Chapter IV
IV
“One of the hardest things to learn is how to breathe. If you can breathe correctly in the water, the rest will come to you.”
“You make it sound easy,” Zubby replied.
It wasn’t. Eniiyi still had memories of spluttering, her lungs burning for air. If she saw her coach again, she would probably cross the road, but in the process her lungs had expanded and she had learnt to swim.
They were at the social club, where she had renewed her membership.
It gave her access to the state-of-the-art pool, but it required every penny of the money she made helping her grandmother keep on top of the accounts of her jewellery hustle.
She made sure to use the pool when most people were barely out of bed, or at night before it closed.
Consequently, there were only a few other people there with them, and the pool was large enough that most of the time it felt as if they were alone.
Zubby wasn’t a terrible swimmer, but his arms were doing the majority of the work, leaving his feet with little to do.
But what lovely arms they were! His clothes really didn’t do him justice.
He had broad shoulders and nicely developed triceps.
She could watch him wade in and out of the water for ever.
“Try and breathe out through your nose and your mouth whilst your head is underwater.”
He blew a series of very aggressive bubbles, and then popped his head back up and beamed at her. He looked like a very self-satisfied three-year-old, and she told him as much.
He responded by splashing her with water. She splashed back. And that was the end of the lesson. They spent the rest of the time pretending to be artistic swimming Olympians, only slowing down when they were exhausted. She trod water and watched him approach her.
“I hope you’re happy. I am pretty sure you learnt nothing today.”
He gave her a mock-sad face. “I don’t want you to think I’m not serious about these lessons…”
“But…?”
“But I would like to kiss you, if that’s okay.”
She couldn’t think of a thing to say; her mind had lost all grasp of language. But she had known it must come to this, so she nodded and watched as he closed the gap between them. Then he simply hovered, as if unsure what to do next, so she placed her lips on his and let instinct do the rest.
—
Swimming became the thing she shared with him, and in return he gave her a crash course on comic books and started her on anime.
She hadn’t thought she would be able to follow him into this world of stylised animated characters and fantastical plots, but she fell for it hook, line and sinker.
And she felt his gaze on her as she consumed and appreciated the content that mattered to him.
He was enthused when she was enthused, he laughed when he saw how invested she was.
He fed her with endless lore. She genuinely loved spending time with him.
Still, it was tricky when he started to insist on picking her up and dropping her off at home.
There had already been a few near misses with her mum, when Ebun had been on the drive, tinkering with the Beetle or putting out the bins.
She was not ready to introduce him to them yet.
They were driving back to hers, after spending the day at a café poring over a One Piece manga. When they got to the beginning of her street, she placed a gentle hand on his wrist.
“You sure you don’t want to come home with me?
” he said. She turned to him, raised an eyebrow, but she couldn’t deny she felt heat rising from the pit of her belly and warming her face.
Her body was throbbing. He wasn’t looking at her.
He was still, as though the moment she gave her consent, he would spring to action.
His car speakers were blasting Lojay x Sarz’s “Monalisa”—the right song…
the right song could have a girl wildin’ out.
She played with the idea of his body against hers for a few moments and then cleared her throat.
“Maybe next time? Drop me here.”
He twisted his head to face her, and raised his eyebrow. Gosh, the boy was beautiful.
“Why all the subterfuge?”
“Z, I just…My family will make this a massive deal.”
“It feels like a massive deal to me.”
“We have only been dating for four months.”
He shrugged. “When you know, you know.”
“Mmm-hmm.” She planted a kiss on his forehead. “I promise you will meet them soon. But I need to…prep them. And you.” He grumbled but let her go, and she began the short trek to the house.
At first she didn’t recognise the older gentleman standing at the gate.
For starters, he was in uniform this time.
But there was no mistaking the salt-and-pepper beard, and once again he was holding a bunch of flowers.
She had forgotten about his previous visit a few weeks ago and so had failed to tease her mother.
But now, her curiosity was stirred. Her mother was full of secrets, locked up tighter than a vault.
And here was a man who was clearly interested in Ebun, who had Ebun’s address, and yet her mother had never thought to mention him.
Stumbling upon him a second time was like holding gold in her hands.
How did her mother feel about her handsome stalker?
“Mr. Osagie,” she said, suddenly recalling his name.
He gave her a crooked smile. “Eniiyi, good to see you again.”
She studied the insignia on his chest but couldn’t tell what military branch he belonged to. “You’re in the…”
“Air force.”
“So you’re a pilot.”
“You are correct!”
The man didn’t seem like her mother’s type.
He was too…smiley. And he took up too much space, like a joyful grizzly bear.
She hadn’t thought her mother would ever get with anyone—after all, the woman had spent the greater part of Eniiyi’s childhood reminding her that the two of them were better off without a man in their lives—but if she did happen to date someone, Eniiyi had imagined he would speak in clipped, superior tones and have a well-paying, respectable job; a doctor perhaps.
Definitely not this peppy air force man.
She smiled at him. “Is she expecting you?”
He smiled back. “To be honest, I am trying my luck. Your mother has rejected me twenty-three and a half times.” No surprises there.
“What’s the half for?”
“On one occasion, she took the flowers.”
They laughed together. She decided she would advocate on his behalf. If nothing else, it would irritate Ebun.
“Do you have her number?” He shook his head, so Eniiyi gave him Ebun’s two numbers, the one her mother used for work and the one she used for personal.
The work one was only meant to be used if they couldn’t get through to her personal line and it was an emergency; but true love was an emergency, was it not?
“You look like her…”
Eniiyi cocked her head. He was the first person in her life to ever suggest that she looked like her mother. Perhaps they shared lips and a wide forehead, but those were Falodun traits; no single woman could lay claim to them.
“Well, you’ve got her number now. Call next time. She goes in to work on Thursdays.”
She winked at him and went through the gate.