Taking Chances – Episode 26

****EPISODE 26****

 

Jide rolled severally on his bed, only waking up abruptly when he

 

realised that he was on the verge of falling off, he had been having a wonderful dream.

 

With an angry sigh he sat up, his eyes traveling to the clock, the time was 8:20 a.m, Sunday morning.

 

Jide got up immediately, that his plan of going to church with Daisy for the first time after their wedding, was almost ruined. How had he slept off so stupidly? He wondered angrily.

 

Few seconds later, he was standing in the parlour, even though it was looking better than he left it yesterday, it felt empty. His food laid covered on the dining but there was no sign of Daisy.

 

He went back to the hallway and stood in front of Daisy’s room hoping to hear

 

movements or sounds.

 

Nothing.

 

Hesitantly, he turned the door knob, but it was locked. Immediately, Jide dashed out and soon he was walking towards Adamu.

 

Adamu was sweeping and singing an Hausa song when he noticed Jide walking towards him. He stood upright and stopped singing.

 

‘Goodmorning Oga’ Adamu greeted, genuflecting in the process. ‘Morning’ Jide answered impatiently ‘have you seen Daisy?’ he asked. ‘Daisy…’ Adamu said scratching his head, he momentarily forgot who bore that name. Then it hit him ‘…oh! Madam!’.

 

Jide sighed, irritated.

 

‘So?’ he asked impatiently.

 

‘Yes, madam don commot’ Adamu replied smiling sheepishly.

 

‘To where?’

 

‘Church oga’ replied Adamu.

 

‘Did she specifically tell you that’

 

‘Specifically…’

 

Jide hissed again at the dunce of a man.

 

‘She tell you say na there she dey go?’ he interpreted. ‘She being dress fine and since today na Sunday so I…’

 

‘That’s ok’ Jide cut in and walked away. He didn’t have time to banter with the old man, given the chance, he would go on and on about things that weren’t his business. As for Daisy, she was gonna hear from him when she came back. *****************

 

‘Hello’ Jide said, the phone hanging between his chin and shoulder while he busied with his shoe lace. He had finally decided to go out, he had waited in vain for Daisy to return but now, the house felt empty and suffocating. The time was threatening to hit 1pm soon.

 

‘Jide love…’ the voice at the other end was saying.

 

‘Grace?’ he interrupted puzzled.

 

Jide halted the fumbling with his shoe lace to peer at the phone screen. The number had no name.

 

‘Jide darling why are you treating me this way’ came the response of the bereaved woman.

 

‘What’s with this joke’ he asked frowning and went back to his lace tieing.

 

‘Its no joke Jide, why are you refusing to pick my call?’ Grace asked.

 

Jide sighed and stood up, his shoes now firmly tied. He wasn’t in the mood for Grace’s nagging.

 

Thought we ended this days ago?’ he said walking to the dining.

 

‘Am sorry if I angered you then, but lets talk about this okay?’ she begged. ‘Really Grace, I told you from the onset not to expect the more, I am a married man and…’

 

‘Please don’t give me that poo! But I thought, no! knew we shared something deep and lasting, when did we finally lose it?’ whined Grace.

 

‘I really don’t have time for this, why don’t you understand that it was fun while it lasted, now I want to concentrate on making my marriage

 

work’. He said resignedly.

 

 

Jide didn’t enjoy treating Grace this way, however she nolonger excited him, she was the one pushing herself on him, and he wish she didn’t, she was the one to get hurt at the end. Grace was pretty alright and a good bedmate too, but he had problem with her inability to cook well like Daisy and she was bad at nagging. These were the little fault he had

 

capitalized on to end their illicit relationship few days ago. It was as if she had had it coming. He shook his head, it was better they both forgot each other and moved on.

 

‘Jide! Jide! Are you even listening to me?’ Grace cried, Jide had not responded to any of her last questions.

 

Jide had been standing by the dining lost in thought when Grace’s voice jolted him. ‘am going out, got no time…’

 

he resumed.

 

‘Great, come over lets discuss, I cooked today and guess what would follow…’ Grace cajoled.

 

But Jide wasn’t paying attention again, noises coming from outside were distracting him now.

 

‘Let me call you back’ he said quickly and cut the call without a response from her.

 

Quickly, he tucked the phone in his pocket and made for the door.

 

**********************

 

‘Nice crib hunh’ Brenda said coming out of the passenger seat of her car. Her American accent more developed than Daisy’s.

 

Daisy came out of the driver seat, she had decided to drive them back. Having long itched to ride a car again.

 

‘Something to write home about’ Brenda continued, her eyes sweeping round the compound.

 

Adamu was still standing at the gate staring foolishly at the two ladies.

 

‘Lets go in, you don’t wanna get a tan now do you?’ Daisy teased.

 

‘On my chocolate skin? No way that’s happening’ Brenda replied. Both girls giggled and made for the house.

