FARIDA Episode 9 by Oge’s Stories
“Every time we meet all you talk about is Farida. Did she cast a spell on you or what? She’s a local girl. See better girls throwing themselves at you but you are stuck on this Farida girl. Even Aisha that has fallen for you, you have refused to see her or talk to her” Dominic said to his friend Wale.
They have had this discussion before but because Wale had refused to answer their questions, it kept coming up. They wouldn’t understand. Farida was very different from other girls. At a young age of eighteen, he had left a line of heartbroken girls from when he became sexually active at sixteen. There were always willing girls. The girls were from both divide; the rich and the poor fell easily to his charm. But one girl didn’t seem to notice him. That alone allured him to her. She had refused to see him since the last time they saw. He would park his car at a distance, sit inside it and watch her leave home and come back much later in the day. He did that twice a week. When he tried it on a Sunday, she didn’t come out at all. Why would a girl appeal to him this much? But she did.
The Aisha they mentioned never appealed to him. He tolerated her because she knew someone who was very smart and discreet for their Jamb mission. She was trying too hard to fit in. When she started hanging with them, she exposed some of the girls in the lesson to them which earned her a seat in the car. He wasn’t physically attracted to her but because she was naughty, daring and available she was welcome.
Since the incident at the eatery, he hadn’t spoken to Aisha. He told his friends that until she apologizes to Farida, he would never allow her hang with him again. They felt it was petty but then when he stood his ground, they had to agree with him or lose their seats. Aisha refused to apologise and was even badmouthing Farida. She called her a local girl who does household chores for people for money. She talked about her impoverished background and wondered what Wale found fascinating in her. She was ready to jump ship to other cool guys if it was her apologizing that would get her back in the group. Her bragging about jumping ship was to save face; there were no other cool guys with money to throw around like Wale.
Wale was the coolest and most popular boy in that area. His father owned estates; their family house was an estate. His father married three wives; his mother was the last. Each wife and their children had their houses which were usually blocks of flats. With the exit of his siblings, he had a well-furnished three bedroom flat. His mother spared no expense on him. As the last child and only son of their mother, his siblings, most of whom were married, spoilt him. His stepsiblings were not left out. He never lacked anything. His father was his only problem. He was on his case to succeed as his other children had done but Wale seemed to be a loafer. This made his father put so much pressure on him. This was his second time writing WAEC and Jamb and his last chance as his father had instructed.
“Or do you want to hit and run?” Tunde asked jokingly.
“She is not that type. I want to get to know her more. There is something about her I will love to discover” Wale responded.
“So, you are trying to tell me that if she offers you, you will not take?” Dominc added. This got his two friends laughing but Wale was not interested in what they were saying. He reminisced about their last discussion. She shared some of her dreams with him which inspired him. His father wanted him to attend Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife Osun state but he was considering changing to the University of Lagos just because of her. He would love to spend more time with her. He felt more like protecting her than dating her. He was attracted to her no doubt but her guilelessness could be taken for granted. He wouldn’t want that at all. For the first time, he was ready to sacrifice something for someone.
He said out loud from his thoughts, “I need to see her”
“See who?” Both friends chorused.
‘Farida of course” he replied giving them a ‘matter of fact’ look.
“You are serious about this chic” Dominic asked.
“I am” he answered.
“What if she refuses your advances?” Kunle added.
“I don’t want her for what your dirty minds are thinking. I want her as a friend”
“Wale!” they both chorused and laughed at the same time.
“What is it?” he asked them confused by their reaction
“You have caught the love bug. You are in love with this babe” Dominic concluded.
Wale smiled at them. They wouldn’t understand. It was not just love but a sense of duty; a sense of responsibility. He walked towards his car while they joined him. It was past 6pm. From stalking Farida, he knew she would be home or on her way home by this time. He hoped for the latter.
They parked the car opposite Farida’s house. He asked his friends to wait in the car while he walked in. Iya Farida was the only one at home. She sat on one of the worn-out chairs in the sitting room and was watching a programme on the television. She was surprised to see Wale and responded to his greeting. She asked after his family still confused at his presence.
“I was in the neighbourhood so I decided to check on Farida” He explained to her.
“She is not back. She went to the market with her brothers. I believe they would soon be back”
“I will wait for her outside ma” he offered.
