The Stolen Years

by I. Izegbuwa

  ‘There’s nothing wrong with my health.’ Tosan cut in.

  ‘I don’t know about that,’ Bibi insisted gently. ‘It’s written all over you. I was thinking, maybe we should get you some help.’

  Tosan straightened up. ‘I don’t need help,’ she said, her posture defiant. ‘Don’t worry about me Bibi, I can manage quite well.’

  ~~~~

  Aima had had enough. Her boss’ constant flirtations left her embarrassed. He wasn’t even discrete about it anymore. He blew kisses at her whenever he passed the checkout counter where she was attending to shoppers. He winked at her suggestively whenever she went to report a matter to him. She even thought she heard him whistling the other day, as she walked down the grocery aisle. From the first day she started working for him, she had been staving off his advances, but now she just wanted to get out.

  Desperately, she spoke to Sunny. ‘Could you find me another job?’

  ‘What’s wrong with the one you have now?’

  She shrugged ‘Oh, nothing. I just don’t think I’m suited for this sales job.’

  He thought for a while. ‘I’ll talk to Bonfree about it.’

  Sunny was true to his word and two interviews later, Aima resumed work as a front desk officer in an advertising agency. The pay was slightly lower than that of her first job, but she didn’t mind; she could always get whatever financial help she needed from Sunny. She was just glad that her new boss was a strict middle aged man, with no interest in her other than her performance on the job.

  Cecile and Diane, the other two ladies at the front desk, were intrigued at her foreign accent. They had never left the shores of their country before, and wanted to know about her background.

  ‘I’ll tell you all about my home, only if you agree to show me the ropes around here.’

  With a laugh, the ladies accepted the deal. They were older on the job and presumably wiser.

  ‘Well, if you don’t learn anything else’ Cecile told her. ‘Learn this: A smile is our trademark. You can win over any one who walks through those doors with one.’

  Aima nodded and thanked her, grateful that her new colleagues were so friendly. Diane leaned forward and whispered so only the three of them could hear.

  ‘The story coming from the grapevine is that you don’t have a degree and you’re here only because a close friend pulled some strings on your behalf. When I heard, I told myself it was just a vicious rumor.’

  Aima grimaced as the two ladies stared at her, waiting for the truth. She confirmed to them that it was no rumor, explaining how she had to abandon her university education unexpectedly, when the opportunity for the relocation arose.

  The ladies were taken aback, exchanging quick glances, as though asking each other what on earth the world was coming to. Cecile explained that they both had their diplomas in secretarial studies, so it was only natural they would be surprised that she was on the same position as they. They looked like they expected an apology from her for being there. Aima offered no such apology and the feeling of camaraderie was broken. The ladies withdrew their success-on-the-job tips.

  ‘I certainly hope we’re not all on the same salary scale,’ Aima overhead Cecile whisper to Diane. ‘You know that you and I both worked hard to get to where we are.’

  Aima sighed. Life in Injayra was not without its challenges. She thought when she left Adenizen, she had left her troubles behind, but now she realized there was no place that far away.

  I don’t know which one is worse, she wrote to Bibi. Working for a lascivious boss or working with snotty co-workers. Still, she hoped that Bibi would visit her someday to see how well she was doing otherwise.

  Bibi read enthusiastically through the mail. In between each line, she read the distress in Aima’s heart arising from deferred hopes. Thinking that some memories of their sojourn through Adenizen might cheer Aima up, she mailed her some photographs that showed her hanging out with friends at Noble Hall and in the Law faculty.

  But the photos only left Aima feeling nostalgic. There was a tug at her heart as she browsed through the snapshots and saw all the fun Bibi was having back at Adenizen. She tried to be happy for her friend, but it was hard. She had been in Injayra for two years and Sunny had failed to mention anything about their wedding plans. If she complained, he might think her too pushy, so she confided in Bonfree instead.

  ‘Be grateful for what you have now,’ Bonfree told her. ‘You can’t push Sunny. When he’s ready, you’ll know.’

  For the first time, Bonfree’s words didn’t give her the desired comfort and Aima sought solace in Bibi’s mails. The next time Sunny came to Injayra, Aima had big news for him.

  ‘I’ve decided to go back to school,’ she said.

  He looked surprised. ‘You want to return home?’

  ‘No, I’m enrolling for a degree in Psychology right here at Victoria City University.’

