BETROTHAL

CHAPTER 18

The next day which was a Sunday, Fola and her father went back to Mrs. Balogun's residence.

Fola was with a backpack containing her mother's change of clothes and her body lotion.

Mr. Obed insisted on going with her to where his wife stayed the night.

They got to the house on time to see Femi and some of his colleagues entering the house too.

Fola and her father got in and greeted everyone including Mrs. Balogun who was still sitted on the couch she was the day before.

Mr. Obed signalled to his wife to follow him out after the exchange of pleasantries between them and she did.

"Okomi, hope you slept well?", she asked him.

"No I didn't", he answered bluntly.

"Kilode oko mi (What happened my husband?)", Mrs. Obed questioned.

"How do you expect me to sleep well when you were nowhere to be found", he replied her.

"Ha.. ha but I told Fola to inform you of my whereabouts yesterday noon."

"Even with that, how can you just disappear without my permission. It's not as if these people are your relatives", Mr. Obed complained.

"The victim is our daughter's friend", Mrs Obed remarked with arms akimbo and a tired look on her face.

"You want to start encouraging your daughter into waywardness abi. You know so well that she is betrothed to Olamide yet you are doing this. What if she starts developing feelings for the boy?", he asked his wife.

"Fola doesn't even like Olamide despite all these years so we shouldn't force him on her. It's high time we allowed her make a choice. It's her life not ours and if there are consequences attached to any action we take, she will be the one to suffer for it not us."

"Bimbo, what are you saying?", he questioned.

"That is the truth Wole", she responded stubbornly.

"You must be joking."

Mrs. Obed sighed with tiredness and said: "We shouldn't be having this kind of conversation here. Put yourself in that woman's shoe. Her son is missing and you aren't even showing any concern."

"That is the least of my problems. I had a conversation with Mr Garba before he went to Germany about their marriage and he said he will do something about it."

"What conversation? You have started again abi, have you forgotten we told them they would get married after she must have graduated? When did you become this desperate."

"Fola is beginning to show interest in someone else that was why I informed him so we can do the marriage on time before things get out of hand", he informed her.

"You did what?!", his wife exclaimed with agitation.

"Don't you know your daughter has started developing feelings for that boy? What did she even call his name. I had to inform Mr. Garba about it before it gets out of hand."

Mrs. Obed uttered sadly: "Wole, ofe ta omo re abi (you want to sell your daughter abi), you have succeeded."

"What are you saying?"

"Did you tell Mr. Garba about Ire?", she demanded from him.

"Yes Ire, that is his name", her husband said to himself ignoring her question.

"Did you tell Mr. Garba about Ire", Mrs. Obed repeated yelling.

"No I didn't", Mr Garba answered. "I only told him his son now has a rival."