Chapter 45 FIRST NIGHT

SEGUN

Shit gets real when Eve wakes up and looks wide-eyed around.

She takes in the bare surroundings of the road and then her eyes slowly turn to gaze at me.

And I gasp.

Her eyes are filled with pain and need.

Pain I can understand, but need?

What is it you need, princess?

I snatch my eyes away from her face, not wanting to continue staring into her depths.

"We're almost there." I have to say something to get that look out of her eyes. On second thoughts, I decide to ask. "Are you okay, princess? Does something hurt?" I take my eyes off the road once more and flick them to her face.

Her eyes are back on the road, but there's a telltale tremor to her lips.

I know what's about to happen and I'm not going to allow it.

Not on my watch!

"Dum dum dum dum." I tap my fingers against the steering wheel and bob my head to an imaginary beat.

I glance at her from the corner of my eyes. Her face is slightly tilted away me.

"Dum dum dum dum." I hum again.

This time she angles her head fully towards me with a frown knotting her forehead.

I look straight ahead and continue humming.

She sighs dramatically. "Can you please stop that."

I glance at her quickly and throw my eyes back on the road. "Stop what, princess?" I know full well what she's talking about.

She sighs once more, but doesn't say anything. She chooses instead to stare stoically outside the window.

"And we are here." I say dramatically, stopping the car in front of a locked gate.

"And here is where . . exactly?" She turns towards me, but I'm already getting out of the car.

I leave her hanging and walk to the gate, key already in hand. It takes a little jiggling for it to unlock. It's getting rusty, so I make a mental note to buy another padlock and give the set of keys to Femi.

Once the gates are wide open, I walk back briskly to the car, start it and drive through. Eve stays silent, taking in the cream bungalow staring at us.

Once the gate is closed, I walk to the passenger side where she's still seated. "Welcome to Femi's humble bachelor pad in Abeokuta." I throw my hands out expansively.

Femi probably has at least one bachelor pad in almost all the Western states in the country. He clearly has a large appetite.

Eve's brows knit up furiously. "Abeokuta?" She tests the words on her lips like it's a foreign word.

"Have you ever been to Abeokuta before?" I stoop to her level, ready to carry her out if I so much as see any sign of weakness in her.

She shakes her head, and gingerly comes down from the car.

I heave a sigh of relief.

I thought she'd throw a bitch fit, but she's either too out of it, or doesn't care much that we're no longer in Lagos.

While she busies herself looking around the compound with the sparse-looking flowers, I open the main door and beckon on her to go in. "Go on in, princess, I'll be right behind you."

She nods and walks in through the front door and I follow close behind, holding the 'his and her's' matching bags in my hand.

Yup! Couldn't resist getting them.

Call it a stamp.

Call it hope.

Call it a forewarning of things to come.

Call it whatever you like, but we're not living this town unless we have a tag on us that practically screams 'boyfriend and girlfriend.'

I watch her for a bit as she looks around, taking in the very masculine-looking sitting room with strong male colours.

It's more like a cavernous man cave than a sitting room

if you ask me.

I remember Femi hosting many getaways here. We'd turn this place upside down, playing games, drinking alcohol and . . .

Well . . . you don't want to know the rest.

The snooka table beckons on me, but I ignore it and watch as Eve absentmindedly fingers a billiards ball. I cast one more lingering look at her before I take our bags to the bedroom.

Everything seems to be in order, until my eyes zone in on the bed.

Hmm!

The sheets!

They look clean enough . . . but I'm not taking any chances.

Who knows what fluids have been secreted on them.

So I strip the duvet and the sheets, throw them in the laundry bin and make a note to have them put in the washing machine later. Then I make the bed with my freshly laundered cream silk bed sheet and duvet.

When I'm done, I walk back to the sitting room to see Eve sitting down on one of the chairs, staring into space.

"Princess! Let me take you to the room so you can have a shower and change your clothes, then you can have a hot plate of food before you get some sleep. What would you like to eat?"

She shrugs non-commitally.

Okay, so the onus is on me to order something for us. I doubt she's eaten anything at all today. It's already two o'clock in the afternoon.

Taking a hold of her hand, I help her get up. In a zombie-like trance, she follows me.

Once in the room, l sit her on the bed and show her the bag containing her clothes. "Alright, so please take a shower and change out of . . . that and into something more comfy, please?"

She doesn't reply, neither does she look at me.

