Entangled

They met at the most unlikely place 
He was driving to Lagos Island for a 
meeting 
She was on a Yellow Bus to Lagos Island 
to deliver some goods for her sister 
The yellow bus turned out to be a 
"one chance" bus 
The driver, conductor and one other 
passenger suddenly brought out guns
while the bus was in motion and 
began to rob passengers 
A bag was passed around where 
passengers were told to drop all their cash,
 phones and other valuables 
She had just 2000 naira on her but the 
recharge cards she was going to deliver 
for her sister was worth over 3 million
naira 
Her sister was a banker 
She was the one who started the recharge 
card business and encouraged her sister 
to dabble into it because of the gains 
Her sister's life savings were invested in 
the business 
She didn't know how she would be able to 
face her sister if she lost the
goods 
The recharge cards were in a brown envelope 
The envelope also had her documents NYSC 
discharge certificate (Original), university 
result (Original), photocopies of her international 
passport and academic transcript 
She dropped the 2000 Naira cash in the 
"offering bag" and she also dropped her 
two phones 
She passed the bag to the next person 
The conductor said "We have not shot 
anybody yet and we didn't plan to do so! 
I will personally "search" you before you 
drop
If you kept any valuables thinking 
you can make a fool of us You will be shot"
She needed to get rid of the envelope 
She was seating just by the window 
of the bus 
It was the usual Volkswagen bus that 
took to Lagos roads like fire to a house 
The windshield on the window was 
nowhere to be found 
She waited until the attention of the 
three hawk eyes had bee
drawn away from her 
She waited until the bus left the bridge
 She didn't want to risk the envelope 
flying into the lagoon 
As soon as the bus got off the bridge 
She noted the landmark and threw the 
envelope out of the window of the 
speeding bus 
Somehow, nobody noticed 
The bus sped on until they got close 
to Carter bridge 
The driver slowed down and all the 
passengers were thrown out in a jiffy, 
then it sped off with the conductor and 
the other robber 
The conductor did not search passengers 
as he threatened but how was she to know
 he wouldn't go through with his threat 
She had done the "better safe than sorry" 
thing and found herself in a fix 
She needed to walk back on that side of 
the bridge and hope the envelope would 
be where she threw it 
She set off quickly, hoping to get the 
envelope before a random person picked 
it up
If there was one thing she had learned 
since she left Nnewi to live with her 
sister in Lagos, it would be the fact that 
everybody is ready to do anything to 
become rich in Lagos 
Many are in the city hoping to take 
advantage of other peoples mistakes 
and misfortunes, like vultures
She walked on an on 
All she could remember was a turning off 
the bridge to the right, an ambulance stop,
 a roadblock of some sort to the far right 
of the bridge and a police vehicle were 
close to the point where she dropped 
the envelope 
She walked on for thirty-five minutes, at a
point she ran out of land and found herself 
on the bridge but she didn't see the landmark 
and she was sure they drove through such 
a place so she walked on 
Until she got close to Ebute Meta, she saw 
the landmark and practically ran to the spot 
The envelope was waiting for her
A towing vehicle operator on duty at the
junction saw the envelope fly out of a 
speeding bus, picked it up and checked 
out its contents 
He said he knew the owner would definitely 
come back for it 
He said he also assumed it was a 
"One chance" bus incident due to the 
prevalence of such incidents on that route 
She showed him her identity card 
He confirmed the names on the card and 
those on the other documents in the envelope 
He gave her the envelope and offered to 
drop her at Obalende 
She told him the full story as he drove her
 in his towing vehicle, he was the first 
honest man she had met in Lagos
When they got to Obalende, he bought
her a mobile set by the roadside
She told him she had a registered but
seldomly used sim card at home
They exchanged numbers he also gave 
her some money to get herself to her 
destination and back home 
She had never seen such kindness and care 
in any man before 
When she got home she called him to say 
a big thank you 
She told her sister the story 
Her sister was shocked 
Her sister insisted on calling him to say 
thank you
Her sister called and invited him to their 
house for dinner on Sunday night 
To her sister, he was a hero who ought 
to be celebrated 
He had ignored his basic instinct to keep 
three million naira worth of recharge 
cards to himself and even parted with 
his own money without asking for any form 
of compensation 
He came for the dinner 
He was a gentleman He brought fresh-baked 
bread and a bottle of wine 
They had prepared a croaker fish delicacy
 which the three of them enjoyed
He left at 9pm 
She saw him off alone 
Her sister's fiance had called from Jakarta 
at about 8:50 pm 
Her sister's fiance thanked the man and 
said hello to her briefly but from that point, 
the man became her guest 
Her sister excused them and went off to
 her room to do video call with her man 
(They were planning their traditional 
wedding already and they had a lot of 
things to talk about) 
She told him she needed a job badly 
He asked her what she studied 
She told him English literature 
He told her he was a writer 
He wrote plays and novels 
He said he had even staged some of 
his plays in church 
He asked if she could help type and edit 
his works 
He said he had been postponing publishing 
his works since forever and couldn't think 
of a better time to get it done 
She couldn't reconcile him being a 
tow-truck operator and a writer 
He told her he was a graduate of Mass 
Communication who traveled to Texas 
in search of greener pastures and 
get into the limousine services business
 just to make ends meet 
At the end of nine years abroad, he 
returned with five tow trucks with which
 he started his auto-business in Lagos
Life had thrown him some curveballs but 
he was a survivor. 
