The First Time

03. Letting Go

TIMINI'S POV

Upon entering the car, I took off my soaked suit and my tie immediately and dropped the wet items on the seat beside me.

I sighed deeply and looked at my driver Musa when he turned his head back to look at me from the driver's seat with a concerned look on his face. 'Oga are you okay? Se e o ri ojo?' [I hope the rain didn't drench you too much?]. He asked in Yoruba language.

Chuckling gently and grunting when I was finding it difficult to remove the bloody tie from my neck.

'I'm okay Musa. Thank you. Please turn off the AC and drive me home, I'm freezing.' I replied.

He complied and minutes later, we were back to my house. He pulled the car into the driveway and with quick strides I walked into my house. Musa carried my other belongings into my room just like he did every day and I walked over to the sitting room, removing the wet shirt clinging to my body and dumping it on the couch.

Eva was going to have my head for it but right now I just didn't really care. All I needed was a bottle of wine or anything hot.

Walking into the kitchen, I opened the cabinet and took outside the bottle of whiskey I saw. Grabbing a glass cup from the cabinet, I popped the lid off and poured a little amount of the liquid into it swallowing it down in one gulp.

I squeezed my face from the burning sensation it left on my tongue and pinched my nose bridge.

Thinking of Mrs Yetunde, I wondered how she would react to me still in my wet clothes carelessly drinking a bottle of whiskey in the middle of the kitchen. Chuckling, I really wished she wasn't around.

I sighed and relaxed my shoulder muscles. Today was one of those long and stressful days. From the long meetings, to making sure the transportation of the petroleum products was well monitored. And to add it I was drenched because I had to stop by the ATM to withdraw some money. It was just a terrible day.

All I wanted was a long warm bath, a nice home cooked meal and a long nap all by myself but Eva my girlfriend always had her way of weaving into my already stressful life and most times she was just here to add to it.

I loved her company and the s*x every night was okay but sometimes she was just too much for me and I was too much of a gentle man to tell her that.

Speaking of the devil.

I felt two warm arms wrap around my waist from behind and her strong strawberry scent filled my nose. 'Hey baby'. She drawled with her seductive voice. I dropped my glass cup and turned to face her, smiling broadly and making sure it looked genuine. If I didn't, she was going to complain for hours of how I didn't miss her and how i just didn't care about her and that was the last thing I needed.

'Hey sweetie, how are you doing?' I wrapped my hands around her slim waist and hugged her. I wouldn't deny hugging her didn't feel good. She was warm enough for my cold body.

'I missed you baby.' She said and pulled away immediately when my cold shirt clinged to her body.

'Ew you're wet!'

I chuckled and placed my hands on her waist. 'im sorry love, I was drenched on my way from the ATM.'

She shrugged. 'Well, i was as bored as hell since and your house keeper wasn't helping matters.' Her face pulled into a frown. ' I caught her giving me these dirty looks and you know this is not the first time I'm telling you this babe. She doesn't like me.'

Here comes the drama.

'Eva Mrs Yetunde can't just decide to give you dirty looks. She was probably tired and she was just looking at you tiredly or something. You know how she gets when she's tired.' I replied pleading for this matter to die down if only for tonight.

Mrs Yetunde had been with me ever since when I first met her ten years ago. She was in a huge debt and she was humiliated publicly as the debt collectors demanded for their money.

They beat and threatened to arrest her if she didn't pay up. She was lucky enough I was driving by that day and the scene before me was really unpleasant, with her two kids watching her and crying their eyes out.

I got to know of the situation and paid them. After all of that, she said her land lord had just kicked her out of the house and she didn't have anywhere else she and her kids were going to stay. I couldn't turn the blind eye and since she had no other options I allowed them stay at my place until they found a place to move to.

Weeks later, she suggested I allow her cook and clean for me for a pay so she could get a place to eventually stay with her kids.

I agreed and i later got to enjoy their company very much and didn't want them to leave so I told her to stay and she could live in the boys quarter with which I was still going to be paying her and she had been grateful ever since.

Her two kids just got married three years ago and moved out to their new homes so it was just the both of us. My parents were workaholics who only cared about their their jobs than their own kids and my little sister, was in a boarding secondary school so she had been with me ever since and she was the closest thing I had to a mother.

A part of me knew she didn't like Eva because like she said, she was a spoilt brat who was just around to spend my money.

Eva huffed and crossed her arms. 'You always take her side Timini and I don't know why. It's not like I'm lying against her or something.'

'Look, I'm not siding anyone honey.' I said reassuringly, my hands dropped gently from her waist to her hips squeezing the sides of her hips gently. I only said she was probably tired from all the chores and I promise to talk to her if she does it again.'

Dealing with her issues was something I wasn't even in the mood for right now.

She shook her head and removed my hands from her hips. 'You are and it's not fair. Do you even care about me or my feelings? You don't.' 'Do you even love me?.' She asked, taking a seat opposite me.

I groaned and poured myself another cup of whiskey. 'Eva please don't even start now. You know I do.'

'Okay, what do you want me to do now?' I asked when she didn't reply me.

That peaked her attention. She sat up straight and with finality laced in her voice, she blurted out.

'I want you to sack her babe. You have to. You have to do this for me.'

I shook my head gulping down the drink. She was being ridiculous right now. 'You know I can't, Eva. I'm sorry.'

She scoffed, 'Yeah sure you can't. How did I know you were going to say that. If you love me like you say you do, you would definitely do that for me Timini.'

'I can't sack Mrs Yetunde. She has been there for me for years and she is like family now.'

'Yeah right, like who the f**k cares?' She spoke giving me a dirty look.

Rubbing the now aching spot on my forehead, I replied. 'I do Eva. Please drop it, I will talk to her tonight okay?' I replied gently, careful not to raise my voice.

She stood up slowly and pointed her manicured finger at me. 'Well tonight all this stops because if you don't sack her tonight or tomorrow morning, we are done! We are what? DONE! So make your choice now. That woman,' she pointed outside where the boys quarter was ' Or ME your girlfriend.' She hissed at me loudly and stomped up the stairs slamming the bedroom door.

I sighed deeply and hoped she was going to be using the spare room tonight because I wasn't about to hear her whine about it again all night when I still had to resume early back to work tomorrow morning.

Grabbing the bottle of whiskey off the table, i stood up and moved to the parlour. Walking to the high length glass window, I opened up the blinds. Rain was pouring down heavily outside and the sky was tar- black. The walkway of the estate was wet with rain water and the roofs of the cars danced with spray. I could hear the murmuring of the rain through the window. It sounded like the buzzing of angry bees.

My mind drifted to Eva and I wondered if only she could be more understanding. She knew I wouldn't be able to sack Mrs Yetunde and she was still telling me to. How was I going to sack someone who has been there for me ever since. If she was even anyone, it still wouldn't be fair.

I wanted to be happy. And I wasn't with Eva or any girl I had dated. This relationship thing was a piece of crap and time waster and I was just going to focus more on my work and making money of course.

We were going to have to end our months of relationship tomorrow morning. That was the best thing that was needed right now.