"SOPHIA!" The sound of someone screaming my name from the living room startles me and I jump slightly. Slightly panicked, I rush out of the kitchen where I was just about to start dishing out lunch for myself and my best friends Toke and Funke. I've taken only about five steps when I bump into Funke, who by the way, is very pregnant. Eight months to be exact. Before I can even ask why she practically screamed my name she drags me to the living room, where I was headed and there I see my long lost gate man standing suspiciously close to the door, ready for flight I presume. His balding head looks shiny and slick, beads of sweat running from his forehead down his chubby cheeks, disappearing at the collar of his wrinkled misbuttuned shirt which can barely restrain his pot belly. His black trousers are worse, with oil and dust stains. His bare feet are surprisingly clean enough. Thank God for shoes. Toke is sprawled across the sofa with a slight smirk on her face, eagerly looking between Sule and I. I see Funke from the corner of my eye gingerly placing herself in the armchair beside Toke with pretty much the same expression. I told my arms and let out a sigh, walking closer to Sule when the stench of alcohol hits me. I quickly retrace my steps and take deep breaths, hoping I won't sound as annoyed as I feel.
"Where have you been Sule?"
He jumps slightly at the sound of my voice and moves slightly closer to the door. "Madam?"
"I said where have you been? Dayo and I searched everywhere for you yesterday and am very sure you didn't sleep in your quarters."
He clips and fidgets with his sweaty collar, his eyes meeting mine for the first time " I go to Asero madam."
Asewhat? I know a lot of places and this Asero is certainly not one of them " where is that? Is it on the main land? And what was your business there?"
He looks down again "Yes ma."
"Yes what?" I snap.
"Is on main land. I go and do marriage. I go and drop money. I marriage yesterday ma."
My jaw drops and there's pin drop silence for a few seconds before Toke and Funke burst out laughing.
"Congrats sir" Toke guffaws.
Am beyond flabbergasted "You got married yesterday and you did not think to tell me? Where is your wife? You should have introduced her to Dayo and I since she will be staying here with us. We simply cannot accept a stranger in to our home Sule. Wife or not."
He looks up at me pleadingly " she is good girl ma. Very fine. Yellow like oyibo. She can do work ma. Every cleaning. Every washing. Even to cook. Fine strong girl. She can work in the house ma. No to pay."
"Is she here with you?" I move to sit beside Toke who is watching Sule with wide eyes. No doubt she'll be relating everything to her husband Sam, I a few hours. Fine thing she married a man who shares her penchant for gossip.
"No madam" Sule replies. "I say I will ask you and oga first. I just come back now. I could have tell you before I go. But I wake up early early. That time you and oga have sleep."
"So where is this girl from?" Funke asks, leaning forward. Or as foreward as her stomach will allow.
"Abeokuta ma"
"So she's Yoruba?" Toke chips in.
"Yes ma. Fine Yoruba girl. Yellow like oyibo. She go go school. She finish junior secondary. Is me that pay for her. She finish last month." Sule puffs out his chest a bit. No doubt due to the fact that his new bride is somewhat educated thanks to him.
Hold on though "You said she finished junior high last month right? How old is she exactly?" I ask
Sule puffs up even more "Eighteen years ma."
I gasp, Toke sits upright and Funke nearly falls off the sofa.
"Eighteen!" I shriek. "But you are old! Sule, you are bald! How old are you?"
All display of pride quickly leaves Sule and he moves even closer to the door and begins to fidgeting with his collar again. "Forty six years ma."
"Jesus is Lord!" Funke screams, placing her hands over her head.
"You are a pedophile!" Toke accusses, pointing at him almost hysterically. I feel dizzy.
"No ma!" Sule replies, alarmed. "Am gate man. I do gate man work since I come from village. I do shoe maker inside village. I no do do another work. I no do pedophile. I pay marriage money from gate man work. I no work in another place."
I quickly decide to dismiss him before things get out hand. "You may go Sule. Just bring her here as soon as possible so we can decide if she is to stay here or not."
He looks relieved and rushes out before I even finish my sentence.
Toke is immediately on her feet "I can't believe this. Is this even legal? The man is twice her age! This cannot be allowed!"
I fight the urge to roll my eyes at her. Toke is a lawyer and a die hard feminist. She's never lost a case and has made quite a number of head lines in various newspapers and magazines. Aside from her success in the corporate world, she is also stunningly beautiful with flawless dark skin, thick pitch black hair which is always perfectly groomed, and a petite hourglass figure. Her voice is naturally thin and extremely feminine, large dark and clear doe eyes, cute pert nose and perfectly shaped pink lips. She also has an impeccable taste in clothes. We've known eachother since birth as our families are close and although I admire her a lot I've never really felt intimidated or envious of her. She actually met Dayo first and was hoping they would be a couple. They really looked good together but Dayo began to show interest in me and she backed away gracefully. Later Dayo told me she was too intense.
