Hidden Currents (Lagos Romance Series) Page 7

  It was a peaceful weekend. From the moment she arrived at the little bungalow her father had built for Granny in a quiet neighborhood in Owerri, Granny had done nothing but urge her to rest, eat and rest again. “You are too thin.” She scolded. “Are you no longer eating because I am not in Lagos to cook for you?” At Ada’s lack of response, she had added. “A woman must cook you know, food is still the best way to a man’s heart.”

  Ada sighed. She had heard it all before, while she knew she was a good cook, she did not intend to travel to anybody’s heart through his stomach. Well maybe Eddie. She’d cook for Eddie. The thought embarrassed her, so she pushed it away.

  Eddie called so often she wondered if he was bothering to pay attention at the wedding he was attending in Abuja. He entertained her with details, like how the ring bearer had refused to give up the ring when it was time for the pronouncement, and had burst into tears when it was forcefully taken from him, and how the bride and the groom seemed to be doing a dance-off at the reception. Many of his friends were also there, his kind of people, Ada found herself wondering jealously if any of the girls were pretty, and if anyone would catch his eye.

  Throughout the weekend, Granny avoided the topic of Ada’s Dad. It was not a topic Ada or her brother ever cared to discuss, and Granny knew that more than anyone did. Ada was aware that now that Granny was living in Owerri, she saw her son more often than before, but she didn’t really care. Her father had abandoned them emotionally too long ago for her to care about him at all.

  Too soon, the weekend was over. On Sunday afternoon Granny hugged her teary eyed as the taxi driver waited to take her to the airport.

  “Try to call often.” She chided. “Your brother’s wife Ify calls me almost every day,” She added, with a slight note of accusation. “She has even invited me to Lagos many times to visit, and she wants to come here this Christmas. Eh! Meanwhile my own baby is too busy to call me.”

  “I call you, Granny.” Ada protested weakly.

  “Not enough.” The older woman replied sternly. Then she added more softly. “Give that young man who keeps calling a chance,” She said. “I want more great-grandchildren now that I’m still strong enough to enjoy them.”

  Ada couldn’t help laughing at that. “Granny! He’s just my friend!” She said.

  “Ha!” Granny said, unconvinced. “At least you have accepted that it is a young man.” She smiled. “That’s good enough for me.”

  On the flight back to Lagos, Ada thought about what her granny had said. It was funny, how not long ago she had been thinking about children, and now Granny was saying that she wanted great-grandchildren. Was everything conspiring to push her towards Eddie?

  But who knew what his intentions were? He had said that he liked her, but what did that mean really? That he wanted to have a relationship? Date casually? Sleep with her? It could be anything. It could be that he just liked a challenge. Who knew, maybe he had challenged himself to get her into bed and was willing to do anything to achieve that. Guys had been known to do things like that before.

  She sighed. Those thoughts were unfair to Eddie. He wasn’t that kind of guy.

  What kind of guy was he exactly?

  It was all too tiring to think about, she decided. She shouldn’t allow herself to get distracted just because Eddie was paying her some attention. That was no excuse to deviate from her short-term plan for her life, which was simple, save money, publish pictures, take some more pictures, have an exhibition, have some more exhibitions, and maybe win some awards.

  The more she thought about the plan, the more she realized that it didn’t seem as exciting as it used to before. Some rebellious voice in her mind was demanding for other items to be added to the list. Things like ‘fall in love ’, ‘get married’ and ‘have children’ were beginning to seem attractive enough to include in the plan. Ah! This was all Eddie’s fault.

  She arrived in Lagos before he did. His mobile was still switched off when she tried it. She toyed with the idea of leaving him and just taking a taxi home. She was determined to reduce the amount of time she gave him anyway. It was time to take her life back. Ada Arinze was not a silly girl who would lose herself over a man. Maybe what she really needed was some space to clear her head.

  Her phone beeped. It was a text from Eddie. He must have sent it before he left Abuja.

  ‘Don’t even think of leaving.’ It said.

