My parents gave birth to two beautiful girls, my elder sister, Edna, and I. Since we lost our father, we became very close with our mother. I was staying with our mother in Enugu while my elder sister visited us at least once every three months because she works as a nurse in one of the private hospitals in Lagos.
After I completed my secondary education, Edna insisted that I come and live with her in Lagos. “Brenda, now that you have completed your secondary education, why don’t you come and live with me in Lagos so that you can think about what next you want for your life?” Edna said. “Sister Edna, I don’t want to go to the university. I want to learn hairdressing so that I will have my own salon in future. I want to be an independent woman,” I said. We came to the conclusion that she would arrange with her stylist so that I can learn under her. With this agreement, I followed her to Lagos.
Two weeks after we got to Lagos, I met Chuks, Edna’s neighbour and he took interest in me. I liked him too and we had a few lunch outings together and then started dating. When I told Edna about my affair with Chuks, she insisted that I must not have anything to do with him. She gave me no reasonable reason. I ignored her. “Brenda, you must have nothing to do with Chuks,” Edna warned. “If you don’t want me to have anything to do with him, then you must give a reasonable reason not to do so,” I stressed. “Chuks is not good for you,” she stated.
On the contrary, Chuks loves and adores me and I love him so much too. However, Edna openly despises him. One day, I asked Chuks if he knew why my sister had been kicking against our relationship. He explained that Edna liked him and wanted them to date but he told her that he cannot have an affair with a woman who was older than him. She did all she could to make him sleep with her but all her tricks failed. Since then, she despised him. Meanwhile, he told her they should remain as good neighbours and friends but he noticed that she just developed this unusual hatred for him and so he too decided to mind his business. “However, Brenda since I set my eyes on you even though you are Edna’s younger sister, I have come to love you. I hope your sister’s attitude towards us will not make you change your mind about us?” he asked. “No, my love, Edna has her life to live and I have mine even though we are sisters,” I assured him.
Since she refused to accept Chuks, the man I love, we became sworn enemies in the house. She stopped caring for me and at a point she threatened to throw me out of her house if I don’t stop seeing Chuks. It even got worse the day I informed her that Chuks had proposed to me. “Edna, I just want to tell you that Chuks proposed and I accepted. We are getting married; I said I should inform you. In fact, we are already making arrangements to go and visit mama to tell her about our decision,” I revealed.
The next thing Edna did was to slap me. “You harlot, instead of thinking of how to make your life better, you are thinking of getting married. Get out of my face before I do something horrible to you; stupid girl,” she said. I held on to my cheeks even as I asked her, “Edna, what have we done to you? Is getting married to the man I love a crime? You hate Chuks so much just because he refused to date you. But I warn you, you will not ruin my happiness.” Immediately, she pounced on me like a wounded lion and kept hitting. When Chuks heard my voice, he ran into our apartment and pulled her away from me. At that moment, Edna asked me to move out of her apartment. Chuks pleaded with her to allow me stay with her but she refused, so I moved into his own apartment. This really infuriated her. Whenever I run into her or greet her, she would not answer my greetings. One day, she told me that I would live to regret my life if I eventually married Chuks.
Weeks later, my mother sent for me to come to Enugu. I knew Edna had gone to lie to our mother but I had no worries. When I arrived in Enugu, I told our mother all that happened and she asked Edna why she does not want me to marry Chuks. She simply said he was not good enough for me. “Mama, Chuks is not good enough for Brenda.” “I don’t believe you Edna, or is there something you are not telling me,” she enquired. My mother concluded that since she had no tangible reason why she does not want me to marry Chuks, she would give us her blessings. This really angered Edna.
When we came back to Lagos, Chuks and I went to her apartment with various gifts to beg for forgiveness in whatever way we have offended her. She chased us out of her apartment. We thought she would calm down with time but three months later when we got married, Edna didn’t attend our wedding. Two months later, Chuks got a better paying job and we moved out of that compound into a five-bedroom duplex.
For close to seven years, I did not hear from Edna and whenever I ask our mother about her, she would tell me she comes to see her once in a while. One fateful evening, Edna showed up at our doorstep. It was a big surprise to me and Chuks. She cried and pleaded with us to forgive her. We wholeheartedly forgave and accepted her. She told us how unfair life had been to her and pleaded with us to accommodate her until she was able to reorganise her life. We agreed even though Chuks never trusted her.
A month later, I fell ill and was admitted in hospital. When Edna came to visit me, she promised to take care of my three children. This really made me happy that once again, my sister and I were close the way we used to be. But little did I know she had a hidden agenda. When I returned from the hospital after spending about three weeks, I noticed this unusual connection between my husband and sister. She tried to control him and also interfered in our private conversations and this really got me worried.
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