
my money” “what could that be?” “just promise” “okay i promise. I have my rules
too.” “i am listening” “k, we have to behave like we are
in love in public and in front of my family.”he says and i nod at him. I
can do that “and by pretend, i mean holding
hands, smiling at each other and kissing if necessary” okay, that
could work in my advantage. “what else?” i ask “we have to sleep in the same
bed” “but i said no se-“i say and he cuts
me off “its just for appearance. The maids
could leak somethings to the
press” “then we live alone. No maids” “even if there are no maids, we
could have a surprise visitor” “okay fine!” i say and pout at him
and he laughs “you were not against the idea of
sex with me when you sneaked
into my room last month” he mumurs but i
ignore him. “so, are you ready?” he asks as he
goes down on one knee then
bring out a ring from his pocket. Its
beautiful. “antonia, love of my life, do me
the honour and marry me. I
promise to love you till i die” he says. This
may be ake but my heart is
beating ten to the dozen. My hands are
even shaking in nervousness. “yes baby, I’ll marry you” i say
and stretch my left hand towards
him and he puts the ring on finger
then kisses it. This does ridiculous things to my heart. I don’t
remember feeling this way when
Kacy proposed. The lying cheat. His
stupid ring is lying at the bottom
of my wardrobe. I cant believe i fell
for him. I was so naive that i didn’t see any signs that he was
married. I push thoughts of kacy
out of my mind as Steven stands
upright and hold my waist. He
stares into my eyes with a strange
expression on his face. His head
starts moving towards me and i realise that he is
going to kiss me. His scent saturates my senses and my eyes
flutter close. As soon as his lips brush mine in a light caress, it
feels like electricity is passing from his lips to mine. I feel Steven
stiffen and his hand on my waist goes tighter like he felt the same.
His kiss intensifies but then he stops suddenly. I groan my
disappointment then open my
eyes when i hear flashes. The press are here
and they are taking pictures. He
must have alerted them. No wonder he
chose this restaurant with a
romantic setting. I had thought the kiss
was real. He was probably acting
for the camera. Steven pulls me to his
side and kiss my temple then whisper in my ears. “that was amazing” and i blush “i should have known that you
are a great actress. I think we
have them fooled”he says and my heart
sinks.I smile on the outside as our pictures get taken. An hour later, i am at home. I sit
on the sofa and ponder how i am going to break the news of kacy’s
betrayal and my new engagement
to my family.My brother is beside me
surfing through the tv. I see
kacy’s picture on a new channel and ask
him to stop. “he was found hanging from his
ceiling fan few hours after his pregnant wife was found dead.”
the reporter says. “Jesus!”i shout and my mom and
dad come out of their room to
inspect the noise. I hear my brother tell
them about the news. “i knew something was up with
that young man. Thank God you
haven’t married him.”my mom says to me
but i just think about kacy’s
wife.She was probably getting kidnapped
when i saw her. “what is the meaning of this?!”my
dad yells and point to the tv.I look at the tv and behold its me and
Steven with his hands around my
waist. The headline reads: most eligible
bachelor getting married. Oh no. “surprise” i say and grimace. “you are getting married?. To
your boss? How? when?” “i love him dad” i half-lie “when did you meet him that you
are already in love with him?! I
would not be a party to this. This was
how you rushed into courtship
with kacy and now see what it turned
into.” “dad, i am old enough to know
what i want. I am marrying Steven
and that’s final” “toni! Listen to your father!” “mom, i thought you like him” “i do, but this is too sudden” “i am marrying Steven next month
so dad, mom, you better accept it
or you’ll lose a daughter” i say and
walk to my room.
EPISODE 1
Steven Eight years ago “mom, wake up” i shake my
mother but she doesn’t move. I
look to her bedside table and see the glass of
wine and her pill bottle. My
mother is schizophrenic. Its a mental
illness and sometimes she doesn’t
know what she’s doing. I am just
nineteen years old but i have
been taking care of her for as long as i can
remember. I even opted to study
in a polytechnic close to our house in
pti just so i could watch her. You are probably asking where my
father is, but like you, i don’t
know. He has never been in the picture and
anytime i asked my mother she
goes emotional on me so i stopped
asking a long time ago. My mom
has been living on pills for years now to
suppress her imaginations and hallucinations which are caused
by her illness. Last night, i got stalled because of a tutorial class
and by the time i finished, it was already 9:28pm. There was a
government imposed curfew and
i wasn’t able to go home. I slept at a
friend’s in school. As soon as it
was safe enough to leave, i came
home. I knocked the door and when
there was no reply, i knew
something was wrong. I used my keys to open
the door and immediately went to
her room. I called an ambulance and
they are probably on their way
here by now. I try to wake her up but she
doesn’t open her eyes. I place my fingers under her nose and feel
faint breathes on my hand. I sag
in relief. The ambulance comes and
my mother is taken to the
hospital. After checking her, the doctor
assures me that she is fine, she
is just very drunk. I thank the doctor then
walk out of her room for some
fresh air. Her room smells of antiseptic
and everything else that
permeates a hospital air. Outside her room
isn’t any better but atleast it isn’t suffocating. Being in there, seeing
her like that, almost brings me to my knees in misery. I cant help
her so i feel so helpless. I don’t know what else to do. If my
useless father was here, maybe
she would be better. Anytime she, has one of
her ‘episodes’, she calls me Leonard. I think that’s my father’s
name. I raise my head up when i hear a door open and i see a girl
of about 16 or so. She’s crying
and screaming for the nurses holding
her back to save her brother. I
look on as she is directed to a chair at a
corner to wait. She sits on the chair then cover her face with her
hands as she cries more. I should ignore her and think about my
own predicament, but my feet
starts moving towards her. I sit on the
chair beside her but she doesn’t
even notice. “he will be fine” i say silently. She
looks up then throws her hands around me as she ramble about
everything being her fault. “i left him alone. I shouldnt have. I
just wanted to have some alone time. I didn’t know that he would
walk into the pool. I am the worst sister ever” she says “its not your fault. God is in
control, don’t worry, everything
would be fine” i say then rub her back.
She withdraws from me then look
up at my eyes and i smile at her. “thank you” she says, wiping her
tears “you are welcome sweets” she
smiles and my heart goes warm.
