Taking Chances – Episode 35

*****EPISODE 35*****

 

‘Daisy, Daisy are you asleep?’ Jide called softly while he knocked lightly on Daisy’s door.

 

 

He’d been in the parlour all day waiting for her to surface from where she’d crept into for over three hours now. Wasn’t she like hungry or something? ‘Cos If she wasn’t, he was. He’d practically eaten nothing all day. You didn’t call a meal of tea and bread, food, now did you? He wondered.

 

‘Daisy…’ he repeated still knocking, he didn’t want to barge in on

 

her, neither did he think her door would be unlocked, for she had this knack for locking doors.

 

Food was not the only reason he stood here, he was also starved of her presence all week. And Although the week had had its shortcoming, he had still looked forward to spending the Saturday with her. He would probably iron out issues with her then.

 

He so wanted to talk with her, hear her taunt him, argue with him, fight with him, and maybe if he got lucky, he would be opportuned to wrap his hands around her. Fat luck that was. Jide concluded with a scoff.

 

‘Please open the…’ he was saying again when the door flung open and opposite him stood Daisy looking sexier than he could swear he’d ever seen her look before. Jide’s heart fluttered.

 

With his hand still caught in mid-air, Jide behold the slightly flushed and surprised Daisy as she stared blankly at him, her hands still gripping the door.

 

She was on a nightwear whose outer robe had been discarded and what remained was a short, silky pink dress. One that would make any male hormone race uncontrollably.

 

Thankfully, Jide thought, he was the one with all the rights to her.

 

Legally that is. It would only be realistic if he ever managed to

 

finally win her love and forgiveness. Not that he was planning on giving up any soon.

 

‘Hi’ Jide said now, finally finding his voice.

 

‘Jide’ Daisy simply replied.

 

‘Are you feeling better now?’

 

‘Yeah…I guess’ Daisy shrugged and then shot him an inquisitive look. ‘Can I come in atleast?’

 

Daisy glanced around her room, hesitated, opened the door wider then stepped away from the door.

 

Jide walked in after muttering an indistinct ‘thank you’, wondering why she’d looked around before obliging.

 

 

He abruptly stopped in his track now, the room he just entered didn’t quiet feel or look like the one he’d abandoned months ago. It looked so oddly feminine and in a enchanting way too. Flower vases were all over and a

 

wallpaper with a larger than life flower print called out to you. On it was boldly inscribed:

 

‘Daisies Of The Morning’

 

He chuckled. This wife of his was something else.

 

A glance forward revealed an endless stream of shoes on the floor close to the standing mirror, a mirror that had pimped him daily before the wedding issues. That allusion suddenly flooded back memories he wasn’t comfortable with and Jide quickly waved them away and concentrated on the room survey. The wardrobe lay half opened an inch away, he could bet that they were also flooding with frivolous wears. He wondered in amusement then, how his clothings would have survived in the face of feminine invasion.

 

Daisy on her part was glancing around her untidy room. She had been too weak to arrange it today, after yesterday’s storm of searching for a perfect dress to wear. Now Jide must be seeing her as some disorganized woman. How was she to know he would come calling!

 

‘Nice room’ Jide spoke turning around to face her.

 

Daisy smiled shyly. He had gotta be kidding me! She thought hurrying to the bed. There she packed the clothes laying carelessly about and flung them towards the wardrobe, some hit the floor, and off she went gathering the errant ones and stuck them for good into the wardrobe, facing Jide with a smile, she jammed it with a back-turned leg.

 

The wardrobe finally obeyed.

 

There! All perfect! She thought smiling still at her husband.

 

Jide was more than amused, he had to force himself from laughing at the whole dramatics. Her comical side was really endearing.

 

Daisy cleared her throat then ‘so you wanted what?’ she asked.

 

‘I uhm…you know, I…’ Jide stutterred, while Daisy looked at him expectantly. He sighed. ‘I came to talk to you Daisy’ ‘Okay, about what?’

 

‘Can I seat down atleast?’

 

‘Sure…Yeah sure you can’ Daisy replied looking around. ‘Here’s a seat’ she said pointing at the bed stool.

 

Jide went over and sat, while Daisy sat on the bed.

 

‘So…’ she prompted.

 

Daisy found herself surprisingly calm and not in the least curious of what Jide had come to say. Although she had prayed for a day like this to come, when they could finally have a heart to heart talk, but now that it probably had arrived, she felt nothing. No excitement, nothing.

 

‘So?’ Daisy prompted again. Jide didn’t seem forthcoming, he looked like one battling with his emotion and thoughts.

 

‘Uhm. How was yesterday?’ Jide asked. Unhappy that he had settled for irrelevancies, and angry that he didn’t have the courage to bring up the problem affecting him.

