STARTLED

EPISODE SEVEN

Dan arrived on Friday, like he said he would. I took LJ with me to the airport to welcome him. I really didn't have to go to the airport but I missed Dan and so did LJ, we were too eager to see him.

LJ was the first to see him. He came down from the bench we were sitting on and ran towards him, while, I slowly followed him. As he approached, Dan whisked him up and hugged him tightly. The scene was so emotional. There was no doubt that this was one of the reasons if not the ultimate reason for my decision to be with Dan. He and LJ had a special bond, a wonderful relationship.

LJ whispered something into his his ears as I got closer.

" You guys are already gossiping? Wow!!"

"Well...LJ just gave me a piece of information that I consider very helpful. Give me five boy!!"

LJ hit his palm and smiled.

"Alright then, maybe I'll just go back and both of you can take a cab or trek home"

They both laughed at my remark. Dan put LJ down and pulled me close. I allowed myself sink into his embrace . It had been a month since this happened. I really missed him.

The drive home was cheerful. Dan and LJ occupied themselves with a conversation that made little or no sense to me. I was just satisfied seeing my boys happy and smiling. However, twenty minutes away from the house, LJ fell asleep in his usual manner,in Dan's arms . He had refused to seat in the baby seat, so Dan carried him. It gave me an opportunity to start a conversation with Dan.

" So how was the trip entirely? "

" Oh bae, it was hectic. These white guys are becoming more difficult these days. You can hardly convince them to invest in anything again. However, we were able to get a breakthrough. "

I smiled, " They are just trying to be careful. You know we don't really have a good image internationally. It's terrible. Even among fellow African countries. We are seen as fraudsters. I don't really blame them."

Dan nodded, " You know the most annoying thing? Ever since the 2009 terrorist attempt by Umar on the United States, it hasn't been easy for Nigerians. Every Nigerian is now a suspect of terrorism."

I stopped the car to buy a bunch of plantain from a street hawker. A young child of about thirteen years. I could never imagine myself allowing LJ do this no matter the situation. These children risked their lives everyday to earn money that would be used by some parents to gamble and drink. It was a awful situation.

"How much b dis wan?"

" na 300 ma"

I knew it was less than 300. The young girl obviously saw the car and decided to increase the price. I allowed myself to be cheated and gave her a 500 naira note. I was about to collect the change when on second thoughts, I told her to keep it and drove away.

Dan smiled at me, " That was sweet. "

I blushed, " I guess so."

That night, I told Dan about Lanre. He found it hard to believe me. His shock was obviously much more than mine when I found out. It made me feel uncomfortable. Once I told him about Lanre, he jumped out of the bed in shock and surprise. His eyes suddenly turned red which only happened when he was angry. He asked if I had contacted him and when I told him I had lost touch with his current whereabouts he calmed down a little.

" I'm just worried about you. I know how much it took for you to get over him. I don't want you back in that position. " He said some few minutes later, after he had calmed down.

" I love you dearly K. It was horrible for us back then. I just don't want that to happen again. "

I smiled. However, there was something about his reaction that didn't feel right. It was just suspicious.