After the storm

by Osar Adeyemi

  "Believe me, you're not missing out on anything. I have to catch the 6:40 a.m. train to London every morning, winter or summer, and sometimes I can't help bemoaning my fate."

  "Why don't you move closer to London, then? That way you won't be that far away from your office, and you can sleep in a little longer in the mornings."

  "Those London apartments cost an arm and a leg! I can't afford that on top of saving up for a mortgage, but I'm hoping to get rescued very soon!" Her expression became dreamy. "Maybe I'll meet a loaded guy while I'm over here, and my life will be transformed."

  Yemi just shook her head at her.

  They got to her car, and Yemi settled the sleeping Aleena in her car seat before getting behind the wheel.

  "Maybe you should give Tobi some serious thought." She said to Tola as she backed her car out of the parking lot. Tola had told her about the guy, and she knew he had been on Tola's trail for quite some time now. In spite of Tola's denial, Yemi actually felt that Tola had finally fallen genuinely in love for the first time in her life. "He sounds like a really nice guy." He had sent a present through Tola to Aleena and Yemi had been impressed by his thoughtfulness.

  "No way! I want someone edgy and hot looking, and he needs to have buckets of money too."

  Yemi pulled out of the car park. "What about qualities like integrity, strength, honesty, and commitment? What's inside a person is their true self, and that's what matters most."

  "Maybe, but I have to appreciate the outside before I can see the inside bit."

  Yemi shook her head again. "Crazy girl!"

  ∞∞∞

  A few days later, Yemi decided to make use of the opportunity of having Tola around to see Akeem at the office and take him out to lunch. She was still not very comfortable leaving Aleena alone with her new live-in au pair, Kufre, but she felt better knowing Tola was around.

  When she arrived at Akeem's office, she was told by his personal assistant that he was in a meeting in the conference room.

  "Thanks, Linda. I'll just wait for him," she said and headed into his office.

  She opened the door and stopped briefly in her tracks. Mrs. Kadiri and Leila were seated in there. Yemi felt all the usual stress reactions that her mother-in-law's presence evoked. Her first instinct was to turn around and leave, but she forced herself to stay calm. This was her husband's office. She had every right to be here.

  "Good afternoon, Ma," she said, greeting Mrs. Kadiri and walking farther into the room.

  "Hello, Yemi," her mother-in-law answered coolly. Yemi and Leila nodded at each other.

  "Where's Aleena?" Mrs. Kadiri asked.

  "She's with my cousin. She's here on holidays from England."

  Mrs. Kadiri pursed her lips but did not say anything else.

  Yemi sat down on one of the settees and sent a text to Akeem. There was no use trying to make small talk. Mrs. Kadiri would only find a way to embarrass her, and she was not going to let that happen in the presence of Leila. She opened her Kindle and glued her eyes to it as Mrs. Kadiri and Leila continued their conversation in Hausa.

  But Yemi found it difficult to concentrate on the book. She did not understand what her mother-in-law was up to, but it appeared as if she had not given up on getting Leila hooked up with Akeem. There was what looked like a food basket sitting beside them, and she wondered if they were now bringing Akeem lunch at work. The thought did not sit well with her at all.

  A few minutes later, the door opened and Akeem walked in. He must have known that his mum and Leila were there because he didn't show any sign of surprise. He greeted them before bending down to give Yemi a peck on the cheek.

  "Good to see you, baby." His eyes flicked over her beige pantsuit. "You look great," he added softly.

  She smiled at him. "Thanks, I thought I'd surprise you."

  "Pleasantly surprised too. Where's my girl?"

  "At home with Tola."

  "All right."

  He went over to his mum, and they spoke for a few minutes. And then, just as Yemi had thought, his mum handed him the food basket before she and Leila stood up to leave. On their way out, Mrs. Kadiri acknowledged Yemi's greeting stiffly. Leila just walked by with a cool nod towards her.

  "So how has your day been?" Akeem asked, sitting down beside her after they had left.

  "It was okay." Her good mood was almost spoiled. "Can we go now?" she asked him a little tersely.

