Eniola rushed out of the kitchen with a flask of food in her hand to the dining table where her eight-year-old daughter, Dami was eating breakfast.
She unzipped her lunch bag and arranged the flask of food and her water bottle on the table in it. Then, she zipped.
At the age of twenty-eight, she was a widow and a single mother. She had lost her husband, Bunmi to an internal disease two years ago when Dami was six.
Eniola was medium-average and dark-skinned. She had almond eyes infringed with long dark lashes and straight brows.
She had long brown hair, high cheekbones, with lush and fleshy lips. She had an hourglass body and rounded hips which drove men crazy when they set their eyes on her.
Ever since the death of her husband, she had lived single with her daughter, refusing to get married to any other man.
Although a lot of men had come seeking a romantic relationship, she had refused to accept their requests.
Eniola worked in an outlet stall as a sales attendant. She provided information to customers, as well as acted as a cashier for them.
She marked their tickets and took inventory as well as materials and merchandise for restocking. It was always a hectic day for her after work and she had to pick Dami up after school as well.
She missed her husband, Bunmi so much and wished he hadn't died. She felt his absence, craved his touches and kisses at night and missed their long talks on the phone.
Tears shimmered in her eyes and she restrained herself from crying. She gazed at Dami who picked her food rather than eating.
"Hurry up," she said, "or you will be late."
Dami raised her head, her eyes misted over. "I am eating," she said.
Lines of worry appeared on her forehead and she sat on one of the chairs.
"Baby, is anything wrong?" she asked.
"Mom, I want to see daddy." She dropped the spoon.
Her hand flew to her mouth and tears streamed down her cheeks. She hadn't expected Dami to ask of him when she had been thinking of him.
"I miss him and I want to see him." Dami bursts into tears.
"My baby," she said, in a quiet voice and moved closer to her. "Daddy isn't coming back, he is gone." She held her hand.
" Why did he have to go? Why didn't he stay with us? My friends talk about their dad a lot, but I don't have anything to say." Dami sniffed.
She stroked her hair and wiped her tears with her thumb. "I also miss him too, I wish your dad was alive. There was nothing the doctor could do to save him."
"He shouldn't have died, mommy. I just want him to carry me in his arms again." Dami wiped her tears with the back of her palm.
"It's okay, Dami. Everything will be fine. I promise." She drew her to her bosom.
She didn't say a word as she ran her hand down her spine. She thought of what to do to make her daughter happy, God knew she was trying her best to.
Dami drew back and peered into her eyes. "Mommy," she called.
"Yes, baby."
"Will you give me another daddy?"
Her brows raised in surprise and her eyes widened. "Dami."
"Will you?"
"I d-d-don't know." She stuttered and glanced at the wall clock. "Jeez! It's seven a.m already."
Dami turned to look at the clock and rose to her feet. "I am going to be late if we don't leave now." She drank some water.
"Yes," she said and eased to her feet.
Eniola edged to the living room and picked up her car keys and handbag. Dami joined her in the sitting room, carrying her school bag and lunch
bag.
She held her hand and they both ambled out.
Ike honked at the Peugeot car In front of him, brought out his head through the window, and yelled at the driver to drive forward.
He withdrew his head and buckled his seat belt, which he had unbuckled. He switched on the ignition of the car and the engine revved.
The tyres screeched as he drove after the car which had now moved. He had been stuck In traffic for about an hour.
He wondered what might have caused the traffic and didn't see anything when he drove past the Peugeot car.
He had to drop his son, Chima, off at school and drive to work. He glanced at his son whose eyes were fixed on the other cars.
Ike darted his eyes to the road and sped off as the traffic eased. Waking up every day, getting ready for work, and preparing his son for school had been challenging.
For two weeks, he had received three query letters from his boss over his habitual lateness. He was trying his best to meet up with time, but it was difficult for him too.
His wife Beatrice had divorced him two years ago after a misunderstanding. He had pleaded with her not to leave, but she had been adamant.
She left their only son, Chima, behind and never checked up on him for once. He got to know she had married her boss from his friend and this left him heartbroken.
It had been a traumatic experience for him and he had struggled to move on without her. His life had never been the same after Beatrice left him.
