by Osar Adeyemi
Even his precious daughter liked her. Aleena was not impressed with her cooking, though, and she had told Lois candidly, after one disastrous attempt by her to make lunch, that her mummy was the best cook in the whole wide world. But despite that, they still got on fine. Lois, on her part, had not been upset by Aleena's statement. She was the first person to laugh at her own cooking skills anyway. That was another reason why Akeem liked her. She laughed at life and did not take things too seriously. What she lacked in cooking skills, she made up by having a warm, lovable nature. She loaded Aleena with gifts and arranged fun outings for her.
Yes, she would make a good partner. So he wondered to himself why the thought of getting more committed to her did not thrill him. He was okay with his relationship with her, but going a step further, getting a divorce from Yemi, and actually proposing to her was another matter altogether.
"Maybe I should draw up a list, nothing too big, just a few close friends," Lois said, interrupting his thoughts. "Any particular people you'd like to invite?"
He shrugged. "You know my friends. Maybe you can add Fola Lawal from my office. That guy needs to unwind a little. He's been working too hard."
"See who's talking about working too hard," Lois teased.
"I'm a lot better now, aren't I? Especially now that I have you in my life."
She looked pleased at his comment, and for a moment she stared searchingly into his eyes. "I can't fathom you out sometimes," she finally said, shaking her head. "Sometimes I think I've got you all figured out, and then bam! Just like that, you do or say something to throw me off."
Akeem smiled. "I thought I was a pretty easygoing guy."
She sighed. "I wish, but well, my heart is stuck on you." She looked quiet for a moment and then seemed to shrug off her mood and looked bright again. "So, I shall add Fola to the guest list. My friends will definitely like to see someone like him. That guy is such a looker!"
"Hey," Akeem protested. "I better knock him off the list if my girl's going to be looking at him."
Lois giggled. "No need to sweat, handsome. Fola is good looking, but he's got nothing on you!"
Akeem pretended to breathe a sigh of relief. "That's better!"
Lois made a face. "Like you have anything to worry about." She poked him in the abdomen and pretended to wince with pain. "How can I look at another guy when I've got you?" she asked, running her fingertips over his abs.
He smiled and looked into her eyes. At the same time, he wondered why he could not take what he thought should be the next logical step with this woman who obviously liked him so much.
∞∞∞
Yemi looked at her phone as a call came in. She saw from the caller ID that it was Deji. She decided she would call him back later.
"You can take your call," Bibi, the Nollywood actress whose dress she was fitting, said to her. "I appreciate you seeing me at such short notice, and I'm not in a hurry."
Yemi smiled. "Thanks, but let's just sort out your dress first."
Deji did not know that she was at work. It was a Saturday, and she had told him that she was not working that day, but Bibi had called that she wanted to collect her dress that morning. Ken and Francis were in the office, but Bibi was one of those clients whom she preferred to handle herself, so she had gone to the office to do the fitting and collection.
"Are you sure you want me to take it in any farther than this?" Yemi asked her. She had already taken the dress two inches tighter than what her actual measurements were, but knowing Bibi, she was never satisfied with a dress until it looked like she had been poured into it.
"Yes, I do," she replied, holding the two ends of the fabric together at her waist. "Just a little bit tighter."
"All right, no worries. I'll do that, but do you mind picking it up on Monday?"
"I'll send my driver to get it," Bibi said, unzipping the dress right there and slipping out of it. Yemi had gotten used to ladies like Bibi who stripped in her office without any thought of someone else coming in through the unlocked door. There were changing rooms, but they probably felt they had such great bodies that they could flaunt it anywhere.
Bibi looked at herself in her lacy underwear in the mirror for a long moment before walking over to the changing room to put on her own dress which she had left in there.
"Thanks, Yemi, I'll let you know what designs I want from the ones you showed me," she said when she came back into the office a couple of minutes later. She stood before the mirror again and patted her dress in place. "I have about five parties lined up over the next few weeks, and I want to look seriously fabulous at each of them."
