"Okay, I love you and all, but I will literally kill you if there's no chocolate flavored ice cream and shortbread in your bag." Aka greeted as the door flung open to reveal their guest.
Tseju smiled, rolling her eyes.
Yemisi rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Ignore her, she's having cramps." She reached and hugged Tseju, giving her a light peck on her left cheek.
"It's true!!!!!!" Akande moaned dramatically. "I'm dying!!!!! Lumberjacks are at it on my waistline!!!!"
Tseju almost choked from laughter. One year later and Akande's antics seemingly renewed every other day. Seriously, kudos to whoever wrote this girls script! She was madness personified.
Yes, today made it one year and one day since she'd started dating her Chocolate Man. Yesterday had been the most beautiful day ever. He'd spoilt her silly with gifts, showered her lavishly and shamelessly with attention and then they'd had the best candle lit dinner ever. She was gonna give him his gift today. She just hoped everything went as she hoped it would.
"Good evening to you too Aka." Tseju said, handing over one of the white cellophanes she held, the one containing Akande's period crack - Chocolate ice cream and Shortbread.
"You brought ittt!!!!" Akande squealed, mock crying. "I'd hug you, but I'm bleeding and i don't want to get pregnant."
Yemisi face palmed. She sometimes wondered who she'd offended and had decided to punish her with her fathers dad jokes and Aka's period drama.
"Wow! Just wow!" Tseju shook her head laughing.
"Right. Right. Laugh at the suffering girl why don't you. Anyways, you have 30 minutes until he gets here, so you better start setting up. Plus, I'm leaking blood while lumberjacks cut down trees in my belly, which means I'm gonna be completely useless to you, sooo amma just be upstairs in my room wolfing down this chocolate ice cream and picking a fight with Mannie for no good reason. Okay? Love you, bye." She flashed Tseju and Yemisi her passive maniac smile and waddled up the stairs like a pregnant penguin.
Tseju shook her head smiling. She felt sorry for Mannie. She was sure that when the poor boy asked Akande out, he never expected the madness that came with the cuteness.
"So, how's your mom? It's been a while since I spoke to her." Yemisi asked as they began decorating the small sitting room.
Tseju smiled as she lit one vanilla scented candle. "She's fine. She's added weight sef."
"Ah ah!!! Awwwwww!!" Yemisi's smile beamed even wider.
"Yes ohh. She screenshotted it and sent to me and Dafe. We were so happy mehn."
"It only gets better love. It only gets better."
Tseju smiled again. This time, she dropped the tray of cookies in her left hand on the table and reached over to hug Yemisi. "Thank you. For everything."
Yemisi smiled and nodded. "That's what family is for. We gotchu. Any day, any time. Now, that's all yea?" She asked.
"Yea, thanks again."
"Alright love. Remember, we're upstairs and can choose to walk in at annnyyyy time so no x-rated stuff okay?"
"Ew! Bye!"
They both laughed.
Tseju sat on the black armchair opposite the 56 inch LED flatscreen TV that Chuks has gotten Bayo as a housewarming gift following the completion of his house in Benin. The reflection of the flame of the scented candle resting on the table in front of her danced in her eyes. She looked around the small sitting room and smiled, satisfied with her work.
As she waited for her Chocolate Man to get back home, her mind moonwalked down memory lane of the past year.
She'd just submitted her project for final approval when she got the call from Dafe that the surgery had been successful and the tumor eradicated. She'd broken down in tears right there, in the long corridor of the departmental offices.
The ten months of radiation and chemotherapy following the surgery had been set up to be the most emotionally and physically exhausting months of her life. At least it would have been but for the support of the most amazing support group a girl could ask for. She'd survived ten months of watching her mom lose weight and energy like her village people were using it to sponsor village festivals, nights where her mother wept because of pain and begged to be allowed to die. The only reason why she hadn't broken down or spiraled down a pit of hopelessness had been because of the love and support she'd gotten from family and friends that had turned family. All of them - Dafe, Jumi, Mide, Ada, Tess, Bayo, Yemisi, Akande, MJ, Mako, Mayo, Bello, Chuks and Felicity. They'd always been a phone call away, always ready to listen, to pray, to cry, to celebrate little victories.
During this time, construction of the Ark-y-Tech head office and Bayo's personal house had resumed in Benin and so he had to be in several board meetings in Canada, be with Tseju in America and he needed to be down at the site in Benin. Her Chocolate Man had done the most. For the first six months, he'd surfed between Canada, the US and Benin. Tseju knew how much traveling back and forth cost him emotionally, physically and financially. It took a serious quarrel and Mrs Mobijilade herself speaking to him before he reduced his trips to the US and settled for facetiming them as much as possible. Even MJ and the girls came around a couple of times. The boys too.
The grand opening of the branch in Benin had been a joint pleasure for both familes. Mrs Mobijilade watched the entire event live. Tseju had flown in to surprise Bayo. It had been a beautiful ceremony.
The sound of Bayo's car pulling into the driveway stirred Tseju out of her reverie. She got up and moved towards the door, eager to hug him as he walked in.
Bayo was slightly surprised to see Tseju. He'd given her a key and these days she randomly appeared at his house a lot. He loved it! He couldn't wait until it became a daily experience. "I could get used to this." He said, both arms on the small of her back as he drew her in for a slow delicious kiss.
"And I could get used to this," She replied, kissing him back.
They soon settled in and moved on to savouring the delicious meal Mrs Mobijilade prepared and each others company.
"So I've been meaning to tell you something." Tseju said after they'd finished eating. She pulled away from him so she could seat up and see him properly while she spoke.
Bayo reached out and pulled her back in, "Anything you want to tell me, you can tell me in my arms."
Tseju smiled, "It's about my past Bayo. It's an ugly story."
Tseju could sense it when Bayo morphed into his protective state. His face always scrunched in seriousness like he was the Commander in Chief of the Nigerian Armed Force listening to a Nigerian general dish out intel on how they could defeat Boko Haram. His eyes would narrow in on her face, actively searching for God knows what. His hands, God bless the man, his arms reached for her. They always reached for her.
"You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to."
"I know that, and I'm not telling you because I feel like I have to, I'm telling you because I want to." She sighed and gave a small laugh, a sign, as Bayo had come to understand that she was nervous. "I don't know how to even start."
He rubbed her back, eyes still fixed on her. "However and from wherever. I'm all ears."
"I was raped." She said softly, but loud enough that he heard her.
_____
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!! 🍾🥂
I hope this new year brings you love and light. I hope we all find happiness in everything we do.
You guys have been the best audience ever! We're almost at the end of Tseju's Bayo and I cannot can😭😭😭😭 I'm drowning in my feelings!!!
Anyways, i hope you're preparing your questions and comments for the Q'n'A.
I love y'all!!! Keep voting, commenting annnnnddddd sharinnnngggg!!!! We need to share Bayo with the worllllldddd🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