The first thing Aisha felt when she woke up was the sharp pain coursing through her as she tried to rise from the bed. Her head felt heavy and she groaned when her legs felt like lead and the throbbing pain was coming from beneath her.
The first thought that came to her was her baby.
She tried to lean close to see if there were any traces of blood but there was none. Her mind tried to recollect what had happened last night and how she was in her house and on her bed.
She did not remember going to bed except…
Her dream came back to torment her. She suddenly remembered how she’d dreamed someone kept stabbing at her abdomen and she kept screaming but couldn’t wake up. That was the most horrible dream she’d ever had in her life.
If she told her mum, her mum would advise she go for several prayers or see one of her prophets that would ask her to bath in some river to protect her from the evil eyes that were preying on her child.
But if it was only a dream why could she still feel the pain?
What happened last night?
And that was when she remembered. She remembered Soji showing her something on his phone and she sipping the wine. She couldn’t remember anything after that except her last thought of…
Did Soji drug me?
And that was when she started pulling the pieces together. Though the truth nagged at her at what might have happened, at what Soji must have done to her, how he must have done something horrible to her and how she had been so gullible to believe he’d been there to see her, she struggled to get up from the bed and managed to find her way to the bathroom. Pulling off her underwear, that was when she saw traces of blood. She fell to the floor screaming and crying out in anger, frustration and bitterness for her unborn child with silent vows of punishing the people who had caused her baby harm.
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Nimi noticed that her Boss looked happier than previous days this morning. Ever since she started working for Lara, she’d never seen her this happy like she’d won a jackpot. But there was something unsettling about her happiness.
She couldn’t pin it but she sensed there was something dark and foreboding about it. It was more like a triumphant achievement than a free spirited happiness.
She tried to shake her thoughts out of it and focus on something else instead.
After Dapo drove her home last night, she’d got nothing but teasing from her siblings. Though she was the second daughter out of 4 children, 2 boys and 2 girls, her older brother already married and not even in Lagos, her younger sister who was in her undergraduate years couldn’t help but bombard her with questions after Dapo left. He’d escorted her upstairs to explain to her mum her reason for being late putting it all on himself. She had stared at him like he was out of his mind but he winked at her instead and smiled that hands down melting smile of his.
No one had noticed it except Tolani. Akin the youngest son wasn’t aware of the situation as he had gone to bed before they arrived. He was in SS2 and was preparing for his upcoming GCE exams. Her father had passed only 3 years ago.
Tolani the mischievous one had taken the job upon herself to assess the gentleman that had politely dropped her at home and taken it upon himself to follow her to the door to ensure she was safe and explain to her family.
When he left, her mother had a questioning look about her face and Tolani was asked to excuse them though she grumbled all the way that she was an adult already at 20.
“His surname sounds familiar.” She began adjusting her reading glasses and pretending to assess the marksheets in her hands.
She shrugged.”He’s my Boss’ brother.”
“Older or younger?”
“Older. The Kitans only have 2 children.”
“So he’s also an Olakitan?” She emphasized on the full pronounciation of the surname.
She nodded. “Yes ma.”
“So you’re not only working for the Olakitans now, you are planning to get married to one.”
Sigh. Her mother often jumped to conclusions and she hated it when she did that.
“He only brought me home mummy when I had been at the busstop for more than 30minutes. It was out of the kind gesture of his heart that he did that. And just because he brought me home doesn’t mean we’re dating or anything close to it.”
“He said he was the one responsible for keeping you late outside.”
“My Boss was the one responsible. He was just trying to be nice.” Besides was she a child that she had to be questioned this way?
Her mother kept quiet and focused back on her papers. “I just want you to be careful that’s all. A family like theirs don’t mingle with ours. Sometimes it’s good to just let sleeping dogs lie. And the things I hear about them, not nice things at all. Hanging around with them can tarnish your reputation in finding a place in a man’s home.”
“I’ll be fine. God’s got me.” She went forward to kiss her mother on the cheeks.
“Have you eaten?”
“Yea, we grabbed something on the way.” She stepped away. “Goodnight mummy.”
“Goodnight dear.”