"I'm sure you will," Yemi replied. "Let me know as soon as you make up your mind what designs you want."
"You know what? I'm just going to allow you to choose for me. But be careful, though. You know how fussy I can be," she added.
Yemi smiled to herself after Bibi left. In the past, Bibi could kick up a fuss and would refuse a perfectly fitted dress depending on what mood she was in. She was a lot calmer now. Yemi was thankful for the fact that people's attitudes rarely bothered her, otherwise there was no way she could have dealt with the divas that now frequented her fashion house.
Doing the charity fashion show with Cerys had been the best business decision she had ever made. It had opened her up in a good way, and celebs like Bibi felt she had to be good if Cerys was comfortable wearing outfits that she had made. The newspaper reviews had also helped. Now, she had a steady flow of customers, even in seasons when she knew there was a bit of a drought in the fashion world.
She brought out her phone and called Deji.
"Hey, I was just about to call you again," he said. "Still in bed?"
"I wish. I'm at work." She explained the situation with Bibi to him.
"At least you've sorted her out now," he said. "I'm going to get some Chinese food and then come over to your place. Is there anything you'd like?"
"Haagen-Dazs, chocolate flavour."
"Of course, I should have thought about that." She could hear the smile in his voice. He was getting used to her sweet tooth. "Alright, see you in a bit."
Yemi smiled as she disconnected the call. She had grown to like him a lot in the six months since they had become friends. He had a way of making her relax, and she absolutely loved his kids.
She valued his friendship and thought him a great guy, but that was all there was to it for her. There were none of the heady feelings she had once had with Akeem. She and Akeem could have a roomful of people between them, and yet one look was enough to convey their feelings. So it was easy for her to know that what she felt for Deji was very different. And even though she tried to will it, she still could not bring herself to think of him in any way other than as a friend.
∞∞∞
Deji arrived at her house about forty minutes after she got in herself. She opened the door to see him laden with Chinese takeaway bags and tubs of Haagen-Dazs. Trust him to go the extra mile.
"Hey," he said, eyeing her in her pale-yellow, sleeveless dress appreciatively. "You look like a slice of sunshine."
"Thanks." Yemi smiled. She relieved him of some of the things he was carrying. "Whoa, you've brought lots to eat," she said, eyeing the bags.
"I have to work hard to get you to eat properly, so I got a variety of dishes I knew you'd like," he said, following her into the kitchen. He set the dishes on the granite work surface.
"Are the twins still with your parents?" Yemi asked him after they had set the table and settled down to eat.
"Yes, they will be there until the weekend when we fly out to Spain."
"I'm going to miss you."
He looked at her but did not say anything.
She knew what was going through his mind. He had asked her several times to come along with them, and each time, she had declined. "Don't you believe me?" she said, rolling some Taiwanese stir noodles on her fork and popping them into her mouth.
"Then come with us," he said.
&n
bsp; "That's too late now. The cost of tickets will have skyrocketed by now."
"Just tell me you'll come and leave the tickets to me."
"The airlines will likely not even have seats anyway."
He put down his fork and brought out his phone "I have a very good travel agent. She can normally arrange flights at very short notice. The worst that can happen will be us going in separate flights."
"That won't be fun," Yemi hedged. "Let's leave this for another time, and we'll plan it properly."
He picked up his fork again and resumed eating. She looked at him, and their eyes met. She looked away. They ate in silence for a while. She was taking a sip of her drink when she noticed he was still looking at her.
"What?"
He smiled slowly. "Someday."
"Someday, what?"
"Just someday."
They finished eating and cleaned up together. They were discussing Lola's upcoming wedding when the doorbell rang.
"Abby!" she exclaimed with delight as she saw her friend standing on her doorstep. "What good wind has blown you my way today?"
Abby laughed as they hugged each other. "I decided to surprise you! You're looking good, girl! Who did your hair?" she began, and then stopped when she saw Deji. "Hi." She smiled at him "How're you doing?"
