Chapter 5 The Lover

THE LOVER

ARINOLA

I was thoroughly exhausted when I got home. The girls and I had decided after loitering at the smoothie bar for a few hours that we should head to Ikota to my mum's eatery.

Mummy had taken advantage of it, of course, she'd dealt us with serious work as if she thought we were machines that didn't tire.

The girls had stuck around for a few hours before giving their excuses and leaving the eatery. I on the other hand couldn't leave, I remained in the eatery till mummy was ready to close.

We left the eatery later than usual because we had a lot of customers today, mummy and I eventually left her sales girls to handle the rest so we could go home.

Daddy was watching the news when I got into the house while mummy was still outside engrossed in a conversation with her gossip partner Iya Funke our neighbor.

"Daddy," I said walking over to hug him and kiss his forehead.

"My angel, how was your day?" he asked pleaded with my attention.

"Stressful, you know how mummy can be," I said.

"Ah.....I know your mother very well. I trust the delivery went fine" he said.

"It was good daddy" I smiled if only my father knew that Akinwale Solade had given me a ride.

My mother would go into a heart attack if she found out that I refused to see him again.

"Daddy have you had dinner?" I asked just as Mummy got into the house.

"No, I was waiting for you and your mother. Welcome, my wife" my dad said when he saw my mother.

"My husband" she acknowledged him and went to sit on the sofa opposite us.

I rubbed daddy's hand casually while watching the news with him.

"Sisi" mummy called.

I turned to look at her sharply, she called me Sisi sometimes despite the fact that I'd told her I hated the nickname.

"Am I supposed to remind you to go and make dinner? You heard your father, he has not eaten. Go and make swallow, and heat the soup na. What kind of girl is this? I have to remind Arinola what to do every time" my mother clapped her hands together.

"What kind of wife will you make? You don't know what to do or when to do it. Am I the one that will come to your husband's house and tell you that 'ok oh, Arinola, your husband has come home, go and bring water for him, go and cook for him, get water for him to bath' am I the one Arin? Better learn oh, it's not this house you will return to if your husband sends you away, you will go to the person that taught you how to be lazy. God knows I'm not the lazy type and your father was not lazy in his prime" my mother hissed.

I shook my head, all these sermons just to go and make dinner.

"Abike, can't you see our daughter is exhausted?" My dad asked.

"So what If she's exhausted? I should cook for her or you should cook for her? Come to think of it Arinola what is making you exhausted? Small work I gave you at the shop to do with your friends, if you don't want to work for me, go and find office work" she hissed.

I got up from where I was sitting and stomped into the kitchen.

"Arin, make sure you boil enough water for me to massage my leg oh! And don't use anger to make that food anyhow because I will plaster it on your face!" mummy threatened from the sitting room.

I shook my head at her threats, my mother and her issues. I can't wait to leave this house.

I quickly put water in the kettle and set it on the fire for it to boil.

I'd just finished wrapping the swallow the way mummy liked it when my phone rang, I checked the caller it was Osaze. I smiled, I knew he couldn't stay without speaking to me for so long.

"Hey baby," I said as I answered the call.

'Where are you?' he asked rather coldly.

"I'm at home. Why what's wrong?" I asked concerned.

'Come to the house and make me dinner' he ordered.

"Osaze by this time? It's late na, it's past nine when do you want me to get to Lakowe?" I asked frowning.

'Fine then, don't come' he ended the call.

I stared at the phone in disbelief, why had he not call since?

And even with his terrible attitude and behavior, I wondered briefly why I still had feelings for him.

I hissed and thinking of how to go about the entire thing.

If I don't show up, he probably wouldn't talk to me for another day or two again.

I quickly placed my parents' dinner on a tray and took it to the living room.

"Mummy do you want anything else?" I asked.

"I want you to massage my legs after my dinner" She answered.

"Ask daddy to do it for you" I murmured grumpily.

"What's wrong with your own hand?" she asked.

"I'm going to Ado now, Oluchi just called, she's been vomiting and she's sick. I have to go and look after her" I lied.

"Oluchi that I saw this evening healthy and fine?" my mum asked in disbelief.

"She said it just started," I said.

"By this time?" my mum asked.

I frowned, "Mummy, I've passed this level na. I'm an adult now, must you question my every move?" I said impatiently.

"Are you talking to me like that? I will slap you till you're sicker than your sick friend. You've lost your mind right? Adult kor, adult ni" she clicked her tongue.

"If you want freedom, get married and go to your husband's house" she continued.

My father turned to me and smiled sympathetically.

"Be on your way before it's too late dear, Abike stop tackling this girl" my father said lightly.

"Thank you, daddy," I said. I bade them goodnight before leaving the house.

In a few minutes, I'd boarded a tricycle from the house to the bus stop so I could get another going to Lakowe.

'The things I do for Osaze' I thought and immediately remembered our fight yesterday.

One of my male friends had sent me a hundred thousand naira, Osaze had seen the bank alert on my phone and had gotten really mad.

He'd raged on and on kicking me from one corner to the other.

'A man can't just send you a hundred thousand, you must have slept with him he kept insisting.

'Osaze I swear, I didn't sleep with him!" I'd begged.

'Yes you did, simply because I'm out of work now and I barely have enough money to sate your needs, you're going after other men to sate your needs' he'd accused.

I tried to reason with him but he wouldn't hear me out.

He hit me, call me all sorts of vile names, and kicked me out of his house.

I can only hope he's calm now, I don't really blame Osaze for feeling so insecure.

Some Nigerian men feel that pretty girls are high maintenance.

They believe that If they don't take care of you, you'll leave to the next man who can take care of your needs.

Osaze doesn't understand that I have no intentions at all to leave him.

He's just going through a tough phase and I know that with time he'd be back on track.

I love him very much, I've always loved him.