Golden thoughts

Remi Ayorinde smiled at her reflection in the mirror. I look absolutely wonderful, for a sixty-year old. She turned her face from one side to the other. Satisfied with her inspection, she patted it gently. Of course, there are a few wrinkles here and there, but I’ve fared a lot better than most. She allowed the towel wrapped around her chest to drop and still looking at the mirror, she slowly turned around, looking her body over. When she faced the mirror again, her hands went up to cup her breasts gently, then a slow smile lit up her face. They are a tad fuller than I’m used to, but I must admit, they are perky! Her hands dropped and she gently ran her right hand over her belly. The fold she had always hated, on the lower portion, was gone. A tiny part of me misses that proof that those beautiful babies came out of me, all those years ago… A very tiny part, though. She giggled and ran her hands on both sides of her waist, before twisting to look at her back. Bye-bye, lov...

“I love you.” There was no response for about two minutes after the message was read, so Femi Ayorinde frowned and sent another. “Please, say something.” “What do you want me to say? That you have a funny way of showing it? Or that I don’t think you’ve ever understood what love means?” He blew out a breath from his mouth. “Please, don’t be like that.” “Femi, have these years not meant anything to you at all?” “How can you say that? This situation torments me too, you know?” “Torment? Does whatever that word means to you, come close to how I feel, just by looking at your DP?” Femi sighed wearily and dropped his blackberry phone on the ledge of the bathtub. He closed his eyes before rubbing his left thumb and index finger over them. When he dropped his hand and opened his eyes, he picked up the phone and stared at the open chat. The smiling face he had used as his display picture stared back at him, her dimples winking at him. He gently rubbed his right thumb over...

“I loved you a whole lot, back then, you know.” She turned her head quickly to him. He kept his eyes on the road, as he drove. “You never said so.” “Not in words.” “How was I supposed to know?” He glanced at her. “I showed you…” He looked away again. “…and if you had stuck around, you would have heard it.” “The last time we were together…” “Yeah, immediately you left, I regretted not saying it back. I waited till I was sure you were home before calling, but you never picked. Then, I sent messages full of…” “Romantic nonsense.” When he cast a sharp look at her, she smiled ruefully and said quietly, “That’s what she called them.” Without looking at her, he asked, “Who?” She sighed deeply. “I told you I didn’t feel so good the last time I was at yours, remember?” He nodded. “You had come from the hospital to see me.” “I thought I had malaria and because I really wanted to see you, I didn’t wait to collect the test results.” She shrugged and continued, “I planned to sto...

“I’m so sorry, Sade.” Eyes narrowed, she shook her head, confused. “What exactly is going on, Niyi? Niyi blew out a breath with his mouth, ran his hands over his face and turned to Kunle, who was staring at Bunmi with a look of shock on his face. “Kunle.” Slowly, he turned his head to look at Niyi and his eyes narrowed. “Yes, what exactly is going on, sir?” “I am your father, Kunle. Your mother and I…” “You brought your mistress to live in my house?” He turned back to an open-mouthed Sade and shook his head quickly. “It wasn’t that way, at all. Agnes has never been my mistress. I had a brief relationship with her and that ended almost two years before you came into my life.” Still looking at his wife, he waved a hand in Kunle’s direction. “Kunle was born, as a result of that relationship.” Tears fell rapidly from her eyes and wiping them away, she whipped her head away from him. “How could you keep something like that from me, Adeniyi?” She turned back to him, tapping ...

A few hours later, in her grandmother’s living room, she wiped the tears that ran down her face, with the back of her left hand. With her right, she picked up the piece of paper on her laps and continued reading. The way he asked me how you were, anytime I came back home, from a visit to you, told me more than you ever wanted to. You may never have talked about it, but I knew he was the one. A teardrop fell on the paper. Trust me, my darling. It will be alright. Your father… She stopped reading, as memories of a night, five years ago, came rushing in. “How could you have been so stupid, Bunmi?” “Daddy, I…” She put her face in her hands and started crying. “Niyi, calm down, please.” “Calm down, Sade?” He spread his arms upwards and shook his head. “Calm down, she says!” He spun around to face her. “Where were you when your daughter was sleeping around?” Bunmi raised her head and gasped. Niyi looked at her and nodded continuously. “Yes, you must have been. Why else d...

