He walked up to her, lifted her hand and put it on his chest by the left where his heart is and said “It came from here Bimpe, it came from my heart, where you can feel the pulse of my heart beat”
Bimpe removed her hand swiftly “Desmond, you have been reading too much of Danielle Steel, Nora Roberts, Nicholas Sparks and Robyn Carr, and that my dear, combined together, is a lethal combo” she said trying to douse the tension in the room. She knew Desmond meant every single word he said, it was easy to believe him because she saw through his eyes in the few minutes she gazed at him, besides, she knew him long enough to know when he is joking and serious.
This cannot be happening, how? When did Desmond start nursing this feeling? Oh goodness, I hope he didn’t begin feeling this way when Soji was alive…did he? That would be hypocritical of him…She quickly snapped out of the thoughts, she was thinking too far. The thoughts going through her mind all happened in a minute after she removed his hand and walked away. She was by the shelf already, looking for what wasn’t missing, praying that something would interrupt the weird moments and voila, her phone rang.
The call was from Mercy’s school. She had developed a very high temperature. Immediately Desmond heard it was Mercy, it was no longer about how he felt. “Let’s go to her school immediately” she said, and as she reached for her car keys, Desmond held her hand, looked into her eyes and said “for Mercy’s sake, let me…”
He picked her jacket, wore it over her shoulders and opened the door for her and off they went in his own car.
As they drove, Bimpe was very worried and it was written all over her face. At some point she was trembling. Desmond held her hand tight and told her not to worry, and that everything was going to be okay.
She looked like she needed a hug, but Desmond didn’t want it to look like he was taking advantage of the situation, so he held her hand firmly and said to her “Everything is going to be alright…I promise”.
Something about the words he said and how he said it comforted Bimpe.
Desmond barely parked before she jumped out of the car. He ran after her and as they both got in, she asked the first teacher she saw, “Please Madam, where is Mercy?” “Are you Mercy’s parents?” the teacher asked. Bimpe and Desmond looked at each other, it was an awkward moment. He wasn’t Mercy’s second dad…yet… and Desmond quickly cut in “Madam, we would like to see her please, can you direct us to where she is?”
The teacher who called Bimpe on phone, Mrs Adeolu, heard the voices and came over to meet them. Apparently, the teacher who asked was new in the school and did know that Bimpe’s husband was late.
Mrs Adeolu actually saved the day as she interjected “Good day Mrs Bimpe, greeting to you too Mr Desmond, Mercy has been asking for both of you. She is better now, and her temperature has come down” she said. Off they went and as the door opened, Mercy’s eyes lit “Mummy, Uncle Desmond…I told them my mummy and superhero uncle Desmond were coming to get me”.
With tears in her eyes, Bimpe hugged Mercy real tight and said, “You scared me darling, don’t you ever do that to mummy again” and kissed her forehead.
“Uncle Desmond, won’t you hug me too?” Mercy demanded and he came over and joined the hug. “Young woman, I see you are feeling better already” he teased her, to which she responded “Well, you both bring out the best in me, let’s just say, by seeing you, I became healed” and everyone in the room burst out laughing.
She left with her mum and Desmond. She was given medications to be taken as prescribed by the doctor who saw her before they came.
Mercy got better and everything went back to normal, except at work, where Desmond ensured never to talk to Bimpe about how he felt. He didn’t want to ruin his work relationship and also the relationship he enjoyed with Mercy.
Bimpe observed and sent for him one Tuesday afternoon. She went straight to the point. “Desmond, I have observed you are now acting cold. There really isn’t any need for that, we have grown to know each other through the years and you have been there for Soji and I (God rest his soul) while he was alive and even after. I am sorry about how I responded to you and I was actually in denial. I do love how you love on Mercy and by extension me, and I want you to know that I would want to give us a chance.”
Desmond couldn’t believe his ears, the smile on his face was from ear to ear.
“Don’t tell me the romantic novels you have been reading didn’t give you a clue on what to do when a lady says yes? This is the part where you come and lift me up and say Yaaaas!! she said yes, but you are just standing there, waiting for me to say it’s April fool?” she teased.
“Be careful what you wish for Madam, remember this is an office environment, however, as you must have since known, I am a gentleman, I was just trying to put myself together because you shocked me…I never saw that coming” Desmond said.
She walked up to him, and he welcomed her into his arms in a warm embrace. They obviously didn’t want to let go of each other.
The business is doing ever better. Mercy is the happiest, she tells anyone who cares to hear that her superhero, uncle Desmond and mother are the best pair ever. “I can’t wait for you to marry my mum so I can officially call you daddy” she would often say. Mercy always said how she felt, sometimes the words sounded too advanced for her age, but Bimpe and Desmond have come to even love her more for it.
Desmond and Bimpe are getting married in summer…You are all invited, just make sure you are in Mercy’s good books, and you are guaranteed an invite.
Isn’t love such a beautiful thing?
