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CHAPTER TWO

  It was a cold morning; I woke up on the right side of the bed feeling energetic with so much enthusiasm. I rolled around, just to see beside me, my queen, my spirit was lifted the more. I needed to do something with that energy; I could not wait there all day, waiting for her to be done with her shopping, and certainly could not follow her to shop. “Perhaps, I should go around south Africa, to view every nook and cranny. That’s a great idea, am a genius” I thought as I walked happily to the Jacuzzi.

  Soon afterwards, Bisola also woke up and joined me in the Jacuzzi.

  “My husband, congrats about yesterday oh” she said. It was a common tradition among the Yoruba’s, do them a favor today, and they will greet you for days, until they are sure you are fully satisfied with the thanks. Yea, I did her a favor, adding an extra inch to her shoulder was a favor.

  “You too congrats, my Love, the victory is not mine alone but ours. When will you be going on the shopping?” I asked after I replied.

  “As soon as I am done dressing but where will you be throughout the day, because am certain you have somewhere in mind?”

  “A tour around south Africa” I said proudly as I caressed her soft, smooth, fair and moist cheek as I bent forward to kiss her when someone knocked on the door. Some people are just skilled at ruining romantic moments, besides, I was not expecting anyone at this moment, or perhaps, Bisola was.

  “Oh, that must be Mrs. Nelson, we are to go shopping together” she said even before I asked, Mrs. Nelson again? I thought; I certainly could not let my wife know how much I dislike this woman; she was her favorite foreign friend. Every chance I get, I try to avoid her, she screams a lot and it disgusts me.

  “So the shopping was planned from day one, she had it all in mind. Women! Can’t they ever be unpredictable?” I murmured. Without replying she moved out of the Jacuzzi and immediately wore her night gown as she walked slowly out of the bathroom through the room towards the door, I could pay to see her walk that way over a million times.

  “Big woman!” Mrs. Nelson shouted in her high-pitched voice immediately she entered, a tall, plump, hairless woman. Each moment I look at her, I wonder what Prof. Nelson was looking at when he married her. Perhaps, as they would say, love is blind but could it be deaf too? I knew for certain they will take quite long before going; women never use less than an hour to dress up and besides, this was my wife dressing up, a woman I know so well, no matter how hurried she claim she is, forty-five minutes was the least she could spend in front of the mirror. I quickly dressed up to leave; a man like me could not be involved in a discussion with women, most especially with a woman I dislike.

  “Chief! Chief!” Mrs. Nelson screamed as I walked out of the room. That was her lifestyle, shouting; the moment she is somewhere, you could easily tell she is there.

  “Who didn’t know you will win again?” she continued, “even my husband was nominated too, but the moment we heard you were nominated too, I told him to just go and congratulate you”. I knew that and she knew I knew; she did not have to tell me.

  “Madame, its God. I wouldn’t have won too, several there were better than I am” I said, trying to shut her up, but certain people couldn’t just be quieted and Mrs. Nelson was top on that list.

  “Mention one person who was better than you are there”

  “Gov. Tandu for instance….” I said as I was interrupted by her loud laughter.

  “Chief, you just want to make me laugh?” she said laughing. I didn’t really want to make her laugh, why would I? I just wanted to see if I was the only one who felt that way about him.

  “You are on the news chief,” she said pointing at the television screen. Immediately Bisola picked up the remote proudly and increased the volume.

  “It happens all the time, am always on the headlines,” I said patting my protruded stomach; I was told it was a bad habit but I find it pleasurable.

  “The executives of UNESCO express their remorse awarding this year’s prize to chief Tayo, who publicly demeaned the organization’s prize on public television who said and I quote ‘from within my heart, I feel so lugubrious about this prize. I can’t find another word to express my joy,’ ” the reporter said.

  “What!” I screamed, “What does lugubrious mean?” The place was quiet for a short while, no one replied.