‘No. Responsible girls do not hang in corners to talk to the opposite sex. If you want to wait for her, wait inside here. If not, go and come back another day”
“I will wait for her here then. Thank you ma. I didn’t want to inconvenience you”
“You are not. They should be back soon”
He sat down and watched the programme with her. His concern was his friends who were in the car. He will make it up to them. He waited for almost twenty minutes before Farida and her brothers came back. They were not expecting anyone so they came in noisy and loud. Farida was shocked to see Wale in the sitting room with her mother. Why was he here? What did he come for? Wale smiled when he sighted her, she did not return the smile. Her brothers greeted him and proceeded to the kitchen with the things with them.
“It’s good to see you Farida. How are you?” Wale asked.
Farida stood where she was to answer him “I am fine. How are you?” she asked in return. She didn’t hear if he answered or not. She was wearing her work cloth. It was a black top and a butterfly designed long flowing skirt. The problem was that they had no fitting and they were old. She became self-conscious.
“Farida” her mother shouted her name to jolt back to reality. “He is talking to you”
“Sorry. What did you say?”
“What days are your free days? We can go for a drive. I will like to take you out”
“I work every day. And I am not interested in going out with you”
“I will come on Sunday. If you don’t want to go out, we can stay indoors and play games with your family. Anyone you choose”
“Don’t come. I don’t have any free time”
“I actually want your opinion on something. I thought we could discuss it when we are out”
“What is it? We can discuss it here and now”
“I don’t think so. I need your full attention and I don’t want you to complain”
“I won’t complain”
“I will be back on Sunday. I will take you out. What I want us to talk about is not private but it is a long discussion with different parts. Good night ma, bye boys” Wale left Farida standing where she was.
His friends were grumpy by the time he joined them. He started apologizing even before he reached them. He was smiling though. He liked the look on Farida’s face when he left. It was a mixture of confusion and anger. It appealed to Wale. A combination of her innocence and stubbornness was cute. He smiled all the way home. He didn’t hear a word his friends said. One of them shook him.
‘Guy, what’s going on? You left us under that tree for so long. We saw her coming home with her brothers so what were you doing in there?” Dominic asked.
“I’m sorry guys. I chilled with her mother before she came home. No vex now. I will make it up to you”
“So why have you been smiling sheepishly? She don gree?” Tunde asked with a suggestive look on his face.
“No, but we are going out on Sunday”
“Where will you take her to?”
“I am thinking to Ikoyi Club”
“What? You want to take her to the club? Don’t try it, she won’t fit in. Starting from her clothing to her shoes and others. You will make a mockery of her”
Wale thought about it. Truly, she wouldn’t fit in totally. The girls at the club will make fun of her and his guys there will wonder what’s up with him. He really didn’t care but he had to think about her. He hacked a plan in his mind and he started smiling again just the way they described it, sheepishly.
Iya Farida was confused about Wale’s intentions. She thought them to be just friends but it was looking more like the boy wanted more. She also observed that Farida wasn’t interested in the boy. It looked like she just tolerated him. Whenever she sights him in the house her countenance changes. Iya Farida liked the boy. He was very respectful and didn’t look down on their lowly abode but blended in easily whenever he was around. She felt Farida should give the friendship a chance. Unless there was more to the whole thing. Did he try anything funny with her? Is that why she isn’t interested in him? She had a question that only one person could answer, Farida.
“Farida, come out to the parlour, I want to discuss something with you in private” Iya Farida whispered to Farida in the middle of the night. Farida sprung up and joined her mother in the sitting room. She was agitated. They had never had such a discussion in the middle of the night before. She was worried something was wrong.
“Yes maami. I hope everything is ok?”
“I want to talk to you about Wale. He seems like a good boy. He is humble and obviously likes you. I noticed the way you react when he is around. Why don’t you like him?”
“Is it because of Wale you are losing sleep? Don’t bother maami, there is nothing wrong. I know his type. He is a spoilt brat and feels he can mesmerize me into sleeping with him and then dumping me. It won’t work. He should go and meet Aisha that all those razzmatazz works on. For me, I am not interested in friendship with any boy except the person that will marry me. Until then, gaining admission into Unilag is my main priority”
“You mentioned Aisha. Why did you say that about Aisha?” Iya Farida asked.
