“Let me tell you this, if you meet a loner, no matter what they tell you, its not because they enjoy solitude. It’s because they have tried to blend into the world before, and people continue to disappoint them.” – Jodi Picoult.
•••
Tari couldn’t help but liken the sight before him to that of an ongoing Tetris game. The laborers at work sliding and affixing ledges of concrete into appropriate places in the building, like tetrominoes under the control of a superintendent presiding power playing the video game. In the past month, the men had toiled immensely, putting in overtime work hours to ensure that their envisaged time frame was still on track and the effort had indeed paid off. Here they were, with a month to go and the house was very much completed.
Would be in the next couple of days.
“Happy new year, Kid.” A deep drawl pulled him out of his thoughts, but he didn’t crane his neck in the direction of its origin to know its owner.
“Happy new year, John.” He nodded curtly. His keen attention on the men remained unwavering.
“Ah, I see that none of your New Year resolutions was to pull your head out of your ass and stop being an asshole.” John said, nudging him gently on the side. “I get it that I’m not as good looking as Dayo Tijani or fat like he’s paycheck for your work, but still courtesy demands that you at least act like you’re happy to see someone when they greet you. And given the fact that said person is in a pioneer position to cause you doom, like I could―throwing a smile into the mix shouldn’t be so bad.”
Tari arched a brow, turning to the right and leveling John up with his gaze. They were about ten meters away from the front porch of the building. “You said it yourself this is a New Year, it’s just twenty one days after New Year’s day. Isn’t it a little bit too early to start creating another public holiday when people are still in the new year spirit?”
“What are you talking about th―”
“Doomsday, of course.” He replied. “Or what did you mean by cause me doom? Weren’t you just making a pun at the DC comic books character in relation to today?”
John shook his head. “I’m tempted to mould you into a ball and punch the life out of you, but it’s a new site. It’s a little bit early to start burying people in it. Besides, I don’t think Mr. Tijani would be that considerate no matter how beautiful the house turns out to be. Plus, he’s a billionaire and has a lot of money. If it gets to a point where the bank can’t hold his funds, he might have no choice than to take the excess cash and bury it here himself. So, I wouldn’t want to use up his space.”
“How considerate of you to actually factor in his feelings into this equation of yours,” Tari spat. “And yet for some reason you don’t want to consider mine and just, you know―bury yourself and end my misery? If it’s about you not having space in your house, no qualms—you could come to mine. I’m very hospitable to my enemies. I don’t mind your grave beneath my garage.” Tari shrugged.
“Shh! Don’t let the rest of the workers hear your words.” John said. “If they do, they’d come to know of the many privileges I’m enjoying as your enemy, which they don’t know of. Why do you think I signed up for the position in the first place?”
“I don’t know, cos you’re an asshole―and it’s like in the job description? I know you to be a very diligent man in everything you do, hence your brilliance in the job. I wonder how they pay you though? It has to be the higher the rate at which you annoy your clients, the higher your pay? Something like that.”
“You’re so intuitive, and you can bet they’d pay me extra because I’m here pissing of an architect who spends his entire life building the dream house of others. So in a way I’m pissing the shit out of everyone you’ve worked for, because your work is a very integral part of their life.”
His lips twitched, and his neck turned to the right again. “Okay as much as I would love to continue with this joyous banter, I can’t because in all honesty―I really don’t want to. So, could you skip to the part where you tell me why you’re here? I know you’re hired to be an asshole of course, but you have two jobs on here. An asshole and being a mechanical engineer. And you’ve done the part for the first half quite well, so off to the second one shall we?”
For the first time since he had known John, he looked genuinely hurt. Water wasn’t welling up in his lids, and neither were muscles bulging or fists balling or his throat bobbing either. There was just an aura of hurt that engulfed him after Tari had uttered his last stream of words.
“They told me that you were a lost cause but I didn’t want to believe that was true.” His voice was flat, and eerie. “I mean first of all, it’s really wrong to refer to a human being as a cause? We’re much more faceted and wholesome than that. But then maybe they aren’t so wrong. You’re just all about your work, nothing else. There is almost nothing interior to you, it’s obvious from the way you talk and all the times we’ve discussed, there has been no interrupting phone calls from friends or girlfriends or abrupt endings, like―I have to go somewhere, friend or family emergency of the likes so you’re indeed a cause.”
