King

Streaks of sunlight penetrated the window behind me, highlighting the oil splatters and tomato puree staining the wall tiles. Maintaining a safe distance from the pot of simmering stew, I stirred the thick mix rich with assorted proteins, wiped the sweat dripping down my brows with my sleeve.

Sweat formed under my armpit, I turned off the cooker and took a step back to inspect the damage on the wall. My hands moved to my waist, I chuckled. This cooking thing was not for me. I didn't even cook, all I had to do was heat premade stew and boil rice yet here I was repainting everywhere.

The iPhone on the island pinged with a message, I rushed to it with the same level of enthusiasm that had been present for days since his last report. I half-expected it to be him and my excitement tripled when I saw the sender, it was him. The private investigator I hired to find out the bastard behind the wheels of the grey Bentley.

Uti knew nothing about this but I was eager to tell her about our findings, about the idiot we managed to lock up in prison. We needed more evidence, a witness willing to testify which was what he had been on the lookout for. One of the perks of being wealthy was the ability to bypass laws. The arrest was easy, a few phone calls, greasing of palms but taking it up in court was a different ball game entirely. When I would tell Uti, I wanted everything to be in place.

The last couple of weeks were awful, a period I hoped never to relive but the sentence on my screen took me back to the hospital and that familiar feeling of helplessness washed over me. Not today. I wiped my face and reread the message out loud, more to convince myself I wasn't hallucinating.

Good news and bad news.

At this point, I could only handle good news. One more fucking bad news and I would lose my shit. The guys were still in the dark about this whole thing but it was only a matter of time before I spilt my mind to them. Tomiwa's suit fitting for a wedding I had long forgotten about was next week, the guys would come. I would love to skip it but I couldn't. It was unfair how a person was celebrating while another one mourned.

On a sigh, I dialled his number with a lump lodged in my throat. My fingers rapped against the island, he was taking too long to pick. Granted, I just dialled the number but he should be right beside his phone. You couldn't send a message such as this and forget to call. He was being paid to talk directly to me not send texts. If the little fucker was worried about my reaction, now, he would get it. Enough with the bad news.

My hand slightly shook when I picked the phone, it vibrated so much I had to return my phone to the island and place the call on speaker. The person on the receiving end greeted me and I grunted in reply. There was no time for pleasantries. Thankfully, he got the memo and dived into the content of his text.

"Oz," I said, "what do you mean good news and bad news?" My voice raised by a notch, I grabbed the edge of the island, glowered at my screen with my jaw clenching. "I don't pay you for bad news." The responding silence grated my frayed nerves, I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Oz, talk to me."

And he did. Maybe he shouldn't have. Once he started talking, his rubbish didn't end.

"Hold on," I cut him off. "Riddle me this, will you?" Oz hummed and I continued, "He was released but you have found a witness?"

Oz spat out his reply, "Yes."

Those words were a direct punch to my guts, my heart dipped into my stomach, I forgot all about dishing out the food before Uti and Esther arrival. Yes, we were shady in the method we used to arrest this guy but he deserved it and now, he was out. Freed.

"How the fuck is that good news?" I took the phone off speaker mode, closed my eyes while taking deep, calming breaths to stop the torrent of expletives waiting to be let out. "Oz," I said, "guy, I'm sorry but you're talking trash." I yanked my beards, stepped away for some fresh air by the window. We didn't come this far to end up here. "How did that escape you? What do we do now?"

The door to the gateman's cubicle opened and he stepped out. I eyed him, partially in awe and longing for his carefreeness as he released another yawn, mouth wide open without a care for who might be watching. It was a stupid, fleeting thought but for a second, I wished I could be him. No worries.

Oz voice finally came through, I moved the phone to the other ear and forced myself to listen. "The order came from higher powers, I don't know who yet." I nodded like he could see me, like I cared for what he was saying since it didn't matter. "I have the witness contact, I will send it to you so you can talk to him. He might be able to help."

