MY HEARTBEAT
****EPISODE 11****
Tiwa was busy dividing up all the gifts she had bought all the way from Italy. She had been selected as one of 20 participants to represent Nigeria at the International Medical Conference in Milan to her utter delight and envy of her housemate and work buddies. She had spent a week in Milan and two more weeks travelling from Florence to Rome. She had only just gotten back yesterday, picked from the Airport by her brother, Kunle who although worked in Akure was in Lagos.
She had managed to buy several things for everyone. She had gifts for her parents, brothers, some choice friends, for Fiyin and Amanda too. She hadn’t bothered to get anything for that selfish Imelda who hadn’t asked her where she was going or when she was returning. And when she had come back, the only thing she had said was, so, you are back.
Well, yes, she was and she was going to lay all the stuff in the sitting room so Imelda could see everything properly and know where she had been although knowing her, she had probably been to Italy several times. Nonetheless, she would still be satisfied for the Imelda to see she had travelled abroad. And when she got home, she would lay out her gifts for her parents in the sitting room so Femi too can eat her heart out.
She had bought a wonderful doll set for the Amanda, hoping this will make the girl more favourably inclined towards her. For Fiyin, she had bought a nice trimming set, perfumes shirts, shoes, things she knew he would enjoy.
It felt like years since she last saw him. Before she travelled, she had spent a lot of time at the embassy, getting her visa and arranging her trip so she hadn’t had a lot of opportunities to actually see him. While there, she had called him a few times when she had gotten a mobile phone but the phone calls had been unsatisfying at best. He had seemed distracted and the calls had been really distant.
Infact the last time she sat down to have a real conversation with him had been almost two months and she was just about ready for their courtship to pick up again as she wanted to be married latest by the end of the year or the beginning of next year.
Quickly, she packed Fiyin’s gifts and Amanda’s in two big bags and made her way to his house. She had only been there twice when he threw end of the year parties at his house for his colleagues at the hospital.
When she got to the huge house in GRA, she parked outside and walked quickly to the gate to knock. A security man opened the gate and she told him her name and her agenda. He asked her to come in and wait by the gate and went towards where she knew the garden was to tell Fiyin of his guest.
From where she stood, Tiwa saw that in the huge garden to Fiyin was laughing and chasing after a lady. She was suddenly very upset because when a grown man spends his Saturday playing and frolicking in his garden with a woman, the woman usually meant something to him. She hoped to God it was a relative, anything else will be unacceptable.
When the security got to the garden, the woman stopped running and Fiyin grabbed her waist in a very intimate manner and they both stopped to listen to the man. Tiwa found it hard to swallow as the man pointed at her, they both looked at her and suddenly she recognised the woman.
“Femi!” She shouted and started running towards her.
When Femi heard the man mention Doctor Tiwa, her heart sank and she wondered briefly if there was any way she could escape before Tiwa got there but the minute she turned and looked at Tiwa, she knew the game was up. With the way Tiwa’s face contorted, she knew her cousin had recognised her and she was running towards her.
Fiyin was confused when he saw Tiwa running towards them with fury in her eyes and he pushed Femi behind him.
“You b—h!” Tiwa screamed when she got to them and seemed to go at Femi. He wondered briefly if he had ever given Tiwa any reason to throw a jealous scene over him. She was scratching him to get to Femi.
“Are you crazy?” He screamed at her as Moses, his security detail grabbed her from the back.
“Femi, you dog!” She screamed, “Conniving b—h!”
Since he hadn’t mentioned Femi’s name, he turned around to Femi. “You know her?” He asked a visibly shaken Femi.
She nodded, “Yes, she’s my cousin”
“Really? Why didn’t you tell me?” He wondered, “Did you know she worked for me?” He asked her as Tiwa screamed, held by Moses.
“Yes, I thought she did but I wasn’t sure and it never came up.”
“True!” He admitted, turning to Tiwa, “What’s the problem? Isn’t she your cousin?”
“Why is she here?” Tiwa asked with anger
Fiyin raised his brows at her tone, “I don’t know I need to explain why and whom I allow into my house!”
“Fiyiiiiin!” Tiwa groaned, “What are you doing with her? Just tell me…”
“Why am I telling you? If you wanted to know, you would have come here like a reasonable person. You don’t come into my house uninvited to fight and call anybody names, the next time it happens, I will have you thrown out!” He warned her sternly.
Tiwa was shocked, Fiyin had never spoken to her that way before, never. “Are you talking to me like that cause of her? Femi? Imagine!”
“Tiwa, I think you should go. Moses!” He shouted at the security guy who had been standing aside after gathering Tiwa’s things that she threw aside in haste. “Please, escort Doctor Ademola out.”
“Wait, Fiyin, please, okay, I am sorry, please.”
“Go, Tiwa, we will talk on Monday, just go.”
Defeat etched on her face, Tiwa turned and left them. All the way to the gate, she wondered to herself, where they dating? Where did they meet? Was God trying to punish her for something? What of her angel? What was going on?
As she entered her car, she told herself this was only a setback, Femi was the easiest prey in the world and she knew her almost better than anyone else and knew just what stone to throw.
**************
Inside the compound, Fiyin was consoling Femi who had started weeping immediately Tiwa left. In the 7 weeks he had been dating Femi, he had learned quickly that Femi was very emotional. She would cry over movies, over love stories, over bad things, good news, over injuries and over violence.
“Alright, that’s okay” He said as he kissed her fore head, “I don’t want Amanda to wake up and think I beat you. She would report me to the whole world.” Femi started smiling and cleaned away the rest of her tears.
He sat down with Femi on his thighs, “Tell me, if Tiwa is your cousin, why did she attack you?”
Monday was a gloomy day with the rain falling incessantly, it was a match to Tiwa’s mood. The events of the weekend had totally ruined her entire week, month for that matter. She knew that wasn’t what happened but Fiyin’s attitude made it seem like he was picking Femi over her. She wished she could go back to Saturday and not react so aggressively. That action alone had cost her and now he was not likely to believe anything she said.
That d–n Femi! How and where had she met Fiyin? She had hoped to corner her in church yesterday but she hadn’t been in church, she had come home later but had stayed glued to her mother all throughout. Not that that would have stopped her but she hadn’t wanted to arm Femi with more ammunition to give Fiyin against her.
She would have her time with Fiyin today and he would see the light, she was sure. With this thought, she was able to go through her rounds without breaking down.
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