…Continued from Chapter Nineteen.
It was him!!! Who in the world would’ve guessed all along that the ‘London boy’ was Lekan! The guy Tola had been talking about all this time was the same Lekan I dated back in school! I wouldn’t have believed it if someone else had narrated this story to me.
Our hands were locked in each other’s for a few seconds, both dumbfounded, we had no words.
A million thoughts breezed through my mind about the conversation we were about to have but I was too paralyzed to say anything.
“Have you guys met before?” The sound of Tola’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
The suspicion on her face was glaring.
“No!” I replied shaking his hand more vigorously.
I am not entirely sure why I lied about knowing who he was, perhaps it was a thoughtless mistake.
“Hi, I have heard a lot about you,” I said unconvincingly.
Lekan seemed astounded by my response but quickly recovered and played along.
“All good things I hope,” he replied with an accent I could barely understand.
Physically, Lekan had grown bigger; he was now fully bearded and looked a lot different from the guy I dated back in school and the fact that Tola was very much aware of our relationship history played a huge part in my reaction. I also wasn’t about to spoil her moment seeing how excited she seemed about their relationship.
On the surface, I looked calm but I was screaming on the inside as we took our seats. I was now sitting on the same table with my first love and the man that perpetrated the most heinous emotional crimes against me.
I had always wondered how it would be when I see him again after many years but this was nothing compared to what I imagined.
“Get a grip!” I whispered to myself. I was nervous and didn’t quite know what to say. Some part of me was glad to see him but I showed no emotions and my poker face did not let me down this time.
“So what do you do for a living?” I asked.
“I work with an NGO that specializes in providing potable drinking water in impoverished communities in third world countries around the world,” he replied.
“Oh, I see. So, what brings you home?”
“After many years of living and working abroad, I opted for a transfer to Nigeria because I feel it is finally time to return home and start something… maybe a family.”
From the corner of my eye, I could see Tola, admiring him and how her face lit up every time he spoke. He seemed quite reformed especially with his manner of speech but I could see through the façade. ‘A leopard never changes its spot,’ I mumbled to myself.
My mum always said people never really change unless by some divine intervention and I had come to know this firsthand.
“You guys should keep talking, I’ll be back.” Tola excused herself and headed for the restroom. As soon as she was out of sight, I prepared myself for war!
To be continued next week.