Song suggestion:  Asa_ the one that never comes.
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Weeks had gone swiftly like a whirl wind grabbing dust as it blew past. Nothing special had occured other than arguing and laughing on the round table with the factory workers.

Ifeanyi and Obiageli  sat on her floor playing cards after they had eaten a wonderful dish of yam porridge.

They had both attended mass that morning and from there they had returned home.

Ifeanyi was still in his Sunday wear while Obiageli  had changed to a more comfortable clothe.

The long sleeved shirt Ifeanyi had worn was folded to his elbows displaying his hairy and veined arms.

It was really attractive to look at but Obiageli  had resolved not to look. The three buttons of his shirt was open giving views to his hairy chest.

While they played the sixth round of their card, Ifeanyi suddenly broke the silence by telling her that his mother wished to see her.

Obiageli was taken aback for she stopped playing and looked at him immediately.

"How does she know me?" She asked.

"I told her about you in my letter." Ifeanyi shrugged  as he beckoned her to continue with the game for it was her turn to pass a card.

"Who did you tell her I am?" Obiageli continued to play; crunching her cards to her chest so Ifeanyi  wouldn't  have a glimpse of what cards she had in her possession.

"What else?  I told her you are my wife to be." A goofy grin spread all over his face as he looked down at his card; clearly trying to avoid  her eyes.

"Wife to be, you say," Obiageli let out a small laugh. 

"Are you saying you can't marry me?" Ifeanyi looked up at her  with feigned  hurt.

"Yes of course. I am taken." She replied nonchalantly; her eyes fixated  on the three cards she was holding.  Therefore, she didn't  notice the surprise on  Ifeanyi's face.

"Taken by me right?" He smirked.

"You wish." She rolled her eyes.  "You don't know him."

Ifeanyi studied  her;  hoping to catch a glint of mischief on her face but all he saw was a plain look; a face clouded with thoughts on how to win the game.

"You have a guy?" He asked; more like a whisper and she nodded.

"His name is Jideze." She chewed on her lips. She felt it was time to let him know since he was her  second best friend.  However she was afraid of condemnation. She was condemned  each time she told anyone about Jideze.

Ifeanyi's  mouth fell open as he stared intently still hoping to see a trace  of lies; he wanted to know  if she was pulling his legs or actually being serious.

"He is my boyfriend of four years.  Well, two years spent on not seeing him." She continued irrespective of his shocked expression. She began telling him her sole reason for coming to Enugu. 

Ifeanyi's mouth never closed all through her story as he shifted uncomfortably on the floor.

"You said he had not sent any letter to you since he left right?" He asked but didn't wait for her to respond before going on.

"How can you still be in a relationship  with such a person? It is clear he has forgotten you." He told her but she shook her head defiantly. 

"You don't know him so who are you to judge him? Jideze loves me; he had shown  it to me many times. There must be a reason to why he hasn't sent a letter.  We will meet again and settle our scores. It's  your turn to play." She concluded totally putting a stop to any further conversation about the issue.

Ifeanyi looked at for a while, shook his head and then stared at the cards in his hands. He sighed deeply and dropped the cards on the floor.

"You win. I have no chance at all. You're good at cards." He complimented dryly and Obiageli squealed totally oblivious to the pain evident in his voice.

"I won again." She got on her feet and danced around the room with Ifeanyi smiling wryly.

"Let's  play again." She offered but he shook his head as he stood up from the floor and grabbed his bible.

"I need to get going." He told her instead.

"I thought you said you'd stay till evening. It's just three pm." She folded her arms.

"Yeah I did but I forgot I had something to do before tomorrow.  It's for the factory."

"But you said you have nothing to do. How come?"

"Man must be growing old. I forgot I had one." He faked a smile and pulled her cheek.

He waved to her and then he was gone leaving a bewildered Obiageli standing in distraught; trying to understand what had just happened.

She fell to the plastic chair by the side of her wall; chewing on her bottom lips. She had wanted to play more cards with him. She didn't like that he left so strangely.  She wondered what the problem was.

She decided to ask Chinaza about it the next day at work; before the factory and the evening  workers came.

They had done their morning chores and had attended to every customer who had come to eat and while they waited for an empty plate or a new customer,  Obiageli decided to tell Chinaza all that occured the previous day.

"It was just so strange. He told me that he had nothing to do and would spend the whole day with me only to get up midway and leave." Obiageli ended her tale.

Chinaza looked at her with a raised brow. "Are you trying to tell me you don't know why he left?"

"If I knew would I be asking you?" Obiageli rolled her eyes and Chinaza's already raised brow went even higher.

"So you're trying to tell me that you don't know what everyone already knows; what is clear to everyone  including Florence?"

"Igasikwa,  how won't  I know what Florence knows?"

"But you're telling me you don't know."

"I'm  telling you I don't understand Ifeanyi's behavior.  Are you trying to tell me Florence knows why Ifeanyi left my house that way?" Obiageli  folded her arms.

"Yes. That's what I'm  telling you."
"Inukwa? Oya, tell me let me too know." Obiageli said finally but Chinaza  was still looking at her in doubt.

"Chinaza tell me na, what is wrong with you?" Obiageli was already angry yet Chinaza kept looking at quizzically;  like she was trying to figure her out.

"You're joking right?" A small smile formed by the side of her lips as she looked at Obiageli hoping to get  a confirmation from her. However, what she got was a very big hiss as Obiageli turned to leave angrily.

"Keep it to yourself.  I don't want to hear again." She retorted but Chinaza held her back before she could leave.