Blindfolds

2

Yomi let out a sigh as he drove into his compound.

He turned off the car, and placed his head in exhaustion, on his steering wheel.

So far, his day had being terrible; he had received a call that morning that his company's biggest investors were withdrawing. And even though he and his team presented a pitch he had thought was perfect, they had still insisted on leaving. That alone wasn't all that made his day bad, the little Miss that taught his daughter had the effrontery to ask if he cared about his daughter. Hell, that was the most infuriating thing he had ever heard. He cared so much about his daughter, anyone who wasn't so biased would noticed.

Yomi was a thriving business man, he owned his own company, but at that point it didn't feel like he had control of his business. His company was almost crashing before him, and he had nothing to do about it.

He wasn't the rich business man, his dad; Senator Adecoker Johnson, was. His dad owned series of businesses, and most times it had been rumored that his dad owned half of Nigeria, which was partly true. And to him, it wasn't a bad thing, but it had caused him a handful of unnecessary pressure, he had to strive to stand alone without his father's indulgence.

Truthfully, he didn't want to run his dad's business, and that had caused most fights between him and his father in the past. And so, he had started his own company without any funds from his father, and even when his mum had insisted that it was totally unnecessary, he still went on with his own business.

"Daddy." his daughter called, interrupting his thoughts.

He jerked up from his position, and twisted his upper body behind, to stare at his daughter "Yes baby."

She blinked, and looked out to the window, intently taking in the surroundings "Are we not home yet?"

"Yes, we are." He replied and flung his door open, and in a minute he was by daughter's side, opening the passenger's door. And after he had unstrapped her from the toddler's seat, he carried her while grabbing her school bag, her lunch pack, and his bag containing his laptop. Zara squirmed in his arms, an indication that she wanted to walk herself instead. So while she walked beside him, he held her hands.

"Daddy, I can rwead one to fifty." She said with pride, as she skipped in excitement.

"Really?" He wasn't surprised at all. His daughter was impressively smart, at least that was what the little miss ignorant; his daughter's nosy teacher, had told him the first day after he had dropped off his daughter in school.

"Yeap." She popped the 'p'.

Then he tried to listen attentively as she ranted off the numbers, surprised that she didn't skip a number. And even as they got to the door, she was still counting, so he waited patiently until she was done. And when she was done, he bent over to her and kissed the top of her nose.

"That was wonderful."

Zara giggled. "You pwo-mised icecweam."

Yomi gave an exaggerated gasp "I did?"

"Yeap." She said with a chuckle.

"All lies." Yomi roared in a fake monster voice and presided to attack the little girl with tickles.

"Daddy. Stop." She said between chuckles.

And he did.

Moments later after he had attacked her again with tickles, He unlocked the door to his house, grateful to be in his familiar space again.

He had bought the house with his wife the day she told him she was pregnant, and after she died, he still didn't want to leave. To him, that would be leaving every trace of memories of his wife.

As he walked into the house, the smell of fried chicken wafted through his kitchen to hit his nose, an indication that his mother had visited-

And had not left yet.

"Kàabò oko mi." A voice greeted from the dinning room, then his mum, a woman in her mid fifties came in view. She wore a maxi black dress, and had a very expensive gold necklace that adorned her neck.

"Grandma!" His daughter yelled and ran to his mum.

He watched as his mum scooped down to carry her, and how she rubbed her forehead fondly against Zara's, while he carefully placed the bags on the couch.

"Grandma has missed you so much, baby." She cooed to the giggling child.

Yomi rolled his eyes at the statement. His mum was always in his house, and literally, the last time she visited was only a week ago.

"Ekale ma." He greeted when she had finally decided to spare him a glance. "Mummy, can you stop sneaking into my house whenever you feel like it." He said, more to himself, afraid of whatever reaction of hers.

"Is it a crime to visit my son?"

"Not when you don't inform him, it is."

"I just want to know how you're doing." His mum stated.

Yomi said nothing, but picked his daughter's lunch pack and headed to the kitchen. He wasn't surprised at all when he met the sparkling kitchen, which was in contrast to the way he had left it that morning. And while he washed his hands in the sink, his mum came up behind him.

"I looked through the kitchen and was disappointed." There was a hint of anxiety in her voice. "I couldn't even find anything to cook."

He replied while still washing his hands, "We were running late, and I didn't have time to clean up the kitchen, and as for foodstuffs, I planned on getting them this weekend."

He heard her scoff, then he turned to face his mum, on her hip was Zara who looked like she was in her own world as she played with her hands. Life is so much easier being a kid, he thought.

"Yomi." Concern laced her tone "Oni omo obirin, you can't continue like this oo, iran lowo lofe."

"Mummy, Zara and I are doing well." He pursed his lips, then reached for the hand towel on the window pane.

"You need to find a woman, a wife at least."

"No!." He proceeded to walk pass her, and from over his shoulder he said to her, "I don't want a stranger taking care of my daughter."

"A stranger? She would be married to you!"

He didn't notice when she had walked up to him until she placed her hand from behind him, on his shoulder.

"Yomi, it's been 3 years."

He shut his eyes briefly, and blew out air, then opened his eyes gently "I don't want to talk about this."

"You can't avoid this conversation." His mum said quietly.

Yomi gritted his teeth.

But his mum wasn't done talking, she walked around him to face him "Is finding someone the problem?" She asked.

"Mum!" He chided.

"Kilode? Your daughter needs a mother." She paused and adjusted Zara on her hip "I know just the one for you. She's very intelligent and beautiful, omo re re, a well trained child-"

Yomi interrupted sharply "Mum, I'm not going out with a stranger. I'll find a nanny" With that he stormed out, but he could still hear his mum say from behind him.

"You better find a mother for your child or I will."

Translations

Kàabò oko mi - welcome my dear
Ekale - Good evening
Oni omo obirin - You have a daughter.
Iran lowo lofe - you need help
Kilode - what is it
Omo re re - a good child

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