“Sunshine. Sunshine. Are you awake?” Eric pressed tiny kisses around her face and she giggled.
He smiled and kissed her lips then and she became fully awake. “Sunshine, I want us to talk.”
Oleng looked at him then albeit sleepily then everything came crashing down. The real world struck her with a heavy blow. She sprang up on the bed.
“Jesus! What have I done? My God! What have I done?” she lamented and quickly got up from the bed to pick up her clothes. She dashed into the bathroom to hurriedly dress up. She tried to finger comb her weave which was in a disheveled state. She kept asking herself what she had done.
“Sunshine.” Eric called when she came out of the bathroom. He had had the decency to put on his jean.
“Don’t call me that, you bastard! I’m not your sunshine. You are my nightmare. Please stay away from me from now on. I regret what we just did. What was I thinking?” Tears rolled down her lovely face.
“I think you were in your right senses for the first time since I went abroad.” he quietly told her.
“You’re sick, you hear me? You’re sick. Maybe all the dope you’ve been taking over there has finally caught up with you.” she threw at him.
He had to laugh at that in spite of himself. “Okay, I’m on dope. What about you? It is either you’re a nymphomaniac or Dave is lousy in bed, considering your performance just now.”
She glared at him in horror but he continued, “Before you run out of here playing your role of the aggrieved adulteress,” he ignored her gasp at his harsh words. “Just tell me one thing. What happened to my baby?”
“You’re really a bastard. You want to pretend you didn’t send me a message informing me to abort the baby if it was yours because you had a bright future ahead of you and didn’t want to be saddled with an unwanted baby and also forget about you when I sent you a text and e-mail telling you about the pregnancy?”
“Me?” he was stunned.
Oleng didn’t bother replying him. She ran out of the room and ran out of the house, leaving the gateman to wonder if she was being chased by the devil. She was glad she had brought her car. She sped the car all the way home. Immediately she got home, she ran to her room, took off her clothes and ran into the bathroom. She scrubbed and scrubbed as if she could scrub away the memory of making passionate love with her ex-boyfriend. She wept as she scrubbed. She had betrayed Dave. She had been unfaithful to her ever faithful husband. How would she face him? How would she pretend as if nothing happened? She kept chastising herself for going up to his room in the first place but she had wanted to make sure he got the message. She hadn’t bargained for what she got in return. She squelched the little voice in her head that kept reminding her that she had enjoyed Eric’s love making and it couldn’t be compared to Dave’s’.
“Stop it!” she screamed to herself and placed her hands over her ears as if she could stop the voice from talking by doing that. “I love Dave. I don’t care if he is lousy in bed. I’ve managed for five years and I’m not about to stop now. I made a mistake with Eric but I don’t love him. I don’t love him.” she continued to tell herself and weep.
“Angel, what’s the problem?” Dave asked his wife. They were in the living room watching television.
“Hmm?” she replied.
“Something’s wrong with you. I’ve asked you countless times but you refuse to tell me the problem.”
“But nothing’s wrong with me.” she countered.
“Angel, I’m your husband and I know something’s wrong with you. For the past two weeks, you haven’t been yourself. Have you looked at the mirror lately, you’re a shadow of your former self. You’ve lost weight, you’re always staring into space and you think I don’t know but at night I hear you cry when you think I’m asleep. And you tell me nothing’s wrong? Come on, I’m not a fool.”
Oleng burst into tears for an answer. Her guilt was eating away inside her.
Dave cuddled her. “Angel, don’t cry. You can tell me what’s wrong.”
“I’ve failed you.” she sobbed. “I’m no longer worthy to be called your wife.”
“Just because we don’t have a child?” he deduced wrongly. “O Angel, I’ve told you so many times to stop worrying. You’ll give yourself a heart attack over this issue. Do you want to die and leave me all alone in this cruel world?”
Oleng simply stared at him as more tears dripped from her eyes. She couldn’t correct him. She couldn’t tell him she had committed adultery with Eric of all people. Dave continued to soothe his wife not knowing that her trauma wasn’t what he thought it was.
To Be Continued…
This brings us the end to Unfulfilled Promises here on this blog. I want to send a big thank you to Audrey Timms for sharing it with us this far. It was very sweet of her.
Of course, the story hasn’t ended but because it is an ebook, I can’t share all of it with you here. To read the concluding chapters, simply reach out to Audrey via email: dianaokhah@yahoo.com and she’ll tell you how to get the rest of the book.
Please, flood her inbox. You’ve made so much noise about it and how you love her writing; do not hesitate to reach out to her.
