When Nana answered the call, her mother requested her to meet her at a particular place.
“Mummy, I think it will be better you come to Enaku’s house, she also has a wonderful plan she came up with.”
“A plan? Nana, don’t tell me you revealed your secret to her?”
“She is my friend, so why won’t I share my secret with her?”
“Don’t be naive Nana, the less people you involve in this issue, the more success it becomes. You have to be careful with the people you trust, to avoid getting stabbed at the back. You have me here to help you, I still don’t get the need of getting Enaku involved”
“Mummy, we need more vibrant ideas to achieving this task, and besides, none of your plans have ever worked out, please don’t pick offence, I’m just being real.”
“Nana, are you trying to insult your mother?”
“No Mummy, I will never insult you, but you really need to hear this idea Enaku brought up, it was fantastic. We have been fighting Grace with fetish means, so I think it’s time we resort to practical means. Yes mummy, let’s be practical this time, I believe it will work. So I want you to come over here and hear this new plan, and don’t worry about Enaku’s parents, because they are not at home right now, they traveled”
“Nana, are you crazy? Listen to me right now, I demand you meet me at our usual place and don’t make me wait for long.”
“But Mummy, it’s getting late, I can’t come to that bushy place, I really can’t. OK you know what, let’s talk on phone.”
“But I don’t have enough airtime to talk much on the phone.” Chibugo said
“Don’t worry, let’s be talking, when your airtime finishes, I will call you back later”
“OK.. So tell me, what’s this plan you were talking about?”
“Mummy, it’s about making Grace to loose all her dignity in this village. She exposed me and got me ridiculed by the entire villagers. So, Enaku and I will be doing the same thing to her. We will change people’s perceptions about her and make them despise her”
Chibugo was still not understanding what Nana was trying to explain.
“O……OK.., but I’m kind of lost, can you explain better please?”
And Nana explained the new plans in full details.
“Hmm, this sounds like a perfect idea, but is it not too difficult?”
“But it’s not sounding difficult to me. Have you forgotten that I’m still living at Grace’s house. I will first perfect the plan by using her phone to be sending messages to the guy.”
“Have you girls found the guy already?”
“Enaku said she will take care of everything, all we need now is to make arrangement for money and everything will be settled. Grace made me look like a worthless girl, so it’s pay back time, I don’t care how I will do it, all I need is for her to lose all the respect and admiration she has garnered her entire life. I hate it when people keep using her as an example, calling her the good, responsible and descent girl, so it’s time for all that to change, and most importantly, for Oluba to reject her. I really just can’t wait for that to happen”
“Nana, can you call me back? They have warned me that my airtime will soon be exhausted.”
“OK Mummy, let me call you back” Nana said, disconnecting the call and then called her back.
“As we were saying, I can’t wait to shame Patience and her daughter. You needed to see how people were making mocking faces at me. I used to carry my heads up high, I never knew that something would make me feel degraded like I did today. But not to worry, my time to laugh will soon come. The mistake Grace did was dipping her hand in something that does not concern her.” Chibugo lamented
“Don’t worry Mummy, I am sorry you are going through this social humiliation just because of me. If I had listened to you regarding my secret affair with Efe, we wouldn’t have been in this mess, but I will surely redeem our image. I won’t have Grace get away with everything she is doing to us”
“Alright Nana, as for the money, I will arrange for it tomorrow. But you have to be careful with that your friend, don’t get sabotaged by her, you have to extremely vigilant. I have to go now, and better start returning home, its getting late.”
“OK, what about Oluba, are they still there?” Nana asked
“No, they have gone.”
“OK Mummy, and I love you so much, you are the best Mummy in the entire world.”
“Love you too Sweetheart, so get going”
“Alright Mummy” Nana said and they ended the call, she then handed the phone back to Enaku
“So what did your mother said?” Enaku asked
“She is in. She approved the idea, and promised to arrange for the money tomorrow.
“That’s perfect.”
“Enaku, I will have to get going now, it’s getting late, we will meet tomorrow. And thank you so much for this perfect idea, you are too much..”
“Come on Nana! What are friends for? So tomorrow, we will meet and propose a deal with the guy that will help us do the job”
“OK friend, tomorrow then” Nana said and they bided goodnight.
Peace who was feeling disappointed that Grace still trusted Nana approached her mother to know what her stance was.
