The air was cool but dry. It flowed freely through the windows into the
room, lifting up the curtains, such that it almost touched the ceiling.
Outside, the gentle wind, which the contradictory scents of dry leaves,
perfumed flowers and the half-eaten fruits left over by the birds in the
garden had tainted, caused the branches of the trees to sway from side to
side, like adoring fans listening to a soft ballad. It all added up to give the
atmosphere a pleasantly exhilarating feel.
Nene’s family gathered in the main parlor, trading stories and poking
fun at one another, she looked around the room and saw all her loved ones
in one place, it was surreal.
Two months earlier, her Father had requested everyone to come
home to Enugu, to spend part of the holiday with him. “Even, if it’s for a
couple of days.” He had pleaded.
Her father always had a way of getting them to do his bidding
without being pushy, he even succeeded in convincing her only sibling and
older brother, Chike, to come home all the way from Kaduna where he was
stationed in the army. His presence was not as much a surprise as his
attractive escort, a woman in her early twenties. Being an only son had
earned him subtle pressure from his parents to get married early, his
decision to join the army increased the pressure in a not so subtle way.
During his youthful days in Enugu, he was ‘a man about town’
keeping strings of girlfriends, having all yet having none. When he decided
he was joining the army and leaving for Kaduna, he had left a long trail of
broken hearts in his wake. After all the water that must have passed under
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