The daily times headlines were starkly clear “ Chinese oil workers kidnapped from a barge in waters off Bonny”. Bonny a small sleepy coastal town at the eastern edge of the Niger Delta was surrounded by the murky waters of the Bight of Biafra. To the eyes of a Lagosian it meant little more than a place, or rather a place that spelt trouble. In that respect Mr. Tokunbo Ajayi was no different from other Lagosians, and he glanced over the headlines with a hint of irritation in his mannerisms and muttered to himself some indecipherable superlatives alluding to the fact that there was always someone or the other getting kidnapped in the Niger Delta. For what seemed to him trivial reasons or worse still no reason at all. The trouble, he thought to himself was that they kidnapped all the wrong people for all the wrong reasons. Not that he could think of a good legal reason to justify any kidnapping of any sort. Yet the kidnappings continued. He would have cared even less about all these things except that he was in the process of pursuing a lucrative career in a new cabinet of the federal ministry, and he felt obliged to at least appear up to date on current events ,even if he was not. For all he cared ,they could kidnap a new expatriate every day.
After a brief review of the paper, he neatly folded the paper and laid it beside his steaming cup of coffee. Carefully and deliberately he went over the plans for the days meetings. At 1 pm immediately after lunch he would meet with Mr. Olumide, the powerful former minister for oil. They had planned to do a debrief to prepare him for his meetings with the Minister for housing and rural development. From there he hoped to end up his evening at his estranged wife’s flat, for reasons he himself could not fully account for.
Mrs. Ajayi:
Mrs. Ajayi had been estranged from Mr. Ajayi for the past two years. In the year of their estrangement she had initially denied there being any real reason for the estrangement. She had stated vague reasons as not feeling loved anymore, and of wanting to find herself apart from her marriage. As the duration of their separation wore on and on ,it finally became obvious that Mrs. Ajayi had in fact been having a long drawn out affair with his best friend Femi. When all the chips had fallen on the table the breach between him and Femi became irreparable. Two weeks prior to this day, Toyin had called to say that it was all over between herself and Femi and that she wanted to “come back home”. In response to this request Mr. Ajayi now found himself in his old Peugeot 504 clanking through the pot holes on a dirt road in Ikeja.
A more complicated man would have regarded such an appeal with apprehension and caution. The depth and breadth of his love had leaped across the trivial boundaries of time and infidelity, and accompanying nostalgia had magnified the raptures associated with the love in its initiation. All this transpired to make him an eager and emotionally desperate man. He had found it near impossible to reconcile the unfaithful Toyin, with the Toyin he had loved and wooed. The two years without her had passed slowly. Despite the intense loneliness he had resisted all urges to take on a lover in revenge. This was not because he lacked a desire for human love, but more because he thought too highly of love, to take on a lover without it. In his mind he was convinced that love begotten of revenge was a poison, and would kill the love.
For many a sleepless night he had wrestled with this sorrow. Too proud to acknowledge to friends and family the true state of despair he wallowed in; to the world he put on a happy and cheerful face. When he returned to his rooms, there the ghosts of his past resurfaced with a clockwork regularity attempting to drive him to madness. He continually teetered on the brink of the abyss to hopelessness. Sleep proved no refuge either, for in his dreams the ghosts took on even more spectacular and fantastic forms. Toyin was always at the center of these dreams. She was running always away from him. In his mind he kept asking that question that plagues humanity, that has no answer. He asked why. He asked why to anyone who would listen to him. Even God seemed to have tired of him asking . He had thought that she had loved him as much as he had loved her. As for Femi, he would have trusted Femi with his life.
　
Everyday has a new beginning, every moment, how ever fleeting seeks it’s cause and effect. The moments strung together form a day and then a week and a year. Somewhere within there hides a purpose known to God alone. Every now and then the purpose is seemingly deciphered in so far as it can be fathomed to the mortal, only for the shimmering of illusions to overtake once again.
Mr. Ajayi was in a position that he had never imagined in his deepest dreams or thoughts. The two years of his separation had been hard on him and had taken their toll. Just as he had become reconciled to his fate and had taken the separation in his stride he was now being drawn into a reconciliation with the very perpetrator of his misery.
She was seated in the living room of her little flat waiting patiently for his arrival. Although she struck the pose with ease, a nervousness of manner betrayed that she had given the matter much thought and in fact laid much import to the course she was about to embark upon. Mr. Ajayi entered the room with a vague smile and she smiled back.
“ Hello Yinka.” he said. “ It’s been a long time since we last saw each other in this way.” He joked, trying to appear calm.
Her smile widened, “ I know, I don’t want to go over our last meeting together..” She said.
“ You want us to avoid discussing how you told me that you and Femi had decided to be together?” He asked unabashedly.
“ It’s over between me and Femi” she said abruptly, gesticulating wildly with her hands.
“ So, because it’s over between you and him you want me to come over here ,and then we can continue as if nothing happened?” He asked in total disbelief.
“ No” She cried, “ No, I never said that”, then she continued “ I don’t think that anyone could ever expect that of you ,or anyone for that matter.” She pleaded. “ But you are still my lawful husband”.
He shook his head in disbelief and leant against the wall with his hand covering half of his brow “ There’s no denying that. Yes, I am your lawful husband , the lawful husband whom you betrayed ,and we have been separated now for over two years.”
“ I know “ she answered softly, looking away” Do you believe in forgiveness, in a new beginning? Can I ask you to dare to trust in me once more?”
He shook his head even before he could speak. “ Right now, I am not sure what I believe in. Yes, I believe in forgiveness, but to ask me to put this indiscretion behind me, I think you are asking for more than I can give.”
“ Why is that Tokunbo?” She sobbed” Did our love mean so little to you that you have lost the ability to hope?” He winced at her bluntness, the audacity of her statements were unspeakable.
“ How dare you, you of all people talk about how little our love meant. Whilst you were seeking solace in his arms I was alone. Ah !There were times I felt that I was on the verge of madness. No, it is you who make light of my affection, thinking you can approach me at will, and abandon me whenever it suits your fancy.”
She looked away, emotionlessly and continued. “ I did not invite you here to quarrel . It was a peace offering and you can take it or leave it. But do not belittle the gesture.. I will not humor you by indulging you in your self pity. Pfia! How pathetic can a man be thinking that it is by self pity you win love and respect.” He turned around and walked to the door with his head hanging down. At the door he turned for one last look at the woman he had loved. Without a further word he walked out. He made his way down the narrow stairs and found his car where he had left it at the gate.
Toyin’s agenda was to remain a mystery. Over the next few days he tried to rehash in his mind the preceding events. He tried to decipher what the purpose of the meeting had really been. Clearly she was not seeking to annul the marriage outright, at least not without a fight.