Tari flinched inwardly. What the hell was he driving at?
“While you might not be a lost cause since you’re quite good at your job, you’re pretty much not a cause in other areas. So I think the right thing to label you is a successful cause.”
“I don’t know if I should take that as a compliment or an insult?” Tari enquired.
“It’s nothing but the truth, and yeah it might not be in my job description of being an asshole but I trust you won’t tell anyone.” And with that, John smote him hard on the shoulder in a quite aggressive way that couldn’t be termed as a playful gesture, before scrambling back to his station ahead. Tari watched him go in sheer curiosity. If John had been hurt earlier, he definitely had a very weird way of showing it. Then again, he was the definition of weirdness, so that probably passed as normalcy for him.
The vibration from his phone zinged through his left thigh and prompted him to pull it out. Staring at the caller ID, a barrel of guilt emptied over him. It was his mom, his only parent and family that he had conveniently absolved all forms of contact with for a duration that spanned…weeks? A month? He couldn’t even recall anymore. Without further ado, he swiped and braced himself for an inevitable stereotypical parental scolding.
“Tari?” She sounded part distressed, part relieved. Perhaps, he wasn’t going to get scolded after all.
“Mom, good afternoon―”
“And happy New year to you, Tari.” She cut him off abruptly. “Of course, even busy people like you can’t forget that we crossed over from 2018 into 2019, some days ago? If you were that buried into work, surely someone around you must have given that fact away or wished you happy new year or something.”
“Mom, don’t be dramatic we talked on the first―”
“You talked on the first, because in your world―texting qualifies as talking. I only texted, and I don’t think it’s appropriate calling it texting, taking into consideration how long it took you to reply. Messaging, would be the correct thing to call it.”
He sighed, cupping his face with his free right hand. “Okay, I’m sorry for not making a better effort to remain in contact but you know how work is and―”
“What type of work are you doing that’s making it so difficult for you to check on your mother every now and then!” She cried, pain booming in her voice and the resulting reaction being a painful twinge of hurt in his chest. “Even armed robbers, criminals and assassins keep in contact with their parents despite the fact that they’re always on the run from law enforcement agencies? Not to talk of you an Architect. Laise omo ale.” When you’re not a bastard.
It was then he realized that his mom words weren’t infused heavily with the Yoruba language, which was its main attribute. She probably had someone over, a fellow retiree colleague who she wanted to impress by her grammatical prowess in conversing with her child on the phone, while also throwing hints at how busy and accomplished he was at his trade. Angry she was at him, yes, but she was apparently exploiting the mineral resource of his shortcoming in a bid to boast of having raised a work oriented child. Typical mother cunningness.
“I’m sorry, mom. It’s just that this work at hand is really, really big…” He guessed he was probably on speaker, so her guest could listen in and get intimidated. “…I didn’t even have a new year’s day or something. After church service, I just rushed back home, bathed and resumed work on the site. Not just me, everyone else here. We’re working overtime to finish the job on time.”
“Iyen ti wa poju o.” That is quite a lot of effort. “Why must you work on that day? Why couldn’t you take the day off?”
And do what? But of course he wasn’t stupid enough to let his mom in on the fact that he had little to no friends in his life. For all he knew, she probably thought he had more than he could handle and even had a thriving, successful relationship with a woman. He wasn’t exactly lying to her, he was just affording her the decision to think whatever she wanted.
“All my friends were pretty much busy and the rest who weren’t, spent their days partying and doing all sorts.” His mom, just like every other long-term descendant of the Yoruba tribe, prided themselves on the grounds of having a high moral compass. One which didn’t include an upscale, wild or in their perception―vile party life. “It just didn’t feel like the right way to kick off a year, you know. So, I decided to work. Don’t worry, after the project wraps up, I’d have plenty of free time to myself before I get on the next one.”
Which was perhaps the biggest lie he had said in his entire life, because Sky’s prestige ensured that its itinerary was always bursting at the seams with contracts for its employees and he pretty much savored the rush anyway. But once again, he couldn’t exactly tell her that.
