The Maid 6

“Please, don’t do this,” Shade pleaded with tears in
her eyes.
Gbenga carried two suitcases and threw them on a
heap of bags and boxes outside the gate. “You
don’t belong here,” he threw her box of expensive
jewellery into the street. The lock broke open and
the contents scattered on the street.
“Gbenga, I love you,” she cried.
“If you love me, you won’t betray me like you did.”
He said.
Shade held on to him. “I will never betray you. I
love you.”
Gbenga shrugged her off and hurried back into the
house. Moments later he came out of the house
dragging a huge suitcase on the ground. He looked
like a man possessed or under an evil spell.
“What have I done to deserve such treatment?”
Shade asked her husband.
Miscreants and street urchins gathered in front of
the gate waiting for an opportunity to pounce on
her earthly belongings. Sadique the gateman stood
vigilant over her scattered possessions brandishing
a huge piece of wood.
Something made her look up at the house and she
saw her friend Ngozi looking out from the window
of the master bedroom.
“Ngozi, help me,” she cried out to her friend. “Tell
him he is making a mistake and I am innocent.”
Ngozi didn’t answer her. She shut the curtains and
disappeared into the room.
“Get out of my house and don’t ever come
back,”Gbenga shouted at her.
Someone threw an object at her and it splattered
on her face. She felt some warm liquid flowing
down her neck, to her body. When she looked at
her dress, it was covered in blood. She screamed.
Shade woke up.
Her pillow was soaked in sweat as if someone had
sprinkled water on it. She looked at her watch
lying on the bedside table. It was 3:00am. She got
up from the bed and opened the fridge. She drank
some water and got back into bed but she couldn’t
go back to sleep. She sent Ngozi a text message
telling her where she was and asked her to come
as quickly as she could make it in the morning.
She picked the remote and surfed the stations for a
movie. She fell asleep again watching a Nollywood
movie.
The hotel telephone woke her up.
“Ngozi is here to see you,” the receptionist said.
“Tell her to come up to my room.” Shade looked at
her watch, it was 8:00am.
Minutes later there was a discreet knock on the
door. She let Ngozi into the room.
“I came as soon as I could.” Ngozi entered the
room and sat down on the only arm-chair in the
room.
Shade walked slowly like a somnambulist, sat
down on the bed and folded her legs in a
meditative position. She was silent for a few
minutes.
“Someone called me last night and told me that a
woman wants to steal my husband from me.”
“Did you find out who called you?” Ngozi’s face
had gone red, but Shade seemed not to notice.
“He said that everything was planned by my
adversary to make my husband hate me. What
have I done to deserve this?” Shade asked.
When Ngozi started her car in the morning, she
discovered that all four tires had been deflated.
Sadique the gateman had no idea what happened.
He swore that no one entered the compound.
Ngozi didn’t believe him. She suspected the maid
had a hand in it. As soon as she got back to
Gbenga’s place, she would make sure that the
maid packed her things and left the house.
Shade entered the bathroom, came out to get
something from her bag, entered again and stayed
there for longer than usual. Ngozi heard running
water in the bathroom. She stood up and began
pacing the room. Her plan was not working. She
thought Shade would give up her marriage when
she discovered the indiscretions of her husband
with the maid. But here she was talking about
returning to her home to fight for her marriage.
Who was encouraging such thoughts in her mind?
Shade came out of the bathroom looking dejected.
“Are you okay?” Ngozi asked, looking at what
Shade held in her right hand. It was a pregnancy
test strip.
Ngozi’s face fell.
Shade was pregnant! But that was impossible. The
doctors said her womb couldn’t carry a child. This
must be a mistake. A very big mistake. Everything
she had planned had failed. All the months of
meticulous planning had been rendered useless by
a pregnancy.
Shade put both hands on her head and dropped to
her knees. “I am dead. My life is finished!” Shade
lamented.
“What is going on?” Ngozi asked.
“I am dead. Don’t you understand? This is the end
of the road. My marriage is completely over. My
enemies have won at last.”
Ngozi was confused.
“Shade, you are pregnant, that is a good thing
isn’t it? You and Gbenga have been trying to have
a baby since you got married. Now your are
pregnant. You should be happy.”
“My friend, you don’t understand. I am dead.”
Shade hid her face in her hands and started crying.
Ngozi watched her friend not knowing what was
going on.
