Chapter 35
Once I tuck the girls in bed to sleep, I hurry back to my bedroom to put a phone call through to Dominic. This is the moment of truth and I strongly hope that his response will not be what I am dreading to hear.
“It’s not such a big deal, Uzezi,” Dominic drawls. “So, what if we stop by at my parents’ place in Uyo? Don’t you think it would be weird if I go home and don’t stop by to say hello to my folks?”
“Well, you could go alone,” I say tersely. “Especially since you weren’t even going to inform me ahead about it.”
“Look, to be honest with you, my mother, in particular, is eager to meet you since she heard that I’m dating someone.”
“Isn’t this supposed to be a lowkey relationship?”
“It is, but Pamela mentioned to my mother recently that I have a girlfriend, and since then, she has been on my case. I just thought our trip to Uyo would be the perfect opportunity for her to meet you and we can finally get that out of the way.”
I sigh. “We agreed to take things easy, Dominic.”
“And that’s what we’re doing. You don’t need to be worried about meeting my parents, they’re great people, even if I say so myself. Relax, ok?”
“Ok,” I say blandly. I don’t want any unnecessary pressure to be mounted on me in this relationship. I just want to have a fun time with Dominic without the commitment that comes with an exclusive relationship. Is that selfish of me?
“Don’t sweat it, babe,” says Dominic in a carefree tone. “Remember our motto?”
“It’s not that deep,” I say with a reluctant smile tugging at my lips.
“Exactly! It’s not that deep. Everything will be fine.”
Six days later, we’re on Dominic’s private jet, flying out of Lagos to Uyo. We land at the airport on Friday evening, where a waiting Lexus drives us to City Crest Estate where Dominic’s house is located. As we drive through the city, I can’t help but marvel at the mind-blowing beauty of the place. And I thought Abuja was beautiful? This place is divine!
“This place is phenomenal,” I remark as I continue to admire the view as we pass by. “I can’t believe that there’s actually a place like this in Nigeria. Wow!”
“I know, right,” Dominic agrees. “There’s this feeling of peace I feel whenever I come here, but for some reason, I still prefer Lagos. That’s where everything happens. Here is more like a place of relaxation for me.”
“I think I understand what you mean. There’s just something so serene about this place that makes it perfect for relaxing. No wonder your parents decided to spend their retirement years here.”
“I just might move back here when I finally hang my boots when I retire,” he muses.
“Will you ever retire? You love your businesses way too much to quit and just sit back and relax. It’s a miracle that you even have time to hang out with me like this.”
“I can’t work forever,” he laughs. “My father was a serious workaholic, but about four years ago, he finally bowed out of the unending business meetings and flying all over the world, and such, because his body was tired. Eventually, everyone gets tired, even those who work just for the fun of it, and that’s the category my dad belongs to. He never needed all the money he was working so hard to get because he comes from old money, just like my mom.”
“Wow, so they just happened to run into each other at the mall and they fell in love?” I ask with a playful smile.
Dominic laughs. “It was an arranged marriage and they fell in love later.”
“So, it’s true that the rich only make friends with their fellow rich people. That’s why the money doesn’t trickle down to the rest of us in the middle class.”
“I don’t know about that,” he says, obviously uncomfortable with my analysis. “Oh, look. We’re here.”
The car approaches a gated estate, and the driver has to go through brief security clearance at the guard post before he is allowed to drive in. The neighborhood is well lit with streetlights and the tarred roads look neat and pristine as if they are never used. The houses here are lined in neat rows on either side of the street, with each building having enough between them for each homeowner to park an airplane beside the individual houses if they want. Dominic’s house is further down the street, and it has a low fence and a cute little gate in front. The driver parks the car in the nearby garage and then Dominic helps me out of the car.
“There has to be a better word than ‘beautiful’ to describe this house,” I say in astonishment as we approach the one-story building. “This house is awesome!”
“Wait until you get inside,” says Dominic, proudly. “It’s even more beautiful than my Lagos house.”
“That’s hard to imagine,” I say.
“No need to imagine it. Come on in and see for yourself.”
I follow him into the house with my hand over my mouth to keep my jaw from hanging open. The housekeeper opens the front door to let us in, with a wide smile on her middle-aged face.
“Welcome, Mr. Dominic,” she greets with a heavy Akwa-Ibom accent. “It’s good to see you again, sir.”
“Thank you, Sarah. How have you been?” Asks Dominic.
“Great, sir. Great,” beams Sarah.
