Yemisi
Muritala Mohammed Airport, Lagos.
Barrister Peret was not a man in which I could refuse his request. He would have accepted my valid reason if I had given him one. But imagine how I would sound if I told him that I didn't want to travel to Germany because my not-so-brave husband was also there, and I didn't want to see him because he had not been bold enough to communicate with me?
Quite unprofessional, right?
First, the profession was not and should not be affiliated with sentiments. I mean, what was Barrister Peret's business with my personal life, and why should it ever come in the way of a legal task?
Also, what was the guarantee that Christopher and I would cross paths in Germany so soon? The last time I researched geographical coordinates, I learned that Germany had several cities. I didn't know about Christopher's mission in Germany, but I certainly knew mine, and I had better get on with it because it was a bizarre case — to put it mildly.
The day Christopher called Karen's line since mine was out of reach, I made one more significant attempt to bury the hatchet. I dialed his number after thinking of the things I planned to say – to apologize for yelling at him the day before he left, to tell him that I had taken back my words, saying that I wouldn't miss him and instead, I wished I said goodbye before he left.
I was willing to be mellow, but I regained my senses when the call didn't go through. I thought of leaving a text or a voice mail, but I realized that it would make no difference. It was clear that Christopher wasn't ready to talk. If he could remain unresponsive to my calls, what made me think the above options would provide tangible solutions?
Of what gain would it be if all he was going to do was apologize and wear that sad countenance on his face in an attempt to avoid the delicate matters on ground?
I would rather remain logical. Logic was one thing that never let me down. It was always a satisfactory substitute for moments like this when it was tempting to get overwhelmed by emotions.
My assignment was to investigate the case of an old lady who lives in the remotest parts of Bonn. I would have to find out who the culprit was since Barrister Peret made me understand that the case could very much be related to my sisters'. This meant that I had a lot to do — one of the top things being to enroll myself in a German Law school to be familiar with German law — to be authorized and educated enough to exercise my legal power on the case.
And that was going to take me a good number of months or even a year.
Could I do without my husband for a year? Certainly not. But the real question was, Would I be willing to give this case my all, knowing that it would get me closer to helping my little sister attain justice?
Indeed! I was beyond ready!
I knew Christopher and me were going to sort things out. I just didn't know when. Deep down, I hoped it wouldn't take too long. Nevertheless, until the time comes and even after the time has arrived, I would continue to work very hard.
I unzipped my bag, checking briefly to ensure that I'd packed all of the items I needed — The files containing the photos of the old woman and the house in which she lived, a map, my school certificates, and degree scrolls which would help me get into a German Law School, and the cash needed for my hotel accommodation.
Everything was intact.
I zipped my bag then fixed my eyes on Karen and my daughter, Gifty. I nodded at them. Immediately, they got the message I intended to pass across non-verbally, and soon, we were walking towards the check-in department at the airport.
"So...you will be away for how long?" Gifty asked me in a low tone.
"Probably for a year. That explains why I have so much luggage with me, " I reply.
"What? That's a long period!" her eyebrows shot up, causing wavy lines to appear on her forehead. Her eyes grew the size of saucers.
"But this is something you and your brother have always wanted. Well, your brother never seemed to care much since he's hard to read. But you, especially, have always longed for me to be away, " I questioned.
"Well," she licked her lips. "You are indeed a bit tough on us, but still, it's only normal I react that way. Why are you staying there for so long?" Gifty said without trying to sugarcoat the truth.
Deep down, I wished she had. I wished she'd have lied a little. It was clear that she didn't mind me being away for as long as I could be.
"I have an important task to carry out. I'm investigating a case that might serve as a great source of help for your aunt's case, so I must do my best to make accurate and effective findings."
"Oh wow. I hope it truly helps. Aunty Ebun has been traumatized for too long," she heaved a sigh.
There was a melancholy in her tone that made my heart do something funny — like a painful squeeze. Remembering Ebun always took a toll on me.