Otunba Adeniyi Williams-Akanbi smiled at his daughter. “You used to fly into my arms after any time away. Five years is a long time, Bunmi.” She opened her mouth and shut it again.   I can’t believe the nerve of the man . “Why did you send your goons to kidnap us?” “Goons?” He started laughing. “Kidnap you?” He waved his left hand in a dismissive manner. “You’ve always had a great imagination, Bunmi.” Suddenly, he stopped laughing and spoke slowly, “A child who refuses to respect her elders will be treated like a child, no matter how old she is. I am your father and when I…” Raising her voice, she cut him off. “Five years ago, you lost all claim to that title when you…” His face tightened, but his tone remained the same. “Oluwabunmi Williams-Akanbi, I am your father and that has never changed. When I ask you to visit, you will respect me and do just that. When you refused to take my calls, you left me no choice but to force you to…” She turned, pulling the twins to t...

“Why mummy?” Jake whined. “I’m a big boy now.” “Jake, mummy said that someone could steal us, if we don’t wait for her,” Joanna said, pulling her twin back. When they started to squabble, Bunmi bit back a smile as she walked pass her children and got through the revolving door first. “Leave me alone!” “No, Jake. We have to hold hands now. Mummy said so.” “But, you’re holding me too tight, Jo!” “That’s enough, both of you,” Bunmi said sharply. “Jake, you know the drill. We all have to hold hands till we get to the car. Jo, loosen up your hold a bit, okay. The parking lot of the store they had just come of out was almost deserted and dimly lit, so she couldn’t see her son’s face clearly. But, she was certain it wore a frown now. Just like his father’s . Her mood soured and just when her thoughts were about going to the man that had fathered her children, she heard the sound of car doors being slammed shut. Turning in that direction, she saw two men get out from the ...

“She’s so cute,” Adaora said, after cooing to the baby who nursed contentedly in her mother’s arms. She was kneeling beside Mina, who rocked on a chair as she fed her five-month old daughter. Azuka lay on her side on the king-sized bed in the middle of the nursery. “ Abeg , ‘c ute ’ is not a word that describes my god daughter accurately,” Azuka said, rubbing her belly. “She’s absolutely gorgeous! I can’t tell who she looks like just yet, though.” “ Ah ah. Why you dey talk like that? Look well, jor; Sotonye looks just like me ,” Mina said. Laughing, Adaora said, “That’s exactly what Baridi says. I think she’s a perfect blend of the both of you, jare. ” She stood and walked across the carpeted floor to join Azuka on the bed. She sat cross-legged, placing both hands on the leg that was on in the front. “Whoever she looks like doesn’t matter. She’s a beauty and she’s all mine,” Azuka said. “You keep rubbing in the fact that she’s your god daughter, this woman,” Adaora said. “M...

"I'm so mad at him right now!" Mina exclaimed, with a quick shake of her head. "When I came home from work yesterday evening, I spent a long time in the kitchen making his favourite meal and then cleaned up real nice just to get his attention. He didn't get home early and by the time he  managed to, he had the nerve to tell me that he wasn't hungry without even thinking of the amount of work I had done. I didn't even know what to say to him, really. To make matters worse, he just took a shower, turned out the lights and slept off immediately without a glance in my direction; So much for buying new lingerie to spice things up.” Rolling her eyes, she added, “Sometimes, I think that man was put on this earth just to annoy me." Azuka started laughing and at the look of irritation Mina flashed her, she raised both hands and said, "Please don't kill me with your eyes, madam. I wasn't laughing at you." Mina rolled her eyes ...

The alarm startled Adaugo awake. She didn't want to wake up just yet so she burrowed deeper under the duvet and let it ring. When it kept ringing, she groggily opened her eyes. "I don't know how Obiora is able to sleep through  his  noisy alarm even when it's right beside him," she muttered to herself. The lights in the room were all off but Adaugo could see the offending phone because its screen was lit as the alarm blared. She got down from the bed and slowly made her way across the room to shut off the alarm. She always hated waking up this early but she knew that, for her, the day had begun. So, Adaugo went into the bathroom to ease herself and after she was done, she turned on the water heater. When she came back into the room, she realized that Obiora was still asleep and she decided not to wake him yet. He really needs to rest more. He works too hard Last night, Obiora had come home late because he had been in a meeting that had gone on for a lon...

