^I don't get, what do you mean by especially on a Nigerian forum? Do we send mails or what?

I mean I'm no expert on copyright laws.

Can't we publish the story on an online platform that will copyright the story globally? Can we create another thread for this or how do we communicate as a group?

Efemena, good work, thanks but continue oh

Hmmm,i luv dis piece. Gud work @ Efemena,waitin 4 ur update....

I don vote 4 u o,oya post d remainin story sharp sharp. .

just voted u wit dis I.D. So pls let's bring dis episode to an end.
Hugs.

@ All, thanks for your support and encouragement so far...

Been pre-occupied of late but will settle down soonest to provide you guys ('n girls too) with an update....

In the meantime, keep on voting for Efe...

efenena i dey dance azonto n etigi mix cos ur hard work don finally pay off.and u luk like a trustworthy person so we go dey expect u know now as xmas tins.salivating already

Efe,we don vote 4 u n u don win,abeg post d remainin of our tori na

Congratulobia!
D only way to say 'nagode' is to 'Continue The Lola Story'.

Congrats girl. I learnt u won.
Hmmm... What a competition!

Congrats gal

Thank you, thank you and thank you once more again all, for your support and encouragement!

Wouldn't have gotten this far without your backing.

Apologies for the delayed response - was on holiday and only just getting back.

I'll update the story as soon as I've settled and had my beauty sleep.

Thanks again and wishing you the best season's greetings ever!

Oh, and before I forget...

Come join me in celebrating over at this thread. You all deserve lot's of fun and gifts - available here:

https://www.nairaland.com/1145865/literature-writing-section-best-poster

Efemena_xy:

***********************************************

Lola had woken up feeling relaxed and a whole lot better than she been, for a long time. The soft rays of the early morning sunshine filtered through the slight parting of her curtain, casting her room in a soft yellow glow. Her bed felt soft and warm to her skin, a stark contrast to the cold, hard mattress of the hospital bed she had occupied during her stay there. Burrowing further into the softness of her bed and under the sheets, she could feel her mouth water in anticipation, as she inhaled the mouth watering smell of fried bean cakes, (traditionally known as akara) which wafted in from her mother's kitchen. As she lay snuggled in bed, she could hear Sandra's constant chatter to her parents.

As she lazed idly in bed, she knew she had to get up soon. There were a couple of things she had lined up for the day, which she planned to undertake. For starters, she had to get in touch with Kingsley. There was so much water that had flowed underneath the bridge between them both, that she didn't even know where to start from. Three years. Three long years had gone between them, during which time, quite a lot had happened in their lives. She wasn't sure how she was going to broach the subject of Sandra to him, but what she did know was that she couldn't keep him or Sandra in the dark anymore. She would rather he heard about Sandra's paternity directly from her, than from anyone else. She had an inkling that her parents or more precisely, her mother suspected anyway. Thankfully, she hadn't asked her yet, but knowing her mother, she knew it was just a matter of time before she would start probing for answers.

She also had to get her phone from her mother. Now she felt a lot stronger and was well on her way to full recovery, she saw little reason why her mother would keep her phone away from her. She was yet to read the contents of her email from Mrs Omojobi-Clark too...that had been delayed long enough and whatever the outcome of her interview was, she just wanted to get it over and done with. Two weeks was a very long time. Funny though, she thought to herself. Two weeks ago, her main concern was to try and sort out her finances while keeping Sandra in at school. Now she had Kingsley thrown into the equation. A factor she had not foreseen, not even in her wildest dreams.

With a regretful little sigh, she turned over on her bed, reaching for her watch on the bedside cabinet. 9:30am. Jeez!! It was a lot later than she thought! Sitting upright, the kicked her covers aside as she got out of bed. Pushing her feet into her slippers, she walked out of her room into the living room.

"Eka-ro, papa", she greeted her father in Yoruba, while kissing the side of his cheek.

