TANGLED LIFE
6️⃣
I called him and he picked up.
“Bisola how are you. Missing you already.” Julius said.
“Julius not now please. My dad wants to speak with you.” I said and gave dad the phone.
“Julius!”
“Yes sir. Good evening.” Julius responded.
“Evening. I believe you and my daughter have been flowing along for a while now.” Dad spoke to him.
“Yes sir.” Julius responded.
“Good. I’m not again it, bisola is no longer a child. My main problem is; why haven’t you come over? At least we as parents would love to see you one on one and have some conversations with you.
“I understand you sir. It’s just that I’ve been busy but I’ll try as much as possible to pay a visit.
“Where are you from and what do you do for a living?” My dad questioned him.
“Edo state sir and I’m currently working as an engineer.”
“Come let’s see you face to face o. Not all that glitters is gold. I need to know the man that is into my daughter!” Mum shouted from where she was standing.
“Mum it’s okay na. He has heard you.” I confronted mum.
I quickly took the phone from dad.
“Julius please just try. As you can see my parents have been disturbing me that they want to see you. Try abeg.”
“Rest assured. I will and I promise you that.”
“As him when.” Dad whispered.
“When are you coming?” I asked him.
“Let’s see how next week goes.”
“Okay.”
“Take care my princess.” He said and cut the call.
That same Friday, I accompanied Vivian to celebrate one of her friend’s birthdays. The individual in question was a charming and tall young man named Michael. The festivities were filled with joy and merriment, to the point where I consumed alcohol to the point of almost getting drunk. Thankfully, my aunt was able to ensure my safe return. Due to exhaustion, I was unable to respond to most of the messages I received from Julius. But hopefully the next day I called him and apologized for not responding and he told me that there’s no problem that he wasn’t annoyed.
He extended an invitation for me to visit his house on the same day, however, I informed him that I would not go until he visited my house and meet my parents. Despite my request for a simple video call, he adamantly refused to make one, opting instead to send me numerous voice notes.
After persistent persuasion, he finally agreed to come the following Friday. He insisted on making the journey from his residence to mine, estimating that it would take him up to 5 hours due to the distance. Therefore, I eagerly anticipated his arrival.
Inspired by his visit, I accompanied Vivian to the market on Friday morning to purchase the necessary ingredients for preparing a delicious jollof rice and chicken dish. We also bought some fruits. I held onto the prized chicken, which we acquired for N6,000, while Vivian carried the rest of the ingredients. Together, we boarded a tricycle that was heading towards our destination, and we safely arrived home.
While Vivian was making use of the electric cooker to prepare the rice, I turned on the other cooking gas of 5kg to prepare the stew with the chicken.
He mentioned that he would arrive by 2pm, so Vivian and I made every effort to prepare everything on time. Surprisingly, we managed to finish cooking the meal by 10:30am. Both my mom and dad were already in the living room, engaged in conversation and eagerly anticipating his arrival.
After eating half of the plate I had served myself, I quickly took a bath and changed into one of my blouses. I carefully styled my hair to make it look nice, and since I had run out of perfume, I had to borrow my mom’s. After spraying it on my body, I hurriedly made my way to the roadside which was around 1:50pm as Julius had informed me that he was almost there. Aunt Vivian later joined me at the roadside to cheer me up.
A short while he arrived with his brown customized Lexus and I rushed over to give him a hug.
“Good a..f..ter nooooon.. Wow you came finally…” I said, beaming with delight.
“Here I am.. Is that your sister?”
“Oh no my aunt..” I replied and they both greeted.
“We can go inside.. My parents are already waiting..” I said he’d his bag and we both assembled to the compound. The solar lights were still on powering the whole house and the sun was really heavy.
As soon as we entered the living room, Vivian went ahead and raised the curtains. However, Julius’s demeanor changed instantly when he caught sight of my mother. He awkwardly retreated and began acting strangely. Without uttering a single word, he made his way to the verandah, with me following closely behind
“Julius!” I called out. “Julius, I’m talking to you. What’s happening?” I pressed, trying to understand the sudden shift in his behavior.
“Bisola…” he said and halted.
“Yes dear. Let’s go inside. What is it again?” I replied anxiously.
“Is that your mother sitting inside?” His face filled with devastation as he questioned me.
