We Knew Them Part 35

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“Hi.” Jumoke said to Derick, standing at his door the next morning.

“Hi.” Derick said, holding on to the door.

She cleared her throat and put her hands together. “Can I come in?”

Derick huffed and let her in.

“Thank you.” she said when she was inside the house.

“So, what’s up?” he asked folding his arms.

“I err…” Jumoke put her hands together and touched her fingertips to her nose. “Can we sit down?”

Derick held out his hand to the chairs, waiting for her to go first. Jumoke sat uncomfortably, sitting down had not helped her nervousness at all. She wrung her hands and wondered yet again what would come out of this meeting? Where should she even start?

“I made a mistake… I’ve made mistakes…”

Derick didn’t respond, he was listening to her.

“Oh, Derick!” she said and held her hands together fearfully.

Jumoke had come to realize how important he was to her. Derick had come and filled a void in her heart, he had stirred something good within her. It wasn’t racy, crazy or unpredictable like it had been with Lanre. What he had brought was like a flowing river, strong, steady, fresh, refreshing, and pure. As ashamed as it made Jumoke feel, she had to admit that the kiss with Lanre made her certain that what she wanted was what Derick had. But how would she explain her mistake with Lanre?

“I’m so sorry for being so rash with you the other day…” she began.

Still Derick said nothing, he simply looked at her.

“It was insensitive, immature and unreasonable. I’m truly sorry…” she wrung her hands yet again. “I felt out of control because I took your advice… I actually still feel out of control… and I hate to feel out of control… I’ve fought very, very, hard to be who I am today, to raise Hope. And now, all of a sudden, I feel weak… helpless… just totally out of control.”

She brushed her hair back with her hands and clasped her hands together again.

“I’m really sorry…”

Derick looked at the floor and thought about what he was about to say.

“There is one more thing I’m sorry about…”

He looked up at her in curiousity.

She smiled humorlessly and stared at the flat screen TV opposite her. “I err… Lanre, Hope’s father came to see me and we got talking…” she took in a deep breath. “We got talking… somehow, we kissed. I kissed him back and I pulled away. This happened yesterday evening…”

Derick said nothing.

“If you say it’s over, I’ll understand. But I want you to know that I’m truly sorry. I made…” her voice choked with emotion and she began to cry. “I made a very foolish mistake! I mean, to think that I would kiss the guy who got me pregnant and absconded is unbelievable but I did it. I don’t know what I was thinking!”

Derick continued to stare at the floor.

“Please say something Derick.”

Derick smiled tightly. “I thought I knew what I was going to say when you walked in here…”

“I’m sorry Derick…” she touched his arm but he withdrew from her.

“I understand.” She said sadly, wiped her eyes and left the house.

*********

Lanre couldn’t get over the kiss he had shared with Jumoke. The memory of it tingled his lips and made his hands twitch. Her lips had been as succulent as he had remembered them. He took in a sharp breath when he thought of how passionately she had responded to him. The look of regret on her face didn’t matter to him, what mattered the most was that Jumoke still felt something for him and that gave him hope.

He looked at her number once again before dialing it.

“Hello.” She said on the other end.

“Hi Jumoke.”

“Lanre…”

“Yes…”

“Why are you calling me?” she said tiredly.

“I want to talk to you.”

“I don’t want to talk to you.”

“But you know we need to talk.”

“About what?”

“Really? Well, since you’re asking, we need to talk about that passionate kiss we shared.” He said in a husky voice full of meaning.

Jumoke immediately began to feel warm all over, the sound of his voice and the husky manner in which he was talking unsettled her in more ways than one. She struggled to regain control of her emotions.

“It was a mistake and you should forget about it.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.”

“Well that’s your business, I’m not going to talk to you about it again…”

“Even though your heart beats fast at the thought of me or the memory of our passionate kiss…”

“Goodbye Lanre…”

“Jummy…”

She hung up and sighed. All it had taken was one kiss and Lanre was feeling as cocky and charming as he had been twelve years ago.

Lanre on the other hand simply smiled, Jumoke had been as uncooperative as she was now twelve years ago, she would come around. He took a sip of his wine and leaned back in his seat.