Her smile seems to light up the whole
emergency ward and wipe away
all my stress. Its like we are both in a
bubble with nothing but the both
of us. I continue to smile like an idiot
at her until my mom’s doctor comes out and tell me to follow
him to his office. I stand to leave and her face falls. I want to stay
but i cant. I look at her for a second then remove the bracelet
on my wrist and hand it to her. “take this. Its my lucky charm” i
expect her to laugh in my face but she takes it and put in on her right
wrist. She gives me a wane smile and i sigh as i turn to follow the
doctor. I turn back and wave her goodbye. She waves me back and
smile. I notice she’s crying
through her smile. There’s nothing i can do
to help so i continue walking with the doctor. “your mom’s schizophrenia is
getting worse Steven. We need to
confine her before she hurts someone or
even herself” he says as soon as i sit. “we don’t have that kind of
money sir” “you need to figure something
out. I don’t like her results” he
tells me. I nod my head and walk
dejected out of his office, towards
my mom’s room. When i get there,
she isn’t in her room. I rush out to
the nurse station and i am told that
she just walked out. What kind of nurses let their patient leave like
that?. They probably thought she was well as she looked healthy. I
run out of the hospital which is along the road and look around.
Suddenly, i hear someone shout. I
turn my head to see my mother in the
middle of the road and the girl i
just gave my bracelet too is trying to
drag her off the road. My mom is bulging though. They seen to be
struggling and a lorry is coming towards them. I run towards
them. My legs doesn’t seem to run
fast enough as everything happen in
slow motion. Only the lorry seem
to be coming in fast motion. My mom is
pushed off the road by the girl before the lorry sweeps her(the
strange girl) off the road. “no!” i scream for the girl. There is
blood everywhere.
[12/1, 5:35 PM] +234 706 712 6964: INTOXICATED ROMANCE
EPISODE 2
Toni: “surprise!” i gasp in surprise as
my eyes scan the room.They are
about 25 people. I recognise a few as
my colleagues. I work as a
manager in this hotel and one of my superior
had instructed me to bring some documents to the private suite. I
was already on my way home but according to her, the occupant of
the suite is important so they sent me. I just started working here last
week and i didn’t want to make a
bad impression so i dropped my bag
and took the documents. I was on
my way with the document when Cynthia,
my best friend and colleague
called me to meet her in one of the private
rooms underground. The hotel
runs a night club downstairs and i have
never been there due to my background. My father is a pastor
while my mother is just as
devoted as he is and they brought me up
in a conservative way. No
trousers, no short skirts, no secular music and
the rest. I stand at the doorway and stare in confusion until
Cynthia walks toward me. “thank God you made it. I thought
you would stand me up because
of your over the top spirituality.
Anyways happy birthday!” Happy birthday?. Oh my God, Its April,
ofcourse it my birthday. “I totally forgot. It must have
slipped my mind. With the stress
of a new job coupled with my
planning for my wedding next
month.” I say and cynthia’s face falls at the mention
of my wedding plans. Kacy my fiance, is a close friend of hers
when she was in the states
studying and when they came back to
Nigeria, kacy courted me. We
were in courtship for two years before
I agreed. I am about to ask her
why she suddenly looks down but she
quickly diverts my attention by
dragging me to a table. They sing me a
birthday song and i blow out the
candles in a hurry as i still haven’t taken
the documents upstairs and it’s getting late. After blowing the
candles, i thank everyone then
turn to leave. “you should atleast have one
drink with us before you go”
Cynthia says and everybody murmur their
agreement. “come on cyn, you know i don’t
drink” she rolls her eyes at me
then pour some orange juice in an
empty glass for me then stretch it towards me with a smile. I collect
the glass. I am about to drink it all in one gulp but she stops me. “what now?” i grumble “a toast, to many more years and
a happy married life to our celebrant” she raises her glass
and i clink mine with hers.
Everybody in the room does the same and i
notice that i am the only one
drinking the orange juice. They are all
having champagne. As soon as i
down the whole glass of juice, i rush out,
before Cynthia comes up with something else. Cynthia is a party
girl but i am the total opposite. people who know us always
wonder how we became friends
but ever since she helped me when i fell off a
see-saw in kindergarten and hurt
my knee, we have been close. The
only time we were apart since
then was when i had an accident eight
years ago and when she studied
in the US. I notice she changed alot after she
came back, but she’s still my friend. I rush to the first floor and
wait for the elevator to take me upstairs so i can deliver the
documents. My mom would
already be worried by now. As soon as the
elevator opens, i rush in and a
wave of dizziness assail me. I stand
upright and shake my head to
clear my foggy brain. What is wrong with
me? Why am i dizzy all of a
sudden? I must be tired. The stress of my
wedding plans is probably getting
to me. The elevator opens at the top
floor and i get out slowly so i won’t lose my balance. I hear my
phone ring in my hand and i look
at the screen. It’s blurry but i can
make out kacy’s face on it. I go to answer the call but my hands are
not steady and my phone falls to
the hard floor and shatters
everywhere. Stupid phone. I bend
and pick all the parts i can find but i don’t see
my sim-card. I stand up, barely able to stop myself from falling
face down to the floor. I take in steadying breathe then walk to
the door of the suite and knock.
My body feels so hot. My stomach
keeps fluttering. I don’t
understand what’s happening to me. I fan my
self with my hands and wait until
the door opens. A goodlooking
young man is standing by the
door looking at me with glazed eyes. My body
heat increases and i start taking
my blazer off, then start undoing my
shirt buttons. The man’s eyes
bulge as he sees what i am doing. He
goes to say something but i shut
him with my mouth. He hesitates but
just for a sec. He grabs my waist, then raises me up as i wrap my
legs around his waist and he
takes me to his bed. A little voice at the back
of my mind reminds me of who i am but i cant stop. Kacy’s face
flashes through my mind but i
cant stop. I cant stop! Is that my hand
undoing his button? No! What am
i doing.My brain says stop but my
body doesn’t follow the
instruction. I wake up the next morning with
an headache.I look around and
see my clothes scattered on the
ground.How did i get here?. A
hand lands on my stomach and that’s when i
remember last night. I silently get
off the bed, put on my scattered
clothes and sneak out
[12/1, 5:40 PM] +234 706 712 6964: INTOXICATED ROMANCE.