  ‘Victoria City? Why so far away?’

  ‘It’s not that far Sunny, it’s just ten miles from Injayra. It’s the closest university to this town.’

  ‘Does this mean you want us to put the other plans on hold?’

  ‘What other plans?’

  He reached out and took her hand. ‘Well, I know you’ve been very patient with me on this. I think it’s time we talked about tying the knot.’

  Aima looked up. Sunny all of a sudden seemed to have come to his senses. She hugged him. ‘Do you mean that?’

  ‘Yes I do,’ he affirmed. ‘But if you would rather go for your degree ...’

  ‘I could do both.’ she said.

  He shook his head. ‘Not until we’re fully settled. When we get married, I want you to move with me to the naval base. We’ll make our home there. I wouldn’t want you to start something here in Injayra that you aren’t able to finish.’

  ‘Then I could take a short-term professional course while we plan the wedding, maybe during the weekend. I could make the trip to Victoria City, on Fridays, and be back on Sunday evenings.’

  Again, Sunny shook his head. ‘I’m not sure I want you going over there. Victoria City is a rough place. It’s different from the quiet life you’re used to at Injayra.’

  Aima’s voice fell to a teary whisper. ‘My colleagues at work make snide remarks about me all the time. They say I’m not as smart as they are.’

  Sunny brushed her cheek. ‘Have I ever made you feel less of a woman just because you don’t have a degree?’

  ‘No, no.’ she said quickly.

  ‘When I make you my wife, you can get all the degrees your heart desires.’

  Aima blushed, she liked the sound of that. Both their marriage and the prospect of going back to school meant a lot to her. But she had waited so long to be married to Sunny and now, he was finally ready. The thought of moving to a new home with him excited her. She had come to love the city of Injayra, but she could grow to love her new home on the base just as much.

  ‘Okay sweetie’ she said, with a smile. ‘The degree can wait. Let’s take that walk down the aisle.’

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  It was well past midnight. The security lights around Noble hall illuminated the area while the girls slept. Tosan woke up with a start, beads of perspiration breaking out on her forehead. All was quiet. She looked around the dark room. From the faint light streaming in from the corridor, she could make out the other girls fast asleep.

  ‘Tosan, were you having another bad dream?’

  She turned to see Matilda staring at her. With a slight nod, she wiped her forehead with her wrapper and closed her eyes slowly.

  ‘She came back and took me away,’ she replied. ‘Then she came for Bibi as well.’

  ‘It’s okay.’ Matilda consoled her. ‘No one is coming to take you anywhere. Go back to sleep.’

  Shifting to a more comfortable posture, Matilda rested her head on the pillow and dozed off. She was awakened moments later by light footsteps shuffling around the room, followed by the creaking of the door. S
he cocked her head in the direction of the noise.

  ‘Tosan, where are you going?’ she called out gently.

  ‘To the restroom,’ was the hollow reply.

  Matilda lay awake waiting for her to return. Fifteen minutes passed and still there was no sound. She got up and tiptoed down the dark corridor. The restrooms were empty and Tosan was nowhere in sight. Crickets chirped all around, disturbing the eerie silence. Matilda shuddered and crept quietly down the corridor. She found her way to Bibi’s room and tapped gently on the door.

  ‘Bibi,’ she called through the window. There was no reply and she called louder, knocking persistently. ‘Wake up Bi, Tosan is sleep walking again.’

  Bibi threw her wrapper aside and sprang out of bed. Pulling on a tee shirt over her pajamas, she rushed out of the room, Matilda right behind her.

  ‘She said she was going to the bathroom. I’ve checked but she’s not there.’

  The girls dashed down the stairs and into the starry night. It was a new dimension to Tosan’s disturbing behavior. Bibi knew where to look for her. A fortnight ago, she had found Tosan wandering around the hall premises at 2a.m. She pulled Matilda along and hurried to the same spot. As she had expected, they made out a young lady’s figure. This time, Tosan was attempting to pry open the side gate and pass through it.

  ‘Tosan, No!’Bibi cried out.

  In a few hurried steps, the girls rushed to her. She struggled to break free of their hold, holding firmly unto the gate hinges. Her sheer strength and determination took both girls by surprise.

  ‘Leave me,’ Tosan cried. ‘I have to go back to the Villa. Madam Ofilia needs me.’

  Matilda smacked her lightly but firmly across the cheek in an attempt to awaken her back to reality.

  ‘Tosan, this foolishness has to stop.’ Bibi scolded gently, as they led the whimpering girl back to the room.