When she got into the room she shared with her sister, she faced another court room.
“Gbogbo bigz geh!” Tolani hailed and chuckled mischieviously. “I hail o. Ahnahn, you just went for the chairman. Na wa o, show us the way nau.”
“Common will you shut up there.” Nimi snapped and tried to keep it cool but burst into laughter instead. Tolani had to remind her that their mum was outside and she could be eavesdropping and so she went to make sure the door was closed and ran back to the bed.
“So, gist me gist me. Kai, God please give me handsome man like my sister o.”
“You are not well. You better go to bed and stop disturbing my life.”
“Haba, and miss out on all the sweet gist of Dapo Kitan and Nimi Adeyemi? Lai lai. Before your engagement goes on Bellanaija, I will be the first to talk about it.”
“See your life. You don’t know pass Bellanaija and wedding. So a man can’t become my friend again abi?”
“With the way he winked and smiled at you?! Taaa, that one has passed friendship o, that one has turned to, baby you know how we roll.” Tolani mimicked a pouting kiss to demonstrate what she meant but that was before Nimi pulled at it.
“Your mouth and your mind needs deliverance. Yeye girl.” She pulled off her blouse shaking her head. “I will just report you to your mother so she can discipline you well. Someone who sees you outside will think you’re one holy sister not knowing that your mouth has diarrhoea.”
They both laughed and Tolani helped with her hair clips when she saw she needed assistance.
“But seriously sis, he looks like he just stepped out of chocolate.”
Nimi slapped her hand.
“I’m just being honest.”
“At the detriment of your soul.”
“So you want to start preaching to me now abi?”
She shook her head. “I forgot the kind of sister I have. Next time I’ll just tell him not to drop me at home because someone in my house is about to gobble him up because she thinks he’s chocolate.”
Tolani giggled. “I was just joking jor. He seems like a nice guy too.”
“Yes, he is.” She smiled to herself remembering how he’d talked less of himself and wanted to hear her talk about herself. She got to know he was 10 years older than her and though that was quite intimidating on first thought, it didn’t feel intimidating anymore.
But she didn’t want to crush on him the way her heart was already doing flaps around him. She wanted to pray about it first.
And if it didn’t work out, then nothing was lost. If it was a crush and if it wasn’t God’s will, thoughts of him would begin to fade away soon. She never attached her soul to anything or anybody. God had been teaching her a long time ago not to and she was making progress.
She hoped he would be no different.
Her mind flashed back to the present and she saw her Boss standing in front of her with a slight dip of her eyebrow.
“Were you just daydreaming while I was talking to you?”
She shook her head slightly embarrassed. “No ma, I’m sorry, I just wasn’t listening to…”
Lara smiled knowingly. “It’s a man isn’t it?”
“Not really…” She fumbled with the folders on the table trying to get her thoughts straight.
“Be lying to yourself there. That’s what a man does when he gets a girl’s heart hooked.” She chuckled. Letting her eyes assess her figure, she continued rather bluntly.
“You have a good figure, I do hope you know how to use it well to your advantage.” She winked and for weird reasons that wink reminded her of Dapo’s wink to her last night and she shivered.
Could her mum be right? Even though Dapo had told her he was a Christian and her spirit confirmed it, he still had Kitan’s blood running in him. Was he just after her body and nothing else? Were brother and sister alike? What if he saw how much she liked him and took advantage of her and God help her, she wasn’t strong enough to resist him?
“I wouldn’t do that.” She swallowed.
She looked surprised. “So it’s not a man afterall…”
“No, it’s not that, it’s just…, I don’t believe in doing that. That’s a cruel and selfish thing to do, and it’s not love.”
Where did that boldness come from?
Nimi was certain the way her Boss stared at her, she was going to tell her to shut up or leave her office but she kept looking at her like she was a strange specimen that had just walked into her office and not her PA.
“So what is love according to you?” She asked
“Love looks out for the other person and isn’t selfish. Just like when God sent down His Son. He wasn’t thinking about himself but he thought about me all through it all and expects me to do the same for others.”
“And you think that’s possible?” Her eyes felt like they were challenging her.
