My trust is for sale

Red handed

“Remember the day your dropped into her compound? That was the day I fell in love with you and told her a few days later.” Layla said. “She hated you. She wanted to kill you. I cried, tried to stop her but she was very dangerous and we used to fear her. It was later, when I realized that she wanted to kill you in camp I confronted her. And said I was going to fight to the last to save you…..she told she was not planning to kill you anymore. She said you guys are in a relationship. Can you imagine that? I was ready to leave any man for you. She has not heart.”

Devon was confused.

“I am sorry I never knew about this. I never had the slightest idea.”

“I know but now you know. Now you know it was me from the start.” She moved closer to him. Just once and he would be hers. Just once.

“I –I am sorry Layla, I can’t do this.”

“Why? Are you scared of her?”

“It is not about fear. I wish I knew this right from the start. I know she tried to kill me. You are beautiful and very cool, but I feel it is too late now. If I had known back then, it would have been you. I know how bad she was but I have come to fall in love with her. The first true love I ever had. She told me everything but the only part I did not know was your feelings for me. We made a promise to each other. We plan to stick together no matter what. If it was back then, I would have dated you both, even ask if you had sisters but not now. I want to stick to her alone. She really needs me now. She has gone through a lot.”

“so you really love her?”

“Yes, Layla. I have been with a lot of girls but she is my first love.”

“Can’t you jus love me even if it is for one day? Please, just let be in your arms and tell me that you do love me.”

“I will be lying to you.”

“I know. I want to hear it. I am not that dumb. It is the love I have for you that is turning me into a fool.”

“You are not a fool. I respect your feelings. You are too sweet to be loved just once. If I start, I may not be able to stop. We better don’t start, please.”

That was what she wanted to hear. If he started, he would not be able to stop. She just needed to make him start. She knew he could not love her once and leave.

Devon was impressed with himself. He never knew a day would come when he would be with such a lovely girl, seducing him and he would play Mr. Integrity.

She stared at him for a while and shook her head.

“I give up.” She said. “I give up but I will never forgive her for this.”

“Please don’t talk like that.”

“Do you think I will ever forget this? You know I can’t. I give up but it ends my relationship with her.”

“Hmmm..”

“She is lucky to have a man who is loyal and lovely like you.”

“I know you will get a better man.”

“Hmm…I heard. I need a drink.” She said. “I am sorry but I use codeine and I just need it now.”

“No problem. I used to use it with weed. I stopped a very long time ago.”

“Really? How long?”

“A week.”

She laughed. Oh no, she just wanted to be with him. He was the kind of guy who made girls laugh.

“Just a week.”

“So what do I get you?”

“Nothing.”

“No. That is the least you will do to me. If you caan’t take me, then drink with me. I have juice.”

“Okay.”

She went and brought two glasses of juice. She mixed hers with codeine. He accepted the drink and was eager to leave. He was now sure Zina was not coming and he wondered why her line had not been going through.

While they drank, Layla thought: So if by chance Zina dropped dead, he would come for her because he said, if they had not started a relationship, it could have been her. Okay, she could not go that far to kill her because of a man. She was not that mean and killing Zina was not a joke. Then he said, she was too sweet to be loved just once. So if he could love her once, it would not stop.

“Devon.” She called him and got up. “You will have to  be with me  I need you to kiss me, play with me and do crazy things with me.”

“We talked about this already.”

“That was when you had a choice.”

“What do you mean? I still have a choice.”

“Really? I don’t think so.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Wait and see. I will explain when you see what I mean. You would believe me more.”

He frowned. He had no idea of what she was talking about until he began to feel stiff between his legs.  What was going on? He was not even looking at her lustfully or thinking about it. There was a strange wave of libido, like he had taken all the aphrodisiac in the world. This was very strange.

“What did you do to me?”

She smiled.

“It is called DBT Viagra. I put it in your drink. That was my last resort. I am sorry but if you don’t play with me, you may keep getting stiff until it tears or burst. If you survive it which is unlikely, you will remain impotent for life. The choice is yours, Devon.”

******

Bally made sure his movements were jaunty and as silent as possible. He hoped someone will not see him and take him for a thief. He kept sneaking until he arrived before a window. All he could hear was music.

He moved ahead. He passed a small window which was for the toilet and arrived the berdroom window. He heard nothing. He felt his suspicions were baseless. He was about to move back when he heard a noise. He felt a panic and disbelieve. He heard layla’s voice. He peeped and the curtain was slightly open.