Episode 3
Steven: “No!” i scream and sit up on the
bed with a start. My head spins at the sudden movement and i
clutch it. It feels like a metal band
is having a concert in my skull. What
a hangover!. ‘I am never drinking again’, i tell myself. I get off the
bed and realise that i am naked. Strange. I look around the room
and see my clothes scattered on
the floor. Okay, that’s certainly weird.
I am almost obsessive about orderliness. It wasn’t really my
best idea to drown in so whisky
after taking my pills. I had been so
angry and sad yesterday, i
couldn’t sleep. The sleeping pills i usually
took didn’t do the job so i added whiskey to the mix. I stagger to
the fridge and pour myself some
cold water. I turn to get some pain
relievers from the cabinet but stop myself. I have enough chemical in
my body for now. I drink the
glass of water then drink another and
another but my mouth still feels
like a gutter. My headache seems to be
getting worse. I think the only solution for this hangover is to
shoot my brain out of my head. I
sway as i walk back to the bedroom
and realise that i am still drunk. I need to sleep this off. I crawl into
bed and that’s when i notice the red stain on my sheets. I look
more intently to inspect it and
realise that its blood. My heartbeat shoots
up in panic. I check myself for injuries but there’s none. Then
whose blood is this?. I think
deeply on the happenings of yesterday. I remember being called up by my
dad to his office. He had sounded angry on the phone so i dressed
up and hurried to his office. He
was livid about the land deal i wasn’t
able to close. I had lied to him that i already landed the deal so
how did he find out?. Only one person could have told him. My
brother. My step brother to be
precise. Ever since my dad brought me
into his house, there has been a
form of rivalry between us.We both
wanted our father’s approval. My
father has always loved the rivalry between
us. He fueled it actually.My father is a hotelier and we have multiple
hotels within and outside the country. La casa is the latest hotel
of our company. My brother
wanted to be in charge of that project but
my father had given it to me. James(my step brother) has been
trying to bring me down since
then. I have been able to buy all the land
we needed around the site for the project except one. A particular
man wouldn’t sell. I have even offered him more money to no
avail. I was trying to placate him
on the phone when James heard about
it. He must be the snitch that told father. “i thought after taking you from
your mother and brushing you
up, you’ll be more useful but i can see
that you are as useless as your crazy mother” my father had said
to me. That alone had set me off
and as soon as i convinced my father
to give me till the end of the
month, i drove to James’ house. His gate
man had let me in and i barged
into his house to receive a big
shock.There my brother was,
sitting majestically on his sofa with a
bottle of Goldberg in one hand
and my fiance’s boobs in the other. Jane
was sitting on his lap, naked from waist up while straddling him and
her eyes were closed so she didn’t see me at first. James saw me
though, and he gave me a wide
grin. The anger of the day flashed through
me and i rushed to him and
decked his face. Jane’s eyes widened as she
saw me and she tried to pull her
top up to cover herself. My brother
just smirked at me and sat back probably to watch a lover’s
quarrel but i didn’t give him the satisfaction. I just walked out on
the both of them. I remember
Jane following me while begging for
forgiveness. I didn’t give her a passing glance though. I just
drove like a crazy man to the suite
i currently live in at one of the hotel
branches i manage. I remember coming home and tossing and
turning until i took my sleeping
pills coupled with alcohol. I remember
hearing a knock at my door and
going to inspect it. There was a lady at
the door. I don’t remember her face. Its all blurry in my memory.
Who was the lady?. It must have been Jane coming to beg me. Did
something happen between us
last night?. If something did happen, it
still doesn’t explain the blood on my sheets. Did she hurt herself?.
Maybe she was in her period. I
rub my head in frustration. Thinking
isn’t helping my hangover
situation. I have to sleep this off. Maybe
everything will come to me when i
wake up. Plus, i still have to think of a
way to cajole that pastor to sell me his land. The fact that he is a
pastor is probably the reason why money couldn’t convince him. I
have to look for that pastor’s
Achilles heel. I remember my father’s
words about my mother and i
clench my fist painfully. I just have three
weeks to figure something out or risk losing to my brother. After
what he has done, i just cant lose.
I have to win this one no matter
what. I lie on my bed and close
my eyes as sleep claims me.
[12/1, 5:51 PM] +234 706 712 6964: INTOXICATED ROMANCE.
Episode 4
Toni: its been more than a week since
the incident and I still cant think about anything else. Only one
night’s event has ruined me. My family,my career and my
impending marriage. How would i
explain to kacy about how i lost my virginity.
I have been avoiding him and i haven’t retrieved my lost sim-card.
That morning, i had sneaked into the house without my parent’s
notice and gone to work early the
next day. When i got back, i only met
my younger brother at home. Thankfully, my parents have gone
on a two weeks prayer
programme in owerri. They would be arriving
tomorrow but i still haven’t found
a good cover story though. My
parents won’t be able to handle
the truth of my circumstance. My mom
would probably have a heart
attack. I didn’t see Cynthia for two days
and when i asked about her from
other colleagues, i was told that she was
ill. I went to visit her yesterday and i found out that she was
drugged, just like me. Who could
have done this to us?. Was it just a
prank?.I sigh and rest my head on
the glass door of the hotel’s pool
house. I notice someone in the
pool. Its too early in the morning for
someone to be swimming and the
pool is supposed to be locked by this
time. I press my head to the glass and peer inside. I remain like this
and admire the gait and agility of the swimmer. He really is good. My
mind takes me to the time i loved swimming. Well, not anymore.
Ever since my brother almost
drowned, i have been scared of swimming.
