THE TATTOO

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CHAPTER 14

A QUIET AWAKENING 

Uju woke up with a pounding headache. Her eyes were heavy, her face stiff from dried tears. The silence in the room was thick, wrapping around her like a suffocating blanket. She sat up slowly, letting her gaze wander across the familiar space—the cream-colored walls, the wooden bookshelf her father had once filled with law books, the dressing table that still held some of her old perfumes. Nostalgia crept in, bittersweet and deep.


She sighed, rubbing her temples. She had cried herself to sleep, exhaustion finally dragging her under, but it hadn’t washed away the ache in her heart.


With sluggish movements, she got up and unzipped her bag, carefully arranging her clothes in the wardrobe. As she did, memories flooded back—of a younger version of herself, standing in this same room, full of dreams. Dreams that had been shattered.


She shook her head. "It's okay, Uju." This wasn’t the time to drown in the past.


Her stomach grumbled, and she realized she hadn’t eaten much since morning. The headache wouldn’t ease if she didn’t take something, so she decided to go downstairs.


The cook was setting food on the dining table when Uju entered the kitchen.


“Miss Uju, kedu? I choro iri nri?” the man asked, his face lighting up.


Uju nodded. “Yes but I have a headache. I nwere Panadol?”


The cook wiped his hands on a towel “E nwerem, but you need to eat first."


He set a steaming plate of rice and stew before Uju, who took a seat and began eating.


Afterwards eating, she took 2 tablets of the pain killer the cook gave her and went back to her room and called her mother.


"Nne, kedu? Kedu maka papa?"


"Nne m, anyi di mma," her mother’s warm voice replied. "Your father is sleeping. He is getting better, nwayo nwayo."


Uju let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. "I will come over soon, after I'm fully rested."


Her mother’s voice took on a firm tone. "Mba, you need rest. Just relax. Bia early morning."


Then, almost hesitantly, she added, "Biko, si anyi ofe onugbu. The type you used to make as a young girl. I miss your cooking."


Uju hesitated. Cooking felt like such an ordinary request, but the weight of it pressed against her chest. Maybe because, for the first time in years, her mother was asking something of her—not out of duty, but out of longing.


"O di mma, Mama. M ga-esi ya. I'll cook"


Her mother chuckled. "Thank you my child, nwanyi oma."


Uju smiled faintly. "I love you, Nne."


The rest of the day passed quietly. She spent hours talking with Kasie, listening to her daughter’s excited stories about school and her Aunty Eunice's pampering. It was comforting, grounding.


Later in the evening, her phone rang again. Nnanna.


She answered, her voice softer than before. "Nnanna."


"Nwanyi oma, kedu?" His voice was smooth, warm, familiar.


"O di mma."


"I just wanted to check on you." He paused, then added, "I have some news. That strange guy? The one we’ve been worried about? He’s been caught. Right now, he’s undergoing interrogation."


Uju sat up straight, her heart pounding. "What?! Who is he?"


"I don’t know yet, but I’ll find out soon. I just wanted you to hear it from me first."


Relief washed over her, but curiosity burned just as fiercely. "Nnanna, I need to know who he is. I need to understand why he’s been stalking my daughter and I"


"I know, Uju. I promise, you’ll know soon."


There was a pause, a shift in the air between them. When Nnanna spoke again, his voice was softer, different.


"Uju, have you ever thought about us? About… you and me?"


She swallowed, caught off guard. "Nnanna…"


"I know you’ve been through a lot," he continued, "but you are an amazing woman. And I… I feel..."

Before he could finish, Uju interrupted- her voice firm


"Let’s talk about us later”


His throat felt dry. “Okay, Uju. I am sorry, it might seem I am moving too fast but I cannot help it. Just think about it, nwayi oma.” 


She closed her eyes, exhaling. Everything was happening so fast.


But maybe, just maybe… this was something she wanted.

                            CHAPTER FIFTEEN

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Chapter one Nightmare  Kasie ran to her mother’s room as soon as she heard her scream. She knew it was the nightmare, again. She met her sitting upright on her bed clutching the pillow a little bit too tight to her chest, with sweat dripping down and soaking her silk floral nightie. The AC was on, Kasie noticed and the room was a little bit chilly. She sat down close to her mother hugged her tight and continued whispering, “It’s alright mum, I’m here now”. Uju woke up with a jolt, her daughter, Kasie cuddled up at the other side of the bed sleeping. She looked at the table clock close to her side of the bed “11:32am, God!” she exclaimed under her breath cautious enough not to wake her daughter. The events of the night kept replaying in her head. The nightmare, the same nightmare that had tortured her for the past 16 years. This time, she had clearer images of the only memory she had of the man that raped her 16 years ago. She remembered he had what seemed to be a scar and a badly d...
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Chapter Three Wahala Uju felt like a million years had been added to her life the moment the ‘manly figure’ got closer to her car with security  boldly written on his T-shirt. Kasie heaved a heavy sigh of relief and sank into the car seat. “Hello Ma’am, sorry there has been a general power outage in the estate. We are trying to fix this. I am just here to see how the electrician is going about it,” the security man said. Uju still catching her breath from her initial panic replied, “that’s...that's all right, take your time.”  THE NEXT DAY It was a cool Sunday afternoon with Jon Bellion's simple and sweet playing in Uju's room. She was doing a final check on the presentation she had prepared for her company. Her company or rather her passive aggressive boss desperately needed to be awarded a contract from a multi-national and internationally recognized Motor oil producing firm in the country.   “This would be the biggest gig of the company so far, if we can grab...
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