Bed of Roses (Episode 6)

"You're yelling at me, you know that right?" Sewa stood in front of Kunle and looked straight into his eyes. He looked away for a few minutes without saying a word. He picked the car keys he had thrown on the coffee table while the argument was ongoing and walked out on her. He was not going to have this discussion any longer.
Sewa stood there with her mouth ajar for a few seconds. She watched her husband walk out on her and was confused. Yes, they argue but it had never gotten this bad.
She tried to figure out what she did or said wrong by telling him how her day went, omitting Tade's visit of course but mentioning that she called to check up on Fikayo and she sounded really 'off'.

"Let this be the last time you mention that name in this house. I've told you not to call her again" Kunle started rather coldly but Sewa continued by explaining that she was sure she heard Fikayo crying on the other end of the line.

"Are you deaf or something? Desewa, I'm warning you" Kunle said as he walked away from the dining area to the sitting room.

"What is it with you and Fikayo anyway? You've been so touchy and upset about me wanting to check on my friend. You forget so quickly how she helped us out during... " Sewa followed her husband to the sitting room and kept on with the interrogations before Kunle cut in.

"You mean how she helped you out of your mess? 'Desewa, don't..."

"Don't what? What has Fikayo done to make you this upset? Tell me this minute... " Sewa moved closer to Kunle and stared into his eyes as if to get out the answers from them.

Kunle laughed sarcastically and moved away to another side of the sitting room.

"It doesn't matter what help you think she's rendered. All I'm saying is I don't want that lady around my woman. Simple!" Kunle said emphatically and looked away. He ignored Sewa completely as she continued to insist on an explanation for Kunle's opinion about Fikayo. He however, waited for his wife to spit out whatever she had left to say before picking his key and walking up the stairs.

Once he was in the bedroom, he shut the door behind him, walked into the bathroom and turned on the tap. He needed to think. He wasn't sure his wife understood the type of friends (at least the two dominant friends) she had, neither was he completely ready to let her on some things. She wouldn't be able to handle it, he thought to himself. He wished his wife could just trust him this one time when it mattered most. He washed his face a couple of times, placed his head under the tap of the hand basin and allowed the water run over his head. He heard his phone ring the first time but ignored it. When his phone began to ring the second time, he turned off the tap and rushed out of the bathroom to pick the call.

"Yes? Any news?" He asked immediately after seeing who it was that was calling.

"Actually, yes. Are you home?" The caller at the other end of the line paused a bit.

"Yes, I'm home. Any new development? " Kunle was in no mood for suspense. He needed updates and he needed them immediately!

"Apart from his visit to the studio..."

"Okay. You're wasting my time. I know about that. Is there a new development? " Kunle hissed beneath his breath, sat on his wife's dressing chair and began taking off his socks. He heard footsteps but he really couldn't care if his wife walked in any minute to find out what he's been up to. It was all for her good.

"He stopped by at the Owosenis to drop a package before driving back to his apartment. I waited for a few hours but nothing special happened. No one came visiting, and there was no sign of him leaving like he's been saying " The man at the other end of the line paused.

"And you didn't see Jide, either?" Kunle was beginning to lose his cool. He stood up from the chair and walked back into the bathroom, then walked out again.

"I followed Jide after he dropped him off at his apartment. He only stopped by at a grocery store before heading home."

"So... What do you think is happening? " Kunle ran his hands through his head.

"I think he knows he's been trailed. I may be wrong but I don't think he's going back tomorrow, not with this Fikayo issue. "

"Okay. Okay. Call me when you notice anything strange. Call me anytime! " Kunle ended the call and walked back into the bathroom. This time, he shut the door behind him. He needed a cold bath, he suddenly began to feel really hot from inside.

Sewa stepped away from the door leading to their bedroom after standing for a few minutes. She didn't plan to eavesdrop but when she heard Kunle say he knew about Tade's visit to the studio, she felt the floor open and about to swallow her. Her husband knew something major that she didn't know. Kunle had been stalking her, or no, following, no... She didn't know what to call it but her husband knew her every move.
She rushed downstairs to get her bag. She poured the contents out on the chair and began checking everywhere in the bag for just about anything that looked like a tracking device. It was insane to think Kunle would bug her office, the house and maybe, just maybe, her personal belongings starting with her phone, then her favorite bag of all time. She wasn't sure of what to think and this was a really tricky situation. She had omitted Tade's visit from the events of the day intentionally. It was going to be difficult to ask about the conversation he was having that revolved around Tade.
As she searched every compartment of the bag carefully, her phone began to ring.
She pushed aside the many things she had poured out to find her phone. It was Fikayo that was calling.
Sewa looked at the phone till the call ended. She wanted to pick the call so badly but was afraid that her husband would hear the details of their conversation, especially since it seemed the entire house was bugged. Her phone rang a second time, and then a third time. Sewa sighed and ended the call this time around. She typed a message, apologizing for her inability to pick calls at the moment and asked Fikayo to send an address where they could meet the following day. It was urgent, she included. Once she received a delivery notification, she deleted the message.