I'm going to have to do something drastic if she doesn't snap out of this stupor. I brought her here to forget all the bad, not remember it.

I've begun to worry as I pick up my bag and leave the room, with the beginnings of a headache around my temples. I settle myself on the sofa and browse the net for online restaurants that deliver food in Abeokuta, wondering what Eve would like to eat.

Let me see -- it's been raining, and it's also quite windy and cold, so something hot, spicy and sweet.

Got it!

Settling for one of the food vendors, I call the first number from the array of numbers proffered.

"Hello there, hot and spicy foods here, what would you like to order?"

How ironic!

"Yes please, I would like two plates of your spicy fish pepper soup, mixed with shrimps, and also two plates of Ofada rice with snails."

As I talk, I walk to the kitchen and open the fridge. Bottled water and assorted drinks line the fridge.

How long ago have these drinks been here?

Need to call Femi to confirm, wouldn't want us to get poisoned from expired drinks.

I finish with the call and slip my phone back into my pocket, then make an about turn to the bedroom to check on Eve. I have a sneaky feeling she's still in the same position I left her.

Sure enough, she's still on the bed in her wedding dress --- hope she burns it --- but she's lying down. When I get close, she's staring wide eyed with unseeing eyes at the wall.

I expel a tired breath and walk to her, careful not to spook her, although I doubt she'll even realise.

"Princess!"

She jumps a bit, as she turns wide eyes to me, her eyes betraying the state of her mind.

They're red, heavy and wet.

"Alright, that's it." I hoist her up and fling her unto my back.

"Wha . . . what are you doing?" She begins to wriggle like an eel, but she of all people should know I'm not letting go. Once she see's her ministrations aren't doing anything for her, she relaxes on my back.

I say nothing, except to keep walking -- straight into the bathroom where I gently put her down inside the bath and proceed to turn on the taps.

I watch her reaction from the corner of my eyes. Her mouth is unhinged and her eyes have widened imperceptibly. I hide a smile and turn to her fully, reaching for the zipper behind her dress, but she backs away from me like a scared cat.

"Don't . . . don't you touch me!" Her eyes flash fire. There's strength behind her words.

That's more like it, princess. Show me some spunk! Fight me!

I ignore her and reach once more for the zipper with every intention of getting her out of the cursed wedding dress.

Smack!

It's time for my mouth to become unhinged.

"You slapped me?"

Of course she doesn't reply.

Shit! That actually hurt.

I rub my face, and back away from her. "Please have a bath quickly and come out to the sitting room. Food is on it's way." I pause meaningfully and turn around to face her with a raised brow. "And that dress has got to go. I say we burn it." Without waiting for a response, I turn round, still rubbing my sore face.

She does give a mean slap.

As I wait for the food and Eve to arrive, I do some little exercises. I drop to the floor and do some push up's. Next, I do some boxing in the air. When I'm sweating and a bit winded, I flex my hands and legs that are getting stiff and put my feet up on the table.

Bliss!

The food comes twenty minutes later. Hot and piping, with steam rising from the tops of the containers when I peek, and a delicious scent as accompaniment.

After the delivery boy leaves, I wait impatiently for Eve.

Damn! I'm hungry. I haven't tasted a morsel throughout today. Now that the stress and tension have almost ebbed, my stomach is hollow and grumbling. Just as I swing my legs down from the table, ready to drag her out of the bathroom, if possible, she walks out.

Once more my bottom jaw becomes unhinged. She's fully clothed in a checked matching bottom down pyjamas.

But that's not what's got me surprised.

In her hands, she holds the wedding dress.

And she's offering it to me.

"Burn it now . . . please." Her eyes are full of pain and her lips are turned down at the sides.

"But princess, I was only jok --- "

"It's what I want." She cuts me off, lifting her chin defiantly.

I was actually joking about burning it, but okay, let's do it.

I nod and take it from her. My first stop is the kitchen, where I grab a box of matches. I take it out to the compound with Eve fast at my heels. I drop the heavy dress on the floor, strike the match, and watch as it lights up, flickering orange and blue hues.

There's probably some moisture on it, because the fire struggles a bit, then peters off shortly after.

I glance at Eve who is patiently watching it all with a certain fixation that is disturbing. I understand this is a form of therapy for her, so I put all my concentration on re-lighting it.

Luckily the wind picks up, fanning the weak embers of the fire. There's a spark and then it begins to spread.

I'm transfixed as I watch the wedding dress transition.

