Blindfolds

14

Days flew into weeks, and Dinma had got off the bandages.

She had fallen into a routine with the family. She made breakfast with Yomi's mum and listened to stories non stop about his childhood. She never seemed to get enough of the bubbly woman. 

She had also resumed work— had received a couple of coloring cards the kids decorated with the help of Mrs. Danjuma, the primary five teacher who had stood in for her— so Yomi would always drop her and Zara off at school, and would pick them up at the close of the day.

Now the school had gotten a wind of the story of how she lived with the Johnsons, and so was the rumor that she was dating Mr. Yomi which was courtesy of Abike, but that really didn't bother her, infact it earned some respect from the single teachers to be able to barge a single hot widower, so she said nothing about the rumors.

Lately, Dinma had been tremendously stressed out, she laboured with cranky kids in school after the school had ruled out their nap time as the examinations were forthcoming. She had to work extra hard to make sure her pupils weren't slacking.

So like every other Sunday, after she had gone to church with the Johnsons with his eldest sister Mopelola and her family to their family church—well save for the senator, Yomi's dad, she had never seen him attend services, she'd never even met him— she had to update her lesson notes. But just like every perfect plan that fails, the plan to update her lesson notes failed as Yomi had a different one all together, he wanted them to go to the beach.
And as distracting as that sounded, Dinma thought it to be a good idea. At least she gets to be alone with him and his daughter in a beach, how romantic!

And so while she waited for Yomi, she and Zara packed a picnic basket on the dining table. You most certainly can't go anywhere in Lagos without ensuring that there was food, or so she thought. So she packed up some sandwiches she had made with the child, a small food flask containing the rice she had prepared, some juice boxes, plates, cutleries and of course Zara's favorite biscuits.

She was long dressed in a gray T-shirt and pair of beach shorts, because she wasn't comfortable wearing bikinis to a Lagos beach, it gets overly crowed on weekends for no reason. She had dressed Zara in a blue Elsa top, a pair of jeans shorts, and a pair of sandals. She had Zara's hair in two afro bun given that she had been busy the previous days to make her hair.

“Auntie Dee, I wane Coco pops.” Zara waved the cereal box at her.

“We'll have it when we get back, okay?”

Zara pouted and cocked her head to a side, “And icecweam? And dominito Pizza?”

“Domi what?” Dinma asked with a chuckle.

The little girl blinked, “Dominito pi–”

The door bell interrupted but the little girl would not have it.

“Dominito pizza.” She repeated in confidence with her palms turned upward like she was defending herself.

Dinma chuckled at this, “Sweetie it's Domino's Pizza, say it with me, Domino's.”

“Domini–”

“Do. Mi. Nos.”

The bell rang again.

“I'm coming.” She said aloud to whoever was at the door and gave Zara a quick kiss on the forehead before walking to the door.

She looked through the door hole, and saw a lady who looked very familiar, she looked like someone she knew but she couldn't place the face. She pulled the door open just as Yomi came down the stairs dressed in a matching beach shirt and shorts.