Chapter Eleven

_________

(Before You read: I listened to Fargin by Teni when I was writing the last part of this chapter so you might want to listen to it when reading😎😊 . 

You might want to start playing the song when you see the third set of full stops.)

_____________

Her heart betrayed her by skipping a beat.

Dele was standing close behind her. His hoe on his shoulder. His Dashiki was a simple one. Light brown with little to no embroidery.

Tiwa blinked repeatedly, as if doing so would change reality. It was some time before a greeting came forth from her.

'Good evening' Her voice was shaky, and she looked every where else so as to avoid his eyes. 

What if he heard? Of course, he heard!

In that moment, Tiwa wished for the ground to open up and swallow her whole. So much for shutting her friends up. Now she had made herself and even greater fool. She literally just shouted 'it is just sex!' only a few moments before she declared 'leave me and my husband alone!'

Demola and Tife greeted simultaneously. Each person handled the situation differently. Demola smiled, she was the mischievous one after all. Tife on the other hand had a stoic face as if the last few moments had not occurred. Tiwa was a mess.

.............

'Good evening' Dele replied calmly. His facial expression was the opposite of his inner feelings. He wanted to burst into laughter. Tiwa's expressions could crack anybody up. 

 She looks beautiful regardless. That was a stray thought.

Of course, Tiwa was a normal girl. She had a few dark spots, depicting the death of pimples. Her limp was still evident. She was not perfect but for some very odd reason Dele had that kind of stray thought. What could that be? 

Stray thoughts aside, Dele inwardly calmed himself as he began to speak.

'I came to get something' He declared to no one in particular. He had no excuse of retiring early. In truth, he wanted to have a conversation with his wife about the previous night. When he arose that morning she was already gone.

Tiwa nodded and he took it as the signal to get about what he was doing. With that he turned to do absolutely nothing.

....................

The three friends were still silent. 

Now Tiwa had returned to her seat in between Demola and Tife. None was ready to re-start the conversation. Just when Tiwa had summoned courage to begin to speak, her husband strolled out a leisurely space.

'Tiwalola' 

Of course, that caught her attention. Her heart raced once again. It not everyday someone chants her entire name. In fact, that only happens when she gets into trouble, with her mother, that is. At this rate, Dele was going to be the death of her.

'Yes'

His eyes were only for her. She tried, constantly, to waiver the eye contact but Dele refused to break his gaze. Even with her eyes gazing everywhere but at his, she still felt his gaze on her

'I am going back to the farm. Can you make my dinner ready when I get home?'

There was no use of him asking. His dinner was always ready when he got home. With exception to the evening when Tiwa came home late. That was a different story.

'Alright' Tiwa took a gulp after she said this. 

Go away!

She wanted him to go away badly. The air was too tight, too awkward. She worried even more about what was to happen this night. When she would have to share a bed with this man.

Once Dele was out of sight, Demola was the first to resurrect the conversation.

'What happens when he comes back?' Demola too was thinking in the same direction.

'I don't know', Tiwa had one hand braced at her forehead.

Tife kept quiet because she had nothing to say. The three friends automatically started brainstorming. What should Tiwa's response be?

'Maybe you act as if nothing happened.  He might forget' Tife suggested

Demola on the other hand had the prefect answer to that. She spoke without giving Tiwa the opportunity to respond.

'How can he forget Tiwa yelling just like that? This does not happen everyday you know' Demola has a strong point. Once again the friends fell into silence.

'Tiwa, I don't wish to be you right now' Demola had to go forward and discourage Tiwa. Tiwa's reply to this annoying comment was just a side glance, a nasty side glance.

 And just when all hope seemed to be lost and idea struck. It was similar to last night's. Last night's was not and entire failure, or was it?

'I'll just go to bed early, immediately after his dinner. And maybe what Tife said might come into play after. I'll just not talk about it'

Demola scoffed, but it was better than nothing.

.....................

Dele was exhausted when he arrived home. He the walk home was not a favorable one. He met the palm wine seller's wife on the way. He had to apologize because she struck up their previous argument once again.

She was not easy to please.

Now it was late evening. 

'Good evening', Tiwa's greeting brought his head out of the clouds. One glance behind her and her could see his dinner already set for him.

'Good evening' His gaze at her was a curious one, mainly because she continued to shift from side to side like she was warming up to run away.

'I will help you return this', She had her hands on his satchel and his tools as she spoke. Dele was still trying to decipher what was happening when she left. With a slight shrug he walked towards his dinner

He sat to eat then rinsed his hands before he begun. She had made amala and ewedu . A small smile rose to his face. He had tasted this aspect of her cuisine before. It was good, very good.

Dele had already consumed a few morsels before Tiwa appeared from behind the house. She was walking very quickly. She was about to cross the door's threshold when he called to her.

'Why don't you join me?' He still had a morsel in hand.

'No. Don't worry. I am okay', Her excuse was a feeble one.