Right. Call someone out of the blues, ask him to testify against this criminal who had the backing of higher powers. I snorted and rolled my eyes. Easy peasy. No shit. I would be lucky if the guy gave me an audience.

"Whatever, send it. And Oz." I paused for his reply. "Don't call or text me again until you have something better. They promised you were the best at what you did but this doesn't feel like the job of a professional."

If it was laughter I heard from the end of the line, I didn't care, I ended the call and shoved the phone into my shorts. Fucking private investigators and their overinflated egos. Talk about he would do what the police couldn't do and here we were. Blindsided by a higher power. That bastard, I refused to taint myself by mentioning his name, he deserved death. If I could get away with it easily, I would have killed him myself.

Looking out the window, the gateman was no longer there and a snicker slipped from me. Why would I even want to be that guy?

I had Uti and a beautiful daughter, I could never have that if I was him. They must be starving by now. I was. I turned and jumped at the sight of the person by the door. Shit.

My hand dropped from my chest, I stalked to where she was. "How long have you been standing there?" Uti's eyes raked my face, we ignored my slip and I dropped on one knee to peck her on the lips. Damn this wheelchair. If only she would put more effort into getting out of it. "Utianle. Wifey."

A smile split her lips, I caressed her cheek. "Not long," she replied. Shit. Her left eye twitched. "Who were you talking to?"

Her blank expression gave nothing away, I drew closer to her as if to draw strength and her warm breath tickled my face. Torn between telling the truth and breaking her heart even more or asking what she heard to decide my move, I chose to protect her.

"No one," I said, "just a friend."

She nodded. Now we were both lying. The smile on her lips clawed at my conscience, I had hoped to tell her about our progress by the end of today but it was up in flames. And there was no one to blame. I looked into her eyes, trying to detect any sign of anger but there was none. She batted her long lashes, I swallowed to wet my parched throat. Memorising her features like it was our first time together, I laced our fingers and brought her knuckles to my lips.

"I love you," I said without breaking eye contact. Opening her palm, I placed a kiss on the inside, directly on the faded cut. "I love you." Her smile widened. "I love you."

I loved this stubborn woman with every part of me and words were not enough to properly describe my feelings. Tracing her lips, I sucked in my breath when her eyes honed in on mine without an iota of shame. Desire set my body aflame, I grabbed the wheelchair to tame my growing lust.

In a low voice, she said, "I love you."

It might have been her fingers brushing my lips after her declaration that tipped me over the edge. I pressed my lips to hers, afraid of her reaction but she surprised me.

She claimed my lips with a fondness and hunger that was from long ago, I felt it in my soul and I whimpered when she bit my lower lip. Sliding my hands into her hair, I massaged her scalp and she moaned into my mouth. Starboy rose at that delicious sound, he wanted to be part of the action. I would never know how I managed to rid myself of my shirt and pull the straps of her short gown down her shoulders but I did.

We only broke apart for me to stare at her breasts. They looked fuller. I cupped one of them with a gentleness that made her moan and my mouth found hers again. We shared kisses after the hospital visit but they were brief and unsatisfying. This one felt like we backtracked, like everything was okay.

I kneaded her nipples without breaking our kiss, swallowed her moans and protests. It had been too long, I wanted to remember her taste, the feel of her body. So, I took all she gave, tasting and tasting her sweet soft lips. Drowning in her essence until we were forced to separate to catch our breaths.

The sight of her breasts with the distended nipples begging for my touch sent starboy convulsing with need. Her swollen lips had me wetting mine, I adjusted the straps of her gown and tucked those perky goodness out of sight. Uti's eyes were hooded as she ran her fingers along my bulky shoulders and moaned. It turned out grief was a good motivation to hit the gym, I had packed more muscles. Still stunned by our kiss, I froze as her hands explored my arms, chest.

"You like what you see?" My voice came out croaky with no trace of humour. I didn't realise how badly I wanted her approval on my looks and everything that had to do with me. She pulled away and it stung. "Wifey."