The swimmer starts coming out of
the pool and my eyes trace his body
from his feet upwards to his
muscled legs and thigh. He must work out,
i think out loud. My eyes continue their journey and i realise that he
is just wearing a tiny swim short. I stare, as if hypnotized and lick
my dry lips. I continue my perusal of his body till my eyes reach his
face. I jerk backwards in shock
and my heels slide on the tiled floor
thereby causing me to lose my balance. I yelp loudly which
draws his attention to me.I crouch
on the floor and crawl away quickly. No
no no! Its him! The guy i molested/raped. He didn’t seem to
protest that night though. It isn’t rape when there is no protest
right?. By the way, What kind of
guy would just sleep with a woman he
doesn’t know? If he had turned
me away, maybe i wouldn’t be in the
hot mess that i am right now. This
is also his fault. I hope he doesn’t
recognise me. This is all so embarrassing. I thought he would
have lodged out of the hotel by
now. I haven’t seen him since that
morning when i sneaked out of
his bed. “antonia, you have a visitor
waiting for you at the reception
hall” mercy says and this snaps me out
of my thoughts. I thank her and
move downstairs to meet my visitor. I
have no idea who it could be. As
soon as i get there i see kacy. His back is
to me and i admire his lovely backside unconsciously. I never
want to hurt him but right now its inevitable. He has been very good
and patient with me. I cant
imagine my future without him in it. I cant
lie to him, that would be the ultimate betrayal. But how do i tell
him?. “toni” he says my name and i cant
hold back my tears. I burst out in tears and kacy rushes to me. “oh my God toni, what’s wrong?. I
have been trying to contact you
for more than a week now. I was so
worried. Please tell me you are
okay?” his concern for me fuels my tears.
He stands there awkwardly, while
i cry like a child in the middle of the
reception hall as people watch us. “what are you doing to the
lady?”a voice booms from behind
me and suddenly, i see a guy seizing kacy
by his collar. Kacy starts to protest but he isn’t given any
chance as the guy’s fist connects
with his stunning face. “no!” i scream and run to kacy
who is now on the floor. “are you okay?” i ask him as i
bend to help him up. He shrugs
me off and shoots me an angry look. “ofcourse, i am not okay. Didn’t
you see this lunatic punch me in
the face?. I think the mother f----r
broke my nose” he grumbles and
hold his nose. “that should teach you to never
make a lady cry again” the guy
says. “what is your probl–” i turn to
shout at him but my words hang
as i see who it is. I turn away
immediately. Why do i keep
seeing him today?. Its the guy at the pool. He
is clothed now though. “my problem? I was just trying to
help you” he says. I cant see his face, but i know he looks puzzled. “umm..you shouldnt have done
that, i didn’t need your um help”i stammer still not looking at him. “you didn’t?” i shake my head “but i thought-“he walks to my
front and i turn the other way. “could you atleast look at me
while you talk to me?”he says and
moves in from of me again and i turn the
other way. I see kacy stand up
from the ground as he watches us.The
guy keeps trying to look at my
face and i keep turning the other way. “umm sorry for the disturbance
and thanks for trying to help but
um, i have to um, leave now”i stammer
again and try to flee but he holds
my shoulder and turns me to face
him. Our eyes meet and i see the recognition and shock in his eyes
before i flee.
[12/1, 5:52 PM] +234 706 712 6964: INTOXICATED ROMANCE.
Episode 5
Steven: i cant believe this! The lady i have
been looking for is actually here. And by the looks of her
clothes, she works here. My
hangover lasted for two days and after then,
my memories of that night came
to me. I remember everything and i
have been searching for this lady
ever since. I need to confirm and now
that i have the opportunity, i
won’t let her run away from me. I don’t
trust her. What was her reason for coming to my room and seducing
me when i was drunk?. She’s
probably a gold digger who thinks sleeping
with the boss would help her up
the social ladder. I just hope that she
doesn’t claim to be pregnant because i have no plans of ever
getting married after what Jane
did to me. I really loved her(Jane) and
she betrayed me with my brother.
All women are the same. I jog behind
her and catch up with her when
she meets a dead end. “nowhere to go now” i say and
stalk towards her. I reach where
she is and tower above her. She looks
so small before me. We stare at
each other for a while and i feel the
chemistry buzzing around us. An invisible magnet seems to be
pulling me towards her and i find
myself leaning in to kiss her. Her eyes
flutter close. I am so close to kissing her but i stop myself and
divert my lips to her ears. I won’t let this gold digger affect me. I am
not falling for another ‘Jane’. Jane also worked here before i
proposed to her. She was so nice
to me when i first got here and i loved
the innocence she portrayed. I
never knew it was all a ploy to get to me.
Thank God i found out her true colours before i married her. “you are not getting a kobo from
me” i say and she open her eyes
confused “what?” she asks me “sleeping with me wouldn’t get
you a promotion” “i don’t know what you are
talking about” she says and i
laugh bitterly. “drop the innocent act. It won’t
work on me.” i look at her from
head to toe and observe the long
length of her pencil skirt. “these church girl clothes don’t
fool me. You are a s--t!” i say and she slaps me. Hard!. Stunned, i
look directly into her eyes and i notice that they are shining with
unshed tears. “oh, there’s no need to cry, it
won’t work on me also. It just
makes you look like a pathetic gold-
digger” as soon as i say this, i see
her hands go up to slap me and i hold
her hand before it connects with
my face. She struggles to get free but i
hold her firmer. Her tears starts to fall and my heart sinks.
What is wrong with me?. Her tears are probably fake so why am i
affected? “who do you think you are, to
insult me like this?” she asks me “oh,i am your boss but you
already know that right?. That’s
why you sneaked into my room and
seduced me” i notice her eyes
bulge when i say that i am her boss. “my boss!. Oh no!” she tries to
free herself again and i let her go
this time. “stop the pretence. I don’t want to
ever see you again. As soon as
you are done here, pack all your
belongings and leave my hotel” “It would be my pleasure.
Working for a jerk like you is so
appalling. And for your information, i didn’t
know who you were that day and
i was drunk so stop calling me a
gold-digger because, i don’t need anything from you” she says this
and walk pass me with her head
held high. Could what she said be
true?. Was she really drunk?. Did i
go too far? Well whatever, i don’t
care. Atleast now, i have gotten
rid of her. Through-out the whole day, my
mind drift to antonia. I asked
about her from one of the staffs and got
to know that her name is antonia and that she just started working
here. Was she saying the truth
about not knowing who i am?. No, it
cant be. Everybody knows the
akhigbes. We own almost all the hotels in
this town and our names were
always on the business part of the papers
and news. I was even given most eligible bachelor in the state last
month. I take my mind of antonia and concentrate on the
documents in front of me. I
contacted the pastor yesterday and he agreed
to meet with me tomorrow. I hope
he accepts my deal. I have only a
week and some days left and my
father just upped the stakes. Who ever
can get him that land would be inheriting his legacy. I bring my
best suit out of my closet and iron it to perfection. I am dressing to
win tomorrow. Narrator Cynthia pace round her house in
anticipation. She keeps looking at
her phone like she’s expecting a call.
