by Osar Adeyemi
"I'll keep your invite in mind." Her eyes glinted mischievously. "But don't worry about me, I'm still a good girl. My fiancé would be a happier man if I weren't so 'good.'"
Teju caught on to her meaning and laughed. "Way to go, girl!"
Yemi sighed. "I must confess that it's hard at times, though." She set the empty plate aside and stretched herself on the sofa. She felt a little achy all over. She hoped she was not coming down with a fever. "Do you and Tosin struggle with stuff like that?"
"It happens to everyone, but there are ways around it. In fact, we discussed something like this at our last meeting."
Yemi giggled and wagged her finger playfully at Teju. "Naughty, naughty. So that's what you girls talk about. Maybe I should come along and hear your views on it."
Teju smiled. "Like I said before, we talk about things that affect everyone. The way we concluded that bit was to avoid too much 'touchy feely' so as not to stir up emotions unnecessarily."
"Touchy feely…like kissing and stuff?"
"Yeah…Tosin and I don't."
Yemi raised her brows. "Never?"
Teju nodded. "We just made up our minds not to. Don't get me wrong, it's not been easy, but so far so good. For us ladies, we're kind of built not to get so easily stirred up but for guys…" She rolled her eyes. "Their emotions can easily become like a tsunami, raging and roaring. You don't want to mess with that."
"I know what you mean." Yemi felt sorry for Akeem at times. He had told her that she was the only woman he knew who had such inhibitions. "It's been tough holding out, but I really do feel like it's a lot more exciting to wait until one is properly married."
Teju's face grew serious. "I'm not holding out because it will be more exciting. I'm holding out because not doing so will offend God, and I don't want to do that."
Yemi stared a little warily at Teju and wondered why she always had to bring a different dimension to everything these days. She shrugged. "Whatever, the important thing is that I'm keeping myself, and I'm sure I am pleasing God in the process too." She frowned a little bit. "But hey, you know I'm not really a bad person, and I go to church for goodness' sake—quite regularly too."
Teju took her time to answer, as if she were searching for the right words to use. "Being moral or attending church regularly is not the same thing as having a personal relationship with Christ."
Yemi did not want to get into all that theological stuff. She took another bite of her cake. She had other things on her mind, Akeem's mother's behavior towards her being paramount. Mrs. Kadiri was no warmer towards her. If anything, she had grown a touch frostier. It was the same thing with other members of his extended family. They were polite but distant. She felt they were probably just not friendly by nature, but it still made her uncomfortable.
"Teju, how is your relationship with Tosin's mother?"
"Quite good. We get along very well, why?"
"I was just wondering." She suddenly felt like sharing her experience with someone and told Teju the concerns she had about Mrs. Kadiri. "So what do you think?" she asked when she had finished.
Teju paused before she answered. "I may be wrong, but her behaviour goes just a little bit beyond not being naturally expressive."
"That's what I thought too, but Akeem keeps telling me not to worry about it." She frowned slightly. "She has never really come out as being openly hostile. It's more from the expression on her face and the frosty reception I always get from her."
"You don't really need a frosty relationship with your mother-in-law. Is Akeem close to his mum?"
Yemi shrugged. "She's his mother, and he looks out for her, but she does not control him, if that is what you mean." That was one thing that she was glad about. She had noticed how much control Akeem's mother seemed to wield over Adil and his wife, Zara.
"You still need to be very careful. Apart from praying about it, ask Akeem how he can help you relate with his mother. Have you spoken to your mum about this?"
Yemi shook her head. "I don't want to get her worried." Bringing his mother's attitude towards her to her parents' attention might just trigger their earlier concerns again, and Yemi didn't want that. "Who knows, I may even be wrong about Akeem's mother," she continued. "It may all just be my imagination."
"I sincerely hope so." At that moment, Teju's phone beeped, and she looked at the text message. "It's Sesan," she said. "He says he's in the neighborhood and will be stopping by shortly."
"Oh great," Yemi said, cheering up a bit. "I hardly get to see that guy anymore."
"He's got a lot of stuff going on at the moment, and he is really busy at work. But at least he's cheered up some at the prospect of going to England for his master's degree programme soon."
"It's funny that he would be going off without me," Yemi said a little wistfully. "We've always planned on doing our master's programme together. So many things are changing in my life. I almost wish I could hold on to some of them, but…" Her voice trailed off.
"That's life. Many times we don't have a choice over those natural changes. The old always has to give way to the new.
Chapter 6
The warm rays of the rising sun filtered in through the half open drapes of the bedroom windows bathing the room with a soft yellow glow. Yemi stretched herself lazily on the bed. It was the morning of her wedding, and she didn't think she could be any happier than she felt at that moment. Tola was soundly asleep beside her. She had flown in from England a week earlier, and both of them had stayed up late the night before, too excited to sleep.