“Okay o, motigbo.” I’ve heard. “Just make you’re sleeping and eating well. Iyawo nko? No breakthrough in that area?” And of course, the much loathed topic on his relationship status. African’s parent stance on the romantic relationship of their kids was subjective to swift change of position like a rollercoaster. The earlier stages of one’s adolescent life was usually accompanied with incessant, intense imposition of views revolving round sexual purity, also characterized by high esteem for virginity and other character attributes that could be termed as prude-esque in the western world. But the moment, the child in question stepped on the lane of adulthood, the numerous green lights that would beam to life would be enough to impale one’s sight.
“Well, there is someone…” He resorted to lying again, but now that he thought of it there was actually someone. Whether or not that person was game for a relationship with him didn’t nullify the fact that they existed. “That I’m seeing…” Which wasn’t wrong, technically because they did see each other physically, face to face although he hadn’t seen her since about a month ago, in the previous year. “But it’s nothing too serious, we’re just testing the waters to see if it’s really true but all what you need to know is that I’m making efforts in that area and maybe, just maybe very soon you might be hearing good news.”
“I don’t want to hear good news, very soon―I want to be dancing down the aisle in expensive jewelry and embroidery at your wedding, very soon.” She clarified and that made him groan. “Stop testing the waters, water is water―it won’t taste different. Everytime testing, testing. You’re not getting younger, Tari and all your mates are all settled…”
He was going to launch into an argument of how the average age of men getting married in this age had drastically escalated, but he figured that it’d be of no good and so he sealed his mouth shut.
“…very soon you too, should be having me over and our phone calls should be you asking me on when I’d be coming over to visit you, spend the holidays with you and my grandchildren.” And your next bragging direction should be of course heading in the direction of you having more beautiful grandchildren? “And you should even be the one telling me stuff like I’m stressing myself too much and that my health isn’t all that good and blah blah and acting in every other caring and doting capacity that children of nowadays act towards their parents.”
“If you’re that anxious, we could play that game and act like I’m already married and have grandkids and all―”
“I’m not playing with you, Tariebi.” There went the hint that she meant business. Although his first name was Ijaw and had close to no relation with the Yoruba people, she pronounced the name in an intonation that he was sure wasn’t Ijaw in anyway and was very Yoruba. “Next time I call you, you better have a woman in your life or else I’m going to swoop right into action and do it for you. If you’re too busy for that, you should know I’m not too busy and I’d happily carry out that obligation.”
What? Was she giving him an ultimatum? An ultimatum which deadline wasn’t even defined. Urgh! Nigerian mothers were the best.
“No, please I’d handle it myself.” He gritted his teeth, his free hand now sliding into his pocket. “Anything else you want to say? I really have to go now.”
“No, I’d say you should try and come over to visit, but I tell you that almost all the time so it’s not new or important again.” He was hurt, but she was driving him into a corner over his romantic life over the damn phone? What’s to say about what she could do in person? “Oh, and Kenny said she’s coming over to see you today. So, please act like a decent person and make her feel at home even if it’s someone else’s home under construction. I will hear nothing of you snubbing her like you did back in university?”
“Sorry, did you just say Kenny?” What the hell? Everyone had that childhood sweetheart of theirs, whose entrance into their life came about as the result of their parents’ friendship but eventually, the said relationship turned sour because of prolonged distance and pride that was unconsciously attributed to puberty. One of them was subjected to the vice of not being cool enough to associate with the other, and the other who was cool enough simply didn’t view the other person’s type of life befitting to theirs.
In the analogy, he was the ‘un-cool’ one.
Kehinde, whose twin had been late, since childbirth had grown into the type of beauty he could hardly maintain gazes with, without faltering or engage in conversation without sputtering and stuttering all over the place. However, she was quite nice and had done her best in ensuring the river bank of their friendship hadn’t gone awry dry. He had been the one to remove himself and cut contact finally, because it seemed an immense favor to her who was only doing her best to be a good person by staying in contact―not necessarily because she found him fascinating. He knew he had been right because she hadn’t gone out of her way to seek him out afterwards.
Now she had surfaced again? Weren’t people like her already married to the type of men who appeared in fashion magazines?
