After the storm

by Osar Adeyemi

  All through their time together, he'd had thoughts of his mother at the back of his mind. There were times he was almost tempted to tell Yemi about his family and his mum's expectations about him. But he didn't want to scare her off, and he wanted her to be so confident of his love for her that she would not be bothered about how his family might react to her.

  He had not been surprised that his mother already knew about Yemi even before the story of his dating her leaked to the press. He knew she kept close tabs on all his relationships. He had no idea how she got the information, but somehow she always knew who he was dating, no matter how discreet he was.

  The light turned green, and Akeem drove on. He did not feel like going home just yet, so he decided to stop over at his friend, Hasan's place.

  His mind went back to his mother. He remembered the row he'd had with her several weeks earlier when he had formally informed her of his intention to marry Yemi.

  "You can't be serious, Akeem!" she had snapped at him. "Date her? Yes, but marry her? Certainly not!"

  "I've never been more serious, Mum. I love Yemi, and I want to marry her."

  "Who is she, and what exactly is she bringing into this family?" his mother had asked, her lips curling contemptuously.

  "That's not really important to me, Mum. We love each other, and I know Yemi will create a loving, stable home for us and for our kids."

  "Any woman can do that," his mother had said sarcastically. "Akeem, you can't just pick any girl from goodness knows where and say you want to marry her, not when you have a name and a legacy to protect! That girl has no place in this family!"

  Akeem had thought that events of the past would have convinced his mother that she could not force her will on him, but that was obviously not the case. His mother had been very angry and refused to meet Yemi. He had kept his distance from her and deliberately avoided attending family events. Then she had softened up and tried some emotional blackmail, but his mind was made up. He had expected his mother to hold out some more and was a little surprised when she called him to say that she was ready to meet Yemi. He should have guessed that she would try something else. It was obvious that she was hoping to scare Yemi off with her attitude. But he was not going to let that happen.

  From the moment he had set eyes on Yemi in Bluewater, he had just known that he wanted to be with her. He still didn't know why, and he had given up trying to figure it out. She was not the first beautiful woman he had dated. He had dated plenty, but he got easily bored and went through several relationships knowing almost from the beginning that they would not last. That was until he met Yemi, and he had been knocked off his feet.

  He arrived at Hasan's house about fifteen minutes later and waved at the security guards as he drove through the gates.

  "Hey, stranger. You've been so scarce, I was beginning to think that you and Hasan had fallen out!" Fayona, Hasan's wife, said as she opened the door for him. "Even Jayden has been asking about you," she said, referring to her four-year-old son.

  "So sorry, It's been really busy." He looked at her admiringly. "You look good as usual." Fayona was a full-time homemaker but always looked very pretty no matter what time of the day you met her. "I can see that my friend is taking very good care of you."

  She smiled. "Thanks, I can't complain. How's Yemi doing?"

  "She's good. I'm actually just coming from her place."

  At that moment, Jayden came into the sitting room, saw Akeem, and ran towards him. He squealed with excitement as Akeem bent down and lifted him up into the air. He loved it whenever Akeem did that.

  "How have you been, my little man?" Akeem asked, as he set him down again. Jayden was his godson, and he was very fond of him.

  "I'm fine, Uncle Akeem. I've been a good boy all week too, right, Mummy?"

  "Yes, you've been good, but you also have to keep it up."

  Jayden sighed but nodded solemnly. "I'll try, Mummy."

  "You can start by getting ready to go to bed now. It is way past your bedtime," his mother added.

  "But it's the holidays, and Daddy said I could stay up a little longer." He turned to Akeem. "Farah has already gone to bed because she is only little." He held up one of his fingers for Akeem to see how old Farah was. "But Daddy said I could stay up a little longer because I'm older."

  His mother had other ideas. "You are older, but it's time to go to bed now."

  "But, Mummy…"

  "No buts. Remember, you're trying to maintain your good record."

  "I know. But Uncle Akeem just got here, and I…"

  "Don't argue with me, young man," Fayona cut in sternly. "I said it is time to go to bed, full stop."

