After the storm

by Osar Adeyemi

  Tanya smiled politely at them, but Yemi could see the quick look she gave them before continuing on her way to the auditorium.

  "She's bound to find out sooner or later about your connection to Akeem," Sesan said as they made their way back to the parking lot.

  Yemi bit on her lower lip. "I know." Her marriage was not something she spoke about easily, and Tanya had caught her by surprise. Not many people in the church were aware that she was married, and even fewer people knew that she had a daughter.

  "I don't want it to appear like we deliberately kept her in the dark," Sesan added.

  Yemi glanced at him. Why was he acting like he had a bee in his bonnet? Or was he sweet on Tanya? He had introduced Tanya to her a couple of weeks earlier when she joined his department, but he had not said anything much about her since then. She would probe him some more later.

  "I guess I'll have to tell her at some point, but for now, I don't want to say anything if I don't have to."

  ∞∞∞

  Yemi wondered why she had not told Tanya about her relationship to KH. But it had taken her by surprise, and the reaction had been automatic. It was not the first time she'd met people who worked at KH. There were a couple more in the church that she knew about, but she always avoided them.

  She had told her pastor a little bit about her marriage. She had initially just wanted to remain in the background at the church, but it was impossible to do so with someone like Sesan as her close friend. His likeable personality meant he was friends with practically everyone, and somehow the pastor had gotten to know her through him.

  "Expect a miracle," was one of the pastor's favourite sayings. He believed in it strongly, and he said those words to her before she left his office that day.

  She had not been very expectant. To Yemi, her marriage was a closed case. Now that she was saved, there was even more of a gulf between her and Akeem. With all his funny beliefs, they were like two parallel lines.

  But the basket of fruits in her kitchen was a miracle indeed. Mrs. Kadiri was back in the country and had sent the fruits to her through her driver. Yemi could hardly believe her eyes when she saw it. Mrs. Kadiri had only ever given her birthday cards while she was with Akeem and even then, Yemi was sure she had only felt compelled to do so in order not to offend Akeem.

  She was very thankful to God that the feud appeared to be over. She didn't feel any leading to get in touch with Nadia or Adil. She knew that making peace with Akeem's mother meant that she had made peace with them all, but she made a mental note to go out of her way to say hello to Nadia the next time she saw her.

  Chapter 24

  Akeem glanced at his wristwatch as he and Fola, the managing head of Ka-Tell, strode towards the entrance of the office. It was six forty in the evening, and the meeting they had just attended with some government officials had taken longer than expected. He felt tired but he still had a few things he needed to sort out in the office before heading home.

  "Still got a lot to do this evening, Fola?" he asked the younger man.

  "A couple of things. I should be done in about an hour or so."

  At that moment, Tanya Lawson stepped out of the entrance of Ka-Tell. She didn't see them at first, and then when she did, she slowed down.

  "Still in the office?" Akeem smiled as she walked up to them. It was an hour past her closing time.

  She smiled at both of them. "I had something I needed to finish. It's Friday anyway, so there's no rush."

  Fola quirked his brows slightly. Tanya seemed to realise that her admission of not being in a hurry to leave the office on a Friday evening implied lack of a social life, but she didn't seem embarrassed by it. She spoke to them for a few more minutes and then headed towards her car.

  Akeem noticed the way Fola's eyes followed her.

  "Perish those thoughts," he said, as they continued into the reception. He raised a hand in greeting to the janitor, who stood a little straighter on seeing him and Fola.

  Fola grinned. "But she's a hot little number, isn't she?"

  "She's too good for you." Akeem liked Fola, and their relationship went beyond that of boss and employee. But he also knew his reputation with women. And the thought of Fola going after Tanya didn't sit well with him.

  Fola laughed. "Who knows? She may well be the one to reform me."

  "How's Zoe?" Akeem asked. "Oh sorry, it's Lorraine now, isn't it?"

  Fola laughed. "Both of them were good the last time that I spoke to them," he said. The elevator arrived, and they got into it. "Tanya does not appear to be easy, though. She is religious."

