Twenty-four|Birthday surprise

The prince of darkness is a gentleman— Shakespeare

~•~

Standing in front of his full length mirror, Nnamdi thought about what Kemi had told him last week. Some freak sending her weird letters.

The coward!

He had immediately alerted a friend of his whose uncle was a DPO to look into the case. Trust Nigerian police to push it aside as nothing. Even though they had looked at him as if he had gone mad, Nnamdi wasn't going to treat it as nothing. He had sworn to protect Kemi no matter the cost, he had just gotten her back and wasn't excited about losing her again.

Currently, he was taking her out on a date for his birthday. March 23rd was a day that brought back memories, memories that Nnamdi wanted to forget but with Kemi, he felt this day would be better than the rest.

Straightening his tie one more time, he did a quick once over to determine whether he was under or over dressed.
He dressed in a mauve shirt over black trousers—as he didn't own a lot of coloured trousers—and a black tie to match. After a second thought, Nnamdi decided to ditch the tie as he made him look a bit too formal. After all, he planned to treat her to dinner at the Dolphin restaurant at New Haven.

His phone beeped just as he left his bedroom to his sitting room, Nnamdi chuckled as he read the message.

I'm ready, are you? 😊

P.S: My mom expects flowers and all that stuff, come ready...
P.P.S: Don't tell her I told you...
—Cupcake❤ 6:00pm

The message reminded Nnamdi that he wasn't with his wallet. Going to retrieve it he wondered about how embarrassing it would have been to forget his wallet on a first date.
Returning to the sitting room, he almost choked up in surprise when he saw a chocolate skinned lady sitting on his loveseat as if she paid rent.

"Hello Nnamdi!" she greeted gaily. "My you've changed."

"Do I know you?" He asked incredulously as he observed the woman who literally just appeared out of nowhere.

Mystery lady was wearing a red dress and Nnamdi in all honesty could say that it made her skin glow. The strapless dress did little or nothing to cover her chest and the clicking sounds she made with her shoes unnerved him.

"It's not your fault, I barely recognized you too." She smiled and added, "Happy birthday Didi!"

Didi.

Where had Nnamdi heard that name from? Taking in the oval face, full lips and upturned eyes, it clicked.

'I only pitied you Didi...'

No it can't be, he thought. "Chioma!"

"Duhh," she rolled her eyes getting up from the seat and walking towards him.

"How?... When?... What..." He realized that he sounded pathetic, Nnamdi cleared his throat and asked, "When did you get back?"

"Around November," she said riding on her heels as she stopped in front of him.

"Oh!"

They stayed in an awkward silence for a while before Chioma finally spoke.

"I've missed you Nnamdi." He scoffed and she continued, "I'm sorry for how we parted before, I'm...I truly am."

Nnamdi walked towards his fridge and opened it to take out a drink not because he was thirsty, but because he couldn't stay six feet close to this woman.

He still couldn't believe that this was her, the Chioma he knew had been slim with thin lips and moderate breasts but the lady standing in front of him didn't come close to having those features as her breasts threatened to spill out of the flimsy gown any minute from now.

Nnamdi swallowed the bottled water hard and fast hoping to get rid of the nagging headache, Chioma watched him in trepidation.

"First off," he started. "What did you do to yourself?"

She laughed richly making Nnamdi wonder if her voice was also fake. "You like?" she asked stroking her breasts lightly.

Nnamdi knew that she had always despised her body saying that she was too skinny and flat but this was just an overkill. She looked like a walking advertisement for plastic surgery.

"Please!" he spat. "How do you enter an airplane with all that silicon swimming inside you."

"Oh please Didi!" she snapped. "This isn't what I came here for! Besides, I heard you're now into curvy women or did I hear wrong?"

Nnamdi scoffed then narrowed his eyes to slits. "What do you mean?"

"You very well know what I mean! After I came back from the states, I asked about you Nnamdi and found out where you lived. I must say Didi that I'm really proud of what you've become."

Nnamdi tightened his lips to a thin line. Her mood swings fazed him, calm one moment but touchy the next minute. He had a nagging feeling that something was wrong.

"I came for a visit only to see Kemi—that's her name right—coming into your house and after a few hours I saw her leaving."

"And why didn't you come in?" Not that he'd wanted her to anyway.

"I knew that there was something going on between the both of you and I was devastated. You know the next day, I came to do some paperwork for daddy at Crystal LTD and guess who I saw hmm? Little Miss whore walking about like she owned the place."

"You're sick Chioma! If you think you can just break into my house and into my life you're damn wrong!" Nnamdi yelled at her fuming. "So what did you do huh? Start sending her useless letters to stay away from me?!"

"A letter Nnamdi, point of correction," Chioma said, her calm voice annoyed Nnamdi that he thought of flinging the empty bottle towards her head. He knew for a fact that he wouldn't miss.

"I sent only a letter Nnamdi. When I figured out it was juvenile I told Benny to help out although he did a very terrible job but—"

"You sent who?! Benjamin I should have known," Nnamdi said more to himself than her. He didn't want to think of what would have happened if he hadn't found Kemi with him.

"I sent Benny, you remember him don't you? Although he said that you didn't recognize him then, what a shame," she concluded smiling brightly. Nnamdi racked his head trying to remember whether his ex had any history of mental illness although three years was enough for her to run mad.

"Chioma listen, you need help. Seriously," he said pinching the bridge of his nose and sitting down on the hand of the couch.

She laughed. "No I don't. I love you so much Nnamdi," Chioma said putting her manicured hands on the side of his face.

