Lovely weekend, everyone!
I am unable to post the concluding episode of Dear High Mistress and second episode of Biyankavitch. This week was a busy one for me. I had appointments back to back and then NEPA totally messed me up. And finally my kids have been ill. Please pray for them.
So to make up, I’ll let you have double-bill episodes of Stranger In Lagos. I will try my best to reply your comments. But if I don’t get the time to, please know that I appreciate and love you. *kisses.
EBEN
The year is still 2011 and Iβm still mad at my parents a day after they break the unpleasant news that all our asses basically belong to Halim. I still havenβt found a way out of my dilemma. But I canβt stop thinking about how much I like Halim, how I find her intriguing and refreshing. I remember the night we had sex and how I had to lie to her the next day that nothing happened because it had been amazing and I was too scared to have anything to do with her for the sole reason that I was focused on my goals.
Those goals are responsible for my inability to be in a relationship with her or any other woman. And not even the threat of losing everything will stop me from pushing through.
And so, I take out the proposals that contain the blueprint for moving Khare Electronics to the digital age and pore over everything until my eyes get too tired to read. But I have come up with a plan for the future of my family, to save us all from the Diobis, if shit ever hits the fan. I sleep over it and the following morning, before the sun rises, I take the proposal to my uncle, the Oniro of Iro. I explain to him that I need a loan to kick off the business. The man is not only rich by royal wealth. He has oil money and rumor has it that he doesnβt know what to do with it.
He gives the documents a read-through and instructs me to leave, promising that he would get back to me. Before I am halfway home, I receive a call from my dad. He is mad at me. How dare I go to my uncle to beg for money? Donβt I know that Iβm a Nosakhare and Nosakhares do not beg? I tell him to trust my decision but the sharp man already knows what Iβm up to.
βEbenezer, Khare Electronics is funding the new branch of the company and there is nothing you will do to stop it. I know you want it to be free of anything Diobi. I commend you for that, but the only way out is to get married to Halimnye.β
βIs it by force? Jeez, dad! I donβt want to!β
βI am not forcing you but I have told your uncle to ignore you. You canβt go disgracing our family like that.β
I bite my lip to keep from retorting nastily. βI will get that money, no matter what, even if it means going to a bank.β
The line goes dead.
The months that follow are tough for me. I run around, looking for the capital to expand the business but doors close in my face. Knowing what my dad is capable of, I am aware that he is behind every obstacle I encounter. Even in Lagos, no one is willing to help. It is when I decide to throw in the towel and abandon the project that I get a call from my uncle on a random night.
βSee me immediately,β he says. I drive over to the palace and Iβm let in by the guards. My uncle is sitting in his garden β a quiet place with dim lighting, red flowers and a lush lawn.
βYour father has never really forgiven our grandfather for disowning and cursing his mother,β he says as I rest on a wooden garden bench facing him.
βYour father is so proud of his wealth that he sees no need to show regard to the throne. Even after our grandfather gifted him with acres of land and accorded him the respect meant only for nobles, he still wonβt acknowledge the throne.β
I inhale and breathe out slowly.
βI donβt blame him. His blood, like yours, has been tainted with the blood of a commoner.β
My uncle regards me with keen eyes.
βBut you interest me, Delomo. And this is why Iβll give you the loan.β
My eyes lift up.
βYes, I will. For the sake of blood. Pay me whenever you feel like. But know that Iβll demand something of you in the future. I donβt know what it would be but everyone has their use and I think one day, you will come in handy.β
βThank you very much, Uncle.β
My upbringing will not let me sit on the bench and show appreciation. I prostrate with one hand to the ground and thank him. For the next hour, we sit drinking, talking about politics and business. We call it a night when one of the guards comes to whisper in his ear.
I drive home, hazy and happy. I sleep well.
The project kicks off in a week and goes on for months. My parents donβt ask how I get the money; neither do they pressure me to marry Halim who has gone to serve the country in Jigawa. I hardly think about her and the whole case seems forgotten for a while. But in 2012, she returns, and our mothers employ themselves in the business of matchmaking us. They look for every opportunity to have us in the same space. But like me, Halim has better uses for her time. With a hunky boyfriend and a bank job, I am the least of her worries.
We resist each other for two years, much to my motherβs frustration. The excuse is that I am too engrossed in work to even bother about anything else. I have brief affairs, none of which are serious enough for me to stomach. They all fall under a poor attempt to shun Halim; but soon, like a mouse circling around cheese on a trap, I get caught. A phone call from Aunty Ada sees me finally falling into our parentsβ plans.
