Pegasus Reporters Issues on the Wing
“The best of revenge is success. Lape is going to start her business. We are going to get her a shop, and she will start by reconnecting with her old customers she still has their contacts. I am going to help her set up and build her social media visibility for her business.
*Mariam Oluwatoyin Campbell
PEGASUS REPORTERS, LAGOS | JANUARY 17, 2022
“Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday dear Sharon
Happy birthday to you
Hip! Hip! Hurray!!!” Shouts a room full of well wishers
It’s Lape’s fortieth birthday today and her friends and family have gathered together to wish her well. Today is a milestone for her because this year her business moved up another rung in the ladder of success. Her fashion business was featured in an international business magazine as a trend setter for the year.
Lape has come a long way. At the age of twenty-four she got married and after years of trying finally gave birth to a set of twins. When her twins were five years old her husband left her for another woman. By then she was thirty-six and a house wife. Her husband made her give up her small shop and stop sewing clothes for her customers.
As a single mother who was jobless, Lape faced her business with a vengeance and the only thing that she took time out for were her adorable twin boys.
“Happy birthday dear!” Says Omosewa, Lape’s best friend
“Thank you my dear friend” says Lape as they stand by the birthday cake
“Ojuolape” called an older woman as she walks towards Lape
“Welcome mom” Lape hugs her mother.
“Where is Dad?” she asks
“He is packing the car. I didn’t know there would be a lot of people here today. We would have come earlier” says her Mom
“My friends, staff and even some of my customers come to wish me a happy birthday. They came with gifts, food and drinks. Omosewa brought the cake” Lape says to her Mom
“Happy birthday Adunni Ojuolape. You have come a long way. May you continue to climb and grow. We will not mourn you or our grand-children” says her dad as he hugs her from behind
“Thanks Dad” says Lape
Five years ago
“What are you doing here” asks Segun as he drags Lape outside
“You haven’t being home in three days” says Lape in response as she tries to pull her hands away
“I have been working. I told you I needed to complete a proposal and my boss asked that we all ensure everything is done right” Segun says
Segun is Lape’s husband. He works for a big conglomerate as the head of a project team. His role requires a lot of travel to meet clients and oversee projects. Anytime he has to travel however he informs his family and goes back home direct from the airport. However, recently he has being going to the office from the airport. Sometimes he would call from work just a few hours before he was supposed to be home that he had to travel for work. This has gone on for a few months.
“Don’t come to my place of work without calling me first. I told you my boss doesn’t like it” says Segun
“Well I would not have come to your place of work if you answered your calls or replied my messages. I needed to know you were doing okay” says Lape
“Is it because you are jobless? The children are not keeping you busy enough? Is that why you have to keep tabs on me night and day?” says Segun in anger
“I am not jobless. I had a growing business when I met you which you made me quit. Remember?” Lape replies angry
“Well I don’t have this time. I am busy, go home and we will see tonight” says Segun as he walks back into his place of work
A year later
“Stop crying Ojuolape” says Omosewa
“Why won’t she cry? After letting go of her dreams and her whole life for that man only for him to leave her for another woman” says Bidemi, Lape’s elder sister.
“He didn’t even have the decency to say it is over. He moved in with another woman and left another one hanging. If not for the neighbor who opened up no one would know what was going on” says Omosewa
Lape keeps remembering when her neighbor came to her to tell her that her husband was getting married to another woman. She even showed her the invitation card for the traditional wedding. She couldn’t believe it until she got to the venue of the wedding and saw her husband’s family all happy and smiling and Segun getting married to another woman.
Segun was supposed to be in Port-Harcourt supervising a project for his company. They just spoke two days ago and he said he would be home next week. True the project had been on for months now but he came home every month and she had even being to see him once with the children.
To think that all this time Segun was in a relationship with another woman.
“What are you going to do now?” asks Omosewa
“What do you mean what is she going to do?” asks Oyinda, a friend of Bidemi. Oyinda is like an older sister to Lape as she is Bidemi’s best friend and a family friend for over 20 years.
“The best of revenge is success. Lape is going to start her business. We are going to get her a shop, and she will start by reconnecting with her old customers she still has their contacts. I am going to help her set up and build her social media visibility for her business. One of my staff will ensure that every milestone is celebrated on social media. Lape is going to be a successful business woman; more than even she or anyone can imagine. She has two boys to take care of aside from herself” says Oyinda
Two years after Lape’s business started, two years after Segun left her for another woman, she gets a call on her phone.
“Hello” Lape says as she answers the call
“Hello this is Segun’s mom” says the female voice on the phone
“Good afternoon ma” says Lape
“My dear, I want to come see you. Please can you send me your address?” says the voice on the phone
“Ah ma I am so sorry. I will be traveling and won’t be back for a year or more. In fact, I am already at the airport with the children and we are about to board the plane” says Lape
“Ah please wait Segun is not feeling fine and we need money for his operation” says the voice
Lape looks worried. She almost turns around but then she sees her friend getting angry beside her.
“I am sorry ma. There is nothing I can do for Segun now. I wish him all the best and good health. I have to go now” she says as she ends the call and switched off her phone
“That was Segun’s Mom” says Lape to Omosewa
“I don’t want to know” she says as she buckles her seat belt
A plane is seen taking off.
Back to the present
“There is someone here to see you” says Lape’s Mom
“Who? Let the person come in now. I hope they brought a birthday present” says Lape laughing
Segun walks in with his parents. The room suddenly becomes quiet as he walks towards Lape.
“Lape I am sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. Things were not going well between us and our marriage was becoming too expensive” Segun says
“Excuse me” shouts Omosewa
“Sewa stop please” says Oyinda
“What are you doing here Segun” asks Lape
“I came to wish you a happy birthday and to beg for your forgiveness” says Segun.
“Thank you and you are forgiven. You only helped me become the successful woman I am today. If you had not left, I would have still been that house wife who depended on you for every little thing for myself and my children” says Lape
“Our children” says Segun
“The children you said were not your own? That you were sure belonged to another man? They are now “our children?” says Lape laughing
“I just said that then” says Segun
“I am sorry Segun you are not welcome here. Fortunately, we are no longer married. Those children you now claim to be yours I have documentation from you that says you are not their father. Or did you forget the legal document?” asks Lape
“Please can someone make this man leave my house?” says Lape
“Gladly” says a few of Lape’s friends
As Segun is unceremoniously ushered out of the house he looks back at Lape sadly realizing what he had lost.
THE END
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