  He knew her well enough to know she would think about it. She chuckled to herself and decided to wait. She was reading a book when his plane arrived, she didn’t even hear them announce the arrival. But as if she had felt him arrive, she looked up just as he walked into the arrival lounge.

  He was wearing blue jeans, a grey t-shirt and a black jacket, and as he came towards her, pulling a small box behind him, she couldn’t help staring. There was none of that rumpled airplane look about him, he looked good, he looked classy, he looked magnificent.

  She wasn’t the only one staring at him. She noticed that there were many appreciative looks going his way. She did her best to suppress the stab of jealousy that went through her. Don’t look at him, she wanted to tell them, he may not be mine, but today he’s here for me.

  She smiled and stood up to greet him. She didn’t expect him to let go of his box and pull her into a hug, but that’s what he did. She started in surprise as he drew her close and wrapped his arms around her.

  Oh but it felt nice. He smelled so fresh and clean, cologne, clean clothes and Eddie, it was heady.

  Her head only reached up to his chest, in the few seconds the embrace lasted, it was very tempting, so tempting to just lest her head rest on the wide expanse for just a second.

  She pulled back, and he let her go, his smile not diminishing. “You look great.” He said, “Owerri agrees with you.”

  She smiled back. “It was my granny,” She told him almost shyly, remembering the long phone conversations they had had in the last couple of hours. “She always takes good care of me.” She paused. “You look great too. Did you have a good time?”

  “So So.” He said with a shrug. “Did you wait long?” He asked, his expression full of concern.

  Oh! Why did he always have to be so truly nice? “Not really.” She replied. “About fifteen minutes.”

  He smiled. “Good.” He took her travel bag and slung it over his shoulder, then held out a hand to her. “Shall we?”

  She nodded and took his hand.

  A car was already waiting outside to pick them, not the Mercedes Eddie always drove, but a sleek black sedan car. The driver was a jolly looking older man, a little too formally dressed for a weekend. He greeted Eddie warmly and said a friendly welcome to Ada. As he took their bags to put them in the boot, Eddie introduced him.

  “Monday is one of my father’s drivers.” He told Ada. She could sense his fondness for the older man in the tone of his voice. “He’s been with us for as long as I can remember. He is practically a member of the family.”

  Ada nodded and returned Monday’s friendly smile. “Nice to meet you.” She said to him.

  “Welcome.” Monday said. “How was Abuja?”

  Ada realized that he thought she and Eddie had arrived together from Abuja.

  “Ada just arrived from Owerri.” Eddie corrected Monday before she could say anything. He looked slightly amused.

  Monday looked a little disappointed but he kept his smile on.

  They got into the car. It was luxurious. Ada sank back into the soft leather seats and sighed. How the rich lived!

  She almost fell asleep. Then a pothole on the road jolted her a little too roughly and she opened her eyes to find Eddie looking at her, a very tender expression on his face. She sat up, feeling suddenly shy.

  “You must be very tired.” He observed.

  “Kind of,” She sighed. “I shouldn’t be, seeing as I didn’t lift a finger throughout the weekend. Maybe it was the pressure at 33,000ft.”

  He nodded. “You should rest.” He said. “Ar
e you hungry?”

  She nodded. “Famished.”

  He smiled. “How about you come over to my place and I’ll rustle up something for you to eat?”

  She laughed. “Something actually edible?” She asked.

  He looked affronted. “For your information, I am a very good cook.”

  “I’ll have to see it… or taste it to believe it.” She said, with a doubtful smile.

  “Well?” He was waiting for an answer. She sighed. Why had she thought he was going to just drop her at home and leave her alone? She didn’t have the strength to argue, or cook something herself for that matter.

  “Okay,” She acquiesced, “Let’s go to your place.”

  He grinned. Ah! Those dimples! How could she ever say no to him? When ‘Yes’ meant the sight of those darlings on his cheeks.

  It was still light when they got to Surulere. As Monday maneuvered the car towards Eddie’s house, Ada realized that she had never been there before. Was she crossing a line by going to his place? Maybe telling him somehow, that she was now interested, or available?