Her hand returned to my body, she pulled a nipple. Palming my cheeks, she placed a chaste kiss on my lips, rendering me into a pool of goo. I blinked. "I love what I see."

Maybe I misheard for when my gaze darted to her face, she had on a neutral mask. But fuck me if I wouldn't take that compliment, misheard or not. Touching our foreheads, I beamed at her and the fire blazing in her grey eyes warmed me. I felt seen. And that was saying a lot as she had been passive in the past weeks. She kissed me again, slowly like she was taking her time to explore and preserve this moment. I stifled a groan as she pulled back. The kiss was too short.

With an appreciative glint in her eyes, she splayed her fingers on my chest and my worries ebbed. Maybe I didn't mishear.

"Are you hungry?" Uti was about to shake her head when I cupped her face. The frown on her lips rubbed me off the wrong way but she needed food. "Wifey, you have to eat." Her resolve weakened, she nodded and it earned her a kiss. "What of Esther?"

"Still sleeping."

Call me selfish but her reply pleased me immensely. I wanted to take advantage of her good mood, pretend we were on a date and everything was as normal as it could be. Tilting my head to get a good look at her, I waited. Waited for her to mention Emma.

The doctor said there were five stages of grief. Acceptance. Bargaining. Depression. Anger. Denial. Sadly, some people stayed in one stage for the rest of their lives. Uti was in denial and my fear that she was stuck in this stage grew every day. I didn't want that.

Weeks later, she was still making clothes to give Emma upon his return from a trip only her was privy to. I eased into the acceptance stage faster, someone had to take charge. There was no trip, he wasn't coming back. I hoped she accepted this sooner. For us.

Seconds passed without any mention of him and a funny feeling settled in my stomach. Maybe she already moved on but if she was not in denial, then what stage was she in? I shoved my worries and tried to enjoy the present, smiling at her like she lighted my world. Oh, she did. She lighted my world.

"Wifey, can you try to walk?" She nodded. Her head bobbed and I hollered. Today was a fucking good day after all. Stealing a kiss from her, I rose to my feet. I stretched my hand to her, she took it and boy, oh, boy, my heart fluttered. "On my count, okay?"

That bobbing of her head again. Damn. I smiled foolishly at her, shrugging when her brows shot up. I was walking on the moon.

With my aid, she stood. My heart exploded with pride when she took the remaining steps to the island without my help. When she plopped onto the wheelchair I pushed behind her, it was with a sigh of relief tinged with what I hoped was pride. I was proud of her, she had to understand how much of a big deal it was. She walked. Even if it was only a few steps, Wifey walked.

***

Time crawled by, deflating my high spirits. Where was this guy? I picked my phone from the round table, took a swig from the bottle of water and dialled his number again. Unreachable. Balling my hands into fists under the table, I redirected my gaze to the door. People walked in and out of the eatery at intervals. I didn't know what the witness looked like but I was holding onto his promise to be here. He had to be here.

A waitress eyed me from the table closest to the counter, gawking at me like I was one of those silly people who stepped in to take a break from the afternoon sun and left without purchasing anything. I wasn't hungry, I didn't come here to eat. But I wouldn't leave empty-handed so she could direct those stern eyes somewhere else.

The pastries on the counter reminded me of our first date, I chuckled and motioned for her to come. She bounced to my table, her scowl easing into a frown. Without thinking twice, I ordered the same thing Uti did that day. Cupcakes minus the latte. Puff puff too because this world wouldn't be right without that mini delicacy. And meat pies.

"Anything else?" she asked, staring down at me. Her hairline had shifted. The braids were old and loose and the front of her hair looked like ants ravaged it. She should try to smile, it would take off the edge and soften her features. I was here to discuss, not fight.

I found myself asking, "Do you have akara?"

She lowered her sketch pad to take a better look at me and my brow shot up. A smile broke out on her lips and I had to admit she was better off scowling. It suited her more.

"No sir."