　
　
　
Toyin and Femi continued:
At the end of the second month as Femi’s desire to be reunited with Toyin reached a feverish pitch, he had finally sought Toyin’s brother out and then had met with Toyin to beg for her hand in marriage. Strange as it was that he was still married to Iyabo at the time, but this he was able to explain by telling her the secret plan that everything would be done gradually. “ we will not let the world know our plan immediately, for it is not the world which gives credence to our love for each other” he had said. “ We have a bond between us which is spiritual and cannot be loosed, you have my heart and I know In have yours for we have both left everything behind and have moved on together, I could never ask you to be my second wife, no my love for you Toyin is first, and you will be my only wife.” For two years he had been saying the same thing and
　
　
　
“JTF descend upon Bukuratu .” “ 1,000 soldiers in Warri” The headlines were back in the Niger Delta. The Movement for the emancipation of the Niger Delta had been at a stand off with the regime for the past four weeks. Reports were filtering out about entire villages being once again abandoned as the villagers sought refuge in the bush. Some rumors alluded to villagers being chased by helicopters manned with automatic machine guns shooting and spraying after the villagers.
Mr Ajayi was quite bewildered. He was not sure that he wanted to seek for the lucrative government post any more. It seemed hard to fathom what was right and what was wrong. Were the people running into the bush truly civilians? And how could one distinguish unarmed civilians from unarmed militants? So there was a good possibility that innocent civilians were being killed as well. Sometimes, he thought to himself life becomes so cheap in Africa.
He arrived at Mr. Olumide’s house in the evening after work. Without much fanfare he insisted that he would withdraw his candidature for the contract at hand. Mr Olumide could not believe his ears.
“ What is this you are telling me” he said to him. “ That of all the people in Nigeria you are the only one who could turn down such a lucrative contract. What has gotten into you? I don’t understand ,it was just yesterday you were all enthusiastic about the project. Can’t you see that we are talking about rural development for the people of the Niger Delta. We are going to build schools and a clinic for the people.” Mr. Ajayi was not moved, “ I thought I could do this, but right now I feel like my conscience won’t allow me to participate in a project which will turn out to be another sham. You want to build a school when there are no school books; build a clinic when the entire healthcare system is in shambles. For God’s sake, every high ranking government official in this despicable place gets his health care abroad. Truly, Kole you cannot be the only one who does not know this.”
Mr Olumide was furious “ Something must have gone wrong for you to have become so negative about the project all of a sudden.”
Mr Ajayi shook his head “ No, not really. I saw Toyin a few days ago, and she said she “wanted to reconcile” and I said no to that too. Maybe I am just getting tired of all the lies around us, Kole. How long have we been struggling in this place.? I probably should have gone abroad five years ago when I had a chance, but I kept hoping that things would turn around. Every year we kept saying surely it can only get better. Then things went from worse to even more worse. I don’t see these projects as a solution. I don’t see a solution. But I know the difference between right and wrong.”
Kole got up from his chair and brought out two classes with cognac. “ Well, let us toast to the project that never was. I don’t share your scruples and I will proceed with the project, call it blood money if you will”
“ I never called it blood money, but I want nothing to do with it.”
“ It’s okay, I have no other work since I got retired from my government position so I do not have the luxury to say no to a contract. Mrs. must buy her lace, and take her annual trip abroad , it’s called lifestyle. But never mind about that, tell me why did you reject Toyin now? I thought you had been waiting for her all this time.”
“ I doubted the sincerity of her proposal. I fear that she and Femi may have had a quarrel and the last thing in the world that I wanted was to be dumped a second time .”
“ Toks you sound like a master of relationships right now”.
“ I am hardly that. But I must admit that I have done my share of reading on the politics of relationships, and if she is sincere I will hear from her again.”
“ I saw Femi last night at Ikoyi club. He was alone and looking rather dejected.”
“ You know Kole all this is neither here nor there. My mother has expressly forbidden me from any reconciliation with Toyin. I have closed the chapter, and I am a man who is looking .”
Kole laughed “ For a man who is looking you don’t seem to be making much effort, you need to be out socializing, meeting people. Believe me Lagos is full of beautiful women.”
Mr. Ajayi agreed,” I know , but right now I must be on my way.”
　
　
Mr. Ajayi and his mother have a conference:
Mrs Toyin Ajayi lived in Surulere in one of the small bungalows off Adeniran Ogunsanya road. The bungalow though modest served her purpose well. As a widow and a retired school teacher, she could live a decent life in relative equanimity. All the windows and doors were heavily barred, and the small compound itself was walled in by a high brick fence topped with barbed wire. By the solid iron gate was a little house in which the gate man slept and guarded the gate day and night.
Mr. Ajayi had left the offices of his company in Lagos island early and stopped by in Surulere on his way home. Mrs. Toyin Ajayi always pretended that her sons visits were unexpected, even though she always expected them. She was seated at the dinner table with an extra place set for her son “ should he chance to drop by.” The menu was likewise always tailored to the likings of her son. At the end of the day he wanted to eat garri and soup, no talk of beans or rice and stew, because that he could always get at his home. After the usual greetings he sat down beside his mother at the dining table and proceeded to eat. His initial intention had been to not introduce the topic of his wife, but he could contain himself no longer.
“ Mother, would you believe what happened to me yesterday? I got home and received a note from the steward that Toyin had dropped with him. In it she appealed for me to come over and see her. I was truly shocked and surprised. I had thought that she was perhaps going to appeal for me to give her a divorce so that she could marry Femi.”
His mother was looking keenly at him,and said,” So. I hope you told her that you were very happy to give her a divorce.”
He shook his head between mouthfuls and gestured with his left hand,” I found out that her and Femi have now broken it off, and that Femi has gone back to his wife.” He paused and took a drink of water all the while looking at his mother to assess her reaction.
His mother who had finished eating washed her hands in the bowl provided and shook her head back and forth in disbelief. “ Well, I must tell you now, Tokunbo, you cannot go back to that woman no matter what Femi does or does not do. “.
“ I quite agree with you Mom, I had actually never thought that the two of us could reconcile, it looks to me that she thinks of this relationship as a relationship of convenience.” he answered trying to convince himself that he really felt that way.
