"Awfa, guy? Where your babe?"
Daniel Oji sighed heavily. The music in the club was louder than ever and he was surrounded by men who meant more to him than most of those he shared the same blood with.
Emeka, who had asked the question, frowned. "No tell me sey she still dey follow dem chinko boys."
Daniel's silence was enough of an answer and his men scoffed. Most of them had come to the club with their babes. Daniel had asked his girlfriend of a year to come with him but as usual, she had a "date" with the men and women she so much loved and looked up to. Men and women she now spoke and acted like.
Daniel sighed again. "She said she was busy." It wasn't technically a lie. They did not have to know the full truth. "She'll come next time."
"Guy, there's no need to lie abeg." Another friend of his – Caleb – told him. "We all know that she's busy with those Korean people. We've told you time and time again to leave this girl but you never listen."
"She no dey rate you, my guy." Emeka said loudly in fluent pidgin. "You just dey zuzu since last year. If she wan go die with dose people, make she go abeg. Fish plenty for sea. You go move on."
Daniel just sipped his drink, wishing he had ordered something other than a coke. He wanted to stay sober. She was staying the night after all. He wondered if she'll finally allow him sleep with her. He was getting tired of her 'waiting until marriage' nonsense. He took another sip, listening as his friends and their women told him that he needed to man up and actually take the reins of the relationship before he lost the last shred of dignity he had.
"I didn't want to say anything, Daniel, but everyone's right." It was Seun, the most reserved one in the squad. "It's getting too much. It's like you're just a side fling and those men that don't even know her are the main thing. You should talk to her about it and I'm not asking you to do that your soft voice. Talk to her like a man and tell her to choose. No dey loose guard because of woman."
All Daniel could do was nod to show that he had heard all that they had said. He understood well too.
◄●►
Imelda "Eda" Samson turned away from the television screen when the front door went open. She smiled and pushed herself off the sofa when Daniel stepped into the house.
She walked over and stood on toes so she could peck his cheek. "Hey, babe."
He said nothing and made no move to return the kiss on her cheek. Her smile wobbled and she caught a whiff of alcohol. It was subtle but it was there. She immediately stepped away from him, feeling repulsive. "Daniel, did you drink?"
He ignored her and removed his shoes. He then walked into the living room and she followed him.
"Daniel, you said you weren't going to take even a sip of alcohol."
He sat on the sofa she had earlier occupied and she stood with her arms crossed. A Korean drama was playing on the TV and it made him angry. He took the remote and turned it off. She gasped. "Daniel, that was the last episode! I was almost done!"
He rose to his full height, towering inches above her frame. "That was the reason you didn't want to the club with me abi? You wanted to finish this yeye film."
Eda kept her arms crossed and steadily held his gaze. "It's not a yeye film. I have been talking about this drama's finale for days now and you didn't tell me you were going to the club until this evening when I arrived. How was I supposed to change my mind last minute? I don't even have the right outfit and you know I don't like clubs."
"But you have the right outfit to sit in my parlour and watch rubbish on my TV shey?"
Her brows furrowed. "Daniel, what's wrong with you? You're making a big deal out of nothing."
His laugh was brief and dry. "Emeka was right. You no dey rate me at all."
Eda told herself she should have known his guys had something to do with the conversation they were having. "I don't know what you guys talked about but I think we should sleep this over. You're tipsy. This conversation won't go anywhere."
He shook his head, stubborn. "No, we must have this conversation now. And while we're at it, let me know if we're fucking tonight or if you want us to sleep in different rooms."
Eda's arms fell back to her side and she gaped, too in shock to do anything else. A minute later, she found her voice. "Daniel, are you out of your mind!?"
"Answer me abeg. It's been one year, Imelda. I've waited enough."
He hardly called her that and it made her cock a brow. "Oh, so it's Imelda now."
"No be your name be dat?" Daniel let his anger consume him. "See, this nonsense has to come to an end this night. This your Korean madness, better stop it. This wait until marriage thing you are talking about, na you get dat one. So are we fucking tonight or not, Imelda?"
"No."
He frowned, clearly confused. "No as per wetin?"
Eda stayed calm. "No we are not fucking tonight or tomorrow or the day after that. I said I was going to wait until marriage and that is not going to change."
Daniel was seething and his tight fists made it obvious. "Eda –"
"As for the Korean stuff I love so much, you already knew about my love for it before you chased me to ask me to date you. Why are you making such a big deal about it now?"
"You think you will marry them abi? You think Gu Jun Pyo and that yeye Chang book or whatever his name is will marry you abi?"
He was getting on her nerves. He had already gotten on them but he was pressing down. Her patience was running thin and she was getting sick of having the same conversation over and over again. "Daniel, drop it. Stop."
He was a stubborn man when he wanted to be. "Why should I stop it?!" He shouted. "You think you will end up with them abi? You already speak that their nonsense language. You bought chopsticks the other day. What is next? Will you go there and give your virginity to them?"
Eda began to snap. "Daniel, stop it!"
"At the end of the day, na Emeka or Chidera you go marry. Me, I'm here loving you but you're following those God forsaken men! I've been waiting for you for one year and instead of you to try and appease me, you're claiming virgin Mary but doing like ashawo for those men and only God knows wetin you don do yourself as you dey watch –"
She slapped him and the sound struck through the peace of the whole house. Stunned to silence, he cupped his stinging cheek and faced her. Her eyes were glassy with unshed tears. He blinked. "Eda, are you –?"
"I wanted us to not have this discussion but you just had to be silly about it. I've always loved Koreans stuff, Daniel, you know that. You have no right to make a deal about it when you met me this way; when you said you'll never mind it."
"Eda, that was –"
"And you always knew that I was going to wait until marriage before having sex. I made that clear to you at the very start!"
"I'm a man!" He screamed. "I have needs! You no know that one abi you think sey na monk I be?"
Eda wanted to scream in sheer pain and frustration but she didn't. She angrily wiped away her tears and swallowed before she spoke.
"Remember that day when you asked me who I would save if you and one of my Korean men were drowning?" Her tone was levelled, devoid of all emotion. "I told you I would save him because I loved him a lot. I had been joking then, Daniel, but I'm definitely not joking now. If you two were drowning, I wouldn't spare you a second glance."
He glared at her. She continued.
"I think we should call it quits here. I'm glad we had this conversation even though I was against it at first. I'm not sorry for loving dramas and a culture that makes me happy. I'm also not sorry that I decided to stay a virgin until I marry. I'm glad it's not you though." She took a step back. "I'll just get my things and I'll leave. Thank you for letting me see how much this relationship meant to you."
She turned around and walked away. Her calmness irked him and fuelled his anger. He went after her, screaming at the top of his lungs.
"Pack and get out! Go and meet those men who don't even know you! I've told you, it is a Nigerian man you will still marry and I will be here to laugh at you."
Eda ignored him. She put on a kimono over the camisole dress she wore and then put on her shoes. She picked her car keys and her bag, staying calm the entire time. He continued.
"You will see that no one out there is going to love you like me." Daniel said smugly. "No one will tolerate your nonsense the way I did. When you learn that the hard way, you will know that I was the best thing you had. When you come begging, I won't even spare you a second glance."
She left him screaming inside the house. With her head help up high, she got into her car and drove out of the compound.
She hadn't gone far when her vision blurred, forcing her to pull over to the side of road. Resting her head on the steering wheel, Eda cried while her heart bled.
