Tension is something I hate to see around me. And especially now that I had just started work, and was yet to receive my first salary. But after I made the decision not to be with Ola, there was tension in the house. My mother felt her dreams of seeing me go up the aisle had vanished. And she was taking it so seriously enough to consider me her number one enemy.
Her attitude towards changed completely and so I had to find a way to address the problem and change the situation. I talked to my father about it and the only thing he kept telling me was to give my mother time to get over her annoyance. While I agreed with him, I wasn't satisfied waiting. I needed to do something.
I had to do something. And the only thing that came to my mind, was to find Ola and talk to him. But where was he and how could I find him? I hadn't seen Nancy in a while and so I decided to call her up. When she answered my call, she wasn't in the best of mood either. I had to ask her what her problem was.
"Tola, how do I explain to you that I am going through what you've been going through?" she replied.
"And what exactly are you going through?" I asked her. A little silence followed after my question. I had the impression she wasn't ready to tell me whatever it was she was going through.
"Tola if you have time, I think it's best we meet. It's not something I can talk about on the phone." She finally answered. I agreed to meet her after work. And so after work I drove down to her house. When she opened the door she was extremely happy to see me.
"Tola? Now I know what you are going through with Ola." She didn't allow me to sit down before she started talking. When I finally sat down she started telling me a story that in part, was similar to my own story. Her boyfriend, Tunde, was becoming a rarity in her life and she had come to the conclusion, he had left her.
"Tola, I have a feeling he's avoiding me. Perhaps he has another woman somewhere."
"No, you can't jump to such a conclusion. He might just be too busy and has very little time." I answered back, trying to reassure her. But I knew she was certain, her boyfriend had left her for someone else. Seeing the desperation on her face, it was hard telling her why I wanted to see her.
"No Tola, this is unlike him. This is the third month he has been telling me he's going to come and postponed it." She was restless while talking and I tried to calm her down.
"Nancy, everything will be alright. But whatever happens, and if it happens that he leaves you, it's not the end of the world." Nancy stared annoyingly at me. It made me wonder if I had said something wrong.
"It's so easy for you to say that, Tola." she said angrily.
"I haven't said anything wrong?"
"Look, stop right there, okay?! Just stop it! Because you don't know how I feel!" She said, raising her voice and pointing a finger at me. This surprised me and I found it difficult to immediately answer back. I stared awestruck that my opinion had irritated her.
"Sorry o. I beg o, no vex." I remarked.
"Tola, it seems you came here to mock me or wetin? Dem send you come?" I sighed.
"See who dey cry wey I say make I come rescue."
"Abeg. Tola na my trouble you come find or wetin?"
"Look Nancy, don't think you are the only one with problems in love. At least you know my story with Ola." Nancy put her hands to her jaws and looked at me quietly.
"Nancy you know how I rarely see him. Now I have taken the decision to move on without him." Nancy's eyes widened when I said that.
"Yes, I have taken the decision to move on without him," I repeated.
"So what has that got to do with me?"
"Nothing. The only thing is, now, I'm having problems with my mum. And she refuses to talk neither to me nor to my dad." Nancy got up and went to bring a bottle of wine and two glasses.
I knew any time she did that, she was interested in the discussion and wanted to hear the full gist. She opened the wine and poured it into each glass. She took one glass and handed me the other glass.
"Tola, so you calling me was to tell me to help you or what?" She asked, observing me carefully.
"I only wanted advice. But now you have your own problems. And I am sure you need more than the advice I can give you." She closed her eyes and sighed. Opening her eyes again, she stared at me in such a way that frightened me.
"Tola, I still remember I was angry with you the day we met Ola at the restaurant."
"I know, and I believe you still are."
"I really felt it when you told me he abandoned you there and left." I looked at her as she continued to talk. "When you told me you were angry about it, I waited to see what you would do."
"You were disappointed in me, weren't you?" I said. She nodded.
"I was so disappointed I had to call him aside. You know what I told him?" The look on her face still frightened me. I felt the person sitting opposite me wasn't Nancy anymore, but another being. Why did I see her like that? I breathed in and out, convinced it was just my imagination overworking.
"Tola I told him not to play around you. That if he wasn't going to be serious with you, he should leave you to find someone else. It's why perhaps he came over and kissed you." I could only stare at her with my mouth wide open. It never occurred to me that she could go to such an extent to defend me. And yet I always wondered what they had talked about.
"You surprise me Tola. You really do." I had a hard time understanding why she said that.
"Nancy what do you mean by that?"
" From being so desperate about him, you now don't care about him?"Â She sipped her wine while carefully observing me
"Okay, look, I still do. But the thing is, my father made me realize he might disappoint me."
"And how did he come to that conclusion?" she asked.
"Well he was discussing it with my mum and he said Ola's father had cancelled numerous appointments because Ola was never in the house." Nancy looked thoughtfully at me as if she knew where Ola went to. The thought of asking her if she knew his whereabouts was strong. I had to ask.
"Nancy do you know where he usually goes? I mean who he hangs out with and what he does?" She slowly shook her head as a way of saying no.
"That I don't know. I mean, he sometimes behaves quite strangely. And besides, he never discusses anything with any of us." It was too simple an answer to convince me, but I accepted it.
"But didn't I give you his number? Why didn't you call him?" she asked
"I tried sending him a message but it wouldn't go." She instantly got up and reached for her phone and dialed his number. After a few rings, it seemed he pick up the phone.
"Ola, na me Nancy. I dey house wit Tola." As they talked she kept staring at me making me feel uncomfortable. What was he telling her to make her stare at me like that? Finally she hung up and taking a sip of her wine told me what he had told her.
"Tola do you want to hear the good news?" My eyes widened in surprise. What could be the good news she wanted me to hear? I held my breath as I didn't want to believe Ola was coming here.
"Tola? Make I ready make we commot." Nancy got up and left me and went into her room before I even tried to ask her where we were going. Soon she came out dressed as if she was going to a big event.
"Nancy where are we going for you to dress like this?" Nancy smiled at me and took her handbag. She then drank the remaining wine in her glass and looked at me.
"Let's go and see Ola."
"What?!" I shouted.
"Yes, let's go to his house. Abi you no wan see am again?" she asked smiling. I sat dumbfounded and weak. I couldn't possibly believe this was about to happen; that I was going to see Ola for the first time in his house.
"Tola, I want to distract myself. So let's get out of here, okay?" I could only stare at her as if I was lost.
"Tola, the only way to find out if he is serious about you or not, is to have a one-on-one discussion with him. So get up and let's go."
"Just when I decided to move on without him?"
"Abeg, make we do commot. If you see am now you go still melt." I gulped down the glass of wine I was slowly drinking. This was the biggest surprise of my entire existence. Finally I could tell Ola that I wanted to move on without him. I needed a more stable person in my life. Someone I could really count on.
I had made up my mind and wasn't going to change it. I looked at Nancy who, just a few minutes ago, was so worried about her boyfriend leaving her, brighten up. Her attitude inspired me to take the same approach. Leaving Ola wasn't going to be the end of the world. I would survive without him and I had to tell him that.