“Just slow down for a moment,” He wasn’t sure if he was talking to his mother or himself. “Where did she come from all of a sudden? The both of us haven’t even talked to each other in years and now all of a sudden she is coming here, to my place of work! To visit! How does she even know this place? You don’t even know this place?”
“And obviously you’re not as sharp as I thought you to be,” She sounded disappointed. “Everyone that cares to know where your work is can easily know where your work is. Your current project employer is a big celebrity in our country, definitely everyone in the country knows where he purchased a land. More so, even if it was your corporate office, it’s only the biggest in the entire country, one only has to look it up and Google and check its directions.”
Okay, so yeah that was pretty obvious. “But still mom, that’s not right. You just can’t drop this bomb on me like this. Why would you encourage this without even consulting me in the first place?”
“What did I encourage? I didn’t encourage anything. The poor girl wanted to see you and simply asked for directions and I gave her. Just because I’m an elderly person doesn’t give me the right to demand that she shouldn’t visit you until I seek your opinion first.” Yeah, especially when you’re thrilled at the fact in the first place. “So, I don’t know what you want me to do. She called me yesterday night and I told her.”
“And you didn’t tell me yesterday night?”
“Maybe if you called me frequently, and I don’t have to be the one calling all the time―you’d know more about what’s going on in my life because you actually want to know and not because it is affecting yours in turn.” She snapped. “My guess is that she’d be arriving there very soon, so please act like a human being. Don’t be close off and don’t act like a snob. I know one of the reasons why you stopped talking to her is because you felt inferior as you were moving from one family relative house to the other to serve them in one way or the other and that’s totally my fault and that of your father’s, God bless his soul…” She paused for about a minute, and he almost rolled his eyes at the excessive propriety. “But thank God, you’re established and successful now so there is no need to feel inferior. And given the fact that she is seeking you out herself? That should say something.”
Yeah, that you and her family are up to something fishy, because there was no way in hell a vision like Kenny would seek him out of the blues, no matter how acclaimed or sought after he could be. There was a thing called ‘pride in play’.
“Fine, I’d meet her.” He felt a sudden urge to whirl around, and as if she had been conjured, there was a static, curvy figure in the distance, who he was sure belonged to Kehinde waving him over. Sighing audibly into the phone, he mouthed a quick farewell before hanging up and striding over to meet his visitor.
She was even more beautiful than before. Her fair complexion was the frontrunner in her well equipped army of looks. Her cat eyes behind those black rimmed glasses added to her oozing serenity. She was wearing a black and white monochrome woven shift dress, that ended several inches above her knee―captioning her voluptuous, hourglass shape―and brown Michael Kors Josephine leather peep toe wedges. As expected, she fell nothing short of perfection, but for some reason, her presence exerted little to no effect on him. It was almost as if the person standing before him was a battered beggar with ragged clothes and an unpleasant body odor.
“Whoa! Tari, Hi.” She flashed a warm smile, before holding out her free arm that wasn’t clutching a bag that matched her shoes. “You’re like…so tall now. I mean you were always taller than me of course, but this is a lot of gap―also given the fact that I’m like wearing wedges. So um, remind me to always wear heels whenever we’re meeting?”
He couldn’t help but smile as he returned the handshake. “I don’t know about that, I might want to use that to bully you someday. It’s really good to see you again. What’s it been? Ten, fifteen years now?” His eyebrows furrowed and the skin on his forehead wrinkled as he tried to remember their last conversation.
“It should be fifteen years, I think. When I was ten and you were twelve.” She shook her head as a smile grazed her face. “But that was the last time I talked to you. It wasn’t the last time I heard of you. Your parents still visited as mine did yours, and well you know how parents are always fond of talking about their kids especially when said parents are retired and literally have no other work doing?”
“Tell me about it,” He said. “I just got off a call from my mom who was scolding me for not calling her frequently and all that. They never want to understand that life could be that busy. Anyhoo, it’s quite a surprise you showing up here and popping out of the blues. Of course, if people want to break silence with other people they do schedule a meeting. It’s just that, this one wasn’t scheduled and you just jumped right straight into the meeting. In the past you were never one for surprises, so yeah I’m shocked.”
