He drove off. He saw something from
his rear view mirror and stopped.
“What is it?” Mabel
asked.
“Nothing,” Coker
said. “I thought someone was waving at me to stop.”
“Ok.”
He
drove off.
“Where are you
taking us to?” Mabel asked Coker.
“It is a surprise,”
Coker replied.
“Surprise ke. You
know I don’t like surprises.”
“It may be a
surprise engagement party,” Cynthia said.
They
laughed.
“Who is engaging who
na?” Coker’s fiancée asked, still laughing. “We did ours months back.”
“I was there with
Segun na,” Mabel said and hissed.
“Maybe Timi is
hiding somewhere, ready to jump out suddenly and pop the question,” Cynthia
said.
“Timi is not free o,”
Coker said
“He is married?”
“Kinda.”
“And I was hoping if
Mabel doesn’t pick him, he could be mine,” Cynthia said, feigning sadness.
“What do you mean by
‘kinda’?” Mabel asked, smiling.
“He is based
abroad,” Coker said. “You know how it is there na.”
“Ok. You have to
marry an oyibo woman to get your papers.”
“Something like
that.”
“But he is settled
now right?”
“Yes. He had his
papers years ago. He is a big boy.”
“Eiyaa, that’s good.”
“He wants to marry
from here but it has not been easy for him.”
“Why does he want to
marry again na?”
“He wants to marry
closer to home.”
“So what is stopping
him?”
“If the oyibo woman finds out, he will be in
trouble. So he is threading with caution.”
“If I had a thing
for him before,” Cynthia said. “I am no more interested joor before oyibo woman
will trace me and come here.”
They
laughed.
“No be small
tracing,” Coker said.
“Does he have kids
with her?” Mabel asked.
“Yes. Two girls.”
“He should remain
with his oyibo wife na.”
“You know how
tradition is here. Every man must have at least a son who is a pure breed and
who will sustain the man’s family name and take over the traditions and
legacies of the fathers.”
“Tradition indeed.
The world has moved away from that o.”
“It is not entirely
true o,” Coker’s fiancée said. “Our culture and tradition cannot be totally
overrun. That is what makes us unique.”
“Yes,” Coker agreed.
“All you need do is to know the culture and find a way around it without confrontation.”
“So what does he
plan doing?”
“There was an
emergency, as his oyibo wife said, so he traveled back. In some month’s time,
he will be back to resume the search from where he stopped.”
“Ok oo.”
Cynthia’s
phone rang. It was an unknown number.
“Who is calling me
na?” she asked rhetorically.
She
picked and heard Chuka’s voice. Her face lit up. They talked for a while but
Chuka told her he was not hearing her clearly and promised to call her back in
the night. He hung up. Coker looked at her through the rear mirror.
“Cynthi Cynthi,” he
teased her.
“What?” Cynthia
asked, still wearing the smile on her face.
“This call that is
making you smile like this.”
“Her bf called,”
Mabel said.
Cynthia
nudged her.
“Really?” Coker’s
fiancée asked. “Tell me about him. Is he handsome? How many cars does he have?”
“None,” Mabel said
laughing.
“I will punch you
now,” Cynthia said, bursting into laughter.
Coker
and his fiancée joined in the laughter.
“Throw him away
then,” Coker’s fiancée said. “He doesn’t deserve you.”
“It is not like that
o,” Coker said. “Who knew I would get to where I am today? The girl I could
have married now walked away from me years ago when I was still struggling.”
“I don’t know what
you people are saying o,” Cynthia said.
“Don’t deny your bf
na,” Mabel said.
“Okay, he is still
applying but I have not accepted him na.”
“With what I saw
while you were answering the call,” Coker said. “I already know the answer to
his so-called application.”
“Ok oo. End of
Discussion.”
Coker
got to a popular joint in the town and slowed down.
“I hope you like
this place,” he asked Mabel.
“It is ok,” Mabel
said.
“Alright.”
He
drove into the parking lot and parked. Then they alighted, Coker locked the car
and they went towards where the tables were. It was an open space with a raffia
roof.
“Choose a table,”
Coker said to them.
After a
moment of indecision, his fiancée chose one. They sat and a waiter came to them
and took their order.
“So when are we
coming for your grooving?” Mabel asked Coker.
“Which grooving?”
Coker asked.
“Nuptial knot-tying
grooving.”
“As soon as we
finish with some family protocols.”
“All these family
protocols sef,”
“It is harder on the
man than on the woman,” Coker lamented. “I don’t know why.”
“It is the same
culture and tradition I was talking about earlier,” Mabel said.
“I have told my
parents to tell his people that they will not marry me o,” Coker’s fiancée
said. “They should take it easy on their demands.”
“Is it that bad?”
Mabel asked.
“It is o,” Coker
said. “but we are almost done dealing with it.”
“Ok.”
The
waiter, with the help of another waiter, brought the pepper soup they ordered.
Then they went to get drinks. They soon came back with the drinks. As Mabel and
co ate, they talked about issues any of them raised. Suddenly, Mabel froze with
her eyes wide open as though she had seen a ghost.
“What is it?”
Cynthia asked her.
“Segun,” she said
pointing towards the entrance.
They
followed her pointing and saw what looked like Segun’s car coming into the
compound.
(...to be continued)
Nedu Isaac
If you want to start from the beginning of the story, click here
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