Utianle

The screen of my laptop came to life, Faith's smiling face appeared and I waved at her. She reciprocated the gesture with her milky teeth out on display, I giggled. I had missed her and her drama. Tilting the laptop on my belly to get a better view of her face caused a faint memory to wash over me and my heart lurched painfully inside my chest. A sad smile flittered to my lips, I sighed and readjusted on the new couch. I missed him.

My fingers ran along the body of the laptop the same way I would have done if it was King's chest and a soft sigh escaped me. I was yet to get over this gift, the prices I saw online made me treasure it even more. One MacBook could have gotten me about six brother industrial straight sewing machines with enough change left to take all of us out and he handed it to me like it was worth the same amount as a cup of beans. My chest rose and fell, I sighed, he was far too kind.

"What is doing you?" Faith's voice pierced through my thoughts and my eyes returned to the laptop. "Utianle, please call that man."

Faith's elbows were propped on her desk, her palms were cupping her cheeks and her mole was now more prominent. A smile replaced the frown on my lips as I stared at her, trying to note any changes since the last time we made a video call. Her face was free of makeup, a few tendrils peeked from the side of the satin scarf she had on and her cheeks were fuller. She had complained about the stress but it seemed she was handling it better now. I was happy for her.

The corner of her lips twitched like she was fighting back a remark, I sighed and offered her a half-smile as sadness enveloped me once again. I called her to feel better not to be reminded of a certain handsome man whose name was always in my babies mouth and she was not helping my cause.

He knew Joseph cheated on me and when he found out Umoh was doing the same he chose to keep quiet, using lame excuses to defend himself. What if I had gone to meet Umoh's parents or we had fixed a wedding date? I wouldn't have been bold enough to call it off. He should have told me then allowed me decide how to handle the issue.

How do I know he wouldn't hide important things from me in the future? I shut my eyes, I shouldn't be so upset since I was also keeping the secret of Amber Lee from him but it didn't make his actions hurt any less.

When my eyes opened, Faith was staring at me with a small smile. "How are you?"

"You better call him," she replied. I shook my head and she scoffed. "Who sent you to be asking questions you didn't want to hear the answers to? Now you are here looking like a woman who has lost everything. You better call him before loneliness and lack of seeing the love of your life will kill you."

A scowl settled on my lips, she was acting like I had not stayed without speaking or seeing King for two weeks. Two weeks that felt more like two years with me constantly checking my phone to read those cheesy messages he had formed a habit of sending. I could go another week or more without talking to him, I had our old chats to reread, pictures to stare at, they would do for now.

"I'm not lonely," I countered.

"But you are miserable," she fired back. I paid no mind to her until she said, "You look miserable. Utianle, you look miserable."

Her words felt like an attack, a kick to my chin and I winced. They hurt because she was right and I shifted into a sitting position to launch a speech about why I didn't agree with her. I was not looking miserable; I was only tired from all the sewing done at the hub. Today was a long day and my countenance has nothing to do with King.

"I heard you the first time and second time, ma," I muttered. "I don't look miserable."

"Okay, Les miserable," Faith murmured and my head bobbed in resignation, if she was here I would have knocked her big head.

Placing the laptop on my legs, I pursed my lips when she crossed her arms on her chest, staring at me like a mother getting ready to flog her stubborn child. A stranger would think she was the older one among us with the way she was always quick to take charge. I rolled my eyes and sighed, maybe I was a little bit miserable or lonely.

I missed him and his kisses and his hugs.

"So you will not call him?" Faith asked and I replied in the negative. She shook her head slowly. "Women. They will surprise you."

"Are you not a woman?"

"I'm not the one checking my phone every five seconds," she replied and I laughed.

He was yet to send his usual dose of evening texts. It didn't matter that I never replied his corny one-liners, they never stopped coming. Those cheesy messages made most of my day, my favourites were his one-sided WhatsApp chats that always ended with a love emoji. A smile crept up my face and I bit my lips. He would tell me all about work, the things he did, what he ate, then ask if I was ready to talk or see him. I wasn't.

"Don't call him o, don't reply his texts, stay there and be smiling like an idiot until he sends you his invitation card," Faith said.

My jaw dropped. "Faith, stop it. Are you-"

"Mummy."

My head jerked from the laptop, a pleasant feeling settled on my shoulders when my eyes rested on the cutie standing in front of me with his gap-tooth smile. I could never get used to hearing him say that word, it warmed me from head to toe. Sometimes, he would slip and call me his sister but those moments were few and far between.

"Yes, baby?" I asked as my fingers went to pinch his cheeks. The giggles that spilt from his lips were contagious and I giggled, he was a delight to behold. Patting the space beside me, I asked, "What do you want?"

Emma lowered himself to the sofa, I ruffled his hair when he smiled and said, "I want cake." Faith cleared her throat, Emma's eyes darted to the laptop and his smile grew. "Aunty Faith," he pouted, "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too," she replied.

The duo exchanged pleasantries, chatted about school and other random stuff while I maintained the smile on my face. By the time they fell silent, Emma had forgotten his request and none of us reminded him. Since Mother's day, he demanded cake almost every day and I tried to avoid it since too much sugar made him hyperactive.