  ~~~~

  First thing the next morning, Bibi was at the warden’s lodge. She sat in front of Mrs. Osai’s desk and expressed her concern to her.

  ‘Ma, I think Tosan is losing her mind. She’s been having nightmares and talking in her sleep. On two occasions, we found her sleepwalking around Noble Hall in the middle of the night. She kept saying she was trapped and needed to find her way back to the Hack. Her hallucinations are becoming alarming. I’m afraid she will get hurt soon if we don’t do something.’

  Mrs. Osai sighed and shook her head. ‘It seems as though half the girls at The Hack villa are losing their minds. Maybe Tosan has gone over the bend, but generally they all seem to gradually lose their sense of reasoning. Take Aima for instance, abandoning everything to go with a strange man? What on earth was she thinking?’

  ‘Yeah, but at least Aima seems happy in Injayra,’ Bibi admitted. ‘But Tosan needs help. The most bizarre thing is that the morning after, she was completely clueless with no recollection of her little adventures the previous night. She claims to have left the Hack, but something keeps drawing her back.’

  They sat quietly, lost in thought for a few minutes. ‘She definitely needs help.’ Mrs. Osai concluded. ‘I’ll talk to the school matron immediately.’

  ~~~~

  In their residential home, a few hours from Adenizen, Mr. and Mrs. Briggs were taken aback when the school administration called them in to come and take their daughter home. They arrived at Noble Hall the next morning to pick her up. As Bibi helped Tosan pack her things, Tosan’s parents went to have a chat with Mrs. Osai in the warden’s lodge. Mrs. Briggs listened stunned as the matron displayed the laboratory results.

  ‘Well,’ she urged. ‘Did the tests reveal anything?’

  The school nurse sat down. ‘It’s more serious than we thought,’ she declared soberly. ‘She has contacted something, that’s for sure. But it wasn’t until we admitted her into the school clinic to see what could be done, that we discovered that Tosan has also been taking generous amounts of cannabis.’

  ‘Cannabis?’ Tosan’s mother echoed. ‘She’s been taking hard drugs?’

  The matron nodded. ‘Goodness knows where she got them from. Now the thing is, she hasn’t had them in a while and has been experiencing withdrawal symptoms hence all that bizarre behavior.’

  ‘Her sickness is definitely drug related,’ Mrs. Osai concluded. ‘The medical records speak for themselves.’

  Leaning on her husband for support, Mrs. Briggs read the report from the school authorities declaring her daughter unfit to continue with her degree.

  ‘Would you like to sit down?’ Mrs. Osai offered.

  Mrs. Briggs handed the medical report to her husband who perused it carefully, while she took a seat opposite the warden, her face perturbed. She was a strict, no-nonsense kind of woman. People often joked that the wooden cane which she carried around served as a warning that she would whack some sense into anyone who misbehaved around her. ‘I don’t understand this,’ she said, adjusting herself comfortably into the chair. ‘Tosan has always been a stable girl. So where is all this coming from?’

  Bibi knocked on the door to announce that Tosan was ready and waiting. Mrs. Osai summoned her in and she stood by the door, with her hands behind her back while Mr. Briggs went to help carry out Tosan’s luggage.

  ‘Madam,’ Mrs. Osai addressed Mrs. Briggs after her husband left. ‘There’s more to this than meets the eye. Tosan’s friend here will tell you what she knows.’

  She nodded at Bibi who stepped forward and related everything she knew about Tosan’s time in Madam Ofilia’s care. Initially, Bibi had been unsure about whether to let Tosan’s parents know, but given the circumstances, she felt it was only right if it would help in nursing Tosan back to health.

  ‘Where is this woman?’ Mrs. Briggs demanded, reaching for her wooden cane. ‘I would like to see her.’

  She arose so hastily from her seat that she stumbled. Mrs. Osai hurried to her side to steady her. The intensity of her demeanor filled Bibi with apprehension.

  ‘Ma, please just take it easy,’ she pleaded repeatedly as they made their way from Noble Hall to The Hack.

  ‘I’m not going to make any trouble,’ Mrs. Briggs promised. ‘I just want to talk some sense into her.’

  They met Madam Ofilia on the hallway of the villa, coming out of one of her executive suites. ‘That’s her,’ Bibi whispered.

  Mrs. Briggs walked towards her and greeted her calmly. ‘I’m Tosan’s mother,’ she introduced herself.

  Madam stared at her strangely without replying; the prolonged silence made the two visitors uncomfortable and Bibi felt embarrassed by Madam’s rudeness.

  ‘I said, good afternoon Madam.’ Mrs. Briggs repeated. Madam Ofilia finally turned her gaze away and nodded in acknowledgment. ‘I heard you the first time,’ she replied coolly. ‘What can I do for you?’

  ‘Tosan has been very ill,’ Mrs. Briggs continued. ‘The doctors say it’s quite severe. I understand she moved out of the residential hall to live here with you.’

  Madam pouted her lips and looked around. Some of her girls had gathered at a safe distance to watch the confrontation. She dismissed them with a wave of her hand and watched as they scurried into their rooms until only she, Tosan’s mother and Bibi remained.

  ‘She’s been asked to leave Adenizen until she gets better,’ Mrs. Briggs continued, her lips twitching in distress. ‘She’s my only daughter. What did you do to her?’

  Madam Ofilia shrugged, cleverly avoiding the question. In hindsight, she realized that Tosan was not her typical Hack girl. She was subversive and didn’t have the shrewdness to keep herself out of trouble. ‘It’s unfortunate,’ Madam said eventually. ‘But we’re all responsible for our decisions.’

  Her response surprised Mrs. Briggs, even more her lack of empathy. ‘Is that all you have to say?’ she demanded, her voice rising. ‘My daughter is messing around with drugs and you stand there as though it means nothing to you?’

  Retreating back into her sullen silence, Madam Ofilia exhaled impatiently as though
she was eager to continue what she had been doing. Mrs. Briggs shook her head and turned to leave, but she wasn’t through with Madam Ofilia yet.

  ‘She’s a vicious woman’ she told Bibi, as they walked out. ‘I won’t let her get away with this.’

