Blooms Among Thorns

by I. Izegbuwa

  ‘It’s against Coco’s work ethics for staff to get emotionally involved with each other,’ she said. ‘It impairs the judgment of the employees in question and disrupts our corporate goals.’

  ‘Well, I’ve always been known to be a rebel.’ Imade responded with a mischievous laugh.

  ‘I’m serious,’ her boss said. ‘Dapo knows the rules.’ Her voice fell to a slight whisper so Imade didn’t hear. ‘And it won’t be the first time he’s breaking them.’ She paused for a while and shook her head. ‘I don’t intend to interfere with your personal life. All I am concerned about are our office polices. At the end of every year, Coco’s Gas Company retains its corps members and offers them permanent positions when their youth service is completed. But we may have to make an exception with you.’

  ‘Because of my relationship with Dapo?’

  Aisha nodded. ‘I don’t make the rules around here, but I am constrained to ensure that all staff comply with them.’

  Imade gazed into space. She had become quite emotionally attached to Dapo. Thoughts of him were always sailing through her mind and even when she tried to push them out and concentrate on her job, they kept bouncing back. Every iota of feeling she had nurtured towards Taye had disappeared in the wake of this budding relationship. Here at last, was the man she had always dreamed of, and Aisha was telling her that corporate policy would not let them be together? How could something that felt so right be declared wrong?

  ‘It seems so unfair to make such harsh rules,’ she replied after much thought. ‘Surely they can be waived.’ She leaned forward. ‘Don’t you see madam; I love him. I believe in what we have and I am not going to give him up.’

  Her boss nodded. ‘I wouldn’t give up someone I love either. True love is always worth fighting for. We’ve dealt with such situations before where the couples chose to stick together and one party left the organization. I was later invited to represent Coco’s at the nuptials and I found myself celebrating the same relationships I had previously forbidden. But the thing is, you have to be sure that the love is mutual and both parties are sold out to it. The commitment has to go both ways or there is really no point.’ She paused as Imade brooded over her words. Stepping out of her boss’ shoes, Aisha offered some friendly advice. ‘You mentioned to me once that you had been toying with the idea of travelling out for a higher degree. Why don’t you go for it? You are young and have your whole life ahead of you. It’s the perfect time to follow your dream.’

