OBSESSION

A few years ago, i was my shop doing the usual when a very tall guy walked in to ask for help. He went to see someone, he said but couldn't find the person and was now stranded... You know the usual story for Lagos beggars... I was in no mood to be bothered so, i gave him 500naira, sent him on him on his way and promptly forgot about him... Little did i know that this would be the guy that'll stalk me for the next 2years plus something.

Later that evening while driving home from the shop with Anastasia turned on high and my voice even louder, i didn't hear my phone ringing. Wasn't until i got to Victoria Island and stopped to refresh my cigarette supply did i hear it. Answered to a voice i couldn't recognise... He said ''Hi, my name is Harrison and i'm the guy you helped earlier today''... Trust me, the first thing i asked him was how he got my number and he said he took some fliers and my card from my shop (i usually kept them on the front counter). He wanted to say thank you again. Told him it was okay and he didn't have to call me anymore. After i hung up, i saw that i had 35 missed calls from a number i couldn't recognise. When i checked recieved calls, i found out it was his number and that was the beginning of the missed calls, text messages and more that he kept sending me. I moved shops, he found me. I changed numbers 4 times and he still found a way to get my number. Somehow, he traced me to my house and that was when i completely lost it. I flew at him with a lot of punches before getting him arrested. He didn't even stop. Now, i don't live in that house anymore, i have no shop and i have new numbers...

On saturday, i got a call from a number i didn't recognise from a guy who called himself Obiora. He claimed he knew me from Surulere and i gave him my number myself when i had a shop on Alade close. This was really funny because i left Alade Close for Bode Thomas in 2007 and i had changed numbers 3times since then (thanks to Harrison) so, i couldn't understand how he could have the number i use now. I tried checking my mental database but i came up empty. I couldn't remember him or anything else... He kept calling until sunday evening when i'd just about had it and i gave the phone to ''Mr Man'' to answer him. He insulted my man and hung up then sent me a text that said ''Fuck you and go to hell''. I ignored it but then he sent another one that said ''anyways i tot if i could see your pants down and 2 giv u some change''... I couldn't help the laughter that burst out of my mouth. As i already had an experience with that, i completely ignored the text.

I wonder why i had this situation... Obsession... It's the only word i can find to use for what happened in both cases. That was the reason Harrison used to send me text messages to say if i didn't marry him he'll kill himself and it'll be on my head and when ignore that, i get a text that calls me a slut or a text that i should count my days that i'll die soon... It was scaring and frustrating... Even the police couldn't do anything except slap him around a bit then, ask him to pay a huge bail. He even called me once to say i wasted my time arresting him. That one of the policewomen fell in love with him and let him g. He could kill me or do whatever he wanted with me and there's nothing the police could do to him. Why he was so obsessed with me, i have no idea but i knew that i had to stop this so-called Obiora before he got there. It was a pattern i didn't want to repeat. Hopefully, he got the message...

I'M NOT AVAILABLE TO STALKERS OR OBSESSIVE PEOPLE...

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Bee