Must Read: Taking Chances

Episode 7 years ago

Must Read: Taking Chances

When she wasn’t into bickering and girls stuff with Brenda or running around and taking care of Mama, keeping up with her studies or trying to make
her relationship work with Peter, she was busy building up fantasies of
Jide and her. Even though Daisy was matured enough to know that at her
age, she should be able to tell the difference between love and
infatuation, she cared not neither did she try piece the difference when
it concerns Jide.
It was years later, that Brenda caught on to her friends secret
admiration and she very well didn’t approve of it, to her, it was so
pointless that a pretty and matured girl like Daisy should waste her
precious time pinning over a guy that wasn’t aware of her affections nor
was guaranteed to return them if he ever knew. But Daisy always got defensive when she tried to set her straight and since it became a bone of contention in their friendship, Brenda just allowed the matter slide. It wasn’t worth it for it was Daisy’s life and most definitely her heart which would receive the heartbreak when the time comes. She reasoned.
However, Brenda let go of the issue only too late after mama got wind of the situation, it had first amused her and she had hoped Daisy would snap out of the illusion. But when reports of Jide’s bachelor behaviour filtered in. Her diagnosis was to get Jide settled down and the most appropriate candidate was her very own Daisy. She counted on Daisy easy acceptance but hadn’t anticipated that strong opposition would come from her dear favourite grandson, Jide.
Daisy stretched lazily on the sleeping chair close to the swimming pool.
She had had an hour bout of lazy swimming and now lay facing the sky,
intermittently sipping from the glass of orange juice that nestled on
the table close by.
‘Life can be good sometimes’ she murmured contentedly, raised herself up
slightly and sipped once more from her juice.
Lying back, she caught the gateman Adamu, staring at her.



When their eyes met, Adamu looked away immediately and fondled with the
broom he was holding in pretence of sweeping.
Daisy grinned and stretched further on her back, she couldn’t care less
if he stole a glance or two at her. ‘so long as he can’t touch, Let him
indulge himself’ she thought.
Daisy knew she had the right curves to turn masculine heads anytime.
With a skin like the evening sun, a heart-shaped face and a pair of eyes
which Peter had once described as ‘deep and innocent’, Daisy knew that
both old and young men would fall for her charm, if she ever set her
mind to, but charming men wasn’t particularly one of her passions,
especially when she knew that the charm couldnt capture the attention of
the only one man in the world that her soul craved. So what was it use?
Daisy mood became threatened by the road her thoughts were taking, why
did thinking about him these days not hold so much ‘lily
flowered-fantasies’ it previously had? She wondered.
It was now three weeks into their marriage and they were still like
total strangers, he had only recently started eating the food she
painstakingly prepared and kept for him consistently daily.


She had been all surprised and hopeful the Tuesday she had perfunctorily
gone to clear the dining, knowing fully well that it would be the way
she had set it earlier.
‘So he had finally decided to eat’ she had exclaimed happily. The fried
eggs was half eaten and the bread nylon was undone, proving her right,
if it had been Monday she would have thought Okon had helped himself to
it, because he had always been the lucky beneficiary of Jide’s untouched
meal, but it wasn’t!
Daisy had remained cheerful throughout that day, even taking extra pain
in preparing the dinner of that night. She had also gotten a reward for
her effort too, because he downed every bit.


‘what an appetite!’ She had said, satisfied with herself and thanking
her stars that they was a tiny light to work with afterall.
But that was where it had ended. Nothing changed. Noone said anything to
anyone. The few times she had tried saying ‘hi’, the silent response
she got had put her off, finally she stopped trying.
Daisy knew her life was downright monotous. Wake up by Six. cook. Bath.
Watch movies or whatever. Chat with Okon whenever he came. Surf the web
with her phone whenever she was bored.Listen to the endless music on her
phone. Cook dinner. Sleep. Wake up for midnight for her juice-dose. And
back to waking up at 6.
Daisy smiled sadly as she mentally listed her life’s routine, ‘circle of
the bored’, she tagged it.
Add occasional swimming she mused and you would have the life of Daisy
Olukoya at your fingertips.




No action, no lovemaking, no petting, no care, no love!
No companion too. She completed.
Mama had visited last week to intimate her of her trip back to Boston
because business calls. Daisy had sadly wished the elderly woman a safe
trip back. She understood quite alright, but was sad to see her ‘mother’
go, she would definitely miss her.





Mama had promised to keep intouch too, the loss of her ‘assistant’
wasn’t easy too and she felt like a grandmother going to one of those
‘homes for the aged’ that characterised American family life.
Daisy mood was now totally ruined, she slowly stood up, tied the
transparent scarf over her moderate swim wear, for it covered her
perfectly while still flattering her figures.
‘that’s all swimming for today’ she muttered and picked up her the glass
of juice, then bounded off for the house. Today was Friday, she needed
to plan her Saturday purchase for the market tomorrow. Especially now
that Jide had started eating his meals.




Those thoughts of mama brought back memories of another time and another
place, barely a few months ago but now seemed like a thousand years had
passed. It was the day mama had broached the marriage issue to her, and
slowly but vividly her mind replayed the scene.