What happened to take Ola away from me? It's a question I keep asking myself. A question that has no answer because no one, not even the closest people around us have given me an answer.
Soon, I would sign the papers that would give me the rights to have what was supposed to be his share of money and inheritance. This was something his family was offering me. I found it quite strange that they were offering so much.
If they were doing this as a way of telling me that there was someone else in his life, someone that matched their own approval, this didn't bother me. The only thing I didn't want, was to be kept in the dark. I sat down in my new office thinking of what to do next.
Since it was my first day working in my father's company, I didn't think I would have much to do. And so I sat down and switched on my laptop and started searching the internet. Then someone knocked on my door.
"Yes, who is it?" The door opened and I saw the same staff that my father had told to take me to my office, come in.
"Excuse me madam, your father said, I should take you around the company." She said smiling.
"Oh, okay just wait for me outside. I'll be with you in a minute." She went out and closed the door. I closed my laptop and went out. Soon I was taken around the company from one office to another. I had my first acquaintance with the employees. They were quite happy to see me and the looks on their faces told me they loved the work environment.
After going around, I thanked the staff and went to see my father. I knocked on the door of his office and when he told me to come in, I went in and sat down opposite him.
"So how do you like your new office?" he asked
"It's okay. I went round the company and saw the employees. They were looking happy."
"That's because they are relaxed and not tense. So they work better."
"True." I said
"But that doesn't mean I don't shout at them. I do that sometimes. And when you become the next manager you may also have to do some shouting too." I laughed when he said that.
I knew my dad was doing his best so one day, I could take over from him. But my life right now was a mess, and I was only struggling to stay strong. If only I knew what happened to Ola, this could have given me the courage to face life differently. Thinking of this reminded me of the papers I had to sign.
"Dad, so the papers I'm suppose to sign, when will it be?"
"Anytime you're ready. I mean, you are supposed to go through them. Would you like to do that now, since you're not busy at the moment?"
"Okay." He brought out the file from his desk drawer and handed it over to me.
"You can go to your office and go through them." I thanked him and went back to my office. For the next two hours I poured over the documents trying to understand the one thing that wasn't clear. A group of five businesses, ranging from pharmaceuticals to consultancy and oil, formed what was called Segun Industries.
The peculiar thing I noticed was that there was not one member of the Segun family being mentioned as owners of the business. It was administered by another company. While the offer the family was making to me was clearly stated, this particular point baffled me. If I had to sign anything, I had to understand what this meant.
I wanted to ask my father about it but then I remembered my former colleague Femi, at the security company where I used to work. I had to ask him first, so he could help me understand this before I signed any papers. I had his number and dialed him.
"Tola?"
"Femi na wao. So you just forget me, abi?"
"Abeg, you no dey talk better. You sef know now."
"So you Femi, no go ask after your sister to know how she dey?"
"I no even get time sef. We get plenty work. So what can I do for you?"
"I for like see you o."
"Ha, baby na now you dey talk wetin I wan hear."
"Femi shebi you know say, I be your sister?"
"Tola, where dem write dat one?"
"And you know say I dey married?"
"Ha Tola, you suppose understand say I no be firewood now."
"Abeg make I hear word. Listen it's very important I see you, Femi."
"Hope there's no problem?"
"Anyway, till we see, sha."
"Okay and when will that be?" He asked.
"Let's make it tomorrow as I am not with my car today."
"Aha Tola, I can come and pick you up. At least when we finish our discussion we can go to one cool joint and relax now."
"Femi, are you well at all? So all this talk say I dey married no dey enter your head abi?"
"Easy now, guy just get strong feelings for yo."
"And me I go feel bad if you continue to talk like that o."
"Okay o, Tola. when you are ready let me know. But it should be after work."
"Alright." I hung up and heaved a sigh of relief. I went back to reading the documents again.
The following day I met up with Femi and took him to the pub Ola and I had gone to. We sat down and after the waiter brought us something to drink, I told Femi why I wanted to see him.
"Femi I'm about to sign an important contract with a company, but the problem is, I don't have the names under which the company is registered, and I am worried. I was hoping you could do some..," It was hard telling him to do a search, but I had to tell him. "I mean you could...,"
"Wait, I know what you are asking me to do." He interrupted.