He told her he had set up his business and 
the business was doing well 
Four of his trucks were on the Lagos-Badagry 
highway where the road was terrible due t
o the ongoing construction work 
This brings him a lot of daily income as 
the services of tow trucks was in heavy 
demand 
He coordinates the trucks from his office 
on the mainland and sometimes does 
some towing on the third mainland bridge
(he was going for a business meeting with
potential investors when he saw her envelope
and decided the person who owned the
envelope would come looking for  and
waited patiently for her to show up) 
They talked a lot 
He wasn't one of those 
guys who will be with a lady and talk on 
and on about her beautyand all sorts 
of vanity all in the name of trying to  
get into her skirt or into her head 
He was a very focused man who knew 
what he wanted out of life 
She agreed to edit and type his works 
because she was bored and needed 
to occupy herself somehow 
She had also warmed up to him
She resumed the following day 
He had his manuscripts and a computer 
set up for her 
As she read his work, she found herself 
falling in love with him 
That very day, at about 4pm 
She walked into his office with tears in 
her eyes 
She just read one of his emotional plays
 She kissed him
He held her face and smiled
He said "Do you know what you
are doing?"
She nodded
He kissed her back
He drove her home later that evening
They discussed his books
She really loved the way he wrote
He told her he was married
He told her he was married with
two children
He said he was separated from his
wife due to some silly reasons
His wife was an American citizen
who got involved in a messy crime
that almost ruined their lives
It was because of his wife that he
returned home ahead of his schedule
He was only grateful he had set up
the business and sent home the trucks
and some other equipment before
they had to flee from the USA
He said his wife was involved in a
money laundry scheme with some
drug dealers and was about to be
arrested when they fled to Nigeria
through Mexico
Even though his wife was born of
Nigerian parents, she found living in
Nigeria and took out her frustrations
on him
He said after months of fighting and 
screaming at each other, his wife
took the children and left for Ghana
He said he had been waiting and
praying she would come to her senses
and return home to him
His words stung her like a bee sting
She didn't want to look as  if she 
didn't know what she was doing
Although she had no idea he was
married before she made her move
Yet, knowing the truth did not stop
her from desiring him
She didn't know why
She really wanted to be with him
The next day, she was back at his
office
She had promised herself she could
handle whatever she was feeling
and that she would keep her distance
from him
He was obviously not interested in
her that way but she knew if she threw
herself at him, he would take whatever
she offered at no risk to himself
It was the last thing she wanted to
get into
A relationship heading nowhere
He didn't show up at the office
She worked alone 
Even though she was able to 
concentrate and cover more ground
She missed his company
She missed knowing he was just
an office away from her
She returned home that day hoping
she would get over him quickly
and move on with her life
He didn't show up the following
day also, and the day after that too
She didn't want to call him so as not
to give her emotions an expression
He didn't show up throughout
that week
She called him on Saturday morning
and told him she wanted to see him
He told her he would see her on Monday
She said she wanted to see him that
day
He sent her his address
He said he was hosting some guests
and couldn't come over to her house
She dressed up and went to see him
His guests were members of the
drama group from his church
They were rehearsing one of his plays
The rehearsals lasted all day
She watched him feed them lines,
interpret lines and helped them
bring his imagined reality to life
He was all she saw that day, in a
new light
His guests left at about 5:30pm
She told him he was in her system
and she wanted to get him out
He asked her how
She kissed him again
She knew she was playing with fire
but she had gone past caution and
caring
He made love to her that day
On his couch and on his bed
She cried afterward because he
didn't cuddle her or say anything
endearing or reassuring
The sex was good but she had
hoped it would open his eyes to
see how much she loved him or
open his heart to love her in such
a manner that his current reality
and life issues would just fade
away
It didn't happen that way
She went home with a heart full
of regret and a feeling of 
worthlessness
She couldn't read his mind but she
knew he regretted sleeping with
her
His words and actions after the 
deed were like that of a man who
failed himself
She stopped going to his office
from that day
He didn't call too
It was over in such a limp way
The following Saturday, she called
him again
She wanted to know if he was
at home
He said he was
She went to his house just to talk
When she got there, they had sex
again
That quiet, body thing that both
of them couldn't talk about once
they were done
She told herself it wouldn't happen
again but she was back at his house
the following Saturday
She became his "Saturday" booty 
call
She told everybody she was praying
to get settled soon
She told everybody she was praying
to get a job soon
She told everybody she was not seeing
anyone yet
She told everybody she was single
and unentangled
Yet, she kept sleeping with him
every weekend
They became a little bolder that
sometimes they had sex in his office
or at a hotel nearby
It went on and on until she began
to nurse the thought that they were
going out and would be getting 
married soon
She wasn't raised to be that girl
It made no sense!
