Experiencing love and being loved in return is nothing short of a miracle.
“What about Becca?” Dunni asked, her voice filled with uncertainty.
“What about Becca?” Moses responded, more confused than ever.
“I thought you were into her. I thought she was the one you were proposing to,” Dunni replied, attempting a small laugh as she wiped away the tears streaming down her face. Moses sighed with relief, finally feeling like he was getting through to her.
However, his relief was short-lived when Dunni asked brokenly, “Why now?”
“It’s not now; it has been forever,” Moses said, taking her hands in his, never breaking eye contact. He felt at a loss, unsure of how to convince her. “I have been telling you all my life, but you never took me seriously. Our story should be written into a book and made into a film. I bet it could win the Oscars.”
“Because you were not,” she screamed, hitting his chest with her small fists, crying uncontrollably.
Moses gazed at her with increasing worry. Dunni was becoming more distressed by the moment.
“Tade proposed last night, and I said yes,” she said, lifting her left hand to show him the sparkling solitaire diamond engagement ring adorning her index finger. However, she realised that the ring was not there. She left it on her dressing table. “The ring is upstairs,” she said lamely, not accustomed to wearing it.
Moses felt a pain in his heart unlike anything he had ever experienced. His heart momentarily stopped as he struggled to breathe. “The guy you met about six months ago?” Moses asked, disbelief evident in his voice. “Please tell me this is a joke,” he pleaded.
Dunni shook her head, tears falling involuntarily.
“Is that what you want?” he croaked, tears welling up in his eyes, his voice breaking with emotion as he swallowed hard. How had they reached this point? Was the universe playing tricks on him? Dunni was his world from the moment she entered his life. It had always been her and no one else. He had tried two other relationships, but they couldn’t compare to Dunni. And now, what? He ran his hands over his head and across his face. This couldn’t be happening. He needed to do something. He stared at her, unaware that the tears on her face mirrored his own.
Pulling her into a fierce embrace, he felt her offer little resistance. “If Tade will make you happy…” he began but couldn’t bring himself to finish his sentence. He wasn’t ready to let her go. How could he ever survive without her? She was his breath, his oxygen, and this was not just a cliché or words from a romance book. This was his reality. He had no life outside of her. The house he built had her input because he had always envisioned their future together. He had insisted on bringing her on as a partner in their firm to ensure she wouldn’t be lured away by another company.
Dunni is an exceptionally gifted architect, and while her hard work had earned her a leadership position in the firm they had built together, it was her beauty, personality, drive and sense of humor that had captured and won his heart. It had always been Dunni, his entire life. His heart felt torn apart. The thought of her marrying someone else was unbearable. There had to be something he could do. He had to convince her to give them a chance. She couldn’t simply jump into a relationship with a guy she had only recently met and discard someone she had known almost her entire life. There must be something in her heart for him.
Moses stepped back, lifting her chin with his fingers, looking deeply into her eyes, silently willing her to give their love a chance. He was devastated when she looked away. That was the answer he needed. If she couldn’t meet his gaze, she wasn’t ready to fight for them. He kissed her forehead, defeated, stood up and let himself out. His heart hurt so badly, and he struggled to breathe.
Time will always tell, but it is the patience we all lack.
Moses was growing anxious. He had attempted to contact Dunni multiple times but was consistently unsuccessful. He decided he would have to drop by her house unexpectedly to retrieve his keys. Though exhausted from his long flight and craving the comfort of his bed, the anticipation of seeing Dunni outweighed his fatigue. The route from the mainland to the island was surprisingly clear on this Saturday morning, a relief after spending hours confined to an airplane.
As he felt the ring in his pocket, a smile tugged at his lips. Regardless of the odds and Dunni’s seeming obliviousness to their mutual attraction, he was determined to propose to her today. He no longer wished to postpone this moment. His prolonged absence had affirmed his deep-seated feelings for her, and he couldn’t imagine life without her. Their dance of ambiguous relationship status spanning over the years would end today. Moses planned to make his love known, breaking free from the “best friend” label that had concealed his true emotions.
Settling back into the cab seat, he closed his eyes, a vision of Dunni’s warm smile filling his mind. Today would mark the beginning of the rest of his life with the only woman he could ever truly love, the woman for whom he would willingly sacrifice everything. In this life and any others to come, he would do anything for Dunni.
The cab pulled up in front of Dunni’s gate, and he stepped out, paying the fare and dialing Dunni’s number one more time. The gatekeeper was already outside, ready to assist with his luggage. “Oga welcome, e don tey we see you for here. I bin think say you and madam don fight, I no know say you travel fa” Meaning it had been long he saw Moses and thought Dunni and he had a fall out.
Moses chuckled quietly to himself, keeping his thoughts private. He could always rely on Musa to say the most outrageous things while still managing to be amusing. He never ceased to be amazed by the man’s unfiltered audacity and wondered how Dunni, known for her short patience, managed to put up with him.
**************
Dunni awoke, her vision blurred, struggling to discern whether the relentless throb in her head was a symptom of a migraine or the persistent knocking at her door. For a fleeting moment, her surroundings were unfamiliar. But soon, the memories of the previous night engulfed her. The dinner, the proposal, camera flashes, and Tade hurriedly leaving her at her doorstep with a promise to see her the following day.
Reflecting on the proposal gone awry, Dunni found herself with a barrage of unanswered questions. Tade, as always, had adeptly sidestepped her inquiries. The mystery that now shrouded her engagement seemed to cast a larger shadow than her initial excitement. She had believed she knew Tade well, but the enormity of her acceptance of his proposal has raised a lot of questions, perhaps she had been misled. Maybe she only knew as much as Tade had permitted.
