EPISODE 7
A MAN FOR MONI
A quiet knock woke me up on Saturday morning and I thought it was Fatima. I rose up after turning around on the bed and checked the time. "My God! It's almost 9:00AM!" I screamed.
I picked up my robe and scrambled to the door "Who is that?" I mumbled.
"Sandra it's Dad"
I knew I wasn't looking my best because I just got out of bed but I didnt mind. To Dad I am gorgeous whether I just got out of bed or not.
"Good Morning Dad" I said yawning into my right palm.
"Did I wake you up from sleep?" he asked gently.
"It's fine Dad, I had an early night yesterday and I was surprised I woke up late.
"You needed the rest, I understand your job is stressful. Can you meet me in the garden? I have something important to discuss with you.
"Can you give me 30Minutes? I just woke up. Mom will have a heart attack if she sees me looking like this. I want to freshen up"
"You can take your time to freshen up, I'll be waiting under the shade"
"OK" I said slowly. The old MJ would have kissed his cheek whether she had brushed her teeth or not, but things kind of got awkward between us.
"OK" he said and moved away from the door.
I thought about how our relationship took a bad turn as I stood under the shower "Poor Dad, he probably didnt know what he had done wrong to make me lose the affection I had for him"
I took my time to freshen up, but didnt stroll into the garden until I have had two cups of tea.
He was waiting under the shade as usual, it was our favourite spot since I was a teenager. I had told him lot of private and personal things under that shade, we were really close, until Mom bursted my bubbles.
"Hi Dad, I said and sat beside him.
"Hi Princess" He said giving me an appreciative smile. I had worn a loose fitting gown to enjoy the cool breeze but it was beautiful nevertheless.
"I told Fatima to prepare your breakfast"
"Thanks Dad, but I wont be hungry for another two hours, I took tea before I left my apartment"
"It's fine"
He was silent for several minutes and it was strange of him to be at loss for words.
"Dad"
"Princess, you have been acting strange lately. You blanked out for several days last week, and I have the feeling that you have been snobbing me for some days now. Are you fine Sandra?" He asked in a gentle quiet voice.
"No Dad, I am far from being fine" I said as I stared into space.
"You want to share? You can always talk to me"
Both of us sat in silence for several minutes, I took in the beautiful scene before me: the clear blue water of the pool, the green grass, the beautiful artificial trees, and the cool breeze that complemented them.
I knew several ladies out there would give anything to be in my shoes right now, my world would have been perfect if I have a man to call my own.
"Sandra?"
"Yes Dad"
Is it me? I have this feeling that something is different about our father-daughter relationship. If I dont know better I would think you are avoiding me; you've not called me in two days and you didn't whine about me not taking you to Big Men's Club this weekend"
I knew I had hurt Dad, thinking about it now avoiding him looked chidish to me. I should have discussed my disappointments with him, I literarily got the rug pulled from under my feet when Mom told me about his infidelity. We used to have a beautiful relationship, he has been my rock when I needed stability in my life.
"You never told me about Aunt Beatrice" I said quietly still staring into space.
He was quiet, I turned to look at his face and saw the pain and guilt.
"Your Mom told you?"
I nodded my head slowly, "She had to, I told her I won't settle down until I find a man as loyal and caring as you. She was afraid I would die single, according to her "all men stray" including my dad"
He appeared to be deep in thought for a while, then he looked at me and smile.
"You are the best thing that has ever happened to me Sandra; knowing I have your love and your mother's devotion has kept me going for years. Beatrice was the mistake of my life, it came at a time when I was under a whole lot of pressure. It happened several years ago, but I still carry the scar. I am not exonerating myself Princess, I let you down and disappointed your mother: it was not something I was proud of".
My eyes filled up with tears and I had to suck in my lips to keep them from falling. I had idolized Dad; to me he was perfect and the best, that was a mistake because he was human afteral and he's prone to errors.
"Does it mean all men cheat? I would never be able to find a faithful man?"
He looked at my tear clogged eyes and sighed.
"Sandra, I was a fool. My Dad was a philanderer: he had a side-chick in almost all the universities in Nigeria when I was growing up. That hurt my Mom deeply, she couldn't complain because he had all the money and she lacked nothing. I saw how much it hurt her Sandra, I saw how she struggled to cope all those years and it broke my heart. She told me cheating is a man's weakness but I knew better".
