Five

    Ava knelt before her parents in their luxurious sitting room, pleading with tears. She had been begging for their approval of her courtship, but her parents, most especially her mother, wouldn't yield to what she was saying. Her mother kept telling her to find another man that was suitable for her.

"Mum, I love this guy. He is the only one I want to spend the rest of my life with. No one else," Ava persisted.

"Shut your mouth, Ava. What do you know about love? There is no love anywhere nowadays, dear," her mother said, meeting her daughter's eyes.

"What? Didn't you marry Mr. Smith because you loved him? You guys got separated but reconciled because of that love, right Mr. Smith?"

The man said nothing. Having his daughter not accept him as her father was quite disheartening.

"Shut up," her mother ordered in anger. "How dare you address your father by his name?"she stated. 

"I am really sorry about that," Ava quickly apologized before her mother changed the important topic to talking about a father who appeared out of the blue. She was not even bearing his name, so what's the proof? How could she accept such a person as her father?  "Mum, please, I really love Gabriel. I am old enough to know what and who I want, please," Ava pleaded. 

"You can never have my approval if you insist on going against my will. Go and do what you want," her mother replied ironically. 

Burning with the heap of embers inside her, she rose from her knees.  "I am going for what I want. You married the man you loved so much, so why won't you allow me that freedom, too? Is it because he isn't wealthy as we are? He will be richer than us one day, mum and I will be with him till then," Ava clarified and stomped to her feet,leaving her mother speechless. 

"Can you see what she just did? That wretched boy is probably teaching her how to walk out on me. Ava has never done that before," Mimi complained to her husband. 

"Ava loves the man. Let them be if they love each other," Smith added in approval of the matter. 

"But —", Mimi started. 

"No buts, Mimi. We got back together because we love each other, right?" he asked in conviction. 

They had been lovers before Mimi went outside of the country to work for two years which turned into eight years without communication after the first three years. She had gotten to the states before she found out she was carrying his baby. She had raised the child as that of the American she had gotten married to for her green card. 

She got back to Nigeria with her daughter all grown up and had met Smith again and decided to work things out between them, though she knew he had gotten married and had given birth to a daughter, too. 

"Smith, it's not like I don't want to approve of them —" 

He sat upright. "Then, approve. As her father, I have given my consent. After all, we have seen the boy several times and we also noticed the smiles that Ava has been wearing ever since she met him," he pointed out and without waiting for a reply, he stood up and added, "I was also poor then, remember?" With that, he walked inside, leaving Mimi staring into space. 

———

Ava sat before Gabriel in his rented apartment as she finished explaining the disagreement she had with her mother to him. That made him gloomy and moody since he could not figure out the reason Ava's mother was against their relationship. It was not as if she had caught him with any irresponsible acts, so why? He loved Ava so much and he was very loyal to her. 

Noticing his change of mood, Ava rose to her feet and went to sit beside him and used her hands to turn his face to hers, so he could look directly into her eyes.  "Gabriel," she called, searching his eyes intently and carefully and was glad to see his love for her written all over his face.  "No matter what my mum says, no matter what anyone says, I will always be yours. I promise," she vowed and hugged him while he remained still, his hands still between his legs. 

"I do not want to be the reason you will be on the bad side of your mum, baby. I know you love your mother, you always want to please her, so —," the rest of the words choked him and refused to be said. So –they should part ways? Of course not. He did not want to lose her. 

As if reading her mind, Ava said, "You won't lose me, Gabby. Believe me. I really do love my mother and yes, I always want to please her, but I have done that all my life. I don't think it's too much to ask her to understand my feelings," she paused and held his gaze, her fingers caressing his cheeks. 

He tried to smile but failed. 

"Gabriel,"Ava continued and smiled. "If I have to go against my mother's will to marry you, I will." 

It was as if that was the assurance he needed. A broad smile crawled its way to his face.  "Ava," his eyes shifted to her lips,then back to her eyes. She was staring back at him so intently and before he could form any more words, she leaned forward and brought her lips to him. Tentatively, their mouths synced with burning passion for each other. 

His hands slowly moved forward to her waist and started gliding up and down her back while hers found their rest in his chest. 

Without breaking apart, he carried her in his arms while she circled heregs around his torso and started walking toward his bedroom. Leaning against the door after locking it from behind, he set her down and resumed his exploration on her. 

"I love you so much, Gabriel," Ava cooed with closed eyes. 

Gabby smiled, nuzzling her neck. "I love you so much, too."