The traditional wedding ceremony had taken place two days earlier, and it had gone very well. Everything was done according to the culture of Yoruba land where Yemi was from. Her aunties had not spared Akeem, and they had given him a lot of tasks to perform in order to prove that he was worthy of their niece. He was asked to dance until they were satisfied and then, as he made his way into the house, her aunties kept throwing traditional wrappers across his path, signifying rivers, mountains, or whatever else that came to their minds. Akeem was then meant to pay for these obstacles to be removed. He knew about this custom and had come prepared. He kept showering her aunties with the dollar and pound notes he brought along with him until they started singing his praises and finally allowed him into the sitting room.
But there was more in store for him, and Yemi and her friends giggled as they watched the proceedings from the TV monitor installed in her room for that purpose. Her uncles took over from the ladies when Akeem got into the sitting room and, in keeping with tradition, Akeem was asked to prostrate full length on the floor to ask Yemi's father for permission to marry her. It had all been so hilarious to Yemi and her friends, and they had just kept laughing.
Yemi turned over and stretched herself languidly on the bed. A knock on her door lifted her out of her reverie. It was her mother.
"Hello dear, I hope you slept well?" she asked as she sat down on the bed beside Yemi.
"Yes I did, Mum." She kissed her mum on the cheek before lying back against the pillows. Tola turned over but did not wake up.
Yemi's mother smiled and shook her head slightly. "I still remember the day you were born so vividly, and to think that you will be leaving home today." She looked both happy and sad at the same time.
"I'll be just a few miles away, Mum. I'll still see you often."
"But it won't be the same." Her mother sighed, but a smile hovered on her lips. "I'm not complaining, though. I'm just going to miss you so much." She glanced at the wall clock and stood up. "The hair stylist should be here any moment from now. I think you girls should get up and start getting ready."
Yemi tapped Tola after her mother left the room. Tola groaned and burrowed further under the duvet. Yemi tapped her again, and she finally opened her eyes.
She looked at Yemi through bleary eyes. "Is it morning yet?"
"Yes, it is." The morning of her wedding to the man she loved. Yemi felt like dancing with excitement.
By the time they took
their baths, other members of the bridal party had already begun to arrive. The hairstylist almost set everyone's hearts racing when he arrived late, and they all heaved a sigh of relief when he finally came in.
After that, everything was a blur of activities to Yemi. Her dad brought her back to earth as she saw him trying to blink back his tears when he saw her fully dressed. That almost set her off too, but she was immediately cautioned by the numerous aunts that flanked her not to ruin her makeup.
She felt like she was in a bubble when she arrived at the church. She had already been told by the public relations department at KH that the press would be there. Two media houses had approached her for interviews before the wedding, but she had been advised to decline them. But the public relations staff had prepared her to still expect media presence at the wedding.
She was nervous but kept a bright smile on her face as camera bulbs flashed all around her as she got out of the car. She clung a little tighter to her father's arm as it dawned on her afresh the kind of man she was getting married to.
As she walked down the aisle on her father's arm, she looked ahead of her and saw Akeem standing at the front of the church with his best man, Javier. He looked handsome and debonair in his grey suit, silver waistcoat and cravat. At that moment, he turned and looked in her direction. His eyes were so full of admiration and tenderness that it felt like it was just the two of them in that auditorium. A calmness settled over her, and it felt like she was floating up to him.
After she had exchanged vows with Akeem and signed the marriage register, close family members and friends came forward to hug and congratulate them. They had just been kissed and hugged by Yemi's mother and as she left them, Yemi saw Akeem's mother by their side. Yemi smiled and turned towards her, expecting to be hugged and congratulated too, but as their eyes met, Yemi froze involuntarily at the coldness in Mrs. Kadiri's eyes. She held Yemi's eyes for a moment and then turned and hugged only Akeem.
∞∞∞
The next day, Akeem and Yemi left for their honeymoon in the Maldives. The days they spent in the Maldives were the loveliest that she had ever experienced in her life. Their villa was located up in the hills and had a view of the sea. She was so entranced by the view that she spent a good amount of time gazing out of the windows, to Akeem's amusement. They went snorkelling and exploring and, other times, just lazed on the sun-kissed beaches.
Three weeks after they returned from the Maldives, Yemi was excited when she got a mail by special delivery informing her that she had been offered a permanent position at Lavabre PLC. She had been invited for an interview towards the end of her youth service year but had decided not to tell Akeem about it. He was still not keen on her working so soon after their wedding, but she was sure he would come round if she was offered the job.
She was really happy about the offer and felt it would be so exciting to start a career in such a corporate setting. She decided to hold onto the news until Akeem came back in the evening.
"See what I've been missing." Akeem said as he kissed her when she opened the door for him later that day.
"I missed you too, honey." She savoured the feel of his strong arms around her and snuggled closer to him. "How was your day?"
"Good, but I find myself looking forward so much to the end of the day now."
"Same here, honey." Yemi smiled. She was still getting used to the fact that this ruggedly handsome man was now her husband. "I made you something really scrumptious for dinner. Why don't you freshen up while I set the table?"
He gave her another quick kiss before releasing her. "Great. I'm famished. I'll be downstairs shortly."
When Akeem came back downstairs, they ate, discussed their day, and retreated to the sitting room where Akeem flicked on the TV. He selected a channel and put his arm around her as he settled more comfortably on the sofa.
