TOLANI
© Esther Charles
Episode 25
Getting to Chimaobi’s house, he brought out his shorts and a polo shirt for me to wear.
“You should take your bath.” He had said, before going into the kitchen, to get glass cups and a chilled Mango drink for us to eat.
He was seated on the bed, when I stepped out of the bathroom with his towel wrapped around me.
“ You feel better?” He asked me.
“Yes, thank you.” I said.
At that point, we felt so official and awkward with each other. We both felt anew. He was walking on broken bottles, that’s being extremely careful with his words and actions. He wouldn’t want to falter again after hitting me.
“You should take your bath too.” I said to him.
“Sure, I will.” He said, as he walked to the bathroom door, returning again.
“Can I have the towel?” He asked.
“Sure,” I had the towel around my neck, wore the Polo shirt before handing over the towel to him.
“Thank you.” He said, entering the bathroom.
On normal grounds, I would walk out of the bathroom stack n***d, or we bath together, and he would not have said thank you, but there has been a vacuum created. No one knew how to fill it.
After he bathed, we ate silently.
It was very unusual of us to eat without playing around.
“None wants to make the first move.” I thought. I had missed everything I shared with him, I would have jumped on him and locked my lips to his, not for the surrounding troubles.
“Now is not the time to do such. You have not even answered his question.” I resonated, scooping a spoonful of rice into my mouth.
After we finished eating, I cleared the bed because we ate in the bedroom. When I returned from the kitchen, I found him speaking to his father on a phone call.
I sat down, brought out my project work and began to flip through the pages. I had been so troubled and stressed to prepare for my defense.
After his call, he spoke with Drake, Drake called him, and it felt like an urgent call.
“Drake needs me now.” He said to me after he was done.
“What happened?”
“You know Grace, his girl? The one he’s been sponsoring in school?”
“Yes, yes.”
“She dumped him.”
“Are you serious?”
“Honestly, some women are terrific. How can you do that to someone who paid your house rent, your school fees, literally pays for all your bills?” He said, dressing up.
“This is awful. I hope he’s not too worried?”
“Man is down, he’s crying.”
“Please, go be with him.”
“Yeah, see you.” He said as he rushed out.
For the first time ever, Chimaobi went out without kissing my forehead. It showed a lot had gone wrong in our relationship.
At about 10:00pm, I was in the sitting room going through my project work, when a private number called me, I picked the phone, and it was Linda.
“I got the information that you already know I am the person behind your troubles in school.” She chuckled and continued.
“How did you know?”
“ You should have known me by now, I get what I want. Common, Tolani. You were my school daughter, I literally had my way around all the school staff in high school. You can never be an exception. I have always wanted you and I will always have you.”
“Linda, I curse the day I met you. You are such a horrible person.” I shouted, standing up in rage.
She chuckled, “You do not have to remind me of that, sweetheart. I know, I’ve always known.”
“Linda, what do you want from me? What did I ever do to you? What do you want?”
“Tolani, I want you” she calmed her voice, helplessly.
“Tolani, I have thought of you for years. I have had sexual encounters with diverse girls since I left for the States, but no other feeling as the one you gave me in high school. Tolani, please, I beg you, just this once.”
“Will you stop this? Can’t you see that I am not queered, I’m straight? I can’t have anything to do with you.”
“But you did in…”
“You forced me! You freaking took advantage of me, b*tch.” I shouted at her.
“You know I can do and undo. I am begging you because I love you, please, don’t let me force you.” She changed her voice.
“ Are you mad? Is it because you have not been arrested?”
“Tolani! Don’t be dumb. Have you forgotten who my father is?” She chuckled again.
“That’s why you should trend carefully, that’s why you should be scared. If I could get to your HOD in school, I could do the deadliest. If you do not want anything to happen to your man, and your marriage, I need you to come lick me.”
“Jesus Christ! You are disgusting. Who told you I’m getting married?”
“It’s Linda you are talking to. My body has longed for you. Just come and touch me again, and I will never disturb you again.”
“Linda, why are you doing this to me?” I begged her.
“Tolani, I can’t help it. I wish I could let you go, but I can’t. I’m obsessed with you. I have lost you to a man, I know you love him, reason I have not hurt him, I would not want you to go through torture. Just come and sooth me this once, and I will let you be.”
