AMINA

“Stop please…. Let me go.” Chimezie’s eyes flew open. He turned around and beheld his girlfriend talking in her dream.

“I’ve told you everything I know. Isn’t….isn’t that enough?” She stirred, her beautiful face appeared worried.

Someone was hurting her in her dream. He tapped her lightly and whispered her name.

“Amina, wake up”

She continued, “No don’t touch me. I’m innocent here.”

He stifled a laugh. Was she having an ordeal with the police? 

He shook her, “Amina” She came awake. 

“Oh my God it was a dream”

Chimezie smiled, “You had me worried”

“Wait, was I talking? Did I wake you up?” He kept smiling. She concealed her face with her palms, “I’m sorry hun. I didn’t.. “

“Shhhh…” He kissed her. “I know. It’s okay” 

“Are you sure?” She asked him.

“Hundred percent” 

Just then, the alarm went off. She had a catwalk rehearsal by 8am for GT Bank Fashion show which was to kick off by 2pm. She and six other models were walking for BRITS.

“Hun I need to get ready for my rehearsal by eight” 

“Do you have to go?” He said as he held her waist and kissed her neck seductively. “I can give you the money. Stay home” 

She closed her eyes and relished the moment, “You know it’s not just about the money. It’s my job”

“But I don’t want you to go” He sounded like a spoiled little kid.

“I have to, honey” She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him gently then proceeded to his ear and neck. He let out a little moan.

She grinned and stared into his eyes. “Get ready for me tonight” 

“You know I can’t wait for you to get done with it and get back already” His face shone as he laid chest bare with abs hard as steel and a mixture of love and lust in his evil eyes. She chuckled. He was really a darling. 

In fifteen minutes, she was donning a white crop top and jeans with her long jet black natural hair set down her shoulders. Her chocolate skin glowed.

At twenty three, she was already clearing her way to the top. A BSc. In Microbiology, a successful fashion model and dating a wealthy estate owner, Chimezie. 

Everyone marvelled at her beauty and her hair. She dedicated a lot of time and money to the latter, and it was worth it. She carried it so confidently that everyone thought it was an extension until she told them it was her natural hair.

One of her friends, Chidinma, had said “You’re Hausa so that explains why your hair grows so fast”

She had gotten tired of trying to convince her that natural products actually did all the work. It seemed unbelievable, being black with natural long hair of sixteen inches and still growing! But it was real and she was so proud of it. 

“Should I drop you off?” Chimezie said as they descended the stairs of his duplex in Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi.

“Don’t stress, I will drive” He kissed her. “Don’t be late”

“I won’t” 

She hopped into her black Mercedes, a gift from him on her birthday last year, and drove out of the gate, acknowledging the greeting of the armed soldier and the gateman with a slight nod.

***

The show finally started and she stepped unto the runway looking like a million bucks. During the final presentation of BRITS, she noticed a familiar face from the corner of her eye sitting at the front row.

An unwanted familiar stranger.

She turned her head slightly and her heart skipped a beat. It was Alhaji Mustapher! 

She couldn’t believe her eyes. What was he doing here? How did he find her?! She froze; terrified by his unexpected presence that she didn’t notice when Roselyn Obi, the designer behind BRITS turned around, along with the models before her, until Tomiwa the model right behind her gave her a light tap on the shoulder.  

Unluckily for her, Roselyn had seen her. Immediately they got offstage, she yelled at her, “What was that all about?”

“I’m so sorry I didn’t know how that—“

She cut in, “You didn’t know? Just what or who were you staring at?”

“It was a little distraction. Nothing major” 

“Oh, nothing major?” She stares at Amina like she had just coughed up some horse shit, “Do you know what that ‘little distraction’ could cause me?” 

Amina was silent, her gaze to the ground. Roselyn walked away from her to attend to other things. Quickly, she went on to take off the outfit and make up.

She was shaken; not because Roselyn had noticed her distraction, but because HE found her, recognized her and stared icily at her. For the first time in two years she was scared.

All the while she had thought it was all over and she was safe. She still had nightmares and was verbal in a few (of which Chimezie noticed) but it never really bothered her because she had convinced herself it was all gone, until then. 

Her hands trembled as she pushed the dress down her body and proceeded to wipe off her makeup. Tomiwa who had been watching her all along walked up to her and asked in a low voice, 

“Amina are you okay? You don’t look good”

“I’m.. I’m fine.”

She tried to take off her earrings but her hands trembled so badly. Tomiwa lowered her hands and took them off for her.

“Can you sit for a minute? You’re shaking” Tomiwa held her arm and walked her to a nearby seat. 

After a minute, the wooziness left but her heart still beat ridiculously fast. Her mind roamed- how did he find her? She thought up different possibilities.

He must have seen her while watching a fashion show. He must have heard of her from a friend of a friend. But she had cut off communication with almost everyone! 

Or he had traced her address…Chimezie’s address with her previous phone number. Allah! How could she have been so ignorant?? But she had been so careful, so careful not to leave a trace after she left Damaturu for Lagos.

Tomiwa asked again interrupting her thoughts, 

“Do you feel better now?”

“Yes, I do. I just got a little woozy.” Then she added with a forced smile, “Thanks for looking out for me”

“It’s okay. We all get a bit woozy” Tomiwa smiles back.

She rose to her feet to take off her dress and make up too, “You know you can talk to me about anything, right?”

“Right.”

She had to get out of there as fast as she could before the show was over and anyone noticed she was gone. She picked up her handbag and rose to her feet.

“I’ll be right back” She said to Tomiwa and left the backstage. As she stepped into the hallway, she ran into Roselyn.

“Where are you going to?”

“I just want to use the restroom really quick.”

“What happened to the one in there?”

“The cleaners are fixing it up.”

“Better be quick about that.”

She lingered for a while in the hallway until she was sure Roselyn was gone. Then she took the elevator to the ground floor and hurried out of the building.

“Alhamdulillah” She said under her breath. He wouldn’t even notice she was gone. She smiled wryly. She always won and it felt so good.

She hopped into her car and started the engine but the car refused to move. She turned it off and started it again but still…

“Shit”

She stepped out of the car, wondering what could be wrong. Then she noticed a punctured tire.

“What the heck? Who did this?” She noticed another punctured tire, and another. She screamed. The show was almost over.

She took out her phone from her bag and dialed Chimezie’s number. It was switched off. She hit the car, frustrated.

“Going somewhere?” A masculine voice said behind her.

She turned around swiftly and stood transfixed staring. It was Chimezie.