  Akeem saw the expression on Jayden's face and felt sorry for him. "Not to worry, Jayden, I'll pop in next week specially to see you, okay?"

  "Yes, Uncle Akeem," the little boy replied, cheering up a little.

  Fayona caught Akeem's eye and smiled. "All right, but I still have one assignment for you before you go. Please take Uncle Akeem to Daddy in the study for me, will you? That will also give you a little time to have some man talk with him on the way, okay?"

  Jayden lit up at that idea. "Okay, Mummy."

  On the way to his father's study, Jayden regaled Akeem with stories of the activities he had been involved in during the holidays and how well he was taking care of his younger sister. Akeem listened and made the necessary comments. He loved this little boy. It was amazing how fast he was growing. He could not wait to have a son of his own, his and Yemi's little boy. One that he would bring up, just the way his father had taught and mentored him.

  "Hey, man!" Hasan said as Akeem entered the study with Jayden. "Good to see you! I was just about to send an SOS to Yemi to kindly allow us to see you."

  Akeem laughed as he bumped shoulders with him. "I can see you've not changed. You're holed up in the study at this time of the day instead of spending time with that lovely lady downstairs!"

  Hasan smiled ruefully. "I just needed to catch up on some work before the week starts." He turned and touched Jayden's head. "Still up, mister?"

  "Can I stay with you a little while, Daddy? Mummy said I had to go to bed, but I'm not even tired one bit, and there is no school tomorrow, and…"

  Hasan smiled. "You've said the golden words, 'Mummy said.' If Mummy said, then Mummy's got to be obeyed. She is the boss around here, you know." He touched Jayden's head again. "You have to go to bed now, mister."

  "But what if I promise to wake up early tomorrow morning…" Jayden continued, but his father was already shaking his head.

  "No, son, it is bedtime now."

  Jayden sighed but seemed to understand that he could not argue anymore. "All right…good night, Dad," he said in a resigned tone as he knocked knuckles with him. "Goodnight, Uncle Akeem."

  "Goodnight, Jayden." Akeem touched his shoulder as he walked past him. "Sleep well."

  Jayden turned back as he got to the door. "Don't forget that you said you would come round to see me next week."

  "I won't forget." Akeem smiled. "See you then."

  Both men looked at each other and burst into laughter after Jayden left the room.

  "He never gives up." There was an unmistakable note of pride in Hasan's voice. "Look at him trying to get me to overrule what his mum had told him."

  "Smart boy. He will be a good negotiator someday." Akeem was still smiling as he thought of Jayden. "So how've you been, my friend?"

  "Good, good. Hectic schedule as always, but I'm trying to stay on top of it. What about you? I heard the privatization of the telecoms sector is very official now, and the bid will soon be made public. How are you prepping for that?"

  "I'm doing my best, man. I've put together a team, and they are working hard on the details." Akeem's voice was excited as he spoke. This had been a dream of his for a long time. He and his father had talked about it before his father's death. Then, it had been nothing more than just mere speculation that the government was going to privatize the telecoms
industry and create a second national carrier besides Nitel, the government-owned telecoms company. But even back then, Akeem had known that it was something he would love to do, and he and his father had agreed that it would take Kadiri Holdings to dizzying heights.

  "Fola Lawal is heading the team. I pulled him out of Zenith Oil," Akeem continued, referring to the oil-and-gas sector of Kadiri Holdings. "We'll send our bid as soon as it is made official."

  Hasan nodded approvingly. "That's a good idea. Fola is an asset to your company. But didn't he mind being pulled out from Zenith?"

  "Fola likes challenges, and besides, Zenith Oil is running smoothly. He's excited about heading the telecoms sector."

  "If anyone else but you had attempted to be the second carrier to Nitel, I would have told them that they were on a suicide mission financially, but I have no fears about you at all."

  "Thanks for the vote of confidence, man. I know it's going to be a huge project, but I'm prepared to do all I can to make it a success."

