BUKOLA

Upon the mentally exhausting weekend, I had to dress up to work the day, faking smiles throughout the day. What I really want to do is sneak into a quite place and cry my eyes out.

Aminu had some important investor's meeting to attend at Sheraton, so he hasn't been at work since the beginning of today.

"Hope you're not at work." His message comes in. Talk about coincidence.

"I am."

"To my office now." He says and I huff.

"Okay." I text back. After observing my environment, I quietly slip out of my seat.

"I was just looking for you." Lolu magically appears in front of me. I just smack my forehead, annoyed.

"Please excuse me. I need to be somewhere now." I state.

"Come on."

"Please. I'm not in the mood for all these right now." I state, rolling my eyes and walk away.

"Have you had anything to eat today?" Was the first question Aminu threw my way the moment I got into his office.

"Don't feel like." I shrug off and surprisingly make my way to where he is. Sitting on his lap, I snuggle into his chest while he chuckles.

"What does my wifey want to eat?" Je asks.

"Nothing. I'm okay this way." I snuggle deeper into his arms.

"Sir, the order is here." Her voice becomes strained when her eyes meet my form. I tried to stand up but guess Aminu has other plans.

"Alright. Bring it in. My wife is getting impatient." He state and I smack his hand. What happened to mot announcing us? And why did this busy body come in here without knocking?

"Alright, Sir."

"Is that how she does not knock when coming into your office?"

"Is that jealousy I detect in your voice, wifey?" He asks with a grin.

"No." I state.

"Thought as much." He is kissing my head when she walks in again, rolling her eyes. This one is senseless. She is lucky her boss did not see her and I'm in a very sullen mood today.

"I had a hunch that you would protest against eating. It's why I placed an order the moment I confirmed you were in the building."

"I actually do not feel like eating." I shrug. Stretching, I take a piece of the chicken. I hear Aminu groan as he places his both hands on my hips. After taking a big bite of it, I give him a goofy grin. I catch him biting on his lips. My eyes follow the move before staring back at him. He erupts into a fit of giggles while his shoulder shakes uncontrollably.

"Gratitude thrown my way will not hurt, you know." He finally speaks.

"Thank you." I feel the seat slide backward before he gets up with me in his arms. Walking temptation. I hear him softly mutter.

At the close of work, I bid goodbye to everyone and proceed to our meet-up location. I didn't invite Tee for obvious reasons.

"What's up?" Farida asks when we are finally settled in.

"I called both of you her for a reason." I state.

"Obviously." She points out and Emmy gives her the eye.

"I have a son." They are both stunned, sipping on their smoothies.

"Since when?" Emmy asks.

"Since almost two decades now. Jide is my son."

"Please, stop joking with us." Farida shifts in her seat.

"I am serious." After narrating the whole story to them, at this point I'm tired of telling this story over and over again, they keep quiet for a minute.

"Does he know?" Emmy asks.

"Who?"

"Aminu."

"Yes, he does."

"And what does he think about it?"

"Nothing. He understands."

"But how about Jide?" Farida's question brings about a pool of tears in my eyes. I look up, trying to hold the tears in. After several attempts to steady my breath, I finally lock gazes with them again. Farida drags her seat towards where I am. She starts to gently rub the back of my palm.

"He hates me." I want to cry. I'm just trying to be strong because I am in a public place.

"You know we are always here for you." I also narrate the circumstances behind my marriage and how I was a stripper after  losing my job.

"Stripping? And you nevet gave us a show?" Emmy jokes. I chuckle. Farida stones her empty pack on him which he ducks.

"Know when to be serious." She tells him.

"Was just trying to make her smile a little." He defends.

"On a serious note, we could nevet have judged you for being a stripper. Life happened; the good thing is, you have a better paying job now." Emmy adds.

"And have you seen the way your husband looks at you? Don't be blind to the fact that the man adores you."

"It's just an act, Farida."

"I know an act when I see one, Bukky." I left out the last part. This is where I am supposed to open up on everything. Yet, I still keep my twin away.

The familiar brown gates come into my view and I let out a sigh. As per usual, the men lead to where their bosses are.

"We didn't schedule to meet today." He was the first to speak.

"With the rate at which this is going, do we really need to keep up that?" I ask him with raised brows.

"As long as you have the access code." He smirks, placing out his palm.

"You see, that's where you get it all wrong, old man. I, much to the dismay of you two sneaky bastards, have chosen to opt out of this whole thing." I sneer at them.

"You know we could still get that information from someone else apart from you, right?"

"Well, Good luck with that." I smirk and I am met with a huge slap on my face.

"Not our fault when your loved ones start dropping dead one at a time." She shrugs.

"Shame on you, Bukola." I laugh at my stupid twin.

"You were always the smarter one of the both of us. You know the problem with you, you make stupid decisions. I can't believe you got yourself roped into all these. This whole illusion of love. For crying out loud, that man is old enough to birth you!"

"At least, he loves me. You can't say the same for the man in your life." She throws back. I scoff.

"Love? Illusions, evil devil. Aminu might not be in love with me, but if there's something that I am sure of, it's the fact that I am in love with him and he cares about me to a very high degree." I shoot back and she rolls her eyes.

"Tie this bitch up." She commands the man behind me.

"Why do you hate me so much?" I cry out. My state gives her a weird level of satisfaction that is portrayed by her facial expression.

"You killed me and continued to live your life as me!" She screams. While we were kids, we were out playing and had a little quarrel. In the process of pushing each other, she fell into a septic tank. I wonder how she survived it and why she chose to stay away.

"I did not kill you! How many times do I need to get that into your stupud head?"

"Bukunmi, how do you explain you running away or changing your name to mine?" She asks me. That day still plays fresh in my head.

Flashback.

When Bukunmi saw that she was too little to save her twin sister, she decided to run for help. The adults were going about their normal lives when they heard her screams.

"What happened?" Her mother screamed.

"Mummy, daddy, she fell into the soak away tank." She cries out.

"My God! Hope it's not my Bukola." Bukunmi did not know how to feel. For a 10 years old, she could understand why her mom will wish it were her there instead of her twin. She would save her twin in a heartbeat. Her twin was part of her.

By the time they got there, they could not get the body out. Bukunmi lost het twin that day. It was also a redefining moment in her life, fir she also became Bukola that day.

End of Flashback.

"Nigerian Police! Freeze!"

"This bitch called the Police on us!" I did not. I am as stunned as they are. Gun shots start sounding around me. A searing pain shoots through my abdomen. I just got hit by a bullet.

"Oh, no!" A voice sounds loudly behind me as I looose my balance on the ground. I land on a pair of arms. Aminu, he is here. Why is it Lolu's face I am seeing while my eyes struggle to stay open? The chaos around me makes it difficult for me to place my head on anything at this moment. How did this even happen?

"Stay with me, please. I can't lose you. Please." Aminu's shaky voice is the last thing I hear before my body finally gives up.