“This is Uzezi. She’s my girlfriend. Uzezi, meet Sarah, my housekeeper.”
“Oh, wow!” Sarah exclaims, unable to hide her surprise. “Welcome, madam. Welcome.”
“Thank you,” I tell her, not sure if her reaction is a good thing or not.
True to Dominic’s words, the house is even more exquisite than his Ikoyi home, but this place looks more homely than the other one. This place looks like a place designed to house a family, with its warm colors, comfortable furnishings, and an assortment of real plants everywhere. We settle down on one of the comfy chairs in the big living room, sitting beside each other.
“You were right. Dominic. This place is so lovely.”
“Told ya,” he laughs.
“What would you like sir? Water, wine, tea, or coffee?” Asks Sarah.
“I’ll have a glass of water. What about you, Uzezi?”
“I’ll have water too, thanks.”
“Of course,” Sarah says and leaves us without sparing a glance in my direction.
“She doesn’t like me,” I tell Dominic.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Sarah likes everybody.”
“I’m not everybody, and I’m telling you, your housekeeper doesn’t like me.”
Dominic chuckles. “Whoever doesn’t like you in this house, or this town for that matter will have to contend with me. You have my word.”
Sarah returns with our glasses of water on a silver tray and sets them down on the center table in front of us.
“What would you like to have for dinner, sir?” She asks Dominic.
He shrugs. “I don’t know. Maybe we’ll go out for dinner. What do you think, Uzezi?”
I take a sip of water before responding. “I’m fine with whatever you decide.”
“We’ll go out to eat then. Thank you, Sarah. That will be all for now.”
“You’re welcome, sir,” says Sarah.
I don’t know if it’s my imagination, but I can swear she gave me a stink eye as she walked away. If I didn’t know better, I would think this woman has a crush on Dominic.
“Wanna go freshen up with me before we go out?” Asks Dominic.
“Sure. Lead the way,” I say, happy to put some distance between me and the creepy housekeeper.
His bedroom upstairs is a suite, complete with a spacious walk-in closet featuring designer everything from shoes to clothes, to hats and even his underwear. The place looks like a mini boutique.
“It’s the bougie-ness for me,” I remark playfully.
“You already know that I am bougie personified,” he replies with a laugh.
My bag has already been propped against the wall beside the closet, so I open it and rummage inside for something to wear for our casual dinner date. For some weird reason, I wish I can hang my clothes in the wardrobe beside Dominic’s clothes. Not just temporarily, but permanently. I wish we could remain here in this comely house with its inviting ambience and amazing views. I wish I can bring my daughters here and – wait a minute! What the heck is this foolish thought running through my mind?
“It’s shower time, baby,” says Dominic from behind me.
I turn around and break out in giggles when I see that he has stripped off all of his clothes and is waiting for me with an engorged member.
“I take it, a shower isn’t exactly what you have in mind,” I say coyly, and begin to take off my clothes slowly as if doing a striptease.
“The shower can come later,” he says and pulls me into a warm embrace. “I can’t seem to get enough of you. I’m intoxicated by you, Uzezi.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“Trust me, Uzezi, it is. I can’t remember how my life was before I met you,” he says softly.
“I know it was colorful judging by the pictures and news I’ve seen and heard,” I say cheekily.
“And I’ve told you 90% of those stories were lies.”
“It’s ok, darling. I was only teasing you. Let’s go take that shower now.”
I let him finish undressing me, and then we go into the bathroom together. He turns on the shower and proceeds to apply a luxuriously scented soap all over my body, massaging my joints expertly like a professional masseuse. Our shower turns into a sensual lovemaking session and when we are done, we finally take a proper shower and step out of the bathroom, feeling refreshed and satisfied.
“That’s the kind of shower I like,” says Dominic with a sigh.
“I know right. That was good!”
We dress up briskly and head out for our dinner date. The city turns out to be even more captivating at night than during the day. Uyo has a very bubbly nightlife, but unlike Lagos, the mood here is chill and not so fast pace. We eventually settle for dinner in one of Dominic’s favorite restaurants where we order a local delicacy to eat. The food is delicious, and we both eat heartily until almost every morsel has disappeared from our plates. We finish off our meal with a bottle of vintage red wine.
“This has been a very lovely evening,” I tell Dominic. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, baby,” he replies with a wink.
“Come on, let’s go home. Let me show you how thankful I am,” I say seductively.
“I like the sound of that. Let’s go home, my love.”