Aunty Ada informs me that Halim has just been dumped by her boyfriend and is in a bad place. Can I come over and talk to her? Itβs not something I want to do but I honor the invitation. When I get to the house, I find Halim in her bedroom, hunkered over a sewing machine, working on a dress. She lights up when she sees me.
Standing at the door I give a wave. βHey.β
βLet me guess. Aunty Ada asked you to come and cheer me up.β
βIs that a bad thing?β I ask, looking around. This is the first time Iβm being allowed into her bedroom. Itβs not as girly as I expect. I am impressed by the black and white wallpaper, matched by blue furniture and dashes of deep pink in the curtains and beddings. The place is a bit of a mess, though.
βCome in, jare.β
I step in.
βSorry about the mess. I havenβt cleaned the room today.β
Itβs fine.β I sit on her bed, pushing away strips of Ankara material.
βGive me a minute, let me tack this.β
βTake your time.β
I stay silent, listening to the sound of the sewing machine as it does its work. Soon, she stops and leaves her work area to stand before me with the dress she has just sewn.
βItβs aso-ebi for a friendβs wedding,β she tells me.
βCool.β
βLet me wear it and you tell me what you think.β
She disappears into her bathroom and returns wearing the dress.
βItβs beautiful,β I compliment. βReally gorgeous.β
βYouβre sure?β
βYeah, except for that spot on the hip that doesnβt quite fit.β
Her eyes follow my pointing finger. βThatβs true. Wow. You have an eye for detail,β she says, straightening out the spot. βIβll fix it.β
She dashes back into the bathroom. When she returns, she is back in the long, pink t-shirt she was wearing which drops down one shoulder. She doesnβt have a bra on. The outline of the roundness of her breasts and pert nipples are visible from beneath the t-shirt.
βYou donβt look like someone who is heartbroken.β
She laughs. βTrust me, I am.β
βSo why did you guys break up?β
Halim sits on her chair before the sewing machine, facing me, picking out loose threads from her dress. βItβs because of sex o. He wants to do. I donβt want to do. He says he canβt marry someone who wonβt do. I say βwho wants to marry you in the first place?β Dude gets angry and dumps me. Total waste of nineteen of my life.β
I see sadness in her eyes but she covers it with a smile.
βHow are you doing, though?β
βGreat. Iβve moved on. We broke up like three weeks ago. Iβve cried all my tears while the horny thing moved on to one of my friends.β
βSeriously?β
βGood riddance to two heaps of rubbish. I canβt kill myself over a man. So, how about you? When are we seeing this your secret girlfriend?β
I give a dry laugh.
βWhatβs funny?β
βI donβt have a girlfriend.β
βYeah, right. All the money and education just wasting like that.β
βWellβ¦β
βCrap! I didnβt offer you anything.β
She jumps to her feet.
βItβs fine, Halim.β
βIβll be right back.β
She dashes out and comes back with a dish of yam and plantain porridge, which is, interestingly, my favorite. One look at the meal with its assorted meats and fish in pasty peppered sauce makes my mouth water.
βAunty Ada says I should make this today for her, so I decided to splurge.β
I smile secretly, aware of what Aunty Ada is up to.
βHave you eaten today?β I ask Halim. She shakes her head. βGo and get a fork and join me.β
βIβm not hungry.β
βYour mom says youβve been starving yourself.β
Halim smiles shyly.
βGet a fork and come and eat. In short, come and sit with me.β
βNo.β
βOkay, just come and taste.β
She hesitates a little but comes to me. After she says a short prayer, I let her have the first bite, and that first bite becomes like an opener of sorts that unlocks the door to other things.
We eat, talk, laugh and generally act like the chemistry between us is non-existent. Hours later, when Iβm about to leave, she stands at her front door, holding and swinging it. She thanks me for making her feel better.
We hug, I walk away. And then on impulse, I turn around.
βHalim?β
On her way to closing the door, she stops.
βCan I be your rebound boyfriend?β
My question takes her off guard.
βWhat?β
βCan I be your rebound boyfriend?β I repeat. Iβm not known to have different ways of saying one thing.
She is silent. I expect her to tell me she will think about it or take the matter to God in prayer. Or even ask why Iβm doing it; but she doesnβt. After the silence, she nods. βOkay.β
βDo we celebrate it with a kiss?β
She shakes her head strongly.
