Single and 30 - Episode 8

 

THIS EPISODE IS DEDICATED TO ALL THOSE WHO READ THE PREVIOUS EPISODES.

You guys have been patient with me. Thank you.

DOYIN’S POV
THE SIXTH YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT ME………………
I wish I knew my parents. I wish I could ask my mother that even if she was a victim of teenage pregnancy, couldn’t she have stayed with me? I wish I could ask my father, why?

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I looked at them expectantly. I am nervous . Very nervous, I admit.
“What do you think?” I asked them.
None of them answered me. my friends and Jeremy stare at each other. They continued eating without saying a word.
Here’s the gist. I made Jollof rice and fried plantain, all by myself. Burnt fried plantain, I correct myself. They have been eating without making comments. Their facial expressions give nothing away and I don’t understand why Jeremiah is avoiding my gaze.
I look at them, the food is finished. Jeremiah served them the orange juice I made. I know the juice is good, but my taste buds have refused to taste the food. How possible is that? It happens to nervous people like me who can’t taste salt?
The Amani talked while adjusting her Dubai- made cape, “Won’t you pack the dishes?”
The nerve this girl has. “Really?”
“Really

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. You don’t expect the judges to pack the dishes”, Amani added checking her finger nails.
“Not funny at all”, I muttered packing the dishes. Jerry rises to help but was stopped by the tyrant.
“Don’t you dare!” Amani ordered him. He sits down promptly.
This girl and the authoritative tone, she uses. She is a tyrant, I tell you. I frown taking the dishes to the kitchen.
When I came back, I saw them discussing in hushed tones. I cough to grab their attention. They all sat upright, putting an end to their secret conversation.
Amani now the chief judge of my cooking motioned to Chika. “What do you think, Chika?
“Not bad.  You would do better with time”, Chika commented.
 My face lit up a bit.
“Jeremy?”
“I would pass. I can’t give an unbiased judgment. I’m her teacher after all”.
“That’s true. Stella?”
“It’s an improvement”, Stella puts in.
An improvement? Hey! I am pissed off, but I kept my thoughts to myself.
Amani sipped her drink before declaring her verdict. “The orange juice is good, but the plantain was not so good. Some of it was burnt. When the groundnut oil is too hot next time add fresh oil and as for the rice. It was ____”
“Absolutely amazing!” The ladies said together. Jeremiah winked. I laugh felling giddy with happiness. “You think so?” I asked them.
“I do. I’m so proud of you”, Stella says hugging me.
“You did well”, Chika added.
Amani laughed and blurted out, “Did you see your face? You looked like someone about to fall off an airplane. Come on, come and hug me”.
I hug her smiling. I’m so happy. It feels good. Success has the feeling to it.
Amani faced Jeremy. “You did well for our girl, Jeremiah? I can see the changes”.
Jeremiah smiled. “It was nothing, just a matter of teaching her the proper way to hold a knife, the number of seconds oil needs to get hot, the amount of salt and seasoning to use among other things”, he said.
Stella snorted. “Don’t feed you ego too much brother”.
I smile. Ego or no ego, I really ought to thank him for helping me to erase one of my flaws.
Amani asked him a question, “Has she paid you for your services? If she hasn’t, I would love to”.
 He scratches his head. “The thing is I would feel uncomfortable taking anything”, he told her.
“Are you sure?” Chika asked him. “We know we owe you one”.
“He cannot collect anything from her. After all, he wants to date her”, Stella puts in.
Jeremiah defends himself, “That’s not it. I would never collect any-“
Chika interrupts him with a question, “Is it true you want to date our friend here?”
He looked at Amani and Chika seeing their shocked expressions. “Yes.”
Amani chirped in, “Jeremiah! We have to explain some things to you, if you are to date our friend here”.
Then they dragged him outside for fresher’s orientation. I hope is okay, my friends can be scary especially when they go into the mother hen mode. Stella didn’t follow them.
“My brother is scared that you will friend zone him”, She told me quietly.
“Friend zone him?” I asked. Why would I friend zone him? I added mentally.
Stella nodded. “Do you like him? As much as I would want us to be sisters, but your feelings come first. My brother is a good man, but if you are not sure he is the right one for you, let him down gently”.
I was about to reply, when the trio walked in. Jeremiah is still whole and he’s smiling. What happened?

AUTHOR'S POV
Jeremiah stared at the woman before him. She is an older version of Doyin. The waiter served them and left them to their own devices.
“I planned on asking you repeat to who you said you were to the lawyer, but it’s so obvious. The dark skin, heart- shaped face, long hair, eyes, stature and height. There is a striking resemblance to Doyin”, he kicked started a conversation.
The woman in her fifties looks delighted with what Jeremiah said, “Really? She looks like me. I assumed she would take after her late father in looks.”
A father, Jeremy noted mentally. He remember her other words. “Mrs. Aishat George, I must say I’m not impressed. I get that you might be her mother, but not knowing how the child you abandoned looks like, that’s low”.
Mrs. George sighed. “I really wish to tell her how sorry I am. I abandoned her truly but not willingly”, she ended.
Jeremiah raised an eyebrow at that. “You have to explain, madam. I don’t plan on letting you into her life if you plan on abandoning her again. I don’t care if it was with or without your consent”. He looked at her awaiting her explanation and then, she started her story.

DOYIN’S POV AGAIN
My therapist has finally declared me good to go. No more trauma for me. I’m so happy. 14 years of therapy.
I pick up my old diary. I have not opened since that event years ago, that scarred me for life.
My mind goes to my late foster mother and the friend I lost contact with and whose name I’ve forgotten. I took up courage and opened the diary and stared shocked at the name written on this page in my handwriting. I wrote this? I read through.
I met a new friend today. He introduced himself as Jeremiah Durosinmi, but I will call him Mr. J. in this book. He’s very nice to me and good looking. I think he like me”.
I flick to another page.
Diary, I wish I could tell Mr.

Read " A Bride For The Dumji Prince " by the same author ( Queen )

. J of my secrets. I wish I could tell him of the things I go through in this house, but I can’t father will kill me”.
I flick to another page.
Dear diary, my mother discovered that I play with Simba, Mr. J. I think she suspects the truth.
Then to another page.
Mr. J is going back to Italy soon. I don’t know what I will do with him gone.
I breathe heavily. This is a shocking revelation. I am trying to recollect this. Then the buried memories came rushing back to me.

AUTHOR’S NOTE
I am sorry for the late updates recently. Two to three people advised me to take more time to edit, so the updates might be slower than I would like it to be.
Thanks anyway for reading up to this stage……… Seriously you reading it, makes me happy. I’m open to suggestions; the book is still being worked upon.