Hi guys,
I want to say something… I have failed you guys…
By not answering comments as I should…
I feel bad over this…
I am very sorry….
I’ll start doing things right from today.
Thank you.
And for today’s episode…
Kasiobiβs mouth has just gone dry. His hands holding his phone are both unable to move. Lexusβ last message has somehow become the only thing on his phone screen.
-Yours, Kas. Sheβs your baby.
His mouth gets drier.
βKas, whatβs going on?β Kira questions but her voice seems to him like itβs coming from outer space. He has no idea what she just said. Everything else apart from the message ceases to be relevant.
βKas?β
He feels a little pain on his arm and comes to.
βTalk to me or Iβll pinch you again,β Kira threatens.
βExcuse me, abeg.β
He pushes her away and gets off the bed. He makes his way out of his bedroom to his studio, a lot of questions driving him there in haste. When he gets in, he slips into the dark voicing booth and sits on the bare floor. Saliva returns to his mouth in a rush as he gathers his wits from the breaking news.
He sends Lexus a reply.
-You were pregnant?
Her answer to his question comes back immediately.
-It was why we broke up, Kas. Iβm so sorry
-So sorry?
Anger starts to grow in him.
-Please let me explain
And so she gives him details. She tells him the babyβs name is Trinity, amongst other things. At the end of her tale, Kasiobi draws in a long breath and lets it out to shake off his nerves. He is not taking the story in well. He believes he is being pranked.
-Stop playing with me, Lex. Just come clean
The message is delivered and he waits for her reply, but what he gets is a video β a close-up shot of the babyβs face, her mouth latched to a nipple as she is being breastfed. Kasiobi can hear Lexusβ voice in the background, telling the baby how angelic she is and how her daddy is going to be head over heels in love with her.
Another message from Lexus drops.
-Convinced now? I have more of these. Wanna see?
-Yeah
She sends four pictures of her breasts taken at different angles; none of them has her nursing Trinity. All the same, Kasiobi notices the breasts are fuller but he is irate by her pranks.
-Are you alright?
-Lol!
She sends videos of Trinity. Two of them. And by the time he is through watching them, all his doubts are cleared. Replacing the shock is a new feeling of fondness for Trinity and respect for Lexus.
-When are you telling your dad?
-Tomorrow morning but Iβm freaking out Kas. Heβll lose it. Remember how he warned us before we traveled not to get pregnant
-Yeah but thereβs nothing anyone can do now. We just have to tell him
-We? Heβll kill you Kas. Donβt come near my house for the next week abeg. I love you too much to watch Dominic fuck you up
-You love me? TF is that?
-Bitch, donβt play me. You got preggers, dumped my ass, went to stay with a white boy, had a whole baby without telling me and youβre here talking shit about love. TF is wrong with you
-Itβs not that deep? You had a whole baby, Lex. You, of all people! You breastfed and shit and didnβt tell me and youβre here talking crap about it not being that deep? You high or something
-You need serious ass whooping
-On which ass? This one?
-Stop playing. When am I going to see Trinity? By the way, I donβt think sheβs mine
-Then do a DNA oga. Iβm not even gon get into any crazy drama with you, Kasbi. Sheβs your kid.
Kasiobi takes a short break from the chat, letting it all sink in. His emotions come to him in a mix. Heβs uncertain of what to feel.
-Tell me more about Trinity
-You can call her Trini, Kas. Trinity is too long
-But you named her that
–Blame the nurse who enters my room with this huge ass crucifix hanging off her neck and tells me that they need a name on the babyβs birth certificate. I ask her why she canβt just use Baby Ditorusin. She says she just canβt. I have to give her a name. So Iβm staring into the air and my eyes catch her crucifix and I think of the holy trinity and I tell her that Iβm calling my baby Trinity
-Are you ok???
-It will make daddy happy and itβs a good name. Hopefully she doesnβt get the generational curse of getting preg outside marriage because God the father, the son and the Holy Spirit are with her
-Smh. Just tell me about her
-Letβs meet and talk
-Where?
-Just come and pick me
An hour later they are both watching the waves of the Atlantic lap at the shore of a quiet beach they both call Fuck Zone. The place is famous for car sex. People drive there simply to have sex in their cars. Some, with the windows up while some enjoy the thrill of being watched. No one bugs anyone. Not even robbers drop by. Once you pay the touts manning the area a fee of five hundred bucks, youβre allowed through to do as you wish.
Thus Kasiobi and Lexus sit in Kasiobiβs Renegade, feet hanging out as Lexus smokes a joint. Her first since she left Nigeria. She had made a promise to Dominic not to touch the substance while in the States. Now she is back home and on her favorite high. Kasiobi, on the other hand, is nursing a bottle of Hennessey mixed with a coke. They are listening to Bryson Tiller on the SUVβs speakers. Kasiobi is anxious to get more information about Trinity but he waits until Lexus is done smoking.
She steps down from the car and stands before him like she is about to render a performance of some sort. He figures she is high.
