BELLA'S MEMOIRS (ENTRY #1)

BELLA O' CLOCK

Dear Reader,

Welcome to another exciting fictional series…Bella’s Memoirs.

Guess what? This is Bella Ayo-Kessington’s story and so you don’t have to say goodbye to your favourite characters…Anjola, TK, The Duchess and even Emeka!

I hope you will follow Bella’s journey as you did Anjola’s and wish her all the best as she tries to find a love as true and lasting as Anjola’s and TK’s.

For those of you just joining us…welcome!  This is a sequel to our earlier series DIARIES (THE STORY OF ANJOLA ADEKOYA). To fully understand the story, you may need to go back in time. Click here to read DIARIES (THE STORY OF ANJOLA ADEKOYA)

Bella’s Memoirs

Entry 1

Dear Diary,

Today was Kitan’s christening. It was a really great party and my dad was practically walking on water! I have never seen him that excited…I don’t know if it was because he finally has a son or because he was excited to have Anjola his wife back from America. He’s such a lover boy!

I am also glad to have her back quite frankly.Especially because I must have asked her to buy me a hundred things and she made sure she bought them all even the silly stuff like my favourite air freshener and this particular lip balm that reminds me of the bubble gum I used to love as a child. I miss my old life in America…I miss my mum. I thought it would get easier dealing with her death but every time I have to make a big decision I miss hearing her say “Big decisions are best made over a cup of tea”. My mother loved her tea! Chamomile with honey…that was her signature drink, apparently the combination is good for calming your nerves!

I am digressing… as usual.I have been finding it really hard to stay focused on anything for a reasonable period of time since the whole family drama. I can’t believe how naive and gullible I was! How could it have been so easy for Jaiyeola, my step mum’s psychotic impersonator of a half brother to lure me into getting Oladunni kidnapped and putting the family through all that heartache! Sometimes I still can’t believe how easily they all forgave me, especially Anjola my step mum. I truly felt and still feel loved even though it made me end up at The Villa! Living with The Duchess …my glamorous grandmother with the larger than life personality, has been such a delight much to my surprise! She is in the middle of a separation from my grandfather and it’s been very difficult for her even though she has been putting up a brave face.

My step mum has asked me several times to come back home but I can’t even imagine leaving The Duchess alone in that massive mansion by herself at this time. She needs me and frankly I need her! I have grown to admire and respect her so much and I have learnt a lot from her.

Anyways, back to the gist of the day! So Kitan’s christening today turned out to be a carnival! You know how my dad is, his idea of an ‘intimate family gathering’ is nothing less than 200 people. The garden was decorated and he got a DJ and a live band…of course he had been planning a party all along! Plus everyone was glad my step mum’s dad had come back from India safely after a successful transplant so we had more than one reason to celebrate.

It was my first outing in a while so obviously I was excited. I wore a long flowery dress that was bare at the back and flat sandals; it was the perfect outfit for a garden party on a Sunday afternoon. My weave was flowing to my waist as usual and I was wearing make up that looked professionally done…at least that is one positive result from my lack of social activity lately, I have spent so much time watching make up tutorials on YouTube I think I could be a professional make up artist. To summarise my ramblings, I looked hot!

I was going around the party, making sure everyone was okay and playing hostess when my step mum’s friend Aunt Linda called me.

Aunt Linda: Bella, how are you? It’s been such a long time since I saw you! You are getting more and more beautiful every day.

I blushed.

Me: Thank you Aunty. How are the boys? Did you come with them?

Aunt Linda: Of course not! Trust me if they were here, you wouldn’t have to ask. They would have turned the whole place upside down.

We both laughed. My step mum – Ms. A spotted us and she came to join us.

Ms. A: What are you two gossiping about?

Aunt Linda: Mind your business! Bella was just telling me about her boyfriend who is an aspiring rapper.

Ms A. gasped. Her eyes looked like they were about to pop out of her head.

Ms. A: Bella I thought you had broken up with that boy you told your dad about. Please don’t tell him your boyfriend is an aspiring rapper, you know he is getting old. He may just have a heart attack!

Aunt Linda: Anjola you and TK cannot determine who this beautiful young lady loves. After all, she is over twenty one and not a child any more! Bella am I right?

Me: Yes you are Aunty. In fact we have started talking about getting married before he goes on tour so I can go with him.

Ms. A: Bella please I need to meet this boy as soon as possible. Marriage??? Your father will not like this!

Aunt Linda: We are only pulling your legs joor, calm down. So Bella who is your boyfriend now?

Me: I don’t have one right now. I am just concentrating on wrapping up my service year and getting a good job.