Her phone rings and she pick it up immediately. “you couldn’t even do that simple
task right” the caller says without any form of greeting. “I’m sorry, after she drank the o.j.
We lost her. We couldn’t find her.” “you know i needed that plan to
work, so i could have something
to blackmail her with. So, is your
cover blown?” “no, she’s so stupid. It wasn’t
difficult to deceive her” “good. Stay close to her” “alright, i will. Oh, how i miss you
baby. When are we going to stop hiding our relationship?” “i already told you, we need to
finish this plan, then we will get married in any country of your
choice” “oh i cant wait!. Ok, goodbye and i
love y–” she says and the line
goes dead.
[12/1, 10:53 PM] +234 706 712 6964: INTOXICATED ROMANCE.
Episode 6
Toni: i cant believe this. Now, i am
jobless. That’s yet another thing i have to explain to my parents
when they come back about an
hour from now. What do i tell them. Hey dad,
i raped my jerk of a boss and it got me fired. No way!. What do i
do?. I pace up and down our
sitting room which isn’t exactly big. “come on sis, your pacing is
giving me an headache. What’s
wrong” “what?. Nothing.” i squeak “toni, i always know when
something is wrong with you so
stop pretending and tell me” “its nothing” “you sure?” “um yea” “okay whatever” my kid brother
says and plug in his earphones
probably to make the fact that he is
ignoring me, obvious. I sigh then
continue my pacing. I am always truthful,
so coming up with a good cover
story is so hard for me. I jump in
nervousness as i hear a knock at
our door. They are early. I look to my
brother but he pretty much
ignores me. I have to go out and let them
in. I clean my sweaty palms on my long flowing skirt and walk to the
door. “welcome home d–” my eyes
widen to unbelievable proportion
once i see who’s at my door. He also looks
stun. I come out of the house and
lock the door. “are you following me?!” he asks
and i laugh. “why would i follow you to my
own house?. It seems to me that i
am the one being followed” “your house?. Isn’t this pastor
Solomon’s house?” “how do you know my dad?” “your dad?!” his eyes goes so
wide and i fear that it may pop out
of their sockets. “antonia” i hear my mom’s voice
and i jump in fright. As i jump, i clash into my boss and he holds
my hips from behind to steady
me. I freeze and look to my dad who’s
watching the both of us. His
hands start to caress my hip and i sag
against me. He feels comfortable which is weird as i barely know
him. I have never felt this kind of connection with kacy. I look
behind me and my eyes lock with
his for a moment. “what is the meaning of this?!” my
father bellows and snaps me out
of my daze. I step away from my
boss. “um, dad” i say and nothing else
comes out “who is this young man and why
does he have his hands all over
my daughter?” “he is no one” i say but my boss
steps in front of me “i am her boss” he says and
stretches his hand to my dad for
an handshake. My dad just looks at
his outstretched hand dubiously.
My mother takes the hand though. “wow. You are really young to be
a boss already. That’s how young
men should be.” my mom turns to
me.”Antonia why didn’t you take
him into the house? Where are your
manners?. Come in my son. I am
sure antonia has something prepared” i watch
with my mouth open as my mom
hook her hands in his arm and they walk
majestically towards the house. I
look towards my dad and he just
shrugs and walks behind them.
Am i the only one who finds this situation
awkward?. When they get to the
door, my boss unhooks his hand and open
the door for my mom while
grinning at her. “your majesty” he says and
spreads his hand towards the
door. I see my mom blush as she walks pass and
pat him on the shoulder. The door
is still held open as my dad walks
through. The jerk has my parents fooled. They must think he is a
perfect gentleman. I expect him to lock the door on my face but he
holds the door till i enter before
he closes it. I feel him beside me but i
don’t pay him any attention. “we have to talk” “about what?. Didn’t you say you
didn’t want to see me again?” “am sorry about yesterday. I
realise that i was too harsh. Could
you just please hear me out?” “i don’t want to” i say and walk
away from him. The next half hour is just plain
weird. My mom fuss around him
during break-fast. It’s fun to watch him
interact with my 16 years old brother though. They talk sports
and game. My brother is just so impressed by him. I can tell by the
way he hangs unto every word
that comes out of my boss’ mouth. He
even makes my dad laugh when
he talks about his 11 months old little
niece who during a sermon,
shouted the pastor’s name. I ignore him
throughout the meal and
concentrated on my foot which i was just picking at.
The sight of him interacting comfortably with my family was
not good for my appetite. If only
they knew who he was and what the
both of them had done. After
everybody was done with their food, i stand
up and start clearing the table. “that was delicious” he says as i
pack his plate. I don’t answer him but my mom does. “antonia is a very good cook. She
is always experimenting in the kitchen. She’ll make a great wife
don’t you think?” she says to him and i know what she’s trying to
do already. “yes, she will” he affirms “too bad, her talents would go to
waste on that no-good fiance of
hers” “mother!” i scream “i told you, i don’t like him” “well i am an adult and i can make
decisions on my own” “do you even know what he does
for a living?” “he said he’s an importer” “of what exactly?. I don’t trust
him. He always has this calculating look in his eyes”i go to say
something but my boss clears his
throat and i remember that he’s still here.
My dad and brother just look everywhere except at us
[12/1, 10:55 PM] +234 706 712 6964: INTOXICATED ROMANCE.
Episode 7
Steven: okay, this is totally weird. I cant
believe this cute little gold digger is actually pastor
solomon’s daughter. Well, it has
always been said that the pastor’s children are
usually the worst. Her family is so nice. Having breakfast together
and chatting amicably is not something that happens in my
family. We hardly eat together and
when we do, its a business dinner or
something. I interact with them
and i cant help but feel welcome, which
is the complete opposite of what i feel when i am with my family.
