Wild West of the Heart

The car was glistening in the sun, having just being bathed. This honda accord that had stayed with the Bankole's for many years, was now about to sold. Or put up for sale.

Akin was hesitant with the piece of paper in his hands. The paper with the inscription, BUY ME. As if it were suddenly a burden after serving them for many years. Akin had a drop of tear in his eyes, for a car. Though he'd never cry for Olamide. "It's going to be okay" Mary assured from behind as she pushed him forward. She needed to get back to the kitchen. "Is it?" Akin asked, turning to his side. "We're selling out car, to feed. What's next?"

"We are doing our best. And right now, it means letting go of something that has been with us for more than a decade, Akin. Sooner or later it would have spoiled and then it would be useless. Now would be the best time to sell it" She whispered and he nodded, finding some truth in her words.

"We went on our first date in it. Remember?"

"It wasn't our first date" Mary argued, with a smile.

"We'd been on plenty before" She said and Akin faced her, as if sure of what he was saying. "No, we didn't. We met each other, fell in love and then we got married. There wasn't the calm, the being on a date kind of calm?" Akin said, with a smile.

"But then after a few years, we had Ola and figured we needed that calm. It was the one night you left him in another's person's care" He continued. "He was six"

"He was six. What took you so long?" He asked.

"And that was the night he convulsed. Oh my God, i should never have left him. That day was terrible" She whispered, drawn back into time. And the calm of memories. "But the date wasn't" She added.

"The moments before i found out that my son was ill, weren't. Like the time we sang along to the radio on our way there" Mary said as Akin stepped down the pavement. The car was parked right in their driveway, not that they had any gate of sorts.

And he walked into the car and stuck the key in the ignition. He peered from the opening below and made eye contact wit Mary who rolled her eyes sinuously. "What are you doing?" She asked him.

"What song was that?" He threw back a question to her. And she grazed her chin. "I think time of life?" She said with doubt even though she remembered clearly. How could she forget that night? They'd been married close to twenty years, and each day was just an opportunity to fall more in love with each other. Fall in love, again and again.

They were one of the very few that lasted that long.

It didn't mean there wasn't fights, or nights they spent on different beds. It just meant they always came back to each other. Always found each other again, each time more than the last time. "Now I've had the time of my life"

Akin begun to sing loudly from his windows as he placed in the cassette. The sun was still out, though the air was chilly. And Mary was hit with the nostalgia at the sound of his voice. "No, I never felt like this before"

It was a song. A song that if given a chance, they would have played on their wedding day. For God's sake, this car had been with them since that day.

It was why Akin found it difficult to let go. Though he had to, he just needed some time. Time that was he buying as he sang the Bill Medley song.

"Just remember you're the one thing-"

"I can't get enough of"

Maybe later, he'd have to think of selling the car but he wanted to stay in this moment, because right now, as Mary climbed into the car-

there was no care in the world. They didn't have to worry about anything. It was like their youthful days even though they couldn't remember most of it. The thing is, when you're young, you're in so much hurry to grow up. For freedom, maybe.

Or just to experience life. But the thing no one tells you is, half of adulting is trying to cry. Because of all the things you'd be hit with. All the things that would either make you stronger, or break you.

The only regret i would say Mary ever had was maybe growing up so fast. Maybe waiting for some time, going to school, enjoying life before Akin.

But who knows, maybe if she did all of that, she would not have met him. The butterfly effect, maybe she would have met a man this time, that was successful or didn't have to sell his car to survive.

She was human, so thoughts like that pierced her mind. However whenever it did, she'd shake it off and remind herself to be content. Content with the life that she had now. Not every father these days was around to see their child grow- and this was just a stepping stone, or a graze in the grass, whatever motivational quote, she didn't know. What she knew, was she loved this man.

Akin.

And if anything, she didn't regret marrying him.

"So I'll tell you something-"

"This could be love because"

She yelled at the top of her voice, regardless of the people that crossed the streets. Or stopped to stare. They looked like they were high, but the good kind. The best.

"I've had the time of my life"

Though short, it was true. They have had the time of their lives, most of which was in the car. But it was time to let go. For their future, and for Ola.

-

His eyes darted to the poster and his wife raving to the song that came from the casette, Akin knew in that moment, that it was time. He had to do this, but how would he tell Ola that they had no money?

Ola had almost fallen asleep in maths class. It was as if when he wasn't thinking of Fiyin, he'd grow tired in that instant.

It was either his mind was busy or it wasn't.

But then a hushed tone brought life back to him, through his ears. It was his voice. "So, something tells me you didn't sign up for anything" He said.

"Obi" His eyes cleared, as he sat up. "What are you doing here?" Ola asked, trying to contain his shock, or his excitement. It was a smear of both.

"Even though you're a great writer, you can draw, exceptionally good in physics even through i can never understand how-" He did the thing where he struck out his fingers to indicate he was still talking. "How you can even be good at all three"

"Come on" He urged, pulling Ola's arms and a scoff escaped his lips before an apology. But alas, after a hush, they excused themselves from class.

Ms Deborah was far too unbothered to care, about anything. With a shrug of her shoulders, they were out of class and in the quiet hallway where Ola held Obi back. He'd hoped this wasn't a dream from you know, sleeping on his desk. But seeing his eyes, it felt real. So it no longer bothered him.

"I'm sorry" Ola said, holding up his fingers this time. "I'm sorry for forgetting about your dad. I'm sorry for not acknowledging that things had changed. I'm sorry for not telling you that i was traveling, i guess some part of me wants to lie that i didn't know. But the truth, i did. It might have been just a few days before but it was enough time" He said. "There was just no good way to say it—"

"-to say goodbye, to you" He whispered. "Not after your mum and your father. I was young and i thought it was one of the many things i can keep a secret" Ola said. "I'm sorry for leaving, Obi❞ "It's okay, Mide"

"I'm sorry for overreacting and ugh" He cupped his chin. "The cringe from this" He chuckled a bit, and then turned back to him. "Like a scene from a movie" Lowkey it was what he wanted, i did say Obi envisioned his life as a tragic cinematic piece.

