Once Upon A Century...

CHAPTER - 10

Picking out a crisp hundred dollar note, "Keep this for fuel. My driver will come pick my luggage." He said and hurried into the compound, his heart racing and heavy, the weight of it leaving a deep ache he could almost touch, he didn't even hear the chauffeur raining his thanks.

"Welcome sir." His personal driver said with a slight bow on his way out the gate.

"Thanks, John. Is my wife home?" He stopped to ask.

"No, sir. She drove off about this time yesterday and she hasn't returned since."

Fikayo clenched his jaws, his brows furrowing in a frown. "Why didn't you take her?"

"She insisted on driving herself, sir. Said she wasn't going too far."

Fikayo let out an exasperated breath as he ran his fingers through his nappy hair. He slightly nodded a 'go ahead' to John who bowed before walking out the gate.

"Fikayomi..." He turned around to see his mother approaching, a wide smile on her face as she opened wide her arms to embrace him.

What was she smiling for?

He knew this facade too well. It was this same mask she had worn when his team had lost the relay race in nursery school. She had worn a really wide smile as she pecked his wailing mouth shut, telling him, he was her winner and that was all that mattered.
She had worn this same mask when he had lost in the finals of the spelling bee competition that would have bagged him a scholarship in his dream school abroad. She had surprised him the following year with an admission letter from the school. She wore this same smile when his high school crush rejected his proposal to go to prom with him and instead, went with his best friend, Chuks. She had smiled and said 'oh well, her loss. She just dodged a prince to kiss a frog'. Each and every single time, that broad charming smile of hers had worked, calming his raging storm, telling him everything was alright. Or at least was going to be.

Today was different.

The smile enraged him and made his stomach twist and turn in ways he didn't know it could. He clenched his jaw and looked away from her, telling his heart to calm down. Willing himself not to say anything he would regret.

His mother's smile shrunk as she knew her charm wasn't working. How has her daughter in-law cast a spell on her son? She knew him inside out, knew how to get to him, what to say and when to say it. What was this resistance? She was worried sick too about Tiara but she had to do something to protect her son's feelings. Something that had always worked but somehow, wasn't working right then.

"Ọkọ mi... Káàbọ̀. How was your trip?"

"Mummy, my wife. Where's my wife? I want my wife."

"I know, son. Calm down. There is no need to panic, we'll find her..." She pacified him. Fikayo shot her an unbelievable look.

"Mum, where is the woman I left in your care?" His mother's face fell. Tears brewing in her eyes.

"Ọkọ mi, come inside first. Come into your home."

"Home? My home is missing! Nowhere to be found! And it's all because of you!" He stormed off and brushed past her, his rage evaporating from every pore on his skin.
She walked after him in hurried steps to match his strides then came to a halt when he suddenly stopped and impatiently reached for his phone.

"What are you doing? She's been unreachable since last night. I've tried." She said, worry breaking her voice. Her eyes traced the hard lines that formed on his face, especially the deep wrinkles that appeared on his forehead as he ignored her and typed away on his phone.

"Yes Inspector, Mr. Fikayo Davis. ...very well, thank you. Em... My wife-"

The sound of blaring horn drowned out the inspectors voice. He looked through the see-through gate to see the sound emanating from his wife's white SUV. He bit down his rage and clenched his free fist.

"You know what, Inspector, I'll call you right back."

His mother made the sign of the cross as the car drove into the compound and parked in its usual spot. Tiara stepped out of the car and four pairs of eyes took her in from head to toe. Her hair was a tangled mess and her makeup looked like a poor attempt at makeup removal. Her eyes were sunken deep and red as dried up tear-shaped mascara ran down her chin.

She was the visual representation of the word 'disheveled'

She didn't say or word or attempt to move an inch. She just stood there as the world went in and out of focus.

Fikayo tried to read the look on her face, many scenarios rushing in and out of his thoughts.
Albeit grateful that she was home unscathed, if he could call it that, the burning rage within him needed to be put out. Questions had to be answered.

"Where are you coming from, young woman?" He asked calmly, his anger still managing to seep through the facade.

"I..." She spoke but her voice came out as a whisper.

"I said where the bloody hell have you been!" He yelled out his hearts content and approached her angrily. His mother grabbed his arm to stop him but he yanked his arm away from her to face his wife.

"Fiky..." Tears was swelling in her eyes.

"Don't you dare 'Fiky' me." He ordered in hushed tone.
She bowed her head and shut tight her eyes as she mentally prepared herself for his outburst. Tears streamed down her face.

"Since when have you become like this? You get us all worried for nothing? Whatever happened to answering your calls!"

"My phone went dead..." She blurted out.

"Yeah? So you couldn't reach me on anyone else's bloody phone? You couldn't reach anyone at all? Your mother?"

"Baby, I'm sorry..." Her voice was faint, almost inaudible.

He let out a humourless laugh, "you're sorry..."
Then sized her up from head to toe

"You look sorry." He spat and breezed past his mother who was feeling too guilty to meddle in their argument.

Her eyes widened in shock.

"Fikayo!" She call after him but he didn't even take as much as a glance in their direction.

"Fikayo help me!" He turned around to see his mother squatted beside his wife who was sprawled on the floor. His eyes bulged out of their sockets and his heart exploded in his chest as he ran towards them.