Farida sighed and then narrated what happened from the night before Jamb and the outing after. As she told her mother, she felt lighter. It never occurred to her that the incident weighed her down. Maami listened with rapt attention. She could hear the hurt in her daughter’s voice as she spoke. Farida was still a child after all. She had behaved more mature than her age but now she realized you can’t cheat nature. It was time for them to have the talk.
“Farida, there will be many more Aishas on this life’s journey. Life brings you into contact with different kinds of people. You will meet the good, the bad and the ugly. How do you manage such people when they show up? You ignore them and remain focused. Once you ignore them, they become irrelevant. Learn lessons from every encounter you have that didn’t go well but don’t let it weigh you down”
“Yes maami”
“Concerning Wale, I think he likes and respects you. He abandoned his friends to take you home after Aisha embarrassed you. He is interested in more than a friendship with you, I know but I do not see him dishonouring you. In this kind of situation, you have to let him know you are not interested in a sexual relationship of any kind for now. Tell him not to waste his time if that is his intention but if he wants friendship, you can be just friends with him. Let him know from the beginning what you want and don’t want. Think about it”
‘I don’t want to be friends with someone who cheats during examinations. He has no honour. He cannot be trusted”
“Then tell him. Let him know you do not desire his friendship because of this. Make it clear to him. Tell him you are not a gold digger”
“Who is a gold digger?”
“A gold digger is someone who goes into a relationship or marries a man because of his money”
“Is it a bad thing?”
“Well, for the woman it is not. But the world will still call her names as she is only interested in the man because of what he has” Maami was smiling now. She knew she had unconsciously hit a nerve.
“My desire to marry a rich man does it make me a gold digger?”
‘Well, sort of. What are you bringing to the table yourself? If it is just your body then that is who you are”
“I am not bringing just my body maami, I am bringing a first degree from a reputable institution. Isn’t that something?”
‘But you still desire to attract only rich men. Wait o, Wale is a rich kid. He cheated during the examination, so what? Some rich men do dubious things to make money. Some of them even kill people for it. So, Wale’s case is nothing compared to others”
“Maami, I have no interest in Wale. Even friendship will be difficult”
‘Then tell him and stop leading him on”
“I will when he comes on Sunday. But maami, I don’t want to be called a gold digger o. I still want to marry a rich man”
“Then you have to have acquired some amount of wealth before you can marry a rich man”
“How will I achieve that?”
“When you graduate, you will get a good job and we will take it from there”
Sleep eluded Farida. She thought for hours. Marrying a rich man came with too many issues. Why can’t it be so easy as it is shown in the movies?
FARIDA Episode 10 by Oge’s Stories
The next day, Farida woke up late because she didn’t sleep much during the night. She prepared for her chores for the day. She went to the homes of her employers and carried out her duties. She was not in high spirit today; her discussion with maami weighed heavily on her heart. She worked all day.
As she strolled back home, she thought about her plans for the future. One of the reasons she wanted to marry a rich man was to alleviate her family out of poverty. Her brothers depended on her for everything. She taught them how to work to make money. One of them was too playful. He did his work hurriedly so he can play football while the other was like Farida. Her desire was to ensure they have everything easy and she believed she could provide them with the comfort she desired for them. Maami had done so much for them. She made sure their school fees and lesson fees were paid in full. She never compromised on their education. She was a good mother and had advised her rightly without imposing her will.
She had never seen maami with any man. Even when she goes out, she tells them where she is going and when to expect her back. She was still pretty although she lost her confidence because of the scars and burns on her face and arm. She always wore a shawl. Farida remembered once a long time ago when a man came looking for maami. Maami embarrassed him and asked him to leave her alone. He came with a car to the house that day but maami refused him access into the compound and disgraced him. He never came back. She also remembers Mama Joy advising maami to remarry since she is divorced. Maami took that advice with a pinch of salt. Mama Joy told her a man would help her take care of her kids and maami answered her that we were doing just fine. Was maami scared of men?
Farida wondered why she was so different from her mother. She wanted to marry and settle down. She wanted her husband to provide for the family while she cares for the home. She desired a very big house with a lovely garden. She wanted them to have four cars and drivers for each car. As she walked home, she envisioned what she desired in her mind’s eyes. She wanted to have three children just like maami, a girl and two boys. She wouldn’t mind twin boys.
As she entered her compound, sister Chioma hailed her, “Farida! Farida! You are a big girl o. Guys in cars now come to look for you. Show me the way now”
“Sister Chioma, I don’t know what you are talking about”
“A guy came here with a car to look for you. No one was home when he came so he dropped a package and some bags for you”
“What’s his name?”
