Vagaries of Life

By Joy Nwosu Lo-Bamijoko

In a world where everything is in motion, with everyone heading toward a destination, some to perdition and some to salvation, The Vagaries of Life... is a collection of short stories where the characters are on their various journeys.

Helen in You Will Die If You Scream, out of nowhere, finds herself in some life’s drama and intrigue. In the Silent Thief, the children play on their mother’s intelligence. Is This Love Or What? takes us through an emotional roller-coaster. Florence introduces a murder mystery element and suspense that questions our beliefs. In Simple Things of Life, the God element seems to reassure us. Then, In The Train, the doubts return. The Break-In shocks us back into reality, and so does Wedged In. At last, Girls’ Talk brings relief from all this action-packed, drama and tension. Or did it?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Joy Nwosu Lo-Bamijoko
• Release date: Dec 20, 2018
• ISBN: 9780692829936

Joy Nwosu Lo-Bamijoko

Now retired, Joy Nwosu Lo-Bamijoko of Nigeria was a music teacher trained in Santa Cecilia, Rome. She obtained her Ph.D. in music education from the University of Michigan. She has written books, and published extensively in national and international scholarly journals, magazines, and newspapers.

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VAGARIES OF LIFE

AND

GIRLS’ TALK

Copyright Matters

Copyright © 2018 Joy Nwosu Lo-Bamijoko

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any

form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical,

including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any

information storage retrieval system, without the permission, in

writing, of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations

embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names,

incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either

the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author

and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher.

For more information, send an email to [e-mail].

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases,

please contact Author Joy Nwosu Lo-Bamijoko

Printed in the United States of America

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to a wonderful woman, a thinker and an enforcer, Nonnie Jules. It was her idea that author members of the Rave Reviews Book Club (RRBC), compete in

The #RRBC 90-Day Alpha / Omega (Beginning to End) ‘Short Story’ Writing Contest! #RWISA.

Without her incentive, this collection of short stories would never have been written. Thank you, Nonnie.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank the following people for their help in making this collection of short stories the beautiful read that they have become:

Alexandra Johns, my Beta Reader. She did more than Beta read the stories. She made in depth comments that helped me restructure the stories.

Kathy Golden for her thorough evaluation of the stories,

Kevin Berry who did the Copy Edit for me.

And last, but not the least, Nonnie Jules, of the 4WillsPublishing, who gave the stories their final and permanent touches, with a thorough line editing of the manuscript.

You guys are awesome! Thank you.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. You Will Die If You Scream!

2. Is This Love or What?!

3. Florence

4. The Silent Thief

5. Lost in Soho

6. Simple Things of Life

7. The Break-In

8. Wedged-In

9. Girls’ Talk

You Will Die If You Scream!

In our small church on top of the hill, the Triduum started on a Thursday, with the Mass of the Last Supper at 7:30 p.m. until 12:00 a.m. I reached the church at 7:15 p.m., in time to secure a good front seat. The pews were filling up. I sat at the extreme end of my seat row and flipped through the bulletin while I waited. It was already evening, and I wanted to be the first to leave when the Mass was over. At 7:30 sharp, the church lights dimmed, and we all stood as the Cantor started with the entrance hymn. After the hymn, we all sat, and the lights came on full again. The beautiful celebration commenced and ended a little after twelve midnight.

I sat back to call my Lyft ride. I’ve never been out that late. The message I got back sent a shockwave through my entire body—No ride at this time.

I shuddered. How do I get home? I tried and tried but got the same message over and over.

The early spring night had become cold. I walked out of the church, down the sidewalk in front of the building, then looked right and left, and saw that the church was on its way to being deserted. In minutes, I would be the only one standing in front of the building. That thought alone gave me the chills. Panic engulfed me. I walked down the sidewalk again, hoping to see any church member. A car pulled out of the parking lot, and I waited for it to come closer. That could be the last church member leaving now. The driver, a white male, with a well-trimmed mustache and greying sideburns, stopped next to me and wound down his window.

Are you okay, Miss?

I think I’m stranded, I said. My usual ride isn’t coming, and it’s a long walk home.

Hop in, and I’ll give you a ride, the man said in a cheerful manner. Where do you live?

I looked right and left to make sure that there was absolutely no one else who could help me. This could be my last chance for getting home.

Just down the road. Not too far by car, I said, and pointed in the direction of my house.

Are you a member of this church? I asked with trepidation as I peeped into his car.

Sure. Don’t be afraid, he said with a friendly smile. He leaned back and opened the back door for me.

I climbed in and heaved a big sigh of relief.

Please, turn right here, and go straight down to Glasgow Street, and then turn left. Thank you so much, I said, and leaned back and relaxed to the beautiful music playing on his car radio.

The driver turned right and drove past my street. I shot up in the seat.

Oh, you just passed my street, but you can still make a turn on this next one, I said.

You just sit back and relax, and I will get you home. I didn’t recognize his voice, ominous as if from the pit of hell. The affable churchgoer had disappeared. I felt like cold water had poured over me. My body shook, and I had to control my teeth to keep them from rattling.

Sir … I paused to gather myself, then said, Where are you taking me?

Don’t worry … you will like it … just a bit of fun, and then I will take you home. He cranked up the music.

I stole a look out of the window, still trembling, and completely lost. Then