Meant To Be
By Olunfulola Adeola
Episode 15
“Uncle Kore. Uncle Kore.”
“Yes, Tunz. What is it?”
“My mum is crying. I don’t know what is wrong with her?”
“Crying? Your Mum?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, let’s go see what’s up.” Kore said and followed Itunu to the BQ. The door was open so they just went in, Kore saw Ayo, her face was definitely an expression of pain and hurt and the residue of the tears went unnoticed by him.
“Where did you go?”
“I…” Itunu started answering but Kore cut him off saying,
“Go to your room . Stay there till I tell you to come out, okay?”
“Okay.” Itunu left and then Kore went to sit by Ayo. He took her left hand in his and asked,
“What happened?”
She shook her head. Kore tried again, “plea-se, tell me what happened. Why were you crying?”
“I wasn’t.”
“You are such a terrible liar, AY. Talk to me. You know you can.”
“Okay.” She swallowed then continued, “You know the guy I was d@t!ng…?”
“He hurt you? I swear I am going to kill that motherfv¢ker.”
“Just calm down. It’s not really his fault.”
“Okay, I’m listening, what exactly happened?”
“We’ve been d@t!ngfor eight months but I just broke it to him that I have a child few weeks back
. I didn’t observe any unwillingness on his p@rt and I left it that way. Until today…”
“It’s okay, dear. Just tell me, you will feel better.”
“I… I went to his flat today. I was about knocking when I overheard, he and his friend talking loudly, they must have been high on alcohol…”
“Okay. What were they talking about?”
“Me! Kore, that pathetic human being said he can’t marry me. That he was just stringing me along to fv¢k me. Kore, he called me ‘after one’ just because I have a son.”
“Just calm down dear. plea-se.”
“It’s true, really. I am never going to get anyone to look at me the same, ever again. I don’t even like guys, how will they like me?”
“No. St©p this Ayo! You are a beautiful woman. You are strong. You are independent. You work ha-rd . You take care of your son. How many people start all over again and finish well and strong with great grades despite the fact that there is a son in view? I don’t want you giving up on love. He was probably drun!kand didn’t even know what he was saying.”
“Kore, out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh. There is always an atom of truth in every lie. I should have seen it all along but I was so stupid, feeling I was on t©p of the world.”
“St©p blaming yourself. Nob©dy knows it all. I just want you to st©p crying, st©p all this self-abuse, nob©dy is certain anything will work out.
. We just have to make a go for it. If it works, great. If it doesn’t, fine. You learn your lessons and move on.”
“St©p. plea-se. Just st©p crying. Itunu is worried about you. You nee-d to woman up and be thankful you heard all these before it went too far.”
“All right.”
“Good. Should I get you something to eat?”
“No. I am not hungry.”
“I know you are not going to say no to pizza.”
“I don’t want.”
“I am ordering anyway.” He said and she rolled her eyes at him then he made the call.
Few minutes later, pizza arrived, Kore transferred to the business account and he took it to the sitting room. He called Itunu and Ayo who had gone to wash her face and then they all dug in, taking turn to tell jokes.
Meant To Be
By Olunfulola Adeola
Episode 16
Seun tried calling Ayo a few times after the whole thing but she didn’t pick his calls. She blocked his number and deleted everything that was his on her phone. He gave up after two weeks of trying.
Ayo was ma-king progress with her work. Her listeners were her fans. She handled the show given to her beautifully and soon, she was quite popular.
Four months after the whole break-up episode, Ayo was doing backstro-ke in the pool by the side of the house when her phone rang, she picked it up to see it was Wale.
She met Wale in UNILAG. He was alre-ady a recognized OAP before they graduated and also from a rich family . They had cli-cked and she knew right from time that he liked her even though she was not so into him like that but she felt comfortable with him and they had kept in t©uçh after graduation tending towards friendsh!p. She picked the call,
“Oga mi sir”
“You don start abi?”
“What’s up with you?”
“I just dey o. I say mey I call my aunty wey no like to dey call person.”
“Your head no correct. Who be your aunty? I am a small girl.”
“I hear you.
. How is that my small bobo?”
“He is fine, he went to school.”
“And Oga nko?”
“How many times do you want me to tell you to st©p calling him that?”
“How many times do you want me to tell you that he is in love with you just as you are?”
“And I told you, you don’t have proof.”
“Just listening to you say Kore did this, Kore that, Kore is this, Kore is that is enough proof.”
“E don do”
“You see I struck a nerve.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be busy or something?”
“I just wanted to say hi my lovely friend
. Give my love to Itunu. Will call you later to disturb you.”
“I won’t pick your call.”
“You wouldn’t dare.” He said and hung up. She stepped out of the water, and was pressing her phone and walking towards her ap@rtment when she almost sli-pped but Kore caught her.