  "All the more reason to stay away from her. Stick to the girls that understand guys like you."

  "But it would be a sweet challenge to see how long her religious views can stand against me."

  Akeem was not amused. "I thought you liked my policy on not dating staff?" It was his personal policy and he could not hold anyone to it, but a few senior staff members had adopted it too.

  "Yeah…I do," Fola replied as the elevator stopped on their floor. "Tanya just got me temporarily reconsidering that resolve."

  "Tanya is close to Shona, and I really would not want anything unpleasant to happen to her."

  Fola grinned. "Yes, boss, but what if I really fall in love with her?"

  Akeem lifted his brows cynically. "Elephants may as well start flying before that happens."

  Fola laughed, and they continued chatting as they went towards their respective offices.

  Akeem got a call from his mum a few minutes later. She wanted him to stop by her house the next day. He assured her he would and disconnected the call a few minutes later.

  He had been almost confused when she had told him about Yemi's visit to her in hospital. Wild horses could not have dragged Yemi to visit his mum on her own when they were still together, and now she had gone to see his mum even with a pending divorce lawsuit against him.

  His mind had immediately gone to the conversation he had with Tanya. The implacable person he had been referring to had been Yemi. But it had to be a coincidence, because Tanya had not been confident enough about God to accept his challenge.

  The following Saturday, he saw Tanya at Shona's when he dropped Aleena off for her son's birthday party. He jokingly told her about the "uncharacteristic incident" without revealing the identity of the implacable person.

  "Why do you think it's not God?" she asked him quietly.

  "Because you weren't even sure He would answer you."

  "I said God does not need to prove himself." She paused for a moment. "Do you always prove it to anyone that asks you if you are truly the CEO of KH?"

  He chuckled. "You're trying to be smart."

  "But do you?"

  "It depends on the circumstances. For some people, yes. For others, they will get to know sooner or later."

  "That's what I was trying to tell you." She didn't sound triumphant, just quiet. "God can decide to prove himself, or He may decide not to. He sees the motives in a man's heart, and He responds accordingly."

  He laughed. "So He saw my motives and responded?" For goodness' sake, the only motive he'd had was to disprove God's existence.

  "You know within you that God is real."

  He shook his head. "Oh no, I don't. But not to worry, I'll give what you've said some thought."

  She didn't badger him; she just told him that she had been praying for him and would continue to do so. He smiled to himself. That made three people who were praying for him. Shona, Justin, and now Tanya. God had to hear their prayers for his soul—except it was too far gone, and he was not worth saving.

  On the way home, Yemi came to his mind again. He remembered his visit to her house and the anger in her voice when she called him a filthy player. He had known then and there that he had to kill any thoughts he still harboured that they would ever work things out. For Aleena's sake, he hoped that they could at least remain civil to each other, because even that was a problem for her. She was either ice cold or flaming
mad.

  But maybe by going to see his mum, she was holding out an olive branch to him. He would accept it but would maintain a safe distance from her. He didn't think he could take any more bruises from her.

  His phone vibrated. It was Lois. She had just arrived at his house. He leaned back in his seat after talking with her. He knew she really liked him. He couldn't say he felt the same way, but she was a nice girl, and he was beginning to think more seriously about a future with her.

  ∞∞∞

  Yemi looked around the field where her church was having the annual family fun day. The weather was nice and sunny, and everyone was gaily dressed. She glanced towards the barbecue stand where some of the men were busy handing out burgers, roasted chicken, skewered beef, corn, and other food items on disposable plates. Sesan was not amongst them, and she wondered where he could be.

  She looked around the field, searching for him. She was looking forward to telling him that Akeem had finally agreed that Aleena could attend church with her. She had been planning on bringing it up with him again and had been preparing herself for another round of arguments, but he had surprised her by calling the day before and agreeing to it.

  "I'm so expecting miracles now, Lord," she whispered. "Just keep them coming."

