Chapter 54

Tunji wife invited Lanre to have dinner with them and some of Tunji's friend since it was her birthday. Sarah and Tunji met two years ago in akwa ibom state. They started as friends before it went a bit more than friendship. After six months, Tunji decided she was the right one for him and decided to marry her.

As she turned 30, she decided she wanted a small gathering to celebrate with lots of food and drinks.

Lanre sat down at a round table with his brother and his friends but his mind wasn't there. He was thinking of his date with Sewa tomorrow and what to do about it.

Tunji refused to hear the mention of Sewa's name and told Lanre to get his shits together. Lanre paid no attention to what the men on the table said until a particular person's name caught his attention. "You will not believe it when I tell you I saw Jasmine James in Lagos." Tomison began getting the attention of his guys.

"Jasmine James, as in Port Harcourt finesse?" Segun asked and Tomison nodded his head.

"Wow. So she relocated from Port Harcourt to open her own brothel or what?" Segun asked. Tunji frowned when he heard Sewa's name knowing well it was the woman who had driven his younger brother nuts.

Lanre wasn't feeling comfortable anymore yet he wanted to know what they had to say about her. "No, from what I heard she stopped prostitution." Tomison said. Segun raised his brows in confusion.

"What do you mean?" Segun asked. Lanre leaned back in his chair as he listened to both men. Tunji on the other hand looked for means to interrupt and change the conversation.

"She stopped prostitution three year ago. I heard she and Sandra and an issue and she asked out. From what I heard from Priscilla, she said Jasmine James fell in love."

"What?" Segun almost choked then looked at Lanre. They knew of Lanre and Sewa after Tunji told them but now they weren't sure of what to think.

"Please explain in detail?" Segun asked, not caring about the tension in the room. He wanted to hear gist after all his favourite place after work is no longer operating.

"Sandra was arrested. She sent Priscilla to act like Jasmine and sleep with a client who already knew the face of Jasmine. He felt cheated and decided to punish her by arresting her. The day the policemen all the way from Abuja raided, every girl available was taken including Priscilla."

"The man had connections and knowing well that most Port Harcourt policemen were engaged with them, he didn't involve them. From what Priscilla said the day I saw her in the station, she said Sewa fell in love and call it quit to be with her lover."

"Wow!" Segun muttered. Lanre couldn't believe all he heard, he didn't understand his feelings at that moment but he knew he was happy and confused at the same time. Sewa's statement began to ring in his ears and he felt bad.

She told him she changed and she was ready to be with him but still he couldn't blame himself. All she did was lie to him and even when he asked her to speak to him, she denied him of the truth.

Tunji cleared his throat, not wanting to hear more of Sewa's name, he changed the topic but Lanre interfered. "When Sewa left, did she pay any price or what?" He asked because the girl who had given him information said Sewa returned everything she earned through prostitution money as a means of freedom.

"I don't really know. And besides are you still interested?" Tomison asked with a questioning brow. Lanre swallowed a lump in his throat but said nothing.

"You better don't be interested, I saw her with a child. A child that looks exactly like her so I'm guessing she's probably married to her lover with a child." Lanre's chest tightened when he heard the mention of Sewa's child but he acted cool about it.

Tunji burst out in a fit of laughter, "She has a child?" Tunji asked. He was relieved to hear Sewa has a child, that way his brother wouldn't marry her. The fact that Sewa has a child was a great thing as he has more reason to not want her in his brother's life.

He just couldn't understand why his brother had to choose her out of so many women in this world. So many beautiful and well-off women with better backgrounds "You see?" His words were directly as Lanre and Lanre knew it but he wasn't bothered.

"A prostitute who might be married or not but she has a child!" Tunji's hilarious laughter didn't go unnoticed by his friends and his brother. "You don't have to call her name or use words as such on her, you know?" Lanre challenged. All eyes were on Lanre immediately he uttered his statement.

"That's the woman you want to marry! Exactly what do you need for you to stay away?" Tunji voiced out pointing his fingers at Lanre. His wife Sarah noticed this action and walked towards him.

"What's wrong?" She asked him. "Tunji what's happening?" Segun asked. Him and Tomison were confused about the situation. One minute they were laughing and now they were in a tense moment.

"Lanre you better start thinking before you fall in a pit once more because I won't always be there to save your ass," Tunji spat out before leaving the guys.

Lanre inhaled and exhaled deeply before getting up on his feet and leaving them all confused. Just as Lanre got into his car, he rested his head on the steering. He let out air from his mouth. He was in a situation where he knew not what to do. He didn't know what Sewa felt for him or what she had in mind.

He understood where Tunji was coming from and that worried him. He really wanted to be with Sewa but he didn't know if she was ready to be with him. He wouldn't mind being a father to her child if that's all it took from him.

He took out his phone from his pants pocket and texted her.

Lanre: Let's meet at the roof opposite Silverbird by 4:00pm tomorrow.

It took less than one minute before he got a reply from her.

Sewa: Okay.

Lanre had made up his mind to know what Sewa felt for him because he was going to confess. He wanted to get things done and dusted as soon as possible before it became late.

That day he waited patiently for Sewa. When she came, he was stunned by her beauty. As usual she looked appealing without much make-up. She strode toward him dressed in a boyfriend Jean, a peach off-shoulder top and white sneakers with a simple chain purse hanging on her right arm.

Sewa was extremely nervous, she didn't know why she took her time to look good when she knew he was only playing her. She lied to Denny and her daughter that she was going to meet Farida because she didn't have the strength to explain or tell Denny what had been going on in her life for the past few weeks.

Lanre smiled, getting up from his seat to help her seat. "Thank you," She muttered, glancing at the environment.

They both sat down in awkward silence once the waiter left, both nervous within them and in short of words. "So, how have you been?" Lanre asked her.

She smiled, "I've been good and you?" She asked him back.

"I've been good. Going through any struggles at work?" He asked.

"Not at all. Thanks for asking. So...how is work?" She asked him.

"Same as always," he replied and she chuckled lightly.

"Sewa," Lanre called her name softly, making her heart flip. It's been a very long time since he called her name with that same voice that turned her on.

"Yes..." She answered. Their eyes met, both gaze into one another as they both felt a jolt of electricity down their spine. Memories flood though as they both remember their first date in a bar in Port Harcourt. Sewa had personally chosen a local bar for their first date as she craved cat fish pepper soup and a very cold chivita active drink. She refused to take any alcohol then as she wanted to look good in his eyes.

It was as if they both knew they thought of the same thing at the same time and they laughed. "You remembered?" She asked and he nodded his head.

"That memory can never be forgotten. We ate three plates of pepper soup each," he chuckled.