Ever since i was given to my father after the accident eight years ago
when my mother was locked up
in a psychiatric hospital, i have never
felt at home, anywhere. I have never felt loved by My father who
is a tough man who doesn’t show affection. His wife hates me,
probably because i am the
product of her husband’s first marriage and so
does her son, James. I am on
speaking terms with her two daughters but
they are both married now so that sums up my family. Sitting here
with Antonia’s mother fussing
around me almost brings tears to my eyes.
I miss having a mother. I wonder what hospital, my dad is hiding
my mother. No matter the fondness i feel for
antonia’s family, i still need their land. That land automatically
makes me lord over my dad’s empire, giving me the power to
free my mother and i have gotten
the perfect plan to get it. From the
conversation i am hearing,
antonia’s mother doesn’t like her fiance.
He’s probably the guy i punched yesterday. I cant believe he
walked away even when he saw
his fiance running away and another
pursuing her. Well, this gives me
the opportunity to engage my plan.
Thankfully, pastor Solomon has
never seen me. He has never agreed to
meet with me and now, it will play
to my advantage. Antonia and her
mother’s argument gets heated
and i clear my throat to interrupt them. “excuse me ma’am but i have a
meeting in an hour and i have to
talk to antonia before i leave. Do you
mind if we go out to the eatery
across the street to talk?” i ask “yes!” “no” antonia and her mother
answer at the same time. “you can take her, my son” Mrs
Solomon says then give her
daughter a hard look. “stop being rude to your boss
and hear him out. Its about work
right?” her dad says “ofcourse dad. What else could it
be about?”antonia asks
defensively. Her reactions is going to make
them suspect something is up. I
am sure they don’t know about their
daughter’s immorality. “i just need her to say yes to an
important request of mine” i say “oh, she’ll say yes” Mrs Solomon
puts in and i laugh. Antonia just narrow her eyes at me. “let’s go?” i say and stretch my
hand toward her for her to take
but she just drop the plates she was
carrying and walk ahead of me. “make sure you say yes darling!”
her mother calls from behind us. I smirk to myself. She may be
joking but what she doesn’t
know is that her joke isn’t far from the truth. Antonia and i walk in silence until
we reach the eatery where we sit at a table at the back. I watch
antonia for a while thinking of a
way to go about this. I hear the
eatery’s door open and close,
then i notice antonia’s eyes go wide. I
turn towards the door and see a
guy and a very pregnant lady walk to
a table. The guy is very attentive to the lady as he helps her sit and
kiss her cheeks lovingly. Why is antonia so fixated on them, i
wonder. The guy walks around to
the chair opposite his pregnant wife
or girlfriend and now that he is sitting, i see his face fully. This is
the same guy that was with antonia yesterday. Oh no. If he is
her fiance then this is bad. The guy and his pregnant companion
doesn’t notice us due to where
we are seated. I turn to look back at
antonia and notice her eyes are
shiny with unshed tears. As soon as she
sees me looking at her, she sniff back her tears and smile at me but
i am not fooled because antonia wouldn’t normally smile at me.
She is just trying to mask her pain from me. I go to say something, i
don’t even know what but i stop
when the waiter brings us two glasses
of water and the menu. Antonia
thank the waiter and pick her glass of
water. “What do you want from me?” she
asks as she tip the glass to her mouth. Well, if she doesn’t want to
beat around the bush, i wouldn’t either. I look straight into her
beautiful eyes. Okay, stop. Where
did that come from?. I just need her
for her land and she probably
needs me for money so no more
thinking of how beautiful her
eyes are. I shake my head to clear my
jumbled thought. “i want you to marry me” i drop
the bomb and watch as antonia
spit out the water she was drinking all
over my face.
[12/1, 10:58 PM] +234 706 712 6964: INTOXICATED ROMANCE.
Episode 9
Okay guys, some of you are
confused about the characters.
Toni is antonia, the heroine of the story.
Kacy is her fiance and Steven is the hero of this story. Narrator: angelica tap her feet nervously on
the ground. She look around the eatery where she told antonia to
meet her. No one seems to be
watching her. She pick the glass of water on
the table and the water splashes on her hand due to the tremor of
her hands. If she gets caught
talking to antonia, she’ll definitely be in
trouble. She look down at the phone in her hand. Its 11:31,
thirty minutes past the time
antonia was supposed to be here. What could
be keeping her?. Angelica
thought out loud. Ten minutes later, antonia is
still absent and angelica’s nerves are closer to snapping point. She
notice a man in black clothing observing her from across the
eatery and that’s when she knew
she had to leave. She bring her phone out
and type a message for antonia. Antonia, you have to be careful
and beware of your friend,
Cynthia. I cant say much now but you
should know that my husband
was hired to marry you so he could get your–‘
she doesn’t finish her message as she’s grabbed from behind and
dragged out of the desolate
eatery. She screams but There’s no one
around except the creepy waiter
who has already been paid off. Angelica’s
phone fall of her hand and her
half finish message gets saved as
draft. Toni: After contemplating for an hour
on if i should meet with kacy’s
wife, i decide to go. I board a taxi
which takes me to the secluded
eatery is told me to meet her. I am about
an hour late but i hope she’s still inside. The taxi drop me off in
front of the eatery and i am about
to go in when a state of nausea hits
me. I hurry to the nearest corner and puke my guts out. I thought
these vomiting was because i
have the flu but its been two weeks and it
hasn’t stop. Infact, it has gotten worse. I was supposed to get my
period last week but its still in nowhere land. The possibility of
me being pregnant is becoming
more of a reality. I need to buy some
pregnancy tests, just to put my
mind at ease. Ok, note to self; buy some
pregnancy test kits on your way
back home. I wipe my sweaty brow
and my mouth then turn around
when i hear a car. I see a pregnant woman
being carried into the car. The
pregnant woman seem to be sleeping. Isn’t
that the woman with kacy at the eatery the other day?. I start
walking towards them to know
what’s up but then another wave of nausea
hits me and i rush back to the
corner to vomit. I see the car drive away
in my peripheral vision. After wiping my mouth again, i decide
to check inside the eatery to make sure kacy’s wife is really gone.
