I Live For You

CHAPTER SIX

It had been an eventful day for Omezuo, he could not believe his luck. Once again Omezuo thought about how he has never struggled for anything, how good things just came to him.

Who would have agreed that by agreeing to help Mr Ikes students he will be given the opportunity to get to know his beauty the more?

During class, he had come to realize that Nkeoma was one of the most intelligent students in his class, she was determined to make it and he loved her spirit. A few of the young men in the class were just marking time waiting to start one trade or the other after school but a few had great ambitions. Omezuo promised to put in his best.

He couldn’t wait to talk to Nkeoma after lessons, but it seemed she was preoccupied with one of the students in the class. He made every effort to catch her eyes but she avoided him. He did not blame her so much as girls in the village tend to be shy and may not want to be seen with a grown adult, but what was she doing following that young man around. To Omezuo that was one of the most unserious young men in the class.

A young girl had walked up to him after class.

“My name is Nkechi, thank you so much for coming to help out in our studies”

“Good to meet you Nkechi. Hope you are taking your studies seriously. Do you know I was also once a student in this school? It makes me so happy to see young girls like you pursuing their dreams, we need more women in the field of engineering”. Nkechi had said she wanted to be an engineer.

“Thank you sir. I heard you graduated from UNN, that is the school I want to attend”

“Then you need to study hard, they don’t have time for unserious students in that school”. Omezuo and Nkechi walked some distance discussing till Nkechi drew closer to her own house and had to say good bye. Omezuo waved at her and went his way. This was one very friendly girl he thought, how he wished Nkeoma was as friendly than this. He must find time to talk to her and express his feelings towards her after some time. Omezuo felt it was disrespectful to talk to his parents about Nkeoma without getting to know how she felt about him.

When Nkeoma got home she was almost boiling with anger, why was Omezuo talking to Nkechi as if he couldn’t let her go, he saw them laughing together and wondered what could be going on with those two. Nkeoma had never dealt with this kind of feeling before and tried to rationalize it, could it be she was jealous of Nkechi. Oh, hell no, there’s no way that can happen. What if Omezuo had found his wife in Nkechi. Good for them Nkeoma thought.

After class the next day Omezuo walked up to Nkeoma and called her to come over and review some questions to the assignment she had submitted. In truth, he wanted her all to himself and dismissed the class. Nkeoma did not want to admit that she was happy to be going through “her assignment” with him even as she wondered if he had done this with any other person in the class.

Omezuo drew a chair for her and she sat down. This was getting serious, Omezuo was ready to do anything to keep this girl to himself, he didn’t believe what he has just done and the fact that it could cause a scandal.

“Nkeoma, how are you today. I noticed that you are struggling with a topic and wanted to take time to explain it to you better. I hope you don’t mind my keeping you behind when others have gone home”

“Not at all sir, I don’t mind”

“Please call me Omezuo, I told you my name before we met in your class remember”

“But don’t you think the other students will start wondering that something is going on between us if I start calling you Omezuo”

“You know nothing is going on between us Nkeoma”. He stopped short of calling her my beauty, he must be careful not to scare her away.

Nkeoma chided herself once again, she’s allowing her thoughts to get the better of her, its obvious she didn’t mean anything to him and yet her mind has run riot.

“That’s settled then, just call me Omezuo, all this sir sir is making me feel old” Omezuo said laughing, his face lit up at his laughter and his cheeks dimpled. Nkeoma stared lost in the beauty of one man, and then she joined him in laughing.

“If you are my Teacher, you are sir, do you hear’

“I hear you Nkeoma”

Omezuo took his time to explain the concept of the Math’s topic which she was struggling with. He gave her some practice questions and some to take home and by the time they finished Nkeoma was getting all the practice questions. After about 30 minutes they were done and Omezuo escorted Nkeoma home. As they chatted he found himself loving her more, she was a very outspoken person and he liked this a lot.

Although Omezuo sensed she was also a bit introverted and it took her time to open to people. He was happy that she was no longer starting at him the way she used to. He was determined to make Nkeoma his friend.

Nkeoma thought about the events of the day, she was glad she had stayed. Its high time she stopped attributing all Omezuo gestures to something else because from all indications he meant well for her and her friends. She had never laughed as much as she did today, indeed the man was very charming. He was not like the other graduates she had met in the past, most of them were very pompous and carried themselves with an air of importance. Omezuo related to her and her classmates as if he was their big brother, within a few days their weak areas were being identified and handled by Omezuo. She was confident that she was going to excel in her exams.

