When Tese alighted from the train, he knew that what he was running from would not find him here. A strange calm wrapped itself around him like a warm blanket. Ibadan was nothing like Lagos. No buzz or rumble. The wind didn't carry the smell of exhaust fumes and frustration. Ibadan breathed softly and Tese breathed along with it.
Tese walked along the streets of Beere. It was a cold Saturday morning. Men with flowing danshikis sat in their verandas, flipping through the pages of the morning newspaper while children skipped over the puddles left from last night's rain. The salivating aroma of sizzling akara and freshly baked bread permeated the air and Tese found his stomach rumbling. He paused in front of one of the stalls that sold akara and bread. A plump middle-aged woman smiled at him. She had a sleeping baby strapped to her back.
“Good morning, sir.” She greeted.
“Good morning, ma. I want to buy seven pieces of akara and the big size of NOW bread.”
“Okay, sir. The akara will soon be ready. You can sit on the bench till it's done.” She waved to a bench situated beside her stall. Tese took his seat. The woman kept stirring and flipping the akara. Tese breathed in the peace that the morning offered.
“Uncle, it's like you're new to this neighborhood.” The woman said in an inquiring tone.
“Yes, ma. I just relocated here from Lagos.” Tese replied.
“Ohh, I hope you will like it here.”
“Ahhh, I already do.” Tese grinned. The woman smiled back, then wrapped his bread and akara in a polythene bag.
Tese had spent the past few weeks exploring Ibadan Ibadan was one of the biggest cities in Africa but Tese took his time easing into it. He was in no rush. There was no scorching heat to take over his body whenever someone recognized him. He didn't need to leave Ibadan like he had left Lagos.
Agodi Gardens had been recommended by people as a good place to relax and unwind. He had gone there on a Sunday evening, with a book. And they were right. Agodi Gardens was calm and lush, like the city had come to a standstill. Tall trees lined the walkways, offering shade from the sun. Families sat on the grass, kids ran around near the water, and everywhere Tese looked, people just seemed at ease. It was the kind of place that made everything feel a little lighter. That was where Tese would meet her for the first time. The woman who would be his fortune cookie; the last thing he reached for before everything began to fall apart. His undoing.
Tese had been really engrossed in his book but he was suddenly craving something to snack on. So, he went to one of the snack stands situated in Agodi gardens. There was no one at the counter when he first got there, so he took a seat on one of the stools placed in front of the counter. He had gone back to reading his book when she suddenly popped out from nowhere.
“Hi, sorry. I was doing something at the back. What's your order?” Her sonorous voice filtered into his ears. He raised his head from the book and looked at her. It felt like he was looking at something light and sacrosanct.
“Umm, I’ll take a plate of spicy suya and a bottle of malt, please.” Tese said, his eyes drinking her in. She smiled at him and turned to the food display case where she began to cut up a huge chunk of suya into smaller bits. When, she was done, she placed the suya in front of him and reached into a refrigerator to give him his malt.
“Your bill would be four thousand naira.” She placed his receipt in front of him and he counted out money from his wallet and paid.
“Thanks for buying from us.” She said.
“You're welcome.” He responded. She gave him that smile again and he smiled back. Then, he took his food to a corner of the snack shop and sat there to eat. He was going to wait till she was done with work. He needed to talk to her.
Tamara watched the handsome stranger leave the counter. Her gaze didn't move off him as he sat in a corner of the shop and focused on his food. For no explainable reason, she found herself drawn to him. There was an air of mystery around him. Her attention got drawn away from him as a family of three came into the shop. Suddenly, there were more customers and she found herself forgetting about him.
It was 7:00pm. Agodi gardens was quiet. Tamara closed up shop and left for home. Immediately she set foot outside the gardens, a car rolled up beside her. The window wound down and she was looking at the handsome customer from before.
“Hi. Please, I would love to speak to you.” He said.
Tamara nodded in response, before she could stop herself. He turned off the ignition and came out of the car.
“I know it's weird but still cliche of me to do this. But I saw you today and I had this intense urge to know you more. I'm Tese.
“I'm Tamara.” They shook hands.