She looked up at him, smiled and said,
“I didn’t even know you were close-by. I…”
Kore k!$$£d her. She went stiff in his arms with shock. His ton-gue ran throu-gh herl-ips and prodded her mouth open and she began to relax. She didn’t even know how it was easy to do that because she was somewhat repulsed when guys t©uçh her. Her s-en-ses were overcome with plea-sure and she held on to him as if her life depended on it.
Kore finally re-leased her so they could catch their breath. She stood there, surprised and confused while he looked at her with a gaze so intense and full of message and yet she could not decipher what he meant by the words he spoke throu-gh his eyes. The wind blew and she decided to go inside, taking the memory of how hisl-ips collided with hers and the feeling that accompanied it with her.
Kore didn’t move for a long time
Meant To Be
By Olunfulola Adeola
Episode 17
Three days after, Ayo could not still get the k!ssshe shared with Kore off her mind. She had thought about it a few times before but until it happened, she didn’t know she was going to feel that way. The truth was that, she wanted him to k!ssher again. She wanted to feel hisl-ips on hers which was strange because she was not always free with guys like that. Even with Seun, she didn’t really look forward to their ma-king out sessions . The annoying p@rt of all these is that Kore traveled that day leaving her with her own thoughts. He called always to check up on them being his usual caring and jovial self without pursuing the other matter and so she let it be.
It’s been a week since Kore traveled. He was supposed to return the day before but he didn’t due to what he called unforeseen circu-mtances. Truth be told, she missed him so much alre-ady. Ayo was free for the day and so she had gone to the market earlier. She had just finished cooking melon with vegetable stew and was about ma-king eba with the boiled water. She bent down to take out the garri when she felt a shadow by the kitchen doorway. She turned slowly wondering how a stranger could have gotten access into her ap@rtment, only to be faced by the subject of her thoughts all week.
“Is this supposed to be funny?” She asked frowning, placing her hands on her h!ps.
Kore chuckled, folding his arms, “I can’t believe you are going to go all angry bird on me. You’ve not seen me in one week!”
“Is that why you made breaking and entering your first choice?”
“It’s not breaking and entering if I have the keys.” Kore said, shoving his hand into his pocket to bring out the keys and dangling it by her face.
“Whatever! I’m busy.”
“So, you are really not going to give me a good welcome back home talk or hvg?” He asked and she remained silent
. Kore was amused but Ayo on the other hand was a nerve wreck. She didn’t know what to do or how to act around him. It’s like he changed over the week to her. Happy to see him? She was excited but she was also worried and scared and so she nee-ded a front to hide which was the anger and the lackadaisical attitude.
Seeing she was not going to budge, he moved into the kitchen and while she was ma-king the eba, he opened the pot of stew and di-pped his hand in it, taking out a meat. He knew this would make her fussier. He was right.
“Why did you do that? Don’t you know its melon? And it’s even rude and wrong to di-p your hand into the pot of stew.” She carried the pot of stew from where it was and placed it on the kitchen table.
“No exploring my pot.” She said, waving the turning stick at him. He smiled. He missed her like crazy and couldn’t get the k!ssoff his mind. He washed his hand by the sink which was close to where she was wra-pping each person’s portion of eba in a nylon and placing it in the cooler. He nudged her side as he dried his hands asking,
“Are you still mad?”
“Very.” She said.
“You didn’t miss me.”
“No.”
“You are such a terrible liar. It’s written all over your face. You are having mixed feelings but glad I’m back.”
“Keep ma-king yourself feel important. Do you want your food now or not?”
“I want a different food.”
“Different food? Which is?” She asked glancing at him.
“You.”
“St©p saying things like that.”
“I am fv¢king serious, AY.”
“Whatever.”
“I know you’ve been thinking about me all week.”
“Mister important.”
“I’ve been thinking about you too.” He said and that got her attention. She dropped the pot in the sink, filled it with water and turned to look at him fully for the first time.
“St©p pla-ying with me. Okay?”
“I’m not. I can’t get you outta my head.” He said. He closed the distance between them in one stride and seized herl-ips with his. He started slow and teasing and she reciprocated.
. With time, the intensity grew. She was wearing a go-wn with spaghetti sleeve, he pushed it down a little to show the t©p of her brea-sts and his mouth moved there. He was going crazy thinking about ways of having her. He suddenly carried her to her be-droom, she looked at him and asked quietly, voice full of nee-d and fear.
“What are you doing?”
“Trust me.” He said and that was all she nee-ded to relax because he k!$$£d her again and again moving downwards to feast on her brea-st. She couldn’t define how she was feeling because she never felt like this with anyone. It was new, warm and sweet. She wanted it. She wanted him. And she let him have his way with her. The best p@rt was when he entered her. It felt heavenly.
Tbc