...that keeps giving

XVII

"You can leave it there," Abisade said to his housekeeper yawning as she disappeared. He took a sip from the mug, then dropped it back in the tray beside him.

He put out his leg on the black ottoman and watched his brother join him in the living room.

"You missed the party again," he sneered at him.

"Because I just got back from my trip and we needed to wrap up stuff in the office," he responded biting into a piece of cookie he snagged on his way to the living room.

"Where have you been?"

"With your wife, both of you were sleeping and I was wondering why," he teased throwing a pillow at his brother who swerved to evade the hit.

"Get your mind out of the drainage. She probably got in this morning. You know she doesn't come home when I have my parties."

"Same thing she said, both of you are gradually in sync. Your friends never wonder why she is never here?"

"Is she the one they came for?"

"Are you aware she is travelling?"

"I guess, but not location."

"And you don't want to know?"

"I can't force her to tell me anything. You heard her when she told Mother that she wanted to travel out of Lagos," he shrugged taking another sip of his coffee.

"This is your nonchalant attitude, I hope it won't get you into trouble. I have seen you care for people who are not even family when they genuinely need help. This lady is a victim of the situation just like you, if she is making an effort to make it work, you should try too."

"Don't start your sermon please, I am still trying to deal with my hangover," he rubbed his eyes. "We have discussed this over and over again, we are working towards being good partners, it is not a day job and I cannot force what is not there. She wants to explore the world, let her. She is a professional too, if not for marriage, I am sure she'd probably be in her father's house."

"That's fine."

"Do you want food, this one that you are chewing cookies like a kid? I think Kennedy is making lunch already."

"I am good, I just need something to munch on, I am going out with Naomi, I don't want to fill myself up before the meal."

"Why are you...? Never mind. So what state is she travelling to?"

"Ask her when you see her, she is your wife."

"U dey craze."

"When your wife leaves Lagos and they snatch her, your eyes go clear. Have you noticed she rarely wears her ring?"

"Is she a piece of paper? All I know is that she should not mess up my name and destroy the family reputation with all the rubbish people do in camp."

Sanmi burst out in laughter.

"What?"

"Does she bear your name? How can she spoil a name she only associates with on paper when necessary?"

"What do you mean?"

"See this guy, have you tried to call her at work before, or come across any of her recent documents?"

"No, but her new account carries my name."

"Please try and know what is going on around you, you think you are the only one that can..."

The fragrance hit his nose even before she appeared. It was difficult to pin the exact smell as it was a mixture of creamy sweetness with an undertone of amber, leather and wood. More masculine than feminine but he loved it. He wondered why she chose that particular fragrance, seeing that many women would prefer sexy scents or something that has fruity flavours except the perfume could be a gift from a man.

"I'm done," Naomi interrupted. "Hi, Abisade," she said in her husband's direction.

The first thing Abisade noticed was the empty ring finger.

"Where is your wedding ring?" He blurted before he could help himself

Naomi checked her finger noticing it was bare. She was surprised at the question but astonished by the source

"Oh!" She was the immediate response, at a loss for words. "I must have left it at work. It's difficult to manage gloves when I have the ring on so I leave it in the case."

Abisade stared at her thoughtfully as if trying to weigh the authenticity of the excuse.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yeah," Sanmi answered smiling. "I love your outfit."

"Thank you. I was confused about what to wear but decided I didn't have to impress you moreover you did not tell me where we were going." She smiled.

"We don't do basic, see babe na. As your brother-in-law, I must say you represent."

"I love my sneakers, we need to pay that lady more," she said dragging him off the chair.

"Why don't you collect all my cards and hand them over to her." Someone who ripped me off.

"Hmmmm," he sniffed "this perfume is new, I have never smelled this on you before."

"Oh! It's from..."

Abisade sat up in the chair as he watched his wife and brother disappear. He couldn't hear the name of the person who gifted her the perfume. The short she had on was strange to him too because he rarely saw her in anything other than jeans and the occasional short dress. The dangling fringes on the sides emphasized her hips and he wondered if she padded the hips because you never can tell with women these days. The few times they have crossed paths since their wedding he never noticed anything amiss with her.

Recently, he started sending her occasional messages when he wanted to have parties or if his mother wanted to meet with them for any activity. She opted out of most engagements that they had together except it involved his parents. He picked up his phone to call Manslad hospitals. Maybe Sanmi was just pulling his legs.

"I'd like to talk to Dr Crown please." He said after the introductions. He omitted his real name intentionally to avoid whoever was on the other end trying to please him.

After a few minutes of waiting the receptionist said nobody seemed to know a Dr Crown and they did not have one on their list.

After a moment of silence, the receptionist proceeded to ask if the Dr in question was new or just resumed with the hospital.

"Could you check Dr. Naomi for me, that is her first name, maybe there is a mix-up."

"The only Dr. Naomi we have on record is on housemanhsip and her surname is not Crown."

"What is her surname please?"

"I am not at liberty to divulge such details, if there's any other doctor or staff you'd like to talk to, I can help you with that."

"It is okay, I will check my information and call back."

"Have a nice day."

Then he heard the click at the other end of the phone.