“I'm new to the city. And I don't know. I have been looking for someone who could guide me around town. I was also hoping to make new friends.” Tese said in a rush.
“Ohhh. I'm not sure I would be available for that. I have a business I need to keep running. Bills have to be paid.” Tamara responded, a smile curling her lips.
“Please. I will pay you for any loss you might face. And it's just going to be for a week. It will be a week of fun. I promise. I know I am a stranger and it might be hard trusting me. But I promise that you are safe with me.”
Tamara looked into his eyes and she felt reassured when he said she was safe with him. Something told her to trust him.
“Okay then. It's a deal.” She said and they exchanged contacts. He offered to drop her off at home and she accepted. That would be the beginning of their unraveling.
The week Tese promised Tamara actually turned out to be fun. And true to his word, Tese never put Tamara in any danger. Weeks passed, then months and they got to know more about each other. Tamara knew that Tese had run away from Lagos to escape the constant rush and smell of regretband frustration that seemed to rankle the air. She knew Tese hated social media with passion. He considered it a brain rot. She knew he loved books just like she did. She also knew that Tese had a trust fund. Tese knew Tamara loved to cook because it was the only way she felt she could prove her worth. He knew she hated drinking the dregs of any liquid. He knew that she was the crankiest person when she was woken too early. They grew to love each other with all the flaws and imperfections. But where secrets abide, cracks form and things crumble.
Tamara was a social media person. That was one thing she and Tese could find no common ground on. She wanted to make their relationship status public but Tese didn't want his face all over social media. He wanted to please Tamara, so he often allowed her to take discreet pictures like photos of their hands intertwined or their feet or a glass of wine with two cups. They had dated for seven months now. During this period, Tese had not introduced Tamara to any of his friends or family members. He often talked about them in a wistful tone. He spoke about them like he was never going to see them again. And whenever Tamara suggested to him about going to visit, it was met with refusal. She learnt not to bring the subject up again. But deep down, Tamara was hell-bent on finding out why. The answers she got marked the beginning of the end.
Tamara took a picture of her and a sleeping Tese, then posted it on social media with the caption, “He’s cute when he sleeps.” Within hours, comments and likes were pouring in. She often waited to read comments hours after she had made her post. So, when she finally started reading the comments, two of the comments caught her attention.
“That's a dead man beside you.”-Mamaye_10
“Isn't that Temenu??? Dead Temenu?”- Dantala✨
There was also a message sitting in her inbox from Mamaye. Apparently, Mamaye was Tese’s wife from two years ago. They had two kids but Mamaye had found out that Tese also known as Temenu had died three years prior. He was an Anjonu. Anjonu were believed by the Yorubas to be dead people who still walked the earth because they hadn't found their peace that would grant them journey to the other side. They often relocated away from people who knew them, so they wouldn't be recognized. If they were discovered to be Anjonus, they had to move again. When Mamaye had realized that she had been married to a ghost for three years, she wanted to confront Temenu. But he had disappeared like he never existed. Mamaye had kept searching for him physically and online, hoping someone would slip up. Mamaye also dropped pictorial evidence of Temenu’s obituary and his tombstone and even videos of his burial.
When Tamara saw all these, she became shocked and scared. She didn't know what to do. She wanted to confront Tese because she didn't want to believe it. But somehow, she knew she was just in denial. She dropped her phone by the bedside table and quietly stood up from the bed, so she wouldn't wake Tese. She went to the bathroom to wash her face with warm water, hoping she would be able to wash away the chills that had gripped her. By the time she would step out of the bathroom, Tese had vanished.
Just like when Mamaye found out about him, Tese felt that scorching heat that burnt his body inside out. It jolted him from sleep and he knew that Tamara had found out. He didn't waste time packing anything. He knew he could start over. He always did. But this time, he didn't want to. Tamara had been his peace, everything he asked for. He wanted to tell her that he loved her. He wanted to know if she would accept him and stay with him. But, the answer didn't matter now.
He was already fading. He watched his body take on a transparent quality and then like the wind, he was gone.
Images were created with Chatgpt
