“What are you doing there looking at me that way?” Sade asked, ended the call and walked up to her.
“Nothing” Toyin replied fearfully.
“Nothing? So what and what did you hear when I was talking on phone,” Sade interrogated her to be sure she didn’t hear everything that he discussed with Olori. She knew that Toyin was very fond of Kehinde and she wouldn’t be able to keep her mouth shut from giving him account of everything that goes on in the house and in the village.
“No..thing” she stammered in response and held the helm of her clothes in fear.
“But you know who I was talking with abi?” Sade asked again looking into her eyes.
“Yes..no no!” Toyin replied in denial bending her head side way.
“L i a r! Tell me the person before I sound your face” Sade threatened her but Toyin maintained that she didn’t know the person.
“Oya go and sleep!” Sade ordered and pushed her towards the bed.
Sade’s phone began to ring very early the next morning and woke her up from her sleep. She swiped the green button aside without looking at the caller’s identity.
“Sister Sade,” the caller spoke up and she quickly recognized the church mummy’s voice.
“Mummy good morning ma” she greeted and searched her mind for a possible excuse to give for not picking nor returning her calls yesterday.
“How are you Sade? I called you five times yesterday and you didn’t pick nor bothered to call back. What happened?” The church mummy queried.
“Mummy, I’m sorry I went to farm and left my phone at home. When I came back, I quickly entered the kitchen to prepare food and didn’t check my phone till later in the night when I finished my work. I planned calling you today ma. Am sorry mummy.” Sade lied.
” I thought as much,” the church mummy said then continued.
“Sade, Temi will be celebrating his 20th birthday tomorrow and I want you to come around and help me out in the kitchen.” She said and Sade shouted in excitement.
“Ah! Temi is now a big boy o. Mummy don’t worry I will come in the morning tomorrow so we can have enough time to see and talk. I even saw you in my dream two days ago trying to tell me a story…” Sade was talking casually when the church mummy cut in laughing.
“Are you serious? In fact do come in the morning and share the dream with me. Everybody in the house will be waiting for you. Please o, come along with my smart daughter Toyin.” She said and they both laughed before bidding each other good bye.
Sade ended the call and held her chest, relieved that the church mummy believed her lies. She remembered the blood stain incident of yesterday and checked herself to see if she was stained but found nothing then she hissed at the thought of her body playing pranks on her.
Kehinde’s phone buzzed and he picked it up and saw that he had a new SMS. On opening it,he saw Toyosi name and began to read the text thus.
“Good morning Kenny.” The text read then continued.
“I believe you are fine. Well am not fine here.
What am about to say may actually sound
crazy but I can’t help it anymore. I’m willing
to let go of my pride to let you know how I
feel about you, and my insuppressible de-
sire to be the woman in your life.
I’m yet to recover from the shock of
hearing that you’re in a relationship al-
ready because I had started building my
world around you hoping that things will
work out between us. Kenny I’ve never felt
the way am feeling for any man all my life.
I’m sick for you Kenny, and am not ashamed to let you know that I love you like life itself.
I’m not lacking suitors Kenny, can’t even
believe am writing these with my hands.
I have countless number of suitors in and
out of the country but it’s you I need. From
that first day I met you in your office, I’ve
not been able to get my mind off you.
Please, give me a space in your heart
Kenny, I promise I won’t hurt you …”
The text read on and Kehinde got tired of reading, then dropped the phone and rubbed his eyes and head roughly trying to clear off the confusion in his head. Sade have not been picking his calls and he wasn’t finding funny. His phone buzzed and he picked it up on seeing the church mummy name and number. She informed him that Sade was coming to the city with Toyin tomorrow for Temi’s birthday and that he should also be around to see her and possibly speak with her.
He smiled at the information and thanked her for her efforts then bade her good bye and was about dropping the phone when Toyosi’s call came in. He meditatively picked the call and hurriedly said,
“Toyo I will call you back later please. Let me attend to something.” He said and ended the call without waiting to hear what she had to say.
Sade arrived the church mummy’s house with Toyin at exactly 10am and everyone in the house were overjoyed to see her. She knelt down before the Pastor in greeting and hugged the church mummy passionately.
“Temi oko mi” she hailed the church mummy’s first son who was celebrating his 20th birthday.
“Happy birthday oko Sade ” she jokingly teased him and everyone in the parlor bursted into laughter as the young boy became ashamed on hearing Sade call him her husband. She started calling Temi “oko mi’ right from when he was about ten years old because Temi used to say that he will marry aunty Sade when I grow up.
” Hello brother Kehinde, guess what? ” the church mummy sneaked into her room to make a call.
“Sade just arrived not quite long.” She said laughing without waiting for him to guess….
To be continued.
