#2
"Mummy Good morning"
Rotimi said squeezing herself in between her mother's arms
With sleepy eyes.
"Rotimi, Good morning how are you"
"I'm fine mother"
"Its good to hear that from you, what joy it gives me"
"Are you not going to the studio as you promised?"
"I will dear"
"By what time? It's 10:30 already"
Jerks up in surprise
Looks round her room. It was another dream.
"Rotimi"
She said heaving a sigh and touching her forehead. She gets up and looks at the time it was ten in the morning already. She heads to Rotimi's room.
Rotimi was on her bed, her legs on the floor, two sticks of cigarettes gone, two bottles of whiskey consumed, half of an apple eaten but all she heard from Rotimi was sobs.
"Timi"
The name her dad loved calling her
"Rotimi"
Her mother called again
"Is it not too early to start drinking?"
"I just finished"
She responded with a coarse voice.
"Why did you call me Timi first"
She said, turning around, looking at her mother.
Sniffs.
"Why?"
"Rotimi-
Her mother called looking at her as she sat beside her holding her hands
"Rotimi, please stop this. You're hurting yourself"
Sniffs again
"You've not answered my question"
"Rotimi, it just came to my mouth"
"And you spilled it"
Looking at her mother, her eyes were very heavy and was hardly seen anymore
"Rotimi"
Her mother hugs her and she hugged her back.
Sobs.
"Couldn't he fight back? Couldn't he remember he has a family? Couldn't he?"
Sobs.
"Its ok Rotimi, it's okay. You just have to be fine, stop all this dangerous things. You're only really hurting yourself"
Her mother reminded her again. Even though she knows that Rotimi won't stop.
Rotimi sobs and finally falls asleep. Her mother cleared her room from all the bottles and cigarettes
##
Femi yawns lazily to pick up his phone which had been ringing for long.
"oh! Abeni, I asked for her, and I got her"
"You've come again with your sweet talks"
Abeni said.
"How are you Abe?"
"I'm Fine"
"Calling me this early is telling me that when we get married, I'll get early morning food"
"Femi......."
She stressed
"You never seize to amaze me, see what he's thinking already in that small head of yours"
"What can I say? Things must kill a man"
They both laughed over the phone.
"So would you be at the studio today?"
"Yes, why ask? I'm I expecting a surprise?"
"Tarh! Femi! Femi!! Femi, be serious for once ni"
" I'm serious oo! So I'll know if I should dress in my best clothes, I'm seeing a royalty so I should know how I behave"
Femi added, smiling.
"You know what? Let me get a shower and head to the studio, I'll call you"
"Alright then"
"Love you dear"
He said switching off his phone; jumping off the bed, singing Iyawo mi as he dashed into the bathroom.
Femi loves Abeni so much and doing anything for her is his aim. Making and seeing her happy. Femi had no intention on going to the studio today but because Abeni had called.
He comes out quickly, whistling the song that refused to leave his head.
"Iyawo mi.......
Hums the rest
Dresses quickly, he had his brown senator trousers with a long-sleeved that had a brown square design in front. He wore a brown sneaker that had a white sole took his wallet and rushed downstairs
"Good morning mother"
He said hugging his mother
"Morning Femi, what's with the whole excitement and rush?"
" I have to go to the—
- Abeni is the cause"
Rotimi said from behind. Coming out from the kitchen with her whiskey and cigarettes
Femi looked at Rotimi
"What? Would you beat me? No!"
Rotimi said laughing
"Anyways mother I'm off to the studio"
"But Abeni is coming right!"
Rotimi added
"What's your problem Rotimi? Eh! She's coming and so? Is it your business?"
Femi harshly spoke back
"Eh!!! Femi I've heard you, even if you did not want to tell me, we know"
"Mummy"
Femi called
"We know ni"
" Let me better leave you guys"
Femi said walking out
"Ma fimi silé oo(don't leave me ooo)
His mother said and laughed
Rotimi was looking at her mother since, her mother noticed the stare
"Kilode? (What is it?)
She raised her both hands in the air and slide her head backwards, telling her nothing.
Her mother held her flowing gown and heads to her room. Rotimi sat on the dinning chair smoking and drinking peacefully.
Rotimi is for guys. Her dad named her after his best friend who was late as well and she remembered the meaning of her name "stay with me". She says how he loved his family that he used her to send a message to her blind family, asking them to stay with him, sadly she was the only one that clinged to him. She nods her head as tears flowed again from her eyes. Maybe when his friend was dying he told him the same message.
"Rotimi"
She called softly as she took another sip of whiskey.
Late Mr. Dayo was very wealthy and indeed managed a very big and famous hotel that his friend shared to him. Mr. Dayo loved his wife so much and his only son Femi, he gave the best. He had a heart problem that made him scared and depressed most times.
When Rotimi was born, she looked like the peace and comfort. That's what her eyes sent to him, but his fear grips him all the time
"Rotimi"
He pronounced, holding his chest and his wife. Indeed his wife was amazed he gave a male's name to his daughter. That wasn't the idea. It was the message he was sending to them all.
