“Dapo, I almost killed both of us. What if he had died?” We were almost at our BQ.
“Thank God he didn’t. And I’m glad you survived too. Just don’t scare me like that again,thank you. So, why are you still missing him?”
“You can’t understand. I loved him, genuinely.”
“He was deceiving you, there’s nothing to love in that.” Even though Dapo had never been in an actual relationship, she thought herself an expert on matters of love and relationships. She also seemed a good judge of character but even Folusho had her fooled.
“That’s what you think, Dapo.”
“He is lucky the story of the dare was not spread as much as the news of the accident.” As opposed to what I thought, not many people knew about the dare.
But the whole college knew about the accident. I considered my late father the reason for my popularity while Folusho was just… Everywhere and anything that happened to him was public news. Gratefully, the dare wasn’t.
“Then he left UCH entirely. That was painful. All the while he was on admission, I saw him only once. I was still angry but more so, I was also ashamed. That streak of violence still feels surreal.” I shuddered at the memory of crawling out of the window of the crashed car and seeing Folusho all trapped and looking dead.
“Sisterly, stop dwelling on the past. Yes, he was your first love… Doesn’t mean he has to be your last.”
“Preach it, sister! Glory! Please, where’s your own first love? Shift abeg.”
*
“Pastor Duduyemi on the line. Please, who am I speaking with?”
” Susan …”
“Susan! Why are you doing this? I thought I told you not to call me at home again.”
“Aren’t you a Pastor? You should be ready to rescue a soul at anytime. And my soul needs rescuing from this warmth between my thighs.”
“Susan, I’m hanging up now. If you need money, you know what to do.”
“Money? You really think that can keep me away? We were meant to be together, I was to be Mummy GO. And you also know it, or why else did you still seek me out even after years of being married? Come on… Let’s just meet one more time.”
“There won’t be any one more time with you. That was a mistake I’m not willing to repeat again. Get far away from me.”
“Pastor, I thought that was supposed to be get thee behind me, Satan.” Susan laughed as she ended the call.
Pastor Duduyemi wiped his forehead with his face towel. He had a meeting with the church leaders scheduled for 6:30pm. He had less than thirty minutes to prepare and yet again, Susan’s call had thrown him off balance. She always called at the wrong time. What time is it even right for her to call?
They had both been young and naive, barely sixteen years old. Every one knew them as secondary school sweethearts and their relationship had continued into the university. They had both been virgins when they decided to ‘try it’ out.
And as if his village people were just waiting for that, Susan had gotten pregnant. They panicked. There was no way they were going to raise a child. Yet. He hadn’t needed to do much convincing before Susan agreed to get an abortion. It went very well and they congratulated themselves on scaling that hurdle.
Barely a year after, she was pregnant again. This time, she wasn’t going to easily give up the pregnancy. A friend of hers had died from an abortion just some weeks prior to her discovery. Susan didn’t want to die. And this time, she didn’t mind keeping the babies. He did.
“Look at me, at us, do we look like parents? Susan, please, just one more time.” He had begged her for a long time.
She was already four months gone before she finally agreed. Of course, that made the abortion even more complicated. She had bled a lot after it. She stayed away from him after that. But like disobedient dogs, they were back together soon enough.
When the third pregnancy came, Susan had had enough.
“Jare, I am keeping this one. I almost died the last time, I, not you.” They had gone to a local bar around the campus to talk. It was open but the loud music and gyrating bodies offered enough privacy.
We are both in our final year of university. Real life is about to begin. I have big plans of making money. Having a wife and kid is not in the plan. I know what I am about to do is wicked but I am determined to do it and walk away and not look back.
“Susan, get this last one done. And we are done. I’d never disturb you and you’d never see my brake lights again. Trust me, I’m doing this for us, for our future.”
She had gone quiet and didn’t say a word till he left. He had given her the money needed for the abortion and some more. He was sure she was going to be fine.
*
“Honey…?” Pastor (Mrs) Duduyemi was in a long kaftan, her gravid belly appearing several seconds before the rest of her body, “you should be getting ready for your meeting.”
“Yes, yes, I got distracted a bit. Please pass me that red tie.”
“I got a call today, a strange one. Some lady who wouldn’t identify herself.”
Pastor Duduyemi paused his tie knotting, “A lady…? When was this?”
“This morning. I even thought it was Ifedapo’s new line.”