He lived alone and never remarried. He spent more time with his son who was his only friend and confidant.
They had striking semblances which made it easy for people to know they were related.
Ike was tall, muscular, and tan-skinned. He had brown warm eyes and could speak three foreign languages fluently.
He worked in a company as a typist. He was responsible for typing documents and written materials.
He compiled reports, recorded meeting minutes, and transcribed handwritten or audio materials into digital form.
He loved his job and was determined to keep it since he had no other.
Ike arrived at Chima's school when the assembly was over. He found a spot to park his car and drew the car to a halt.
"Chima, you are late," he said, to his son. "We didn't meet up in time."
"Yes, dad." His face fell.
"Don't worry, I will go with you to see your class teacher and explain to her why you are late."
"Okay, dad." Chima nodded.
"Let's go," he opened the door and alighted from the car.
Eniola had tried to beat traffic so she could drop Dami in school before the end of the school assembly, but sadly she couldn't.
She drove into Dami's school when the assembly was over and the rest of the pupils were in their respective classes.
Dami broke down in tears and held her hand.
"Don't worry, your class teacher won't flog you. I will go see her," she said.
Dami edged behind her as they walked to her classroom. Her class teacher, Miss Rhoda, had begun lessons.
"Good morning, Miss Rhoda." She beamed, as she stood outside the door.
"Good morning, ma," she replied, smiling.
The pupils rose to their feet and greeted her with a loud voice. "Thank you, so much." She waved at them.
"Dami, you are late?" Miss Rhoda turned to ask her.
"Please, I am sorry. We were caught up in traffic."
Miss Rhoda let out a soft breath and said, "Okay, she's pardoned since it's the first time, but not next time."
"Thank you," she said, with a broad smile.
Dami thanked her, walked into the classroom and sat down.
Just then, a man dashed in with his son.
"Good morning, Miss," he said, in a high-pitched voice.
A frown creased the brows of Miss Rhoda and she said, "He is late again."
"Em.. so sorry. We were held in traffic." His face crumpled like a used tissue.
Eniola felt pity for him and his son. She turned to Miss Rhoda. "Please, pardon him."
Colour drained her face as she gazed at him. "Okay, I will for your sake, but not next time. I won't hesitate to punish him."
"Thank you, so much," he said, and his son walked into the class.
She glanced at her wristwatch and turned on her heels to leave. She was running late for work.
She heard someone calling out to her when she was about to enter her car. She looked up and saw it was the same man who had dropped his kid.
"Is there a problem?" she asked him.
"No, not at all. I just wanted to thank you for pleading on my son's behalf," he said and shot her a smile.
"It's nothing. I arrived late as well with my daughter. We were held up in traffic."
"Oh! Okay. What's the name, ma'am?"
"Eniola."
"I am Ike. Nice to meet you." He stretched forth his hand.
She shook his hand. "Same here."
"Have a nice day, Mrs Eniola," he told her, as he buried his hand into his pocket.
"You too." She got into her car and he stood watching her. She wondered why as she reversed.
She shot him a small smile as she drove out and he waved. She found herself smiling as she drove off to work.
The smile remained on her face as she stepped into the outlet stall. She greeted her colleagues, Sewa and Rita and they darted glances at each other.
"You look so happy today," Sewa said.
"Do I?" her brows knitted.
"Hmm…mmm… it's rare to see you smiling coming to work," Rita replied.
"Oh! Didn't know I was smiling." She cleaned her desk with tissue paper, threw it into the waste bin, and sat down to work.
"Is there anything you are not telling us?" Sewa dashed to her table.
"Like what?" her eyelashes wiggled.
"You have a guy." Rita blurted out.
She roared into laughter, her body shook as she laughed. "There's no guy, I have told you, girls, for a long time."
"Cut it off, Eniola. You aren't getting any younger."
She rolled her eyes. "I am not interested in any relationship at the moment. My daughter is my priority."
"Babe, no one is saying your daughter shouldn't be your priority. You need a man and need to have more children," Rita told her.
"I will think about it. For now, it's a no."
"You are a hard nut to crack," Sewa said, shaking her head.
She said nothing and started working.
Ike couldn't get his mind off Eniola all through the day. He thought about her as he drove to work when he arrived at work, and at the time he got home.
