Secrets (Episode 9) You are a disgrace Usman." She concluded

Tonia refused to let Usman's repulsive attitude discourage her. She kept on trying.
She wore clothes that exposed her body, her cleavage and buttocks were her major assets and she flaunted them well.
 

She wore dresses with low cut necks and wore skirts and shorts that were tight and short.
 

She cooked wholesome and delightful meals, made her hair, but it looked like he was immune to all her charms.

Then, one night, Tonia had deliberately refused to lay the bed. In fact, she had scattered the bed while Usman was at work.

"Tonia! Why is my bed scattered like this, why is it not well laid?" Usman screamed.
 

It was one of those days when he had spent hours in traffic. He got home some minutes past 11pm and was very tired.
 

He didn't even bother to eat, he went straight up so he could freshen up and hit the bed. He entered the room, and was greeted with the horrid sight of an unmade bed.
 

Usman hated tardiness and roughness with a passion.

Tonia ran upstairs with a wicked smile on her face. She stood at the door and composed herself. She checked all that needed to be checked.
 

Her bra, her skirt, everything. She checked and adjusted.

"Sorry o, Oga, I saw a big rat and had to hunt it down, it was in the process that I scattered the bed in order to check and make sure there weren't any more rats around. 

 

Shortly after that, Musa called me to meet the drycleaner that brought your clothes at the gate. I forgot after that. I'm so sorry. I'll do it now."

She started laying the bed, she kept bending over and pulling her blouse to expose more of her breasts, she stuck out her buttocks in the direction where Usman was standing.
 

Usman wanted to go into the bathroom but he was rooted to the floor. He liked what he was seeing. He had a slight erection and it felt really good.
 

As Tonia was trying to make conversation, all he could do was mutter incoherently, Tonia was encouraged. 

She moved closer to him, and kissed him lightly on the mouth.
 

He drew her close and they kissed passionately.
 

Tonia was happy.
 

It worked.
 

She tried to feel his penis with her thighs, but alas, an erection was non existent.

She held him close, touched him, yet, nothing.

She tried harder but it was obvious that nothing was going to happen.
 

Then it all made sense. The hushed conversations, the fights, the unplanned trips with his mum. The sudden "heart attack", her suspicions were right afterall.

"Now, you know my secret. What are you going to do Tonia?" He said to her, he looked humiliated, dejected and sad.

"Nothing. Nothing sir. Your secret is safe with me. Is that why you never married?" She asked.

"Yes." He said weakly.

"Hmm. Now I understand. I can imagine. God will see you through sir, but I like you a lot."

Usman laughed hysterically, "You like me? I can't do what a man does to his woman to you, to any woman, I'm sure what you feel for me now is pity."

"No, rather, I feel I crossed path with you for a purpose."

"Hmm. Purpose. I hear you. Please go to your room and let me sleep. I've come to accept this as my cross."

"Goodnight sir."

He didn't respond.

Usman cried himself to sleep that night. He had never done that with any of the other women. There was something about this girl, she made him feel the way none of the other girls had made him feel.
 

Maybe because she took it well and didn't insult him, he just couldn't fathom it. This is a girl who was so many miles apart from him on the social ladder.

Tonia went to her room quietly and thought long and hard.
 

She thought about her discovery. What does this mean?
 

After thinking for what seemed like hours, she came to the conclusion that; the abundance of money was more important than sex. 

She thought about all those men including her late father, who had functional penises but empty wallets. 

What was the end result? Impregnating women and giving birth to children they couldn't take care of or provide basic necessities of life for.

This meant, that she even stood a better chance since very few women would be willing to accept such a problem. This reduction in his worth could help reduce the gap between her and her dream.

This was a matter she couldn't discuss with anyone, she relied solely on herself to make a decision.
 

There and then, she decided she was going to marry Usman if he would have her. And why won't he? She would be covering his and his family's shame.

He woke up but felt too ashamed to face her the following morning. He refused to get out of his room despite being dressed for work hours ago.

"Oga good morning, please come out please, it's already 8am. I am scared and worried, please let me know you are okay." She said sweetly as she knocked his bedroom door.

Usman eventually gathered the courage to step out of his room. He planned to dash out as fast as he could, but Tonia was having none of it.

"I made you breakfast, full English breakfast sir, I know it's your favourite." She said shyly, while she stood at the head of the dining table in her clingy, short, satin night dress.

Usman knew there was no escaping. A full English breakfast was his idea of good food, plus he didn't want to offend this girl who had been so gracious about his inadequacies.

He walked obediently to the table, sat down quietly like an obedient child as Tonia served him. The omelette looked and tasted divine, the bacon crisp, and the sausage, soft and juicy. He picked a slice of bread.

"Tea or coffee sir?" She asked him.

"Coffee please, and milk."