The eatery is completely empty
when i walk in, except for a waiter. I
wonder why she was carried out
of here. Well i don’t want anything to
do with kacy anymore. Our
wedding is supposed to be two weeks
from now but i still haven’t told
my parents that he is a married man. I
just don’t know where to start. I turn to leave the eatery and i Clash
with the waiter. My bag falls off my shoulder and all its contents
scatter everywhere. The waiter doesn’t even apologize. He just
walks away. Jerk! I mutter under
my breathe. I bend down and pack
everything from the floor without looking at what i am packing. My
attention is just on the jerk of a waiter who just stare at me. This
place is starting to give me the chills so i pick up my bag and
hurry out. I don’t find a taxi
around here so i walk for a little distance
before i start seeing cars. I wonder why kacy’s wife
suggested that we meet here. I
haven’t even heard of this eatery before now. If
not for her good description, i probably wouldnt have been able
to find it. I quickly board a taxi. On my way home, i stop at a chemist
and purchase six different brands
of pregnancy tests just to make sure
there’s no mistake. As soon as i
get home, i lock my self in the toilet,
then pee on the sticks. During minute i wait, i pray silently that it
should be negative. I cannot be a single mother. I don’t even have
a job right now and my parent’s name would be dragged to the
mud. Nothing good can come out
of my being pregnant. Oh lord pls, don’t
let me be pregnant. I have gone through alot this month, i don’t
want more tribulation. Its been
more than a minute but i cant bring
myself to check. Ok be brave toni,
you are probably not pregnant. I steel
myself and check the tests. All six of them indicate that i am
pregnant. Oh no! I sit on the floor
and sob. After about an hour of crying on
the toilet floor, i walk numbly to my room. I have to think of a way
to resolve this. Having an abortion is not an option. The only option
is to marry the father. I just hope that ridiculous deal of his still
stands. During our one year of a sham marriage, i will make sure
he falls in love with me and our
baby. I won’t let him know about my
pregnancy yet. He probably won’t
believe me. I’ll tell him after we get
married and when i am sure that
he wants us. Yes, that what I’ll do. I
place my hand on my still flat tummy. “don’t worry sweedy, mommy
would make sure your daddy
accepts you” i search my bag for my phone
then take it out. My boss’ number
is probably in the hotel card. I
search in my bag for the card and
i find it,I also touch something like a
phone and when i bring it out, its not mine. Its broken. I must have
picked it up from the eatery’s floor. The phone doesn’t even
turn on. The owner must have
thrown it away. I take the phone to the
kitchen to dispose of it but my
brother takes it from me. He probably
wants to use it for his many experiments. My brother is kindof
crazy about stuffs like this. As soon as my brother leave the
kitchen, i dial Steven’s number. “hello” his deep voice says “will you marry me?” i ask and the
line goes silent.
[12/1, 11:01 PM] +234 706 712 6964: INTOXICATED ROMANCE.
Episode 8
Toni: “wh–at?!. You’re kidding right?.
Am i on candid camera?. Is this a prank?” i sputter out as soon as i
wipe the water that landed on my chin. There’s water on my boss’
face but i ignore the funny sight. I am still reeling from the fact that
my fiance is sitting just few feets from me with a pregnant
woman. I have been trying to
convince myself that there is a perfect
explanation for it. She may
possibly be his sister but i don’t remember
kacy, mentioning any sister. My
head is just about to explode with
these conflicting thoughts and
now my boss’ has dropped a bigger
bomb. I would have walked out
of this place but i don’t want kacy to see me.
Confronting him in public is too embarrassing. I look around for a
way of escape. “you don’t have to be too happy
about it. Just say yes so we can
start the preparation” my boss says
and i stop my searching and look straight at him. “are you serious? Like serious,
serious?” “i am dead serious. I have been
looking for a wife and now i
choose you” i cant help it and i laugh. A
full belly laugh. Who is this clown? “for your information, Mr–” “Steven” he says and i laugh “don’t you see the absurdity of
your words?. Are you sure you
are not drunk or something. I didn’t even
know your name and you expect
me to say yes?.” “isn’t this what you want?. Money
and fame?. I’ll give you al that. Just say yes”what is he saying? “let’s say i believe you. So why
me?. Why did you choose me?.
You don’t expect me to believe that
you magically fell in love with me within the few minutes it took us
to get here.” “ofcourse i am not in love with
you. This will be purely business.
We stay married for a year or two
then we divorce and i compensate
you with the sum of 10million
naira.”he says this grinning,
probably thinking that the money would
persuade me. Not in this life!. I see kacy leave with the pregnant
woman and i sigh in relief. Now, i
can leave this clown. I stand up from
my chair and smirk at him. “For your information, even if
you’re the last man on this earth,
I’ll just become a nun.” i say and i
hear him scoff as i walk out on
him. As soon as i open the eatery’s
door, cameras flash on my face. I raise my hand to shield my eyes.
What’s going on?. “someone just tipped us that our
most eligible bachelor is here with his fiance. Are you the one?” one
reporter shout at me. “how long have you guys been
dating?” another says “when is the wedding and
where?” “we just saw you guys having an
intimate breakfast. Give us
something. We have been looking for his
mystery woman.” i just stand
dumbfounded. The cameras keep flashing and i
think i am going blind with the
light. I want to move away from them
but it seems my legs are rooted to
the ground. My eyes p---k with tears
and i wonder what i am crying for. There’s just too much happening
to me right now. I’ve lost my virginity and my job in just few
weeks. The man i am going to be marrying few weeks from now
may have another woman. A
pregnant one for that matter. I didn’t cry after losing
my virginity and my job and it must be catching up with me now.
This is a nightmare. I am going to fall apart in front of the media. I
grab my head in frustration and scream. One of the reporters
shakes me and i feel myself falling
to the ground but i don’t fall. I feel
strong hands around me, holding
me up. I don’t open my eyes to see
who it is. I know its Steven. I wrap my legs around his hips and bury
my head in his neck. I can hear
the cameras flashing and the
reporters excited mumu but i
don’t let him go. His scent settles me. “take me out of here” i whisper
into his neck and he starts
moving, with me wrapped around him. “get away from her” i hear him
yell as he starts moving faster. I
hear him hail a cab. “you have to let go of me so we
can get into the cab” he whispers
to me. I hang unto him for a while
before i stand on my feet. My legs feel like jelly and he helps me into
the cab. About fifteen minutes later, i put myself together. “stop the cab” i say and the car
slows to a stop. I open the door
and wipe my eyes. “am sorry, antonia” Steven says
and holds my hand. “get your hands off me” i say and
remove my hand from his. “i hope this is the last time we
meet” i say as soon as i am out of the car. I close the door. I hear the
car roar away and my heart sinks which is ridiculous. He is nothing
but trouble. Just few encounters with him and i feel my heart
getting involved. Falling in love
with him wouldn’t end well. My parents
must be worried about me. Thank
God i retrieved my sim-card yesterday
after i got fired. I bring my phone out to call them and i notice a
message from an unknown
number. ‘stay away from kacy. he is my
husband. This is for your own
good.” oh no! bile rise in my throat and I
run into the bush and vomit
violently.
