I shook my head. ‘Your sister is already expecting me.’

‘Call her and tell her you’ll be coming tomorrow.’

Her words, surprisingly had a big hold on me. I pandered. She came to me and held me in that passionate way. I had always been a strong-willed person. But with Lizzy, I was becoming pliant. To her, of course.

‘Alright,’ I said. ‘I’ll call her and tell her to expect me tomorrow.’

‘Oh, thank you. You’re such a darling.’ And she kissed me briefly again.

I dialed the number of my wife. ‘How’re you, Fransisca, darling?’

‘Hello, dear. How’re you?’

‘I’m fine. Just want to tell you I won’t be able to come down to Lagos today.’

‘What happened? Hope no problem?’

‘No. It’s the work,’ I lied. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll be in Lagos unfailingly tomorrow morning.’

‘Ops, the children will be disappointed.

Anyway, it’s okay. See you tomorrow morning, then.’

‘Please explain to them why daddy will not be making it tonight. Bye.’ I disconnected the line.
Lizzy had been studying me with athought over this smile.

‘Are you pleased now?’ I asked her.

She came to hug me. ‘I just want to be with you,’ she said.

‘It’s alright.’ I relaxed and sat on the bed. Just then, there was a knock on the door.

‘Who’s it?’ I called out.

‘I want to know if I should come in to carry your bag,’ the house maid said.

‘Don’t worry,’ I replied. ‘I’m not traveling again today.’

There was a slight pause. ‘Alright, sir,’ the maid said and left.

‘Thanks for staying till tomorrow,’ Lizzy said.
‘It’s okay. Anything for my Lizzy.’

She came to sit on my laps. I knew I was playing a dangerous game with her, but seemed helpless about it. Come to think of it, the game seemed to be getting more intriguing and sweeter.

‘So, have you got your primary posting now?’ I asked.

‘Yes. Ministry of Youth and Culture. I’ll report there on Monday.’

‘Oh that’s good.’ I wrapped my right hand round her. my phone rang and I checked the caller. Zaynab was on the line. I let the phone to ring on and on.

‘Won’t you answer your call?’ Lizzy asked.

I shook my head. ‘It’s not important.’ After a while, Zaynab stopped calling. I put the phone on a stool.

‘What will you like to eat tonight?’ she asked.

I smiled. ‘I’ll tell the cook to prepare amala and ewedu soup.’

‘I can prepare it.’

I rubbed her back. ‘Oh, no. Why bother yourself when the cook is there? Let her do her work.’

There was another knock at the door.
‘Yes, who is it?’

‘Munirat, sir,’ the house maid said. ‘You have a visitor, sir.’

‘Who?’

Nice one.

‘Munirat, sir,’ the house maid said. ‘You have a visitor, sir.’

‘Who?’

‘She said she be Perm. Sec., sir.’

I was surprised to hear that. The Perm. Sec. in my house? ‘Alright, I’m coming.’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘Who did she say wanted to see you?’ Lizzy asked in curiosity.

‘She said the Perm. Sec. That must be Ms. Alexander.’

She shrugged while I sighed. ‘Let me go and attend to her.’ Lizzy got up from my legs while I left the bed-room to attend to my visitor.

‘Madam, what a surprise! It’s good to see you,’ I greeted the guest in my sitting-room.

The woman looked at me and smiled warmly. ‘How d’you do, Mr. Ayoola?’

‘Fine, madam. It’s an honor to have you here.’
‘The pleasure is mine.’

I sat on a sofa not too far from her. ‘What can I offer you, madam?’

She smiled and shook her head. ‘Perhaps, another time. I was just passing in the neighborhood and I decided to come and say hello.’

‘Oh, very kind of you ma’am.’

It was indeed a surprise to have her in my residence. She had never visited before and had not given an inkling to her coming.

‘How’re you finding this your environment?’ she wanted to know.

‘Fine. So far so good.’

She nodded. ‘By the end of the month, you’ll be given your real official residence. Just like I said, this is just a stop-gap measure.’

‘Yes, ma’am.’

We chatted a bit more and she stood up. ‘I’ll be on my way,’ she said.

I stood up too. ‘Thank you very much for coming.’

I accompanied her out to her car. I waved at her as she was driven off, still wondering at her surprise visit. I went back to the house. Lizzy was still holed up in my bed-room.

She smiled up at me when I re-entered the room.

‘How’s your visitor?’ she asked.

‘She’s gone.’

‘Is she your woman friend?’

I laughed shortly. ‘Come on, Lizzy. She’s the Permanent Secretary of my Ministry.’

