Thirty - Chapter 5

Read Chapter 4 here and Chapter 6 here

“Was that Mr. W on the phone?” Bola asked grinning, as she walked into my room. Mr. W is her most recent nickname for Omololu.

“No, it was Mr. and Mrs. Jones, and on a Whatsapp call too,” I responded rolling my eyes.

“Whatsapp call?” Bola gasps dramatically. She’s been my friend long enough to know that whenever my Parents call on Whatsapp, the conversation would be anything but light.

“Well, that explains why you are so grumpy,” Bola said, lying down beside me. “But why are you giving me a death glare?”

“You told my Mum I went out on a date yesterday,” I said still glaring at her.

“I didn’t say tell her that o” Bola denied quietly, avoiding my eyes.

“But you told her something. Why couldn’t you have just told her I was not back from work?”

“You know I’m a terrible liar, Teni,” She said looking at me with her perfect puppy eyes.

“But I didn’t say you were on a date,” She continued, sitting up. “She called around 10 pm last night when she couldn’t reach you. I told her you were not yet back, that you had gone out with a friend after work, and must be held up in traffic or something,”

“And?” I prodded.

“Then she asked if the friend was a man, and I might have said Yes”

“Bola!” I said groaning. I was in no way surprised, My Mum had a way of getting whatever information she wanted from Bola, and it didn’t help that Bola was a terrible liar, she can’t make up stories to save her life.

“In my defence,” Bola started, quickly interrupting me. “First, I’m a child of God, so I cannot lie. Secondly, I deserve credit for not telling her you were at the beach at night,”

“Ha!! That would have been worse,” I said chuckling. My mother has thalassophobia, and every time I go to the beach, she made her worries and concern clear. I don’t think she would ever understand why anyone voluntarily goes near the sea and hearing that I was there at night would have guaranteed me a lecture from her.

“So what did your Parent say?” Bola asked after a few minutes.

“Just the usual; I’m next in line for marriage after my three older siblings, I need to take it more seriously, and to make sure I’m not being too picky about men.”

“Then, I have to go home next weekend. There is a deliverance prayer meeting someplace, and they both want me there,”

“Oh my! Not this again!” Bola said facepalming.

“I will be fine jur” I assured her laughing “It’s not my first rodeo. And all thanks to you, she will be digging more about the mystery man I went out with”

“You are welcome my dear” Bola said cheekily. “Maybe, she can convince you to at least date Mr. W, marry him, and live happily ever after,”

“Okay, ma. I will take it under advisement”

“He is a good guy Teni,” She said softly. “And he has told you and showed you that he wants you. And the icing on top of this cake of a man is that he is rich and he’s pleasing to the eye. He is everyone’s spec.”

“I know right? He’s so yummy, and with a good head on his shoulders too” I added grinning.

“So, what’s holding you back? This is not about Ayomide, is it?”

“Of course not” I responded immediately. “Why would you even think that?”

Bola shrugged and continued to look at me. I understand why she might think Ayomide was a factor in my holding back from Lolu, but she is wrong. I like him, and I enjoy his company, but I just wanted to be a little bit more sure about him.

“Well?” Bola prodded, breaking into my reverie.

“He’s perfect, Bola” I started

“And that’s a bad thing?” Bola said looking at me incredulously.

Rolling my eyes at the interruption, I continued, “He is too perfect; he says the right things at the right time, he is very sweet, and believe me, I’m not saying those are bad traits. But, I just want to get a chance to see the chink in his armour. I need to see him when he’s vulnerable. No one is that perfect, Bola. He has a flaw, and I need to know if it’s one I can deal with,”

Bola was quiet for a few minutes, she seemed to be thinking about all I have said

“But, don’t you think it will be easier to find this out while in a relationship with him?” She asked looking at me intently.

“Yes, it would be, but my heart can’t take another heartbreak, Bola. I’m not strong enough. So, I would give myself a little time to get to know him more, to know his flaws, no matter how small. I need to see if even in his weakness, he will still be perfect for me. I want all cards on the table, so we both can go in, having at least an idea of who we are getting,”

“Okay,” Bola said in acceptance. “He is one of the good ones though, it would be a shame to lose him,”

“I know” I responded smiling. “And I won’t lose him except he wants to be lost,” I added grinning.

“Now, leave my room so I can catch up on some Saturday sleep,” I said pushing her off my bed.

“So rude…” Bola groaned, getting up. “Sleep all day, okay? Who has time for you before, when there is some juicy Kardashian drama to catch up with.” She said as she walked out.

I chuckled lightly, as I snuggled deeper into the covers.

*Originally published 15 September 2020