Deola could see the go-slow up ahead and shook her head. This was one of the things that got to her about Lagos. The traffic stretching on for hours moving at snail’s pace when she needed to get somewhere fast.
The phone rang and she picked it up. It was Femi’s daughter.
“Morenike! How are you?”
“I’m fine, Aunty. Soji said you spoke to him yesterday.”
“He assured me he was coming round to talk to your dad.”
“Aunty … er … I told him to wait a bit until I go away to university. That way when dad explodes I will be out of the house.”
Deola watched as several young men circled her car brandishing magazines, plantain chips and phone cards. “Morenike, you are putting me in a very awkward situation. I’m Soji’s publicist but at the same time, I’m your dad’s friend. I can’t let this continue. It’s been how many months now since you’ve been dating?”
“About nine.”
“Hmm.”
“Aunty I know you are not happy about this, but we need to tell him in our own way. My dad is lovely but he doesn’t seem to understand that I’m not his little girl any more. I’m an adult.”
“Morenike, you may have an adult’s body but from what I remember at the age of 18 I wasn’t exactly making adult decisions.” She looked across the bridge at the ships on the harbour. The phone line went dead and she sighed. She was going to have to take matters into her hands and tell Femi.
They had been dating for the past few months and things had been going frighteningly well. That worried her, because in her experience the calm always came before the storm.
Deola was sitting on the sofa at Femi’s place working on her laptop when he came in, sat next to her and began to kiss her neck.
“When you were giving the presentation earlier today, all I could think about was what it would be like to kiss you senseless.”
“Senseless, eh? Who even says that?” she teased as she returned his kiss.
Then they heard the sound of the door opening downstairs and he reluctantly lifted his head, his hands still resting lightly on her waist.
“Dad? Are you in?”
They could hear Morenike calling from downstairs. Femi’s lips nibbled at her ear and Deola pushed him away, trying to get her mind back into gear.
“Saved by the bell … ” he whispered. “We will carry forward this, eh?”
Carry forward what? Her befuddled brain asked but there was no time to lose as she stood up and tried to look as professional as possible. Femi moved away and sat on the other side of the room, gazing at the TV intensely.
That was when Deola realised to her horror that he had her plum lipstick plastered over his face. She tried to signal to him to wipe it off, but his daughter came in just then.
She stared at them for some time.
“Good afternoon. I didn’t know anyone was in. I kept calling and no one answered.”
Her father’s face was straight. “We had this presentation we were working on.”
“I thought you were in the office.”
Deola thought she had to say something. “I needed to speak to your dad about some urgent work for a client.” She knew she didn’t sound that convincing.
Morenike said nothing and walked past them to her room.
Femi kept a straight face and tried not to smile.
Deola picked up the heaviest cushion she could find and aimed at Femi’s head; he ducked and picked it up.
“Kilode?”
“A presentation,” she whispered furiously. “Couldn’t you think of anything more original than that?”
“What was I supposed to say?”
Deola shook her head and stood up abruptly. It’s so embarrassing. She wondered whether Morenike had seen the lipstick on Femi’s face.
“Let me see you to the gate,” he said.
“Abeg stay here and clean your face. You have a lipstick print on your cheek.”
He laughed, his voice lowering to a conspiratorial whisper as he let his eyes wander over her. “I like the way you say Abeg. The accent is so wrong, so britico but I kind of find it … cute, as you people say.” He bent to plant another quick kiss on her lips. “You are an attractive, accomplished, career-minded lady and I just find that incredibly appealing. OK, when I say appealing, I mean sexy.”
“Femi … ” she began to protest.
“It is not my fault those lips of yours are so edible,” he whispered.
She picked up her bag and headed for the door. “Stay where you are. I can find my own way out.”
He grinned, with a self-satisfied gleam in his eyes. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.”
“Cool. Hopefully it won’t be too long before we can conclude the work we were doing on that, er … file. We need to wrap it up.”
The look in his eye made it clear he wasn’t referring to work. She blew him a kiss. “Soon.”
His response was an enigmatic wink.
Femi didn’t know how long he had sat there until he felt his daughter’s hand on his shoulder.
“Dad? Your mind seems all over the place today. I’ve just asked what you would like to eat. Twice.”
“I’m not really hungry.”
“You look as if you have had your main course,” his daughter teased.
Femi blinked. “What was that, dear?”
“You guys are seriously old school! You don’t even know how to hide it, do you? All loved up like teenagers! You guys should be setting people like me a good example!”
He tried to play dumb. “Sorry?”
“Dad, unless you’ve taken to wearing lipstick, which I very much doubt, give it up. Purple doesn’t suit your complexion.”
His hand flew to his face and he rubbed it frantically. “Oh.”
Deola handed him a tissue. “I like her. I think mum would have liked her too.”
Thank you Lord. Femi sighed. He felt happy. He felt at rest. “You really think so?”
“I think so. She makes you happy. Anyone can see that. Even gran has noticed.”
Femi grinned.
Morenike gave him a big hug. “I love you, Dad.”
“OK, what do you want? Money for another pair of shoes or something?” he joked. Morenike had calmed down lately and he was half hoping that the relationship thing had fizzled out. She spent more time on her studies and seemed more focused.
She shook her head. “No, dad. It is just that … ”
He stiffened. “Just that what?”
“Nothing. We’ll talk about it another time. I know you are really busy.”
“I’m never too busy to talk to the most important woman in my life!”
“Are you sure about that? It is Deola this and Deola that nowadays o.”
He scratched his head. “Have I really been sounding like some teenager?”
Morenike nodded.
“Chai!” He smiled.
“Dad … ” Morenike sounded hesitant.
“Yes?”
“I wanted to ask you something but … ”
“But what?”
“Another time.”
“Seriously, what is it? Do you need money for something?” Femi looked puzzled.
“No, dad. Er … Grandma Elsie came back from Ireland yesterday, and asked if you could call her.”
“OK. I will do that.” He watched his daughter leave the room and couldn’t shake off the feeling that she had wanted to talk about something entirely different. He shrugged and then picked up his phone, but instead of calling his former mother-in-law began to write Deola a text.
Oh boy this love thing dey shack you o …
Maybe it was. He found himself humming the song he had been hearing on the radio. A bit juvenile but it had a catchy beat to it.
Deola mi… I no dey take you love play o! Baby mi. I no dey take your love play o …