Hi, guys! The newest season of A Small World Seasonal Series is now out!!! Season Five is the happiest season of all, but don’t let that fool you! There’s plenty of drama in store. Take a look at this preview…

*****

Ben chuckled. “Talk later, babe…”

He cut the call before she said goodbye and placed the phone facedown on his stomach. Some peace and quiet, he breathed. He let his thoughts go where they wanted to go, and inevitably, he began thinking of the beautiful woman who watched Idun while he worked each day. He swallowed.

He suddenly felt the urge to see if she had posted any update on her IG timeline today. Finding none, he checked WhatsApp and saw that she’d already seen and reacted to his new display picture. He and Idun had taken the photo as they left for church that morning. It was the spur of the moment, but he had posted it, hoping she would see it and comment. He smiled at her message.

“Thanks!” he responded. “How are you?“

He didn’t have to wait long for her response. “I’m good. How are you and Idun?“

“We’re good too…“

A brief pause.

“How was church?” Ijeoma wrote back, causing him to smile. She too wanted to chat.

It was not their first time. They engaged in such banter every now and then, all the while with longing in his heart to ask her questions he knew a respectable Christian woman, wife, and mother would never answer…

*****

A new song came on, and Bolu rubbed his bearded chin. He turned to look at his friend, whose hair was overgrown, making him look like one of the prophets of old. He smiled, despite himself, seeing how humbled Oyinda had become.

“Guy, we need to do something about your look…”

Oyinda turned to glance at Bolu lazily before sighing. “Abeg, I’m fine.”

“You are, I know… But you need to do some maintenance, man. Go home and have a bath, shave, change your clothes… We don’t know how much longer she’ll be sleeping… You have to take care of yourself too. Temi wouldn’t want this for you.”

Oyinda swallowed. “It’s my fault she’s here…”

Bolu sighed. “Honestly, Oyinda, it’s not. You didn’t hold that gun. You didn’t pull that trigger. As for Dolapo… You just have to forgive yourself. God already has.”

Oyinda looked into Bolu’s eyes, looking for doubt, deception, but there was none. Bolu was a man without guile. He looked away. Why did it feel like God was punishing him then?

*****

No way, Amaka thought, realising who stood in her driveway. Of all the people in the world, of all the decorators in Lagos, it had to be the wife of her mystery man-crush. She swallowed as she forced her legs to carry her closer.

“Wow, it’s you,” Amaka gushed to a still dumbstruck Lola.

Lola forced her mouth closed and gulped. Forcing a smile, she extended a hand to the beautiful woman before her. “It’s so nice to meet you again…”

Who knew she could lie so easily? But the professionalism ingrained in her from years of working at Da’Vyne Interiors kicked in. Even if she later decided not to take the job, she would hold her ground now. She wouldn’t let this woman know that she had been the cause of many a nightmare since the awful day they had met.

“You have a beautiful home,” Lola added.

Amaka beamed, shaking hands with Lola. It was like shaking a child’s hand. She was such a petite woman… “You haven’t seen it yet,” Amaka chuckled.

For some reason, she suddenly felt giddy. This wasn’t just a coincidence. None of it was. She didn’t understand why, but she knew now, without a shadow of a doubt, that it was her destiny to meet Bolu again.

*****

From Amaka’s house, she had driven straight to the hospital and soon found herself in Temi’s room, in need of her shoulder to cry on.

But arriving to see Oyinda sitting in his usual post, looking unkempt as though he was paying a penance, irritated her more than ever before.

Oyinda looked up and gave her his now standard ‘poor me’ expression, and Lola couldn’t hide her eye roll. It was quickly followed by a long hiss.

“Excuse me? Are you okay?” Oyinda asked, sitting up straighter.

“No, I’m not! I want to talk to my friend. Alone! Do you think you could give us some space?”

“Okay… But I don’t understand why you’re getting mad at me…”

“Oyinda, what the hell is wrong with you?! Do you think Temi wants to wake up and see you looking like this? Do you think it will make up for all the bullshit?! You’re doing this for yourself…just as always!”