She was in the dark about his friends, had never met his family, and the closest connection was a family friend she had encountered at the restaurant the previous night. With a goal to research the woman online, she tried to remember the name. It seemed it was time for her to seek out answers on the internet if they were not forthcoming from Tade himself.
Still half-asleep, Dunni fumbled under her pillow for her phone. The cold metal against her skin caused her to wince. The weather was still mild for the time of year, yet her air conditioner had the room feeling like mid-winter, requiring her to slip deeper under her warm duvet.
Blinking her eyes open, she gasped at the time displayed on her phone. It was 10:36 AM on Saturday and she had 22 missed calls! The constant banging was not in her head but from the door downstairs. She grumbled, reaching for her housecoat draped over the edge of the bed. Slipping into her house slippers, she shuffled her way downstairs. Moses was the only one audacious enough to barge into her home so early on a Saturday, but he was in China. Or was he due back this week? she pondered.
Peering through the peephole, Dunni squealed, realising who was at the door. She swung it open and launched herself at Moses with the force of a cannonball.
“Wow!” Moses chuckled. “Had I known I would receive such a welcome, I would’ve donned full body armor.” He pulled away to look at her. She appeared to have lost weight and seemed utterly exhausted. He could tell she was still overworking herself in her typical fashion, and he felt a pang of guilt for his extended absence and lack of support on their ongoing projects.
“You’ve been working yourself to the bone, haven’t you?” he observed.
“Says who?” Dunni retorted. “I’ve been slacking off and falling behind on all my deadlines.”
“You mean your self-imposed deadlines that are always a month ahead of the actual ones.”
“They’re still deadlines,” she argued.
“Can I sit down? I just got back from the airport and dropped by to pick up my keys,” Moses requested.
“I am so sorry,” she apologised leading the way to her living room.
“Why didn’t you tell me when you were coming? I could have had someone clean your place before your arrival. It was tidied up about two weeks ago and I sure the dust has built up again and not to mention the stale air.”
“That should be fine,” Moses responded nonchalantly, sinking into the sofa while Dunni looked on at him, realizing how much she had missed him and excited to share her engagement news.
“Why are you looking at me that way?” he asked Dunni.
“What way?” Dunni countered, grappling with whether to disclose her engagement news now. She would have preferred to, but he had just returned from a long journey and had numerous things to sort out after being away for six months.
“You have that look, when you’re about to burst with information and struggling to contain it. Your twitching right eye and pursed lips always give you away,” he pointed out.
Dunni chuckled. “You know me too well, but whatever I have to say can wait. I’ll call the cleaner to pick up the keys for your place while I whip up a quick breakfast for you. You still have some clothes in the guest room. You don’t need to go to your place yet, rest here and I’ll drop you off later.” She rattled in one breath.
Moses smiled, wondering how long it would take for Dunni to realize that they were meant for each other.
Hours later, they sat comfortably, engrossed in conversation. “I have something to say, and I think you do too. So, you go first,” Moses proposed, a serious expression shadowing his face that made Dunni raise her eyebrows in curiosity. “If you have something to say, you better go ahead. I’m sure your news will overshadow whatever I have to share.” She had a suspicion that Moses was going to announce that he had met someone and was thrilled that they both had good news to share.
“I think you should go first,” he insisted.
“Nope, you go first. Let’s give the man who just returned from the moon the honors,” Dunni joked. “You mean China?”
“It might as well have been the moon. We barely communicated while you were there. It felt like you were swallowed up by their world.”
“The word ‘busy’ doesn’t even begin to describe the work out there. We complain about work in Naija, but those guys are like slave drivers, putting in 14 hours and more like it’s nothing. Being a proud Nigerian, I had to show them that we’re up to the task. It nearly killed me, but my pride wouldn’t let me back down.”
“You were about to work yourself to death for nothing. Can you drop this national pride? After all, we’re all realizing that we’ve been scammed, and our dreams shattered by each new leadership.”
“Naija for life, and Naija to the world,” Moses chanted.
Dunni flung a pillow at him. “Says the man who’s been out of the country for nearly half the year.”
“Why is such a beautiful, accomplished woman like yourself still single?Don’t tell me all the eligible guys in Lagos are blind.” Tade teased. Dunni had always detested people who referred to her looks. She often argued that people rarely refereed to a guy’s looks in discussions but more to their accomplishments. She was vocal in pointing that out to whoever cared to listen. Tonight, this was not the case, she strangely latched onto his every word and turned mushy all inside.
The last couple of months had been all that she could dream of. Tade was attentive and kind, and they found time amidst their busy schedules to be together. It was customary to wake up on weekends and drive to his place, where they met without Toni. He rarely talked about himself, and that was one aspect that bothered her a lot. She would talk her head off about her family. Still, when she asked about his family, he grunted intelligible words or found a way to talk about something else. She knew he had a twin sister who was married and lived in the states.
“I could say the same, why a handsome, incredibly wealthy medical doctor, despite being a widower, has not to be snapped up by the Abuja sharks and Lagos cougars.” She loved the sound of his laughter, deep like the waves of the ocean, a low sound building up to a crescendo and filling the space between them.
“You make me sound like a slice of meat on the market.” “Unfortunately, I think that’s the truth. Take a slow turn to your left, my right. There is this woman about your age sitting with a guy in a white kaftan whose been stealing looks at you since we came in. I feel so sorry for her companion.”
