By the time we got home, I was tired so after keeping everything we have shopped and also the new smart phone he had bought me in Chris’ room, I headed downstairs to the kitchen to cook. I didn’t know my way around the kitchen yet but it was easy to find most of the utensils because Chris kept his kitchen properly arranged. I thought of preparing jollof rice and was about turning on the gas when Uju walked into the kitchen.

“Aunty, what are you doing?” She asked.

I glanced at her. “I want to prepare rice.”

“For who?”

“Um….” I drawled. “For us, why?”

“I hope it’s not for my Obim?” She gave me a disgruntled look.

I turned fully to look at her now, surprised at her attitude. “Weren’t you the quiet and shy girl some several hours back?” I asked.

“Shy?” She gave me a look. “Who’s shy? Do I look shy to you? Why shall I shy? Bia, aunty or whatever you are. I’m respecting you o. The fact that I’m from the village doesn’t mean that I don’t know my right o. Please and please, I don’t know who or what you are to my Obim but please you are disturbing me by putting sand in my garri. Please when are you leaving?”

“Leaving? Do you realize that you only just came to this house today?”

“And so? Obim is mine. Legally mine. Why do you think that I married his father in the first place?”

I gave her a suspicious look. “What are you insinuating, that this was planned all along? That his father didn’t die a natural death?”

“Say whatever you like. Just listen to me. My name is Obinanuju, the local champion. No body messes with me and gets away with it. When I see what I want, I go for it at all cost and not even you will stop me.”

“See, Uju, I don’t have time for this nonsense! If you do not want to eat my food, fine, you can as well help yourself in the kitchen and prepare yours.”

As I grabbed a pot, she took it from my hand and returned it to where I had taken it from. “Uju, what’s your problem?” I asked.

“You are my problem. Aunty, come and go!” She said in my face and I had to draw my shoulders back.

Chris walked into the kitchen just then and Uju instantly composed herself, replacing her menacing look with a warm smile. “What’s going on?” He glanced from sweet-smiling Uju to me who was still staring at her in shock.

“Nothing Obim, I was just telling madam how very fun the village is…” Then she stared at me, laughed and playfully slapped my upper arm. “Abi aunty?”

“Y…yes…s…” I stammered in response and forced a smile.

“Okay…” Chris said skeptically, smiled at me then stretched a hand towards me. “Come watch some movies with me.”

I hesitantly placed my hand in his while I nervously glanced at Uju whose smile didn’t reach her eyes.
“But I was just about to prepare something for dinner.” I told Chris.

“Don’t worry…” I just ordered pizza and some drinks.” He told me then led me to the sitting room and before we turned the corner, I glanced over my shoulder to find Uju glowering at me. An hour later, I was lying on the couch eating some pizza when Uju approached with a tray of Eba and Oha soup then she pulled a small table towards Chris and set the tray on it while Chris stared at her in surprise. Then she quickly hurried away and later returned with a bowl of water, two chilled bottled water. She was grinning from ear to ear when she also set those down too. Next, she pulled another small stool closer and sat on it facing Chris, by this time, I have risen to a sitting position as Chris and I stared at her in bemusement. The soup smelled so nice that I lost interest in the pizza immediately.

“Obim, come and eat please.” She said in the sweetest voice. “Your father used to like my cooking very much.”

Chris glanced at me and I could read the message in his expression. He was asking if we should go ahead and eat and I nodded. There was no way I would miss such a meal. When she saw Chris throw his feet to the floor from the couch to face the food, her smile widened and she eagerly grabbed the bowl of water and held it to him. Chris washed his hands and when I attempted to do the same, she gave me a glare and placed the bowl down. I sighed, reached for the bowl myself and washed my hand and by now, Chris was already eating. As I attempted to reach for the Eba, she pulled the plate out of reach. When Chris gave her a look, she quickly smiled and said,

“It’s very hot, I don’t want it to burn her fingers. You know that she looks very fragile.”

Chris said nothing but what he did next, surprised me. He took a morsel, dipped it in the soup and fed me. Uju stopped eating to glare at us. “Obim, you won’t feed me too?” She asked, eyeing me maliciously.

“I have told you not to call me that.” Chris warned her.

She pouted and grudgingly resumed eating and eying me occasionally. I felt highly uncomfortable and just wanted to leave. Each time Chris brought a morsel to my mouth and I was nervously staring at Uju, he would simply turn my face with his other hand. Soon, the food finished and as I attempted to pack up the dishes, surprisingly, Uju allowed me. She got up and instantly replaced me on my seat while I took everything back to the kitchen and began to wash them.