She laughed in an uncomfortable, nervous way that was so rich yet ineffective in sending jolts of elation around his body. “I’m not one for surprises, you got that right but I don’t know really. I don’t think there is one specific reason for me showing up here out of the blues, I’m just a very spontaneous person. I’ve been meaning to get back in contact with you for a while now but I kept on postponing it. Not that it didn’t hold its appeal but because work has been very busy an all that…”
He wondered what line of work she was in. It was right at that moment he realized that he knew virtually nothing about this familiar woman right in front of him.
“Sorry, to interrupt but what do you do for a living?” He internally cringed at the way the words had come out. It sounded demeaning in a way, almost as if her occupation was one of very low standards.
“Oh, well I’m a writer. A blogger, would be much more appropriate. Although, I’m working with a magazine now, so that’s not it either.” She chuckled nervously, and it was then he was beginning to wonder if her parents and his had indeed truly set up the meeting and she was doing this out of obligation to please her parents and so didn’t want to do a bad job therein. “I don’t like calling myself a writer, because when I say that people begin to assume I’m one hotshot poet or novelist and then I correct them that I write articles, and well their face drops and all. But my work is great and I really love it, plus I’m getting way more pay than I’d have anticipated for such.”
“What magazine do you work with?” He asked, merely out of propriety not that he was that curious. Not that he was curious about anything concerning her.
“Pulse magazine.”
“Wow, Pulse is big.” His eyes widened in genuine fondness, this time around. “They’re one of the biggest online magazines and are especially reputed for their keen insight on music and entertainment. I read a lot of their album and movie reviews. They prove really helpful in helping me select what I want. You’re not by any chance one of those writers?”
She grinned. “I mostly deal with the gossip and personal life area, but I’ve done a couple of reviews though. Well, you’re the first person I’ve met who seems interested in my work and isn’t disappointed after I go on to reveal that all I do is talk about celebrities, trends and all that. It’s like there is this stigma on article writers, as if they aren’t real writers. I won’t go ahead and say I work as hard as Dayo Tijani does on his novels, but I still work hard in my own way, you know?”
“I understand, success in every profession requires hard work.” Tari agreed. “Even people who go about the place begging for money, have to work hard or else they won’t earn a thing. There is actually no place we could sit to discuss here, but there is a TFC a couple of blocks away. We should head there.”
“Oh, you can afford to leave this place?” She motioned to the entire scenery with both hands. “I mean it’s massive work and you’re in control. I don’t want to disrupt anything.”
He was going to go ahead and point out that the entire unannounced meet was nothing but disruption of the highest order but he opted to keep his mouth shut. Such remark bordered on rudeness and she didn’t deserve it, given the effort she had put into coming out to meet him today. Whether it was born out of a personal urge or her parents’ bidding, being rude wasn’t permitted.
“No, we can leave. C’mon let’s go.” He led the way, clasping both hands behind his back and leading her out of the premises of the land. When they got to the outlet in question, they picked a sequestered space, that was dimly lit and ordered only bottles of water. For some reason, ordering something else felt awkward and inappropriate. Or maybe it was his tendency to overthink things in play.
“So, how have you been doing in the past few years?” She asked, once they were settled and all with their bottles of water and champagne glasses. “I mean obviously, you went to school, did incredibly well, got a degree and then got a job. There just has to be something fun about it.”
“Well,” He ran his hands along his thighs. “There is hardly anything interesting, really. Why would you assume I did incredibly well in school, though?”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re working at Sky, and your current contract is building a house for Dayo Tijani and his future wife? Surely, people with average grades don’t get those kind of privileges―except kids from billionaire homes who have connections and all that, and I know enough about your background to know such isn’t in place for you. So you must have toiled and work really hard to get there.”
She was smarter than he gave her credit for. “You could say that, but I would be very dishonest if I say my hard work did the entire work for me. I was incredibly lucky also, I guess I have to chuck that one over to God. A lot of my mates who also got good grades back in school haven’t gotten to where I am today. Some might even be unemployed, in fact. So it’s a combination of work and luck.”
“Still being the modest person I know you to be.” She smiled. “I could say the same about myself. I studied Mass Communication in college, which you already know is like the course everyone does when they can’t get admission for the one they want. I did it anyway, but I knew I didn’t want to work with it and right from my third year, I’ve been writing articles on my own blog and well doing my best to reach out to big names. It wasn’t until when I was serving that I got the chance to write for Pulse on probation. They loved it and brought me in, so yeah it’s one of those miracle-esque stories.”