She begins: βOn why I broke up with youβ¦β
Kasiobi raises his hand to stop her. βThatβs not why Iβm here.β
βPlease, Kas. Let me explain.β
βWhatβs there to explain? You woke up one day and decided we were done and then you moved on to Russell or whatever his white ass name is.β
βThatβs your own version. Donβt you wanna hear mine?β
βNo, Lex. I came here to hear about the baby.β
βFine. Trinity is yoursβ¦β
βYou already said that,β Kasiobi replies gruffly, lifting the Hennessy bottle to his mouth.
βBut sheβs not mine.β
Kasiobiβs hand freezes.
βSheβs Chichiβs.β
Kasiobi lets the bottle down in slow motion. He turns down the volume of the music.
βWhat kind of nonsense play is that, Tonbra? Which Chichi?β
βWhich other Chichi do you know?β
βSo the baby is not yours?β
She laughs β long and annoyingly.
βMe, a mom? Are you out of your freaking mind? Iβm not having kids! Ever! Who wants that type of yeye responsibility?β
βSo all the shit you were telling me on Whatsappβ¦β
βJust pulling your legs, Kas.β
βBut your boobs are bigger.β
βSomebody cannot even add weight again?β
βI hate you. I really hate you.β
She blows him a kiss.
βSomeone needs to choke you almost to death.β
She crosses her arms. βSo, apparently, when you left New York at the start of summer last year, you came back here and started piping Chichi?β
βSo? She was my ex. I was heartbroken. She was there for me. We had sex but I am not the father of that child.β
βKas, Trinity is yours. She has your ears and pink lips.β
βAll babies have pink lips!β
βCalm down.β
βWhere did you even see Chichi? Sheβs in South Africa! And last I checked you guys werenβt talking to each other.β
βWhen Chichi was five months pregnant, she sent me a DM on Twitter, telling me how you guys hooked up again when you came back and then she had to leave because her mom was sick. Two months later, she discovered she was pregnant. She freaked out and tried to abort it but her mom told her she had a dream in which she saw her bleeding to death. So, she said she called you and told you but you deniedβ¦β
βWhy wonβt I deny? Chichi and I went bare only once and then she told me she took a morning-after pill only to call me two months later to say she was pregnant, that the pill didnβt work. What sort of nonsense joke is that? Am I a fool? Chichi that can sleep with anything. Abeg, nobody should bring that bullshit my way.β
βAnyways, I felt for her, asked her to send me her number. She did. I called her. She was crying on the phone, saying you blocked her on social media and you were refusing to take her calls. She even called Genesis but Genesis said it was not her business.β
βShe was rude to Genesis before she left. The woman fired her ass from Novo.β
βShe said so. Anyways, three weeks ago Russell and I flew to South Africa for their SA menswear fashion week. I didnβt feel like going but I was curious to see Trinity. So, I went to Durban, to Chichiβs and spent a whole day with her family. Chichi has changed, Kas. Motherhood changed her and thatβs because Trinity is adorbs! The cutest, little baby. I took loads of videos. She makes me want to have my own babies.β
Kasiobi washes down a bad taste in his mouth with his drink.
βI know you donβt believe sheβs yours but trust me, Kas, youβre her daddy. The first time I saw her, I was looking at a smaller version of you.β
βSheβs not my kid, Lexus. What the fuck is wrong with you? Chichi is a ho!β
βWas a ho. Sheβs changed. She even goes to church now.β
Kasiobi snorts. βYou donβt know that girl. And Iβm mad that sheβs using you to get to me.β
βJust fucking do a DNA, dude. Sheβs flying in soon with Trini. You guys can do a DNA so you can rest.β
βYou think itβs that easy? That Iβd just do a DNA and the kid is mine and things go chill? Do you know that once youβre a parent you canβt undo it? Thereβs no going back?β
βThen you should have had protected sex.β
βWe went bare only once! And she was supposed to take care of herself!β
βWell, it takes two to make a baby and you did your part well. Get over it.β
Kasiobi raises the volume of the music once again. His mood is not lifted and the liquor does not make him feel any better. He corks the bottle and dumps it on the backseat. When he lifts his head, he catches Lexus yawning, her arms stretched out under the full moon, lifting her t-shirt to reveal a body he had missed. Kasiobi eyes rests on her navel briefly before they travel up to her breasts which are not held in a bra.
She returns to the SUV. Quietness takes over. A moaning woman lends her voice to the night as the waves provide background music to her pleasure. Kasiobi feels some kind of calm settling in.
βRussell was not my boyfriend,β Lexus reveals. Kasiobi looks at her. βWe never fucked. You were the last guy I laid with. Russ and I were just friends.β
βHe was all over your Facebook and gram.β
βHe was in love. I wasnβt. I was still all about you.β
βWhy did you leave?β Kasiobi asks.
