Chapter 44
Exactly two months after Dominic and I reconciled, I decide to plan a surprise birthday party for him. It’s going to be his 33rd birthday and I want to have an intimate, yet classy party in his honor. I have had to enlist the help of his best friends, Fredrick and Jamiu, as well as his parents, to put the event together. His family will be flying into Lagos from Uyo this afternoon to attend the party that will be happening at the opulent residence of their family friend, Honorable Matthew Ikemesit, a sitting member of the House of Assembly. According to Marilyn, his Banana Island home is the perfect place to host the kind of party that I have in mind, and she had been right.
The mansion sits on a piece of land that seems to stretch beyond measurement, surrounded by the serene Lagos lagoon waterfront. It’s like being in a Caribbean paradise inside Nigeria. Hon. Ikemesit was more than happy to let us use his golf course size backyard because Dominic is his godson whom he loves like a biological child, and he was ready to chip in as best as he could. To see Dominic’s family and friends rally around to organize the party with me, simply shows what an amazing person he is, and how everyone is willing to be a part of an occasion designed to celebrate him.
“You should count yourself lucky to be with him, my dear,” Marilyn had said to me recently during one of our lengthy phone calls. “And I am not just saying this because he is my son, but you can see for yourself now that you got yourself a great man.”
“I agree,” I had said. “And I don’t think that I am lucky. I think I am blessed. Dominic is my reward for enduring years of injustice in my previous relationship, and I do not take his impact in my life for granted.”
“You are a wise young lady,” Marilyn had replied after a brief pause. “Dominic definitely chose the right woman.”
My relationship with Marilyn has improved so much in the last two months, so much so that even my mother is jealous of it. Once I got to know her better, I realized that Marilyn isn’t a snob, but a woman with principles who wants the best in life for her only child. Obong on the other hand has also become a surrogate father to me. He has also assumed the role of a pseudo-grandfather to my daughters who fondly call him, “Grandpa Inyang.”
I also recently experienced an awkward moment with the girls some days ago, when Zino had asked me if she and her sister could call Dominic, “Daddy Dominic.” The question had caught me off guard and for a few minutes, I’d had no answer to give her. Before our breakup, Dominic and I had managed to keep our relationship platonic in the presence of my children, but once we reconciled, everything began to flow more naturally such that we could hug and give each other a chaste kiss in the presence of the children. And then, he has become a very present member of our household; visiting regularly and staying with us until late in the night before going home, taking us out on “family” outings, tagging along with me to pick the girls up from school sometimes, showing up early in the morning on weekends to prepare and eat breakfast with us. I guess all of that had made my daughters assume that Dominic is their new daddy.
However, there is always the likelihood that my relationship with Dominic might eventually come to an end one day, so how then do I explain the situation to my daughters? With that thought at the back of my mind, I had told them to stick to calling “Uncle Dominic” for now. They had been disappointed, but thankfully, they hadn’t argued with me on the matter.
My phone starts ringing, bringing me back to the present. A wide smile spread across my face when I see that it is Dominic calling.
“Hey, babe. I was just thinking about you now,” I say when I answer the call.
“Oh, I see. So, what exactly were you thinking of about me?” He asks.
“Everything; your smile, your generosity, your amazing personality, and how you burn me up in bed. I particularly like that one thing about you.”
“Keep teasing me, you little minx. You’ll see what I’ll do to you once I get my hands on you.”
“Bla, bla, bla, is all I hear,” I laugh, teasing him some more.
“Oh yeah? We’ll see about that soon.”
“Where are you off to? You sound like you’re in the car.”
“I am. My godfather, Hon. Ikemesit says he has a birthday gift to give me, and I have to come and get it tonight. I don’t know why he can’t just let me pick up the gift another time instead. I’m heading to Victoria Island now for a business meeting with my partners at Reign Oil, before going to Lekki for a quick meet-and-greet with the management team of my record label’s new signee. I’ll try to wrap up the meetings as quickly as possible so that I can get to Hon. Ikemesit’s place on time to pick up the blasted gift that he’s been yapping about. I want to have enough time to spend the rest of today with you.”
