Loving you is complicated.
- Kendrick Lamar
ENITAN
How did I end up in a room with Nathan's mum?
She plopped down the bed beside me and gently placed her soft hands on mine.
"How do you feel?"
"G-Good?" I answered, but it came out rather as a question.
"Oh. Dear. I must have you confused. I'm Nathan's mum. Call me Margaret."
I know who you are!
My heart was beating so fast and I was lost for words. What was I supposed to say?
"M-Mrs Adakole." I stuttered again. "This is-"
"Unexpected," she completed.
I was going to say uncomfortable, but that would work too.
"I get it. You're confused. You're in my guest's house. Nathan brought you here to get proper rest, after you lost consciousness. I'm sorry you had to go through all that drama with Anna. She can be a handful sometimes."
Nathan told her about the incident? Embarrassment washed over me.
"And what about Nathan?" I asked, looking down at my hands.
"He's-" she hesitated, "having a meeting with his father. He'll back in no time."
I nodded in understanding. The room became awkwardly silent and I fidgeted with my hands. Behind her smile, I knew she had something on her mind.
I bet she's thinking, 'what an opportunist'. A desperate opportunist.
"I should go. I feel better now." Feeling uneasy, I clutched my handbag and made to stand.
"Nonsense." She waved off. "Why don't you have your bath while I call for food?" she asked as she pulled me back to sit. "I'll have fresh clothes brought to you in a bit. I'd also love for you to join me downstairs when you're through."
I knew it! She had things to get off her chest.
I nodded in agreement. With that, she stood up and left the room with so much grace that intimidated me even more.
Curiosity got the best of me as I moved to the large drapes and pulled them apart, to reveal a wide sliding glass door and balcony. My jaw dropped at the view that welcomed me. I slid the door open, the windy cool air hitting me, a contrast to the mid September weather in other parts of Lagos. I breathed an unintentional sigh of relief as I stepped onto the balcony.
Not so far ahead, on the other side of a short stone barrier, the blue ocean spread endlessly. There were smaller colourful roofed houses spread around at the bottom of the steep, making the place look like a resort. For the first in a long time I smiled, a satisfying and relaxing smile. All I wanted at the moment was to walk along the shores.
I hastily got dressed in the loose-fitting midi yellow dress that Nathan's mum had brought up when I was in the bathroom, then slipped my legs into my slippers.
I rummaged my handbag in search of my phone and pulled it out to see a few messages. I quickly replied to the ones from Jameel and my sister, Tolani-and Ignoring Tanya's. Out of habit, I delved into Instagram and headed out of the room.
Something on my feed-posted by one of the blogs I followed caught my attention. I stared at my phone screen in open mouthed horror.
'Soon to be married tycoon caught kissing a mysterious woman.'
Wait! What? That's Nathan's house! And that's me, Nathan- kissing.
The video didn't show my face clearly as I had my back to the camera. But I could recognise myself any day lustfully kissing another woman's man.
My hands began to shake. Was this the reason Mrs Adakole wanted to talk to me? She must think I'm bad news.
Going to the settings on my account, I put my page on my private, shoved my hands into my dress pockets and descended down the stairs. If I wasn't already in a sullen mood, I'd have gawked at the simple modern themed interior of the house.
Nathan's Mum met me at the foot of the staircase and guided me to the simple and almost empty dining area. Even with the set of packed food and dinner set placed on it, the white table still looked like a work station with a few scattered papers and a closed laptop resting on it.
"Sit, please." She gestured to one of the chairs. I sat, upright and shoulders squared, I braced myself for the worst. The aroma of the food made my mouth water and reminded me of how hungry I was. The time on my phone read two P.M, and I'd still not taken my first meal of the day. I was supposed to- with Nathan, until Annabelle happened. My mood soured at the reminder.
"So, I understand you're having a child for Nathan?" She blurted out, halfway into our meal. "He's going through a hard time right now. He loves you, obviously. I know you feel the same way too. You're not just out to take advantage of him-like Anna."
My head snapped up at Annabelle's name. She didn't sound like a fan of Annabelle. Was Nathan telling the truth when he said their marriage was a deal?
"And that's why I need you to make this easier for him, and yourself," she said, taking a swig from the glass of red wine.
"How, Ma?"
"This thing between the both of you-can you keep it simple-to avoid emotional complications." Her eyes scanned my face for some sort of reaction then she continued, "for what it's worth, I'm on your side-and my latest grandchild's. But I hate messy situations, especially with Anna. Things are bound to get messy if you don't keep things formal." She smiled warmly.
"Ma, I think you're mistaken. Nathan has moved on. And I'm just doing this for my child."
She chuckled and bobbled her head in amusement. "Yeah, I clearly saw that in the video."
My gaze instantly fell to the pasta on the table, if only the earth would open up and swallow me. She laughed hard and dug into her meal.
Seconds of peaceful silence passed and I took it as my chance to make my request. "I spotted a beach not far from here, if you don't mind, ma. I'll love to visit, before Nathan returns to take me home."
"Sure! Why not? And-you don't have to leave. You're welcome to stay here for as long as you want."
"Thank you, Ma. But I intend to stay with my family during the pregnancy. I'll need their help."