βKasβ¦ I turned twenty-seven and reality hit hard. All my friends were getting married or having babies and I didnβt want that. Not then. Not now. Not ever. But you were there, making me breakfast in bed, talking about how many kids you wanted, asking if Iβd like a diamond ring… We wanted two different things, Kas. You just automatically assumed that because we had something deep going on, that I wanted to commit and that I wanted the same things you wantedβ¦β
βThen why didnβt you say that?β
βI did. So many times but you thought I was playing. And so I had to leave. I didnβt want to lead you on or get to the point where I was forced into wearing a wedding dress. It was the hardest decision to take, Kas. In many ways, I regret it but at that time, I just had to leave.β
βYour dad is right about you. Youβre spoilt, selfish and impulsive. Why are you back sef? To torture me again?β
βTo build my life, Kas. My tattoo parlor needs to really kick off and I want to do something huge with my art. Diversify. Maybe go into fashion or anything that needs designing. Iβm not so sure. But Iβm tired of America, abeg.β
βAfter breaking Russellβs heart.β
βI was not his girlfriend like that.β
βSo what do you want from me?β
βNothing. Just you and me as friends like we used to be.β
Kasiobi cackles. βYeah, good luck with that.β
He climbs down and makes to walk to the driverβs side of the SUV but Lexus stops him.
βIβll drive. Youβre tipsy.β
He hesitates for a second and then gives in. She takes the wheel while he sprawls on the backseat, head on one end, feet resting on the other.
βββ βββ βββ
Vhasti wakes him up, all four limbs doing a catwalk on his body. Heβs thinking to himself as he stirs awake that one of these days heβs going to kill the cat.
He picks her up by her neck and flings her off the bed, across the room. She whines angrily before scuttling away. His eyes open fully, colors of grey and claret, mixed with a deep shade of brown that seems almost black, come to him intrusively. The scent of Genesisβ mild perfume caresses his nostrils and he immediately longs for her, noting he is alone on the bed. Their fight from yesterday carries on, no doubt, and he knows it falls on him to make amends.
She had slept beside him the night before, Zoe in her arms. Zach who is a lot different from his twin can sleep well in his cot without any fuss. But Zoe is different. She still enjoys being breastfed and sometimes nuzzles in Genesisβ arms before she sleeps. Last night she had kept them both awake and slept only after Genesis sang to her, much to Dominicβs annoyance. But he had dared not complain because Genesisβ wrath was waiting in a corner, ready to be unleashed. This morning, he hopes it is all expired.
He leaves the bed to the bathroom, and after washing his mouth, he walks back to the room and out to the balcony where breakfast is laid on a table and Genesis sits staring out, wearing only his shirt.
He takes it as a good sign as he bends to give her a kiss. The cold feel of her cheek beneath his warm lips reminds him that she is still mad at him.
βCoffee or tea?β She regards him with silent eyes. He sits.
βTea.β He yawns.
She lifts one of two silver kettles off the table and pours him a full mug of coffee. He pretends not to notice.
βSugar or honey?β
βSugar.β
She tips in honey.
βMilk or cream?β
βWhatever you want.β
She adds nothing and passes him the mug.
βThanks.β
βThereβs toast bread I made. It has cheese and egg in it with slices of sausage.β
βNo, Iβm good.β
She pushes a saucer of the said toast towards him. He knows better than to reject it.
βThanks.β
As he takes his first sip of coffee, he keeps his stare on her. Netted hair, face free of makeup, passive-aggressive, she presents an un-screwable-with exterior. The moment passes by in quietness and then she speaks.
βDonβt ever call me names again, Nick. Iβm not that type of girl. Donβt do it. Ever. Give me the same respect I give you.β
βIβm sorry, sweetheart.β
She rises up. He smiles. He loves this side of her and relates better with it than the side that cries and throws tantrums. But she wonβt be Genesis if she doesnβt switch from diva to boss lady at caprice. It is what keeps her employees on their toes.
He takes her hand as she makes to leave.
βLetβs go somewhere today. To Seyiβs place. Back to that bedroom where we first made love as husband and wife. You remember.β
Warmth clouds her eyes briefly.
βTo what gain? Youβll disappear tomorrow to some end of the earth. Why bother?β
Dominic pulls her onto his laps.
βWe can recreate that night. No kids. No work. Just Mr. and Mrs. Ditorusin.β
βTempting, but no thank you.β
She tries to remove his hands from her body but fails.
βYou do this every time β come home, wow me with gifts and great sex and while Iβm still recovering from the magic, you disappear. I feel like I donβt own you, Nick, and I donβt think I ever will. No one can. Iβm beginning to understand that.β
She manages to free herself and gets back on her feet.
βIβll be waiting at Seyiβs this evening,β he says. βPlease, come.β
Genesis walks to the door.
βNice ass, by the way,β he compliments. She stops and turns. He doesnβt look at her as he picks the dayβs newspaper off the table.
Later on, after the fight is settled over angry sex in his study, Genesis tells him she is making plans to bring Mamisi to come live with them. The reaction to this is a cutting glower from him.
βCan you repeat yourself?β
βMamisi is well now. Sheβs out of her catatonia and can communicate as well as she used to. I donβt want to take her to a retirement home, Nick. She deserves more.β
βShe deserves nothing.β Dominicβs husky tone comes with a sting. βI wonder why she didnβt even die.β
βNick!β
βShe is not coming here. Period.β
βNick, sheβs my mother. She raised me when I had no one and took me to the best schoolsβ¦β
βShe taught you how to sleep with other peopleβs men and then bring them to nothing. Have you forgotten? This same woman arranged five men to rape you and sat there watching the whole ordeal. She is not your mother and she is not welcome into this house.β
βShe has nobody, Domi. Nancy is no longer in the country. All she has is me and I think I owe her that much.β
As Genesis speaks, Dominic pours himself a stiff glass of whiskey.
