“Complicated”
Episode 14
Ore was ushered into the meeting room by the receptionist. Titilope greeted her warmly and apologized on behalf of the CEO, who had to leave unexpectedly. Ore felt disappointed as she had been looking forward to meeting him. She consoled herself with the thought that there would be other opportunities in the future.
Farouk settled into his vehicle as the driver started the engine. He sighed, attempting to get comfortable. He was suffering from a rare disease that affected his nerves, causing episodes where all his nerves seemed to tremble, leaving him feeling weak. Outside of these episodes, he felt fine, but his doctors had warned him of a potential prolonged crisis in the future that he might not recover from.
His thoughts drifted to Oreoluwa. He missed her dearly and wished he could see her once more; he believed that would make him die happy. He had been tempted recently to look for her on social media but had stopped himself at the last minute. He wondered how she was doing and if she ever thought of him.
Meanwhile, Darasimi received a call from Chief Ayegbajeje, who wanted to compensate her for keeping his secret. Darasimi insisted on having the conversation in person and requested to meet at his guest house, but he refused. Instead, he asked her to come to his office the next day to discuss the matter further.
Upon arrival, Chief Ayegbajeje offered Darasimi money, but she declined.
“What then do you want, Dara?” the Chief asked.
Dara stood up and walked over to stand before the Chief. “I want you,” she said.
“You want me? Are you out of your mind? Do you realize you are like a daughter to me?”
“Yes, like a daughter, but I am not your daughter,” she countered.
“What game are you playing? Your father and I are best friends, as were our fathers before us. Nothing can happen between us.”
“Why are you pretending? You think I haven’t noticed the way you used to look at my body?” Darasimi challenged.
The Chief was embarrassed. “Yes, I can’t deny you are a beautiful woman and I admire your body, but that is as far as it goes. I think you should leave now.”
“Well, I’ll leave, but don’t blame me if a little bird whispers to your wife about your affair with her sister.”
The Chief enraged, grabbed her by the throat. “You want to threaten me? Don’t think for a minute that I won’t end you just because you are my friend’s daughter. Tread carefully. Now, get out of here before you irritate me further.”
Darasimi grabbed her bag and escaped, rushing into the restroom to compose herself. She was scared but not defeated. She vowed to find another way.
Adetola broke the news of Ore’s pregnancy to his father, who was overjoyed and immediately called his friend, Chief Akinola, to share the good news. Both parents were happy and planned to meet that evening to celebrate.
Abike was standing behind her husband as he spoke on the phone. As he finished the call and turned to leave, she pleaded with him, “I beg of you, Duro, don’t do this.”
“I told you, this is beyond us. We must proceed with the plans,” he replied firmly.
“Your own grandchild?” Abike asked, incredulous.
“There is so much at stake, and you know it,” he countered.
“All that can change if you accept Jes—”
“Don’t you dare mention that name in this house; I have warned you,” he interrupted sharply.
“Then let me go,” Abike implored.
“You will go nowhere. You are my wife, and you will remain by my side,” he declared, then walked away, leaving Abike in despair.
Shortly after the conversation between the chiefs, Chief Akinola called his daughter Ore to discuss the recent developments.
“I heard the good news and I’m proud of you. I didn’t know you had it in you to get Adetola to sleep with you. This means when it comes to matters of men and women, anything can happen,” Chief Akinola said with a note of approval in his voice.
Ore remained silent, unsettled by her father’s assumptions.
“Now listen, Ore, I want you to take care of this pregnancy. Nothing must happen to it. Guard it with your life,” he continued.
“What do you mean ‘guard it with your life’? This is my child. You speak as if he is your property,” Ore responded, her tone laced with frustration.
“This child belongs to all of us. He is the future of both families, so make sure you take good care of him,” her father insisted.
“Him? What if it’s a girl?”
“It had better be a boy, my child. It had better be a boy,” Chief Akinola declared sternly.
Ore was deeply troubled by her father’s reaction and the implicit threats over her pregnancy. She also couldn’t shake off the strange behaviour of her mother-in-law, who had reacted oddly upon learning of her pregnancy.
Deciding to intensify her spiritual efforts, Ore set different times for prayer and fasting and would wake up praying at night. Sometimes, the pastor’s wife would connect with her on the phone to pray together, providing Ore with much-needed support during this confusing time.
Dara decided to pay Adetola a visit at his office. Adetola was surprised to see her, but he had always harbored a certain fondness for her, so he entertained her presence.
“So, you left me for your broke-a*s boyfriend,” Adetola remarked.
“Yes, because I was in love with him, but now that he’s no longer in the picture, what do you say you and I get together?” Dara proposed boldly.
“Get together? I’m married to your sister, Ore, and you’re married to that fool, Toluwani.”
“So, what’s the big deal? They don’t have to know. I know you like me, and I like you too. Why don’t we just have some fun?”
“Dara, as tempting as that is, my life is really complicated right now, and I certainly can’t add you to the equation,” Adetola resisted.
“Are you sure? I know you’re under pressure; I could give you a good massage.”
“No, I’m sure, Dara. Please, this is my office and it’s a place of business.”
“We could lock the door. Come on, you know you want this.”
“What is going on here?” The sound of Tiwa’s voice made Adetola jump, but Dara just turned, smiled, picked up her bag, and left.
“What is she doing here, Adetola? And why were the two of you standing so close?” Tiwa demanded.
“Ignore her. Her life is out of control, and she’s looking for someone to drag down to hell with her.”
“Eh, I said it. You like this girl. I hope you’re not planning to betray me with her.”
“Come on, Tiwa, forget about her. Come, take a seat,” Adetola tried to deflect, his voice attempting to reassure.
Thanks for reading,
Tbc
