Finally, after reading the entire documents, I was asked if I had questions. The only question I really wanted to ask, had already been answered. The five companies were owned respectively by the three sisters, Ola's father and his half brother.
I looked at everybody in the room and told my father's lawyer that I had no questions to ask. But on second thought, I wanted to know what happened to Ola's remains and where he was buried.
I quickly called the attention of my father's lawyer and told him if he could ask the question to the family. He faced the family and told them what I wanted to know.
"My client says she would like to know what happened to the remains of her late husband. And that if no burial ceremony of any kind has been performed yet, she would like to see his remains." There was silence and agitation among them. The Segun family all got together and rumored among themselves.
After about a few minutes, Ola's father through his lawyer told us that my request was something that had been done and long forgotten. This meant that Ola had already been buried and forgotten. I almost shouted at hearing this. But looking at my father I kept quiet and relaxed.
Finally the papers were in front of me and I had to sign them. A pen was passed on to me and I held it ready to sign. My father's lawyer pointed to the place where I had to sign.
I was about to sign when I felt dizzy. I couldn't tell why this was happening, but I felt like something was weighing me down. I became weaker and weaker much to the surprise of everyone around. My eyes were slowly closing and every image around me became blurry. Suddenly I closed my eyes. Like a vision before me, I saw him. I saw Ola and by all indications, he was alive.
He looked healthy and strong and seemed to be living quite well. When what seemed like a vision passed, I was able to open my eyes and look around. Everyone was staring at me, probably wondering what had happened to me.
My father quickly got up and came and held me when he noticed I was about to faint. I fainted and everywhere around me became lifeless. When I opened my eyes, I found myself in the hospital. Staring at me were my parents.
"Papa Tola, what really happened?" My mother asked my father.
"She fainted and so we had to rush her down here of course."
"So you mean just like that she fainted?" My father nodded. She then sat down on the bed beside me and placed her hand on my forehead.
"Tola didn't you eat before you left the house?" I was unable to give her a reply as I was still in shock at finding out that Ola was alive and living another life and probably with some other woman. It couldn't be true. It just can't happen. Why would he do that? Why would he fake his death just to be with someone else? I asked myself.
Tears had started filling my eyes as I kept thinking about how much I had gone through, all because I was searching for answers. My mother saw my tears and took her cloth and wiped them.
"Tola why are you crying, did you fall, are you feeling pain?" She asked incessantly.
"No." I replied. My father looked at me and smiled.
"I guess she has a different kind of pain." He said much to the surprise of my mother.
"Papa Tola, pain is pain why should her own be different?"
"Maybe it's something someone else can cure." I frowned as my father made that joke. He perhaps knew that my problem was Ola. He had seen me faint and may have guessed that I had seen something.
" Don't worry, Tola. I know you are strong, so you will get over this too." He said and walked out of the ward. I was alone with my mother and clutched her hand. She looked at me and my tear-filled eyes.
"Tola, why don't you want to listen to me and your father? Why do you keep tormenting yourself over your husband? Is it not time you keep the past behind you and move on?" I sighed and wiped my tears.
"I will, mum. I will."
"When? is it when you will be my age and no man will look at you anymore?"
"Mum I may decide against seeing another man. I mean, at least till I am about your age."
"Tola, you don't mean it?"
"I have gone through a lot because of one man. Another man may be too much. I'm going to face my job from now on." My mother got up immediately.
"Tola? No be only me go hear dis one o. Your father must hear this too." She went out and called him and by all indications must have told him what I had told her. When he came in, he looked at me and smiled.
" She's not ready for another man yet."
"Papa Tola what did you just say?"
"I said your daughter is not ready for another man yet."
"And you support her? You, Kunle, you support her?" She asked, pointing her finger at him.
"But can't you see the pain she is going through? I mean, she's strong. Someone else in her shoes might just resign and give up on living." Finally the door to the ward opened and the doctor who had checked me came in. It was something I needed, to stop my parents from arguing.
"How are you feeling, Tola?" He asked as he measured my pulse.
"I'll be fine." I replied
"That is good." Turning to my parents after he had measured my pulse, he told them I could go home.
"She's okay and didn't sustain any injuries. You can take her home." My parents thanked him and then asked if I had to take some medication.
"No, what she needs is a lot of rest. At least three days of good rest. And also she should eat well, and eat a lot of fruits." I got up from the bed ready to go. My father went down first and I followed my mother and got into the car.
When we got home I excused them and went to my room. Once inside, I sat down on the bed and thought about the vision that came to me. Could it be true that Ola was still alive? If that was the case then, where would he be?
It was hard to believe that he was alive, since I had seen him lying in a pool of blood. The more I thought about the incident, the more I kept wondering if he was truly alive. If he was alive how could he have possibly deceived me into believing he was shot and killed?
In the following days after my convalescence, I decided to confirm my worries by going to some of the places we used to go together. As I had fully started work in my father's company, I only went to those places after work hours. I would do so and get home before my father got back home.
This was because after work hours was when a lot of people came out. Coming out they would either go home straight, or would stop by a pub and have a drink before going home. It was the perfect hour to see a lot of people.
With this idea in mind, I first went to the restaurant where he had taken me to, and then after that, to the pub. These were actually the two places we went. Each time I got to the restaurant I would ask the waiter to serve me some pepper soup. The waiter would greet me and have a small chat with me before he went to bring the pepper soup.
Once he brought it, I would spend some time eating and watching the people that came into the restaurant. Once I finished from the restaurant I would then head straight to the pub and for about thirty minutes, relax there and watch the people that would come in.
I was going back and forth like this for about four days. After the fourth day, I decided to take a break. But a few days later coming out from work, I got into my car feeling a sudden urge to try one more time. This urge was so strong I kick-started my car and went to the first place that came to my mind-the restaurant.
Along the way I kept looking at the many cars plying the road, and the faces of the couples that were inside these cars.
I had a feeling Ola could be in one of the many cars, and perhaps, with a woman. If that was the case then I was about to confirm what I had already seen in my vision; that he was alive.
On reaching the restaurant, I saw a car coming out. It was about to cross the gate at the same time that I was also crossing the gate going in. There were brief stops from time to time as we were both trying to cross the gate, while taking care not to hit each other's car.
Each time I moved my car, I would turn and look at the driver of the other car. Then he looked at me briefly and turned and faced the road. I was stunned and stopped my car.
The person I saw looked like him. I looked into the rear view mirror and saw the car as it made a right turn and sped off fast. It must have been him even though I still had my doubts. I started my car and went back home with this doubt and went into my room to relax.
Soon I heard my mom call me to come to the dinner table. IÂ joined my parents and ate before going back to my room to lie down again. The following day still in bed, I kept on thinking of the person I saw in the other car. Could it be him?