“I can’t remember but he also dropped a letter”
It could only be one person, Wale. Farida thanked her and headed to her apartment.
“Aren’t you going to pick it up?”
“Pick what up?”
“The things he dropped”
“No”
“I should read the letter then”
“If you wish”
Farida went into her house. Maami was in the kitchen while her brothers were watching television in the sitting room. She greeted maami on her knees as she had done from when she was a little child. She took a bath and then came back to the sitting room to watch television with her brothers. Dinner was ready and they all sat down to eat together.
Farida was in the kitchen cleaning up when a knock was heard at her door. She came out to peep at whom it was. It was sister Chioma. She had some things in her hands which she dropped on the table. Farida quickly dried her hands on the napkin in the kitchen and rushed out.
“Farida, can I talk to you outside”
Farida walked outside but also glanced at the package as she left. What were all these? Why did he bring them? She was interested in what auntie Chioma wanted to tell her.
Outside, Chioma dragged her to a corner and talked to her sternly, “Are you mad? Is everything ok with you? Such a fine young man is after you and you are acting like you don’t care. You need to read this later he wrote. He wants to take you to Ikoyi Club tomorrow. Do you know where Ikoyi club is? Do you know the people that go there? The elites! The high and mighty in the society and you have the opportunity to mix with their children. He even got you a dress and sandals you can wear to go there. You want to miss this opportunity? What is wrong with you?”
All Farida heard was high and mighty. That was where she wanted to be. She was interested in experiencing their lifestyle even if it was just a glimpse of it. She had never heard of Ikoyi club. What did they do there? Why did he have to get her a dress? What was special about the place?
“Sister Chioma, what is so special about the place that he got me something to wear?”
“They won’t let you in even in your best clothes. Security will throw you out. What will we do with your hair? It has to look good. You have to look good so you will blend in”
“Have you ever been there before?”
“They didn’t let me in. I had to wait in the car; it was that bad. I wasn’t dressed like them. You need to have seen how the members looked at me. I respected myself and went to the car. But you will go there looking like one of them and you will have fun”
Sister Chioma’s excitement caught up with Farida. She was now interested in going to the club for the high and mighty. She didn’t know much about the club but she was ready to explore. Knowing Wale might just give her the exposure she needed.
Farida went back to the house and opened the package. She saw a body clinging baby pink dress. It had a high neck, sleeveless and knee-length. It was soft and looked expensive. There was a box which had a pair of white sandals. She had never bought or received a shoe in a box before. It was beautiful. It wasn’t all. There was a small bag with the package. She opened the bag and saw a white and gold leather sling purse. It was beautiful and had the name Chloe on it. She looked at it and wondered why Wale would go this length if he just wanted friendship.
“These are lovely!” Iya Farida announced immediately she touched the bag and the dress. “Who is this from?”
“Wale sent them for our outing tomorrow. He wants to take me to the Ikoyi club. Sister Chioma said the place is for big people; they don’t allow just anyone to enter.”
“And he is taking you there? Do you want to go?”
“Initially, I didn’t want to but sister Chioma said I will be a fool not to experience this. I will go maami, I want to have the experience”
“This your friend is really giving you experiences”
“Yes maami. He just doesn’t know what he is doing for me”
That night, Farida slept in the sitting room. She did this because she wanted to read the letter Wale sent. She wasn’t excited about it but sister Chioma caused her to want to read it. She was shocked at Wale’s handwriting. He didn’t appear to be meticulous but his handwriting was very impressive.
Dear Farida,
I thought we should take a trip to Ikoyi club. I know you would love it there. It is a recreational club for members only. I got you the items because they have a strict dressing policy. I want us to have some fun while we have our discussions. I would like to have your opinion about certain life issues. As a friend, I see you as intelligent, smart and set in your ways, I can learn a lot from you.
I will pick you up by 11:00am.
See you tomorrow.
Your friend,
Wale.
The note was short and simple. What was all the fuss about? There was nothing special here except the Ikoyi club he mentioned. Maybe when she gets there, she would understand better. She wondered if he would come along with his friends. She would have preferred if it was just him but with his friends, it will feel more like an outing. Was Aisha coming too? She didn’t want to go out with Aisha. If Aisha was joining them then she would have to decline.