Shade lifted her head. Her face was covered in
tears. “This pregnancy does not belong to
Gbenga.” Shade spoke with remorse like a
repentant criminal confessing his various crimes to
a Catholic priest.
“What are you talking about?” Ngozi asked.
“I think it belongs to this guy I…I met. His name

The Maid 5

The maid paced up and down the small room like a
leopard looking for the perfect moment to pounce
on a prey. Her boy friend sat on the edge of the
bed wondering what was going on.
She stopped in front of him. Her hips mere inches
away from his face.
“Kalu, do you love me?” She asked and moved
forward. The young man swallowed hard but was
silent.
“Answer me! Do you love me?”
“Is that why you asked me to come here this
evening to ask me this stupid question? I have
better things to do tonight.” He tried to get up
from the bed but Yemi pushed him back.
“Kalu, I said, do you love me?”
He thought for a few seconds before he opened his
mouth. “You know how I feel about you, baby.”
The maid sat down on his legs and caressed his
face. Kalu smiled. Tonight was his lucky night. He
put his hand on her thigh. The maid let him.
“If you really care about me, you will help me.”
“I will do anything for you baby,” he said with lust
in his eyes. “Absolutely anything,” he licked his
lips.
“I want you to make a phone call,” the maid said.
“That’s no problem,” Kalu said.
“Listen carefully.” The maid told him exactly what
to say.
***********************
In the master bedroom of her best friend, Ngozi sat
up in bed and sipped some champagne with
satisfaction on her face. The sound of running
water came from the bathroom where Gbenga took
a shower. A few minutes ago she called Shade and
told her that everything would be okay.
“I am praying for you,” she lied. “Things will be
back to normal between you and your…you and
Gbenga.” She just couldn’t bring herself to say that
word.
“Thank you Ngozi. God bless you for being my
friend,” Shade said in a teary voice.
“What are friends for?” Ngozi asked as she took off
her shoes and lay on her friend’s bed. In a
moment, her plan would be complete: Gbenga
would hold her in his strong arms and make love
to her. No other woman was going to have Gbenga
even if that woman was her best friend.
While Shade pursued corporate success, Ngozi
took over her husband and her home. Ngozi
encouraged Shade to go for more and more
certifications. Some of them were completely
worthless but Shade wanted more power in the
corporate world and Ngozi knew how to feed that
lust in her. New York today, Sidney Australia
tomorrow. Shade was always on the move. If the
office work didn’t keep her away from her husband,
her senseless corporate travels did.
While Shade was away in pursuit of success, Ngozi
took the opportunity to get close to Gbenga. Ngozi
found it difficult to maintain a relationship. Men
misunderstood her strength and called her ‘pushy’,
‘bossy,’ and ‘aggressive.’ But Gbenga liked her.
First as his wife’s friend, then as a friend. One day
he said in passing that she was a strong woman,
the kind of woman that would make ‘a good wife’
to some lucky guy. That was all the
encouragement needed and she began to hatch a
plan.
Ngozi’s late father was a crooked politician who
enriched himself by stealing from public funds. He
left a huge inheritance for his family and Ngozi
spent her’s on who and whatever she liked. And
she liked Gbenga Philips. It also helped her plan
that Gbenga lived above his means and his
advertising firm was running out of money.
Ngozi offered him help.
“I will loan you some money to help you out. You
can pay me the money whenever you can, as long
as you don’t tell Shade about it.”
“What do you mean by that?” Gbenga asked.
“This transaction will remain a secret between us.
The day you tell your wife, you will pay me all my
money, whether you have it or not.” Ngozi warned
him.
“I am a married man. I can’t do this! My wife has
to know what I am doing, especially if it is with her
best friend.” He protested.
“Does she also need to know how you squandered
the profits from your business on frivolities?” Ngozi
asked and reached into her Gucci handbag.
When he saw the first cheque of $70,000, it
silenced all his feeble protests.
“And there’s a lot more from where that came
from,” Ngozi said.After that day he became more
receptive to her. He never told Shade about it.
“Soon, I will be Mrs Philips,” she raised the glass
to her lips. The door to the bathroom opened and
Gbenga entered the room in his bathrobe. Ngozi
set down the glass of champagne by the bedside
table, got out of bed and allowed her robe to fall
from her shoulders, revealing light skin, a priceless
gift she inherited from her Swedish mother.
Her eyes raged with lust as she walked towards
Gbenga. Deliberately. Slowly.