  She wasn’t very aware of the rules or politics involved in situations like these. When she was younger, the simple rule had been, ‘Don’t go to a guy’s house alone’. Did that rule still apply at their ages? Eddie was not an immature schoolboy or a sexual predator ready to jump her bones as soon as the opportunity presented itself. After all, he could have tried a couple of times already, at her place, but he hadn’t.

  Stop over thinking this, she told herself, just enjoy his company.

  Monday drove into one of those quiet gated streets lined with evergreen trees. Eddie’s place was at the end of the street. It wasn’t an apartment as she had thought, it was a house, a detached, two level house, old, but beautifully restored, from the roof to the exquisite landscaping.

  “This is your where you live?” She exclaimed in admiration as she took in the house, looking very picturesque in the late afternoon light. “It is lovely.”

  “You think so?” He looked pleased. “I bought it about a year ago, the owner died, and his children live abroad so they were eager to sell. It was old, falling to pieces, and I thought, why not make something beautiful out of it?”

  “It’s big though, for just one person.” Ada observed, then almost bit her tongue when she realized how suggestive that sounded.

  “I know.” He smiled. “But I don’t plan to be alone forever.”

  Ada felt her stomach tense at his words. It. Doesn’t. Mean. Anything! She told herself sternly. Of course, he won’t be alone forever! He’s going to settle down someday. And don’t start to imagine it will be with you.

  As Monday retrieved their bags from the trunk, Eddie took her hand and led her along the paved walkway to the front door.

  Some wonderful work had been done here, she thought admiringly as her eyes took in the shrubs and flowers, the trees, and the house itself. He had retained elements of the old architecture and introduced new things as well.

  “Did you ever think of selling it?”

  He nodded. “I got some really great offers.” He said. “And I was tempted, but I’d fallen in love with the place already, and I just had to keep it.” He smiled. “But I discovered a market. I have refurbished some more houses and made a good profit from the sales.”

  Ada rolled her eyes. She already knew about his Midas touch. He just had to think about something to make a profit out of it.

  The interior was as nice as the exterior. At the entrance hall, the walls were different shades of white and cream with a beautiful crystal chandelier hanging from the double volume ceiling. Through an archway, she could see the living room, a dining room. A couple of doors led to other spaces while right in front of her a marble staircase led to the top floor.

  “Your house is beautiful.” She said earnestly. “I wish I had my camera with me.”

  “Feel free to come take pictures whenever you want.” He still hadn’t let go of her hand. It felt warm and sweet to just stand there holding hands. She smiled at him, he smiled back.

  Monday came in with their luggage. Eddie let go of her hand and went to take them. After Monday had left, with one last smile and goodnight at her, Eddie came back but he didn’t take her hand again.

  “So I would offer you a tour, but I’m sure you’re too tired.” He walked towards the living room. “Take a seat, and put your feet up.” He said, doing his best impression of a maître d’homo. “Dinner will be served shortly.”

  Ada followed him into the living room. “So what are we having?” She asked. “Cheese and crackers.”

  He chuckled. “Oh ye of little faith.” He said. “What would you like?”

  “What do you have?” She replied.

  He grinned wickedly. “Don’t tempt me.” He disappeared into the kitchen and came back a moment later. “Rice?” He asked.

  She nodded.

  After a while, she got bored and went to join him in the spacious kitchen. He had a rice cooker on as well as a small pot of stew warming on the cooker.

  “Warming food is not the same thing as cooking.” Ada told him.

  “It’s the same thing when I’m warming food that I cooked.” He smiled at her.

  She tried to remember if any guy had ever cooked a meal for her before. It felt strangely nice. Maybe the way to her heart was through her stomach as well.

  “Now be a good girl and don’t distract me.” Eddie said teasingly.

  “Yes, Mr. Bakare.” Ada replied and left him alone to his culinary endeavors. She wandered back into the living room and plopped down on the couch. It was insanely soft! She ran her fingers over the soft leather and tried to resist the temptation to doze. She switched on the TV. She was still flicking channels when Eddie came back carrying a tray loaded with food.

