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 made it a rule that once you step your feet into the house, you leave your beauty and any other physical vanity at the door. Our academics and our relationship were all that mattered to them. At least this is where I managed to hold my head high in pride. 

I had always been the one with the brains,  the one every teacher knew by name because of my exceptional grades and active class participation. Inem on the other hand, although not straight-up dumb had a lot of work to do if she wanted to compete with me in that area. 

Tife, my first boyfriend and first love was an SS3 student in a nearby secondary school. The five of us from the SS1 class were sent to his school for a mathematics quiz competition and that was how we met. He kept stealing glances at me during the competition and made me miss questions a couple of times because I had never experienced anything like that before. I also had to look over my shoulder a lot of times to be sure that Inem was not standing right beside me. But she was not. He was looking at me. Me!

Our school came second and his first. While my classmates and I were in refreshing ourselves with some snacks and getting ready to leave; He walked up to me with one of the brightest smiles I had seen.

“You seemed a bit distracted in there,” He said wiggling his eyebrows while maintaining his million-dollar smile. I had to pinch myself to be sure that I was not dreaming. 

“Who me?” I asked not looking up from the pack of biscuits in my hand, scared that I would melt like butter at the first sight of him.

“You missed the questions a lot of them that they had to be repeated a lot of times,” He said 

“Well, anxiety happens to the best of us,” I said finally finding my voice. 

“Regardless, I was amazed by your intelligence. I mean who solves a quadratic equation question that fast? Your hands were literally on fire” He exclaimed letting out a chuckle. 

“Oh wow, and how did you know that?” I raised my brows in amusement.

“Okay, I admit. I was looking at you a bit too much” He said raising his hands in mock surrender.

I kept mute. 

“I am Boluwatife but you can call me Tife,” He said after a short while of awkward silence, stretching out his hand. 

“Ufuoma”

“Ufuoma I know this sounds funny but I like you a lot. Can I visit you at your school? Maybe during the inter-house sports period when my school would be visiting?”

And we both knew what he was not saying. His visiting me meant that he wanted us to date and become lovers. I was dumbfounded in awe that I could only manage a nod. Just there and then, Ufuoma, the unseen and overlooked has gotten herself a boyfriend. A fine and tall one at that. It was magic. Walking into my hostel that day, I was literally floating in the air. My heart was singing and I had butterflies dancing in my stomach.

I counted down to the week of our inter-house sports and wondered why the days were so slow. I made sure to keep my uniforms crisp clean and ironed. I also begged Enitan, to help braid my hair making sure my cornrows were neat and straight. The day finally came and as I applied my pink lip balm, Inem and some of my roommates teased me none stop but I did not care. It didn’t have to make sense to anyone. I knew what I was doing.

It was a crazy busy day. From the loud cheering to the volleyball games, and the meters race; there was lots of sweat and dust. However, the cheering became louder when the football players were ushered in. Then I saw him. 

Immediately, it felt like it was only the both of us in the field and everyone else was invisible. His eyes caught mine and he winked and waved making me giggle. I knew there and then that I was in love with Tife even though I didn’t know what love meant.

After the football competition, he jogged over to where I was standing with the rest of my classmates.

“Hi Ufuoma, I have been waiting to talk to you all day” 

“Same here,” I said smiling shyly.

“You look beautiful as always,” He said a small smile playing on his lips.

“Tha…”

I was just about finishing my sentences when Inem walked to us in a half-jog, half-walk manner.

“Aww I see who the pink lip balm was for,” She said wiggling her brows at me in a teasing manner. I clenched my fist and tried my best to remain calm. But knowing myself, I could have burst into anger at any time.

However, I shrugged it off and was ready to introduce them. Happy to show Inem and my other classmate that the cool Boluwatife was actually into me.

“Tife, I would like you to meet my sister, Inem. Inem…this is Tife” I introduced.

Inem looked up and smiled extending her hand for a handshake. “It is nice to meet you Tife. I wouldn’t say that I have heard much about you but I know with time I would” she said giving me a side-eye. 

I managed to smile back and looked and Tife. But when I saw the look on Tife’s face, the smile died on my lips. 

