by Osar Adeyemi
She remembered the row she'd had with Aleena two days earlier. Akeem had requested that she go with him for an impromptu holiday to America, and Yemi had declined. If he wanted to go on holidays with Aleena, then he needed to tell her in advance.
"It's Amanda's birthday. Plus, I'm taking you and Eniola to LegoLand during your half term too," she told Aleena. "Remember, we planned this some time ago?"
"But I want to go with Daddy and Auntie Lois," Aleena had insisted. "Daddy said that Auntie Lois is planning lots of fun outings…"
"Well, you can't go with them!" she had cut in abruptly. "That would have to be another time," she added in a gentler tone, feeling sorry that she had snapped at her.
Aleena had stared at her, her eyes filling with tears before she had run upstairs to her bedroom. Great, Yemi had thought to herself. What kind of a mother was she? Even her own daughter preferred another woman to her. Her already-bad mood dipped even further.
"Just a little more, and your face will touch the floor." Sesan's voice startled her from her thoughts.
"Huh?" She looked at him, a little nonplussed, unable to process what he had just said.
He smiled. "Your very long and gloomy face," he said as he pulled up a chair and sat beside her. "You look like the weight of the world is resting on your shoulders."
"Maybe it is," she muttered.
"Care to share? A problem shared is a problem half solved, remember?"
"Spoken like the wise sage that you are, but thanks, I'm okay." She was tired of constantly having issues to deal with and needing a shoulder to cry on. Her friends were not complaining, but she wanted to be problem free. She wanted to be the gay and laughing Yemi she had been before the advent of Akeem Kadiri into her life.
A text came in, and she glanced at it. It was Deji asking her if they could meet up later that evening. She texted him back and declined. She thought of Akeem again, a frown playing around her brows. That was how he had been all over her before he married her and yet, he had still treated her shabbily.
"It takes less effort to smile than to frown," Sesan said, still looking at her face.
"You are brimming with advice this afternoon, aren't you?" she asked sarcastically.
"I can't help being so wise," he quipped. "It just comes naturally to me."
She made a face at him. She heard her name and turned around to see Teju coming towards them.
"Hey, Yemi, can you hold Jed for me?" Teju said, handing her thirteen month-old son over to her. "I need to supervise the caterers."
"No worries," Yemi said, taking the child. She smiled, and he mirrored it. He looked so sweet, and she held him close, breathing in his fresh baby smell.
"Shez, give me a hand, will you?" Teju called out to him as she went into the house.
"See you in a bit, Yemi," Sesan said as he followed his sister.
Jed babbled some words as if he was answering his uncle, and Yemi smiled. His hand went for her earrings.
"You like my earrings?" Yemi asked him. "But you're a boy. I'd share with you if you were a girl like me."
She moved her head slightly away as he reached out to touch her earrings again. She rubbed her forehead on his, and he giggled. She looked at his laughing face, and it tugged at her heartstrings. He was Teju's third child. All her close friends had at least two children. Some had three. She had gotten married before all of them and here she was, almost divorced.
The reverend of the church where she had grown up was fond of saying that the race was not for the swift, and now she knew the reason why. She had always been ahead of most of her classmates academically and had married before all of them. Allowing herself to fall for an attractive player from an evil family had stalled her life, and she didn't know if she would ever recover from the scars.
∞∞∞
Aleena stood up from the footstool she had been sitting on while Yemi did her hair and looked into the mirror with delight.
"It's so pretty, Mummy," she said, touching the braids. "Can you do it all the time for me now?"
"We'll see how that goes, honey, but if I'm not busy, why not?" Yemi told her. "Now let's go have some lunch. Your dad's driver should be around soon."
Aleena told her about her sleepover at Eniola's the previous night while they ate. She'd had a wonderful time and was in a chatty mood about it. Chloe had also been at the sleepover. Yemi could just imagine the racket that the three of them would have gotten up to at Eniola's house.