Please, support Nigerian writers. We open blogs and share free stories not because we don’t have better things to do with our time but because we are building the audience and the following to help push our work out there. So support us any way you can. Many writers I started this journey with have given up because of lack of support and it’s sad to see so much talent die.
The publishing industry will not touch works unless they appeal to a foreign audience and this leaves a lot of us out of the equation because we will not depict our lives here in Africa in a certain light that we are not comfortable with. Over there, they simply cannot see a world of Africans that drive SUVs or speak more intellectually than they do or live in a society that has a certain level of technological advancement. We must always tell stories of wars, famine, hunger and the likes, of people swinging off trees, of immigrants that find their fulfillment alone in the white man’s land, of discrimination by a backward race on people who have certain sexual orientation. Only a handful read and appreciate the new era of literature we have here.
For some of us, that is okay. We are content with our stories and we write for the people that live here and understand where we are coming from. And that is why you should support us. Just as the laborer labors under the sun or the doctor is on his feet day and night, so do we writers stay hunched over our keyboards, toiling tirelessly. Simple, easy, beautiful literature is hard work. We would give up if we had no one to help our feet forward. Long ago, in the time of Chinua Achebe and his contemporaries, African literature took wings because the West recognized it. This is decades later and we are still towing that line. It should not be so. Last year I was at a colleague’s book reading and was heartbroken to see that less than ten of her massive online followers made it to the event. One would have thought that with that much audience, she would have gotten good sales but the reverse was the case. I was very discouraged. Someone told me “you see why I stopped writing on my blog?”
But I am not let down. I am one of such writers who fights tirelessly behind the scenes to see that writers don’t give up and work hard and smart to get their worth. To any writer reading this, there’s so much you can do with what you have. Don’t put down your pen. Open your heart to possibilities. Do not give up. If God has given you the gift, it’s because He has prepared the hands that would receive it. You just have to realize that this is a new age and you have to market your work in a new way. If there is no way, create one. Surely, steadily, you will get there.
In conclusion guys, just make Audrey happy and contact her.
God bless
Side Note:I’ll be bringing two new writers in February. I know you’ll enjoy their work.
Great job, Audrey. I’ll surely hit you up. can’t wait to conclude the story.
And to all the writers, kudos. i am a tailor, i can’t imagine just sewing free clothes for people. i will pack up shop. but u guys are so magnanimous. may God bless your efforst immensely, especially you sally. i personally know your struggle and i know God will enrich you
Well done! Thanks for sharing.
A very big Kudos to all the blog writers on this platform. May God expose you to the world by His might. Well done!
Thanks a lot. I enjoyed d story and i’ll mail u 2 get d remainder of d story.Kudos 2 u!
Thanks a lot Audrey for sharing, I’ll definitely send an email, can’t wait to read the concluding episodes…
*frowns and grabs my koboko* see as Salz just do us long throat.
As usual, a lovely piece by Audrey. Thanks a lot Sally, will send Audrey a mail right now
Hmmmm. You are doing a great job of keeping people reading which many Nigerians don’t do again. You shall be rewarded accordingly, just wait and see. Publishers will fall over themselves to publish your works. Big hugggggg.
I like this will surely hook up with you Audrey, Sal this way is better so thanks for sharing. If U love this story you know how to get the end
Audrey this has bin a great piece of art I loved every word,n can’t wait to hit d bottons to send a mail.God bless ur work
Thank u Audrey for d brilliant piece, I will send an email asap and sally…God bless ur beautiful mind, I can’t thank u enough for how u av creatively used ur talent to change ppl’s perception about so many things here on ur blog
, THANK YOU….
how wld u finish dis story like dis . wat dyu want me to do wit my life now !!!! so wrong
sally n five years contemporary writing will be the ish. don’t ever give up . I knw u will be rmbrd as a pioneer of this new industry when we all drop the African mentality and learn to accept other people’s views
nice one ive contacted her already even if d story is up for sale i will sure bye it. Come Sally if u know u wont post complete stories dont bring it here oooo, i no like this pattern at all. Do u know how many times i check ur page in day just to read d latest on unfulfilled promise? Abeg u and Audrey should not play this kin rough play again ejoor
Wow! Great job Audrey. I’ll send a mail asap. Sally, may the Lord continue to bless the works of your(and other writer’s) hands. I appreciate writers.
Ok so I waited this long to comment. All I can say is explosive. Fantastic read. Already contacted Audrey. Waiting her response. Thank you Sally for introducing new writers. You r simply the best.
Sally,thanks for sharing Audrey’s work with us.
I’m contacting her ASAP!