“Wow, and I thought I had luck. You my friend, is luck. I guess we should both be grateful for what we have then.” A comfortable silence ensued, and Tari couldn’t stop himself from making the next enquiry no matter how queer it could come off as. “Sorry to ask this, but why are you really here, Kehinde? Is it really because you felt this sudden urge to see me―which on its own sounds ludicrous, no offense, but before today we haven’t seen each other in like five years and haven’t talked in like fifteen years. I just find it hard to accept that.”
To his surprise, she reacted like she had been expecting the question. “Does it really matter why I’m here? What I can tell you is that I’m indeed very happy to see you now.”
“But this was a set up by my mom and yours, right?” He had to get down to the bottom of the matter, to know just the kind of predicament he was lost in. “I mean, c’mon. Someone like you just doesn’t come out to seek someone like me out on a whim.”
“What do you mean someone like you?” Her brows creased. “I’d do admit you weren’t an item in the past, but you’ve grown into quite the person yourself…”
Quite the person? Obviously she was too proud to comment on his looks directly. Typical of women of high caliber.
“…But I’m not doing this just to satisfy them. Sure, it was their request but I won’t do something I don’t feel like doing and I do feel like doing this, but judging by your persistence on getting to the root of the matter, I don’t take it that you’re interested.”
“Depends on what the interest is on.” He said.
“Don’t be naïve, we both know what this is about. Our parents put this into motion because they want us to hit it off and have a relationship of a romantic nature. So, I’d ask you again if you’re interested. Seems pretty direct, but I’m at an age in my life I can’t afford to waste on relationships that aren’t going anywhere. We’d still be friends, though.”
Although her voice was firm, he knew she was hurt. And he wanted to go on and debunk the claim that he wasn’t interested and even encourage her that they should test the waters like he had told his mom earlier, but he just couldn’t. If such had come into play at a time frame in which his feelings weren’t someplace else, he could have considered but currently? He couldn’t. He was attracted to another woman, and whether the said woman wanted him or not changed nothing about his resort.
“I’m sorry―but I’m sort-off invested into something else.” He mustered his most sympathetic voice, but Kehinde’s expression basically said she didn’t need it. “We should remain in contact anyway.”
“I understand,” She was already rising up to her feet. “I definitely need hot guys in my life, who aren’t interested in relationships with me.” Was that sarcasm? “Have a nice day, Tari. I have your number already from your mother.”
He went on to offer to walk her out, but she declined and insisted she didn’t need to be babied. As she walked away, he thought more about his decision of not agreeing to her offer. Lani wasn’t interested in him, and so it wasn’t advisable that he vested his feelings in their relationship but it was too late anyway. He had made his decision and he had to live with it.
No matter the consequence.
*****
He felt a presence behind him, which compelled him to turn around to confirm his suspicion. It was Joshua with a big bowl of popcorn in one hard, and a bottle of soda in the other. Smiling, his friend sunk into the space next to Tari on the couch before the TV and pulled out a stool to set down the junk food in his hands.
“Of course, you can’t bring me popcorn and Pepsi without taking out of it yourself.” Tari snickered, as Joshua held out the bowl of popcorn to him. It had been one heck of a Monday, such notion implying that the stress had been overload since a regular Monday was as cut throat as an arduous day. He had only returned from his meeting with Lani at the cafeteria and was going to watch TV for a couple of hours before going to bed. The rest of the boys on the other hand were nowhere to be found, probably still at their respective faculties―either indulging themselves in frivolous activity or taking lectures. Joshua was his only roommate who was studying Architecture also.
“You should be happy I’m being hospitable,” Joshua reached out to a throw pillow, and set it on his thighs, his gaze directed television. “Film trailers, huh?” He remarked. “There are a lot of big movies coming out next year to be excited about. But the one I’m really psyched about is the G.I. Joe movie. It’s going to be really awesome.”