  “Someone who is sad rather than cheerful” Mrs. Nelson finally answered. I could notice the smile on her face she tried to hide. I could not give her that satisfaction.

  “Yes, I felt lugubrious. UNESCO shouldn’t be complaining it was demeaning to them, I should; I am Chief Tayo” I said as I noticed the hidden smiles on her face fading off.

  “I would be leaving now, you both should have a good time” I said when I noticed the risen tension amidst us after a short while of quietness.

  “Okay chief, till you come” Mrs. Nelson replied.

  “And honey, don’t forget to do your shopping quickly, remember we are going back to Nigeria tonight” I said to my wife.

  “So soon chief? I thought you will stay a little longer with us”

  “We have a lot of things to attend to in Nigeria, if not we certainly would have stayed” I said as I walked out of the house.

  “What came over me? What was I thinking of? Why did lugubrious mean what it meant? Why didn’t I use a word I was familiar with? Words like excited, no, that is too happy for a small prize, or perhaps, just happy since it’s not the Nobel Prize” I thought as I walked to my car. Escorts ran all over to their positions, all dressed in black suit as usual and the driver came running towards the car. I certainly would not need all these escorts, Bisola would. I called the chief security and whispered into his ears immediately, without speaking, he did one or two hand signs and they left.

  “What are the best places in south Africa you will like me to see?” I asked the driver as we moved.

  “Sir, there are several eye catching places I can show you, places like; Cape town and cape peninsula, the wine lands, Garden route popularly called south Africa’s Eden, Kruger national park, Durban beachfront, Robben island, Soweto, Blyde river canyon nature reserve and several others”

  “We will go to as much places as we can before sunset”

  “Where will we go first?”

  “Garden route of course, I want to have an impression of what garden of Eden looked like for Adam and Eve to have put us all through this much sufferings” I said.

  “Sir, even you too talk about suffering?” he asked. What do they all take me for? A God? I wished I were anyway, but am not and can’t be. They expect perfection from me that is why every single mistake I make goes on headlines, just like every other celebrated person.

  “Of course, I don’t just talk about suffering, I face suffering too, possibly more than you do” I replied.

  “We have reached sir,” he said as he halted the car.

  The place looked awesome, but I expected much more; a place described as Garden of Eden should look better. I walked a few miles and returned to the car, I had to see the rest places too; I might not have the time to come to South Africa any time soon as a very busy man.

  We moved round and round and it was time to go back to the suite, it was getting dark already, Bisola have certainly arranged the luggage and could be waiting for me. I would have returned a little earlier if not for the crowd and press who kept stopping us on the road, I had to leave them without answering a question; I did not want another similar headlines to the one I saw in the morning.

  “Sir, you refused to answer a question, why?” the driver asked as we drove back.

  “You saw the news headlines this morning?”

  “Yes sir”

  “That’s the reason I didn’t speak if not tomorrow, they will have another headline of me” “not talking wouldn’t stop them, tomorrow they might still put ‘after being awarded over three prizes for peace, chief Tayo, an expected model of peace shuns south Africans crowd and press’ “

  “Now you rea
lize why I said even I too suffers,” I said.

  Soon afterwards, we got to the suite, expecting to see Bisola, but she has not still arrived. What could she have being shopping since morning? Time is money. I ordered a plate of fried rice and chicken even if at that moment, I had an appetite for local dish, amala and egusi soup was what I needed. I slowly ate and sleep flooded my eyes. I didn’t even realize I had started sleeping until…

  “Honey! Honey!” Bisola said as she tapped me.

  “What have you being doing there?”

  “I thought you would come so late too, Mrs. Nelson told me no stranger who moves around South Africa for the first three times will come back quick because of the amazement”

  “They exaggerate these things too much. Let's pack up”

  “Honey, am as tired as you are right now, can’t we just wait till tomorrow? First thing tomorrow morning” she said in her tender voice, anyone would succumb to that, and besides, I was tired too.

  “Okay, just ensure you wake up very early” I said as I quickly went to sleep.