7 Subtle Signs You’re in the Wrong Relationship

That sinking gut feeling you can’t seem to shake isn’t the only sign they’re not the one for you.

By Shannon Hilson

Relationships are work.” It’s something we hear from the time we’re children — likely even from our own parents and grandparents — and with good reason. When relationships do manage to go the distance, it’s because the people involved are serious enough about making things work to really prioritize what they’re building together. 

And I’ll be honest with you. Most of the time, it’s easy to do the work. Other times, it’s hard — really hard. Even if you adore the person you’re with, life gets tough sometimes and puts a strain on even the best relationships.

There’s a huge difference between putting rewarding, fulfilling work into a connection both you and your partner believe in and running yourself ragged, though. There’s no shame in leaving a relationship that isn’t serving the people involved, but it’s not always easy to tell you’re in one — especially when everyone else you know is insisting that you “just need to work at it.”

I was unhappily married to my ex for years before I finally realized fixing things between us wasn’t a matter of putting in enough work. We weren’t right for one another on any level, and if I’m honest with myself, the signs were always right there. They were just subtle hints, as opposed to big, screaming red flags snapping in the wind. Here are some prime examples.

1. You never feel completely relaxed.

When a relationship is brand new, it’s normal to feel a little reserved around your partner and to want to put your best face forward. You might not yet feel comfortable bringing up certain topics for discussion or letting the more difficult sides of your personality show. Or maybe you’re just concerned that they’ll judge you for being a grown woman who’s really into Disney. (Hey, I’m a big kid at heart, OK?)

The longer you’re together and the better you know one another, though, the more comfortable you should become. I can’t speak for my ex, but I can assure you that level of comfort you’re supposed to reach never materialized for me. Not even after we’d been married for years. I never stopped feeling like I had to be on my best behavior and hide parts of my core identity from him. And that was a first because I normally adapt to new people and relationships pretty quickly.

I now realize that was my gut telling me this wasn’t the right guy for me and that he would never appreciate me for who I was.

When you’re with the right person, not only are you comfortable with them, but you feel like you can exhale on a level you can’t around most other people. You can talk to them about almost anything and be the barest, truest version of yourself. If you’re lucky, you might even get to share your weird Disney obsession with them because they have one, too. (Disney + marathons are favorite pastimes for my current husband and me.)

2. Your personal growth is in a holding pattern.

The right partner has a way of bringing out the best in you and helping you grow on several different levels. Not only do they see you and accept you, but you can count on them to make you feel encouraged and supported in everything that you do. They’re good at pushing you toward your goals and reminding you that the things you want are worth hustling for, as well.

I was spending so much of my energy trying to fix bad relationships that I had none left to invest in myself.

One of the earliest signs that some of my past partners weren’t right for me was how my personal growth slowed to a crawl while I was with them, only to magically return once we broke up. At the time, I just wrote it off as a phase or a funk I was going through. I never really got that I was spending so much of my energy trying to fix bad relationships that I had none left to invest in myself.

One of the things I like most about my relationship with my current husband was how productive I became when we got together. Unlike some of the other people I’d been with, he cared what I was into and seemed to like hearing me talk about my dreams and watching me make progress toward them. His interest in my creativity and goals helped me rediscover my interest in them, which gave me the push I needed to pursue them seriously.

3. You can picture a future without them.

When you try to imagine a future without your partner, how easy is it to do? Does that projected version of your life lack in some fundamental way, or does it actually look better than it would if they were there? While your sense of internal joy and satisfaction with your life shouldn’t be all about your partner, you should feel like they bring something irreplaceable to your life that makes it better.

Although it took me a long time to be honest with myself about it, one of the earliest signs I had that I shouldn’t have married my first husband was how I pictured my own future. When I’d fantasize about the things I wanted to accomplish or the places I wanted to go, he wasn’t really part of the picture. It’s not that I actively didn’t want to be married to him (or at least not yet.) I just instinctively factored him out of the equation, almost without realizing it.

Things are completely different in my current relationship. When I daydream about my own future, I’m not there alone or with some faceless placeholder figure who could be anybody. My current husband’s a huge part of how I naturally see things playing out, and the big picture doesn’t look quite as bright when I try to see it without him.

4. You’re never on the same page.

No two people are going to agree on absolutely everything. Even well-matched couples are going to have their differences, and that’s perfectly normal. It’s ultimately your feelings about those differences that make your partner right or wrong for you.

So, how do you feel about the ways your partner differs from you? Are you able to respect and accept those differences, or do they consistently cause friction between the two of you? My first husband and I agreed on so little, I actually couldn’t tell you today why I was with him in the first place.

For instance, he was a vegetarian who thought meat-eaters were ignorant, mouth-breathing murderers, while I was a meat-eater who — at the time — found vegetarianism silly and fussy. It wasn’t just that we were different. It was that we each found the other’s point of view unworthy of respect, acceptance, and consideration. The result is that we spent our entire relationship passive-aggressively trying to change each other. And that is just one of many examples I could give you.

When you’re with the right person, you don’t feel that way about your partner — like they’re off their rocker for having the beliefs, values, and interests that they do. The ways that you’re different may even make your relationship stronger.