"Bye," he muttered with a wave and Faith waved back at him. He repeated the gesture with me and I chuckled. His head moved left and right, he wrapped his tiny arms around my neck and placed a sloppy kiss on my cheek. I giggled. After a final wave to Faith, he ran out of the parlour.

Faith's smile disappeared the instant he was no longer in sight, I chuckled and shook my head, mentally preparing for her attacks.

"Are you angry because he won't tell you about Junior's hypothetical cheating or you are angry because he didn't tell you about Umoh?" she asked. Without waiting for my response, she continued, "If you find out I'm cheating on Junior now, will you tell him?"

"Yes," I spoke without hesitation. "But I will talk to you first. I won't need to tell him if you sort it out with Junior." Her eyes grew to the size of saucers and I grimaced. "Faith. Are you cheating on him? Please say no."

Her cackles floated to my ears, she hit the desk where her laptop was on and laughed again. "This bush woman," she said with a snort. "No, of course not. I was only asking." I smiled and she straightened up in her seat. "But wait o, you will tell King if I am cheating on his best friend?" she asked and I nodded slowly. Her mouth opened. "Okay. Bye-bye, I'm not talking to you again."

Giggles fell out of my lips, I clutched my ribs and let out a soft sigh, I knew talking to her would help, that was until I saw the scowl on her face. I offered her a tight-lipped smile, trying to think up a reasonable response. If she wouldn't cheat on him, that wouldn't come up and I knew she couldn't, she was too in love with him to do that.

Faith's fingers moved to her mouse, she winked and flashed me a grin. "Faith," I shouted when the screen went black. "Are you serious? You are angry." The red light showed the call was still on but the camera had been turned off. My mouth opened and closed. "Faith. Faith. Okay, I'll call him."

The camera was back on, her face came into view and she grinned. "When?"

Returning to my former position of placing the laptop on my stomach and my head on the armrest, I frowned. "Tomorrow."

She sighed and I scowled. "If you are angry," she started, "because of what he said about me and Junior? You shouldn't. I don't care." Her voice took on a menacing tone, "Junior won't even try it, I have his mumu button."

A laugh slipped from my lips and my head bobbed up and down of its accord, that was the same thing King said, maybe he was right. "You know how I feel about cheating."

Kissing King while in a relationship was bad but it couldn't be compared to Umoh's case. That annoying man knew all along yet he continued playing dumb. Handsome liar.

"I know."

"Then be my best friend and let's be angry with him together," I murmured. She made to talk but I cut her off with a glare, I didn't need a reminder that we had been doing that for over a week. "Fine. I will call him after tomorrow, he must be busy now."

There was a terse silence as if she was contemplating her reply, we both knew he could never be too busy for me. "That King sef, why didn't he tell you?" The corner of her lips twitched, she sighed. "Now his woman is here looking miserable. Sorry o."

She burst into laughter and I joined her, I should have known she was up to no good. "Go away," I said and she laughed harder.

Our conversation carried on until Faith got another call and I had to bid her farewell. Moments after dropping my laptop on the table, I laid there, a thoughtful look on my face. In as much as we tried to keep up with video calls and chats, it couldn't compare to her physical presence. A part of me knew King and I might have reconciled if she was here and I didn't know how to feel about it.

My fingers dug into the side of the couch for my iPhone, maybe I should call him now. I dropped the phone to my stomach and sighed. Maybe I should not since he hasn't sent me a text. He could be busy. What if he was tired of me already? I groaned, running my fingers across my face and down my neck. Tomorrow or next, I would call him.

Soft palms caressed the sole of my feet, my eyelids parted open and my head rolled to the side to get a glimpse of the culprit. No one was there. A knowing smile graced my lips, I pretended to be asleep while waiting for the person to try again. Those soft hands returned to my legs but before he could dodge a second time, I called out his name.

Emma giggled, coming to stand in front of me with a grin that could dissolve any form of anger and I chuckled. I sat down and he joined me on the sofa. His little legs tapped a rhythm onto the floor and a closer look at his shoes and outfit had me angling my head to the side. My baby was all dressed up, I giggled, he even shined his shoes.

"Where are we going?" I asked as I began tracing lines on his scalp, he needed to get a haircut. Last time, King took him to his barber. "Who dressed you up?"

"I dressed myself," he muttered in a tone that had me laughing. "I can dress myself."

"Okay. Where are we going?"

Emma blinked, his face was an expression of pure innocence and a smile flitted to my lips when he said, "To eat cake. Cake." I nodded. "There's cake in Samia's party."

The smile on my lips dimmed, I grimaced, King did mention her party a couple of times but I never paid attention to the date.

"We are not going," I said. "I am tired."

"We are going. I want to see Uncle Kiki."

"He's busy." I tried to hold him but he edged away from me. His action didn't just hurt, it stung. "Okay. We can go and buy ice-cream and cookies and cake. Where's your sister?"

On my feet now, I pulled him up and we wandered off in the direction of the room he shared with Esther. There was a store down the street, we could all go there to get cake and other goodies without me having to drive. Courage was off this week.

