...Continue from part I:
Uju accepted the advice from her childhood friend, Nneka, she do not want to appear cheap to Izuchukwu, and again she wanted to be sure that Izuu's love for her was real as opined by Nneka.
She therefore feigned anger and brushed aside every one of Izuu's advances, his pleas fell on deaf ears, not really deaf ears though because she was madly in love with Izuu, with every passing day she found out that she can't hold on anymore, the last time he showed up, she felt like rushing into his arms and squeezing him tight against herself but Nneka was there too and looked at her disapprovingly, always encouraging her to hang on a little more.
Izuchukwu felt frustrated, he do not know what has come over his love, the one dreamt about every night back there at Onitsha, the one with whom he hopes to begin a new life with in the big city of Lagos soon, his life so tumbled over that even his parents and those close to him took notice. Izuu had hoped to her dowry this Christmas and take her with him to Onitsha where his Church wedding will take place, now all his plans and hustles to save up all this money appear to be in vain.
That fateful evening, Nneka had intentionally allowed their path to cross, greeting him so casually why passing, she had chosen that precise moment, when the path was sure to be lonely. Seeing her, Izuu quickly called her and try to find out if another man was after Uju and what might have led to her new behavior, Nneka feigned surprise at Uju's behaviour, said she can not vouch for her any more and that a man being secret involved with her maybe possible. Izuu was mad and sought for her help in convincing Uju to marry him, he said it was his intention to do same before leaving for Onitsha.
Nneka promised to do so under the condition that he will be sneaking into her house to get updates or wait for her at lonely paths or secret places because she would not want people to see them together often and probably start gossiping and make it look like they are having an affair behind Uju's back. Izuu said that would not be a problem and accepted her proposal, anything to help reconcile her to Uju is worth doing. Nneka however, continued to pressurize Uju not to accept Izuu's pleas, she will give her a hundred and one reasons everyday why she thinks Izuu is cheating on her with other village girls, Uju always falls for it and her resentments for Izuu kept sky rocketing.
Meanwhile, when with Izuu, Nneka kept portraying Uju as a heartless and ungrateful person who does not know how to cherish what God has blessed her with, on several occasions, she suggested that she wished she ever had such an opportunity like Uju, or was blessed with her kind of beauty that makes men fall at her ungrateful feet. At first, Izuu didn't like the way she was portraying Uju, but gradually as the day for his departure drew near, he started becoming irritated about Uju and rather started enjoying his secret meetings with Nneka, gradually as well, their discussions shifted away from Uju to other things.
Uju was alarmed when she noticed that Izuu doesn't come around her anymore, and no longer threats her with special regards as before, even when they meet on the way, he usually greets her casually, she complained to Nneka abut his new change of attitude towards her and Nneka laughed, "What did I tell you, she asked. "I told you that he never loved you, this is how men behave, I know them, they are beast, he was just toying with your heart, in a matter of days, he has already forgotten about you, I can tell you that he is not your man, wait for your man, soon he is going to come, after all when one door closes another one opens". Uju wept until she was shaken, she wanted to go to Izuu to beg him for forgiveness but Nneka told her that will be her biggest mistake in life which she will live to regret, at the end she advised her to wait on the Lord, that if Izuu was surely made for her, that one day he was going to come back into her arms. Uju cried for days until she got sick, she prayed for Izuu to come back, she thought of the moments she would have jumped into his arms but restrained herself due to Nneka's advice and the end she left everything to God still hoping to find Izuu waiting for her at the winding bush path to the stream, or to be startled by his voice behind her back on the way to the farm but nothing happened.
Having not seen Nneka for the past few days, she wasn't bothered, she doesn't even want to see her, in her heart, she secretly blamed Nneka for losing Izuu, she was responsible for filling her with pride, only if she had disregarded her useless advice and her jumped into his arms one of those days, all these wouldn't have been happening, she was happy, Nneka had decided to leave her alone these few days. Without her over bearing presence and influence, she decided to visit Izuu without Nneka or anybody for that matter knowing, she promised herself to confess her love to him whether it is against the tradition of their village or not, the truth is that she can't stay a day longer without Izuchukwu.
With the decision made, she dressed up in her best attire, she had not been outgoing now for quite sometime, her parents tried to stop her from going out that day, which was quite unusual, they demanded to know where she was going, she was surprised, she however lied, she told them she was going to the neighbouring village to see her former classmate. To her greatest surprise they appeared relieved and allowed her to leave. She didn't want to tell them she was going to see Izuu, and if she tells them that he is going to see Nneka, they would know that she was lying because the direction she will be heading is different from the direction of Nneka's father's compound, but Izuu's father compound lies on the way to the next village.
Having trekked a log distance and only a few poles to Izuu's father's compound, she stumbled unto an elderly woman whom she and Nneka had in the past helped in her farm. When the woman saw her, she appeared very happy and smiled at her greeting, she asked after the wellbeing of her parents and siblings, which Uju responded warmly while trying not to get into a long discussion with her, she was on a very serious mission, so she waved at the woman smiling and tried to move past her and then her next question was a rude shock. "How was the 'Igba-Nkwu'?", She asked. Igba-Nkwu means marriage feast done after the full payment of a woman's bride price or dowry in this part of the world.
Ujunwa, turned around slowly, looked at the elderly woman and asked in return,"Igba-Nkwu Kwa?, Igba-Nkwu onye kwanu? meaning,"Marriage? whose marriage?" Surprise was written all over the woman as she asked, "Didn't your friend Nneka invite you to her marriage ceremony? are you people querrelling?" "haaa! Nne what did you just say?" Uju could not believe what the woman was saying, the elderly woman told her that her childhood friend Nneka was getting married to her love, Izuchukwu. Uju went to tree stump by the road side and sat on it, the elderly woman couldn't understand what was happening. Uju was sweating profusely, tears was rolling down her eyes but she wasn't crying there was this vacant steady stare that startled the elderly woman. She went close, held her by the shoulders and tried to comfort her, she wasn't away however about Uju's relationship with Izuu. She left after spending sometime to admonish her. Uju sat on that tree stump for hours oblivious of the greetings from passersby. Finally, she struggled on to her feet, her tears were already dried, she slowly made her way back to her father's compound and straight into her own room and flopped on her bed....
read part III for the conclusion.