5. You often still feel lonely.

Relationships that aren’t a good fit have this weird way of making you feel lonelier than you ever would if you were single. You’re often not sure what exactly is wrong. You just know you’re not connected to this person on the level that you should be, and it’s frustrating on a soul level that’s hard to explain.

Other people in your life might try to tell you it’s all in your head because “relationships take work,” but you’ll know better deep down.

I think my first husband felt this a lot earlier on in the relationship than I did. One of the earliest clues I had was that he never seemed to want to spend extended amounts of time alone with me. For instance, if we planned a vacation, he always wanted to invite other people along, like his parents or some other family member. He even tried to get me to agree to let his mother and stepfather come along with us on a honeymoon cruise to Mexico my father gifted us at our wedding.

I now realize that we had so little in common, he actually found the idea of making conversation and spending time with only me for multiple days on end daunting. When you’re going through the motions of your daily lives, you’re both usually busy enough that you don’t notice you rarely talk or spend quality time together.

You’ll notice that you feel lonely, though. And, over time, it becomes the kind of loneliness that’s deeply depressing. Other people in your life might try to tell you it’s all in your head because “relationships take work,” but you’ll know better deep down.

6. You look outside of your relationship a lot.

When I was younger, I had a lot of trouble being faithful in a couple of

my past relationships, particularly my first marriage. I couldn’t understand what was wrong with me because cheating was very out of synch with my value system and the type of person I knew myself to be deep down. My father was a cheater, so I knew it was probably learned behavior. I just didn’t yet get why I was copying in a behavior I’d found so abhorrent as a child.

Eventually, I realized that my heart usually knew when I was with the wrong person before I did. I just didn’t know how to be honest with myself and find healthier ways to cope with what I was feeling — like simply breaking up with the other person so I could date whomever I wanted or perhaps considering an open relationship instead. It finally dawned on me when I realized I’d felt zero urge to behave the same way in happy, healthy relationships.

So — assuming you know you’re a monogamous person who genuinely wants to be in a committed, permanent relationship with one person — how often do you find yourself looking over your partner’s shoulder at other people? How often do you catch yourself wishing you were free to explore other possibilities?

I’m not talking about finding others objectively attractive because everyone does that. I’m talking about wondering obsessively whether a relationship with Person X or Y would be better than the relationship you have with your partner. I’m talking about listening to your friends talk about happy relationships they might be in and feeling envious of what they have because yours doesn’t even begin to measure up. Those are pretty clear signs your current partner isn’t meeting your needs.

7. You’re vaguely unhappy for reasons you don’t understand.

Existing in a relationship that isn’t right for you is a very draining experience, but it often takes a while to figure out what’s really going on. You just know you don’t feel as positive or hopeful as you used to. It’s like someone drained all the color out of the world, and you can’t remember what it used to look like no matter how hard you try. This feeling becomes more and more pronounced, the longer you stay with the person.

I’ve struggled with clinical depression my entire life, so when I started feeling hopeless and sad on a near-daily basis while I was with my ex-husband, other people in my life assumed I was the problem. After all, the guy didn’t hit me or deliberately mistreat me. He was even one of those agreeable, mild-mannered people that everyone likes, so it had to be that I was just selfish, spoiled, and ungrateful.

Except I noticed something interesting about my moods. They’d lift when he wasn’t around, sometimes considerably.

In the event I had an entire day (or longer) to myself, I’d feel damned near elated and very excited about all the things I’d be able to do without him around. I could write or play video games all day without him complaining that I wasn’t productive enough. I could wear makeup or perfume without him whining that he “hates that stuff.” I could cook myself a steak without him commenting that he thought he would vomit from the smell.

Good relationships don’t make you feel exhausted to the bone.

When I eventually made the connection and asked for a divorce after several years of unhappiness, I felt like I’d been let out of prison on parole or something. I still struggle with depression, but I’m not unhappy every day by a long shot. And when I do feel a little down, spending time with my current husband cheers me up instead of bringing me down further.

Ultimately, you’re the only one who can say for sure whether you’re with the wrong person or simply going through a rough patch with the right one. However, signs like the above will always be there, cluing you into the truth, even if you’re not ready to see them yet.

Good relationships don’t make you feel exhausted to the bone. Good partners don’t make you feel like you’re never heard, appreciated, or valued on any level. They feel worth fighting for, even when the going gets rough.

The Maid 7 - Praise George

The Maid 7

By Praise George

“That woman just drove out of the compound. How did that happen?”Yemi asked.
“I don’t know,” Kalu said.
“What did you do to her car?” She asked.
“I deflated the tires.” Kalu said.
“You did what? Deflated the tires? Oh my God!” Yemi hit the door of her wardrobe. “Why don’t you listen to me? I asked you to do a simple thing and you mess it up.”
“But I did what you asked me to do,” Kalu said.
“No you didn’t.” She shoved her face in front of the confused trader. “I asked you to demobilize her car. D-E-M-O-B-I-L-I-Z-E. Make sure it doesn’t move from where it was parked.” The maid explained. “Sometimes you can be so dumb,” she slapped him on the shoulder. “Now you have ruined my plan. I wanted my madam to come and catch that wicked woman here.”
“From where did you learn all these big words?”Kalu asked. “I thought you said you didn’t attend university.”
“Well, I lied. How else would I get this kind of opportunity if I told them I have a degree in mass communication. Look at where I live on the island, with my own room, free of charge. They practically pay me for doing nothing,” the maid boasted.