Lowering the newspaper he had been reading, her father responded to her greetings. "Did you sleep well my daughter?" he asked, looking at her fondly. "And how do you feel today?"

"Yes, I slept very well papa and I feel so much better. Actually, a lot better than I've felt in a long, long while", she added. "I just wish either you or mama woke me up earlier. It's mid morning now and I should be helping mama with breakfast and Sandra."

"No, you shouldn't", came her mother's voice from the kitchen doorway. "You've only just returned home from hospital and you needed that rest."

"Exactly", agreed her father. "You've been away for a couple of days and we're not going to risk you having a relapse" he continued. "Besides, it's the doctor's orders".

"Eka-ro, mama", Lola greeted her mother, going up to her to give her a warm hug. "Now when both of you gang up against me, I haven't got much choice except to back down", she laughingly joked at both her parents. "Two against one...not fair o!".

"Me too mummy, me too..." her daughter came bounding out of the kitchen into her mother's arms.

"Ah! Okay O! Three-against-one", Lola smiled, picking up the child and kissing her oil stained cheeks.

"Mummy do you want some Akara?" Sandra asked, offering her mother a half eaten ball of Akara.

"Hmmm....yummie, yummie!" Lola pretended to take a bite, making Sandra giggle. "But I think mummy's own is in the kitchen, don't you?"

"Yes mummy...mama made a big, big bowl of akara for you in the kitchen", Sandra responded, demonstrating with her hands widely outstretched.

"Oh goodie! How many akara balls did mama make for mummmy?" Lola teased the child.

"A hundred!" Lola smiled as both her parents laughed at Sandra's description.

"Lola, now you're up, come let's serve serve breakfast. I've also got some yellow akamu (pap) for you, just the way you love it", her mother added.


Five minutes later, with the family seated around the table, her parents asked her what her plans were for the day.

"I've been thinking of giving Kingsley a call today", she responded "Just to thank him for what he's done for me". Her parents looked at each other and smiled but didn't say anything.

"I'd also like to take Sandra out with me today and pop over to the internet cafe. I need to read the email I got from Mrs Clark nearly two weeks ago", she added. "I don't know whether it's good or bad news, but either way, the sooner I find out, the better for me. I don't think I can wait any further..."

"It's okay, my daughter. We understand and hopefully, everything will turn out fine", said her father soothingly to her. "You've come a very long way and hopefully, things will turn out for the better for you and us all", he added.

"Yes o! I believe everything happens for a reason. Just keep your faith in the Lord and all will be well my daughter", added her mother. "In the meantime, I've charged your phone for you. PHCN has been very good for the last two days, so maybe that's a sign."

"PHCN?" Her father asked. "Nothing good ever comes from that lot. They're no better than the corrupt government we have residing in power..."

Lola and her mother exchanged glances with each other, rolling up their eyes to the heavens. The knew better than to oppose her dad when he got into full mode of political attack.

"Yes, yes, you are right Baba. Afterall, that's why they're called Power Holding Company", they said in unison laughing at the shared joke.


*********************************************

One hour later with Sandra on her lap, Lola stared incredulously at the screen in front of her.

Dear Ms Lola,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been successful at the first stage of the Interview Selection process for the post of a Personal Assistant within the company's Fashion and Textile line business.

As a result, we would appreciate it if you could confirm your attendance to an informal interview with our Human Resources representative, to discuss your salary expectations, remuneration and company benefits associated with this role. This is set for exactly three weeks from the date of this letter. Please bring along copies of your credentials and references with you to the interview.

In the meantime, if you have any questions regarding this letter, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.

Yours Sincerely,
Mrs Omojobi-Clark
Director of OJC International Businesses.


Lola shut her eyes tightly, expecting this to be some sort of weird dream, a nasty trick from the powers that be. Me, Lola?? Getting this job? Me?? After the cruel hands dealt me by fate? She asked herself incredulously. She dared not open her eyes, in case it all disappeared before her eyes.

