Consequences

Chapter 19

I had mixed feelings about seeing Ola, as I wasn't prepared to meet him. I had come out of work and went to see Nancy hoping to stay for just a few hours.

I looked at the time and it was past 6:30 pm. I should be in the house by now, I told myself.

But there was still tension in the house such that, even my father had for several days been coming home a little later than usual. While I didn't want to do that, I found myself making an exception for one day.

"Nancy na true you talk. I also want to distract myself."
"Abi?" She asked. I poured another glass of wine and gulped it down and then wiped my mouth. This surprised Nancy who couldn't help but stare at me.
"Tola, you go fit drive so?" I threw her the keys.
"No."
"Na wao. I want to move on without Ola. See, you don dey happy say you wan go see am."
"Nancy, say whatever you want to say. Me I want to distract myself." With that we left her house and in the next 30 minutes we got to Ola's house. Nancy stopped the car in front of the gate and horned.

The gateman came out and seeing her, opened the gate immediately. As she drove in, I spotted my father's car.

"Nancy, my father is here."
"How do you know he's here?" She asked as she turned off the engine.
"That's his car." I said pointing at the Mercedes SUV parked beside us.
"So does that mean we have to go back?" She asked. Just then someone knocked on Nancy's side of the glass. It was Ola. Nancy opened the door.
"Bad girl. All dis bad waka wey you dey waka..."
"Abeg, Ola talk say you dey happy." Again I had to assist at their little show before Nancy told me to come down. Then she looked sharply at him.
"Ola, no disappoint me o." Nancy told him.
"Nancy, you know me now." He came to my side and as I opened the door he took my hands.
"Tola? You are welcome." I came down without saying a word. I couldn't tell if it was because of the excitement of seeing him or worried I was about to meet my father.

For a brief moment we stared at each other. Ola got  a little worried.

"Tola are you alright?" He asked puzzled at the way I was staring at him.
"My dad is here."
"Oh okay, no problem. That must be my father's friend. Let's go inside and greet them before all three of us stay on our own."
"Is it a good idea?" I asked
"Why? Are you afraid he will get angry?" Nancy locked the car and came to meet us.
"Tola? You don see am now, you don dey melt. When you dey wit me you dey make mouth."

Nancy knew how to push me to dare. Her words got me asking myself why I was even afraid of meeting my father. I couldn't say a word.

"I want to move on by myself. Now wey you don come, you don dey confused. Ola abeg you go show me dat babalawo wey work di jazz for you." She added. Ola laughed and laughed.

"You women can be funny," he said
"Funny ke?" Nancy asked him
"You know when I first met your friend and told her she will be my wife, you know what she said? I think you better tell the babalawo who told you that I am yours, to play his oracle well." They both laughed and I just stared at them.

"So two of ona dey take mi dey make yeye, abi?" I finally responded. They kept on laughing.
"Don't worry it will be my turn." I said.
"Okay jokes apart, Tola, Nancy, let's go in and greet the babas before we sit down on our own."

And so we went into the house and found my dad and Ola's father sitting down, each with a glass of wine. We greeted them while my father was surprised to see me.

"My daughter how did you know I was here?" He asked me.
"Actually I came with my friend. We came to see Ola." I replied.
"Ah my friend?" This was Ola's father addressing my father. "You see that God has blessed this day for my son and your daughter to meet us here?"

"When you keep cancelling appointments. God had to fix the appointment himself." They both laughed over what my father said. Me, Nancy and Ola couldn't help but stare at them.
"You mean God himself fixed the appointment?" He asked my father.
"Yes, because if he continues waiting for you to fix the appointment, you will only be cancelling them."