Jemima walked into the living room with white walls and gold curtains. An air conditioner stood beside a beige sofa. Paintings and family portraits lined the walls of the living room. A bar stand sat at the far end of the living room. There was a red and black carpet underneath the glass table with intricate designs, and a basket of false fruits sat atop the table. The air smelt of food.
“Welcome our Iyawo. It’s so nice to finally meet you. Come, come ohh… so fine!”
Jemima walked toward Dolapo’s mother and hugged her. She was not expecting such a nice reception. The fat woman smelt of cinnamon and honey, her beady fingers were lined with rings and her wrist was adorned with a gold wristwatch. Her hair was dyed wine while her makeup was obsolete. Her bust shook with each sigh or laughter. Jemima managed a smile when she saw the woman smiling at her.
“Mummy, ekalé ma!”
“Omo mí, Dolapo, you brought in a good one oh. See her skin, skin like milk,” Dolapo’s mother smiled as she ushered them to sit beside her, “Let me go and call your father…”
“Where are the couple that my wife keeps chatting about?” A deep masculine voice called from behind.
Jemima and Dolapo stood up to greet Chief Adeyemi. Dolapo prostrated slightly while Jemima bowed.
Jemima raised her head and was greeted with a smirk. A tall, half-caste man with reddish-brown curly hair and a beard, dressed in a navy blue senator outfit and designer shoes was standing behind Chief. She had not noticed him earlier.
Jemima was alarmed, she struggled to compose herself. What was he doing here? How did he know Dolapo and his family? She wondered as she sat beside Dolapo.
Dolapo noticed how uneasy his fiancee was and held her hand. She looked at him tentatively, trying her best to compose herself. He wondered why she felt uneasy.
Chief sat down on the chair opposite them. His wife went to seat beside him while the maid came into the living room with a tray of drinks and hotdogs. The food looked yummy but Jemima had lost her appetite. The tall man sat adjacent to them.
“What about your parents? I thought we would also be hosting them?” Chief asked Jemima who was still uneasy.
Jemima blinked and struggled to find her voice. Dolapo offered her a glass of water and she took a sip.
“Are you okay?” Dolapo’s mother asked with a worried expression.
Jemima cleared her throat and took another sip of water. “Yes ma, I’m fine. My parents are on their way. Their car broke down on the road some miles away so they had to call a mechanic. They will join us shortly,” Jemima turned to Dolapo, “I would like to use the bathroom shortly, where is it?”
“I’ll take you there then,” Dolapo said in an attempt to stand up. Jemima held him back.
“I want to go myself. Please!”
“Are you okay babe?” Dolapo whispered quietly into her ears, she nodded. His mother smiled at their affectionate display. Dolapo sighed momentarily, “Take a left turn at the other parlor, you’ll see the toilet. Hopefully, there is a roll of tissue there too.”
Jemima carried her purse, “Please, excuse me. I need to use the toilet.”
Chief nodded while his wife smiled at Jemima. Jemima wondered about the story behind James being in the family’s living room.
She entered the toilet and locked herself in. She took in deep breaths to avoid crying and ruining her makeup. She wondered why James had resurfaced in her life after breaking off their relationship four years back.
He had left without turning back, calling her a slut although he had been the one sleeping around with everything in the skirt. He had never loved her and she had been a fool all along. She whimpered as she reached for her purse for a wipe. She figured she had to play cool and think of a way out of the situation. However, she could not shake off the bad feeling in her gut.
She stepped into the living room feeling rejuvenated. She smiled coyly at Dolapo as she sat beside him.
“I apologize for keeping you all waiting.”
“We all have those moments, there is no need to apologize my dear”, Dolapo’s mother said smiling, “This is Dolapo’s brother, James, most people know him as Theophilus but he doesn’t like the name that much. He was born abroad…”
Jemima finally figured it out. She had always heard Dolapo talk about Theophilus, his brother born out of wedlock by a German woman, one of Chief’s affairs. Dolapo’s mother tried to maintain her composure during the introduction, but Jemima figured the lady was struggling behind the makeup.
“Nice to meet you, our IYÁWÒ. Welcome to the family!”, James said as he walked over to shake Jemima’s hands. He had a smile but it looked like a smirk. Jemima smiled back.
The main door swung open, and a girl in her early twenties dressed in a see-through shirt and bomb shot walked into the living room half-drunk. Everyone stared at her as she cooed at James. James cursed under his breath. Jemima got a good look at the girl and a staggering recognition hit her.
“Jane, what are you doing here?”
The drunk girl turned around with wobbly feet. She seemed to be out of it but after a closer look, a smile shot through her face.
“My sister”, she said in a mocking voice as she belched, steadying herself with the arm of James’chair, “I didn’t think I would be seeing you today. Did you land a rich babe? Is that your Dolapo? He looks cuter in person though, God don do am for you!”
Jemima wished the ground would open and swallow her. Why was this particular day a mess for her? Dolapo looked at Jemima’s sunken face dejectedly.
Voices flooded in from the other parlor. Jemima’s family had just arrived. Things were not looking good for Jemima.
“Babe, what’s going on?” Dolapo asked Jemima who was struggling to gain composure. Chief and his wife seemed perplexed at the situation.
“Ekalé oh”, Jemima’s family greeted as they walked into the house. The air was still.
“Richard?”
Jemima looked around the parlor wondering who Richard was. Her mother stood transfixed at the spot where she was standing beside the door. Chief stared back at the lithe woman whose curvaceous body sent a shiver of desire down his loins.
“Angela?”
Jemima and Dolapo looked at both parents, gobsmacked at the turn of events.
Chief stood up and walked over to Jemima’s mother -Angela- who seemed shocked.
“What are you doing here, Berry? Chief addressed Jemima by her pet name. How are you here right now? M…My mother said you died”, Chief said as tears rolled down his sturdy cheeks.
Angela broke down in tears too. Jane who was drunk seemed to sober up a little.
After a while, everyone sat down, the air thick with a dilemma. Chief sat beside his wife whose eyes were red from tears. Angela sat weeping on the floor.
“You left me alone with the pregnancy, Richard I went to your mother and she told me you said we were done. After everything we had been through? Did you even bother looking for my body? Supposing I was dead, did you even look?”, Angela said amidst tears.
Chief shook his head in resignation. James pushed Jane off his body and tried to move away from her but she kept drawing herself closer.
“Luckily, the boy is in Spain now. He’s doing well for himself. Ah, I suffered, life showed me shege but this is my husband, Forunsho is the best. God answered my prayer.”
Jemima wondered how she was going to break the news to Dolapo that her ex -James- so happened to be Theophilus whom she had dated for two years but had never known his real name. Most shocking was the fact that Jane, Jemima’s half-sister from her father who was supposed to be in school had been frolicking around with James. The apple did not fall far from the tree, she thought to herself.
Dolapo shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He wished things had not turned out this way. He really wanted to be with his Jamima.
“Babe, can I talk to you for a minute outside?” Jemima asked with a tired face. Dolapo nodded and followed her to the black Range Rover sitting in the parking lot of the magnificent compound. They stood beside the car under the canopy.
“This James, when did you know he was your brother?” Jemima asked.
“I wanted to ask you about him too, is he the ex you told me about that left you after the abortion?”
Jemima stared at two lizards on the wall, mating without concern. She felt the breeze waft through her Peruvian hair.
“Is it my brother, Jem’s?”
“Yes”, Jemima said resignedly.
“This is fucked…”
“I know. What can we do? Everybody is mad!”
What do you think Dalapo should do, should he continue with his marriage intention with Jamima? Please let’s know your thoughts.
Another Amazing Story: Veronica Johnson