I sat by her side on the bed and wrapped my right hand on her shoulders.

‘Are you sure she is not your woman friend?’

‘No, she’s not. I don’t have a woman friend.’

‘What about Zaynab?’

I was surprised she mentioned that name. ‘Who?’

‘Zaynab. Who’s she to you?’

‘How did you know that name?’

She pointed at my phone. ‘SHE was the one calling you the other time.’

My natural reaction would have been to express indignation at her going through my phone without my permission. But I was not angry. With Lizzy, so many things were changing.

I grinned. ‘She’s just a woman friend.’

‘I don’t think so.’

I was curious about her challenge. ‘And what makes you not to think so?’

‘From what she told me.’

Now, I was stupefied. ‘What a minute, are you saying you called her?’

‘Yes, I did.’

I opened my mouth. ‘With my phone?’

‘Yes.’ She looked at me straight in the eyes.

Again, my natural response would have been serious indignation. How dare she do that? How could she pick my phone, go through my privacy and call a lady whose number was on the phone?

I breathed in and out fast. I was surprised that I felt no anger for her.

Nice update.

Go on.

I breathed in and out fast. I was surprised that I felt no anger for her.
‘I told her to back off; that I’m your sweet-heart, your girlfriend,’ she continued very calmly. ‘And that she should get herself another boyfriend.’
I got to my feet. ‘Oh, God. You said all that?’
SHE was studying me. I paced briefly around the room.
‘Why are you behaving as if you hate me?’ she asked.
I was surprised again. ‘Hate you? What are you talking about?’
‘Because you look very angry.’
I tried to calm down. ‘I was just wondering at your audacity.’
‘If you really like me, you won’t behave like that.’
SHE was forcing me to be on the defensive. Lizzy had pushed me on the defense line.
‘Of course, I like you, Lizzy.’
‘I don’t want you to have any other girlfriend. If you must be unfaithful to my sister, I must be the only option.’
I sighed deeply. Now, she was telling me that I was unfaithful. ‘Well, I guess faithfulness would have been better in a case like this.’
My phone rang. Zaynab was calling again. Lizzy picked it and answered it.
‘Yes, what do you want again?’
At the other end, Zaynab was perplexed. I could faintly hear her voice. ‘Please, I’ll like to speak with Tife. Is he there?’
‘Yes, he’s here,’ Lizzy replied slowly. ‘But he doesn’t want to speak with you.’
‘That can’t be,’ Zaynab said almost in frustration. ‘Please, give him the phone.’
‘What nonsense is all this?’ Lizzy’s tone rose up. ‘He is not interested in you again and does not want to talk to you! Can’t you understand simple English? Don’t call him again. Bye-bye!’
With that, Lizzy terminated the conversation.

I was amazed. I was not so amazed at Lizzy’s impudence of picking my call right in my presence. I was amazed that despite the impudence, I did nothing about it.
Lizzy was all smiles as she dropped the phone on the stool. ‘That should settle it. I hope she never calls again.’
I could not find a word to say. A whole me could not say anything!
‘Are you angry with me?’ she asked.
I tried a grin. ‘No.’
‘Why are you standing away from your baby girl?’
I grinned again and moved to sit by her side on the bed, wrapping her shoulders with my right hand. She encircled my waist with her hands, placing her head on my right shoulder.
‘Are you mad at me?’ she asked again.
I smiled. ‘Oh, no,’ I found myself saying. ‘You have done the right thing, my dear.’ I caressed her back and kissed her cheek.

Cool

‘Are you mad at me?’ she asked again.

I smiled. ‘Oh, no,’ I found myself saying. ‘You have done the right thing, my dear.’

I caressed her back and kissed her cheek.



***

We took our dinner, each sitting at his/her favorite sitting chair. It was few minutes to eight and I was still in Abuja, courtesy of Lizzy. We savored our meal and thereafter went to the living room to watch the television. We hardly talked to each other, but even then, our silence conveyed a lot of meanings.

We were bound together in secret love affair. It was a conspiracy we hoped to keep from public view, even from the domestic servants. So, while we were in the sitting-room, we knew we did not have to say much. we would have more than enough time in the confine and privacy of my bedroom to explicitly express themselves.

We watched the movies till about midnight. I stood up to retire to my bedroom. Expectedly, few minutes after I was there, Lizzy came to join me.

‘Hello,’ she greeted, smiling.

‘Hi.’ I had already changed into pajamas and was lying on the bed.

She came to lie down by my side. I held her left hand.

