TOLANI
Episode 17
My dad began to call me, but I refused to pick the call because I was so màad at him. My mom called me and my brother Segun called too, but I ignored them all.
All I wanted was to be left alone because I couldn’t even imagine myself losing Chimaobi, I knew it was going to be the worst times of my life to lose him.
He was everything I wanted.
So, while everyone called me, I was busy calling Chimaobi to return, looking at the watch in each second. I found out it was already 20 minutes after 12am at night.
Chimaobi had never been that angry with me. It was totally new for me.
I had slept off around 2:00am in the morning, I woke up with swollen eyes and had coerced voice.
I had messed up myself with tears throughout the night.
“You just have to give up on all these. You just have to move on” I told myself.
Things were not actually working. My dad wasn’t ready to let me marry Chimaobi, and I couldn’t just continue this way,
“I can’t hold this young man, he has tried. Just move on.” I tried to talk to myself, but the reality of all the sacrifices, the reality of
all the time we had together, the love we shared, the understanding, the fights were totally what I couldn’t let go.
I understood I had messed up, yeah, I knew I didn’t do well, but I was only trying to make things work, it was not like I wanted to hurrt him. I felt he had been fightting to be with me all the time, I felt I needed to show my support. The only idea for me was to get pregnant for him.
I began to pack up my clothes into the bag.
I had picked up everything and walked to the sitting room, looking so dejected.
Outside the house, Chimaobi drove in.
He came down and walked towards me with red eyes.
“Where are you going to?” He asked,, but I kept quiet, standing before him, ashamed of myself.
“Look, I have thought about all these things. I have thought about all the sacrifices, the many years we’ve spent with each other. I just can’t let you go. I am sorry for what I made you go through. I apologize for my words last night, I was just so push to the extreme and had lost my sanity. I apologize for walking out on you and sleeping elsewhere. It was disrespectful, and we had promised to respect each other, regardless of how huurt we feel.” He moved towards me and held my waist.
“I didn’t mean to disrespect your dad. You misunderstood me. Forgive me. I know you had to do what you did because you wanted to figght for us, and honestly, I am here to tell you the truth that I am actually impressed.
Although, I would never wish you to get pregnant before marriage. You didn’t care about the dangers, the ridicule it will bring to your parents, you as a woman, you were selfless about it. Bae, it doesn’t matter whether you tried to take the wrong way or right way, what matters is, you tried to figght to secure our future. I will be a heartlesss guy not to understand what you tried to.” He said, and a tear dropped in my eyes.
“I’m sorry for putting you through all that.” He said as he hugged and tried to kiss my lips.
“No!” I shifted my mouth to the other side.
“What, nah?”
“Go and brush, your mouth is smelling.” I said, and he tried to force it, I ran away.
He began to laugh as he carried my stuff back to the house.
Later in the afternoon, we were making oha soup together in the kitchen when my brother Segun called Chimaobi.
After sometimes, he excused himself outside to speak with my brother.
7 minutes or more, he came into the kitchen with a very tight face.
“What?”
“He said you’ve not been picking your calls”
“Yeah, I want to gain my sanity.” I said, turning the soup.
“Your brother said I should beg you to pick your call. He doesn’t know you are here. So, call him. Let it be like I called you to call him.” He said and I nodded.
After our meal that afternoon, I called my brother.
“Tolani, you really did not have to send such message to Dad. He is sickk. He has been in the hospital. We rushed him to the hospital last night. Tolani, don’t kell that man ooo. Wooh! No kiîll your father because of stupiid love.”
“Yahya Segun.”
“I don’t want to hear anything, just book the first flight tomorrow’s morning and come to Ogun to see him before anything happens.” He hung the call and I fell on the bed, crying afresh.
I was disappointed with myself. Two men I loved, my dad and my fiancé, who should I go for? I cried more.
Chimaobi consoled me and advised I se my dad. He booked a flight for me immediately.
As usual, he helped me packed my clothes and assured me that everything would be fine.
The next morning, Chimaobi drove me to the airport. His friend Drake came along with us.
After I had gotten into the plane, they left.
I got to Lagos State and boarded a commercial transit to Ogun.
Getting to Ogun, I called yahya Segun to know where they were.
I needed to have the address to the hospital.
He sent it to me and I took a cab to the hospital.
At the reception, I gave out my dad’s details to them,, but they said no such person was admitted.
I felt it was one of my dad’s way of being security conscious. He doesn’t like disclosing where he was, he always felt there were enemies coming after his life.
So, I called Yahya Segun to know if they hid dad’s name to his but Yahya Segun was not picking, mom wasn’t picking either.
I called Chimaobi to let him know the situation of things, but his phone wasn’t going through at all.
I became alarm.
“Do I go to the house?” I asked myself, but Yahya Segun had told me they were in the hospital and no one is home.
I decided to stay back and wait until they pick their calls.
I had spent three hours or more at the hospital in the reception, when Yahya Segun called me,
“Where did you keep your phone?” I almost shoouted at him.
“Girl, calm your nerves, we have been home. We were discharged before you got to the hospital. I had to run an errand for dad, I left my phone at home. Please, come home.”
“I don’t get you and mom could not pick my calls either?”
“Tolani, come back home. Ah!” He hung the call.
I was so annoy3ed.
I took a cab again and drove to my house.
Getting into the compound, everywhere was quiet.
I feared if anything bad had happened to my dad.
There was an unusual feeling I was having.
I got into the sitting-room immediately, and rush in to hug my mom.
“Where’s Daddy?” I shout3ed, crying already.
“Nothing happened, he’s fine. He is just in his room, resting.” She held my hands, but I lost from her grips and ran upstairs to my dad’s room.
Unlike me who knocks before entering his room, I fluung the door open and was shoocked with my sight.
“Dad! What is happening?” I shout3ed, rushing into the room.
To be continued…