She was running very fast to catch up with his car. For some strange reason, her legs couldn't move as fast as she wanted them to and soon, he drove out of the compound. She didn't give up hope, even then, because she knew that she just had to stop him. She lengthened her strides and ran as fast as she could, to keep him in sight. Soon, he made a stop to pick up someone, who had obviously been waiting for him. She thought she could catch up with him then, but just as she was getting close to his car, he drove off again. She was frustrated and was very tired because she had run for a very long time but she knew how important it was to get him to stop. The traffic light changed to red just before he crossed an intersection, so his car came to a halt again. With a renewed sense of hope, she ran faster till, panting, she pulled to a stop beside his car. She took a look at his passenger and quickly looked away as those haunted eyes stared back. She quickly went round to...

Dear diary, I'm sorry I haven't written in you in a long while. Our nanny, Jumoke, was sent away by mummy last week. Yesterday, I overheard mummy telling Aunty Adaku that she found out that Jumoke is pregnant. I'm a bit confused, diary because Jumoke is not married. Can people who are not married get pregnant? I'm afraid to ask mummy because she might scold me for evedropping . Diary, I'm not sure that was the correct spelling but you know what I mean, right? She said that to me two weeks ago when I asked her what  trybalizym  was. Daddy had said that Aunty Adaku couldn't marry Uncle Tunde because she wasn't supposed to marry one of 'those people'. Mummy had said that was trybalizym and that daddy was wrong to think that way. I had been watching a cartoon and hadn't been listening to them but they had been really loud. I don't know why they have to yell at each other or at us. It's so scary whenever that happens. Anyway, I like ...

Oh my, what a day , Bola thought as she drove home.  I need to see my children before they go to bed. Can you all just move out of my way so that I see my babies before they sleep ? Shoulders slumped, she sighed sadly. Traffic on the bridge was very heavy and she was yet to get to the middle of the bridge. The clock on her dashboard read 8:30. She realized that this night, she was surely not going to be home in time for her children's bedtime. They had been asleep when she left home this morning too. She truly was fed up neither seeing her children often nor spending quality time with her husband but she didn't know what she could do about that. I can't resign from my job just yet , Bola thought, miserably.  I haven't saved enough money to start a business with and to maintain the lifestyle we're used to, we do need the income that comes in from my job. I just don't like knowing that my family suffers as a result . She thought now of her thirteen...

Agunwa knew his wife had always been very beautiful but he found out now that she was more so. Pregnancy suited Uzumma, so she glowed. She only got mildly nauseous in the mornings and the nausea always quickly passed, as soon as she ate something light. She didn't look pregnant, though, because her belly was still very flat. Besides them, her parents, Emenike, Mama Nnukwu and Ugboaku were the only ones who knew about the baby. It was Agunwa’s decision, not to let anyone else know, till her belly showed. He loved knowing that only a few of them shared that lovely secret. He now returned from his farms very early, everyday, to spend time with his wife. Uzumma had insisted on continuing with supervising the workers who took care of the goats and after a lot of arguments about that, he had finally agreed. Anytime he wanted to fuss over her, she would say, “ Agu m, I’m only pregnant. I’m not sick with some ailment, biko. ” She was always careful not to get exhausted...

“How is Uzondu?” Uzumma asked. “My husband is fine, my sister,” Ugboaku replied. She had laid emphasis on ‘my husband’ so both of them started laughing. “You know, I still can’t believe my good fortune in marrying such a wonderful man. He’s everything I ever wanted and more, my sister,” she continued, still smiling. "He's so caring and the best part is that he lets me be myself, without ever trying to change me or put restrictions on my behaviour. As a result of that, I always want to do things that I know will please him. Nne, I thank my  chi  everyday for him o!" Uzumma nodded. "I understand what you mean, my dear. Agunwa completes me in a way I could never explain. He's a good man, that's the only way to put it.” Her eyes turned dreamy. “When he looks at me with those eyes that seem to see into my soul and reassures me, in that calm manner of his, that all would be well, my worries about anything fade. Then, the way he holds me when we're...

