Driving away from the event center, Mezino glanced back and saw Vally watching them, dumbfounded, his hands on his head. Turning away, he looked at Shola, her expression smug yet visibly upset. The drive to the hospital was long and silent, tension thick between them.
Upon arriving, Shola rushed to the passenger side, ready to help Mezino out as if he were a wounded puppy. She nearly called for a stretcher, but Mezino stopped her, insisting he could walk. He attempted a grin, but her emotionless expression discouraged him.
Inside, the doctor cleaned his wound and covered it with a bandage thankfully, just a scratch. Still, Shola’s face remained unreadable. She simply thanked the doctor, who Mezino recognized as Dr. Taiwo, Shola’s personal physician. Without a word, she stepped outside, lit a cigar, and exhaled into the night air.
Mezino approached her hesitantly, then knelt beside her, apologizing for everything that had happened and for upsetting her. For the first time, Shola showed emotion, but it wasn’t anger. She pulled him up and, instead, apologized for her attitude.
“Mezi, my dear,” she said, looking deep into his eyes, gripping his arms slightly, “you can’t let your sexuality define your strength, inside or out. If you do, the world will trample all over you. Take it from someone who knows.”
Tears welled up in Mezino’s eyes because he knew she was right. He had allowed people to walk all over him for far too long, accepting his inner frailty as an inevitable part of his femininity.
Just then, his phone rang. He pulled it out and groaned his screen was cracked. Sighing, he answered the call. On the other end, Lawrence’s voice erupted in fury.
“You pretentious snake! You lied against my boyfriend after throwing yourself at him! You jealous fag! You set Fred up because you couldn’t stand seeing me dance with Femi!” Lawrence fumed.
Mezino froze, his hands trembling as he processed the words. Through the call, he learned that Fred had been handed over to patrolling policemen and taken to the station. Lawrence continued his tirade, threatening that whatever trouble came from this situation would affect Mezino too.
Before Mezino could respond, Shola snatched the phone from his hand.
“Listen, you mad, toothless bulldog,” she snarled, “stay the hell away from Mezino!”
Lawrence sighed and hung up.
Shola, now holding Mezinos’ arm soothingly, glanced at her own phone, three missed calls from her P.A. She called back and was given the same information they had just heard from Lawrence. Just as she was about to hang up, the P.A. hesitated.
“Ma’am, there’s someone who’s been begging all night to speak with Mezino. I’m tired of turning him away.”
“Who?” Shola asked, already annoyed.
“Vally.”
Shola scoffed and was about to drop the call, but then her eyes met Mezino’s pleading, hopeful. With a reluctant sigh, she handed him the phone.
The moment Vally heard Mezino’s voice, he was elated. “Mezi! Are you okay? How bad is your wound?”
Mezino smiled despite himself, touched by Vally’s concern. “I’m okay, don’t worry,” he reassured him.
“I’m so sorry for everything that happened. I wish I had gotten there sooner.”
“None of this is your fault, Vally. Don’t blame yourself.”
“Wait, before they take the phone, give me your number!”
Mezino had just begun reciting it when Shola snatched her phone back. “Thank you, lovers, that’s enough. Use your own airtime for the rest,” she teased, ending the call.
Almost immediately, Mezino’s phone rang—it was Vally. Laughing, Mezino explained his cracked screen, and Vally quickly offered to have it fixed the next day. He continued apologizing for Fred’s behavior, and the conversation naturally shifted as they got to know each other better.
Meanwhile, Shola motioned for Mezino to get in the car. Without asking any questions, he obeyed, still chatting with Vally.
“The party’s still on,” Vally mentioned. “I set the playlist on autoplay so I could stay on the call longer.”
When he asked where Mezino was, Mezino hesitated. Just then, Shola turned onto a road leading to a prestigious hotel. She signaled for Mezino not to disclose their location.
“You’ll stay here tonight,” she informed him. “Get some rest, clear your head. And we’ll get you fresh clothes for tomorrow.”
Mezino was deeply touched. He briefly ended the call to express his gratitude and, on impulse, begged Shola to stay the night too. She burst into laughter.
“You’re such a baby angel,” she teased. “Don’t worry, I have my own room here. And I’ll be watching your every ‘Vally’ move.”
Mezino chuckled, then headed to his assigned room. After a refreshing shower, he slipped into a bathrobe and resumed his conversation with Vally. At some point, exhaustion took over, and he dozed off mid-call.
The next morning, he was startled awake by a call from his mother.
“Mezino, where are you?” she asked, concern laced in her voice. “The police came looking for you at home. Lawrence and some other guy brought them.”
Mezino sat up in shock. Checking the time, he saw it was already 10:00 AM. He quickly assured his mother that he was on his way, tied his bathrobe, and rushed to Shola’s room, knocking anxiously.
Shola opened the door and immediately noticed his distress. “What’s wrong?”
He relayed the information from his mother, his voice trembling.
Shola remained calm. “Relax. No one got arrested at your house, so we’re still in control.” She grabbed her phone and called her P.A. to meet them at the hotel. Then, she instructed Mezino to call Vally while she rang her boutique guy to bring fresh clothes for both of them.
As they proceeded to breakfast, Shola smirked and said, “He who goes to the police must go with a full pocket. And remember, na who first give statement no mean say e go win case.”
To be continued…
Story by Bmax.