4 Years Earlier…
Bella’s eyes widened as she saw the door screech open. She jumped to her feet immediately, clutched her chest, and felt her heart race, each beat a thunderous echo of the surprise gripping her as Dunsin and his mum came into sight.
Why on earth will Dunsin come home with his mum without telling her?
She didn’t know how best to react but knew she had to manage the situation quickly so it wouldn’t look weird.
She approached the woman to get her bag from her and knelt. “Mummy, good afternoon ma.”
Mummy Dunsin held on to her bag tightly.
“I doubt there is anything good about this afternoon, Bella.” She walked past Bella, sat down and placed her bag on the floor.
Bella turned towards her while giving her husband a piercing glare. She couldn’t have been more angry with Dunsin than she currently was. They spoke a few hours back and he didn’t mention to her that he would come back home with his mother.
“You two are very annoying!” She threw her hands up, exasperated.
Bella’s eyes widened and her head cocked while she worked through her mother-in-law’s statement. She was not even expecting her and it seemed like she came with full anger. The way Dunsin sat quietly and stroked his beard instead of talking to his mother to stop venting her anger was burning Bella up. She was the only one standing now and did not still know what she had done wrong.
“Mummy, what is happening? Is there anything we have done wrong?” One of the hardest nuts to crack is masking your anger under a subtle smile like she just did.
“It’s been one year and…” She paused as she counted her fingers to get the correct digits. “- and, and six months! I wonder what exactly you people are hiding since you got married and banned anyone from coming here to greet you.”
Bella heaved a sigh of relief. If that was the problem, it could be managed. She thought she had come like the Nollywood mother-in-laws to rant about why they hadn’t conceived or given birth already.
Bella’s smile widened. “Mummy, it is not like that. This apartment is small and we plan to move out very soon.”
“Staying in this apartment means that nobody can visit you people? Are you two serious? Or is it that you are trying to turn my son’s heart against me?”
Bella glanced around the room, looking for some sort of comfort. For crying out loud, Dunsin was still right there, just staring at her, and wouldn’t caution his mother. She felt as though her whole world was crumbling that minute. She expected her husband to stand up to his mother and stop all the condescending words coming from her mouth.
“Mummy, you know that is not possible.” She found her voice back.
“Just outrightly say that I am a liar, Bella. Say it!” She whisked to her feet.
This was no longer looking like a joke. Of course, it never seemed like she was joking but it was getting worse per minute.
“Mummy, we are sorry.” Bella finally heard Dunsin’s voice. She was livid. Maybe not just because he didn’t defend her, but now he is begging her instead of at least letting her know the reason why they needed their privacy from the onset!
He was the one who even mentioned that he wouldn’t want anyone to come around until they moved to a better apartment, not only was he quiet, he just apologized!
“Geez!” Bella snapped. The more she tried to maintain her cool, the harder it was for her. “We are sorry ma.” She knelt sluggishly.
“Mo gbo o. (I’ve accepted.)” She rolled her eyes. “I have come to spend the weekend with you two, or am I not welcome?”
“Mummy, the house is yours.” Dunsin grinned as he stood up and picked up his mum’s handbag. “I’ll take this to the room.”
“The room?” Bella muttered under her breath. Of course, there was only one room in that apartment.
** ** **
Present.
Thud!
She groaned as she landed on the floor. Sweat trickled down her body as though the air conditioner had not been on. She looked weak and tired, rubbing the sweat off her eyes so she could open them and check if the air conditioner was on sixteen degrees. She was right, it was twenty degrees. She was glad she’d got an excuse to defend herself if Rick ever boasted that his skills had caused her to sweat that much.
“Lazy ass bitch!”
Her lips curved into a wry smile. She wasn’t wrong after all, the boast started. “I told you I was tired before we started, so don’t even kid me.”
“Still doesn’t matter, you just dey find an excuse for me. You are laying there, sweating like we don’t have an air conditioner in this room.” He laughed.
“Please!” Her voice grew bubbly. She reached the edge of the bed to support her feet. “No be you put this A.C for twenty degrees?“
Rick laughed. “Another excuse! Just admit that I’m the GOAT.” He stood from the bed, still naked. “You know the truth, don’t you?”