No. This is too good to be true. Such good luck doesn't happen to people like me! Sandra's restless wriggling on her lap forced her to open up her eyes and look at the screen again. Yes, it was there all right. She had passed!

"I passed!" She lept off her seat for joy, clutching Sandra tightly in her arms. The nearby users in the internet cafe smiled amusedly at her.

"Madam, na JAMB you pass so?" The owner of the cafe smilingly asked her. "Well done o!"

"Thank you, sir", Lola responded, suddenly feeling embarrassed as she remembered where she was. Sitting back on her chair, she sent a silent prayer to God, thanking him for her good fortune. That letter was sent on the same day she had her interview. That was over two weeks ago, meaning she was expected to attend the final stage of the selection process in just a couple of days time.

She had paid for an hour's usage of the computer at the Cafe. With a little over half an hour left, she quickly printed out the invitation letter, copies of her credentials and references, which she had stored in her email folder. With the documents safely encased in a folder in her handbag, she then switched to Youtube to play a thirty minute epsiode of Sandra's favourite Teletubbies programme. Whilst her daughter watched with rapt attention, Lola tried to collect her thoughts together in some semblance of order. This was really, really good news. There was indeed light at the end of the very dark tunnel she had been in.

***********************************************************

Much later in the afternoon, Lola knocked on the door of Kingsley's flat. She had tried calling him on his mobile several times that morning, shortly after she had received the good news. For some unexplainable reason, she had wanted to share this with him.

Maybe, he's on call and had either switched off his phone or it was on silent mode, she had thought to herself. Although not in her nature to do what she did next, she went to the hospital where he worked, with Sandra hoping to meet him there. She had been disappointed to hear that he had finished off his call for that day by late morning and gone home. Biting her lower lip, she decided to take the plunge and visit him at his home. Luckily, Kingsley had given her father his home address too on the night he had dropped her home, from the hospital.

This is walking into uncharted territory, Lola thought to herself...but, she was on a high and she knew that if she didn't bite the bullet know, her reserved nature would take over and she would never get herself to go see him of her own accord. They really needed to talk and she felt the time was right to tell him about his daughter.

Raising her hand to knock on his door again, she stopped in mid air as the door suddenly swung open from the inside. Looking at Kingsley in a pair of navy blue jeans and top-less, She suddenly felt unsure if she was doing the right thing. As he stood looking at her, with a damp cloth to his nose, Lola greeted him falteringly as she held on tightly to Sandra.

"Can I help you?", he asked her coldly. "I'm done with the hospital for the day but if you require medical assistance, my colleagues are more than capable to be of help to you", he added.

Lola was taken aback by his response. It felt like a slap on her face. A slap of rejection. She suddenly felt very small, very embarrassed and she sorely wish the ground would open up just this once to swallow her up. Anything, anywhere than to be here, having him stare at her with something amounting to dislike? Repulse? Disgust?

"I'm sorry to disturb you. I was hoping we could talk, away from the hospital or prying eyes, but I see that this was a mistake on my part", she added sadly, as she turned around to leave with Sandra.

"Wait!" He suddenly felt remorseful for being mean to her. "Lola please come back. Don't go", he added as he went after her holding her gently by the wrist. "I'm sorry about what I said to you. I've not had a very good day, but shouldn't have taken it out on you. Please come inside", he persuaded her. "You'll always be more than welcome to my home", he added gently.

Lola looked at his face searchingly, trying to discern whether he meant it or not. Seeing that he was genuinely remorseful, she nodded and let him lead her and Sandra back into his home. As he closed the door behind them, he asked her what they would like to drink.

"I'll just have some cold water please, if you don't mind".

"I want orange juice!" Sandra chirped in.

"Manners Sandra," Lola gently admonished her daughter. "What's the magic word?"

"Okay. Please can I have some orange juice, please, please, please?" She asked Kingsley, bouncing up and down besides her mother.

"Yes, orange juice it is, little lady. You most certainly shall have that!", he laughed as he went to go fetch the drinks.

