Consequences

Chapter 25

It was a Friday morning and I had just entered the kitchen and was about to sit down and have my breakfast. My father had gone out early and so, I was expecting to see my mother already seated and waiting for me. But she wasn't there. Instead, I saw a note she had written and left on the table.

'Tola I had to go out early. Sorry we can't have breakfast together.'

When I read the note I asked myself why she couldn't knock on my bedroom door and tell me she was going out early? I ate my breakfast feeling a little worried about my mother leaving the house without informing me.

I got to work still worried and once inside my office, I tried to call her. Her phone was off and so I decided to call my dad. But his phone was also off. I sent a message telling them to call me once they got my message.

I started work until around 10am, when I heard a knock on my office door. I was busy on my laptop but looked up to see who it was.

"Come in." I said raising my head up. The door opened and in came one of my male colleagues. His name was Femi and he worked  with the software department.

"Ah, Femi? I'm busy what is it?" I asked, placing my hands to my jaw. He had never come to my office and so seeing him surprised me.

"Tola, it seems someone is looking for you. He says its urgent."

"Who is it, and why is it so urgent?" Femi looked at me and kept quiet.
"I think it's best you come and see the person yourself." I got up and followed Femi out of my office and went to the reception area. There sitting down and flipping through a  magazine was Ola. I was surprised to see him and wondered why he didn't call me before coming.

"Ola, what are you doing here?" I asked surprised to see him. Femi left and it was then that Ola got up.
"Can we go to your office?" He asked. I saw the look on his face and I didn't like it. I nodded letting out a smile.
"Ola next time call, okay?" He ignored me. I smiled as we headed towards my office. I met Femi along the way and told him it was my fiance.

"Ah Femi? He's my fiancé." I said.
"Welcome, how are you?" He asked, as we walked past him. Ola ignored him and I pretended like didn't notice it. When we got to my office and I shut the door, Ola held me too him.

"I got your message Tola and didn't like it." I stared at him in surprise as I couldn't think of any reason why he would say that.

"So you come to my office unannounced?"
"I just wanted to see the face of the woman who keeps seeing another woman around me."

"Ola what are talking about?" I asked.
"You heard me right."
"My face hasn't changed Ola."
"I have a feeling it has, and I'm not sure I like it." He was angry with me. I knew he wanted me to stop asking questions. I smiled at him and went to sit down.

He sat down opposite me and we both stared at each other. I knew my insistence was about to cause discussions between us. I sighed as I didn't want to start an argument so early in the day.

"Ola, it was just a dream. But I thought I'd let you know."

"So you trouble me all because of a dream that you had?" He asked, getting up. He walked up to the door.

"Wait." I told him
I walked up to him and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, and gave him a kiss.
"I dreamed of you, Ola."
"And you had to invent something just to see me?" I smiled as he embraced me.
"I may, if I'm missing you too much and I don't know what to do. Do you have a problem with that?" He shook his head and then kissed my lips. It felt nice having him around me, but I had work to do.

"I have work to do, and may not attend to you the way you want." Ola smiled at me.
"Women. You think you know what we men want, don't you?" He asked.
"That's like asking the question: what would a man do if left all alone with a woman in a room?"
"What do you think?" He asked
"It shouldn't be hard to figure out."
"Some good  loving?" I nodded.
"You know what? Now that you've  reminded me about loving, I may start loving you here."
"Ola are you serious?"
"Try me, Tola. Just try me." I laughed and laughed and it got him looking at me surprised.
"Tola why are you laughing?"
"My man is hungry for good food."
"You call it good food?" He grabbed me and tickled me.

"Ola stop it." I laughed. He left me and held the doorknob.
"You have work to do, remember?" I gave him one last kiss.
"Next time, invent a better lie if you miss me." He said.
"And you, let me know when you're passing by."

He opened the door and left. I closed the door and got back to my desk. Soon I heard another knock on my door again. Thinking it was Ola again I went to open it. It was Femi again.

"Ah Femi what is it again?"
"Tola your guy don go?" He asked coming in.
"He left a few minutes ago. What is it?"
"You sure say na your fiancé?" I wasn't sure what he meant by that.
"And what do you mean by that?"
"Tola I can't tell you lie o. That guy na guy wey babes go rush o."
"Aha so Femi, you don't have anything better to do than to come and tell me rubbish?"
"Hold am tight. Another babe fit chance you collect am."
"Is that an advice or you want to be the one to supply him with his next babe?"
"No, I'm only saying should it happen in the shortest possible time, I can start from where he stopped with you."
"So you Femi, wan make another babe chance me so you go start from finish line, abi?"
"Aha Tola, this guy wey stand with you here still get level o. Still try consider am small now." I looked at Femi and the demand he was making. I couldn't even think of just one  reason why I would leave Ola for him. I giggled.

"Femi, first participate in the Lagos to New York marathon, okay? Then I might consider you." He opened his mouth in shock.
"Ha Tola you be bad girl." With that he left my office. I sighed and went back to my work. But I was terribly worried about the way Ola had come to my workplace without telling me.

  Was it that he felt I was about to leave him? Could he have wanted to find out if I was into any of my male colleagues? Sitting down at my desk I couldn't really tell what his motive for coming was. I sent him a text message immediately.
'Ola you've messed up day. You better find a way to make it up to me.' I kept my phone aside and started working again. Soon my phone beeped. Ola had replied back
' It's a Friday. A little loving should be a good distraction.' I smiled and relaxed my back against the chair.
'And you think it's what I need?' I texted back.
'That's what I'm offering.' He replied back

I laughed at the response and didn't reply back. I was losing my concentration and there was a lot of work to do.

Being a Friday, I needed to finish the work load I had. I was looking forward to a weekend of relaxation, spending probably the best part of it with Ola. But I hadn't asked him what his plans for the weekend were. And besides, I still hadn't heard from my parents. Where were they and why didn't they call back?

There was no other way of knowing where they were apart from calling them. I decided to try my dad's number again. His phone was still off. When closing time came, I hurriedly left the office thinking that something had happened. I got to the house immediately and looked around, they were not there.

Frustrated, I sat down thinking of what to do next. I played around with my phone a bit, watched the TV hoping at least one of them would open the front door and walk in. But up until 6pm, not one of them opened the front door.

Worried I got up and took my handbag. I wanted to call Ola and tell him I was coming over to see him. But just as I got up, I suddenly fell. I felt like I was in a trance. Something flashed across my eyes like a vision. And then I saw my mother among leaves standing with my grandmother.

The place was all too familiar. When I finally regained myself, I knew she had gone to the village to see my grandmother. As I regained myself I sat down on the sofa and relaxed. What was all this mystery about? Why didn't she tell me she was going to see grandmother? I was angry with her for making me worry.

I got up and went to prepare myself something to eat as I knew her coming back might just be on Sunday. But my dad? I had to convince myself he also went with her. And so it was going to be a lonely weekend. A weekend I was about to spend all on my own.

I had the house to myself and could do whatever I wanted. I could perhaps invite Ola and Nancy to come over so we could  spend some time together. There were so many things I could do with the time I had, and I wanted to use it.

That was until Ola called to tell me his father had left early in the morning and didn't come back. Where did all our parents go and why?