Tade snapped for a waiter and discreetly looked in the direction Dunni had pointed. “That’s Made Brown, the chairman of the board of directors at Lekki Consultant Hospital.” Your hospital? She asked, eyebrow raised in question. “She looks young.” “Being born into a pool of trust funds from your great-grandparents has perks.” Tade laughed, but it was a little bit tight this time, “please excuse me. I need to say hi.”
Dunni sipped on her glass of wine while she looked around. The Oceanview was one of the highbrow restaurants on Victoria Island, and a meal here could probably buy her house. How does someone in the medical profession afford such a lifestyle? She should be asking those questions, but she’d never broached the subject for some reason. Maybe because she also had money that she worked for and was not handed down to her, so why should someone else’s source of wealth be scrutinised by her. She rationalised, and Tade’s could have been handed down to him.
She had to know. It’s not like she was a social climber or gold digger; after all, she could afford a reasonable lifestyle on her own. It is not like Tade moved in this circle. However, his clients appear to waltz in and out of the corridors of power, the creme de la cream of Lagos and Abuja society, old money, new money, and the political and ruling elite.
Who is Tade Braithwaite? She shrugged. With time she’ll get to know all she needs to know. You never approached your client without digging into who they were. The voice in her head chastised her. It sounded too intrusive doing that to someone close. Where is trust? She argued. In business, you want to know all the possibilities that could come up. You were prepared not to be blindsided. Matters of the heart were vastly different from the cold calculation of money and service-changing hands.
Dunni had no idea. Tade had been sitting before her for a couple of minutes until he snapped a finger in her face. “Where’ve you been. Dunni managed a small laugh. “Nowhere. No idea I had zoned out. How is Made?” “She should be okay as long as she keeps out of my affairs.” Dunni could see the rigid set of his jaw. He looked displeased but tried to hide it. She wanted to know more about this Made that seemed to upset him and his background.
The food came, and they delved into the sumptuous meal of mashed yam with spicy fish sauce and grilled lamb chops. All her questions were pushed to the back seat of her priorities. “This is exquisite. I did not know what to expect. Dunni closed her eyes, savouring the mashed yam’s softness and the spicy sauce’s sweetness. Tade inhaled sharply, and he wanted to kiss those lips. No human should look this sexy over a simple meal. Dunni opened her eyes like a daffodil in the morning sun. “What, she asked, mouth opened, oblivious to what she was doing to Tade?” Tade let out a soft growl. Did she have any idea what she was doing to him? “Nothing. I am not sure how long I can keep away from you.” “Are you travelling somewhere?” “No. I am not thinking of it, but would you mind a weekend trip to Idara Resort in Calabar?” “Too tempting, but I have got so much work this weekend.” “You work so hard. Do your partners ever consider a lighter load for a woman?” “Is work about gender or capability?” Dunni asked, mustering all the self-control she could. One thing she could not stand was a reference to her gender when it came to working. Working with Ola and Moses must have blinded her to the sexism out there.
“I am sorry, Dunni. I did not mean it that way, and I was looking for more time to spend with you.” He took her hands over the table, looking into the depths of her liquid brown eyes. “You do so much to me, and I never thought I could feel this way again.” Dunni smiled. It felt good to be desired, but she wanted more. She wanted him to fall head over heels in love with her. She wanted him to ask her to marry him. Dunni knew she said she’d go with the flow, but she wanted to become Mrs Braithwaite. “I love you, Dunni.” Before she could respond, Tade was on one knee, just like how he was the day she fell in the superstore a few months ago. He had this beautiful ring with a diamond solitaire in a blue ring box. She knew it was a diamond with many colours reflecting in the light.
Was this man telepathic? How could he know the two questions in her heart just now? She loved Tade and had questions that needed answers but could wait. Dunni hated Tade’s Tarzan and the damsel in distress moves but also liked how he looked out for her and how she’d become the centre of his universe along with his daughter. Here was a man who had suffered so much loss and was still willing to put out his heart, and it only made her melt for him.
“Yes, yes, I will marry you.” She imagined Moses’s disapproving look and dismissed it immediately. Tade slipped the ring into her left middle finger. He cupped her perfectly sculptured round face in his hands. “I promise always to make you happy.” Dunni could not be happier as she gazed into his eyes and lips, wondering if there would be any magic if he decided to kiss her. Dunni had never been kissed, and Benji’s sloppy kisses in university days indeed cannot be counted. She still gagged from the horror of swapping saliva.
“Promise me you won’t hurt us – Toni and me.”
“I promise,” Dunni assured solemnly like she was taking a vow. She was not someone who took promises lightly, and she knew she would stand by her words through rain or sunshine.
Tonight was her night. She could read the question and hesitance in his eyes. She moved closer to him, bidding him kiss her, oblivious to all the others in the restaurant. They were just in their world. The fire sparks and tingles on her feet were none like she had imagined. The kiss was slow yet demanding, simultaneously sensual and chaste but with promise. They probably would not have stopped without the flash of a camera.
“What was that?” Dunni asked, more shaken from the emotions she felt than from the surge of flashes from the camera. Tade swore, “let’s get out of here.” Dunni did not fail to see the death glare Tade directed at Made on their way out. How could such a beautiful moment be abruptly broken? She knew enough body language that all was not well, and her 15 minutes of romance was just a commercial interlude on reality highway.
Dunni loved the feel of Tade’s hand around hers as he marched out of the restaurant like a man on a deadly mission. They were intercepted by the restaurant manager rushing out to apologise. At the same time, two huge 6 feet 3 inches men led the cameramen out of the premises. “We will credit your account with us as compensation for the unfortunate disturbance,” the distressed man offered.
