Meant To Be
By Olunfulola Adeola
Episode 10
Kore walked into the dining room weeks after to see that Ayo cooked his favorite, fried rice with fried turkey. He smiled and asked her,
“Hmm, why did you go throu-gh all the trouble to cook this?”
“I just wanted to be nice and make you smile the way you’ve made me and my baby smile.”
“Why do I feel like that has a double meaning?”
“Can we just eat? I am hungry.” Ayo said and Kore gr-unted,
“Okay.” Then they ate. After eating, Kore insisted on doing the dishes and Ayo had no choice but to take a seat and wait for him.
Ten minutes later, Kore walked into the sitting room and Ayo said,
“I have been waiting for you . I wanted to give you this.” She gave him an envelope.
“What is it?” He asked as he opened the envelope and took out the printed A4 paper. Ayo had been given an admission into UNILAG and her name was even in the merit list. When she wanted to write her Post UTME last month, he had driven her and now she was a 200-level student of the University. He leaned back, smiling like a proud parent and looked at her as she grinned from ear to ear.
“Congratulations dear. I told you.”
“Yeah, yeah, do not start that ‘I told you so’ thingy plea-se
. I am just glad I was picked. All thanks to you.”
“Me? I didn’t write the exams for you, did I? You deserve it because you worked ha-rd .”
“You will never learn to say you are welcome.”
“That’s because I have not even done half of what prestigious and well-known philanthropist has done.”
“Hmm. Mr. Philanthropist. I am grateful anyways.”
“All right. Now that you have been admitted, you nee-d to work ha-rder so you can graduate with a very good grade. That way, you won’t be p@rt of the unemployed graduates walking to and from around here.”
“Yes Daddy.”
“Who is your Daddy? You better go back to your town if you want to see your dad.”
“Duhhh.”
“I…” Kore was saying when his phone rang and he answered the call,
“Fiona. Wow. What’s up?”
Ayo hearing the name knew she had to excuse him so she waved and mouthed,
“See you later.”
*********************
The next day, Ayo was chatting on WhatsApp when someone knocked on her door. Kore had gone to work so it was definitely the gate keeper. She opened the door only to see a delivery man. She asked frowning at the surprise,
“What can I do for you?”
“I would like to deliver this MacBook Pro to a Miss Ayodunmomi Bankole.”
“That would be me.”
“plea-se sign here.” The delivery man said, holding out a book. Ayo signed her name and returned the book. Then the man gave her the l@pt©p which was in a bag.
“There is a modem alre-ady on subscription in the bag. The charger and every other thing are in it. There is also a note attached to the l@pt©p.”
“Thank you very much.”
“You are welcome, Miss.” The delivery man said and he turned on his heels and left. Ayo closed the door wondering who could have s£nt her a l@pt©p.
She went into the sitting room and carefully emptied the content of the bag. She picked the note and just a look, told her it was from Kore. The handwriting gave him away.
The note re-ad,
“Ayodunmomi, I would like to congratulate you with this l@pt©p.
. You have done well. Use this judiciously and keep being outstanding. K.A.”
She just knew he was the one. She opened the br@nd-new l@pt©p, shining in all its glory and she picked her phone and put a call throu-gh to Kore.
“Hello A.Y.”
“Why did you buy such an expensive gift?”
“You are an un-dergraduate now, you will nee-d that system and one of these days, you will realize and I will be here to say ‘I told you so’.”
“I am sorry. I know. It’s just so expensive and new. Kore, you do so much for me.”
“I don’t do so much; I am just doing what every other person capable enough should be doing. I am glad because you are ma-king me proud so why don’t I show you how proud I am?”
“Okay. Thank you.”
“You are welcome. Now, I have to go, my attention is nee-ded in the broadcast room.”
“All right. Have a nice day.”
“You too.” Kore said and he ended the call.
Meant To Be
By Olufunlola Adeola
Episode 11
Ayo has successfully finished a year in school and was now in her penultimate year. Kore has been nothing but nice and accommod@t!ng. Ayo, the typical business woman was alre-ady doing online sales in clothing business and of course, Kore was her first customer followed by Titi and Sade before the publicity hit others.
Five weeks into the semester, Ayo was in the main house cooking dinner. It was a Sunday and Kore walked into the kitchen, fresh from the shower . He took a seat on one of the stools and watched her cook gr-abbing an apple from the fridge first. Ayo turned to him, seconds after saying,
“Only you and Itunu eat apple like that, gosh!”
“How am I eating the apple?”
“You are ma-king all sort of sounds.”
“You make sound when you eat apple. Everyb©dy does.”
“Not everyb©dy.” Ayo said, turning back to her pot of cooking soup. Kore’s phone rang,
“Hi, Fiona?… I don’t have this number… What do you want?… You know I can’t… Okay, come see me in the office tomorrow… Happy now?… Bye.” He ended the call and finished off his apple then Ayo turned and asked,
“The ex?”
“The ex.”
“I can’t help but notice you guys are still kind of together.”
“It’s not easy breaking off like that.”
“Why break up in the first place?”
“Genotypes don’t match.”
“Ohh. It must have been painful.”
“Very
. We’ve been d@t!ngfor six months and I told her to go find out. She c@m£ back with an AS result. We didn’t know what to do. We later agreed to break up, for future sake but it was ha-rd at first.”
