The Pain of Separation Episode 4: KUNLE

I lie in bed and reminisce about the first time I met Bola’s father.

It was a beautiful night in May. I just got my first job and the girls took me out to celebrate. TY picked the bar, Black Hearts, a trendy urban bar catering to the young and chic crowd. She also picked this bar because of the rumours of it been a hang out spot for eligible bachelors.

I remember trying on a million and one things in my wardrobe before I finally settled for a black halter neck gown with blue pumps and gold accessories. I looked gorgeous (if I must say so myself). At 7:30pm, TY and Chichi arrived at my house. TY wore a one-shoulder nude top, blue jeans with brown ankle length boots. Her accessory was a simple stud to her ears. She pulled her hair up in a ponytail and left her neck bare. She looked simple but very chic and classy. Chichi, on the other hand, wore a black long sleeve top with a short floral print wrap skirt and black wedges to match. She let her hair down and wore a beautiful faux pearl chain on her neck. She looked very breathtakingly beautiful.

On our way to the bar, a bottle of champagne materialised from only God and TY knows where. TY popped the bottle as we screamed with delight. I thought it was stupid that we drank it at the back of a taxi, straight from the bottle. The taxi driver must have thought we were crazy. My friends and I were happy, who cared what a grumpy old man thought?

We got to Black Hearts at 8:30pm. The place was bright, colourful and filled with beautiful people. There was a live band playing in the bar.  I was happy. We made our way to a table and settled in for a night of fun and excitement.

After two bottles of champagne and several glasses of red wine, I think I was drunk enough to take TY’s bet. I was to walk up to a guy and ask him to dance. I drowned my glass and slurred “Watch me”. Five minutes later, they started laughing.

“What are you laughing at?” I asked

“Sweetie, you know you have to leave the table to do it, right?” TY answered

“Oh, sorry”

“No problem, we’ll just sit back and watch you, but I bet you can’t do it”

“Shut up, I can too”

Chichi began cheering me in a sing song voice.

“Go Kemi, go kemi, go kemi”.

I stood in a hurry, felt dizzy and sat back down. The girls giggled. I was going to show them that I was brave enough to have fun. Before I stood up again, I heard a baritone voice ask me “Will you like to dance?” I looked up and the face before me looked like it belonged to a god.

“Am I in heaven?”  I lifted my hands to touch his face. It broke into a smile.

“Girls, I think I’m in heaven” I sighed.

The girls broke into uncontrollable laughter. I looked at them and thought it was weird that they were laughing at the fact that I was in heaven.

“You are so going to hell you two” I exclaimed

“Will you like to dance?” he asked me again

“Of course I will” so we made our way to the dance floor with the girls cheering us on. We danced a bit before he struck up a conversation.

“You’re very funny”

“Really? It must be the alcohol”

He laughed out loud.

“I couldn’t help but eavesdrop on your conversation with your friends. I thought it’ll be nice to dance with you before you pick someone else, I hope you don’t lose the bet because I asked you. I’m Kunle and you are?”

“Drunk, very drunk. I hope you don’t mind taking me back to my table, I’m feeling very dizzy”

“Ok but do I get your name and number?”

“I’m sorry but no. I hope you don’t mind”

“No problem”

“Thanks”

He took me back to the table. Before I could catch my breath, the girls were at me.

Chichi: “Spill now”

“We danced, that’s all”

TY: “what do you mean “that’s all”? Didn’t he ask for your number and all that?”

“Yes, he did but I said no and he acted like an A-class gentleman and let the matter rest”

They looked at me like I had a moustache and a beard.

TY: “Are you out of your frigging mind? That guy is hot and you said what?”

Chichi: “She must be drunk, let’s get her out of here”

TY: “Gimme a minute, I’ll be right back”

“Don’t you dare” I screamed. Chichi and I knew what TY was up to.

“Well someone has to do it and since you won’t I might as well” and off she went to give my number to Kunle.  My girlfriends always wanted to hook me up and whenever I passed up the opportunity they went behind my back and did it anyway. I wasn’t angry but I faked it.

She came back to the table. “Now, we can leave”

Kunle did not call me until five weeks had passed. I was very sober and very busy. The minute he mentioned his name, the evening came back to. He asked me out to dinner, I said yes and the rest was history. We got married two years after that dinner, had Bola two years and nine months into our marriage and twelve years later a divorce.

Where did it all go wrong?