Kemi and I were going out so frequently I got used to hanging out with her a lot. We went to so many parties and I had the opportunity to meet some of the most influential people in Lagos.
How she arrived at this level of popularity was something I found hard to believe. But everywhere we went, we were greatly welcomed.
She had a good personal friend called Alhaji Sule. He was a businessman with whom she met with, regularly. While she never told me he was her boyfriend, I had a feeling they were in a relationship as we were always in his company.
She would call him and he would always send a car to come and pick us up at her house. Anytime we visited him, she would always take some time out to leave me and attend to him privately.
Once she was through with him, she would tell me that it was time for us to go. This was becoming quite a routine until one day, while visiting him, we met another man. He was a friend of Alhaji Sule. The man was of average height sporting a neatly shaved side beard.
His name was Alhaji Kuti. When Kemi left with Mr. Sule, I was alone with him and wondered if this was Kemi's arrangement for me.
I had no interest in any of the men she had introduced me to. I was married and madly in love with Ola. But seeing Kuti sitting down, I couldn't ignore him when he asked me what my name was. I decided to use that question to have a nice conversation with him.
"I'm Mrs. Segun."
"Interesting. So you are married, right?"
"Fully married as you can see." I replied showing him my ring.
"Congratulations for being proudly married." I had to laugh when he said that as I couldn't imagine why he added the term proudly.
"Yes, I am proudly married. Aren't you?" he looked at me and smiled.
"Well let's just say I love my wife."
"Just love and not proud of her?"
"Well it's been a long time, so I can consider myself free. I mean, after having accomplished everything for the family." he said.
"So you are enjoying yourself, is that it?" I asked.
"Well what else is there after you've accomplished everything? Enjoyment."
"So you don't enjoy the company of your wife anymore? You prefer to enjoy the company of other women?"
"I haven't said that, but should such chances come, I might consider them."
"Men." He laughed
"I mean you are with a man. And from what I see, you married not long ago. So you are still a queen in his eyes."
"Oh, I didn't know there comes a time when a woman is queen and when she is not."
"I'm only trying to say with time, there might be some changes in his attitude towards you."
"I mean why would he change. Am I not enough for him?" I asked trying to understand what went on in the minds of men.
"You are enough."
"Ah better o, otherwise I would consider it a waste of time being with him." The man laughed and so did I. We talked and talked until Kemi came out and we had to go. As we got to her house I had to ask her why the other man was there.
"He came to see his friend that's all I can tell you. " I looked at her suspiciously and she understood where I was going.
"Tola don't think I arranged it. I can't do that, you know?"
"And supposing you felt I needed a little company before you got back?"
"Ah Tola, I can't do that now, when I know you are married?"
"Okay o."
"I hope he was not trying with you, was he?"
"No, we just had a good conversation, that's all." Kemi looked at me like I wasn't telling her the truth.
"Tola, see your eye? That conversation you had with him it seems it was quite interesting."
"So you think I'm interested or what?"
"I'm thinking you may want another conversation with him." I smiled at her as if she knew what was on my mind. I had an interesting conversation with Alhaji Kuti in which he explained what he did for a living.
"I own a chain of Supermarkets- Kuti's Supermarkets if you've heard of it."
"Yes, in fact I usually do my shopping there."
"Well currently it's only in Lagos but I intend to open more branches in other states."
"Expansion. So how far do you intend to reach?"
"Good question. Well, not to exaggerate if I can open branches all over the world I'd be happy." This conversation had to continue and I was poised on getting enough details on how to secure a contract for the company I worked for. I knew it wasn't going to be easy. But I had picked up interest and wasn't going to back out.
"Tola you are not saying anything do I take that to mean you'd want to see him again?"
"I wouldn't mind," I shrugged.
"Look just so you know how these things go..."
"I know. He will eventually make some demands I won't be able to meet." She nodded.
"One question, Kemi. Does it always have to be sex with these guys? Can't it be just ordinary friendship?"
"And in what country do you think you're living? Look at yourself in the mirror and see how beautiful you are. Would he give you anything without asking anything in return, I mean sex wise?" I shook my head
"No."
"But he's willing to give you everything just for a one night stand. Seeing how good looking you are, in one night he will not allow you sleep o." I could only laugh when she said that.
"Na machine?" I asked.
"These men when they see a beautiful woman, they are not ready to leave her one second. So know how you want to follow him."Â I pondered over what Kemi was telling me.
I was rapidly getting interested in doing business with Kuti. This was something I felt I could work out without having to go through the usual 'protocols' of sleeping with him. But I knew it wasn't going to be possible.
Overtime, I abandoned the idea of trying to seek a business deal with him. And while we saw regularly anytime I went out with Kemi, he kept his distance from trying with me.
Instead I was having frequent discussions with Ola who saw my friendship with Kemi as a threat to our marriage. He felt she was taking me too far away from him. I tried to reason with him, but he wouldn't listen.
One day Kemi called me and said she wanted to see me urgently. I had closed from work and decided to quickly drive down and see her. When I got to her house she wasn't quite happy to see me.
"Kemi, hope there's no problem?" I asked, as I sat down.
"You know I met Ola a few days ago just as I was on my way home?" I was surprised.
"Hope nothing happened?" She observe me carefully like she was about to tell me something hideous.
"He told me to stop feeding you with my many boyfriends."
"No!" I almost shouted, "he's not like that."
"Tola I can't lie to you. Go home and ask him. In fact he even told me I shouldn't come to your house again." I was silent and couldn't find the words to tell her I was sorry. I had to talk to him and tell him not to interfere with my friendship with her.
When I got home I sat down and asked him what happened.
"Tola, I told her not to come to the house again. Do you have a problem with that?"
"And what is your reason for telling her that?"
"Tola, your friend is into so many men. Soon she will connect you to one of them, or even all of them."
"So you Ola feel I am so loose I don't know myself?" Ola kept quiet. I was angry with him.
"Look I had a problem with my mother insisting I have her grandchild. I turned to you for support and you didn't care much. Kemi told me the one thing that is keeping me from thinking too much."
"So are you saying I don't care about you?"
"You cared so much as to joke about it?"
"So just like you couldn't forget about the incident at the restaurant, you are holding this as a grudge?"
I was shocked at being reminded about that incident. It brought back to my mind the words of my father; that I had to learn to forgive.
"Okay, forgive me, but I had a feeling you joking about it meant you didn't care." Ola looked at me like I had twisted every word to make it look smooth.
"And please don't tell me I twisted words, again." He laughed
"Didn't you twist it?"
"No, I didn't."
"And what if I say you were attempting to?" He said now sliding his arms around my waste.
"Ola, what are you doing?"
"And just what do you think I'm doing?"
"Your hands are moving too fast around my waist." He pulled me too him and kissed me.
"I should be doing it more often, instead of complaining."
"And you think I like it, don't you?" I teased him.
"I'm sure you're not complaining as long as it's good. I wouldn't."
"Yes, I know that. It's what Kemi told me too."
"Kemi?" he asked. I nodded as I looked at him.
"She said, Tola don't worry yourself to death about having a grandchild for your mother. Live, it will come when it will come."
"I like Kemi." He said, surprisingly.
"Really?" He nodded. I started to wonder why.
"She said the one thing I'm going to do right now." He got up.
"And what is it?" I asked
"Live." He carried me into the bedroom and soon, we were under the sheets making love.