I'M TIRED

In the dark room, he sat on the armchair beside the glass window where he could see her silhouette standing before the window as she sipped from her glass slowly.

“Now that the rules have been made, I don’t know why I still feel so unsure about this whole thing. I mean, do you think Grandmother Selina would hand over the company to me so easily?” He asked as he stared at her back which was facing him.

She let out a chuckle and he could see her turning slowly to face him.

“Of course not,” she said calmly and his brows raised.

“If not, then what’s the need for the plan anyway?” He asked in a rather high tone.

She gave a slow silent laughter as she walked closer to him.

“You think this is the plan? No, this is only the tip of it,” she said as she knelt before him with her hands placed on his laps.

“Then what’s the plan?” He asked impatiently.

“The plan is to destabilize Daren’s relationship with the family,” she said mischievously.

He kept silent for a while, trying to read meaning into her words.

“The rules have been made, Daren is angry about it. ‘Oh, this family never loved me' he would say. And then, after trying and trying and trying, Melisa would fail to get pregnant. And you know what? Daren will have to choose between Melisa and the company. And of course you know what his choice will always be,” she said with a chuckle.

He sighed in frustration and looked away from her face.

“His choice will always be Melisa. And choosing Melisa over the company will Destabilize his relationship with Grandmother Selina and your mother. He will have no other option than to want to leave the family as he has always wanted. And then, seeing that their relationship with Daren has been fully destabilized, who will be the better option for the company?” She asked thoughtfully.

A wistful smile appeared on his face as his fingers caressed the beard on his chin.

“Me. I, Dotun Taiwo will take possession over the company,” he said with a smile.

She patted his laps and he brought his face closer to hers. She plunged her lips into his aggressively and then pulled away.

“All I need now is a plan B, just in case Melisa decides to play dirty,” she said with a hoarse voice and he nodded slowly with a smile.

*

He raised his eyes from the computer as he saw the glass door slide open. He raised his head and saw his father walking into the office, dressed handsomely in a black suit. Though in his late fifties, he was looking as stunning as ever, with great body physics, an average height, dark skin and gray beards on his round handsome face.

“Son,” he called as he walked towards the desk and took his seat on the black swivel chair facing the desk.

“Father,” he called as he leaned with his back on the chair.

“I’m so sorry for not being able to reach out to you and Melisa last night. You know, your mother and I were engaged in a heated argument,” he said.

He sighed and looked away from him.

“It’s fine,” he said with a nod.

“I’m so sorry for everything. I never knew about the new rules. I just got to know of it at the same time as you,” he related.

“Father, when will you ever be aware of anything going on in the family?” He asked with a scoff.

“Son, you know your grandmother is the one taking charge of the family affairs. She and your mother are the ones behind every rule and regulation in the family. I’ve always been sidelined,” he said sadly.

“Yes, you will continue to be sidelined since you’ve failed to be a man of your own. I blame you for everything happening in our lives right now,” he said angrily.

He kept silent as he heard his son speak. He bent his head with his palm caressing his forehead and he couldn’t withstand the look on Daren’s face any longer.

“First of all, Dotun and I should never have been a Taiwo. We are your sons and we should be a Boseman and not a Taiwo!” He continued as his dark eyes stared at his father, angrily.

“Daren, I love your mother so much. My love for her got me in this situation today. And you know what it means to truly love someone,” he said with emotions.

He kept silent and he gave a sigh as he looked away from his father’s pity face.

“Yes, I loved Elsa so much and I didn’t know how to say no to every one of her requests. I fell in love with her at first sight back then at Abuja, when we went for a quiz competition during high school days. She was the most beautiful and intelligent woman I’ve ever met. She was so pretty that all the boys present that day all wanted her,” he related with a smile.

“But she was quite reserved and never spoke to anyone. I tried to be friends with her on that day and eventually, she gave me attention because she loved my sense of humor. We became close friends during our stay at Abuja, until we each went our separate ways. I went back to Kaduna and she left for Lagos. We kept in touch, and I began to fall deeply for her. Because I always wanted to see her face, I persuaded my family to move to Lagos,” he said with a chuckle and Daren sighed.

“After moving to Lagos, I found out who her parents were. At that time, the Taiwo’s were becoming popular all around Lagos, due to their ever popular wine brand. It was difficult for us to spend time together at that time due to her mother’s strictness. She was their only child and I understood the situation perfectly. After high school, we both took the same course and we found ourselves in the same university. Those were the best moments of my life as I got more time to be with Elsa.

But after we graduated, I wanted to get married to her so we could have a happy family together. Her mother requested that I move into the mansion with them if I ever want to marry their daughter. It was a confusing situation and my parents disagreed.

