Saturday night, I’d planned it perfectly. Nothing could go wrong. My life had taken on an all new direction and I was happy; that budding happiness that would grow and grow into a bundle of immeasurable joy.
I sat in the restaurant and waited for Deji. My precious Deji. Deji whose smile lit up my world. Oloworimi. The one who had my heart, my love and my life. I was a lost cause where he was concerned. I didn’t listen to anyone or think of anything else. Mum said I was jazzed. My friends said they would pray for me. I could not be bothered. Deji was my world and they had to accept it.
He walked in, smiling as always. That smile that gripped my heart and caused it to do several back flips. That smile that left pretty butterflies dancing about in my tummy. I had known that smile for two years. Yes, we had been together that long. And he was everything. The kind of man I’d always dreamt of. Only he was frequently out of town on business so I did not get to see him as often as I wanted. But I was content. He made me content.
“Iyawo mi”
I blushed. He always called me that. All his friends did too. How could anyone not envy my life?
I got up and kissed him. He took his seat directly opposite me and smiled as he spoke.
“How are you darling?”
“I’m doing great. Long day at the office, but I feel alright now, I’m with you.”
I really did feel alright being with him and my insides were just about bursting with my good news. I watched him uncap the bottle of wine and pour some into our glasses then I signalled to the waiter, my partner in crime. He knew what to do and in less than five minutes, he returned, placed a dish in front of Deji, smiled, bowed and walked away. Deji looked at me in amusement.
“What is this love?”
I had a big grin on my face as I replied
“Just open it.”
He did and for a couple of seconds, just stared at the grilled fish in front of him. The chef had taken his time to carefully inscribe the word “DADDY” on the fish.
He looked at me with a nervous smile and asked
“What’s the meaning of this?”
I looked at him smiling brightly, bursting at my seams with excitement.
“You’re gonna be a daddy! Baby, we’re pregnant!”
I looked at him expectantly. He was shocked and I began to laugh expecting him to laugh with me and take me in his arms any second. Instead, he broke into a cold sweat and all the warmth disappeared from his eyes.
“We’re not pregnant, you are. I have a wife and four kids. I don’t need any more…”
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Ogechi Nwobia writes flash fiction, lifemathics articles and run fiction series on her blog. She’s a people lover and a talkaholic.
Twitter: @Oge_writes
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