The next morning before Temi left for her home at Ikorodu, she had a heart to heart talk with Jimmy over breakfast. She was dressed smartly in her usual elegan Ankara gown, her natural curly hair let loose and her pretty face highlighted with a simple makeup. When she appeared at the private sitting room where Jimmy was already waiting for her in casual sports shorts and a white t-shirt, she looked calmed but different, she carried with her a superior aura and confidence.
"Good Morning! I hope you slept well?" Jimmy greeted and asked as he took her hand and kissed it.
"Good morning! Yes, and you?" She returned his greeting.
"I did and I dreamt of us!" He said and smiled.
"What a coincidence! I dreamt of us as well!" Temi revealed in delight!"
Jimmy was stunned as he glared at her with a gaped mouth, "You did? But you barely dream?"
"I know! This night was epic as I didn't just dream, I remembered my dream very vividly,"
"You mind telling me about it while we have breakfast?"
"Sure!"
So Jimmy took her hand and they walked over to the dinner hall, sat down while the breakfast was served by a maid.
"Before telling you about my dream, I want to ask you something Jimmy, and I will appreciate you telling me the truth!" Temi said solemnly.
"Of course I will always tell you the truth, Temi, no matter what! What is it you want to ask me?" He couldn't help feeling a little nervous.
Temi sipped her tea and wiped her mouth gracefully with her table napkin, "Was Liliana ever your girlfriend?"
Jimmy wasn't surprised she asked that question because he felt he owed her some explanation over the embarrassing drama at pool side last night.
"No! She has never been!"
"So why is she laying a claim over you?" She asked after exhaling.
"I sincerely don't know Temi, but I know she has been obsessed over me since we were kids and have carried herself as my girlfriend but believe me, I have never given the room to conceive that idea and I have never encouraged her claims. James can bear me witness."
He explained, staring anxiously at her face.
"Fine, I believe you!"
"Temi," Jimmy took her hands, "I have never been this close to any girl before, you are my first!"
Temi looked into his eyes and saw the sincerity of his words and the depth of the bond that the share, her heart beat skipped as she placed her other hand over his hand holding her,
"I have never been this close to anyone before you, you are my first."
With that declaration, they stood up and hugged before taking back their seat and returning to their food.
"I must apologise if my anger yesterday caused you any inconveniences, I'm not usually that quick to flare….."
Jimmy cut Temi off,
"I should be the one apologising, I wasn't expecting Liliana to lash out at you like she did, I'm sorry she ruined the evening! Forgive me!"
"It wasn't your fault, she's obsessed with you I guess."
Jimmy rolled his eyes, "I have always seen her as a well trained girl, I wasn't expecting her to lose control like that. I've learnt my lesson, I won't let her come anywhere close to you again.
"I shouldn't cause a rift between you and your childhood friends please!" Temi pleaded with an innocent look.
"No you won't, but right now, you are the most important person in my life right, and it's my duty to protect you from any form of disrespect."
Temi was so touched by those words that she reached out and kissed him on the cheek. "That's the sweetest words i've ever heard in my life. Thank you Jimmy for loving me and accepting me the way I am!" She blushed.
"No I should be the one thanking you for finding me worthy of your love, I know you are very special and I'm the luckiest man on earth."
Temi blushed again.
"Can I ask you something?" Jimmy continued,
"Yes please!"
"Is it always that devastating when you get upset?"
Temi hesitated before she reacted, giving Jimmy a brief background story of her life. Temi's upbringing seemed to have centred around the belief that her anger could potentially lead to negative consequences, perhaps even havoc and destruction. This suggested that her parents might have instilled in her a sense of self-control and emotional regulation from a young age. Temi herself hadn't witnessed the effects of her anger because she hadn't encountered situations that provoked strong enough emotions to trigger it. This could imply that she had been successful in managing her emotions or that she had been shielded from situations that might elicit anger.
Jimmy was very intrigued by that story and he began pondering about his ability to calm Temi down when she was triggered yesterday and this hinted at a deep connection between them. He entertained the idea that perhaps their bond transcended mere chance or coincidence, suggesting a belief in fate or destiny. The notion that he alone held the antidote to her destructive anger implied a sense of responsibility and special connection between them.
"There's something else you need to know Jimmy," Temi interrupted his line of thoughts and he focused on her words,
"My parents said I'm a natural swimmer, that I started swimming perfectly from age three."
Temi recounted a childhood memory to Jimmy, vividly describing an incident from when she was just five years old. She was on a fishing boat with her parents when, unexpectedly, she flipped into the lagoon. Her parents watched in horror as she disappeared beneath the water's surface, swimming with surprising speed and agility. For a moment, they feared she was lost forever.
However, to their immense relief, Temi resurfaced after a brief moment, her laughter echoing across the water. Her parents hastily pulled her back onto the boat, their hearts still racing with fear. From that day onward, despite Temi's natural affinity for the water, her parents instilled a fear of it in her, warning her to stay away from any form of water to prevent such a terrifying ordeal from happening again.
"I have never swarm in any water since then, and that's why I hesitated when you invited me to join you in the pool yesterday, I had wanted to make a simple excuse and not join you but when your friend triggered me, getting into the water was an irresistible and restless pull I couldn't resist, it was just the one last place, besides in your arm, I wanted to be, it felt like home and I was eventually at peace in it."
"Temi, your story about the water doesn't surprise me at all."
"Really? Why's that?"
"Well, I had this dream once when I saw you. You were sitting on a stone in the middle of this vast water, singing. It felt so real, like I was actually there. And now hearing your story, it just strengthened my belief that you have this natural affinity to water."
That's... That's kind of eerie, but also kind of cool. I've always felt drawn to water, but I never knew why."
"Yeah, it's like there's this supernatural connection between you and water and between us, you know? Your story just added another layer to it all."
"I don't know what to say... It's like destiny or something."
"Exactly! It's like we were meant to be connected in this way. I feel like I understand you even more now."
"And now to my dream last night," She paused while Jimmy's heart skipped.
"I saw you Jimmy, dressed just as I painted you as Onyema, you were so real and I was dressed….
"In a two piece cloth wrapped around your chest and your waist?" Jimmy cut in.
"Yes!" Temi answered in wonder. "How…."
"And your hair was tied in braids and beads?" Jimmy asked again
"Yes!" Temi answered in a gaped mouth.
"You called me Onyema, what did I call you?" Jimmy asked her in heightened curiosity.
"Mgbeodi!" She answered!
"Mgbeodi, that was you, the girl in all my childhood dreams!"
Both Temi and Jimmy stared hard at each other with awe.