TAMISHO - My Story. My Life (21)

Tokunbo's Suspension And Dreaming About Richard's Mother

I yawn and stretch, moving away from the writing pad on my table. The mystery of Jude and Tokunbo is getting harder to solve by the minute and I have been on it for the past one hour. There are things that puzzle me. I cannot understand the motives behind Jude’s decision to implicate Tokunbo in the ongoing audit investigation, neither do I understand why Tokunbo just called my secretary a few minutes ago asking to see me. What game are they up to?

The ringing from the intercom on my desk jars me and I sit upright in my chair, stretching my hand to lift the receiver from the table.

“Ma, Miss Tokunbo is here.”

“Okay Rita. Let her in.”

Turning the cover of the pad over the open page, I return it to the top drawer of my desk. I am just pushing the drawer short when Tokunbo raps gently on the door and walks in. I am surprised at her understated fashion of a sleeveless cream chiffon top and a way below the knee black pencil skirt. Even her make up is done with dull muted colours. Her braids seem to be gathered in a not so elegant bun at the back of her neck and at the moment, a few strands are hanging limply over her face. The only thing that reminds you of her impeccable fashion sense is the five inch pumps that carries her confidently towards my desk.

I take note of her scowling face and decide to leave out the niceties.

“What do you want?”

Standing beside the desk, placing her hands on it, and leaning forward, Tokunbo is the picture of barely concealed disdain.

“Whatever it is you are up to, just know this, I am going to fight to the finish and I am…going…to…win…this.”

“Good for you Tokunbo,” I say in a voice devoid of the anger I am feeling. “I don’t plan to lose this either.”

Tokunbo is just as surprised as I am by my outburst. After a few seconds of savouring my declaration, I go back to being haughty.

“So, is this what you came here for?”

Tokunbo stands back from the table and crosses her arms against her chest, putting her weight on her right foot so that her right hip juts out.

“You can barely see past your own nose now, can you?”

“I don’t have time for parables Tokunbo.”

“Of course you don’t,” Tokunbo says with a sneer.

“Right,” I say, lifting up the lid of my laptop. “If you are done, I’d like to get back to work.”

“For all your display of confidence, I take comfort in the knowledge that I still turn Richard on.”

My hand and laptop lid stop mid-air. What?

“Listen Tokunbo, this has gone far enough. I have too much to do than to sit here, listening to your rant.”

Tokunbo is determined to stay even though I am wearing the most unfriendly expression I can manage. She goes back to leaning on the table.

“Did he tell you?”

“Tell me what?” I snap at her, closing back the laptop and leaning back in my chair to escape the invasion of space.

Tokunbo gives me a leering smile. “So, he did not?”

“I am going to have to ask you to leave my office.”

“I will leave, but not before I let you know that I enjoyed a rather passionate moment with Richard during your last hissy fit.”

As my muscles continue to tighten till they become a solid compact granite, Tokunbo continues,

“He came to me…” she pauses to give me a pitying look. “Ah, you really are in the dark about this.”

“Get out,” I hiss through my teeth, unable to take it anymore.

“We kissed…”

I fly out of my seat and match Tokunbo’s artificial height with the help of my own high heeled pumps.

“Get out this instant.”

“We made out....” Tokunbo presses on, a perverse smile on her face. “We kissed and he touched me….all over.”

My heart pounding loudly in my ears, I round the table and take threatening steps towards Tokunbo.

“I am going to push you out of this office if I have to.”

Tokunbo’s careless shrug is her answer, and with the smile still on her face, she tucks the stray braids behind her ears and moves with easy grace to the door.

The earth is still spinning five minutes after her exit and I don’t know how I make it to the window but the next minute, I am standing there and looking with listless eyes at the human activity taking place below me. Tokunbo making out with Richard? Tokunbo kissing Richard? I push back the bile at my throat and try to still my frantic heart. I want to call Tokunbo’s bluff but deep down I cannot fight the feeling that she is not lying about her intimate encounter with Richard.

“I guess I will have to find out myself.”

I walk back to the desk, pick up my back and fish out my compact powder to check my make up. Satisfied that my mascara is yet to start running in spite of the gathering moisture in my eyes, I take in three deep breaths and prepare to face Richard.