She didn’t respond but held her side as though she had a runny stomach. Rick studied her face. The obvious subtle upward quirk of her mouth told him she was smothering a laugh. Rick laughed again, turned, and headed toward the bathroom. “Do we shower together?” He asked as he opened the door to the bathroom.
“Yeah, I’ll join you now.”
Less than twenty minutes later, the two were done with their bath and went back to bed. Rick was in his shorts while she was on a towel. She reached for her phone by the drawer beside the bed.
“Rick, you said you will give me…”
“-fifty percent ROI.” He cut her. “I didn’t forget. You can trust me, babes. I own my company. It will come directly from my account to you.”
Her eyebrows elevated. “Thank you. What about my friends?”
“See, I think the best thing you can do is to collate the money together and invest under yourself. You know, I don’t want to go through the stress of meeting each person to give fifty percent.”
“I understand.” She paused for a few seconds and continued. “So which of my accounts are you making the transfer to?”
“Is your last investment due already?” He rolled his eyes, trying to recollect if he was to pay her.
“Who dey follow you talk investment? Won’t you give me money for all you did today?”
“Oh. How much should I send to you?”
She winked and blushed.
“Don’t even try it.” Rick laughed. “You won’t make me do a heavy transfer!”
“Calm down, I never said the transfer should be heavy. Just send me 500K.” She started rubbing her fingers on his chest.
“500K! Bella!”
She laughed. “Repeat the name!”
** ** **
4 Years Earlier…
Bella leaned against the wall as she watched Dunsin step into the kitchen. She was boiling rice already and needed him to go get some pepper so she could prepare food for his mother. Yes, she was still angry and wasn’t hiding it. She had a lot to say but didn’t know how she would even put her words together.
“Babe, are you angry?” Dunsin walked to her.
Bella’s eyes narrowed to slits as her face bunched into a disgusted sneer. “Did you just ask me that question, Dunsin? Did you?”
“It’s not that deep, babes.”
The way Bella glanced away provided a thin veil for her repugnance. Was she sleeping all along? What has come over Dunsin that morning? “Guy, why will you bring your mum here without giving me a call? We had an agreement, Dunsin! We did agree, you even made that move, not me. You were the one who said we should not accept visitors till we move to a better apartment and I reasoned along. How come your mother came here today and said I have been trying to turn your heart against her and you were so quiet!” Her gaze hardened, the spark of aversion flickering within it.
“She just spoke out of care for us, babe. Why are you taking this thing this deep? Were you expecting me to shout at her or abuse her in front of you? It would have caused more problems for you than this. I was quiet all along because I didn’t want more wahala for you.”
“Really? Dunsin, you were quiet because you did not want a problem for me? Why did you not tell me that you would come with Mum?
“Are you now saying I should take permission from you…”
“-Shush!”
“I should shush? Bella, I should…”
“Yes, just shut up. I don’t know what is happening with you exactly, Dunsin. When did all these start? Like, you are not being you, guy. What is happening?”
Dunsin hissed. “You already shushed me, Bella.” He took some steps back. “I’ll be in the living room.” He walked away.
The corner of Bella’s eyes twitched with distaste as she watched him walk away.
** ** **
Present…
You know that terrible feeling when there is heavy rainfall and Lagos traffic decides to heighten your frustration? Exactly! That was Bella’s situation as she finally drove into her compound. She was up in arms about how her car was dirty and had a mini scratch at the bumper. If Bella knew it was going to rain, she would have spent the night in the hotel. She hated that road struggle with both motorbikes and bus drivers, but tonight was inevitable.
Still pacing around the car, she waved her hand to get the attention of the security man by the gate. She would need him to help wash her car. Unlike the widespread belief that women do not know how to take care of their cars, and that their business is to hop in and just drive, Bella was quite different. Though it may be because the car was still new – just less than two months after she got the Benz.
As they say, he who does not work should not eat. She always did her homework, why would she not deserve the latest model of the Mercedes Benz C-Class? Her picture with the car had been trending on Instagram for weeks. There was no way she wouldn’t have been the talk of the blogs and gossip accounts. Her over two hundred thousand followers were not for decoration. Not just the thousands of followers alone though, her body was one to die for.
She opened the car door and reached for her bag. The security man stood beside her, he already knew why she called him. She told him to help her bring her box from the trunk, then told him to help her wash the car.
