chapter 38

The Obasogie's mansion looked deserted as Ego made her way hastily inside. She had needed no clearance at the gate for she was treated as a member of the Obasogie family even by the domestic staff. She did not wait for her husband to tuck his car properly into the garage before she barged out of the car, nodding briskly to her husband's soft, "Careful, babe!" as she half-ran towards the mansion.

Jide gratefully handed over his car keys to one of the drivers who had come to attend to him when he heard the sound of Jide's car heading towards the garage.

"Thanks, man," Jide said as he dashed after his wife as soon as he handed his car keys over to the driver. She was already on the marble steps leading upstairs to the private rooms of the family when he saw her. He bounded up the steps after her. He reached her as soon as she got to the landing and put a calming hand on her shoulder. He could tell by her slight trembling that she was much agitated. He stopped her as he silently held her in an embrace, trying to calm her down as he rubbed her back gently.

Ego was thankful for her husband's strong arms around her. His touch had a calming effect on her. She placed her head on his chest as he held her close to him.

"You still have not done well, son," Osaro's voice floated to them where they stood. Ego started and looked up at her husband who nodded. The two of them then made their way silently to the Obasogies' private living room.

Osaro, who sat, addressing his two sons, was a bit puzzled by the soft knock at the door. He sent a swift, questioning look at Segun and Osahon but they both shook their heads in answer to Osaro's unvoiced question.

"Come in," Osaro said, and gave a mild gasp of shock at seeing both Ego and her husband as they entered the room. He had thought it was one of their domestic staff whom he had told to remain in their quarters. Every call to the Obasogie's home had also been forwarded to the ever competent Amira to deal with in the office.

"Ego. Jide," Osaro muttered. He didn't know that Ego had arrived, and even at that, she ought to have been resting from her journey, especially given the state she was in presently.

"Good afternoon sir," Jide greeted as he bowed deeply to the elderly man. His wife, who had no time for such formalities, simply rushed into Osaro's outstretched arms and got enveloped in his fatherly hug. Ego was like a second daughter to Osaro. He rubbed his hand gently down her back as he looked up at her husband who still stood before him.

"When did she get back?" His question was directed at Ego's husband. Osaro waved the young man to a seat.

"She just got back sir," Jide answered as he sat down near Segun whom he shook hands with. He gave Osahon, who sat further away from him, a 'thumbs up' sign. "We were on our way home from the airport when she chanced upon the tabloids and then insisted on my bringing her over here," he offered.

"Ego Jide Alatise!" Osaro chided her weakly as he looked at her lovingly. Such stark devotion was rare in a friendship. Osaro raised her gently and made her to sit in the space beside him on the sofa where he sat on. "You need to rest, my dear," he said as he smiled at her. He turned to Jide as he spoke, "Jide, you and your wife should stay the night. I can't have you driving through the rigours of a Lagos traffic again. Ego needs to rest," he stated and Jide nodded in agreement.

"Thank you very much sir," Jide said, smiling.

Osaro nodded as he turned back to his younger son, whom he had been reprimanding earlier. "As I said, Osahon, you did a great disservice to your sister by telling her."

"Telling her what?" Ego looked from Osahon to his father.

Osaro grimly turned to Ego and answered her. "My exuberant son has gone ahead and notified his sister about the recent happenings as relating to her husband."

Ego let out a shocked gasp. She looked over to Osahon whose head was now bowed where he sat.

Osaro's voice hardened as he addressed the room. "Everyone here is a loved one of Ame's, and in as much as you might have your reservations about her choice of a husband, I want you all to know that given the appropriate support of we, her loved ones, Ame would give her young marriage a shot." Osaro looked round the room again, taking in the different expressions on the faces of its occupants.

"It's no secret to us all here that my daughter is looking for every excuse to walk out of her young marriage." He paused briefly as he stared pointedly at his younger son. "We should not give her any cause to." He coughed slightly, eliciting caring greetings from the younger ones in the room.