Who is Tade? Too many questions were racing through her head and now did not seem the appropriate time to ask. He was like a totally different person after the flashes of the camera. Suddenly there was this air of someone accustomed to wealth and influence around him. Had this always been there, or was Dunni only noticing it.
Molade’s digging into Dunni’s background leads her on a journey of her past.
Jamiu had been her driver since she turned sixteen and stayed with her all through the years; He was more like family to her. She had built a house for him and sent all his children to school. They were all graduates of the prestigious University of Lagos.
She also helped secure jobs in their different disciplines across her companies. Jamiu was more than a driver. He was a father to her too. And while he was her driver for the world, she held him in high esteem and accorded him the respect of an elder. Her friends’ marvelled that he’s been with her for over three decades and think he is lucky to still have a job. Molade considered herself the lucky one that he was still with her; she could not trust anyone like the way she trusted Jamiu. The man will take a bullet for her, which was no exaggeration.
“No, thank you. I will do this on my own.”
Molade came down from the car and walked towards the hospital entrance to join the long queue of patients waiting to see the Doctor.
“Madam, seti gba card? A woman with a toddler resting on her hips asked and began directing her where she had to get the card, explaining that she won’t be attended to without one. Molade saw her personal physician every month by appointment and was not familiar with such protocols. She graciously accepted the kind woman’s direction and went to register for a card.
When asked for her address, Molade had to rattle her brain to give an Ibadan address as she did not want to give her actual address. She also registered under a pseudonym, Bimpe Jimoh, which sounded like a regular enough name.
The young lady at the registration looked at her and asked what she wanted to see the Doctor for. She stated that she did not look like someone was sick, and the Doctor was very busy and only attended to sick people. Molade grimaced and swallowed the nasty comment she wanted to belt out. They do have a lot of people with unsolicited opinions in this place. She nodded in understanding, not trusting herself enough not to say something that would make the girl decline to issue her card or stop her from seeing the Doctor. After all, she had no idea who was standing before her. Lagos shook at Molade’s presence, and this mouthy little know-it-all ordered her like she was her errand girl.
Molade sat in the waiting room for over four hours until it was finally her turn to see Dr Braithwaite.
Coming here was not the best of ideas, but she needed his immediate family to know he had left behind two children. The question they would be asking is, why now? It was finally time to let her kids know who their father’s family was; if she was accepted by the family, she would let the children meet their uncle. Lekan was the sensible one of the lot. Thirty-four years was too long, but it was better late than never. She recalled the last time she saw her three-month-old husband, Lanre when he walked out on her.
It was no news that Molade’s family had not approved of Lanre and even accused him of being a gold digger. So when Lanre requested a loan to build a hospital, she panicked and blatantly refused to loan Lanre the money. It was her way of protecting him and preventing her family from saying, ‘I told you so.‘
It was her way of pushing him to succeed on his own merit without assistance from her or her family. Molade needed him to do that so she could return to her father and be the one to say, ‘I told you so.‘
She did, but she lost him in the end. She lost him before she finally lost him forever, and death was faster than her forgiveness.
Bimpe Jimoh! Bimpe Jimoh!! Bimpe Jimoh!!! It took her a fraction of a minute to realise she was the Bimpe Jimoh being called. She picked up her bag and stood up to go into the Doctor’s office. It was now or never. It was not that she had not tried to reach the Lanre before. The first was when she realised she was pregnant after he left. She was told he had travelled out of the country, the next time was over 25 years ago, but she was told he was dead. Yes, that was what her father told her when she insisted they reach out to him to let him know of the children. He had the right to know he had two kids; she argued until her dad gave in and returned with the news that shattered her completely. She picked the pieces of her life and faced her business and her children.
Molade convinced herself she was doing the right thing. She owed her children the opportunity of meeting and get to know their father’s family. Dr Lekan will be the bridge to making that happen. She let herself in, and nothing prepared her for the sight she encountered on entering the office. Molade stared in shock and disbelief, unable to utter any word.
The flow of questions fluttered in her head, she could hear the screams in her head, but silence in the space she shared with this stranger who looked so familiar. Was she hallucinating? Was she going mad, or was she dead? Molade felt suddenly tired as she succumbed to the darkness that enveloped her.
Clad in a simple leaf-patterned navy blue and white kaftan made with the traditional adire fabric. Molade appeared to be watching the cars that sped by as they drove along the Ibadan – Lagos expressway. She was lost in thoughts to another time when she made a similar trip. The road was not this terrible. Those were the days when it took you just a little over an hour to get to Ibadan from Lagos. Like this journey, she was driven by the same driver, Jamiu, who has been her personal driver from her teenage years to her adult life. Her brows creased in deep thoughts as they made their way to the ancient city. She could count the number of times she had a reason to come this way despite its proximity to Lagos. Molade was jolted from her reverie as the car turned off the main road onto a muddy road meandering around deep potholes that laced the road. She jerked forward but for the seat belt that held her from hitting her face against the headrest of the front passenger seat. “Sorry, madam,” Jamiu apologised. She waved him off, knowing that it was not his fault. It probably will cost the government little or nothing to get the road adequately fixed. Molade looked around, taking in her surroundings. At the same time, she wondered if her findings today will reveal her fears ever since she saw the document this morning. The driver slowed the jeep down beside a woman roasting fresh corn for sale to ask for direction. He was about to drive off when Molade passed him a few thousand naira notes to give to the woman. She was beside herself with joy and rushed to wrap a few of the already roasted corn in newspaper to give to them. Jamiu declined and drove off, watching the room in his rearview mirror as she swirled and moved from side to side, dancing with joy. The money would cover her sale for the day and, if not more. Jamiu brought the car came to a halt in front of what looked like a hospital. Molade gazed at the small-sized building with its white paint turned grey peeling off, a few broken glass windows replaced with wood. She could see the queue of people spilling to the hospital entrance, leaving her wondering what a weekday would be like if the weekend was this busy. “Do you want me to go in for you?” Jamiu asked. Molade managed a small smile. Jamiu uncannily knew her so well, but why wouldn’t he|? He’d known her all her life.
