Dedicated to @Faithomoh1

Hi lovely readers!!!

Enjoy!!

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I sip sparkling water-—from my spotless, almost twinkling, stainless-steel tumbler-—as I rummage through my tiny kitchen cupboard for Lipton Tea, even if it’s just a bag.

Maama is humming a Yoruba song in the living room while cleaning the cobweb.

Standing akimbo by the kitchen door, my eyes follows her swiping movement at the white-painted asbestos ceiling.

She looks so sunny and cheery it is almost annoying.

She has been this way since I told her about my “Timi issue” last night.

“Se mi le se eyi fun Oluwa—-”

“Maama please stop this, you’re making me wish I never told you,” I pout as embarrassment floods my skin.

She is having way too much fun with my love life.

“Emi ma jo, Emi ma yo, Satani ole pa mi le enu mo,” she sings again, her eyes twinkling with merriment and something else, and she turns the cobweb stick into a mic.

My heart and body feels lighter tremendously when I pour hot water from my smoke-stained kettle into a china mug.

“You know I think I should start saving up for your coming wedding,” Maama says blinking her eyes innocently, still holding that damn cobweb stick.

I might have coughed out my brown Lipton tea, thank God I am not drinking it at the moment.

“Stop saying things like that,” I admonish, sliding unto the slab in the center of the kitchen that feels cold to my bare thighs, “He hasn’t even groveled,” I mumble into my mug before taking another slurp of my warm tea.

“I know you know that you know I’m speaking the truth,” she cackles like she just cracked the funniest joke alive.

I continue to sip my tea. I remember how last night went for me. I could not sleep. My mind kept on bringing vivid images of Timi and me— naked and alone of course.

I blush hard like a white virgin, which I am definitely not. I am starting to feel that familiar pool in my belly when I hear Adisa screaming her familiar profanities in my room.

What a friend I have in her!

“I’m in the kitchen babe,” I holler.

“Just look at you, all glowing and smiling,” she start with an evil smirk, her dream-catcher earring twinkling when they caught light rays filtering in from the curtains.

“What do you know?” I ask squinting my eyes at her, my tea long finished.

“Well I got the gist through a text that you are back together,” she screams skipping her way through my dainty kitchen.

“And I’m so happy for you!” she shouts.

Right in my right ear.

I jump off the slab in ‘ear agony’ and stomp my way back to my painfully disorganized room.

A stupid, really stupid smile is threatening to break out my face like a stubborn rash.

Yes, despite my nonchalant attitude, I cannot deny the warmth and happiness I feel knowing that I and Timi are on our way back together.

It doesn’t compare to all the cookies and ice-cream and apple in this world.

I am that happy.

“So when is the wedding?” she asks too, almost stumbling into me when I turn abruptly to look at her.

“I know you mean the best for me, but honestly, you guys are making me want to do things that should not happen right now,” I answer folding my hands across my tube top cladded chest.

“Things like what? Sex?” she asks blinking her cat eyes innocently, and folds her hands against her sweater clothed bosom.

Once again, she looks like a Charlie Chaplin miniature.

Once again, I am so not going to share that with her.

“You know what I’m talking about,” I supply in frustration, jumping on my petal-scented mattress startling Maama in the process.

“Like asking him to marry me or something along that line, but I really want to take things slow you know,” I add almost rubbing my hands over my masked face.

“That’s so sweet Jade,” Maama and Adisa coo simultaneously.

“That was creepy you guys,” I utter rolling my eyes in the process.

“Either ways, we both know you have gist for me Adisa: who is that guy? I have a feeling you’ve known him for a while, you were so besotted, it crept me out. Almost actually,” I say, sitting yoga-style and look pointedly at her with an evil smirk of mine, though I know my charcoal-black face mask adds to that effect.

She is squirming now because she hates been the center of attention.

Well! Take that bitch!!

“Let’s just say that I want more than fucking from him,” she blurts out.

I whistle out loud.

Maama cringes at her colorful choice of word.

“I’m sorry Maama,” she apologizes.

“It’s okay,” she pauses, “I just don’t want to imagine that with any of you girls,” she forces out and head to my pile of clean cloth helping me to fold them.

“Oh Maama! Let me do this since I made this terrible mess,” I exclaim leaving my bed to join her.

“I agree with her, she’s too fracking lazy so many times,” Adisa adds from her resting position on my bed.

I throw her a dirty sock in retaliation.

“Oh please! Don’t even let me get started on your case,” I retort folding my clothes into neat square shapes and transfer them to my wardrobe.

A knock on my door brings me from my cloth-folding state.

