by Osar Adeyemi
"I don't understand," Yemi stammered, not liking the direction in which the conversation was headed.
"Well then, let me explain it to you clearly," Mrs. Kadiri said. "You invaded my family and married my son against my wishes."
"I love Akeem…"
"Is that so? Then prove it."
"How?" Yemi was perplexed. She was beginning to wish that she had not come.
"Akeem going against my wishes, and those of his family, has caused a lot of awkwardness." Her eyes flicked over Yemi coldly. "You know it yourself that you do not really fit in, and because you are not comfortable in our gatherings, my son hardly comes for family functions anymore." The annoyance in her voice was barely contained. "We are a close-knit family, and I know my son can't be happy being at loggerheads with me and other family members, so if you really love him as you say, then do something about the situation."
"I don't understand," Yemi stammered. Aleena seemed to sense that something was wrong and moved closer to her. Yemi picked her up and held her close.
"Leave Akeem." Mrs. Kadiri's cold voice sliced the tense air and reverberated around in Yemi's head.
"Leave my husband?"
"You said you wanted to show me that you are sorry, didn't you?" Mrs. Kadiri sneered. "I'm telling you the best way to show it. Leave Akeem, and I will know that you are indeed sorry."
"You want me to leave my husband? My home?" Yemi was almost in tears. "I can't do that."
"Then you are not sorry." She leaned slightly forward, her cold eyes boring through Yemi. "You are not the wife I want for my son. You can leave honorably now, and I will make sure that Akeem takes care of you financially and I will do the same too. I remember you told me you were interested in doing your master's degree programme in England. That is not a problem. I can finance your studies, buy you a property, and help you to get settled down over there…"
Yemi had heard enough. She rose up from her seat. "I love my husband, and I can't leave him," she said shakily, trying to wipe the tears running down her face.
Akeem's mother just looked at her coldly. "That's fine, then, but know that this marriage or whatever you call it will not last, and I will be there when it breaks up."
∞∞∞
Mrs. Kadiri's words continued to echo in Yemi's head as she drove home. She made no effort to stop the tears running down her face. She did not think that she would ever be able to forget the venom in her mother-in-law's eyes as she spat out those callous words.
She was glad that Akeem was away on a business trip because his absence would give her a few days to calm down. She knew telling him what had transpired between her and his mother would only cause more problems. Akeem was bound to get very angry and would certainly confront his mother about it.
"I understand you not wanting to tell Akeem," Abby told her when she confided in her a few days later. "But, girl, that's quite a load for you to be carrying alone."
"It is," Yemi admitted. "Sometimes I get so scared of what she and Leila are up to, and I frankly don't know what to do."
"Don't let anyone make you out to be a victim. You are legally married to your husband."
She prayed with Yemi, and Yemi felt a gentle peace enveloping her. That was the strange thing that happened whenever Abby or Teju prayed with her. She didn't get that same feeling when she prayed by herself; most times, it felt as if her prayers were banging against the ceiling.
Akeem was very busy at work in the following weeks. The euphoria of Ka-Tell winning the telecoms bid had worn off for Yemi, and the reality of the enormity of the task and it's impact on her home had begun to sink in. Akeem had meetings that lasted late into the evenings, and he travelled quite often. She could only hope that the company would stabilize quickly so that she could have her husband back. Akeem being away so often gave her too much time to brood over her mother-in-law's evil plans, and she was getting worried about not having conceived again after trying for several months.
Hasan's younger sister, Shona, unwittingly gave her an idea on how she could occupy her time. She asked Yemi to design a dress for her. Yemi did, but she was not completely satisfied with the end product even though Shona gushed endlessly about it.
She decided to enroll at a fashion institute. There were several of them in Lagos, but the one that appealed to her the most was House of Tetra. It was owned by Sharon Braithwaite, one of the top fashion designers in the country. Sharon Braithwaite had won several awards, both locally and internationally, and was regarded as a legend in the fashion design world.