Seated comfortably on his rich leather sofa, with Sandra engrossed in a Teletubbies DVD, he asked Lola how her day had been and what brought her there.

"It's a bit of a tale, which I'll get to...but first of all, what happened to your nose? It looks really sore." She asked.

The smile suddenly left Kingsley's face as he stared at her, responding in even tones. "I was attacked earlier this morning here, in my flat".

"Oh my goodness! Was it by someone you know? Have you reported it yet?" She asked, feeling suddenly concerned about him.

"No, I wasn't attacked by someone I know, and neither have I reported it to the police either. I was attacked by someone YOU know, Lola".

"Someone I know??!!" She asked in amazement. "What on earth are you talking about Kingsley?"

Kingsley stared at her grimly. The coldness she saw in his eyes earlier on had returned. "Exactly what I said Lola, someone YOU know. Someone who sees me as a threat and has warned me to stay away from you, if I know what's good for me!"

"What??!!"

"Lola, who is Sandra's dad?" He asked her in a deadly quiet voice.

Lola took a deep sigh. "Sandra, come over here daraling", she called out to her daughter.

"Not so fast!" Kingsley quickly reached out an arm, holding her back. "You aren't going anywhere till I get some answers from you today, Lola!"

"And so you shall, Kingsley", she responded quietly. "I'm not going anywhere. Come with me please", she added.

Kingsley quietly conceded, letting Lola hold him by her right hand, while she held her daughter by the left hand.

Standing in front of his dressing mirror, she brought Kingsley and Sandra together. "Look into the mirror, Kingsley. Tell me what you see", she gently prodded.

Kingsley swallowed hard. His throat felt constricted as words seemed to fail him. His heart thudded so loudly within his chest, he felt it might explode any minute soon.

"She's mine? He asked incredulously.

"Sandra, say hello to your daddy", Lola added, with tear filled eyes.

*************************************************************

Lola nodded, unable to speak.

"But how?" He asked in a choked, emotion laden voice. "I mean, why didn't you say something before now?" He asked turning her gently towards him, as he placed a finger under her chin, to look at her more closely.

"Oh Kingsley!" Lola cried out, as the tears freely flowed down her cheeks. "You have absolutely no idea how much I wanted to tell you all this while, how much, this has been eating me up inside over the past three years!"

He felt moved beyond words as he watched the tears gushing down her cheeks as she spoke. He suddenly felt very protective of her, wanting to erase all the emotional pain he knew she must have endured, going it alone, bearing his daughter as a single unmarried mum in a judgemental society.

"It's just that I could see how much completing your medical programme meant to you, how much your plans for the future, your career meant to you", she continued. "You were at a critical stage, taking your medical exams whilst combining it with your housemanship. You had a lot on your plate and the very last thing I wanted to do, was to tie you down with an unplanned pregnancy..."

Kingsley could feel his body tense up as he drew in a long shaky breath. Here he was, with the love of his life, pouring out her heart to him. His soft spoken, sensitive Lola. Always willing to put his needs before hers, despite what thoose sacrifices had obviously cost her. If he hadn't been so selfishly wrapped up with his own concerns, he should have known there was more to their seemingly falling apart. After that faithful night they had spent together at his place, Lola had gradually drifted away from him, ignoring his calls, claiming that he needed to focus on completing his programmes and examinations. He knew he should have been more persistent, tried a bit harder, rather than let the gap between them yawn into an unbridgeable chasm.

"My sweet Lola... my darling baby...", he said over and over again in a voice he barely recognized as his, thick with emotion as he gently wiped the tears off her cheeks. "I had absolutely no idea..." he added as he gathered her close to him, knowing deep within his very soul that he would never, ever let her go, never ever loose sight of the love of his life.

"Baby, you shouldn't have had to go through this alone. It takes two to create a life and the least you could have done was to let me know..."

