BELLA'S MEMOIRS (ENTRY #13)

THE MEETING

My Daddy: Bella, the least you can do is smile. I know you are mad at me but does the number two citizen of the country need to know it too?

Me: I don’t care if the number one citizen of the world knows that I am mad at you!

We were waiting for the Vice President in his private living room. The whole environment seemed so intimidating, there were two armed guards in the room with us and a million more outside. I really wasn’t ready for the way my whole relationship with Yinka was going. We had been out on only a couple of dates and I was meeting his father. To make things worse I was meeting his father and my father was there. I felt like I was the bride in an arranged marriage situation and Yinka was nowhere to be found. I sent him an SMS that read:

“We are waiting to see your dad…where are you”?

He responded almost immediately saying…

“Jo’burg. You’ll be fine dear. Talk to you later”.

I had spoken to him earlier and he had said he was in Abuja and all of a sudden he was in Jo’burg. I made up my mind right there that whatever was between us was definitely over. I am not the sort of woman who can put up with a man who doesn’t want to be accountable. I was already typing the break up text when a door opened and the Vice President walked out with Yinka behind him, a part of me was relieved that he had been joking about not being around and a part of me was disappointed…maybe I was really just looking for a valid reason to end things. Yinka winked at me and went to shake hands with my dad. They greeted each other in a rather familiar way and I could tell it wasn’t the first time they were meeting. The first question was did they meet before or after I met Yinka? As I tried to figure out what exactly was going on I heard my dad say,

My Daddy: Bella would you greet the Vice President please.

I had been so lost in my reverie, it hadn’t occurred to me to greet.

Bella: Good Evening Sir. It is an honour to meet you.

My dad cleared his throat and I knew what that meant. It was our code, I was still trying to get used to greeting elders in the Yoruba way. I did what I had seen my step mum Ms. A do a million times. I got on both knees and said:

Me: Ekaaro sir.

They all laughed.

The Vice President: Ekaaro is good morning. It’s evening now Bella.

He said as he helped me up. I knew I was blushing, I looked over at Yinka and he had a smile on his face obviously I hadn’t totally messed up.

The Vice President: Adetokunboh you need to teach this young lady how to speak Yoruba. It’s totally unacceptable then again maybe that should be Adeyinka’s job now.

Yinka: I’d be happy to take on the assignment.

The three men laughed. What exactly was funny? I was nervous and uncomfortable.

The conversation was centered mostly on the economy and politics and I was quiet all through, gently sipping the juice I had requested for until the part I was dreading came up.

The Vice President: So Bella what are your long term plans career wise. I heard you just finished serving and are just about to start your career.

Ok that was an easy one, thank God I had finally made up my mind about my career goals.

Me: I want to build a career in PR and Event planning.

The Vice President: PR and Event planning. Hmmmmmm

I knew the “hmmmmmm” was not a sign of him being lost in thought because I saw Yinka shift uncomfortably in his seat and then he interjected

Yinka: What Bella means Dad is that she wants to be known as an advocate for important societal issues. By PR and Event Planning she means using communication and events to raise awareness, stir social discus and influence government policies on issues that are important particularly to women and the girl child. You know her step-mom is also the founder of a Not for profit organization that focuses on helping women discover their passions and offer those who cannot afford it vocational training so they can become economically active, Bella is looking to leverage on this and take it to the next level.

The Vice President: Hmmmmmm…that is quiet admirable for a young lady Bella. Your dad must be very proud of you. I have also heard of your stepmom’s work and I think it is quiet commendable.

What was going on here? I was looking at my dad and waiting for him to say something. When I said PR and Event Planning I meant PR and Event Planning and nothing like what Yinka had described and I was aware my dad knew what was going on. He remained mute and I remained terribly angry with him.

The Vice President: Adetokunboh I am really beginning to see a lot of potential here in terms of your political future as well as ties between the Ayo-Kessingtons and the Adedejis. As you know I grew up with your mother Adenike and I always envisaged her being a strong political figure given her exposure and temperament. Unfortunately we both know how that turned out but I am happy that she would hopefully witness you become the Governor of Lagos state and who knows maybe one day you could occupy the highest office in the land, a path I am also trying to ensure that Adeyinka here follows.

My dad looked so excited. He looked like a child in a candy store. It was so annoying!

My Daddy: Does that mean I have your blessings to run in the party’s primary elections?

The Vice President: You have more than my blessings Adetokunboh, you have my vote. However, there is a matter I need to discuss with you. Adeyinka would you like to show Bella around? I guess she should start getting used to the environment.

As Yinka ushered me out of the living room and into the corridor filled with armed guards, I realized what was happening. I was being packaged to become Yinka’s wife.

Me: Yinka what was that about?

Yinka: Bella if you want to be with me, you have to be a little more ambitious than planning parties and writing press releases.

Me: Have I even told you I want to be with you?

Yinka: Don’t you?

I bit my lip. I didn’t have an answer. Obviously if I wanted to be with Yinka I would have to make some compromises and become a certain “type” of woman. Power and money…I had witnessed first hand what they could do to a family and I wasn’t sure I wanted any part of it.

Yinka led me into a section of the house I realized was his. He offered me a seat and then sat beside me.

Yinka: Bella I really like you. I know I may not exactly be the most attentive man in the world and yes I can be a bit pushy but I know we can make something out of this. I think an alliance between both our families would be amazing. Think of what could happen if your dad was governor of the most lucrative State in the country and my dad the Vice President. Do you know the kind of political capital we would have? I am going to rule this country one day Bella and if you want to be with me you have to be the kind of woman that I can rule with.

