Chapter Eleven
****
"Good day sir" Grey greeted dad, prostrating. There was a plastered smile on his face, I could tell it was because of the lady by his side. He isn't exactly cold as Travis but he's not very jovial, in fact, none of us were jovial when it came to Dad.
Sad... Isn't it?
"My son, how are you?"
Seriously though, he had to call him 'my son' ?
Does he have to do everything to spite Travis?
God epp us o...
"I'm fine Dad"
Mum came in just before Dad could say anything else, with a small smile playing on her lips.
"Mummy good afternoon" Grey said still with that plastered smile.
What's doing this one? all because of woman? mtcheww
"Femi..."
Chapter Twelve******The house was bustling with activity that Thursday morning, I was trying to not be languid in any activity I engaged myself as I hardly had any sleep the previous night."Aunty Lola, grandma said you should come and keep some fried meat for grandpa" Tobi said to me eagerly, he was obviously excited about the errand as he would have a taste of the delicacy."Oh" I groaned inwardly.Where do they want me to put it now?It was like my nephew had read my thoughts."She said you should put it inside this cooler" Ayo jumped out of nowhere startling me."And put it in their bedroom" Arinola completed.It's like you people practiced this thing.I frowned at the thought of climbing the stairs over and over again. I was exasperated
Chapter Thirteen****Ever sat down wondering what your "big day"would be like?That's what I was almost doing when my name boomed from across the room that Saturday morning. Of course, it was my sister's wedding day. She was so tensed up that I felt the same way for her. If there's such a thing as one being worried on another's behalf then I was in that position. It was 9am and we were supposed to be at the church by 10am for the service but someone spent her morning getting all emotional, cuddling with mum who was comforting her. I had never seen her that way before.Wedding jitters are sure scary.Dad came in as mom beckoned him to, while she was snuggled up against my sister."Having second thoughts?" He asked with an arched eyebrow in a cold tone that sent shivers down my spine, I'm sure the same happened to Laila as she sat up imm
Chapter Fourteen*****It was dark already and the ride home was silent. I was too nervous to go in my parents vehicle so I rode with Grey and Igho. Tana had gone with her parents, they didn't want her in the middle of any family drama. They apparently understood my family issues. She left with them after speaking to me with soothing words."Las las we go dey alright" She said reassuring me, I almost chuckled at the thought but I was too tired to do that. The ride home was filled with uncomfortable silence, it sent cold chills down my spine.We arrived sooner than I had expected, and I gulped as I stepped out of the vehicle. I had removed my shoes earlier and put on a pair of fancy slippers that were more comfortable.My parents had arrived much earlier than we had and I walked into the living room after Grey and Igho. My father was speaking to someo
Chapter Fifteen ****** I heard the cars drive in while I was sprawled on my bed, lost in thoughts as usual.The benign breeze brushed past my face, I tucked my hair behind my ears as I sat up on my bed, debating within myself whether or not I should step out of the room to meet with my menacing parents or wait for them to come to me. I didn't have to ponder on that for much longer as I soon heard a tap on the door. "Come in" I said, quickly adjusting things that were in place already, out of habit. The door opened to reveal my mum. "Good evening mummy" I greeted. "Evening Lola, your dad is calling for you" I nodded quickly. She could have just sent Martha to call me, why did she have to come herself?Those were my thoughts before my mum interjected. "Now Lola" She reminded and I responded by getting up abruptly. I follo
Chapter Sixteen*****I woke up feeling refreshed by the next day. Being open minded and positive about how my day was going to be, I stepped into the shower, humming to different tunes as the water pelted my skin. The refreshing feeling made me not want to step out of there.Kukuma sleep there ode...A laugh eluded my lips as the thought slipped out of my subconscious self.I picked out a pink chiffon top with a pair of blue jeans and put them on shortly afterwards. I had barely touched my phone, so I swiftly ransacked my bag surreptitiously hoping that my dad had called or texted, begging me to come home but I knew better than to expect that. He was a hard hearted man after all. No calls from mum or any of my siblings. Thinking of siblings, I hadn't heard from my newly married sister, she was probably too occupied in her honeymoon to give me a call and I didn't want to bothe