"At least tell me you'll consider my offer. For privacy, you'll need lots of it. Your family can stay here with you." She dropped the glass of wine on the table. "It can get lonely some times," she whispered, like I wasn't supposed to hear it.
"I'll think about it," I replied, giving her a polite smile.
She smiled in return and gave me a run-down of how to get to the beach without going over the stone wall.
***
Sitting by the beach, I tried not to think of Nathan, the video, his mum, or anything that happened recently. But the thoughts kept forcing themselves back.
If only there was a button I could press to reset my life. Maybe I'd go back to ninth June, 2017, the first day I met him at the Mill. I'd rather have flouted his orders to meet him at the office, then I wouldn't have been tempted by his captivating eyes and richly deep voice. Or maybe I'd go back to the night when I let him kiss me for the first time in front of my father's restaurant, and not see him out to his car. Unfortunately, drawing strength to face the future was all I could do now.
"Hey," a voice said over the roaring sounds of crashing waves.
I whipped my head to see the man responsible for my life and heart aches trudging toward me in all his glory. It felt surreal to think that he was once mine and his baby was growing inside of me.
"Hey," I replied, not making any effort to stand. Stealing a glance at his face, I noticed his eyes had lost their sheen and now replaced with a weariness I couldn't place. Maybe his mum was right. Maybe this was hard on him too. I turned my gaze back to the water. To my surprise, he slouched beside me on the sand and sat with legs crossed under him.
"Today has been total disaster," he said after a while of watching some men pull out a canoe from the water.
"Yeah," I whispered, wrapping my hands around my folded knees.
He heaved a deep sigh. "I'm sorry-"
"Don't-" I cut him off. From the side of my eye I could see him studying my face. "Don't apologise, it's not your fault. Shit has happened and there's nothing we can do to change it. I'm tired of the back and forth Nathan, all this-" I threw my hand in the air, "is taking its toll on me. I'm tired."
"You're right, we can't change it-"
My heart sank for the one-millionth time. Of course, I'd known this for over five weeks now, but it just hurt every time he said it.
"But we can make the future better and less hostile," he continued, "I'll resolve the video issue then we can start afresh-for our child's sake."
"Yeah," I nodded absentmindedly.
"But I want the news of this baby to remain between us and our families. I-"
"You want to keep it a secret I get it. But do you actually think I'll be proud to announce my pregnancy for another woman's man to the whole world? What do I stand to gain?" I huffed in annoyance and scrambled to my feet. Dusting off the remnant of sand from my gown, I picked up my slippers from the side and tottered off.
"Enitan! Eni, I'm sorry," Nathan shouted while trying to catch up with me. Tears starting to burn my eyes, I increased my pace. He caught up with me and grabbed my wrist, whisking me around to face him. I wasn't hurt by the fact that he didn't trust me enough to keep our secret. What hurt me was that he wanted my child-our child hidden.
"I'm not trying to ruin your life Nathan, I want the best for you and your wife," I spat out the last word like it was a five day old stale food.
"Does that mean I have your blessings?" he asked with concern.
Wow. He really wants to be with her.
"Did you ever need it?"
"Enitan. Please, you said you were done with the back and forth. Honestly I'm done too. Can we just get along."
"Fine. You have my blessings with Annabelle. You can live your life without the fear of me interfering. In fact, you can pretend I don't exist," I managed to say without falling apart.
"That's impossible. I can't go about like you don't exist-"
My heart skipped a beat.
"We're having a child together for God sake. That's too big a mutual interest to pretend you don't exist. I'll need updates from time to time, about your wellbeing and the child's, and lots of other things."
His child, of course.
"Fine. You'll get 'time to time updates about my wellbeing and the child's.'"
"Good. But we'll still have to talk about your doctor's appointment and a comfortable living arrangement on the island."
"I was going to stay with my family, but your mother offered me the house. Should be close to whatever hospital you have in mind."
"My mother is not getting involved with my child's welfare! You'll be moving to my penthouse on Monday. I'll get someone to clean up. Let me know if you want to redecorate-"
"No Nathan. I'm tired of moving around like a refugee. Let me make this one decision. It's my life after all!" My hands instantly went to my hips and I glared at him.
He scrunched his face and after much hesitation he spoke, "ok. Whenever you're ready, Everest will help you pack. He'll also be taking you to your doctor's appointments. We'll discuss more important things as time progresses."
I see.
"Fine."
"Alright, I guess that will be all for now. Do take care." With that he turned and walked off the beach and up the barrier, not sparing me a second glance. I puffed out an exasperated sigh and threw myself on the sand.
"Enitan Alaide," I muttered to myself. "Baby Mama! Your mother would be so proud." I laid my back on the sand and hissed.
Was that how bad he didn't want to be around me? Nathan obviously had everything planned out in other to avoid me. Making his bodyguard do his antenatal responsibilities? His mum had nothing to worry about. There'll definitely be no "emotional complications."
Hey guys, had to drop this before wednesday, it's my sister's birthdau and I want (ed) to dedicate this to her. Happy birthday Gloriaidoko ❤
And woooow, this book just hit 4k. Thank you so much. Don't stop supporting. Comments and votes are highly appreciated. Stay safe!!