When dinner had finished they sat down and watched a video. Exhausted from the day at work and the previous evenings turmoil, Mr. Ajayi fell asleep on his mother’s sofa. By the time he awoke, it being too late to try to find his way back to Ikeja for the night, he decided that he would spend the night here at his mother’s house. Perhaps when the morning came he would feel differently about everything. He might just be able to try to put this whole ruined marriage behind him and get on with his life. Maybe one day he thought he would meet the love of his life, a real love. Or maybe he had just been in love with the idea of love to the right person. After all, Toyin had fit every image of the perfect wife for him, she came from the family of a retired military man, and had been schooled in the private schools of England as a boarder for the last three years of secondary school. She had returned to the University of Lagos to study law. She had successfully acquired her law degree. Her family came from Lagos and his family did as well, and their parents had been friends or at least acquaintances, one could say. The whole courtship had gone by in flurry of events. She wanted marriage, which he wanted too. The wedding had for that season been the talk of Lagos. The ceremony itself had taken place at the Anglican Cathedral, and the reception was held at federal Palace hotel with a thousand high powered attendees. The Governors of Lagos and Oyo state and a sprinkling of commissioners including the most esteemed Dr. Williams of the ministry for health for Lagos state had been present. The governors of Ondo and ekiti states had sent their apologies for not being able to attend, but had sent gifts and a representative. The families had dressed up in Aso Ebi, with the brides family coming in a pink organza lace and the grooms family were in a matching blue organza lace. A cake had been flown in from a French bakery in Cotonou for the occasion. Flowers had been ordered from Nairobi and Amsterdam, champagne from France. The exclusive catering firm of Okunyobi and sons had catered for the one thousand with a jeolloff rice and plantain, and moi-moi. A salad of sorts had been served, and the drinks were all on the house. At the end of the formal reception there had been a reception at the brides and grooms families residences, after which the happily married couple were finally able to return to their flat in Ikeja for some peace. Three days after the ceremony they had gone to Abidjan for the honeymoon which had lasted three days. There they had stayed at the luxury Sheraton resorts. On arrival in Abidjan they had been so tired that they had barely emerged from their rooms except to eat. Not long after the return from the honeymoon the whole started to unravel. He found her temperamental. At first he could not understand why. Then later he found out that she would go out during the day, and not say where she was going. Later on he found out that she was having lunch meetings with Femi at a variety of locations close to Femi’s office. It became clearer as time went on that the two of them had fallen in love. When he thought of how all these events unfolded it now seemed so simple and so obvious. He now had the benefit of hindsight and could only wonder at how he could have missed all these things at the time. At that time, he was perplexed and morose. He could not understand why Toyin was so testy with him. He could not understand why she rejected all of his advances. It became apparent that she was physically repulsed by him. If he even so much as touched her she would cringe, and would quickly make an excuse to leave the room. After the first month of marriage she had retired to sleep in the small study by the living room where she had placed a small six spring bed.
It had only been a matter of time before he found out the truth. He could still remember the day when Iyabo had showed up at his office in great distress. In her right hand she had a hand full of love notes signed Toyin. There had been no last name so she had not been certain whether these belonged to “ his Toyin” . He had immediately recognized the curly cursive writing of hers, and in disbelief had proceeded to torture himself by reading through every single one of the letters. Wherein she described with detail how much she longed for Femi night and day. Iyabo had become hysterical. She was the single mother of two small children and was now on the verge of finding herself single and alone if she did not think fast. In her hysteria she did not notice that tears were silently running down the cheeks of Mr. Ajayi; he said nothing, because if he spoke the shaking of his voice would betray the depth of his sorrow. He could think of no words to express the fury of the emotion he felt, there were no words he could think of to quell the ranting of Iyabo. He finally summoned the courage to speak up and went to the chair where Iyabo was seated and placed his hands on her shoulders, and said,” Don’t weep. Please my dearest Iyabo, please don’t weep. I blame myself for introducing them to each other. But who would have ever imagined that such a dreadful thing would happen and that they would betray our trust so ? I am so sorry…”
Iyabo wailed and cried into his shoulder, because she really did not know what to do. How was she to proceed? Was she to move out, she with no job and nowhere to go, or was she to stay on and pretend that she “ did not know what was really going On”? For Mr. Ajayi there was no question what he would was to ask Toyin to pack her bags immediately as the flat was his and not hers.
“What are you going to do Iyabo, have you thought of that?” he asked. She thought for a moment. It was hard to move out with two small children and furthermore, she had nowhere to go, no money to rent a flat with, no money for food.
“ You know, Toks, I have no money and no relatives nearby who can conveniently take me in. As such, I am staying put. I have nowhere to go.”
Mr. Ajayi nodded in assent.
“ I was just about to tell you the same thing. If you move out you and your children will be the losers’ all around, you must stay where you are and pretend as if nothing has happened.”
“ On no!” She exclaimed.” I cannot pretend that nothing has happened, that is one thing I cannot do. I will not leave nor will I make any trouble over all this, but I will move into the children’s bedroom and from now on he and I will be as brother and sister and no more.”
“ Iyabo, I know this has been a hard decision for you, but I think this is what you must do. Our men sometimes sadly enough cannot think away from polygamy. It is like a stone tied around our peoples necks, a tradition which we can’t leave behind.
In the evening he had returned to his flat and in the usual fashion he had found Toyin out on his arrival. He had called his steward Bayo, and he had collected together Mrs. things and wrapped them up in a large cloth. The clothes were packed away into a trunk that had been given as a wedding present, and everything was neatly stacked by the door. Mrs. Toyin Ajayi his mother was present to ensure that the unpleasant task at hand was done properly. She was to be the family spokesman in the matter who insisted that Toyin leave.
The accusations had been leveled in a nonpartisan manner. Toyin had initially tried to deny the accusation. On further prodding she had confessed that she was in love with Femi and had always been even before her marriage to Tokunbo. She had met Femi in secondary school and they had been friends until they lost touch with each other, and then had met again after her marriage to Tokunbo. She apologized , and Tokunbo had offered to return her to her brothers house in Ikoyi that very night. She did not want to go in the night and asked if it would be alright for her to leave in the morning with the driver. Mrs Toyin Ajayio was upset that Tokunbo was so weak and had allowed her to stay one more night under his roof. She was scandalized, in the old days if a man caught you in infidelity he would personally physically throw you out of the house without looking back or thinking twice about it. By daylight she had left, and she had taken everything she could with her. Not one tear had been shed on her side, nor did she feel one iota of remorse. She had decided that no matter what this thing with Toks was going nowhere. Toyin was not the type of person to stay in a loveless marriage anyway. Being a hot headed romantic she was ready to risk all for love to this married man Femi. They had so much in common, like her he had been educated in the cold boarding schools of England, and they were both incurable romantics. He told her with passion about his undying love for her, he paid her attention as only a man in love could. He noticed the little things such as the effort she had taken in putting on a certain dress or the new perfume she had drenched herself in. He understood her struggles and her wants and her needs. Above all he understood her need for a companion, which was something he also sought. Sure Iyabo had been he had thought the love of his life, true she had given him two beautiful children. But then that was where the passion ended. She could not fulfill him intellectually, she could not keep him charmed, but was all bogged down in childrearing and housekeeping. He attended the parties and there would be Toyin in her beautiful coiffure and the latest wrapper, or outfit from France, looking beautiful. With Toyin he could laugh, she made him feel young and happy. There had been others, but that was only a fleeting fling. He had over the ensuing two years always come back to Toyin. He knew he wanted to marry her, and now he realized that she was the one he should have married in the first place. He did not know how to go about all this. Having come from a polygamous home, his mother had made him promise that he would never be polygamous. But now he was faced with the prospect of losing the woman he loved or his children and their mother or both. He fantasized that they all could live happily under one roof and had even dreamt one day that it would all solve itself. Finally he had decided just in the week preceding the current events that he would break it off with Toyin and that he would try one more time to reconcile with his wife. The reconciliation lasted two months, after the second month he took the bonus from his previous year of work and bought a flat in Ikoyi, a mile from where he lived with Iyabo. He furnished it, went to Toyin’s brother and submitted a formal proposal of marriage for him to take Toyin as his second wife according to native law and custom. It was well understood that he would divorce Iyabo within the year and that Toyin would be the only wife. For the sake of appearances and to avoid the wrath of society they had decided to do it in stages. Once the apartment was furnished he never went home to Iyabo again although he did pay the bills, he also told the landlord of the building that he would only keep the building to rent for one more year after which he would move Iyabo and the children to a smaller flat in Surulere.
