Chideraa: Love and Bruises

By Stan-Collins Ubaka

Ada tuned into a song while walking into the house. Instead of the excitement and pleasure that usually came with singing, a haze of vagueness and emptiness hung on her mind. What was that for? She just couldnt tell. Maybe seeing her son, Chideraa, would make her feel better. She had left him in the sitting room. But Chideraa was not in the sitting room when she walked in. Ada searched under the bed, and table. She looked up to the ceiling and the walls, even though she knew Chideraa could not have climbed there. When she couldnt find him, she screamed, Chideraa! But there was no response.

Love, suspense, intrigue, conspiracy, deceit, treachery, pain, and anguish are all here in author Stan-Collins Ubakas latest book, Chideraa: Love and Bruises. Ubaka tells a story most of us can relate to. Ada was a young, innocent girl in love. This supposed beautiful feeling resulted in pain, then gain, then pain, and then The emotional roller coaster seemed never-ending.

Chideraa: Love and Bruises educates you about the many ills in our society. You will also find there is hope despite how things look at times.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: May 14, 2015
• ISBN: 9781491765586

Stan-Collins Ubaka

Stan-Collins Ubaka (Dede Nna) is a graduate of the Major Seminary of Saints Peter and Paul, Bodija, Ibadan. He is ordained for the Catholic diocese of Issele-Uku and works as a priest. He is the author of several books, including A Cry of Innocence, Eternal Highways, and Spiritual Pathways.

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Copyright © 2015 Stan-Collins Ubaka.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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ISBN: 978-1-4917-6556-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4917-6557-9 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4917-6558-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015906314

iUniverse rev. date: 05/08/2015

CONTENTS

PART ONE

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

PART TWO

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

To you, Mom;

without you I would not be here!

PART ONE

1

Ada had fallen in love with Onyemaechi. Her entire life seemed to have been taken over by the feelings she had for him. She had never felt that way for anyone before. Many who had sought her hand for courtship could testify to how difficult it was to get her to date them. But when Onyemaechi came into her life, it was a different story. How did this journey of love begin?

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Ada and a couple of friends were returning from Adofi stream, miles away from home. That was the only place they could get water, because there was no borehole in the village. Osumi stream had been a better option for them, because it was closer to the house, until they were advised against fetching water from there because of the events that occurred around the stream. Just a couple of months back, two men had been killed by a mysterious python around there. Those who had witnessed the event were lucky to be alive to tell the story. Since then, no one dared to send their children to Osumi stream. But that meant a great deal of suffering for the villagers because of the long distance to Adofi stream, the alternate water source.

When will all of this suffering cease? asked Anwuli. This distance is killing me!

Ada, who was in front of her, turned back to encourage her. Take heart, my dear. It shall soon be over.

What are the king and his cabinet doing about Osumi stream? Ada, have you heard anything? asked Ebere, who was also lagging behind.

Why do you ask her? Is she among the king’s cabinet? Anwuli retorted.

"How does that bother you, amebo?" Ebere hissed.

What did you just call me? Anwuli asked, facing Ebere.

Sensing that Anwuli might pick a fight with Ebere, Ada moved in between them, the pot of water still on her head.

It’s okay; let’s go, Ada said.

Ada, give me a chance; let me deal with this fool, Anwuli declared.

You cannot do more than a dead rat, Ebere challenged her.

Ada was shocked at how heated their anger had gotten. But somehow she knew that their reaction was being triggered by stress and fatigue. The three friends had been climbing uphill for close to an hour under the scorching sun.

Anwuli moved an inch closer, her eyes targeting Ebere’s pot of water. And then she advanced forward, stretching her hand to push it. Ada quickly stepped between them again to avert that tragedy, only for Anwuli’s hand to push down Ada’s pot. Ada tried to catch it, but it was too late. It shattered to pieces.

Ada cried and cried. Anwuli and Ebere, now sober, gently brought down their pots and began to gather the broken fragments of Ada’s. She cried because her parents had warned her consistently to be careful of how she handled their water pot. Ada regretted that she had tried to separate Anwuli and Ebere. Now, they had become the strong girls, and she had become a lazy girl because, according to the general belief then, only lazy girls broke their pots.

While they were embroiled in this quandary, they heard the sound of footsteps walking in their direction. At first, they were scared because they had been warned never to linger on around the path leading to the stream, to avoid kidnappers and ne’er-do-wells who derived pleasure in harassing young maidens. Just as they were scrambling to flee in the thick bushes by the side of the path, the figure appeared in view. It was Onyemaechi. Relief!

Onyemaechi was considered a ladies’ man. He was tall, dark, and handsome, and possessed an arrogance about him that suggested he was too good for any of the girls in the village. So you could imagine Ada’s surprise when he stopped in front of her and pulled her up from the ground. Ada wiped her tears with the edge of her wrapper and allowed herself to melt in his warm embrace. In that moment, gloom suddenly gave way to something sweeter. It must have been Ada’s vulnerability that endeared her to Onyemaechi quickly. Ada wasn’t too sure, but what she was sure about then was that she connected with him instantly.

That was the beginning of Ada’s clandestine relationship with Onyemaechi. He naturally commanded her admiration. He was so charming and the perfect gentleman. His dimpled smile accentuated his smooth, good looks, which made Ada’s heart melt anytime she looked at him. God must have spent extra time in moulding him. Somehow in her subconscious, Ada knew it was too good to be true.

One who had never, ever considered herself a sucker for love suddenly found herself head over heels in love. Ada would have followed him to the ends of the world if he’d asked her to.

Onyemaechi was so affectionate and kind. Although he was not buoyant, he was not stingy, and that was another plus that endeared Ada to him. He showered her with the kinds of gifts his meagre resources could afford. Ada always looked forward to their secret walks together in the woods. Although she still kept the relationship a secret, she had decided no wind of criticism from her family or friends would blow away what she shared with Onyemaechi. But how foolish in the long run she was to allow desire to becloud better judgement. It later dawned on her that behind every sweetness lurked danger.

In the heat of their passion, which was only a week old, she’d thought of opening up to her mother for counsel, but she feared her mother’s reaction because once, when Onyemaechi had visited Ada, her mother’s disposition on seeing him hadn’t been encouraging. Yet, there was a strong need in Ada’s heart to share the matter with someone, but with whom? Only one option made sense to her, and that was to confide in her trusted friend Anwuli.

Anwuli and Ada had been friends since childhood. They were so close that they shared everything, from clothes to intimate secrets. They attended the same school as well. Since Ada was always the first to get ready for school, she would go to Anwuli’s house and wait for her so they would both go to school together. If anyone looked to trouble either of them, they would both join hands to fight the person. One day, a hefty, tall lad harassed Ada. The nitwit had tugged at her right breast and said that it felt like bread, and everyone had jeered. Ada was so embarrassed that she wished the ground would open up and swallow her. However, Anwuli, who was tougher than Ada, encouraged her not to be cowed by the size of the boy, that oftentimes size does not necessarily determine strength.

When school ended for the day, they both ran ahead of everyone and hid in the bush, very close to the route where many of the students passed. Ada’s heart was pounding