Preordained #ProjectNigeria

57- The Meeting

His voice snaps me out of my thoughts and back to the present.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

Say it. Say it here.

I nod slowly. I so badly want to leave my bench and move over to his, snuggle close to him and have him hold me. My fingers grip the edge of my bench, and I cross my legs. I feel like the ugly swan. I had just stepped out of the shower after washing my hair to see Maduka's call. I hadn't properly detangled my hair, and I know I have to shower again and then detangle. I hadn't even applied body cream.

"It's an emergency," he had said over the phone late this morning. "Come to Eko Hospital, please. Buy essential provisions."

"Are you okay?" I had replied, suddenly panicking.

"It's Tasha. Something terrible happened to her."

I had run around Shomolu market like a headless chicken, buying provisions without bargaining. Then I had dived into the nearest yellow taxi, not yelling when the driver had demanded five thousand Naira for the trip to Eko Hospital.

"This is your first time meeting Tasha," he states now, his face thoughtful.

"Yes. She is beautiful," I blurt without thinking.

He smiles and shakes his head. "I'm sure she'll like to hear that from you when she wakes up."

How can he even sound like he's having a nice conversation right now? This is his ex, who wants him back, who probably thinks of me as a usurper! And I'm so tired...

How I sleep off on that hard bench, I do not know, but a gentle touch awakens me. Maduka stands over me, a small smile on his face. A nurse is behind him, holding a folder.

"Tasha is awake."

"Oh." My heart starts racing.

Get up and leave.

I obey my mind, get on my own feet, and murmur a goodbye to Maduka. I desperately want to be away from him, from her. I don't even want her to set her eyes on me. Disoriented from the sleep in my eyes and the tension, I misstep.

"Whoa, wait."

His hand closes around my wrist. I turn to tell him that I'm useless here, that my help is no longer needed. "Home," I croak.

The nurse watches us with interest, probably wondering if this is a love triangle and thinking that I, looking like this, am the side chick.

"You're going in there with me."

"I don't want to."

His eyes soften in understanding. "You'll be fine, baby girl."

My stomach flips. All I can do is nod and wipe a hand over my face while he leads me towards the door, into the room where Tasha waits.

"Hello, beautiful," Maduka tells her when we step in.

She is sitting up in bed, a weak but pleased smile on her face. The smile falters when her eyes land on me. They are greyish in nature, reminding me of the rapper, Phyno.

"Mads, thank you for saving my life," she says in a British accent.

Oyinbo girl kwa.

"You nearly scared me to death, Tasha. Why did you do this? What if I hadn't taken the day off from work?"

Tasha's eyes flicker towards me, and I feel like shrinking further. "You're Queen, aren't you?"

"Yes," I reply in my best I'm-not-intimidated-by-you voice. "And you're Tasha. Nice to meet you."