  ‘I’ll think about it, ma.’ Imade replied. She left Aisha’s office wondering why her boss was so eager to have her far away from Dapo.

  ~~~~

  Dapo supported the move, although he was indignant when Imade recounted the details of her discussion with Aisha and how her boss warned of the consequences that would follow if they continued to see each other.

  ‘These crazy policies,’ he remarked. ‘I say we call their bluff! Aisha does have a point though. Going the Masters’ route would be a good idea.’

  ‘But I’m just afraid we will be so far from each other,’ she protested. ‘I was more enthusiastic before I met you, but now I have a reason to stay back.’

  ‘We’ll work something out,’ he promised.

  By the time the Youth Service year was over, Imade was totally smitten with Dapo and would have given anything to stay on longer at Port Harcourt. But as her boss foretold, Coco’s Gas Company did not offer her a permanent position like they did the other Corps members. Thankfully, she had heeded Aisha’s advice and now had deadlines to meet for her Masters’ Program application. She had good reason to return home to Lagos. Reluctantly, she tore herself away and left the city of Port Harcourt; holding dear, Dapo’s promise to visit her soon and dreading how much she would miss him in the coming days.

  So, when Simi and Dokun announced their wedding date, Imade was very excited; not just because her best friend was getting married, but also because it posed the perfect opportunity for Dapo to visit her in Lagos. He arrived on the morning of the big day, when the bustle of activities was at its peak. Imade barely had time to welcome him, before dashing off with the bridal train. As she scurried about attending to the bride, she worried that he was a stranger, with no one to keep him company. She had asked Omoz to stay with him, but doubted if her brother would have the patience to entertain her guest.

  By late afternoon, the newly-weds finally drove away. Imade found an obscure corner of the reception hall, where she could relax her aching nerves. Sinking into a nearby chair, she let out an exaggerated yawn and kicked off her high heeled shoes. She spotted Dapo sitting some distance away, talking with three other guests she didn’t know. They laughed like old friends. Imade smiled. Trust Dapo; he could blend in with any crowd. As she contemplated going over to join them, someone called her name from behind. She turned and saw her old buddy, standing in his cream colored brocade, holding a bottle of water.

  ‘Taye!’ she exclaimed, rising to her feet. She hadn’t seen him since she graduated. ‘It's been ages.’

  He hugged her and then stepped back to get a better look. He seemed to like what he saw and smiled approvingly. Handing her the bottle of cold water, he took the seat beside her.

  ‘I’ve been watching you all day,’ he said. ‘You’re still as lovely as ever.’

  ‘Ah! Don’t even start with me,’ she chided jokingly. ‘I’m just glad this day is over. Simi and I have talked about nothing else for the past couple of months. And you know how finicky she can be; ensuring every detail has been taken care of. At least now, she will let me rest.’

  ‘Simi got her dream wedding, didn’t she?’ Taye asked.

  ‘Oh definitely, and she has me to thank for that.’

  He watched her as she drank the contents of the bottle. She looked so beautiful in her pink dress and flawless hairdo. He tried to catch her attention with his eyes but she looked past him to the table where Dapo sat.

  ‘That’s my sweetheart,’ she announced proudly.

  Taye lifted his eyebrows in surprise as he followed the direction of her gaze, ‘Sweetheart? You never mentioned him on the phone.’

  She nodded. ‘That’s because it’s been a rather turbulent ride, what with my boss at Coco’s trying to tell me who I can or cannot love.’

  ‘And here I was, still hoping that someday you’d be mine,’ Taye replied with a sigh. ‘You mentioned before you left for Port Harcourt that you would use the time to think about your future. Are you sure this is what you want?’ His expression spoke volumes. It was obvious that he still cared deeply about her.

  ‘Listen Imade,’ he went on before she had time to reply. ‘You know how I feel about you. Nothing has changed since we left school. I was hoping that when you returned from the Youth Service Corps, we would have something special together.’

  Imade turned to face him. ‘Do you remember what I told you about us; you and I, when we were back at school?’

  ‘You said we’d always be friends?’

  ‘I meant it with all sincerity. I really believe Dapo is the one for me.’ She paused as a pensive look crossed her face. ‘My one little concern is that he’s not saved; not really. He has opinions about the Lord that conflict with mine. But I’m working on changing that.’

  She saw the look in Taye’s eye and knew what was brewing. It was a ‘You-know-better-than-that’ look. She was not in the mood for any lectures from him or anyone else. Aisha’s lecture was one too many. Looking away, she slipped on her shoes.

  ‘Come, I’ll introduce you.’

  They moved over to join Dapo and his company. He saw them approaching and got up to hug her. Imade reciprocated the gesture before turning to smile at the other three guests. ‘I see you’ve made some new friends.’

  ‘Yeah, this is Kovie.’ Dapo replied with a laugh. He motioned to the other two. ‘His wife Gina and her friend Tara. Everyone, this is Imade.’

  Taye stood aside, twiddling his thumbs as he waited to be introduced. Dapo suddenly see
med to notice him standing there and gave him a questioning look. Imade took a step forward.

  ‘Ah yes,’ she said apologetically. ‘This is my friend, Taye. He’s the one I have always told you about.’

  A few more pleasantries were exchanged before Dapo’s friends announced they had to leave.

  ‘We should get together again,’ Dapo told Kovie. ‘I’m in town till Monday.’

  The idea sounded good and the two of them exchanged numbers. ‘I’m ready to leave as well,’ Imade declared, after the trio walked away. ‘My job here is done.’

  She excused herself for a few minutes and sauntered off to the restroom, holding up the folds of her long gown. The guys watched her go.

  ‘So,’ Dapo said. ‘How’s the medical profession?’

  ‘Pretty good,’ Taye replied. ‘I’m still learning the ropes at the hospital.’

  ‘You doctors are amazing. I personally cringe at the sight of blood.’ He paused, before turning to face Taye squarely. ‘Imade talks about you so much, it’s like I knew you before I met you. Guys usually get carried away by her friendly disposition. I always advise her to make her stand clear, to avoid leading them on.’

  Taye got the ‘back off’ message. He jammed his hands into his pockets and bit his tongue. He was in no mood to argue. They stood together in awkward silence, waiting for Imade to return. When she finally came back, she was pleased with what she saw; her old school pal and the love of her life, standing in the center of the hall, waiting for her. Flashing a charming smile, she suggested that the three of them move their little party to a more relaxed venue, like the movie theater. Taye declined, explaining that he had to be back at the hospital. Shaking hands stiffly with Dapo, he excused himself.

  As they flagged down a taxi, Dapo cautioned her. ‘You shouldn’t flirt with him like that, you know.’

  Imade raised an eyebrow in surprise. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘I’m here for just two days and you’re still inviting him to tag along with us? Thank goodness he had the common sense to refuse. My new friends even thought the two of you were a couple.’

  ‘Well, maybe if you had introduced me better, it would have cleared the misconception,’ she argued. ‘Besides you and Taye seemed to like each other, I thought you could be friends.’

  ‘That’s not likely,’ he replied curtly.

  She fell silent. The taxi sped off and they relaxed at the backseat, listening to the afternoon radio show.

  ‘I’ve been thinking,’ Dapo suggested. ‘Why don’t you come back to Port Harcourt for a while?’

  Imade wasn’t sure it was a good idea. ‘I’ll incur too many expenses,’ she said. ‘I need to save as much as possible for grad school.’

  He took her hand and squeezed it fondly. ‘I really want you around,’ his voice was soothing. ‘I miss you.’

  ‘I miss you too,’ she replied. ‘I can’t imagine how I will cope being abroad without you.’ Nestling close to him, she closed her eyes and basked in his embrace. ‘Let's just make the best of this weekend,’ she replied. ‘No new friends, no old friends, just the two of us.’

