Trying Love, Again

Chapter 26- --- No Plus One

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The wild ring of my phone pierced through the room. I hope I don't end up with a heart attack due to the magnitude of that ringtone. I have procrastinated changing it. I searched round for my phone following the sound and where it came and finally found it under the sheets.

It had stopped ringing before I got to it. I sat on the edge of my bed, I went through my call logs to check my missed calls. The call was from my mother. I was about to put a call back to her when my phone rang again.

I declined the call intentionally and redialed it. It didn't ring once before she picked up.

"Tejumade Macaulay darling. Sweetheart mi. You deemed it fit to call me back today." she said accusatively.

"You say it as if I never call you mummy." I readjusted myself so I was sitting comfortably on the bed.

"Do you? Am I not the one that chases you down with calls that you never answer?" She was about to start nagging me, I could feel it. "Why do you act that way? You will just... "

I knew it. I face palmed myself before cutting her off . "Mummy, do you have more pressing issues, or is this why you called?."

"Oh I see! So I'm  bothering you. For you to put a call through, chaos. When I call havoc. What exactly is your problem?" I could hear sounds of chopping like she was in the kitchen. "

I rolled my eyes at her words. "What are you doing?" I asked to be sure.

"I'm cooking for my husband." She definitely said that to spite me for a reason we all know.

"Oh! Noted. That reminds me, why did you give your friend's nephew my number, mummy?" I wasted no time in asking.

"My friend's nephew? Who ke?" She pretended.

"Mummy I know you're acting." I said. Rhythmically hitting my free hand on my lap as I utter the words. "Why did you do that? Mummy I already told you I am not into this blind date of a thing?"

"Oh! oh! oh!! Lanre. But you know Lanre, you both went to the same primary school, that's not really a blind date. That very handsome and good looking young man. Ha! Very responsible and soft spoken." She said with so much pride.

"Mummy, you're missing the point here. You have got to stop. Seriously mummy." I whined.

"Cool your hot body. As I plus one you said you were going to come with on Lade's wedding couldn't make, what was I supposed to do?" She stated before adding,"And what is bad in introducing a single fine looking man to a fellow single beautiful, intelligent, hardworking young lady? Tell me."

I rolled my eyes at her comment.  "Everything mummy, Everything."

"I will slap your face through this phone, if you dare roll that your eyes at me again. You're so spoilt, you! He has been trying to reach you. He said he lost your contact. Luckily for you I was there at the right time."

I was stunned at my mother's words. "Luckily for me? What do you mean luckily for me?"

"I know you used to have a crush on him."  I could hear iron sharpening iron in the background.

My jaw dropped. "Mummy! How did you know that? And that was in primary school. I can't even recognize him with I see him."

She hissed. "A mother knows all these thing. I have her ways. And it doesn't matter if you recognize him or not. You two can start afresh."

"Ha! Mummy!, these your said ways are baffling."

"You see! You don't tell your mother anything, and its just the two of us among men in this family, we are supposed to be best friends. Even calling me is a problem. Well thank heavens for my beautiful granddaughter. She calls me everyday." She was doing the emotional blackmail thing again.

Give it time.

I scoffed. "Mummy I tell you things, but what do you do with everything I tell you? You use it against me every chance you get, you go and you tell aunty Beatrice, Aunty Kikelomo, uncle Lere, you tell virtually all your siblings everything. I informed you about Kiitan that morning, and aunty Beatrice already knew about it." I accused her. I kew just how to play her game too.

My mother doesn't know how to keep things to herself, I think I mentioned that a thousand times already. She'd tell her siblings.

"But they asked me. Do you expect me to shun them?" she said with no remorse in her voice. "And what even really happened with the two of you."

"Mummy I don't want to talk about it. What I know is you weren't supposed to tell them everything? Do they tell you all of their affairs too? It shouldn't be." I spate.

"You old women should leave my daughter alone. Let her rest. She'll bring someone home when she's ready." A masculine voice prodded through the background of the phone.

"Is dad there with you?" I inquired.

"I am my dear, how are you love?" He asked in a more cheerful tone.

"I'm fine daddy. Have I been on speaker the whole time?" I probed.

"Yes, yes you have and that is not the point. I'm coming back to you." I knew she wanted to give my father a piece of her mind. "And you, what are you even saying? Is she getting any younger? Lade is married. Or tell me, which of her cousins do you see roaming the streets without a man." I can imagine the look she was giving my father at that moment. My mother can be such a bully.

"Tiwalade is a man. He has worked and now he's convinced he's ready. It's a man that will marry Teju and not her marrying a man. Don't push her too hard to get into any toxic relationship. And those her cousins, do you know what they're facing in their various homes? Or you want her case to be like that of Okiki's?" My father quizzed.

"God forbid? I reject it in Jesus name. My creator will not allow it. My daughter will not encounter such Okiki's debacle" My mom was being so dramatic right now.

I was laughing my lungs out while I sat there listening to their banter.

Okikiade is my cousin, one of my auntie's daughter. She's way older than I am. She's either between the same age as my elder brother or she'd be older than he is.

She has been divorced twice. It wasn't really all her fault. I personally didn't blame her for all that happened with her marriages, I felt she just didn't get the right counselling .

Her first husband left her a year, three month and fifteen days after their marriage. He wanted to rekindle with his high school lover. But when she was asked, she'd say it didn't just work out. They had no kids together.

Both her marriages had been arranged by her parents. They also felt she was getting to old without a man. So before the second husband would also up and leave her, she left him after eight months of marriage.

My dad had always been against the idea of pestering me into doing anything. When I decided that I wanted to go into art, my mom wailed and whined, it was my dad who supported me.

My dad gave us the freedom to choose. So I wasn't surprised that he wasn't on his wife's side, when it came to bringing a spouse home. My dad disagreed with my mom a lot. He'd always defend me.

They've been on their argument for a while now, I think I've had enough. When I realized my mom was occupied with something else I hung up leaving them to it. Immediately I dropped the phone, my back hit the bed. It's been a hell of a long day. I needed to take a breather.

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A/N: what's your experience with your parents like when it came to relationships and marriages. Do you agree that African parents needs to take a chill pill? Who pressure you the most? Your dad or your mom? Let me know in the comments section. Remember to vote vote vote vote and vote. Also, kindly follow my account for notifications. Thank you for supporting a young aspiring writer.