LOVE BETWEEN FIRE AND ICE

03 | My Going Away Party

FEMI'S POV

It's Friday, 2:30pm. Five days have passed and it's party day today. I'm leaving for the US in less than 24 hours, I have to go tomorrow to settle down and resume Monday. The past five days were stressful and emotional for me, my family and friends. My dad and I already made arrangements for where I'll stay until I rent my own place with the savings I had from offering online consultation to businesses. I had a friend from when I did my master's in the US that had a friend in LA, a good friend that lives alone and that I can squat with until I settle down. We also made other arrangements and booked the flight. I spent more time with my brother, playing video games with him for hours and I spent time with my close friends, we went clubbing last night and it was beyond wild!, I still feel hungover. Then there's my mum, she kept worrying about what I'd eat there like I haven't been there before. I'll miss her greatly. 

'Femi, stop thinking about that' I scold myself. 'There's a party going on now, enjoy yourself' . I finally decide to do just that.

The party starts around 3pm and it is way more than I expected, my mum planned for an elaborate party even when I went against it. The party is happening at our house but the house is beautifully decorated. There is colourful balloons and bright yellow lights in the sitting room and outside at our yard, there is even more lights but more colorful, the lights are hanging in the air somehow with colorful triangular paper cuts and more balloons. The chair, table and cutlery arrangement in the yard is simple yet classy and to sum it up, there's gold balloons that say 'Congrats Femi!, So proud of you." Everything is perfect. 

My mum had previously told everyone she invited to dress nicely and we the hosts were to dress in our native Yoruba attire. So I'm wearing tortilla brown sokoto (Yoruba for trousers), dansiki (baggy shirt) and agbada (robe) that reach my feet, chocolate brown fila (cap), black cover shoe and red native beads on my neck and wrists. My younger brother and dad are dressed the same way while my mom is wearing iro (wrapper), bubba (blouse) and ipele (shawl) with the gele accessory (headgear). 

It's 3:40pm and most people have arrived including different family members and close friends. There's music playing in the background and there's the MC (master of ceremony) telling different jokes and keeping everyone entertained. After 30 minutes of entertainment and socializing, my mum and the house keeper start serving drinks and the delicious food she cooked. She made amala and ewedu (yam flour and Jute leaves), efo riro (vegetable soup) and jollof rice, all popular and tasty Yoruba, Nigerian dishes.

"Femi! come and help your mother serve the refreshments" my mum calls me .

Leaving the guests I was talking to, I answer "Okay, I'm coming".

"You too, Ayo" she calls out to my brother and he joins us in serving. My dad is busy talking to the guests and friends he invited, I can hear how proud he is as he boasts of my accomplishments and getting into a top company. 

We finish serving and are greeting guests when my dad takes the microphone, holding a glass of yellow wine.

"Hello, hello everyone" he calls for their attention. "I want to thank everyone one of you for taking your time to come and celebrate my son, it has not been easy but he has always been persistent and determined and look where that got him?, A job at USA's number one food company!" he says with excitement. 

Looking at me and pointing in my direction, he says "I just want to say I'm proud of you my son, your mother is proud of you, in fact the entire Akintola family is proud of you and we wish you all the best".

"Here's a toast to my son!" he says raising his glass of wine and everyone raise their glasses too.

"To more success and accomplishments, to greater heights!, toast!" he says as everyone touch glasses and drink it's content. My dad drinks his too, drops the microphone and comes to hug me. 

"Thank you dad, thank you mum" I say as my mother joins in the hug and everybody starts clapping and cheering. 

The cheering stops and my parents tell me there's some special guests I need to greet. I follow them and greet one guest to another and all they tell me is "Femi do well in your job so your parents can retire and live comfortably", "Femi don't marry oyibo o (white woman)", "Work and come and marry here, I will give you a nice hardworking girl" and last but not the least "congratulations". Congratulations is all I hear till the party fades and people start leaving. 

They say their goodbyes as they leave and we are about to clean up when I reached for my phone to text Lisa, my girlfriend.  

ME: Lisa where are you?, I was really expecting to see you today, you promised me you would come.

LISA: I promised that I would think about it.

She replies after five minutes.

ME: And? I'm leaving tomorrow, don't you want to see me?

LISA: I do but I can't make it, I'm sorry. 

ME: And no reason why?

She doesn't reply and I'm shattered again. 

Lisa lives in Delta State, Nigeria that is 325km from where I live in Lagos but it had never been an issue for us. We've been dating for four years now and by flight, it is approximately one hour and I always loved to visit when we both had the chance and she never hesitated to visit me too until recently. 

Four months ago when I went to visited her, I saw a text notification on her phone, it was from a guy and read 'I love you please Lisa, don't do this to me, I can't stop thinking about that night'. I can still remember the words vividly cause that is when things between us started going downhill. 

I confronted her about it and she lied, she only told me the truth when I insisted. He was a richer guy she met when she went out one day, they talked often while we were miles away and she started liking him, she visited him one day and they made out without penetration. She said it was nothing to worry about and that she'd stop talking to him but that wasn't the issue, I could tell she liked him already. In a way I couldn't blame her, he was there and I wasn't but I still had hope for some reason even though she has been distant since then. We don't talk or see each other as much as we used to and sex was rarely and when we did, was not exciting or passionate.

I take my mind off her and our relationship and start cleaning again. We're done by 9pm and we retire to bed. It's been a hectic day and will be a more hectic one tomorrow!.