BENECCA’S TALES

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Your Life or Mine?

My mother would always say that the love we cannot have lasts the longest, hurts the deepest and feels the strongest. My name is Ufuoma and this is my story. I hope that in the end, you would feel rather happy for me than sorry. If you do judge me, that is fine; I would judge myself too. ... I have never always been the one to look at in my family. I mean I knew there was something wrong with me when Inem, my twin sister would always be chosen to act the queen or princess in school plays while I would either be reduced to play minor roles like the palace servant or not chosen at all. We are paternal twins and look nothing alike so I guess nature did its part in being cruel. I hated being around her, being seen with her, or worse being compared to her. I always mistook a lot of guys staring at her thinking that they were looking at me. They always looked over my shoulders and I stood there every time like a worthless piece of rag. However, my home was my happy place. My parents mad

Pa Olanrewaju

The mornings were always cold, and Enitan was always sad. She was usually unhappy anyway, but living in her new home did nothing to cheer her up. Every morning though, she was betrayed by the sun and somehow, hoped for longer nights. The flimsy blanket meant to protect them from the cold and damp earth was never enough. She would toss and turn every night hoping that they can be shorter, but when the clouds never got brighter; were so long, the silence when on to remind her of their endless loneliness. She often thought of Pa Olanrewaju, an old man from her childhood. He had buried his family and friends on the dead ground, and he used to tell her stories of joy and sadness. He never told anyone how they died, because due to him, brought him even more grief and restarts his healing process. So he only remembered the happy times and told their stories to everyone who wanted to listen. He always offered his listeners buttered bread and cold tea with plenty of sugar. He didn’t mind

What Happened To Senior Gigi?

Everybody knew that Senior Gigi was a bully. A ranting, domineering bully. She was an asshole, but had no one had the guts to say it to her face, so she walked around the school feeling like a demigod. That is why I will never forgive her for what she did to my best friend, Faith. That faithful night, I laid in my bed pretending to sleep as she walked into our dormitory and to Faith's bed, shaking her vigorously and dragging her out of it. Faith was her school daughter, but they had more of a predator-prey relationship. I had always heard of Senior Gigi's bully stories, so I was eager to see things for myself that night. I quietly pulled up my bed cover to cover my face, slightly turning to face the direction of Faith's bed, which was adjacent to mine. The bed cover was translucent, so I could see body figures and movements. “You still have the guts to sleep, eh? Didn't I tell you to not

Breaking Free

That Sunday evening, I sat in one corner of Papa's bedroom as I watched him scratch his bald head for the umpteenth time. He would do this and kill imaginary mosquitoes in the air, vigorously slapping his palm against each other. Subsequently, he would pluck out the hairs from his beard and chew on them. When he looked up and our eyes met for a split second, I could hardly see through his emotions, I could not tell if it was pain, resentment, a cry for help or the three of them at once. On other days when he wanted to be alone, he would sit outside under the mango tree, smoking cigarettes and talking to Pa Josef's goat. He never remained the same ever since Mama left home. It happened two months ago, and I remember the rain that day. It had just finished pouring and even though the clouds were dark and still moving across the sky eager to let down more tears, she stormed out of the house with my baby brother, Ahanna in her arms and never looked back. I stood there in the

Njideka

“If the sex ever gets painful, you can use this cloth to message that area with hot water. Very, very hot one eh? Do this so that your body can adapt very fast. You don't want your co-wives overshadowing you even before you start enjoying your husband. Inugo?” My mother said as she squeezed the white towel into my hand, it was obvious that I was reluctant to get a grip of it, but she couldn't care less. Just before she left my room, she quickly turned around with a scowl on her face and said to me, “Njideka better stop frowning, o. You are getting married tomorrow, and it is a thing of pride for every woman. You will enjoy it, eh? You will!” she hesitated and kissed her teeth in frustration. “Now let me go and see how the cooking process is going, else they won’t make the onugbu soup just like how Mazi Egede your husband likes it. I don't want it to go wrong. See you later and please smile. You are making people gossip”. She said the last sentence with, I believe, all t

A Place Called Green

Exhausted and battered, I dragged myself through the door and flopped down on the bed. I barely had the energy to take my clothes off and get ready for bed. That was when I noticed that I was not alone in the room. “Tolani, thank goodness you are back!” My best friend, Amanda said as she sat beside me wiping her hand with the paper towel, I see that she had just finished using the toilet. “Why are you here?” I asked, furrowing my eyebrows and tilting my neck to the side to face her. “Your mum called. She is worried that you have been out for a long time” “Of course she did,” I said rolling my eyes, turning my face away from her. “See, I am fine. Mum is exaggerating stuff” I added even though I knew she wouldn’t buy that. As if she was reading my thoughts, she said,“ Well! I don't buy that. With all these puffy red eyes. You, my friend, are anything but okay. Where have you been?” she asked. “It's like what?” I said as I glanced at the alarm clock beside my lampstand “11