βOkay, no kiss. Iβll call you later?β
βSure.β
I continue to my car and drive away. Out on the road, I get a series of slaps from my commonsense.
βI really like her,β I say out loud in defense. βAnd sheβs the prey here. She doesnβt know about her past or how much sheβs worth. I only want to protect her.β
My commonsense tells me I can say all I can to convince myself that Iβm doing the right thing but I know Iβm only being selfish and the money is my goal.
I donβt argue further. Instead, I engage in a long business call that ends when I get home. Taking a shower, I promise myself not to invest my emotions in the relationship. I will continue to be her friend but the love part can take a backseat.
And it is with this approach I date Halim. Our relationship grows at its own pace, quietly and smoothly. We donβt demand from each other, never going beyond the barebones, which include lunch and dinner dates, the movies, other outings and the occasional kiss. I fight hard not to fall in love with her. I donβt know how we will end; I donβt want either of us to be heartbroken.
But the harder I try not to fall, the deeper I do. One day, while having drinks with Lekan and a couple of friends, I announce that I want to propose to Halim.
βAh!β Lekan exclaims. βAre you guys that serious?β
βYeah.β
βWithout sex?β
βYeah.β
βYou donβt want to sample the goods first? Know if it is viable before the wedding night gives you a shocker?β
My friends laugh. I ignore them. A few days later, I buy a 19-carat diamond ring, and in the quietness of my apartment, after one year of being Halimβs rebound boyfriend, I propose to her.
I receive more slaps from my commonsense later at night. I fear itβs all going to end in a disaster the moment Halim finds out the truth about her wealth. Again, my motive is questioned, with a part of me refusing to believe that I proposed to her on the basis of my feelings.
I am reminded of how intoxicating money is. And maybe it is what drives me to keep dating her while hiding the truth. Or maybe itβs just that Iβm in love with her so much that Iβm scared to lose her. But whatever it is, it keeps me on the path of commitment which sees me wanting to make things final.
βIβm proud of you, Delomo,βmy mom says to me a couple days ago, after I return from the church where Halim and I went for marriage counseling. βThank you for doing this for your family.β
βI didnβt do it for anyone,β I reply. βI love her.β
I guess it is the first time I am expressing my feelings about Halim to anyone. My mom looks at me in surprise, like I am incapable of love or Halim is incapable of being loved.
βWell, thatβs even better. I wish two of you a blissful married life.β
And she goes off blessing us in Yoruba while I stand there, throwing βaminβ to everything she utters. The following day, I pick Halim from work and we drive to Lagos. I bring her to see the house weβll be living in. She loves it at first sight but gets overwhelmed when it hits her that she is really getting married.
βWeβre actually doing this,β she murmurs, putting her arms around me.
βWe are.β
βGive me a moment to process everything.β
She lifts her head up and takes a breath. She lets it out, still clinging to me.
βLetβs do something different,β she suggests.
βLike what?β
βClubbing.β
βClubbing?β I chuckle. βYou want to go to a club?β
βYou think Iβve never been to a club before?β She pulls back, looking at me defensively.
I remember the night we had sex. It was Conradβs birthday and we celebrated it at a club. I wonder how much of that crazy night she recalls.
βCan we just go before I change my mind?β
I accede to her wish but first, I take her shopping, to pick a dress and a pair of shoes. She also has her makeup and nails done. Soon after, we hit Club Quilox, set in Victoria Island. Like a bird set free from its cage, Halim loses herself to the music and parties hard. This is the part of her I always want to see. We dance until I am too tired to move. I take her home and itβs while Iβm trying to tuck her in bed that she asks to cuddle.
βNo sex,β she says.
I donβt mind. I only want to hold her. But she wonβt let me do just that. She begins to grind into me, telling me she canβt wait for our wedding night. Iβm amused and aroused at the same time. Halim is high.
βHave you slept with anyone since we started going out?β she asks me. I stop moving. Iβve had a couple of regrettable encounters with two different girls.
βNo.β
βOkay, good.β
We fall back into our dry humping.
βI mean, itβs okay if you did. Iβll forgive you.β
My hand reaches for her breast.
βSame way youβll forgive me if I cheat, right?β
Iβm not interested in this talk. The softness of her breast is killing me, but she wonβt let me feel its bareness.