It was a rainy Saturday morning. The rich smell of Arabian coffee filled Molade’s study as she momentarily gazed at the rain pelting down the glass windows and enjoying the rhythm of the sound of each drop on the roof.
She loved the rainy season, the smell of the earth filling her senses, the promise of newness that came with it as the plants sprouted from the soil.
While others looked for safety and scurried for shelter from the rains, she loved the feel of its drops on her face. It reminded her of her childhood. One of her favourite past times was playing in the rain.
Molade remembered getting into trouble more times than she could count during the rainy season as she could not help but succumb to the temptation of dancing in the rain. The sheer joy and feeling of abandonment always brought a smile to her face. Indeed she was too old to do so now but always could not help the feelings of nostalgia the season brought with it.
The days of being wild and free, eagerly embracing the consequences of her disobedience. Sometimes she caught a cold from her careless act, but this never deterred her the next time the heavens opened and poured down its tears to the earth. She liked to think of the rains as heaven pouring out its blessings on the earth.
Drinking the hot coffee that would scald the tongues of others but was just right for her, she read the dossier containing information about Adunni Adesida.
She stared at the picture and could see why her son would fall for the drop-dead gorgeous beauty and talented architect. She was not surprised to find that the girl finished top of her class although at a local university within the country’s middle belt. Adjusting her glasses, she read through papers of information. Information about people was easily collected in this part of the country. Still, if asked by the individuals for their personal use, this same information would be an arduous task to gather.
Adunni grew up in Ibadan. She attended one of the country’s unity colleges, served in Lagos and worked in a top architecture firm before joining two other classmates to set up their own firm. The girl had taken on some laudable projects; she must say, Molade thought to herself.
Her father was late, her mother was still lived in Ibadan. She was the last of five children and had a sibling in the senate. They were not from old or new money but appeared to be doing well in their fields.
As she worked down the report, a name caught her attention, Dr Lanre Braithwaite. The family doctor and the doctor that took delivery of the child. Goshen Medical Centre, Mokola, Ibadan.
Her mug, half full of coffee, fell from her hand, spilling its black liquid on the paper. She grabbed some tissue at the far end of the desk to clean off the liquid and spread the papers across the desk.
She scrutinised the document, checking and rechecking the dates, wondering if she was going crazy. Alas! It appears that somebody had been lying to her for over three decades. She had to know the truth.
She rang her driver, “prepare the Range Rover. We leave for Ibadan in an hour”.
Tade swallowed hard. Clenching and unclenching his fist.
“Who is she, Tade?”
“Who is who mum?” He knew who his mother was referring to but would rather play dumb.
“I hear there is a lady you’ve been seeing.”
He turned around, blowing air through his mouth. Not only was he exasperated, but his patience was also wearing thin. His mother had never approved of any girls he brought home in the past. She made it her life goal to make their lives miserable and scare them away from the Thomas fortune. She all but considered them social climbers and gold diggers. No one was good enough for her son. Sadly, mothers do not marry their sons and either willingly or begrudgingly must accept their sons’ choice. Solape was one tough cookie who stood by him and against his mother’s wish. Their love won, but in the end, he lost her to death. It was as if she had been proved right, and she did not fail to remind him at every opportunity she could.
“When I told you she was not for you, you would not listen. How does a young girl who is not even 30 die from cancer?”
“Mum, cancer is not an age-related sickness. People die from cancer, young, old, middle-aged and even babies.”
Molade Thomas rolled her eyes.
“She was not meant to be in this family. She was bad luck. In our history, people don’t die below 70. My grandmother was 90 when she died, my grandfather was 101, my great grandfather was 98 while his wife choices die at 106. You are the first widower in our lineage.”
“Mother, will you stop?” Did you come here to berate me on a death, we humanly could do nothing about. You should be happy I am healing and moving despite how hard it is. Solape is unforgettable.”
“Tade dear, I can’t hide my displeasure of your marriage to that girl and what her death has caused to our family. Do you know what is being said out there? That we sacrificed her.”
“Mother, why do you waste your time listening to an idle talk from people who have no job? Where do you get the time for gossip with the work you do managing the Thomas fortune?”
“I keep my ears to the ground. Information is power.”
“There was no winning with his mum.”
“So who is this girl? What’s her name, who are her parents? Does she know your family?”
“Mother! Stop!! She is just a friend. When and if it becomes more, you will be the last to know. Don’t for once think I am ignorant of all you did to the ladies before and including Solape. I forbid you from doing anything to make her uncomfortable, or I will disappear from your life, and this time for good. You will never see Toni or me again.”
If there was anything Molade learnt in business was when to retreat in a battle.
She smiled sadly. “All I do is for you. It is hard for people outside our circle to love you, you will be surprised to find out that you are only a means to their dreams – a ticket out of poverty and nothing else.”