  "Yes, but wait a minute, my mum brought some food," Akeem said, pointing to the basket. "Why don't we stay in and just have that for lunch?"

  Yemi stared at him. Was he serious? She'd rather drink cyanide. "I don't want to eat that, and I don't want you eating it either."

  He arched his eyebrows in surprise. "Why not?"

  "I just don't want you eating it."

  "Oh come on, Yemi, don't get paranoid. My mum would rather die than harm me physically."

  But she wouldn't mind breaking up your home so that she could install her goddaughter. "I'm just not comfortable with you eating anything that Leila brings you."

  "I'm very sure my mum made the food, but it is fine if you want to eat out. So, where are you taking us for lunch?"

  "Pinto's," she said, referring to a restaurant not too far from his office.

  "Cool. Let me just tidy up some things, and we'll be on our way."

  Chapter 9

  "Here you are," Sara said, handing Yemi one of the plates she had in her hands. Yemi's eyes widened as she eyed the plate laden with skewered spicy beef, barbecued chicken, corn on the cob, and a burger.

  "Thanks. I'm surely going to be waddling by the time I eat all of that."

  "Skip breakfast tomorrow," Sara said lightly as she took a bite of her burger. "I'm just going to forget about counting calories today. Being outdoors always has a way of bringing out my appetite."

  Yemi grinned. She knew all about Sara's constant battle with her weight. She liked her food but wanted to remain stick thin. She constantly pored over fashion magazines and would groan whenever she saw the skinny models. Yemi found her very entertaining.

  Yemi looked towards the pool as she munched on her food. The water looked so inviting, and she wished she could have a dip. A few minutes later, she saw Fayona coming towards them. They were all at her house. She and Hasan had invited them for a barbecue.

  "Hey, ladies, I brought you some salad," Fayona said as she got to their table. She placed the plates of vegetable salad on the table and sat down. "I hope you're enjoying yourself?"

  "Very much so," Sara said between mouthfuls. "Your complexion is looking really nice, Fay. What are you using?"

  "Thanks. I'm still using my old stuff, but there's this moisturizer that Shona told me about," she said, referring to Hasan's younger sister. "I've been using it for a couple of months now."

  "Talking of Shona," Yemi said, "she really did say that she would be here today, or did she change her mind?"

  "She's still going to come," Fayona confirmed. "She told me that she would be a little late."

  "So tell me about this wonder moisturizer," Sara continued. "I've been using mine for some time, and quite frankly I'm not sure it's doing anything for my skin."

  Fayona began to describe the moisturizer, and the talk turned to the merits and demerits of beauty products. Yemi temporarily tuned out of their discussion as her eyes moved over the manicured lawns of the garden. She looked over to where Kufre was playing with Aleena on a picnic mat a few yards away. It was amazing how much she had grown. She was just eleven months old but was already showing signs that she was going to be a tall girl, which was not surprising, considering how tall her dad was.

  Kufre picked Aleena up and came over to Yemi. Aleena needed a change of diaper. Yemi blew Aleena a kiss as Kufre took her into Fayona's house to change her.

  A few minutes later, Yemi saw Jayden and Akeem coming towards them. Jayden looked excited as he talked animatedly with Akeem.

  "Hey, Mum! Uncle Akeem and I beat Daddy and Karim!" Jayden sa
id referring to Sara's son. "I scored twice, and even Uncle Akeem told me they were brilliant goals," he boasted.

  "Yeah, they definitely were," Akeem confirmed, winking at Fayona. "Get ready, you have a budding footballer in the making!"

  "That's lots of money, isn't it? He just has to convince his dad, that's all," Fayona said.

  Akeem came over to Yemi. "Are you okay?" he asked, taking off his sunglasses and perching them on top of his head.

  Yemi smiled as she looked up at him. He looked rugged in his polo shirt and knee-length fatigues. His schedule had been crazy lately, and she was happy to see him looking so relaxed. "I'm good, having a swell time."

  "Where's my girl?" he asked, looking around for Aleena.

  "Kufre just took her into the house to change her diaper."