"Sit down Toke. Things like this happen every day. You're immediately assuming the girl is unwilling simply because she is young. She is already eighteen and may very well have consented to the marriage. He may have also offered her a lot of financial assistance over the years. He did after all pay her fees."
"Yes, that's true" Funke agrees, trying to find a comfortable sitting position " Sule has a steady income, free feeding and accommodation and fairly laid back employers. That might be enough for the girl. She may have had a very hard life before she met him."
Toke huffs in anger and slumps back on the sofa " I must see this girl. I have to determine for myself if she is in this marriage willingly"
Funke rolls her eyes and finally leans back into the sofa. She looks tired and worn which is funny because she looked fine a. Few short minutes ago. She's wearing a maxi straight gown of vivid bright colours and has various bangles decorated in different flowery patterns on both her arms. Her nails and toes are painted an electric blue colour which stands out against her fair skin. Funny but the first time I met her five years ago at a party, I guessed she was into art or music. Turns out it was art. She's one of the best in Nigeria now. I have a handful of her work all over the house. She's mixed race, with a Nigerian father and British mother but having spent all her life in Nigeria with only occasional visits to London, one can hardly tell by listening to her. Her appearance always gives her out though. Apart from her fair skin, her dark hair isn't kinky but curly, light and long. Her nose is straight and pointed, her lips thin and red and her eyes are brown. Really she just looks like a white person with curly hair and great tan. Her five foot seven frame is currently balanced awkwardly and I see beads of sweat on her forehead even though the air condition is on full blast. I feel a pang of sympathy for her. Pregnancy looks hard.
"Funke, maybe you should go and lie down for a bit in one of the guest rooms. You could sip on something cool for now and eat lunch a little later. You don't look so good." I suggest.
She smiles slightly "Am good. It's just a little nausea. It'll pass. I want to hear the full gist on this Mercy gist."
"Yes, me too." Toke chips in
"There's no gist for now" I reply. "I'll just have to go to this party and see."
"I really don't know why you bother." Toke huffs "Dayo is a grown man. He should be able to ward off unwanted advances from women. This is exactly why am so weary of marriage. If you trust him it should be enough. I find marital affairs so strenuous."
"And that" Funke sits upright "is why you're still single. It's not her husband she doesn't trust. It's all these small small flies running around these days with zero respect for marriage vows. Heck, some of them intentionally go after married men just for the thrill of it. And some men are clueless when it comes to these things. They can't really tell when a woman is interested in them and by the time they realise it, they're already waist deep in her shit. So it's part of the job description as a wife to keep them them away when we can. Besides, the corporate world is equally strenuous and I don't hear you complaining."
Funke leans and grabs the remote from the centre table and starts changing the channels."let's just agree to disagree. You have your ring and I have my career."
I raise my brows at that comment " we have careers as well madam. Plus companionship. In every sense of the word."
"Yeah sure. Plus extra laundry, in laws, other women, attention seeking husband's........"
"There's also most of that in casual relationships as well. Besides, doing housework is optional. You can always hire help if you want." I cut in.
" And the attention seeking part is always manageable if you know how to communicate with your spouse. Fred and I make sure we're always on the same page when it comes to that." Funke adds.
Toke looks down her perfect nose at Funke despite the fact that she's practically tiny " yeah well you're pregnant so everything is rainbows and sunshine for you right now and you Sophia are married to a man who looks like a four year old so you actually excuse a lot of things he does due to your maternal instincts, so can we just watch a movie already?"
"I'll definitely tell you I told you so on your wedding day. Am going to serve lunch so we can eat whilst watching" I reply, heading to the kitchen.