Kalu looked at the maid as if she had lost her mind. “You have a degree and you are a maid?”
Yemi sat in front of the mirror and reached into her bag. “Of course I have a degree. It is a third class, from a backward university, but nonetheless a degree.” She applied some lipstick. “
He looked at the maid as if he was seeing her for the very first time.”If you have a degree, why don’t you get a good job so that we can live a better life?”
Yemi turned to Kalu and he shrank back from her stare. “So that we can live a better life? You and who? Now get this straight. There is no ‘we’. Have you introduced me to your family? Have you even introduced me to your master at Alaba market? When you are ready for marriage, it may be too late for you.” She turned away from him and continued to apply her make up.
“You know how hard I try. I swear to you, when I get my own shop I will take you to my family.”Kalu said.


What is wrong with being a maid for a rich woman?”
Yemi finished applying her make up. “I am going into the house to make some breakfast for Mr Philips. I am sure that wicked Ngozi didn’t give him any food before rushing out of the house this morning as if an evil spirit was pursuing her. Mr Philips shouldn’t go to church hungry.” She turned around for Kalu. “How do I look?”
Kalu hesitated.”You look good.” There was jealousy in his eyes.”Do you have to serve him breakfast looking like that?”
“This is my job. Do I come to your office to tell you what to do?” She turned away from him, adjusted her dress before the mirror and wore black slippers.
“Wait for me. I will be back in about an hour.” She applied some perfume.
“I want to go for morning mass,”Kalu protested. “If I don’t leave now I will be late.”
“I said wait! Mischeew!” She hissed, picked up the bag containing the money and walked out of the room.
Kalu’s eyes followed the bag as it left the room.
******************
“Everything is happening so fast. I don’t know what to do anymore.” Gbenga hung his head like a boxer who had suffered a major defeat.
His friend Segun Adeniyi, sat opposite him in his living room.
“What is going on?” Segun asked.
“Something happened between me and my…my maid some months ago,” Gbenga began. “But yesterday my wife found out about it. It has caused me so much trouble.”
Segun’s face was expressionless as he listened to his friend.
“You know Ngozi Uzor, my wife’s friend?”
Segun nodded.
“She has been after me for a long time and I resisted her. But yesterday when things got out of hand, she was there to…comfort me.”
Segun sat forward in his chair. “You and Ngozi? Are you kidding me?”
Gbenga finished narrating his story.
“Where is your wife?”
“I don’t know where she is.” Gbenga confessed.
“That is not good at all. Go and find your wife and bring her back home. She belongs with you. Why did you allow her to leave?”
“Ngozi told me to let her go.”
Segun thought for a moment. “From the top of my head I can tell you right now that Ngozi has a hand in all of this.”
“How can you tell?” Gbenga asked.
“Ngozi shouldn’t have let your wife leave the way she did. If she doesn’t have a hidden agenda, she would have settled the matter between you and your wife.”
“There is something else.” Gbenga told him about his financial dealings with Ngozi.
“You took money from that woman? Why on earth did you do that?”
“I was in a hard place. I lost money in some investments. If I told Shade she would have been furious. Ngozi was willing to help and she was discreet about it.”
“How much did she loan you?” Segun asked.
Gbenga looked up at the ceiling as if seeking some divine intervention. “She loaned me $150,000 in total.”
“Have you lost your mind?” Segun asked.
“I have paid back a large sum. I have two more payments to make and I will be free of that debt.”
Yemi came into the living room. The men stopped talking and looked at her.
“Good morning sir. Would you like some breakfast for you and your friend?”
Gbenga looked at Segun and he nodded.
“Yes, Yemi. That would be nice. Serve it on the dining table when you are done.”
“Okay sir.”
Segun’s eyes followed the maid until she disappeared into the kitchen, then he turned to his friend. “Who was that, your wife’s relative?”
“That’s my maid,” Gbenga said.
“Fweeeeee!” Segun whistled softly. “THAT is your maid? Man, you really are in trouble.”
******************
Yemi smiled to herself as she brought out the vegetables from the fridge.
She saw the way Gbenga’s friend had looked at her. He was practically salivating on his shirt. She was certain that if they had been alone he would have made a pass at her. That was a good sign. Now she had Gbenga’s friend on her side. Nobody was going to throw her out of this house without a fight, she thought.
She entered the pantry, climbed a stool and took a big cookbook from the top shelf. She opened the book to the page on ‘exotic breakfasts’ and set it on the table beside the vegetables.
“These men will have the best breakfast they’ve ever had in their lives,” she began to dice the onions, “Even if it kills them,” she said and laughed to herself.

To be continued.