                                       *************************************



“Good morning Mrs. Abdemi,” the men sitting with Richard on his six foot long mahogany conference table greet as I walk in.

I nod at them with forced cheer. “Good morning everyone.”

Richard’s smile is a genuine I-am-happy-to-see-you smile. I keep the frost from my eyes and try to copy the smile with every strength I can muster.

“Can I see you for a minute?”

“Sure,” Richard says, calm eyes observing me. Probing me. I keep the happy mask on. I don’t want an audience for my confrontation with him, especially not one that has his staff in it. “We are just rounding up.”

I nod and give the men at the table some room to conclude their meeting, and they do so in the following five minutes.

“So?” Richard asks when the last man closes the door behind him. “What’s up?”

Time to drop the mask.

“Have you kissed Tokunbo recently?”

Richard’s smile disappears and his eyes become guarded.

“What?!”

“You heard me Richard.”

“I think I did, but my mind is too congested with information to understand what this is all about.”

“You. And. Tokunbo,” I spell, dropping the distateful words with displeasure on my face. “You kissed, fondled her and basically got down with her.”

“Are we talking about my past?” Richard asks me, his brows touching each other at the middle of his forehead.

“We are talking about the present Richard,” I tell him coldly. “A very recent present.”

Richard shakes his head. “I can’t remember Tamisho.”

“You want me to juggle your memory a bit?”

“If you like.”

Feeling the need to steady myself, I lean on the conference table with my hip.

“The last time we had issues?”

Richard sighs. “Did Tokunbo tell you this?”

“Did it happen or not?”

“Answer me first.”

“No,” I insist, my voice raising slightly. “You….” I point my finger at him, “answer me first.”

“Well, if that is how you want it, I am not saying anything.”

I stare at Richard, mouth wide open as he stands up from his chair at the head of the conference table and approaches his desk.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes,” Richard tells me with a careless shrug as he performs a series of taps on the keyboard of his computer.

Aggravated beyond belief, I march like a soldier to his desk and glower down at him.

“You are such a…a..jerk.”

His eyes still on the screen of his laptop, Richard gives me a cool,

“Okay.”

My agitation continues to rise with Richard’s continued display of indifference.

“And a..liar.”

Richard closes his eyes momentarily and then reaches for his intercom.

“Please tell Miss Tokunbo to report to my office, thanks.”

I continue to stand and Richard continues to ignore me, his tapping coming out in abrupt, disconnected staccato sounds. The wait is not long because Tokunbo opens the door a few minutes later, more composed than she was in my office. There is extra gloss on her smiling lips, but her face falls the moment she sees me.

“Good afternoon.”

Richard ignores her greeting and turns his chair away from the laptop.

“I heard you visited Tamisho.”

Tokunbo squares her shoulder. “Yes I did.”

“Will you mind sharing what you told her?”

“Maybe Tamisho can repeat what she claims to have heard from me,” Tokunbo says, defiance in her eyes.

“I am asking you Tokunbo,” Richard says in a clipped tone. “Don’t push me.”

His words seem to have an effect on Tokunbo and her shoulders lower within a fraction of an inch.

“We kissed, Richard,” Tokunbo says, eyes lowered to the floor.

“I need you to give a more detailed account of what happened Tokunbo.”

I watch Tokunbo’s throat go up and down in a swallow.

“We….I kissed you.”

“And?”

Tokunbo raises defeated eyes to Richard. “Why are you doing this?” Her voice is a pained whisper.

“For the same reason you went to my wife’s office with an altered version of the story.”

The defiance returns to Tokunbo’s eyes and she straightens her spine. “We did kiss.”

“Who made the move?”

Tokunbo appears to stop breathing but it is just for a second. “Me.”

“Thank you for your honesty Tokuunbo,” Richard says with a nod. “So, the um….touching part?”

“We…I touched you.”

“So why did you feel the need to lie to my wife?”

Tokunbo turns to give me an icy stare before thawing it enough to return her attention back to Richard.

“Maybe you should ask her.”

Richard is not too pleased with her answer. “You know what,” he says, placing his elbows on his table, his scowl growing deeper. “I think you should take a two week break from work.”

“No, that will not be necessary.”