 

Jide knew it was probably because of his ego or the gnawing fear within him, that had halted him. Even if he refused to admit it to himself, He knew he was Afraid of rejection and afraid of losing Daisy if he happened to say the wrong words.

 

‘The club?’ Daisy asked now. Disappointed, inspite of herself.

 

‘Yeah, the club, you know I never got to understand who the lady on red you so talked about was…you do remember, don’t you?’

 

‘I don’t know for sure if I remember discussing that, but the lady I should mean would be Grace, as Ade said, your ex or maybe not…’ Off course she’s my ex! we…’

 

‘Well’ Daisy continued ‘we ran into each other and she rooted for a fight…’ ‘A fight! She didn’t hurt you or…’ Jide was saying as he moved towards her. Daisy put up a restraining hand.

 

‘No she didn’t, Brenda showed up and…’ a pause ‘that reminds me, I’ve not called her’

 

‘Brenda is her name then?’ Jide scowled and sat back.

 

‘Yeah. And I’ve not called her!’ Daisy exclaimed searching for her phone. ‘I don’t really like her, don’t you think she is bad company…’ ‘Excuse me!’ Daisy cut in, stopping her search to stare at him.

 

‘I mean, since she appeared, you’ve been…’

 

‘Been what? Wild! Awake! Daring! Living a life!’ Daisy shouted.

 

‘I didn’t mean to upset you’ Jide calmed. That was exactly what he’d been afraid of, saying the wrong word and cracking a shell.

 

‘Am sorry’ he pleaded

 

‘You have no say about my friends! considering the way you’ve treated me all this while, Brenda is the best thing to ever happen to me! And if

 

it wasn’t for her that…that classless girlfriend of yours would have

 

 

ripped me apart yesterday, so you have no right, whatsoever to disapprove of her!’ Daisy was now standing and fuming in anger.

 

‘I don’t disapprove of her, its just the way you changed since she came that…’

 

Jide was also standing trying to calm her down. Gone was the comical Daisy of moments ago, in her place was the new Daisy that cut at his heart. ‘And i still maintain that…’

 

‘It’s okay! it’s okay. Brenda or whomever can remain your friend just as

 

long as you calmed down and not get like this’ Jide pleaded moving to calm her. ‘Don’t touch me!’ Daisy shrieked, curling away ‘Don’t bloody touch me!’ ‘Okay, okay’ Jide said putting up his hands. ‘Just calm down’.

 

Daisy calmed down then, heaving in angry rhythm. What was it about him that steered so much hatred in her? She wondered. Like Brenda had pointed out, wasn’t he the same Jide who she had flown over seas and oceans to love and marry, the same man whose picture was potent enough

 

to captivate her for over six years? why had her ‘red’ love suddenly turned blue? These and more question raced in her mind as both stood, lost to the

 

tick-tack of the alarm clock resting inches away. It was as if the air in the room froze in time while seconds ticked into minutes.

 

‘Am hungry’ Jide blurted out suddenly.

 

He knew it wasn’t the best thing to say at the moment, but that was the

 

best he could come up with. Saying ‘sorry’ would be appropriate, but he

 

doubted if that could solve a thing, hadn’t she reacted even worst to his apologies?

 

Hunger it was then, since that had been his other reason for coming here.

 

Daisy just shook her head and stormed out.

 

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

 

‘Food!’ Daisy yelled from the Dining, set the dish she held on the table, then stormed back into the kitchen.

 

Jide roused from where he sat staring blankly at some musical video showing on Mtvbase. His mind had been in a confused state ever since the fight, and his heart was hurting deeply. Why couldn’t he ever get it right? He wondered.

 

Now in the dining, Jide sat down and stared irritably at the covered

 

dishes before him, he didn’t know what they contained and wasn’t curious either.

 

His hunger had developed wings and flew while his appetite had long left him.

 

Daisy anger wasn’t helping matters either.

 

She was banging the dishes and pots in the kitchen, and grumbling angrily.

 

Jide didn’t need a soothsayer to tell him every words was directed and about him. Soon, she came out with a pack of juice and a glass cup, dumped it on the table and made to leave when Jide’s hand caught hers.

 

‘Before you protest more, just hear me out’ Jide pleaded as he rose.

 

Daisy held still.

 

‘Am deeply sorry for the things I said about your friend, but you staying angry at me is really tearing me apart and I hate to see you this way with me. Believe me when I say so’ a pause, then ‘My heart is aching deeply Daisy’ he said ever so slowly, like a whisper.

 

Daisy’s heart fluttered at the way he’d called her name. She looked up at him then, their eyes met. Slowly she felt her heart melting, her anger cooling, her love burning.

 

She took down her head. She shouldn’t be feeling love for him again, her heart should burn with anger, not love.

 

Daisy started to struggle her hand to be free from his hold.

 

To be continued……..

 

Oden Green

 

 

TAKING CHANCES