Wale showed up the next day at the house at 11 o’clock on the dot. Farida was ready. Auntie Chioma helped style her hair which was very long and soft. She also gave her a bottle of perfume to spray after she dressed up. She said it was a gift from a client that came back from abroad. She sent her brother Akram to ask Wale if Aisha would be joining them. She could hear him answer “No” to the question. She had worn the dress and shown her family and sister Chioma. Everyone admired her look. She could easily blend in with the rich.
When she came out, the entire atmosphere was consumed by the perfume she had on. It smelt heavenly. Wale was speechless when he saw her. Without any doubt, she was indeed beautiful. The baby pink colour against her dark skin was so pleasant to behold, the way she carried the sling bag across the dress made her look playfully sexy. She wore a chunky earring for the very first time. It was a gift from sister Chioma, she had never worn it. She had a maroon red lip gloss. It was the first time he would see her with colour on her lips. That was all. No additional makeup.
“You look stunning. I am scared to take you the club now because there are wolves there” Wale finally commented without taking his eyes off her.
“You are taking me to where there are wolves?”
“I was just kidding” but he wasn’t. he was genuinely worried. She looked amazing and he knew his friends there would want to score with her. They would try to impress her away from him. Those ones were a special breed of crazy. Money was their way of expressing themselves. He used to be one of them but things have changed.
In the car, they made small talk. She asked him why his friends were not coming along and he replied he wanted to discuss privately with her. She asked after Aisha and he told her he hadn’t seen her since the eatery incident. He kept glancing at her not believing she was the same person. Her skin radiated, it looked soft, silky and succulent. It was without blemish. She let her hair down for the first time. It dropped by the sides of her face. It was very long and natural.
They arrived at Ikoyi club. Wale signed her in as a guest. She was impressed at the courtesy granted them at the reception. He took her in and explained to her about the club. It was a recreational club where they had different recreational activities such as swimming, tennis, badminton. They walked towards the poolside. Since it was a Sunday morning, there were few people around. That was his intention. They took a seat where they could watch people swim. He ordered chapman for her and a bottle of beer for himself. He also ordered two burgers for them.
“This place is beautiful, thanks for bringing me here. What did you want to discuss with me?”
“Well, I have seen how driven you are to achieve. I would like to know what motivates you to achieve”
“Why?”
“I am not motivated. I live each day as it comes. My father is unhappy with me but I see that you don’t have a quarter of what I have and still you get up every day and work until evening. What makes you do that?”
“I don’t have anyone to give me what I need. Maami tries her best but I discovered that if I want to enjoy the good things of life, I have to work hard to get it; it won’t be handed over to me. I have a goal which I want to achieve so it motivates me to keep going”
“Mine is handed over to me. Maybe that’s my problem. Maybe I should have a goal I want to achieve. What’s your goal?”
“That I can’t share with you now. You can set small goals and work with them. Like I have a goal to get into Unilag. I heard WAEC result will be out soon. I can’t wait, I hope I get to smash all my subjects”
He smiled at her use of the slang ‘smash’. She never spoke using slangs. She was right, he needed to have small goals. Getting into school should be one of his goals.
“I want to change my institution”
‘Why?”
“I prefer to remain in Lagos so I can be focused”
“What is wrong with Ife? I heard it is also a top school”
“I know but I prefer to a school closer to home”
“If you say so”
‘So, should I?”
“If it is your desire”
“What other goals can I set?”
“What do you do daily?”
“Nothing”
‘You don’t work?”
“No, am I supposed to?”
“Yes now. You must have something doing to make money”
“But I have money”
“It’s not your money, you didn’t work for it. You will feel good about yourself if you worked for your money and then you will learn how to spend wisely instead of spending on friends and buying frivolous things”
Wale was quiet. She hit a nerve right now. There was no doubt she was right. Maybe he should try this work thing and see how it goes. For one, it will score him some points with his father.
“Any other advice?”
“Take your studies seriously. You have to have little wins before you get the big wins. If you study and graduate with very good grades all from your hard work then you can succeed at any other thing you set your mind to”
“Why do you want to study Economics? I think you should do law instead or Mass communication. You speak very well”
“Thank you. I am also a good negotiator, bookkeeper and manager. I love business so I would go for Economics”
“If you say so. You know yourself better”
#OpraDre FARIDA
To be continued
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