"You know what, Mummy?" she said, looking at Yemi with a serious expression on her face. "Eniola, Chloe, and I have agreed to be sisters."
"Good for you," Yemi replied just as solemnly. Aleena looked happy that her mother had taken her statement seriously.
"But you know that they already have their sisters?" she continued, and Yemi nodded. "So I'm going to be their second sister and they will be my second and third sister." She paused. "But do you think I'll have my own first sister one day, Mummy?"
"Um…" Yemi murmured.
That seemed to satisfy Aleena, and since she still had more to tell Yemi, she continued her chatter.
Yemi's mind went to the last hormonal assay she'd had done a while back. Her FSH was still high, according to the specialist, but the results varied each month, and she had just stopped doing them. What was the point, anyway?
They finished their lunch, and Yemi got Aleena changed and ready for Akeem's driver. She had just finished packing Aleena's case when she heard the doorbell. She looked down at her blue chino shorts and cropped flowery top and tried to wipe off some whitish stains from the shorts. It didn't go off. She shrugged and let it be. It would just be Akeem's driver at the door anyway. It would only take a couple of minutes, and they would be on their way.
"Hello, Yemi," Akeem said when she opened the door. He smirked at her surprised expression. His eyes swept over her. "I thought I'd come pick Aleena up myself."
She stared at him suspiciously. He had never come to pick Aleena up by himself in the past. If anything, he always acted like he wanted to avoid coming to her house
"Aleena is all ready to go," she said shortly, looking over her shoulder into the sitting room. "Alee, your dad's here to pick you."
"Daddy!" Aleena squealed, coming towards the door. "You came yourself!"
Yemi stood aside reluctantly as Aleena launched herself at Akeem. He crouched to return her hug and lifted her up. She giggled up at him in excitement.
"How's my princess doing?" he asked as he lowered her back on the ground.
"All good! Been having so much fun!" She began to describe her sleepover to her dad, who followed her into the sitting room. Yemi saw him glance around the room quickly, as if expecting to see someone else. He caught her looking at him and smiled maddeningly at her. He had probably been expecting Deji to be there.
"I'm glad you've been having fun, Alee," he said, turning his attention back to Aleena.
"Daddy, you've never seen my room!" Aleena was blissfully unaware of the undercurrents of tension between her parents. "You have to see it. Mummy's done it up really pretty!"
"That would be nice." He looked towards Yemi again. "That is, if your mum doesn't mind."
She wished she could say no, but she had no reason not to allow him see his daughter's room. "That's okay," she said, shooting daggers at him with her eyes.
He looked amused at her obvious reluctance. "Thanks…nice place you have here," he said as he followed Aleena upstairs.
Yemi said nothing. She eyed his Levi's jeans and snugly fitted blue Hugo Boss polo shirt. So what if he looked good? What was the use of an attractive player to any woman?
She remained downstairs while they went upstairs. She was almost seething with annoyance. She felt like her personal space was being invaded.
"Daddy likes my room, Mummy!" Aleena said when they finally came back downstairs. "I wanted to show him yours too. I told him about your big teddy. Daddy said he would have to ask you first before going in, but I know you would not mind."
Akeem's eyes gleamed with mischief as they met hers. "I'd have loved to see the teddy. What's it's name? Or is it a he?"
Yemi ignored him. "Alee, I'm sure your dad will like to be on his way now, so let's not hold him up."
"Oh, but he said he is not in a hurry. Didn't you say so, Daddy?" Her father nodded. "Because I told him about the nice roast that we had for lunch and that we still have some leftover." Aleena was obviously still very excited to see her precious father in her "other home" as she called it. "Daddy hasn't eaten yet. He can have some, can't he, Mummy?"
Yemi frowned. She glanced at Akeem, expecting him to decline, but he seemed to be enjoying her discomfort. "I'm sure your dad has plans for dinner…"
"I don't have anything planned, and yes, it would be nice to stay to dinner," he replied smoothly.