The weeks rolled by and suddenly they had only a few weeks to their exams. Omezuo had done a good job in coaching the students and the serious ones were very confident of excelling in Math’s and physics. Omezuo was also careful to pay attention to all his students and walk home with a different person at different times, but his heart was with Nkeoma. This day while walking her home he was overwhelmed with his feelings for her and blurted it out.

“Nkeoma I know you are ready for your exams and soon I will stop coming to your school. Do you think you may miss me”?

“Of course Omezuo, all of us will miss you”

Omezuo turned her around to look at him, because she was walking close to him, he found himself pressing into her body when she turned and was overwhelmed by the emotions she stirred in him.

His hands were clasped around her waist as he leant closer and continued.

“Nkeoma, I just want to know if you will miss me, because I am going to miss you a lot. I am going to miss seeing you in class, talking to you and hearing you laugh. Tell me you will miss me too”

Nkeoma was literally shattered. She had convinced herself that Omezuo was just a good and friendly person, she had learnt to control her feelings seeing him with other girls in the class. She had also focused on Emeruwa who was the love of her life. And now this…

“I came home from school trusting in God for a wife and the next day like a water goddess there you were, the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I thought it was a dream but everything has happened to assure me you are real”. “I couldn’t believe it when I saw you in that class, once again God gave me an opportunity to get closer to you.”

Nkeoma was numb, these were the exact words she had rehashed in her mind and then wished away.

“I love you so much Nkeoma, I look forward to the day because I will get to see you and talk to you. When you are close to me like this nothing else matters. I just want to keep you to myself, to protect you and love you. I promise you will never regret if you agree to spend your life with me. I promise you will go to school and be a doctor. I am not sure I want to risk leaving you to go to school and meet someone else”

“Tell me you will miss me Nkeoma, tell me you will”

“I will miss you so much Omezuo”. Nkeoma could not stop those words from coming out from her lips, she had denied this to herself, she had dreaded the moment he will go away, dreaded the fact that she will never see him again, yet these were thoughts she had dismissed because they made her feel disloyal to Emeruwa.

“I love you so much, you are mine. Nkeoma Omezuo”. Omezuo drew her closer to himself and felt her warmth, felt her shudder. This was his God chosen wife, at this moment he had no doubt in his mind.

He brought his lips down and they melted into hers in a deep kiss.

Omezuo knew he was lost in her warmth, he knew he would never let her go.

He kissed her long and hard, but had to let go. She was young and innocent and he didn’t want to scandalize her name.

“Will you marry me Nkeoma, I will cherish you forever. I will love you forever. I will build my life all around and with you. I want to hold you besides me forever, I want you to be the mother of my children”

Nkeoma could no longer hold herself from all the emotions coursing through her and started crying.

 No one has ever said such words to her and he meant it.

She has never been kissed this way, it was such a strange warming feeling and she wanted him to continue, why did he suddenly stop?

Without thinking she nodded her head to his proposal.

“I will marry you Omezuo”.

 Omezuo was so excited he lifted her up and spun her around, luckily for them the other students have all gone home and there was no one to watch their little drama, not that any of them cared now.

 He wanted this moment to last forever in his heart.

The woman of his dreams has agreed to be his wife. He held her close and kissed her again wiping her tears, assuring her repeatedly that he will love and cherish her. He will never let her go now she has promised to be his.

For the first time Omezuo escorted Nkeoma right into her Fathers compound that day holding her hands, when Nkeoma’ s parents saw them they knew what was coming and were happy about it. Omezuo greeted them and sat down to exchange pleasantries with Nkeomas father, she had run into the house immediately she saw her father. Omezuo chatted with Nkeoma’ s parents briefly exchanging pleasantries.

Her mother called her out.

“Nkeoma won’t you come and see your friend off”.

She came out and couldn’t look at her father in the face, she was overwhelmed with shyness.

The parents looked at her and shared a secret smile.

“No Papa, I have some things to do”. Omezuo understood what was going on.

“Its ok sir, I decided to see her off home. I will take my leave now”. “Take care Nkeoma”.

He had to hold the urge to hold her again and tell her how much she meant to him, but that would be very ridiculous.

The stage was set.