He looked at his older 'son' as he said, "I won't bother myself with no-issues, Segun, as I know that you're in the know of this all and must have turned the blind eye while your brother made his incriminating call." Osaro raised his hand, silencing his elder 'son', who was already opening his mouth to utter a protest. "Save me the story, son," Osaro said wearily. "I want to speak to my wife now. I'll try to douse my daughter's anger as well but I beg all of you earnestly to be there for her." He looked round them again.

"My daughter has gone through a lot in the last two years. Her young marriage should be given a chance to thrive. Please, I beg you all, to encourage her in every way you can. Dapo, her husband, is no saint but he's trying his best to be there for his young family."

Osaro was deeply disturbed. His emotional outburst had touched everyone in the room as well. Osaro resolved there and then to leave for England the next day. His wife and daughter would need him most then. He got up abruptly and after brushing Ego's shoulder fondly, told her softly, "You can use your sister's room for the night, or take any other room of your choice, my dear. The house is all yours." Ego only nodded, too emotional to say anything.

He turned to his sons where they sat, moody. "I'll be going to England tomorrow. Segun, you're to take over until my return."

"Yes, dad," Segun muttered as he looked up briefly.

Osaro nodded as he left the room without another word.

There was a pregnant silence after Osaro left the room as each person was lost in his own thoughts. It was the knock of one of the maids that brought them out of their reverie. Osaro had sent her upstairs to give them some refreshments, especially Ego, who had only recently got back from a journey.

"You look beautiful, my love, and you smell sweet too," Chief Adejare commented as he looked at his wife appreciatively. Abiola smiled shyly as she lowered her long eyelashes.

They had just finished their meal and her husband had called Steven to clear the used dishes and cutleries. Chief Adejare had fed his wife most of the food, seeing they were her favourites.

"Thanks, dear." Abiola looked up at her husband now as he tried to relax his head on the couch.

"Where is Dapo?" Chief Adejare did not look at his wife as he spoke.

Abiola turned to her husband. "I don't know, Otunba. I've not heard from him in a week now," she muttered as she maintained eye contact with her husband.

Chief Adejare nodded satisfactorily. "He has absconded, and only that good-for-nothing friend of his will know about his whereabouts but I won't give him the satisfaction of asking him about my son's whereabouts."

Abiola's voice sounded so little beside him when she ventured to talk. "What are we going to do, Otunba?" she queried her husband as she looked at him again.

Chief Adejare shook his head sadly as he gazed back at his wife. "I'll probably see Osaro tomorrow to iron things out. And, my dear," he said quietly as he drew her nearer to him on the couch. "Our dream of seeing our grandchild may yet take sometime to materialize as Rosa might not quickly release Ame and Anuoluwapo to us, no thanks to our son's indiscretions."

His wife nodded in his arms. "I understand, my husband," she muttered weakly.

The elderly Pa. Gbolade came into his living room. He was of an average build and was in his early sixties. He was dressed in just a simple 'buba' and 'sokoto' native attire. As he entered the room, the two well-dressed young men already seated got off their seats and prostrated, greeting the elderly man in the Yoruba fashion.

"E ka san sir! Good afternoon sir," they greeted politely one after the other.

Pa Gbolade nodded as he raised his arms in acknowledgement of their greetings. He smiled warmly at them.

"E kaabo, you're welcome, my young men," he answered them. He took his seat, then gestured at the young men to get up. "Please have your seats, young men," he said.

Dapo and his friend, Dare, promptly rose up from their prostrate position and briefly adjusted their clothes as they took their seats.

In a bid to prove his genuine commitment to his Yemisola this time around, Dapo had pleaded with Dare, his best friend, to escort him to his prospective in-law's place in order to ask for Yemisola's hand in marriage.

Despite Dapo's optimism about his idea, both Yemisola and Dare had been skeptical about the intended visit, because of the intricacies involved with contracting another marriage with Yemisola which will pass as a violation of Dapo's first marital vows since he was still legally married to Ame Obasogie according to the constitution of the nation, and, contracting another marriage with another person was an offence known as 'bigamy', and which was punishable with five years' imprisonment, according to the law of the land.

