Not you ma, I love your daughter!

The duel

     Lekki. 

   ~Dare Ofegu~

"What are you going to California for? You won't put your mother in the darkness of it all, would you?"

I had tried to avoid her gaze in the first place but there is no use anymore. She wasn't the type to be beaten so easily. I knew my mother too well, she wouldn't stop until she had gotten to the root of the matter, believe me. Or better still, you can see for yourself. 

"We already had this discussion, mom. I got an offer to work with a company over there. You know that I write poetry, so one of the companies in California read one of my poems on allpoetry.com and wanted to meet me in person. I have been postponing it but now that uncle is ready to help, why should I let the opportunity slip off my palms?"

I quit talking but the stare she was wearing said it all. She was not ready to give in, I could bet on my life. Then she said,

"I had a dream."

I stood up at once and grumbled,

"Ohhhhhhhhhh!!!!"

"Sit down, Dare and listen."

I hesitated firstly but you know too well, I have no such guts to walk out on her. But now that it's about her dream, I might not leave there for the next two hours, because she wouldn't give up until she had edified her point and convinced me. 

"I dreamt that you had a baby where you are going to, that you married an Oyinbo. And you know too well what that means. It means that you would be tied down there and would never come home again. It means that I will never get to see you again, and you know that I have no greater fear other than that. You don't want me to die from the crave for you, Dare. I didn't kill my mother, neither would you kill me."

I could tell by the last sentence that she had staked a claim. I knew too well that she wouldn't be ready or willing to look away from that to the left or right. 

I sighed and stood up. My mind was already made and twould take more than her dream to stop me from going. Neither was I ready to leave without her blessings and consent. 

I walked to the couch on which she was seated. Duh! The house we occupy now is a duplex, well furnished and perky. There were different centre of interests there. A mini cinema, mini game house, and... that's all I can tell you for now. 

I sat beside her on the three-seater couch. She had her arms folded around one of the five pillows on the couch. I moved closer to her and ran my arm around her shoulders, though she tossed her face aside in indifference. Damn! She could be so childish,

"Iya Dare, my love."

I shook her gently trying to make her smile but she feigned to fight back,

"Let me be. Don't even try talking me in."

I let go of her and put both my palms on my laps. She turned to me at that as I found my words, looking straight at the door of the sitting room,

"You're just being selfish. You want to have me all to yourself and don't want me to become a man of my own choice."

Her countenance changed as her grip on the pillow softened and it fell. My eyes picked it up though my hands were unwilling. 

"That's not true. Don't be a retard. How could you say that to your mother. Isn't all what I'm doing for your sake? Which mother wouldn't be so selfish about her only child!!! Ehn, Dare, tell me. Which mother will willingly let go of her only child to a foreign land which didn't promise to return him to her in next five or ten years. Tell me, Dare."

Her voice was beginning to break. She was at it again. Her wondrous cry. Tears tracing light dances down her cheeks. You can never win your mother. 

I tried to hold one of her hands but she knocked my hand off and stood up. She walked towards the staircase and led herself through. 

"Iya Dare."

I called standing up, walking to catch up with her. She disappeared into the passage then into her room. I got to the door of her room and called,

"I'm sorry, please talk to me."

But she didn't open the door. I let out a frustrated sigh. I slid my hand into my pocket and dialed Lara's number. Even before it could ring twice, she had picked the call,

"Dare, how are you?"

"I'm not fine."

"What happened?"

"My papers are ready and every other things I need for the travel. All I need now is just my mother's blessings. And she's making it really hard for me. I can't forfeit this travel and she doesn't want me to go. I'm tired. I don't know what to do?"

She was quiet for a while then came on,

"Did she have a dream?"

I grunted, making an AHHHH sound. Must we always talk about this dream? A part of me always wished that Lara was my mother's daughter. They both could had established an industry of DREAM INTERPRETATION. 

"Yes, that I had a baby. But what does that really matter. We can look at it from a bright side. That I found favor and got married there. Isn't that a great thing?"

There was no response from her side. 

"Lara?"

I called but then she came on,

"Why don't you tell her the truth."

"Are you drunk?"

I snapped and I heard her scoff. 

"Don't worry, she'll come through. Believe me, she might already had made up her mind to let you go but is just giving you a show. To probably show how much she loves you and want you."

I exhaled. 

"Of course, I love her too. More than anything in the world. In fact, she's my first love. And I don't know why first loves always give the headache."

She chuckled and came on,

"Don't be a dummy. You've never had a first love. Just take care, I have to attend to something. I'll talk to you later."

"Don't g-"

Even before I could finish the sentence she dropped the call. 

"Ahhhh!!!"

I grunted again, leaning off the door of her room. I turned to her door again and gave up,

"I love you, Iya Dare. I always have and always will. "

I turned away and began to walk away towards the staircase, but then I heard the tutning of the door knob. The creaking of the door made me turn to see. 

I saw her open the door slightly and tossed half of her head out. In her mouth was,

"You have my blessings, you can go."

She slammed the door immediately not to open the door again. 

"Arggh! What kind of trouble is this?"

I grumbled and walked down the stairs. Oops! Without saying a thank you! She sure will use it against me soonest.