  "Hey, Yemi!" She heard a voice behind her. She turned around, it was Bola, one of the ladies in her department. She was sitting a few yards away with some other women. "Looking good, as usual," She said, looking at Yemi's outfit admiringly as she got closer. "I love your cropped pants!"

  "Thanks, looking great yourself."

  "Come join us!"

  Yemi sat down beside her. The ladies were playing Scrabble, and she watched and cheered them on. The winners whooped with delight some minutes later, and then they all went over to watch the choreography being done by the teenagers.

  About an hour later, she finally saw Sesan approaching. He was with Tanya. Yemi had noticed them getting progressively closer over the past few weeks.

  It had been a bit clumsy when Tanya found out about her and Akeem before she got the chance to tell her. Yemi had bumped into Shona and Tanya at a shopping mall. Shona had assumed that Tanya was already aware of Yemi's relationship with Akeem and she had talked freely with Yemi about seeing Akeem and Aleena the day before. Although Tanya had said very little that day, Yemi had seen the surprise on her face.

  Sesan told her that Tanya's attitude towards him afterwards had become rather cool, and it had made things uncomfortable between them at the department. Yemi felt sorry for the mess and had gone ahead to apologise to Tanya when she learnt of it.

  "Hi, I'm Yemi Kadiri." She had introduced herself again as if they were meeting for the first time. "I'm the estranged wife of Akeem Kadiri, CEO of the company you work for."

  Tanya had given her a small, rueful smile. "Yeah, I see what you mean."

  Yemi could see the compassion in Tanya's eyes, but she had not said anything more than that and had changed the topic. Yemi had appreciated her discretion. Some Christians didn't know when to not put their foot in it. She had been subjected to instant exhortations from a few "well-meaning" brethren who had found out that she was separated from her husband. She had tried to bear them politely, all the while wishing they would just shut up. Silence was more comforting than words at times, especially when you weren't close to the person.

  Yemi watched Sesan and Tanya as they drew closer to where she was sitting. Sesan was laughing at something Tanya had said. They made a good-looking couple.

  "Hello, Yemi." Tanya smiled at her. "Looking good."

  "Thanks, Tanya, looking very nice yourself too. Are you guys just arriving?"

  "Yes, Sesan was kind enough to pick me up. My car developed a fault this morning, and he came over to my house to help me sort it out."

  "Hope it's okay now?"

  "Getting fixed," Sesan replied. "The garage sent someone to pick it up. It should be back by Monday."

  "That's good. It's such a nuisance when a car gets faulty."

  "Tell me about it," Tanya said, rolling her eyes. "Wow, that looks good!" she said as someone passed by with a plate of food. "I'm starving, going to get myself some food. Care for anything, Shez?"

  "I'll sort myself out later, thanks," Sesan replied, as Tanya moved off.

  Yemi found herself smiling at Tanya's use of Sesan's childhood nickname. "Hmmm…Shez, indeed! When did she start calling you that?"

  "She overheard you, and she said she liked it."

  "That name goes way back, and only those who want to join our inner caucus can use it. So tell me, is Tanya such a one?"

  "We're just good friends."

  "Remember, you're talking to me. So c'mon, 'fess up!"

  He smiled. "What do you want me to say? She is friendly, easygoing, pretty…"

  "Aha!" Yemi said excitedly. "I've been looking at you and that lady for some time, and I sensed something there. Go on and tell me all about it!"

  "There's not a lot to tell yet, but what do you think? Do you like her?" Sesan asked.

  "What's not to like? She is lovely, and like you said, friendly and easygoing. So, do you like her?"

  "How do you mean?"

  "Shez!" Yemi said sternly.

  "I do," Sesan replied a little bashfully. "She's really sweet."

  "Finally!" Yemi laughed delightedly. "Does she know?"

  "Sort of. I've been praying about it, but I think I have the all clear now."

  "I'm so happy for you," Yemi said, giving him a hug. "You know that, don't you?"

  "I know, Yemi," Sesan replied, squeezing her hand. "Now I just have to convince her to stay in Nigeria."

