When Onyeka Michael found out Chidinma Ude was actually thirty three years old, he was surprised. He had always known she was older than he was, but considering the fact that her son was a teenager, he had expected her to be older.
“Really? I thought you were older!” he blurted out after Chidinma revealed her age.
Chidinma raised her brows and looked up from the papers spread out in front of her. “I’m not quite sure how to take that. Are you saying I look older than my age? Or is it a backhanded compliment and you think I am wiser and more mature than a thirty three year old woman ought to be?”
Onyeka winced. It was bad enough that curiousity had pushed him to ask for a lady’s age, now he had added onto his impertinence by reacting as he had. “No, Doc. That’s not what I meant.”
Chidinma smiled to soften her words. “Well, better explain before I throw you out of my house, osiso.”
It was a Saturday afternoon, and they were officially off work hours, but Chidinma had agreed to work overtime to help push the audit along. Considering that their friendship had improved considerably since they mended fences over the eventful kiss, she had invited him to her home. They were seated at her dining table, poring over the stack of documents he had brought with them before he asked her, out of the blue, what her age was.
Onyeka widened his eyes in mock alarm, relieved she did not seem truly offended. “Ah! Please don’t throw me out o! I was just taken by surprise. Considering Nonso is fifteen, I thought you were a remarkably well-preserved forty year old. Or at least a beautiful woman in her late thirties.”
Chidinma flashed a warning look at him, but inside, she was pleased at the inferred compliment. She took care of herself, was careful about her feeding habits and lifestyle and took the time to look good, so it was nice to have her efforts appreciated by a handsome young man.
“And you?” she asked, deciding he did not have the monopoly on personal questions. “How old are you?”
Onyeka grinned. “A very mature twenty eight.”
Chidinma’s brain immediately calculated the difference between their ages. Five years. “See? I’m almost old enough to be your mother.” she kept her tone light.
Onyeka guffawed. “Doctor! Such baby mother o! Besides you know what they say. Age is just a number.”
They shared a smile. Although Onyeka never ooutrightly tried to flirt with her anymore, there was an obvious evidence of attraction in some of the things she said to her. She had chosen to ignore most of them, but at moments like that, the memory of their fleeting kiss came back to her.
She stole a furtive look at Onyeka, who had returned to sifting through the documents in front of him, the ghost of a smile still lingering on his lips. For a few unguarded moments, she remembered how they had felt against hers. One of her hands crept up to her own lips as the memory loitered.
Soft and yet hard, and his mouth tasted so clean…
“Mum!” Nonso’s voice broke into Chidinma’s thoughts and she jumped guiltily as she turned to see her son standing in the kitchen doorway, a disapproving scowl on his face. From his tone, it had obviously not been his first attempt to get her attention. Deep in her thoughts, she had not heard the back door open, from where her son had gone out to hang up his wet swimming trunks and gear. He had just returned from a swimming lesson with Uche, his friend who was the son of a neighbour.
“Yes, dear. Er… how was swimming?”
For a moment, Nonso’s eyes flickered between his mother and Onyeka suspiciously, then he shrugged. “It was fine. I was asking if I could eat some of the cake in the fridge.”
Chidinma nodded. “Yes, dear. Please bring Uncle Onyeka a slice.”
Onyeka looked up, eyes bright. “Ah! How did you know I like cake?”
“I’ve hardly met a man that hates cake.” Chidinma mumbled. “Ben used to eat it all the time like…”
Nonso’s expression soured and Chidinma stopped talking abruptly as she realized she had unthinkingly referred to her ex-husband, Nonso’s father. Onyeka had a look of curiousity on his face, but she ignored it. “Just get him a slice of cake, Nonso.” She continued. “And one pack of orange juice, please.”
Nonso returned to the kitchen, his movements betraying a sullen anger. Chidinma shook her head. Even after seven years after her separation from Ben, the matter was still a sore topic to her son, and she was tired of feeling guilty.
“Ben’s your ex. I understand. I can talk to him about it some more.” Onyeka said softly, uncannily seeming to read her thoughts. “It’s hard for him to understand, you know.”
Chidinma felt a sudden surge of emotion and she had to blink tears away. She was surprised at herself; she wasn’t one to be so affected by her feelings. But the thought of Nonso needing to confide in someone else touched a raw nerve. She felt like he was growing too quickly and she was losing her baby.
She cleared her throat. “Yeah thanks. I’d appreciate that.”
Onyeka reached across and squeezed her palm in empathy. He had no ulterior motive for the gesture; he simply knew she was upset and offering physical comfort was instinctive. Chidinma pulled her hand away gently with a small smile, but not quick enough to avoid a third party observing the gesture.
Nonso stood in the shadows of the kitchen, watching his mother and Onyeka, his jaw, dotted with a few straggly hairs, clenched tight in displeasure.
He did not like what he was seeing.
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