©️Opeyemi Akintunde
“Uncle!” Leni poked me jokingly
“Are you still here?” Leni asked bringing me back from wherever I went. I had been staring at her. It seem like for the first time I was taking in all the details of her face.
For the first time I was seeing how beautiful she looked; her lips had a natural peach colour to it and they were naturally lined as well, her cheeks were rosy, her neck well structured, her hair though not in place was charcoal black,I gave my eyes the pleasure of travelling down the length of her body and I saw a masterpiece. She still looked beautiful even after having a child…
“ F.D, are you Okay? Why are you looking at me like that?” Leni asked touching my head playfully as if to check if I had a fever. It was our normal way of telling the other person they were behaving abnormally.
“ Why have we never thought of it?” I asked as I sat smiling at my stupidity.
“ Of what?” She asked obviously confused
“ Of What God wants for us, we have been in our faces all this while and it never crossed our mind that God was saying something?” I said convincingly
“What is God saying? “ Leni said looking lost and somewhat afraid of what was likely going to come out of my mouth
“ That we should get marr…” I was saying but Leni stood up sharply…
“ Don’t say it… F.D don’t say nonsense, you are my brother and that would be incest…” Leni said looking at me like I was possessed of the devil.
“ I am not your brother, we were raised together in the same orphanage as siblings but we are not blood related” I corrected her
“F.D stop this… you are the only relative I have, don’t take this away from me, you are the only one I trust…You are my Brother… You have my back always, when anyone hurts me it’s you I run to…” Leni said in a rush
“That’s the more reason we are perfect for each other, With you I am myself, with you there is no shame, Like the way Adam and Eve were Naked with each other and they were not ashamed. Leni, you won’t have problems with me, I already love Roland as my own Son.“ I said stating my case
“ F.D. this will change a lot between us and about us… When the orphanage finds out, they will be more angry with us. They will call worse names. They will say I seduced you as well” Leni stated her concerns
“ They won’t have to find out, no one has to know anything. We can do a quiet wedding in the house just by ourselves or go to the court if you want. I am more comfortable with you as my wife than any other person” I said as a matter of fact.
“Noooo…. “ Leni Screamed running out of the house.. I followed in hot pursuit but she kept screaming…
“Don’t follow me…”
I knew it was better I gave her the space she needed…
I went back in and asked myself…
|” F.D, why do you really want to get married to Leni? Do you love her that much to be your wife? Does she excite you in that way ?”
The answer was real…
“So I can forget Promise and be occupied with someone else” I answered truthfully
“ But won’t that be selfishness, won’t you be robbing Leni of genuine Love?” I believe it was my conscience that was asking me those questions.
“ I will love her genuinely, I already love her, I just need to make myself love her more”
“ Where is my mummy?” Roland asked
Leni had been out for four hours and unfortunately she didn’t take her phone when she ran out in a rush.
“Mummy went to get something for you” I lied as I knew that was the only thing that could pacify him.
“ Ok!” He said.
I could tell he wanted to sleep, so I picked him up and patted him to sleep.
I heard the gate opening, and I held my breath in anticipation, praying it was Leni. The door finally opened and there she was standing before me. She looked like she had been crying.
“ I am sorry” I said
She nodded in response.
Without saying anything, she went into her room and for the first time in all our years of living together, she locked the door from behind. I placed Roland on the Living room chair, and went to her room. I needed to speak with her.
I turned the knob and it didn’t bulge as I had suspected. She had indeed locked herself in. I knocked at the door and it felt really strange.
For years of living together, I could enter Leni’s room even when she was not fully dressed and there was always no problem.
“Leni, I am sorry. If you don’t want to do this, I will respect your decision. Please open the door, don’t shut me out. Shutting me out is more painful than telling me NO. “
“ I will speak with you in the morning, I am exhausted, I took a long walk” Leni replied
“ Roland?”
“Let him sleep in your room?”
It wasn’t strange for Roland to stay in my room, but I was looking for the opportunity to speak with her.
“ Leni… Please can we just talk”
“ F.D, tomorrow… “
I didn’t sleep much , I kept going over my decision. I was convinced I was doing what was right. As a proof of my being right, I realized by thinking about Leni , I was thinking less of Promise.
“ This is what I need!” I told myself.
On waking up in the morning, I realized leni had come in to pick up Roland… He was no longer by me.
“ She is gone!” Was the first thought in my head. I jumped from the bed and raced to the second bedroom. The room was still intact. I went into the living room and found her sitting on the chair lost in thought.
“ Aunty Yemi told me God said my husband is near, Is it possible she was referring to you?” Leni asked without looking at me
“ I think so!” I replied quietly
Leni shook her head as if to say “ No, I don’t want this”
“ Leni, why are you afraid of this great possibility” I asked
“ Because you are the only person I have, if anyone hurts me, I always run to you, but what if we get married and you hurt me, who do I run to?”
“I won’t hurt you, and if I do, you can report me to Aunty Yemi, Shalewa or even God!”
Leni looked at me intently for about a minute before saying..
“ Ok!” Leni said
“ Ok?” I asked not sure if she had just agreed.
Leni raised her brow asking me what I still wanted from her..
‘ Like you are agreeing to marrying me?’ I asked
Leni nodded…
I didn’t know what to do, Kissing her looked strange, I hugged her instead…
“ I promise to be a good husband, our lives will be better than what it is now. Once I make enough money, we will open our Fashion House. We will become a power couple. Two orphans who made it on their own “ I kept on ranting and I saw Leni was trying to catch up with my excitement.
Her phone rang and I saw the caller ID… “SEGUN”. The name was not familiar, so I could tell this was the boyfriend… I took her phone and picked up, Leni tried collecting the phone from my hand, but it was too late..
“ Hello…”
There was a temporal silence on the other side…
“ Hello.. Please I will like to speak with Leni”
“ Leni is here, but I won’t be giving her the phone”
“ Why?” He asked
“ The truth is you can’t marry Leni, I am her brother and I determine who she should get married to. Bye Sir.”
Leni bowed her head, I could tell she felt something for the guy.
I sat beside her and gave her my assuring Hug she always loved , but this time around I wasn’t sure she loved the hug, because she was stiff in my hands..
“ Leni, we are best for each Other” I said…
To be continued
