Chapter Nineteen
In the palace at Ile Ife, Mama Sara rejected another counsel. She shook herself and said, "No!" She shook her head."If she leaves this palace, I am done for, so I must join them. Thank God I have their photos."
She called the 'Mama Spell' and told her what she wanted.
She sat back and justified her action saying: she is not on good terms with King, and she does not want the gardener…how then will the pregnancy come?
. ….
* * *
Lati, what a miracle!?" Petu, very much surprised, took her into their room, Luke was waiting in the parlor.
She whispered, "For how long have you seen Milfred, he has a law firm at Acme Crescent now! In this Ijesha!"
"Serious?"
Peru was aghast at her nonchalance. She gave her a corner-of-the-eye look.
"If you were me, would you be interested," asked Lati.
'But he was an extraordinary ex…"
"Ex…ex…can't you let her rest?" retorted Luke, almost entering the room to drag his wife out.
Peru rushed out, Okay take us out, can't gist with my friend I haven't seen for ages…Her ex will join us, hear it!."
"Okay, go by yourself," Luke dropped the key and sat back.
"Have you been caring?" asked Petu.
"Do you deserve care?" returned Luke
It was like pouring a cup of acid on her, and Petu lunged forward to prevent a second one.
Scuffle.
Lati stepped in.
She sat with Luke about her mission later in the night.
Yes, she has to tell him despite how Petu will feel.
"Ask your mother, please," she begged.
"With all pleasure,"
"Look, Lati, I'm not comfortable with your visit," warned Petu as she barged in.
"Petu, not as you think," said Lati, She must bounce info from Luke at least.
"It's like Caesar, beware the Ides of March," said Luke.
"What I want is the location, and you said she is sure she is there?"
"Mum can't lie, I-I…"
Peru entered again to know really what was going on and saw that Luke stopped talking because of her.
Scuffle again.
Lati exited, hailed a taxi, and stopped at the place, it was some minutes to eight am.
Just about to step an inch, she fell to the ground.
It was in front of a health club. Saturdays and Sundays mainly, members of the club come around for exercise. Who wishes could bring along his or her friends?
A couple of onlookers rounded Lati rolling on the ground, and an ambulance for the club sirened out. "Who is this? Oh, what a beautiful lady, oh what did she do to them?" some were asking and sympathizing, some peeping to see a sophisticated girl's underwear.
"Lati! Lati!"
Milfred blocked the ambulance, ready to follow the corpse to the grave if the ambulance did not stop.
His fiancee, her brother, a member of the club was there, he jumped into the ambulance, pulling out the stretcher with Lati.
Seeing he knew her, people assisted in carrying her into his car and he drove off, abandoning his fiancee and his would-be-brother-in-law.
"Lati, blind,..oh what a divine outing." He was driving.
"Lati…Lati."
"Lati…Lati."
He cocked his eyes at her lying in the seat turned into a bed beside him.
"Latin, can't you see me? Oh!"
He was going to Lagos. "This can't be ordinary!"
He fired the engine. It was 9 am. " In about an hour plus, I must reach Lagos,"
She recovered her sight.
"Lord!"
* * *
"Lati! Lati!"
Mildred pulled. "Oh, God! Lati! Lati!"
''Where am I?"
"Lati…You fell and were blind."
"I know…but why?" She remembered their love and Milfred too.
"But where are we going to?"
"I was taking you to Lagos, we are almost getting to Lagos."
"Oh, Lord…please go to the palace."
Mama Sara saw them as they came down from a car that entered the palace with the lights of the headlamps lowered.
She nodded with a smug.
" Am sorry," Milfred was about pleading.
"That has passed, we are now back" she cast that away.
"Milfred. I was blind!?"
"I was surprised. What brought you to Ijesha? You know I have a law firm now, at Acme Crescent?"
She tried to recollect herself, " Petu told me."
"Petua?..Did you see her? You went to their house?"
"Yes."
"She invited you?"
"I went for another thing and I saw the husband."
"Please, and please, don't tell her you saw me."
"Why?"
"Please, Lati…now we are back. I cannot afford to miss you."
"Me too…and please, don't let King see you."
"Ah–ahh. Kid?"
She allowed him to naked her.
"Can we marry?"
She shook her head. "I don't want trouble for you."
"Trouble? Just say yes and leave the rest."
"Milfred, the love of my youth!"
"Hahaha."
Like Mama Sara heard the laughter, she munched her peanuts like she was cracking hard nuts with the molar teeth, looking through the window.
A maid asked her why this show.
"Gerrout or be fired," she snapped.
* * *
"For three days, Mummy has not come and….Okay, now we are back, how long is he going to stay inside and she will not know? Will I still kill him if he impregnates me?"
He is asleep now, and she has to meet the king and as usual, take her cut.
"He can go ahead and marry as many as " I have told him but my time is my time. Lati, crudest Lati, whoever that impregnated you, if not King, must die and the pregnancy, shifted to King. Shekina."
She looked at herself in the mirror, turned this way and that way. "Lati, the succulent!" she adulated her beauty, carried her baby, and dandled him…after feeding him, she ran down tam tam tam to the king.
"King, I'm not begging you, just do let me go."
"Go? You chased everybody away and now, you want to go."
"King, please, please…if it is a joke, let it end."
"Joke? How?"
"King please, should I be going?"
This kind of situation had happened before, he grabbed her hand and led her away when she was about to have sex, sweet sex with Jackson. Now, again? It can't happen.
Mehnn,
Let's sing a song for her:
Never get close to an ex(4x)
Will King let her go to her ex?