"I know right" Ola replied. "But i am sorry, for everything i did wrong. A part of me was angry, especially when you blamed what happened with Fiyin on me. It just felt like no one was on my side" Obi continued. "But i know now that there are no sides. Sometimes, two people can be wrong"

"Often times?" Ola interrupted. "Sometimes"

"Now however, we need to get your name right there in creative writing. What if Johnsons come?" It was this place abroad that recruited young black writers like Ola.

Not that he was that serious about it as a career.

But if he did, he knew he'd go far. At least Obi knew, that's why he supported him in times like these. "One of us got to be famous" He cheered.

"But "Ola paused.

"But, my mom. Medicine" He phrased, but just enough words for Obi to get the picture. He knew about her plan for him, but he also had the opportunity to read some of Olamide's work.

And to say he was fascinated by them was the very least. He was moved, like his poetry was alive. His words had meaning, meaning that rose from the shackles of paper and stabbed you where you needed it to. His words could capture emotions that you didn't know existed. Could make you feel things you didn't know where in you.

It was that Obi saw, and it was he still pushed.

"Fuck medicine" He stamped his feet. "The only medicine i need are you're poems" He said, and Ola rolled his eyes. "Touché" He remarked.

And they burst out in laughter as they approached the door to the main hall. And when they got to the table, Obi searched himself for a biro. He found, after a while.

"Obi" Came a subtle echo in the empty room and he sat closer to him as he wrote his name. His legs swung mid air, without reaching the floor.

"What is it?" He replied, allowing his sweater neck to fall down his left shoulder. "No more secrets?" Ola bit his lower lip as he stared at Obi, who cleared his nose with a sniff. That was the perfect time to tell him, his own big secret. But then, it did not matter anymore since he had stopped.

"No more secrets" He replied, with a firm nod.

-

"You know my birthday wasn't all that. Thank you for asking then" Obi said as they walked out of school as the final bell rang. "You're just a day late" Ola teased and it was Obi who rolled his eyes.

"I said then, come on. But yeah"

"You know you never gave me my gift" He added.

"Well, you didn't give much room" Ola replied.

"And it would be really good to go to that river some day, even though it wasn't that day" He said. Ola looked to him, assuming he forgot all the words from that day, but it seemed very much like he didn't. He remembered all of it even more than him.

"Yeah it would be good" He replied, as they walked to their bicycles. The sun was beginning to set at such an early time, and Obi tried looking it before mounting his bike. Ola just looked around, anxiety pumping through his veins once he realized he had not seen Fiyin all day. It was never a good sign-

-it couldn't have been.

"Want to come by Mira's?" Ola looked to Obi but he shook his head, riding a bit forward. "Actually, i have something to do" He meant, visiting Fiyin.

"What?"

"Practice, later" Ola lied. So much for no more secrets, he thought. He let his hypocrisy fill him with guilt as he turned back around. "Football?" Obi echoed from his lips and he got a nod.

"There's so much to catch up on" He smirked as Ola begun paddling further away from him. "Bye" He yelled, without turning around. And with a smile, Obi reached for his phone that chimed in his pockets. He was just happy, that he followed Mira's advice to make up with Ola. God forbid they never talked again. He looked to his screen and then it was as if all thoughts vanished at that text.

Obi was a stranger to anxiety but when his came, it was a flood of emotions. He pushed a lump down his throat as he read that text.

Abdul: how about tonight?

Ola on the other hand, didn't stop paddling his bike till he got to Sixth Avenue, assuming Fiyin still lived in the same house as ten years ago.

He halted, seeing her clothes still outside, and he got his answer. Her uniform was still spread, which meant she hadn't left the house. He let his bike fall to the ground as he climbed over it.

He paced around the house to what he thought was her window and tried throwing stones at it, like when they were kids, about to sneak off to play in the dead of the night. Then, they had nothing too serious to worry about. Not a care in the world

Now, it was as if each vice was slowly eating into them. And their time, and existence. There was death, there was trauma, and pain. There was grief, and rape. And the terrible things that came with life.

After several attempts at throwing pebbles, Ola walked to the front door, hoping her father wasn't in. It's no surprise how he was scared of a man like him, that was drunk half the day.

He slowly pushed the door which gave way for him and he peeked, putting only one foot in. It gave an eerie sound, a screech from perhaps it's hinge. But Ola knew why he was here, so he continued in.

"Fiyin" He called out, not sure how much of a bad idea that was. But he called, till he reached her door. Not much had changed through the years, he still remembered all the little things like hide and seek in this corridor. The clock, which had never moved but had stopped working now.

It was then he heard a sound from behind a door. It was groan, out of pain maybe. And it was Fiyin. She had heard the sound of a door, and her brain finally gave instructions to the rest of her body-

-that she needed to do something if she wanted to live. So a sound was it, for her guardian angel, who so happened to Ola. He plunged to the door, pushing away and just like that, their eyes met.

Her's were upside down, and it was why a gasp escaped his lips. "Fiyin?" He called, a crack in his voice as he ran towards her. There was blood on the floor and across her arms. He held her head up in his arms that brushed a piece of paper to the floor.

That piece of paper. She did it, finally. She was able to garner her last strength to write on it. And in his arms, she knew she was safe. Tears fell down her cheeks as he moved to pick the paper. His lips fell open, as he read the words in a terrible writing

i was raped.

He pieced it together in that instant. Collins.

To be continued...