“Mama, I want to discuss something with you” she requested, sitting beside her
“And what’s that?” Patience asked
“Mama, what do you have to say about Sister Grace’s mysterious illness? Do you think it was natural?
“Hmm, I have been thinking about that since today. Grace has being a kind and simple person, I wonder why anybody would want to harm her” Patience said, looking at a fixed direction.
“Which means, you think somebody had a hand in it?” Peace asked
“If you ask me, I think somebody tried really hard to stop the introduction from taking place, but my daughter’s faith saw her through.”
“Good, and glory be to God for that. So mama, do you have anybody in mind, is it Nana?”
The moment Peace mentioned Nana, her mother quickly gave her a very serious look.
“Peace, don’t tell me you still have the notion that Nana had a hand in it? But tell me, why would she try to harm her?” Patience asked and then saw how troubled and disturbed her daughter was looking, she then paused, looking at her calmly and then held her hands.
“Peace my daughter, I know you mean so well for your Sister, and you don’t want any harm to come near her, but believe me, Nana is innocent. That text message we saw clearly explained her sincere motives for staying here. That young girl wants to change, and stop accusing her with heinous crimes like that OK” Patience sought, but Peace did not utter any word to her. She said in her heart: “Mother, there is no need arguing with you, I will have to talk to father, and if nobody wants to give me a listening ear, I will then approach Oluba and explain everything to him. I can’t sit down and watch Nana destroy my sister, I won’t ever forgive myself if I allow that to happen.”
She then sat up to leave, but her mother drew her back.
“Peace my daughter, I know that whenever you are quiet like this, so many things are running up in your mind. You are losing weight because of this, my daughter. I want you to hand everything to God. If Nana really has something up her sleeves, then God will expose her” Patience said, looking straight at Peace’s eyes, but she still remained mute.
She only gave her mother a faint smile and then left.
She went to her father and requested to have a moment with him.
“You can sit down my daughter.” Peace then sat and began explaining everything to him.
“To tell you the truth Peace, I was also thinking the same direction. I suspected that she might had something to do with it. I think I know what to do. I will send Grace away from here. She should go to her maternal place and stay, I won’t give chances again. She will have to leave from here tomorrow and continue her wedding preparations over there” Her father said
And Peace became happy.
“Thank you Lord that somebody in this house is finally understanding me”
Peace was still discussing with her father when Nana arrived, pretending to be looking surprised at how happy everybody was looking.
“Mama Grace, I am so sorry that I did not call to inquire about how Grace is doing, my phone had been off since afternoon, the battery went flat. How is Grace doing now, and what’s up with the happy faces?” Nana asked
“Nana my daughter, Grace is completely healed now. It was a miracle and……..” Patience was still speaking when Grace came out from the room..
And Nana stood, faking to be shocked and extremely happy. She went and hugged Grace
“Grace, oh wow! I can’t believe this! I really can’t believe it… And what about Oluba, did he still come?”
“Yes sister, he came and the event was a success”
Nana jumped in total fake happiness, and tried lifting Grace.
“Grace, I am so happy for you. I can’t believe this. I am so happy for you Grace. Remember what I told you the other night, that I’m your maid of honour….?”
“Off course you are, nobody is dragging that with you” Grace assured
“But Grace, I am not happy. To tell you the truth, I am not. I missed the occasion”
“You don’t have to worry my dear, we still have the main wedding, OK.. Let’s go to my room so that I will gist you everything” Grace said drawing Nana inside, as Nana continued laughing, faking to be happy.
Immediately they entered the room, Patience looked at her daughter, Peace and asked her if she saw how happy Nana was.
“Mama, open your eyes so that you will see what the naked eyes can’t see” Peace said, shaking her head, walking out of the sitting room to her own room.
Grace’s father approached his wife informing her of his intentions of sending Grace away to her maternal home
“But why? What about her wedding preparations?” Patience asked
“She will continue doing the preparations over there, while we take care of other things here. I don’t want what happened today to repeat again. And tell her to be discrete, she shouldn’t reveal her whereabouts to anybody and not even to Nana, do I make myself clear?”
“Even Nana, but why?” Patience asked
“Mama Grace, my words on this are final. This should remain a top secret. Is that clear?” He asked
And Patience reluctantly nodded.
To be continued
The author of Dare the Truth is Ngozi Lovelyn O.
Warning: No part of this work should be copied, use, reproduce, redistribute either electronically or manually without prior permission from the author.
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