  Fayona came into the room with a tray of drinks. Akeem watched the play of affection between Hasan and his wife. They had one of the best marriages he had ever seen. They had gotten married when Fayona was just twenty and still a student at the university. He remembered how he had teased Hasan constantly about being a cradle snatcher, little knowing that he was going to marry someone so much younger than himself too. He smiled inwardly. There was something about these women that made a man act uncharacteristically.

  After Fayona left them, they picked up where they had left off. Hasan was in the process of chasing some new contracts, and he was all fired up about it. Akeem smiled as he listened to his friend. He was just like him, unmoved by challenges so long as he was sure about the business deal he was about to go into.

  "How's Yemi?" Hasan asked, after they had talked for a while. "Have you guys fixed a date yet?"

  Akeem shook his head. "Not yet. Her dad is still insisting that she completes her youth service year. He was even suggesting that we should wait until after her master's degree programme, but I was able to go round that one."

  Hasan laughed. "Relax, man! You have the rest of your lives together. I can't even believe you're so keen on settling down now. I was beginning to think that you had decided to remain a bachelor for life!"

  "I can't believe it myself," Akeem admitted.

  "Well, I don't blame you. Yemi is a lovely girl. I guess your mum has met her?"

  Akeem nodded.

  Hasan smiled sympathetically at the expression on Akeem's face. "She's not happy about it, right?"

  "That's putting it mildly." He told Hasan about Yemi's visit with his mother the day before.

  "Phew! Poor girl. That couldn't have been a pleasant experience for her." He looked thoughtfully at Akeem. "You know your mum is not going to accept her easily, right?"

  Akeem frowned. "I know, but she will just have to deal with it. I'm definitely not breaking up with Yemi because of her."

  "What about Leila?" Hasan asked.

  Akeem's frown deepened. "A non-issue, man."

  Hasan laughed. "But I'm still thinking of Yemi, though. She is young, and you know that your mum wields a lot of influence within your family. She could make things unpleasant for her."

  Akeem's eyes hardened. "She would have to go through me to get to Yemi. For now, I'm just going to keep their contact as minimal as possible."

  "Fine, but you've got to have some kind of long-term strategy in place to shield Yemi from any unpleasantness."

  ∞∞∞

  Yemi weaved her car through the midday traffic. She wished she could take an exit route and head back home, but she had made up her mind she was going to see Teju that day.

  Over the past few months, her life had been "one busy happy," as she described it to her friends. Akeem had ensured she did her youth service in Lagos, and she had been lucky to get a placement at Lavabre, a thriving finance company in Victoria Island. Her job plus her wedding preparations kept her very occupied. Akeem also insisted now that she accompany him to most of the social functions he attended, so she had had very little time to catch up with her friends.

  The traffic started moving even slower, and she groaned as it came to a complete standstill a few minutes later. She sighed and turned the air conditioning a notch higher.

  She turned slightly in her seat as she saw a car that looked like that of Abby, a colleague at Lavabre. On closer inspection, she realized that she was not the one.

  Thankfully the traffic eased a little some fifteen minutes later, and she was finally able to take an exit route. About ten minutes later, she parked her car in front of the block of flats where Teju lived.

  She checked her face in the rearview mirror before getting out of the car. She was more conscious of herself these days. Like Akeem had told her, he wasn't chased by the paparazzi but a few photos of them still made their way into the soft-sell magazines. So far, everything they had written about her was okay, and she wanted to keep it so.

  She was really missing Akeem. He was out of the country on a business trip and was going to be away for a week, and she could hardly wait for him to come back.

  "I can't wait to change your last name," he had told her on the way to the airport two days earlier.

  She had looked at him mischievously. "Maybe we should take my dad's advice about me doing my master's degree programme. The programme is only for a year, after all."

  "Maybe I should cancel this trip and get married to you at the registry tomorrow."

  She tutted, "What would happen to all the wedding plans?"

  "No one needs to know; we can still go along with it as if we're not already married." He smiled deviously at her. "Just that I will have certain liberties…"

  She touched his cheek lightly with her finger. "Very soon, Mr. Kadiri, very soon."