CHRIS’ POV (Point of View)
As soon as Victoria rose to gather the dishes to the kitchen, Uju rose and sat next to me. After Victoria went to the kitchen, Uju glanced at the TV and smiled at me.

“Obim, what are you watching?” She asked me.

“Avengers.” I reluctantly answered, uncomfortable with how awfully close she was seated next to me.

“What’s avengers? Are the gods avenging someone?” She asked and I gave her a look.

“No… These are superheroes!” I stated.

“Okay…” She nodded, turned to look at the TV then I saw her put her legs up on the couch and began to slowly lean her backwards against my chest.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Behaving like a wife na.” She said but before her back could come in contact with my chest, I suddenly stood up and she fell back against the arm of the couch. She quickly sat up to look at me in surprise. “Obim, what is it?”

“You have got to stop whatever nonsense is going through that head of yours. There’s no us. We are never happening.” I told her firmly.

“But why? Am I not beautiful enough? What does that aunty have that I do not? I even have uku (buttocks) more than her.”

“I don’t care about your bloody uku! If it moved my father, it will never move me! Just stop all these nonsense!” I warned her and stalked to the kitchen to join Victoria but I didn’t tell her what Uju had attempted to do.

That night by past ten, I was in the room talking and chit-chating convincing her not to put her life at stake because of a man that doesn’t love her. While we were talking someone knocked on my door, interrupting us. I lifted myself off the bed turned towards the door then yelled, “Yes?”

The door opened and Uju stepped in, dressed in a seductive nightgown that made her curves pronounced. Damn, the elders were right, this girl learned too fast. I propped up on an elbow to give her a flustered look, “What do you want?”

She was pouting with her arms folded “Me I cannot sleep alone o.” She grumbled, averting her gaze to the side.

“What do you mean by you cannot sleep alone? Are you a child?” I asked, annoyed.

“No, I’m not but I want to sleep here in this room.” She stated. Victoria slowly detached herself from the bed

“Is something wrong with you? What happened to your own room?

“It’s lonely there. I’m there hearing two of you laugh, me too, I want to laugh.”

I frowned. Was something wrong with this girl. “Do I look like a clown or a comedian to you?”

“I don’t want to know… All I know is that I’m sleeping here.” Before I could utter a sound, she crossed the room, got on my bed and lowered herself on it behind me.

I turned to look at her, surprised at her behaviour. “Uju, get off my bed!” I said. She simply ignored me and simply fluffed her pillow and comfortably placed her head on it. “Uju, are you deaf? I said get off my bed right now!” I raised my voice a notch to show her that I was dead serious but she ignored me. “Fine! You can have the room to yourself!” I said in resignation and began to scoot down the bed when I felt her hand grip the back of my shorts and I paused to stare back at her in disbelief. “What kind of girl are you for God’s sake?! No wonder my father died early.”

“Your father couldn’t satisfy me… Besides, he had high blood pressure!” She blurted. “As for you, you are not going anywhere o. You want to leave me so that you can sleep with this aunty abi? It won’t happen o. You are going to stay right here with me.”

“You must be insane!” I said and tried to pry her hand of the waistband of my shorts but she wouldn’t let go. “I’ll remove it o!” I threatened.

Those words made me cringed and that was when I felt Victoria’s hand on my arm. With gestures and movement of her head, she pacified me to calm down then tried to convince me to just spend the night with her if that was what Uju wanted but when she told me that she was going to pass the night in one of the other rooms, I blatantly refused. I told her that if I was going to tolerate sleeping on the same bed with Uju then she had to stay with me. After much persuasion, she reluctantly agreed. As soon as I laid down my side, Uju’s grip on my shorts slacked a bit. With my back turned to her, I turned to Victoria to avoid Uju just to get her frustrated and leave the room. Though, it is not right to ask Victoria to stay by my side but I needed to avoid Uju totally so that i would not fall into her trap Unfortunately, I and Victoria couldn’t have our conversation anymore, so we just remained quiet.

All of a sudden, I felt Uju adjust on the bed, moving closer to me till her warm body was touching my back. I tried to shrug her off but she refused to bulge. I knew that Victoria could feel what was going on but she said nothing. I decided to put up with Uju’s rubbish, hoping that when she slept off, Victoria and I could sneak out of the room and leave her there but unfortunately, we both fell asleep.

Almost an hour later, in my sleep, I felt a hand caressing me and moving up to play with my body. At first, I thought that I was just imagining it, until I flew eyes opened to find Uju caressing my entire body. I just concluded in my mind, Jeez! I was doomed.

To Be Continued…… Watch out for Episode 11… You know you should not miss it right???