Gbenga stood transfixed to the spot, hypnotised,
like a rabbit about to be devoured by a king cobra.
*********************
Shade knelt by the bedside of the luxury room she
took at The Radisson Blu hotel and tried to pray.
For the past year she could count the number of
times on her right hand when she had said a
prayer. She was always on the move, sorting out
issues for her bank and attending power
conferences abroad. She knew a lot of people but
none of those people could help her now.
“O Lord,” she tried to

The Maid 4

The maid danced to loud rap music which blared
from a music set on the floor. She wore white
shorts, a red tank-top and black heels. With her
make-up, she looked like a hooker working in the
notorious red light district of Las Vegas.
Ngozi entered the room without knocking and
threw the maid off her rhythm. She turned down
the music but didn’t greet Ngozi who stood by the
door and looked at the posters on the walls. Her
eyes settled on Snoop Dog smoking a cigarette.
“You did better than I expected,” Ngozi looked
around the small room with disdain.
“I told you I could pull it off. Shade is no match for
me,” the maid boasted.
“What exactly did you tell Shade?”
“Everything you asked me to say.” The maid lied.
That morning she was about to confess the whole
thing to her madam before she threw up in the
visitor’s toilet. A part of her still felt she shouldn’t
have done it. She liked Shade and Tola her
daughter. The woman had been kind to her. She
didn’t want to be the reason why she left her
husband’s house.
“What? Is that a look of remorse I see on your
face?”Ngozi looked closely at the maid.
“No, it isn’t. I was just thinking about everything.”
“I am not paying you to think. I paid you to do a
job. Is that understood?”
The maid nodded like an obedient puppy before she
sat down on the bed.
“Are you sure you didn’t arouse her suspicion or
create doubt in her mind in any way?”
“She’s out of this house, isn’t she? Isn’t that what
you wanted?” The maid asked.
Ngozi ignored her question. “Where are the
remaining pills?”
Yemi opened her bag, brought out a plastic bottle
containing blue pills and gave it to Ngozi.
“Are you sure there will be no side effects?” The
maid asked.
“If you took it the way I told you to, you should be
fine. You should stop throwing up by tomorrow
morning.”
The maid looked worried. “My body feels very
different.”
“I said you will be fine!” Ngozi snapped. “I know
what I’m doing.” She reached into her bag and
brought out a bottle of yellow pills. “So that we are
sure, take this for the ext three days. It should
stop the vomiting.”
The maid put the bottle in her bag. She planned to
throw the bottle away the moment Ngozi turned
her back. Who knows what this wicked woman put
inside this bottle? Yemi liked her madam but she
was in this for the money, Ngozi’s money.
Seven months ago, Ngozi began visiting the house
regularly when Shade her friend was out of town.
She also began to give Yemi gifts. Sometimes she
gave her clothes, sometimes money. But whenever
she came to the house, she had a gift for her. One
day, Ngozi told her what she wanted from her. She
listened as Ngozi made her an offer and outlined
her plan. The woman was devious. But she
promised her $5,000 if she could pull it off.
“So, what do I have to do?” Yemi asked.
Ngozi told her what to do.
The maid carried it out flawlessly.
Two months ago when Shade was out of town,
Gbenga returned from work and Yemi served him
his dinner. Tola was already asleep in her room.
Yemi returned to clear the plates from the table, by
then she had changed into a mini skirt and a
blouse. Gbenga didn’t think anything of her
dressing. He was drinking and watching Barcelona
demolish Arsenal in a semi-final game. Shade
washed the dishes then returned to the living
room,this time, Gbenga noticed her.
“What do you want?” he asked, by then the pill
Ngozi gave Yemi to dissolve in his drink was
having the desired effect on him.
“I am not feeling too fine,” Gbenga said. He tried to
stand up from the chair but fell back into it. Yemi
helped him up the stairs into the bedroom and
placed him on the bed. Soon after Gbenga passed
out. The next morning he woke up to see Yemi’s
clothing scattered all over the room. He was
scared that something had happened between
himself and the maid while he was drunk the
previous night. He promised to give Yemi some
money if she kept her mouth shut.
Ngozi opened her bag, brought out three bundles
of cash and threw them on the bed beside Yemi.
She smiled, picked up the cash and kept it in her
bag.
“Now, pack you things and get out of this house!”
Ngozi pointed at the door with her left hand. “I
don’t ever want to see you again!”
Yemi didn’t budge.”You promised to find me
another job,” she protested.
