If you missed the first part, read here Take Me Back.

******

“Won ni ki lo nmu? Oni Coca Cola. Won ni ko m’aiye je, jedi jedi lo ma paa”. Wande sped on towards Ozumba Mbadiwe, Victoria Island as the sounds from Ebenezer Obey blared from the speakers.

Wande was one of those girls who knew when to dial up and when to dial down. She was as emotionally intelligent and intuitive as she was smart, no thanks to her polygamous upbringing. In a home where you are not the first nor the last child and where kids and wives appeared and disappeared as fast as you call them, you learn fast. And learn she did. Unlike the other children of Chief Adegbenle, Wande was not one to quickly take sides. Not even with her mother. She understood the power dynamics in the family very early and knew when to pitch her tent and when to be a spectator.

This earned Wande the respect of her dad’s wives and her mom became a natural favourite. Wande was the family peace maker and when things went wrong, they called her. Wande took everything in her stride.

With peers, this skill helped Wande navigate the many waters of teenage emotions. When many of her mates were drooling over boys, Wande knew to keep it objective. Watching her father with his many wives taught her one crucial lesson: men were stupid. With their over-inflated ego and machoistic selves, they were really easy to navigate. Her father had thought he was marrying his many wives but they were the ones marrying him. And with every new wife, Wande could tell, her father didn’t choose. They chose him.

She had kept things cool and objective with men. Until Adeniyi. Until that day.

***

Although many of his friends called him Neyo, she fondly called him Ni and the fact that she was the only one who ever called him that, made him personal. Hers. Adeniyi was a catch. Bright future. Good family. Dedicated. Responsible. Loyal. And she saw early, he wasn’t like her father. He didn’t have roving eyes. He was a one-woman kind of man. Even though they were only having sex and nothing was defined, he still gave her his undivided attention. She was the only girl in his life. For that reason, she stayed. She knew he was the kind of man who would end things properly even if it wasn’t a defined relationship. Well, until her passive chat with Nike.

“Wande baby, you mean that fine specimen of a man is all yours? You guys are dating? Girl show us the way na.”

Wande had laughed. “Abeg o, lower your voice. Na just kpensh. Although, I no go mind girlfriend sha.”

She had seen her father’s many wives jostle among themselves for spots, the moves were all so subtle but they were there anyway. There was the one who had picked food. She only needed to surprise him with good meals periodically and she got her way. There was the business advisor, who drops subtle advices that kept her father going to her when he needed to make important business decisions. There was one who managed her father’s finances even when he thought he was the one deciding where his money went. Without her, they would all have been homeless. Penniless, even. Her father was a reckless spender and her father thought pleasing his many women meant lavishing on them. These were the women whose stay in her father’s house had been guaranteed. Many women came and went, they remained. These women ran the household efficiently, of course they did it through her father.

She had picked her spot with Ni just as she had seen her father’s wives do and she knew it was only a matter of time. Ni would make his decision and when that day came, she would be the natural choice. Another lesson, polygamy had taught her.

What she didn’t see coming was Nike. Before she knew it, she started to see less and less of Ni. Then the rumours started, Her Ni was now dating Nike. It was unbelievable, yet Ni had done her great honours by respectfully ending their arrangement. She had been right, he did things respectably. Even if it was severing ties. She had kept her cool and everyone had thought she had cut her losses.

****

“Ni. So because of Nike now, I don’t exist anymore. Na wa o. We had it great that year sha.”

“Yeah, we did. See you around babe.”

“Ah ahn! Ni, wait now. I have a party tonight. You can come with Nike too. I promise I’ll be good, no drama.”

The last time she had seen him was the day he had ended whatever-this-thing-was with her. He had told her that he didn’t want to start a relationship with Nike while she (Wande) was still in his life and Nike was the permanent feature he wanted to spend his life with.

Even though they had never named their relationship, she had always saw him as her boyfriend. She even introduced him as that to people and he had never minded then. Until Nike.

He had given her an offhanded answer when she invited him for her party. What he didn’t know was that the party was entirely for him.

He had attended the party with Nike and she remembered him telling her that was the best time of his life. Of course, everything had been well engineered. His favourite alcohol had flowed, the music was a good mix of old and new school that kept everyone on their feet – many of them were on Ni’s playlist. Their mutual friends were around and he had danced with Nike. By stroke of chance, Nike had excused herself to use the bathroom and there was Wande on the dance floor. And together, they had danced and danced and…

****

Wande’s phone was ringing, interrupting the Commander’s song nearing it’s end. It was Tola, Ni’s sister.

“My sis, is this life? You didn’t even update me on that matter with sister Toun.” Wande chipped as soon as she picked the call. But Tola had not called for chit chat. There was something in her voice and it concerned Ni. As she started to register what Tola was saying to her, she realized.

“Oh shoot…” Wande had forgotten to shut the door.