She didnt have a clean record exactly

[Boss]

[Fiction based on mostly a real life situation]
Sheltered all thru high school and had her small moments of rebellion during senior year...she tried it all: cigars, weed, alcohol...dick.

Of course she had to keep it out of the house, daddy and mommy were elite Africans...can't tell Dr O nothing he wouldn't be quick to argue against...Mrs O was the one with a bit of trouble...see, Dr O is known to be a drunk and a wife-beater, and also a gambler with bad credit...but hey. Mrs O is not allowed to work, but she found a way to stash his money over the past 6 years...that's why at least Ify can survive on after loans her mother co-signed have handled the rest.

Ify goes to college, she chooses one far away against both her parents' wishes...it's fine. Dr O and his wife hear good things about the school... Ify tells her parents she's going for a pre-med program...that pleased them

Ify went to party school...infact it was her major. Freshman year, Sophomore year, it was everything she did in high school, pushed up to the tee...more alcohol, more weed, more cigs, more dick...a lot of dick. She was practically the black girl all the white frat boys had to get with...everybody partied with her.

She did surprisingly average for someone with her lifestyle...a B average...although they were all from general courses...things began to slip after the first semester of her junior year...she had no idea what she was doing...switched majors twice..settled for a Psychology major for the interim, and then, she failed that semester...if things couldn't go worse...the next semester proved it could.

[Boss]

One day Dr O got the phone calls most parents dread...your only child was involved in a car accident. He drove all the way down to FL...the scene was horrible...she was driving up from FL after spring break with some friends and they had a car accident...the scene was bad...the car was upside down...evidence of alcohol and drugs on the scene...the cop told him where to find his daughter...both parents drove up there. They found their child in the ICU section, Mrs O was hysterical now...thinking this was the end...Dr O knew the drill, a few phone calls...he already had the espirit de corps of being a doctor. He owed many of his big colleagues, favors he owed them all...but he was able to beg them to help him with this one, to save his only child's life. He called on to the resident doctor...he told him...Dr O, ur daughter just lost her pregnancy...it was a month old.

Dr O couldnt fathom it, his own baby...the virgin...pregnant? Wut was this? an immaculte conception? How...who...wh...too late to ask questions...they already got a bed for Mrs o since she passed out way before...she was just there lying and panting...

Ify was not conscious of anything, she woke up with no one by her side. The nurse already explained to her what happened, and the doctor came in and explained the situation, the lost pregnancy, how she was transported to TX, all her friends were seriously wounded, none of them died and all that stuff....that whole night and nights thereafter...she didn't stop crying.

3 days later, her father walks in, tells her she's going home. She signs out the withdrawal papers, and the father packs her stuff in the car and they start the long drive home...neither of them say a word.

The house, the next day, she calls her to the living room along with Mrs O...he's half-drunk. But then he begins wailing..."I should have had a son! I should have had a son!" Begins calling her all names...the name calling goes back and forth between father and daughter...her mother looks on...in grief.

"You never paid for my school, all you did was drink and gamble on football you impotent man"

"I never EVER want to see you in my house again"

He then goes out, drinks some more. The mother looks at ify and goes to her room...she has nothing to say.

Ify feels alone, she's not really sure what to do..she just stares out of the veranda most times..wondering if life would get better...no car to go out, she doesnt want to. No phone, no life...she's getting paranoid.

A week later, her mom calls her into the room...tells her "Look, I know we are angry with you, but things will not get better until you are in school, I dont think your father wants you around...and I don't blame him either..."

"But I am the one who lost a child, I am the one who had the car..."

"Shut up my friend...that bastard deserved to die"

Ify was speechless

"I have called your aunty in London, u know, Gloria...she will take you in for now, till we find something to do with you.

[daddidollars]

Dr O couldnt fathom it, his own baby...the virgin...pregnant? Wut was this? an immaculte conception?

[Ndidiamaka]

more! more!

[~Zeta~]

you good oh

[jaces]

Nice read.

[Boss]

Ify never heard much about Gloria growing up...well, she did. They were never good things. Gloria was the dropout, the ashewo, what no girl should ever grow up to be. So, on impulse, her immediate reaction was negative to the idea of visting Gloria...but where are her options? Staying back at home with nothing to do, in her room that feels like a cell in a prison? Perhaps travelling out would be a good idea she thought. Afterall, she had never been to London.

Mrs Orji was the only Orji in the whole clan who maintained a steady and positive relationship with Gloria. She assured Ify it's not as scary as it seems. "She's just misunderstood" Mrs Orji always said. Dr Orji could care less. He couldn't stand the sight of Ify alone, so sending her off for a while with the osu wasn't a big problem.