Facing the wall, Uzumma woke up and stretched luxuriously. When her back made contact with Agunwa's chest, she stilled. Slowly, she turned on her side, to look at him and smiled gently. She still wasn't used to sharing a bed with a man, but she found that she didn't mind. How can I mind that? I love it! She giggled now and Agunwa stirred. Remembering that he slept very lightly, she tried to stop the giggling, but it was already too late. His eyes snapped open to look at her. She still got shy when he looked at her the way he did now, so she averted her eyes and adjusted the top of her wrapper, which had come undone while she slept. "Good morning,  Agu m. " She had called him that since the morning she had become his wife twenty market days ago. He loved it, not just because it was a play on his name, but also because it meant 'my lion'. He loved knowing that his wife was growing to care deeply for him, because he truly loved and cherished h...

They all gathered in a circle round a fire with Mama Nnukwu. She had nineteen grandchildren and they all loved her very much because she was always quick to give a hug or a cuddle. The roasted melon cake she usually gave them always drew them to her hut at different times of the day. Mama Nnukwu always enjoyed the company of her sons’ children and now, she was telling them a story, as was usual every night. The fire supplied light for them and as the firewood burnt, the smell of smoke filled the air. Crickets let out chirps now and then. Mama Nnukwu’s grandchildren were silent and attentive as she told them a story. Today’s was about the stubborn princess who had refused the hand of many suitors and had, instead, married a ghost. Her beautiful voice started a song which had been sung by the warrior sent in search of her. Uzumma had heard this story before, so she tuned out Mama Nnukwu’s voice. She looked around her. Though it was dark, she could see her father sitting in fro...

"Benjamin, stop staring out of the window during lessons," the teacher said, "Pay attention to me." Ben turned his face from the window and looked at his teacher. However, his mind wasn't on her nor was it on what she was saying. He was re-living last night . The image of daddy and mummy fighting couldn't leave his mind. He had heard them last night. Unlike other times, this time, they had been really loud. His brother and sister were also awake. They were twins and shared a bed. They had been whimpering in it. He had whispered to them to stop crying. "I'll be right back, okay?" he had said reassuringly. He had been very scared but, had tiptoed out of the room. Luckily, the door had not squeaked the way it had the day mummy had caught him going outside to play instead of taking a nap. She had scolded him then, for being naughty and had sent him back to their room. His parents had been in the living room. He had walked very softly, alon...

Fresh from the shower, Tina hummed to herself as she stood in front of the mirror. She placed her hands on her waist and looked herself over. She raised her hands now and turned to one side, then to the other. She still scrutinized her body carefully. She had done this every month, since she turned twenty. So, she knew what she was looking out for. Since that scare when she was twenty-three, she had never again found anything to worry about. Now, she placed her right arm behind her head. Going in small circles, she examined her right breast and armpit with her left arm. Still humming, she repeated the entire exercise on her left side. Tina suddenly stopped humming. With her heart thudding in her chest, she checked the area around her armpit again. Sure enough, they were still there, unmoving and hard. There were three of them and each was small in size. She might have missed them if she hadn't been careful. "I bet they are harmless," she told herself. "Afte...

Ada didn't believe what she was seeing. Two lines? "How is that even possible?" she thought. "I can't be pregnant. Not now, not just yet." She took another home pregnancy test and another and yet another. Those two lines refused to budge. Suddenly, she felt like her world had just collapsed. Coming out of the bathroom, she went to sit on the bed. "How do I handle this? This is definitely not part of the plan," she thought. “How did this even happen?" She had been using oral contraceptives for three months so when she had started feeling very tired and sleepy for no reason, it hadn't crossed her mind that she could be pregnant. She had only resumed work a month ago so she had thought that had been the reason for the bone-crushing exhaustion she had been experiencing lately. Her husband's cologne had made her nauseous yesterday, as they had dressed for work. It had hit her then that her period had been delayed by over a wee...