Chai Audrey why did u do us like this na*sobs*,toh Sally said to flood your inbox…..that is what we shall do.omo,i have to know hw this ends o.Chai,Oleng,Eric,Dave I cant wait.well done Audrey and Sally
Wow just when it got more excited.
Well done Audrey, I always look forward to reading this story till the end.
Bless you.
Thanks Sisi Sally, you are a darling as always. Thank you for bringing other writers, it’s such a good feelings when others appreciate u.
Timms will be waiting for your reply badly. Thanks Love, you are a sweet heart.
Can never forget the way I felt when another writer appreciated n mentioned Moskedapages….I was like yeah that’s mah lady.
Keep up the good work darling!!!
ooooooooorgh. why now? thanks to both Aunties, Sally and Audrey. I’m a kind of person that hated reading novels. But, I now love reading them since the day someone introduced me to your blog. the way you write, put down all those words and your thought when writing your books are like magic to me.
I’ll surely contact Aunty Audrey now. thanks once again
Thanks Sally, already contacted Audrey…omo the suspense na high tension o! *straight face* Love you loads Sally I celebrate you every time I log on to moskedapages, thanks for introducing other writers too. More Grace Dear *hugs*
There is something called passion,if you passionately do what gives you happiness today even when its not yeilding it fruit yet but with the passion you have i can assure you it will take you places.
To all the writers out there just keep doing your thing,i know its hard but believe me in the nearest future your works wont finish when publishers will beg you
Audrey thank you,Sally you just made me think about something big now,am praying to God to give me the enablement,let me leave it there for now,God bless you
sally pls check the mail add pls ive sent a message to the add u put up but it keeps bouncing back to my box
It’s dianaokhah@yahoo.com
OMG! I totally love this series, I can’t wait to get the concluding part. Its a good job well done, thanks Sally for sharing and thanks to Audrey for the write up.
Great job you are doing Sally, showcasing other writers. You all are amazing and deserve more recognition.
I’m sorry for the late reply. Been crazy busy. Wow! Sally, I should be the one thanking you for such a rare opportunity. It was an honour sharing my story on this blog. I really can’t thank you enough for sharing your readers with me.
To the readers- I always look forward to your comments every week. Your comments have been very mature. Would have replied each and everyone of you but for network. Thanks for your inspiring comments always. I’m glad you enjoyed the story and I apologize for leaving you guys hanging like this. It’s in a bid to help other writers. I hope y’all understand. Thanks.
To all those who have taken their time to mail me, thank you and to those who have patronized me, God bless you.
True talk, Sally. It really isn’t easy being a writer in Nigeria. There was a time I wanted to give up writing even before stepping out. I did my research and got discouraged but for my loving husband and Sally who inspired me. I’d been a secret admirer of hers even before she approached me. Sally, you’re a blessing to writers both old and new. I’m your number one fan.
I particularly want to make it in writing because I enjoy writing, I enjoy making people happy with my story, I don’t want to waste the talent God has given me, and lastly because I want my family (except my sister) to take back their words that I’m wasting my time writing. I’ll be setting up a blog soon and I hope I’ll be patronized.
Thanks everyone and God bless.
God bless you too Audrey Timms.
My email to Audrey didn’t go through. I was notified that it was being delayed and after about some days, I was told it had failed to deliver.
Tanks Sally for sharing and tanks Audrey for this great piece..God bless ur hustle(both o u)U both write real gud
My email to Audrey was bounced! Plz help.
Unfulfilled Promises is just so beautiful, I’m writing this with so much tears and smiles. Audrey you are one blessed writer and I thank God Sally for bringing you my way. If I’m to rate ur book, I’ll give it 10 stars. You guys need to grab Urs ASAP cx it’s worth far more than its cost. Thanks a lot Audrey, God bless you Sally…cheers!!!
Been reading each episode of Unfulfilled Promises,I have to say the writer is indeed a very wonderful and talented writer. I know our amiable Sally will always surround herself with beautiful people. May the Almighty God grant you the strength and give you the wisdom to write more. Thanks Audrey Timms.
Good morning,have been trying to email you 4 a while but my mail has not been going thru. I made d payment 4 on the 3rd of this month with unitymobile 08123245509 but my mail to alert u wasn’t delivery . Email adress is adeosun.fadekemi@yahoo.com
Audrey Timms ,you are such a wonderful writer,.You got me drooling for Eric too,..I’ve finished reading this story…its a very nice piece..
Can’t wait to read the completion of this love Triangle.
Big ups to the Audrey Timms.
I want the complete story of unfulfilled promise part one and two.thks.