  ~~~~

  Steve, Madam Ofilia’s right hand man, brought word to her that Tosan’s mother had refused to let the matter rest. ‘She’s insisting that the school authorities look into the things that are going on at the villa.’ Steve reported.

  A momentary look of concern crossed Madam Ofilia’s face. Who was this woman and how influential was she? She needed to know what exactly she was up against.

  ‘I’m not sure what to make of her,’ she admitted as she struggled to remain calm. She felt angry with herself about how unnerved she was over Mrs. Briggs visit. She hated to think that she might be losing control. Steve fed her another round of information.

  ‘Mrs. Briggs is the chaplain’s wife at The Sacred Cross Cathedral. She’s also the head nurse at Starlight Teaching Hospital. Both the church and the hospital are huge benefactors of this school and her husband is on the board. We have to be careful about this one,’ Steve concluded. ‘She can wield a lot of influence and might do us some serious damage.’

  Madam Ofilia sucked in a breath of air. She would have handled Tosan more delicately if she had known who her mother was. ‘Thank you Steve.’ she replied with a nod.

  ~~~~

  ‘That woman must be stopped.’ Mrs. Briggs declared, her determination so strong that it resonated through her voice. It wasn’t borne out of hatred or vengeance. Her motherly instincts raged over what was happening to her daughter. She would go to any length to make sure no other lady suffered the same fate.

  ‘The girls here aren’t safe as long as she remains in Adenizen.’ She continued, the rise and fall in her pitch reflecting her intense emotion.

  ‘But what can we do?’ Bibi asked. ‘No one will come out to speak against her, especially not the girls at The Hack. You saw the terror in their eyes when she looked at them. Everyone is afraid of her.’

  ‘Let’s take it a step at a time,’ Mrs. Osai put in. ‘If we can stop our girls from living at The Hack, it will be a huge step. But the villa belongs to her and trying to eject her will be a little extreme. Our best option would be to convince her to sell it.’