Tendrils of fire lick at the edges, turning it from startling white into oranges and blues. They eventually morph into a grey colour and finally settle for black as it turns to ashes.

Of course I'm not the only avid bystander here. Eve's eyes are centred on the fast-raging fire. She doesn't move, she doesn't even blink. She looks hypnotised. Bewitched. Spell - bound.

And I. . . am utterly under her spell. So I watch as she watches the fire. I watch the animated expression on her face. I watch as the smile lights it up, transforming pain into pure unadulterated joy.

And I fall helplessly in love . . . all over again.

It hits me like a brick wall against my chest.

But I don't feel pain.

I feel release.

I feel peace.

I've come home.

*

After feeding Eve with five spoons of both pepper soup and rice, she pleads a full stomach.

I look disbelievingly at her, ready to open my mouth to voice some complaints, but I notice her eyelids are already dropping. So I swallow the words.

As she gets up, ready to walk to the bedroom, looks like she's ready to drop on her feet. She staggers a bit and reaches out to clutch something but grasps at air and almost falls.

Luckily I'm quick on my feet and she falls -- right into my arms. Her eyes widen when she opens them and see's me staring from above her, but she's too tired to complain so she shuts her eyes and says nothing.

I scoop her off her feet and take her to the room, where I deposit her gently on the bed. Immediately her head hits the bed, she's out like a light.

It's a cold evening, so I leave the windows open, turn off the Airconditioner and cover her with the duvet. Because I want to give her space, I'll stay on the couch in the sitting room, so I make my way back there, where I sprawl on the wide comfortable leather couch.

I'm wound up as tight as a clock, I can't sleep. Instead, I browse the chanel's on TV. Femi still kept up with his Dstv payments. He even has Dstv explorer, so I choose a war movie and settle down to watch some medieval fighting.

Half way through it, I get bored and change the channel.

Flick, flick, flick my fingers go. One channel after the other, yet nothing interests me, so I turn it off, put the lights off and stare into the darkness.

Naturally, my mind drifts to Eve and the events of today.

Can't believe the nerve of Mr. Faseun, roping Eve into something so despicable. Going as far as to track her every move to the point of staging an accident, beating her up and killing her --- our child.

Inexcusable! That's what his crimes are.

My thoughts drift, intermittently swinging between Eve, Faseun and my mother. In that order.

I must have drifted off, because some time later, I wake with a start. I think I heard a noise. I can't quite place it, so I sit up, cock my head to the side, and listen intently.

It starts again. This time, I get up and follow the noise where it leads me directly to the bedroom. The noise is louder there.

I make out a figure huddled near the window. The room is sheathed in darkness.

Now what do you say when you find out the woman you love is crying her heart out?

You console her, right?

But I stand, wariness seeping into me, making me feel useless by the second.

Cowardice looses in the end and I lurch forward.

When I get close, I don't over think it, I wrap my arms around her.

She stiffens.

A second passes . . .

. . . two . . . three . . . five . . . si . . .

Then she goes limp in my arms.

I expel air through my mouth, silently mouthing a 'Thank God.'

A good start. Just five seconds and she capitulated.

She still hasn't put her arms around me, so I decide to remove my invasive hands.

Suddenly, her hands creep up and around my waist and holds tightly.

They're like clingy vines. They get tighter by the second, but I don't mind. She can squeeze me as much as she likes.

I lead her to the bed with the intention of getting her back to sleep, but she clings to me tighter, almost cutting off my breathing supply.

Who knew she had so much strength in her?

"Please,don't go! Please don't leave me alone! I can't bear to be alone now."

Her pleadings are urgent. She's about to go on a tirade, so I calm her down and lie beside her.

I make sure to keep some distance between us as she backs me. I wouldn't want to start something I can't finish.

Surprise of all surprises, she scoots close to me and tangles her left leg in mine, caging my legs effectively.

The heat from her body seeps into mine and my mind begins to wander.

So does lil' boy. Except . . . he's not so lil' anymore.

Shit!

I try to think of other things to get my mind off my predicament, but as it's always been with Eve, I've never been able to control my body's reaction to her.

Luckily, her steady breathing keys me into the fact that she's asleep . . . finally.

I disentangle my limbs from her's and back away.

I heave a sigh of relief and get up to take a shower.

This does little or nothing to relieve my highly-strung up state.

While in the shower, I stroke myself, letting loose a groan.

No! I'm not going to do this.

I'll wait for Eve.

I'll be patient.

No one, but her.