Chapter Seventeen****"So you're saying your father threw you out of his house, just like that?" Uncle Dayo, Tana's father asked rhetorically.We were all seated in the living room of their six bedroom duplex. Tana sat right next to me, while her mother, Aunt Aisha, was seated opposite us. Her father paced to and fro, a habit he had formed, whenever he was deep in thought.I nodded, fully aware of the fact that there wasn't any need to."I think Benson needs someone to talk to him..." He started."But..." He continued,reluctantly."He is hot headed, stubborn too" He stated finally.My thoughts exactly..."We'll figure something out, but I don't want you being idle dear" Tana's mum interjected."Me neither aunty, I'll have someth
Chapter Eighteen****** Same place, different time...I checked the time and it was about 7:45am.Not bad.Tana had dropped me off at the T- junction leading to the place, and I walked the short distance down to the shop. Striding into the dimly lit place, I could barely make out the figures in the room. I'd obviously came in after someone, probably the CEO. Suddenly the lights came on, and I saw the last person I had hoped to see, the rude lady from the previous day. Ugh.What a way to start my day. She turned to me with a scowl, I was beginning to wonder if her face was actually like that. "Good morning" I mumbled trying to force a smile whilst staring at her. She simply glared daggers at me and turned back to whatever she was doing with a hiss. I shrugged off her nastiness and w
Chapter Nineteen******"Here we are..." He whispered,patting my head softly. I found that amusing and I was affirmative of the fact that my face portrayed it, as Tunji just sat there mirroring my expression for what felt like hours."Why are you whispering?" I asked trying to hold back the laughter bubbling in my throat. His face looked so cute, it reminded me of Ayo, my very adorable nephew."I thought you were asleep" He said in mock surprise."I was just... Meditating" I said shutting one eye, curling my fingers and almost trying a lotus position even with my seat belt on.Silly me...Truth be told, I had slept for the better part of the ride, and had only woken up a few minutes earlier.I do not mess with my beauty sleep, alright..."Meditating indeed, come on we're here" He announced.
Epilogue****Wedding bells!!!As usual, I was in a frenzy to put everything in place.Tana was right after all, concerning a possible proposal after the grand opening. I certainly did not see it coming but I'm happy today is the big day.So, let me give the low down on how the proposal went. That night, we went for a celebratory dinner at a fancy restaurant for just close family and friends and while we were having dinner some romantic music came on and the groom popped out of nowhere professing his love with a long epistle and finally went down on one knee with a big rock and said."Tana, will you marry me?"Tana being so extra first had finish her glass of water before turning to her him and screamed a 'Yes' so Ioud even the heavens heard. We partied for the rest of the night, it was beautiful. That was just a month ago. Seems like Tunji was p
Chapter Thirty eight****I took a seat in front of her without breaking eye contact, I could tell she was surprised that I showed up at her office after so long."How have you been?" I asked coolly."Well. How have you been?" She replied in the same tone."Good." I said back and we both hummed. Our eyes settling on anything but each other."This is really awkward." She blurted out."I know right." I concurred."I'm sorry." We both said at the same time, only to be followed by tear filled giggles.I walked around the desk and pulled her into my embrace."I missed you so much." She managed to get out amid incessant sobs.Yup, pregnant Tana was an emotional Tana."I missed you too, so so much." I gave
Chapter Thirty Seven****The house was beginning to suffocate me. Every where I turned, I was met with faux sympathisers who moved about creating messes, with feigned sullen expressions. How pathetic!I sipped on my glass of water as I watched the workers scurry in and out of the kitchen to attend to the overly demanding guests. I held back a scoff when one woman audaciously made her way into the kitchen and not so politely asked for a snack for her teenage son who by the way, I wondered why he was present in the first placeI had never even met the woman in question before and trust me I had met lots of my parents' associates and I could still place their faces even without remembering their names. People are weird.I groaned in displeasure. There was too many people swarming around like bees and I wasn't comfortable, not one bit. I just wanted the day to be done and over with, nothing w