Yemi made enquiries and opted for a specialized package that allowed her flexible hours. Akeem was busy, and someone had to be there for Aleena.
∞∞∞
"Nice haircut," Abby said admiringly, looking at Yemi's short bangs during their lunch date.
"Thanks. Akeem doesn't like it, though. He prefers my hair long."
Abby eyed her teasingly. "So of course that means it's going to be changed as soon as possible."
"I've got to please my man." Yemi grinned. "Nothing wrong with that, is there?"
"No, not at all. I wish I could borrow a leaf from you and become more compliant about Richard's likes." she said with a twinkle in her eye. "But I'll get there someday." Abby paused as a waiter brought their lunch. "Just in time, I'm absolutely starving," she said, digging into her food as soon as the waiter left.
Yemi smiled as she looked at her friend's five-month-old bump. "Enjoy. I can hardly wait for Aleena to have another sibling."
Abby rolled her eyes. "Relax, Aleena is just two and a bit for goodness' sake. I deliberately put off trying for a second child until Nathan turned four."
"Yeah, but that was your preference. I started trying even before Aleena turned one." Yemi took a small bite of her chicken roll. She hadn't had breakfast but didn't know why she wasn't feeling hungry. "I'd prefer to have another baby now so that I can get on with my life once he—" she rolled her eyes. "hopefully it's a 'he' this time…turns one. I want to get a job and get back into the corporate world."
"What about your master's degree?"
Yemi wrinkled her nose. "Maybe I'll start that at some point, but right now, I have no zeal for that sort of thing." She told Abby about her plans to start a course at House of Tetra.
"It's a good idea, but just take it easy on yourself, though. Your husband is a very busy man, and I think you're doing a great job being there for Aleena. The rest will fall in place with time."
Yemi hoped so, and as she drove home later that afternoon, she chided herself for her gloomy thoughts. She had a lot to be thankful for. Apart from her mother-in-law, whom she had decided to ignore as much as she could, she had a good home, and Akeem was everything she had hoped for in a husband.
But later that evening, as she looked expectantly at the pregnancy kit in her hands, she could not help feeling low as she saw that the test was negative again. She stood looking at the test stick for a few minutes, willing the sign to change the other way by some miracle. She had been filled with such hope when her period had been delayed, but her hopes had been dashed yet again.
Yemi heard their bedroom door open and knew Akeem had come upstairs. She quickly wrapped the test stick in some tissue before tossing it in the bin. He was very dismissive about her concerns and she didn't want him to see her looking worried.
∞∞∞
Her training at House of Tetra took off on a rather rocky start. Yemi arrived early, but getting a parking space in the busy business district of Victoria Island proved difficult. She had driven around for some time and was glad when she finally saw a space right in front of the building. She parked her car, stepped out, and just when she was about to close the door, she saw a Lexus jeep pull up behind her. The driver came down and walked towards her.
"That space is reserved," he told Yemi gruffly.
Yemi glanced back at the space where she had parked. There was no sign saying that the spot was reserved. She looked back at the driver, who was waiting on
her to move her car. At that moment, the back door opened, and a woman got out of the backseat.
"Is there a problem, Alex?" she asked her driver while giving Yemi a cool look.
Yemi recognized her immediately. This was the esteemed Sharon Braithwaite. She looked every inch the fashion guru, from her perfectly coiffured hair to the elegant heels on her feet.
"I was just telling the lady that this space is reserved."
"There was no sign to say that the space is reserved, but I'll move my car," Yemi replied.
Sharon glanced at Yemi's two-month-old silver Mercedes Benz before looking her over again. Then, without another word, she got back into her own car.
"No use arguing with the boss," Yemi said to herself as she drove around for another ten minutes before finally finding another spot.
