Wild West of the Heart
FIFTY TWO

Obi was in love.

He didn't know how it happened, or how he got here but he could just feel it.

It was no news that this young boy was in love. Truth was, he wouldn't rather be anywhere else other than the arms of Abdul on new year's.

It was where he wanted to be, and where he was.

The door barged open, slamming into the walls as he let out a chuckle from his lips. "Sorry" Abdul whispered, taking a second to remove his jacket. Obi leaned against the door, closing it behind him.

He stuck the tip of his fingers between his teeth as he smirked. Ab's jacket fell to the ground alongside his pair of converse. And Obi just watched from inches away as he twirled around his belt loops. "It's fine"

For a second, Abdul's eyes met his hazel ones and he fell back to the bed. "Come here" He whispered as Obi strutted forward. There was a low music playing from the bed stand, it was soft rock which happened to be his favorite genre- but he didn't care.

He didn't care about music in that second as he got on his knees in front of Abdul who was now shirtless. His torso was moist from sweat as hair curled out scantily along the middle of his chest.

He struggled with his tight jeans as Obi climbed up him, stealing a kiss from his sultry lips. He was used to the rupturing butterflies in his belly now.

Abdul's lips felt like home, like it was just the right amount of tough and tender. And Obi knew he could never get tired of kissing him, that he could never not want to kiss him.

And as submerged as he was in the act, his hands never left his jeans.

Ab let out a muffled moan into the side of his neck. The hair on Obi's skin stood as he turned around, revealing the hickey from the last night.

His eyes beamed with pride, seeing below him. But it was all before he backed away, gliding his shoulders to the music. "Fuck" Ab cussed.

"I'll get to it"

He reached for the difficult belt, rolling his eyes and Obi walked towards his closet. He scavenged through his clothes for the last pack of condoms and when he found it, he hefted it up like some prize, placing it enticingly between his lips. By that time, Ab's trousers were already at his ankles and he had a devilish smirk across his face. Obi did as well, imagining all the stuffs he would do to him. "Come here" Abdul patted the bed.

It might have been too early, but Obi had begun to imagine a life with Abdul. Maybe a life ahead of these times, or perhaps in an alternate universe where they both had a shot at raising a family.

A girl, and two boys would be fine for children, and they'd have this country house on a large farm. He knew how much Ab loved animals, but there would also be this sophisticated Los Angeles like patio for him. A patio for him to relax on after a long day, while he would watch Ab work out and tender to the livestock-

-shirtless of course.

Then, he'd like to think Ab would have a much more defined bod and a few tattoos, not that any of that mattered. It just showed growth, that they'd been through so much together and eventually they had this life. So much like the memories of a first tattoo, memories from the gym.

The changes, alongside these memories would show how much they'd grown together, beyond religion, distance and whatever shit life threw at him. He was anxious of thoughts like these.

Of this future which seemed so perfect in his head. He fell in love with that idea, that thought. And for the first time, it was as though he had a plan. Because he had Abdul, he had a plan.

And Ab as well, had found a good thing. The best thing, and he realized that as Obi danced towards him, letting each piece of clothe slide off with the rhythm of the song. He might have chuckled, but behind those luscious eyes, there was love.

He loved Obi, as much as he loved his own life. And that was more than enough in that moment.

For them.

But alas, not everyone had life this smoothly. There was Ola, seated in the torn sofa of his aunt.

In his palms was the church program of previous night. Not that it'd grasped his attention, he was just staring in the distance, as always.

Maybe trying to navigate his life and pinpoint the exact moment it started going downhill for him. But alas, he couldn't just do that, his guess at the most was maybe when he left Texas. What if— What if he could go back to the very beginning?

The closest things to a better reality were the what ifs for him.

What if he never left? And what if he still had William, and Sarah? And James. He couldn't even tell which he wanted more because it meant he wouldn't have reconnected with Obi and Fiyin. Those were the only good things in his life now.

"Why are you so dull?" Mary crept from the corridor in a purple tie-dye kaftan which he was pretty sure belonged to his aunt, Titi. She was the one that had elaborate dresses like these—

-unlike Mary who was a simple woman, and a simple iro and buba would have her set for the day, she was often too simple because it was the way Akin liked her to be. She was scared to be anything other than the woman he married. Scared to be herself. But that all changed the night of Christmas eve. Now, she had told Ola what had happened, but not everything of course.

However, what had happened was, she had knocked on his door to show him the snow, which was actually ash falling from the sky.

But you already know that.

"Ola?"

"Olamide" She called out, climbing over a stack of clothes in her way. And it took her some time to see the windows left open and she let out a shrill scream, running towards it. "Olamide" She yelled. Akin rushed into the room on hearing that scream and she looked back at him with shaky palms. Her eyes moved from his shorts across his bed to each corner of the room. Then back at Akin.

