Broken | ✓

CHAPTER FORTY EIGHT: EXCUSES

Ireti

Tife spent more than two days at Jide's house. Jide had requested an extension and I granted it. It was only fair; he had missed the first four years of Tife's life and nothing could ever make up for that. Besides, Tife seemed to be enjoying his stay, he was always in a hurry to hang up each time we spoke.

Eniola and her son came in three days after Tife left for Jide's house. She had been waiting for his arrival. It was the first time she would meet him. The anticipation was killing her and she couldn't stop bugging me to bring him back.

"Who are you talking to?" Eniola snatched my phone getting a relaxed me worked up.

"Hey! Give that back" I yelled.

"Jide" Eniola cocked her brow.

Jide and I had been talking the whole week. Tife would only speak to me for a short while so Jide was simply filling in for him.

"All that grinning was because of Jide" she accused.

"What? No" I took my phone away from her.

"Calvin is here and those smiles should be because of him"

"I was just checking on Tife. It is nothing" I lied.

Just then Calvin walked in and I became anxious wondering if he had heard Eniola and I's conversation.

"Hey babe, hi Eniola" He seemed off, it made me worry more.

Eniola nodded.

"Hey, you don't seem okay. What's wrong?" my voice shook a little.

"I am going to check on Tobi" Eniola excused herself.

"Nina is sick and she's been asking to see me"

"Oh my God. What happened" the first few seconds brought relief before the worry picked up again but this time the worry was directed to Nina.

"She has the flu. Can we take the next flight home?" he called Canada home but the days I had spent in Nigeria made Canada seem like another man's land. Truly, it was another man's land but the last five years it felt like my haven. Things seemed to be changing gradually.

"Uhm" I couldn't summon words.

"You don't want to return?" he searched my face for doubts.

"No, it's not that. My sister just came in, Tife just met his dad"

"Oh" his face fell.

"But of course, we can go back to Canada. Nina needs us" I smiled at him.

"Thank you" he said.

I went in for a peck on the lips but he pulled me in. His hands grazed my thighs riding up to my buttocks. I could taste the want in his kiss. I broke away.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Sure"

He glanced at me squarely, he knew I was lying. We had not been in sync the past week. My absence was nibbling on our relationship.

"Okay. I would go arrange for our flight" he stood up with his face flat.

I nodded.

The next day, Jide came over with Tife. Eniola rushed to Tife and scooped him. He had seen Eniola in the pictures shown to him and listened to stories about her but he had never met her so to him, she was a stranger. He tried to wriggle out of her grip but she held him tightly, sniffing and smothering him with kisses.

"Do you know me?" she asked as she let him down.

"Aunty Eniola" he replied.

"You do know me" she beamed.