"I'm well, thank you," Deji replied. "How's the family?"
"Good, good. My kids are with my husband so I decided to come see this lady!"
They chatted for a while, and then Deji said he had to be on his way. Yemi walked him to the door, but he stopped her from following him outside. "I'll call you later tonight."
"All right then, thanks for coming around and also for the food."
"You're always welcome. Let me know if you change your mind about Spain," he added with a half-teasing expression on his face.
Yemi smiled back at him. "You may be surprised!"
"I'd love to be surprised." He held her eyes for a moment. "So, shall I expect your call?"
"Let's wait and see."
"Don't want to get my hopes up for nothing, so I shall take that as a no." He touched her cheek lightly. "Take care. Speak to you later."
Yemi closed the door to find Abby watching her with her raised brows.
"What on earth do you think you're doing, Yemi Kadiri?"
"How do you mean?"
"Do you realise that guy is in love with you?"
"Is he? I've told him I'm not interested in a relationship with him, and he said he's okay with us just being friends."
Abby looked at her incredulously. "And you honestly believe that? His feelings for you are as plain as the nose on my face!" She sighed and shook her head "This is a dangerous game you're playing, and someone is bound to get hurt."
"Can't I have a friend?" Yemi asked defensively. "He's been very nice to me, and I like him."
Abby exhaled slowly. "Yemi, the guy is very nice, no doubt, and I would fully support your relationship if you were single."
"I'm single. A single mother."
"Feel free to tell yourself that, but the last time I checked, you were still Mrs. Yemi Kadiri."
"Thanks for the reminder, but anyway, I'm not in a relationship with Deji."
"Then what do you call whatever it is that you guys have going on?"
Yemi rubbed her hand across the back of her neck. She didn't need a lecture. "Believe me, I've tried to tell Deji several times how I feel, and he has assured me that he is content with just being my friend."
"He is not being true to himself, and you're making yourself vulnerable by being with him."
Yemi frowned. Was Abby not getting things mixed up here? "Have you forgotten that I'm no longer with Akeem? And anyway, it's not like I'm having an affair with Deji or anything like that." She wrinkled her nose. "At least I'm still better than Akeem, who is going about with different women."
"I'm not talking about Akeem. I'm talking about you." Abby stopped and stared at Yemi. "Yemi, I've tried not to put pressure on you, but I believe you should take steps to deal with the issues you've been through."
"Maybe the first step I should take is to get a divorce from Akeem," Yemi muttered. "Come to think of it, he'd probably be relieved. That will free him up to marry his girlfriend."
"So why do you think he has not instituted divorce proceedings against you?"
Yemi frowned. "Maybe he wants to be able to tell Aleena that the decision was mine."
"I don't think so, but anyway, I think the first step you should take is to ask God for healing concerning all the hurt in your heart, and then you can take it from there."
∞∞∞
Yemi pondered over her conversation with Abby, but when she saw pictures of Akeem and Lois at some function a few days later, she felt herself getting angry all over again. She looked at his impeccably fitted tuxedo and the comments the papers had made about him and Lois. They were supposed to be a power couple because of their wealthy backgrounds, and the papers said they would make an ideal match. Of course, to make the story juicer, they went onto write about Akeem and Yemi's fairytale-like wedding a few years earlier and how gutted they were that the marriage had not lasted.
Yemi was angry at the story and shrugged off her feelings of guilt over Deji. She wasn't doing anything wrong, after all. Akeem was the adulterer. She just had a nice friend around her.
Deji invited her to dinner a few days later. She accepted and, because of her mood, went out of her way to look really good. She knew she had succeeded when she looked at herself in the mirror, and the way Deji's eyes widened in admiration later on that evening confirmed it.
"You look absolutely beautiful!" he told her as he took in her one-shouldered, Sapphire blue, Grecian-style evening dress with a floor-grazing skirt. The dress lightly skimmed over her, showing off her slim figure to full advantage.