All this was in the distant past.
Femi and Toyin:
It was a Saturday morning in the middle of June. The air in Lagos was heavy with the humidity after the heavy rains of the night before. The side walks had turned into islands of mud surrounded by pools of water. The garden of the complex where Femi and Toyin lived together was lush and green, and the bougainvilleas were bright and pink and flowering. Over the tall wall and gate that surrounded the complex a soft breeze wafted in. The two had finally become reunited two weeks earlier. Femi had scrambled to find a home for them. He had been so repentant of the pain that he had caused her that now he only wanted to make up for all of it. He watched her as she slept on the bed beside him. Here she was the woman of his dreams beside him now and forever.
He got up from the bed slowly so as to not awaken her, and then on an impulse he had leant over her and kissed her fore head, and she had woken up. She sat up in the bed and rubbed her eyes. “ Good morning the love of my life “ he had greeted her as he always did. “ Good morning my love” she had answered with a smile. “ My love” she had continued,” “With you every morning is good, and without you it is not” He laughed and put his arm around her. Ah, Toyin, you said that before I could. I could stay here with you forever, and have no need for anything else… how, how could I have let you go for two months? I keep asking myself about that crises. What madness must have possessed me for me to risk our love to save my marriage? I still think it was the guilt of my breaking my promise to my mother about not being polygamous. But my mother is long since dead, and my uncle said, one must move on with one’s life, “ the dead must bury the dead”. I must live for me .” Toyin smiled and kissed him on his cheek” My love, we are not polygamous, you are divorcing her to marry me and I am divorcing Tokunbo to marry you. It is a marriage that ended in divorce, what is new under the sun?” “ I have told Iyabo that she and the children will want for nothing , but nothing satisfies her. She has this saying that it is not the money so much that bothers her, though that too. Then she went off on a tirade about how she believed that I would stay when I came back and that this just made everything worse.” “ I cannot understand her saying that to you. It is not as if you planned to leave her after you went back. You went back in good faith to see if you could rescue your marriage surely she must allow you that? “ “ Right now I don’t think she will allow me anything. I sometimes think she would have preferred to be living the lie of our marriage, pretending to the whole world that all was well when both of us knew that we barely talked to each other, much less stay in the same room at the same time. We both had it down to a science, if you were in a room the other one was not to enter ; however if by chance she entered the room I would promptly leave it. I tried after I went back to engage her in some semblance of a conversation the first day and then I quickly gave up on it. She looked at him “ Why did you give up on it? Did you really give up on it so quickly or are you saying that for my sake?” “ No, I am not. When I got there I realized once again why I was with you. Rather than extinguish my love, the separation fanned my love for you even more. If I saw a sunset, I remembered our first sunset together at the beach and the words you had said that your father had told you when you were young that the sun was only going to sleep, so that in the morning it could awake all the children all over the world. If I heard a word that you had used or an expression, it would make my heart long vevn more. Then finally after the two weeks, I could bear it no longer, and I left. Except this time I siad nothing, what was there for me to say? To say that I was sorry again , and then to go through her cries and her pleas once more? I decided to spare her and myself the agony, even at the risk of appearing like a real bastard. There was nothing I could say that would ease her pain.”
“ Well I think she will be fine Femi, women always manage to get through these things. In any case she can always ask her mother to come from Abeokuta and help her with the children, and maybe she can go back to work herself.”
“I don’t want her working now. I want her to look after my children. Toyin they still are my children too you know I love them”
“How does her going to work interfere with her raising the children. I think economic independence is the way for emancipation for females.”
“ You don’t even work your self Toyin, how can you be saying this?”
“ The fact that I don’t work is neither here nor there. I do occupy myself at home with a variety of projects, and I am a home maker for now, at least until I have our children and they are older.”
“ I don’t want you to work Toyin, I am the man of the house, and I say enough that you need not work. Let your work be to be my lover, my wife, my home maker.”
“ I will make you my occupation, my hobby, my diversion, only God will be above you, as far as this world is concerned you will be the reason why I live. As you are to me on this earth all that I have. The passion of my life..”
　
Mr. Ajayi moves on with his life:
Mr. Ajayi had been in the office on a Monday morning when he received a phone call which was truly surprising to him. Femi was on the line, calling his former best friend for the first time since their friendship had ended over two years ago. The conversation was a difficult one, where Femi had decided that the better part of valour was to publicly acknowledge his devotion to Toyin. It was also to serve to inform his friend that he was aware of the meeting between him and his estranged wife. Femi wanted to be certain that Tokunbo remained under no further illusions about any possible reconciliation with his estranged wife. He also secured from him a promise of a divorce which was to proceed as soon as possible. Mr. Ajayi had found the conversation polite but emotionally draining, finding it impossible to concentrate he left the office soon after the conversation seized and went directly to his mothers house. Mrs Toyin Ajayi knew that something was very wrong when she saw her sons car pull in through the gate at barely eleven a.m. His face was contorted and he looked like he was in shock.
“you are here early today, what has happened? Are you not well?”
“ oh mother, I am well and not quite well. I got a call today from Femi, he has left Iyabo again and says that he and Toyin are back together in a flat in Ikoyi. He says he has asked for Toyin’s hand in marriage and has formally requested me for a divorce from her.”
“ Tokunbo, I don’t understand why these people cannot leave you alone? Was it not just two weeks ago you were called to Toyin’s side for a reconciliation? Thank God you had the good sense to leave immediately only for the two of them to turn around two weeks later to ask you for a divorce.. Today we will go to my lawyer and put an end to all this charade.” Mr Ajayi collapsed into his mother’s sofa, and placed his head in his hands” No. mother, today I cannot do anything. I have a migraine coming on, I am mentally exhausted mom, from all of this. For two years, mother, I hoped that it was all a lie, I had hoped that it would all go away as a bad dream, that I would wake up one morning and find out that I and Toyin were back together and that all this had never happened. I loved her mother,” and he sobbed as a man only can when beside his mother. Mrs. Toyin Ajayi sat down beside her son and with a tissue dabbed her son’s eyes.” my dearest you have always been so frail and so gullible, so kind and other worldly. I always knew that the love you would have for a wife would be too other worldly. I have always feared this, I have told you don’t give the whole of your heart, save a part for your self so that if these horrible things happen then you will use that small part to survive, and not collapse to the ground as a crushed man.” Her son was inconsolable and wept this time into his mother’s shoulder. “ Mother, mother why me? What did I do to deserve such rejection? Was I really such a bad husband that my wife had to run off with my best friend?”
