Utianle

Out of sight, out of mind. Lies. Big, fat lies. The image of a particular brown-eyed man plaguing my mind was evidence of that and Faith was to blame. She should never have made mention of her research - implantation genetic or whatever she called it. The procedure was as expensive as purchasing a new home here in Calabar, I would never be able to afford it, not now.   

I played with the ring on my middle finger, half hoping that by doing that, the blurred image in my head that were struggling to form would morph into the face of the man who proposed. The image vanished, replaced by an all too familiar voice that whispered, now smile for zaddy all over again in my head like a broken record. 

On cue, my eyes scanned the rows of cars parked in front of this monstrosity of a building for that beautiful Black, Mercedes Benz. The thought of seeing its owner today made my heart pound and my stomach contracted into a tight ball. I swallowed dryly, unable to wet my parched throat. Most of the cars parked were sleek, expensive, they spoke volumes of the wealth of the invited guests but none of them was a Brabus. 

A heavy feeling settled in my chest, disappointment. I tried to shrug it off but the heaviness remained. Somehow, I knew that a few hours with him, no talking, just enjoying the comfort of each other's presence would ease me. At the same time, I was glad he was absent, we needed the space and as much distance between us.

Though it didn't seem like it, I knew I was doing the right thing and sometimes, the right thing has to hurt. My hands shook as I made to unbuckle the seatbelt and it took a few trials for me to finally succeed. 

"Ow, what was that for?" Faith cried out, holding the side of her arm I just pinched.

"Sorry?" I wasn't remorseful so it came off as a question rather than an apology.

If she hadn't talked about all those big, foreign words, I wouldn't have known them. If I didn't know them, I wouldn't be spending hours at night doing what I now liked to call, a sorry excuse for a research.

We were already a few minutes late, I was reluctant to go in and Faith didn't seem to mind staying outside here with me. 

Today was the boring part. Dr Becky, the co-host and Governor's wife would give the first lecture, a supposedly interactive session on Fashion meets Technology. Then a spree of exhibitions, Fashion Business Series, Master Hair Class and runways would conclude the show tomorrow.

"How much did you two finally agree on?" Faith asked, taking a look at her tiny gold wristwatch. She pressed a button by the left side of her chair and the upper part of her seat moved to form a slant line. 

"25 a week," I responded.

"That's fair." She banged her head continuously against the headrest, making a mess out of her already messy bun.

It was. At first, Courage, the man I hired to drive my car wanted to remit twenty thousand naira per week but after much back and forth, we settled on this amount. It was more than feasible, he could make times five of that amount in a week.

My car. The words felt good on my lips, I wanted to tell everyone I knew that Uti now had a car, a property to her name. Property I got from the money I earned, no borrowing. The feeling was euphoric, similar to getting pregnant for the first time.

When the one whose name sounded like royalty talked about joining the logistics business, I was barely listening. Buy a car, sign it up on Uber, have another person drive it instead and pay me weekly. It sounded like a joke, an avenue for someone to steal my vehicle until Faith brought in Courage, a jobless youth who recently concluded his service year. She trusted him, I had to.   

"Is there any money left?" Her question interrupted my thoughts. I shook my head. There was barely any money left, fairly used cars were quite expensive. 

After paying rent and settling a few other bills, the amount left was added to my savings. I was never going back to that strip club even if it was the reason I got the money in the first place. Two million naira! The money went as quickly as it came.

Faith's phone pinged, she took another look at her wristwatch, "let's go inside." She got out of the car first. I followed suit.

"Why is everywhere quiet like this?" She asked. We were approaching the entrance of a room the security men directed us to. "Do you think they have started?"

"Maybe," I shrugged.

We continued through the dimly lit corridors until we reached the door and my mouth dropped open at the sight of the heavily armed men at the door. The security men we met at the gate couldn't hold a candle to these ones, they looked like they had never smiled a day in their lives. And their all-black uniform only served to increase my nervousness, they could easily blend in with the shadows. 

"Who you?" One of them asked, he was the meanest looking one amongst them with a long scar running from below his left eye to the right corner of his lips. He was also the shortest. I was looking down at him but he managed to intimidate me. 

Mosquito. The name breezed into my mind and it suited him. Small but mighty, at least with his gun and horrible scar.

"We are with Cynthia Chimamanda Ubani," I responded with all her full names. His frown didn't ease up and I couldn't help but wonder the calibre of people inside. 

Subconsciously, I assessed mine and Faith's gowns, they were nothing extraordinary but I was confident we would blend in easily. Faith's hand slipped into mine and my lips moved into a tired smile as we waited through the torturous process of having them validate our identity for the second time this evening. 

Mosquito handed our Invitation cards back to Faith without fully letting go of it. His eyes lingered on the square cut of her gown that exposed a decent amount of her cleavage. She was only a few inches taller than him and his ugly face was right in front of her breasts, openly ogling.

I was disgusted on her behalf and I squeezed her hand that was still in mine to keep her from blowing up. Mosquito's red eyes called to my fingers and I was tempted to pull his beret over them before poking his eyeballs. I didn't, it would have gotten us into serious trouble. His scar now made sense to me, it was well deserved.