“Well, plans have changed. Take the money and
leave.”
“What will happen to madam?” she asked.
“That is none of your business. You must leave
this house tonight.”
The maid didn’t move. “I have nowhere to go.”
“I don’t care what you do as long as you don’t do
it here. You have enough money to rent an
apartment. You can move in with the driver if you
want to. Do you want to tell me that you are not
sleeping with him?”
The maid stood up from the bed. “Who I sleep with
is none of your business,” she said rudely as she
packed her bags.
“Yemi,” Ngozi whispered.
The maid turned around to face Ngozi. There was
a dangerous look on Ngozi’s face that the maid
had never seen before.
“Listen very carefully,” Ngozi said. “I don’t want to
see you near this house ever again. And the day I
catch you near Gbenga, for whatever reason, I will
leave a permanent mark on your face. Do you
understand me?”
The maid shook her head.
“But I will leave tomorrow morning. Do you want
me to carry this load on the streets of Lagos
tonight?”
Before Ngozi could reply,there was a knock on the
door. It was Sadique the gateman.
He looked surprised to find Ngozi and Yemi in the
same room. He thought Ngozi hated her. Why was
she talking secretly with Yemi? And why was Yemi
dressed like that?
“Oga wants to see you,” he told Yemi.
“Sadique, the maid would be leaving this house
tonight. Make sure she takes only what belongs to
her.” Ngozi said.
“But oga said I should tell Yemi to come,” he
protested.
“Don’t worry about oga, just do what I tell you to
do,” Ngozi said and left the room.
Ngozi found Gbenga drinking in the living room. He
looked like a man who had resigned to his fate.
Ngozi sat beside him. They looked into each
other’s eyes for a few seconds then Gbenga’s eyes
settled on her chest.
Ngozi reached for him and kissed him. Gbenga
pushed her away.
“Ngozi, we shouldn’t,” he protested.
“There’s nobody in the house, but us,” she
caressed his thighs.
She tried again, this time he responded and kissed
her. She stood up, gently pulled him off the couch
and headed for the stairs. Gbenga followed her like
dumb sheep being led to the slaughter.
Under the moonlit night, with a frown plastered on
her face, the maid watched them through the
window like a lioness stalking her prey.
To be continued.

The Maid 3

Shade couldn’t breathe properly. The walls seemed
to move in on her like zombies from a horror
movie. She felt the floor move under her feet and
she held onto the door of the bathroom for
support. She entered the bathroom and splashed
some cold water on her face. She felt better.
She returned to the room, brought out a valise
from the wardrobe and threw it on the bed. She
looked out the window at the setting sun. It would
soon be dark. She didn’t want to spend the night
in the same house with Gbenga and the maid.
She tried to arrange the clothes but she was
depressed and order was the last thing on her
mind. She opened a drawer, picked up some
underwear and threw them into the case.
She stopped in front of the dressing mirror and
looked at herself. She looked dishevelled. How she
looked was the last thing on her mind.
Voices rose from downstairs. Ngozi asking Gbenga
to confess his misdeeds.
“Why did you do such a thing to my friend?” Ngozi
shouted.
” I didn’t do anything. I am innocent,” Gbenga
insisted.
Looking at herself in the mirror, Shade realised that
her job was killing her. She made a lot of money
but she had aged in the past four years. She
looked like a forty five year old woman but she
was only thirty five.
The room swayed before her eyes. It felt like
someone with absolutely no talent was using her
head for drum practice. The pain throbbed. She
slowly sat down on the bed.
“Mom, I am so sorry,” she whispered to herself.
About two years ago her mom told her to give up
her job, but she wouldn’t listen.
“Shade, I pray that this job will not be your
undoing,” her mom started.
“Mom, what do you mean by that?”
“Hmm,” the old woman breathed deeply. “My
daughter, money is not everything. You cannot
pursue money and build a good home at the same
time. The way you hold on to this job makes me
fear for you.”
“Mom, I am in the human resources department of
the bank. I am not a real banker.”
“But you keep the same hours, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do. But what has that got to do with
anything?” Shade asked.
“My daughter, your marriage is young. This is the
time to build it and make it strong. If the pursuit of
money takes over your life, you won’t devote
enough time to your husband and the children the
good Lord will soon bless you with.”
Shade was stubborn. “Mom, we need the money to
live a good life. It cost a lot of money to maintain
this home. We have so many bills to pay. Gbenga
cannot do it alone. I have to support him.”