  ∞∞∞

  Akeem made his way downstairs. He had just had a rigorous time at the gym followed by a shower, and he was feeling energised. Lois smiled at him as he entered the dining room.

  "Hey," he said, bending and brushing his lips against hers. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

  "Mmmm…you smell good," she said, closing her eyes briefly as she inhaled his cologne. "How was your session at the gym?"

  "Invigorating. You should have joined me. I feel so energised." He poured himself a glass of wine and then refilled hers. "What's for dinner?"

  She opened some of the dishes. Fresh prawns. An assortment of grilled fish, roasted vegetables, and spicy coconut rice.

  "Looks good," he said. She dished some food onto his plate.

  "Bassey can sure cook up a storm," she agreed. "He said there's some new type of dessert he's made for us to have afterwards too."

  "I've got a huge appetite right now, so I'm all for it," Akeem replied, digging into his food. Bassey knew how he liked his food. Everything was done to perfection.

  "I was expecting to see Aleena and Kufre," Lois remarked as she cut up some grilled fish on her plate.

  "They are at Yemi's place. It's children's day at her church this weekend, and she asked if Aleena could attend."

  "Oh." She looked slightly taken aback. "I was thinking we could all go out tomorrow and have some sort of family-do to celebrate your birthday."

  "Sorry, honey." His birthday had been two days earlier, and she had taken him out for dinner then. "I didn't know you had more plans, but we can reschedule it for next week, can't we?"

  "Of course. It's not a big deal," she replied a little coolly, her eyes on her plate.

  "Nice hairdo," he said after a while. He was feeling sorry that he had forgotten to tell her that Aleena wouldn't be around. "New, isn't it? Really suits your face."

  She smiled, looking pleased at the compliment. "Got it done yesterday. There's this new salon I just discovered. The hairdresser is really brilliant."

  She began to describe the place to him, and Akeem tried to listen to her attentively. Salons and hairdressers were not his favourite topics, but what could a man do? He had his little Aleena to think of too. She was already talking high heels and bags. According to her, her best friend, Chloe, already wore some form of heels. She had tried to cajole him
into getting her a pair, but Yemi was very firm on her wearing just flat shoes for now. Maybe one day, Aleena might need his input on the best places to get the nicest hair extensions. He almost laughed out loud at the thought.

  "Whoa, I love this mousse, and the cake is absolutely super!" Lois said later as she sampled a piece of the cake that Bassey served them. "My dad's hosting some people soon. Maybe we can add this to the menu." She turned to Bassey. "Please write the recipe out for me to give to Kevin," she said referring to the cook at her dad's house.

  Bassey glanced at Akeem. "I made the mousse but…"

  Akeem saw Bassey's hesitation and completed the sentence. "Yemi sent the cake to my office, along with Aleena's birthday present for me."

  Lois glanced at him but said nothing more. Bassey cleared some of the plates they had used and left the dining room.

  They moved over to the sitting room after their dinner. Lois nestled her head against his shoulder while he flicked through the channels. An advert caught his attention, and he watched it briefly. The gubernatorial elections were getting closer, and there was a media war going on between the candidates as each tried to outdo the other. Chloe's father seemed to be the new man to watch.

  "Things are really heating up. Dad's supporting Michael Ola-Daniels. He's donated a lot towards his campaign," Lois said. "What do you think of him?"

  Akeem shrugged. "He seems okay. He's got a couple of strong contenders, though."

  "Yeah, Dad said something about them trying to make him step down, and they've been offering him all sorts of juicy incentives, but the guy is not budging."

  Akeem wrinkled his nose distastefully. "Politics is not my thing, but Ola-Daniels should stick to what he believes in spite of any pressure."

  "You don't sound too keen on him," Lois said, looking at his face.

  "I support the Liberty Party. Their policies favour me more as a businessman, but that's not to say that I've got anything against Ola-Daniels. His daughter, Chloe, is Aleena's best friend, after all."

  "Of course." Lois laughed. "So we have that connection and can still get some favours even if you are not a staunch supporter of his ambition."