“What if he finds out? For God’s sake, Linda, this is cheating.”
“No, you are saving your marriage and your man’s life.”
“He knows about you. He knows you paid the money. He knows you were my school mother, what should I tell him is your reason for paying such amount to hunt me down.”
“Ah! This girl, you are so dumb. Be smart, get anything, anything. Tell him I wanted him.”
“Jesus Christ!” I exclaimed.
“Yes, tell him. It is believable. After all, you blocked me. You could tell him you blocked me because I offered you money to have him. I gave 5 million to have you, he’d believe I offered you some money and when you refused, I decided to hunt you through your HOD. Mind you, if I were bisexual, I would have knacked your man since, but don’t force me to do that. Maybe your man, Chimaobi, would be the first man I will have sexual encounters with, and guess what? His life is at stake too.” She laughed so loud that I felt so helpless.
My hatred for her increased.
“I’m giving you today to Saturday to get back to me. Happy defense day on Friday, sweetheart.” She hung the call.
“Hello, hello! Linda! Oh, my God.” I fell on the couch, crying.
Chimaobi would be very mad at me for hiding this past to him. I told him I have had no sexual encounters, he had trusted me for almost 5 years. He would be extremely hurt, coupled with his Drake’s situation now.
“How do I tell him this?” I cried more, picking up my phone, and dialing Ruth’s phone number.
“Hello, babe, I’m in trouble.” I cried.
“Oh, Tolani, I’m with Tochi now. You just cut our fun now with your many calls.”
“Ruth, Linda is calling me.”
“Who’s Linda?”
“Ohm! The girl I talked to you about this afternoon.” I said, telling her of Linda’s conditions.
“ This is bad oo, you know say this your guy, Chimaobi get bad temper, you told me how he acted in school today. With the way, I am seeing that guy, he’d strangle you to death if you tell him of this dirty past. No guy would take that.”
“What should I do now?”
“I’m not asking you to be a lesbian o. But since she said this once, I would ask you to do it this once, and have your Chimaobi to yourself. You love him so much and his Iife is at stake. Take the bullet for you two to save what you’ve shared. This is what I feel I would do if I were in your shoe. So, my dear… Hello, Tolani, Tochi is calling me. I will call you later.” She hung the call.
I could not even process anything. My brain box was literally heating. My emotions were numb when my Dad called.
While having a conversation with my dad concerning the whole thing, Chimaobi returned. I excused myself from the call, promising to call back.
“Back?”
“Yes, back.”
“How is he?”
“He’s better. He’s better ooo. Nna ee, women, trusting a woman is risky. I’m exhausted, I would be in the bedroom, please.” He walked tiredly to the bedroom.
Chimaobi had been running up and down since morning, so, I, a kind of understood him,, but I couldn’t figure out why he wasn’t coming close to me to at least hug.
At about 11:30pm, I went into the bedroom, and he was already asleep. I got into the bed, lay down and turning my back against him.
I tried to sleep but I couldn’t stop thinking.
“You have now to Saturday” I kept thinking of what Linda said.
“Why has this boy not asked me of Linda again? What is he up to?” I became restive.
“Should I tell him about this or have Linda once and save him and my marriage. Oh! God!” I squeezed myself.
The conflict of the mind was beyond me.
“Tell him the truth. If he breaks up with you, then, it is fine. Sleeping with Linda means cheating on him. It will be deadlier if he finds out.” I resonated again.
“Maobi, Maobi.” I tapped him as he turned around with sleepy eyes.
“I’m so tired. My whole body seems to be another’s.” He mumbled.
“Please, wake up, I have something to tell you.” I wanted to tell him the truth right there before I get a change of mind.
“You don’t have to wait for him to ask you again. You have kept this so far, this wouldn’t have been an issue if you had confided in him earlier. Wake him up again.” I thought again, tapping him.
“Tolani! What is it?”
“I …”
“Talk now…”
“I wanted to talk to you about Linda.”
“Okay, can you leave this discussion tomorrow? Please, I beg you. Okay?”
“Okay” I nodded my head.
“Good, now come here.” He squeezed my hands, kissed my forehead and asked me to come closer to him, kissed my forehead again as he cuddled me to sleep.
To be continued!
