Must Read: Three Women (short story) - Season 1 - Episode 26

6 years ago

Must Read: Three Women (short story) - Season 1 - Episode 26

Dapo kept driving around town with no direction or destination. He didn’t want to go home to his wife because of what he had just seen. What had he seen? He thought to himself. There might just be a logical explanation for it. He wanted there to be an explanation because he loved his wife so much. ‘At least I didn’t see her kissing a guy’ he thought to himself.
His phone rang and he didn’t even want to attend to it, because he didn’t want to talk to all the people that he felt might want to call him right now; his wife; his old girlfriend; and Dupe. Then as an afterthought, he decided to answer the call. He looked at the caller ID and it was an unfamiliar number.

“Hello?” he said into the phone.
“Hey! Hi? What’s up?” The person on the other end said. The voice sounded so familiar, but in the midst of all the drama, he couldn’t make himself remember who it was.
“Sorry, who is this?”

“Dapo, you don’t recognize my voice? This is really disappointing. Anyway, it’s me.”
“Who?”
“It’s me, Tosin.”

“Hey! Tosin, what’s going on? You…hey! Are you in Nigeria?”

“No, I’m not. I just got this line that shows Nigerian numbers on the phone screen of the people I call in Nigeria. Of course I am.” Tosin said and laughed.

Tosin had been out of the country for the last 7 years, and Dapo was happy she chose now to return.

“Wow! That’s incredible. Boy do I need someone to talk to right now. Where are you?”
“Okay, that is why I called. I wanted to surprise you and pop up at your place, but my plans messed up. So right now, I’m stranded at the airport.”

“I’m on Badagry Express-Way; I should be there in like 20 minutes or less.”

“You are a life saver; thanks.”

Dapo’s mood changed; at least he had someone neutral to talk to. He got to the airport in fifteen minutes, parked and hurriedly headed to the arrival terminal. He didn’t even think of how he would contact her or how he was going to locate where she was. The phone she used in calling him couldn’t have been hers because she just got in.

He saw her as he approached the arrival gates. She had changed a little; complexion, weight, but the face was still the same. Tosin had practically grown up under his care, and seeing her as an adult gave him a funny feeling. She had on jeans and a white t-shirt, and was talking to another lady. She screamed as she saw Dapo.

“Ahhh! Big man; you’re looking good.” she said and gave him a hug.

“You’re not looking bad yourself.”

“Yeah, this is Chioma.” Tosin introduced the girl she had been talking to. “Chioma and I were in the same work place before I travelled.”

“Okay and where was that again? Wait, I think I can remember; you were working with that advert company.”

“Yeah. ADFAD.”

“So are you still there?” Dapo directed the question to the yellow beauty that had been staring at him.

“No! I left there a long time ago.” she said shyly

“It was her phone I used in calling you. I was just lucky to run into her” Tosin said.

“So where are you headed?” Dapo asked the girl as he walked up to pick up Tosin’s luggage.

“No problem with me. I’m here with my brothers. I would have given Tosin a lift, but she insisted on seeing you first.”

“Okay.” Dapo said and turned to Tosin. “You look good; I mean really good.”

“Thanks. It’s really been a while. So how is your wife? I hope she is cool?”

“Yeah, she’s cool.”

“Cool, I can’t wait to meet her.”

“So what brings you to Nigeria on such short notice? Or should I say, no notice at all”

“Well…Bambam’s dad is dying; cancer.”

“Oh! Sorry about that.”

“Poor man; He has less than a month to go; at least according to the doctors.”

“So what’s up with ba…”
“Bambam.”
“What is his real name anyway?”
“Bamidele.”

“Okay. Yeah, I remember now.”
“Silly you; how could you forget? You where there when I first met him.”
“Really?”

Yes. And…Wait, what’s with you? There is something wrong.”

“Well…Nothing really. So as I was saying, why isn’t Bambam here?”

“Oh! He’s coming in next week. He couldn’t get a leave so soon.”
“So you would be staying with us, right?”
“Umm! No. I got to be by his pops side, so I’ll be staying at their family house. The driver was actually meant to pick me up, but there was a mix up. They thought I wouldn’t be here till tomorrow.”

“Dapo checked his watch, it was 2.30p.m, just then his phone rang. It was his wife; he put the phone on silent mode and kept walking.
“Why didn’t you pick that call?”
“It is somebody I don’t want to talk to right now. So…do you want to get something to eat?”

“Oh! Yes. Lord, I am starving. I hate eating on planes.”

“Okay, we’ll get to an eatery real quick.”

Dapo said and stopped at the rear of his Camry.

“Is this your car? What a coincidence. I drive the same car, but not the same color though.”

Dapo loaded the luggage into the trunk and went over to the windshield to remove a hand bill that was on the wiper. He didn’t bother to read what was on it before crushing it and throwing it away. Tosin was standing in the middle of the car park drive way, looking around like a tourist. “Something has changed here.” she said.

“Yes. The car park used to be on the other side of the road.” Dapo pointed at where the car park used to be. “Now get out of the way before that car runs you over.”
There was a black Chrysler 300CC driving up.
Tosin got off the drive-way and walked to the passengers’ side of the Camry.

The Chrysler came to a sudden halt as it got in front of their car. The driver said something to the person in the passenger’s seat then got out.