After the storm

by Osar Adeyemi

"Thanks, honey." Yemi squeezed his arm.

  When they arrived at the venue, they spotted Mrs. Kadiri and Nadia, who had arrived before them. Akeem led her over to say hello. They conversed briefly with Akeem in Hausa, not minding the fact that he answered them back in English. Yemi kept her face expressionless. She was aware of Mrs. Kadiri's love for her language whenever she was around. She had begged Akeem to speak Hausa back to his mum whether she was there or not, because she could see the annoyed expression on his mum's face anytime he spoke back to her in English, but Akeem was having none of it.

  Yemi was relieved when they moved off and could sit at their own table.

  "Oh, there is my cousin, Aimee!" Akeem said, smiling and waving to a lady across the hall. "She must have flown in from England yesterday." He looked around the hall. "Oh, and there is Tariq as well. Wow, everyone is here!" He turned to Yemi. "Do you mind coming with me? I need to say hello to them."

  "No, you go ahead, I'll just stay here."

  "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

  "I'll be fine," Yemi said. "Honestly," she added, as she saw that he made no attempt to get up.

  That seemed to satisfy him. Yemi watched him as he went over to greet his cousins. She saw them wave to another set of people who had just arrived, and then they all moved over to greet the new arrivals as well. She was very glad that she had not attempted to go with him because she really could not have handled that with the way that she was feeling.

  She looked around the hall. It had all the usual markings of anything the Kadiris or their friends did. They knew how to party, and they did it with that unmistakable touch of class.

  She was still looking around the hall when her gaze came to rest on a woman walking into the hall. She was fair and petite, which gave her a doll-like appearance, but it was not so much her beauty that caught Yemi's attention as it was the way the lady was received by everyone—like a long-lost daughter. Even Mrs. Kadiri was making such a fuss about her that Yemi began to wonder who this woman was.

  "She is very beautiful, isn't she?" Nadia asked softly, dropping into an empty seat beside Yemi and following her gaze. The woman was now talking to Akeem.

  Yemi smiled politely. Nadia had barely spoken to her earlier on, but that was vintage Nadia, hot or cold as her mood dictated. "I've never seen her before," Yemi said, still looking at the lady, who was batting her doll-like eyes at Akeem. "Is she a relative?"

  "A relative? Oh no!" Nadia laughed throatily. "That's the lady Akeem was supposed to marry. At least that was the understanding of both families…" She smiled maliciously at Yemi. "Until you came along."

  Yemi was stunned. She tried to process the information while Nadia watched her discomfort with obvious enjoyment. "Akeem never told me that he was engaged to anyone when I met him," she finally said.

  "Who said anything about an engagement? I said both families had an understanding. But then again, that's all that's needed." She was still watching Yemi's face. "Leila's family have been friends with my family for like…forever!" She rolled her eyes dramatically. "Anyway, let me not bore you anymore. Enjoy the rest of the evening." And with that, she glided away.

  Yemi sat for a few minutes and continued to watch the woman, who was obviously trying very hard to hold Akeem's attention. Akeem had moved to the dance floor with the new couple and other family members, and Leila was dancing around him and obviously flirting with him.

  Yemi felt a surge of anger and stood up. She fixed a bright smile on her face as she walked up to her husband's side. Akeem smiled warmly on seeing her and put his arm around her. Leila still hung around for a couple of minutes and then gave Yemi a venomous look before moving away. Yemi pretended she didn't see the look, continued dancing, and then made sure she stuck by her husband's side for the rest of the evening.

  ∞∞∞

  They arrived home a few hours later. Yemi went straight upstairs to their bedroom and lay down. She had put aside all pretenses as soon as they had got into the car and only answered him when he spoke to her. She was still in shock at what Nadia had told her. Akeem had never mentioned Leila to her, and judging from Leila's behavior tonight and the obvious goodwill and affection she still enjoyed from the Kadiri clan, maybe they were still hoping that something could happen between her and Akeem.

  The door to their bedroom opened, and Akeem came in. "Are you feeling better?" he asked, sitting on the bed and taking off his shoes.