  ~~~~

  Dapo headed back to Port Harcourt first thing on Monday morning. Imade was upset because she barely saw him while he was in Lagos. She had thought they would spend the Sunday after Simi’s wedding together, but he had other plans. Kovie, his new friend, was taking him to some automobile showrooms.

  ‘We agreed it would be just the two of us.’ she protested, trying to understand why he would go to a showroom if he wasn’t buying a car.

  ‘I know love, but there are some recent BMW models I have to see before I leave.’

  ‘Oh. Then can I come along?’

  He looked surprised that she would make such a request. ‘You’ll be bored,’ he decided. ‘But if you have nothing else to do, I guess we could fit you in.’

  She shook her head. She didn’t want to be ‘fitted in’. ‘Go ahead and enjoy yourself. I have things to do around the house anyway.’

  Dapo spent the whole day touring Lagos without her, stopping by only in the evening, to say a quick hello. As he recounted the details of his day to her, he exuded so much excitement that she had to struggle to keep sulking. Sensing her disappointment, he slipped his hand into hers.

  ‘I’m sorry you weren’t with us,’ he said. ‘But if you come back to Port Harcourt with me tomorrow, I promise to make it up to you.’

  Grudgingly, she gave in. ‘Just for a few days.’

  When they arrived at Port Harcourt, Imade was glad to see the old city again. She spent her afternoons catching up with old friends while Dapo was at work and in the evenings, he gave her his full attention, closing early each day just to be with her. The three days she had planned to stay, stretched into two weeks. It wasn’t until Iye began calling her tirelessly that she packed up and returned home to conclude her travel plans.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Present Day

  Avery ran a hectic schedule with long working hours. But Imade loved her job, demanding as it was. She barely found time for social activities anymore, ever since her relationship with Dapo spiraled downhill, with only a baby boy to show for it.

  As she sat at her mahogany desk, in her crisp dark colored skirt suit, her mind travelled back to that bizarre day when she initially arrived in the United Kingdom. She was walking down the crowded streets, feasting her eyes on the fine items displayed through the shop windows. As she rounded a bend, a strange old man with unkempt hair stopped to ask her for some spare change. She shook her head briefly and looked away. The man stood close by, studying her intensely as he puffed on his cigarette until Imade shifted uncomfortably and hurried off.

