Chapter 36
Dominic and I spent the next three days exploring Uyo to the fullest. We visited different tourists attractions and went sightseeing too. I try to carry my daughters along virtually by filming each of our outings and sending them the videos on my sister’s WhatsApp or I would Skype while we’re on a trip so that they can see me and Dominic having fun outdoors in real-time.
On our fourth day in Uyo, Dominic’s ringing phone wakes us up at 7 a.m. sharp. Since we came to Uyo, we have been sleeping late and waking up late, so this phone call caught us by surprise.
“Dang, I should have turned off that phone last night,” Dominic groans into the pillow. “Who on earth is that anyway?”
“Please answer the freaking phone, so I can go back to sleep!” I snap groggily. The endless ringing is doing my head in.
Dominic manages to reach for the phone on the nightstand where he put it and when I hear him gasp in what sounded like surprise, my sleepiness disappears instantly.
“What is it?” I ask him tensely. “Is everything ok?”
“Crap! It’s my mother,” groans Dominic. “I have to answer it now or else, she won’t stop calling. I’m going to put it on loudspeaker, ‘cause this might turn out to be a rant and it’s too early to subject my delicate eardrums to such unnecessary.”
“Uh, ok,” I say uncertainly. Why is he hesitating to respond to his mother’s phone call? Is it because of me? And what would she have to rant about?
“Hello, Mother. Good morning,” Dominic says extra groggily, probably for effect so that his mother can know for sure that this phone call is the reason why he is awake this early on a holiday morning.
“Good morning, Dominic. I’m sure you’re doing excellently, so there’s no need for me to ask,” Mrs. Inyang drawls on the other end of the phone line.
“I was doing excellently in my sleep until you called and woke me up for a phone call that I am sure isn’t urgent,” complains Dominic.
“What a rude thing to say.”
“Sorry.”
“Where are you?”
“In my house.”
“Where?”
Dominic sighs in exasperation. “City Crest Estate.”
“So, it’s true?”
“What’s true?”
“You’re in Uyo and you didn’t even think to drop in and say hello to your parents? You couldn’t even call us on the phone to come over and see you if coming here to see us is such trouble for you?”
“Mother, I actually have plans of coming to see you and Father before I return to Lagos next week. How will I come to Uyo and not see you guys?”
“Oh well, rumor has it that you are trying to hide your new lady friend from me and your father. Apparently, you have managed to keep this new relationship of yours under wraps and away from prying eyes, including mine.”
“Mother, please…”
“Is it serious?”
Dominic hesitates. “We will come to see you and Father today, I promise.”
“Perfect. We’ll have a small party in her honor tonight then,” Mrs. Inyang said, sounding excited all of a sudden. “It will be wonderful.”
“No, Mother. No parties, please. Remember I’m keeping this relationship away from public eyes? A party would ruin everything.”
“Calm down, child. Stop being so hysterical. Why are you hiding her? Is she some sort of handicap or what?”
Dominic pinches the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. “This is nuts,” he mutters.
“What was that?”
“Nothing. And no, she’s not handicapped in any way. Please, don’t throw us a party. We’ll be at the house this afternoon, ok?”
“Ugh,” his mother groans impatiently. “Can’t we even have a small reception in her honor and invite a few friends? This is your girlfriend we’re talking about here.”
“No, Mother. No parties, no reception. We will only stop by for a few minutes anyway, so there won’t be any need for any sort of elaborate welcomes.”
“Fine, if that’s what you prefer,” she says, sounding petulant.
“It is, Mother. Thank you.”
“What time should we expect you two?” She asks expectantly.
“In the afternoon,” says Dominic curtly.
“That isn’t a time, Dominic dear. What time will you two show up?”
“Mother, we will be there after ‘noon,’ ok?”
Mrs. Inyang exhales in a way that shows her exasperation. “Fine. See you later then.”
After hanging up, Dominic puts his phone back on the nightstand and lays back in bed heavily like a defeated man. “I know she’s still going to organize a mini carnival for our arrival. My mother loves to throw parties and play hostess at any given opportunity. That’s what happens when you live in a house that looks like an event center. She throws parties at the drop of a hat, and she has gained popularity in the state of Akwa-Ibom because of her legendary bashes. What do you say we skip town and pretend like we were never here?”