She stared at him, and he looked back at her innocently. She inhaled deeply. She looked towards Aleena, who was now distracted by the cartoon on the TV.
Did the Bible not say something about doing good to nasty people, and that by so doing you heap coals of fire on their heads? A small, wicked smile touched her lips as she looked at him.
"All right then," she said, moving towards the kitchen. "Give me a few minutes."
She dished out some of the food on a plate and popped it into the microwave. She could just imagine the coals of fire landing on Akeem's head. That would help to wipe that annoying smirk off his face. As she turned to get some juice out of the fridge, she was startled to see him lounging by the kitchen door.
"Is there anything you wanted?" she asked him coldly.
He pretended to peer around the kitchen. "I didn't understand that look on your face a few minutes ago, so I was just checking to see that there are no poisonous substances lying around."
"As tempting as the thought may be, I still have to consider Aleena," she retorted, bringing the plate of food out of the microwave. She reached for a tray to place the plate on.
"Would you really like to poison me, Yemi?" he whispered softly in her ear. She jerked around. She didn't know when he had gotten so close. She glared at him.
"Leave my kitchen!" she said to him furiously, trying to keep her voice down.
"Will your boyfriend object to my being in here? You're still my wife."
"I can hardly wait to undo that mistake," she said, creating more distance between them.
His eyes hardened as he stared at her. "Well, it's a pity you'll never be able to wipe off the years we spent together."
"The memories get more blurred each day!"
"Maybe you need a reminder, then," he said in a dangerously calm voice as he took a step towards her.
She backed away from him, but he moved closer still. "Keep away from me!" she said shakily. Her eyes darted around, trying to see if she could move past him, but he was blocking her path.
His eyes narrowed as he looked at her. "Is that really fear I see you in your eyes, or something else?"
"It's disgust!" she said through gritted teeth.
"Really?" His eyes flickered over her face and lingered on her lips. "Shall we test that out, my lovely wife?" He moved closer still.
"Don't you dare touch me, you filthy player!" she hissed.
He stopped and stared at her. A nerve clenched in his jaw, and she knew she had made him angry. "I've got no interest in doing so," he said to her tersely "You hold no appeal whatsoever to me anymore." He turned on his heel. "Don't bother about the food, I've lost my appetite."
She was still fuming after they left. How dare he attempt to touch her with the same hands that he had used to touch Lois, or whatever her name was. She felt his coming to her house had something to do with the divorce. His lawyer had probably advised him to start gathering evidence to prove what a caring dad he was. Maybe he even had some recording device somewhere, capturing every moment of him coming to pick Aleena up. Well, he was not going to succeed. It didn't matter how rich or connected he was, he was going to have to kill her before she would allow him to take her daughter from her.
Chapter 21
It was about midday on a Saturday, and the sun was shining gloriously outside. Yemi hummed softly as she put finishing touches to the food she was cooking. She had woken up feeling refreshed and in a much more cheerful mood than she had been experiencing lately.
The doorbell rang. She wiped her hands on the kitchen towel and headed towards the front door. It had to be Deji. He had called earlier and said that he would pop by when he learnt that she was cooking. He absolutely loved her stir-fried rice.
"Hey!" Deji smiled when he came in.
"Hey," Yemi said, smiling back at him. She locked the door behind him. "Right on time. I just finished cooking."
"Great! I deliberately haven't eaten anything all morning." He put the bottles of wine he had brought with him on the table. Yemi thanked him.
"There's plenty to eat, and you can also take some home with you."
"Thanks, honey," Deji replied, giving her shoulder a squeeze as she went past him into the kitchen.
They set the table together. Like she had told Deji, there was lots to eat. Grilled fish and chicken, stir-fried rice, vegetable salad, and a nice dessert she had whipped up that morning.
"Very tasty as usual," Deji complimented her as they began eating. He took another forkful. "I don't mind having this every Saturday."
Yemi just laughed. After lunch, they washed up together and then moved into the sitting room.