"Thanks, Deji. You look great too."
"I'm the lucky chap here, escorting such a beautiful woman to dinner."
Yemi smiled. She wished he had met him eight years earlier, but then again, he was happily married back then. She sighed inwardly; life could be so complex
She looked out of the window as Deji drove them towards Victoria Island. She loved the island at night. The dazzling array of multiple lights coming from every direction lit the evening skies, giving it a fairytale-like look. It was a very different look from the manic place it could be during the day.
About twenty minutes later, he turned into the parking lot of a restaurant. She looked curiously at the sign in front of the restaurant: La Crae. It appeared to be a new place.
"Hmmm…this place looks very nice," she said as he opened the door for her.
"I'm trying to impress some lady, you know." He smiled. "I'm hoping this may help me score some brownie points with her."
"I'm sure she'll be really impressed," Yemi said, nodding solemnly. "I mean, she's just got to be. Taking her here must cost a few pennies."
"She is very special and worth every single penny." He held out his arm to her. "Shall we go in, my lady?" Yemi laughed and took his arm.
She looked appreciatively at the interior of the restaurant. A waiter led them to the VIP section, where Deji had booked a table. They ordered drinks and the waiter left them with the menus.
"This is a lovely place. I'm already loving it," Yemi remarked.
"Does that mean that I'm definitely scoring some points, then?"
She pretended to think about it. "A few," she conceded.
"That's not fair, but I'll keep trying to improve my ratings. I'll get there soon."
She smiled at him. "You don't need to try, Deji. You're a great guy just by being who you are."
He reached across the table and squeezed her fingers lightly. "Thanks, that's the nicest thing you've ever told me."
"Is it?" she teased. "Stick around, and you'll hear some more."
She regretted the words when she saw the hope that flared in his eyes.
"I intend to," he said softly. He seemed to sense her d
iscomfort and changed the topic; very soon she was laughing at his jokes. She didn't know how he could relate such stories while maintaining a straight face himself.
"Whoa, this trout tastes so good," Yemi said, savouring the taste of the fish when they were served their main course. Every bite of it was simply delicious. "I wonder how they did it." She flipped a piece over, trying to decide how it was made; it was definitely baked. She would try to do it at home sometime.
"If you remain all smiley like this, I will order some takeaway for you."
She smiled and took a sip of her wine. "Is that smile wide enough?"
"Hmmm." He pretended to consider it. "Nice, but a little bit more will do nicely."
She giggled. "Can't smile any wider than this, but this is straight from the heart, so it should do."
"I love it when you smile," he said softly, looking into her eyes. "And yes, you will definitely get some takeaway, but you have to keep the smiling face up all night, otherwise you lose points."
"Well, I can't let that happen then, can I?" She took another sip of her wine and glanced casually around the room. There were a few other diners in the section where they were. She almost did a double take when her eyes collided with Akeem's. Her smile froze. He had obviously been watching her. He was with a lady, but Yemi could not see her face because her back was towards Yemi.
"Are you okay?" Deji's voice seemed to be coming from far away. She tried to compose herself.
"I'm fine."
Deji looked slightly puzzled by the expression on her face. "No, you're not fine. What's going on?" he asked gently, taking her hand in his.
"Nothing, just that Akeem is here. He's seated about three tables away," she told him. Deji's back was towards Akeem, so he would not be able to see him. "But please don't look in his direction."
Deji seemed to tense up a little, but he continued to stroke her hand. "He is not alone, is he?"
"No, he's with someone."
"So let's ignore him and concentrate on our dinner. We're here to have a good time, and we'll do just that."
He was right, Yemi thought to herself. Why should Akeem's presence bother her? She glanced in Akeem's direction again. He was still looking at her. She lifted her chin a little defiantly before looking away. He could think whatever he wanted. She took a sip of her wine and concentrated on what Deji was saying.