Sharon Braithwaite showed no sign that she recognized Yemi as she took the small group of people in Yemi's class about an hour later. There were about eight people in that class, which was not surprising, considering the package's steep price. They had to introduce themselves as part of the icebreaking session. Four of her class members already had their own fashion outfits. Three others said they had plans to open one soon. She was the only one who seemed to have just enrolled out of interest.
Sharon Braithwaite's eyes flicked over her expressionlessly when she introduced herself, but she made no comment. From the very beginning, she seemed to have an attitude towards Yemi. It was as if she considered her to be some bored rich man's wife who had come in to while away her time. Yemi chose to ignore all of that. Instead, she tried to learn as much as she could. She loved Sharon's work and, even when she was free, would go around just looking at the designs being made by the tailors in the basement of the office.
Sharon was very sparing in her praises and, most times, would only comment on the things she wanted corrected. In fact, there were times when Yemi actually felt as though she was learning everything anew. She wondered what people had liked about her work in the past. It all seemed like she had been play-acting.
So, about a month later, she could not help the expression of pleasure that flashed across her face when Sharon commended a particular outfit she had made. "This is good," Sharon said matter-of-factly before moving on to look at the next person's work.
"Thank you," Yemi said, doing a little dance inside and imagining Akeem's face when she told him in the evening. Praise from Sharon was like finding water in a desert.
A couple of weeks later, she was sketching some ideas on her pad during her lunch break when Sharon came into the staff room. Yemi looked up and smiled politely.
Sharon made herself a cup of tea and walked over to where Yemi was sitting. "So, how are you finding House of Tetra?" she asked Yemi.
"It's been awesome," Yemi said honestly. "Not a minute wasted."
"And you plan to use the experience for…" She raised her brows slightly. "For yourself and some friends, you said?"
"Well, this has always been like a hobby for me. I'm actually an accountant, and I plan to work with my degree once my daughter gets a little older."
Sharon looked at her for a moment, and Yemi got the distinct impression that she was not impressed. "I studied law at the university, and I also have an MBA," she told her in that matter-of-fact way that Yemi had gotten used to. She looked towards Yemi's sketchpad. "Let me see those designs you're sketching."
Yemi pushed the sketchpad towards Sharon, feeling a little self-conscious. Sharon began to flip through the pages. Her face remained expressionless, and Yemi could not tell if she liked the designs or not. When she was done, she pushed the pad back to Yemi and stood up.
"Thanks for letting me see those." She said as she moved off.
Yemi stared after her a little forlornly. She wondered if the designs were so bad that Sharon did not think they were even worthy of a comment. She flicked through the pages and cringed at some of them. Yes, she had gone overboard on some, but there were others she thought were not so bad.
But what was she thinking of? This was Sharon Braithwaite, the woman who dressed some of the most famous women in the country and had done countless fashion shows. It would take a lot for her to be impressed. Good thing she was only taking this as a hobby, Yemi comforted herself. She would just go on and learn all she could before her programme ended.
Nevertheless, she could not help feeling disappointed at the end of the training when she heard that Sharon had offered two of her course mates contracts with House of Tetra and had personal discussions with most of the others. Sharon had not bothered speaking with Yemi at all, and she wondered why. It certainly didn't do anything for her confidence.
∞∞∞
"I was wondering where you were when you did not come back downstairs," Akeem said when he came into the bathroom where Yemi lay soaking herself in the bath.
"Sorry, I thought I'd take a bath after putting away the clothes." Yemi smiled up at him.
"No worries, I'll be in the bedroom."
After he left, Yemi lay back, allowing the water to run over her. It was so soothing, and she felt like staying there for as long as possible. A while later, she reluctantly climbed out of the bath, wrapped herself in a towel, and padded over to the bedroom.
Akeem was sitting up in bed with the television on, but he did not seem to be watching it. He looked up when she came into the bedroom. "Feel better?" he asked her.
"Yeah." She sat down at the dressing table and began to apply some moisturizer to her face. "I think I'll just have an early night. Aleena was such a handful today."
