Pelumi's Memoirs - 28

"Bless you!" Itoro said to Pelumi who had just sneezed on walking into the flat they shared. Pelumi carried the plastic bags she had on her into the kitchen.

She sneezed again.

Itoro yawned loudly. "What bug have you caught? You barely catch a cold." She questioned Pelumi.

"I know. That's why I went scouting for pepper soup ingredients." Pelumi replied, removing the pieces of goat meat from the plastic bag and dumping them in a pot.

"You plan on making this tonight?" Itoro asked, pointing at the bags on the kitchen counter.

"Yeah…" Pelumi replied. "But I feel really tired. My bones and muscles are aching too."

"Hmmm, maybe you're coming down with flu?" Itoro remarked.

"I hope not," Pelumi said quietly.

"Are you okay?" Itoro asked her. "You look like something's bothering you."

"No, I'm fine. I'd like to go rest. At the same time, I want to cook." Pelumi replied.

"Go ahead. I'll make the pepper soup." Itoro stated.

"Are you sure?" Pelumi asked raising her brows.  "I mean, I don't want to bother you tonight."

"It's fine. Go on, Pelumi. I'll let you know once it's ready."

Pelumi threw her arms around Itoro. "Thank you so much. What would I do around here without you?"

"Probably nothing.” Itoro replied, sticking her tongue out.

"Oh, whatever. Go and have some rest before you get me infected with all this sneezing."

"How's Ivan though? He should be the one doing all this stuff for you!"

"Since when?" Pelumi questioned with a smirk on her face. Please o, we are just dating. Not married!"

"Well, since y'all decided to couple up." Itoro countered.

"Ivan is out of town."

"Oh, I see....." Itoro remarked.

"When is he coming back? Please, I need to eat Chinese food at an expensive Chinese restaurant."

"Foodie! So, you don't have a few thousands of Naira to buy yourself Chinese food?"

"No, I don't have o.  When Ivan comes, please let him take us out. I have a few Chinese restaurants in mind." Itoro stuck out her tongue.

Pelumi laughed. "Okay, no sweat, Madam Chinese restaurant."

****

When Tare got home later that night, she found Nkoyo on her bed, watching the E channel. Nkoyo had a special love for the E channel.

"Hey, sis!" Tare greeted. She looked at her sister who was clothed in navy blue silk pyjamas. Her permed hair was styled in a half parting.

"Hi, Tare." Nkoyo replied and shifted her gaze back to the program she was watching on TV.

Tare frowned. "What's up? You are quieter than usual! Did you have a good day?"

"I did. Aunty Tamuno and Najite came over. They just left. About thirty minutes before you arrived."

"Ahhhhh....I've been wanting to see Najite. It's been a while."

"Well, she's back from Lithuania. You can always go pay her a visit." Nkoyo remarked.

"Do you know when she'll be leaving for Lithuania?"

Nkoyo hesitated before answering her sister. "Uhmm, I'm not sure."

"Okay…" Tare responded. "Are you sure there isn't something you want to tell me?"

"I think Najite will be getting a divorce soon!" Nkoyo blurted out.

Tare's eyes widened. "Why on earth? She only just got married!"

"Hmmm... Mummy has to give you the gist o! I'm still too shocked to give you any information. My brain has been slowly processing things.”

"It's that bad?" Tare questioned, raising a brow.

"I thought you were gonna be home earlier?" Nkoyo stated, throwing pieces of Walkers Chips inside her mouth.

"Uhmm. Yeah...That was the plan until Ineye came visiting and made me change my plans for the evening." Tare replied.

"I see how it is. You should bring him for lunch or dinner sometime. I think Ivan also plans on bringing Pelumi over once he's back from Spain." Nkoyo explained.

"Yeah...So I heard. She must be really special. Ivan hasn't brought a girl home in ages."

"I know right?" Nkoyo chuckled.

"So, you should also plan on bringing Ineye over. I think it'll be nice."

Tare nodded. "I agree... I'll let Ineye know."