Chapter Thirty Six****That Sunday morning started off dark and gloomy, for reasons we could not decipher until much later.The church service had left me with a lot to think about. Pastor Ola had hammered on the message of forgiveness so much, I felt he was speaking to us, to me especially."Forgiveness," His raspy voice echoed in the large auditorium that chilly morning."Brethren, forgiveness is a mystery all unto itself but it does work miracles when extended to the recipient as well as the person who forgives." He exhorted, he went on, giving instances from the Bible and stores of personal experiences,"So, I implore you as a child of God, to let go of that chip on your shoulder and forgive whoever has wronged you." Pastor Ola ended his exhortation but his words rang in my heart even after the church service.Those words had defin
Chapter Thirty five****The weekend rolled by before I could even notice. It seemed like the days rolled by like that for a reason.I got out of bed, grouchy. I said my morning prayers, after which I picked up my phone, several notifications graced my sight. Client after client in my inbox on different social media accounts, trying to get in touch with me. This was a good thing, it had some good money rolling in but for the first in my life, I was in no way eager to show off my skills. This was not good. Ignoring the incessant buzzing of my device, I trudged into the bathroom to freshen up, and start the new day.I dressed up and made my way out of the room, locking the door behind me. I came to a brief halt when my gaze fell on Laila who was just stepping out of her room which was next to mine. She looked away from me, walked past and headed downstairs, like she did not just see me. I shook my head a
Chapter Thirty four****This feeling, this feeling was something I couldn't quite place my finger on, something words failed to describe, but I honestly did not want it to stop just yet. The butterflies in my belly probably sang hallelujah a thousand times over, the way he caressed my face as we kissed had me wanting more of his kisses. His tongue brushed my lower lip and I moaned giving him access into my mouth. I knew we had to stop at some point but me being caught up in the moment as I was, I fisted his collar, grappling it as he held on to me tightly. We finally stopped to catch our breaths, his forehead resting on mine. He stared into my eyes and I looked away suddenly embarrassed at how I conducted myself. It wasn't my first kiss but I surely had not been kissed for a very long time, if that distant memory was enough to go by.I mean, my crush and I had a moment back in high school where we confessed our feelings and our lips
Chapter Thirty three****I got home late in the afternoon, drained. After such an exhausting day, I wanted nothing more than heading into my bathroom for a nice long bath and cuddling up in bed. And as usual, my plans were thrown out the window the moment I stepped out of the lobby into the living room.My mood changed as soon as my eyes fell on the people present there. My gaze slowly directed itself to my mum who looked like a shadow of herself in the midst of the numerous visitors offering their condolences for her husband's ailment. News sure did spread like wildfire, our phones had been buzzing with phone calls and text messages ever since the tragic event from the previous night."Oh Lola darling, you're back?" I turned to the sweet voice that called me out. It was aunt Aisha,Tana's mum.I quickly plastered a smile on my face and went in for a hug."Oh sweetie
Chapter Thirty two****Here I was, staring up at the massive building that I hadn't been to for several months. Felt like just yesterday when I succumbed to working here without a clue as to the massive secrets that held me bound at the time. I wasn't totally free but I was finally in the know for the most part, no longer left in the dark, blind to all those happenings.I heaved a breath as I made my way inside, the sudden change in temperature taunting my nostrils and leaving me with goosebumps, it was freezing in here. I hadn't turned my air conditioner on while I was driving, I wanted to enjoy the wind, maybe if I did I wouldn't have been so affected by the office's temperature."Miss Lola?" I heard a familiar voice which I turned to immediately."Hi Stella." I waved with a small smile. She squealed and rushed over to give me a hug. That caught the attention
Chapter Thirty one****"Lola, Lola, wake up!" I vaguely heard my name being called in panic. What was going on? I answered drowsily until whoever it was shook me roughly."I'm up, I'm up!!" I yelled. "What is it?" I turned to put on my bedside lamp, only to come face to face with a disheveled Laila."Dad just suffered a seizure. They're taking him to the hospital right now!!!"She informed frantically. The news registered and I bolted out of bed without delay, Laila hot on my trail.I rushed down the flight of stairs, heading straight for the front door. The blaring of the siren from the ambulance overwhelmed me the moment I got out of the house. I saw him being lifted from the stretcher on to the trauma board. I took in the sight, he looked so helpless and vulnerable, to think he was alright that morning."Would you like to join the patient in the vehicle ma?"