  "That's what I keep trying to tell myself." He kissed her and then pulled away slightly. "But aren't you at all tempted by my suggestion?" he asked softly, before kissing her some more. "It's foolproof. No one would know," he murmured against her lips.

  "No deal," Yemi said, and Akeem had let out a long-suffering sigh before his head dipped towards hers again. Yemi had drawn back after a while, her heart racing at the emotions that Akeem always stirred up in her. She had wondered what the driver must be thinking and had glanced at the rearview mirror, but the guy was keeping his eyes discreetly on the road ahead.

  Her thoughts were interrupted as she saw a woman just coming out of the entrance of Teju's building, and she quickly walked in before the automatic door shut again. She was happy she didn't have to buzz for Teju to let her in. Sesan had told her Teju was home that day, and Yemi wanted to surprise her.

  Sesan was another person she needed to catch up with. She knew she was to blame for their not being so close now as she was so occupied with Akeem. However, even the times when they did meet, Sesan seemed different. He was a little abrupt, and his expressions were always guarded, very different from the playful guy who had been her best friend and confidant.

  "Hey, I must be dreaming," Teju said, rubbing her eyes when she opened the door and saw Yemi.

  Yemi gave her a quick hug as she entered the apartment. "I'm so sorry, but I've just been so busy."

  "It's just four months to go now, isn't it?" Teju replied, locking the door behind them.

  Yemi flopped down on the sofa. "Three months, two weeks, and five days!"

  Teju laughed. "You forgot to tell me how many hours and minutes are left as well?"

  "I'm sure I can calculate that too. I can barely wait!" Yemi took off her shoes and wiggled her toes, trying to relax them.

  "Is your dress ready yet?"

  "It's on its way from France. I called the shop two days ago, and they confirmed that it's been sent."

  "Knowing you, I'm sure it's going to be way out! But I'd have thought you would have chosen to make it yourself?"

  "I wanted to, but Akeem wouldn't hear of it." Yemi made a face. "I'm not quit
e sure if it's because he doesn't trust me enough or if he believes it would be too stressful for me."

  Teju snorted, "Then he has not seen enough of your work. That dress you made for me for my company's dinner party was a knockout. People kept asking me who the designer was."

  "I tried telling him that, but he said he's the one paying for it so…" Yemi shrugged. "I left it alone."

  They talked about her wedding plans, and Yemi filled Teju in on the preparations so far. Akeem had hired wedding planners, and they met with her frequently to update her. They were obviously very experienced, and Yemi gave them a free hand so long as they ran the plans regularly by her.

  Teju asked her about her plans to get a job after her youth service. The service year would end just one month before the wedding. She raised her brows when Yemi told her Akeem was not that keen on her working so soon.

  "We're still talking about it, though," Yemi said to her. "Anyway, how's Tosin?" Teju had gotten engaged a couple of months earlier. Tosin, her fiancé, was supposedly "saved," so he met Teju's standards.

  "He's fine," Teju said. "We're meeting later this evening."

  "Have you fixed a date yet?"

  "We're thinking of July next year, so we still have a little over a year to plan."

  "Well, let me know if I can help with anything," Yemi said, walking towards the fridge in the dining area. "I'm feeling a little peckish." She opened the fridge and peered in. "What have you got in here?"

  "Oh, there is some cake and sausage rolls in there. I made them last weekend. Sorry I didn't offer you some earlier."

  Yemi grinned. "No worries, I can help myself." She brought the cake out, cut herself a few slices, and went back to the sofa to join Teju. "Mmmm…so moist and delicious. You always did have a way with your cakes."

  "Thanks. I made it for my Bible study group. The girls came around over the weekend, and I always try to have a few nibbles ready for them."

  Yemi took another bite of her cake. "Oh, so that is still on?" Teju had been inviting her to the Bible study group for a long time, but Yemi always found a reason not to join them. "What do you guys actually do?"

  "Well, we discuss practical things that affect our day-to-day lives, look at them from the biblical perspective, and then we pray. Everything is over in about an hour. You should come sometime. I'm sure you would enjoy it."