βAnd I think she has changed after her ordeal. She lost everything.β
Dominic leans on his work desk and turns his eye on his wife.
βPlease, Nick. I know how you feel about her and I know you think Iβm being weakβ¦ but my conscience wonβt let me rest if I send her to some old peopleβs home when sheβs full of life.β
Dominic ponders on the situation. Genesis is still oblivious of the fact that Mamisi is her biological mother. He fears that the old woman would let that cat out of the bag if Genesis threatens to cut her loose. He also understands where Genesis is coming from. She alone had paid Mamisiβs hospital bills during her nineteen-month stay in a mental institution. She alone visited her every Saturday, judiciously, throughout the womanβs stay there. Dominic understands how difficult it would be to sever that relationship. But what he doesnβt understand is why it has to become part of his life too.
βThat woman is soulless, Gen, and to have her here with the kids worries me.β
βMe too. And thatβs why I want to suggest that we put her in the guest house, upstairs.β
Dominic shut his eyes. βPlease, donβt do this, Gen. Donβt do this.β
βPlease?β
βOkay, weβll do it this way. I will rent her a house close by and get a maid for her and you can see her as often as you want. Is that okay?β
Silence meets his suggestion. He opens his eyes and sees a sad Genesis.
βThatβs the most I can do, sweet cakes.β
βOkay.β
He drops his glass of Johnny Walker. βCome here.β
Genesis walks over to him and he holds her in a sheltered embrace.
βYour good heart will get you in trouble, baby,β he whispers. βSometimes you just have to be a coldhearted bitch.β
She smiles.
βBut youβll learn. Youβll learn soon.β
βββ βββ βββ
This is one of those days when I donβt feel like going to work. Owing to the way the weather has been since the month before, it has become increasingly difficult to leave my bed at mornings. Iβd rather sleep in for an extra hour or two but sadly, I donβt have that luxury. Not when the breadwinning role falls on me.
I start my hustle as early as five in the morning and it doesnβt end for me until I get home in the evening, many times, to no food and a messy house. And then it falls on me to prepare dinner and clean up the place, also attending to a toddler, who, having missed me all day, clings to me butter to bread. I am always left exhausted, falling to bed like deadweight until my alarm sounds the next morning and I start the hustle all over again.
I am losing my youth fast. Just the other day, I saw a line breaking on the side of my nose and threatening to go down the side of my mouth. Actually it was Peace who noticed it. She had held my chin and turned my face this way and that and said to me, βCelia, youβre having worry lines. Whatβs wrong?β
I had laughed, making her look silly with her assertions. But what was I supposed to do? Tell her that Iβm both the woman and man in my home? That Shady is not on his way to superstardom and sits about the house in his boxers doing nothing? That weβre relying on my salary alone to take care of us? That Iβm on the verge of losing my mind from the suffering?
No, I canβt tell her these things. I just canβt. The faΓ§ade must continue. Shadyβs face must be saved. We must give the impression that all is well with us. We must not let our friends know.
Those had been Shadyβs words, actually, not mine, on the day he sat me down and told me that his huge acting break was never going to be as the show was canceled even before it started because the Nigerian crew had squandered a huge sum and were being sued by the producers.
βI have nothing, Cee.β My husbandβs voice had been barely a whisper. βI quit my job and I have nothing.β
I had hushed him, told him to stop being pessimistic, told him something bigger was coming. But he laughed and repeated, βIβve lost everything.β
And I didnβt understand what he meant until months passed and I watched him sit about on the couch all day and all night, doing nothing. Only then did I realize that he had lost his will to do anything. And for me, I had lost the Shady I used to know.
I donβt need to tell you what it means to have a man whose pride is bruised, whose manhood has been robbed of him. And Iβll spare you the ordeal I go through daily to ensure that I keep sane and not wake up one day to set the house on fire with him in it. My job is all the distraction I need but at the same time, it is killing me.
I mumble a prayer as I leave the bed. The bedroom is a mess, of course. Later on, while at work, I will text Shady to help me clean up, praying he catches the mood to do so.
I get into the bathroom and while I shower, I decide that Iβll go see Mary today to borrow some money so I can pay the rent. Weβre six months behind and the landlord, who lives next door, isnβt smiling anymore. I am yet to think up a lie to tell Mary when I ask for the money. Iβm considering just opening up and telling her the truth. Lord knows Iβm tired of lying. Maybe if all our friends know that Shady has been jobless since November, they can all come up with ways to help him. Iβm tired of nursing his lazy behind and ego.
When I step out of the shower, I go to the sitting room and without thinking it through, I put a call across to Mary. Itβs still dark outside. My landlordβs chicken is crowing.
βHello?β Mary answers, and only then do I realize I had called too early.