“I am not asking you Tokunbo,” Richard pauses to give Tokunbo a leveling gaze. “I am telling you. As a matter of fact, I am placing you on a two week suspension.”

“What?!”

“That will be all Tokunbo. Thank you for your time.”

Her lower lip trembling and a sheen of tears in her eyes, Tokunbo spins on her heels and almost trips. She is lucky to catch herself before the fall can happen. With more tottering, she finally reaches the door and slams it shut.

There is still anger in Richard’s eyes when I turn back to look at him.

“Before branding me a liar next time, wait for my side of the story."

I refuse to be cowed by the anger in his eyes. "You kissed her either way."

"Did you hear the part where she admitted to have come on to me?"

"Why should it matter?" I ask in a very hostile voice. "Did it matter when you saw me with Jude?"

An apologetic look slowly returns to Richard's eyes before he turns to his computer again.

"Fine, I am sorry."

"So how long was this kiss for?"

"For God's sake Tamisho."

"I gave you an answer when you asked the same question."

Richard sighs. “A short while.”

“Seconds?”

“Maybe.”

“In her house?”

“No.”

“Where?”

Richard abandons his laptop and hangs his head as if in deep prayer. When he raises his head again, his eyes are clear and unreadable.

“In my car.”

“That was when you got even with me?”

“Even with you?” Richard asks, confusion on his face.

“That night in the room….when you said that maybe you had already gotten even with me.”

Richard purses his lips before answering,

“It was around that time but the payback was not deliberate.”

“You had to wait till Tokunbo came to me with the story before telling me all these?”

“Sorry.”

I shake my head and make for the door.

“Tamisho?”

I turn slowly to Richard.

“Yes?”

“Do you want to talk about what I have found out today?”

I battle with myself at his question. Should I go? Should I stay?

I pick the latter and tread back on careful feet. There is a smile waiting for me on Richard’s face. He apologizes once more about the encounter with Tokunbo and turns his laptop towards me. An email. I scan the top briefly.

FROM : Henry.Ibueze@abidex.com

TO: Richard.Abidemi@abidex.com

I got a call from a friend to a friend. She claims to know Jude. Apparently, she knew him at the time he was dating Tokunbo. Surprised? I told you that woman was up to no good. Well, she dated him shortly after your return back to the country. The web continues to spin out of control. Still digging. Will keep you updated. P.S – You should consider increasing my salary. :)

For some reason I am not surprised by Henry’s findings.

“It might be true….I mean, Tokunbo having a relationship with Jude.”

Richard nods and turns the laptop back to its former position.

“I think so too.”

The lid of the laptop goes down and Richard glances at his watch. “Time for lunch.”

I stand up from my seat as Richard does the same.

“See you later.”

Richard stops in the middle of retrieving his dark gray suit jacket from the coat rack.

“You are not coming with me?”

I am surprised to hear that I am part of his afternoon plan but Richard mistakes my surprise for hesitation. His eyes are slightly clouded as he walks to meet me, one hand pushing into the arm of jacket and the other holding his phone.

Done with wearing his jacket and pushing his phone into the right pocket of his suit pant, he stops in front of me. “Are you?”

“I don’t know,” I say with a shrug as his hands skim my waist.

“Don’t make me beg.”

“I am still upset.”

Bending his head, Richard finds my weak spot on the side of my neck and places his lips over it. I sigh in pleasure as a warm pool begins to gather in my belly. I place a restraining hand on his arm, stopping him from going further. It is no use getting worked up with Richard’s office policies acting as mood spoilers, besides I still have a grouse with him.

“Okay, we will do lunch, but is there anything else you have done with Tokunbo that I need to know?”

“Before things worked out between us, we sort of continued our relationship…”

I stiffen at the hurtful words but I force myself to listen to the rest of what Richard is saying.

“I told you that before now, didn't I?”

I nod slowly. “So apart from the kiss, nothing intimate has happened between the both of you.”

“Nothing,” Richard confirms with a head shake.

“And nothing is ever going to happen?”

“Yeah…nothing.”

I exhale, draw close to Richard, and place my hands on his chest. “Can you extend Tokunbo’s suspension to three weeks….no six months?”

Richard gives me a small smile. “That will be against my personal principles and the laws of the land.”

“Explain that.”

“Innocent until proven guilty.”

