"...I really don't appreciate you sending my guest out of my party..." Teniola said into the phone with a frown clearly evident on her face "... now you want me to order him to come home?..."

She sighed, rubbing her temple at the stress she was encountering just because of mother and son drama they dragged her into.

"...You know i can't do that, he will come home when he wants to..." She said turning to look at the gloomy figure sitting with folded arms while watching a programme on the TV she was sure he wasn't paying attention to.

They spoke for a while before she hung up, the sound of her husband's car driving in made her realize he has returned from work.

"Korede, you have to go home" she yet again insisted.

"I'm not going anywhere" he deadpanned not leaving any room for argument but Teniola wasn't having it. If he was going to prove or behave stubborn, so could she... She has dealt with a fair share of the Cole's male gender so him was a piece of cake.

"You are not the one to tell me that... You left home for over two days, refusing to leave because your mum angered you-"

"My mum is choking me!" He snapped all of a sudden, Teniola paused seeing the pained look on his face "I'm not going to put my life on hold because of some stupid family tradition, can you believe she slapped me over this matter? Me?"

He spoke with an air of importance like it was an abdominable thing for a mother to slap his son.

She sighed, that same family tradition was what first brought her and her husband together but not everyone could be as lucky as them.

She looked up from him when she heard her husband enter the living room, he gave his nephew a glance before looking back at his wife with a raised eyebrow.

She meets him on way, welcoming him with a smile and a sweet kiss before collecting his briefcase.  Placing his hand around her waist, he stood for a minute not knowing what to make of his stubborn nephew.

"He is still here?" Shubomi asked his wife, like the person they were talking about was not in front of them.

"He refused to leave. Still mad at his mum..." Teni answered while he hummed.

"Hey kid... You should go home. Stop acting as if you are on the run and you are seeking asylum here" Akorede scoffs at his uncle's statement before turning back to the boring show.

Teniola sighed, rubbing at her husband's shoulder.

"I will set the table" she said as a sign for the two to talk. Shubomi let go of her waist, she walked away to give them privacy.

With hands deep in his pockets, he gave Akorede a stare down somehow finding his presence in his home a bit annoying since he decided to barge in uninvited, after the big and nasty fight he had with his mum.

One minute he was shouting at his mom at the party which earned him a slap, the next minute he was in front of his uncle's home with a bit of luggage which looked like his.

"You know this won't solve anything. She will only thrive in your stubbornness. Go back home and settle it amicably with her" Shubomi advised.

"I won't go back" Akorede declared stubbornly.

"Don't expect me to harbour you here" he warned.

"Fine. I will leave " he said standing up in an attempt to walk out on his uncle only to get punched hard on the shoulder. He groaned, holding tightly on to his aching shoulder.

Shubomi hissed.

"Ori e o pe... Sit down jor" he demanded taking a sit in his arm chair. He watched his nephew, rub the place he punched, his face still contorted in pain "I thought you are working out, and a little punch took you down?" Shubomi mocked.

"No be this kind of punch,bro..." Akorede muttered to his hearing while sitting down beside him.

"Is this girl worth fighting your mother on?" He suddenly asked his nephew who didn't think twice before answering.

"Yes"

"I need you to think carefully about this before answering" Shubbie warned again.

Akorede sat thinking for a while before he decided to rephrase his words for him to be understood better.

"Will you leave Aunt Teni if you were asked to by the family?"

Shubomi's countenance turned into that of annoyance at the question. He definitely got him there, at a tight spot.

"Why are you bringing my wife into this?"

"I just want to know before i can answer your question"

"She is my wife" he said putting emphasis on the 'my'.

"And she is my girlfriend. Well was..." He replied in the same tone.

"There is a big difference there, i am fully and legally married to her with her bride price fully paid...." He bragged to his cousin.

"She was your girlfriend before she became your wife... Now do a quick throw back to when you first met, what would you have done if grandma said you can't be with her?"

"That's shallow... Coming from you" Shubbie fired back.

Akorede shook his head at his uncle's statement.

