After I showered and brushed and got into bed, I discovered that I couldn’t sleep.
I wanted to call Taiye or go knock on her door but something told me that she wouldnt appreciate it, so I lay there in the dark for a while until I found myself dialling Chi.
โHey, Zeal, whatโs up?โ
โI am good o. You? Still drinking wine,โ
โLol. Tired of it. Trying to read and learning to play the piano.โ
โPiano?โ I asked surprised
โYes. We have one here in the building so I just decided to learn. Anyway, how are you?โ
โI am fine.โ It was just like Chi to learn something without a teacher.
โI am surprised you are all alone, Zeal. Quit unlike you.โ
โHaba, Chi. That doesn’t sound complimentary.โ
โNo na. I didn’t mean it like that. I hope you are eating well and exercising?โ She asked, changing the topic.
We chatted for a while and then said goodnight.
I found Brymoโs new album, Yellow, on Deezer, set “Rara rira” on repeat then diving under the duvet forced myself to sleep.
The bluetooth speaker had gone off when I woke. I peed, brushed my teeth then went out to exercise. I sent Taiye a whatsapp message while I made tea.
โMaking your favourite tea. Want some?โ
โIโm good Zeal. Good morning.โ
โGood morning, girlfriend. Did you sleep good?โ
โYup. You?โ
โI slept well too. Any news from your folks?โ
โYeah. Called them when I woke. He feels better. I spoke to the doctor yesterday.โ
โWhen are you going over to see them,โ I asked.
โAround 11am.โ
โI can take you, if you donโt mind. Keep you company on the ride.โ
โOh, thanks Zeal. That would be lovely. Will buzz, once I am set.โ
โ11am, then.โ
I had breakfast while CNN played. Then I checked my mail, whatsapp messages and social media feeds.โ
โSorry, if I pissed you off,โ Chi had sent after our chat. I sent a reply to say that she hadn’t.
โMy sister had sent a long one with prayers and advice for me to eat well, exercise and stay healthy.
I read then sent her a thank you and an article I read on WebMD. โSister read this so you donโt drive uncle crazy.โ – Living Alone During the Coronavirus Outbreak
Be kind to yourself. – I know you are strong and capable. But that doesnโt mean you donโt need some gentleness and compassion right now, tooโฆ.Thereโs never been a better time than now to think about how youโd speak to a friend, and to try to use that same spirit when speaking to yourself.
Donโt try to do everything.– This is not the time to solve the world โ or even yourselfโฆ.. Being less than exemplary wonโt hurt you. For now, how about we all be okay with just being okay.
Allow your thoughts and feelings to come up.– The deceptively simple truth about thoughts and feelings is you donโt actually have to act on them. Understanding that helps you understand that you donโt have to try to keep them from surfacing, either.
Say it out loud. – Youโre scared. This sucks. You miss everyone. You miss tiny normal things. You miss your freedom… Just say itโฆ.
You can indulge some impulses. – This is not the time to be a perfectionist. Itโs ok to find some comfort in food or the kind of tv that can drown out your brainโฆ
But try to keep your head about it and be safe. -You know all those memes youโre seeing about day-drinking and the coffee-to-wine cycle? That doesnโt work for you. If a couple beers make weekly writing night feel less lonely right now, thatโs okโฆ.
Have fun. -Thereโs nothing preventing you from turning the stereo up too loud at night, or roaming around singing silly songsโฆ
Accept invitations. – Ok, so remote hangouts are not a true replacement for in-person hangs. But you get to look at and laugh with and freak out with people you love and who love youโฆ
Be creative if you can, but donโt punish yourself if. – If you can write that song or do that project, by all means, it will be a wonderful feeling to make something newโฆ
Remember this is temporary.– One way or another, nothing lasts. It is one of the most wonderful and terrible truisms that we have: nothing stays the same, whether good or bad.
Vic sent a video of him and his family doing some funny dance challenge with a short message โThanks for the pep talk, Zed man. I am learning to count my blessings.โ
I showered and dressed in a blue polo shirt, blue jeans and black sandals.
I took my mask and jar of sanitizer.
I was about to knock when Taiyeโs door was pulled open.
โPerfect timing,โ she said as we kissed.
She was wearing a pink polo shirt, blue jeans and black sandals.
โYou look beautiful,โ I said as I drew her close.
โYou too,โ she said. โThough I am not too sold on the โand coโ thingy.โ
โReally, I dressed up first, babes. I don’t know why you copied my style.โ
โI did, yeah,โ she said as we walked down the stairs holding hands.
The guards were effusive with their greetings.
The streets were empty for a Saturday morning when people would have been up and about heading for weddings and all sorts of ceremonies. We encountered two roadblocks but there was no drama as we explained that my father in-law was sick.
โOga make you and madam do quarantine for us,โ the officer said at the second stop and I parted with N1,000.
Her parents were in high spirits.
โSo, sorry she had to drag you out to Ilupeju,โ Taiyeโs mum said.
โA man must show himself responsible and up to the task in an emergency,โ her father said like a school teacher.
โTunde, they are just neighbours.โ
โIshan people say it is from clapping that dancing starts,โ her father said, winking at me. I winked back.
โDaddy, behave,โ Taiye said as she brought me a bottle of wine and a glass. โYou know about clapping and dancing but you wonโt remember to take your medicines.โ
โZeal, it is right?โ he father asked and I said yes. โHow do you cope with this daughter of mine. She is becoming more and more like her mother by the day.โ
โTunde, I heard that o,โ Taiyeโs mum called from the kitchen.
โGod this house is too small,โ he said as he picked up the remote control and switched on the tv.
Over lunch, we got the full story. He had forgotten to take his shot and when they remembered, he got two extra doses to catch up. He fell asleep then woke up dizzy, trembling, sweating and incoherent.
โThe doctor said it was hypo or hyper something,โ her mum said.
โHave you set the alarms now?โ Taiye asked.
โYes, on my phone and his own.โ
โLet me see,โ she said and checked. โOkay.โ
The two women cleared the table while her father and I sat there shooting the breeze. We talked about the virus, conspiracy theories then about 5G and China.
โSir, you need to stay indoors and wait this out. With your age and condition, this could be bad.โ
โYou sound like Kunle, my son. He says that all the time as if old age is a disease.โ
Father and daughter hugged and kissed and then we took our leave.
โHe likes you,โ Taiye said. โMummy too.โ
โPeople like me, T. Maybe I should run for president. Look at Trump.โ
โTrump, really Zeal, You want to talk about Trump, in this car? I can see you want to trek.โ
โTrek ke? I am the one drivinng.โ
โOkay, mention Trump one more time. I dare you to.โ
โSorry o,โ I said and turned on the radio.
We drove home in companionable silence, then once inside, Taiye stripped and bid me do the same. She popped our clothes in the washing machine then dragged me into the bathroom.
โCome here let me wash the Coro out of you,โ she said lathering my body and scrubbing me like a child.
Then when she was done she asked me to return the favour after which we took turns drying each other.
I had a massive boner by the time we were done, because Taiye kept pushing my whatachamacallit this way and that way.
โCome, let me take care of that stubborn goat,โ she said leading me into the room. She sat me on the bed, then kneeling between my legs took me full in her beautiful mouth, her fingers doing beautiful things to my nipples.
And when she was done, she got to her feet, placed her hands on my dressing and jutting out her bumย said – โPapi, come let me make you cum.โ
What was there not to love.
Continues tomorrow – Edited by Toni Kan