[12/1, 11:10 PM] +234 706 712 6964: INTOXICATED ROMANCE.
Episode 10
Toni: “are you still there?” i ask when
the line is silent for too long “umm yea, you took me by
surprise that’s all. Lets meet at the
address I’ll send you, to discuss the
details.” “okay” i say and the line goes
dead. Ok, this is it. My baby isn’t really the only reason why i am
agreeing to marrying Steven. I feel the chemistry between us and i
want to explore it. If my plans to capture his heart doesn’t go well,
the 10million I’ll get at the end will help me start a new life. I
might open my dream restaurant.
I close my eyes for a while and pray
for the best. “so what made you change your
mind?” Stevens asks. We are in a
small cozy restaurant at the end of my
street. The place is dimly lit and our table has two pink candles
casting a romantic feel to our
table. I wonder why he chose this
restaurant. Anyone looking at us
would think we are too lovers, hopelessly in
love with each other. They
wouldn’t be able to fathom the kind of
situation we are in right now. “marrying you would be an
adventure i cant miss” i say
nonchalantly and shrug my shoulders. “an adventure” he muses. I have
to be more convincing. I cant let
him think i have an ulterior motive. He
will surely doubt me if i come straight out and tell him i am
pregnant for him. He already
thinks i am a gold-digger. “10million naira is alot of money” i
say as a way of explanation. His face falls for a sec then he smiles. “then its a deal?. Marry me for a
year and walk away with
10million naira?” “i have some rules I’ll like to
enforce during our sham
marriage” i say and steven’s brow rise. “go on” “before our marriage, you buy a
house and i get the house after
our marriage” he raises his brows at
me then gesture for me to
continue. “during our one year of marriage,
there would be no sex between
us” i continue “i have no problem with that” “no infidelity” “i can do that” “if anything happens, say you find
out something you don’t like and
it breaks the marriage before the
completion of the year, i still get
my money” “what could that be?” “just promise” “okay i promise. I have my rules
too.” “i am listening” “k, we have to behave like we are
in love in public and in front of my family.”he says and i nod at him. I
can do that “and by pretend, i mean holding
hands, smiling at each other and kissing if necessary” okay, that
could work in my advantage. “what else?” i ask “we have to sleep in the same
bed” “but i said no se-“i say and he cuts
me off “its just for appearance. The maids
could leak somethings to the
press” “then we live alone. No maids” “even if there are no maids, we
could have a surprise visitor” “okay fine!” i say and pout at him
and he laughs “you were not against the idea of
sex with me when you sneaked
into my room last month” he mumurs but i
ignore him. “so, are you ready?” he asks as he
goes down on one knee then
bring out a ring from his pocket. Its
beautiful. “antonia, love of my life, do me
the honour and marry me. I
promise to love you till i die” he says. This
may be ake but my heart is
beating ten to the dozen. My hands are
even shaking in nervousness. “yes baby, I’ll marry you” i say
and stretch my left hand towards
him and he puts the ring on finger
then kisses it. This does ridiculous things to my heart. I don’t
remember feeling this way when
Kacy proposed. The lying cheat. His
stupid ring is lying at the bottom
of my wardrobe. I cant believe i fell
for him. I was so naive that i didn’t see any signs that he was
married. I push thoughts of kacy
out of my mind as Steven stands
upright and hold my waist. He
stares into my eyes with a strange
expression on his face. His head
starts moving towards me and i realise that he is
going to kiss me. His scent saturates my senses and my eyes
flutter close. As soon as his lips brush mine in a light caress, it
feels like electricity is passing from his lips to mine. I feel Steven
stiffen and his hand on my waist goes tighter like he felt the same.
His kiss intensifies but then he stops suddenly. I groan my
disappointment then open my
eyes when i hear flashes. The press are here
and they are taking pictures. He
must have alerted them. No wonder he
chose this restaurant with a
romantic setting. I had thought the kiss
was real. He was probably acting
for the camera. Steven pulls me to his
side and kiss my temple then whisper in my ears. “that was amazing” and i blush “i should have known that you
are a great actress. I think we
have them fooled”he says and my heart
sinks.I smile on the outside as our pictures get taken. An hour later, i am at home. I sit
on the sofa and ponder how i am going to break the news of kacy’s
betrayal and my new engagement
to my family.My brother is beside me
surfing through the tv. I see
kacy’s picture on a new channel and ask
him to stop. “he was found hanging from his
ceiling fan few hours after his pregnant wife was found dead.”
the reporter says. “Jesus!”i shout and my mom and
dad come out of their room to
inspect the noise. I hear my brother tell
them about the news. “i knew something was up with
that young man. Thank God you
haven’t married him.”my mom says to me
but i just think about kacy’s
wife.She was probably getting kidnapped
when i saw her. “what is the meaning of this?!”my
dad yells and point to the tv.I look at the tv and behold its me and
Steven with his hands around my
waist. The headline reads: most eligible
bachelor getting married. Oh no. “surprise” i say and grimace. “you are getting married?. To
your boss? How? when?” “i love him dad” i half-lie “when did you meet him that you
are already in love with him?! I
would not be a party to this. This was
how you rushed into courtship
with kacy and now see what it turned
into.” “dad, i am old enough to know
what i want. I am marrying Steven
and that’s final” “toni! Listen to your father!” “mom, i thought you like him” “i do, but this is too sudden” “i am marrying Steven next month
so dad, mom, you better accept it
or you’ll lose a daughter” i say and
walk to my room.
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