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.
“Hey, Zeal, what’s up?”
“I am good o. You? Still drinking wine,”
“Lol. Tired of it. Trying to read and learning to play the piano.”
“Piano?” I asked surprised
“Yes. We have one here in the building so I just decided to learn. Anyway, how are you?”
“I am fine.” It was just like Chi to learn something without a teacher.
“I am surprised you are all alone, Zeal. Quit unlike you.”
“Haba, Chi. That doesn’t sound complimentary.”
“No na. I didn’t mean it like that. I hope you are eating well and exercising?” She asked, changing the topic.
We chatted for a while and then said goodnight.
I found Brymo’s 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.
“Making your favourite tea. Want some?”
“I’m good Zeal. Good morning.”
“Good morning, girlfriend. Did you sleep good?”
“Yup. You?”
“I slept well too. Any news from your folks?”
“Yeah. Called them when I woke. He feels better. I spoke to the doctor yesterday.”
“When are you going over to see them,” I asked.
“Around 11am.”
“I can take you, if you don’t mind. Keep you company on the ride.”
“Oh, thanks Zeal. That would be lovely. Will buzz, once I am set.”
“11am, then.”
I had breakfast while CNN played. Then I checked my mail, whatsapp messages and social media feeds.”
“Sorry, if I pissed you off,” Chi had sent after our chat. I sent a reply to say that she hadn’t.
“My 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. “Sister read this so you don’t drive uncle crazy.” – Living Alone During the Coronavirus Outbreak
Be kind to yourself. – I know you are strong and capable. But that doesn’t mean you don’t need some gentleness and compassion right now, too….There’s never been a better time than now to think about how you’d speak to a friend, and to try to use that same spirit when speaking to yourself.
Don’t try to do everything.– This is not the time to solve the world – or even yourself….. Being less than exemplary won’t 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 don’t actually have to act on them. Understanding that helps you understand that you don’t have to try to keep them from surfacing, either.
Say it out loud. – You’re scared. This sucks. You miss everyone. You miss tiny normal things. You miss your freedom… Just say it….
You can indulge some impulses. – This is not the time to be a perfectionist. It’s ok to find some comfort in food or the kind of tv that can drown out your brain…
But try to keep your head about it and be safe. -You know all those memes you’re seeing about day-drinking and the coffee-to-wine cycle? That doesn’t work for you. If a couple beers make weekly writing night feel less lonely right now, that’s ok….
Have fun. -There’s nothing preventing you from turning the stereo up too loud at night, or roaming around singing silly songs…
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 you…
Be creative if you can, but don’t 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 new…
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 “Thanks for the pep talk, Zed man. I am learning to count my blessings.”
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 Taiye’s door was pulled open.
“Perfect timing,” she said as we kissed.
She was wearing a pink polo shirt, blue jeans and black sandals.
“You look beautiful,” I said as I drew her close.
“You too,” she said. “Though I am not too sold on the “and co” thingy.”
“Really, I dressed up first, babes. I don’t know why you copied my style.”
“I did, yeah,” 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.
“Oga make you and madam do quarantine for us,” the officer said at the second stop and I parted with N1,000.
Her parents were in high spirits.
“So, sorry she had to drag you out to Ilupeju,” Taiye’s mum said.
“A man must show himself responsible and up to the task in an emergency,” her father said like a school teacher.
“Tunde, they are just neighbours.”
“Ishan people say it is from clapping that dancing starts,” her father said, winking at me. I winked back.
“Daddy, behave,” Taiye said as she brought me a bottle of wine and a glass. “You know about clapping and dancing but you won’t remember to take your medicines.”
“Zeal, it is right?” he father asked and I said yes. “How do you cope with this daughter of mine. She is becoming more and more like her mother by the day.”
“Tunde, I heard that o,” Taiye’s mum called from the kitchen.
“God this house is too small,” 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.
“The doctor said it was hypo or hyper something,” her mum said.
“Have you set the alarms now?” Taiye asked.
“Yes, on my phone and his own.”
“Let me see,” she said and checked. “Okay.”
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.
“Sir, you need to stay indoors and wait this out. With your age and condition, this could be bad.”
“You sound like Kunle, my son. He says that all the time as if old age is a disease.”
Father and daughter hugged and kissed and then we took our leave.
“He likes you,” Taiye said. “Mummy too.”
“People like me, T. Maybe I should run for president. Look at Trump.”
“Trump, really Zeal, You want to talk about Trump, in this car? I can see you want to trek.’
“Trek ke? I am the one drivinng.”
“Okay, mention Trump one more time. I dare you to.”
“Sorry o,” 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.
“Come here let me wash the Coro out of you,” 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.
“Come, let me take care of that stubborn goat,” 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 bum said – “Papi, come let me make you cum.”
What was there not to love.
Continues tomorrow – Edited by Toni Kan