But I had to agree because I so much wanted to be with my woman. I moved into the Taiwo’s mansion and Mr Taiwo offered me a job. We continued living as a family and though I wanted to marry Elsa so we could move away from the mansion, her family disagreed.

They wanted Elsa to get pregnant before the marriage and I was stunned. She told me to be patient and agree with her parents and of course I did,” he continued.

Daren scoffed as he raised his eyes to look at him.

“You agreed?” He asked in disbelief and he nodded.

“I never knew what their plans were, until after Elsa got pregnant with you. After bearing the baby, they demanded full custody of you since I didn't pay her bride price before the marriage. They say as per traditions, the child belongs to them,” he related.

“This is unbelievable!” Daren yelled.

“Yes, and after a lot of pressure from Elsa, I gave in,” he said sadly.

Daren gulped and shook his head angrily.

“And what about Dotun? Didn’t you both get married before having him?” He asked.

“We did but the family never wanted you both to bear different surnames and I was pressured into submitting Dotun to them too,” he revealed.

“This is the most pathetic back story I've ever heard!” He slammed.

“Your grandmother is the one manipulating your mother. She changed Elsa completely. Elsa has always been under her shadows,” he said in a rather high tone.

“And you? You’ve always been under their feet. I can’t believe the Boseman’s kept silent watching the Taiwo’s take over their sons!” He vented.

“They disowned me when I didn’t let them take legal actions over everything,” he said with his gaze on the floor.

He sighed and shook his head in frustration.

“I can’t believe I’m hearing this only now,” he said.

“Yes, because Elsa never wanted me to reveal the truth to you both. But the truth is, Daren, I’m tired and I regret all my past decisions with the Taiwo’s family. I regret everything!” He cried as he slammed his fist on the desk.

“Reasons Melisa's father was never in support of our marriage. And right now, she doesn’t have a family because of me. And that’s why I’m determined to do everything to protect her. To love her for the rest of my life,” he said emotionally.

“Daren, I trust in you and Melisa. We will do all we can to make sure she gets pregnant. I’ve been trying to speak to some of these fertility doctors I know in India and I hope they get back to me soon,” he said.

He sighed and gulped.

“I don’t care about the company, all I care about is my wife,” he said.

“Daren, both the company and Melisa, will be yours,” he assured and silence fell in.

“How is she doing right now? I didn’t see her around the house before coming,” he said.

“She went to visit her friend, Rita,” he replied and Charles nodded.

*

“Rita, I’m losing it. I feel like I’m about to lose my marriage,” her melancholic voice sounded all over the small clean, lit up office, where beautiful dresses on mannequins could be seen on display. Donned in a blue long sleeveless ankara dress, she was looking so stunning that afternoon with her face glowing with makeup and her long black artificial hair spreading over her shoulders.

She stood in front of the desk with her bum resting on the table and her gaze settled on the sparkling floor.

“Wow, this is tough. You know I've been away for sometime, and I never knew of Mrs. Selina’s return,” the pretty fair skinned girl seated on the chair, said behind her. She was dressed beautifully in a white puffed sleeves blouse, and black jeans trousers with her beautiful round face adorned with makeup.

“ She has returned, and she’s here to ruin my life. I’ve never wanted her to return. She has been a pain in the butt even before we met,” she related sadly.

“Lisa, it’s okay. Right now, we should be thinking of what to do to get you pregnant so Daren doesn’t have to lose the company,” she said as she stood up and adjusted her blouse carefully.

“Rita, what do you want me to do right now? Daren and I have tried every way and there seems to be no results!” She cried with her brown almond eyes welling with tears.

“What about this surrogacy stuff?” Rita asked as she stood before her with her arms placed akimbo.

She scoffed and waved her hair backwards.

“In this country? You know how traditionally inclined we are in this part of the world,” She said with a scoff.

“People do it, I know of a couple..” she tried to speak.

“Rita, hold it, please. The Taiwo’s wouldn’t even want to hear a word about it. I spoke to Daren about it sometime ago and he declined totally. I never wanted it though. Besides, the doctor says my womb is perfectly okay to carry a child,” she said.

“Well, so what are you suggesting we do right now?” Rita asked.

“I don’t know, I came to you for advice,” she said as she let out a sigh.

She kept silent for a while with her hand cupped around her chin and her gaze resting on the floor.

“I have a suggestion but I don’t know if it’s going to sit well with you,” she said as she walked back to her desk.

“Rita, spill it. Anything, just tell me,” she urged as she turned to face her.

She heaved a sigh and looked up to her face.

“What if we get a man to do the job?” She asked and silence fell in immediately.