Last updated on February 23rd, 2023 at 02:18 pm
While I sat down waiting to be interviewed, I started reading up on likely questions that I could be asked. Before getting the job that I had in Lagos, Vic and I had gone for many interviews and I already knew the likely questions and answers for every question. Even after about two years, all I needed was a little brush up and I was ready.
I looked at the time and it was fifteen minutes to one. The time was always slow when you needed it to be fast. The reception was actually really beautiful. Drumming my fingers on the chair, I looked around. The walls were painted a lilac colour and the window blinds were navy blue. A diffuser was sitting on the AC and the water dispenser was close to the receptionist’s desk. Now that I was really looking, I saw that her name was on the table—Evelyn. There was also a cream center rug, I wonder how they kept this clean.
***
Twelve minutes to One. Really! I picked up my phone and opened Instagram. The first post I saw was Vic’s. One thing you didn’t prepare for once you got married was how you’d barely keep up with your single friends. Vic was dressed in pink palazzo pants and a white camisole with a wine shirt—a true fashionista. Her work allowed her to travel to so many places and she enjoyed it. In almost two years that I had been married, Vic’s career had taken a serious leap.
She always tried to reach out to me but I was always too busy. She had even come to Osogbo twice to see her mum and we had planned to see each other on both occasions. The first time, Jude told me I was not allowed to go out with my pregnancy, so I had to stay back home even though I was dressed and ready to go out. I had to apologise to her and tell her something came up. Of course, I couldn’t tell her the real reason.
The second time, Dimeji suddenly fell sick and I knew I couldn’t go out. He kept throwing up. I think he was teething then. I had to call her again to cancel, though it made me feel bad, but there was nothing I could do and at least I was not lying this time around.
Vic and I met at school and we became really close, by the second year we moved in together and lived with each other till we finished school. We also served like a state away from each other.
She was a bold girl physically and character-wise. Vic was in almost every group back then on campus. She was also on the campus radio. She was always occupied, even though she took time-outs regularly, like two days off from everything, especially on weekends. She worked and aced her exams and she also recharged frequently. She was free-spirited and could not imagine being stifled by anything.
Her mum had her when she was 18. She was about to gain admission into the university when she got raped, Vic’s grandparents were very supportive of their daughter and she decided to birth the baby. She had to defer a semester so she could nurse Vic for a bit. Mummy Abound as I called her, also went for therapy, which was possible back then because her rich parents could afford it. When she went back to school, her parents took up raising Vic.
She grew up very unrestrained as I liked to tell her. And it was obvious as she was very opinionated, courageous and rarely backed down. Mummy disliked her. Ever since she started noticing me being free and less conservative, mummy started worrying that I was living with a ‘spoilt brat’ and that ‘she would ruin me.’ I had to start behaving like my old self every time I went back home so that mummy wouldn’t ask me to stop living with Vic. It worked, she stopped bothering me.
Many years later, she still didn’t like her. At Dimeji’s naming ceremony she was furious when she saw Vic. She complained about her appearance and the fact that she was always laughing and jumping. She also complained that as a chubby lady, Vic was too confident instead of being humble or at least trying to shed the weight. Vic barely acknowledged mummy’s attitude towards her. She couldn’t be disturbed. My best friend’s attitude to life was only one that I could dream of.
“Mrs Lape Alaka.” I heard, but it took a while for me to register that it was me.
I had been married for almost two years and I still forgot that I was no longer Lape Kosofe. There were many things you could never prepare for, one of which was having your name changed after bearing it for twenty three years. I wanted to hyphenate after I got married, just to retain a bit of my identity, but Jude almost chewed my head off. He said it meant that I wasn’t happy to be his, he said people would think we didn’t have our family together.
“Mrs Lape.” The receptionist called again.
“Yes ma’am, I apologise.” Looking at the time, I saw it was some minutes past one o’clock.
She smiled at me and said, “you can now go inside. The first room by your left. Goodluck.”
“Thank you.” I said and left the reception.
***
“Bye bye sir, thank you.” I said to the security agent at the gate of the company as I left.
The interview had gone well and the salary had even been a bit higher than what I expected. I was interviewed by two people, a man and a woman. It was more of a conversation than an exam. They said they’d get back to me before the week ran out. Fingers crossed.
***
I had carried my son and was about to leave the crèche when I saw a grey car, it looked like Jude’s car. It was parked beside the road. Immediately, I hid behind a van parked just outside the gate of the daycare. My heart was beating so fast, I thought my chest would burst. What if it wasn’t him? I thought.
Holding Dimeji firmly to my waist, him oblivious to my dilemma as he tried to pull my hair, I peeped and saw Jude getting out of the car. What on earth did he come to do in this area?! I was scared and nervous. I stayed behind the van thinking of what lie I could tell him when my phone rang. I jerked so hard that Dimeji got frightened and started to cry.
“Shhhh, sorry, sorry.” I said, petting him. I brought out my phone and it was Jude calling. Taking a deep breath, I picked the call.
“Hello.”
“Hello, how are you?” Jude replied. I peeped and saw he was leaning on his car by the roadside. Maybe he came to check on someone around.
“I am fine, dear. How is work?”
“Work is fine, but I have a very bad migraine so I’m coming home. Prepare some food for me.”
“Migraine? Coming home?”
“Yes. I can’t achieve anything here anyway.”
“Sorry.” There was no way I could ever reach home before Jude.
“Thanks.”
I was going to reply when a knock came from inside the van, I jerked again. The way my heart was beating, I hoped I didn’t pass out.
“Madam, I wan move the moto, carry your body.” The man in the driver’s seat said with a frown on his face.
Move the van? Where would I then hide?
“Madam, you no hear? I go move the moto, if tyre match you, e match you be that o.”
“No vex, no vex.” I shifted, still trying to hide even as the van moved. Jude was still by the road side and I hoped he wouldn’t think it could be me and his child out here almost at the entrance of the gate.
Since the crèche was far from the roadside, it was possible not to see exactly who was at the gate.
***
“Lape!” I had not ended the call with Jude.
“Jude.” I replied, almost inaudibly.
“Where are you? And who is asking you to move away from their vehicle?”
“It’s no one. It’s it’s a –”
“A what?! Do you think I am stupid?”
I was facing the wall initially, but it was apparent that Jude had seen me, so I slowly turned towards the road. How did he know?