The Maid 6 - By Praise George

The Maid 6

By Praise George

“Please, don’t do this,” Shade pleaded with tears in her eyes.
Gbenga carried two suitcases and threw them on a heap of bags and boxes outside the gate. “You don’t belong here,” he threw her box of expensive jewellery into the street. The lock broke open and the contents scattered on the street.
“Gbenga, I love you,” she cried.
“If you love me, you won’t betray me like you did.” He said.
Shade held on to him. “I will never betray you. I love you.”
Gbenga shrugged her off and hurried back into the house. Moments later he came out of the house dragging a huge suitcase on the ground. He looked like a man possessed or under an evil spell.
“What have I done to deserve such treatment?” Shade asked her husband.
Miscreants and street urchins gathered in front of the gate waiting for an opportunity to pounce on her earthly belongings. Sadique the gateman stood vigilant over her scattered possessions brandishing a huge piece of wood.
Something made her look up at the house and she saw her friend Ngozi looking out from the window of the master bedroom.
“Ngozi, help me,” she cried out to her friend. “Tell him he is making a mistake and I am innocent.”
Ngozi didn’t answer her. She shut the curtains and disappeared into the room.
“Get out of my house and don’t ever come back,”Gbenga shouted at her.
Someone threw an object at her and it splattered on her face. She felt some warm liquid flowing down her neck, to her body. When she looked at her dress, it was covered in blood. She screamed.

Shade woke up.
Her pillow was soaked in sweat as if someone had sprinkled water on it. She looked at her watch lying on the bedside table. It was 3:00am. She got up from the bed and opened the fridge. She drank some water and got back into bed but she couldn’t go back to sleep. She sent Ngozi a text message telling her where she was and asked her to come as quickly as she could make it in the morning. She picked the remote and surfed the stations for a movie. She fell asleep again watching a Nollywood movie.
The hotel telephone woke her up.
“Ngozi is here to see you,” the receptionist said.
“Tell her to come up to my room.” Shade looked at her watch, it was 8:00am.
Minutes later there was a discreet knock on the door. She let Ngozi into the room.
“I came as soon as I could.” Ngozi entered the room and sat down on the only arm-chair in the room.
Shade walked slowly like a somnambulist, sat down on the bed and folded her legs in a meditative position. She was silent for a few minutes.
“Someone called me last night and told me that a woman wants to steal my husband from me.”
“Did you find out who called you?” Ngozi’s face had gone red, but Shade seemed not to notice.
“He said that everything was planned by my adversary to make my husband hate me. What have I done to deserve this?” Shade asked.
When Ngozi started her car in the morning, she discovered that all four tires had been deflated. Sadique the gateman had no idea what happened. He swore that no one entered the compound. Ngozi didn’t believe him. She suspected the maid had a hand in it. As soon as she got back to Gbenga’s place, she would make sure that the maid packed her things and left the house.
Shade entered the bathroom, came out to get something from her bag, entered again and stayed there for longer than usual. Ngozi heard running water in the bathroom. She stood up and began pacing the room. Her plan was not working. She thought Shade would give up her marriage when she discovered the indiscretions of her husband with the maid. But here she was talking about returning to her home to fight for her marriage. Who was encouraging such thoughts in her mind?
Shade came out of the bathroom looking dejected.
“Are you okay?” Ngozi asked, looking at what Shade held in her right hand. It was a pregnancy test strip.
Ngozi’s face fell.
Shade was pregnant! But that was impossible. The doctors said her womb couldn’t carry a child. This must be a mistake. A very big mistake. Everything she had planned had failed. All the months of meticulous planning had been rendered useless by a pregnancy.
Shade put both hands on her head and dropped to her knees. “I am dead. My life is finished!” Shade lamented.
“What is going on?” Ngozi asked.
“I am dead. Don’t you understand? This is the end of the road. My marriage is completely over. My enemies have won at last.”
Ngozi was confused.
“Shade, you are pregnant, that is a good thing isn’t it? You and Gbenga have been trying to have a baby since you got married. Now your are pregnant. You should be happy.”
“My friend, you don’t understand. I am dead.” Shade hid her face in her hands and started crying.
Ngozi watched her friend not knowing what was going on.
Shade lifted her head. Her face was covered in tears. “This pregnancy does not belong to Gbenga.” Shade spoke with remorse like a repentant criminal confessing his various crimes to a Catholic priest.
“What are you talking about?” Ngozi asked.
“I think it belongs to this guy I…I met. His name is Roberto.” Shade whispered the name with shame.
“Who is that?”
Shade told her the whole story.
“Hmmm,” Ngozi exhaled. She held Shade’s hands and pretended to commiserate with her but she was so relieved. For a moment there she thought her game was up and her friend was pregnant for Gbenga. Fate was obviously on her side. This was a sign that Gbenga belonged to her. Such a woman like Shade was undeserving of bearing a child for Gbenga Philips. She, Ngozi would bare that child for the man she loved. Her womb will carry Gbenga’s children. She wondered why she hadn’t taken this step a long time ago. This was as easy as standing and plucking low hanging fruit from an apple tree.
“You will be fine.  Everything will be alright. I will find a way to fix this and make things right between you and Gbenga.” Ngozi lied with an expressionless face, then she gave Shade a hug.
“Thank you, Ngozi,” Shade muttered. “Thank you for being such a good friend. God will bless you for this.”


Behind her friend’s back, Ngozi’s face lit up with a smile like a hungry alligator let loose among unsuspecting piglets.

To be continued….

7 REASONS WHY YOU ARE NOT GOING TO GET MARRIED

      7 REASONS WHY YOU ARE NOT GOING TO GET MARRIED 

By Jerome Yaovi onipede

1) You have TRUST ISSUES, you claim you have been hurt before, and so it's difficult for you trusting someone else again. Well unless you go for Counseling, just like you believe, IT WILL ALWAYS BE DIFFICULT FOR YOU TRUSTING ANYONE, and honestly, without trust a Relationship or Marriage can NEVER survive.

