She came over to the house, looking worn out and exhausted. "Presh, please increase this AC...I am hot."
"Is it not better you removed your dress entirely to be chilled very well?"
She sat on the sofa, bent her head and called me a mad woman.
"Babe, what do you need that 20k for? You are rich enough and we know that. What's going on in your life?"
She hesitated to speak, but I pressed Echezona Chisom precious, you don't want to hear this gist. Just drop it."
I insisted.
"Babe, we've been friends for 6 years now. What is there to know about you that I don't know? Don't worry, I will buy you ice cream, talk to papi Presh."
"Papi break your jaw there. Please get me something to drink."
I insisted she must speak before I gave her anything.
"By the way, how about your boyfriend or fiancé, you people have been playing us since 3 months now. Where's that ring?"
She froze.
I tapped her. She pushed away my hand.
Something was fundamentally wrong at this point.
@Preshchris, I told you to leave this talk. You want to hear it abi?"
With all pleasure I said, "Tell me about it."
She stood up, adjusted her jean and moved over to the armless chair, close to the AC.
"@Preshchris, if you stop being my friend after this, it's all good. I just want to talk."
"Alright, go on. I have not crucified you yet."
She started.
Two and half months ago, she was supposed to visit her uncle with her fiancé.
The plan was for her to be in his house Saturday evening and then to visit the uncle on Sunday.
All of a sudden, her fiancé cancelled the meeting, stating that he received an urgent business call that will take him out of town that weekend.
She had never doubted him, so she believed.
Echezona Chisom precious, I am talking and you're...what are you even chewing?"
"Nothing."
She rushed at me and playfully punched out the red globes in my mouth. "Crazy head...focus joor. I will stop talking ooo."
"Oya sorry, go on."
"Presh! Be serious na!"
Since her fiancé won't be around and she was in desperate need to visit someone, she decided to visit her bestie who lives on the same street with her fiancé.
The two compounds were divided by the same fence. On getting to her friend's house, she saw her fiancé car was in his own compound from the window.
She was shocked.
She called him and told him she was in the neighborhood and saw his car.
Her fiancé said he travelled without the car and she believed. She had never had cause to doubt him.
She was to sleep over in her bestie's house but she didn't disclose this fact to her fiancé. Later that night, there was power outage and her fiancé generator was on.
"Presh, he didn't travel. For the first time, I felt really betrayed."
"Is this the gist?"
"Haba EOC, what's your own? Calm down na. Haba."
"Ok ooo. I am listening."
She went over to his compound, it was a service apartment so she easily gained entrance at the gate upon recognition from the gateman.
She knocked on the door, her fiancé opened the door after some minutes.
Behind him was a random lady she doesn't know, wearing the usual night gown she usually wore whenever she visited him
"Hmmm...this is where it gets interesting right?"
"Yes Dear. This is where the real gist started."
She quietly walked past the two adults without saying a word. She noticed the lady was wearing the perfume her fiancé usually wore whenever they wanted to have sex.
"Wait first, you mean she wore your own night gown and the sex perfume of your fiancé?"
"She nodded."
Tiny tears started gathering around her eyes and I gave her a hankie.
"Sorry. Does this have anything to do with the money you requested?"
"Yes Presh it does. But I will get to that part soon."
She went into the visitor's room and realized the lady's bag was not there. "Apparently, she was in his room."
She sat on the bed, crying and laughing at the same time.
After some time, the lady walked into the room and said she was sorry.
"Huh? Sorry? Just like that?"
Well, she said she was the first lover of the guy. And all she wanted was to have a goodbye sex with him since he's getting married.
"Hmmmm, what did you say?"
She just sat there crying all the more.
The lady came over to her side, knelt down and started crying too.
"Wow, that's some real emotional situation."
"Presh, it really was."
The lady held her, hugged her and before her brains settled, they'd started kissing.
And making out.
"What!!!!! Babe. Errrm. Sorry, I wasn't supposed to do that...but wait. Are you...are you? You know?"
"Presh, I am not bisexual. Really. Ok fine. I used to like girls in secondary school but that was a long time ago. And it was because it's an all girls school."
"So what really happened? Of course you know I won't judge you though. Sorry about my surprise."
"It's okay @Preshchris, I expected you to react that way. She was wearing my fiancé sex perfume. I just didn't know what I was thinking."
"Alright. Go on..."
“Echezona Chisom precious”
"Stop calling my name in full please na, you're scaring me."
"Alright ECP, @Preshchris ...should I continue?"
She was already crying again. I waited for her to calm down.
After waiting for sometime and the lady didn't come out, her fiancé walked into the room and saw them kissing.
"Hmmm, alright...can I get a glass of water, please?"
"Sure Dear, bring two."
She continued.
Her fiancé was devastated.
"Presh, at this point, I didn't know whether to be angry that he cheated on me. Or he should be angry I am in bed with a lady he cheated on me with.
"So at what point did the money demand come in?"
"Calm down Babe, don't rush me please."
"Sorry."
She hurriedly got up and left his house. He didn't stop her. He didn't say or do anything.
Few days later, she started seeing pictures of him and that same lady on Instagram hanging out at different places.
"Wait. I don't get this. You mean, even after he saw both of you in that position, he still continued to hang out with the lady?"
"Yes. Babe he continued. He doesn't take my calls or reply my texts or chats."
When she couldn't bear it again, she reached out to that lady and reminded her of how she came to apologise and what happened.
The lady sent her pictures of both of them kissing and threatened to make it public if she doesn't send her some money and stayed away from the guy.
"jezz, that lady is something else. How did she snap while both of you were kissing?"
"Presh I don't know ooo, I just ruined my life. I don't know how she did it. She has turned me to her bank since then. I have dried up my savings. I don't know what to do."
She started crying again.
"Babe calm down. What's the situation now?"
She said she had sent back her fiancé engagement ring to him and indicated she doesn't want the wedding again.
All she wants now is to be free from the blackmail of that lady.
I went over to her side, held her hand and assured her that it will be taken care of.
"Babe, don't worry. I will take care of that. I am Presh."
"Thank you, I am just useless now. My life. I really don't know..."
"How about your family and friends? What have you been telling them?"
She sighed.
"Ma dear, please come out from that side. That's story for another day. I am hungry, did you cook?"
I nodded. "Go and dish out as much as you can finish. So sorry."
"Thank you @Preshchris Let me eat and have strength to gist you about the family side."
I nodded.
Life and it's problems.
The complications.
We keep living.
Till we meet again when you will pass me a glass of water