Meet Uloma 4

Thursday, the day before Ajuru’s departure came, that day I felt sick, so sick I did not go to school. My mother thought I was pretending it was not until I made myself throw-up that she began to show compassion and make a fuss over me.

I was thinking of how much I was going to miss Ajuru, and how long two years would be. I would start to cry as I thought about this, and then my mother would come into the room.

“Is it hurting you Nne?” she would ask worriedly.

I would nod, it was hurting me, not my stomach as I had told my mother, but the thought of being without Ajuru was hurting me.

Later in the day, not feeling any better, I told my mother I was, she asked me over and over:

“Are you sure? It was really bad earlier today.”

I would nod each time, I was off to see Udoka and get the assignments from school, that is what I told my mother, in truth I was off to see Ajuru, he would be leaving for the city this evening and from the city tomorrow, he would be off to England.


I got to Father Patrick’s house and made it undetected to Ajuru’s side of the house. I knocked on the door.

“My wife, I was worried. I heard you were not in school today? Are you okay?” Ajuru asked worriedly as soon as he opened the door and saw me.

I smiled at him and embraced him “I am much better now.” I said.

I walked into his room and it was bare, he had packed everything up. On the wall was an ironed white shirt and khaki trousers on a hanger, his outfit for later that evening.

“You can’t wait to leave me.” I brooded as I sat on the bed.

Ajuru knelt down before me and took my hand in his “Do not say a thing like that to me, when all I could think about as I packed my things was how to fit you into my suitcase.”

I looked at him and smiled, he laughed and sat next to me, my hand still in his.

“I love you Uloma, and I am coming back for you.” He spoke lovingly.

“I love you too Ajuru. I love you so much.” I said tears now in my eyes.

He held me and as I took in the scent of him for the last time in a long time, I began to cry, I could not remember a day without him, and I knew it would be hard for the next two years.

It happened that evening, I lost my virginity to him. As I walked home that evening, I suddenly had a scary thought, what if Ajuru does not come back? What then? What happens to me?

I stopped mid way on my journey home, and for a second I wanted to run back to Ajuru’s place and make him swear, to make him take an oath declaring he would come back to me.

I began to run towards his house, a smile on my face, yes, I would make him swear and he would and then he would have to come back. I ran as fast as my feet could carry me. I got to Ajuru’s place, I knocked on the door, called his name as loud as I could knowing Father Patrick would be home, but there was no answer.

I tried to open the door, and it did but Ajuru was not there. I had missed him. I slumped to the floor crying into my hands.



Ajuru never came back, never wrote a letter, never sent a picture, never! Years were passing by; no suitor was coming around as was previously assumed. My mother was worried, and I was worried for a different reason. I waited for Ajuru, I went to visit Father Patrick to find out about Ajuru, if he had heard from him, this was after the two years apart was becoming three. Alas, Father Patrick had become Father Donald, the new successor of the school, and he did not know of any Ajuru.




There was a knock on my father’s bedroom door. I immediately wiped my tears; I looked at my hand and saw that I had smeared the paint on my face.

My father walked into the room and on seeing me he smiled happily.

“Today is the day my daughter.” My father said cheerily.

I nodded. Today was the day indeed, the day when my secret relationship with Ajuru became known. As my aunties came into the room for me I wondered when was a good time to tell my husband about Ajuru, or was he better finding out on his own when I lay next to him later that night.

*This is the final part of Uloma's story. My notes on this story would be in the next post*

Thank You Myne for reading and leaving comments.