“ Her running off with Femi was not your fault, no one understands sometimes how these things play out, what kind of love that induced her and him to leave their matrimonial homes and to pursue their happiness. Look at Femi he has two beautiful children whom he has left to be brought up by another man? Surely that is madness; and for toyin to give up a devoted husband like you ? As I said before, I will say it again, no man is indispensable, and we must get on with our lives. I am certain that you will love and marry again, and this time we will be more careful that the person is of a more stable nature and not subjected to living in the clouds and in dreams. I always saw that far off gaze in her eyes, as if she was expecting something or waiting for someone, and indeed she was, only who would have believed that it was Femi she was waiting for.” Tokunbo raised his head from his mothers shoulder and got up from the sofa. He walked into the kitchen and put the kettle on the fire, when he came back out his mother was still where he had left her on the sofa, “ Mother, will you have some tea with me, I think I will feel better, after some.’ “ You should have told me you wanted some and I would have gotten it for you. But no thanks, I have just had a late breakfast and I will soon be on the way to the market to make some purchases for dinner. Will you stay with me for a while at least so that I can watch you, I don’t want you to take this to heart any longer, you have suffered enough all alone, stay here and we will keep each other company until you are strong again and I will introduce you to some nice single ladies who have been mentioned to me. Then we will be together like before your wedding, and I was quite happy to have you here all the time that I was quite sad when you married, afraid that things between us would no longer be so close, that now you would have no time for me, your poor widowed mother, but only time for your wife.”
“ You come and live with me mother, when I marry next time promise me you will live with me and my family, and then I think everything will be fine next time. I will get a house in Ikeja and then we can rent out your house here for some rental income for you to use, and you will be where I can see you every day and not have to steal in and out of your house in the night.”
“ I can imagine myself renting out my house. Although it has been a source of great solace, living alone can be trying on the nerves, and I think I will take you up on your offer, I can think of no place I’d rather be to spend my old age than with you my son, and to look upon your sweet face every day, that would be happiness for me.”
“Then we will say that is decided, mother, and for now I will stay here with you and leave the steward to take care of my flat for now, I think the change of scene will do me good, and relieve me of some the dreadful memories I have associated with my flat.”
“ A change of scene is often all that is needed to console a broken heart. I do not have a lot of savings, but I want to send you on a short trip for you have to rest and I think that a trip to France might be what could take your mind off all these things, just a week and we could travel together, and stay just a week in a small hotel and then when you come back you will feel much refreshed..”
Mr. Ajayi drank a cup of tea, and called his secretary that he was ill and would return to work the next day. He turned his cell phone off and settled down to wait for his mother’s return from the market. He quite agreed with his mother that under circumstances as these, it was better to have company, and as mrs. Toyin Ajayi was of a practical nature she was unlikely to allow him to wallow in despair, or to keep talking about his failed marriage. Indeed, she forbade him promptly that very night from any further discussion of the sore topic, telling him that continued discussions on the topic were futile and pointless and that this was the time to move on with his life.
　
Mrs Olabisi pays a visit:
The next day Mr. Ajayi felt slightly refreshed. He left directly from his mother’s house to his office after a hearty breakfast of eggs and bacon with freshly squeezed orange juice. His mother had instructed him that as soon as the thought of either Femi or Toyin entered his mind , that he must reject the thought immediately and not allow himself at any time to dwell on the matter. Mrs. Olabisis was an old friend of Mrs. Toyin Ajayi and she came on a visit with her niece Yetunde. Yetunde was a student at the Obafemi Awolowo university in Ife where she was studying estate management. She was a young twenty year old with a cheerful disposition and a soft voice. When she spoke it sounded like she was singing. Her mother was the younger sister of Mrs. Olabisi and she had stayed often at Mrs. Olabisi’s house during her vacations. She wore a nice blue dress and had a simple red belt around her waist which matched her red ballerina shoes. She sat modestly beside her aunt and said little. Mrs. Toyin Ajayi looked through the side of her eye at the young lady, and said a silent prayer in her heart” Dear Jesus I cannot believe you heard my prayers already and now right here before my very eyes there is a spectacular young lady that I must introduce to my son”. She did not mention her son’s woes to either the aunt or the niece but instead determined to ask some cautiously curious questions.”
“ You have a lovely niece here Mrs Olabisi now tell me is this the same Yetunde who I remember from five years ago much younger?”
“ Yes, my dear, it is her and you can see how she has grown up now and is quite a lady, in fact she is right now in her final year of study at university.”
Mrs. Toyin Ajayi smiled,
“ I can see you have grown quite beautiful, and tell me what plans do you have after graduation, do you have a wedding in the works as most girls do at your age.’
“ No, “ Mrs Olabisi answered for her niece. “ Yetunde has been fortunate in her studies but not quite so fortunate in love, which I attribute to her shyness. I have told her if you do not attend parties then how can you expect to meet a man to marry? I think there is no substitute to having social gatherings for promoting interaction between the sexes, although it must be supervised, of course, as the last thing one would want would be for the parties to lead to licentious behavior. Moreover, she has enlightened me about how the university life nowadays can be a mine field of corruption, what with sugar daddies showing up at all hours of the day and the night in the female dormitories, and with a multitude of secret societies proliferating that the young girls cannot leave their hostels after dark..”
“ I have heard these things, although I do not think the concept of the sugar daddy is a new one, it may be more rampant now, based on greed. It does sound very frightening to negotiate your way through these things. “
“ What with AIDs that the young girls have to contend with, I have insisted to my niece that there is only one safe alternative and that is continence, wait until you are married.”
Yetunde smiled. “ Auntie you can see that I have been well cautioned, and have made an effort to stay in mostly. And now all the girls in my class are engaged to be married, all except me because I never went out and refused all invitations to parties.”
Mrs. Olabisi did not seem impressed, “ That is what you would have us believe I am sure you must have attended your own fair share of parties although maybe not as many as your friends. And you know half of all these engagements may never even progress to marriage in which case it would all be futile anyway.
Mrs Ajayi had decided that she believed Yetunde, and was intent on getting to know her better for her son’s sake.
“ I had planned a little get together on Sunday afternoon, it was not going to be big mind you, just a few friends getting together for lunch, will you come Mrs. Olabisi, and would you Yetunde accompany your aunt?’
“ I would love to come said Yetunde, and Mrs Olabis nodded in agreement, “ Thank you we would love to come, barring any other engagement my husband might have”.
A party at Mrs. Toyin Ajayi was always a fun filled affair, with good food, nice drinks and a select crowd. She would often play a little music on her stereo and the younger people could dance if they so felt.
“ Now tell me about Toks, how is he doing? Has he reconciled with his wife?” Mrs. Olabisi asked, fully aware of the circulating rumor that his estranged wife was reputed to be living with her lover in Ikoyi.
Mrs Toyin Ajayi, smiled gently knowing full well that the question was not an entirely innocent one. She answered softly, clucking her tongue gently, “No, no my dear, there is no talk of a reconciliation, I must tell you if you do not already know that she lives with Femi in a flat in Ikoyi, and my understanding is that that is final and there will, soon, please God be a divorce. My dearest, I must confess that it will be relief to be rid of this encumbrance for both parties involved and more so for Toks.’
Mrs Olabisi’s eye brows shot up in her fore head” A divorce, well, this happens, yes, it happens, sometimes there is no other way. The good news is that one man’s poison may be another man’s meat,” and she winked at Yetunde who pretended she did not notice anything.
After some refreshments had been served, Mrs Olabisi exhorted her niece to play a few tunes to the them on the upright piano, and after being convinced she took her seat and played her favorite sonatas that she knew off head. Mrs. Toyin Ajayi was much impressed at this polished and well accomplished young lady and could not help but hope that Toks might find her quite as charming. Although there was a slight disparity in age she was hopeful that the Yetunde might find the maturity of Toks to her liking and that Toks might find the young and innocent Yetunde refreshing.