This was not an imagination. It was Layla and Devon making out on her bed. One side of his head began to ache at once, and his mouth went dry. He felt a piecing pain in his heart and a riot began in his head,

He moved away. Her voice was a burning fire, burning him. He would not just leave like that. He would make her feel ashamed of herself. Was this why she chased him away? The i***t was even telling him that she loved him. So it was all a jest. They had planned to cheat on him and Zina. What devils were they! This was not not the first time, that was obvious. They must have been doing this for a long. He walked straight to the door and started banging at it. He would see what her face would look like. He would not even listed to her pleas.

He kept knocking at the door violently.

“Who is that?” He heard her voice.

“It’s me.” He said. What excuse would she give now? She was moody and did not want to se him?

He did not expect her to open the door so fast but she did. She stood before him in just a nightgown. He did not wait for her to let him go in. He slid through her and went in.

“I thought you said you were going to sleep.”

“Yes.” He said ,retraining himself with an effort. “I decided to come back. Where is Devon. Has he gone with with his woman?”

“I still don’t know why you came back. He is not here. They left.”

“Really. I can see that you look worked up. Doing some exercise?”

“Bally, can you please leave? I will talk to you later, please.”

“I don’t know why you are so eager to dismiss me. Unfortunately, I do not intend to leave anytime soon. I am hungry. Can yopu make some noodles for me?”

“I am sorry but Ican’t make noodles for you. Did you just say you will not leave?”

“Yes. I want to know why you are dismissing me.”

She shrugged.

“Please sit down.”

He sat down. He was going to make her feel sorry, ashamed and cry. She would beg him to forgive her but he would make sure she paid for it. She walked inside and he sat waiting. There was no place to run. She could not break the burglary proof to make him run away. She may hide him in the toilet , or under the bed, or wardrobe but he would definitely fish him out. She could not fool him this time.

He was shocked when he heard her laughter, and then silence before he began to hear that horrible sound again.

What? No! He must have been dreaming. He got up, rushed to the door and turned theknob. It was locked.

“Layla! Layla! I know you are in there with him!” He kept knocking.

The door swung open and he saw her looking very angry.

“What is it, Bally? Are you my husband? Are we engaged? What right do you have over me? How dare you think you can tell me what to do or who to be with. Do you know when I knew him or fell in love with him? Do not think it is just about making out with him. If that was my problem, you and I could have been doing that. I love him and went out to do this. I dismissed you with respect but you decided to hurt yourself by being so obstinate and annoying. Now, get out of my house and life!”

Bally was speechless. He could not believe his eyes and ears. It was only then he realized that she was unclad. He saw Devon on the bed looking up at the ceiling.

He turned silently and went out. She went and locked the front door after he left. She took in a deep breath of satisfaction and went back inside.

She was obsessed with Devon and she finally got him. She knew he would be able to stop now and that was how he was going to leave Zina. She had not wanted it to be like this but 

Anything was better than losing him.

“Why did you do this to me?” Devon asked her.

“I know you must hate me right now. I am sorry but I am so much in love with you. I am not a s*x starved slot. I have never let Bally touch me. I don’t know why I can’t control myself around you. I did not cheat Zina. She did cheat me. I don’t feel guilty. The only thing wrong here is my method but we will come out of it.”

He closed his eyes. He wanted to get up and leave. He felt like s**t but then the drug was too strong. It was like he just had it. Damn!

“How long will the effect last?”

“You will have to pass the night here.”

“Do you know I will deal with you for this? Do you know what you just did?”

“Deal with me like first then do whatever you want later.”

She joined him in bed.

About thirty-five minutes later, none of them heard the person who snuck and opened the locked door professionally. The person moved like a silent breeze to the bedroom door, slot in a master key and turned the door knob.

They heard the door pushed open and they stopped and turned swiftly.

Standing was Zina, and then Bally came behind her and stood. She said nothing but folded her hands across her chest and glared at them.

Devon wished the Earth could open and swallow him up at that moment.

Zina looked like a statue as she stared in disbelieve.

Zina was almost zonked. Her topsy-turvy mind managed to flash back to the promises they made to each other. She trusted him with all her heart, thought her first love was the perfect one for her. He had all hopes in him, he made felt life was worth living and the relationship opened a vista of bliss for her.

Oh no! This would be the first and last time she would ever trust a man. Never! This was too much for her to bear. She thought she was strong but she just realized that she was one of the weakest girls on Earth. There was no word to describe the feelings she had now. She felt like falling down, or melting into thin air and evaporate.

She had always hated the animal called man without a strong reason. Now she had all the reasons in the world to do that.

Layla felt different. If Bally thought he was going to hurt her by bringing Zina here, then he ought to have another think. He just made it perfect. She had the chance to show Zina that she won, and this would definitely be the end of her and Devon. Bally just did the best thing for her.

