The day was excruciatingly long, with no other place to go; Biola sat in a public garden all day reading, eating, watching and feeding pigeons. It wasn’t as bad as she expected it to be but it was long, too long; watching passer byes had never been more interesting to her. It was a way of getting her thoughts away from herself; evening finally arrived and as she stood up to leave there he was, Seyi.
He stood there watching her for about fifteen minutes before she turned to see him “how did you find me?” she asked but he ignored her question and kissed her “oh Seyi” she began to cry.
“I know that I have been a fool, I know that Umar is blackmailing you, I should have offered to save you first instead of badgering you with my proposal of love” Seyi’s word made love to her soul “do you believe I have connections with powerful people?” she nodded “do you believe I can do anything for you?” he continued but she said nothing.
“Biola you have known me for almost a year and you still don’t know what I am capable of?” his voice filled with disappointment “no… no… it’s not that” she responded attempting to stop his disappointment “then what is it? Umar won’t do anything to you… I promise you that if you leave him, he won’t…” “It is not about me” she interrupted “what if he does something to you? I won’t be able to bare it … I won’t” she came out of his arms and took a step back.
She apologized to him for everything she had put him through and tried to walk away but he didn’t let her “I am not going to let you marry that maniac” he said with a stern voice “you can’t tell me what to do” she retorted, her response sent them to an early evening quarrel in a public place.
Seyi was not ready to let go and he was ready to do or say anything to get his way, he threw Biola’s past actions in her face and accused her of sleeping around for money then concluded by saying that she was bent on staying with Umar because she believed Umar was wealthier and more powerful than he was.
“Look at me! Look at me!” she shrieked “Do I look like I need to sleep with anyone to get what I want?” her question halted Seyi and he unconsciously relaxed his grip on her arms. He was suddenly ashamed of himself for attacking her; Biola did not give him the chance to apologize, she was gone before he knew it leaving behind the words “we are done forever”.
Of course she didn’t want to marry Umar and she knew Seyi had the power to protect her if she left Umar but being at the mercy of another man was not something that interested her, she believed if Seyi saved her he would forever look at her as his spoils from war, so Umar it was. She didn’t even understand why she felt so drawn to him, ever since the day they met at the mall in Abuja; he was hard to forget and now that she was getting married in two weeks she had to forget him for good, even though it felt impossible.
Her cab pulled into the car park by 7pm, perfect time for a shower she thought, diner was not on her mind and she was very sure that Umar was out with his friends till midnight. As she searched her hand bag for her wallet her eyes observed a familiar figure standing close to the entrance, it was Salim.
“What are you doing here?” she was carrying over anger from her conversation with Seyi “I need to talk to you” he took her hand and led her to a private corner behind the building and as soon as they got there she harshly pulled her hand away “your mother won’t be happy with what you are doing Salim…” “What am I doing?” “You are here by this time trying…” “Trying to tell you to have dinner or lunch with me? Trying to tell you I have feelings for you or that I am ready to do whatever it takes to be with you… which part will make her upset?”
Biola was taken aback by his mature way of speaking but she didn’t let it distract her from threatening to call his mother to tell her where he was “call her… she would be happy to hear from you” his confidence was a new outfit she had never seen him wear before “I had a long day Salim, I don’t need this right now” she turned to walk away but he pulled her towards him and kissed her with the desire of a man. She felt his racing heart against her chest and it made hers beat faster.
As she looked up into his calling eyes she realized that he was way taller than she believed him to be, probably more than 6 feet; she lost her stamina but his hands held her in place as if she was weightless “you are seventeen” she whispered “I don’t care” he kissed her again this time with no resistance from her until she realized that anyone could see them and tell Umar “Salim, please for your own good … don’t come back here again” she whispered and ran away while Salim stood with a smirk on his face rejoicing at the progress he had made.
When she opened the front door Umar welcomed her with a roaring slap that hurled her to the ground “who the hell was that?” he blazed screaming like an angry gorilla “who?!” she cried “I saw someone kiss you just now. Who the hell is he?” “Nobody… he is nobody” she replied and got up to run away but he pushed her to the massive couch in the sitting room
“So I am going around looking for a beautiful gift for you, so that we can make up but you go around kissing people, you undisciplined whore” he dispensed a blow she received with the strength she used to run to the kitchen and before he could get close to her she pointed a knife at him
“If you come close to me I will cut myself” she put the knife close to her neck “why do you treat me the way you do?” she sobbed and Umar began to beg her “I’m sorry darling… please don’t hurt yourself, it was hard for me to watch another man hold you, please forgive me”
“No!” she screamed “this is not working out for me… for both of us” “what do you mean?” humility appeared in his eyes “I can’t marry you, I won’t marry you” she said firmly “no no no you can’t say that” Umar walked closer to her “stay away from me” she screamed moving back.
Umar did not listen to her instead he threw himself at her like a hungry lion took the knife away from her and dispensed his signature blow but she dodged it and let the wall take it.
Umar groaned painfully “if I can’t have you Biola, no one else will” he snarled “then no one will” Biola quickly took another knife from the kitchen counter, ran to the balcony and locked herself outside. As Umar banged on the glass door she slashed both her wrists with the knife.
“No no no” Umar screamed and banged harder, he tried to break the glass but it was as if her blood instructed it to resist him. Umar screamed and used all the strength in him to break the glass unsuccessfully then he ran to look for a spare key by this time Biola’s blood had covered half of the balcony floor and she was near unconscious.
He eventually found the key and opened the balcony door but it was too late “baba…baba…baba” Umar cried into his phone “baba she is dead… I killed her” he cried.
“Umar, if that girl is dead as you say then you will seize to be my son” It was the final straw for General Gayesu because to him marriage meant that his son had become a responsible man. Umar wailed and rolled in Biola’s blood like a little boy.
He thought the words “if can’t have you…no one else can have you” was romantic to say, he did not understand to whom he spoke those words; she was not in a normal head space, she was not a normal person. She was the kind of person who could take her own life to spite someone, to prove a point, to call a bluff.
He thought he knew how to suppress and control her but Biola Kila can never be suppressed. She will create a mirage for you and make you see what you want and then take away that mirage to shatter your happiness even if it meant hanging herself with a scarlet rope decorated with thorns.