　
Mrs Toyin Ajayi issues invitations to a luncheon:
Mrs Toyin Ajayi was fully determined to make her Sunday afternoon planned luncheon a success. Although her accommodations were modest, and the room was limited, if she utilized the small cemented back yard and opened the sliding glass door from the living room which looked out onto the backyard, she could comfortably entertain a fifteen odd persons. The sofas were pushed up against the wall, and the dining chairs were take away from the dining table and placed to line the walls neatly. The dining table itself was pushed up against the wall and was covered with a white table cloth and ready for the lunch to be served in a buffet style which was the only practical way to serve so many guests in such a small place. In the back yard a few folding chairs and tables had been placed.
Her driver had driven around and delivered the invitations by hand as it had been decided at short notice to give the party and she was not certain if she would have a good turn out as there had been so little advance notice. Toks was mostly indifferent to the arrangements, and was totally oblivious to the fact that all this was being arranged for his benefit. He was feeling more confident of himself with each passing day, and his mother refusal to discuss the topic of his ex wife had been of great help to him as it aided him to focus his efforts on the present moment and not to live in the past or the uncertain future. He was happy, because his mother who had been widowed at the early age of forty, had experience with adversity, and thus she knew that there were many things that could happen to you that were unforeseeable, yet these things must still be dealt with.
The maid had brought her aunt to the house and the two were responsible for the catering of the event. On an outside fire of wood they cooked a giant pot of jeollof rice, and fried plantain, and fish. The stew had been cooked by Mrs Toyin Ajayi her self, as she was fussy about her stew. A desert was planned of a tropical fruit salad of oranges, bananas and pineapple. Toks had mixed a C.D of music which was to serve as the entertainment, and the plan was to allow for dancing after the food was served should the guests so wish.
Mrs Toyin Ajayi was looking forward to the planned party with a great deal of anticipation. She had not had a party for the last two years. The separation of her son from his now estranged wife had put her under considerable pressure, and she had as a consequence not felt much in the mood of entertaining. The issue having been finalized had become a source of great relief to both her and her son. The mourning was over; and now was the time for them to move on as best they could. They had no option other than to stoop down and pick up the pieces of their lives and move forward. In addition to Mrs Olabisi and her niece she had invited Iyabo and Mr. and Mrs Olumide, and her cousin Mrs. Da Silva, and her friend Mrs. Adebayo who was attending with her husband retired army sergeant James Adebayo and her niece and nephew who were visiting. It promised to be a fun filled affair, with some light refreshments, food and dancing. Toks had put some oldies but goldies on the CD to appeal to the varied ages of the guests. He had promised to play “ I will survive” and was setting up a small microphone by the Stereo player which was in the back yard for Karaoke if there was any one who dared.
“ Shake your bootie…shake,shake, shake” The music blared out from the stereo in the backyard. As the kids of the 60s began to groove along. Mrs Toyin Ajayi was dressed in an orange and brown bu’bu, and was wearing a nice brown head scarf which was knotted rakishly to the side of her hairdo; allowing her hair to fall onto her shoulders neatly under it. Toks was dressed in a nice Dashiki, that was white and nicely starched. He had finished setting up the stereo and was in a happy mood. He danced to the song first by himself and then as he noticed his mother approaching the table with a vase of flowers, he danced up to his mother and taking the vase of flowers from her and placing it gently on the table, he took his mother’s hand and danced with her “ Shake your bootie, mama” he laughed, and Mrs Toyin Ajayi laughed and did a small jig to the amusement of the maiden and her aunts who were still cooking outside. “ save the dancing for later my darling”, she said. “I must get ready for the guests, and make sure everything is set up. Funke, we must chill the drinks, when you go inside please fill the freezer with the beers, and the mineral, and ask cook to be certain that the food is warmed in the oven until it is four o’clock at which hour the food will be served promptly. Oh yes and Toks, you were supposed to get the key for the store from my room and bring out one bottle of champagne and also the cake which is to be served. Don’t forget to lock up the store behind you.” After giving these instructions she once again rushed into the dining area to finish her decorations for the party. There was a large bouquet of pink bougainvilleas which sat in the middle of the dining table, the cups and plates were stacked with the forks and knives beside.
When all had been set the mother and her son and the maid and her aunt who had now changed into their finery, were all seated on the chairs that lined the living rooms to await the arrival of the guests.
Retired sergeant Adebayo and Mrs Adebayo were the first to arrive at the party. They were accompanied by their nice daughter Ronke and her older brother Yinka. Ronke was twenty five years old and had arrived from Ilorin to spend her Easter vacation with her aunt Mrs Adebayo. Yinka who was her older brother was barely a year older than the sister and was currently attending the law school at Victoria Island to prepare to be called to the bar. Yinka was of average height and average build. She wore a nice matching skirt and blouse. The skirt was long and the top was fitted with a slleve that reached her elbow. The colour was a canary yellow which was bright and showed off her skin tone well in the sun light. The two young people drifted immediately out doors to the back yard to where the music was coming from. The sergeant and his wife who felt hot on this splendid afternoon had chosen to stay indoors and sit in the shade with Mrs Toyin Ajayi.
“ It has been quite a long time Mrs Toyin since we saw you last”, the sergeant said with a smile.
Mrs Toyin Ajayi nodded in assent. “Yes indeed it has; I had often said to myself I must have a little get together for some friends. But then you know how it has been, one thing after another. And just as soon as I thought it would be a good time, something else crops up”, Mrs. Adebayo smiled.
“ I know what you are saying. We have ourselves said we should do something but since we have been retired, we have been surviving on a fixed income and it was not suitable… Besides, we have been living off my husband’s retirement alone for the last six months. The Lagos state government is six month’s behind on retired civil servants salaries.”
“ Sometimes I think the government is waiting so long in the hope that we expire before we can claim the sums of money.”
“ How morbid of you to say that.”
“ I am not joking, and I can tell you of many a retired civil servants I know of who have been dead for three years now, and when they died, the government owed them five years worth of retirement, and now that they are dead, they have the perfect excuse for not giving their beneficiaries the money.”
“ We have such limited resources and seemingly we are all seeking for employment from the government. I don’t think there is any other government in the world where 70% or more of the GNP is paid in salaries; no wonder we have no roads and no infrastructure to speak of.”

At three thirty in the afternoon after nearly having been given up on, Mrs Olabisi arrived with the beautiful Yetunde. She wore a pale pink dress which showed off her medium dark complexion exquisitely. The dress was to the knee and had an elevated princess waist which was secured by an organza ribbon tied at the rear. She carried a small white clutch bag which matched her white open toed shoes. Her nails had been manicured in a light pink. Tokunbo who had been outside with the younger crowd and had missed her arrival. Upon entering the living room, he involuntarily paused to look at her. An innocence and freshness emanated from her very persona; it was as if she had walked out from the pages of a fairy tale to sit in the living room of Mrs. Toyin Ajayi. Mrs. Toyin Ajayi noticed her son’s reaction, and hurriedly rushed over to him to make the introduction for which the whole party was intended for.