Ify talked a bit with her aunt, Gloria had a very distinct voice...she seemed to still force a british accent although her igbo accent was clearly obvious. It was funny how her voice hasn't changed although she's been living in the UK for almost 25 years.

Packed with her stuff and an old picture of Gloria, Ify made her way to the airport escorted by her mum. One last hug and Ify was on the plane ready for london...waiting for what this city had in store for her. She kept looking at this picture...Gloria was a lot younger then, that was the last picture anyone had of her. There was a handsome young dark man beside her...Mrs Orji said it was Gloria's former husband...the thoughts racing through ify's head put her in a pulp...how does someone this handsome leave someone this beautiful? Or is Gloria that evil? She stopped thinking and laid her head back and slept off till the plane landed Gatwick.

Arriving the baggage claims area, she could immediately spot gloria from the rest of the crowd...a distinct off-point attire and a strong face clearly spelled out Arochukwu woman...and her facial features hadn't changed a bit since the picture was last taken.

She made her way to Gloria who seemed shocked at first, then took the look back and said "Welcome to Luhn-Don my dia"

The drive to Gloria's house wasn't bad at all...about an hour and they were in Gloria's townhouse. A decent townhouse with 2 bedrooms, very small...very very small space Ify noted. Ify realised the floorplan of the whole house could match up to her room alone.

"It is not too much my dia...but I hope you can manage"

"Sure I can, aunty"

"That room used to be my study and junk room, but you can have it, I cleaned it up, put a mattrezz on the floor...the compurra and eferything should still be working alright"

"Thanks aunty"

Ify made her way into the room, Gloria cleaned it up real good...which she noted about the whole house. Gloria worked as a nurse so as a proxy, she kept her whole house in a virgin state constantly. Ify made her way to the computer, slow as it was, she could manage, browse facebook, aol and all the other internet things that would make her feel almost at home, although the computer was as slow as a bug.

After sleeping off the jetlag, Gloria called her once during dinner and they conversed while they were eating at the dining table

"So what's your plan my dia?"
"Oh, I think...I don't know"
"Here's my plan for you...you are here as my guest...I want you to feel at home, but you see this house must be clean...at all times. You must always keep it that way"
"Yes ma"
"And you know, this is london, so you better be safe...I want you to be back at home at all times before i go to work...7pm"
Ify looked shocked...she's no kid...7pm? But she couldn't revolt...Gloria had a stern stare that could turn a lion into a kitten.
"I want you to be safe, and I work late nights, you know that. You have all of mor'ing and afru'noon to waka about, but 6:40, 7 latest, I want you back here ok?"
"Yes ma"
"Good...my dear, I don't want you to feel locked up, you are my guest...enjoy my guesthood...you are here for how long? As much as you wish really...enjoy london...go about, enjoy it, you have small money for shopping right? Go shopping in westend...plenty places to see here in London"

With those words, she muttered to herself "welcome to london indeed"

---~

[jaces]

lol@ last two paragraphs.

[Boss]

Gloria was a freak of nature, an eccentric person. Maybe it was the fact that she was in her late 40's and was still single...but that's just part of it

Gloria worked as a nurse on the night shift, left the home at 7pm, got home at 7am. Ify rarely talked to Gloria because she was either at work or at home sleeping.

Gloria had shown Ify around so she can have a start on things, the shop to get a bus pass, how to figure her way around london with the tube among other things...just enough stuff for ify to figure herself around.

Ify loved her first few weeks in london, the new environment, the sexy british guys with their accents, the shops, the clothes, everything. But soon it was all too boring for Ify, she needed some of the excitement she once had, although it was in her past...she wanted it back. She wanted the parties, the alcohol, the sex. Gloria had set some stern rules for Ify

"In my house, there'd be no nonsense, no boys, no coming home late, no alcohol, no nonsense!"

Ify grew tired and frustrated with the rule...Ify felt depressed.

She couldn't talk to Gloria that much when she could because of Gloria's stern facade. Ify enjoyed watching her aunty's oddities...the way she scratched off the stew stain off the kitchen floor till it was sparkling white...the way her aunt positioned her flowers with a measuring tape, the fact that Gloria smoked threw Ify off...Ify noticed aunty only smoked in her backyard terrace and never inside...for someone working as a nurse with such high sanitary standards...ify was surprised her aunt indulged in such an act.

"Old habits die hard my dia" was Gloria's only excuse.

