“WHY CAN’T YOU BE LIKE PETER OBI?” (SHORT STORY)
Linda unwrapped the latest gift from her fiancé, Dominic, with trepidation.
“What in the world is this?” she muttered. It looked like a world receiver but it was light and fanciful, not sturdy and durable-looking.
“It’s some sort of radio, but it can also play music and it has a clock and flashlight,” Dominic explained.
So it was one of those multi-purpose contraptions dumped on the Nigerian market from Asia by unscrupulous local importers.
Dominic fiddled with some of its knobs to show Linda how it worked. He obviously had no idea what he was doing, meaning he hadn’t tested the device before buying it.
As he tried to demonstrate the functionality of the device, one knob fell off. Meanwhile, there was no sound from the so-called radio.
Dominic then fished for the power cord in the packet. “Maybe you need to charge it first,” he said.
The cord was stringy and the plug so small that it didn’t fit any socket or extension in Linda’s apartment.
“Bring an adapter,” Dominic ordered with irritation. Linda complied.
When the plug was inserted into the adapter, sparks flew and a hissing sound ensued convincing Linda the plug had been fried. A few more tries with no current transmitted confirmed she was right.
“You can change the plug,” Dominic suggested.
“Even if I do, what exactly am I supposed to do with this?” Linda queried.
“I have explained its uses to you, haven’t I?” Dominic replied, his irritation rising. “I saw it in a shop and it looked good, so I bought it for you. If you don’t like it, give it to someone else!”
“Will you consider it rude if I asked how much you paid for it?”
“Yes, I would!” Dominic snapped, stiffening his shoulders. “It’s my money and it’s none of your business what I do with it!”
“That’s where you’re wrong. If you were a stranger or a mere acquaintance, I’d probably laugh at these recurring incidents, but you’re my fiancé.”
“What recurring incidents?”
Linda thought of all the gifts he’d given her in their three-year relationship. Most of them were just like this radio-clock etc – a calico bubu that was twice her size and the colours ran; a peculiar pot (just for cooking rice); some handcrafted footwear that cut while she tried them on; a flimsy, collapsible wardrobe (her bedrooms already had inbuilt wardrobes); all manner of electronics of dubious quality ….
“Think, Dom, how many of the gifts you’ve given me have been useful? You just see something that looks pretty and you buy it without considering its functionality or durability. And I can bet you pay a bundle for all that stuff.”
“You are unbelievable! Why can’t you be grateful that you have a fiancé who thinks of you when he sees a nice thing and buys it for you?”
“I would be if you used your money wisely and bought meaningful things with it. Why can’t you be like Peter Obi? With all the money you’ve spent buying me nonsense, I could have bought an okada to bring in extra money.”
Dominic was shocked. “My mum warned me about girls like you. It’s always about the money with you.”
“And my dad warned me about guys like you. You don’t know the value of money. Peter Obi ….”
Dominic lost his patience and interrupted her. “Okay, I can see that I am not good enough for you. Go and marry Peter Obi if he will have you.”
“I never said I want to marry Peter Obi, but if you’re going to be so petty because I complained of your wastefulness, I’m better off without you!”
Dominic was already marching towards the door. Linda went into her bedroom and lifted a huge carton where she had been throwing his unusable and unserviceable gifts. She came back and added the radio-clock-whatnot to the pile and carried it outside her apartment. Her plan was to put it on the bonnet of Dominic’s car but he was already driving away.
“Mtcheew!” she hissed as she carried the carton back inside.
-The end-
Ⓒ Edith Ugochi Ohaja
💖
I love happy endings but unfortunately, this story veered in the other direction. But I am optimistic that with a little help, these lovebirds can get back together. So kindly advise them, if you may.
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Wow this is actually good. I think the man is ashamed that the gifthe bought for his girlfriend is not working. The fact that he doesn’t know what to do was what got him angry.
Lol!
U cannot buy everything you see because there are beautiful learn to value money and buy useful things
Yes oh, my sister, especially in these hard times. May you be richly blessed in Jesus’ name.
Wow! Very intriguing. Ok, what I observed is that they lack proper communication and understanding. If only the guy could communicate well with his lady and they discussed on what she like and does not it shouldn’t have led to the huge disagreement that ensued. What if he saw something and felt like buying it? He could have put a call across her informing her of what he wants to get and her take on it. There was lack of understanding because they were both trying to make a point but both parties especially from the guy, couldn’t understand the message and then took it as an offense. The lady kept comparing him with Peter Obi which is wrong. No comparison.
