Finding Happiness 3

“Can you imagine Lisa, that little maggot in that house called me a tramp last night!” Deifa told her closest friend who was seated beside her in the passenger seat of her car. Lisa had hitched a ride to school with her since her own car was at the auto shop for the day.

“You don’t mean it!, Lisa said, her eyes growing wide as saucers. She knew Diefa didn’t get along with her step family and that fights were a common thing in her house but it still shocked her the things that happened under that roof.

“Hmmm, the girl is really trying herself,” Deifa continued “I had gone in quietly, ignoring the woman and her son, even though I knew I was the topic of discussion as I heard my name when I was outside the door and then she just came in and called me a tramp, just like that!” She explained, keeping her eyes on the road as she drove “Lisa, in the mood I was yesterday I didn’t know when I told her, all her generations to come would all be tramps.”

Her friend burst into laughter “You said what? that her generations to come would all be tramps?” she repeated and then shook her head “Girl, you’ve got one hell of a bad mouth…how did they react to that?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t really care,” She shrugged “I just said my own and continued up the stairs, no time for nonsense abeg!”

“What is wrong with the girl sef? Why doesn’t she just stay on her own? She’s always in your business one way or another,” Lisa asked.

“ I wonder o, all of them in that house, they are all just so damn annoying. Everyone is so annoying right now,” she complained turning to Lisa, she flashed a quick smile “except for you, sweetheart,” turning back to keep her eyes on the road, she continued “The family lawyer keeps telling me I can’t leave the house, or else blah blah blah would happen and then, there’s Osas, being his annoying, irrational self again!” she shook her head, sighing.

Lisa wasn’t surprised at that last bit of news “What did that your idiot boyfriend do this time?” the two quarreled at least once every day, they were not supposed to be together, she just didn’t understand why Deifa stuck with such a low life.

Deifa took her eyes briefly off the road again, this time giving Lisa a warning look “Don’t call Osas an idiot, he’s my boyfriend.”

“yeah….. and that’s one of the greatest mysteries on earth, how light and darkness could become boyfriend and girlfriend…. Deifa don’t you get it? You guys aren’t compatible and that’s why you are always fighting.”

“ I love him so much” Deifa said quietly “you’ll never get it but we are very much in love.”

“No Deifa,” Lisa countered “you think you love him, try someone else and I’m sure you’d see what a loser he is, gosh! for someone intelligent you could be really dense sometimes, no offense abeg!”

“ For goodness sake Lise, can you just get off my case already, Osas and i love and understand each other perfectly, so please butt out!” Deifa finally snapped. Lisa just loved to go on and on about this but she could never understand.

Lisa raised her hands in surrender, realizing she might have pushed her friend too far “Okay, okay, butting out of your relationship! Do you want to talk about what he did this time?”

Deifa’s shoulders slumped “Its this issue with that Mirabel abi Mira or whatever her name is called, I asked him again yesterday evening, if he was seeing her and he took offense. He just lost his cool and began yelling, calling me all sorts of names in public!”

Lisa raised a brow “Shocker,” she muttered sarcastically.

Deifa glared at her “Lisa?”

“What? Are you surprised he acted the way he did? he’s your boyfriend, you should know him better than I do, right?” Lisa sneered

“Seriously Lisa, maybe I shouldn’t have said anything, cause it’s the same thing you do every time….. you never hesitate to tell me what a low life you think Osas is.” Deifa said rubbing her brow as if to ward off a growing headache.

It was at the tip of Lisa’s tongue to reply Deifa, telling her that Osas was the lowest of some of the lowlives she could have picked for a boyfriend but refrained from it, it would only upset her more and so she decided to let it go.

Calmly, she said instead “Didi….. if everyone says he’s seeing her then he really is, why won’t you just believe that?”

Deifa groaned “I need solid proof, not hearsay Lisa”

“Okay…” she tried from another angle “but even if he isn’t cheating on you, he doesn’t treat you well, he insults you and has even hit you before, so why are you still with this guy?”

“Just once, Lise! that was a one time thing, it’s never happened again, and he’s always sorry when he calms down. He just has a quick temper, you can’t blame him for that, that’s just the way he is.”

Lisa sighed resignedly “you keep making excuses for him, Didi. You are one the most popular personalities in school, you’re good looking, intelligent, you certainly could do much  much better, why Osas?”

