When the heart knows just money

CONTINUATION

Chidinma immediately shouted, "Stop! I know who took the money—it was my friend, Isioma," she lied, thinking wickedly to herself, 'So Isioma thinks she’s bold because of that insignificant job she got? I’ll teach her a lesson.' Even though Chidinma knew Isioma didn’t steal the money, she was determined to make her pay for it.

As Chidinma was weaving her deceit, Tony delivered another blow to her head. "What do you mean? Weren’t you the one Madam Onyin accused?" he demanded, his patience wearing thin.

Chidinma, regaining her composure, stood up confidently and replied, "Ma, yesterday when the delivery men brought your goods, you went inside to arrange them. That’s when I saw Isioma. I noticed her from a distance, and that's why I approached you to beg for rice. I thought that if you gave me some, I'd have the chance to tell you that your money had been stolen."

Madam Onyin gasped, "Ah! I didn’t know. Are you sure?"

"Yes, I’m certain," Chidinma continued, her voice steady despite the lies. "I can even take you to her. But we need to hurry because I saw her counting the money earlier—she’s probably planning to spend it."

Chidinma's story convinced the crowd, and they eagerly followed her. She knew, however, that Isioma wasn't the real thief. The delivery man had stolen the money, and Chidinma had confronted him, forcing him to give her 50% of it—₦100,000 out of the ₦200,000 stolen.

"Let’s go!" Madam Onyin exclaimed, rallying those who were interested in the case, like Tony and Madam Chika. Together, they all headed to Isioma’s house on Robert Aqwa Street.

Isioma, unaware of what was coming, was about to leave her home when she was stopped by the crowd that had gathered outside her door. Chidinma pointed at her and yelled, "That’s her! The thief!"

Isioma looked bewildered. "Chidinma, did you bring these people to beat me? You useless girl! And who are you calling a thief?" she snapped, unafraid.

Chidinma shot back, "I don’t blame you. You’re a foolish girl who doesn’t know when to keep quiet. I told you that stupid mouth of yours would get you into trouble one day."

Turning to the crowd, Chidinma continued, "Oga, she’s the one who took the money."

"What money?" Isioma retorted angrily.

But before Isioma could defend herself further, Chidinma interrupted her. "Shut up! Isn’t it the money you’re planning to spend?"

Madam Onyin, suspicious but desperate for answers, said, "Alright, go check inside for it, Chidinma."

Chidinma nodded, but her real plan was to escape. As the crowd focused on Isioma, Chidinma slipped into the compound, rushed to the backyard, and quickly jumped over the fence. It wasn’t too high, and she easily made her escape back to her house.

Meanwhile, back at Isioma's, she was pleading and crying, but the crowd wasn’t having any of it. Tony, determined to get justice, grabbed her by the top. As he did, money fell from her waist, scattering onto the ground.

"Hey! Isn’t this my money?" Madam Onyin exclaimed in shock, her eyes widening as she bent down to pick up the scattered bills.

Immediately, Isioma burst out, "No, it's not! My mom gave me that money to buy items for her from the market."

"Come on, shut up, you liar!" Tony shouted. "This money isn't even complete; it's just ₦100,000. Where’s the remaining ₦100,000? It was supposed to be ₦200,000 in total!" Madam Onyin asked angrily.

As they continued questioning and harassing Isioma, her mother returned home and saw the crowd in front of their house. After inquiring about what happened, she was forced to pay the remaining ₦100,000 from what she had sold in her shop.

Meanwhile, Chidinma had already reached home, where she got into an argument with her mother. "Chidinma, you are a very foolish girl! Look at you, dressed in rags. Are you happy living like this?" her mother scolded.

"Ah, Mama, what do you want from me? I’m trying my best," Chidinma grumbled.

"Your best?" her mother scoffed. "You turned down a job offer because they were offering ₦50,000 per month, and you refused another offer from your friend's father to work in his shop, which would have paid you ₦30,000 monthly."

"Mama, how can I work for that kind of chicken change?" Chidinma retorted. "Besides, I can't work for my friend’s father. Working for him means serving her too. See, I’ve already submitted my certificate to an oil company, and they pay ₦1 million per month!" she added proudly.

Her mother shook her head in disbelief. "Listen to the foolish things coming out of your mouth. Why are you so dense? Do you think that company would accept you when you’ve refused to go to the university and get a degree? You submitted just a WAEC certificate and expect them to employ you? You are truly a fool!" her mother scolded harshly.

"Oh, Mama, what is it now?" Chidinma replied, exasperated. "Is it my fault? You and I both know that I tried my best to get into the university, but it was to no avail. It’s either we didn’t have the money, or we lacked the right connections."

"Since you stayed at home, how much have you managed to save?" her mother pressed on.

As her mother continued talking, Chidinma walked out of the house. She went to sit under the tree in their backyard, lost in thought;" See my life" , she pondered. "Is this really my life? Mama is talking to me like this? How I wish Papa was still alive; he understood me better."

She sighed deeply, her mind racing. "What do I do now? Is this how I will continue living? No, I have bigger plans for myself. I’ll travel to another place and start something new with this ₦100,000. Yes, that’s exactly what I’ll do," Chidinma resolved, determination setting in.