Consequences

Chapter 14

I loved the moment I was spending in Ola's embrace. But I had the feeling it wasn't going to last. I felt good and had placed my head against his chest. I slipped my arms around his waist and held him tight. I didn't want to leave him. And I didn't mind Nancy being present and watching.

But unfortunately, and to my utmost surprise, he stopped embracing me. Placing both hands on my shoulders, he held my keys up with his right hand.

"Here, take your keys, Tola." He said smiling, and holding my right hand. He opened it and placed the keys in them.

"Sorry, I took them from you. And sorry for all the trouble I may have caused you."

"Ola what are you talking about? I mean, I thought you wanted to drive?" I asked baffled at the sudden change of attitude.

"It's best you drive, okay?" He smiled at me again putting me into some kind of confusion. Why was he doing this to me? I searched his eyes for the answers but they weren't there. I had to ask him why.

"Ola, why are you doing this to me again?"
"What?"
"Abandoning me?"
"No I'm not."
"Yes you are. You are running off, but this time doing it openly."
"I didn't come with you here. Nancy did."
"So can't we all go together? I mean what's wrong if we did?"
"Nothing. But not today, some other time okay?" He hugged me and this time so strong it felt like he was squeezing me.

"I've really missed you Tola, I really have." He said. I stayed in his embrace for a few minutes before I heard Nancy's voice.
"So you lovebirds, when will you realize that I am still here?" We turned and faced her. With one arm around my shoulders, Ola and I walked up to her.
"Sorry Nancy, that we kept you waiting." Ola said, hitting Nancy on her upper right arm.
"Ola, you dey play around my friend. No joke wit am o." Ola laughed, removing his hands from my shoulders.
"Ah, Nancy, you be bad girl."
"Abeg, make I hear word."
"So you were hiding this angel all this time."
"Abeg am I a matchmaker?" Ola looked at her and I looked at both of them. Their little play got me feeling somewhat left out. But I watched them with patience.

"You are not a matchmaker, abi?"
"No."
"But this particular match, you go play am give me." Nancy laughed and then took of hold his hands.
"Abeg, let's talk. Tola, give us a minute." I stood watching as they went aside to talk. As they went, I opened my car and got in and sat down. I looked at them from the side mirror. They were talking and it seemed, not in a friendly manner.

Nancy appeared serious while she was talking to Ola. I noticed Ola listening with attention and shaking his head from time to time. What were they talking about? I sat waiting for them to finish, almost getting bored,  being left alone.

Then I heard a knock on the car window. I turned and saw Ola. Seeing Nancy enter the car, I wind down the glass.

"Tola, is everything okay?"
"I wish it was. But as usual, you mess up my day and leave."
"Sorry, everything was quite unexpected." He replied, looking into my eyes.
"But I'll make it up to you in a special way, okay?" He let out his usual captivating smile. I was quite saddened but nonetheless, I nodded.

"Just make sure you are real, okay?" I asked him. He sighed and looked around. Facing me again, he moved his lips closer to mine and gave me a kiss.
"This is real, Tola." It was brief, but felt nice. I stared at him in bewilderment trying to understand if he was only playing games with me or he was serious.

"Really? I asked, smiling at him. He nodded, gazing at me. It was terribly infectious making me blink as I searched his eyes again.
"There's more to come. More serious than that. So till then, keep it all for me, baby, okay?"  I started the car and was slowly winding my glass up.

"Make sure I see more of you." These were my last words and I wind up my glass. I left him standing there while I drove out of the restaurant. Once outside the restaurant, I was ready for whatever Nancy had to tell me. And I knew she would say a word or two about my behaviour. And sure enough, it promptly came.

"Ah, Tola? You disappoint me sha." She was shaking her head and clapping her hands.
"Nancy what have I done, now?" I asked her.
"Ah, Ola mess up big time; Ola abandon me for restaurant; In fact dat tin wey he do dey pepper me."
"Ah Nancy come on now."
"Abeg make I hear word. See who get pepper body."
"So what is my fault?"
"Your fault? You want to know what your fault is?" I nodded.

"For behaving like a teenage girl who is experiencing love for the first time."
"Ah, but Nancy I mean, everything was so sudden and  unexpected. My plans fell apart."
"Which of your plans? Plan A or plan B? Because if it is plan A it worked out fine."

"And what is plan A?"
"That you were desperate and dying to see this guy." I sighed as I knew no amount of explanation for my behaviour would satisfy her.
"Nancy? I may have wanted to see him, but not as desperately as you are making it sound."
"Abeg. Now, anytime you tell me you dey vex for Ola; Ola do wetin pepper you, I go just dey one corner dey look you dey laugh."
"Look at the friend I offered a treat just to raise her  morals and make her happy."

"I would have been happy if you had shown some kind of harshness. At least make him go bending on his knees and beg you."

"Nancy? How can you be so cruel? I mean I can't do a thing like that."
"Really?"
"I mean Nancy, I can't be that wicked when I know what I feel for him is real." Nancy  despised me for what I had just said. I knew she wanted me to make Ola show me some respect. In this, she was perhaps defending me. I couldn't agree less with her.

But Ola's presence in my life at this moment, was just too magical. I couldn't allow anything to spoil it. And besides, I was still getting to know him.

The next moments driving, was in total silence. I was hoping to get a response to my last statement, but Nancy kept quiet. And so there was silence the whole time I was driving, until we got to her house.

When we got to her house, she opened the door and without saying goodbye, came down. She closed the door and walked straight up to her house. I sat watching her open her bag and search for the keys to her house.

Then as I was about to leave, she came to me. I wind down my glass to hear what she wanted to say.
"Less I forget, take Ola's number."
"Nancy what is the meaning of this?"
"Tola do you want the number or not?" She asked raising her voice a bit. I didn't want to argue with her. I had a feeling she wasn't in the right frame of mind to answer my question. And so I brought out my phone from my bag and took the number and stored it.

Nancy walked away from me and went into her house. I went home feeling disheartened by her attitude towards me. I couldn't really understand her, and the sudden change in behaviour she displayed along the journey home.

As I lay in my bed, I thought about everything that had happened during the day. I thought about Nancy, and the discussion she had with Ola. What did they discuss? Was it about me? And why didn't Nancy tell me when she came into the car?

Unfortunately, this was something I could never know, seeing her state of mind. The only good thing in all of this was, that I now had Ola's number. I took my phone and looked at the number again.

I then placed the phone on my chest as if he was in the room with me. I imagined him placing his head on my chest. I imagined what it would be like if he was here with me in bed, just the two of us. 

Maybe I should send him a text message, I thought.

 I took the phone from my chest and looked at his number again. I decide to send a message to see if he would reply.

'Finally back home after dropping Nancy.' My thumb settled on the send button, and all I needed to do was to click it. I hesitated a bit as conflicting thoughts suddenly flooded my mind.

Here I was about to send Ola a message, and I was in doubt as to how he would receive it. Would he reply immediately? Would he delete it? Or he would reply only to tell me I shouldn't send him text messages again?

My thoughts of our time at the restaurant, and all that he said came to my mind. He had said he would make it up to me in a special way. I could only believe this to mean he was planning on spending more time with me; just the two of us alone. This was a good thing, but I wasn't too sure about his promises.

 As I looked at the phone display showing the written message, I had to do something. I closed my eyes and then clicked the send button. 

' Message could not sent.'  I heaved a sigh of relief as I thought the message was sent. I could finally relax and wait for his reply. Without checking, I turned my phone off and closed my eyes. I knew when I woke up in the morning, I would see his reply message.