Dᴇғɪᴀɴᴄᴇ

'See Mum, what I'm trying to say is that this is not the seventies or eighties where people are so much defined by what they wear, how they walk, their religion, ethnicity or family backgrounds. But by who they are, that's what matters, who they are! Not what they choose or choose not to wear this or that, not their hairstyle, tattoos and piercings, not their religion or tribe mum, who they are.' It was the first time for the past eight years Fred had a serious talk with his mother. The last time was in 2013, when he was still in LASU, he was reported to have made a lot of bad friends at school, precisely a popular cultist named Okemute alias One Bullet, hence she called him home to give him the talk of his life.

There was nothing anyone could have done about Fred's relationship with Okemute. Morenike chose to believe that his son in his entire life would have nothing to do with a cultist or cultism.

But Okemute was his best friend, he could fight against the world for his sake and Okemute on the order hand had always got his back. He could start a quarrel or fight with anybody irrespective of who the person is, a lecturer, student? When it all get out of hand all he has to do was text Okemute his location and in less than ten minutes his whip hand would appear to deal with the matter. Okemute was well known and feared, immediately he shows up, whomever is in a fight with or has an issue with Fred would let go if he or she does not want to be at least handicapped. One thing he admired most about Okemute was his intelligence, despite being a cultist, a chained smoker, party goer and perhaps a killer, he had a great mind. During examination periods, all Okemute needs to do was smoke two ties of cannabis before opening his book to read and everything stays right in his head.

He had never lured Fred into doing anything against his will- joining his cult or smoking. Ironically, Fred was the one influencing him, he was more social and more of the party goer than Okemute, almost every girl that crosses his path gets laid. He was like an enchanter. Other friends made jokes about them: Fred being 'James with the women ' and Okemute was 'Bond with the gun.'

For more than three good hours she scolded and beckoned on him and they prayed together with Nike, his younger sister who was still battling with JAMB examination then. But now Fred aired his view, he had made Morenike realise that he has crossed his heart, and that whether Cynthia is all covered up with tattoos or walk stark naked on the street, it is her his heart desires. Wether the devil likes it or yes!

'Bami?' She said with a low cold voice. She stopped calling him Fred a year and a half ago. Before she stopped using the name, she only called him Bami or Bamidele when she's so proud of something good he has done like passing an examination, qualifying for a Bible quiz or preaching in the youth church, or whenever she's not so proud of what he did. She promised Fred she'd stop calling him the name after they watched 'Bohemian Rhapsody' with Nike and her two kids. Nike made mention of Freddie Mercury being an homosexual who silently died of AIDS. Fred's dad used to be a great lover of the Queen and Victor Olaiya, he had all their records and plays them almost every morning at home and all the time in his car such that Fred and Nike and even Morenike could sing along with most of the songs. She had loved the movie and commended Rami Malek for playing the role of Freddie perhaps because Fred kept praising Malek from the beginning to the end of the movie, prattling about how the movie had nominated him for the Oscars. Most of all it had seemed like a memorial for their father. Morenike and Nike burst into tear when the band performed 'love of my life'. It was his favourite Queen's song.

Fred was so happy to get his mum watch a worldly movie, listen to circular songs again. She was a very good critic of any movie order than Mount Zion movies and a very few Nollywood Yoruba films. But she had come to accept Bohemian Rhapsody and Queen's music in honour of her late husband until Nike ruined everything by mentioning that Freddie was gay. Fred was angry at Nike for mentioning that, he made gestures for her noting that she talks too much by clasping his thumb with his other fingers and opening it before his mouth.

'I said it,' Morenike said, ' that is why I don't like it when you children watch or listen to all these worldly people, ah! I'm not sure your daddy knew, because if he did he wouldn't have named you after the man.' Nike regretted mentioning it after all, Morenike did not stop preaching to everyone that night, her grand children where not exempted until one way or the other they found their way out of hearing her gospel.

