Consequences

Chapter 45

"Tola, why don't you want to listen to me and your father? Why do you keep tormenting yourself over your husband? Is it not time you keep the past behind you and move on?" I sighed and wiped my tears.

"I will, mum. I will."

"When? is it when you will be my age and no man will look at you anymore?"

"Mum I may decide against seeing another man. I mean, at least till I am about your age."

"Tola, you don't mean it?"

"I have gone through a lot because of one man. Another man may be too much. I'm going to face my job from now on." My mother got up immediately.

"Tola? No be only me go hear dis one o. Your father must hear this too." She went out and called him and by all indications must have told him what I had told her. When he came in, he looked at me and smiled.

" She's not ready for another man yet."

"Papa Tola what did you just say?"
"I said your daughter is not ready for another man yet."

"And you support her? You, Kunle, you support her?" She asked, pointing her finger at him.

"But can't you see the pain she is going through? I mean, she's strong. Someone else in her shoes might just resign and give up on living." Finally the door to the ward opened and the doctor who had checked me came in. It was something I needed, to stop my parents from arguing.

"How are you feeling, Tola?" He asked as he measured my pulse.

"I'll be fine." I replied

"That is good." Turning to my parents after he had measured my pulse, he told them I could go home.

"She's okay and  didn't sustain any injuries. You can take her home." My parents thanked him and then asked if I had to take some  medication.

"No, what she needs is a lot of rest. At least three days of good rest. And also she should eat well, and eat a lot of fruits." I got up from the bed ready to go.  My father went down first and I followed my mother and got into the car.

When we got home I excused them and went to my room. Once inside, I sat down on the bed and thought about the vision that came to me. Could it be true that Ola was still alive? If that was the case then, where would he be?

It was hard to believe that he was alive, since I had seen him lying in a pool of blood. The more I thought about the incident, the more I kept wondering if he was truly alive.  If he was alive how could he have possibly deceived me into believing he was shot and killed?

In the following days after my convalescence,  I decided to confirm my worries by  going to some of the places we used to go together. As I had fully started work in my father's company, I only went to those places after work hours. I would do so and get home before my father got back home.

This was because after work hours was when a lot of people came out. Coming out they would either go home straight, or would stop by a pub and have a drink before going home. It was the perfect hour to see a lot of people.

With this idea in mind, I first went to the restaurant where he had taken me to, and then after that, to the pub. These were actually the two places we went. Each time I got to the restaurant I would ask the waiter to serve me some pepper soup. The waiter would greet me and have a small chat with me before he went to bring the pepper soup.

Once he brought it, I would spend some time eating and watching the people that came into the restaurant. Once I finished from the restaurant I would then head straight to the pub and for about thirty minutes, relax there and watch the people that would come in.

I was going back and forth like this for about four days. After the fourth day, I decided to take a break. But a few days later coming out from work, I got into my car feeling a sudden urge to try one more time. This urge was so strong I kick-started my car and went to the first place that came to my mind-the restaurant.

Along the way I kept looking at the many cars plying the road, and  the faces of the couples that were inside these cars.

I had a feeling Ola could be in one of the many cars, and perhaps, with a woman. If that was the case then I was about to confirm what I had already seen in my vision; that he was alive.

On reaching the restaurant, I saw a car coming out. It was about to cross the gate at the same time that I was also crossing the gate going in. There were brief stops from time to time as we were both trying to cross the gate, while taking care not to hit each other's car.

Each time I moved my car, I would turn and look at the driver of the other car. Then he  looked at me briefly and turned and faced the road. I was stunned and stopped my car.

The person I saw looked like him. I looked into the rear view mirror and saw the car as it made a right turn and sped off fast. It must have been him even though I still had my doubts. I started my car and went back home with this doubt and went into my room to relax.

Soon I heard my mom call me to come to the dinner table. I  joined my parents and ate before going back to my room to lie down again. The following day still in bed, I kept on thinking of the person I saw in the other car. Could it be him?