The Place Beyond Her Dreams by Oby Aligwekwe (english novels for students .txt) 📗

“Why not?” I said, stunned by his cold-shoulder. “We’ve all been anxiously waiting for you to come home.”

“Really?”

“Yes! Really.”

“Okay. I’ll see you later then,” he answered brusquely and walked away.

I took a moment to recover from his snobbery before I returned to the living room, only for Albert to avert his gaze the moment I walked in. His creased forehead revealed his obvious annoyance.

“That was Okem, ma’am,” I said, directing my comment to Albert’s mother.

“I heard you call his name when he came in. Your grandmother has told us so much about him, how he’s been living with you since he was a kid. I didn’t realize he was such a grown man. And a handsome one at that. What does he do for a living?”

“He just finished his final year at the university. He studied Finance.”

“That’s amazing!”

From behind, I could hear Albert scoff.

* * *

Albert was quiet for the rest of the afternoon. He only spoke to me after I bade his family farewell.

“I’ll drive you home,” he said.

“Thank you,” I responded, walking behind him.

“Why do you have to be so close to your help?” he asked after we stepped outside. “I don’t understand why he couldn’t wait for you to get home. He had to run here and spoil a perfectly nice afternoon.”

“Okem is not the help. He’s one of my best friends.”

“One of your best friends?” he said, casting me a scornful look. “Do you see how he looks at you? That boy loves you, and I’m not sure what gave him the guts to come over here. You shouldn’t play among people of all social classes. It’s demeaning.”

“My grandfather raised him. Technically, we’re the same.”

“I think you know what I’m referring to, so let’s not drag the issue.”

I kept silent after realizing the reason for Albert’s sudden change of mood. The green-eyed monster had reared its ugly head after Okem showed up. He was angry that I’d spoken to Okem or given him any form of attention at all. We didn’t speak for the rest of the ride until we arrived at my grandmother’s house.

“Can I pick you up tomorrow? I’d like to take you to the cinema?” he said, as he turned the ignition off.

“I’m not sure. Can I check my schedule and get back to you. I don’t think, I-I...”

I hadn’t seen Okem in a long time, and I thought I’d be spending the next few days catching up with him, but I dared not tell Albert after what I’d just experienced.

“Because Okem is back?” he asked in a sarcastic tone.

“No!” I responded calmly, turning to look at him.

“Then why?” he demanded.

“I believe we can go to the movies.” I conceded, too tired to argue.

“Why did you hesitate at first? We’ve been having a great time together.”

“I wasn’t sure if my grandmother had anything planned for tomorrow.”

I lied to save face.

“I’ll pick you up tomorrow then.”

“Okay. Have a good evening,” I said, leaving the car defeated

* * *

After Albert left, I leaned on the front door for a moment to ponder his reaction when he saw Okem. If I didn’t know any better, I would have said they had known each other before, but I knew that not to be true. Tired of my wandering thoughts, I ran to my room to change before I headed out to look for Okem.

“Okem just left in a huff,” Ifedi said when she saw me heading toward his room.

“What do you mean he left in a huff? What happened?”

“I don’t know! Are you asking me?” she asked wide-eyed. “Okem left to see you at Albert’s right after he returned, but before I knew it, he was back. Didn’t you see him?”

“He was there briefly.”

“What happened at Albert’s? What did you do to make him so mad?” She was gazing in anticipation.

“I have no clue. I was stunned that he would drive an hour to see me and then leave right away. With the traffic between Ntebe and Ide, that must have been an additional thirty minutes, but I guess—”

“You guess what?” she blurted.

“Never mind,” I said. “Did he say where he was going? When he’s returning?”

“No, and no. Your grandmother should never have told him you were there. I found out after he’d left, and I had no clue he would come looking for you. Such a—”

“Don’t bother,” I said, stopping her mid-sentence. I was sure she was about to rain insults on my Okem. What I wasn’t sure about was why she was so irritated. If anyone should be upset, it was I, and I wasn’t even nearly as perturbed as she was.

“What happened in Ide?”

“He came in briefly but refused to stay. Said something about just having returned and then left. It was an interesting afternoon. I’m tired. I hate dealing with adult tantrums.”

“Be very careful, my dear,” Ifedi said, shaking her head slightly.

“Why?” I scoffed. “Why is everyone acting so weird?”

“Why are you the only person who doesn’t see what’s going on? Don’t you see how Okem looks at you?”

“Hmm! The same way you, Grandma, or even Albert, look at me. Am I missing something?”

She appeared stunned for a moment.

“Apparently.”

“I still don’t know what you’re talking about, Ifedi. I’ll just have to wait for him to come back to resolve this issue.”

Okem didn’t come back that day. The following day, after I returned from the movies with Albert, he was home, acting as though nothing had happened. He apologized for disappearing, and we spent the next few days catching up like old times and discussing our plans for the future.

* * *

The last week I was home, Okem found another reason to be furious with me. After I came back from watching a soccer game with Albert, he refused to speak to me or even look in my direction. The following day, he apologized, and everything was fine again. As all these things were occurring that holiday—Albert, Okem, Okem’s moods, and my grandmother trying to marry me off to the highest bidder—I frequently