  "Who is Leila?" Yemi asked, still looking at the ceiling.

  He looked at her for a moment before answering. "She's a family friend."

  "Is it true that she is the one your family wanted you to marry?"

  "Yes."

  He said it so easily that Yemi looked up at him in surprise. "Why did you not tell me about her?"

  He shrugged. "Because there was nothing to tell. I've never had any romantic feelings towards Leila."

  "But you should have still told me," Yemi insisted. "Why did I have to find out from Nadia?"

  An irritated expression crossed his face. "So she was the one who came blabbing to you? I have to warn that sister of mine to learn to keep her tongue in check."

  "Oh, are there more secrets, then?" Yemi asked sarcastically.

  Akeem ran his fingers over his hair. "Baby, please don't allow yourself to get worked up over nothing…"

  "I still had a right to know," Yemi cut in. "I'd have steered clear of you if I had known that you were involved with someone else."

  "Are you not listening to me at all?" Akeem asked wearily. "I said I was not involved with her, and I never will be."

  "It did not look like that to me tonight," Yemi maintained. "You were dancing with her before I came over to join you."

  "I was dancing with my cousin, her new husband, and other family members. Leila chose to join us."

  "And stayed conveniently close to you," Yemi retorted.

  Akeem studied her face with a half-smile playing around his lips. "You look beautiful even when you are angry," he said softly. "Relax, honey, no woman can ever compete with you in my heart."

  Yemi felt her anger melting away, but she tried to hold on to it. "But how come I've never met her?"

  "Because she traveled to the US before our wedding and only just got back."

  Yemi was quiet as she pondered on what he had told her. "But why did you not want to marry her? She is a very attractive lady."

  "Because underneath that beautiful head lies nothing but cotton wool." Akeem laughed. "When we were younger, Adil and I used to joke about the fact that Leila would not be able to identify the letters of the alphabet even if they were as big as a house."

  "Now you are exaggerating. She can't be that bad."

  "Oh, trust me, she was worse than that, but her dad got her private tutors, and they were somehow able to perform some form of magic on her because she did end up going to the university. But even now, all she ever talks about are clothes, makeup, and such things. I get bored within two minutes of talking with her."

  Yemi smiled slightly, but a frown furrowed her brows again as she remembered his mother's reaction to Leila.

  Akeem smoothed her brows with his fingers. "Why that look?"

  "Akeem, I'm scared. Your mum doesn't like me, and I always feel like I don't belong in your family."

  "You are married to me," he said, drawing her close. "I'll never allow anyone to hurt you."

  ∞∞∞

  A few days later, Yemi found out that she was pregnant. Akeem was ecstatic, and the news bonded them even more. He told her the baby was going to be a boy and amused her by having regular business talks with the baby, pretending he was seeking a second opinion on some decisions.

  "My dad did that with me regularly," he told Yemi. "I gave him some rubbish answers when I was younger, but he never laughed at them. Instead, he would just explain the reason why he was choosing another option over the one I had told him to take."

  "But you are consulting an unborn baby," Yemi reminded him.

  H
e put on a lofty look. "I've been told that babies can hear in the womb. Anyway, who said I can't start earlier than my dad did?"

  Yemi gave up and let him carry on. She didn't care what sex the baby was as long as it was healthy, but for Akeem's sake, she also began to hope that it would be a boy. She knew he still missed his father a lot, so maybe having a son with whom he could have the kind of relationship he'd had with his father would help him gain closure.

  Her mother-in-law still hardly visited. Yemi had felt she would be less frosty because of her condition, but Akeem's mother still kept her distance. Yemi was bothered by it, especially when she heard that Akeem's mother regularly attended social events with Leila.

  She was in her room one evening when Bassey informed her that Sara was around to see her. Yemi was happy to see her and they exchanged pleasantries. She got Sara a drink and some nibbles from the kitchen.

  "Thanks." Sara said as she took a sip of her orange juice. "You looked amazing at Melody's wedding," She said, referring to another cousin of Akeem's. "I could not stop staring at you. Don't tell me you made that outfit yourself?"

