Echoes of Silence

By Angela Ogieva

Giggy had it all. A loving and devoted husband, a thriving business and the life she always dreamed of. Then one mistake....and her perfect life was threatened.

echoes of silence tries to mirror the issues facing interracial couples. It also warns of the dangers of negative association.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Mar 9, 2011
• ISBN: 9781450272773

Angela Ogieva

I have been married for almost ten years and my husband and I are blessed with an amazing daughter. We live a rather quiet life in Brampton Canada. I decided to write ECHOES OF SILENCE because in my years of marriage, I have witnessed and personally experienced the strain the decision of when/whether to have a baby (or not) can have on even the thoughest marriage. Moreso I have seen too many marriages fail, not from what the couples lack but from a failure to appreciate what they have, and the determination to work things out no matter what. ECHOES OF SILENCE's setting is hugely contemporary Nigeria (where I grew up and schooled) with a piece of America. The fiction tries to mirror the issues facing interracial couples and also warns of the dangers of bad association.

Book preview

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Its 9a.m and the morning is indeed a bright one. As I write you this letter I can hear the birds out in the garden singing sweet love songs. It’s indeed the kind of morning when you and I used to sit together on our field, basking in the deep affection that we shared.

Last night, I was out in the garden and for hours I sat on the rather damp grass gazing up at the moon. I was desperate! I had to be reassured of your wonderful love for me. Remember you once said that up in the heavens lies the symbol of our love. I’ll never forget the way you further assured me by emphasizing … If you look at the sun, the moon or the stars, know that I love you. And as long as they never cease, my love for you will never die! Well, the stars, sun and moon are still very much in existence. So I`ll rest, assured of your immortal love for me.

I know I wasn’t the best of wives…I guess I was not most understanding. True, I confess I was quite selfish and always tried to have things my own way. It’s possible I made you lose confidence in yourself by ignoring your feelings and regarding all you ever said in self expression as nothing but bilge! But I entreat you to see things from my own perspective. I want you to hear my part of the story and appreciate that a frustrated person could have done no different. A woman in desperation could have treated you no better than I did. So it was never a question of if I loved you. I was simply a victim of circumstance.

It’s exactly twelve months since you left home and our lovely house hasn’t been a home ever since. Now I believe the popular cliché that ‘home is where the heart is!’ How can our house be a home when my heart is with you… wherever you are? It’s been six bitter months and I have been so lonely. I’ve cried so many tears, but I wish I could do it in your safe, assuring and solacing arms. To feel the warmth of love as an antidote for my depressed soul!

Each day has since been like a dirge – mournful! If only I listened to you. If only I wasn’t so stubborn. If only I had been patient and remained supportive. All I seem to do these days is blame myself! But why shouldn’t I? All the time we were together you made sure you did all within your power to make me happy. Yet how did I repay you?!

Do you know that I can still vividly recall how we first met, fell in love and even got into this dilemma? That’s all I seem to employ myself in since you left me…

Chapter 1

It was at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos. Mike and his girlfriend Ayo were returning to England where they were both resident, after an exciting six week vacation. Along with Lilly I had gone to bid our goodbyes. The air felt a bit humid, and somehow I felt the hair at the back of my neck stand. This only happened to me when something either exciting or scary was about to happen.

Could you lend me your pen please? I felt a moist hand tap at my shoulder as I bent to help push Ayo’s excess luggage to the measuring scale. I looked up, you were sweating profusely and fanning yourself with the immigration card you had requested my pen to complete. Feeling a bit sympathetic, I handed you my pen quietly and resumed my task wondering why structural maintenance was not our forte in this part of the world. From the many tales told about first and second world countries abroad, I was sure that things there generally worked better. Especially things like air conditioners at international airports!

Giggy, you don’t want to know what I’ve passed through... Ayo shouted excitedly as she walked towards me with yet another excess luggage in hand. As much as I loved Ayo, I did not like the way she always shouted whenever she called or talked to me. More than once I have had to tell her politely that I did not appreciate her shouting my name and she in turn had apologized even though her admission of guilt did not deter her from shouting the next time she talked to me. However in time it was easy to accept that she could not help her high pitched tone.

I am very happy to be going back home girl. She rounded off in a pretended British accent after she had narrated her ordeal with the customs officers on why she would not part with one Naira to take her excess luggage with her. A customs officer had insinuated that Ayo was taking the full 21kg luggage of aso-oke to the U.K to sell and would not budge even when she showed him her older sister’s wedding invitation card and explained that the aso-oke was the ‘aso-ebi’ for the autumn wedding.

By the way, who was that ‘oyinbo’ guy you were ‘gisting’ with? Ayo mischievously inquired.

Gisting? The guy only borrowed my pen. It was typical of Ayo to exaggerate a little. Have you seen Lilly? I asked. It just dawned on me that since we all arrived at the airport, somehow I was the only one running errands and helping out.

No, O. Ayo replied in that pitch almost higher than necessary. Maybe she’s with Mike. You know those two… Yes I knew. Mike and Lilly were indeed very close! So close were they that my mother often teased that nothing could have prevented Mike from marrying her if they were not siblings. ‘’They must be at the bar…I could do with a drink myself. This Airport is freaking hot" She added, again in her British accent.

I must confess that Somehow, it startled me to see Lilly chatting rather animatedly with you when we got to the bar. Till this day I cannot justify why I felt the way I did then because Lilly was extremely extroverted and made as many acquaintances as anyone possibly could. She had that rare charm that endeared her to people, regardless of their age, class or status. Lilly was obviously so engrossed in your conversation that she took no note of Ayo nor me until Ayo sat next to her and nudged her.

Ah Bruno, meet my brother’s girlfriend – Ayo. Lilly introduced like one would introduce her family to her best friend. And my kid sister – Giggy She added as soon as she noticed me hanging behind her. Even though she was only three years older than me, I always became ‘Kid Sister’ each time she wanted to fence me off.

I greeted you rather warmly but you simply murmured what sounded like ‘yeah right!’ and continued your conversation with Lilly. I felt a bit humiliated. You almost ruined my evening with your rather cold reply. In fact you had barely acknowledged my presence. Besides you were white – a race I wasn’t too comfortable with at that time. Being the sensitive person I was, I retreated to my shell and remained quiet while you, Lilly and now Ayo carried on. It was not that I blamed you; it was just that where my immediate older sister was concerned, I always seemed to pale out. The funny thing was that although our friends always said (and I knew it) that I was a lot prettier than Lilly, I never could measure up to her charisma no matter how hard I tried. The fact that she was my flesh and blood made my measuring scale even more obvious and of course compounded my problems.

I thought I saw you steal a glance or two at me before you asked almost indifferently So are you in high school?

He’s talking to you Lilly sounded almost sarcastic tugging my shirt. But how was I to know that you were referring to me, I thought you had looked at Lilly when you asked your question.

Oh, I’m sorry! I quickly sat down. It was always better to be a part of the group than to be left out, so I took your question as admittance even though I felt like you were patronizing me. Yes, I am in high school. My final year actually I quickly added. Like any other sixteen year old girl, I wanted to sound and appear grown-up.

So what are your plans after high school? You asked again. It was obvious you were trying hard to be conversational with ‘Lilly’s boring sister’.

I would love to study law. My reply was curt. I did not think it was necessary to go into how much I was dying to study Fine and Applied