"Yes, " I tried to stay strong. "Karen and I recently learned about one of the culprits who plans on turning himself in very soon. Karen is going to be taking care of that, and she will be looking after you and your brother too."
"Oh, okay then. I just hope you and Da—"
All it took for Gifty to stop her speech was a cold glare from me. The effect of it was faster than a gag if it had been tied to her mouth. If she had gone on uttering words out of naivety, Karen would have gotten the hint. And Gifty knew how much confidentiality mattered to me.
I did trust Karen. Over the years, she had proven to be trustworthy. Still, I wasn't willing to share that issue with anyone yet, and I wanted it to remain that way till I deemed it necessary to share. Gifty had only known about my rift with Christopher because I had been unable to conceal it — through the way I'd been crying. I would never have decided to share it with her.
If Karen got a hint, I doubt that she would make attempts to squeeze the details out of my lips. Perhaps I was overthinking the matter. Karen didn't seem to observe what just happened or if she did, maybe she had mastered the art of pretense in my absence — because she's never been this good.
Just then, I saw a white woman walk past us with two puppies. One was white. The other puppy was white too but had a brown circle-like patch around its right eye. The puppies were looking in Karen's direction and flapping their tongues.
Then I observed Karen. She'd been star-struck and had a shimmer in her eyes that seemed to have little hearts for irises. She was doing her best to refrain from snatching the puppies. It was only when the white woman walked past with her puppies and was out of sight that Karen had managed to respond to me.
It's no wonder why she didn't notice.
"Yes! I will look into the case as agreed. I got a call yesterday from the prison officers that they had indeed seen a guy in the outfit described by the accomplices in the surveillance cameras, " Karen spoke with a notch of excitement in her voice.
"That's great. Barrister Peret must have exercised his authority on those adamant workers. I'm convinced that working with him would be a great thing. Please send the footage to me later on. My flight is in thirty-five minutes. Let's get going," I managed to say to Karen, who was still recovering from her awestruck state.
"E...err...Yes, Yes! Let's get going. I'll send the footage to you, " she stuttered.
Once we arrived at the check-in point, the officers checked my luggage thoroughly. The sun had gone far below its zenith now, bathing the large window panes of the airport in its retreating orange lights. A good amount of the glow rested on my daughter's face. The view of it momentarily warmed my heart.
It was time to leave my daughter behind.
I pulled Gifty into my arms, giving her the warmest hug that my cold exterior could offer — even though I'd given her a dangerous glare minutes ago.
I never took hugs for granted, especially when parting with a loved one for a while. Occasionally, I did regret that I never got to give my ex-husband a good hug before he traveled. If only I'd known that was going to be the last time I would ever see him.
And that was why a part of me feared and regretted not saying goodbye to Christopher before he left.
That's a different situation. I tried my best to persuade myself.
I pulled Gifty's face in my arms, caressing the sides of her face with my thumb.
"Be strong and always keep your head up high. Always think before you act. It will save you from trouble. Don't be too sober over anything. Always weigh the options you have and choose the sensible option or decision to make, no matter how difficult or painful it might be. You will be fine at the end of it all, so always do the right thing. As a student, you will often be overwhelmed, but you have to toughen up and keep going. Hold on to these words I speak for encouragement. Lastly, be at peace with your brother, so you don't give Karen a hard time. You don't want to face my wrath," I ended my sweet little advice with a threat.
Any stranger listening in on my words would have thought I was advising a six-year-old child, but Karen knew that Gifty and Zion were opposites. The tendency for a conflict between them was constant. I, being their mother, knew my children's personality well enough to give out the most befitting advice.
Gifty nodded slowly. I let go of my tender grip on her face. I retrieved my luggage from Karen, and I hugged her too. Finally, I parted ways with both of them after embracing them at least four more times.
"Please don't forget everything on that list —Haribo, gingerbread assortment. Those are important. Zion and I have been craving those!" Gifty yelled.