  ‘Does your beau know you’re pregnant?’ he called after her.

  She stopped in her tracks. What on earth did he mean? Was he a prophet in disguise or what? She touched her belly and looked at him questioningly. The man smiled, revealing a stained set of teeth.

  ‘I can see it in your walk,’ he explained.

  Flushed with embarrassment, she turned round quickly and walked away. She had been on her way to the clothing store, but headed to a pharmacy instead. The test confirmed the old man’s words. A sinking feeling crept over her as her mind went back to her last visit to Port-Harcourt, where so much had transpired between herself and Dapo. She left the pharmacy and hurried home. Placing a long distance call, she broke the news to him. Dapo was silent.

  ‘Say something!’ she urged, on the verge of tears.

  ‘You’re not going to keep it, are you?’

  Imade bit her lip. He could have said anything but that. ‘What are you suggesting?’ she quizzed.

  ‘You know what I mean,’ he replied decisively. ‘We’re both not ready for a baby.’

  She tried to reason with him, but he wouldn’t listen. The more she talked, the more distant he became. She didn’t hear from him over the next couple of weeks. Feeling neglected, she ran up her phone bills trying to reach out to him.

  ‘What’s happening to us?’ she asked him, one afternoon.

  ‘What happened to you?’ He demanded in response. ‘How could you let it happen? You should have been more careful about the baby.’

  ‘You had something to do with it, you know,’ she argued. ‘You make it sound like it’s all my fault.’

  But he was cranky and kept snapping at her. Imade wasn’t in the best of moods either. With her family and friends thousands of miles away, she felt alone and confused. She needed someone to hug her and assure her that everything would be fine. The hostility she was receiving from Dapo was not what she had bargained for. They quarreled.

  Imade took it all in her stride, pouring all her energy into her program. She was six months gone, when he returned her call for the first time since she broke the news to him. It was the phone call she had been dreading; he was ending what was left of their relationship. They hadn’t spoken since that day. Dapo never bothered to get in touch with her, since her return
to Nigeria to ask about his son. Imade heard later from Aisha that he met someone else and got married.

  ‘I am sorry it had to end this way,’ her former boss told her. ‘I have seen Dapo break quite a few hearts. I was hoping that with you, it would be different.’

  ‘In all fairness, you did try to warn me.’ Imade responded, hoping the quiver in her voice did not betray how upset she really felt.

  She sat in her office at Avery and mused for a while longer. Recalling Dapo’s rejection reopened an old wound for her, but the hope of seeing Taye again was like a balm on the cut. They were both extremely busy, with Taye working in a private hospital and she occupied with settling into her banking duties, so time flew by before he eventually blocked a date on his calendar to pay her a visit.

  Taye came on a Saturday afternoon, his face lighting up when he saw her, as it had done so many times before. Iye was out shopping for a customer. She had taken Ehis with her and Imade had the house to herself. As he stepped into her home, she observed how much he had changed. He had added some weight and his lanky frame had given way to a sturdier build. His skin was fresher and even the large round glasses that irked her so much in the past had been replaced with smaller oval-shaped frames. He looked good.

  ‘See your rosy cheeks,’ she commented. ‘Being a doctor must be good business.’

  He laughed, his deep short gasps echoing round the living room. ‘Being a banker must be even better. How’s your job?’

  ‘I’m fully settled now,’ she replied. ‘Avery seemed the best fit for me among the larger multinational companies that came recruiting at the career fair. Looking back, I’m glad I took their offer; it’s been great so far.’

  ‘I’m sure you’ll make an excellent banker,’ he told her.

  She blushed shyly at his compliment, as a burst of admiration welled up in her. It was not just Taye’s physical appearance that thrilled her; there was something about the way he spoke. He seemed more mature and his voice carried a calmness that was different from the boyish exuberance she had always known him for.

  ‘So, when are you and Dapo getting married?’ he asked suddenly.

  She shook her head ‘We’re not. We broke up.’