Was this a marriage proposal? For all intents and purposes we were not even dating because he had not even officially asked me.

Me: We are not even dating Yinka.

Yinka: What do you mean we are not dating? What are we doing then?

Me: You never asked me if I wanted to date you, you just instructed me to say I am your girlfriend when people ask me.

Yinka: You want me to ask you to be my girlfriend?

I nodded.

Yinka: I have never had to ask any girl that! That is so childish this is not High School Bella!

Me: Well then I guess there is nothing more to discuss.

Yinka: Ok Bella please would you be my girlfriend?

Me: I’ll think about it.

Yinka sprang to his feet in anger.

Yinka: What nonsense game are you playing here?!

I was so shocked at his outburst. He saw the confused look on my face and then he took a deep breathe to calm down and squatted beside me.

Yinka: Bella I want to be with you.

I kept quiet and then he kissed me. I didn’t respond at first but he kept kissing me until I gave in and started kissing him back. I felt his hand move over to my blouse and then he started unbuttoning it. I shoved his hand away

Me: I can’t.

Yinka: You can’t what? It’s bound to happen sometime Bella, maybe not today but soon.

Me: Yinka I have never been with anybody.

Yinka: Wow. I wasn’t expecting that.

Me: What do you mean you weren’t expecting that?

Yinka: I mean you grew up in New York, you’re beautiful, sexy…I just didn’t think you would have chosen to wait for so long.

Me: Well Mr. Smarty Pants shows you don’t know everything!

He scooped me up from the chair and flung me over his shoulders.

Yinka: Your mouth is too sharp.

Me: What are you going to do about it?

Yinka: I’m going to spank you.

I started kicking and screaming as he spanked me on my bottom. The door burst open and two uniformed soldiers rushed in.

Yinka: It’s okay guys, we were just playing.

The men apologized and shut the door.

Yinka: You can’t scream anyhow when you are around me…no matter how much you are enjoying what I am doing okay?

He put me down and I adjusted my blouse.

Yinka: I can’t wait to have you. I am so excited that I would be your first and only so you’ll never know what it feels like to be with another man. You’ll be all mine…all mine.

Was this him being romantic or possessive? I was about to ask him if our meeting at the party that night had been a coincidence or if it had been orchestrated but a part of me didn’t want to know the answer to the question. I was scared that I was in over my head and boy was I right.

*SIX MONTHS LATER*

After my first meeting with the Vice President my life changed. I was being groomed to become a public figure. My father was so busy trying to win his party primaries we hardly ever saw him. I had moved back home from The Villa and was now actively involved in my stepmom’s charity at Yinka’s insistence. His P.A. sent me an itinerary every week with details of events I was to attend so I could be sighted, some with him and others without him. Most of them were without him he was always away somewhere building his e-commerce empire which by the way was now number one in Africa.

I was always in the tabloids as Yinka Adedeji’s girlfriend, no matter what I did or where I went, that was the only label I seemed to have. I was always looking picture perfect. Yinka was now responsible for my image and vetted almost everything I wore, who I hung out with and where I went.

In just six months I had been to Milan, Paris, Dubai and Barcelona in a bid to change my style and build me into Yinka’s fantasy woman. Yinka had very conservative yet expensive taste…all my jumpsuits and skinny jeans were gone I was now constantly in jackets, dresses and skirts. My waist length weaves had been replaced with a short bouncy bob he loved and occasionally I wore my hair all swept to the back. My chunky fashion accessories had been replaced with real pearls and simple but expensive jewelry. I was in my early twenties but I felt forty. It was like I had zoomed past my youth and become the woman I wanted to be in twenty years. My friends…the few I had, were convinced I had the perfect life but I knew better. I was bored stiff and I needed a little excitement. I needed a little fun, I wanted to feel twenty two, wanted to make my mistakes and then regret them later but I couldn’t sow my wild oats like every normal youth.

I felt responsible for my family’s happiness. Everyone was so excited at the prospect of my dad becoming Governor. I watched my stepmom Ms. A practice her inauguration smile and dance, listened to my grandmother tell everyone who cared to listen what an amazing Governor her son would make…and I knew she was right. I did not need anyone to tell me that jeopardizing my relationship with Yinka would also mean jeopardizing my father’s political future. Without the vice president’s “endorsement”, my dad was sure to lose the party primaries. Of all the candidates contesting he was the youngest and the one with the least political exposure.

That fateful day started out like any other, I had gone out to give a lecture to secondary school girls on harnessing their potentials, and then I had accompanied my dad and stepmom to a reception party for one of his new political buddies who had just turned sixty. I was tired but I needed a bit of “me” time which I knew I wouldn’t get at home and so I took a drive…I was actually craving ice cream and I didn’t mind having it so late at night because I knew I was meeting Yinka on the golf course in the morning so I could burn all the calories because according to Yinka it would be obscene for me to put on any weight when I am supposed to appear busy to the public.

There was a short line at the ice cream parlor and I waited my turn, eventually it came and when the guy behind the counter asked me what I wanted to have, I heard a voice behind me respond on my behalf:

“She’ll have two scoops…red velvet and blueberry in a waffle, the one with the coconut frosting. For toppings, coconut shavings…the white ones”.

I didn’t have to look back, I had smelt him and known for the last five minutes that he was behind me. I was shaking all over and frozen on the spot because turning around would put me face to face with Okechukwu.