' I'm only trying to guide you. To make sure you don't make a big mistake. I know I trained you well. This is a crying shame for goodness sake! Marriage is sacred Bami, it's a forever thing. I don't want you to be stuck with a problem instead of being married to a wife forever. This one I'm seeing...' she took a peek at Cynthia, ' she will be problem o.'

'Mami, since you believe in how well you have trained me, you should as well have faith in the choices I make. I expected you'd get to know her first before judging. She wanted to meet you so badly, Mami, she had loved you already because of all I usually tell her about you. But now, what do you expect her to think.' He tried to sound very emotional, he knew Morenike might not be convinced by whatever he was saying, he believed the tone of his voice would do the magic, he tried as much as he could to make tear drop, but it didn't. He stopped trying when she seemed to falling anyways. 'Get to know her know her mum, please, for me. She would not burst your bubble I promise.'

'Hmmm,' she sighed, ' where is she from?'

'She's an Abia girl.'

'Ehn? Abia loun-loun!'

'Mami keep your voice down, which one is Abia loun-loun?'

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Cynthia sat there at the living room trying to look as modest as she could with her huge thighs tightly clasped together, her legs slants a forty-five degree downwards as if she wore a skirt. She found breathing difficult and couldn't move an inch, not when Morenike's eyes were fixed on her. She had wished Fred asked her to put on the denim jacket before he answered his mother. Each time she tries to catch a glimpse of both of them with the corner of her eyes, her heart jumps because of the manner at which Morenike eyes her.

She only made matter worse by taking a deep breath and breathing out for a while, the technique pathetically pushed out her full breast in such a way that when Morenike set eyes on her, she nodded her head with an insulting pitiful grimaced face.

One moment she felt like the ground should swallow her up. She began to think about wicked step mothers, the ones she had seen in movies, Patience Ozokwor. Then she concluded that she and Fred cannot work, his mother has a great influence on him, she will just be controlling him like Patience Ozokwor does to Tony Umez, no, I can't do this. She was welling up already, one more blink and tears would roll down.

She knew Fred could go to the Moon and back for her sake. He was her Clyde. He could fight against the world for her sake, he had proved it once at work. He broke rules for her. He stood up against the management for her. Fred never seemed to notice but it meant so much to her. Later that night, she had called him her 'Clyde ' expecting to receive a ' my Bonnie ' response, but instead Fred said: 'And you are my pride.' Which made her wondered if he knew anything about Bonnie and Clyde, she chuckled as he kissed her lips. They snogged and gently unclad themselves.

He revered her like a goddess. He treated her like a princess. Of all the beautiful girls he had dated or had an affair with, she was the most comely. He promised himself he wouldn't cheat on her. Besides, there was nothing more enticing out there to cheat with.

He loved her for everything. She was impeccable. Her tantalizing willowy and shapely figure. She had a soft delicate chocolate skin and light brown eyes. Her perfectly carved eyebrows that soothed gently down a pair of man made eyelashes. The elegance of her swan smooth neck, her honey sweet lips, her ravishing smile, dimples and the diastema between her incisors. He could go bananas beholding such radiance for life.

She tried to brace herself before attempting to leave but failed to put herself together. She burst into tears, picked her purse and denim jacket to leave. Morenike quickly ran after her, Fred followed.

'My daughter! My daughter!' she held the door's knob before Cynthia could reach it. ' I'm sorry... Cynthia.' Cynthia could not look her in the face as she sobbed uncontrollably, 'Come here my baby.' She hugs her tightly, ' I'm so sorry my love, I was been curious you know. You'd do the same for your children one day. Please stop crying. Come...' she held her by the hand and led her back to the sofa. 'Please sit down let me get both of you something to eat.

Fred sat by her, puts an arm around her, making her lean her head on his chest. ' I am sorry baby. I am so sorry. It's a misunderstanding dear, she's very religious you know.' She clasped herself tightly to him and sobbed once more before she finally realized her freedom from the agonizing chastisements she had received from his hot-ice mother, only minutes ago.

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impossi-cant: An exaggerative way of saying 'impossible'.