“Shade, if anything goes wrong with his marriage,
your money won’t be able to salvage it,”her mom
said.
“Mom, are you placing a curse on my marriage?”
Shade asked in anger.
“No, my daughter. It is not a curse. Don’t you have
enough already? When will the money be enough
for you? Why don’t you get another job that will
give you enough time to pay attention to this
marriage?”
“Mom, please don’t bring your superstitious beliefs
into my home. I love my husband very much and
he loves me too. Nothing will ever go wrong in our
home.”
That was the last time her mom brought up the
subject or even came to her home.
Shade sighed. She had been promoted twice in the
past three years. That meant more money, but it
also came with more responsibility and pressure at
work.
How could she face her mom after her arrogant
and rude behaviour? How could she tell her that
what she predicted had finally happened: that the
maid was carrying Gbenga’s child? Tears started
flowing down her face. She held her head in her
hands and sobbed like a child. How could she
reverse this misfortune she had brought upon
herself, with her own hands?
She packed the valise, opened a drawer, brought
out three cheque booklets and put them in her
handbag. As she descended the stairs she heard
Ngozi shouting at Gbenga.
She got downstairs and headed for the door.
“Where are you going?” her husband jumped up to
confront her.
“I can’t bear to spend another minute in this
house. I am leaving,” Shade kept walking towards
the door.
Ngozi stood up. “Where are you going?” She asked
her friend.
“I don’t know. Anywhere but this house is good
right now.”
“Darling, we should sit down and talk this over.
The maid is a liar. I never touched her.”
“Right now I don’t know what to think or who to
believe. I need some alone time.”
Ngozi held Shade’s right hand. “Do you want me
to come with you?”
“I will be fine. I need to do this on my own.” Shade
said.
“Where are you going to stay?” Gbenga asked.
Shade was silent.
Gbenga and Ngozi followed her to her car.
“Darling, this isn’t right. We should talk this over,”
Gbenga pleaded with his angry wife.
Shade entered her car and started it.
“Shade, you should talk to your husband,” Ngozi
pleaded with her friend.
“What do you want me to tell the pastor in church
tomorrow?” Gbenga asked.
“You should have thought about that before you
slept with the maid,” Shade said and moved the
car forward.
Gbenga walked back to the house in anger.
Like an owl, Ngozi watched the tail lights of
Shade’s car disappear throug

The Maid. Chapter 2

Shade sat on the edge of the recliner with her hands covering her face.
“Are you okay?” Ngozi touched her on the shoulder and Shade lifted her head. Her eyes were blood shot, like the eyes of an Ijaw fisherman drinking ‘ogogoro’, the local alcoholic beverage, before casting off in his rickety boat to dare the treacherous sea.
Shade seemed to have aged in the last two hours. She blinked a few times, trying to focus on who was standing before her. The scent of Channel No.5 in the air made it easy for her to recognise who it was.
“Ngozi, thank you for coming back.”
“Shade you are my friend. Of course I will be there for you anytime you need me.”
Shade ran her hands through her Brazilian hair and exhaled.
“Do you know that you were prescient?”
“About what?” Ngozi looked confused.
“This morning you told me to watch my maid very closely because she could be up to something with my husband.”
“Yes?”
“Well, you were right.”
“I was?”
“She confessed to me this morning that she is pregnant.”
“Pregnant for who, Sadiq the gateman?” Ngozi asked.
“How I wish. She’s pregnant for Gbenga, my husband!”
Ngozi immediately broke into a cold sweat. Her white blouse stuck to her slim body. “Ewoh!”She lamented like a mother whose only son had been conscripted to join the rag-tag Biafran army. A dark cloud, like a plague, settled on her pretty face. She dropped her bag on the floor, put both hands on her head and slowly knelt down on the floor beside her friend.
Shade looked at her friend curiously and wondered why her reaction seemed greater than the matter at hand. Although they had been friends since their secondary school days, she rarely saw Ngozi show any emotion. Ngozi was the one who stood up to bullies in school, both boys and girls and defended her. When things went wrong, it was Ngozi she asked to help her fix things. It was Ngozi who stood by her when she got pregnant out of wedlock and insisted that she keep the baby. If it wasn’t for Ngozi, Tola, her beautiful daughter, would have been flushed down the toilet of an abortion clinic. Ngozi supported her even when her own parents threatened to disown her for giving birth to a bastard. Ngozi showed emotion only in matters concerning money. Ngozi was attractive but at 36 she was still single because her relationships never lasted more than a few months. The last guy she dated, a banker, complained that she was too controlling, calculating and cold. He really liked Ngozi but complained to Shade that her friend seemed to be emotionally distant. That was why Shade wondered where this sudden burst of emotion came from. Was something going on in Ngozi’s life that Shade was unaware of? Had her friend finally opened up her heart to a man, to love and to be loved? Has she found someone at last?