2) You grew up in the midst of FAMILY SECRETS, and had to tell a lot of lies to cover up perceived shame. And now you have become a Pathological Liar. Even you are amazed at how you can't say anything without telling a lie. You want to tell the Truth, but it is foreign to you. Without Truth, you can't build a lasting Relationship or Marriage. Someday, EVERY LIE you have told will come to light, and you will be found out to be a STRANGER, anyone and everyone should run away from. Why don't you seek Counseling.

3) People say you are Proud, but don't know that it's because you have a Complex. You have done a good job exhibiting a Superiority Complex to keep people from coming closer to you, because if they do, you don't believe they will truly like you as you are. Even you don't like yourself, and that attitude may be tough in a Relationship or Marriage, because it takes a person who loves and accepts himself to love and accept others. So with the help of an expert, run a Personal Check on yourself to have a very good understanding of your Personality, and how to make it work for you.

4) You are NEVER wrong. As far as you are concerned, you believe you are the Seat Of Wisdom. And so everybody knows you are ready to argue about anything and everything, because you just have to be right, while everybody else is wrong. The way you get Angry is also alarming. Haven't you noticed that people are always eager to stay away from you? Now that won't work in a Relationship or Marriage, because it's only those who prefer someone else to themselves and are ready to make the other person take the shine, that relationship and marriage works for.

5) You are Self-Serving and Selfish. You always do things for YOURSELF, and have no one else in mind. So you cheat because even though you are getting 80% of what you need from your friend, you take it for granted and go in Search of the 20% you think you are not getting, but need from someone else, and eventually lose the Diamond in your possession while going after Glitter. Marriage only looks good on those who put the other person first and into consideration, before they consider themselves.

6) There is a hole in your heart, and no matter how many people try to love you, you cannot receive love. You drink, smoke, and have sex with anything and anyone. Commitment is difficult for you. You are not even committed to yourself, not to talk of another Person. Unfortunately for you, Marriage requires TOTAL COMMITMENT or nothing else. Get Counseling, find out the root cause and deal with it.

7) You have No Relationship with God. Really? So why do you want to get married? Don't you know Marriage was instituted by God. YOU NEED A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD IF YOU WANT TO GET MARRIED AND STAY MARRIED!

But Pastor, I don't agree with you, I have some of these flaws and I am married today.

Really? Do you think having a Wedding is the same thing as Getting Married? I know you had a big wedding, but ARE YOU MARRIED?

The Maid 5 - By Praise George

The Maid 5

By Praise George

The maid paced up and down the small room like a leopard looking for the perfect moment to pounce on a prey. Her boyfriend sat on the edge of the bed wondering what was going on.
She stopped in front of him. Her hips mere inches away from his face.
“Kalu, do you love me?” She asked and moved forward. The young man swallowed hard but was silent.
“Answer me! Do you love me?”
“Is that why you asked me to come here this evening to ask me this stupid question? I have better things to do tonight.” He tried to get up from the bed but Yemi pushed him back.
“Kalu, I said, do you love me?”
He thought for a few seconds before he opened his mouth. “You know how I feel about you, baby.”
The maid sat down on his legs and caressed his face. Kalu smiled. Tonight was his lucky night. He put his hand on her thigh. The maid let him.
“If you really care about me, you will help me.”
“I will do anything for you baby,” he said with lust in his eyes. “Absolutely anything,” he licked his lips.
“I want you to make a phone call,” the maid said.
“That’s no problem,” Kalu said.
“Listen carefully.” The maid told him exactly what to say.
***********************

In the master bedroom of her best friend, Ngozi sat up in bed and sipped some champagne with satisfaction on her face. The sound of running water came from the bathroom where Gbenga took a shower. A few minutes ago she called Shade and told her that everything would be okay.
“I am praying for you,” she lied. “Things will be back to normal between you and your…you and Gbenga.” She just couldn’t bring herself to say that word.
“Thank you Ngozi. God bless you for being my friend,” Shade said in a teary voice.
“What are friends for?” Ngozi asked as she took off her shoes and lay on her friend’s bed. In a moment, her plan would be complete: Gbenga would hold her in his strong arms and make love to her. No other woman was going to have Gbenga even if that woman was her best friend.