  "Yes, I did,"

  "I think I have to make you my official fashion designer," Sara said. "No, honestly!" she insisted when Yemi laughed. "I pay mine a fortune, and yet her designs are nowhere as nice as yours."

  Yemi was flattered by the comment. "Thanks, now you're making me feel big-headed." She looked thoughtfully at Sara, wondering if she could open up to her or not. "You know about Leila, don't you?"

  Sara looked surprised. "Who told you about her? Akeem?"

  "No, Nadia did. She pointed her out to me at Rhea's wedding."

  Sara grimaced. "Darling, spiteful Nadia!"

  Yemi totally agreed with the description but thought better about saying it out aloud. "I understand that my mother-in-law wanted Akeem to marry Leila?" she asked.

  "That's true. Leila is your mother-in-law's goddaughter, and both families had hoped from time immemorial that Akeem would marry her, but Akeem was having none of it."

  "I guess his mum wasn't happy about that?"

  "Not happy? Furious is more like it! Akeem is her favourite child but also the most independent one. Your mother-in-law, as you know, likes to be in control. She does that with Adil and Nadia, but she's never been able to control Akeem. I'm sure she thought that with Akeem marrying Leila, she would be able to get some level of influence over him."

  Yemi did not say anything and just kept listening.

  "Leila's family is very wealthy and influential," Sara continued. "They are into politics, just like your mother-in-law's family. In fact, her dad's younger brother is the current governor of Niger state, and he may well be the next president of this country soon."

  Yemi had heard about him; he was being touted as a possible presidential candidate in the next elections because of his achievements in his home state.

  "Those kinds of ties are important to your mother-in-law. So you can imagine how mad she was at Akeem." Sara paused and took another sip of her drink. "Akeem's mum has shares in KH, and she transferred some of her shares to Adil just to spite Akeem."

  "No, she did not!" Yemi was shocked.

  "Oh, yes she did. Akeem's shares are still more than Adil's, but Adil's stake in the company increased."

  "My word!" Yemi did not know how to comprehend what Sara was saying to her. How could a mother pitch her sons against each other?

  Sara laughed merrily. "Believe me, your mother-in-law has politics in her blood, so I guess since she could not get into national politics, she decided to do her bit with her own children!"

  Yemi could not see the joke. She felt so sorry for Akeem. "That's so awful."

  "But her step backfired. Akeem never reacted. At least, not openly. However, my husband told me that he was furious with his mother. A few months later, he began to make plans to pull out of KH."

  Yemi sucked in her breath. "What was his mum's response?"

  "At that point she realized that she stood the risk of losing her son altogether. Akeem had always said he could walk away from KH and still be successful. She softened up and tried to make peace with him and then got all his uncles to plead with him. I think she finally got it that he could not be pushed around, but she did not entirely give up on him still marrying Leila or at least someone else of her choice, but then…you came along."

  "And spoilt her plans," Yemi finished quietly.

  "Exactly. Small wonder that she can't stand you. But the good thing is that Akeem adores you, so that is some cover for you."

  "I would have liked to have a good or at least a cordial relationship with my mother-in-law."

  Sara laughed. "All things are possible, my dear. Isn't that what the good book says?" She asked the question in a way that made Yemi know that she considered it an impossible feat.

  Chapter 8

  "Are you sure you are going to be okay?" Akeem asked Yemi, looking a little worried. "I can cancel my meeting and go with you."

  She smiled reassuringly at him. "Honey, I'll be fine. The scan doesn't take long anyway, and I'll be back home in no time."

  "Call me when you are through, okay?"

  "I will. Go on, you're running late already."

  Yemi lay back in the bed after Akeem left for work. She would have preferred him to go with her, but he was going through such a busy spell at work. KH was about to send in its bid for the license to be the second national carrier to Nitel, the government-owned telecoms company, and Akeem was leaving nothing to chance. Its success would mean another sector added to KH's already-established chain of businesses. Moreover, it would also be Akeem's brainchild from scratch, and she knew how much that meant to him. He had taken some giant strides in KH, but he still felt he needed to establish something new.