“I need something to drink,” Ngozi broke into Shade’s thoughts.
“There are drinks in the fridge.”
Ngozi was already on her way to the kitchen. “I need something, you know….strong.”
“Look in the pantry. You will find something.”
Ngozi returned a few minutes later with a bottle of wine and two glasses. “Can I pour you a drink?” She opened the bottle and poured herself some red wine.
“No, thanks,” Shade shook her head. She didn’t want her mind clouded when talking with her husband.
“Suit yourself,” Ngozi drank half the glass of wine and sat down beside her friend. “What did the maid say?” She asked again,
“She said the pregnancy belongs to Gbenga.”
“She can’t possibly be serious,” Ngozi reached for the bottle of wine and topped up her glass.
“But you said she had designs for my husband. You saw through her disguise. I was so naive to think that my husband wouldn’t be attracted to the maid. I should never have allowed that girl into my home. She has caused me so much pain today.”
“What I said was mere conjecture. I wanted you to watch her closely before something happened behind your back. I never knew she had the guts to try such a thing with Gbenga.
“Hmm.” Shade sighed deeply.
Ngozi stood up.”Where is she, let me show her what we do to sluts.”
The alcohol was beginning to take effect, Shade observed.
“She is the least of my problems. What am I going to do about my husband, my marriage?”
“Have you told Gbenga?”
“No, I haven’t. He is on his way home. He dropped Tola off at his family house to play with her cousins.”
Ngozi sat down and thought for a few seconds.”Please let me talk to him first. In your present state you may escalate the situation. We have to be sure if this really happened.”
“It did. The girl confessed to me.”
“This can’t be happening. It must be a bad dream.”
“That is exactly what I said initially. But the more I think about it, the more it dawns on me that it is really happening.”
“To think that girl had the guts to touch Gbenga.”
“It was Gbenga who had the guts to touch the maid.” Shade said with sadness.
“Where is she? Where is that slut?” Ngozi shouted.
“She’s in her room. I told her not to go anywhere.”
There was a knock on the door and the gateman entered the living room.
“Madam, Yemi said she wants to go and buy something down the road. She insists that it is urgent.”
“If you allow that girl leave this compound, you will not only lose your job, I will also have you arrested. Do you understand me?!” Shade raised her voice.
“Yes, madam.” The gateman quickly left the living room.
Ngozi watched him leave. “Are you sure the gateman isn’t responsible for the pregnancy?” She asked. “Your husband’s driver, the mechanic or one of the unemployed youths in the area could be responsible for it. Do you know if your maid has a boyfriend?”
Before Shade could answer, the door opened and Gbenga walked into the room. He stopped when he saw the distraught look on his wife’s face. “Darling is everything okay?”
Shade stood up slowly to face him.
“Gbenga, is it because you are desperate to have your own child that is why you did this to me? Have I not been a good wife to you these six years of marriage?”
“Shade, please don’t.” Ngozi tried to stop her from talking but she brushed aside her hands.
Shade continued with tears running down her face.”Am I God to determine if I will have another child? You shame me before my friends and family by doing what you did. What is painful is that it happened before my very eyes, in my own home. Gbenga, you have not only shamed me, you have also ruined my life.” Shade burst into tears and ran upstairs.
Gbenga was confused. “What is going on?” he asked as he tried to follow Shade up the stairs but Ngozi stopped him from climbing the stairs.
“You can’t go upstairs. It will only make matters worse. She needs some alone time.”
Gbenga tried to move her out of his way.”This is my home. I must know what is going on!” he raised his voice.
Ngozi looked at him in the eye and stood her ground. “I will explain everything to you in a moment. Let me see to Shade and make sure she’s okay.” Ngozi went after her.
Gbenga paced for a few minutes then sat down on the sofa.
A few minutes later, Ngozi came downstairs. She drank some wine, placed the empty glass on a stool beside the bottle of wine and walked towards the kitchen. Gbenga followed her.
