Azed S2 E10B

Azed S2 E10B

It’s been two months since I got well
enough to become human again, and
any doubts I may have once held have
now vanished. I was in love.
Love is a dangerous thing for a person
such as me. Love meant placing roots,
developing routines, being predictable.
I am not aware I have any direct
enemies, but I move among people that
have lots of enemies, and I would
make a good hostage. That meant
anyone I spend time with was also at
danger, and I could not in all good
conscience expose anyone to the perils
that come with my life. But this was
different. This felt good. My heart felt
light in my chest and it appeared that
the world was brighter and more airy.
I had never been much of a romantic,
and most of the personal interactions I
had had with women have been quick
and paid for, but even the dimmest oaf
would recognize the source glow in my
eye and spring in my step. For the
first time since Fadeke, I loved
someone not my mother.
I dragged myself to my feet and into
the bathroom, marveling at the
wonder that was love. It had nursed
me to life from the brink of death. It
had sponged me, fed me, treated me
with drugs and a warm manner. Love
had made everything better- even
mother, with all her problems, was
improving. I had sent some money to
her the week before, and the news
coming out from Ibadan was positive.
In fact, she sent back N12,000 to me
with a note I was sure she had gotten
Lolade to write for her.
“Ose gan omo mi. Olorun ma bukun e
fun mi. Try use this money relax. You
don try for me and I know say e for no
easy for you. I no need this one. Use am
do something wey go make you
happy.”
My taxi was back from the mechanic,
and I had started earning a small
income again, and so today, I was
going to take mum’s advice and make
myself happy. I was going to try and
do my best to make Temi smile.
I had thought long and hard about
what I wanted to do. It would have
been expensive and would have made
a serious dent in the money I had
saved up for living expenses, but then
Mother sent me the money. It was all
the confirmation that I needed. Not
that I would have minded spending
from my own money. She had saved
my life, and in the grand scheme of
things, being broke was a small
sacrifice. If she had allowed me bleed
to death or turned me in to the police,
I wouldn’t have been worrying about
living expenses.
What I wanted to do was for both her
and me. It was the kind of thing that
was the stuff of dreams, and I doubted
that, 2 months earlier, such an idea
would have ever crossed my mind,
even if I had the money. But I guess
that was what falling in love had done
to me, and moreover, Temi had
earned it, and it was my chance to
show her how I felt. She had flatly
rejected any talk of me reimbursing
her for her expenses. Her eyes had
flashed when I suggested it, and I bit
down on any further talk of it. It only
reinforced what I felt about her: she
was a wonderful person, and I didn’t
want to lose her. I was ready to
reassess and evaluate my life just to be
with her. I was no expert in reading
women, but her body language was
clear. She felt the same way I felt. For
her, I would make everything as
perfect as possible.I had just finished dressing up when
my phone rang. The taxi I had
requested had arrived, right on
schedule. I gave a mental thumbs-up to
Uber- I had found out about them on
the internet when I was looking for
taxi-hire services, and I was impressed
with their prompt, efficient service. It
was not even as expensive as I thought
it would be. Not that I would have
minded. I got into the cab and gave
the driver Temi’s address. The evening
was promising to be fun.
***
“Oh, Azed. True true, you did all this
for me. E come be like all those
American film.”
She took my hand in hers as we stood
up from the table at the end of what
was, to me, a perfect evening. The
glowing lamps from the lights
overhead reflected off the white table
and caught Temi’s face, enhancing the
rise of her cheekbones and the
evenness of her teeth as she smiled.
Clinks of cutlery on china and happy
conversation mirrored the happiness I
felt inside, the warm feeling that
washed over me. She was happy, and
so was I.
“Thank you,” she said, sending a
dazzling smile my way.
“You’re welcome.”
We held hands as we walked into the
car park where the taxi was waiting. I
had a sudden thought, and pulled her
close towards me as we passed under a
pool of light cast by a streetlight.
“Temi, I know we’ve been seeing for
some time now, and we really
shouldn’t be having this conversation,
but I want to do this properly. Would
you be my girlfriend?”
The shock which had tensed her body
when I pulled her towards me
dissipated, leaving her limp in my
hands.
“See this man. Come make me fear
finish. Of course I will be your
girlfriend. Why else do you think I’m
standing here with you 9:30pm? You
think say na because I like breeze?”
I smiled. “I just wanted to…you know…
make it offic…”
Her lips found mine, cutting off
speech. They were soft and full and
tasted of the post-dinner coffee she
had had, and they went over mine like
a mitt over a baseball. In the puddle of
orange light cast by the streetlight in
the car park of a restaurant that
neither of the two of us had much
chance of visiting anytime soon, she
wrapped her hands behind my neck
and head and molded herself into me.
The utter incredibility of the scene was
ticking over somewhere in my head,
but my heart was giddy, pounding
faster than a bass drum at a rock
concert. She broke off the kiss and
looked up at me.
“You too like dey blow English. I had
to stop you.”
“WOW!”
She put her tongue out at me. “Elejo.”
“Let’s get to the cab. We’re giving the
driver much more than he bargained
for with this view” –I traced out her
figure into the air- “ and in any case,
we need to get you to your house.”
“Who tell you say I wan go my
house?” The coy look she shot me was
heavy with meaning. Down under,
something stirred in my nether
regions.
“I see. You, my dear, are about to be
in for a long night.”
“Ehen?”
“Ehn.”
“Correct. I hope you have up to three
bedsheets sha.”
“Three bedsheets ke?”
“Because you spoilt my three bed
sheets and I intend to retaliate. Oya
let’s go to the cab. This time, I will pay.
Don’t argue,” she said, as she grabbed
my hands and led me.
****
THEY CALL ME A-ZED