“ Toks dear, there you are finally. I wanted to introduce you to Yetunde, Mrs. Olabisi’s niece.”
Tokunbo obediently followed his mother and took the right hand of Yetunde as the presentation occurred.
“Yetunde, let me introduce you to my son, Tokunbo”, said the mother excitedly.
Tokunbo bowed
“Enchantee, mademoiselle”, Tokunbo said with a smile.
“ It is a pleasure to meet you, Tokunbo” she answered flattered but embarrassed.
“ The pleasure is mine, “ he said. “ Can I trouble you for a dance outside? That is where the music is and the real action is.”
Yetunde agreed and stepped outside to the center of the compound where there were two other couples dancing.
“ Tell me Yetunde, are you resident in Lagos or are you just visiting”
“ I have just entered the final year of University. Tight now the lecturers are on strike and we are off, so I spend time with my aunt and uncle on and off.”
“ Do you enjoy Ife?”
“ I do. It is a rather small town and the campus life there tends to be rather insular. But we do have lots of activities, and the grounds are quite beautiful with rolling hills and grass lawns.”
“ All the things we lack in Lagos. We have a lot of concrete here. Although I must say that Unilag has quite picturesque grounds too, being set right on the sea, with beautiful ocean views.”
“ I know, but my understanding is that the campus is besieged by men from the town.’
“ You might be right about that ; I don’t have much reason to go to the University myself . I am rather occupied at the offices of the company, and our days tend to belong.”
“ I could see myself working in Lagos, I guess when I finish. I have often thought that I would prefer a smaller city to live in”, she said softly.
“ A rural existence has often held an attraction for me. I could also see myself one day retiring like Obasanjo, to a farm in the country”.
“ I wonder that more of our people don’t see the attraction of a quiet existence, and communing with nature.”
“ I have often said, if I had a bore hole for water, and a generator for electricity, I would be fine anywhere. And now with the wide spread availability of mobile phones we could be connected still to the outside world.”
“ I think that we have under emphasized the importance of being involved in production. We are currently under utilizing the farm lands; and our farmers are subsidence farmers. We need to take farming into the 21^st century so that we can stop the importation of food, and be self reliant. I see so much opportunity, but we are stuck in a dead rut. We lack foreign investment, and we are all failing our selves, because we are waiting for the government to assist us. I think we need to forget that we have a government and move on with our lives. What do I mean by that? I mean we must start from the very basics; micro loans, micro enterprises. The collective farms of communist Russia failed, but we must find a way to assist our farmers to join together in improving output. We need to mechanize the farming industry, and develop strategies for irrigation and fertilizing. Then of course, I think we need to stop this rural mass migration to the large cities creating stifling problems of unemployment and urban slums. I have a master plan for this, if there is rural development and rural jobs, this will dissuade urban migration. If we can make life bearable in the villages with running water from bore holes and rural electrification, we can improve the productivity of the population by virtue of the fact that less time is spent for the basic necessities of life.
“ I can see you have it all thought out.”
“ Just waiting for my retirement, which I hope does not come soon; as I hope to remarry and to have a family before that,” he said directly, and fearlessly.
“ Have you been married already?”, she asked inquisitively.
“ Yes, I thought you knew. I was married for a little over two years, for most of the time I have been separated from my wife; we have now both agreed to move on with our lives, as they say.”, he said with slight despair.
“ Move on. I like that term. It is a term used for different reasons, for passing on to the next world, or for changing a job, and then of course for discontinuing a relationship when it has seized to fulfill our desires.”
“ Now that is hardly a fair description of the meaning of the word in the context I used it. That is to assume that our desires are fleeting, transitory and that no serious thought or intent was at the disposal of the perpetrator.”
“ Ah, the perpetrators of injustice. It sounds like a damning episode of self implication”
“ Actually not all; if you must know, I will not hide from you the fact that my wife left me and not the other way around.”, he said shamelessly.
She looked at him a little shocked at the naïveté with which he acknowledged so publicly his rejection which he should have been ashamed of.
“ Oh, I am so sorry I said that; it is just that living in Lagos I can barely be faulted for assuming that it was the other way around, because that is the way ‘the cookie usually crumbles’ here.”
“ You are quite right. I probably should hesitate to admit it, but I have never been one to participate in artifice, and as such I call a spade a spade. My father had always told me, and I try to follow his dear example in that regard’ “ That I should live my life as an open book, which anyone if they see fit can sit down and read at their leisure.” “ I have sought to live by that axiom, in his dear beloved memory. I have resigned myself to fate, I may never be rich; hopefully I will not be poor either. But I can sleep at peace in the night because I have not stolen anyone’s birthright or cheated the widow out of her belongings to need to fear.’, he said with pride and self-preservation.
“ I am so refreshed to hear such; who would have ever believed that in this Lagos there would be still one good man left? Sometimes I think that the Spirit of God must be hovering over Lagos, as He did over Sodom and Gomorrah and asking ‘Can I find one good man left?’ And I will then say: do you remember Tokunbo Ajayi who lives on Adeniran Ogun sanya.”
And he broke out into a laugh.
“ I know you say all that in jest… of course, there are good and bad people in Lagos just as everywhere else. Maybe the number of people can be bewildering, or staggering. I still think I would like to live in a quieter place when I am older.”
“ You said you have nothing to fear, and I find that statement peculiar. I would have thought that you stood to fear everything. Remember, it is the will to do like your self who are the targets of the robbers.”
“ Yes, of course, we are all subject to random acts of violence. What I would wager upon would be that it is not so much the random acts of violence that are so dreadful, or intimidating as to being the target of planned assassins. I need not fear that, as I am not rich enough to attract undue attention. As such, for the most part I do get around with ease”.
Yetunde was quite charmed by the simplicity of Tokunbo. He was a handsome man, though seemingly unaware of his good looks he was approachable and likable. Tokunbo found Yetunde stunningly beautiful with an astute intelligence that matched his own. Although she was several years younger than him, he found her youth a welcome relief in the often stifling Lagos society he was accustomed to. He had found the ladies at the parties were singularly obsessed with money and what money could buy. The bottom line had only too often been his ability to foot the bill and future earning capacity. Of course, his Toyin had been different, but then she had moved on.
Yetunde stayed outside for the remaining of the evening She sat on a chair beside the stereo where Tokunbo had set himself up as the DJ for the evening. At times, if he heard a song he liked, he would cajole her into a dance. And then he had danced a slow dance with her . He could faintly smell the perfume she wore, and from that night on he made up his mind that he loved this young girl, and that one day he would marry her.
　
Another conference with Mrs Toyin Ajayi.
Mrs. Toyin Ajayi had been pleased with the outcome of her little get together. She had peeked out into the compound several times over the course of the evening and had been pleased to see Tokunbo seated beside Yetunde the entire evening, and sometimes dancing with him. They seemed as far as she could see, from afar to be doing remarkably well.
“ How was everything yesterday,outside I mean .” She had asked her son at breakfast.
“ I thought it was quite nice and peaceful.”.