  "Tell her to bring her over to me when they get back. I'm missing my little 'Miss.'"

  Yemi pouted. "What about me? Not that I'm jealous or anything like that."

  Akeem's lips twitched. "Of course not." He pretended to examine her eyes. "But I love the colour of your eyes though, such a lovely shade of green."

  Yemi giggled. "It must be the sunshine getting in your vision."

  Jayden tugged at Akeem's hand. "Uncle Akeem, let's go get some barbecue, and then we need to strategize…" He looked around to be sure that the women heard the new word he had just used. When he saw them smiling, he beamed with pride. "We need to strategize on how we can win the next game."

  "Okay, buddy." Akeem touched Yemi on the cheek and then chatted a little with Sara and Fayona before leaving again with Jayden.

  Fayona smiled as she looked at them. "Jayden loves your husband. He hangs on his every word."

  "Akeem has a way with kids," Sara agreed. "I think it's the way he relates with them without making them feel they are too young or that they are talking nonsense." She grimaced. "Even when they obviously are."

  Yemi smiled, her eyes still on Akeem and Jayden as they walked towards the barbecue stand. She agreed with them. Akeem was a good father. He adored his daughter and showed it in every way he could. And despite his busy schedule, he still found a way to make time for Aleena.

  She absently stroked her belly as she looked at them. Maybe it was time to start thinking about giving him that little boy he wanted.

  ∞∞∞

  Yemi parked her car in front of her parents' house. She undid Aleena's car seat and carried her in her arms to the front door.

  "Hello, darling!" her mother said warmly as she hugged her before taking Aleena from her. "And how is my precious little girl?"

  "Growing bigger every day. I'm finding her quite heavy to carry now."

  "I can see that." Yemi's mother smiled, looking at Aleena with pride. She cooed at the little girl, who giggled happily.

  Yemi and her mother chatted for a while, and then Yemi dashed off to do some shopping. There was a fresh fish market close by, and their prices were a lot better than on the island where she lived. Akeem found her insistence on price comparisons amusing, but she just ignored him. She spent the next two hours going around the nooks and crannies of the open market. It was where her mother had shopped since she was a child, so she was very familiar with it.

  "I hope you were able to get what you wanted," her mother said when she got back to her parents' house.

  "I did," she said as she moved towards the kitchen, her mother walking closely behind her. "I bought some fresh fish for you too," she said, plopping two bags of fish on the sink and starting to rinse them. "I got them scaled and filleted as well."

  "Oh, thanks, dear. Your dad will be very happy. You know how much he likes salmon."

  Yemi smiled. "That's why I got extra. I hope Aleena didn't give you too much trouble?"

  "She was as good as gold. She's been sleeping for about twenty minutes now. I don't see her enough as it is, so it's good to have her here for a proper visit today."

  "Maybe one day I will drop her off for the weekend." Yemi put the last of the fish into the freezer and washed her hands.

  "Thanks, dear," her mother said as they went back into the sitting room. "By the way, I saw your mother-in-law on TV the other day. She was at some summit, along with the wife of the governor. Something to do with a new non-governmental organisation the First Lady is promoting."

  "Oh, that." Yemi couldn't suppress the irritated frown that came across her face. She had seen it too. Zara and Leila had accompanied her to the event, and Zara had later let it slip that Akeem's mum had asked her to fly in from Abuja just for that purpose. Yemi had tried not to let it show to Zara that it bothered her that she, who lived in Lagos, had not been invited.

  "You never sound excited when you speak about her." Her mother said matter-of-factly, but her eyes were trained on Yemi.

  Because there is nothing exciting about her. "She's okay. I mean, she's Akeem's mum…" She shrugged. She did not know what else to say, and her voice trailed off.

  A frown played around her mother's brows. "How is your relationship with her?"

  "It's okay…" Yemi began to say but stopped when she saw the look in her mother's eyes. It was not the first time that her mother had asked her questions like that, and she'd always found a way to deflect them. But she was suddenly tired of evading the questions. "I don't really know, Mum," she sighed.