I'd mounted the escalator now.
"You had better pray that they are affordable!" I said in a louder voice as the escalator took me higher and farther away from them.
****
Immediately after I arrived in Germany, I made sure to give Barrister Peret a phone call to inform him of my arrival if he had anything important to tell me. The flight had taken approximately a day. I felt jet-lagged.
The idea of buying myself a car during my stay crossed my mind, but I was quick to dismiss it, contemplating that it would no longer be of use once I left the country. There was no need to waste money. Boarding a taxi throughout my stay would be more economical.
Once I hired a taxi, I offloaded my luggage at the booth and asked the taxi driver to drive me straight to Bonn. I'd wanted to make up for my sleep-deprived journey during my journey in the taxi, but as the taxi driver sped on, I came across the unique beauty of the streets of Bonn. The loveliness of the view snatched the sleep away from my eyes.
We drove past a particular arena that had the most beautiful houses I had ever seen. The environment looked like something out of an illustrated historical English book — the houses looked like cottages and manors, and the colors of the buildings were phenomenal. The plants and flowers that grew around a few free spaces around the arena bloomed with diversity like miniature farmland.
Then we reached a street that was even more breathtaking than the one we had passed. Cherry blossoms served as a canopy throughout the streets, blocking the sky from shining its light through to its inhabitants. There were cars packed on both sides of the lane and houses that looked more modern.
By the side of each house stood a tree rooted firmly to the ground and branches that hosted sprouting cherry blossoms. The street oozed so much modesty and peacefulness that I felt a pleasant shiver run down my spine.
Still, I couldn't get carried away. I had to find a hotel quickly because it was vital. Soon, the driver navigated through an area filled with hotels with bizarre, uncommonly structured buildings and exaggerated columns. None of the hotels looked like the ones I could lodge into, so I asked the driver to keep going till I could spot a modest-looking hotel that seemed more pocket-friendly.
It took minutes to find one — probably an hour. The driver drove in circles, round every street in Bonn, muttering curses under his breath in a language that I didn't care to understand. I knew he was reaching his limits, and soon, he would burst into outrage and send me away from his vehicle the next time I repeated the words, "No! Not this one– it looks too high! No! This hotel looks like a brothel!"
We got to a particular street where I spotted a hotel that gloriously happened to be the kind I had been looking for — cream-colored portico and medium-sized window frames. The building didn't look so attractive, but it didn't look repelling either — like most of the hotels I'd seen earlier.
I pointed in the direction of the building and asked the driver to take me there. As he drove along, I leisurely looked sideways. Then I spotted a car parked close to a building. At the front of the building stood some guards with mountainous body frames. They all wore the same uniform. It was a police station. Still, it wasn't the building that had my eyes glued to the window.
It was the car parked next to it that made my eyebrows shoot up in observation. My heart thumped subtly in my chest for a wild second.
It was a black Range Rover. Exactly like Christopher's.
Why is my husband's car parked next to a police station? Or is that his car? Am I missing him too much and am hallucinating? Perhaps I should ask the driver to...
Then I snapped out of my thoughts, deeming it foolish to think that it was his car simply because it was a black Range Rover. I'd seen a couple of cars that looked just like Christopher's on several occasions.
Moreso, why would my husband be at a police station? He had no business with things like that since he never caused harm or violated any rule.
I shifted my attention back to the road ahead and realized that the taxi driver has stopped driving. Jeez. For how long had the driver waited for me to come back to reality? We were now in front of the hotel. I took a deep breath and alighted from the taxi. I gave the taxi driver his fee and a few extra bucks for all the excess driving.
He nodded in appreciation and drove off to the street.
I gazed at the hotel that stood a few inches away. The morning sun shone brightly, giving the windows of the skyscrapers in Bonn a top-notch glisten. I began to ponder on all I had to do during my stay.
I had arrived in Germany and had better get to work tonight!