"Can we go?" I ask-shouted. Faith tried to pull the card from him but he seemed to be holding it with an iron grip. We looked at his counterparts for help and they turned their faces away. Bunch of scumbags. 

After what seemed like hours, Mosquito finally released his hold on the rumpled cards. He gestured for one of his men to open the large doors, "you can go in."

When we were safely inside and the doors had been locked, I let out a long hiss. 

"Don't mind them, stupid people," Faith said, sharing in my annoyance. She tugged at her gown, trying to pull it up to cover more of her cleavage, "is it okay?"

"It was never not okay." 

She laughed at my response before touching her infamous mole, her way of reassuring herself. For some reasons, she laughed again and I immediately shushed her. 

The hall was half-filled with people that were dressed as fancy as the cars they came in with. Thick, large curtains covered the windows, making the hall appear darker than it should be. Numerous Air Conditioners lined the walls, blasting cool air that made me shiver slightly.

Large speakers were mounted on the same podium Dr Becky was currently standing on with a microphone in her hand. She was pointing at a projected image on a large screen that the audience eyes were glued to. 

The chairs, not those plastic types I was used to seeing, looked soft from afar, the kind you would see at a cinema house that would seduce you into a nap. I chuckled, they even had cup holders too. I took one step forward and the click of my heels on the floor seemed to echo. I halted and looked around, good thing no one could see us. 

"What's your seat number?" I whispered. A number I hadn't noticed before was circled at the bottom of my card. Each of the seats also had a number tag hanging at their backs. I got no response from Faith and a look behind me showed that she was still by the door. "Why are you standing there?"

"Go, I'm coming."

With a half shrug, I walked to the seat which had my number on it, thankful that it was not in the front row. The seats beside me were empty and I brought out my phone to inform Faith. The owners wouldn't ask her to leave if it was occupied, right?  

I felt a presence on the empty seat by my left and I squeezed my lips while tapping my feet to the ground. I didn't want to sit in the dark, between strangers. 

One minute later and Faith had not replied, I turned to see if she was still at the door but I could barely make out what was behind me. Dr Becky was talking but I could barely make out her words, I didn't even want to. 

A round of applause followed her next words, I had no idea why they were clapping but I joined them. The surrounding lights came on, it was almost too bright and I squinted till my eyes adjusted. An icy tingle crept up my skin as the gaze of the person by my left bore into me. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.

What was wrong with everyone here and gawking at ladies? I tilted my face, prepared to stare the person down. I never got a chance to do that. My mouth opened and closed, the shock taking over my ability to speak. I blinked morosely, expecting him to disappear, he didn't. He was real.

"Hi ... Hi," I winced at how scratchy my voice sounded. Forgetting all about the occasion, I stood up, "I need to get Faith ... I need to get to my friend."

"Uti." His voice was so soft I could almost touch it and my body -of its own volition- tilted towards him. I'd missed hearing him speak, his voice was like a gentle caress on my skin. He should never stop talking.

One of his hands wrapped around my wrist in a bid to hold me back and his knees blocked my only way out. Tingles danced on the part of my skin he touched, slowly working their way up to my spine. Sparks zapped through every fibre of my being, making my toes curl. My knees suddenly felt like jelly and I placed my other hand on the chair to steady myself.

He smirked like he knew what his touch was capable of and I pulled away from his grasp. Biting the insides of my cheek, I considered my other option - the four people seated at the other end of this row that were now watching us, waiting for my next move. I shook my head, no way.

"I need to get to Faith, my friend," I added, unsure if he knew her. I didn't want to get to Faith, I didn't want to get to anybody, I wanted to leave. At this moment, the only reasonable thing on my mind was to run, get far away from him.

He was really here. King was really here.

"Faith is with Junior."

Faith! I nodded, she is so dead. I should have known, all those glimpses at her wristwatch and I actually thought she was bothered about us being late. Dead, she's so dead.

"We need to talk."

"No! No! There's nothing to talk about"

He laughed. "We need to talk. Outside."

"Don't use that tone on me," I sneered and he smiled, his lips parted open to reveal those pearly whites. I lowered myself onto the chair, leaving an empty seat between us. This might take a while.

"Fine." A smirk played on his lips, "please, let's talk outside."

"No."

His surprise made me chuckle lowly but it wasn't for long. A mischievous glint came over him and I followed the direction of his eyes to Cynthia who had taken over from the Governor's wife. Another talk, I groaned.

"I'll scream."

"You will not!"

He leaned over the empty seat, "watch me." His mouth parted open in a scream but no sound left him because my hand was clamped tightly over his lips.

"Idiot," I murmured, wiping my hand on the sleeves of my gown. Our voices were a whisper and I was beginning to sense the irritation of the couple beside me.

"Your idiot," he replied with a smile and a similar one graced my face. "I miss you."

I miss you too.

"Let's go outside," were the words that left my lips. This playful and expressive side of King was new to me. I liked it but I didn't want to get my hopes high for nothing.