"Shallow or not... Use your church mind to judge this matter"

"I tell you say i get church mind?" Shubomi joked.

"Any mind wey you get then..."

Shubomi sits up thinking for a while before turning to face his expectant cousin.

"I won't allow such to happen... I would have fought for her. Not that I didn't fight for her".

"You see what I mean?"

"But Teniola and i never had to go through that phase. She was accepted and loved by all... Sometimes, i do the messing up and I will have to beg her to come back to me" Akorede looked shocked "yes. I beg my wife when I do something wrong and she also does the same. There is nothing wrong in that"

"I have never seen you beg or apologize to anyone before" he confessed.

"She is my wife, the mother of my children. Of course I love and cherish her more than anything. See... Don't let your male ego get in the way of your happiness. When you do something wrong, apologize... there is no way you won't offend each other but it depends on the maturity of the two parties on how to handle the issue. Now back to my question. Is she worth it?"

"Yes" Akorede said with so much conviction.

"Then give yourselves time. To heal..." He frowned at his word"I heard of what happened. She needs time to heal and get herself together"

"But,...but-" he spluttered, not knowing what to say.

"Akorede. I meet my wife in primary school and we had our final year together in the secondary school. I didn't marry her immediately after graduation. I waited..."

Akorede sighed thinking about his words which were now making so much meaning.

"What if she slips away?" Voicing out his greatest fear.

"That means she was not meant to be yours... What is yours is yours... Your aunt didn't slip away... Though our love story is different but i want you to know that we are the ones to write our story, not another person. You are the owner of your story so you can only write yours"

"I don't get you.... I understand" Akorede said scratching his head like a child causing Shubomi to smile.

He is still a child... He thought.

"Two parties are involved Korede but you can't write hers'. She is the one in charge of her life and happiness. Even if you scale through with your mum and every other thing, is she ready to stay? I have seen her works and there has been praises about her intelligence. She does not look or sound like someone you can tie down with a man"

"What should I do?" Sounding tired of it all.

"Like I said, develop patience and wait... If she is meant to be yours, she will be yours... Just wait"

                            🌧️😅😔

"I have never been that embarrassed in my whole life" I muttered to Theresa while i busily chewed on my plantain chips.

"She just walked up to you like that just to talk down at you?" I nodded "apologies girl but your future mother in law is a bitch"

"She is not my future mother in law... She is your best friend mother. Language..." She raise her hands up in surrender.

"I apologized. She can be a sweet person you know but there are some particular people who sees that side. Such a pity you saw her other side"

"It's okay" I waved it off  "I'm used to it" she gave me a pity smile.

"You shouldn't be used to nonsense. You have to use craze to deal with nonsense a times" she advised even though we both know i won't follow her crazy advise.

My mind went back to the letter i received which was peacefully lying under my pillow back home. I looked at her again, she stared peacefully at the screen of her phone, captivated by whatever she is watching.

Blinking slowly, her long lashes looked surreal all of a sudden. I stared, finding the little mole beside her eye interesting. I'm going to miss her... No doubt about that.

I haven't told her. I don't know how to. She will be angry with me but i can't possibly stay back. I'm going to miss everyone of them. If i can't tell them, I can still tell her, right?

"I need to tell you something" I said while clearing my throat.

"Hmm..." She hummed, scrolling through her phone in full concentration.

"I don't know how you are going to take this..." She paused giving me a side eye. I see her press the side button on her iPhone, i watch it go dark.

"What are you blabbing about? You are sounding as if you wanna drop a life threatening news" she sat up "is everything okay back home? Or is it Akorede again? Did he mess with you?" She fired hotly.

"I'm leaving."

"At this time?" She checked her beside clock which reads a few minutes after two in the morning. "Are you high on something?" She quizzed.

"No. I'm actually leaving... I'm leaving Nigeria, I'm traveling out of Nigeria Theresa" i drop the news like hot coal.

Her face fell at my words and I watch her phone slip off her hand on to the bed as she watched me with a dumbfounded expression.

"What?" I sighed at her question, abandoning my plantain chips.

