Chapter 33 Moyo
Moyo
“MOYO, YOU CAN’T EXPECT ME TO BELIEVE YOU DON’T ALREADY have a plan for the money,” Anjie says, raising her volume over the chatter of the guests. The gala is still in full swing.
“I’m sure she knows what outreach centers she wants to partner with already,” Sewa says.
“It’s only been ten minutes,” I laugh, and take a mental note. Outreach centers would be good. Why didn’t I think of that?
Anjie rolls her eyes. “You always have a plan for everything—” She suddenly goes quiet, and Sewa’s eyes widen.
“Moyo.” The voice from behind me is strong yet soft. I don’t need to turn around to know who it is, but I do anyway.
“Niyi.” I keep my face neutral. I won’t react before I hear what he has to say after disappearing for weeks. Niyi, in a snowy white tux, fights back a smile as he takes in my appearance, and I tell my muscles to do the same.
“Hello, all.” Niyi nods to Anjie and Sewa, then he scowls at Alex, who is still on my arm. “Moyo, may I talk to you outside?” he asks politely, and before I can answer, Alex does.
“She’s here with me tonight,” Alex says, unwisely entering a conversation that isn’t his. I want to smack him upside the head, but the girls beat me to it. When I let go of Alex’s arm, Anjie holds him by his elbow, and Sewa creates even more division between us.
Anjie, now tightening her grip on this poor man, raises a brow, giving me one of our looks. I know she’s asking if I’m comfortable talking to Niyi after everything. I’d like to say I no longer care about him or what he has to say, but that’d be lying.
I nod, letting her know I’m okay.
“Please, go talk,” Anjie commands. She flashes a happy smile at Niyi and me, and scowls at Alex. The duality of Yoruba women.
Niyi and I walk side by side as we exit the brightly lit event space.
“So…” I draw the word out, waiting for Niyi to explain himself. Silently hoping he says something that allows us to return to our budding relationship. The past few weeks made me realize I don’t need him, that I’m fine without him, but I do miss him.
“I’m sorry. Let me start there,” Niyi says, his voice raised as the wind howls around us.
We’re the only ones in the empty back lot, and I like it that way. It might be cold, but if I have to say goodbye to Niyi, I’d rather it be where our only audience is the Dunkin’ Donuts sign across the street.
“I am so sorry it’s taken me this long to get back to you. To decide what I wanted to say to you. I am sorry for not telling you who I was earlier. We built our relationship on mutual understanding, and finding out I had this secret that meant we couldn’t be together must’ve hurt.”
I take a moment to digest his words because it did hurt. I won’t lie. “I appreciate the apology,” I say.
“I’d also like to say thank you.”
“For what?”
“For giving me the space to realize what I wanted for my life. When I was given the Saturn role, I took it because I thought I had no choice, and I thought maybe it’d change a few things in my family dynamics.
Which it did, but in unexpected ways. My dad still didn’t come around, but Vee, Merc, and I are closer than ever.
It also led me to meet you. You planted the seed that allowed me to step out of my father’s shadow.
So again, thank you, Moyo, for inspiring my new lease on life. ”
“Did you give it up?” I ask.
“The Cupid’s Bow job, Saturn, all of it.”
I’m stunned. “How?”
“It’s a long story, but the abridged version is Merc and I traveled, pretty much across the diaspora, to find a distant relative open to taking the role.
Unlike my dad and the other Saturns before him, I explained the downsides, which lengthened our search, but we found someone. She starts at Cupid’s Bow next week.”
“It took three weeks to find someone?” I ask, slightly skeptical. I have no idea where he went or how big his family is. All I know is I need more info before accepting him back with open arms.
“A week, but—and don’t freak out—I slipped into a coma after transferring the powers. Woke up a few days ago. That’s why I didn’t reach out till now,” Niyi says breezily with a sheepish smile, as if it’s no big deal.
Unsure of where to begin, I ask, “Are you okay now?”
“Moon, another cousin, healed me. We weren’t sure of the consequences of breaking the commitment, but luckily, since I wasn’t in tune with my powers for very long, it was easier to detach.”
“You’re gonna have to re-explain all of this with charts and diagrams,” I say, not bothering to hide my confusion.
“Absolutely.”
A final question pops to mind. “Prove it. How do I know any of this is true?”
“Thought you’d never ask. Come with me? Please? I’ll show you.”