"Growing up quickly, isn't she?"
"And so full of energy too. It's hard work just trying to keep up with her."
Akeem smiled absently at what she said. His mind seemed to be far away. That was how he generally was these days—preoccupied and distracted. She wished he would leave his work outside the walls of their home.
"Are you okay?" She asked him.
"I'm fine. I just have a few things that I need to sort out."
"Some things like what?" Yemi asked. Akeem wasn't one to volunteer information easily on things that troubled him, and even when he did, he skirted around the issues and tried to make light of them.
"Just some little things here and there,"
She sighed. "Talk to me, Akeem. What little things?" She sat down beside him on the bed.
He rubbed his forehead with his fingers. "It's Sonakson," he said, referring to the vendor that Ka-Tell was using in the implementation of its services. "They're being very funny all of a sudden. They're not coming out to say what they really want, just kind of dragging their feet about signing the contract."
By the time she got more of the details out of him, she knew it was not as light as Akeem had initially wanted her to believe. If things were not straightened out soon with Sonakson, it would result in delays, and she knew they had a deadline from the government. In fact, it could possibly lead to Ka-Tell losing the license.
"Just try to find out what they want," she said to him, wishing there was something she could do to help him. "But I'm sure everything will work out fine."
"Oh, I know it will." There was a resolute look on Akeem's face. "Ka-Tell is going to be successful, no matter the odds against it."
Yemi looked at her husband. She often wished she was as confident as he was. Even in the face of difficulty, nothing seemed to faze him. He might brood over it, but he always had this deep conviction that everything would work out the way that he wanted it to. And as far as Yemi knew, it always did. Maybe there was some truth to his beliefs after all—belief in one's self and abilities.
Chapter 11
Akeem was not in a good mood as he strode into the bar at the La Reaz Hotel in Abuja. He had been staying at the hotel for the past three days while he met with the officials of Sonakson. He gave a cursory glance around the bar. There was no one he recognized; at least that was something. He was not in the mood for company.
He took a seat at a table, and almos
t immediately, a waiter approached him. A few minutes later, the waiter returned with his drink. He took a sip of the double martini and felt the fiery liquid hit his stomach. Good, he needed that.
His mind drifted over to the meeting he had just had with Sonakson. It was the last of several meetings they had held over the past few weeks, and they had finally told him that they were backing out of the deal. Sonakson had cited a number of reasons why they did not want to continue with Ka-Tell, but what they had failed to say was that they felt the terrain was not very well known to them and that they considered Nigeria to be a high-risk place to invest their resources.
Akeem did not blame them for having concerns, but he had tried to allay their fears as best as he could. They already knew the history of the various businesses under the umbrella of KH, and he had volunteered more information than he had ever done with any other business venture KH had gone into. Sonakson was also aware that he had solid government connections and knew of his excellent track record. But that had not been enough to satisfy them, and they had formally pulled out.
Their backing out at this stage had hit him like a sucker punch. He had been so sure that their business sense would prevail over their prejudice. Nigeria had so much potential, and there were few countries where profit could be made so readily. But it seemed that Sonakson did not even trust the government and felt the whole privatization issue could be pulled at any time.
Akeem took another sip of his drink. The news would be all over the papers in the next couple of days. He could just imagine how some of his competitors would gloat over it. They would think he had bitten off more than he could chew this time. He smiled mirthlessly. They would be wrong, so very wrong. He was a fighter, and the grimmer the circumstances, the stronger his fighting spirit. KH had sunk too much money into Ka-Tell, and they had a deadline they needed to meet, otherwise the government was going to withdraw the telecoms license. That couldn't be allowed to happen.
As he took another sip of his drink, he looked towards the door. A woman had just walked in. He glanced casually at her and then looked again. At that moment, she looked in his direction, and their eyes met. It was Coral, Emeka's cousin. He sipped his drink again as he watched her approach him.