Tari smirked, dipping his hand into the bowl to grab a handful of popcorn. “I wouldn’t be too sure about that. There is something about adaptations of any kind, either books, games or in this case―a toy franchise. There is just too much pressure for the movie to make a lot of money and not tank but we’d see. I’m looking forward to it though but I won’t be too surprised if it doesn’t blow me away, because the filmmakers would be trying too hard to get it right.”
“Oh, Christ you worry too much. What’s your problem?” Joshua groaned, eliciting a laughter from him. “This was the same thing you said about the Iron Man movie that came out today, but based on word of mouth – I’m hearing it was pretty awesome. So how about you just have faith for once in your life and not worry too much about the outcome. You know, like a real teenager would.”
Tari resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “I didn’t say the movie would be bad, I just said there is a high tendency that it might turn out bad. Two very different things but now that you mentioned that the Iron Man movie is great, I really want to see it. More because it’s Robert Downey that was casted in the lead role. That guy’s past few years have been really harsh. Marvel is taking a big gamble on him.”
“Stop saying it like he’s doing more than acting,” Joshua replied. “He is just the lead actor not the director and writer of the script also. Let’s stop talking about movie technicalities like some bunch of weirdos―”
“Hmm, I thought I was a weirdo.” He humored Joshua, motioning that he pass the bottle of Pepsi.
“Exactly. You are. I’m not. I’m the normal in the ‘we’. I said bunch of weirdos, not a weirdo and a normal guy.” His friend replied, handing over the bottle to him. “It’s good to see you all relaxed though. You hardly give yourself a break. Always working and working, and I know how things are tough with your family but sometimes I fear that you take it a little bit too far.”
The shredded popcorn that was headed down his esophagus, got stuck and formed a lump but he quickly downed it in one gulp of Pepsi. The boys were no strangers to his parents financial shortcomings but they realized how the topic was highly sensitive and so hardly made reference to it. In fact, now that he thought of it―it was the first time any of them referenced to it.
“Oh, well at least I’m relaxing now.” He refused to face the scrutiny head on. “It’s not that I don’t want to relax or I don’t like relaxing actually, it’s just―”
“There is no time? C’mon, there is never time for that. You just have to make time for it.”
“No, I wasn’t going to say that.” He sat up. “Of course, we’re in school, which means that there is hardly time for anything. The reason why, is that relaxing just doesn’t feel right.”
“It doesn’t feel right?” Joshua’s voice lowered to an incredulous one, almost as if he had announced to him that Iron Man was real and existed outside the fictional world. “What is it, True love?”
“No, don’t be ridiculous. I mean I never feel relaxed when I’m relaxing. I know that sounds funny but it’s the truth. There is always this cold chill inside and this voice telling me that I should be doing something other than resting.”
“Hmm, so you have over productivity disorder.” Joshua didn’t sound surprised. “You just have to live with it, guy. Do you want to look fifty when you’re only thirty? Trust me that’s what is pretty much going to happen if you continue with this not resting, workaholic attitude of yours. Slow down.”
“Got it. As you can see, I’m slowing down.” He raised the bottle of soda as if to make cheers. “Why are you not out today? Sure it might be a Monday, but that hasn’t ever stopped you from finding somewhere to go.”
“I hope that’s not condescension, because if it is I’d smack that bowl out of your hands before you can say pop. I’m just tired today, I don’t feel like going out. What’s so bad about that? You guys stay indoors all day and yet I don’t say anything when Pelumi and David decide to go out.”
Unlike the rest, Joshua had a bubbling, social life that Pelumi and David envied and he also, if he were being brutally honest with himself. But of course, one couldn’t have everything they wanted in this life. In fact, he had come about realizing that one couldn’t have most of what was wished for in life. It simply wasn’t a wish granting factory.
“Calm down, it’s just a question.” Tari said. “And seeing as you’re getting all worked up, I sense there might just be a reason. But I’d let it go anyway.”
“There is nothing to tell I’ve not told you,” Joshua insisted. “And you? I’m guessing you’ve returned from your annual date night with Lani.” That remark earned him an eye roll. “I’m serious, you guys are more chummy than you’d like to admit. Or are you going to open your mouth and tell me it’s just friendship? That you don’t want more than that?”
