CHAPTER TEN “CONVINCED”

©️ Opeyemi Akintunde
As inspired by the DEEP ONE

Teju’s POV

I woke up late. Very late. 11:25 a.m.

I checked the other side of the bed. Imade wasn’t there.

I sat up immediately.

Again?

Last night she had been at the pool with Beauty.
Then she returned, suddenly ready to offer what she had fiercely rejected before.
Now she was gone again.

Something was off.

I wasn’t the kind of person who judged quickly, but I trusted my discernment.
The Beauty I met yesterday wasn’t just confident …she was conniving.
Smooth-talking. Strategic.
A snake.

And Imade had listened to her.

By her side of the bed, I noticed a small folded note. “I’ve gone to the gym.”

I frowned.

“Gym?” I muttered.
Interesting.

Imade was not a gym person. Not like this. Not the morning after our wedding.

Before I could think further, my phone vibrated.

Incoming call: My mother-in-law.

I sighed.

I already knew how this conversation would go.

“Heyyy big boy!” she screamed the moment I answered.

“The husband! My son is now a man! How are you? I hope you showed Imade that you’re a man!”
She laughed loudly.

My mouth fell open.

Was she expecting a full report?

“And how was it?” she pressed.

I swallowed.

“Mummy… we’re fine,” I said, forcing a laugh.

“Ahhh, you don’t want to tell me! You don’t want to give me the tea like you young people say,” she giggled.

I quickly changed the subject.

“So mummy, we’re getting to the airport by four, right?”

“Hmmm… that’s actually why I called,” she said, her tone suddenly serious.

“My prophet said I should tell you both not to travel. Where you’re going, there is a storm waiting. A mighty storm. If you’re not careful, it could take both of your lives. God forbid in Jesus’ name.”

My heart skipped.

“Ha… so we can’t go again?” I asked carefully.
“Imade won’t like the sound of this. She’s been dreaming of that place for years. That’s why we chose it for our honeymoon.”

“Man proposes,” she replied calmly, “God disposes.
Where is she? Let me talk to her.”

Trouble.

I thought quickly.

If I told her Imade went to the gym the morning after our wedding, she would know something was wrong.
My mother-in-law was too calculative for such details to slide.

“She’s still sleeping,” I lied.
“We slept very late. When she wakes up, I’ll have her call you.”

The moment I said it, my spirit convicted me.

“No problem,” she replied. “Tell her to call me when she wakes up. No wonder she’s not picking my calls.”

She ended the call.

Almost immediately…
Imade walked in.

Sweaty.
Breathing lightly.
Exactly like someone who had been to the gym.

There was an awkward silence.

We both stood there, unsure who should speak first.

Then we spoke at the same time.

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

“Gym?” I asked.

She looked at me sharply, accusation blazing in her eyes.

“I needed to burn off the rejection,” she said bluntly.

“You rejected me first,” I replied calmly.

Before she could fire back, my phone vibrated again.

Her mum.

Persistent woman.

“Your mum called earlier,” I said. “I told her you were asleep.”

“I am still asleep,” she replied sarcastically.

I smiled.

Against my will, something softened in me.
There was a sudden pull — real, genuine.

I had grown to love her sass.
Her sharp tongue.
Her confidence.

I stood up and walked toward her.

I cupped her face gently in my hands.

“I’m sorry,” I said softly.
“I was angry. I shouldn’t have walked away like that. I’ll make it right. We’ll have all the fun you want us to have… although it will be here.”

She froze.

Not because I touched her.

But because of where I said the fun would be.

“What do you mean?” she asked, removing my hands from her face.

“Your mum called,” I explained.
“She said her prophet warned that we shouldn’t travel. That there’s a storm waiting there.”

She stared at me in disbelief.

“She must be joking!”

“And you accepted it just like that?” she snapped.
“Exactly! Exactly why this marriage cannot work! I can’t be married to a boy — a man who is too obedient!”

She scoffed.

“Gosh!”

She walked away from me angrily, picked up her phone, and began dialing.

To be continued…

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