  "I don't get you."

  "Nothing's going on per se, but I know she doesn't like me."

  Her mother was quiet for a long moment. "I have been suspecting something was not quite right, especially during the period that I was with you after Aleena's birth and she hardly came to visit." A worried frown furrowed her brows. "Since when has this been going on?"

  Yemi sketchily told her mother about Mrs. Kadiri and then about Leila, trying not to give away too many details, but her mother still looked disturbed even with the little that Yemi told her.

  "And you did not think to tell me this before you got married?"

  "I didn't want to get you worried."

  "No, dear, that's not the reason," her mother said, shaking her head. "You did not want anyone telling you what you didn't want to hear. You listened to Akeem because you wanted to believe what he was saying."

  Yemi didn't bother trying to deny it. "I'm sorry, Mum," she said quietly.

  "I'm not condemning you. I know how it is to be young and in love. But Akeem wasn't entirely right in saying that you should forget about his mum. Especially not when you live in such close proximity." She looked pensively at Yemi. "What about your sister-in-law, Nadia? How's her attitude?"

  "Pretty much the same." Yemi grimaced. "I'm glad that she is married now and away from the house." She exhaled deeply, feeling very weary of all the trouble. "What am I going to do, Mum?"

  "Domineering women like your mother-in-law don't like being thwarted. You will have to go out of your way to befriend her."

  "Mum, I have tried…" Yemi said almost desperately. She told her mother some of the things she had done to break the ice and how Mrs. Kadiri had snubbed her every single time.

  "You are still going to have to try some more, dear," her mother replied gently. "And pray also. She is a mother, and hopefully she will come round with time."

  ∞∞∞

  Akeem dismissed his driver early and gave him some money. The guy was profuse in his thanks and looked pleased to have been given an unexpected half day off as well as some extra cash.

  He took over the wheels of the Range Rover Sport. He liked driving anyway. It was his crazy schedule that made it necessary for him to have a driver, and he had hardly had time to drive this beauty since it was custom built for him three months earlier. He revved it up a little and enjoyed the feel of the powerful engine beneath his feet.

  The road was surprisingly busy when he got on the motorway, which was odd for a Saturday evening. The traffic was practically crawling. So much for him driving his car today, he thought to himself ruefully. He was about one hundred yards from a set of traffic lights, but the lights had changed tw
ice from red to green and back again without making much difference in the flow of traffic. It was a good thing that he was not in a hurry anyway. He and Fadel had planned to meet at their club, and he was actually a bit early.

  He remembered the happy expression on his driver's face. At least he had done some good there. He sometimes had to take some ruthless decisions as a businessman, but he also tried to do some good whenever he could also. It was a principle he had learnt from his father.

  "Always try to help people whenever you can," his father had often said. "I don't know how it works, but fortune always seems to smile on a generous man."

  Fortune was definitely smiling on him right now. Ka-Tell, the newly established telecommunications arm of KH, had been awarded the telecoms license after a very stiff bid. The news was all over the papers and on the television channels, and the whole of KH was receiving very positive media attention.

  The cost of the license alone had been astronomical, and many initial "would be" bidders had balked at it and withdrawn for the bigger players to battle it out. Akeem wished his father was around to witness it. He was going to give the project his all to make it a success, as a tribute to the man who had encouraged him and believed so much in him. He looked forward to having a son with whom he could enjoy the same kind of friendship. A boy he would encourage to know that nothing was impossible so long as he believed in himself and in his abilities to make things happen. That principle had always and was still yielding positive results for him.

  He knew his wife still didn't agree with him totally. That was okay by him too; he was not out to force his views on anyone. But although he refrained from telling her so, he knew he was surer of his convictions than she was about hers. She said she believed in God, but could not convincingly talk about her faith and at times appeared outright uncertain. But he hated to upset her and steered the discussion away from areas that he could see she was floundering in.

  His mind went back to the license. It was going to be a huge project, and they had a deadline from the government on rolling out the new lines; otherwise, the license would be withdrawn. But he was confident that he would meet the deadline.