She finished serving him, and made to leave, but he didn't know when he grabbed her arm from behind and said to her:

"Please sit. I need to talk to you. Eat with me."

"But Oga, we don't eat together, I will have mine when I've cleared your dishes. I don't want you to treat me differently because of last night. 

That was not my intention at all." She said, grinning, while thinking: "Tonia, you've got this man right where you want him. It's your time to shine."

"Oh no. It's not that, I just want us to talk. Please sit."

She did as she was told and they talked as they ate that morning. Usman got to know she had an ordinary national diploma certificate. 

He was blown away by her sense of reasoning. She was up to date on happenings around. She really made good and intelligent conversation.

He reluctantly left for work by 10am. But Tonia had left a lasting impression on him.

After interacting with Tonia that morning and a few more days, he began to see her as more than an employee. He actually saw her as a friend, easy to talk to.

For the first time in his life, Usman opened up to someone who was not his mum nor his therapist. They talked about how he had sought solutions from different place both home and abroad.

Then, out of nowhere, Tonia said:
 

"I will marry you if you want, I really like you. I know you feel I'm being forward, but I like you very much. I know getting married would save you from wagging tongues."

Usman smiled. " That's sweet of you, but you don't marry people out of pity. You need a lot more than that. I like you too, in fact, I see you as a friend, but that doesn't mean we can get married."

"I know I'm not up to your level social wise, but that doesn't change how I feel, but it's okay." She said and stood up to leave the living room where they were watching a movie that Sunday evening.

Usman began to give what Tonia said a lot of thought, he could hardly think of anything else for days. He thought long and hard and concluded that it was a good plan, but he wasn't sure about how his siblings would take it. 

But he didn't care much about that. He was in love with Tonia and nothing mattered to him anymore.

Their relationship thrived. Tonia put his needs first. They went out together. Usman was happy to have a woman in his life. He was elated whenever he saw the look on people's faces. People who hardly saw him with any woman. 

People who used to whisper when gossiping about him. He walked like he had a spring under his feet. He felt like a man.

Tonia clinged to him at every opportunity. When they took a stroll, visited the mall, went to the cinema, she dotted on him and fed him fat.

They spent so much time together that Usman hardly went out without her. When Usman closed from work, he hardly went out with the guys. 

He always made it home early. This was a chance for him to silence the naysayers and he wasn't going to let it go.
________________________________________

"Usman, I waited for you to pick me at the airport but you were nowhere in sight. Thank God my driver had come back to Lagos in anticipation of my return. A return even my son didn't seem to care about." Mrs. Danladi screamed at them.

Usman an Tonia were shocked at her presence.

His mum had arrived back to Lagos that morning, after she waited at the airport for hours to no avail, she decided to call her driver and she was lucky he was back in Lagos, as he had gone to visit his family in his hometown while Mrs. Danladi travelled. She instructed him to pick a car from the premises and come pick her immediately.

Mrs. Danladi was so furious and angry. Usman always, for the past ten to fifteen years picked her from the airport whenever she travelled, without fail.
 

Not a common driver, except he was also out of town or out of the country. This was unacceptable. She instructed the driver to take her to his house at once. 

She was angry and scared. She was worried something bad might have happened to him.

But to her chagrin, when she got to his house, he was seated with Tonia at the dining table, eating, making small talk. The security guard had let her in as he had worked with her before, so he knew her quite well. 

She came straight into the house. She was initially oblivious to the absurdity of the scene, but snapped back after a while.

"Mum, what are you doing here, the last time we spoke, you told me you were going to send me your flight itenery as you weren't sure of your movement yet. 

I never got a call from you, that was just two days ago. I made up my mind to call you later today if I didn't hear from you." He said.

"Hmm. Listen to yourself. I sent you a message, I didn't call you because you always call me everyday. You didn't call me yesterday. That's unacceptable."

"Mum, I've always told you that I don't have to be the one doing the calling all the time. You can call me too."

"Hehehe." She said as she clapped her hands. "So you now talk back at your mother? What is happening to you? Is it because of this thing?" She said as she gestured at Tonia with disdain.

"Mum. Do not talk about her that way. How do you even know about us?" He asked, perplexed. He had made up his mind to tell her about his relationship with Tonia on his own terms.

"You think I've not heard? I have ears and eyes all over Lagos. Not less than three people had told me about how you paraded yourself all over Lagos with the girl that used to carry by bag when I was in town. 

You are a disgrace Usman." She concluded.

"If finding love and finding one who accepts me with my faults is a disgrace to you mum, then so be it. I am truly happy for the first time in my life, mum and not even you can put an end to my happiness." He said with an air of finality.

Tonia looked on in shock, and managed to find herself, she left the room in order to give them some privacy. 

She didn't utter a word.

#fiction
#girlchild

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Written By Tolulope Fakayode-Faniran

June 19, 2017