βMay, Iβm so sorry for waking you up.β
βThatβs okay, Cee. Iβm wide awake,β she says and chuckles. In the background I hear Ekeneβs laugh as well. I instantly know I have interrupted an intimate session. I feel a sting of jealousy. Life is unfair. Mary and Ekene, much like Jide and Honey have everything β the money and the love. But I pine away here, unable to even afford my next salon visit. And sexβ¦letβs not even broach that topic. Shady, amongst other things, has lost his erection as well. I have been in a sexless marriage for months.
βWhat can I do you for?β Mary asks before bursting out laughing. Ekeneβs voice is louder this time. I hear something like a spank and then Mary squeals.
βCee, can I call you later? Iβm kind of in the middle of something here.β
I want to tell her my reason for calling, that I want to see her later in the day but I think against it.
βOkay. Take care.β
βBye.β
She is off with another giggle. I put my phone away and stare into the dark, feeling tears in my eyes.
βGod, for how long?β
I am too weak to pray these days. What do I even pray for? I feel the little strength I have leaving me. Iβm no longer the Celia everyone knows. When last did I throw a party or go shopping for underwear or even pay my tithe? In fact, when last did I genuinely smile?
Sobs shake my thin frame and I let it out, knowing I must brace up in a few minutes and embark on another monotonous day. I donβt even have the luxury to cry properly anymore.
βLord, please give me something new and different today. Iβm tired of this life Iβm living.β
I stop the tears midstream and dress up for work. I take the bus. The car has issues. Itβs somewhat of a miracle that it was able to take us to the Onuorasβ home and back yesterday. I am thinking of selling it but Shady has warned me not to try it. The car, like his fancy clothes, helps put up the impression that all is still well with him.
I arrive at the office to smiley faces from energetic colleagues. Somehow when youβre down in a financial rot, it seems like all is well with the world except you.
βOga is asking of you,β one of my colleagues informs me.
βAny problem?β I ask, putting my handbag down.
βNo. He just poked in his head a few minutes ago and asked of you. Says you should see him once you get in.β
I straighten out my jacket and head straight to my bossβ office, following a long corridor that has walls which appear to be closing in on me. I have often thought about this β if itβs my imagination or if the corridor is too narrow. I am yet to ask anyone if they feel the same way about it.
βCome in,β my boss answers to my gentle rap on his door.
I walk in.
βMorning to you too, Cecelia.β
I smile. Thereβs something calming about this man. Forget the fact that he is so fat he probably hasnβt seen his toes or penis in years. Forget that he blinks forty-two times (yes, I counted) in one minute. Forget that he has bouts of rage that come from nowhere. Forget all of that and you have the coolest boss in the world who answers to greetings not thrown at him and calls his employees by modified versions of their names.
βMorning, sir.β
βIβm good. And you?β
βGreat.β
I make to sit but he asks me to remain standing.
βAnd thatβs because you will be on your way to see Mrs. Charles. Clearly, she was impressed by your first visit and is asking of you.β
At the mention of the name βMrs. Charlesβ the image of a young woman in her mid or late thirties or even early forties comes to mind. One canβt really tell how old she is, considering the fact that she takes good care of herself. She reminds me of Genesis Ditorusin, only less glamorous but not lacking in refinement.
However, thereβs something strange about her. I just canβt figure it out yet.
βHer driver is already waiting outside to pick you up. Sheβs up to an early start today and requests to see you this morning.β
βOkay, sir.β
βPlease, do everything to impress her the second time, Cecelia. Sheβs paying big for our services.β
βOf course, sir.β
βGo slay.β
I laugh. This man has jokes for life. Which one is go slay again?
I leave his office, elated that I donβt have to sit behind my desk or hound potential clients with phone calls. Sometimes the job of a financial consultant is easy. Other times, itβs not so much fun.
I step outside the office building. An expensive-looking SUV is parked away from the other vehicles and by intuition I walk to it.
βIβm here for Mrs. Charles?β I say to a sleepy man behind the wheel. He jolts up and bows his head in a greeting.
βMrs. Celia?β he asks.
I nod. He steps down, goes round and opens the backdoor for me. I enter the luxurious vehicle and soon weβre on our way to see Mrs. Charles. Itβs a long drive, one in which I fall asleep. When I wake, we are driving into a compound that takes the breath right out of me. I feel like I have been taken from the streets of Lagos to a dream that stands grand and white with greenery and flowers that could have only be cultivated by a horticulturist suffering from OCD. Itβs all too perfect and intimidating and beautiful at the same time.
The driver leads me into the house through a huge glass door I am sure costs as much as my rent. I find myself taken into a cozy den with a little too many couches that have rich fabrics giving off an overall feminine feel. Thereβs a collection of black and white art and an extensive assemblage of books on shelves that line two walls. The colors are a range of brown and mellow beige, made diffuse with dim lighting coming from wall lamps.
I am asked to make myself comfortable and I do so, waiting for Mrs. Charles. She walks in after a short while, tall and fair, with long braids falling all over the place. The scent of her perfume spells money. But she comes to me, all smiles as if I am an old friend.
βHello, sweetie.β
I am given a hug and a wet peck on just one cheek.
βHow are you?β she asks, some foreign accent present. Canβt tell which.