Lola shook her head gently. "No Kingsley, I know you well enough to realise that you would have given up your dreams just to be with me, just to do the right thing..." She gently place a finger on his lips to stop him from responding. "Neither of us was prepared for parenthood at that point in time. You had a whole lot more invested in your future than mine...you were at the tail end of your struggles. Why risk ruining two lives, if it could be avoided?"

"Lola, you also had your own life to live too. You also had your own dreams and aspirations too", he added. "I understand what you're saying to me and why you did what you did - alone, but don't you think as the dad, I should have been given the choice on how to take things onwards? At the very least, I should have been given the opportunity to support you on this, my darling..."

"I know, and I'm sorry. It was a shock to me and I was confused for a very long time. The last thing I wanted was for you to ever feel trapped by me, by an unplanned pregnancy. Besides, I had to be sure that come what may, you wanted me for me, and not because you felt obliged to, out of a sense of duty to do the right thing..."

"Baby, you were carrying my seed within you. My child. My daughter. I started the process by putting her there in the first place, didn't I?" He asked, teasingly. "And in response to your statement at being tied down, no. Never. I've always loved you my Lola. You more than any person have always understood me. You read me so well, there are times I don't need to say things out to you, spell them out before you understand what I'm thinking. We share a common bond, you and I my darling, that would never be broken", he added as he gathered her once more to him in a very tight, warm embrace.

Lola could feel his heart thumping loudly as he held her close to him, her face pressed gently against his bare chest. "Baby I've missed you so much. You mean more to me than anything else in the world and this time, I'm sure going to do things the right way...for you, me and our daughter" he added as he kissed the top of her head. She felt her knees weaken at the next words Kingsley uttered to her. Words she had only dreamed of hearing from him...

"I love you my sweet baby. My beautiful Lola." Pulling her even closer to him than before, Lola lifted her face towards his, as Kingsley lowered his head towards hers, kissing her deeply on the lips. She could hear her heart racing madly within her as the heat from Kingsley's bare chest seemed to sear through her. Placing her arms around his neck for much needed support, she arched her body towards his, revelling in his warmth, his love for her as she so much wanted to give herself to him right there and then. Suddenly, the floodgates of desire which she had firmly locked up over the past three years seemed to break loose as she threw caution to the wind, giving in to her pent up desires for him. She felt she would go crazy with her need for him, the taste of him on her lips as Kingsley's kisses deepened. Oh how she had missed him so!

He groaned deeply with desire as he felt the softness of Lola pressed against his hardness. Placing his arms around her waist, he pulled her closer to him so she could feel how much he desired her. His need for her seemed to spiral out of control. This deep rooted emotional yearning for her, to be part of her, in her, fused as one body, the way it was meant to be. Lifting her gently, he carried her back towards the sofa and placed her gently on it. He stared at her longingly as she laid back on the sofa, looking at him through her long lashes. "Lola, I need you so much now my darling. So much it hurts to hold back right now, baby...", he added as he held her soft palms together in his, kissing her gently...

"I know, my darling", she responded. "I know. I've missed you terribly and I need you even more my darling. You've carved a hole in my heart which no one has ever come close to filling. You've only ever been the one for me, always have and always will...I love you my Kingsley."

"I love you more baby" he added. "My sweet baby, my Lola. We've both survived coming this far so waiting that little bit longer won't do us any harm" he added, as he kissed her once more on the lips. "But right now, our daughter needs us, don't you think?" He asked winking at her.

"She sure does." Lola responded, as she sat up, cuddled in Kingsley's arms.

*************************

Tnx baby... Luv u 4 ds cz u made my day. Tnnnnnnxxxxxx

*********************

Sitting together, locked arm in arm in a warm embrace and cosied up against each other, they felt the raw edge of their passion slightly subdued. As they both watched over their daughter who had wandered back to the TV once again engrossed in her DVD, Lola upon Kingsley's insistence recounted the activities and events that had happened in both her's and Sandra's lives. She felt Kingsley's arms instinctively tighten around her protectively, as she recalled the events that had led up to her "talk" with the head teacher of Sandra's nursery school. He listened attentively as she recalled what happened on the evening of the explosion, what had led her to being within it's vicinity in the first place.

