This was Ella's third month in Lagos. She and
Latie had stuck up their old friendship and Latie had invited her to
"Lagos. She'd explained what happened between Emeka and herself.
"Why didn't you tell him? I believe he loves
you enough to withstand his mother. Running away won't solve the problem,"
Latie responded, looking at her friend with com- . c passionate eyes.
Ella stood up, her features creased in a frown.
"I can't Latie, don't you understand?"
she whispered, coming to stand by Latie. "I'm a nobody, and I would be
creating enmity in a family. Oh God, how I wish Julie was alive," She
cried.
"You'll come to Lagos Ella, I can help you
launch your art career," Latie said. Ella smiled, remembering Julie's
promise. She'd promised the same thing.
She'd promised to join Latie in Lagos.
She was squatting with Latie at her family's
residence while she moved from one embassy to the other seeking sponsorship for
her paintings exhibition Latie hardly spent time at home. She was always off to
her fiancée’s place, though she had never met the guy.
As she was returning from one of her outings, she
met a cream coloured Carina packed by the gate. She looked up to see Latie and
a tall, nice looking man coming out of the house. So, this was the dashing
Tamie, she thought as she watched the lovebirds talking and smiling.
"Ella you're back," cried Latie, all
smiles.
"Come and meet my fiancée, Tamie. "She
practically dragged Tamie to her. He must be on the quiet side, she concluded
as she watched the fleeting experated look on his face as he stared at Latie.
"I’ve waited this long to meet this friend
of Latie's who has such' talent, and paints such masterpiece that leaves in
wonder." he murmured.
Ella smiled shyly. "Thank you, but aren't
you too fast with your praises, Mr. Tamie?"
"No call me "Tamie." he said.
Ella smiled and remembered Emeka; a look of
sadness crossed her face, which she quickly covered with a smile.
He noticed the sad look. His sister would have
been exactly like her if she had lived. He felt a vague familiarity with her
like he'd known her for years and he couldn't help feeling protective towards
her.
"Latie told me you're looking for sponsors
to exhibit your work?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied staring at him.
"I haven't seen much but the few Latie had
shown me, I must confess they're out of this world. My mother used to paint
too," he added quickly.
"Really? I presume she was white," Ella
said. "Yes," he replied, a sad looking crossing his eyes.
"And does she still paint? I would love to
see her work," she said.
"His mother is late" Latie
quickly added, knowing this was an area he didn't like discussing.
"They died in a car crash. She was an
American," he finished.
"I'm sorry,' Ella replied, feeling stupid at
her question.
"Well lets forget about that. He's invited
us to his place for dinner tomorrow night. You think you're up to it?"
Latie said.
"How nice. I'd like to go," she
answered. "Well then, I must go and change, I'm tired."
And I would like to show you my works when next
you're around," she offered, smiling.
"Waow! That would be lovely," he
exclaimed "I will come around on Saturday. Is that okay?' he asked,
resting his gaze on
Latie as well. "Yes that will be
okay," she replied and went into the house.
************************************
The next day, in the evening, she was painting on
her ease, when Latie breezed in, her features creased in dismay.
"Ella, you're not ready! Tamie will soon be
here, have you forgotten we're having dinner at his place.
Ella closed her eyes and sighed. "Honestly
Latie, I've forgotten," She exclaimed, standing up and wiping
her hand on her rough jeans.
"What am I going to wear?"
"Here, wear this, its lovely," Latie said, thrusting a cream-colored
skirt suit at her.
She examined the suit. "Where did you get
this Latie? You know I can ... "she began to protest but Latie cut her
short.
"Shut up. Just wear it; it will bring out
your beautiful complexion. You can match it with that black pump over
there. If I leave you, you'd certainly appear in paint stained jeans and tee
shirt Latie cried, walking away.
Ella burst into laughter. Oh God! What a friend!
She thought and moved to the bathroom.
Few minutes later, Latie suddenly barged in.
"Ella, he's here, please now hurry up. He hates to be kept waiting."
"Okay, okay, I'm ready" she said,
getting up and slipping the black pumpu on. Together, they went down
stairs.
They exchanged greetings and Tamie started the
car.
"A beautiful house Tamie," Ella
complimented as she got down from the car.
"Thanks Ella," he said ushering them
in. " Nanny Lulu!" Latie exclaimed, going to hug her.
Ella stared at the woman and experiences a
strange emotion, de ja vu, homecoming.
She couldn't explain it. She felt like she'd
known this woman all her life. She heard her name from a distance.
"Ella, Ella, are you alright?" she
heard Latie's voice. Quickly, she tried to snap out of her trance. "Yes,
yes," she said.
The woman too stared at her. "This is Nanny
Lulu as we all call her," Latie introduced.
Ella could only murmur a greeting. Nanny quickly
made an excuse and left.
Latie and Tamie exchanged looks wondering at the
sudden change. He followed Nanny Lulu and met her in her room, crying.
He sat down, "what's the problem?" he
asked, holding her cold hand in his warm ones. She turned and stared at him.
"Tamie, I just saw a ghost, a ghost," she said, holding some
pictures.
