Must Read: Three Women (short story) - Season 1 - Episode 6

6 years ago

Must Read: Three Women (short story) - Season 1 - Episode 6

“Dapo! Dapo!” Tosin called out, banging on Dapo’s room door. He felt a slight headache as he rolled in bed. He sat up for a while, not really knowing what woke him, till Tosin’s rambling at the door continued.

His left foot was caught in the sheets, as he tried to get off the bed, and he had to hold on to the door handle to keep from falling.

“Hey, are you okay in there? Dapo!” She called out, reacting to the loud noise she heard. The door finally swung open, and Dapo sluggishly went back to lie on the bed. It was like he had not fully gained consciousness. Tosin stared at him for a while, trying to read the expression on his face. Then her face went from no expression to amusement.

“Hey, don’t tell me you slept in your out clothes from yesterday?” She said as she walked into the room, still examining him. He was lying on his side, with his eyes half opened. She sat beside him and chuckled at his sight.
Then she hit the bed, to shake him up, and his eyes came wide open. “Hey, Mom said you are meant to go to the store this morning, I thought you could drop me off at school on your way.”

He could see her mouth move, but his brain did not comprehend what she was saying. He looked at her, and her beauty reminded him of Kike and the conversation he had had with her yesterday. ‘Yesterday.’ He thought to himself, and everything came back in a flood of memory. It had almost seemed like a dream when he first woke up, but the more he focused, the more he realized it was no dream. ‘Oh s--t! She is leaving for the U.S this morning.’ He thought and ran for the bathroom, grabbing his towel as he dashed out.

“What?” She said, astonished at his sudden movements. “Dude, are you…did you even hear a word I said?”

“I’ll be out in a minute.”

“Whatever; just make sure you don’t slip and fall.” She said as she walked away, shaking her head in dismay.

Twelve minutes later, they were driving out the house.”

“You want to tell me what is going on?” Tosin asked.

“What?” He said, and took a side glance at her, not exactly making eye contact. And his face was screwed up like he was trying to concentrate on something. “I’m taking you to school, that is what’s up. And I…”

“Dude, you have been behaving funny since last night.” She said and looked at her wrist watch. “And I’m sure you are not in a hurry to get me to school; this is just a quarter past 7a.m.” Dapo had gone into a sort of Trans now; it was like he was driving on auto pilot. She just kept on talking; her mouth kept moving but he didn’t hear a thing she said. He started thinking of what he would tell Kike. He thought of what her parents would think of the whole matter. He was thinking of the first thing he would tell her when he saw her. “I love you.” The words, intended as a whisper, came out quite audible.

“What?” You love me?” Tosin asked, with confusion on her face. He heard her and turned his face side-ways.

“What? Oh! I wasn’t talking to you.”
“Ha-ha! Thank God. You were starting to freak me out. So where are we going?” She said and lifted up her wrist. “By my watch, it is 7:20a.m I don’t…”

“Don’t tell me the time.” Dapo lashed out. She looked at Dapo for a while, and then looked straight ahead. She couldn’t just imagine what was going on in his head.

Tosin had gone with Dapo a couple of times to his Kike’s house, so she knew where they were headed, but she didn’t know what the hurry was all about. Dapo didn’t bother to park properly when he got to Kike’s house; he just stopped the car right in front of her gate and jumped out the car in a hurry. Tosin didn’t plan saying anything to him again since he shot her up the last time, so she just sat there. After he had disappeared into the house, she started feeling restless, so she turned on the radio. She changed stations until she heard the kind of music she liked. 5 minutes had not gone before Dapo returned looking downcast. He looked like someone that went for an A.I.D.S test and had found out that he was positive. He sat in the car but didn’t turn on the engine. After a couple of minutes, he spoke. “She is pregnant, and now she is gone”.