"You do?" I asked. It was something I wouldn't have ever asked him to do. But I remember receiving a letter by mistake at my office one day. Seeing it was addressed to his section, I decided to take it to him. When I got there he was working on a new software.
"Femi, this letter came to my office by mistake." He looked up at me perhaps worried I had opened it.
"Don't look at me like I opened it. Look, it is still sealed." I told him, handing him the letter. He took it from me and looked at it thoroughly before putting it down. He went back to work, ignoring my presence. I laughed.
"So na me you dey do oga for, Femi? I no blame you, na because na me find you come." I was about to walk away when he said something that made me laugh.
"You know say with you, na marathon person go run." I couldn't contain my laughter. I knew he didn't like it when I told him to first run the Lagos-New York marathon before I could consider having a relationship with him.
"Oh so na dat one dey pain you wey you dey ignore me?"
"Abeg Tola, no disturb me. I dey busy." I walked up to his side and looked down at what he was doing. He felt my presence and couldn't work. He looked at me making me blink.
"Tola you just dey take me dey do yeye, upon how I love you reach."
"Femi shebi you no see my guy, abi?"
"Anyway, sha, forget. I get level wey you never know, until one day you go need my help." I frowned at him but forced out a smile.
"Abeg make I hear word. Abi you dey threaten me or wetin?
"Tola forget, you know say I get level here. Na just one line of code naim I go send for your guy phone, take track am know whether him get another babe for corner or not."
"Femi, no carry that your wahala near my guy o if not I go get am hot with you."
"I don hear o lover girl." I walked out angrily and went back to my office. Now sitting with him in the pub, I wanted him to find out the information I needed using his skills. He laughed.
"Look Tola, there are some things I can do. But I can't do what you are asking me."
"Why not?" I asked.
"I mean, it's not that I can't do it."
"So where's the problem, Femi?"
" Doing it, I would be breaking the law." He replied.
"Oh really?"
"Yes Tola."
"Wait o, I remember you telling me you could track my...,"
"Abeg Tola, no go dat side. I just dey take am dey play with you."
"See you. Now wey you go use am help me, you turn to law abiding citizen by force." Femi laughed.
"Ha Femi, and you dey boast say you get level. Say na only one line of code naim you go send go give my guy." Femi kept laughing and I couldn't help but also laugh too.
"Okay, listen Tola, on a serious note if you want to sign a contract have your lawyer go through the documents. Your lawyer should be in a better position to tell you if you should sign it or not."
"Abi?" he nodded.
"And besides, your lawyer will ask the company representatives to mention the name or names used to register the company. So you shouldn't be worried." While the fact that my father's lawyer would also be there when I would sign, I still had my doubts about the whole process.
I thanked Femi and after staying with him for a while, I dropped him off at his place and went home. I got home to meet my parents in the sitting room watching TV. After greeting them, I went to my room. Femi called to ask if I had got home. I told him yes and after a brief chat with him, I hung up.
Finally at home, I was mentally preparing myself for the day I would sign the papers. I was looking forward to it and I couldn't wait to see the faces of the entire Segun family.
I was particularly curious to see Ola's father. He was a lively man and with the sudden death of his son, I wondered how he was taking it. He must be devastated, I told myself. I was too, and still struggling with it. After a few days, the day had come to sign the papers.
When it came, my father called his lawyer so he could explain more clearly what was in the documents. After the lawyer explained everything, we left my father's office and went to the meeting place. The meeting was held in one of the Segun Industries company meeting rooms. When we got there, we saw only a handful of people.
Ola's father wasn't there yet. My father noticed it and got worried. Sitting down waiting were three women and a young boy, probably about eight years old. The three women smiled at us and we smiled back. I was tense as I didn't know if I was welcomed or not. Finally after a few minutes, the door swung open and Ola's father came in accompanied by another man.
The man had a resemblance that matched Ola's father. Looking at Ola's father, I noticed he hadn't changed much from the last time I saw him. Everything was set, and the documents were being read by both lawyers. They called each of the people present by their respective names.
The three women were sisters to Ola's father, while the man was his half brother. When it was time to present the young boy, everyone in the room looked at me. This surprised me but I found out why. The boy was Ola's son. His name? Segun Jr. I felt a little weak seeing the boy and almost felt ashamed of being in the room. But I had to live this moment and swallow my regrets at seeing the boy.