"She's sleeping," he replied before we got to the door. "I don't want to go out, I want party." He struggled to retract his hand in my grip. "I want Samia's party. Party. Party."

Plugging my fingers into my ears, I waited for his lips to stop moving but he continued talking. I heaved a sigh, my hands coming to rest by my sides when he began walking in circles around me. His tantrums would not work today and I was too tired to argue.

"We are not going to Samia's party," I stated firmly. He stomped his feet on the ground as a form of resistance. "Emmanuel."

Marching to the parlour, he threw himself on the rug and screamed at the top of his lungs, "I will tell Uncle Kiki for you."

Tears welled in his eyes, snort ran down his nose, his shoulders trembled and the rest of my resolve weakened. I crouched in front of him to let him know we would be going when he opened his mouth to speak.

"No." Sniff. "One." Sniff. "Wants." Sniff. "To." Sniff. "Play." Hiccup. "With." Sniff. "Me."

There was a dull ache like the prick of a needle in my chest at his words, I gathered him in my arms and wiped at the tears that leaked out of his eyes. He blinked, jutted his lower lip and I offered him a sad smile. "But I always play with you, me and your sister."

"But you are not Uncle Kiki." He sniffed, his breath came out in short rasps and his tears poured out again as he said, "You don't want me to see him, you are a bad mummy."

***

My car slowed to a leisure pace as I neared the bend before the gate of King's estate. Emma was at the backseat, fiddling with the gift we had stopped by to get for Samia with a small smile on his lips like he didn't call me a bad mother minutes ago. He said it in a moment of childish rage but knowing that did little to ease the heaviness in my heart.

"When the party's over, tell Uncle Kiki to call me, I will come and pick you up." He kept mum and I asked, "Did you hear me?"

He nodded from the backseat, offering his gap-tooth smile that I wasn't buying one bit. "Do you want to give mummy a kiss?"

"No," he replied and looked down when I chuckled. Seconds after the car had grown quiet, he said, "I'll bring a big cake for you and Esther." My laughter followed his last statement, there was no way I could stay upset with this bundle of troublesome joy.

"Thank you, baby," I murmured while guiding the car into the empty one-way road.

At this point, the Toyota was crawling, there was no need for us to rush when King had not picked or returned my calls. I picked my phone to dial his number again and a frown replaced my smile when the call ended. To avoid Emma creating another ruckus when I inform him about his beloved Uncle Kiki missing my calls, I decided to send King a text. If we got no reply, we would leave.

"Are you sure the party is at Uncle Kiki's house?" I asked as my fingers moved to the key in the ignition. "He is not picking."

"No," he whined. "It's at Samia's house."

A sigh of defeat escaped me, I reached for the key again but my fingers never met it as a strong force rammed into us from behind, causing the car to shake like we had been hit by an earthquake. The sound of my screeching tires skidding off the road and the shattering glasses broke the silence, I tried to reach for the brake but the car was already on a downward slide to destruction. My body lurched forward, the airbag went off and the seatbelt around my waist was the only thing keeping me glued to my seat.

The world paused for a moment, everything became a blur and the ringing in my ears grew louder. Memories from my heart's archives tumbled out, images flashed across my mind with lightning speed. Images of King, my babies and everyone who meant anything to me, scenes from my life rolled behind my closed eyelids like a forgotten movie. I should have picked his calls or replied his texts when I still had the chance.

"Mummy!"

At the sound of that voice, I tried to open my eyes which were growing heavier by the second but black dotted my vision. My head weighed a ton and I felt something wet roll down the side of my temple. Intense pain gripped me when I tried to move but couldn't and fear seeped into my heart at the whimpers coming from the backseat.

I needed to get to my baby.

My body wanted to be free from its confine, my fingers blindly reached for anything and whatever but the seatbelt kept me in place. The wave of pain that shot through me this time had all my actions coming to an abrupt pause and tears leaked from the corners of my eyes. I needed to get to my baby. Darkness called, wrapping its fingers around me with the promise of a painless nap, tired of the struggles, I gave in to it.

*****

Thanks to Chisom___ for the beautiful cover, she made about for for me, even the current one. She has a cover shop too, you can head over to get yours.

As a reader, I appreciate writers who give a heads-up before going on a break, as a writer, I try to do the same. Lord knows I have been waiting to get to Chapter 50 so I can just japa. I have other things going on with me right now which makes it harder to write WHP. Juggling them with Wattpad is stressing me TF out. *Wipes sweat* Plus the next few chapters need a lot of research and I'm not prepared for that. So... We need disappear small.

I had to end this chapter this way, how else will I get you people to come back after my long-short ass break? 😌😌😌 If at all, I'll update, it will be sporadic but I make no promises sha. You can check out those books I recommended, maybe my other stories too or reread Kuti 🙃, I don't know. But yeah... I'm done, no, wait, check out Love Lives Here, it's on my profile and the purpose of the book is for you to give anonymous shout-outs to that person on Wattpad who has made the experience more fun for you. Okay, bye.

Q: If you had an option of dining with Batman or Joker, who would you pick?