βIβm good, ma.β
βMa?β she puts her hand to her chest and laughs. βIβm not that old, baby. Call me Naomi, with a βNayβ not βNahβ.β
βOkay.β
βSo, have you had breakfast?β she asks, walking away from me. βFollow me, Celia.β
βNo, I havenβt.β
βGreat. Breakfast is already served.β
She takes me out of the cozy room and up a staircase that brings us to a large empty room with white walls and huge double doors. Naomi throws open the doors and to my surprise, I see a body of water below us. Breakfast is a rich meal of all sorts on a table laid out on a terrace overlooking a lagoon and most of Lagos Island. The sight is amazing.
βSit down, hon.β
She takes a chair that is wooden except for the all-white cushions resting on it. She stretches out as I settle into the second chair. She is backing the view but I can see it all and I am wondering how much the house itself costs.
Naomi engages me in mild conversation about everything and then finally touches down on the topic of husbands. Her voice mellows at this point and then she stops, asking if she can trust me.
I nod.
She goes ahead to tell me how her husband does not remember she exists.
βI canβt recall when last we had sex. I stopped counting when we went past a year.β
She breaks from chewing a slice of apple.
βItβs like I donβt exist. You donβt know how hard that can be. To have a man constantly around you but you canβt have him.β
I relate to this, I blurt out. Her brows perk up.
βHow so?β
I hesitate a little but I canβt hold back now. I need someone to unburden to. And so I tell her everything, my tale coming in tears I have not had the luxury of letting out. Naomi comes to me and lends me her shoulder. It is comforting, as is her hand on my back. When Iβm done crying, she suggests we should spend the day at the spa.
βIβm sorry, Naomi. I must go back to work.β
βWork? How do you people do that boring thing?β
βWell, we must survive.β
βWork, work, work, work, work, work,β she sings in a not-so Rihanna tone. I laugh. βItβs all nonsense! Trust me. You need to get your own thing going on, bae. Give me a minute.β
She picks her phone from the table and calls my boss right in front of me, telling him she has hijacked me for the day. They talk for some more minutes and then she hangs up.
βLetβs hit the town, baby.β She winks.
Weβre on the road, she behind the wheel, me listening to Melissa Etheridge on the carβs speakers. Mind you, weβre not in the same vehicle that picked me from the party. This is a Bentleyβluxurious and girlishβchosen out of a collection of seven cars. Naomi first takes me shopping, calling it retail therapy. She doesnβt buy me much, just a change of clothes out of my office attire. She then drives me to Tirta Ayu Spa in Lekki, a place Noka always talks about. We are given first class treatment, the whole works, something I have never experienced before. It leaves me feeling crisp, refreshed and beautiful.
AfterΒ that we have lunch at Bangkok Restaurant not far away. At this point, I tell Naomi I have to call it a day.
She opens her handbag and takes out an envelope.
βThis should help you solve some of your financial issues.β
βNaomi, you donβt have toβ¦β
βShh. Just take it.β
βNaomiβ¦β
βCelia, please accept it.β
She clasps my hands around the envelope.
βDonβt open it yet.β
βOkay. Thank you so much.β
She looks into my eyes. βYouβre welcome.β
βSo, take care,β I tell her, βand Iβll call you tomorrow to know how far on your decision on which brokerage firm you decide to go with and then Iβll also guide you how you can get the best out of them.β
She nods absentmindedly. I doubt that she has heard anything I just said.
βBye.β
I go for the door handle but I feel her fingers around my neck and before I realize what is going on, Naomiβs lips are on mine.
Shock. Total shock. Earth-shattering shock. Shock that makes you want to slap yourself a few times to wake up shock.
I pull away. βWh-wh-what the hell was that?β
She returns to her seat, patting her lips as if she is the one that has just been assaulted.
βI like you, Celia.β
βYouβre a lesbian?β
βNo. I donβt knowβ¦ I just know I had to kiss you. Iβm not a lesbian. Iβve never been with a woman before. I justβ¦I really like you, Cee.β
βDonβt call me Cee!β I shout.
βPlease, keep your voice low. I hate when someone shouts on me.β
βThen donβt call me Cee or ever put your lips on me again!β
She nods. βIβm sorry.β
βSo this was what this whole day was about?β
βNo.β
βAnd this envelope too?β
βNo, Celia. The thing is I hardly have friends. The few I have, itβs either they have slept with my husband or are planning to or they just donβt really like me.β
βYeah, I can see why.β
βNo, no, no, please donβt think of me as this crazy person. I liked you the first time and then again today, I just sort of fell for youβ¦β
βYou know what? Take your envelope and itβs goodbye from me. Our business relationship is over.β
She picks the envelope I have flung at her and pushes it into my handbag. βForget the kiss. You need this. Please, take care of your family. Please.β
I almost burst into tears, realizing how desperately I need whatever it is she is giving me. I really need it. And I hate that I really need it.
I pick my handbag and open the door.
βBye, Celia.β
I catch moistness in her eyes as I leave and also the look of warmth. I shut the door. Thereβs a keke passing by. I quickly hail it and it stops a few feet ahead of me. I hurry to it.