Adisa looks up from her phone.

“Ady help open the door,” I plead, giving her my puppy look.

“Say please,” she chides immaturely, bouncing off my mattress.

“Please.”

I roll my eyes.

“Okay I will,” she beams, skipping towards the door, almost tripping for the umpteenth time on my carpet.

Her scream brings us—Maama from the buns she is frying in the kitchen, and I from the books I am arranging in my small shelf—running towards her.

I am scared she has been murdered cold blooded.

Till I see her and flowers.

Multiple flowers that flood my entire porch. Flowers of different colors that I don’t even know their names.

“Timi got you all of these flowers,” she squeals, exactly like a dying mouse, “See! He left a card.”

“Love of my life, I really don’t know if I went over the top with these flowers, I was really nervous about what to get. This is the start of grovels and I want to remind you again that I will never give up on us. I won’t give up till you take me back—-that’s my watchword from now. I really love you that much. And more. In fact, it’s unquantifiable. I know all those flowers can’t fit into your room so you can share with your friend. And if you want, with those nosy neighbors of yours. With love and kisses—-Timi.”

“Oh my God!” Maama cries out, wrapping her hands around my bare abdomen.

I am still holding on to that card.

A droopy, dreamy smile is on my face. And maybe with a few tears dripping down my cheeks.

“I swear if you don’t marry that guy I will,” Adisa says.

I turn on her with a mighty scowl on my face.

“You wouldn’t even!” I bit back.

I hear them laugh at my embarrassing situation as I apply myself to checking out my flowers. They are fresh and they smell incredible.

I caress a purple one in my hand, bringing it close to my nose.

It smells like love.

*

The surprises keeps coming. Popping when I do not expect.

Like a surprise cake when I was defending my thesis for my B.Sc. degree, all my classmates kept “oohing!!” and “awing!!” as they took almost all the slices of my cake, I could only get two slices.

Or when he booked us-—I, Maama and Adisa—-an online ticket to watch my favorite movie.

The surprises kept rolling and I enjoyed every moment of them.

I miss him so much, I haven’t seen him since our moment at the public car park. I want to see him desperately.

How is he doing? What is he doing right now? Has he even eaten? Does he miss me like I do? All these questions flood my mind, making me sigh again and again.

“You know you can always call him instead of deafening our ears here with your ridiculous sighs,” Maama mutters from her position on my yoga mat where she is painting her nails a weird blue color. She says it’s her new favorite place now.

“I don’t know Maama, is this the right time to call him?” I sigh again.

“That should be a question you should be asking yourself,” she smiles at her phone.

“I have to tell you something Jade,” she says seriously, the smile on her face wiped away.

“What is it Maama? Are you sick?” I ask worriedly throwing my blanket off me and I pad across the floor to join her on her mat.

“No I’m not,” she laughs lightly.

“I’m moving back to my parent’s house.”

You see, my grandparents were old money that died in an airplane accident before I was born. They left a booming estate and some other properties that I know not of for Maama—their only child.

Furthermore, this estate is two states away and it takes a journey of seven hours.

“Will you be happy there?” I ask looking into her doe eyes that look alike very much to mine.

“I’ll be more than happy there Jade. And you can come join if you want,” she replies blowing air on her painted nails.

Shockingly, the color comes out fine.

“That means you’re not happy here?” I ask fake pouting.

“Of course I am,” she replies, seeming startled by my question.
“The past few weeks here has been more than sweet for me, I really enjoyed them,” she adds with a faraway suspicious glint in her eyes.

I know what that look is so I don’t ask.

I don’t want to imagine my Maama doing that.

Even if I came to this world by that.

“I was kidding Maama,” I smile.

“I’ll miss you.”

“Me more.”

My eyes slid shut as I hold Maama tight, inhaling her citrusy smell.

A part of me don’t want her to go—at least not yet. But it is meant to happen, whether I want it to or not.

Regardless, she will always be my Maama.

The one who is always there when he wasn’t.

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Se emi le se eyi fun Oluwa?—-God, you did this for me?

Note: that question is always asked in childlike wonder.

Emi ma jo, Emi ma yo, Satani o le pami lenu mo-—I will dance, I will be happy, Satan cannot shut my mouth.

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I've been real busy the past days so I wasn't able to update like I would have loved to. I'm real sorry about that.

How are y'all doing?? Hope you're good.

P.S: The weather is better here. It's no longer hot and sweaty. It rained this week's Sunday and it made the heat simper down a little bit. I'm really excited about that.

What are you excited about in this moment??

Vote & Comment!! Thank you!!