“They’ve scratched your car, madam.” Ibrahim, the security man, rubbed the scratch gently with his left finger, holding the box with his right.
Bella’s lower lip curled disdainfully. Foolish Lagos drivers. She didn’t even know if she should ask him if she could do something about it or just drive to a workshop to get it fixed. She wouldn’t have been this pained if she could alight when it happened and lambast the driver, but she wouldn’t even dare it! Or, she has done it before, and that has taught her a lesson to sit her ass in the car so far it was just a scratch or a soft collision.
“Lagos drivers, Ibrahim.” She finally found her voice.
“You no change am for the driver?”
She chuckled.
The other day she stepped out to drag with the driver, she hopped back with the same speed as comments sexualizing her body flowed from people around. It was deafening. Besides, she had to be security conscious.
“Can I do anything about it, Ibrahim?”
Still staring at it, Ibrahim tried to ascertain if anything could be done. “E no too much, we fit use oil clean am.”
“Can you…”
“- I go clean am now.” He butts in.
“Thank you.” She smiled.
She stretched her arm to collect the box from him so he could focus on the car.
“No worry, I go carry am inside. I go come clean am after, then wash the car.”
She turned and headed inside. “Thank you, Ibrahim.” She appreciated it again.
– – – –
Bella retired to her swing chair with a cup of coffee in her hand. It looked like the rain was about to start again and she was expecting her friends to come around. Tami and Nike had already called that they would come to her place that night to spend the night, they needed to catch up after a week of not seeing Bella. She had spent a week of vacation in Kenya before she met Rick at the hotel. She missed her friends and would have loved to see them as soon as she was back but meeting Rick was equally important.
She was still scrolling through Instagram when she heard the sound from the gate. They were here already. She took a quick sip from her coffee and dropped the mug on a table some steps from her. She got the door before the ladies would start to hit it like crazy people and watched them come down from Tami’s car.
“Bitch!” Tami screamed as she saw Bella by the door. She was still by the car, removing her shoes and picking up her slides.
Bella chuckled. She didn’t expect less than that from her anyway, Tami was always raw with words. Her chin trembled when she stared at Nike, she clapped her hands with amusement as spotted the dress Nike was putting on. They finally locked the car and approached her flat.
“I’ve never met someone this wicked, Nike. You finally took this cloth and made it your size.” Bella hugged her.
“Wetin make I do? I may not be endowed like you, but I have good tailor”
Bella hugged Tami too and stepped in so they could come in and she locked the door. Tami and Nike jumped on the couch and dropped their bags on the floor. “Baby girl, hit us with Kenya gists!” Nike snapped her fingers, giggling.
Walking to sit beside them, Bella blushed. Her night was about to be lit with these two, she missed that. “Before I begin the gist, make I bring smoke come?”
“Before nko” Tami and Nike chorused.
What would their night look like without them smoking weed as Bella serves hot gists about her Kenya visit? Bella swayed to the center table and brought out marijuana for them to smoke. It was always within her reach, she had some kept on the table, some in her kitchen, and some in the bedroom. She was an addict, not just her but also her friends.
“So you said this Rick guy paid for this Kenya trip, Bella.” Tami
Bella nodded.
“I thought you said this guy is married.” Nike
“So?” Bella shrugged. “We have discussed this before, babes. He’s married and we all know how these housewives can be.”
“This Rick is practically with you because he claims his wife is not good in bed, right?” Tami asked.
They laughed.
“I don’t understand why you’re talking like it’s new. Who sees these heavy assets and declines?”
They laughed again. Bella was strutting. “You know the vibe, babe.”
“I bet he hasn’t recovered from that lap dance. He lost it from that time.”
“I did my assignment too.” Bella grinned. They were talking about how Bella and Rick met.
** ** **
4 Years Earlier…
“Bella, what are you doing?”
Bella turned to face Dunsin’s mother. She stood by the kitchen entrance, holding the door frame with her hands.
“I am preparing rice for you, mummy.” She tried to fake a smile.
“I never told you I wanted rice.” She shook her head.
“Mummy, are you still angry? I am very sorry, I…”
“I’ll prefer semo and efo riro.” She cut in and left the door to the living room.”
Bella gaped, uncertain whether to breathe or scream.
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