“You don’t just barge into my house like that!” Layla said with a snort. “Respect my privacy and I have the right to charge you with trespassing. What nonsense is this?”

Bally bit his lips. She not even remorseful. She had no sense of shame. It was obvious she was really crazy about this guy. What was wrong with Devon. He had a girl like Zina, and she was Layla’s best friend. Why would he do such a thing?

Zina was a dream girl. She was the one he actually wanted at first but she was just too taciturn. She was the most beautiful girl he had seen on camp and outside for a while.

“Zina, you stand there acting like I betrayed you. He was mine and you tried to take him away from me but I told you that I will get him back. He is where he rightly belong.”

Devon was too shocked to talk. He could have asked Layla to shut up. He felt like strangling her and he hated himself for falling into a cheap trap. In fact, he put all the blame on himself.

Zina turned and went out without a single word. Bally went after her after giving Layla a disgusting glance. They had come in his car. They got to the car and got in.

He began to drive.

“Those two fit each other. Cheats.” He said. “I hate unfaithful lovers. My bad. This must have been going on for long. I was too stupid to have noticed but today, I became suspicious after the way she acted. I think…..” he gave her a cool glance. “God made us catch them for a reason.”

Zina said nothing. Her face was expressionless but her mind was a katzenjammer.

“That guy is crazy.” He said. “I wonder how a sane man would have a jewel like you and still look at another woman. I used to consider him as the luckiest man on Earth. I am sorry about this.”

She forced a smile.

“I am sorry about yours too. It is one of those things.”

“I believe everything happens for a purpose… Maybe He wants us to know that we were with the wrong people who were right for each  other. They are unfaithful, they got that in common. We are faithful ,we got that in common.”

The rest of the journey to her lodge was done in silence. They arrived and he switched off the car engine.

“Zina.” He called softly.

“Hmm.”

He looked into her eyes and felt sparks in his mind. Her white eyes, eye lashes were overpowering. Her teeth were snow white and the lips so soft looking.

“Don’t you think we need each other? We just got  heart-breaks. Should I come pick you up later so we could talk?”

“Thank you. I think I can take care of myself.”

“I know. I mean…..we could heal each other. You are the only consolation I have right now. Only you have the power to save me from this melancholy. With you by me, to hell with all the Laylas. I think it is a chance to find true love.”

She smiled.

“Before I met him, I never had any love. He was my first love. My love for him had no bounds. But I did not realize it from the start because of my preconditioned mindset. She was the first to fall for him and she told me about it. I thought I hated him then. That is why she was not remorseful or ashamed. She feels I was the one who betrayed her. I did not. I totally forgot her and the feelings was just too much  for me to resist. It was not planned. Something led to that incidence and there was nothing I could do. Love is an enigma. An esoteric phenomenon. But the truth is this: He was my first love and he will be the last. I will not let any man into my life again. I will only get married for the sake of tradition or whatever but I will not give away my heart even if I fulfill all of my duties as stipulated by God.

If I was a Christian, I would have become a nun. I so loved him I would have gone out my way to let him disvirgin me. But he was the one who said we should get married instead. See why I trusted him. If s*x was what they say men use to cheat women, he did not try to do that with me. I had no reason to believe he was not faithful. He implanted chastity in me.

Let her have him. I hardly go back on my words and I will not have him anymore. I don’t regret falling in love with hi, because he changed my life and I will live with that. I don’t want him anymore. Please Bally. Don’t you ever talk to me about love again. We just have a few days to leave here. All of these will be over soon. Goodbye.”

She alighted. As she walked away, she received a call.

Bally shook his head. It seemed he was just unlucky. He was handsome, rich and but he never had the girls he wanted. Those who wanted him were the ones he did not want. But he was not going to let any girl make him cry. He was too strong for that.

He wiped off tears from his face.

I am not crying, he told himself. It is just an expression of emotion. From this moment, he was going to make girls cry.

Zina opened her  front door while she connected the phone.

“Hello.” A voice said from the other end.

“Rabi, what’s up.”

“The police are beginning to raise dust and I am asthmatic. Dora and Hacks  are looking for me. Guess what? Jibril was not untied by Sharon as planned. I guess she was too scared to go back and she did not tell us. Someone else killed him and the heat is on us.. The matter is very serious. Both Niger and Nigerian Government are on it. What do we do?”

Zina stood still for seconds without a word. If Rabi was caught, then all of them were going to get caught. Something had to be done. She thought of Layla. A new wave of anger swept through her.

“I will get back to you.” She said. “Where are you?”

“Hiding in my crib.”

“Just make sure you stay out of sight. I will get in touch.”