by Osar Adeyemi
They were led to the table he had reserved for them. A waiter handed them menus and withdrew discreetly after taking their orders for drinks.
"What are you having?" she asked him.
"I'm sure you can order for me." He smiled.
He was right. She knew what he liked. Akeem rarely ate naughty things like she did. He ate healthy, probably because of his mother's heart condition and growing up around her careful dietary needs.
He closed his menu. "Let's do it this way, order for both of us, and I will add anything else I feel you missed."
She looked through and picked out the starters, main course, and desserts for him, and then picked hers.
He laughed softly when she was done. "You still remember, and now let me add something you forgot…for yourself." He took the menu from her and picked a mousse au chocolat for her. "I know your sweet tooth, and that dessert you chose does not seem like you."
She giggled. "I'm trying to be good these days and not take my body for granted."
"You're beautiful just the way you are, but anyway I won't mind you adding on a dress size."
"No way!"
"But I don't see any sign of weight gain anywhere." He pretended to look her over, squinting his eyes as he peered at her.
She made a face at him. "I don't want to be fat before I start to watch it."
"Like I said, you are beautiful, and you will always be that way to me."
The look in his eyes was tender. Their eyes locked, and neither one of them seemed able to look away. The waiter coming back to take their orders broke the spell.
"How did it go with your customers yesterday?" he asked her when the waiter left with their orders.
She giggled. She had told him about some new diva-like clients and how she had been dealing with their antics. He laughed about the funny things she told him.
They talked about his work. Things were going very well with Ka-Tell. She knew about that anyway. The telecoms company always had rave reviews in the media. It was practically a household name; it had been well received by the public, which was happy to finally get a reliable network.
"So what new plans do you have now that Ka-Tell is running smoothly?" she asked him.
"New plans?" He raised his brows. "Don't you think I need to take a long break off from work?"
"I know you always have something cooking. So c'mon, tell me your new plan." She lowered her voice conspiratorially. "I promise not to steal your ideas."
"I don't trust you," he teased. "But you can come into partnership with me, and then I won't have to worry about that."
"Hmmm…that will be something. Tell me, what will it cost me?"
He lowered his voice too. "Nothing you can't afford." He paused and held her eyes with his. "Dinner and breakfast with me every day. An occasional massage thrown in, easy stuff like that. You should be able to handle it."
She pretended to consider it and then frowned. "And just for that, I become your business partner?"
He nodded. "And cosignatory to all my accounts and anything else you'd like added to it."
"Sounds too good to be true. We will need to sign contracts before I take you seriously."
He leaned forward slightly. "I'm ready to sign it tonight if you are game."
She looked at him suspiciously. "This businessman is in too much of a hurry. I will need my lawyer to look at the contract before I commit."
"C'mon, you don't need a lawyer," he urged. "Why are you scared? You only live once."
Yemi looked at him solemnly. "Not signing till I speak with my lawyer, but anyway, those specs of yours don't even sound professional. What are you looking for? Partner or mistress?"
"A live-in mistress."
She pretended to consider it. "All right…mistress it is then, but not live-in. That will spoil all the fun."
He shook his head, a wolfish gleam in his eyes. "Nah…this guy needs his mistress permanently under his roof."
They continued their banter, flirting with each other and laughing over silly jokes. It was like old times. They had never had a shortage of things to talk about. Somehow they talked and kept talking.
When he suggested that they take a walk along the pier at the back of the restaurant after their dinner, she was more than happy to go with him.
The night looked fairytale-like. The soft, blue light from the full moon bathed the pier, and they could see the bright city lights of the town across the river gleaming like little diamonds. A light breeze whispered along, rustling the leaves of the trees nearby and keeping the night from being too warm.
They strolled along the pier for a little while and then stood side by side by the railings and looked over the bridge.
Yemi was lost in the sights and sounds of the scenery before her. "This is so beautiful," she said in an awed voice after a while.
"Very beautiful," he replied quietly.
She glanced towards him; he was looking at her face and not at the water. He took her hand in his and just kept looking at her without saying anything.
"What?" she asked, feeling slightly self-conscious.
"Just thinking…" he said quietly. "Remembering us, and then these past two and half years. It's a bit hard taking it in that we are together again."
"I know."
She tried to turn back towards the water, but he drew her gently into his arms. She could feel his heart thudding against hers.
"I love you," he whispered as his head dipped towards her and he claimed her lips. Yemi wrapped her arms around his neck and returned his kiss. He drew back after a while but did not completely release her. "I love you so much. I tried hard not to, but could never stop loving you."
She didn't know whose heart was beating faster, hers or his. "I love you too."
His arms tightened around her again, and he kissed her some more. They held each other for a few minutes before she drew back slightly.
"It's getting late. Maybe we should start heading back?" she asked.
He was not in a hurry to release her and still held her close for a few more minutes. Finally he loosened his arms slightly and kissed her forehead gently.