"It's going to be a traditional marriage," Dapo had argued with his lover and his best friend, failing to see from their own point of view. He refused to be dissuaded in his resolve to make his commitment to his lover concrete in any way he could. "Let me prove the extent of my love for you, my darling," he had told Yemisola as they lay in each other's arms later that night.

He had assured his lover that he would be discreet enough so as to avoid any form of publicity. Yemisola had been scared out of her wits by the negative publicity that Joke's fraternity with the press had resulted in. Dapo didn't want to lose his lover's affections in anyway. The press, seeking their own pound of flesh from an elusive Dapo, who had been out of the headlines for months, had dug up almost all of his past sordid affairs, and even embellishing most of them in the process, all in their bid to get more readership.

Even he himself had been shocked at some of the the stories that he had read; stories which were not true at all in their entirety. He had wondered how heartless people could be all in their selfish attempt to get to the top without a care about the feelings of those concerned. Those pressmen never stopped to think that they were writing about their fellow humans at all; their primary concern was to see that their papers sold well and remained relevant to their readers. He had had to tell his friend, Dare, at some point, to stop bringing in the papers to his and Yemisola's love nest to upset his lover as he did not want her to change her mind about their relationship: the stories were that awful.

Dapo had avoided his home as well as his office for a whole week after Joke's revelations began to make the waves, not staying in contact with anyone but his best friend, Dare, who alone knew of his whereabouts. Dapo knew that his father would have been calling for his head by then but he told Yemisola that he would cross that bridge when he got there. For now, he basked in the love that she showered on him, such love that no other woman, not even his own lawfully wedded wife, had ever showered on him.

He had heard of men who kept two homes conveniently and were not ever discovered until they were being buried, when the other wife usually showed up at the graveside with her children to claim part of their deceased father's inheritance. But he would not let such humiliating fate befall his own Yemisola and the children she would bear for him. He would see to it that she was well settled and establish every child that she bore him.

That was the reason he was still playing the dutiful husband to his wife, Ame. He knew he would be deceiving himself to ever think he could ever have another child with his own wife again. Their daughter's conception had been by mistake, and he knew undoubtedly that his wife would have heard of his negative press attention by now. As for his wife and her daughter, he knew they would be well taken care of by the combined wealth of their two families, so his main focus was in making his lover's future a secure one by making a valid commitment to her.

He and Dare had made the strenuous journey all the way to Osogbo, where Yemisola's parents lived. It was also her native land of origin. The two friends had been well received by Yemisola's mother, who had been showered with expensive gifts as well as delivered greetings from her daughter, Yemisola.

On knowing the reason for their visit, Yemisola's mother had quickly gone inside the room to fetch her husband as she relayed their visitors' interest in their daughter to her husband.

"Baba Akin," as she fondly called her husband. Two young men are waiting for you in the parlour." She had smiled at her husband in excitement. "They have come because of our daughter, Yemisola." She had hastily gone ahead of her husband into the parlour again to welcome the august visitors, serving them bottles of cold water to quench their thirst after their long journey but the young men had politely declined her offer, insisting on finalizing their reason for coming before indulging in any form of entertainment.

Pa. Gbolade got up slowly from the recliner he had been half-lying on and reading his newspaper. He knew who the visitors were. His daughter, Yemisola, had told him about the new man in her life, and about her being with his child when she had spoken with him on phone the last time she called a few days ago. Though he had frowned greatly at the idea of his daughter being pregnant out of wedlock, his daughter had pacified him by letting him know that her lover had serious intentions for their relationship.

Pa. Gbolade had been further appalled to learn that his daughter's intended husband was already married to someone else. He had blown his top at this and refused vehemently at the idea but his wife, who had been taken into their daughter's confidence much earlier, had calmed him down, pointing out to her husband that it was love and commitment that mattered in any relationship, and that if their daughter was content to stay on in the relationship despite knowing the odds against her as a second fiddle, then rejecting the man presented by their daughter, would not be wise.