‘What’re you thinking about?’ she asked.

I shrugged. ‘Nothing important’.

‘Are you thinking of her?’

I blinked rapidly. ‘Who?’

‘My sister, Fransisca?’

She was very right: I was thinking about my wife.

‘Yes,’ I said simply.

‘You missed her so much?’

‘Well, a bit. And I miss the children.’ I smiled again and quickly added: ‘All the same, I’m glad to have you with me, Lizzy.’

She smiled too. ‘Are you sure about that?’

‘Sure, Lizzy.’ I rubbed her hand.

‘I love you,’ she said.

I sighed but said nothing.

‘Won’t you say something?’

I chuckled. ‘I don’t want to say what I have in mind.’

She was totally curious. ‘What do you have in mind?’

‘I think it’s better I don’t say it, baby girl.’

She climbed to sit on my tummy. The child’s play had started again. ‘You’ll have to tell me.’

‘What if I don’t?’

‘Then, I’ll not get down from here.’

I chuckled. my hands caressed her thighs.

She slightly shook her legs. ‘Hmn, hmn, I didn’t say you should do that. You’re under punishment for not saying what you were expected to say.’

‘Sorry, ma,’ I said mockingly. My hands went to her waist.

‘Don’t touch my body,’ she said.

‘Are these ones part of your body?’ My hands went to her breasts.

She playfully slapped my hands and I removed them from where I had placed them.

‘Are they part of your own body?’ she asked rhetorically.

She stared into my eyes. ‘Tell me what you have in mind.’

‘Alright.’ I closed my eyes. ‘What I have in mind is if I should travel from Abuja to Lagos by flight, it’s just about an hour, but if I go by road, I’ll spend over ten hours.’

She grinned and shook her head. ‘That’s not what you have in mind.’

‘How could you tell, dear lady?’

Nice update

‘How could you tell, dear lady?’
‘Because I know that’s not what was on your mind.’
‘Tell me, what’s on my mind, then.’
‘Okay, I’ll tell you. What reward will you give me if I tell you the truth?’
‘Reward?’
‘Yes, reward.’
I thought briefly. ‘I’ll buy one-thousand-naira recharge card for you.’
She shook her head. ‘Hmn, hmn, that’s not what I want.’
‘What do you want?’
She sighed. ‘This is the reward I want, and I want it right now: I don’t want you to have any other girlfriend.’
I was bethought over this. ‘I thought I’ve given my words on that.’
‘I want you to say it solemnly and seriously. Wait.’ She stood up from me and got down from the bed.
I was still bemused over this. ‘Where’re you going?’
‘Give me one minute. I’ll be back.’ She left the bedroom.
Now, what was she up to? I wondered and awaited her. A minute later, she was back.
She came to sit by the bedside, lifted my right thumb and before I knew it, used a razor she had brought to make small cut on the thumb.
‘Ouch! What are you doing?’
‘Sh-sh.’ She made a small cut on her own thumb. A trickle of blood had come out of the two fingers. She joined her thumb with his, such that the blood mixed.
‘Now, swear to me that you’ll never have any other girlfriend again; that I’ll be your only girlfriend.’
‘This is serious, Lizzy! Must we do this?’
‘Yes. Except you’re just deceiving me; except you want to use and dump me.’
I did not believe in this kind of thing. I think it was all hogwash. Since she said that was what she wanted, I decided to oblige. ‘Alright. Let’s do it.’
We did the swearing to the effect that we would always love each other, no matter what, and that apart from my wife, no other lady must ever come between them. She sucked my thumb, while she made me to suck hers. The swearing was over. I sighed. For the second time within four weeks, I had been made to swear to an oath. Goodness!

Lizzy was very happy after the deed.
‘Now, you’re mine and I’m yours,’ she said gleefully.
I nodded. She climbed on the bed again and lay on my body.
‘How heavy am I?’
‘Feather weight.’
She pressed her body on mine. I could feel all the contours – including the breasts, belly, hips, knees and the feet - of her petite body.
‘Still feather weight.’
‘Okay. I like my weight as it is.’
‘I like it too. It makes you portable.’
She planted her mouth on mine. We started with a kiss. My hands went all over chest. I could feel the hardness of the cups of her bra. I wanted more that feeling her bra. My hands slid under her top. I unhooked the bra on her boobs and kissed them. She removed the encumbrances by completely removing her top and the bra. I started to suck on one of her nipples, making my face to be out of sight a little longer. Some seconds later, I went to the wardrobe and retrieved the packet of condoms I had kept for a moment like this.