"All right," he said, putting his arm around her as they began to walk back towards the car.
∞∞∞
Well, whose business was it if she had just spent the past two days with her husband? Yemi thought to herself smugly as she dressed up for work the following Monday. And whose business was it if she also admitted that she had thoroughly enjoyed being with him? He was her husband, after all. Big deal!
After their dinner that evening two nights earlier, they had been driving towards her house when Akeem had suddenly taken another turn and started heading back towards Lekki, where he lived.
"I thought you were taking me home," she said, when she realised where they were going.
"We're going home, Yemi," he had said, glancing sideways at her. "Our home."
She had not bothered to protest, because frankly, she had not wanted their time together to end either.
The next morning, rather than allow her to go back home, he had popped out to buy her a few things she needed. Again, that was all good with her.
Bassey had happened upon them the next day. He had returned from France two days earlier and was unaware of their reunion. He stopped midway into the sitting room, his mouth comically half-open as he stared at Yemi snuggled against Akeem on the sofa. Then a pleased expression had come over his face, and he proceeded to make one of the nicest meals Yemi had ever sampled for lunch.
Akeem wanted her to move back immediately, but Yemi found herself hesitating. She felt they still needed a little time to gradually get used to each other.
"Let's take things a little slowly, okay? No rush, is there?" she had said to him.
He had not looked too happy at her suggestion but had reluctantly agreed to give them some time to bond some more before she moved back.
∞∞∞
Yemi didn't know when it started. Maybe it was
when Akeem ran his fingers over her belly and told her that Aleena had asked him for a younger sibling.
"Maybe I should book us a trip to Portugal," he had said softly.
Maybe it was then, or maybe it was when they were out together at the beach and she saw a couple of ladies openly eyeballing Akeem.
How could you even think of going back to him? The malevolent voice whispered. He cheated on you before, and he will do it again.
"Akeem loves me," she had responded feebly.
He loved you then too, and yet he cheated on you, the voice whispered again. Don't be taken for a fool twice.
She wrestled within herself to get rid of the thoughts, but just as she managed to push them away, fresh fears arose within her as she thought about her hormonal imbalance report. She knew Akeem wanted more kids, especially a son with whom he could have the same kind of relationship he had had with his father. What if she could not conceive, or if it took a long time for her to conceive? Would he be able to deal with it? She knew there would be many women who would be more than happy to have babies for him. Akeem had yielded to pressure before, even though of a different type, and there was no guarantee he wouldn't do so again.
They were supposed to meet for dinner, but she called and cancelled. They talked over the phone, and she tried to keep her voice as light as possible so that he would not get a hint of what she was going through. She thought she had succeeded until he stopped abruptly and asked her what the matter was.
She sighed. She should have known it wouldn't work with him. "How do you mean?" she said, still trying to feign ignorance.
"What's up? You're not yourself. Is it your clients?" he asked and then added teasingly, "Because if they are the ones stressing you, tell them you're my wife and don't need that money they're paying you."
"And go back to being a kept woman, right?" she snapped before she could stop herself.
She knew her outburst took him by surprise because he was quiet for a long moment. "Something is wrong, Yemi," he finally said. "Tell me what it is."
"I'm okay. Just a little tired."
"All right then. I'll release you so you can go to bed early," he replied, in a quiet tone.
After the call, she felt sorry that she had been so waspish with him. How she wished she could discuss her fears with him.
Stop deceiving yourself. The ugly voice she hated so much came back. You'd better ditch him before he hurts you again.
"I refuse your counsel!" she said furiously.
The voice stopped.
She decided to just stay home the next evening and not attend Bible study. She was feeling a little out of sorts anyway, headachy and sore. She ate her dinner, felt a little better, and decided to watch a movie to help her sleep. Akeem would not call until much later because he would think she was at church.
The movie was about a man who cheated serially on his wife. The man's wife got so psychologically traumatised that she tried to destroy him with the damaging information she had on his business deals. But the guy was smart, and as soon as he realised her intention, he manipulated the evidence, got away with it, and then had his wife sectioned.
Yemi knew she should have changed channels during the movie. The movie's plot was not healthy for her current state of mind, but her eyes stayed glued to the TV set until it ended. There was going to be a continuation the next day, but she already felt sick to her stomach at what she had seen. The way the love between the couple had turned so sour that they were out to destroy each other frightened her. She hoped the lady would be able to get out of the psychiatric institution her husband had placed her in, but she had no intention of watching the continuation of the movie.
She didn't take Akeem's call later that night. She held the phone in her hand and just watched it ring until it stopped. She didn't know what to do. The thought of moving back to his house actually frightened her now. She wished she didn't love him so much; that would have been some sort of immunity for her, but the guy had taken over her heart once more and she was so scared of being hurt again.
The next day she was surprised to see Deji in her office.
"I thought I'd drop by to say hello." He grinned at her surprised look. "How have you been?"
"So-so, and you?"