While Shade pursued corporate success, Ngozi took over her husband and her home. Ngozi encouraged Shade to go for more and more certifications. Some of them were completely worthless but Shade wanted more power in the corporate world and Ngozi knew how to feed that lust in her. New York today, Sidney Australia tomorrow. Shade was always on the move. If the office work didn’t keep her away from her husband, her senseless corporate travels did.
While Shade was away in pursuit of success, Ngozi took the opportunity to get close to Gbenga. Ngozi found it difficult to maintain a relationship. Men misunderstood her strength and called her ‘pushy’, ‘bossy,’ and ‘aggressive.’ But Gbenga liked her. First as his wife’s friend, then as a friend. One day he said in passing that she was a strong woman, the kind of woman that would make ‘a good wife’ to some lucky guy. That was all the encouragement needed and she began to hatch a plan.
Ngozi’s late father was a crooked politician who enriched himself by stealing from public funds. He left a huge inheritance for his family and Ngozi spent her’s on who and whatever she liked. And she liked Gbenga Philips. It also helped her plan that Gbenga lived above his means and his advertising firm was running out of money.
Ngozi offered him help.
“I will loan you some money to help you out. You can pay me the money whenever you can, as long as you don’t tell Shade about it.”
“What do you mean by that?” Gbenga asked.
“This transaction will remain a secret between us. The day you tell your wife, you will pay me all my money, whether you have it or not.” Ngozi warned him.
“I am a married man. I can’t do this! My wife has to know what I am doing, especially if it is with her best friend.” He protested.
“Does she also need to know how you squandered the profits from your business on frivolities?” Ngozi asked and reached into her Gucci handbag.
When he saw the first check of $70,000, it silenced all his feeble protests.
“And there’s a lot more from where that came from,” Ngozi said. After that day he became more receptive to her. He never told Shade about it.
“Soon, I will be Mrs Philips,” she raised the glass to her lips. The door to the bathroom opened and Gbenga entered the room in his bathrobe. Ngozi set down the glass of champagne by the bedside table, got out of bed and allowed her robe to fall from her shoulders, revealing light skin, a priceless gift she inherited from her Swedish mother.
Her eyes raged with lust as she walked towards Gbenga. Deliberately. Slowly.
Gbenga stood transfixed to the spot, hypnotized, like a rabbit about to be devoured by a king cobra.
*********************
Shade knelt by the bedside of the luxury room she took at The Radisson Blu hotel and tried to pray. For the past year she could count the number of times on her right hand when she had said a prayer. She was always on the move, sorting out issues for her bank and attending power conferences abroad. She knew a lot of people but none of those people could help her now.
“O Lord,” she tried to pray but the words refused to form in her mouth. The truth was that she had forgotten how to pray. She had moved away from her spiritual center and embraced the emptiness of corporate success.
“O Lord,” she tried again, but the words refused to come. She made a lot of money on her job but that money couldn’t help her now. If she lost her husband and family, she would have lost everything.
“O Lord, help me,” she cried.
Shade’s heart was heavy not only because of what Gbenga had done but also because of what happened seven weeks ago. Perhaps God was punishing her for her misdeeds. She was in Milan for a meeting. There she met Roberto Alvini, an Italian business man. She was swayed by his words and personality. The brief time they spent together had been magical. How could she have allowed that to happen?

Her phone rang and disconnected her mind from her tormenting thoughts. She ignored it but it kept ringing. She stood up and answered the call.
“Mrs Philips?” it was a male voice with a thick Ibo accent.
“Yes, who is this?”
“I am a friend. Do you want to save your marriage?”
“How did you get this number?
“Do you want to save your marriage?” the caller asked again.
“How do you know about my marriage?” Shade’s voice shook. “Who is this?”
“I want to help you,” the voice said.
“If you don’t get off this phone right now, I will call the police and…”
“Listen to me before it is too late!” the harsh voice commanded. ” Do you want to save your marriage?”
“What is there to save?” she said with resignation. “It was my husband who created this problem.”
“There’s a lot going on that you know nothing about. Mrs Philips, you have been deceived.”
“Deceived? How?” Shade asked.
“Your husband was never involved with the maid. He never touched her. You were made to believe a lie.”
“But, he did,” Shade said.
“You were set up. Things are not what they seem.”
Shade’s legs became weak and she sat down on the bed. “Set up by who?” She asked with trepidation not wanting to hear the answer to her question.
“Right now as we speak, the woman who set you up is with your husband.”
“Is this a joke?”she asked with trembling voice.
“And her game plan is to become Mrs Philips.”
“What?!” Shade shouted.
“I will be in touch.”
The phone went dead.
Shade’s hands trembled slightly as she looked at the silent phone with fear.
Her world was falling apart.
Completely.
*******************************

“Do you think she believed you?” The maid took the phone from her boyfriend.
“How am I supposed to know that?”
“I never knew you were such a good actor.”
Kalu pulled her into his embrace.
“I have told you to stop acting like a trader when you are with me. Don’t rush me.” She pulled away from him.
“Who is a trader?” He asked.
The maid ignored him. She scrolled on her phone until she found a number.
“Right now, there is a woman upstairs trying to steal my boss from his wife, but we are not going to let that happen, are we?”
“What’s in it for me?” Kalu frowned.
The maid rummaged in her bag and brought out some dollars. She threw the money on the bed. Kalu’s eyes lit up like a false prophet making spiritual consultations for a rich but barren woman, desperate to have a child.
“Where did you get this money from?” Kalu asked.
“That’s not important.” The maid put the bag on the floor. “And there’s more from where that came from.”
Kalu reached for the money.
He counted it, his fingers accustomed to counting large sums of money in his master’s electronic store in Alaba market. He folded the notes neatly and kept them in his pocket. Yemi stood before him as she did previously, trying to seduce him.
But it was unnecessary.
She already had his full attention.
He sat up straight. Gone was the lust in his eyes. It had been replaced by cold greed.
“What do you want me to do?” He asked the maid.