“It’s not about what I want, it’s about what is possible. I think you’re forgetting the fact that the person we’re talking about is Lani Olaere who is―”
“Just another human being like me, you and everyone else on this campus and not some Amazonian princess disguised as a modern day person.” Joshua interjected. “So please, do go on and tell me why a situation that’s more than friendship isn’t possible?”
“You know what I’m talking about, you really don’t have to make it more difficult than it is.” Tari sighed. “She’s way out of my league, and you know it―she knows it and everyone else in this school knows it. The reason why no one has walked up to me to tell me that, is probably because they’re letting me have my little moment in the sun which they know would soon be over.”
Joshua frowned, sidling up on the couch to face Tari’s hunched figure. “Look here, no one is allowing anything happen asides Lani herself, and if she is indeed allowing anything, she is doing so because she wants it―not because it’s a silly moment in the sun or whatever you’re calling it.”
“I mean, like she is probably just being her best, friendly and warm person because this project will finish at the end of the semester and we’d both return back to our separate worlds, you know?” His shoulders rose.
“Then if that’s the case then, why aren’t you enjoying it for the meantime. What you’re saying is totally ridiculous, but I’m not in the mood to argue because I know you’d still stick by it anyway, but still if you believe it’s for a short time, then why not enjoy it for that short time? It’s not every time a hot girl like her would show interest in you though. It’s not going to happen again, or has it happened before?”
A wave of nostalgia hit him and he grinned. “Sort of, actually. There used to be this family friend of mine, who is a girl. We knew each other since we were like three or so and grew up together because our folks were that close. Her name is Kehinde, by the way. Anyway to cut the long story short, she grew up into quite a beauty and I grew up into—well myself. Still, she was always incredibly and goofily nice in a way that I knew didn’t have to do with just being nice. She liked me.”
“So…you’re trying to say because it happened before with another girl in your past, and it’s happening with Lani now―it’d happen again in the future if you let this opportunity go without enjoying it? Let’s also assume that ridiculous mindset is right, that’s what your romantic life is going to be like all through your time here on earth? Waiting for hot girls to develop feelings for you for an unknown reason?”
Tari bit down on his lower lip. “Wow, way to go in making me sound really stupid. That was not my point, actually. I don’t even know why I brought it up. I guess I’m just trying to say that such doesn’t really last long and it would eventually leave. I cut contact with Kehinde about five years ago and she didn’t even bother calling me or something, meaning that it was just some parental obligation or childhood compulsion―”
“But earlier you said that she genuinely liked you― ”
“I don’t even understand what I’m saying.” He groaned, pausing a bit to organize his thoughts. “Okay, I think I know where my head is at now. I’m just trying to say, that it’s always short lived and feels genuine at the moment but there is always an ulterior motive to it. Lani is probably doing it for some reason I can’t see, and it’d be best for me not to get involved and hurt myself in the long run.”
“So you chicken out, classic Tari.” Joshua sounded heavily disappointed but there was nothing he could do about that. “Tell me, what ulterior motive could she even have anyway? It’s not like they’re going to give her extra marks for the project if she gets chummy with you. Sorry, but that’s the only way I could see her benefiting from being friendly with you if she doesn’t want to be genuinely friendly. You don’t exactly have much to offer.”
His fingers burrowed into his scalp and left temporary impact scars as they ran through his ruffled hair. Joshua was right without doubt, and he knew that anyway but he didn’t want to face the truth. For some reason, such life didn’t sound appropriate or rather, safe for him. Perhaps it was his relaxing disorder or whatever Joshua had called it earlier.
“You really need to loosen up, man.” Joshua reiterated. “Now, please change the channel to Mtv, and let’s see what new music is popping.”
For the rest of the night, no topic of a consequential nature came up again, but what Joshua said stuck with him. Not because he had such high esteem for it, but because Lani had brought that to his notice, multiple times. Maybe, it was indeed time to loosen up and dabble into new things that he wouldn’t attempt in his wildest dreams.
Or nightmares, either.
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And the second phase is off. Lani is absent in this chapter, I know. Just wanted to address a vice, she wasn’t needed to be in. She returns in the next chapter and so does all the glorious drama. But, what do you think about this chapter overall? Tari’s mom? Flood the comments with your thoughts.
See you next week. Have a splendid weekend.