Deborah

Episode 25

‘I love you so much, I loved you from the very day I set my eyes on you and right then you stole my heart away’ Ani bent his head and fetched her lips with his.

‘I loved you from the starting, there’s just something in you that draws me, like a butterfly to a flame’ Deborah whispered shyly.

‘So what would you like to have for breakfast’? he asked her.

‘Anything, but I’ll love Tea first’ she replied and he made her some coffee and offered her to drink.

‘Wake up b—h’!

She felt the liquid on face and realized someone was splashing water on her. Her eyes struggled to adjust to this new environment as she realized she’d been with Ani in the dream.

‘Where am I’? she gasped in fright and rose to her feet.

‘Stay calm and focused if you want to live very long’ a stout young man scowled at her.

‘Please don’t harm me, I have not offended you in any way, please let me go’ Tears welled up in her eyes.

‘I wouldn’t go back on my words, shut up and sit on the ground, any more words from you, I’ll cut your head’ he made a swishing sound with his teeth.

She obeyed quietly and wondered why Teju would do this to her.

She remembered everything, she had found Oge crying and she had gone to confront Teju, that was when Teju hit her with a club.

She rubbed the back of neck gently where most of the pain came from, then she realized she bled from there.

She watched the young man who was now her captor and wondered what they planned to do with her.

She scanned the place where she was being held, it was an uncompleted building and it seemed they were on the fifth floor.

‘God help me out of this’ she prayed in silence. She wished she had listened to Oge, Teju was more than dangerous.

‘We checked everywhere, her things are still intact but there’s no trace of her, she was fond of sneaking out of the house to meet her boyfriends’ Teju was the first to speak when questioned about Deborah.

‘You lie, you stupid thing, my daughter was never wayward’ Debora’s mother cut in angrily.

‘Please don’t tell me stories Andy, you promised to take good care of her’ Sara was shaken as she knew the blame would be on her.

‘Don’t worry, we’ll find her’ Andy replied thoughtfully.

Obviously Teju was lying and that meant she knew something about Deborah’s disappearance, he was going to find the love of his life, he swore it.

‘I need to be alone with the girl’s mother, you all can excuse me’ Mrs Briggas ordered her children outside.

Deborah was missing quite alright, but something else bothered her, the woman who introduced herself as Debora’s mother shared no resemblance with Ateri and it confused her the more.

Maybe her son was right, maybe it was just a resemblance, but why had she felt such a strong connection to the girl, right from the very first day she met her?

‘Please Ma, help me find my daughter, she is the only joy I have left in this world, if anything happens to her, I don’t think I could live with myself, please do something’ the woman sobbed uncontrollably.

‘As we speak, I have instructed my son to report the matter to the police, I promise you, your daughter will be safe’ Mrs Briggas comforted the woman and wondered if that was the right time to ask her questions about Debora.

‘Thank you very much, the good lord will bless you’ the woman wiped her face with the back of her hand.

‘I’m sorry to ask, have you ever stayed in Benue’? Mrs Brigass dared to ask.

The question crashed upon her like a heavy rock, though the woman’s voice was gentle, her question sounded like thunder, especially when it was angry.

‘Benue’? the woman wondered why Deborah’s employer would ask her that.

‘I am sorry, it’s just that your daughter looked like someone that saved my life once, though she is dead, I loved your daughter very much, I was fond of her’ Mrs Briggas smiled, hoping to appear friendly as the woman looked scared, like something was going to eat her up.

‘Ateri…’Deborah’s mother called the name absent mindedly and it confirmed all the suspicions Ekanem Briggas had harbored.

‘What did you say? Did you say Ateri? That ’s the name’ she rose to her feet eagerly.

‘No, I didn’t say anything, I have to go now, please contact me once my daughter is found’ she said and hurried out of the living room.

‘Okay then’ Ekanem waved her goodbye, the woman was hiding something.

Something in her told her Deborah would be found alive, so she relaxed, the poor girl had not done anyone harm, God would save her.

Ekanem knew what she had done may piss off her son, but she did it anyway.

She knew how slow and hesitant Ani could be when it came to making real life decisions, that was why she had fixed the wedding date and printed the cards on his behalf.

‘Cheers to you son, I can’t wait to have my grandchild’ she smiled; the wedding was to happen in a week’s time.

She quickly dialed Morganna’s number to share the news, Ani would hear about it once he returned from the police station.

‘Teju, I have a bad feeling about this, you only said you wanted to beat her up, but now she’s nowhere to be found, tell me, what were your plans exactly’? Oge wondered what Teju was up to.

‘Why do you act like you really cared about that girl? If you truly cared, you wouldn’t have gotten that money from me, but you’re too greedy to turn even the devil down’ Teju mocked her.

‘Of course I cared for her; I only did that because I needed money to solve some family issues’ Oge replied.

‘Save your breath, no harm would come to her, I just want to teach her a lesson, I promise you that’ Teju reassured her.

Teju had set her plans in motion, Debora wasn’t going to be killed, something more interesting, something that would ruin her reputation would happen to her.

That way, Andy and all those who had interest in her would lose it.

Suddenly Selene appeared in the kitchen ‘Teju! See me in my room’ she said

‘Yes Ma’ Teju winked at Oge whose face had remorse written all over it. She was sure of what Selene wanted her for and braced herself to give a wow act.

‘God see me out of this mess’ Oge regretted her actions and prayed God would touch Teju’s heart, the girl was a devil.

Debora’s disappearance had changed all of Selene’s plans. For humiliating her, she’d planned same for the girl but all her anger fled when she eavesdropped on her mother’s conversation with Debora’s mother.

All her life, she’d built walls around her to ensure she had no human sympathy. Though she never shared this with anyone, she’d been raped by her first boyfriend, and that had turned her into a dyke.

She put up walls of arrogance and hatred to shield the pain she felt inside, that pain was resurrected in her when she heard the woman cry.

Though Deborah had rebuffed her advances, she decided to forget about that incident, people had different sexual preferences.

‘Come in’ Selene called in the maid. The cry of that woman had stirred a change in her and changing her ways was the first thing she would do.

‘I am sorry for what happened between us that night’ she said ‘it was not supposed to take place, I took advantage of you because you are a maid.’

Selene knew what she was to say next would hurt the girl, but she had made provisions for that.

‘Sorry? I am not, I actually enjoyed it’ Teju’s heart raced, she did not like the look on Selene’s face.

‘No you didn’t, you just did that to please me, here have this’ Selene offered her the envelope.

‘That’s a sum of two hundred thousand naira, use that and start your life over, get your things and pack out of the mansion immediately’ said Selene as she walked towards the door.

‘Why? Have I offended you in any way? is this because of Debora? Did she say any bad thing against me?

Please I have nowhere to go, please don’t do this Selene, please’ Teju fell on her knees. It seemed her plans were working against her.

‘No you have not offended me, just get your things and leave, I’ll explain to my mother what happened, okay’? Selene widened the door and Teju stepped out dejectedly fully understanding that nothing she would say would change Selene.

‘God save her wherever she is’ Selene prayed for Deborah’s safety.

She needed to apologize to the girl once she was found, then she’d fly out of the country, there was no place for people like her in Nigeria and she was not willing to change.

wow!! why didn’t Deborah’s “mum” confess to Ekanem?

Now that Teju has been driven away, wouldn’t she act like a wounded tigress?

what would she do to Deborah?