Weruche's eyes scanned the car. It was a Lexus, far from the latest model but still in good shape. She went over to the passenger side front seat and the man leaned over to push open the door for her. "Thanks." She murmured as she got in and strapped up, noticing the man himself didn't have his seat belts on.
"So what's the name?" He asked, casting her a side long glance, his hand back on the wheel.
"Weruche."
"Nice name..... What does it mean?"
It means -- aren't you Igbo?" She tried to clean her tear stained face with her palms, wondering how much of a mess she looked. She didn't have her make up on and so didn't have to worry about her mascara or anything bleeding but crying always made her eyes puffy, it wasn't a pretty sight.
"No, I'm not Igbo." He answered.He reached into the glove compartment, brought out a clean hankey and handed it to her. "Joseph Yakubu at your service."
"Thanks." she said, taking the handkerchief and finally looking at him. He was dark and from what she saw from where she sat, he was in good shape. His hair was full and curly. Not long enough to be called an afro and yet not a low cut. His side burns disappeared into his beards that was again not a shadow and yet not bushy. He was the kind of person whose good looks stole up on you, so that you weren't hit with it at first but gradually came to the realization.
"So?" He turned and caught her starring.
" So what?" She asked feeling embarrassed.
" So are you going to tell me the meaning of Weruche?"
"Are you going to tell me the meaning of Yakubu?"
He laughed and in a moment, she knew she had been wrong. That laugh though friendly had a hint of a predators laugh in it. A predator with many conquests. There was nothing genial about him.
"Weruche, I don't know the meaning of Yakubu."
She liked the way he said her name, with only a hint of an accent. Her expression was in-between a frown and a smile, her eye brows drawn together and her lips curved in a reluctant smile. "And you expect me to know the meaning of Weruche."
" Yakubu is my surname. Most people don't know the meaning of their surname. Do you know the meaning of yours?"
" It's Chukwu." She replied. Not knowing why she decided to keep up the charade with him. "It means God."
"What so you'll just answer God -- Just like that?" He was genuinely surprised. " I guess your ancestors took it literally when the Bible said we are called by God's name."
She laughed, a little louder than she had wanted but she realized he had really cheered her up. There was something so relaxing about his company yet with hints of danger around the edges. "At least I know the meaning of my surname." She answered. " And to answer your first question, Weruche means -- in direct translation; take wisdom."
Joseph shook his head and glanced at her briefly as they pulled up in front of the Flora Nwapa hostel. "So you are 'take wisdom God' -- just like that?"
She smiled then frowned a bit. ''How did you know this was my hostel, I forgot to tell you.''
He looked a little sheepish. "Well I might have seen you come out of there a few times. My sister stays here too and I visit often."
She gave him a side ways glance. " Might have?"
He ducked his head, smiling as he got out and opened the door for her. "Have a nice day, 'take wisdom God."
She smiled. "Thank you Mr. I - don't - know - the - meaning -of -my -surname," she said as she headed into her hostel, surprised that Joseph didn't ask for her number -- well! Chilvary did exist.
When she got to the two man room she stayed in, her roommate Kachi, a mass communication student in her level was preparing to go to class.
"There's a package for you." She told Weruche as she headed out. "It's on the table."
Weruche walked over to the table and saw the package, it was wrapped in a florists paper but she could not make out if they were flowers or not.
Curious, she opened up the wrapper to see several wilted roses. The sight of flowers once so beautiful, now shriveled up and dead stopped her heart for a beat. She did not know why but instinctively, she understood it was the will of the sender for her to receive the flowers in their current state. This was no case of delayed delivery. The cold hands of dread squeezed mercilessly at her heart.
She picked up the note that had been attached, hoping to see a clue that would point to the sender but there was no name, instead the notes said in capital letters. "HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR ROSES?" There was a hand drawn face of a joker even though the note was typed and Weruche knew this was no joke, it was a threat. A threat from someone who hated her.
Her eyes stung as they went up again to look at the roses. The stems were twisted -- she was sure, by human hands. Suddenly, she did not feel like staying alone in the room. Even with the sheen of January's afternoon sun seeping in through the shear window blinds, she was afraid.
