"I've been married for the past seven years to Lily. Our parents of course arranged the union and since we liked each other, we went with the flow. I thought we had a lot of things in common but I was wrong cos Lily had insisted on staying in the US one year after our wedding and so, I had to shuttle between Nigeria and America for business and my wife. In the fourth year of our marriage, We still didn't have a child and when I visited our family doctor who is also a good friend of mine, he told me that Lily was on another pill asides the one we agreed on for the first two years of our marriage. When I confronted her, she wasn't ashamed to tell me that she was in love with someone else and had continued the pills to prevent any pregnancy.
If her lover had been a man, I would have stood a chance but, her lover was female. I never knew of that other side of Lily and she bluntly told me that she was fine staying married to me as long as she could continue being with her lover. I couldn't stand her decision; she didn't even want babies. She just wanted to be happy with her lover and still stay married to me as she put it.
I filed for divorce two years ago and Lily didn't make it easy for me. She kept on delaying the signing of the documents and the entire process which was the reason I traveled for three months. It took that long to get her to finally sign after the one year waiting period according to the court's orders.
It was during that period I met you Mila. I know we haven't known each other for up to a year but if there's anything I've come to understand with you; it's the fact that, it's not how long you've known a person but how well you complement each other. I thought I had that with Lily but, Lily had and still has her own definition of love. She's happy with her lover and I'm glad she found her happiness elsewhere but I've found my happiness in you and I don't want to lose you Mila."
Mila sighed as she tried absorbing the whole information. Then she asked;
"But you lied to me about travelling abroad for a meeting and then I see you both looking so happy and in love together at COVA. She certainly didn't look gay to me"
Tunji moved her away from him a bit to look at her fully in the face before he answered her.
"Mila, I was gonna travel yes but then, Lily came into Nigeria without telling me. That night you saw us at COVA, she had just gotten in and I didn't want her to stay at the house. I wanted her to go to her parents' but she begged me to take her out for a drink which I did. Trust me, I and Lily aren't enemies even though we have our differences and she's a very skilled flirt. What you saw that night wasn't anything but just her being in her elements"
"But you kissed!" Mila protested
"It was a peck Mila, on her cheek. And funny enough, she fancied you and was checking you out and asking me to help her strike a deal with you to spend the night with her. I never knew that it was you until I looked closely but it was too late"
Mila suddenly felt irritated and frowned her face at Tunji. She couldn't help but ask him,
"Honestly, how did you get to that point Tunji? You mean you were married for seven years and had no clue that she was gay?"
Tunji sighed and shook his head.
"Why didn't you tell me about the divorce?" Mila asked with a pained look on her face
He took Mila's hands in his and said,
"I didn't think it was necessary Sunshine. I didn't want to involve you in my mess. That's all there is to tell. I'm so sorry about everything. No more secrets, never again" he drew her to him and held her again.
Mila had one more question and she felt that if she didn't ask, she might not be able to ask anymore.
"Is the divorce process over?"
"Almost Sunshine. Soon, it will and we'll be fine''
They held each other that way, drawing strength in their new found bond. The air had been cleared and a burdened soul had been bared. What's next? Mila asked herself as she sensed that this peace wouldn't last.
