Phillip Etemesi
First of all, before I begin my story, I would like to give a massive shout out to ‘Uncle’ Luke. Well, that’s what the lady I loved so deeply said he was. She said he was ‘Uncle’ Luke. I never for a moment thought anyone would ever steal my sweetheart from me. I thought I was the man. I wish I could do a lot of things. I wish I could hire a gang to beat you up ‘Uncle Luke’.
It’s said that for a man, revenge is the second sweetest joy; the sweetest joy is making love to the woman of your desires with a wallet full of money on the side of the bed. I agree. But the Bible says though shall not revenge, Right?
Second, I’d also love to give a massive shout out to Lisa ( Mubs student doing International Business), my former lover, a lady I loved so much. I treated Lisa like a queen. I did everything for her. I sacrificed all that I had for her. Why did she have to break my heart and crush it? Why did she do this to me? Why? The question has a repetitive structure in my mind but no answers come.
I would also like to give a shout out to all ‘uncles’ – unreal ones. If I was in a position of power, I would make them all suffer. I don’t know how but I would find a way. There comes a time in life you love a girl and feel you would give everything for her. You feel she’s your life and you would do anything to keep her in your arms forever. That’s how I felt for Lisa. I know a part of my mistake anyway. I broke an important law of love by loving too much. Adequate love is permitted but excessive love is always poisonous.
I met Lisa under unpredictable circumstances. I was at the taxi stage next to the Muk main campus, seated, waiting for the taku to town to arrive [Lisa was from visiting her friend in Complex Hall]. I had planned to go see a friend who resided in Kataza.
I noticed that the girl seated next to me was crying. She seemed deeply troubled and in pain so I went ahead to ask her what was wrong. The moment she turned her head and looked me directly in the eye, I felt lost. Her powerful round eyes pulled me and I sank in them, deeper and deeper as she spoke.
At being in an inconsolable state at first, she opened up and told me she had lost all her money and purse somewhere in complex and she had nothing left. Her friend too was too broke and was surviving on the mercy of posho and beans at her hall of residence. After some internal debate whether it was appropriate to put my arm around her shoulder, I finally did it. She didn’t resist and I was glad to find out that movie scenes sometimes do come to life. I then offered her my new unused handkerchief to wipe her tears with.
I kept on offering her mental support as we were in the taku and our chemistry slowly developed. When we arrived at Kataza, I withdrew some of the little money I had in my Mobile Money account and gave it to her. I felt pity for her. She appreciated and gave me her number. It marked the beginning of bliss that later turned into agony.
It turned out to be the onset of a sweet love affair that blossomed like a lotus flower. Conversations on Facebook, Twitter, Whats App and texts ended late in the night always. To say it was wonderful is such a massive understatement. It was amazing, unbelievable and intriguing. Every passing day was a reason to be happy and look forward to the next.
The way she always jumped on me whenever we met, made my friends jealous. Everything seemed flawless. Everything seemed real. Everything seemed the best there ever was.
One evening while strolling with my friends around capital shoppers, bragging to them how my fine lady was good in bed, I saw a fine looking lady getting into the front passenger seat of a Range Rover Vogue just a few meters ahead of us. It was Lisa. She was looking skimpy than usual. She even wore a mini skirt. Something she seldom did. She always preferred decent African designed attire. She even had a personal designer who happened to be her cousin.
On the driver’s seat, there was an older smart guy, probably in his forties. He had a fitting tailor made suit or perhaps Armani if I wasn’t wrong. The vehicle sped off as soon as Lisa boarded. They were all smiles. Out of curiosity, I tried calling her but she didn’t answer. I also sent her a few text messages which were also ignored.
Later that night she replied,
‘”Oh baibe, I’m very sorry for not picking up. That was my uncle: Uncle Luke. He’s so sweet. He even assists my mum in paying my fees. You know my dad neglected us a long time ago so we struggle sometimes. Uncle Luke helps us as a good relative. He ensures we live a good and comfortable life. He was taking me shopping’”
I was convinced. Her lulling voice always left me with reassurance and zero doubts. It’s like she spoke in controlled vocals that kept on reverberating in my mind
The next evening, Lisa came to my place. She brought back my laptop and modem. I had lent her mine since her computer was having technical problems and I’m not the kind of tough guy who is good at fixing malfunctioning sinks and electronics. She was looking even more irresistible. I held her against the wall and started kissing and caressing her. That was our usual style when we had missed each other. We always kicked things off on the wall before going to the bed.
“Darling, not now please. I need to see a friend. I’ll come back tomorrow. Ok?”, she said.
I was disappointed but I obliged. I allowed her to leave. I sat down and switched on the laptop. I had missed surfing on the internet.
Within moments, a Skype message came in. Apparently, she had forgotten to log off her Skype account. The sender was a guy called Luke. I didn’t want to open it since I wasn’t the poky type but I decided to do so nevertheless. Up to this day, I still wish I didn’t.
A video started playing. It was Lisa naked making love to that same guy I saw picking her up. The same guy she said was Uncle Luke. Feelings of pain coated with betrayal slithered through my bloodstream. I didn’t want to look at the video anymore. Another video message from Luke came in. It was the bastard, now talking. I was quick to note that he spoke with a fake American accent.
“Hey baibe, I just sent you the video we recorded last night. You see how crazy we were? It was awesome. I can’t wait for part two tonight”
Anger surged in me like venom in the veins of a rattlesnake’s victim. I nearly crashed the laptop against the wall. I was just about to go ahead but I realized I would need it again. I would need the evidence. I tried calling Lisa but her phone was off. I couldn’t sleep that night. I bought a bottle of Bond 7 and gulped it all up in minutes.
All that time I had suicidal thoughts. The proceedings were eating me up bit by bit. Imaginary demons haunted me, demons of betrayal and disbelief. I loved Lisa a lot. I just couldn’t accept that this was reality. These Hoes Aint Loyal!