Oyinda was dumbstruck as he returned Lola’s stare. He had never seen this side of her, and he had no words of retort. He simply bowed his head in shame.

“Please, I beg you, go home and bathe! She’ll be fine for an hour or two, okay? I’ll be here when you get back.”

Without another word, Oyinda rose up, packed a couple of things, and left the room.

Lola exhaled as if she had just been delivered of an evil spirit. And just as dramatically, she hurried to her friend’s side and dropped her head on her belly.

“Temi, I miss you! Please wake up! I need to talk to you! I don’t know what is happening,” she said, bursting into tears.

*****

Ben folded his arms across his chest as they walked towards her office. “Looks like a tummy bug, but he should come for a blood test tomorrow to be sure.”

Ijeoma nodded. “Okay… But tonight? What do I do?” 

“You have paracetamol at home?”

She nodded again.

“He can take that for the pain; five mls every eight hours.”

“Okay,” she nodded. “Thanks!”

“Also,” Ben said, resting a buttock on her desk and riffling in his bag. “Try and get him to take this. It will help replace the nutrients he lost to vomiting.”

Ijeoma reached for the electrolyte solution, and their fingers grazed, immediately sending tingles down her spine. She stepped back as though from an electric shock and almost lost her footing. Ben was quick to put his arm on her lower back to catch her, and she gazed up into his face.

God, he is so beautiful, she thought, unable to take her eyes away.

A vein throbbed on his temple as his lips parted and his eyes glazed over.

*****

By eleven pm, everyone had gone to their various homes, leaving the celebrant and her husband alone, with the music still playing.

“This was wonderful,” Dami beamed. “Thank you, baby.”

Sola smiled. “I’m glad you’re happy,” he said, kissing her forehead and drawing her in for a hug.

“We’re happy, aren’t we?” Dami asked, looking up at her husband. He looked down at her, a little perplexed. “I…I know I complain a lot…about everything. I’m going to do better.”

Sola sighed. “Sometimes, I think you forget that it’s you and me, together…against the world. Maybe it’s the way we married. You keep doubting that I love you.”

Dami swallowed as she looked up at her husband.

“I was sincere when I married you. It was not because you were pregnant; it was because I was…and am in love with you.”

Dami’s eyes watered as she took in a deep breath.

“I love you, Dami. And I’m happy. Right now.”

Satisfied by his affirmation, she pulled his face down to hers and met his lips with her hungry ones. Sola responded instantly by lifting her off her feet and settling her bottom on the dining table, which was closest to where they stood. Ravaging her with his lips, his hands undressed her, forgetting where they were.

*****

“That man is a model!”

“He’s a doctor, Chuka.”

“He’s a freaking model!” Chuka retorted. “Why didn’t you tell me he looked like that?”

Ijeoma struggled to control the smile on her face. She knew this was a serious discussion her husband wanted to have, but she couldn’t help finding the whole thing funny. “Baby, what difference does it make what he looks like…?”

Chuka stopped to look at his wife for a moment. “You’re attracted to him…”

Ijeoma let out a breath and swallowed, forcing herself to look into her husband’s eyes. “I’m not.”

“You’re lying!”

“Yes, he’s gorgeous! So what?!”

“Just look at yourself…” Chuka swallowed, taking a good look at his wife again. “Who did you dress up for today?”

“Chuka, how dare you?”

He shook his head as he walked away from her.

“What are you accusing me of, Chuka?”

He ignored her as he walked closer to the pool area. He heaved a sigh before he turned around to face her again. He didn’t want to be the insecure man he once was when Ijeoma had been with Ifeanyi, but he couldn’t stop thinking about how Ijeoma had changed over the last few weeks. Something was going on; he just knew it.

He looked into her face and spoke his truth, “You’ve changed. And it’s all beginning to make sense.” He looked away and up again, tears blurring his vision. “How much of a fool have I been?”

FIND OUT by getting your copy of A Small World Season Five today!

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