Ify got more and more depressed...sitting at home watching boring british television didn't help her boredom, neither did a slow internet or a lonely neighborhood surrounded by old white ladies and stuck-up rich families. How did Gloria live in this dump? Ify sometimes thought.

It got worse, and worse and worse. An occasional phone call from her mother was the highlight of her week...but that was about it.

It got worse, and worse...till she had enough.

one night, Ify had flashbacks of the accident, her mind went blank..she went into the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror.

"Ify, look at you, no one cares about you, not even your own father...your friends don't call you, no one even sends a message to say hi anymore...you've gained so much weight, no one even notices you on the street...even if they did, look at you, they don't want you anyway, why are you still alive? Just die Ify...die"
At that moment, she caught sight of a pair of scissors. She opened it up and slit several times on her wrist...hoping she could bleed herself to death..suddenly her she got dizzy...she slipped...she went completely blank...

Somewhere in time, she woke up a little bit , woke up enough to see Gloria sitting by her bedside, smoking a cigarette...sobbing with tears dripping from her eyes

"Why? Why? Ifeanyiwa...WHY?"

Ify was in serious pain, it seemed every pulse at the back of her head was a loud bass drum and her arms felt like someone stuck a sword up them...she couldn't take the pain anymore...the pain lulled her into a sleep once more
--~

[monblaze]

wow! u ARE good!!!
can we have more? i want more!

[Sooo Sweeet 3]

yes... more pls :-)...

[Boss]

Ify woke up a little bit dazed, she tried to get up from her bed, but slipped as she got off...she made her way to the bathroom and dared herself to go down the stairs. She was lucky Gloria made it up just in time to help her downstairs.

Gloria sat ify up in an armchair, got some nice to put at the back of Ify's head and went back to her tv show.

Ify felt a lot of pain at the back of her head...she winced and groaned while Gloria kept with her "Sorry o? Pele"

"Aunty, I'm sorry"

Gloria stared at Ify...then put her tv on mute.

"Ify, what do you know about me?"

She said nothing

"Ify, answer nah, don't be fear..."

"What exactly aunty?"

"What have they told you about me?"

"Not much, my dad always said you were the black sheep, the drop out"

Gloria smiled as she sipped her brandy "That your father, pompous bastard...because he's a physician, he thinks everybody is less than him"

Ify couldn't reply, not that she had the guts to reply to her aunt's statement, more like she agreed with her.

"Come here dia"

Ify came over to the couch, her head rested on Gloria's shoulders, Gloria pressing the icepack at the back of Ify's head.

"Let me tell you my story my dear, it seems everything u hia is wishy washy...first, were u ever abused as a child?"

Ify shook her head

"My dia, you are lucky. Me and you are like, you are just lucky than me. See my dia, nna m nwusu during biafra, my mother died having birth to me...hemorrhage....so i was grown with winch dragging from my leg...your dad's father, my uncle, he raped me first. I was about 5 or 6 when he did it to me first. then i was just sleeping with eferybodi...then there was this man Mr Osode, my science teacher...he got me pregnant when I was 15...no 14. He lie say not him. They throw me out of school, my uncle throw me out of house...i was a 15 years old pikin with belle, ify. They take me go midwife, me and my friends...they use hanger take the baby out. Don't go through that pain my dia...dont.

I didn't stop, I mean, I was out of school, I didn't have no one who was looking for anything serious with me, just all these boys wey hit and run. I didn't mind...then my uncle try again so I run go Lagos. In Lagos, i work for hair salon under one woman from our village, Madam Okolie, really nice lady, she take me in, take care of me, send me to typing school and work in hair salon...then during then, I met him, oh...that boy nice chocolate boy...Pedro Martins...fine yoruba boy...oh dear I loved him. Me and him were serious, he didnt know nothing. He promise to take me with him to London...so I followed him. That picture you have, is me and him before we leave Lagos...

Then we come london, we do court marriage...I thought life was complete. Till we tried to have baby, didn't work. We try and try for like 2 years, Doctor said I can't have baby. Something wrong with my system. I tell Pedro everything, he beated me and left me. Left me alone here in London...I don't know where he is, I hear he is in prison somewhere for drugs. I can't deal with men anymore, all of them dogs. In and out that's how I treat them. He left me here alone by myself...I been here more than ten years, I do everything myself...I don't need a man...No"

Ify's eyes welled up in tears, the pain she felt. Not the physical pain she was going through...but the pain of her aunt. Gloria was clearly misunderstood her whole life...and...no words...could...

Ify just laid her head on Gloria's breasts and allowed the tears to come down.

"It's ok my dia..." Gloria said, stroking Ify's hair "..It's ok..."