"Please leave," he said softly wondering how she got into his house.

"You don't want me to," she retorted leaning down to kiss him. Nnamdi pushed her away roughly and laughed harshly

"What do you think this is? Nollywood? You'll come back here after what you did what you said and I'll fall into your arms is that it?"

"Pretty much," she shrugged lightly while adjusting her clothes. "You know why I sent that letter hmm? I was jealous I knew you wouldn't take me back easily so I wanted to scare her away, if I can't have you know one can right? I would not have hurt her." Chioma flopped on her sofa and wept. "Please don't hate me!"

To say that he was stunned was an understatement, Nnamdi looked at Chioma like if he had just seen a ghost. Was she bipolar? He didn't remember any case of that when they were dating. How she had burst into tears was terrifying so to speak.

Nnamdi took a deep breath and sighed. He approached her with tentative steps hoping that this wasn't one of her infamous acts.

"I forgive you Chioma."

"You do?" She raised up her head and Nnamdi suddenly wished that she didn't as her mascara was running down her face like a river of black ink.

"I do," he said looking for any sign of pretense. "Please just promise me one thing."

"What?"

"Don't come close to her again or I'll be forced to call the police."

"Fine," she said pouting. "And for your information Mister, I didn't break in. Your door was unlocked."

Okay she's back to normal, I hope, he thought.

Nnamdi chuckled and rubbed his neck as it was starting to ache from all this tension. "Just don't come here again, okay?" he said as if talking to a child.

"I'm in a rehab facility," she said cutting him off. She turned to face him and was not surprised when she saw the shock on his face.

"Why?"

"I got involved with some bad people in the states so I started abusing drugs. It became very um... bad I guess. And daddy is involved in a case with the police and I feel like my life has turned upside down."

Drugs, rehab. That explains it, he thought.

"I'm sorry," he said rubbing her back to give her little comfort as he didn't know what else to say.

"It's not your fault," she laughed. "Don't pity me."

"Like you did?" Nnamdi queried. Chioma stayed mute for a while before she finally spoke.

"You really love her don't you." Nnamdi gave her a small smile. "You know Nnamdi, it was a two sided thing," Chioma mused getting to her feet.

"What was?"

"How we felt for each other," she answered. "I loved you because I pitied you and you loved me because... Because I was helping you."

Nnamdi exhaled. "And when did you figure this out?"

"A couple of minutes ago and three years too late," she said dabbing her face with a white hanky. Chioma grimaced when she noticed half her makeup was on the handkerchief.

"I'm sorry for barging in like this, it won't happen again. My therapy is going well I guess."

"I'm glad. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I was foolish to let you go Didi."

"You're right," he said smirking. Chioma punched his shoulders playfully.

"I'm sorry about that, I kinda blow up fuse and say things that don't make sense. It's messing with my head," she apologized sincerely.

Nnamdi pursued his lips as he  suddenly remembered something. "You used a pink paper to right that crappy letter isn't it?"

"And a lipstick I got from my purse because I couldn't find my pen, what's wrong?"

"Where exactly did you get that paper?"

"Well I filled a form at the reception, then I took two of them because they looked so pretty!"

Nnamdi laughed to cover up his concern. "That's okay."

"I'll see myself out," she said walking towards the loveseat to grab her handbag.

"Take care of yourself Chioma," he said shoving his hands into his pockets.

She looked back at him, her hand still on the door handle, "I'll try. Thank you for listening to me Nnamdi, I wanted to end it all but... Thank you." With that she left his house banging the door behind her.

Nnamdi released a deep breath and flopped back down to the couch running his hands across his face repeatedly. Chioma didn't send the other printed letters to Kemi, who did? Kemi! he thought.

Grabbing his phone, he punched in her number hastily.

"Where are you?! It's almost 7:00pm," she shouted over the phone blasting his eardrums.

"I'm sorry I had an unexpected visitor," Nnamdi chuckled looking towards the door.

"Oh! I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I'll tell you over dinner," he said rubbing his neck.

"Okay! Oh and forget the flowers bring a box of chocolates instead."

God this girl would be the death of me, he thought shaking his head in amusement.

"Only?" he said trying hard not to laugh.

"And a jar of Nutella! We ran out."

"Will do," he replied laughing.

Nnamdi cut the call quickly when he thought he heard a faint knock on his door. Going towards it, he wondered what was wrong with him as he didn't lock the door after Chioma had left.

"Hello," the visitor said immediately he opened the door.

"Um... How may I help you? It's quite a surprise seeing you here."

"Yeah, I didn't want to either but the fact that you have what I want..." she let her voice trail off as she smiled mischievously at him.

"Excuse me?" Nnamdi said in confusion. Why didn't anyone tell him that today was surprise visit day or something?
"What do I have that is yours?" he asked looking morose.

"You mean you don't know?" She feigned shock as she placed her hands on her chest. Nnamdi studied her outfit which was weird because that the weather was freaking hot.

She was clad in a black leather jumpsuit and black sneakers, her black hair shone under the yellow light in the veranda.

"No, I don't know."

"Tell me kind sir," she stated. "Seems you're not a very good boyfriend are you? Already going back to your ex are you? My Kemi doesn't deserve you," she smiled brightly as if she hadn't just said the weirdest thing Nnamdi had ever heard in his life.

"Your Kemi? Are you insane—" Nnamdi's voice slurred as he felt something prick his left arm.

In a moment, he found himself on the ground as his eyes fluttered close. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was Rita smiling down at him with a syringe in her hands.

So...

Who expected this?

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