“Hmm… Can I see the number?”
“My phone is not here. I’d show you when you get back from your meeting. She didn’t say much, but the little she said .. ” Pastor (Mrs) Duduyemi shook her head and sighed.
“What did she say, dear?”
“Tell Akinjare he has even less time to confess to you.”
Pastor Duduyemi’s heart sank as the only possibility struck him; Susan had decided to start calling his wife. He wished with all his heart that he had kept to his promise of never looking back again.
But he had failed.
He had looked back and now was about to reap a salt load of blackmail from Susan.
Five years ago, they met again. It was during one of his visits to the Lagos branch of his ministry. God had descended mightily, many miracles and testimonies and lives saved… And he had still gone back to his hotel, into the waiting arms of Susan.
He shook himself out of the memory and found his wife looking intently at him.
Pastor (Mrs) Fikayo Duduyemi held her husband’s face in her palms, “What could she mean?”
“Sweetheart, you know we get all sort of prank calls almost everyday. Forget about it. I’d be back in an hour or two.”
Akinjare gave his wife a brief peck on her cheek before dashing out.
It was quite late by the time he returned from the meeting. His wife was fast asleep. Finding her phone in the dark, he checked through her call log for the number he was suspecting.
I knew it! Susan!
He deleted the number from the call history and looked over at the sleeping form of his wife.
Dear God, I can’t tell Fikayo yet… I can’t.
*
“Kezia, what are you doing here?”
“In my boyfriend’s house? Very funny, Lade.”
“How did you get in?”
Kezia dangled a key attached to a brown can opener, “I come here every weekend to clean up and get some cooking done, remember? You don’t complain about that. Yet, you always ask me this question. I’ve had this key since forever.”
“Ok. What do you want? I just got back from delivering an order and I’m tired. This really is not a good time for any of your disturbances.”
“Is this… A disturbance?”
Lade looked as she pushed her skirt downward and totally off, revealing a barely visible black pant, hardly covering anything.
“How do you convince yourself you have underwear on with… That?”
“Oh… I don’t.” Her smile was wicked and her eyes beckoning at him. Lade watched as she quickly took off the pant and tossed it aside. His allowed his gaze linger on it lying on the floor. He wished he was the one that had yanked it off her.
“Kezia… What are you up to?”
“I’m not up but I can bet the guy threatening to tear your trousers in the middle is up.”
“Damn this!”
He carried her into his room, depositing her on her back and steadying her legs apart, on his shoulders.
“Lade… Are you going to make me scream?” Her voice had become tiny and baby like.
“No. I’d make you beg.”
Their love making started out rough but changed rhythm between the second and third round. This was partly due to Lade’s tired state and also because Kezia had along the line, put on her serious face, a face Lade had come to know as trouble.
Lade’s pull out technique was accurate. He didn’t mind using condoms but he preferred to pull out as he claimed it was a, “life saving skill”, that every man should have and hone.
“Where do you want it this time, babe?”
“On my belly, cum on my belly, daddy.”
“Say please.”
“Please daddy…”
Minutes after, Lade sat in bed, sniffing some cocaine while Kezia lay on the bed with her head on his laps.
“Lade, why are you still sleeping around?”
“KZ, not today, please. I’m in a good mood, don’t spoil it.”
“Are you already angry? I just want to know why. Am I not… Enough?”
“You know it is not about satisfaction…I’m just a curious cat. An explorer.”
“Please stop that Dora the Explorer nonsense. You can’t keep exploring while I stay faithful to you.”
“Did I ask you to be? I’m not sure I’d ask that even of my wife… And you’re not my wife.”
“Lade, what are you saying or not saying?” She had pushed herself off him and off the bed.
“Kezia, I admit, you’ve lasted more than all my previous girlfriends. True. But, I don’t think I’m ready to settle yet.”
“Rubbish. F*** that! Are you out of your mind? You’re not ready? I’ve been with you for over four years. I’ve not stayed that long to get kicked out by some puppy eyed youngster. I stayed through your explorations, through your crazy high states, through the bruises and band aids… Or have you forgotten all those? Lade, get a grip on yourself. I’m going nowhere!”
She took her bag off his table and walked out, slamming the door behind her.
You just went somewhere.
Lade smiled to himself as he readjusted on the tangled bed sheets as the face of the potential new girl came to mind.
I’d get that girl. I sure will.