Now I was sir because of akara? I couldn't help wondering what other titles I would receive if I requested more local snacks. Akara was a snack in Uti's rulebook, same as Esther's, they counted it as a delicacy and that was all that mattered. The waitress was still staring at me with that grim smile, eyes expectant, I realised I hadn't replied her.

"Double my order but package the other one." She nodded, I offered her a close-lipped smile and we stared awkwardly at each other till I cleared my throat. "Thank you."

Music filtered from the small television on the stand in the centre, I scanned the eatery which was bristling with everybody but the guy I needed. Fiddling with my iPhone, a smile took over my lips when my screen came alive. My screensaver was a picture of me and Uti in our parlour. I was seated between her legs and she was behind me on the couch with her arms wrapped around my neck, sexy lips pressed to my cheek.

Junior or Faith took the picture. Speaking of Faith, I stopped picking her calls and my replies to her texts were monotone. I didn't know what happened between the best friends but the number of times Uti missed Faith's calls was enough for me to keep shut. Whatever the case may be, it wasn't in my place to tell her. I wouldn't mind her support, if anyone could get Uti to heal faster, it was her. I had accepted her new attitude but I longed for an improvement.

Guilt punched a hole in my throat when I opened the tracking app on my phone. Uti was at home. The thought relieved me more than I cared to admit, my heart resumed its usual rhythm. I didn't want to do it but she was unpredictable. Better safe than sorry.

The tray came, I paid and asked her to keep the change. Nibbling on the cupcakes with my free hand swiping right on my screen, I forced myself to rein the bad thoughts. This guy was not coming and it was time to call Oz. We already lost the fight before it began.

On cue, my phone rang. I picked, shoulders stiff with tension as I waited for him to talk.

"I can't come," he said. His voice took me back to the office elevator. He was the one who called to let me know Uti was in the hospital. He must have been at the scene.

It took a moment to register his words and my insides boiled with rage. I have been here waiting for him and he was calling an hour later to say he wouldn't make it.

Beautiful.

He couldn't be serious. "You can't come?"

There was a moment of hesitation from the other end, I held my breath. "I no fit come."

My nails dug into my palm, I gulped. It was falling apart. Everything. To open a case for the first time would take a while, taking him to court without evidence or witnesses would take longer. "Please," I murmured.

"Oga, I no fit come," he replied. He didn't even know why I wanted to see him, maybe he did. I wasn't asking him to risk his life for me. Okay, I was. Getting on that witness stand to testify against someone who had the right people on his side could cost him his life. Did I care? Not as much as getting justice for my boy and seeing that bastard rot in jail. "Tell your guy to stop calling me." Another painful second rolled by. "You too."

And the line went dead. Dazed, I could only stare at my screen. He hung up. Within seconds, I dialled his number again and it was switched off. A few more trials and the line was unreachable. The cake in my mouth turned to dust, I pushed my tray away and shot out of my seat. Snatching the package for the girls, I walked out of the restaurant without a backward glance and my mood dampened when the weight of his words sunk in. We were back to zero point.

I jumped when someone knocked on my car window, saw a young boy who couldn't be more than ten years old. He had the saddest brown eyes and when he blinked them before opening his mouth to beg, my heart split into two unequal parts. I retrieved the takeout from the passenger seat with a one thousand naira note and gave it to him. His sadness morphed into shock and happiness.

Backing out slowly, I returned his small wave and he beamed, showing a complete set of brown teeth. I couldn't share in his joy, he must have transferred his sadness to me. My heart weighed a ton, as if my chest couldn't contain it. One of us left this place happy and satisfied. That person wasn't me.

*****

Yo, you guys, WE have missed you. I hope King was able to clear the confusions from last chapter. I can't spell everything out for you guys but I expect y'all to figure it out. Read between the lines.

Don't forget to vote and comment, it kind of motivates me to write more with this crazy busy schedule of mine. Anyways, stay safe, take care.

Q: If you wake up with superpowers, what's the first thing you will do?