“With God all things are possible.”
“So if your boyfriend wants to have sex with you, you don’t see it as him wanting to love you?”
“No, sex isn’t love. It’s only obvious he doesn’t love me because he’s thinking about himself and not me. What if I don’t want to have sex? What if I want to wait till we get married and he says No and leaves? Is that love? Love isn’t dependent on how I feel or what I want someone else to do for me. It’s unconditional and loves me not because of what I can deliver.”
She settled back into her chair almost as if she was trying to let the words sink in.
Nimi wasn’t expecting the next question.
“So, you’ve never had a boyfriend in your life? Is that what you’re saying?”
“No ma’am.”
“And so you’re a virgin?”
She nodded.
She gaze lingered on her for how long she couldn’t say and her thoughts she couldn’t fathom.
“I’m really finding it hard to believe that.” She scoffed. “Not that you look opposite of what you potray but I’m wondering how you survive. You don’t want to grow up an old maid do you?”
She didn’t respond.
“I mean guys want sex. They love sex. I doubt there’s a relationship that survives without it. You telling your boyfriend or whoever you intend marrying in future that you want to wait till you get married is just cruel and selfish and not your ‘thinking of love.’
She could only smile. “I guess you haven’t met men who honour God with their bodies. If there are ladies out there like me, then there are guys out there like me too. And our love won’t be based on if either of us is good in bed or not because we didn’t base our foundation on sex but on true love, Jesus Christ.”
Lara’s phone rang and Nimi took the chance to excuse herself and sighing with relief when she stepped out into the office. She was sure her Boss might fire her because she might take it personal with what she had said. But deep within, she was glad she had told her the truth. It might not get across immediately, but she was sowing a seed. The rest was for God to draw her to him if that was what he’d sent her here for.
Her phone rang as well and she picked it wondering who it was.
“Hey..”
She recognized his voice immediately and she wondered if there was a way to stop the butterflies from fluttering in her stomach.
“Hi. Good morning”
“Good morning to you too.” Almost as if she could hear him smile over the phone. “How’s your morning going?”
“Just there. Yours? I’m so sorry I forgot to call you yesterday if you had gotten home.” She slapped her hands against her forehead just remembering. “Forgive me please. I was going to and then I slept off.”
“Aww c’mon. I knew you would be tired. I mean I was tired as well and had only stepped out of the shower and fell straight on the bed with my bible dangling over my head. I thank God I didn’t drool on it. I was that fagged out.”
She giggled. “Thank you once again for yesterday. I really don’t know how much I can thank you.”
“Uh talking about thank you notes, I was thinking maybe we could grab coffee this coming weekend or icecream as you ladies prefer. If that’s okay by you or you would prefer something else?”
“Coffee sounds nice if it’s coming with a nice slice of cake.”
His laughter was husky. “I won’t disappoint. What’s your favorite? You’re not working that day are you?”
Nimi had been thinking of reading that Saturday but told herself she would do so on Sunday instead.
“I don’t really have favorites but you could pick for me and No, my weekends are off on your sister’s list.”
“Oh great then, I love picking cakes or sweets for my friends and I never miss. Lara says she can remember me doing so since we were kids and I have a funny feeling I used to end up plastering it on her face though it wasn’t intentional.”
Nimi laughed. He must have been so cute as a child. She suddenly imagined him feeding her a piece of cake and she shook the silly thoughts away when her imaginations turned to him leaning close to kiss her.
Her thoughts were beginning to have a mind of its own. Something it never did before Dapo came into the picture.
“I’ll try to make sure you don’t plaster it all over my face then.”
“No, I’ll be aiming for your mouth Miss.”
His innocent statement felt so much more to her and she swallowed. Though she wasn’t sure if his abrupt end to the call was a sign that he knew he had slipped in his words, she was glad he did at the time or she’d be thinking about what her sister said about him being dipped in chocolate.
“God, the crazy things our flesh does without the guidance of your Spirit is beyond me.” She mumbled as she went back to the table to continue her work for the day.
Much love. xo!
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Original story by ITUNU TAIWO owner of http://myglowingscenes.com
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