Tade tugged at his beard. He’d been so bust lately and could not keep up with his daily shave so gave up and tried the look which Dunni did not mind.
“Not everything is about money. In case you have forgotten people rarely connect me to the Thomas fortune. There is a reason my surname is Braithwaite. I am tired and need a shower. Please let yourself out when you are done.”
Tade stopped midway and turned to look at his mum. There was a time when she meant the whole world to him. Molade Thomas was first his mother before transforming into this monster with no feelings, he could barely recognise. She thought everyone was out to get a piece of the Thomas fortune. No one was good enough for her. Her choice was Made, her best friends daughter, but the girl was a spoiled brat who refused to grow up. He wanted to do life with someone who had a semblance of normal, not some rich kid who could not even hold her toothbrush without being assisted by personal maids.
“Dunni is an architect and a partner at her firm. She is not interested in my money because she has no clue I am the son of the richest Black woman. So don’t go sending your goons to spook her. I have not asked her. However, I intend to and if she says yes. You will respect her and keep your distance if you can not love her like your daughter. I will not allow a repeat of what Solape suffered in your hands. I stayed in Nigeria because Solape kept hoping you will come around and love her. She wanted you to have that time and bond with Toni. That girl was an angel, someone you lost the of the opportunity to know. I hope you won’t make the same mistake with Dunni. Life is beyond money and business connections.”
He sighed and walked away. Dunni had to meet his mother at some point, but that would be long after she agreed to marry him . He was not going to let his mum jeopardise his second chance at love. Dunni was someone special. The bond between her and Toni was one he could only have imagined but never thought possible.
Molade Thomas smiled at Tade retreating figure. He could be in his mid-thirties, Chief Medical Officer at Lekki Consultant hospital, but he was first her child. If she gave in to all the threats thrown at her, she would not be who she is today. Many felt because she was born into the Thomas wealth, she had it all smooth. Life was not a bed of roses. She worked hard to be where she was today. Her father’s wealth and connection may have helped. Still, her doggedness and tenacity put her ahead of the park in the Nigeria and Africa business sphere which was primarily dominated by men.
She would do what she had to do. Every single detail of that’s girls life will be checked. She would be dissected like an insect, and if she didn’t meet the requirements, Tade would be the one to reject her not Molade. She will not lose her only son to a social climber or gold digger.
Solape proved to be a rare gem, but she would never acknowledge that to anyone. She was not only beautiful, which was one of the reasons Tade lost his heart and sense to her, but she was resourceful and knew how to use Thomas fortune to her advantage. Take this house for an instant.
She threw her gaze around the house, refusing to give in to any sentiments recollecting all the girl’s effort to win her approval. She would have preferred someone who was not that weak. Solape wore her heart on her sleeve and thought the whole world will love you if you were nice.
The news of her death broke Molade. She was still angry. How does cancer snuff the life of one so alive? Her hard exterior cracked in the walls of her bedroom the night she was informed of Solape’s demise.
Tade and Solape had announced they were going back to the US for vacation the family had gone during Easter. When she quizzed him, he said they just wanted the time to themselves. It was a rude shock when Tade called to tell her Solape was gone.
That she’d been diagnosed with cervical cancer on their last vacation. They did not want to alarm family members since a mere operation medically advised would solve the problem. According to Tade, initially, Solape did not wake up from the operation but did hours later as the medical team battled to resuscitate her. One day she was recovering from the operation, and the next day she went into cardiac arrest and died. The girl was not sick; she just died.
Molade wiped her silent tears away as she sat in the living room of her son’s house, pulling herself together. This was a part of her the world will never get to see. No one knew that she pulled strings behind the scene to make the girl succeed.
Solape related with her like she was oblivious to Molade’s cold demeanour. So she would visit her every week at the office, same time and same day. Molade cleared her calendar for those visits, and no meeting was scheduled within those hours. She argued she was only polite, but she enjoyed every time spent with that girl in hindsight.
Solape would talk about Toni, her business, the wins, looses who gave her problems, who was friendly, Tade etc. The talk was usually one-sided because Molade will only grunt or blatantly ignore her. Still, surprisingly the girl will be back the next week and the next so while she came to love the girl fiercely in her heart, she refused to show it outside.
She still wondered if the girl knew she was going to die. The last visit before her trip for the operation, she’d come round her desk to give her a hug that was totally out of place.
“I know you love me and thank you for everything,” and she was out of the office like she had never been there.
Tade was wrong. She had the opportunity of knowing the girl and enjoyed those times with Solape.
Sometimes love does not always have to have it’s own way. Sometimes love is letting go!
Dunni stood by the aisle, reading through the composition of the coconut shampoo and conditioner available. Unfortunately, they no longer supplied her favourite brand. She was wary of changing hair and body products and wished she was among the lucky few who switched products at will with no adverse impacts on their skin or hair. She could not say the same for hers as there was a visible difference when she changed. She stuck to what she knew and devised a creative means by looking for products with a similar composition to the one she used.
Dunni was so engrossed that she failed to notice the young girl who bounced and threw herself at her. They both landed on the ground. The little girl cocooned in the safety of Dunni’s arms whose feet were sprawled at odd angles. Dunni was more than glad of her choice of clothing today. A skirt would have been disastrous.
The fiasco was a sight to watch as items came tumbling down with a loud noise. I grimace at each item calculating the estimate of the cost and the final bill. Someone had to pay, and the supermarket won’t be the one paying the bills.
Dunni heaved a sigh of relief. Glad she had saved the girl but was further surprised when she saw who it was.