But she had caught herself in a
web of false hope and a false 
reality
She reached out to the Brother
in jeans and T-shirt
She asked him to join her in prayer
for her marital settlement
He told her she had "chased a moving
train while hoping to catch the day"
She baited the wrong fish and refused
to let go even though she knew the
fish was not hers
He told her to walk away from the
mess before she dug too deep
She told him she wanted to but she
didn't know how
Her guy does not fight or argue with
her
He was caring and loving and tender
and kind
He just wasn't talking marriage and
a future
She was sure she was the only person
he was sleeping with
She was sure it was over between him
and his wife
All she wanted was some form of
commitment from him
So that she wouldn't waste her time
hoping and believing an imagined reality
that would blow up in her face
The Brother in Jeans and T-shirt told
her to steel herself and walk away
from the relationship
It was the only way
She said thank you but she held on
In January 2018, his wife returned
home from Ghana
She had been gone for fourteen 
months
She had somehow met the Lord and
became a born again Christian while
she was there
The Church she joined loved and
accepted her
The Pastor counseled her to return
home and make peace with her 
husband
It was what he had always wanted
His wife and children under his roof
An unbroken family
He sent her the money for the work
she had done on his books and plays
so far
He told her she shouldn't come around
anymore
It was over!
She cried her eyes out
He had used and dumped her for a
woman who despised him and
flagrantly walked out on him to live
as she desired in Ghana without
even giving him a second thought
She knew it was diabolical
The wife had some spiritual remote
control on him which she was using
to control him
No man in his right senses would
take such a woman back and discard
her like a pack of rubbish
She reached out to the brother in 
Jeans and T-shirt with another
phone number
She told a sob story of how a 
woman snatched her husband
She dropped the names of the woman,
her phone number and her children's
name
She said she wanted justice
God must fight for her
The brother in Jeans and T-shirt saw
her message
He reached out to the woman whose
phone number was dropped
They taked and prayed together
The woman got filled with the Holy
Spirit and brought her her husband
to the office of the Brother in jeans
and T-shirt in February 2019
The husband had started reading
the stories on gbengawemimo.com
through the "other lady" before his
wife came back to him
He was eager to meet with the
Brother in jeans and T-shirt
They talked as brothers
The husband said he would have married
the other lady had his wife filed for
divorce but she didn't and he kept 
praying
The Brother in Jeans and T-shirt was
able to add things up
He reached out to the lady and told her
there was nothing diabolic at play
The man longed for his wife and prayed
for the restoration of his home
That was his heart desire
The lady's heart desire was to have
a man who doesn't want to be with her
based on his previous commitment
Thank God the world still have such 
men!
The lady got it and moved on
In September 2018, she met her husband
at a Worship concert organized by a 
church on Lagos Island
He was an auditor
He was sitting right next to her during
the concert 
He asked for her number and began
to call
Things moved swiftly
One year later they were married

PS: Don't get entangled in a web of
carnal pleasure and emotional pain
or regret
Many are in this sort of black hole
right now because they lust after
what they cannot have and as a 
result had become a clog in the
wheel of other people's joy and 
happiness
Do not build your joy on the foundation
of another person's sorrow
If he or she is cannot be yours, and
you know it, please dont go with the
flow and hope for the best
The pleasure is never worth the 
spiritual and emotional baggage that
comes with it

GSW's notes: Marriages go through a
hard time many times
It helps if there is no "outsider" benefiting
from the loopholes in the marriage
It helps the marriage to heal quickly
It also helps the participants in the 
marriage to make up their minds about
their next moves without any regret
But once there is an outsider with
feelings and tears
It gets complicated and slows everything
down
Three is always a crowd
Don't be the third wheel on a motorcycle!