Every relationship should be based on satisfying the partner. Obviously, Dominic was not sensitive enough to see and understand that his gifts to his fiancé, Linda, are of little or no use to her. Hence, the question, “Why can’t you be like Peter Obi?”
He has a generous heart but he needs proper guidance in choosing his gifts.
LOVE conquers all, it is Forgiveness and lots more…
Dominic and Linda must learn to practice Love as it grows gradually, it is not just a spoken word “I love you”.
Love strengthens them to conquer flaws, correcting each other with Love having a matured mindset of understanding by practicing it.
Good advice. Remain blessed!
Love expresses itself in giving. It could be material gifts, time, attention, service etc. Dominic obviously loves Linda but he buys gifts very unwisely. It could be a reflection of his IQ which would cause more problems should they reconcile and go on to marry.
Linda, on her part, was very wrong to compare him to another man. No partner should ever do that. She could have lovingly pointed out this flaw earlier and advised him to give her gift vouchers, instead.
Very good story as expected
Lovely comment. Thanks a lot and God bless you!
I can’t say much about love, but when she said, “Why cant you be like Peter Obi?” that was extremely humorous.
Yes 😃😃😃
I think that though Dominic could be a great guy that does not mean Linda should stoop low and overlook his fault look I put it to all the ladies out there know your worth and if you are in any relationship that hurts you better leave before it will be too late cos when you get too deep that’s the end
Poor Dominic was just trying to prove his love for Linda by buying gifts. Unknown to him, these gifts are unnecessary. I think Linda should have used a better approach to let him know this instead of comparing him to another man.
A simple misunderstanding which they can still resolve if they’re serious about getting married.
I think he needs to understand her point of view that not everything sold outside is valuable and fit to be gifted.
Buying a useful and tangible gift for someone give it value and will make the person cherish it more.
That is so embarrassing. How can he buy a radio without checking if it works?
Some people have different ways of showing their love language, Dominic language is nice, buh also he should use his head .
Being understanding helps to foster good and healthy relationships when going into marriage..
If only he understood what she was saying this won’t have turned out the way it did for them.
The fact that he doesn’t see what he did wrong shows that this guy doesn’t know how to use his money at all. That girl is definitely better off without him.
The basis of everything is in understanding each other. And that comes with knowing ones like and dislike.
Its not about giving gifts alone. It’s about giving a gift that triggers the butterfly feeling in your partner.
I think Dominic and Linda really care for themselves so much. This story teaches that some forms of affection can be carelessness instead of caring in nature. Care done for petty reasons is the same as showing no care. A wonderful piece of writing. Thanks.
Linda should have approached him nicely and Dominic should be open to correction after all that is what love is about trying to make each other better people
The fact he always thought of her whenever he sees something he feels is fanciful is nice, but then I’d say he doesn’t know her taste when it comes to the things she likes.
Well, it’s very unwise to gift things that are not going to be useful to someone, especially if you have long-term plans for the person. Both of them are wrong- Dominic shouldn’t have got angry when Linda said that he buys her things that are not useful and Linda should not be comparing her partner to another man.
Although, Dominic kept on buying irrelevant gifts for his fiance but it’s very wrong to tell him that she doesn’t like it at the moment. It hurts badly.
She could have accepted the gift and later on she can make her intention known to him.
Nice Job, ma.
Couple drama. They will be fine. My own belief.
With some reflection on both their parts and an honest admission of fault, plus willingness to forgive.
He has the right motives but he needs proper guidance in choosing his gifts
Communication is key, so if the girl had approached him with kinder words to address his “wastefulness”, there would have been clarity
However from the guy’s end, when something is being pointed out as a correction, one should be humble enough to accept and work on that which is being said.
Driving away won’t solve the problem, he’ll still come back to his fiancée and they would still talk about it
I think 🤔 its just a misunderstanding between the two patners. Dominic is trying to prove his love while Linda is not satisfied with it and she’s ungrateful 😒
Dominic is a sweet and generous boy with a wrong way of choosing gifts, Linda on the other hand should learn to be calm and not compare him when trying to teach him the right way of choosing gifts and spending money. Love and Light 🫶❤️
Relationship drama. I think they should both have a heart-to-heart talk and share their thoughts on what each party likes and dislikes.
I may not necessarily have adequate knowledge about this, but I have come to realize something. In this story, both the man and the woman did not have respect for each other. They both spoke in an inconsiderate manner. In every relationship we find ourselves, polite communication is paramount. Respect for every human being is very essential regardless of the age or status.
Come on, Dominic. 😂😂
This sort of improvidence can wreck a home.
Improvidence?
Communication and understanding is the key to relationships.