"Very fine. Have you had lunch yet?" he asked after they had chatted for a few minutes. She shook her head. "Why don't we pop out and get something to eat?" He asked.
She checked her wristwatch. It was half past two already. "All right," she replied, popping her phone in her bag.
They did some catching up while they ate. He was enjoying his new relationship with God; he told her about his conversion, and she shared hers with him.
"That's so amazing," he replied. "Almost about the same time too."
It was a weird coincidence indeed. The thought that maybe God wanted a future for both of them ran through her mind. Otherwise, why would He bring Deji back into her life now that she was so confused about her reconciliation with Akeem? She and Deji were both saved. He had two kids already, so he would not mind if they couldn't have more. Moreover, the guy had a good track record. He'd had a lovely marriage until the demise of his wife.
Akeem was not a Christian, and did the Bible not say something about a spouse being "free" if the other partner was unfaithful? She was not exactly sure where it was in the Bible or the exact quote, but she would get to it later that evening. In fact, she was going to study all the Bible verses on divorce. She loved Akeem, but it might just destroy her if he was unfaithful to her again.
Deji took her back to the office after their lunch. She was startled to see Akeem in the reception area. He stood up when she came in. Both men sized each other up. The look on Deji's face was a little wary, Akeem's grim.
"Thanks for lunch, Deji," she said quickly, turning towards him. She wanted him to leave. The tension in the air was thick enough to slice through with a knife.
"You're welcome. I'll call you later," he said as he read her expression correctly. He nodded at Akeem. Akeem didn't acknowledge it.
"Let's go inside," she said to him once Deji had left.
"Is this the reason why you've been acting all funny?" he asked as soon as she shut her office door behind them.
"He just dropped by today," she said wearily. "I ran into him at Abby's church a few weeks ago. Before then, I had not seen him in months."
He stared at her, a dark and brooding expression on his face. "I don't want him hanging around you."
She sighed. "He's not hanging around me."
His expression softened. "Baby, what's going on? Why are you shutting me out? What have I done?"
She just looked at him. He looked sleek as always in his well-cut suit. Her eyes roved over his face. The strong cleft in his jaw, the well-defined cheekbones, the thick brows and lashes. Her incredibly handsome husband. She had forgiven him. Why could she not overcome her fears?
"Baby, what's wrong?" he asked, coming around to where she was standing and taking her hand in his. "Please tell me."
She looked into his eyes and felt tears stinging her eyes. "Akeem, I don't think this is really going to work." She looked away. "Maybe we're just not meant to be together."
"Says who?" he asked, his brows furrowing together in a frown. "We're already together. We're married, remember? Tell me who has upset you. Is it my mum? Any member of my family? Me?"
She shook her head slowly at his questions.
"Then what is it?" he asked.
"I'm not upset. I just feel like it is best if we leave things as they are."
A nerve clenched in his jaw "That's not going to happen. We're married and will stay married, whatever it takes."
"Akeem, I don't think…"
"Look at me, Yemi," He cut in as he drew her into his arms. His gaze was intense as he stared into her eyes. "I love you, and you love me. We belong to each other, and that's how it will always be."
"But Akeem…"
He silenced her with a kiss. She tried to stay
stiff and unresponsive to him but didn't know when her arms crept around him of their own volition. It always felt so right being with him, and she couldn't hold back.
He lifted his head a while later, his eyes smouldering with passion. "Forget about us ever being apart again. It's not going to happen."
He left a little while later so that she could get back to work. They had just cuddled on the sofa and talked. She still didn't open up to him about her fears. She felt reassured of his love when he was around, but she put her head in her hands after he left.
"What am I going to do, Lord? Please help me."
She didn't get a response and she went back to her work feeling confused and uneasy.
∞∞∞
The lesson from her daily devotional the next morning had "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding" as the memory verse. She read it over and over to herself, hoping that it was not just a coincidence but a specific message for her in her situation.
"To trust in God is to believe in Him with all your heart and to have confidence in His word." She said to Kufre and Aleena as she tried to explain the lesson to them during their morning devotion session.
Aleena screwed her face thoughtfully for a moment. "Like the way I trust Daddy? Mummy, is God like Daddy?" she asked.
Yemi smiled. "Much bigger than your dad, Alee. God can do all things."
"Then I'll trust in Him," Aleena said happily, as if that settled it.
She wished she could have faith like the little girl. Life would be so much easier.
Akeem gave her no space to withdraw from him. He would come to her office anytime she didn't pick up his calls or come over to her house in the evening.
"When can I send the movers to help you pack?" he asked her one evening as they all sat down watching TV in her house. "I need my mistress home with me."
"We've not signed the contract papers, remember?"
"I've signed it on your heart. Didn't you feel it?" he asked softly, pulling her close to him. Aleena looked towards them and giggled before looking back at the TV. Yemi made a mental note to talk with Akeem later; they cuddled too much in front of Aleena. But for now, she was too distracted with the delicious things he was doing to her with his kisses.
