Itohan was thinking about how to fast track things in order to get married to Stanford. Since Stanford rented the house and furnished it for her, he only visited once with Uloma and Osas. Though he also calls her on phone once in a while to know how she was doing.

She decided to visit Stanford since he has not been visiting her. When she got to Stanford’s house, she discovered that he was not around.

“Where could Stanford have gone to. Today is Saturday and he doesn’t go to work on Saturdays,” Itohan thought to herself.

She decided to check on Osas to know if he was around. She knocked on the door and Osas opened.

“Wow! Who do we have here? I.T of the Most High” Osas shouted in excitement.

Itohan blushed.

“Please come inside. What is in the big bag you are carrying? I hope it is food?” Osas joked.

“Yes. I brought you break fast , launch and dinner.” Both of them laughed.

“I checked on Stanford. It’s like he is not around?”

“He didn’t tell me that he was going out. May be he just went to pick something. Please make yourself comfortable. There is jollof rice in the kitchen and drinks in the fridge,” Osas offered.

“Wow! You have reminded me how we use to do it when you and Stanford were living together. When you use to tell us that garri and sugar are available.”

“Ha! Those old good days. When men were boys. Do you know that the day that garri and sugar were available was a good day. Most times I used to collect the garri from Peace till the day her mother caught me,” Osas revealed

“Really?” Itohan asked.

“Yes, I officially made Peace my supplier of garri because her mother sells garri. Most times when hunger want to cut my intestine, I would call peace and tell her that I need to drink garri because I was feeling heat. I always warn her to bring just a handful. But I trust her, her handful of garri can be up to 5 cups.”

“What!” Itohan exclaimed while laughing.

“My dear that is it …o. Until the day that I called Peace and told her that I need a handful of garri. I didn’t know that her mother was around. She told me that she has been calculating all the handfuls of garri that I have been collecting and would soon come to collect her money because it would soon be up to 1 bag of garri.”

Itohan was rolling on the ground in laughter.

“My sister, it is not a laughing matter. I ran inside our room with speed. For months I kept dodging the woman.”

“But why?” Itohan asked while still laughing.

“Do I have money to pay for 1 bag of garri. Do you remember when Stanford would tease me that my payment for 1 bag of garri was loading.”

“Wow! Was that the genesis of that slogan. I asked him severally bit he refused to tell me.”

“Stanford my man. He would never not tell you. You know he always gat my back. He actually warned me when I started that adventure but the taste of the free garri blocked my ear. ”

As they were still discussing, they heard a sound of car that drove into the compound. Osas looked through the window and told Itohan that it was Stanford.
After few minutes Itohan told Osas that she would like to say hello to Stanford. When she got to the door, she heard sounds of people laughing.

“Could it be that Stanford has a visitor?” She thought to herself.

All the same, she knocked of the door and Stanford told her to come in.

“I.T… ” Stanford shouted in excitement when she entered.

Itohan smiled to herself and concluded that Stanford was so happy to have her around.

“I.T how are you doing ?”

“I’m good,” Itohan answered. She quickly decided to take charge and make whoever the lady is to know that she was not a visitor.

“Stan, it’s like you have a visitor. Who is this pretty lady?”

“I was actually coming to that.” He turned to Favour and said, ” Please meet Itohan my friend. I have told you about her. I.T, meet Favour.”

Itohan quickly took over without allowing Stanford to finish what he was saying. She was so happy that Stanford was telling people about her.

“Wow! Favour it’s nice meeting you.”

“I am happy meeting you too. Thank you so much. I really appreciate you. God bless you,” Favour responded with smiles.

“Stan is she your cousin? You have never told me about her,”Itohan asked.

“No. she is actually my fiancee,”Stanford answered.

Itohan’s world stood still. She managed to smile and congratulated Stanford. After some minutes, she took her leave.

“What was the meaning of ‘Thank you so much, I really appreciate you.’ bla bla bla” Stanford asked her fiancee after Itohan left.

“I was appreciating her for leaving you for me,” Favour answered.

“What! You are not serious about what you just said” Both of them busted out laughing.

*****

Uloma just returned from the United States of American Embassy with her stamped Visa. She was dancing and appreciating God when Itohan visited with a gloomy face.

“What is the matter?” Uloma asked not knowing that she had just spoilt the handle of a tap. Itohan cried for half an hour without telling Uloma what the matter was. Uloma pleaded severally but she refused to listen until she threatened her

“It’s either you tell me what the matter is or you stop crying. If not I will tell my mum what is going on. I can’t take this anymore,” Uloma told her in anger.

“I won’t cry again,” Itohan promised and tried to wipe her tears.

“If you don’t want to say what the matter is, it’s fine,” Uloma assured her.

Itohan looked at her and tears started flowing again,”Stanford is engaged to be married,” she explained.

“Really? I’m not aware. Though, he promised to visit me today with someone.”

“Stanford is getting married. What I’m I going to do?” Itohan cried.

“I.T stop crying. There is no need for it. Stanford is not the only good man on earth. There are many out there. All you need is patience. At this point, I have to tell you the truth. I would have been surprised if Stanford has decided to marry you after everything that happened. You and Eric humiliated him and made him feel less than a man. So thinking that you will fall back at him after your relationship with Eric ended amounts to expecting too much. Whatever help he rendered to you was done in the name of the Lord.”

“But he was calling me on phone.”

“How many times does he call you on phone in a day?”

“It’s not every day. It’s like 2 or 3
times in a week,” Itohan answered.

“Is that how someone that wants to marry you will do? I believe that he was even doing that because you were calling him on phone almost everyday . He just decided to reciprocate the friendly gesture.”

“How did you know? Did he tell you that I was calling him on phone?” Itohan asked in shock.

“You know that Stanford cannot do that . Most of the time he was with me as I was planning for my wedding, you were always calling him on phone. I was tempted to tell you to stop, but I had to be careful. They say once bitten, twice shy.”

Itohan bowed his head in shame.

“Please take this advice. Give your self time to heal, give yourself to prayers and allow God to prepare you for another relationship. You even need more prayers now than ever because you can’t afford to make another mistake. I understand that waiting is not easy, but you have to make up your mind to wait. I believe in miracle, I believe in grace, but I also believe in waiting on God. He doesn’t disappoint those that wait on him.”

“You are right. I was thinking that I would eat my cake and have it back but it doesn’t happen that way. The bible said that God is not mocked, a man will reap what he sow. I am only reaping the fruit of my labour. Let the will of God be done in my life. If God say I will marry again, to him be the glory. But if he say it is over, to him be the glory too. But I have decided to dedicate my life to him in service. I will use my life as an example to teach young girls the danger of desperation. I would have been happily married to Stanford now but I choose to go after money. Now my life is full of regrets. I am the scapegoat, but I pray that others will learn from my mistakes and not repeat it. He that has ear, let him/ her hear.”

THE END!