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."
I saw both men laughing and shaking hands. They were really having fun while the three of us just stood staring at them. Ola's father then told us to join them.
"Ola tell your ladies to sit down with us."Â Ola told us to sit down and we thanked his father.
"Bring them something to drink." Ola left us to get some drinks. While he was away my father and his father were having fun joking about Ola's exploit in bringing two women to the house.
"Ah my friend only your son carry two come?" my father asked
"Na de one wey him go fit handle naim he carry come." They laughed while I and Nancy stared at each other in disbelief.
"Me I only introduced one woman to my father. Our young men of these days maybe they have more power." I couldn't believe these two men could play around with us like that. I shook my head in disbelief.
"Well provided they have more power to work. We now, we have power to enjoy."
"Ah my friend you talk true." Soon Ola came and served us drink and then sat down with us. And that's when my father decided to talk about me and Ola.
"So my friend, let's talk seriously." He adjusted his voice and started.
"You see these two young people?"Â He pointed at me and Ola, "So many cancelled appointment means either your son is not taking my daughter seriously, or he is not interested in her at all."
"My friend, let me apologize to you and your daughter. Let us forget the past, right now we are all here. This is not something anyone can escape now. So let us hear from them." said Ola's father. Everyone was silent as my father spoke up again.
"My son, so this is my daughter Tola." He told Ola.
"Right now as we are here, there is tension in my house. My wife is not talking to me and neither is she talking to her daughter. Ask me why there is tension? It is because my daughter said she loves you and wants to spend the rest of her life with you."
Then facing his friend he said, "My friend, her problem is, she hardly sees him, and if she sees him he stays only for a few seconds and leaves.
"Go on I'm listening."
"This situation has given my daughter the idea that your son is not interested in her. " I looked at my father and then looked at his friend. Ola's father had all this while bent his head as he listened attentively. I looked at Nancy and she winked at me.
While I felt her support, I was only praying this day end quickly as I didn't know what to expect from Ola. And I didn't want another disappointment.
"My son?" Ola's father after so much reflection was addressing Ola.
"What is wrong with this young girl that you are not interested in her?"Â Ola got up to speak. I felt my heart thump against my chest.
"Baba, I have always been interested in her." he replied.
"So interested you can't give her attention? What type of a man does that?" Ola couldn't answer.
"Did you hear what she said? She said she wants to spend the rest of her life with you. Me, even your mother no tell me dat one. I remember the first day na water she pour me."
"My friend, I hope it is not hot water?" My father asked him, they both laughed and I couldn't help but giggle too.
"My friend, unless maybe your daughter pours him water that is when he will realize she is serious about him, abi?" Ola kept quiet and didn't say anything. I had a feeling he wanted us to go aside and talk. Then Nancy spoke up.
"Sorry sirs, if I can say something." She politely asked them.
"Go ahead." Ola's father told her.
"Ola, say your mind now that the two of you are here." My father looked at her and so did Ola's father.
Then as if to help us, she said something that saved the situation.
"Excuse me sirs, maybe they want to talk with each other first."
" A consultation?" My father asked
"Na oracle dey wan go consult?"Â Ola's father asked. They laughed leaving me wondering if they took any of this serious.
"Okay o, my friend, what do we do as they want to do consultation?" Ola's father asked my father.
"Well, let's give them a place they can do their consultation." My father replied. The two men started laughing.
"Okay Ola, go with her to the veranda so both of you can talk."
"Thank you Baba. Tola?" I looked at my father and he looked at me. He nodded his agreement and I got up and followed Ola. We left Nancy with the two men and they started an interesting conversation with her.
Sitting in the veranda, I could see her getting along with the two men quite well. This surprised me because in just a short time, she behaved like she had known them for ages.
She was smiling and this meant she wanted to leave her worries behind. But as for me I wanted this day to end as quickly as it came.