"A ghost?" he questioned, confused.
"Yes, a ghost that girl, who is she? Where's
she form? She looked so much ... so much like ... like .. Oh God"
"Nanny you’re distraught. Let me call the
doctor," he offered, looking worried.
"No ... I'm okay. Honestly, I am. It's just
that, that girl; she awakened so many memories in me. She reminded me of your
mother. Who's she?"
"I really don t know, Nanny," he
replied, remembering the feeling he too had yesterday when he'd first met her.
"She's Latie's friend. She came from Benin some months ago. She's an
artist," he said softly.
"Did you say she's a painter? Oh God! Your
beloved mother had also been a painter, how cruel could life be. Could two people
look so alike and have so much in common?" she cried.
"But Nanny, the police said the baby had
died in the accident." He insisted.
"Have you forgotten boy that they never
found her body? They couldn't account for it, but they could account
for your
parents. And you told me your mother was carrying her.
"Yes, that's true" he said. "I
have never believed she died. Deep down, my guts, l've had that sixth sense
that she survived that accident. I know it, I felt it and I believe I am not
wrong," She said.
"Okay, I'll try and find out what I can
about her background. But now, lets forget all this talk about the past and
have dinner."
"Come on, put on a bright smile so you won't
frighten the poor girl," Tamie chided as he led her out of the room.
Throughout the dinner, Ella felt the old woman eyes on her.
"You got a lovely complexion,"
complimented Nanny, staring at her.
"Thank you ma" she replied, staring
down at her plate of food. "So which of your parents did you get your
complexion from?"
Ella looked up, her food stuck in her throat. She
stared at Latie who returned her stare then turned to Nanny.
"She lost her parents when she was a
baby," Latie said quietly.
"Oh! How sad," Nanny murmured.
"I never knew them really, I was barely a
baby when they died. I was told they died in some sort of car accident and I
was picked up and brought to the orphanage," she said, starring at them.
She'd said too much.
"Poor child" Nanny murmured, "You
didn't have any relations or siblings?" Ella looked up, and felt she could
trust this woman.
She didn't see condemnation in her eyes like
those of Orjakwu. Instead, she saw compassion. "I really don't know,
I was too young when I was brought in; there was
no trace of family members .
How sad, Nanny thought as she starred at the
pretty young girl. If only she was Paula, Paula would have looked just like
her. But what if she was Paula? But what if she was Paula? What if she hadn't
died but had been rescued by ... by a stroke of good fortune.
"Where did they say the accident took place
dear?"
Ella stared at her, and hesitated a little then
shrugged and stared up at the woman. "In Benin, I was told the accident
took place somewhere on the Benin express road" she explained.
Memories of her childhood came. When she was
twelve, she'd walked up to the nurses at the orphanages but they'd been
too busy to think of answering the persistent question of a
twelve year old. They'd told her it was a waste of time because who ever had
dumped her in dustbin had no plans of coming to pick her. She had cried herself
to sleep that night thinking she'd actually been picked up from the dustbin.
She remembered how the woman later known as aunty
had tried to tell her differently.
"You see, Ella, I'm sorry for asking so much
question. Tamie here lost his parents and little sister in a car crash years
back. But deep down, I believe Paula didn't die," she concluded with a
faraway look.
"Did the nurses tell you how you were picked
up?" Nanny continued.
"Nanny I think you're firing her with too
many questions," Tamie interrupted, smiling apologetically at Ella.
"Not really," Ella cuts in smiling.
"I've never really talked about myself except to two people very close to
me," She turned to Latie and smiled at her, squeezing her hand across the
table. "And Julie, she's late now." She said. "Latie, you
remember Aunty Edna, that woman I used to call my guardian?" she turned to
Latie.
"Yes," she nodded.
"After I left secondary school, she
confessed to me one day that she'd picked me up from an accident scene. The
police weren't willing to handle a baby, and her husband wasn't willing to feed
another mouth. That was how I ended up in the orphanage but she often came to
see me."
Tamie and Nanny were suddenly breathless and
excited. Here was the missing link, the look they exchanged across the table
"Where does your aunty Edna stay?"
Tamie asked before he could stop himself.
"Benin" she replied simply.
After the dinner, they bade Nanny Lulu goodnight
as Tamie drove out of the compound.
"Do you think she could be your long lost
sister?" Latie asked Tamie, when they were alone., Ella had gone up
stairs.
"She could be, it's a long shot," he
answered. "It's a 50-50 chance, Nanny said she looks so much like my
mother. Face, figure and the fact that she paints," he added.
"Well, darling, I believe the link will be
with aunty Edna," she replied. .
"Did you know her as well?" he asked.
"Of course Tamie, I did. She used to come once in a while to see her in
school. She was like her mother then and Ella spent most of her time when
I she wasn’t at school with the woman"
"I guess we need to see her.
There's no harm in trying, is there
sweetheart?" he asked and lowered his lips on hers and her words were lost
in the kiss they exchanged.
"Come on, its late. I'll see you
tomorrow," he pushed her gently to the door.
CHAPTER 9
TO BE CONT.
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