I tried to imagine my bedridden grandpa jumping from one woman to another and it was hard. Grandma had stood by him all these years, he had become bedridden after his last kidney transplant. He does everything Grandma says now, I had thought he was always that cool headed but it appears that I am a bad judge of character.
"When I met your Mom I was helplessly in love, I vowed never to break our marriage vow. I was going to give her everything my Dad never gave my Mom: loyalty, commitment, security, and devotion. Beatrice was one big error I couldn't correct ; one temptation I allowed myself to yield to. I was very ashamed of myself when your Mom confronted me, I had hurt her terribly, I wasn't different from my Dad".
I tried to imagine Dad having a side-chick in every city and I cringed in horror. Mom would probably turn to a serial killer, and I would spend the rest of my life burying dead bodies: carcasses of stubborn side chicks murdered by my Mom.
"Dad, you are different from your Dad. Mom has been having you followed since Aunt Beatrice". I said, shuddering in the horror fueled by my imagination.
"You think I didn't know?" he said smiling.
"You knew? And you didn't do anything about it?" I asked looking puzzled.
"I was giving her extra allowance for it without her notice, I added it to her bank balance every month because I knew those people she employed to trail me didn't come cheap. That was the price I had to pay for straying. I saw one of her spies at the club I went to play golf recently. Your mother is smart, I must give that to her: she changes the men every three month and I found them almost everywhere I go. At first, I was angry when the men started following me, I knew how Folu got rid of Beatrice, I thought she believed me when I told her I would never hurt her again. Then I began to use those undercover surveillance of hers as a means to keep myself in check. It was just Beatrice, I knew I would probably lose you and your Mom if I strayed again and that would kill me".
I held his left hand and squeezed it it hard "Dad, you know you'll never lose me".
"Every man prays for the blessing of a daugher, that's the only angel that will never forget him. Sandra my Princess..."
I saw the look of gratitude in his eyes and I was overwhelmed by his precious love. You are probably thinking what I have is priceless, but to me it will never be enough. I yearn to belong to a man I can call my own, Dad belong to Mom ultimately.
"Dad, you should never stray, Mom would become a serial killer" I said grining.
"Like she almost killed Beatrice?" he laughed.
"I am serious Dad! Mom is dangerous".
"Every wife is, I have never seen a man that does not secretly fear his wife. Your Mom is everything to me Sandra; she makes me feel as if I belong somewhere".
"I want this Dad, I want what you feel for Mom. Is it too much to ask for? Isn't there a man out there that will love me this way?" My eyes became teary again.
"I can't say Sandra, I am not God and I believe in destiny. What I know for sure is that if he is out there we'll find him".
"Thanks Dad" I smiled at him in gratitude. I don't know how Dad always manage to say the right words that makes me feel good anytime I am down.
"Are we good now?"
"Of course"
"You want to come to come to Big Men's Resort this evening?" he asked with a teasing smile.
Going to Big Men's Resort with Dad was one of the good things that came with being MoniJesus Sandra Akeju. The luxury in the exclusive resort is out of this world, plus I get to meet so many spoilt rich men's sons. Talking about sons, something suddenly occurred to me.
"Dad, I think you should start introducing me to your friends, who knows? Maybe one of their sons would be searching for a wife..."
"Sandra!" Dad screamed looking mortified.
"Dad, maybe you didn't notice but your daughter is almost 30 and she's not married. People are already talking, Mom's family thinks I am under a curse. Shade's Mom told her I might harm her out of envy because she's getting married before me".
"What? Who told you that rubbish? Who dare say that to my daughter?"
"Shade told me herself, along with many terrible things I don't even want to remember. Why did you think I broke down and went into depression last week".
"That was cruel of her Sandra, you should have told me, I would have put her straight..."
"Dad, the best way to get back at them is to find myself a man, and get off the market. I am going to attend Shade's wedding with a man in my arms even if it killed me".
"Don't make this a competition Sandra, it doesn't really matter who got married first. By the way do you know Bankole Williams is in Nigeria? He arrived this week..."
"Banky? Same Banky? Are you serious Daddy?"
"Of course I am. He should be coming to Big Men's Resort this evening with his Dad".
"I still can't believe Banky is back, do you know if he's still single?" I asked patronizingly, giving Dad my special childhood pout.
"As a matter of fact, his Dad told me he came to Nigeria in search of a wife. His Mom insisted he must marry from Nigeria".
"But why didn't he come looking for me? He had this big crush on me since he was a teenager. He was always following me everywhere, we would have become an item if he hadn't travel out of the country".
"I don't know Princess, Ask him tonight"
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