Ms. A: Yes! That is the plan Linda so you can stop stressing her about boys. She is only twenty one!

Linda: At your age, I was pregnant with my first son. My husband’s younger brother is single and searching and he is very good looking. I will introduce him to you at my son’s birthday party next weekend.

I thanked her for her ‘kind’ advice and found an excuse to leave them.

It’s so amazing how every conversation I have with an adult now seems to revolve around my future plans and the future plans always seem to be centred on marriage and children. I studied Finance in college and even though my dad is thrilled at the idea of having me join his asset management company after my service year, I am so frightened at the idea. I discovered midway through College that I had absolutely no flair for figures and had only studied Finance to please my mother. At twenty one, I still have no idea of what I want to do with my life and no one seems to be concerned about that as much as they are about my marital status! Things are so different in Nigeria honestly. My plan before my mother died was to take a year off after college to travel around the world until I discover my purpose but sometimes while we plan…life makes other plans.

It was the weekend after Kitan’s christening and Aunt Linda had been calling me all week reminding me of her son Chukwudubem’s fifth birthday party that weekend. I knew she only wanted me to come because she wanted to introduce me to her brother-in-law.Frankly I wasn’t interested but I did not want to seem rude plus I had promised Ms. A I’d come with her.It was also an opportunity to spend time with Oladunni and Olakitan so I knew I had to go.

I had gone to get my nails done in Lekki Phase One just before the party. I figured since the party was holding in their house also in Lekki Phase One, I would get there on time. Unfortunately, I spent much more time than I had expected to at the nail studio and so I was running late. I had also promised Ms. A that I’d pick up a birthday present for the celebrant so I had to stop at the supermarket to get something for him.

The supermarket was crowded, which wasn’t uncommon for a Saturday afternoon. Parking was an issue and I kept driving round and round until I eventually spotted a lady pulling out from where she had parked. I was so relieved and I waited for her to pull out. As soon as I tried to move towards the empty parking space, a black G-Wagon literally drove past me and parked right in the spot.

On any other day, I might have muttered a four letter word under my breath and moved on, but not today! I was livid; before I could stop myself I got out of the car and marched straight to the car. The windows were tinted and a Phyno song was blaring through the speakers. I knocked on the window and the driver wound down the window, it was a young guy driving…no surprise there!

Me: Dude I was going to park here and you literally drove past me and took the spot. How rude!

Stranger: Sorry didn’t see you waiting.

Me: That’s such a blatant lie! How about you just apologise?

Stranger: How about you just step away from the door so I can get out of the car?

Me: This is pointless! You obviously have no manners!

Stranger: You think because you have an American accent I’d be intimidated. Step away from my car please, I just had it waxed!

I couldn’t believe how arrogant and rude he was! I let out a long hiss and marched back towards my car. I hate it when people make reference to my accent. Sometimes people think I am being a diva or trying to show off when I speak in public and sometimes people expect me to be gullible because I have a foreign accent. I was done with all the “Americanah”, “JJC” and “Bolo” jokes and this was just the height!

I turned around and marched right back towards him. He had gotten out of the car and my God…he was cute!!! He was dark with an afro and sideburns. He obviously worked out because his chest was all buff. He had on a tight fitting t-shirt and a pair of jeans and he smelt incredible. I was struggling to remember the nasty words I had intended to  say to him, obviously my incredible attraction to the rude arrogant young man in front of me had been overshadowed my anger. Suddenly I wished I was wearing anything but my hello kitty t- shirt, pencil jeans and high heeled slippers.

I stood there staring and then he spoke:

Stranger: Hey Madam did you come back to beat me or are you going to let me pass?

I realized I was standing in his way and looking rather stupid so I had to say something.

Me: I think you are very rude and uncultured so I would not condescend to your level by exchanging words with you. I only thought you should know that there is nothing cool or hip about being rude to women!

Stranger: Roger that! Now may I pass please?          

I walked away with as much dignity as I could muster and found somewhere else to park.

By the time I got to the party bearing the gifts that had caused me my dose of embarrassment for the day, the party was in full swing. I eventually spotted Aunt Linda and my step mum Ms. A by the cake lighting candles.

Aunt Linda: Aha! Bella my darling, you are here finally! Come and meet my brother in law Okechukwu.

She took the gifts from me and handed them to Ms. A. She grabbed my arm and we made our way through the crowd until we got to the poolside where a couple of guys were standing laughing loudly and obviously having a good time.  She tapped one of them and said:

Aunt Linda: Okechukwu this is the hot chic I have been telling you about…Bella.

Okechukwu as she had called him turned around to look at me and we both froze. It was the rude guy from the supermarket parking lot earlier…Ouch!