NOT MY USUAL WORLD Novel Chapter 10

NOT MY USUAL WORLD
EPISODE 10
The winter morning in Shanghai carried an unusual calm.
Tobe stood in his apartment, surrounded by half-packed boxes. The space that had once felt like a dream now seemed oddly hollow.
Six years had passed. Six full years in China.
He ran a hand over the table where countless nights had been spent studying after long shifts, chasing a life he had once thought impossible.
Now, a new chapter was calling.
America.
His flight was in two weeks. The company had tried to persuade him to stay. His boss even offered him a higher position if he delayed his studies. But Tobe’s mind was made up.
He wanted more. Not just wealth. Not just stability. Something deeper, something untouchable, kept pulling him forward.
That evening, he called his uncle in Anambra.
The old man’s voice carried excitement, pride, and a hint of worry.
So, you are finally leaving China.
Yes, uncle.
You have done well here. The house you built has changed our lives. People greet me as if I am a chief now.
Tobe smiled softly.
You deserve it.
His uncle grew quiet for a moment before continuing.
Even the school fees you’ve been sending for the orphans in our village… everyone prays for you. America will favor you even more than China did.
But there’s something more I must say. Tobechukwu, you need to settle down. You are the one in our family to carry our name forward. It’s time, my son. Time to think about love, about a wife.
Tobe’s voice was gentle.
No problems, uncle. I’ve heard you.
Then his uncle asked, softly, almost hesitantly,
Do you still think about her?
Tobe paused. Once, that question would have pierced him like a knife. Now, it stirred only a memory, distant but alive. Sometimes.
His uncle sighed. Life has a strange way of bringing people back together.
Tobe allowed a faint smile. Or keeping them apart.
Across the ocean in the United States, Ronke sat in her office reviewing documents.
She had grown into her role with quiet confidence. The once sheltered daughter of a powerful man now carried herself with the calm authority of a seasoned executive.
But Chief Adebayo’s concern for her happiness remained.
That evening, his voice came over the phone.
Ronke, my daughter.
Yes, daddy.
You know I am not getting younger.
Ronke leaned back in her chair, her gaze distant.
Daddy…
He interrupted gently, a hint of pleading in his tone. I am not asking you to marry someone you don’t love. But you cannot lock your heart away forever.
Ronke stayed silent for a moment, then spoke quietly, almost in a whisper,
Even if he’s omo Igbo and not wealthy?
There was a pause. Then her father replied, tenderly,
I just want you to be happy again, my darling. It’s been six years plus. What matters now is your happiness, nothing else.
Ronke closed her eyes briefly.
Six years plus. Time had done what it always does. Pain softened, memories blurred, and even Tobe’s face, once so vivid, had begun to fade at the edges. She no longer cried over what was lost. Life had simply moved forward.
A week later, Ronke met Ekene again after his shift at the restaurant.
They strolled along the quiet streets, the city lights casting a soft glow on their path. Ekene had become more than just a friendly listener over the years. He had become her closest confidant.
He glanced at her thoughtfully.
Your father spoke to you again, didn’t he?
Ronke smiled faintly.
Is it that obvious?
Ekene chuckled.
Something like that.
They walked in silence for a few steps before she spoke softly.
Sometimes, I wonder what became of him.
Ekene knew instantly who she meant.
Life carried him somewhere else.
Ronke nodded.
Yes. Somewhere else.
A week later, Tobe boarded his flight from Shanghai.
As the plane lifted into the night sky, he gazed down at the city lights fading beneath the clouds.
China had transformed him. But a new chapter awaited.
Meanwhile, in another city thousands of miles away. Ronke drove home from work, completely unaware that the man she had once loved was heading to the same country.
Two lives. Two journeys. Slowly, silently, moving toward the same destination.
And fate, as always, was taking its time.
To be continued.
Linda Linda