"So things are heating up between you and Ineye now right? Ice queen melted! I'm still not sure how Ineye succeeded in melting all the ice around your heart, Ebitare Omatsola Akenzua!! Too much shakara! Too much Miss Independent! But what do I know? I'm just twenty four years old!"

"C'mmon! You might be twenty four but there's no denying the fact that you're an old soul. You are mature for your age."

"Thanks, sis." Nkoyo voiced.

"Anyway, yes! Things are heating up between Ineye and me. When I'm with him, I forget the rest of the world exists. I dunno, he just has this way of making me feel very comfortable. "

"Awww! Isn't love such a sweet thing?" Nkoyo muttered, gushing.

"Anyway, darling Nkoyo, any guy on the horizon? You have been keeping mum about your personal life lately. But you're in everyone's business. I don't mean that in a negative way. Just an observation. What's happening with you? How's work? What are you thinking about these days, little sis? Pray, tell, for thy big sister listeneth!"

Nkoyo burst into laughter. "Okay big sis. It's great to know you are looking out for me."

"So, there's this guy....."

Tare crossed her legs comfortably on Nkoyo's bed with a pillow on her lap.

"Yes, dear. I'm all ears."

****

"Dude!” Kene called out to Liyel. "We are planning on a boys' trip later this year!"

"We want to do Morocco, Mauritius and Djibouti."

"Oh yeah?" Liyel replied. He had just finished frying the last batch of plantains. He discovered he was falling in love with cooking by the day.

"So what's the plan?” Liyel probed. “I can do Mauritius and Morocco but what’s in Djibouti? Djibouti? Like seriously?”

“You are such a snob!” Kene uttered! “There are things to do in Djibouti!”

“Like what?” Liyel asked, with a sneer on his face. "Walking around Lake Assal? Going on a dolphin excursion? Oh please!”

"It's the Year of the Comeback and all the celebrities in America will be in Africa. You know, many of them say they want to be in tune with the African side of them. It'll be a good time to network. Who knows, you may just find yourself some pretty chick! Sir Liyel. You've been single for too long in my opinion!" Kene went on and on.

"Not only chicks!" Liyel exclaimed, furrowing his brows. "Please, I don't have time for that o. I don't have the energy for all that.

"I hear you!" Kene retorted. "Anyway, you should think about going on the trip. I'm sure it'll be a lot of fun. Good fun never hurt anyone!"

"Preach it, Kene! You know, I didn't know that there was anything like bad fun."

"Idea is needed!" Kene remarked, laughing.

"Roger that!" Liyel responded, winking.

****

Ivan watched the Latina lady as she placed a cup of coffee before him. “Thank you.” He said to her.

"De nada!" She responded giving him a warm smile.

She was a very beautiful lady. However, only one woman held the key to his heart and he couldn't wait to see her and take her to his parents. He really was curious to know what they thought of her.

The meeting facilitator had just announced that they would be analyzing some case studies. He yawned as he hadn't had enough sleep the night before.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present Mr. Alberto Hernandez who'll be facilitating this session."  Everyone clapped.

"Long day eh?"  Sebastian, a CEO of a company in Italy he had just just met, asked in a heavy Italian accent. 

Ivan nodded. "If you like, you can join some of us at the pub tonight. You can relax and have some fun. Big man, hard work!"

Ivan smiled. "Maybe on Friday night. Thanks for the offer."

"Sure, Mr. Ivan. Anytime! I got you."

Ivan nodded and turned his gaze to the projector.

He wanted to do some shopping for Pelumi but doubted time was his companion. He had an idea what size she was. He would order whatever fancy thing caught his eyes later at night and pay for expedited shipping.

Maybe not, he thought. Maybe he'd just buy items that weren't clothing and take her shopping in Nigeria instead.

They said men didn't fancy shopping. That was partly true.

On the other hand, retail therapy on the streets of Madrid didn't seem like such a bad idea.

****

Ineye was in bright moods. He had just seen Tare off. She'd called him to let him know that she'd gotten home.