Karis sat in his office in his office in Woodville. The inactivity was killing him. He wondered why his father had insisted he work at the office branch in Woodville for a whole year before he was allowed to take over the running of the company. It was probably Adam Chukwu that put him up to it. Karis wondered how Adam had started off as his father's legal advicer, became his father's best friend and now was practically dictating what his father did. Thinking about Adam made Karis remember Weruche. He smiled. Beautiful but reluctant Weruche. She was going to have to make up her mind soon because he had already made up his. He got up from his chair, stretched and went to stand by the window. The view was great, his office overlooked the beautiful lake Woodville was known for but at this time of the year, there were no beautiful women flashing amazing bodies in bikinis, each trying to out do her neighbor in beauty and class. Instead, fishermen were all over the beach, hawking thei
The moment Weruche got to her street, she knew her suspicions were not wrong. She could see her house clearly from ten feet away, and people were trooping in and out, wearing long faces. They looked like people in mourning. You did not mourn the sick, you mourned the dead. She broke into a run, her back pack that contained most of her possessions wearing her down, and stealing the little strength she had, yet she did not stop. ''Justin, where is Mama? She's not dead, is she?'' She asked grabbing her brother immediately she got into the house. ''Relax Weruche.'' He said in a flash of irritation. ''She's not dead, I told you she was sick now, or did I say she's dead. She's in the room, go and see her. She probably won't be alive for long.'' Weruche let go of her brothers arm as his words stung. Relieved as she was that her mother was still alive, she hated how unconcerned about their mother's health Justin sounded, he also mentioned that she wouldn't be alive for long. He
Lola was being inquisitive again. Karis hated it when she got like that. He was going to have to break things up with her - this time for good. They had both enjoyed an open relationship for sometime now, but things were changing, she had started getting more jealous, more annoying. ''You want to launch a charity you say, but you have no idea what particular charity -'' She said. She was sitting on his laps and snorting coke from a pen, and he had the sudden urge to push her off. He shrugged. '' The girl child education, or anything that sounds as stupid and as good as that. I don't really care. All this is a game, a game between my father, Adam chukwu and I.'' ''And what about his daughter?'' Lola asked getting up suddenly from his lap, and dropping the pen on a table. ''What about whose daughter?'' Karis asked to stall for time. ''Oh don't play dumb with me Karis.'' Lola snapped. ''Adam's daughter - the beautiful Weruche.'' She raised a palm. ''And before you accuse m
''Why Weruche Chukwu! If it isn't a pleasant surprise.'' Karis said from where he was sitted, and Weruche could feel her heart skip several beats. She shouldn't have run off to his house without second thoughts, she should have come up with a plan, but she had been naive enough to think they would continue off from where they had stopped the previous year.... she was even lucky they had let her in. ''I... I... Can I come in?'' Karis merely lifted a brow. She was already in. She had worn the flimsy dress Brenda gave her that put way too much of her creamy skin on display, and her flat ironed her was beginning to kink up again, curling into something mysterious and totally sexy. She was looking good... beautiful, if the reactions of the men she had passed on the road was anything to go by, why wasn't Karis affected by her now as he had been in the past. She smiled and tried to step up her acting game. ''I came because..'' because I couldn't stop thinking about you... that
Weruche stood in front of her wooden wardrobe the next morning, wondering what to wear. She didn't want to make a habit of borrowing clothes from Brenda, and most of Brenda's clothes were hardly appropriate, but hers were faded and worn out. She settled for a gray pencil skirt and a black v neck top that had seen better days, she was just picking up the only hand bag she owned when her brother's voice coming from behind startled her. ''Don't tell me you're going back to school and leaving mother like this - who's responsibility do you think she is?'' Weruche turned to face her brother. From the color of his eyes, he had been smoking a lot already - and it wasn't just cigarettes. ''She is our mother Justin, not just some - responsibility to be foisted on our shoulders.'' ''Skip the fancy English Uche. You put your mother in the state she is, she is yours, your responsibility..... milking her dry for a university degree when none of us ever went through with secondary school.''
The next few weeks we're very hectic ones for Weruche, and she was enjoying every moment. Karis had his her advice and sent out opinion poll to the people of Woodville. The people in the slums had a double vote, that had been very thoughtful of him, since it was the people from her side of the town that needed charity more, but when she and Karis had put together the options, she decided she was going to do a little campaigning on her own before the voting started Karis had asked the people to choose between scholarships and educational grants to skill acquisition and then provision of health facilities. The people in the slums might need charity more, but they were also the most prone to mis-using opportunities. This was one opportunity she wanted utilized. Weruche wondered if it was wrong that she wanted the people to choose education. It actually didn't make sense that you could get enough money to start a petty trade, and then you'd choose to read books instead, but there wa
''I hear you got a job at the West coast.'' Weruche's mother said immediately she stepped into he house. She was sitting in the living room, and she was looking much better, she was even looking like she had never fallen sick. A smile broke out on Weruche's face. It was all worth it, everything was worth it. She slowly sang down to her mother's level on the floor. ''Hello mama, how are you doing today.'' Her mother did not answer, and only then did Weruche notice how angry she was. ''Mama, what's the matter now? I am only happy that you are better, you're looking very healthy now, the doctors seem to have done their work well.'' Her mother's frawn deepened. ''I asked a question young woman, don't let's change the topic from the issue at hand.'' Exasperated, Weruche frowned. ''And what is the issue at hand if it's not your health mama.... The doctors seem to have done their work, you are well now, but for some reason, you want to be angry.'' ''The Issue is not my healt
Brenda was dressed in a strappy spaghetti top that exposed most of her cleavage, fake black leather pants, and she was holding a pair of stilettos she planned to wear. Humming a popular tune, she sat down to wear her heels when Weruche stormed into the house. Surprised, a smile broke out on her face, then it changed to a frown when she saw the look on her friend's face. ''Weruche, are you alright? Is you mother okay?'' She asked worried. ''I should be asking you if you are alright.'' Weruche spat. ''And quit acting like you care about mother when you're busy playing sick mind games that I don't understand.'' Brenda was more confused. ''Weruche are you alright? What has come over you?'' ''This has come over me.'' Weruche fired back, flinging the package at her friend. ''What kind of sick game are you playing Brenda?'' ''I should be asking you that.'' Brenda was finally getting annoyed. ''You come into my house with such an attitude, shouting accusations I don't even understan