Behind him, Remi slowly tiptoed back to her room.

**********

“So how are things between you and Lanre?” Gbemi asked Toyin as they ate lunch at a restaurant the next day.

The latter laughed dispassionately. “It’s funny that you should ask me that.”

“Why?” Gbemi asked frowning.

“I feel like he’s avoiding me, like he’s far away from me. When we’re together, his mind is somewhere else…”

She sighed and pushed her food around in her plate.

“Have you talked to him about his behavior?” Gbemi asked.

“Yes I have, and it always ends up in argument.” She smiled sadly. “He says I’m nagging him.”

“Why are you marrying him?” Gbemi blurted, shaking her head in confusion.

“I love him! I really do. And I’m pregnant, I want my child to be born in a proper family.”

“This is unacceptable!” Gbemi said angrily and made up her mind to do something about the matter.

***********

Jumoke was studying her calendar when she was told that she had a visitor. She immediately thought it could be Lanre but the front desk officer told her that it was a Ms Remi Williams who wanted to see her for an official reason. Jumoke was suspicious but she invited her up to her office.

“Hi.” She said guardedly to Remi as soon as she got into her office.

“Hi.” Remi replied neutrally. “May I sit?”

“Of course.” Jumoke replied unenthusiastically.

Remi sat down and stared squarely at Jumoke, the latter was a little taken aback by the boldness in the other.

“I heard something last night, I’m sure I wasn’t supposed to, but I did. You kissed Lanre.”

Jumoke’s gaze wavered and Remi’s doubts were taken away. She closed her eyes in disappointment.

“I may have been a part of what happened twelve years ago, but this, what you’re doing with him now is all you. You don’t need this! You’ve done so well for yourself, built a good career and raised a fine girl…”

She saw the look of surprise on the other’s face.

“Yes I know about Hope, I hear she’s very beautiful.”

Jumoke was still stunned, wondering where exactly Remi was going with her speech.

“I’m sure Lanre didn’t tell you this, but he’s engaged and his fiancée is pregnant.”

Jumoke inhaled sharply and shook her head in unbelief.

“Please don’t let him fool you into making another huge mistake. I didn’t come here to judge you, I only came to warn you.” She looked down at her hands. “Something I probably should have done twelve years ago… That’s all I came to say.”

With that, she got up and headed out of the office.

“Wait.” Jumoke said and shook her head sadly. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Remi said with a hint of a smile and turned to leave.

“Do you want to see her picture?” Jumoke asked softly, not even sure of her words.

Remi was exultant. “Of course!”

Jumoke picked up her phone, opened her gallery and slid it across to Remi who was seated again.

“Oh wow…” Remi said happily, tears brimming at her eyelids. “She is beautiful.”

“Thank you.” Jumoke replied.

“You must be proud of her.”

“I am…although things aren’t really great between us right now…” She laughed nervously.

“Why?” Remi ventured to ask.

Jumoke gave a summary of the events that had led up to the situation with Hope.

“Lanre is such an idiot!” Remi said shaking her head sadly.

“We’ll work it out…” Jumoke said with a sad smile.

“’Thank you for letting me see her… and for talking with me. I was convinced that you might call security on me!”

Jumoke laughed. “Well, I’m learning to control my temper.”

“I’m glad, for my sake.”

They laughed and looked at each other, cords of emotion connecting the present with the past.

**********

Jumoke was getting ready for bed when there was a knock on her door. It was Derick.

“Hi…” she said surprised.

“Hi.”

“Ah… come in…?”

He walked in and faced her.

“Do you still love him?” he asked without preamble.

Jumoke sniffed and stared at her hands. “I won’t lie, I have a soft spot for him. He’s the only man I’ve ever known. He’s my child’s father… but…” she shook her head. “I don’t want him.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

“Well then, I come bearing a peace offering…” he held out a brown paper bag he had been holding. “Chef Lexy promised me that it’s the most delicious chicken he’s ever made.”

Jumoke smile widely and threw her arms around him.

“I love you! Thank you! Thank you!”

“For the chicken?” he asked mischievously, holding her in his arms.

“That too.” she chuckled.

“I love you too.” he said and pulled her even closer.