He was head over heels in love with her. He had never really forgotten her all the years they had moved away from Lagos. He thanked the arms of grace that had led him back to Lagos. From the first day he had set his sights on her after his return to Lagos, he had known that she was the one for him.

The conviction in his heart that she was the one for him had been so strong. He had taken time out in prayer and it all seemed right to pursue her.

His faith however, was a crucial part of his life. He needed them to be on the same page before moving their relationship in a different direction.

He sighed as he felt like he had put the cart before the horse.

The heart of the King is in the hands of God. As rivers of water, he turns it wherever he pleases. Pray for her.

Things had gotten very serious between him and Tare. As much as he was convinced that she was the one for him, he had to make sure he was in alignment with his maker.  So he prayed some more.

****

 The weeks passed by in a blur and Ivan was back on the streets of Lagos after about five hours and thirty minutes in the air.

One of the company drivers had come to the airport to pick him up.

"Oga, welcome, Sir."

"Umar, ya ki ke?"

"Lafia.” The driver responded.

He took Ivan's luggage and placed them in the car booth.

"How was your trip, sir?"

"My trip went well. Glad to be back home. Thanks for asking."

"I can imagine,sir. Home misses you too."

Ivan laughed a little and opened the door to the car, settling himself in a seat behind the driver's. Nigerians called it 'Owner's Corner.' That was laughable though!

He couldn't wait to see Pelumi. It had been two weeks of missing her intensely. One of his suitcases was filled with a number of items he had gotten for her. From perfumes to cocktail dresses to casual dresses.... He knew Pelumi would be pleasantly surprised.

They hadn't discussed her commute situation, but he really wanted to buy her a car. He didn't know how Pelumi would feel about that though. She struck him as an independent person who liked to do things for herself. He would find out, howbeit, subtlety. If he bought her a car, he wanted it to be a surprise.

He also wanted her to live closer. She lived on the mainland and he thought that a shorter commute would do her a world of good. He didn't know how much she earned, although he had a rough estimate. He was going to speak to her and convince her to move to the island.

He planned on paying her a surprise visit the next day. He had her friend, Itoro's number. He'd call her and let her know his plans.

He was tired and wanted to head home and take a shower but his father's face had been popping up in his mind lately. He needed to see him.

He picked up his phone and dialed Tare. After confirming that his parents were home, he gave instructions to Umar.

"Umar, can you do a little detour? I need to see my parents."

"Okay Sir." The driver answered.

His phone rang and he looked at the screen.  He sighed loudly from exhaustion and picked up the call.

"Mr. Ivan, thank you so much! Oh! My God will bless you. Kanayo will be resuming school next week. We got a big deposit in our account! Oh, my husband and I can't thank you enough!"

"It's alright, Mrs Onwochei. I'm glad I could be of help." Ivan said, rubbing a throbbing vein around his temple.

"Sir, you cannot understand. We have been investing some of the money you've been sending to us. We just bought acres of land for farming. My boy is happy. He is getting great education. Daalu." Her voice broke over the phone.

 After a few more minutes of conversing, Ivan ended the call. He had an undying passion to be more involved in different charity initiatives. God help him. Kanayo was a boy he had met in traffic a while ago. Something told him he needed to be actively involved in seeing that Kanayo had good education. He had heeded the call. Since then, Kanayo had been off the streets learning vocational work and going to school at the same time.

Nkoyo did a tap dance on seeing Ivan thirty minutes later.

“My one and only bro! My one in a million brother!”

“Erm..Nkoyo, don't let Liyel hear you.”  Ivan chuckled while hugging his sister.

“Something smells good around here!” He remarked.

“Mum just made some melon soup with spinach and plenty of assorted meats and dry fish”

“Ah! My favorite!" Ivan said, laughing.

“Where's Tare?” He asked Nkoyo.

“Upstairs, on a call with Ineye.

“Ineye? Who's that?”

“Stay there o, bros! Your sister has been seeing this loverboy! Hmmm….very serious something. She will be married off before you know it." Nkoyo rattled on.

“Oh yeah? That serious?”

“Very.”  Nkoyo affirmed.