A part of me feared for what he would say and I tried to delay the inevitable by walking sluggishly. After a promise from him to carry me over his shoulders if I didn't hasten up, I found myself stepping ahead of him. I didn't stop until we were out in the open, away from prying eyes.

"What is it?" I asked with my arms crossed on my chest.

Night had descended over us like a blanket and the pale crescent moon peeped from behind the clouds. The darkness offered me comfort that the distance between us couldn't give.

"Let's talk in the car, I want to see your face."

Car, a closed compartment? And with only two of us as its occupants. I shook my head.

"Uti," he drawled out. "Okay. I promise not to take much of your time."

Blowing out air from my nostrils, I ignored the hand he stretched out and followed behind him. A car beeped, followed by the front and back lights blinking. It was a beautiful, orange sports car that looked like it was designed to fit only two people. 

My breath caught in my throat when the doors opened upward like a butterfly rather than the traditional way I was used to. I was stunned, I couldn't say anything as he pushed me gently into the front seat. 

"You wanted us to talk," I said after seconds passed without him saying a word. I took another look at the interior of the car and sighed.

I was in awe. The leather seats were warm against my touch, the dashboard, solid. Everything looked brand new like the car was meant to be admired from afar.

"Yes." I wrung my hands in between my laps as he contemplated his next words, seizing the moment to check him out.

His hair was unusually longer, shinier and so was his beards, not that I was complaining but it was odd. A handsome kind of odd. This amount of extra hair on someone who was always on low cut shouldn't fit him this much. On someone else, I would have probably begged them to visit the barber's shop, not King, he was rocking it. 

He ran a hand through his face, breathed in and out. "Don't marry him."

What?

"Don't marry him," he repeated and I realised I had said that out loud.

Hearing Faith protest against the marriage was one thing, hearing him protest was another thing. I sighed, there was a slight fluttering in the lower part of my belly. 

"Why? What happens if I don't marry him?"

"I don't know," he answered with so much uncertainty that had me feeling like he was forced to do this. Raising both of his hands up in exasperation, he added, "we can try?"

"Try what?"

"To take things one day at a time."

"Then what?"

"You will move in with me."

"Then what?"

"We will continue living together," he replied in an offhand manner. "We will have to make babies at some point."

Laughter took over me at his last utterance, the confident King who dragged me out here was gone, replaced by someone else, someone quite confused. 

One day at a time, live together? Nothing more, nothing less. I shook my head. That wasn't enough, I wanted more than he was offering, something more stable, maybe a promise of a legal commitment too. 

"We are not compatible," was what I chose to say instead. 

"What does that even mean? Me and you ... We are like bread and butter," he jammed his hands together, "very compatible."

The look of seriousness on his face was the only thing that stopped me from laughing. Oh, King. Even when he was saying rubbish, he still looked good.

"I cannot give you eight babies," I said, making reference to his talk from our last night together.

He shrugged, "fine. Seven is enough. But why are we talking about that now? I don't want any babies just yet."

"We cannot have children together," it was a silly argument but I still tried. "I'm AS and so are you."

"Is that it?" He asked with incredulity. "Both of my parents are AS."

My reply was quick and thoughtless. "That's why they have only you."

Silence took over the car, the tension in the air was so thick I could wrap it around myself twice. I cleared my throat noisily. 

"Sorry. I didn't mean it in a bad way," I whispered. I couldn't help but wonder if his need for a large family had something to do with the loneliness that came from being the only child of rich, busy parents.

None of us spoke for a while after my apology until he broke the silence. "Do you like oranges, the green ones?"

Tangerines? What is going on?

"Yes," I answered cautiously, this night was full of surprises. I couldn't handle any more.

"Me too." I nodded, unsure what I was supposed to say to that. Was that supposed to be a test for compatibility? I didn't have to worry for long. "I like you an-"

"It's not enough."

"-and you like me back, don't even bother to deny it," he waggled a finger in front of me. "So, I don't understand how that's not enough. What more do you want?"

"Everything," I whispered, bringing my hands to cover my face. "Everything!"

Of all the things he could have said, his next words were the least I expected to hear. "Fine. You can move in with me tomorrow, we can start making babies too."

"As what?"

"As King and Uti. Who else?" He was genuinely asking me this, no mincing of words. "We will be one, big happy family."

My hands slowly slid down my face, anger quickly taking over me. My eyes twitched, I growled lowly and King moved back a bit. On Emma, that look of confusion on King's face was cute. It would have worked, I would have easily been fooled but not with him. He wanted everything - a family, without the label he was asking me to give up. 

"You want me to be your baby mama?"

"Yes, but we will live together with Emma and Esther, like a normal couple." His face took on a dreamy look as he mentioned their names. "Picture Uche and Cynthia but without the marriage or even Tomiwa."

"An unmarried Uche and Cynthia living together as a couple while expecting their first child?" I asked again to be sure.

He nodded.

"Open the door."

"Why?"

"Open. The. Door." When he finally did, I got out and bent over for him to have a clear view of my expressionless face, "stay away from me."