“I don’t understand why you need to work today of all days. It’s your birthday, Dominic. Couldn’t you have taken the day off?”
“I wish I could, my love, but these meetings are too important for me to put off. I always insist on being present for deal signings. I can’t send my assistant to do that on my behalf. Don’t worry, once I’m done with all this work stuff, and I’ve picked up my birthday gift, you’ll have me to yourself for the rest of today.”
“And the rest of the weekend?”
“And the rest of the weekend too,” he assures me.
“Ok, love. I can’t wait to wish you a happy birthday in person.”
“I can’t wait to see you and hold you in my arms.”
My pulse begins to race as his words wash over me like warm water. Being with Dominic is definitely a dream come true for me – to be loved and cherished by him every day, is the stuff fairy tales are made of, but even better.
“See you later then,” I say wistfully.
“See you later, my queen.”
After I hang up, I go to my children’s bedroom to lay out the dress they’ll be wearing for tonight’s party. I hadn’t initially wanted them to attend, but they’d begged me and even threatened to leak the secret to Dominic if I said no. Mrs. B had also pleaded with me on their behalf, telling me that Dominic would appreciate it very much if the girls were present at the surprise birthday party. After much persuasion, I finally agreed. So, once they return from school today, they will take a shower, as usual, eat their lunch, get dressed and then we will all make the trip to Banana Island together, alongside Mrs. B who has since moved in with us, upon my insistence.
We arrive at Hon. Ikemesit’s home at a quarter past 6 p.m. and we are closely followed by Dominic’s parents, who greet us enthusiastically before rushing into one of the guest bedrooms to go and change out of their travelling clothes. The rest of our guests start arriving afterwards, and by 7:30 p.m., all of the party guests are present except Pamela, of course. She had called Marilyn earlier in the day to inform her that she would not be able to attend the party anymore due to a last-minute delay in her flight back to Nigeria. We know that’s probably a lie, but Marilyn did not press the issue any further. After that embarrassing encounter with her and Dominic in Uyo, she had left the country to go and live with her cousins in Canada. According to her, remaining in Nigeria without any hope of ever having Dominic as her man was too torturous for her to bear. Rumor has it that she is now in a relationship with a girl she met in a club in Ontario, but we don’t know the details of that gist and we are not asking either.
“He should be on his way now,” says Dominic’s father, checking his Rolex wristwatch.
“No worries,” says Jamiu, cheerfully. “Once he shows up, we all know what to do.”
The plan is simple – once Dominic’s car enters the compound, we are all to gather in the living room and wait for him to come inside through the front door before shouting, “Surprise! Happy birthday!”
I can’t wait to see the look of surprise that will be on his face once he finally realizes what is going on. I know he has never had a surprise birthday party before, so I am sure that this will be a hit with him, and I can’t wait to see his reaction.
“He’s here!” Screams Dione Ikemesit, the wife of Hon. Ikemesit. “His car is entering the driveway,” she informs us.
We all quickly abandon our spots in different sections of the house to converge in the living room. Some of us are holding balloons tied with blue ribbons of different shades, while others are holding bowls of confetti to be thrown on him, and cans of party string sprays. I wait eagerly in the front row of the small semi-circle we have formed, while one of the housekeepers takes her position beside the light switch to flick it on once Dominic steps in.
“This is so exciting,” whispers Kome, beside me.
“Yeah. I can’t wait to scream ‘happy birthday’ once Uncle Dom comes in,” Zino whispers back.
“No, we are supposed to say, ‘surprise’ first, before saying ‘happy birthday,’” Kome whispers back a little too loudly.
“Shush, you two,” I tell them. “You have to stop talking, or else you’ll ruin the surprise.”
Just then, the doorbell rings, followed by three knocks on the door that had it swinging open slowly as it had been left unlocked. After a moment’s hesitation, Dominic steps into the house and the lights come on.
“Surprise! Happy birthday!” We all scream on cue, in unison.