“Ngozi, please tell me what is going…”
Gbenga never completed the sentence.
“Wack!”
Ngozi turned around and slapped him hard on the face with her left hand. The force threw his head backward and left a conspicuous indent on his face made by her ring.
Gbenga touched his face.”Why did you do that?” He asked.
“You disgust me!”Ngozi spat like a serpent, her face distorted into a grotesque mask of rage. “How dare you sleep with the maid?”
Gbenga was speechless.
To be continued….

The Maid. Chapter 1

She brought in two cups of coffee on a tray, set it down on the table in front of the two light skinned women sitting on the couch, genuflected and left.
The morning sun streamed in through the open window enveloping the women in a surreal glow. They looked like sisters except the taller one had a chiseled look and the shorter one had a round face.
Ngozi , the taller of the two turned to her friend Shade.
“Why do you allow her wear such clothes in your home?”
“You mean Yemi? What is wrong with her clothes?” Shade turned to look in the direction of the kitchen. She never bothered with what her maid wore.
“Where did you find her?” Ngozi asked.
“She is the daughter of some distant relative from my husband’s side.”
Ngozi looked in the direction of the kitchen. “Maids! You have to watch them very closely.”
“Here you go again, suspicious of an innocent girl.”
“Have you looked at her?That is not the body of a girl. That’s a woman.”
Shade lowered her cup. “Ngozi, she’s barely 21.”
“My friend, I think your bank job has blinded your eyes. Look again.”
Shade sat forward in her chair. “So, what are you saying exactly?”
“Do you trust this maid of yours?”
“Are you suggesting that Gbenga could be attracted to her? My husband cannot stand dark skinned ladies. She’s definitely not his type.” Shade said with some doubt in her voice.
“My friend, don’t you know that a man’s sexual desire is colour blind?A man’s libido makes no distinctions on the basis of the colour of a woman’s skin as long as he satisfies his lust.”
The aroma of fried eggs wafted through the room.
“She cooks his meals, doesn’t she?”
“Yes, and so what?” Shade challenged her friend.
Ngozi shook her head. “Shade, you really don’t get it, do you?”
Shade looked perplexed. “Get what?”
The maid brought in scrambled eggs, toast and more coffee.
Both women watched her walk back into the kitchen.
This time Shade noticed that her jeans skirt was short and tight. Her blouse revealed some cleavage. How come she never noticed this before?
“The way to a man’s loins is his stomach,” Ngozi bit into a piece of buttered toast.
“Are you suggesting that my maid has designs for my husband?”
Ngozi lowered her voice in a conspiratorial tone. “The woman who satisfies a man’s stomach, owns him.”
“Hmmm,”Shade lowered her head and exhaled.
She was glad that her husband and her 8 year old daughter Tola had gone out to the mall. How would she have handled her emotions before her husband?
Shade recalled the discussion she had with her mother-in law four years ago.
“We are expecting you to give us a heir, a grandson. It is taking too long,” the old woman complained.
“We are trying ma,” Shade said, not knowing how to tell the woman that her daughter, Tola, was going to be the only heir she would produce. After trying to conceive for a few years Shade had given up hope of ever bearing another child. Tola was not Gbenga’s child but he loved her like his own. The doctors said Gbenga was fertile. Shade was the one with the health challenge. Her husband told her not to stop believing, but she didn’t share his faith.
The old woman paused in thought for a few seconds.
“If you can’t get pregnant, maybe we should find someone who can. A young girl. Untouched. A virgin.” The old woman said with spite, referring to the fact that Shade already had a child before she got married to her son, Gbenga. She had been against the marriage from the very beginning but her weak son had been blinded by his love for the light skinned seductress from Ibadan.
“What are you saying ma?” Shade stammered.
“Gbenga is entitled to as many wives as he wants. He comes from a royal family and after him, his son would be the next in line to the throne.”
Shade’s face fell. She stood up in anger, ran into her room and wept. When Gbenga returned from his round of Saturday golf, she told him what had transpired. He was furious.
“Mom, don’t you ever talk to my wife like that again!” He screamed into the phone, but the damage was already done. After that incident, Shade felt like a fake, an interloper who didn’t belong in the family. She felt empty. Barren.
Ngozi saw the look on her friend’s face and stood up.”Will you be attending the women’s meeting this morning?”
“I will try to join you later in church. I want to give my maid some instructions first.”
Shade walked her to her car.
