Her heart was beating fast. She did not know what to expect. In her mind, she kept repeating ‘breathe and just calm down, everything would be alright’. As the blue Benz parked in front of three bedroom bungalow with a rusty gate. She knew the moment had come. It was the D-day was here. Dele held her hand and reassured her.
“My parents would love you”, He said with a wide grin that showed his diastema. In fact, that was one of the qualities that attracted her to him. She smiled weakly then dipped her hand into her bag. Dele smiled again as he watched her freshen up her make up.
She was not only wearing false lashes, not long enough to sweep a room though but was on red lipstick and face fully powdered in Mac cosmetics. He had known her to be vain but liked her regardless. She could not quite remember if there was any time he saw her without makeup. That was because she loved to stay ‘glammed up’.
He held on to her hands, she cautioned him to be careful lest he broke her newly fixed nails. ‘Are we ready?’ Dele asked as he moved to open the car.
“Just a moment please”, Titi said as she stole a last glance at her face with the head mirror.
They had been dating for some months now. Dele, who was completely mesmerised with his new love, could not wait to show her to his parents. His close friends were already aware and started calling her ‘Iyawo‘. On his phone screen, it was Titi. He used every slight opportunity to flaunt his ‘babe’.
There was no one close to Dele that didn’t know his woman except his parents. Though they were aware that he was in a relationship, they had not got the chance to meet the lady. On one hand, Dele’s parents were happy that their son would be settling down.
It appeared to be a long time coming. He was already approaching his 40s. Being the first child, saddled with so much responsibility, he seemed to be engrossed in every other matter except marriage. When he revealed he would be settling down, it was a joyous moment for those who ‘had been on his case’. Dele and Titi found love in a hopeless place. At that point, a love affair was from their minds. One thing led to another and like they say, the rest became history.
In the posh sitting room of the Ajagbe’s, Titi strengthened her dress while Dele went in to greet his parents and announce their arrival. It was a clumsy affair in the dining room. Titi seemed too self-conscious because she felt Mrs. Ajagbe’s prowling eyes on her. It was silence during the meal since it was wrong to talk with food in one’s mouth. Back in the sitting room, they all settled down to discuss. All appeared to be going well until the discussion tilted to Titi’s appearance. From asking about her family background to career and future ambition, Mrs. Ajagbe dropped the bomb. “Young lady, do you mind? We would like to see you without your makeup. Can you clean it up?” Even after the meal, her made up face was still lit because she took her time.
“Imagine the embarrassment”, Titi thought to herself. She turned to Dele. He was giving a sign to his mother to stop the question.
“We are waiting dear” The sarcasm in Mrs. Ajgbe’s voice was clear. It dawned on Titi that this was no joke and she was settling for more drama in the future.
“I am sorry ma but I can’t “Titi answered. Meanwhile, Mr. Ajagbe was behaving like he was watching his favourite club play.
” It’s either that or walk away”. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Titi stood up and left with Dele chasing after her.