More than a Chance

Disappointment

Adewale started the car's engine confusedly and he revved away in no time. He couldn't ask Danny what happened at Adijah's shop. He wanted the dust to ensconce before he would utter a word. All he could hear his brother saying was, “I can't believe this.”

How on earth would Adewale get an inkling, when this is all that Danny nagged on?

“Which way should I go sir?” he asked Danny.

“Take me to where I could relax and grab a bottle of beer," he replied furiously.

“Okay, sir."

He knew Danny would get over this injurious moment any time soon.

Before Danny took the first gulp of his beer, he shook his head. “Things have gone awkward," he said. He re-capitulated what happened at the barrack to Adewale.

How Aaliyah's mother denied him point blank. "And I don't know her place of work in "Ikorodu", she only told me she's a teacher in a secondary school. The only link to her is the barrack and it's now grim."

Adewale had a perturbing moment after the conundrum got illuminated. As the night slipped away gently he tried to figure out how he could manage the situation to scale this hurdle that stood on his track of seeing Aaliyah.

Unfortunately, Aaliyah didn't come to "Abeokuta" that Weekend. Her students had finished their continuous assessment tests on that Friday. She had whole lots of scripts to mark.

Adewale lay on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling as the events of the day played out in his mind. He couldn't shake off the disappointment he felt when his brother narrated to him what happened at Adijah's shop. Meeting Aaliyah had been what he's looking forward to in the recent time, and now he felt like he was going to miss out on meeting the woman his brother had spoken so highly of.

As he lay there, his thoughts began to wander, trying to find a way to make his dream a reality. He knew he had to come up with a plan, a way to make sure he meets her without getting into trouble with the Colonel.

Finally, he got an idea, a plan that just might work. A smile spread across his face as he imagined how the whole thing would play out. He quickly got up from the bed, his mind already racing with the details of his plan.

Adewale felt happy and energized, ready to take on the challenge of seeing the lady his brother wanted to introduce to him. He knew he had to act fast, but he was ready to do whatever it takes to quench the thirst Aaliyah had incited in him.

He took out his notebook and started jotting down the steps he needed to take to make his plan work. With each word he wrote, his excitement grew, and he felt more confident that his plan was foolproof.

As he wrote, Adewale's mind raced with anticipation. He was already picturing Aaliyah's face with the way Danny described her. He knew that he was taking a risk, but it was a risk he was willing to take.

With a satisfied sigh, Adewale closed his notebook and lay back on his bed. He felt a sense of calm wash over him, knowing that he had a plan and he was in control. He closed his eyes, imagining the moment he would finally meet the woman who had captured his heart before meeting her.

For the first time in six days, Adewale felt at peace, confident that his plan would work, and he would finally get to meet the woman who made his brother wished he was still a bachelor. He knew Danny's wife is beautiful but he couldn't imagine how beautiful Aaliyah would be.

The following Monday morning a letter came in from one of their clients and Adewale has to travel to oversee a construction project in the far away eastern part of Nigeria. He knew, he would have to manage his anxiety real well. The following day, he traveled to “Enugu".

Aaliyah came to town the following weekend. Adijah didn't tell her anything about what happened. Maybe she wanted them to get home before discussing that kind of issue. That Friday the colonel had come back from a journey. He had sent one of his orderlys earlier to bring some packages for Adijah.

He then came in that same evening to relax on her spot. He then called Aaliyah, and explained to her why she needed to be careful with men. Colonel told her to come to his quarter tomorrow for a special gift Tunde had sent from Spain. She always feels delighted whenever she hears from his fiance.

“I will come tomorrow for it sir," she said spryly.

Aaliyah had waited inpatiently for Danny to show up. One month has gone; she hasn't set her eyes on him. She missed coming to “Abeokuta" just once out of the four weekends.

She began to see points in what colonel had told her. All the trust she had in Danny began to chip and sink away with every night and then. She thought maybe he had given up on her because he was unable to get a chance with her.

“Hmmm! Men would always be men," she thought aloud unconsciously and her mum overheard her on the bed.

Adijah added, “they're very wily, so you need to be very careful with them. But I hope is not Tunde you're referring to?”

“No oo not my darling Tunde, how can it be him?” she replied.

Her mother cited her father as an example. And Aaliyah doesn't like this part of the conversation whenever it comes up.

Adijah nagged on how her husband terrified her life with bitterness before he finally passed away.

But every pieces of the story to Aaliyah was just the irony of it. She had just incited the memory Aliyah's been trying to bury all her life. She began to get more bored with her mother's berating. Aaliyah rolled around on the bed before boredom finally lured away her night into daybreak.

It's been seven weeks now since Aaliyah hadn't seen Danny again and it's been three weeks since she came to “Abeokuta”. (Maybe she's frazzled with her mother's nagging or probably she wanted to be alone for some time but we will find out later.)

She couldn't believe herself counting on someone she had barely known for a whole day.

Her mother has begun to worry about Aaliyah's whereabouts. But the Colonel on the other side was having a wrong impression.

Adewale has been inexorably going to the barrack every Fridays and Saturdays trying to execute his plan since he came back from “Enugu” three weeks ago. He comes in Danny's car and he usually parked at the spot his brother showed him the day he brought Aaliyah. Hoping Aaliyah would recognize the car if she by chance sees it. Anticipation was vanquishing his patience gradually.

Adewale was drinking at a spot on the barrack while his sight's glued to Danny's car. His brother had warned him about how dicey it's out here. Adewale had promised him that he would put everything under control.

It was getting dark that Saturday when he hardly figure out faces except those under the light. He had put so much effort into this for so long. He guessed, Aaliyah, hasn't been coming to town recently.

He drove back to the bar at the gym where he normally swaps cars with his brother. Danny waited impatiently for him to return that evening to give him positive feedback.

When he came back, Danny could tell from his countenance that it was the same old story.

“Don't you think the whole thing is getting more irksome," said Danny. But Adewale didn't want to give up the struggle to quench his thirst to sight an emblem of beauty.

He pleaded for another trial. Danny didn't say anything other not to discourage him, he knew, he was the one who put him in this situation. But he's worried about him going to the barrack now and then to look for Aaliyah.

That same Friday evening the Colonel had spoken to Adijah about them paying Aaliyah a visit at her place. She was glad to hear that, she felt a sense of relief in her heart.

“Thank you, Colonel, I appreciate this," she said.

Eight o'clock the following morning,

the sun had just risen as Colonel stood outside Adijah's house waiting on her to come out so they can embark on their journey to “Ikorodu” in Lagos. He had brought his trusted driver and orderly along with him to help navigate the busy Lagos roads.

As they drove towards Ikorodu, the colonel's mind was filled with thoughts of Aaliyah. He wondered why she hadn't come home in so long, and his concern grew with each passing mile. He had bought some things for her on their way, hoping to cheer her up and ease her worries.

"Adijah, did you have any disagreement with your daughter?" the colonel asked, breaking the silence that had enveloped the car.

Adijah shook his head. "No, we didn't have any before she left."

The colonel sighed. "I just hope she's alright. It's not like her to go this long without coming to Abeokuta."

Adijah nodded in agreement. "Yes. But we'll find out soon enough."

They finally arrived at Aaliyah's apartment building in Ikorodu