SHADOW OF THE PAST

04 Olanrewaju Martins

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Inside one of the pricey restaurants in Abuja, Zoe and Femi sat over dinner, in celebration of the success of the first clinical trial of the drugs Femi was developing.

'And I promise to make life difficult and unbearable for you to live in' Tomisin's strict warning to Zoe kept on ringing countless times on her head. She decided not to tell Femi about his wife's strict warning to her and how she had offered her an open cheque. She decided to keep it a secret, for now, so she won't spoil his mood and the celebration. 'Besides, this will be our first date.' she thought within herself.

"Are you fine?" Femi asked curiously, as he noticed her moodiness.

"I'm fine sir," she replied feigning a smile.

"I spoke with my friend today, and he informed me about your forthcoming exhibition," Femi said as he lifts his glass cup for a sip of the drink.

"I'm so sorry. It escaped my mind." Zoe said and they continue eating in silence. But, Zoe was stealing glances at Femi constantly as Tomisin's strict warning kept on ringing on her head.

"So, how much will be enough for the preparation of the exhibition?" Femi asked as soon as they were done with the food, while the waiter packed the dishes away.

"I can't say for now," she replied and Femi noticed that this was not her usual way of life.

"Zoe, tell me what the matter is."

"It's nothing, I can deal with it," she replied feigning a smile, but Femi persuaded her and she narrated her encounter with his wife.

Femi sighed. He was speechless, as he couldn't find the right way to plead to Zoe.

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Banji got up as early as possible the following day after he had a sleepless night, thinking about Diana who is bringing her fiancée home from UAE. He was just rolling back and forth on his bed till daybreak.

He went to his mother's room for morning devotion. After the morning devotion and morning prayer, Banji set out to look for a truck that would help them move their belongings from the mainland to the Island.

°°°° °°°° °°°° °°°°
In a substantial and comfortable large building, a middle-aged man named Olanrewaju Martins stepped into his vast room, where his wife Lucia was seated at the dressing mirror applying some facial treatment to her face.

"Welcome home Honey. How was work today?" she gave her husband a warm greeting by standing to her feet and hugging him.

"How has been your day too? Were you able to meet that boy at the airport?"

"Yes, honey. I arrived at the airport earlier than him. So, I also handed some cash to him to give Micheal and Mabel for miscellaneous." Lucia replied. She had gone to the airport to send down foodstuffs to their children who were studying abroad. She sent the foodstuffs through a friend and coursemate of their first child 'Micheal' who had come home to spend the holiday with his parents. "Honey, I seriously miss the presence of my children," she said with a sad look.

"Will you travel to go spend some time with them? As I said earlier, I can't travel out of the country for now. I have so many things to deal with and settle here before I could plan to travel out and have some leisure time abroad." he said coldly and Lucia grumbled over his stubbornness. They had been on the issue of going on vacation for more than two years, but Olanrewaju was not willing to go on vacation for now.

"That reminds me, I overheard Felicia's conversation with her son over the phone," Lucia said changing the topic.

Felicia is Femi's mother and a stepmother to Olanrewaju. Olanrewaju's mother happened to be the first wife of Olamide Martins, father to Femi and Olanrewaju. She died of cardiac arrest when Olanrewaju was twelve and Femi two.