βEko Hotel roundabout,β I say. The keke rider nods. I hop in. Naomiβs Bentley zooms past.
As the keke continues its journey, I take out the envelope and to my shock I find bills of hundred dollars, all thirty of them.
My heart misses its rhythm. I take out the money, shield it with my bag and count again, slower this time β and nothing changes. Three thousand dollars. I quickly get out my phone and calculate how much this amounts to in Naira. The figure I get can pay my rent twice and leave me with change.
I sit in silence, robbed of reasonable thought. I remain that way until I get home. Shady is sitting in his boxers as usual, holding our daughter who has just returned from daycare. I walk past him, uttering a sparse greeting. The smell and state of my house suddenly irritates me having tasted the luxury of Naomiβs home and the spa.
βDid you go to work dressed like this?β I hear Shady ask. I donβt give him a reply. I enter our bedroom and take the money out one more time. It is still the same.
I exhale. How can a fellow woman give me this much money?
I hear my phone ring in my handbag. I take it out. Naomi is calling, of course. I put the phone away. It rings on until it stops. Next, an SMS comes in. I open it. As I suspect, itβs from her.
Iβm actually not sorry for the kiss, Cee. I enjoyed it and Iβm looking forward to more. Please donβt say no. Iβll take care of you better than any man can. And that money, itβs chicken change. Thereβs more where that is from. Please, think about it, bae.
I fall back on my bed, staring up at the ceiling.
Lord, when I said I wanted something new and different today, I didnβt mean this. Please, take away this temptation.
I close my eyes, clutching the dollars. The kiss lingers.
Β©Sally@moskedapages
Images:Β psychologybenefits.org,Β bombshellssonly.tumblr.com, tirtaayuspa.ng
First to comment. Yippeee
Jeezzzzz….and i so wanted to be the first to comment…lemme go and read…thanks madam Sally..
You’re welcome, always
Celia is in deep shit, as for Genesis, I hope u don’t regret your decision…thanks Sally,this got me blown away as usual
Thanks for reading
Things we do to keep up appearances… I really feel for Celia. Lexi is one person I don’t really get…. She can be hot and cold the same time. You can never really hate someone that is like a mother to you so I get Genesis. I miss Mary and Ekene… Can I have more of them next episode.. pleeeaaseee? Thank you Sally…
My pleasure, Trixandra. And how far with your blog? Still writing?
Yeah. I had to pause for a while to focus on my schooling. BTW, I just graduated today…
π Yay! Congratulations! I’m happy for you
Thank you very much…..
This is really a great temptation for Celie, i just hope she tells on of her friends about it. I hope Genesis wont regret helping Mamasi, cos i doubt i that woman can ever change. Thanks for the update sally
T
Thanks for dropping by, Dayo
Celia oooo, one chance!!!
No be small thing
Wow, celia in deep hot oil, getting interesting as always
Bless you, Gbemmy
Wow…wow…wow
“Lord, when I said I wanted something new and different today, I didnβt mean this. Please, take away this temptation.”
Cee, got me laffing here. Disguised “blessing”.
Thank you Sally…
You’re welcome, Prince
“Lord, when I said I wanted something new and different today, I didnβt mean this. Please, take away this temptation.”
Cee, got me laffing here. Disguised “Blessing”
Thank you Sally…
$1000 is like N1m plus o! Chai! Am sorry for Celia. Her peace of mind is gone, fiiiiam! Even the landlord’s cocktail will seem to crow too loudly when you have a million naira in your bag. I just hope Shady won’t manipulate the money out of her. If course after interrogating and abusing her emotionally when he inquires how the money came by.
Sally weldone. I miss Christy and Folarin and Raji. Maybe it’s because I am a male Christy presently. Weldone once again
You better explain why you’re a male Christie. That statement is loaded with meaning. *giving you side eye
So captivating, which I could grab the full novel, God knows i will so much latch my eyes unto it till I see the end of it..
Great work you are doing here sally.
I really appreciate
#anticipating_fourthfinger
#July 31
Thank you for your sweet words
Lolz Celia sorta have lesbian tendencies if one think back at her character ???
Seriously? Then i need to go back and read π
Hmmm…nice twist with the baby being Chichi’s and not Lexi.
Celia would take up the woman on her offer definitely.
I’m looking forward to the next episode.
Thank you Sally.
Glad to have you here, Adebayo
Omo this NayOmi na case o. I need more of her pls.
Hahaha! More of what exactly?
More of her madtness
Urm… Gen, pls leave Mamisi far, far away ehn.
Celia, I pray God takes away your new temptation o, it’s quite tempting.
Great job as always Sally. Cheers to you and yours.
Thank you, Haleemah
Thanks Sally great piece as usual. Merci merci
You’re welcome, Marion
OMG…i see infact hear biiiggg trouble…Cee is in serious gbeke ooo…kai, Only Jesus can tk dis kain temptation away oo..
Only Jesus
May I not enter a situation dat will put me in a tight corner like cee’s own.
Amen
hmmmmm… #fightingtemptations. na wa o.. feel so sorry for cilia. feel a bit disappointed the baby is not Lexus’s… in all amazing read
Lexus has more things up her sleeves. Don’t miss today’s episode
Anty S! Pls update today’s episode so u will make my day.