“I saw you sitting with Yetunde the entire evening. You quite monopolized her.”, she teased excitedly.
“ I liked her a lot mother. I had forgotten how beautiful a young lady could be, and so charming too! She definitely was quite unlike the affected Lagos girls of my youth. Maybe Ife has done her well.”
“ I was so happy to see you smiling again, it seems as if it has been ages since I saw you so carefree. Don’t worry my darling, I am sure that God has great plans in store for you!”
Mr. Ajayi got up from his chair and proceeded to the office.
At lunch time he left for the Chinese restaurant on Victoria Island. He and Yetunde had set up a meeting for the next day.
He drove to Yetunde’s aunt’s house, and picked her up.
They sat down by the window and he ordered for himself a chow mein . Yetunde wanted a pork fried rice with sweet and sour chicken. He had a beer with his lunch and she had a sprite. As the afternoon went on, he felt as if he had known her his whole life. They laughed and they giggled about everything. He had told her his life story, about his wedding to Toyin, and his betrayal by her and his best friend Femi.
She had now seen that her intuition was right, that Toks was a gentle and kind man, who through no fault of his own had been used in a most unkind manner by his ex wife. By the end of the lunch, he was holding her hand in his hand and he asked her how soon he could see her again, and that how would she feel about being his girlfriend, whatever that meant. To all the questions her answer had been a definite yes, she was not going out with anyone and she could see that this was a man that she could love if given the chance. At the end of the lunch, he returned her to aunt’s house, and on the staircase he gave her a quick kiss on her cheek, and a promise to meet again soon.
The next few days were busy at the office. He was texting Yetunde back and forth with little niceties, like how are you, man I am missing you, and are you missing me too… The entire banking industry was in an uproar. The shares of five banks had tumbled rapidly over the last few days after it had been announced that five CEO’s had ‘been sacked” by the governor to the central bank of Nigeria. There had been panic selling of shares in the five banks, and the Nigerian Stock exchange had responded by halting further sales of the affected banks. The Naira had lost more than 10% of it’s value over the last three days; and there was a general uncertainty, as no one knew where the country was really heading, it reeled from one uncertainty to the other. Sporadic outbreaks of violence continued, last week it had been the upsurge of “ Boko Haram” , which meant ‘no book‘, meaning no western civilization. The teeming masses were not to be ignited by any thing at any time. If he found it so hard to survive on his salary, he could not even imagine the fates of those less fortunate with families to feed. He could not seize to be amazed that the whole country had not yet reeled into a state of utter anarchy. It was only a matter of time he told himself. For how long would the masses quell their desires for equality and justice?
Yetunde had been intensely bored for the better part of the last three months since Obafemi Awolowo University had been on strike. She had spent the time at her aunt’s house in Victoria island. It had for the most part been a peaceful time , or rather too peaceful for her liking. She had studied and done all her revision for her final examinations, and then had not known what to do with herself. The entry of Tokunbo proved to be a welcome distraction from the hum drum activity of her daily existence at her aunt’s residence. He would call her faithfully every day; and on the weekends he would invite her out for a drink or to have lunch. They were beginning to understand each other. The more she saw of Tokunbo, the more she realized that he was a man as none other she had ever met. She could not help but wonder what could have possessed his ex wife to leave him. She was in love, and she spent her days day dreaming of their next meeting, hoping for his call. She lived to hear his voice, and the gentle tone he always used with her. He had already told her he loved her, and that he was worried about losing her when she had to return to the University, and asked how would he cope without her. He had already in his mind decided that he would drive up to Ife at least twice a month to keep the flames of love ablaze.
Mrs Adebayo and Mrs Toyin Ajayi had been silently congratulating themselves on their unique success in the match making department. They were pleased that the young adults had found themselves with a little assistance from their wiser elders, totally unbeknownst to themselves. That was the true art of matchmaking, when the victims were thrown together without prior knowledge, it always made for a less forced friendship which always moved smoother like the slow but steady pace of the circuitous river Niger a sit found its way to the Niger Delta.
For Tokunbo, the relationship had served to awaken in him anew a zest and a passion for life which had all been gone for the past two years since his break up with his wife. Suddenly, he saw the world as a brighter and a happier place; the colors of nature had taken on clearer and more intense hues. He found him self singing in his car. He took extra care in his personal appearance, and was now on the verge of wanting to move back to his flat in Ikeja so that he could have some much wished for privacy with Yetunde. Up until this time, their relationship had been under the intense scrutiny of either Mrs. Adebayo or Mrs. Toyin Ajayi, depending on where they were at the time. He had tried to bring up the matter with his mother Mrs. Toyin Ajayi but had become embarrassed when she could seemingly not understand that he wished to spend time alone with Yetunde.
“ What on earth do you need to be alone with her for?” his mother had said to him. “ I leave the room when the two of you are here and give you privacy.”
“ I never said that you did not. This living room could hardly be described as a place conducive to intimacy.”
“ Intimacy and intimacy; I am quite certain I have seen the two of you sitting here passionately in each other’s arms not withstanding.”
As Mrs Toyin Ajayi did not seem to understand the reasoning, or had chosen not to see her son’s point of view. He had scrumptiously moved himself back to his flat in Ikeja, and spent the days and the evenings there with Yetunde, so as to allow them some semblance of privacy. In the evenings he would have to return Yetunde to her aunt’s house before it was too late so as to not offend her aunts sensibilities.
　
Good Luck Jonathan.
Time had flown by in Lagos, and in Nigeria. Not withstanding, events beyond the power of mortals continued to unfold ; and the world and time waited for no man. President Yar’ A dua had hastily left the country in the middle of November for another check up in Saudi Arabia, but this time, even after a three month absence he had not returned. The entire country was in stalemate, with no budget having been passed, and the entire country was like a rudderless boat on the oceans of destiny. For the rich, life continued as usual as it had always done, but for the poor, the condition was much worsened. With the entire global economy being in a depression, the effects were amplified ten fold in Nigeria, where the price of basic foods continued to escalate even as the naira continued to loose it’s value. The country was importing even more quantities of food. The desperation of the public was becoming more obvious to the global community, as reports of kidnappings of locals now proliferated, and assassins operated freely to target prominent locals. There had been an amnesty of sorts with the militants of the Niger Delta. The truce proved to be short lived, as the retired ‘generals’ were quickly replaced by new disenchanted unemployed youths. And in the midst of all this, there was Good Luck Jonathan, who as the vice president now found himself scrumptiously the acting president of the federal republic of Nigeria, at least until the President had recovered from his sickness.
To the average man, all this meant little or nothing. The hospitals were in shambles, the entire educational system was in shambles. For over twenty years, little progress had been made for the common man. The common man still lacked the basic necessities of life meaning clean water, and a safe food supply. The insecurity in the nation was real. Never before had such violence been continuously ongoing, and in a seemingly endless manner, the violence continued. The fire power of the criminals was more powerful than the fire power of the police. The BBC reported on the overflowing mortuaries of Enugu, and how the unidentified bodies piled up. It was impossible to say how many of these executions were extrajudicial and implemented by a brutal police force. There was speculation in the world press about whether Nigeria was a failed state.