“That’s it Alissa, you’ll never understand. can we put aside my relationship issues and focus on the charity auction we have coming up soon”

Lisa knew her friend was running, trying to hide behind the preparations for the event when she very well knew it was going well but Lisa decided to oblige her without complaining. She had given her enough to think about for one day, she would save the rest for some other time. “ It’s all going to plan, Didi, venue, guest list, sponsors, it’s all going real good.”

“Great, it’s in a few weeks time and I want it to be perfect, how bout the IV’s?”

“ I had Alissa send them all out last night. The next part is getting interested guys for the auction, Lara is compiling a list, she’ll brief us when she’s done.”

They talked some more about the planning until Deifa’s phone began to ring, she picked it up to glance quickly at the screen, to see Osas’s number. guiltily she exchanged glances with Lisa, she didn’t want to pick  it with Lisa there, clearly he was calling back to apologize, like he usually did whenever he’d calmed down after a fight.

“The beast calling beauty,” Lisa commented snidely

“Oh shut up.” Deifa said before picking the call, putting it on speaker since she was driving. Osas’s voice came up on the speakers of her car and suddenly she felt giddy, forgiving and forgetting the fight they’d had the day before.

“Hello sunshine,” he said.

Lisa rolled her eyes unconvinced at his phony endearment, mouthing silently “loser,”

Deifa ignored her “hello,” She replied blandly intending not to give in so easily, He’d really humiliated and annoyed her the day before.

“ Sweetheart,” he called softly “are you still pissed?”

“Take a wild guess Osas.” She replied still bland.

“Sweety you should know me and my temper, I didn’t mean any of what I said yesterday. I’m so sorry sweetie, you know how much I love you. I didn’t mean any of it, honest.”

He was getting to her again, she could feel her heart melting like wax “ Osas, you insulted me in the presence of your friends, you said some really mean things, you expect me to just forget about it all like that? You hurt me real deep Osas.”

“honey cake, I’m so sorry love, I’ll make it up to you. Just let me know how.”

Deifa rolled her eyes “It’s Okay, I’ll call you later, I’m driving now.”

“I want to see you by 7.00 pm, I’ll be at A – lounge bar in Wuse.”

“ I’m not sure I’ll be through with what I’m doing by then but I’ll call u back to let you know.”

“Deifa,” his tone became gruff, “I’ve apologized a million and one times already, what more do you want me to do? This is what you do that gets me so mad, You want me to crawl on my knees for you or what?”

The abrupt change in his tone shocked Deifa, even Lisa jumped, an instant frown of confusion creasing her brow “what are you talking about Osaro? I accepted your apology.”

“Indeed! So why are you now putting me on hold, what’s that all about Deifa? I put aside my male pride and called you up but you are still acting like the stuck up bitch you are.”

“Ha!” Lisa’s jaw dropped

“Osas, what’s your problem? You know I’ve got a lot of stuff to do with this gig coming up, I told you I was busy and meant it so why are you insulting me like this?” she asked exasperated.

“You can put all that aside and attend to me first. I come first not your stupid club and all the other irrelevant things you are always doing. Look I want to see you by 7.00 pm, get that into your stuck up little head.” With that he hung up.

Lisa was still shocked but managed to say “what just happened?”

Deifa shook her head bringing up a hand, trying to hold off Lisa from speaking “Lisa please I don’t want to hear anything now.”

“ Well too bad but I’m not going to shut up this time. What is wrong with him for goodness sake?”she asked “ He’d not even finished his apologies for yesterday before he started insulting you again? What sort of animal are you dating Deifa? What does this guy have that you love so much?”

“Every relationship has its ups and downs, Lisa” Deifa muttered quietly

“Yes, ups and downs not downs only. Didi, this relationship isn’t healthy, it’s draining you emotionally, there are awesome guys who will treat you like a princess. Not that ruffian who acts like a barbarian.”

“ Alissa, I’ve heard enough, thank you. Leave me and my boyfriend alone please, we’ll sort ourselves out” Deifa said giving her friend a look that said it was over but Alissa hadn’t quite finished yet.

“Deifa, I won’t sit back and watch that thug treat you this way. If I do I’m not a true friend. I’ll tell you what I think, that your so called boyfriend is a bloody thug and he treats you with not a single ounce of respect all the time and you say you love him,” She scoffed  “I don’t understand you at all, do you enjoy being treated this way? Are you a masochist or what?”

