I Live For You

CHAPTER FOUR

It's amazing how children grow, from being young and free to adults. Becoming an adult comes with a lot of expectations, how they used to play grownups as children in his father's house.

They will wait for the adults to leave and the children will gather together to start playing adults.

He could still recall Obinna talking like his father and ordering those of them designated as children about.

He thought about the pairings of husband and wife...They were all so innocent then. The wife will gather some flowers together and churn them with sand and then call the family to come and eat.

They will get some used cans and tins which would serve as plates, the brooms were broken up to serve as spoons.

Then they will pretend to eat all the food and make comments like

" This food is so sweet ", while smacking their lips loudly.

"Mma thank you, Mpa thank you".

Then the acting father will inform everyone it was time to go to bed.

Omezuo particularly remembered how the acting Father and Mother used to cuddle together like the parents do and mumble meaningless words while the children turned the other way.

After a few minutes the mother will wake up and start waking everyone up.

It was a beautiful childhood, now he is a grown man and living the adult life and expected to be a real husband and father.  He suddenly couldn't wait to get married and have his own family.

What a reawakening, suddenly all that fills his mind are thoughts of marriage and settling down. Omezuo wondered if he would have had these thoughts if he had not met the beautiful one at the stream.

He was very disappointed that they did not meet her on the way to the stream that day with Obinna. What if she was merely visiting especially as the students were on holidays. Omezuo felt a strange feeling akin to fear thinking he may never see her again.

Thoughts of her has consumed him, he has never wanted a woman as he wanted her. At this Omezuo stilled himself, he couldn't afford to start feeling funny in front of his parents.

"Omenna welcome back. This one you left so early, I hope all is well". " Did you meet your friend Obinna "

"Yes Mma, we had a lot of catching up to do"

" I need to go to the farm and harvest some cassava for garri.  Come and escort your mother, Nwokeoma nwam"

" Ok let's go.  I know you have been waiting to start sending me around"

" You are still my son. Even if you become the president of Nigeria "

At this they both laughed.  Omezuo got a cutlass and escorted his mother to the farm, these were the things he missed about home.

On the second day of pretending to be ill Nkeoma got tired of staying at home, she didn’t want to accept the fact that she was hiding. The thought of it has crossed her mind several times during the day which she found utterly ridiculous. What could she be hiding from. She has always been very outspoken about issues, so why would she be hiding just because she met a rude man at the stream.

Nkeoma got up to go and visit her friend Oluchi, she can’t hide from the world because of her foolish fears she thought.  She needed to talk to someone and stop feeling gloomy.

Her visit to Emeruwa did not help matters, she was fully aware that at her age she will soon start receiving suitors and will be expected to marry – Emeruwa did not give her enough hope to wait for him.

 There was a farmland very close to Oluchi’ s house, the track road leading to the farm is always busy by this time of the day.

Nkeoma’s though drifted to her dreams of becoming a graduate from a University. She had told her parents, even if she was going to get married – she must be allowed to go to school. Most of the young girls her mate ended up with their secondary school education, a few went further to become Teachers or nurses, but Nkeoma wanted more. She knew she will be unfulfilled just being a wife and not becoming well educated. How she wished she could go to the University first before settling down but her parents were very traditional and her community had expectations of early marriage on girls her age.

Though she could not recall of anyone being forced but the words would be said and left hanging in the air. The expectations were much.

Nkeoma wanted to be a medical doctor and save lives. In her village, right now they had only one male doctor and no woman was yet to attain that feat, she will be the first female l in her village to be a doctor, oh how proud her father will be. Apart from achieving this feat, Nkeoma was thinking about the lack of basic healthcare for her people. Oftentimes people have died of diseases that could have been treated. He community had a medical Centre where two young nurses attend to people, the doctor comes twice in a week. Sometimes the doctor is not available when there is a serious case to handle. Nkeoma felt there was need for more people to go into this field and provide medical care.

Nkeoma was lost in her thoughts and dreams she didn’t know when she bumped into someone and almost fell. The hands that reached to catch her were firm, Nkeoma looked up and beheld the same MAN’s face again. This must be a dream, what is this man doing holding her like this. It seemed like decades before Omezuo realized himself and loosened his grip as their eyed locked in an endless gaze.

Omezuo could not believe it, he was walking behind his mum when he looked up and beheld his beauty. Omezuo stood still wondering if his dreams were catching up with reality, he was transfixed looking at her. Imagine after spending the whole morning with Obinna waiting to catch a glimpse of her and here she is. Then she bumped into him and almost fell, involuntarily Omezuo reached out and caught her in his arms.

She had approached them like someone in a dream that he wondered if she was of this world.

As he gazed into her eyes, a wave of feelings went through him, he has never felt like this before. He wanted to hold and protect this woman till eternity…. Yet he didn’t know her name.

The eyes that held his were beautiful, the face was sculpted, the same face that has haunted his dreams. He looked down from her face to her slender figure and her caramel skin, she was flawless.

Finally, the words came out from his mouth, filled with admiration.

“Am so sorry young woman, but you were not looking, I hope you are ok”

He had spoken to her in English, he wondered why he did that – its possible he wanted to impress her so much.

“I am fine, you also should not have bumped into me if you were looking”. She replied in their native language.

“Sorry if you feel offended”. He resorted back to speaking in Igbo, now why is he apologizing, he didn’t want to let her go and had no intention of doing so without finding out more about her. She had escaped him before, no way was Omezuo going to allow her to run away again.

“May I know your name, mine is Omezuo”. “You were the girl I saw at the stream the other day right. Beautiful one, why did you run away from me, I wanted to get to know your name”.

Was that a chuckle coming from him wondered Nkeoma, after tormenting her thoughts these past days all he could do was laugh at her. This man was certainly rude, yet when she thought about how he held her, she literally shivered.

What was happening, she must be insane, someone she doesn’t even know his name.

“I did not run away from you, what makes you think I ran away from you. And besides you were encroaching on the women’s’ side”

“Am really sorry about that, it was not planned”. “You see I have not been home for the past one year now and I forgot about that boundary”. Not that am sorry for crossing it that day Omezuo chuckled as he thought about it.

“My name is Omezuo”, he said again.

“My name is Nkeoma”. She offered reluctantly.

“What a lovely name, it suits you.” Nkeoma Omezuo, he thought to himself, that sounded nice.

She was going to bring only good things to his life and he will be fulfilled. Omezuo did not care again about not knowing much about her, all he was convinced was that he has never felt like this before – for him it was love at first sight.

Her voice alone was soothing, he imagined how life will be listening to that voice by his side, raising children with her.

“Omezuo my son, is that how you are escorting me to the farm”. Omezuo’s mum had come up behind them intruding on his thoughts, he had completely forgotten where he was going and the fact that he was with his mother, this beauty has hypnotized him, he smiled as the thought crossed his mind.

Omezuo’s mother had seen enough to know that her son admired the young woman a lot. She was wondering whether they have met before, he was looking at her as if she was someone special.

“Good day Mama” Nkeoma greeted.

Oh, is he the one Oluchi was talking about, why didn’t he run into all the numerous girls seeking his attention and leave her alone she thought to herself when she recognized who his mother was.

“Good day Adaoma”. How is your mother doing.”? At this question Omezuo was filled with joy, this meant his mother knew her very well. He hummed all the way to the farm and talked excitedly with the Mother, she knew with a mother’s heart that her son has found someone special.

Nkeoma was a good choice.