“Toni are you okay?” She fussed over the child, feeling every part of her body to check she was not hurt.
That was the scene Tade met upon his arrival. He was aghast to see Dunni kneeling over Toni frantically checking her face and hands. He felt the tight contraction in his heart again. Dunni could easily pass for his daughter’s mother.
He cleared his throat to attract her attention.
Dunni turned to look at him suddenly becoming conscious of her sorry state. “It was a minor accident, but I think we will be okay.” She managed a small laugh. Dunni was not sure if it was a good thing seeing Tade. She was beginning to accept that whatever she thought of the chemistry between them must have been a figment of her imagination. Welcome to the reality highway where life happens.
Tade looked at the bruise on her forehead. “I think that thing on your head says otherwise. I’ll take you into the hospital just to check.”
Dunni tried to convince him she was fine. The earlier she found her way home, the better for her before she made a fool of herself, but he won’t hear any of it.
“Okay, let’s go,” she gave in reluctantly not without realising that was the same thing Moses would have done. Why did she always have to bring Moses up? she thought to herself. Shaking herself from her self-induced Moses trance.
She suddenly let out a yelp of pain like a wounded dog, and gingerly took her right foot off the floor.
“I think I am hurt,” she stated the obviously meekly.
Tade got down to one knee to observe the leg. “We will need to take you into the hospital. Please keep the feet still.” Turning to check his daughter, “Buttercup,” he could not get a word in as the girl was chirping away how Dunni saved her from hitting her head on the floor and asking him how cool that was?
Tade looked back and mouthed “a thank you,” while Dunni’s grin was punctuated by a grimace from the pain on her now swollen ankle.
Tade came over and asked, “May I?” Not waiting before lifting and gingerly carrying her like she weighed nothing. She was so embarrassed being carried out of the store like a toddler.
Sensing her discomfort, he talked her through soothingly, asking questions to keep her talking and focusing on him.
They were almost at the door when one of the store attendants made his way to them to ask for a refund for the broken items.
Tade closed his eyes, and anyone could see he was visibly calming himself. “Can I see your manager? And if you could make a chair available, I will put the injured lady down whose medical bill should be paid by your store.”
The battle on the store attendant face was comical, but no one found it funny. The fear in his eyes turned to confusion, replaced with uncertainty and the gradual sag in his shoulders. Eventually, he said they could leave and settle when next they came.
Tade was irritated yet gritted, “thank you and went out of the store looking out for Toni.
He placed Dunni in the backseat of his lamborghini, so her feet rested on the seat while her back to the door.
“What is your car’s registration number and where did you park? I will arrange for your car to be taken to your house.”
Dunni reeled out her car details while Tade spoke to someone on the phone to meet him at the hospital to pick up her car keys.
They drove in silence joining the light traffic leading to Adetokunbo Ademola street.
“If you don’t mind, I will get the nurses to bring out a wheelchair, so you don’t put pressure on the feet.”
“Thank you, was all she could think to say. Dunni was so used to being strong gratefully that being the recipient of such care and devotion was doing a number to her brains and heart. She was grateful not to have been carried into the hospital in the same undignified manner as she was taken out of the store.
After a couple of hours at the hospital, Dunni was more than glad when it was time to leave. She had undergone so many tests she was beginning to think maybe she had contracted a disease and was not aware.
She did not see Tade until it was time to leave. Toni was already fast asleep at the nurses’ station.
“Has she been checked,” she inquired.
“Toni is with no bruises or broken bones. I think you took it all.”
This elucidated a small smile from Dunni.
“I am more exhausted from the tests and checks than the actual fall itself.”
Tade chuckled. “You sure? It is better to be safe than sorry. You may feel differently tomorrow when you begin to feel the aches and pains from the fall.”
“I hope not,” Duni stifled a yawn that Tade did not miss.
“I need to get you girls home.” He liked the ring of it. The girls he thought to himself.
********
Fifth evening in a role Tade spent with Dunni. He first went on a neighbourly mission, at least that’s what he convinced himself he was doing.
Tade loved the look of shock and awe on Dunni’s face when he told her he made the amala and ewedu soup with goat meat himself. The awe will be etched in his memory for an awfully long time. The way her lovely eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open gave a new meaning to sexiness. He thought of doing things to her that will mark her as his which had nothing to do with obtaining a license certificate to take on his last name. He was going to need a cold shower as an anecdote tonight. This girl was doing things to heart, he thought was no longer possible.
The look of wonder as she savoured the dish was priceless, but he knew it was time he took his leave as all the restraint he had been holding was departing with the speed of lighting.
“Being an invalid suck but you’ve made it something to look forward to,” she joked smacking her lips with satisfaction.
He stared at her lips…. and jumped out of his seat like one stung by a bee.
“I have to go now,”
“You only just came, she whined obviously wanting him to stay.
“I have a patient to check,” he fibbed. It was for a good cause.
He cleared the dishes and let himself out.
What do you think you are doing? The voice of guilt in Tade’s head spoke. Your wife is barely cold in her grave, and you are thinking of another woman. Get a grip on yourself and leave her alone. You will hurt this woman just like you’ve done to every woman that has crossed your path.
Not knowing why, he was in a hurry to leave when he just came. Dunni watched him through her window, noticing the droop in his shoulders and how he hung his head in defeat.
She wondered if he really had a patient to see or was wary of her presence that he could not wait to be far from her.
“You will get hurt girl,” she told herself, but nothing she said could make her heart not beat for him. Infatuation or love, she could not get him out of her head.