Deifa was forced to grunt at Lisa’s accusation of her being masochistic “Lisa you won’t understand. You don’t know the real him, he’s really great, it’s just his quick temper.”

“If I didn’t know you better, I’d have said you were masochistic. Deifa I think-“

“look we are finally here” Deifa said cutting off her friend mid sentence as she parked the car in a space in the parking lot. They were now at the offices they rented on campus for their business.

She was thankful for the distraction that work would give her and finally a chance to distance herself from Lisa, who never hesitated to misjudge her boyfriend.

Everything was going well for her, she was one of the most popular people in the school, she made quite a good sum of money from modelling, and she had a substantial allowance every month but money or popularity didn’t mean happiness. Osaro who was supposed to be the love of her life, the only guy she’d ever dated in her life brought her so much pain. She loved him so much but he always found a way to make her unhappy at least once a week but he was always sorry after it all.

Nobody understood Osaro as she did, he was a nice guy, treated her really good when he was in a good mood. She loved him so much and didn’t care what anyone else said about him, he was a great guy just a bit misunderstood.

As she was about to walk through the entrance into the building, Lisa who had come around the car, pulled her aside.

“I’m going to let this issue drop for now but it’s not the end of it, trust me.” She said before walking in ahead of her.

Deifa rolled her eyes in exasperation. Why wouldn’t she just let this matter alone? It wasn’t like he was her own boyfriend sef, why was she so concerned?

*************

Osas prided himself on his ruggedly handsome good looks. He could get any damn girl he pleased so why did Deifa act like she could boss him around? The girl just loved getting on his nerves. He’d decided to call her up pretending to be sorry as he always did, for the insults he’d reigned on her the day before because he knew if he didn’t do it she wouldn’t have bothered calling him. He shouldn’t have even bothered because she’d annoyed him again telling him she’d been busy. No girl could be too busy for him, he expected that whenever he called a girl she’d drop everything to be with him.

He could have chosen any other girl to be his girlfriend but he’d chosen her. She wasn’t just like every other girl, she had spunk, beauty, quite intelligent, from a very well to do home. she would have been perfect, if not for her attitude. She was too assertive, challenged and defied him at every turn. He would have walked away had it not been that he;d vested too much in the relationship to walk off now. He wasn’t leaving without popping that cherry she’d been guarding so preciously.

When they had begun dating three years back, he hadn’t minded her request that they abstain from sex, he’d only be concerned at clinching her as a girlfriend, thereby garnering the envy of the other guys in school. He’d believed with time, she’d loosen up and they would seal the deal but she hadn’t. There was no way he was ending the relationship without having a taste of her, he’d been very patient with her, and he deserved the reward.

She was still the most beautiful girl in school even though she’d won the contest four years before. She was popular and all the guys wanted her but she’d chosen him out of them all, because she’d found him more interesting than the others. Instead of pining after her and begging for her love like the other guys had done, he’d treated her with indifference like he hadn’t cared, which he hadn’t and still didn’t anyway. He was with her just because the other guys on campus envied him because of her and because of the long awaited cherry. He would have her one way or another but for now he decided to get some other chick to while away his time with.

He decided on Mira, that one would have his time. She and Deifa were rivals and as different as night and day. Deifa was reserved and carried herself with quiet pride while Mira was a noisy girl who didn’t give a damn about anyone or anything. She was as free as the wind, and unlike Deifa who fought with him all the time, he and Mira got along perfectly well.

She picked up on the second ring “Hey baby,” she said “how you doing? Been expecting your call.”

“oh really,” he asked “ and why’s that?”

She laughed sultrily “ Do you need to ask? we always have a blast whenever we’re together, or is it only me who has all the fun? the last time was even more awesome than the rest.”

He smiled remembering, they’d gone clubbing and had ended up in his apartment, the night hadn’t been bad. “ I had a great time, that’s why I’m calling you now.”

“ Finally got some space from the boss lady?”

“ Hey, she’s not my boss alright? I just want something different tonight. So are you up for tonight? I’m at the A-lounge bar at 7 pm.”

“ Sweet heart, 7p.m’s too late, where you at right now?”

“ My apartment, care to join me?”

“sure honey, get set, I’m on my way right this second, see ya” she said cutting off the call.

Osas smiled, now here was a girl after his heart, too bad she was known as the schools tramp.

********