We walk back inside, and Niyi heads straight for my table with the girls.
“Everything good?” Sewa asks.
“TBD,” I respond as Niyi grabs the open wine bottle, along with some empty glasses.
“Hey!” Anjie protests.
“I’ll bring it right back, Chef,” Niyi says.
We find a quiet spot in an adjacent room away from the rest of the event. Niyi pours one glass, and I take my first sip of the night.
It’s a very basic wine. Despite the caliber of the event, it’s cheap. It’s always cheap.
Niyi laces his hand around the body of the second glass, and I wait with bated breath.
Niyi takes about the same amount of time as he did in his room, except this time his eyes don’t gloss over, his breathing doesn’t slow, and he doesn’t slip into a frightening comatose state. Once done, he hands me the glass and watches as I tip it, waiting for the wine to reach my tongue.
Do me this solid, please, I beg whatever forces are out there. In the moment it takes for the wine to run out of the glass and reach my tongue, I realize I want Niyi to be true. I want us to be true.
The wine touches my tongue, and a smile takes over my face.
“It’s shit?” he asks.
“It’s shit!” I respond, absolutely overcome with emotion.
“Any more questions? You can also ask Vee and Merc to confirm. I know they’re related to me, but you can ask. I wouldn’t be offended. I don’t want any more secrets between us.” He looks at me breathlessly. I wonder what he’s thinking.
I force down my smile. I want to scare him a little. “Two more questions.”
He looks petrified but accepts.
The first question is a thought I’ve had ruminating that might change things, but I need to know.
“We met when you were Saturn, ruler of my seventh house. How are you sure you’re the one for me? And question two: how are you sure that once this attraction, lust, infatuation, or whatever you want to call it, is all out of your system, you won’t be done with me?”
Niyi doesn’t even take a beat. “Because like every other bit of astrology, the stars have to align perfectly. People have to align. I’m sure I made hundreds of mistakes—trust me, I was a horrible Saturn—but the stars brought me to you.”
He edges closer, hesitating, before he grabs my hand.
I’m ready for him to touch me again. “Everyone has a birth chart, but when I was Saturn, you were my life chart. I was living on autopilot, trying to be someone I was not, until we met. The first time I unlocked my full powers, I was thinking about you. You helped me realize I didn’t have to be Saturn, I could just be me.
You are my Sunshine. You helped brighten up the darkest time of my life. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
His forehead touches mine.
“To answer your second question, I could never be done with you even if I tried, Moyo. It’s like asking if we’ll ever be done with oxygen.
Until my dying breath, I will be yours if you’ll have me.
And lastly, only you can say if I’m the one for you.
But I know that you are the one for me, and I’ll work every day to make sure I’m worthy of you. ”
The tears in my eyes threaten to fall as I process his words. For the first time in my life, someone can’t stand to lose me. I’m not the only person fighting for this relationship. The foreign sensation leaves me stuck.
“Moyo. Are you okay?” Niyi asks. His tender voice brings me back into our bubble.
“Yes, one more question.”
“Please.”
“Did you just give up immortality for me?” It’s cheesy, and he might correct me on the technicalities, but it’s worth asking.
Relief washes over his features. His shoulders droop, his neck relaxes, and, most importantly, his smile returns.
“I always said I’d do anything for you. Who cares about controlling time with you at my side?” He grabs my other hand and pulls me close.
I don’t hesitate as I sink into the warm body I’ve missed so much over the past couple of weeks. My arms go around his neck, the white of my bodice blending with his white tux. Niyi’s arms find my waist, taking their rightful place. I look into his eyes, and he stares into mine.
“Can I ask you a question?” he asks with a goofy grin on his face.
“Sure,” I giggle.
“It’s almost New Year’s, so I must ask, are we at the kiss-and-goodnight part of the evening? Or are we gonna wait and do a countdown on New Year’s Eve?”
It takes me a moment to place the words I said to him weeks ago. “Do you remember everything I say?” I ask between fits of laughter.
“I’d be a fool not to.” His arms tighten around my waist, and he pulls me even closer. “You’re the light of my life, Sunshine. I’d be a fool not to place you at the center of it,” he says, his voice dropping to a low bass and his eyes filling with adoration.
He leans in, and I can’t contain my smile when his lips meet mine. The taste of shitty wine gives way to sweeping tongues and roaming hands.
I pull back. “Still your favorite?”
He wiggles his nose against mine. “Always and forever.”