"He's gone, Akin" Tears welled in her eyes as she tried to stay calm. Now, for a person who'd had a heart attack once, that was the hardest part-

trying to stay calm. And Akin did a pretty good job at doing that as he stood akimbo.

"Akin. Can you not hear me?" She urged, a little too dramatically. "Our son's gone. Akin—"

"And he's going to come back" He croaked nonchalantly, finally replying his quivering wife.

"And when he does, he's going to be dead meat. I'm going to kill that boy for being everything but respectful and grateful. He's going wayward—"

Mary's eyes twitched as she asked softly. "What?"

"Look what you have done. Where is our son?"

"He's "

Mary threw herself to the door, holding unto his garment, begging for her son. "Don't touch me Mary. Go look for your son" He pushed her, but not too violently. And then she just stood there, like her eyes had finally cleared up. Not literally, because she still had tears in them but in the sense that she could see him. She could finally see the man her husband was.

Of course, Ola was only her son when he did something bad. Bold of her to assume that they were in this together. She watched him grab his cane with rage in his eyes as he went to the door.

Furious, he waited for when Ola would knock on it and he was ready to lash him. Now, Mary knew of only one way to stop this. She knew of only one way she could still have a son that's alive. "Akin" She trailed after him regardless. "Cut him some slack?"

"Cut him some slack?" Akin echoed. "It's how we got here. We cut him too much slack, spared the rod too much. Never in my life have i seen such a disrespectful, self centered, shameful so—" Mary halted, hefting her arms. "That's our son" She said quietly and all he did was give her a mocking scoff. Who was this monster before her? "What?"

"You're on your own" He said, falling into the couch. "If you know what's good for your son, tell him not to dare come home tonight" He threatened. At some point, Mary knew she had to stop crying. Which she did in that moment, that brief moment she took to heave in the deepest sigh.

"I'm leaving"

Akin was caught between a yawn as he turned to face Mary. His chest rose alongside his chuckle.

She knew she had to do something so she hefted up the bag beside her, the traveling bag no one dared touch and she tore open the zipper. "I'm leaving, Akin" Though calling his name, she spoke mostly to herself, reassuring only her that she was doing this. And convincing herself that she had to.

"You can't leave"

Came that threatening tone from Akin as he stood. She was shaken, but she was way to determined on getting her shit packed. "I am"

"I can see why he hates you. I have been blind all along, i can see why everyone hates you. And the only person you get along with is Collins" She was just saying words at this point, words she had held in for so long. "It's because you're both so similar, toxic and mania-My friends keep telling me about him, you hear what the whole town says-"

"Collins?"

"Those are just rumors" Akin looked to the clock, knowing now that it was a race against time to save his marriage. His heart palpitated as his gaze followed her through the room.

As for the rumors, we all know people around here loved to talk. And to gossip, and there was that very thin line between what was true and what was not. But call it a mother's instinct or whatever, but Mary had never liked Collins.

And she got that off feeling the moment she stepped into his office that day to enroll Olamide. So of course, she'd believe every damn rumor that was said about that man.

"And what if it's not?" For a second, they shared a daunting gaze and once he couldn't reply, she walked past him. "See"

"Where are you even going to stay? Titi?" He asked. "Is she the one that put you up to this?" He trailed after her. "I knew she didn't like me from day one but this is just extreme. Mary" He yelled.

"Mary. Can you for one second pause to think?"

"No" She yelled back. "No, because you're probably going to say one manipulative word that's going to make me forget all that you've already said. And that's going to make me stay back. That's going to force me to stay back and i don't want to" She screamed till there was a crack in her voice. "I don't want to stay. I never did"

"What?" It was his voice that went low now.

"Mary, what does the bible say about leaving?" He asked, and he shrugged his shoulders.

"What does the bible say about being unhappy?" She replied, walking into the room. Now, a tear rose to the surface of his eye. "Is it because—"

"Is it because i have no money?"

Mary dropped her bags and walked all the way back to him. She cupped his chin and looked him dead in his moist eyes. "I'm not leaving you because you're poor-" She paused. "I'm leaving you because i only just realized you aren't what's best for my son. And what's best for me"

"You gave me the life i have right now, but then you almost took it" Mary whispered. "I shouldn't be having a heart attack, not if i'm happy" She said, finally pulling away. "I'm leaving with Ola, so that way you won't take his life as well" Her voice went with her as she walked further.

"Mary-" He finally called, the tear falling from his eyes. "Where does that leave us?" He asked.

Ola looked up at her from the church program, pretending not to be startled. "I don't know" He gave her an uncertain reply, one that was neither true nor false.

It was also what she'd said to her husband that night, just before Ola knocked on the door. But hers was completely true. She didn't actually know, for once, the great Mary didn't have a plan.

To be continued...