Second Chances

Chapter 7: Counseling Drama

Oluwayemisi

The past two weeks has been a roller coaster for I and Olaniyi, the weekend when Olaniyi was supposed to see my dad, he came over with his parents. According to them, they wanted to speed up the process of introduction.

Normally, its supposed to be Olaniyi meeting my parents first, and I going to meet his parents next but my mom says she liked it because it afforded her the opportunity to meet his mom and 'assess' them.

Trouble on social media because I didn't see Olaniyi's ex-wife's apology that didn't apparently sound like one when I eventually read the piece of twenty line crap she posted. It was as of she was happy to apologize and add more fuel to the already smouldering fire. It further incensed Olaniyi though because I had to call him to ask if he put his ex wife up to that unnecessary apology.

She had put up another post on her story about how people apologize and others seat on their high horses and refuse to accept the apology. Apparently I was supposed to pat her head and say 'good child run along'.

What she doesn't know is that I have other things to do than get into a useless argument on social media over a man I'm marrying in a few months.

Olaniyi was dressed in a Danshiki and sokoto made out of an hollandise ankara material that looked so dapper on him. His dad and mom wore a lace material that looked expensive. My parents were not to be left out. I was also dressed in an Ankara gown that Dieko had me wear.

Since it was a small meeting, my mom, Lola and I made Amala and Ewedu soup. We also made some Jollof rice and fried some chicken in pepper sauce.

After our parents talked for a bit, we had lunch. During lunch we talked about beginning our counseling, My dad said he'd call the pastor in charge of marriage counseling so we could quickly begin that as according to him 'he couldn't wait to get that out of the way'.

I used to attend the church my dad attends before my marriage to Femi but when my marriage was over, people in church began to ask unanswerable questions that broke me.

There was one woman who had four children divorced and remarried who sneered at me "I hope you didn't cheat on your husband as that's the only reason the Bible gives credence to divorce, right now if you marry anyone else, my dear hell fire ní ó"(that's hell fire for you).
When I stepped into my dad's car that Sunday afternoon, I remember weeping so much, I began to hiccup.

As I walked into Save our sisters, Dina informed me of an impromptu board meeting, no doubt to discuss the disappearance of twenty million naira and I don't think I can tell them point blank that Dele took it from the account where it was kept, I had used about seventeen million of my own private savings to offset salaries for the centers all over the nation.

I know that they also want to talk about the shortage and inadequate funds that might affect payment of salaries from next year.

" Dina please today from two pm please clear my schedule, I have to be somewhere. And Dina just so you don't hear this in the media first, I'm getting married ". Dina squeals loudly, dances around my office for a bit before recovering herself. She asks when and I tell her " I don't know yet but in march next year God on our side".

At exactly ten minutes to two pm, Dina lightly knocks my door to remind me of the time as I tend to get very engrossed in work when I'm in my office. I picked up my bag and descended the stairs to the car park behind the building.

Due to the lack of rush hour traffic, I got home in a record twenty minutes i instead of the usual fifty. I changed out of my purple work shirt into a peplum Ankara top, changed my heels from purple to black. Niyi beeped me to tell me he's waiting downstairs.