 

‘Welcome to my solitary, suffocating and…’ Daisy was saying cheerfully as they entered the parlor. She stopped when she saw Jide standing in the center of the parlour, his expression unreadable.

 

Everything seem frozen in time as each party studied the other. ‘So he’s the mother fucking hunk, that’s been tripping ain’t so?’

 

Brenda said melting the silence.

 

‘Uhm…Bree, that’s…’ Daisy started her nervous stutterring. She hadn’t expected him home again today!

 

‘Don’t trip girl, I know who this dude is’ Brenda cut in waving her hand carelessly. Then she strutted to a settee, slowly sat down and crossed her legs, putting all the flamboyant effort she could in the action.

 

Jide eyes travelled from his immobile wife to the sassy stranger seating in his parlour. She was dark complexioned contrasting Daisy light skin,

 

slim shaped, should be about Daisy’s height and age. She was on dreadlock and wore a black fitted top on a black trouser, matching the combination with red dangling earrings and red high stilleto that climbed up to forever. Jide was sure she was also pretty behind that big black shades that adorned her face.

 

She reminded him of rich pampered and independent girls in Nigeria he hated and never ever dated. she also looked like those black American girls he watched in American movies, they had this sassy, bitchty, condescending and disrespectful attitude towards people. He feared that

 

this rude human was actually a friend of Daisy’s.

 

If she had been the one forced on him, he could bet his a.rse that they wouldn’t have lasted a week much less months, it was either he sent her packing or she sent him packing. Things couldn’t get any worse, just when he had decided to start working towards…

 

Brenda coughed noisily, the silence in the room was getting unbearable and irritable. What was wrong with Daisy by the way? standing there like some nailed statue, making no move whatsoever. Was this how she reacted to this a.rse hole of a man. Brenda wondered angrily.

 

‘Really Dee, get me something to eat or drink, and stop standing there like some goddam idiot’ Brenda said angrily, removing her eye shades.

 

‘Sorry’ Daisy said softly and smiled at no one. What indeed was wrong with her? She thought angrily and sat down.

 

Jide looked towards Brenda again, as he had suspected, she was pretty, like the black American girls he so loathed. She was frantically eyeing him now.

 

‘Your friend hunh?’ Jide asked the thin air and started walking away. No wonder Daisy had been acting up this few days, now he knew where she drew her power from. she cared no more about him, what an influence to align with! He thought shaking his head.

 

 

‘Remind me to hate that girl’ he said to himself, minutes later as he drove out of the compound.

 

Back in the parlor, Daisy eyes glance fixedly at the black-blue tiled floor, she felt Brenda’s annoyed gaze bore into her skin, but said nothing.

 

‘Daisy what went wrong back there? Brenda finally spoke up, rage in her tone. The mortified Daisy refused to look up at her friend who would be really cross with her right now.

 

‘Is that how you behave in front of him?’ Brenda further asked.

 

‘I didn’t know he was around okay’ she defended.

 

‘Duh, the dude lives here so why won’t he…’

 

‘He’s always never around, that got me off balance’ Daisy cut in.

 

‘You shouldn’t be for any reason, he might be hot and all, but he ain’t a gentle man and don’t need soft…’

 

Daisy sighed. ‘Can we drop the subject…please’ Daisy said softly.

 

Brenda sighed resignedly, her anger dissipating. Daisy wasn’t your regular bold and daring girl, her wiry attitude hasn’t fully rubbed off on her, much as she would have loved it. Besides she could see how deeply her friend loved this man, if his presence only, could affect her like this.

 

‘He’s hot quit okay…’ she said on a lighter note ‘…but he ain’t been to Madam Teresa’s school for the well behaved gentlemen’

 

Daisy smiled and looked up at her friend who was also smiling. It was a private joke they shared. Any man who acted rudely to them, they concluded, hadn’t gone to that school where he would have been trained otherwise. But then the school was non existent, they formulated it.

 

‘No he ain’t been to one, and they got none in Nigeria too’ Daisy added cheerfully. ‘Obviously girlfriend’ Brenda called out, snapping her fingers with each syllable she said.

 

‘Come let me show you around, then we’d go prepare something to eat’ Daisy said standing up and pulling her friend with her.

 

Brenda obliged. And both giggling like teenagers, they made for the hallway to go explore other parts of the house.

 

Brenda was affected by the resilience of her friend, little things hardly weighed her down for long, she always managed to bounce back to her cheerful self. She felt a strong urge to protect her against Jide who obviously didn’t appreciate the wonderful woman that was his wife. Well, it was only day two of her arrival, Daisy still had a long way to go, and she still had rules to teach on how she would

 

 

successfully subdue and stand up against her husband. Today, they’d just made do with catching up on old times.

 

Handsome, irritating Jide, would occupy the back space.

 

********

 

 

 

TAKING CHANCES