“No wonder. Not that I am one to judge or something but you guys are killing each other. You nee-d to break up once and for all. What if things get too heated and she gets pregnant? Won’t that be back to square one? And you are not letting each other go, so you can’t have a sh0t at another relationsh!p. You nee-d to know what you are doing.”
“Hmm. Very true. It’s ha-rd but I will take this un-der advisement.” He said and she turned back to stir the soup.
“Who would have thought, Huh?”
“Thought what?” She asked turning to him again.
“That, you the celibate queen would be a relationsh!pexpert.”
“fv¢k off!” She said smiling.
“See, your defense walls are coming up alre-ady and I can literally see them. What did men ever do to you?”
“Nothing that has not been done to anyone before.”
“Good then you can forgive and forget and if they are both too ha-rd to do, you might as well pick one.”
“I have forgiven. I can’t just seem to forget.”
“You can’t keep letting your past dictate your pres£nt.”
“I am not.”
“Yes, you are. You are in total self-denial, you enclose yourself when emotions become too close and you run away and my dear, that’s not how to live life.”
“Okay, Dr.
. Phil, that’s enough.”
“You know I am so right. Now, you are trying to run and hide. You nee-d to be loved. You nee-d a man in your life and I know for a fact, there is a persistent guy around the corner. You just don’t want to tango.”
“How in the world did you know that?”
“I have my sources and your phone keeps going off every now and then but you ignore.”
“When did we get so de-ep into relationsh!pmatters?”
“Run all you want; you know I am saying the truth. Get yourself a warm blooded, sweet boy as-sociation member. You are aging.”
“What! fv¢k off. You sound like Sade.”
“That’s because we are speaking the truth.”
“Okay. Heard you, loud and clear. Now, can you shoo out of the kitchen and let me have my space?”
“Sure will. As Jesus said, think on these things.” He said, gr-abbing another apple from the fridge.
“Get out.” She said laughing and he joined her as he exited the kitchen.
Meant To Be
By Olunfulola Adeola
Episode 12
Kore heeded Ayo’s advice and cut off contact with Fiona. It wasn’t easy for him but he did not want to make a mistake that would haunt him for life, so, he st©pped every contact.
Ayo was still putting up her walls but doing excellently in her studies. First semester was over and it was time for her SIWES training. She talked to Kore about it and they worked it out so that she can intern at his Radio Station.
Four weeks in and Ayo was alre-ady more convinced that this was her path . They were taught several things and practical examples were made.
She was watching a Yoru-ba movie on the TV one night, when she heard someone knocking. She stood up and went to open the door. Kore stood there, still in his office attire. Ayo greeted him as he went to take his seat,
“Hey Boss. Good evening.” She went into the kitchen to get him water and glas-s cu-p, both in a tray.
“Will you st©p?” Kore asked.
“Will I st©p what, Boss?” She asked, setting the water in front of him before curling up on the other chair by his side.
“The Boss thing!”
“But you are my Boss and I think I should call you Boss all the time, Boss.”
Kore got up to leave facing the entrance route and Ayo sat up and said, “Okay, okay, Oya sorry. Shey someb©dy cannot pl@ywith you ni?”
“I’m not in the mood for your teasing
. Should I go or sit down?”
“Oh my! Someone is cranky!” She murmured and he asked,
“What did you say?”
“Nothing, nothing at all. plea-se, come sit.” She answered and after he was seated, she asked,
“So, what’s up?”
“I have a job for you.”
“What type?”
“OAP. We want to include an hour on Saturdays where we ask people how their day is going. It’s an afternoon thing. From 12 to 1. You just ask people how they are doing, what they are doing, where they are going and you sl!pin adverts as well as music and the program is over.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah, I know. You will be working with another lady so the both of you will be hosting the program.”
“Someone new too? An intern?”
“Yes, but not an intern.”
“Kore, are you seriously out to get people to hate me?”
“Why would you say that?”
“Because of this kind of things. I bet the other interns will say you are pla-ying the favouritism game.”
“I am not and they can think that all they want, you can’t change what people are thinking about you because even when you tell them the truth, they will still think whatever they want to think.”
“Okay Guru. Why are you doing this?” She asked, folding her hands and staring at him.
Silence ensued for a short while before he said, “Just because.”
“Mr Adetiloye, a little bird in here (tapping the side of her head) tells me you are lying.”
“Are you going to do it or not?”
“Of course, I am. Who gets this kind of opportunity and says no?”
“Okay, let’s discuss the salary then.”
“No nee-d for that.
. Whatever you give me is fine.”
“No, I insist we talk about it.”
“Yen yen yen. I can’t hear you.” She placed her hands over her ears. Kore looked at her in disbelief.
“You are such a child! To think that you actually have a child alre-ady (shakes his head). Where is Tunz anyway?”
“In his room, with my l@pt©p, probably watching one of those machine guns movie.”
“Let me say Hi before I retreat.”
“Be my guest.” She said and he went into her son’s room. Some minutes later, he c@m£ out and said,
“I’m going to sleep, good night.”
“No food?”
“I don’t know if I will be able to eat. So tired.”
“You have to. Should I come with you to serve you or you can do it by yourself?”
“I can manage. Thank you. Take care.”
“You too. Sleep well.” She said and he left. She bolted the door and went back to the movie.
****************
Next Saturday, Ayo started working with Lara and they bec@m£ fast friends, having some things in common
tbc