  “Are you sure you cooked this yourself?” She asked suspiciously, as they settled to eat.

  He nodded. “Yes! My mother was very insistent. I had to learn to do everything same as my sisters.”

  His mother must be a formidable woman, Ada thought. Cooking was no longer as important as it used to be, even kids from families less well off than his, were refusing to learn to cook these days, and their parents were helpless to do anything about it.

  It was delicious. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was until she took the first forkful and then she couldn’t stop, she cleared her plate fairly quickly.

  Afterwards she joined him as he cleaned the dishes. He was all apologies, trying to convince her that she shouldn’t bother, that he would take care of them. He had a houseboy, who usually did all the housework, he told her, but he had the weekend off.

  She ignored him, and stayed at his side until the kitchen was spick and span. Afterwards they went back to the living room and sat side by side on the couch, Ada felt full and languorous, her mind was too tired even to register any alarm at the fact that they were sitting so close together. She should ask him to take her home, she thought as she rested her head on his chest, but she was too tired, and it felt so cozy on the couch, she decided to close her eyes just for a little while.

  It was dark when she woke up. She started in alarm. She was still on the couch. Her head was resting on Eddie’s chest and his arm was around her shoulders. She tried to move, but he was sound asleep and he didn’t let go. She instinctively snuggled closer to him. It felt very nice. She sighed. What time was it? She wondered. Was it too late to go home? Had she spent the night at Eddie’s house?

  Her phone rang, again. So that was what had woken her up. She stood up, gently lifting Eddie’s arm away. He didn’t wake up, and in that moment she realized that she could look all she wanted at his gorgeous face, and his long limbed body. He looked so handsome in the dimmed lights of the living room. She reached out to touch his face, her phone beeped again.

  She sighed and went get it, she didn’t want the noise to wake Eddie up and deny her the pleasure of looking at him with no interruption. In her urgency, she didn’t even look at the scree
n before answering.

  “Ada baby,” It was Dele Solanke’s hated voice again. Ada sighed. Of course, he would be the one to spoil the peaceful moment she was having with Eddie. A glance at a wall clock told her it was almost 9pm. Why was he calling her so late?

  “So you don’t want to talk to me? If it were that your boyfriend, I’m sure you will want to talk.” His mocking voice said through the phone. He sounded drunk, Ada decided. And what was he going on about? What boyfriend?

  “Why are you calling?” She asked, exasperation showing in her voice.

  “Why am I calling?” He repeated. “You are such a pretender.” He laughed meanly. “You like to act as if you are a Virgin Mary but you’re just like every other girl, aren’t you? Just waiting for the right price.” His voice rose accusingly.

  What was this nonsense? Ada thought impatiently, why was he calling to insult her? “Look…” She started angrily.

  “No you look.” He interrupted. “I met your boyfriend in Abuja, fine young man, was interested in the logistics of publishing a book of photography.” He laughed. “I told him it would cost a lot of money and he said he would be willing to bankroll it.” He laughed again, more meanly. “If not love what is that eh!” He said. “I had to find out who this photographer was,” He continued, “because I was sure it couldn’t be my own Ada.”

  Ada felt outrage build in her head until she could hardly breathe. I am going to kill him, she thought angrily, not really sure if she was thinking about Eddie or Dele.

  “Is the photographer well known, I asked him,” Dele continued. “Well, she does some great work for one of my old projects right now, he says. And we both know he is talking about ‘Living Lagos’ Don’t we? So it is my Ada after all. My Ada won’t drop it for a poor old man, but as soon as billions of stolen money knocks on her door, she can’t help herself.”

  “Don’t ever call me again,” Ada heard herself shout into the phone, “Don’t ever ever call me again do you hear me? If I ever hear from you again I will find your wife and tell her everything you’ve said to me. You dirty old he-goat.” She almost threw the phone across the room. She was so angry. How dare he?