Tade had not planned to go back to Dunni’s place, but he did the next and the next day. And each day he came with a dish he prepared and left like a man being chased by a thousand demons leaving Dunni confused and heartbroken. She wanted more with Tade, and no amount of reason and guilt trip she tried could exorcise Tade from her head or heart.
She wished she had someone to talk to about her feelings. She was going crazy thinking of Tade who she thought did not feel the same way about her. Dunni would have called Emma, but she was still miffed at her and did not take any calls from her. Moses was far away in China. They rarely spoke. There were missed calls and chats on the phone, but the time difference did not help. He was having some issues with the project and has been a bit stressed of late. She did not want to add her heart problems to his buffet of other problems.
Amanda would have a field day with her predicament, being she was the one who first suggested she dated the widower. Dunni tried a small smile. How time flies.
She had totally forgotten that episode. Hmm, someone needs to eat humble pie. She was not going to Amanda with her heart troubles.
She wondered how pathetic her life was—a minimal number of friends in her inner circle. Moses and Ola made up for more than a hundred friends, but she could see the tunnel she dug herself in by not expanding her circle of friends.
Dunni picked her phone against her better judgement to buzz Moses and decided against it. She had not told him of her ankle in a cast. She had warned Ola not to mention her sprained ankle to Moses. He would bombard her with calls she needed to avoid, and her head was in a mess not to blurt out her silly heart problems.
“Here’s my phone, Moses is on the line.” Dunni looked at him quizzically, “has he been on the line all this while?” “Yes, and please can I have my phone when you are done?” Toni rolled her eyes at him, “Of course you’ll have your phone back, or maybe I should have it?” she asked mischievously. Ola wagged his finger at her, and he was out of her office. “Hello, stranger,” the sound of Moses’s voice made her almost want to cry. Dunni closed her eyes, letting the sound of his voice wash over her. Taking in the sound of his breath over the phone. She smiled at his silence. He always did that thing – greet and wait for her to speak first. It was a game they played, and she was always the one to give in and break the silence. This time around, she was taken aback by the power in the sound of his voice and how she could literally feel him standing in her office. “How are you?” she asked, forgetting she was waiting for him to speak. “Ahhhh! Are we not too old for this game?” Dunni queried, miffed that he had beaten her to it as always. Moses held his phone tightly, allowing the softness of her voice cut deep into his soul. He was not sure how long he could stay away from her. He wanted to see her, gaze into her eyes and feel the connection they had. The project was taking longer than expected. He’d been tempted so many times to take a week off, but he knew what that would do to the project, and he was not ready to take that risk. This was a massive project, and not only did he need to do a perfect job, but he also had a reputation to maintain for future projects. He heaved. Savouring the sweetness of Dunni’s voice and the smile he could imagine on her face would do for now. Ignoring her question, he asked, “How are you?” “Fine as can be. So much work to do here but we got it under control. And yourself?” “These guys here are slave drivers. I don’t think they ever rest. Trying hard to keep up.” “I think you are the chief slave driver. They must be rushing to finish the project to get rid of you.” His peals of laughter could be heard over the phone, which brought a smile to Dunni’s face. “I don’t mind getting rid of me too if it would bring me to you.” “Is that a line engineered by the toss of your dice?” Moses groaned in frustration. Dunni laughed. “I am not the one who makes critical decisions from the toss of a dice.” “You should try it sometime,” he retorted drily. “Yeah yeah!” He wanted to ask of Mr Flowers, he heard Ola alluding to over the phone but was not sure if he really wanted to know. Ignorance they say is bliss. The jealousy he felt was suffocating him. For all, he knew this could be one of Dunni’s many admirers that would fade away with time. The thought of anything else was too scary. Losing Dunni would make life not worth living. This was no cliché. It was his reality. “It’s been so hard to keep in touch. Your phone is either dead or just ringing.” “Guilty as charged. It’s the timing. I have called you a couple of times and gave up. On other occasions, it’s the wrong time. Your midnight over there is morning the next day here. It would be nice once you are back.” “That should make me feel better, but something tells me, the work you have for me will be worse than the slave drivers here.” “You could not be more right,” Dunni concurred. Moses wanted to spend more time talking with her, but he knew he had to let them go, she had work to do. “You sure you are good?” he asked Dunni again. She wanted to tell him of her heart troubles but changed her mind. He was facing a challenging project, and she was insensitive by wanting to dump her personal problems on him. “Nothing I can’t handle,” she replied. They chatted for a few more minutes before Ola came back for his phone. Dunni rounded up with Moses and passed the phone to Ola. “Guy, I need my phone,” Ola spoke into the phone now on video.” “Dunni, your phone should be charged by now, but I don’t think you should be using the business time to chat.” “What!” she grabbed his phone back while he objected throwing his hands up in resignation. “That’s precisely what I have been suffering since you left. Please wrap that project up, or you may not find me in Designtex upon your return.”
” Why did I not think of a video call, Moses you look like a stone age man. I could walk past you and not recognise you.” Dunni teased him going around her table to Ola so Moses could view the two of them at the same time.
Moses swallowed with no come back for her as he drank in her beauty like a thirsty soul. If her voice was making a mess of him, seeing her was breaking every resolve to be patient. He had to find a way to make Dunni begin to see him in more than the capacity of a friend and business partner. “Now I think you need to leave. You are using business time for frivolities.” Dunni smirked, happy to have the last word as she ended the video and handed Ola’s phone to him, pushing him out of her office.
21stcenturybelle 