βYeah, Iβll forgive you.β I donβt imagine she will ever cheat on me. Sheβs not the type.
We keep humping. Sheβs moaning and Iβm losing my mind. For her own good, I stop.
βGo to sleep, Hali.β I rise up and kiss her. In kissing back, she pulls me to her.
βMaybe just this once.β
βOur wedding is only two months away, baby. We can wait.β
She eyes my boner and kisses me again.
As I start to walk away, she says, βWeβll fall in love when we eventually get married, right? Thatβs how it happens. Marriage, sex and then love β eventually.β
Her question hurts me a little. I am already in love with her. It is she who is finding it hard putting together the love part. This explains why she has been okay with me being aloof to her.
βYes, Halim. Weβll fall in love. Goodnight.β
She murmurs as I leave. Taking the guestroom, I force myself to sleep through the rest of the night. When I wake up and go to the master bedroom where I find her still sleeping, I get tempted to abandon my meeting with an important client and stay in all day.
But I help her out of bed and wait outside while she showers and dresses up. As we drive back to Abeokuta, I notice that she is quiet.
βI was drunk last night, wasnβt I?β she mumbles.
βA little.β
βAnd I asked for sex.β
βNot in those words, but yeah.β
βI canβt remember most of it.β She leans her head on the window. βAre you ready for this thing?β
βWhat thing?β
βMarriage. Are you ready? Youβre just thirty-one and Iβm twenty-seven.β
βThe counseling sessions with Pastor Love have been helpful.β
βAre they enough?β
βStop worrying, Halim. Weβll do fine.β
βSometimes I feel like weβre together because our parents pressured us into doing this. Do you feel pressured?β
I know what I feel for her but my motive is not all clear. She is a year past twenty-six and Aunty Ada has been gracious enough not to follow the dictates of the deal signed by our fathers. In this whole thing I have played my part. But where does it all end and love come in?
βIβm not pressured.β
Halim looks at me like she wants to say more but she goes back to resting on the window where she sleeps off until we get to Abeokuta.
Β©Sally@moskedapages
Yeeeeyyy first to comment! Thanks Ms Sally.
Nice read. My drug. I pray that Zane and Kayla get well soon. As for the other issues, this country won’t kill us.
Thank you Sally. Well done. How are the kids doing?? I just prayed they recover soon and fast. May God keep them for you. So, is high mistress really almost over?? I dont want it to be!!!
I love this story. Sally please remind me to skip the episode where Halim will discover the truth. LOL!!!!!
Nice one sally, wishing ur babies speedy recovery #lots of hugs
Thanks Sally, I’m in love with this story, wishing your kids sound health and quick recovery. My love to them.
Your babies are healed in Jesus name.
More of this please, still loving it. I see you P Loveπ
I pray the children get well soon.
Thanks for the double episode
Well done Sally. Even me that I’m not a mom know how demanding taking care of kids can be. My son never allows me to use the PC if he’s awake, he wants to always type. My prayers to the young ones, may their health be absolutely restored by the grace of The Almighty. They’ll get back to disturbing you the way they should, can’t bear it when kids are ill.
To this Eben and Halim love, I’ll just keep my fingers crossed and see how things pan out when revelations are made.
Bug ups Sally
I prayed God gives Zane n Kayla a speedy recovery n restores dia health, amen.
Nice 1 Sally, it was an interesting episode. I hope Halim wud not stumble on d truth wen she had really fallen deeper into love watitin.
Happy Mother’s Day Sally, God bless the work of your hands.
Wish your kids quick recovery, God heal them IJN, Amen.
I keep my fingers crossed, hmmmm….Eben, Halim & Nini.
It is well with your kids, God will grant them quick recovery. Eben seems confused a little but well, let’s wait and see how their love unravels. Nice job Sally, Kudos.
Playing with fire are we? Hnmmm
Hi Sal, I wish the kids quick recovery. Well done, this SIL is going to be a hit!!!!
Thank you, dear Amina
I pray your kids get well soon.
I wish the kids swift recovery. Well done mama!
Ehugs supermom Sally. Hope the kids are feeling better?
having secret is never the way to start a relationship…..tell her please
Hi Sally,
I hope your children are feeling much better now. Do take care of you too.
Thank you for the episodes!
Hope the kids are fine now.
I am very late to the party but I am so glad the party did not leave me behind.
I can’t wait for Eni to bring her drama here. Somehow I can relate to Halim, that inner fire that is well hidden by fear.