No woman had ever occupied his mind since his divorce from Beatrice. To him, there was something special about her.
He loved her smile, her cheeks dimpled when she did. She was extremely beautiful and curvaceous. He had rested his gaze on her body as she walked.
What if she had a husband?
He shoved the thought off his mind for he didn't recall seeing a wedding ring on her finger when he had shaken her hand.
He rubbed his chin as he got immersed in his thoughts. He had to know more about her. He wished he had asked her for her contact info.
His son, Chima jostled him from his thoughts by tapping him.
"Dad, my assignment. I don't understand number two," he said.
"Oh! Sorry, I forgot. Let me see." He collected his book and perused it. "Sit, let me show you how to do it," he told him.
Eniola woke up very early the next morning to get Dami prepared in time for school. It was her day off from work and she felt happy.
She had a quick bath and wore a pink shirt gown and white sneakers. She styled her hair in a ponytail.
She arrived at Dami's school just in time as the bell rang for assembly. She leaned beside her car as she watched her race to drop her bag in the class and join the rest of the pupils.
Her eyes flickered round in search of Ike and his son. She wondered if they had arrived in time as well.
A voice from behind startled her. "Hey, beautiful." She jerked and turned to see who it was.
A smile crept to her face as her eyes fell on Ike. "Hi, you came in time." She stood straight and folded her arms across her chest.
"Yeah, we did. Even before you guys."
"Wow! That's great. I didn't know."
"How are you doing today?"
"I am doing well. What about you?" she rested her gaze on his face.
"Fine and happy," he said.
"Why?"
"It's my day off at work."
A surprise enveloped her face." Me too."
"That's great." His eyes gleamed.
"Yeah." She chuckled.
A string of silence hung between them as she rubbed her arm.
"Er … I don't know if you would be interested, but can we hang out?" he scratched his temple.
She twisted her mouth as she thought of what to say.
"Don't say no, please."
She rolled her eyes and let out a soft breath. "Okay, I accept."
"Yes!" He leapt for Joy and she scoffed as she entered her car.
He did too and waited for her to drive before he did.
It was a new dawn of love for Ike after meeting Eniola. He loved the way she did things, the way she walked, her smile, and everything about her.
The last few months had been a wonderful one for him; his life felt brand new and different.
She gave him peace of mind and was a good encourager. He spent most of his free days with her and loved the fact she was a good listener.
Their friendship had also extended to their kids who were now best friends.
Ike didn't want to waste time anymore so he decided to propose to Eniola. He bought a ring from the mall and invited her for dinner.
The evening was cosy and Idyllic. He sat with Eniola in an open restaurant. She was dazzling in a white off-shoulder dress, with a pink shawl wrapped around her body.
She laughed as he told her about a funny childhood experience. He held her hand as he spoke and caressed her smooth skin.
He held her gaze as he spoke.
"So, that was how I stopped taking things from my mom's purse."
"That was a funny childhood experience and one filled with a lot of lessons. It isn't good for a child to steal."
"Exactly, my dear. Thank God for my mom, I wonder how my life would have been," he said.
She squeezed his hand gently. "Yeah. It was a good thing she stopped the act in time."
A second of silence ensued between them as they stared at each other. His heart thudded ferociously in his rib cage and he swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat.
"Eniola." He broke the silence.
She didn't say a word.
"I have given this a good thought and I know it's the best decision of my life." He let out some air and said, "I want you to be mine."
He let go of her hand, brought out a little box from his chest pocket, and went down on his left knee.
Eniola's hands flew to her mouth and tears stung her eyes when he opened the little box. There was a silver ring in it.
"Will you marry me, Eniola?" he fixed his eyes on her as he awaited her answer.
She couldn't believe what was happening and at this moment, the other diners rose to their feet and gushed.
Some of them brought out their phones to take a video of them as the crowd urged her to say yes.
She eased to her feet, held him up, and embraced him. "Yes, I will marry you," she said.
The crowd clapped and cheered at them. Ike felt on top of the world and didn't hesitate to slide the ring into her finger.
He planted a kiss on her hand and claimed her lips into his. He couldn't wait to share the good news with his friends and family.
He was getting married again and couldn't contain his joy. It was the best moment of his life.