To be continued…

The Maid 4 - By Praise George

The Maid 4

By Praise George

The maid danced to loud rap music which blared from a music set on the floor. She wore white shorts, a red tank-top and black heels. With her make-up, she looked like a hooker working in the notorious red light district of Las Vegas.
Ngozi entered the room without knocking and threw the maid off her rhythm. She turned down the music but didn’t greet Ngozi who stood by the door and looked at the posters on the walls. Her eyes settled on Snoop Dog smoking a cigarette.
“You did better than I expected,” Ngozi looked around the small room with disdain.
“I told you I could pull it off. Shade is no match for me,” the maid boasted.
“What exactly did you tell Shade?”
“Everything you asked me to say.” The maid lied.
That morning she was about to confess the whole thing to her madam before she threw up in the visitor’s toilet. A part of her still felt she shouldn’t have done it. She liked Shade and Tola her daughter. The woman had been kind to her. She didn’t want to be the reason why she left her husband’s house.
“What? Is that a look of remorse I see on your face?”Ngozi looked closely at the maid.
“No, it isn’t. I was just thinking about everything.”
“I am not paying you to think. I paid you to do a job. Is that understood?”
The maid nodded like an obedient puppy before she sat down on the bed.
“Are you sure you didn’t arouse her suspicion or create doubt in her mind in any way?”
“She’s out of this house, isn’t she? Isn’t that what you wanted?” The maid asked.
Ngozi ignored her question. “Where are the remaining pills?”
Yemi opened her bag, brought out a plastic bottle containing blue pills and gave it to Ngozi.
“Are you sure there will be no side effects?” The maid asked.
“If you took it the way I told you to, you should be fine. You should stop throwing up by tomorrow morning.”
The maid looked worried. “My body feels very different.”
“I said you will be fine!” Ngozi snapped. “I know what I’m doing.” She reached into her bag and brought out a bottle of yellow pills. “So that we are sure, take this for the next three days. It should stop the vomiting.”
The maid put the bottle in her bag. She planned to throw the bottle away the moment Ngozi turned her back. Who knows what this wicked woman put inside this bottle? Yemi liked her madam but she was in this for the money, Ngozi’s money.
Seven months ago, Ngozi began visiting the house regularly when Shade her friend was out of town. She also began to give Yemi gifts. Sometimes she gave her clothes, sometimes money. But whenever she came to the house, she had a gift for her. One day, Ngozi told her what she wanted from her. She listened as Ngozi made her an offer and outlined her plan. The woman was devious. But she promised her $5,000 if she could pull it off.
“So, what do I have to do?” Yemi asked.
Ngozi told her what to do.
The maid carried it out flawlessly.
Two months ago when Shade was out of town, Gbenga returned from work and Yemi served him his dinner. Tola was already asleep in her room. Yemi returned to clear the plates from the table, by then she had changed into a mini skirt and a blouse. Gbenga didn’t think anything of her dressing. He was drinking and watching Barcelona demolish Arsenal in a semi-final game. Yemi washed the dishes then returned to the living room, this time, Gbenga noticed her.
“What do you want?” he asked, by then the pill Ngozi gave Yemi to dissolve in his drink was having the desired effect on him.
“I am not feeling too fine,” Gbenga said. He tried to stand up from the chair but fell back into it. Yemi helped him up the stairs into the bedroom and placed him on the bed. Soon after Gbenga passed out. The next morning he woke up to see Yemi’s clothing scattered all over the room. He was scared that something had happened between himself and the maid while he was drunk the previous night. He promised to give Yemi some money if she kept her mouth shut.
Ngozi opened her bag, brought out three bundles of cash and threw them on the bed beside Yemi. She smiled, picked up the cash and kept it in her bag.
“Now, pack you things and get out of this house!” Ngozi pointed at the door with her left hand. “I don’t ever want to see you again!”
Yemi didn’t budge.”You promised to find me another job,” she protested.
“Well, plans have changed. Take the money and leave.”
“What will happen to madam?” she asked.
“That is none of your business. You must leave this house tonight.”
The maid didn’t move. “I have nowhere to go.”
“I don’t care what you do as long as you don’t do it here. You have enough money to rent an apartment. You can move in with the driver if you want to. Do you want to tell me that you are not sleeping with him?”
The maid stood up from the bed. “Who I sleep with is none of your business,” she said rudely as she packed her bags.
“Yemi,” Ngozi whispered.
The maid turned around to face Ngozi. There was a dangerous look on Ngozi’s face that the maid had never seen before.
“Listen very carefully,” Ngozi said. “I don’t want to see you near this house ever again. And the day I catch you near Gbenga, for whatever reason, I will leave a permanent mark on your face. Do you understand me?”
The maid shook her head.
“But I will leave tomorrow morning. Do you want me to carry this load on the streets of Lagos tonight?”

Before Ngozi could reply,there was a knock on the door. It was Sadique the gateman.
He looked surprised to find Ngozi and Yemi in the same room. He thought Ngozi hated her. Why was she talking secretly with Yemi? And why was Yemi dressed like that?
“Oga wants to see you,” he told Yemi.
“Sadique, the maid would be leaving this house tonight. Make sure she takes only what belongs to her.” Ngozi said.
“But oga said I should tell Yemi to come,” he protested.
“Don’t worry about oga, just do what I tell you to do,” Ngozi said and left the room.
Ngozi found Gbenga drinking in the living room. He looked like a man who had resigned to his fate.
Ngozi sat beside him. They looked into each other’s eyes for a few seconds then Gbenga’s eyes settled on her chest.
Ngozi reached for him and kissed him. Gbenga pushed her away.
“Ngozi, we shouldn’t,” he protested.
“There’s nobody in the house, but us,” she caressed his thighs.
She tried again, this time he responded and kissed her. She stood up, gently pulled him off the couch and headed for the stairs. Gbenga followed her like dumb sheep being led to the slaughter.
Under the moonlit night, with a frown plastered on her face, the maid watched them through the window like a lioness stalking her prey.

