Broken | ✓

CHAPTER FOURTY TWO: CLOSE CALLS

                            Jide

We drove in silence and when got to the house, sadness had taken up my whole face. Each time I was in Nigeria, Aunty Taiye moved into the house with me, dragging Dunnie with her.

When I started my voyage through Africa and some parts of the world, I barely came to Nigeria and when I was in Nigeria, I didn’t go to Abuja. I was running away from everything that happened there. The good memories, the one that included Ireti was what brought me back few times and Aunty Taiye’s tantrums.

“Hey, you guys are back. Sorry I couldn’t attend, I just arrived” Dunnie said as we walked in. She took a business trip to Lagos. She had been working closely with Ay after I left the business: performing my role.
“Hi Dunnie” Ayisa greeted.

“Hi Ayisa... Hey, hey, not even a hello” Dunnie called my attention because I walked past her and sat on one of the couches.

“Jide, you are back. Your brother is around o. He came in with Dunnie” Aunty Taiye strolled in.

“Great” I replied sarcastically.

“Good evening ma” Ayisa greeted.

“Evening Ayisa, how are you and how was the event? Jide seems off” Aunty Taiye replied.

“Uhmm” Ayisa panicked.

“I crossed paths with Ireti today” I announced.

Dunnie and Aunty Taiye gasped.

“She is engaged to a white man” I pulled my jacket forcefully and dropped it on the couch.

“Well, at least somebody is engaged” Aunty Taiye rolled her eyes at Dunnie.

“Oh, please mummy, this is about Jide not me” Dunnie retorted.

“I will be going now ma” Ayisa alerted us.

“Okay. Thank you for bringing him back” Aunty Taiye appreciated.

“It is no problem” Ayisa smiled, took one last glance at me and left.

“So, how is she?” Dunnie inquired.

“Happy, I guess. I mean she is engaged” I gritted my teeth.

“You don’t look too happy about that” she stated.

“I am fine” I picked up my jacket and headed upstairs.

It rained later that night. I sat at the balcony with a bottle of coke watching the rain kiss the ground. There is something refreshing about the rain, it feels like it doesn’t just wash up the soil when it comes, it cleanses the soul too. Everybody seems to be in a good mood whenever it rains. The rain eased up the tension that had mounted a tent on my chest.

“Hey” Ay called, pulling out a chair beside me.

“Hi”

“So, I heard you met with Ireti today”

“And her fiancé” I added.

“That must not have been easy”

“What are you doing?” I asked.

Ay and I’s relationship had suffered in the past four years. The hit that led to the fall of our brotherhood was the incident in the hospital with our father when everybody found out what the terrible man did to our mother.

“Making sure you are okay but since you don’t want that, I will back off” he responded.

“Dad’s first death anniversary is coming up”