So, Pa. Gbolade had joined the two visitors in his parlour. After the introductions and presentation of costly gifts by Dapo to his lover's parents, Dapo had shyly stated his intention to make Pa. Gbolade's daughter, Yemisola, his lawful wife according to the traditions and customs of the land. He had then instantly brought out his chequebook, offering to write any amount that the elderly man would want as the bride price for his daughter.

Pa. Gbolade had remained so silent that the silence had gradually become embarrassing to his visitors. The two friends had exchanged worried looks as they tried to communicate silently with each other. Even Yemisola's mother, who sat quietly beside her husband, had also got quite discomfited by the prolonged silence and had started to fidget with the edge of her wrapper with her little finger.

When one could almost slice the extended silence with a knife, Pa Gbolade had turned to his wife, and his demeanor had softened a bit.

"Iya Akin," he had said gently as he addressed his wife. "Please help prepare a light meal for our guests," he had requested, a brief smile playing in the corners of his lips.

"Okay sir!" His wife had risen up and nodded briefly at the two visitors then exited the room. Dapo and Dare, his friend, had watched her leave the room.

"Where are you from?" Pa. Gbolade then gestured his head at Dare, trying to break the uncomfortable silence that trailed his wife's exit.

"M...me, sir?" Dare wanted to know and Pa. Gbolade nodded. "Ile-Ife sir," he replied, as he wandered what relationship this could have with his friend's asking for Pa. Gbolade's daughter's hand in marriage.

Pa. Gbolade nodded again and then turned to Dapo, his daughter's suitor.

"And you, young man?" he asked him. Though Yemisola had told him much earlier, Pa. Gbolade still wanted Dapo himself to say where he came from.

"Er...I come from Ilesa sir." Dapo answered, looking down briefly at his shiny black shoes.

Pa. Gbolade nodded his head like a sage. "It is good; we're all clansmen," He paused and looked at both of them slowly before he continued, "But as clans men, who have similar traditions, both of you should know that one cannot just barge into a man's house to claim his jewel of inestimable value, for that is what my daughter, Yemisola, is to me.

"Both of you can't just walk in here to dazzle me with your display of wealth, and think that I would allow my daughter to go with you, just like that! Haba! It is not done!" he stated firmly as he gave the two young men a hard stare.

He gestured with his head at Dare. "You, his friend, are you married?" Pa Gbolade queried as he looked intently at him.

In the embarrassing silence that followed the elderly man's question, the two friends exchanged a brief glance, then Dare coughed mildly before he answered the man in a wavering tone, "Er...n...no sir, I'm not."

The older man nodded knowingly as he looked from one friend to the other.

"Abajo! No wonder!" He turned to Dapo and his tone hardened. "That's why you were not properly counseled, my young man. You see, the kind of friends you keep tells who you really are." He shook his head as he gazed at Dapo and his friend again.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think that I can trust my daughter's care into your hands, young man, pregnancy or no pregnancy." His hard gaze remained fixed in disapproval on Dapo

Dapo went flat on his face, prostrating before Yemisola's resolute father, his voice that of sheer anguish as he besought the elderly man. His friend, Dare too followed suit, appealing.

"Ah! E jo sir! Please sir! I love your daughter with all my heart sir! I'm serious about her sir. I promise to take good care of her sir, e jo sir! Please, sir!" Dapo pleaded on earnestly.

The older man looked at the two young men lying prostrate on the floor and covered his face with his palm.

"Please get up, both of you." Dapo and his friend obeyed the older man's instruction. Pa. Gbolade ushered the two young men back to their seats with a gesture of his hand. When they were properly seated once more, he cleared his throat and turned to Dapo and said, "If you want to marry my daughter in the traditional way, and she is content to stay with an already married man," He shrugged and began to tap his foot. "Then, I insist that you must go about it in the proper way, young man." His piercing gaze did not waiver as he continued.

"According to our traditional way, which allows for polygamy, your family members must come to seek for my daughter's hand in marriage, that is the only way that this marriage can be contracted; the only way my daughter will have my wife's and my blessings."

He stood up, dismissing the two friends with that gesture.

"You have come a long way. I'm sure my wife has prepared a meal for you." He gestured toward the dining table, where his wife had set a table for four.