To be continued.

The Maid 3 - By Praise George

The Maid 3

By Praise George

Shade couldn’t breathe properly. The walls seemed to move in on her like zombies from a horror movie. She felt the floor move under her feet and she held onto the door of the bathroom for support. She entered the bathroom and splashed some cold water on her face. She felt better.
She returned to the room, brought out a valise from the wardrobe and threw it on the bed. She looked out the window at the setting sun. It would soon be dark. She didn’t want to spend the night in the same house with Gbenga and the maid.
She tried to arrange the clothes but she was depressed and order was the last thing on her mind. She opened a drawer, picked up some underwear and threw them into the case.
She stopped in front of the dressing mirror and looked at herself. She looked dishevelled. How she looked was the last thing on her mind.
Voices rose from downstairs. Ngozi asking Gbenga to confess his misdeeds.
“Why did you do such a thing to my friend?” Ngozi shouted.
” I didn’t do anything. I am innocent,” Gbenga insisted.
Looking at herself in the mirror, Shade realised that her job was killing her. She made a lot of money but she had aged in the past four years. She looked like a forty five year old woman but she was only thirty five.
The room swayed before her eyes. It felt like someone with absolutely no talent was using her head for drum practice. The pain throbbed. She slowly sat down on the bed.
“Mom, I am so sorry,” she whispered to herself. About two years ago her mom told her to give up her job, but she wouldn’t listen.
“Shade, I pray that this job will not be your undoing,” her mom started.
“Mom, what do you mean by that?”
“Hmm,” the old woman breathed deeply. “My daughter, money is not everything. You cannot pursue money and build a good home at the same time. The way you hold on to this job makes me fear for you.”
“Mom, I am in the human resources department of the bank. I am not a real banker.”
“But you keep the same hours, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do. But what has that got to do with anything?” Shade asked.
“My daughter, your marriage is young. This is the time to build it and make it strong. If the pursuit of money takes over your life, you won’t devote enough time to your husband and the children the good Lord will soon bless you with.”
Shade was stubborn. “Mom, we need the money to live a good life. It cost a lot of money to maintain this home. We have so many bills to pay. Gbenga cannot do it alone. I have to support him.”
“Shade, if anything goes wrong with his marriage, your money won’t be able to salvage it,”her mom said.
“Mom, are you placing a curse on my marriage?” Shade asked in anger.
“No, my daughter. It is not a curse. Don’t you have enough already? When will the money be enough for you? Why don’t you get another job that will give you enough time to pay attention to this marriage?”
“Mom, please don’t bring your superstitious beliefs into my home. I love my husband very much and he loves me too. Nothing will ever go wrong in our home.”
That was the last time her mom brought up the subject or even came to her home.
Shade sighed. She had been promoted twice in the past three years. That meant more money, but it also came with more responsibility and pressure at work.
How could she face her mom after her arrogant and rude behaviour? How could she tell her that what she predicted had finally happened: that the maid was carrying Gbenga’s child? Tears started flowing down her face. She held her head in her hands and sobbed like a child. How could she reverse this misfortune she had brought upon herself, with her own hands?
She packed the valise, opened a drawer, brought out three check booklets and put them in her handbag. As she descended the stairs she heard Ngozi shouting at Gbenga.
She got downstairs and headed for the door.
“Where are you going?” her husband jumped up to confront her.
“I can’t bear to spend another minute in this house. I am leaving,” Shade kept walking towards the door.
Ngozi stood up. “Where are you going?” She asked her friend.
“I don’t know. Anywhere but this house is good right now.”
“Darling, we should sit down and talk this over. The maid is a liar. I never touched her.”
“Right now I don’t know what to think or who to believe. I need some alone time.”
Ngozi held Shade’s right hand. “Do you want me to come with you?”
“I will be fine. I need to do this on my own.” Shade said.
“Where are you going to stay?” Gbenga asked.
Shade was silent.
Gbenga and Ngozi followed her to her car.
“Darling, this isn’t right. We should talk this over,” Gbenga pleaded with his angry wife.
Shade entered her car and started it.
“Shade, you should talk to your husband,” Ngozi pleaded with her friend.
“What do you want me to tell the pastor in church tomorrow?” Gbenga asked.
“You should have thought about that before you slept with the maid,” Shade said and moved the car forward.
Gbenga walked back to the house in anger.

Like an owl, Ngozi watched the tail lights of Shade’s car disappear through the gates and the gateman quickly shut them behind her. She entered the house, closed the door and stood there for a few seconds with her back against the door.
“This is going to be easier than I thought,” she said to herself.
She looked in the direction of the stairs, threw back her head and wicked laughter rose from her slim neck like a hyena in heat.

To be continued…