'Just join me. Please' 

Dele was pleading!

Tiwa could not refuse. Dele rushed to make way for her as she retrieved a small stool from a corner to the house's wall. Tiwa sat adjacent to her husband as he continued to eat. Her mind was all over the place. How was she supposed to escape now.

'Tiwa', Dele's call jolted her. That made him smile. She looked so innocent.

'It is delicious' 

'Thank you' Her eyes were on the ground once again. This seemed like all she had been doing the whole day.

After moments of silence, Tiwa decided to leave him. He was half way through his meal. She was about to give excuse to leave when Dele began to speak.

'I met that palm seller today'

'When?' Tiwa's eyes were wide.

'When I was walking home. I apologized'

'What did you tell her? Did you tell her it was me?' Tiwa was on edge. She did not know why. In this moment she did not even have enough time to think about that.

Dele's chuckle was an obvious one. He did not hide it at all. He had not stopped eating even as the dialogue progressed.

'Don't worry I did not share our secret'

'When did it become our secret?' Tiwa asked before she could think about it. Once she realized she had spoken, she rose her hands to cover her lips. Dele's smile remained. She looked like a child caught red-handed saying something she should not.

Dele rose a brow as he went on to speak. 'So you think it is normal to tell everybody what happens behind closed doors?'. Now, he looked down to rinse his hands in the bowl provided for that purpose. 

He was not referring to her gist with her friends, but it seemed like so. His question was a rhetoric. Though he did not intend it to sound like a chastisement, it did. Tiwa was not a child. She was a grown woman, and she should be treated, be spoken to as such. 

Tiwa felt little. Dele felt sorry for making her feel so. He knew she felt this way, it was obvious in her posture.

'I am sorry'. Tiwa's voice was low. So light, Dele's ears barely caught it. On sparing his wife a look, Dele was consumed by guilt. Her voice was a lot brighter when she asked what  he told the vendor.

'They are my only friends. They... I mean... I...' She was having difficult constructing her apology. Guilt continued to claw at him. 

They are her only friends?

"Tiwa' He spoke softly, afraid to make an even worse step. His playful rhetoric had had the opposite reaction after all.

'Tiwa' He called again. This time he was squatting before her. Trying to get her attention. Her eyes were still directed to the ground. He had to raise her chin so her eyes could meet his gaze.

'I did not mean it like that. I was...' He sighed. It was difficult to think with her gazed directed at him. 'I was trying to talk to my wife'

Her eyes questioned the meaning of his statement

'I am not angry' Dele even smiled when he remember the events of the afternoon. 'When you saw me your facial expression was funny'. Dele's smile only expanded from then on.

'It was funny?'

'Yes'

Tiwa pouted.

I married a beautiful woman.

Seriously, Dele had had this thought enough times that day, hadn't he.

'I am done eating. Let us take care of this and go inside'

 Tiwa nodded in response, but she was shocked that Dele offered to help. It was not a lucid apology but Tiwa understood his message.

............

They were lying in bed, talking.

Yes! They were talking. Tiwa was even laughing at some of Dele's jokes. Dele also did the same but to hers.

 Dele suddenly changed topic. He changed it from the laziness of his workers and her family to something more pressing. At least the subject was pressing to him not her.

'About last night?'

The statement came out of the blue. What was Tiwa to do?

She replied with a soft 'hmm'. Her posture was supine as was his, but he quickly changed to bracing himself  on one arm as he lingered over her. His free hand rested beside her head.

'Why did you...'

'Sincerely, I don't know' They were past the awkwardness because of tonight's dinner. Tiwa sighed before she too change her posture. She braced her chin with one hand, her elbow supporting the weight. Her free hand resting on the gap between her and her spouse.

That answer seemed to be enough because they continued speaking well into the night.

The sky had become pitch black so it was difficult to tell the time. Dele noticed Tiwa's eyelids dropping after a large amount of time. She was struggling to remain awake. She was not accustomed to being awake for this long. He had not seen her remain awake for this long.

'Tiwa, let us sleep' he too was sleepy but Tiwa was obviously having a harder time remaining awake.

She obliged immediately.

.......................

Morning came quickly, but that was not the reason why Dele woke up. He needed to make a quick trip to the out house.

When he came to his senses, he noticed a weight on his person. Not his arm, not his chest.

Tiwa basically used Dele as a bed

How did this happen?

  ..........................

Wait, right there!

Where do you think you are going without voting or leaving a comment?

............

Hey lovelies,

Who else wake up on the side of the bed when they slept on another side? I do it a lot. There was one time it caused a serious argument between me and my siblings.🙄

I took me a really long time to write this chapter, but I am happy I have it down.

Leave a comment. I love it when you guys comment.😍

This chapter is dedicated to @claudiakporsu.

She really made me happy. I even made a whole announcement about it.

Didn't get a notification?

Follow me never miss out again!

Till next time.

Mwah❤