"Rotimi"
She called again, this time softer as the tears flowed out like water poured from the head to reach the feet.
"If you really wanted me to stay with you, why then did you leave? Why? You could have fought death oh! He who died and conquered death is still living and won't die again. You would have done so"
She said in anger and nods her head in silence. It pained her every single day.
##
Later that evening, Chief Oluwaseun was already home. Rotimi hated him so much, even though he was her father's brother. He was her target. She calls him a fool every time. He was never there for junior brother, her dad and even at his burial, he came late that night and all he could do at first was to try and abuse Rotimi under the guise of console.
Her mother till as we speak doesn't know the main reason she drowned in the bathroom that night of her father's vigil, and she doesn't know why she hates him so much.
"mummy, I'm out"
"It's okay darl, but be home before it's late"
"Okay"
She looks at Chief Oluwaseun in the eye and leaves.
Mrs. Dayo sighs
"Bear with me"
"I don't care anymore, I'm used to her"
##
Enters her father's hotel. She's indeed known by everyone there.
While eye scanning everyone, she meets a guy that looks so much like her father and at the Last spot her and her dad stayed together with no second thought she went up to the young man, Every one in that table paused and looked at her. Poor guy, he just got a job few days and that was his first time going to an hotel with his colleagues.
"Dayo"
She called and turned him around looking direct into his eyes.
"Dayo"
She called again.
The young guy whose name was not Dayo looked at her and her eyes wasn't comforting at all.
"Excuse me, who are you?"
He asked with all manner of concern.
She sighs and she realized that she has messed up again.
Not a word she utters as she leaves him to her favorite spot. The swimming pool.
The young guy who was left very confused asked his colleagues
"What was that?"
"Who else, depressed Rotimi"
"Rotimi- shouldn't that be for a guy?"
"Ask her father"
"Don't say that, and why the tag depressed?"
The young guy turned but Rotimi had disappeared.
"Where is she going to? Does she have a favorite table here,? "
"Rotimi doesn't eat! She'll be at the swimming pool"
The young man got up and ran towards the swimming pool.
"Seyi"
His colleagues called back.
There was something in her eyes that he saw. Who was Dayo? Why was it him she called that? What memories did they have?
He reached the pool but couldn't spot her. Rotimi this time was inside the bar close to the pool. She was drinking her whiskey. She sighted him wanting and looking around.
A gangster Rotimi had been looking at since came with his huge body and pushed the young man into the pool. Poor guy, he couldn't swim. The gangster had a huge body plus many girls.
Rotimi saw this and kept quiet. The young guy tried his best but no one was concerned, they were all high and drunk.
The music was unapologetically loud.
Rotimi sighs noticing that no one, not even those who sat by the pool's surrounding were interested, she kept watching till the young man's hand was down.
Taking her lady gulp, soamms the glass on the table, she gets up and heads to the pool, jumps into the water, the young man had sunk deep.
"Let the nights be, for the dark gives comfort because you can't see, the day brings fear, wicked souls, men are always there to stare, close your eyes and count to ten"
She said as the man opened his eyes in the water. For the first time Rotimi smiled
"You made it"
The guy was scared. He's under water with this girl and she's breathing under water?
The guy coughs all the water he has drank Rotimi looks at him and turns her back to go back.
"Wait!"
He called out. Coughs again.
"I'm Oluwaseyi"
"Good for you"
She replied moving inside where she was before to continue drinking.
Oluwaseyi wondered.
"What kind of girl is this?"
He turned and saw the thousand person's that were partying and again he breathe out
"And I'm alive?"
Thinks of Rotimi's words
"You made it
"What exactly did she mean? Made what? He sighs and gets up. His suit was indeed wet, he searched his pocket for his phone and saw Rotimi points it to him
"What?, Is she a pickpocket?"
He said getting up and heading to where she was.
"How did you get it?"
"It's working now"
She gave it to him.
Oluwaseyi taps the phone and of course it was working. A phone that deeply went into water.
"Should I thank you?"
He said with a smile, trying to wake a chat.
Rotimi sighed.
"Of what use is it?'
Taking her last gulp while putting another
"You drink?"
"And smoke"
Oluwaseyi marveled
"Goodnight"
She told him, picking the table knife into her pocket.
"Is she a killer?"
He asked himself.
"You ask too many irrelevant questions. Why do you do that? It's annoying"
She said looking at him with the knife in her pocket.
She gets up and took her jacket.
"Soon, you're going to ask me how I know that"
She said with a sigh.
Oluwaseyi looks at her and swallows, looking at her.
"Wait!, You didn't tell me your name?"
"Ask around"
She added getting a cigarette from her pocket and heads outside
"Seyi, she smokes!"
"Wait"
He said going to meet her
"I just can't ask around like that, please"
And Rotimi remembers the meaning of her name and definitely she didn't want to tell him to stay with her
"Then browse it"
She said as she walks away and pauses
"And, don't stop me again"
She added as she went outside completely and took her power bike and drove herself home Leaving Oluwaseyi in wonder.