008

General Abdullahi bought Temi her third Camry during her last birthday. It was a car that cost close to five million Naira. He was a man willing to do anything to make Temi happy. It was through Temi that General Abdullahi got to know me. He knew my close relationship with Temi and admired our friendship.

Despite dating Temi, the General still had eyes for me. He had once approached me secretly to tell me how the image of my buttocks was in his head, had left his manhood standing erect like a NEPA (Electric) pole through out the night. He told me that he was willing to marry me and make me his sixth wife, if only Temi agreed to be his fifth wife. Temi trusted me. She trusted me so much not to steal her man from her, that was one reason she was not disturbed despite the advances the general threw at me. If Temi had made that call that very day, Dayo would have been seriously dealt with by the General. General Abdullahi would not have taken it likely with him. He would have brought down fire and bream stone on Dayo, and made him regret ever treating me the way he did. Despite my persistent pleading for Temi to let the issue slide, she still promised to get Dayo arrested. She promised to teach Dayo a lesson. She promised that he was not going to get away with it.

But now I wondered why Dayo was driving into her compound freely like one who owned the house. I wondered what he was doing in Temi's house on a Saturday morning.

I raised my hands in frustration and hit the steering wheel severally. I could not believe that the one I had come to seek comfort from, was now the one who brought me pain. The friend who had stood beside me and advised me, was now the one who had turned around to bite me. The friend on whom's shoulders I had come to weep on, was one of the reasons I cried. I have always known Temi to like Dayo as a person. Temi had always had an eyes for Dayo. She had always admired his personality. She had supported him from the very start. Even when he did wrong, she gave me a thousand reasons why he was still better than other men out there. When I tried to break up my relationship with Dayo, Temi threatened to snatch him from me if I tried such. But I felt that was only a mere threat to get me jealous, so I hanged onto my man.

Temi had told me, how she wished she was the one dating Dayo. She had always told me how lucky I was to have Dayo as my boyfriend.

Her love and admiration for Dayo, had began when Dayo organised a surprise birthday party, to celebrate Temi's 24th birthday celebration.

That very day, Temi and I had gone to the market to do some birthday shopping, when Dayo's phone call came in through my phone. Dayo asked me where we were. I told him that we had gone to the market to shop. Dayo asked me to come along with Temi to a lounge not too far from where we were. He said he wanted us to meet a few friends of his.

I was interested and excited. Weeks before that, I had a conversation with Dayo about finding a suitable man for Temi. A man who will show her true love just as he was showing me. Dayo laughed. He promised to introduce his friend to her.

When his call came in on her birthday, all my thoughts went to our secret plan. Dayo was such a genius I thought. Minutes later, We arrived the lounge with Temi, and walked into the building. A bucket of shock landed on me when we found Dayo's friends and some of Temi friends, gathered in circles, singing a birthday song to Temi. She was so happy. No one had ever organised a surprise birthday party like that for her. That very act, marked the undying love and admiration for Dayo. Temi's heart was bought from that minute. When she suddenly started defending his actions, that was when I knew that the way to keep a woman is to win the heart of her friends too. When her friends and family likes you to an extent, the woman becomes your pet. It was obvious that the quickest way to calm a friend down, is to go through her best friend. And that was what Dayo had succeeded in doing without even knowing. I switched off the ignition of my car, and pulled my chair back. I wanted to see where all this ends. I was going to wait right outside, until Dayo leaves the house. There was something fishy which had been going on behind my back for so long, and I was inquisitive and curious to know.