CHAPTER TWELVE

"So, would you please go with me?" Adeyemi asked for the fifth time today and it was just 4 pm. He had been calling me non-stop to ask if I could go with him, to the unveiling of his branch in Lagos and my answer has still not changed.

"I don't think, I can, Yemi. You know me a little, you should know I don't like these kinds of things" I replied.

It wasn't that I couldn't go, it was that I don't want to. There will be so many uncertainties if I did, like, what kind of food would they be serving? What kind of people would be there? How many people would be there?

"I promise, nothing is going to happen. It's just a small dinner party from six to nine pm and I would bring you home immediately, no funny business, but please reconsider. There would be food" I chuckled at the sound of food.

It would be nice to get out of my shell a little bit and now, I keep thinking that I shouldn't think about it, I mean, he helped me with my presentation despite how tired he was and the worst thing is that he didn't even bring that out as an excuse to make me go with him.

"Yemi, what about Grace? I can't just leave her now, can I?" now I was just making any excuse to make me not go, of course, I could leave Grace with Praise.

"She can come too. I'm sure she would love to leave her home for a few hours, don't you think?" yeah that plan didn't work out as I thought.

I stood in front of my next class, and with a big sigh, I just looked around not thinking of any more excuses. I felt scared to go, I didn't like unpredictability, it was always harsh for me. Not the kind of scared that my spirit felt, it was just my mind limiting me from staying where I was. I have had way too many experiences of pain and abandonment that I didn't want to be attached to anyone but my daughter.

"Okay, I'll go but I would leave by eight." I finally said into the phone and I could hear a visible sound of relief. I was just being paranoid.

"Thank you so much, I promise you're going to have fun. Take it as a gift for having a good presentation" he said it so casually like he didn't help me with the preparation.

I had done my presentation earlier today and I have gotta say, Adeyemi is a pro when it comes to setting slides, everything was perfect.

"You helped me with that, you know? I should be the one getting you a gift" I walked inside the lecture hall to where Praise, Adeola, and Anjola sat.

"I would accept you're coming with me as a gift" who does that? Is this how some men are or is it just him?

"I find that very confusing. Anyway, were you able to rest last night? I'm sorry, I didn't know, we would spend so many hours on just one presentation" I was a little worried because we stayed until past eight yesterday and he was the one who took us home after being the same one to get us food even though I fought to buy our last meal for us and won, much to his dismay.

I looked to my side to see my roommate mouthing 'Who is that?' and I mouthed 'Adeyemi' back only to receive a wink in response and another 'Greet him for me.

"Are you still there?" I heard the person on the phone say. I didn't know, I zoned out.

"Yes, sorry. Praise said to greet you. What were you saying?" I replied making him chuckle.

"Oh, then I send my regards to her as well and I was saying, yes, I did have enough rest last night but I'm currently at work right now since I had a morning class. I should be having a press conference tomorrow to reveal the unveil" I nodded despite the fact he couldn't see me.

I looked at Praise again and mouthed 'He sends his regards' getting a big smile in response then she went back to tell others how I successfully have the Adeyemi Coker on my contact list.

"Alright, sounds good. Please take care of yourself. Oh, that reminds me, you never gave me the measurements for the lady's gown." I said, as I suddenly remembered. I heard another chuckle.

"Would you believe me if I said my sister hasn't sent her measurements?"

His sister?

I thought he was an only child.

"I thought you were an only child?" I voiced out my thought. I mean, I haven't seen anything like a sister, online.

"Hmm, I thought I told you. I must have forgotten." He said like he was thinking.

Did he tell me? Maybe he did and it slipped out of my mind. I was about to reply when the lecturer entered the class.

"Yemi, I have to go. Our lecturer just walked in" I silently said to the phone while bending my head down so I wouldn't be seen.

"Alright, we'll talk later. Don't forget, the unveiling is next week Friday" he reminded me subtly making me chuckle.

"Yes sir, I won't forget. Bye," I said and hung up after hearing a 'bye' from his side.

Checking my phone, I saw that we had been talking for almost thirty minutes. Sighing, I put my phone on the table and looked to my side to see Praise looking at me like I stepped out of a car, I just bought.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she just shrugged as I placed my book on the table.

The class went on and ended by six pm. Thursdays were the only day of the week that I ended lectures so late. Grace was instructed to go to the shop since my apprentice would be there. We all packed our bags and left the hall but not before stopping to greet a few of our mates.

"So, what is this important thing that you told Adeyemi you won't forget?" here comes the interrogation. Praise looked at me with a look that said 'spill it

"He wants me to go with him to the unveiling of his branch in Lagos" that was the shortest version, she didn't need to know how many times he had asked.

"Please tell me you said yes, Dara? I have been telling you, that God would not want you to keep limiting yourself from experiencing what he has for you in life. You need to let go of your past and focus on the important things, focus on yourself, and let yourself be happy. You might have gone through a lot in the past but it's the past, for a reason." She was rambling but I saw her point. I had been limiting myself so much because I wanted to be extra careful to not experience my past all over again.

"I said yes. I'm going with him" I said, cutting off her remaining speech and her look was priceless.

Was I that bad?

"Oh my God, I never thought I would see the day, our Dara, would grow up into a comfortable woman." Now she was just overreacting.

She was standing beside the railings of our college with her hands spread out as she shouts those words. I just rolled my eyes at her actions and proceeded to leave the building making her come to her senses, as she ran towards me making me jerk forward because of her weight.

"Ma pa mi na. o mo, pe o la ra abi?" I shouted as I felt her weight on me but she just laughed it off. (Don't kill me, don't you know you have weight?).

We left the college to my shop where I met Grace and my apprentice.

"Mummy, I'm hungry" Grace ran to me jumping in my arms to express her deep hunger. Well, like mother like daughter, I guess.

"Let's lock the shop and we can buy bread and Akara when we get to the bus stop okay?" she smiled widely at my suggestion and ran off to get her school bag and shoes. (Akara is fried bean cake).

Grace ran to Praise as I locked up the shop, greeting my apprentice goodbye and we left.