I laugh. “Are you kidding? She’s going to think I put you up to it. We should go and get that out of the way, once and for all. I can’t say that I am looking forward to the visit, but it appears I don’t have a choice.”
“You do. We could get dressed now and fly back to Lagos this morning,” he suggests again.
“I’m not a coward, Dominic. Besides, you make it seem like your mom is the queen of trolls and she would eat me on sight.”
“A troll she’s not, but she can be very…critical at times.”
“It’s ok. Let’s just go and get that out of the way.”
“Fine,” he says and yawns. “I need to catch up on my beauty sleep.”
“Meanwhile, what’s up with you calling her ‘Mother’ and your dad, ‘Father’?”
“From when I was little, my mother has insisted that I never call them Mummy and Daddy. She said it’s crass, so there you go. It’s the same for others in our circle too, so it’s not as odd as you may think.”
“I see. So, that’s another idiosyncrasy of you rich people?”
“Stop teasing me, Uzezi. It’s too early for that.”
I giggle and snuggle into his arms. There is no other place in the world that I would rather be than in Dominic’s arms. I feel so comfortable with him; he has become my safe place, my happiness, and the brightest spot in my life right now, after my daughters, of course. I know this little bubble of bliss that I have found will not last forever, but I can’t seem to imagine my life without Dominic. He has become such a significant part of my life that the thought of never being with him again terrifies me. I have never been this afraid of losing someone in my life, like this before – not even with Segun. When I filed for the divorce, I didn’t dread the prospect of being alone, but here I am trembling at the thought of never being with Dominic again. It almost seems as if I am falling in love with him.
“Are you ok?” Dominic whispers against my hair. “You’re shivering.”
“I’m fine,” I whisper back, but it’s a lie. I’m not fine, I’m scared – scared of how empty my life might become without Dominic in it. I feel my nose sting and my eyes go moist with tears. I try to blink them away so as not to alarm Dominic, but my tears betray me and roll down my face, and onto his chest.
“Uzezi, are you crying?” He asks and draws back to take a look at my face. “What is it? Are you ok? Is it because of the visit? We won’t go if you don’t feel up to it. Please, don’t cry, babe. Talk to me. What is it?”
I don’t even know how to put my feelings into words without weirding him out. We’ve barely dated for what? four months or so? How do I prove to him or to anyone else for that matter that my feelings for him are genuine and not just a result of the luxurious living that I have enjoyed in this relationship? How do I prove that I am in love with him because of him, and not because of his wealth? Why can’t life be so damned straightforward for once? Why must everything be so complicated?
“It’s nothing,” I lie again. “I guess I just miss my children.”
“Are sure that’s why you’re crying?” He asks skeptically. “You know we can always do a video call so you can see them whenever you want. It’s what we’ve been doing since we got here, so why would you cry because you miss them? What aren’t you telling me, Uzezi?”
I avert my eyes because I don’t want him to see my emotions openly displayed there for him to see. I don’t think I’m ready to confess my feelings for him just yet. The timing isn’t right. I don’t want him to think that I am using the visit to his parents as an opportunity to pressure him into proposing marriage to me, because he may assume that is what I want.
“Don’t mind me, darling,” I chuckle. “It’s my hormones. I think it might soon be that time of the month, you know.”
“Oh, I see,” he says, unconvinced but he didn’t press the matter further. “How about we go grab ourselves some coffee downstairs? It doesn’t seem like either of us will be going back to sleep again this morning.”
“Sorry for disrupting your beauty sleep,” I say apologetically. “My hormones have no manners, as you can see.”
He chuckles. “That’s not your fault. You can’t help it. Come on, let’s go recharge our internal batteries with premium caffeine.”
“Lead the way, boss,” I say with a laugh.
We put on our matching silk robes and walk downstairs, hand-in-hand like a happy couple in love. Except, only one of us is in love and the other doesn’t know it. Yet.