Dominic’s reaction is priceless. He steps back, startled, then when he realizes what is going on, his face breaks into a huge smile and his eyes light up when he sees me and the girls standing there, singing “Happy birthday to you,” to him. The gas-filled balloons, confetti and string sprays are all unleashed on him, making him laugh as he tries to dodge them but fails.
“Oh, my goodness! How did you guys pull this off?” He asks in surprise, seeing his family and close friends in attendance.
“It was all Uzezi’s idea,” his mother informs him. “And the rest of us were all too happy to participate. Happy birthday to you, my darling.”
“Thank you, Mother,” he says and hugs her. He then crouches down to give my daughters a hug and a peck on their cheeks.
When he finally gets to where I am standing, he takes me by the hand and says, “You are a gem, Uzezi. Just when I think that I’ve figured you out, you do something new and sweep me off my feet all over again.”
“Aww, Dominic. That’s one of the sweetest things you have ever said to me. I’m glad that you are happy with your surprise birthday party.”
“Not as happy as I might be in the next few minutes,” he said with a twinkle in his eyes. “I also have a surprise for you. I had intended for it to be a private thing for just you and me, but I think this is a great place to do it, with the important people in our lives present to witness it.”
My heart starts hammering in my chest because I don’t know what to expect from Dominic, after this short cryptic speech that he has just delivered.
While still holding my hand, he turns around and calls out to everyone to get their attention. “Hello, everyone. Please, gather around. There’s something I want you all to witness tonight.”
An excited hush descends in the room and all eyes focus on me and Dominic, standing in the middle of the large living room.
Satisfied that everybody in the room is now looking at us, Dominic turns his attention back to me and says, “From the very first moment that my eyes met yours across the room in that restaurant nearly a year ago, I knew there was something special and utterly unique about you. That was why I followed you and sought you out in the lobby, it was why I went searching for you and showed up unexpectedly at your store. It was why I stubbornly stood by you and refused to let you chase me away when the blogs tried to shame you for being with me. It was why I begged my mother to intervene when we broke up, although that was partly her fault too, so…”
Everyone burst into laughter, and I giggle too, even though my throat is clogged, and the back of my eyes are already burning with tears that I am trying to keep at bay.
“Uzezi, you are my life, and I cannot imagine living without you. You make me look forward to living each day with a sense of optimism that I never experienced before I met you. You have given me the kind of peace of mind that I never thought was possible. People always assume that the rich have it all, that they never lack anything but that’s a lie. My life lacked color and substance, but you changed that when you came into it. And your daughters; these adorable, intelligent, and precious little girls, have brought so much laughter and happiness into my life than I ever imagined.”
He slides his hand into his trouser pocket and retrieves a teal-colored ring box. My lips begin to quiver the moment he drops on one knee in front of me, eliciting gasps of surprise from our spectators. Dominic opens the ring box to reveal the white interior with a shiny gold ring glistening inside. The diamond on top of it is square-shaped and has two smaller ones on either side of it, glinting wickedly as the light in the room bounces off them.
“Oh my God!” I gasp in amazement.
“Uzezi, please make me the happiest man on earth by becoming a constant part of my life. Allow me to continue to love you and be there for your daughters. I love you with all of my heart, soul, and body, as I have never loved another living being before. Please, Uzezi. Will you marry me?”
The tears won’t stop flowing from my eyes, and each time I try to speak, my throat closes up. I look around and see that everyone’s eyes are on me, waiting for me to say something. I return my attention to Dominic who is still on bended knee, the open ring box with the dazzling diamond ring in his hand, and his face upturned, looking at me with an expression of hope and pure love.
“Yes, Dominic,” I say when I finally find my voice. “Yes, I will marry you, Dominic.”
The room erupts in another round of screaming and jubilation. Dominic wastes no time in sliding the ring onto my finger, before standing up and enveloping me in a warm embrace.
“I love you, Uzezi,” he whispers into my ear. “I love you so much.”
“I love you more, Dominic,” I whisper back. “I love you with all of my heart, spirit, soul, and body.”
We hold on to each other, crying quietly and letting our emotions wash over us freely, while our well-wishers continue to celebrate around us. Their laughter and chatting sound muted to us, as we continue to bask in our little world of love and happiness.