*************************************
The venue of the party is actually the celebrants mansion. The house is huge and if not for that Dayo's family has been rolling in money since time memorial and have homes similar to this scattered across the country I'd probably stare.Three big white tents have been set up in front of the main building around a fountain. Directly in front of the fountain facing us are two pulsh white sofas sitting behind tables of various drinks and pale gold designs. I count about twenty round tables for four altogether. The decorations are simple and sleek in whites and creams. The dress code is white and a number of guests are already present. Some are seated in groups drinking and chatting and some are walking around Vasily surveying the mansion. A group of about six though are standing around a woman of about thirty. She instantly reminds me of Toke. They have the same business like appearance. Her skin is dark and flawless. She's tall and a bit bulky. Not fat but his big boned. Her bosom is extremely well endowed and the strapless form fitting white dress pants that fact. I can't see her ass from this angle but from her figure, am sure she has a sizable one. The long parting of her dress end mid thigh, giving me a peep of perfectly timed thick legs. How she pulled off such a dress without looking slutty is beyond me. I assume this is Mercy judging from the way those around her are hanging on to her every word. I mold my lips into a little pout and angle my head upwards slightly as we near the group. I read somewhere it makes you look "confident". Breasted girl sees Dayo approaching and her eyes light up immediately. Yup. Mercy. I don't blame her though. Dayo looks good enough to eat. His all white attire contrasting beautifully with his dark skin. His form fitting suit hugs his slim muscled frame beautifully. My husband is gorgeous. The others follow her gaze and the three men in the group start and almost swoon as soon as their eyes land on me. Iam very good looking and I know it. Am not vain (at least I don't think iam) butam confident in my skin and I take care of my body. Today though, I took extra care. My white form fitting boat neck dress ends just above my knees with a little cut behind my knees to allow easy movement, it's simple and classy and I pair it up with killer silver heels. I go with simple jewelry, a silver choker paired with a slim sliver bracelet and a silver clutch. My makeup is flawless. I got extensions for my lashes and imitated a smokey eyed look I got found on you tube. My lipstick is a light coat of dark purple, no gloss since my lips are naturally pity and I don't want them to stand out more than necessary. Am a huge fan of makeup and today's effort is one of my best ever. I hay hair done the previous evening into dozens of tiny braid with extensions reaching my waist and I piled it up in a sleek knot on top of my head showcasing my tear drop silver earrings. Buxom madam finally notices me beside my husband and she looks startled for a minute before she recovers. I forget the "confident" pout and smirk at her, gripping Dayo's arm tighter. Yes missy, you have a stiff competition. She plasters a smile on her face and walks towards us before we reach the group, and Day let's go of my hand as she engulfs him in a perfume filled hug. Pressing her gigantic breasts against his chest.
"Dayo! It's so good to see you again. Am so glad you could make it" she bats her equally false lashes at him. Seriously? Batting lashes at her age? No wonder she's still single.
"It's good to see you too Mercy" Dayo replies, grabbing me in a sideways hug " this is my wife, Sophia."
Her smile falters a bit as she turns to me and offers me her hand. No hug for me I guess. "Its a pleasure to meet you."
"The pleasure is all mine. You have a lovely home" I reply shaking her hand. Her palms are soft but her grip is strong. Very strong. Physical confrontation with this female must be avoided at all cost. I end the handshake pretty quickly.
"Dayo mentioned you were a writer?" She asks
"Yes, Iam. An upcoming one, but still" I know Dayo will pounce on the "upcoming"comment and he does.
"Quit being so modest Sophie." He chides playfully " shes an award winning writer Mercy. Her last book dark cycles sold over one million copies worldwide."
"Am impressed" Mercy replies " I used to be an avid reader back in high school and I even dabbled in a bit of writing. I must say I fancied myself a writer back then, but I graduated and I had to move on and put silly notions behind me. I studied Accounting in college and have been in banking since I graduated."
You don't want to do this with me bitch.
"Thats the same field as your father right?" I try to look puzzled.
"Yes dear. Making money runs in the family" she laughs shrilly and Dayo chuckles.
"Well am sure he must be proud of you. You are very fortunate to have had your father already in the business. That way you don't have to start from scratch. Your daddy must have paved the way for you already. I have no writers in my family unfortunately, so I had to start from scratch. But it is extremely satisfying when you achieve success based on your efforts alone."
Her gaze becomes chilly but she still has that smile plastered on her face. "So you work from home right?"
Dayo answers before I can even reply "fortunately for me, she does. I get to have her around everytime." He laughs and kisses the top of my head.
She winces a bit then recovers with a calculating smirk" I see you're still a fan of PDF Dayo. I thought you might have outgrown that. And you dear, are very fortunate. Very few working women have the luxury of being house wives in this day and age. We are busy proving to the men that we are also capable. Feel free to mingle. Thanks for coming. Excuse me." She stauters off and I nearly swoon at the sight of her back side. It's fake. It must be fake. It must be foam or something. The huge and round. Not flabby but firm and round, moving seductively as she walks. Last word and sexy exit. Good one.
I turn to Dayo with a tight smile "still a fan of PDF?" I sneer.
He rolls his eyes and kisses me slightly on the lips " we dated for a bit in high school. More like we had a one night stand during our final exams and people found out. I didn't want people to talk bad about her and I knew she would be leaving for America to continue her education after graduation which was just a few short weeks away so we just dated and parted ways cordially later. Nothing to worry about love. You're my one and only."
I smile and we walk further in to the party to "mingle". Am keeping close tabs on this one. Very close tabs.
**************
Oga : Boss