2 Chapter Two

Suddenly, going out to play didn’t feel right to him anymore. He wanted to stay with his mother. He hated seeing her sad. A train of thought ran through his head as he thought about the possible reason why his mother

was sad. But a certain thought kept pressing forward and whether he liked it or not, things weren't changing anytime soon.

Ade felt lost in thought as he stepped down from his car. His body felt programmed as it took the robotic movement to the restaurant.

“Do you have a reservation here Sir?” A waiter asked snapping him out of his thoughts.

“Yeah. Table for Olaoluwa please” “This way”, the waiter directed.

“Here you go, Sir”. The waiter dipped his head in a bow before leaving. “Hi”, the lady across him greeted shyly as he sat down.

“Adepoju”, he introduced curtly, his hand outstretched for a shake. She tentatively.

“Idara” she introduced. He let his eyes sweep across her features briefly before picking up the menu.

“Have you decided on what to order?” he asked without taking his eyes off the menu.

“You don’t have to worry about that, I’ve already ordered. They would be here shortly”

He nodded his head dropping the menu. “You don’t know my preferences”

“I know it’s something you wouldn’t reject”, she said shyly.

Were ladies even shy again? He wondered. The most woman he knew was straight forward and blunt.

“What gives you such confidence?” He asked watching her in interest. Her eyes were round and soft. He noticed how her brows would arch in thought. He studied her upturned nose and her high cheekbone. He let his eyes study her jawline down to her chin.

“I got a hint”, she said smiling. He couldn’t help but stare at her full lops as they stretched into a smile.

“From Mike I guess”

“Yeah” she nodded, “ but I made my own little research” “I didn’t know I was famous”

“Anyone can be famous” she answered with a small smile. He nodded his head just staring at her. She shifted slightly on her seat, clamping her sweaty hands under the table. She felt little under his gaze.

“Did Mike talk you into this?” He asked sensing her discomfort.

“Well, I-” she stopped mid-sentence as a waiter placed their food on the table.

“Mhmm” she moaned after taking a bite. He watched her chew carefully before taking a bite himself.

“It tastes nice right?” “Yeah it does”

“Good thing he recommended this place right”

“You didn’t get to answer my question” Ade pried, dropping his cutlery. He knew she was avoiding his question.

“Just how much did Mike pay you?” He asked bluntly. She took a drink from her glass.

“Do you want an honest answer or a diplomatic answer?” “I’ll go with an honest answer”

“Mike talked me into this” she answered and went back to her dinner she stopped eating earlier.

“How much?” He asked catching her off guard. She choked on her food and rushed to drink some water. He offered her a napkin which she immediately used to dab on her lips, offering a small smile.

“You know that’s not something you should go sprouting out” “I’m sorry if you felt insulted”. Was he even sorry?

“I felt insulted” she interjected, her tone going from slightly amused to serious.

“I’m sorry” he apologized half meaning it this time. “It’s okay. I promised you an honest answer anyway”

“And that’s all I wanted. I’m pretty much straightforward and I expect you to just be honest with me”. He noticed her hesitation.

“I was paid”

“I would have sworn you were a decent lady,” he said savagely, chuckling to himself.

“Are you saying I’m not a decent person?” She accused angrily. Ade just ignored her and focused on his food. She threw her napkin on the table but made no effort to stand up. Ade raised his brows at her, surprised she wasn’t leaving yet.

“I know I’m not so classy like the ladies you hang out with”

“No, you’re not” he interrupted and he could tell she was just a few seconds from snapping.

“I’m not the cheap whores you go out with”

“I pay for them. I don’t see any difference if you ask me”, Ade said testing her buttons, clearly enjoying this.

She just stared at him not believing her ears.

“Did you just call me a slut?” She was beyond fuming.

“Do you always put words in people’s mouths?” Ade questioned smiling. “Screw this, she spat and got up. She didn’t spare him a glance as she stormed off. He just smiled and continued his dinner. He didn’t care if he had hurt her feelings or if people thought any less of him. Deep down he knew he had lost it. He felt lost in black waters and for once he wanted to be selfish. Selfish enough to not care for anyone else but himself as he tried escaping his fears.

Somehow the house was plunged into an eerie silence. He could not push off the strong feeling of deja vu. He laid down on his back spaced out. The house felt empty and all he could do was toss and turn on the bed. Making a unanimous decision, he rolled off the bed. He took out his robe and towel from the closet and stepped outside to the cold breeze.

He rubbed his hands together to stimulate heat flow while still blowing on them occasionally. After standing out for a couple of minutes he decided to dive into the pool. His body felt hypersensitive as he resurfaced out of the water. Ade squirmed, goosebumps covering his body, the cold sending pricking sensation to his body. Pushing himself he willed himself to swim. At first, he lacked rhythm but he kept pushing, his feet wobbling behind.

After swimming three laps he tried ignoring his struggling limps as he tried finishing the final lap. Each stroke slowed to an agonizing microcosm of movement as if a heavyweight was hanging on his leg. His body floundered as he tried swimming faster, forging on to the end of the pool. His sight felt blurry and his lung burned. With the final stroke he reached the end of the pool, he resurfaced lacking the energy to lift himself out of the pool.

Finally, he pushed himself out of the pool, taking slow steps into the house. The towel hung loosely around his shoulder as he put on his robe on his still wet body. His muscles felt stiffed as he went into the bathroom. Right now all he needed was a warm bath.

“When are you planning on going home?” James his classmate asked. They were in their dorm. The dorm was noisy with the chatters of excited boys filling the room. The holidays were approaching and every other person aside from him had plans for the vacation.

“I’ll just stay here”

“Still haven’t settled things with your parents?” “Things are really complicated. I’ll just give it time”

He watched James slump down on his bed which was just across from his. “What place are you visiting this time”, he teased.

James smiled. If there was one thing he liked, it was talking about himself. He loved bragging about how rich his parents were and the places they visited every vacation.

“I really have no idea. But if I was to place a bet, I would bet on the Bahamas”

“Why there though?”

“My sister always wanted to visit there, so I guess my parents would give in this time”

He wasn't going to deny it; he was envious of James. He was able to spend time and travel with his family. He felt nostalgic about home. Was it even home anymore, did it even qualify to be called home anymore. "That's cool James",

" I know dude; we could probably be voted as an ideal family," he said. If he didn't know any better, he would have agreed to that.

"Just don’t forget to bring a souvenir"

"I'm sure the Bahamas would have something to offer"

"I bet it would," he said losing interest.