  The scan revealed that she was carrying a healthy baby girl. She was a little disappointed, but only because Akeem was hoping so much for a boy.

  He also looked disappointed when she told him the news later that day but shrugged it off quickly.

  "Okay…it appears this little lady is in a hurry to meet her dad and start the bonding sessions," he said as he stroked Yemi's belly gently. "But I've got to work harder now because if her taste in bags is anything like her mum's, then I'd better start shoring up the pounds!"

  "You forgot about shoes," Yemi teased. "She's going to like shoes too."

  He grinned. "Yeah…I forgot that bit. Two girls in my house? I better start cracking!"

  Yemi touched his face tenderly with her fingers. "It's not about the shoes or the bags. Your girls will always love you, and that's the most important thing."

  ∞∞∞

  Their daughter, Aleena, was born six months later. She was a beautiful, healthy girl who bawled her way gustily into the world.

  Akeem was simply thrilled to be a father, and Yemi was sure she would never forget the look of awe on his face as he held the baby awkwardly in his arms for the first time.

  Mrs. Kadiri came to visit. Her lips stretched into that mockery of a smile that Yemi had grown familiar with as she held the baby stiffly in her arms. She made small talk, mostly with Akeem, her eyes occasionally flicking over Yemi.

  At some point during her visit, she arched her eyebrows mockingly at Yemi and said, "She's a pretty little girl, but Akeem has always wanted a son as his firstborn."

  Akeem grinned. "My daughter is gorgeous, Mum! So I'm one very satisfied man. But you'd better get your jewellery ready because my daughter is going to need them!"

  Mrs. Kadiri allowed a genuine smile on her face as she looked indulgently at him. "Your daughter will have more than enough jewellery. After all, she is a Kadiri." She looked at Yemi towards the end of the sentence, and Yemi got the impression that Akeem's mother was saying that she was not.

  Thankfully, she didn't stay long, and Yemi almost sighed with relief when she left.

  She enjoyed the visits from other people a lot more and was amused when Hasan and Fayona visited later in the day. Hasan si
ghed in an exaggerated fashion as he looked at the baby in his wife's arms.

  "At last, the search is over," he told his wife, who nodded and smiled as they exchanged a look.

  "What search?" Yemi asked curiously.

  "We've finally found a wife for Jayden."

  Yemi stared at them and then started laughing. Was this how they did it? No way! As much as she loved Akeem's godson, her daughter was going to make her own choice when she grew up. No push, no hints, no manipulation.

  "Jayden is my boy, but he will have to prove himself worthy of my princess," Akeem replied, casting a glance at Yemi. She knew he could read what was going through her mind.

  Hasan smiled confidently. "He's like his dad, so he would know what to do. Right, honey?" he asked his wife.

  "Of course." Fayona sounded just as confident as her husband.

  Akeem just smiled. "We shall see, my good friend. We shall see."

  Yemi was a little amused by it all and wondered why they were going at least twenty-two years into the future, but she was very sure of one thing: her daughter was going to be free from pressure when it came to matters concerning her own life.

  ∞∞∞

  Tola came to visit from England when Aleena was four months old. She could not get over Aleena and the fact that Yemi was now a mother. Yemi was very happy to see her, and it was almost like old times. They went shopping together, and Yemi took her to some of the beauty spots that were now familiar to her.

  "This is the kind of life I want to live, all leisure," Tola sighed as they left a spa one sunny Tuesday afternoon. Yemi had taken her to a competitor's spa instead of the one owned by her mother-in-law. She didn't want to risk being embarrassed by Akeem's mother in Tola's presence.

  "Shopping and getting spoiled all day," Tola continued. "Simply blissful!"

  Yemi was not sure she liked that description very much. Was that the summary of her life? "I'm still going to get a job as soon as Aleena is a little older," she said.

  Tola's eyebrows shot up. "Whatever for? I thought you said Akeem prefers you not to work?"

  "It's not a permanent decision. Plus, I want to do something useful with my life."