Celia, lexy, i’m waiting for yu guys drama
Coming right up
Lmao.. That image of Lexus as a mum was just too good to be true. Weere somebody. As for Shady, injured pride or not, if he can’t open up to his boys about his situation then i don’t think he’s ever seen them as friends. I like to think of my friends as my family members i get to choose by myself, people i can be vulnerable with and go to any length to defend and protect cos i know they will do same for me. Putting up appearances with them while dying in silence, who e epp? It’s a very selfish thing Shady is doing cos he clearly didn’t factor in Celia or the baby, all that matters is his ego must be protected. To think there are actually people like this out there sha, shout out to women in Celia’s situation who still find the will to get out there everyday and struggle to keep things together at home.
Thanks for today’s episode Salome, it was quite lengthy and worth the wait. Gracias
I remain loyal
A good heart gets the short end of the stick many times. I don’t see Mamisi’s presence around Gen and Nick coming to a good end. I don’t even know how that’s gon’ happen because the woman is so devilish.
Lexus is a confirmed weirdo!!! Messes with Kas’ head making his mind travel in circles. The duo understand one another even if I feel she doesn’t know what she wants.
As for Celia, she needs to recite The Lord’s prayer, and linger on “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil”. Naomi is temptation and evil at the same time. I wait to see how she’ll wriggle out of this.
Thank you Sally, your ink won’t go dry and your muse won’t leave you. Bless up
Bless you too, Seye. Be watered as you water others
Shady, is just feeling pompous by not telling his guyz d situation of tins. Dia situation is really bad n for Celia to still bein able to kip up appearances wit d galz takes a lot of courage. But deat God don’t lead us into temptation due to our critical conditions. Celia, don’t go down dat road o, the episode is full of lives. Tanks Sally
Thank you for reading, Hacolyte
ehn!!!! Celia!!! wetin person no go see. she had better run the other direction…
and pls this life of keeping up appearances will get our generation in serious trouble. people need to start keeping it real.
aunty sally…pls we want more of mary and ekene…thank u
I’ll see what I can do about that
Thank you
Hmmm… ‘And the kiss lingered’ that’s not a good one at all Celia obviously needs an intervention from the other wives, cus i don’t see this ending well for her.
As for Lexy, that one needs a reality check,this world is not her home.
Hahaha @this world is not her home
She is really just passing through
Hmm Celia if I were you I will challenge Usain Bolt records and make sure I surpass that. Run for your dear life. Lex story on having a baby and breastfeeding is too good to be true for our drama queen. Please can we have more on Mary and Kene. Thanks Sally for the update
Always my pleasure
I pray mamisi dies so she doesn’t get to live anywhere close to gen and her family. Lex is just a fish …… As fr Celia I don’t know wat to say but I’d suggest she let’s deir frnds know wats going on dt way she can fight Naomi cos dt woman is no good . Thank you sally!!!!
wow! Celia n deep shit! gen
Dang!
Somehow I saw that coming. This thing Celia is about to plunge into is a deep, black, endless hole. Sigh. It’s a really rough place to be mehn. And when she gives in and gets discovered, she’ll get judged to the ends of the earth as if it was an easy call to make.
As for Lexus, why do I feel she still needs to grow up? Good heart and all but she is still super impulsive and spoiled.
Gen should let Mamisi be abeg. Although that must be really hard, I can’t imagine that the woman will get up to any good.
Amazing episode Sal. Thanks
Thanks, luv
Celia is sorely tempted, hope she’ll be able to resist cos what desperation/lack can make someone do ehn…it is well.
Desperation is terrible place to be
Thanks Sally for a nice episode. I was hoping for a bit of Mary and Ekene in this episode.
Cee should tell Shady, maybe that would wake him up from his comatose state.
I hope she does
hmmm…..cnt talk, speechless, dey ve said all
Thanks for this wonderful episode sugar mama mi, God bless you…
Please I want to read more on Jide and Honey, Mary and Ekene plus Tola and her co-wife… Cee is in a deep shit, its even deeper than she can imagine! Naomi will make her life miserable, who knows if there is a picture of everything they did together that would make people to doubt Cee when the time comes……#AnticipatingFourthFinger
This is trouble o! who will now help Celia outta this bayi? o ma wa su mi ke
God will help her
O ma ga gan,Celia needs to run run run……
As far and as fast as she can. Thank you for reading
Who will give me $3,000 oh? A woman, not a man, abeg! Nice one. For once, Celia took centre stage.
Ok. I’ve been a silent reader for too long. This just takes the cake. Thank you so much for the episode. Can’t wait for the next story
I-n-t-e-r-e-s-t-i-n-g! Thanks Ms Sally.
Omg!!!! Aunt Sally you such an amazing writer ? loving this new twist ….
keeps getting interesting,, didn’t know youve started writing again,, no notifications,, thank God for facebook
*Grinning
I’m here crushing on Luxus
Her Persona is sooooo on Fleek
Thanks Anty Sally
PS- Please can I have your email??
I’m late to the party. No worries. I loved that kiss. Let me see what happens in the next episode