“So what was the suspension for?”

“For trying to start a quarrel between my wife and I, and for distorting facts.”

“I remember you telling me that personal matters should be kept out of the office, what changed?”

“I just need to wrap my mind around what is happening. Seeing her put up an act around her is just too much to take.”

“Okay.”

I accept Richard’s reconciliatory kiss and walk out of the office with him.



                                       ***********************************



The dinner tray disposed in the kitchen where the cook is busy cleaning up for the night, I poke my head back into Richard’s study and tell him I am going to feed Toju. He nods and gets back to staring at his computer like a fascinated object. Toju has company.

“Hey look, mummy is here,” Shadda coos into the crib as I close the door. I am glad to see her. It has been a while since she appeared. Lifting a freshly bathed Toju gently from his crib, Shadda hands him over to me. I thank her and settle into the breastfeeding couch.

“Where have you been?”

Shadda is sporting a rather Afrocentric look. Big twisted braids, chunky bangles that click together when she moves her hand like she is doing now as she attempts to push the long braids away from her face.

“Crazy things,” she mutters, shifting a rather heavy looking braid backwards. “I have been every –“

Shadda exclaims in frustration again when another braid finds its way back to her face.

“How on earth do mortals manage with these things.”

I laugh and startle Toju who stops his sucking to give me a wide toothless grin.

“Where did you copy that from?”

“Some mortal in the next country.”

“Togo?”

“No, Benin I think…” Shadda stops to give me a smile. “I speak French too….faites-vous aiment mes cheveux?"

“Huh?”

“I am asking if you like my hair.”

“I think it is er….creative,” I tell Shadda with a laugh. “…and very heavy looking.”

“Mon Dieu,” Shadda says with a threatrical sigh. “Je suis tellement déçu.”

“Shadda! English.”

Shadda makes a face at me. “Spoilsport. It means, I am disappointed….” She moves her hand around. “You know…disappointed that you don’t like my hairstyle.”

“I never said I didn’t like it.”

“You did,” Shadda tells me with a wink. “In your mind.”

I lower my eyes in guilt and play with Toju’s small hand. His mouth is growing slack around my nipple. I caress his cheeks and watch in amusement as his eyelids flutter open, drowsily regard me and then shut in sleep. When I look up at Shadda again, she is looking stylish in a sleek straight hairstyle.

“Nice.”

Shadda does a deep curtsy. “Thank you.”

“So, tell me about your adventures. Have you see Meran lately?”

Shadda grins and tells me the guide is somewhere in the Middle East.

“On assignment.”

“Hmmm.”

“The others…tell me about the others.”

Shadda obliges my request and begins to talk about guides. Some tall. Some with the most beautiful faces you can ever imagine.

“The ones closer to the light are the most revered and the most beautiful.”

I learn some of their names. Arian. Tariot. Laman. Donian.

There are many others…

“Millions of us….”

I sit with Shadda in the nursery, happy to learn about the other realm, intrigued by the beings I wish I could behold. Pray to God, Shadda once told me when I asked to see them. I will. Very soon.



                                           **************************************



The woman’s eyes are glassy as spurts of blood escape the corners of her mouth. She looks nothing like my mother in law, but yet I know that she is the one.

“Tell my son….” She stops as deep racking coughs tear through her body. “Tell..him…that I love him.”

I catch her lolling head as her neck relaxes. I know I must keep her awake.

“What happened? Please tell me.”

She whispers something unintelligible and I lower my ears to her mouth to hear her better.

“Ca..”

“What?”

“Can…” the woman coughs once more and then attempts another raspy whisper. “Can..cer.”

I pull away from her ears and look down at her.

“Cancer?”

The woman makes a small movement with her head and then the light in her eyes dim.

I sit up in shock and look around me. The barren earth has melted away in the light of consciousness and the woman in my arms is nothing more than a dream, but I am disturbed. The bed moves as Richard turns in his sleep. I can tell he is restless. I touch him gently, but he continues to sleep.

“Richard?”

After some minutes of shaking, he opens his eyes and stares at me for long without moving.

“I had a dream….I saw my mother. She didn’t look very healthy.”

I settle down into his arms and try to sleep. Tomorrow I will tell him about my dream, about his mother’s words to me.