"I've got some very good news," Yemi said, leaning towards the stool where she had dropped the large envelope from Lavabre.
Akeem raised his eyebrow quizzically as he took the letter from her. He scanned through it. "I didn't know that you had interviewed for a permanent job."
"I wanted it to be a surprise," Yemi said excitedly.
"That means that you really made a good impression on them. Well done." He placed the letter back on the stool.
Yemi studied his face. "You don't sound excited. Don't you want me to take the job?"
He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "Have I said so?"
"Tell me what's really going through your mind." Akeem reclined back on the sofa but still said nothing. She touched his arm. "Come on, honey, talk to me. What's going on in your mind?"
He sighed. "I'm not against you getting a job, but we've only just gotten married, and I wanted you to get used to all that without the added stress of a new job."
Yemi's eyes widened slightly. "But I can take that in my stride. Other women do!"
His voice was quiet. "My schedule is not really like a lot of other men's, plus I travel quite a bit. If you get tied up in a regular nine-to-five job, it's going to be a bit awkward synchronizing our time together."
"But it doesn't have to be that way," Yemi protested. "I'll definitely still get home before you do, and I would have had enough time to relax before you get home."
"Baby, whatever you decide is fine by me."
She looked into his eyes. "But you don't really want me to take the job, do you?"
Akeem did not answer her. Instead, he bent his head and kissed the tip of her nose. "I'm a guy who just got married. I'm very much in love with my wife, and I want to take care of her in every way possible." He punctuated each statement with a kiss on her face and neck. "Moreover, I don't want to have to share her just yet." He touched his lips to hers again. "Well, maybe I can share, but not with an organization," he murmured against her lips.
"Who do you want to share me with?"
He kissed her again. "My son."
She smiled. "Or daughter."
He bent his head and nuzzled her neck with his lips, sending delicious tingles all over her body. "Yeah, but my son first. I've got a lot of training to do on that little guy, and the earlier we start the better." He ran his finger down her cheek. "And then, we will have our cute little princess afterwards, someone for me to love and cuddle, someone who looks exactly like her beautiful mum."
"But what am I going to be doing with myself all day while you are away at work?" The idea was even a little scary. "I've never not done anything in my life."
"Then maybe it's time for you to have a holiday on me. Moreover, it's my job to provide for you, so just relax and enjoy it, okay?"
"It's not just about the money," Yemi protested. "It's about the mental stimulation."
"What about this kind of stimulation?" His head dipped again, and he kissed her. "And this type…or this type?"
His kisses were making her feel like anything other than a serious discussion. "Honey, I'm serious!" Yemi said, pulling away. She looked at him reproachfully. "As I was saying, I need the mental stimulation, plus the fact that I would like to help out on the home front as well."
Akeem smiled. "That's sweet of you, but we don't really need your money. The help I need from you is to run this home and always look as gorgeous as possible." He planted a quick kiss on her lips before she could evade it. She smiled and shook her head at him. "But besides my being very possessive…"
"Oh, so you know?" she cut in with a mock frown.
"Of course I do. Which sane man wouldn't be, with a wife like you?"
Yemi giggled in spite of herself. This guy was good for her ego.
"So besides that, are you really sure you want to get into the corporate world? Very intelligent people like you sometimes feel stifled by such an environment."
"But I've got to use my degree. I'm an accountant!"
"You've not got to do anything. You need to think about what you really want to do and let me know, but for now…we're still on our honeymoon,"
&nb
sp; "Until when?" Yemi was amazed that she was even contemplating the thought of not working.
He looked slyly at her belly. "Until we've had a couple of kids. Then we'll take a break before having three more."
Her eyes widened. "No way! We're having just two kids! That's what we agreed on!"
He laughed at her expression. "That's what you told me, but okay, we'll settle for four. How about that, huh?"
"Just two kids!"
"Let's wait and see how that goes. I may be able to convince you otherwise."
"No deal!" She looked towards the letter again. "Akeem, this is such a wonderful opportunity…"
"Believe me, baby, there will be plenty of other opportunities. And if you get bored, you can always work at any of the branches of KH." He winked at her. "But of course, your contract will be specially drawn out by the CEO."
She made a face. "Yeah, right. I may as well stay home." She could just imagine the number of hours he would tell them to draw up for her. She would probably be told to start work daily at noon and close by three o'clock. That was the reason why she had declined working there during her youth service. "Akeem, let me think about this, okay?"
"That's fine." He drew her back into his arms. "Now enough of all this serious talk, it's not healthy during a honeymoon."
∞∞∞
Akeem did not bring up the topic of Yemi working again. She knew he was leaving the decision up to her, but she also knew what decision would please him. Yemi had noticed during the period when they were dating that most of Akeem's friends' wives did not work. Akeem was also right about his schedule being different from a regular one. He travelled quite a bit, and he also had important social engagements that he had to attend. She knew she would have to accompany him to many of these events, but she was sure she could still have juggled that responsibility with a job.
The bottom line, however, was that she wanted to please him. He had never given her any cause to be unhappy since she met him. If anything, he had surpassed all her expectations. She decided to turn down the job offer and focus on her home. She would revisit the job issue later on.
