Tapestry

T A Y U

DAYO'S POV

In the midst of sorting through the files that I had on my desk, my eyes strayed yet again to the empty desk at the other end of the room. My mind began to play clips of the blond manchild that I happened to share the office with, of the many times I'd hissed at him to take his legs off his desk while taking calls, of the times I had pinched him to stop him crossing his eyes during meetings with the board, of the times I had to fight him off whenever I brought home cooked food to work.

Picking up my bag and fishing through the snack pocket, I popped a mint into my mouth before chuckling, I can't believe I miss that big head. I thought of the times when he had almost choked, coughed while slapping his chest because of the spice levels of the food I ate.

Ding. I looked up at the sound of the doors opening. My eyes grew wide at the person that stepped out of the elevator, my mind barely registering that the mint had fallen out of my mouth, bouncing off the fabric of my skirt before skittering across the tiled floor. He was grinning so wide that I found myself doing the same as he stretched out his arms, his fingers beckoning.

I stood up, laughing now, "I swear, you're the true son of your father." I stepped out of my desk and soon I was being crushed to the chest of my colleague.

"Did you miss me?" He asked, as we pulled away from each other.

"No." I was smiling so much.

"Liar." He curled his upper lip in a mock sneer and then flicked at my forehead. "Admit to yourself, life here was a bore without me." He said with a tug on one of my dutch braids. He wasted no time to make his return known to our employer and about ten minutes later, he was back in his seat.

"You look so different," I mused, taking note of how short he had cut his hair, the beard that he now sported on his usually clean shaven face, even his smile seemed different.

"Fatherhood really changed you." I nodded to myself, with my fingers stroking a non-existent goatee. "I can almost smell the maturity. How does it feel? Any allergies so far?"

His jaw dropped at my words and his eyes narrowed, "You wound me."

♥♥♥

For our lunch break, we went to Chashka, our usual place whenever Mr. Barclay was having lunch with Vesper's princess. It was also where Luc happened to have first met his wife, Blathe Tailor.

On that very day, so I recall because Luc had returned from his lunch break earlier than I'd expected and he was sporting a very large stain down the front of his shirt and pants, looking very red in the face with his glasses tucked into his pocket.

He was very pissed.

In a long rant, with me listening while eating rice and stew as he paced, he went into detail about how rude she was, how she didn't even apologize to him after shoving his beverage into his chest with her large-ass bag, how she glared and walked away without apologising even after he called her attention to the wrong she did.

I had surprised myself even when I found myself beside him, stiffly patting his shoulder: I wasn't sure then whether he was comfortable with me touching him, while murmuring that what happened wasn't worth him losing peace over, that even though she was clearly in the wrong, he shouldn't let it derail his day.

Minutes after those words, he confessed that he had been having a bad day even before the incident, further explaining that the reason was the bomb dropped on him by his parents in the late hours of the day prior, that his youngest sister had been diagnosed with stage 2 leukemia.

It was that day our relationship as colleagues became less formal and constricting, morphing into one with genuine smiles, uplifting words of encouragement, whispered prayers and sibling-like banter.

Imagine our shock a few days later, when Blathe  walked up to him while we were having our orders taken to apologize. And so was the beginning of their beautiful journey.

In the present world, while waiting for our food  to come, I spent the time oohing and awwing at the pictures of their baby, Gabriel.

"He's so cute, oh look at that hair." I gushed, swiping through pictures of the baby with his mother. I couldn't help but coo at the sight of him, bare-skinned with a new-born Gabriel pressed to his chest. There was so much love in the pictures that there was a twinge of longing in my chest.

"Look at me, of course, I'd have a cute baby."

"Pssh." I waved in a shooing gesture.

"If it isn't the latest father in the city, Lucas Meyer, you're looking good."

"Ver!" He cheered, earning a playful eye roll from Vera as she pulled out a chair to take a seat. It was then the waitress , Sylvie, returned with our food.

"Congratulations, Luc." She smiled as she placed them before us, then Vera took the opportunity to place her order. Through our lunch, it was spent laughing through Luc's tales of his mother and mother-in-law's petty arguments, of diaper changing accidents, and of the all-nighters he pulled just staring at his baby with the thoughts that he was dreaming it all.

And through those moments with his eyes shining with joy and mirth as he recalled tale after tale, I found myself wanting the same.

♥♥♥

"Ekule o!" I announced, using my toes to pry at the heels of my shoes before bending to pick them up and keep them with the others in their designated spot. I slipped on my house slippers and continued into the house.

"Kaabo," I heard only my Mom respond, and then I remembered that Dabira was currently in California with the Reyes, as well as Sogo.

"Good evening, Mummy." I dropped on the couch and wrapped my arms around my mother, pressing a kiss to the side of her face. A hand patted my arm as she paused her channel search.

"How was work?"

"Twas fine, Luc resumed work today."

"Aww, his wife and baby nko?"

"They're fine. His baby's so cute."

"No surprise there, He's a fine boy and his wife, that girl is beautiful." She stressed on the adjective. And it was the truth, Blathe happened to be a very beautiful woman: with dark hair, olive tonned skin and heterochromatic eyes.

Given it was just Mom and I at home, I decided to order takeout. While we waited for our food, I hurried upstairs to release myself from the strains of a pencil skirt and take a quick bath.
Finally settling on a show that we both agreed was perfect, we relaxed into the couch and began to devour the noodles that Mom had shared into bowls.

"Ehen, I just remembered," She began, while chewing on a piece of beef. "You know that house that was just renovated, beside Bimbo's place?"

"Mhmm," I answered, stuffing my mouth with more noodles, eager to hear what gist she had gotten this time.

"Well, someone just moved in."

My eyes grew wide and I forced myself to chew faster, I swallowed. "When?" Catching myself in my head, I laughed at myself. Adedayo, you like eke.

Seeing the mirth in my mother's eyes, I could tell she thought the same. "This morning, very handsome and respectful young man." Her smile grew coy and I shot her a wary look.

"Mummy."

She blinked, her eyes growing wide with faux innocence. "What? I cannot compliment somebody's son again. Ah, wahala. So people cannot say their thoughts outside again. It is well o."