"This is the life!" Deji sighed contentedly as he relaxed on the sofa. "Good food, great company. What more can a man ask for on a weekend?"
"What more indeed." Yemi smiled at the expression on his face. "I've got this DVD that Dotun lent to me," she said, getting up. "Let me get it."
She slotted it in the DVD player, and soon they were engrossed in the movie—or so she thought, until she looked towards Deji and saw that he was looking at her and not the movie.
"You don't like the movie?"
"I got distracted, but I think I prefer this view." He smiled as she averted her face. "You're so beautiful, Yemi. I could look at you every day for the rest of my life and not get tired."
"C'mon, Deji, let's watch this movie, it's really very interesting."
"Yemi," Deji replied, taking her hand in his and refusing to let go of it. "Look at me."
She looked up for a second, saw the tenderness smouldering in his eyes, and looked away. She sighed inwardly. Why did he want to spoil a perfectly good day? "I'm listening to you," she replied.
"Yemi, I love you. You know that, don't you?"
She kept looking down at the carpet as Abby's words came back to her.
"I've known you for over eight months now, and I love you more each day," Deji said earnestly. "But it's pure torture being close to you and yet not being able to say confidently that you are mine."
Yemi didn't know what to say. She tried to pull her hand away from Deji's grip, but he would not let go. "Deji, I'm not ready for what you are asking for. I'm still married, remember?"
"But can you not give me some assurance that you will be mine someday?" he pleaded.
"I'm not ready for that, Deji. I still have too much to deal with."
"Then let's deal with it together, I know that you've been hurt and that you're scared that it could happen again, but I'm not like that."
"People who are hurting often hurt other people," Yemi replied, finally managing to disentangle her hand from his. She stood up. "I don't want to hurt you. You had a perfect marriage. I had some bad experiences. I wish I could say that I've risen above them, but I know I'm still trying to get back to being the woman that I used to be."
"But I'm not complaining…"
She smiled wryly. "You don't complain, but I know I hurt you at times with my mood swings." She looked at his face. "How long do you think you can continue to deal with that?"
"Yemi, listen to me," Deji said. He came over to where she was standing and put his hands on her shoulders. "I know it's
going to be a process to get you to trust me, and as much as I'd love to marry you tomorrow, I know it's not possible, and I'm prepared to wait. But I just need some assurance from you that you will be mine someday."
"Deji, don't…" Yemi replied, detaching herself from his hold and hating herself when she saw the pain in his eyes. "You're a good man, but not for me. Not now anyway. You deserve more."
"Honey, let me be the judge of that." He tried to take her hand again, but she didn't let him. "Please, Yemi, give us a chance."
"I can't." All the cheeriness she had been feeling earlier had fizzled out. "I knew this was going to happen. That is why I tried so hard not to get involved with you." She turned towards him. "This has got to stop."
"What do you mean?"
"We have to stop seeing each other. There's just no point to it." She turned away as he tried to stand in her way.
"Yemi, please don't do this," he pleaded. "Don't just give up on us like that." He continued trying to talk her out of her decision but her mind was made up.
"I'm sorry but it feels like I'm just stringing you along and I don't think that's fair on you." She looked at him. "I'm really sorry," she apologised again before turning back to the window and staring with unseeing eyes at the lawn outside.
He stood without moving for a few minutes. She refused to turn around. Her back remained turned to him until she heard him leave. She felt tears coming to her eyes and didn't bother trying to stop them. She knew she had hurt him, and she felt sorry about it, but she was also crying for herself.
Akeem had moved on. He was in a steady relationship and, by all appearances, was having the time of his life. But here she was, sending away a decent guy who loved her so much. Was she going to spend the rest of her life alone? Lonely but too scared to trust again?
She felt confused as tears continued to run down her face. Maybe she should have kept Deji around and hoped her feelings would develop with time. But that wouldn't be fair to him. Even the cheating Akeem had complained about her coldness and lack of emotional responsiveness to him after she lost the baby.