"I got a scholarship" she gasped sitting up to give me a good look one more time "to study outside the country, all expenses paid..."

I grunted as she threw herself on me, wrapping me in a hug, constricting my airflow a little.

"Oh my God! I'm so proud of you!" She exclaimed before pulling herself off to look at me "you finally did it!" Her eyes suddenly watered.

"Yes... I mean God did" mine doing the same as well. She chuckled, sniffing a little.

"Where?"

"Europe... UK precisely"

"Oh my God... This is good news! Your hot brain finally paid of" I chuckled at her statement, she held my arms and i saw a glint of pride evident in her eyes.

"Really?" She nodded. "Thank you"

We stayed like that for a while, enjoying our little moment of celebration, then something crossed her face and i guessed something must have came to her mind.

"Have you told him?" I shook my head slowly and a strange sound escaped her lips "he is not going to take this well, were you even planning on telling him?" I shook my head again which made her groan.

"I told you because you deserve to know"

"And he doesn't? What makes you think i won't tell him?"

"Cause I know you won't" i said truthfully.

One thing I know Theresa Taylor for is she is never a snitch and she is not going to snitch on me now.

"Don't test me girl" she warned realising it herself too. She scoffed looking away in annoyance "when are you leaving?"

"Two days before grad" she groaned punching wildly against her bed.

"That's like two weeks from now girl, how can you be so callous?!"

I suddenly felt guilty. I'm going to leave all my friends to start this journey without telling them. Am i doing the right thing?

My conscience is telling me I'm taking the wrong step by not telling them.

"I don't want his mind divided."

"You are the valedictorian. Who is going to read your damn speech cause I'm definitely not doing that. And i won't allow any bloody idiot to take your glory cause you have been through like a lot" my heart falls as her voice cracked, a drop of tears ran down her eyes but she quickly wipes it off. "No one is going to take your moment. You deserve this recognition because your story and life brought a lot of reform... And I'm going to miss you... Please don't go" she wailed bursting into tears.

I wrap her in a hug as we both cried. It's an emotional moment and we are going to revile in it because we all know it's strange for her to be in this mood.

Theresa Taylor doesn't cry. This must have hit her hard.

"I have to do this. You said it yourself that you want what's best for me" i said in between tears while she cried harder.

The out turn of events is least expected but I'm going along with it. We may never get a moment like this again.

"Promise you will call everyday... and you will punch anyone who mess with you in the eye... There are some racist bastard over there, make sure you put them in their place..."

I chuckled in between my tears, of course she is ever the violent one.

"I promise..."

We stayed like that for a long time making silly promises knowing it's going to be a long night.

****

Turning off the ignition of the car, Bankole turned to me while turning off the music.

"Why will Theresa want us to hangout out of the blue?" He asked again as if i have all the answers to the questions in the world.

"I'm not inside her head. Stop asking me questions i have no answers to" I said before opening the door to my side and he did the same. We both walked towards the entrance of Theresa's home.

I wasn't planning on coming but she sounded threatening on the phone so here i am complying to her demands.

"But i still think it's strange, or do you think it has to do with our forthcoming graduation? I mean our dinner had to be postponed due to the hullabaloo the school had and...."

I blocked him out after that as he yapped on, pressing the door bell. I waited patiently before the door quietly opened to the face of a shy looking maid.

I nod my head in greeting before entering the house with Bankole following.

The maid told us we would find her in the living area. As we walked on, i was hearing chatters from there, seems she was with someone.

On entering, i paused at the familiar head, adorning a cute afro. Theresa looked up at our entrance.

"You guys are here..."

She turned around at her statement, our eyes locked. She gave me a shy smile or was it the both of us?

"My babes..." Bankole hurried in leaving my spaced out form at the entrance. They both giggled, i shook my head, snapping out of it before following after.

.....

Translation:
Ori e o pe...: You are stupid (figuratively)... Your head is not correct (literally)

Hmmm...see has our Shubbie was dishing out life advice. Me sef shock... Be like say he don mature... What marriage and age can do to a person sha 😏

I sha miss them (Shubomi and Teni)✨💝.