“So who's this Ineye?  Why does his name sound familiar? Wait a minute! The one from a long time ago?”

“Yep.” Nkoyo answered, biting her lips.

“Tare has some ‘gisting’ to do. But first, lemme go say hi to the parents.”

“How was your trip and where are my goodies from Madrid?”

Ivan winked at her. "They are in the car. I stopped by to quickly see Dad. And mum." He added.

"I'll send your stuff over when I unpack. Besides, you know it was a business trip. I didn't have so much time to myself."

"Gotcha..." Nkoyo answered while fiddling with the ruffle she had tied her hair with.

He dashed up the stairs and found his parents laughing and relating like two people in love in the family sitting room.

****

 It was a rainy Sunday. Lightning had just given way to thunder. The blue sky had given way to the dark clouds which danced around it. 

Pelumi had just finished cooking Jollof rice, fried plantains and beef stew when she heard a knock on the door. 

Lightning struck again and she jumped, almost tipping over the frying pan which still had hot oil in it. 

"Itoro, are you expecting someone?" She yelled loudly.

"Nope... why don't you check who's at the door?" Itoro replied. 

"Sure."  Wiping her wet hands on her shorts, Pelumi walked to the door and peeping through the peek hole. She saw who it was and shrieked.

"Ivan!" Pelumi gulped and threw the door open.

Ivan's eyes took in Pelumi's figure in red shorts and a white graphic tee which showed her flawless skin. 

"Babe! Come in, come in please. I hope the rain didn't beat you too much?  I had no idea you were back let alone, coming over to see me."

She threw her arms around him and hugged him, playing with his hair that had grown into a small afro. "You never allow your hair to grow this much."

"I know! I'm trying a new look." Ivan replied, winking at her. 

“I like it.”

That's when she noticed the small baggage on him. 

"What's that?" She asked. 

"Why don't you open it and see?"

"Please, sit." She pointed to one of the sofas. 

"Our humble sofas." She announced.

"Who cares?" Ivan questioned. 

"Acting humble, abi?" Pelumi teased. 

"These are beautiful...." She gasped on seeing all the expensive items in the suitcase. 

"Are these....are these for me"? She mumbled slowly. 

"Yes, Nwanyi Oma!" 

Pelumi laughed. "Who's been teaching you?"

Ivan winked at her and shrugged. “I am a Naija guy you know…”

“You mean Aje butter Naija guy?” Pelumi countered snickering.

"Thank you. You didn't have to go through such great lengths....." 

"I got something for Itoro too. Open the zip on the outer part." Ivan articulated, cutting her sentence off.

Itoro walked into the living room in that instant.

"Hi Ivan." She waved at him, beaming widely. “It’s been ages since I last saw you.”

“I know right! Between juggling work and tons of other stuff, I know I don’t come up for air as much as I should.”

“We understand how CEOs roll!” Itoro replied, smiling. "Pelumi, aren’t you going to offer Ivan some of your well cooked food?" 

Pelumi rolled her eyes at her friend. “I was going to get to that! Look what Ivan bought for you!" She handed Itoro her package.

Itoro thanked Ivan and walked into the kitchen. 

"So, I told my parents and siblings about us."

Pelumi stopped examining her dresses and faced Ivan. "So what did they say?"

"They all said I need to bring you over ASAP."

"Oh my God!" Pelumi feigned a horror look. 

"Doesn’t that mean that I'll be under intense scrutiny? What if I don't fit the image of who they'd like for you?" Pelumi frowned and crossed her arms around her chest.

Ivan squinted. Pelumi needed to believe in herself. He loved her like no other, but many times, her insecurities seeped through and made him doubt if they'd work out.

She sighed. "I hope so! I mean, don't get me wrong. I'm excited to know that they all want to meet me. I guess, I'm just being antsy and fretting over nothing. Let me go get your food."

Ivan watched her retreating back. Pelumi was young and a little bit naive but he still loved and cared for her. He wanted their relationship to work out. She needed to have some faith.  It seemed to him that she considered herself below his standards. She felt like she wasn't good enough for him and he didn't know what to feel about that.