She was about dropping her phone when it occurred to her to check Tade's social media update. She had not done that since Tade arrived in Nigeria and after the terrible incident. There was no update on any of his social media platforms for the past three months. She checked his whatsapp profile picture and it was a picture of his son. She found herself smiling but immediately came to her senses. Tade was no good. He needed help! She thought to herself. She refreshed her whatsapp contacts and began scrolling through her contacts to see updated profile pictures till she got to Tade's profile again. The picture had changed to a picture of all five members of their university clique (Tade, Sewa, Thando, Felix, and Fikayo) back in University of Pretoria, with a status that read "...because friends will always be our clothing". She hissed, threw her phone on the sofa and rested her back.

***

Bosun held the package and examined it for the umpteenth time. He was tempted to open it but it was addressed to his wife. He had arrived earlier from the hospital and decided to prepare a surprise dinner for his wife. Fikayo wouldn't expect him to be home, since he was meant to be on duty till the next morning. However, Bosun was able to swap shifts with a colleague. He stopped by the mall to get shrimps to prepare the surprise meal. He noticed the package just as he was about opening the door. He managed to pick it with one hand, while the rest of his bags were in the other. Once he stepped in, he dropped the package on the dinning and then, rushed into the kitchen to get started on the meal preparation. He took a break when all ingredients were in the pot and food was already cooking, to check the time; it was almost 4.00pm. Next he went to check his phone and realised his his wife had not called nor sent him a message like she usually did. It was then he decided to call his wife and she yelled at him. He was confused for a short while but he shrugged and went on with his surprise meal. It must be the hormones and work stress, he thought to himself.

Fikayo only realised what she had done after calming herself down. She went through her phone, noticed it was Bosun that called but decided on not calling him back to apologize just yet. It would be easier to blame her reaction on work once she was home, tired and exhausted from the traffic. However, she got home to the nicest aroma of yam porridge and immediately began to apologize, hug and thank Bosun all at the same time. She was pleasantly surprised that her husband took time from work to treat her to her favorite meal, which fortunately was the best meal her husband could prepare.

She rambled on about how hectic work was and his many "sorry, eehyah, pele" was just enough to take her mind off everything that ensued earlier that day. When she tried to clean up after they were done eating, Bosun insisted on cleaning up, with emphasis on how the surprise involved letting her take the day off from the kitchen for the entire evening.

"I should get pregnant more often. You're spoiling me silly" Fikayo blushed as her husband carried the tray containing their empty plates to the kitchen.

"If I don't spoil you, who will? " Bosun laughed.

"Now, go take a cold bath. I'll join you soon." He pushed her gently out of the kitchen.

"Okay daddy." Fikayo laughed her way into the bedroom to get undressed.

She was still undressing when she sighted a green gift box with a large bow on top. Her smile widened as she tried to guess what what gift Bosun had gotten her.
She hurried to the gift box, noticed a small card attached to the bow, opened it and saw just her name written in the card - "Fikayo Owoseni". Her heartbeat increased as she opened the box. But once the box was opened, her countenance changed. There was a vintage bronze ring wrapped in piles of cotton wool and a small note saying she could have the ring as a token of friendship. She began to shake. Tade's madness had begun, and this time, it was all her fault. She heard the door open and the box fell from her hands. She hurried to pick up the ring that had now rolled underneath the bed before Bosun could notice anything but it was too late. She pushed the rest of the cotton wool into the box, closed it and rushed into the bathroom with the box.

"You've seen the package that came for you? " Bosun walked in and noticed the gift box was no longer on the spot where he placed it.

"Yes. It's from Chioma and some church peeps" Fikayo left the water running even though she just sat by the bath. She lied again. Lying was gradually becoming a part of her. She sighed heavily.

"Okay. I'll join you soon, need to check the scores". Bosun said before leaving the bedroom for the sitting room.

"Okay." Once Fikayo was sure that he had left the bedroom, she rushed out of the bathroom, found the ring and then took her phone with her as she rushed back into the bathroom.
Sewa was the last person she intended to call but she found herself dialing Sewa's number. She dialed the number two more times before giving up. She dropped her phone on a safe part of the handbasin before bathing. Once she was done, she checked her phone for the message that came in while she was bathing. Even though she was worried about the next step to take, she was glad Sewa suggested they met the following day. She had to tell someone about her crime. She wasn't sure of what the consequences of speaking out would be. But she needed to alert someone about a possible replay of Tade's madness. And the earlier she did, the better it would be for everyone, she hoped.


***Bed of Roses by Faith Tunde-Yara OLATUNBOSUN
***Photo credit: mrgerrenalist.com