“Thanks for being such a good friend.” Shade said.
“You know I always try to help,” Ngozi smiled and drove out of the house.
Shade entered the kitchen, not really knowing what she wanted to do. She opened the fridge, stared into it for a few seconds then finally brought out a bottle of water.
Yemi stopped doing the dishes. “Madam, there is something I want to tell you.”
Shade poured the water into a cup and ignored her.
“Madam…”
“What is it? Can’t I drink some water in peace?” Shade snapped.
The maid almost dropped the plate she held. Her madam never raised her voice at her.
“Madam, when you travelled last month, your friend Ngozi was here.”
“And is it any of your business if my friends come to my house?”
“Madam, she stayed…”
“Shut your mouth before I give you a slap!”
“Madam, she was alone in the house with…”
“Shut up and get out of my sight!”
“I haven’t finished doing the dishes.”
“Just get out!” Shade pointed at the door.
Yemi took two steps, put her right hand over her mouth and ran out of the kitchen.
Shade put the cup she was holding on the kitchen table and quickly followed her. The maid ran into the visitor’s toilet. Shade stood in front of the door not knowing what to do. She could hear the maid throwing up in the toilet. She took a deep breath, pushed the door with her left hand and watched it swing open slowly to reveal the maid kneeling on the floor and retching into the toilet. Thick sweat covered her face. Some of the foul smelling vomit was on her blouse and on the floor. She was breathing hard.
“Yemi, what is going on?”Shade asked with trepidation.
The maid was silent. She tried to stand to her feet but her knees failed her and she crashed to the floor.
“Yemi, answer me!” Shade shouted but she didn’t want to hear the answer.
“I am sorry ma,” the maid said.
“Sorry for what?” Shade asked.
“He promised to take care of me,”Yemi whispered.
“What are you talking about?” Shade asked perplexed.
Yemi covered her face and burst into tears.
Shade slowly backed out of the toilet not believing the unfolding movie before her eyes. She knelt in the middle of the living room and put both hands on her head. This was a bad dream and she wanted to wake up from it.
“Gbenga, what have you done, what have you done to me?”she cried in anguish.
To be continued.

HOW TO GET MORE VIEWS ON YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA UPDATES.

How do you successfully get the most views to your social media updates? The secret to viral content is in many cases related to identifying the social media time sweet spot. Here, we review the various social media networks, and the best time to post to each.
1. WHEN SHOULD YOU POST TO FACEBOOK?
Towards the end of the week
According to Buffer, many office workers will peruse Facebook when they are in a workday slump, especially towards the end of the week. In fact, engagement rates on Facebook are at about 18% on Thursdays and Fridays – those pesky days that stand in between you and the weekend. This is an optimal time to post your information because it has a higher likelihood of being seen.
2. WHEN SHOULD YOU POST TO TWITTER?
Mondays through Thursdays between 1pm and 3pm
Twitter gets the most views Mondays through Thursdays around 1 to 3pm. The worst times to post are every day after 8pm and Fridays after 3pm. Further, Hubspot also points out that posting photos drives interaction. Tweets with photos have a 36% increase in clicks and and 41% increase in retweets.
3. WHEN SHOULD YOU POST TO LINKEDIN?
Tuesdays and Thursdays, between 7am and 9am
Because LinkedIn is specifically used for businesses and business professionals, it is often used right before the workday begins and right after it ends, according to Entreprenuer.com. Entrepreneur also says that it is often used on Tuesdays and Thursdays around those times. If you make a post during normal working hours, it is less likely to receive views or bring in any clicks and visits. Try posting your LinkedIn material on Tuesdays and Thursdays specifically at around 7am to 9am local time and avoid posting Mondays through Fridays between 1pm and 5pm.
4. WHEN SHOULD YOU POST TO GOOGLE+?
Wednesdays at 9am
G+ is yet another social media site that is best posted to in the morning. Hubspot says that the usual time people are on G+ is between 9am and 10am. The best time to receive the most engagement on your G+ updates is Wednesdays at 9am. You will get more interaction and +1’s for posts made on those days. An important fact about G+ and demographics is, according to Hubspot, it is growing rapidly with people between the ages of 45 and 54 years old. Keep this in mind as you post to G+ and make it friendlier for that demographic.
While these statistics are really helpful, it is wise for you to learn what times work the best for your specific audience. Try earlier, if that doesn’t work, try later. Keep tweaking until you reach the time slot that works the best for you!