December 25, 2012.
Ese watched in trepidation as a shrieking Rose let go of the handle and flew off the swing. But like the previous times, he was there to catch her. She smiled at the joy she could see in her daughter's eyes as she landed in his arms, but prayed that Rose would not ask for more and thankfully instead of saying "Uncle Siji let's try it one more time." she said "let's go to the merry-go-round."
----not that the merry-go-round is that safe, but it's still better than this swing and fly thing--- Ese thought as she followed them.
It was Christmas and Siji had driven them to Ibadan to celebrate, since it is the closest city to them.
She was not surprised that Siji and Rose had bonded well, since they were both friendly persons, but she had been glad all the same that her daughter had liked him. Ese gave a silent prayer of thanksgiving when she found a shed with some empty seats close to the merry-go-round. Before coming to the amusement park, they had gone to a cinema and the Zoo and by the time they left the Zoo, Ese was so tired that she would have cancelled their planned visit to the park had Siji and Rose not prevailed upon her. She greeted the woman already occupying one of the seats as she took the vacant seat beside her. She watched Siji carry a laughing Rose off his shoulder and placed her on the ride, and she smiled at them.
"You've got a beautiful family, I must say. Your husband is so good with your kid." the woman beside her said.
"He is no........" Ese started to say but cut herself mid sentence, and said instead with a smile. "Thank you."
"You are welcome. It's a pity my husband couldn't be here, he would have saved me some stress with the kids."
"Where is he?" Ese asked and wondered how easily some people can start a conversation.
"He is at work." The woman replied with an incredulous look on her face, then she continued before Ese could respond. "Can you believe that? Working on Christmas day when you should be with your family. I already asked Johnny to look for another job, we'd still fare well without the "huge" amount they think they are paying him, I'll rather have my husband home early and during holidays. They always claim he is their best staff yet they won't give him his dues, bloodsucking ingrates........"
As Ese listened to the woman's passionate monologue, she was glad she was not one of Johnny's employers, she could only imagine what the woman would do to any of her husband's employers if she had them at her mercy.
Two small boys, about Rose's age ran from the merry-go-round to meet the woman. They looked so much alike.
"Oh! You've got twins." Ese cooed. "They are lovely"
"Yes. Hassan, Hussain, say hi to aunty."
The two boys looked up at Ese, one shyly, the other boldly, and said "hi" in unison.
"Now I know why you are so pissed at your husband's bosses." Ese said with empathy, then she added humorously. "They really need to be dealt with, if you need an extra hand whenever you get hold of them, just give me a call."
The woman laughed and said. "That won't be necessary, I can handle them myself, The Force trained me well."
"You're in the military?" Ese asked, surprised. The woman's slim and petit figure did not give away any military background.
"The Police, am presently on leave. We have to go now." she said as she stood up "Thanks so much for listening, I knew I was ranting awhile ago, I just needed someone to talk to, thanks for being there."
"It's my pleasure."
"I am Fatima by the way."
"You can call me Ese."
"Can I have your number Ese please?"
"Sure, my phone is down now but I can write yours in my jotter then later transfer it when the phone is charged." Ese said as she produced a hand note and a pen from her bag.
Siji and Rose came under the shed just as the ladies finished exchanging numbers. Fatima greeted them, then left with her boys.
"I see you've made a new friend." Siji said
"Yes, her name is Fatima and she thinks we are married." Ese whispered. As they both laughed, Ese could not help but think how lovely it would have been if events had played out differently and they truly were both married.
☆☆☆
"That Peugeot." He said.
"Which Peugeot?" She asked.
They were on their way back to Ife. Rose was sleeping away her exhaustion in the back seat.
"The one behind us, I think it's tailing us."
"Why?"
"I don't know, I'm not sure, but I think I saw it on our way to Ibadan."
"Why would anybody want to trail us?" She asked.
"I don't know. I don't think I have any cause to look over my shoulders"
"Me neither, except maybe Pago.... No, it can't be, Pago isn't that interested in me, and even if he is, he doesn't have that much time."
"Well, there is one way to find out." He said and accelerated. The Peugeot also accelerated. After awhile, he slowed down expecting the Peugeot to slow down too, but it sped passed them.
"Oh! I guess I was wrong." He said.
"Don't be too hard on yourself dear, paranoia is not a life threatening disease." She joked.
☆☆☆
He suspected he had been made out the moment the vehicle slowed down moments after accelerating. His only option was overtake them. He didn't know why he was even trailing them back to Ife. It would be foolish of him to give himself away now that he had gotten more than he planned for already. He was only asked to locate her, he had done more than that, he had pictures of her, the daughter and her male friend on his digital camera. His client would be pleased at the amount of information he would be tendering, he can even charge more for the extra information. His moustache thinned out when he smiled, pleased with himself as he approached Ife. His job was done, he would be leaving for Lagos the day after.
☆☆☆
It was Victor's habit to call members of his family and his friends every Christmas. Due to his very busy schedules, he hardly stayed in touch with friends except for those he was into business with, hence he saw festivals like Christmas as opportunities to catch up and say hi, even if it was just through calls.
He decided to try his daughter-in-law's number one more time before retiring for the night, but just like the previous times he had tried it during the day, he was informed by the disembodied voice that her phone was switched off. He wondered what could have happened to her phone. He was about dropping his phone when it struck him that he could call her parents since she must be with them. He hesitated because it was somewhat late, it was few minutes to 10pm and he did not want to disturb them, but the strong urge to speak to his granddaughter made him to begin to search through the contacts on his phone. He saw her father's number first.
After a few rings, the call was picked
"Hello."
"Hello John. Merry Christmas."
"Hi Victor, I wish you the same, how have you been and all?"
"I am very good, I have been trying without success to reach Ese throughout the day, I am itching to talk to Rose." he gave an uneasy laugh.
"That makes both us."
"How do you mean? Isn't she staying with you?"
"No."
"How can I reach her please?"
"I don't know really. Her phone has been off all day, her mum and I have been trying to reach her too."
"Where is she staying?"
"I don't know really, with a friend I guess."
"You guess?" Victor asked incredulously. "How can you not know...."
"Victor, I am sorry about all that's happened, the divorce and all, I am equally as displeased about........."
"The divorce? What are you talking about?"
"I mean.........between your son and my daughter. We tried to stop her but she had her lawyer send the papers before informing us. Ese can be very stubborn....."
"Extend my goodwill to your wife John." Victor said in a cool voice and ended the call. He stared at the ceiling for a long while, thinking, wondering why no one told him about the divorce before now .
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