As he stared at Inem, dressed in her floral cheerleading high waist skirt, blouse, long socks and fancy sneakers. Her perfume enveloped the arena and her skin competed with the sun for a glow, her dimple digging deep into the side of her chin as she smiled…I knew I had lost him to her. 

…

It has been over ten years now and Tife and Inem would be joined together in marriage in a few weeks during Christmas. I had endured being a front-seat witness to their love story and I have concluded that although life can be good, good things come only from a particular and special set of people.

Tife throughout all the years have avoided looking me in the eye and acted like he did not know me first. I started to think that our relationship, although very short, was only a figment of my imagination. He acted like I did not exist and we did not have a history. We only managed a few awkward hi’s and byes.

Inem, on the other hand, although with the best of intentions always filled my ears with how the wedding preparations were going and fussing about the things that were going wrong. She barely noticed when I zoned out and yawned in an exaggerated manner begging to be released from her horror stories.

We had travelled to the village for Christmas and for her traditional wedding which was to be held on the 28th of December. It was the talk of the village and we had visitors trooping in and out of our compound for the day we arrived. I would lock myself in my room soaking my pillow in tears after which I would apply foundation and mascara to hide my sunken eyes. Nobody ever notice me anyways, and with everyone’s full attention on the wedding; it was very easy to hide the pain. 

It was a tradition anytime my extended family were together in the village for the young women of the family to fetch water from the river for household use. We had a running tap and an overhead tank but my grandmother always made it a point of duty, insinuating that it was the memories that would matter over the years and not the strenuous work.

Inem, Abigail my older cousin and Chichi the youngest, and I set out for the river on one Sunday evening. We preferred going on Sundays because the river bank was more peaceful and serene unlike how wild and busy it used to be on Saturdays. 

Inem hated the water and could not swim to save her life, however, I and my cousins loved swimming but over the years, we stopped because we were older and could not risk village boys seeing our nakedness. 

Abigail quickly fetched her bucket and rushed home because she quickly had to answer the call of nature and did not want to do it in the bush. Chichi her younger sister, who always wanted to be close to her sister, followed her closely and they set to go home.

It was now only Inem and me at the river. I watched her as she plucked the flowers nearby playing with the sand at her feet. She seemed happy and her life was perfect. She was living MY life and took one thing that was special to me. My Tife. I glanced at her left hand and saw the shiny diamond ring on her finger. My ring.

I looked at her with so much pain and disgust. I realized that with how life has been cruel to me, it was my time to show life that I can be a rival as well. I choked on my own breath and had tears in my eyes at the realization of what I had to do.

Making sure I left the river bank unnoticed, I quickly reached out for a nearby stick and rushed to Inem with the stick in both arms and eyes bloodshot. She turned around and her eyes widened as I approached.

“Ufuoma, what are you do….” I quickly shut her up by striking her back with the stick and on her stomach making her crumble to the ground. I was glad that I got to shut her up as she did to me on the day she stole my Tife.

Then dragging her feet and with her frantic shouts spiking my anxiety, I took her into the river and brought her to the deepest part. 

“Ufuoma please…I beg you….p..p.. please. I wa…want to li..live” she cried out.

But I was too far gone to listen...I was lonely, betrayed and angry. And someone had to pay for how messed up my life was, and she was the only one. 

Then submerging her head into the waters, I held it still until I was sure she had lost consciousness before I let go of it watching her body sink deep into the waters and out of my sight. 

It was only later when the sun was setting that I realized what I had done, and I started to cry. I had sold a false story to my parents and everyone had thought she went to the market but was yet to be back. 

I knew that it would only take a while for Tife after mourning Inem, to realize that I was truly the one for him because he loved me first. 

THE END.

Benecca’s Tales

2023

All Rights Reserved.

Picture Credit - Pinterest

AUTHOR’S NOTE

This story is a typical example of what revenge, betrayal and love can do to a human being. Love can either make or mar you. And when it does the latter, it digs into the deepest part your heart and makes you the worst version of yourself.

All character involved in this story and the story itself are all fictions and are products of my imagination.

This story was inspired by the song, “Dem no born us together” by Nigerian Artiste, Brymo.

Thank you so much for reading. Please do well to share to your friends and drop a comment. I love you. Thanks for being part of my reading family. 

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