"Lola, I'm not an overtly religious person but I can't help feeling how lucky I am to have you here with me, right here, right now. I believe fate brought us together, even though through an unfortunate event."

She nodded in agreement as she continued, recounting the events that had happened earlier in the day, her discussion with her parents and the outcome of her job interview with the Omojobi-Clarks.

Kingsley shook his head in wonderment as he gazed down at Lola, with a new-found respect for her. "What a strong woman you are, my darling! To have gone through what you did and yet come out standing taller, stronger than before and I daresay victorious too", he added. "You say you had that interview over two weeks ago. That means your next meeting with them is when? In two days time?"

"Yes. I feel so nervous just thinking about it and I feel something might prevent me from getting it..."

"Nothing's going to prevent you from getting that job Lola", Kingsley firmly interjected. "Unbeknown to you, you certainly made a good first impression with your potential employers and that more than explains why they didn't waste any time in pushing you through to the next stage", he stated, encouragingly. "You've got to be positive my darling and think positive too. The hardest bit is done already. This final stage is just mere protocol. That job is as good as yours. Congratulations baby", he added as he hugged her tightly.

"Thank you", she responded as she felt the tears well up in her eyes.

"What are the tears for baby?" Kingsley asked as he kissed her gently on the face. "My emotional Lola", he teased as he playfully tweaked her nose.

"I don't even know. My tear glands must be working in overdrive mode today", she laughed. "It's just that it's been such a long, long, time since anything this good happened to me. Lord knows I've tried really hard in the past and many a time, nearly gave up. The only thing that kept me going through it all, was Sandra. Knowing that come what may, I had to be strong for her..."

"And you are a strong lady my darling", he said as he pulled her back into his embrace. "What are your plans for tomorrow?" he asked.

"Tomorrow? Nothing really. I haven't got anything in the pipeline apart from spending time with Sandra whilst preparing for my interview".

"Good. Because I've got the day off tomorrow and I'd like to take both my girls shopping".

"Shopping?" She asked as she pulled slightly away from his arms to look up into his face.

"Uh-huh", he nodded affirmatively.

"Whatever for, Kingsley?" She asked, suddenly suspicious of the twinkle in his eyes and the slight twitching of his mouth as he failed to hide his amusement.

"For the prettiest ring in town, my darling"

"What??!!" She asked incredulously.

"Yep, you heard me" he said, smiling affectionately at her. Suddenly, he took her hands in his and with seriousness etched over his handsome features, he went down on one knee, as he looked her deeply in the eyes. "My sweet darling, my Lola, would you do me the honour of being my wife?" he asked. "Baby, would you marry me?"

Lola suddenly felt faint as the room seemed to spin around her. No, this certainly can't be happening to me! This is way too much...in one day! She thought in amazement.

"Lola?" He asked beseechingly, with a worried frown. "Are you okay?"

"Yes! Yes!! Yes!!!" She cried happily as she went down on her knees with him. "Oh Kingsley, yes I would love to be your wife. Yes, I would marry you!" she added through tear-filled eyes.

********************************************

Candis009: Tnx baby... Luv u 4 ds cz u made my day. Tnnnnnnxxxxxx

You're most welcome babes

And the story looks like its gradually coming to an end...nice one Efe

Thanks!

But don't be too sure about that yet, sha

Efemena_xy: Thanks!
But don't be too sure about that yet, sha

when will this post continue na?

I rilli thought i was a pest wen i was askn u to finish ds up bt to b sincere u hurt me by not bringing d story to finish

Efemena_xy:

y u dey do this nah!!!

but why

Wo, u dis Efe gal, don't let my hardness jam ur softness oh, because u no go fit place me gently on top sofa.
To avoid dt scenario, bring dis story to an halt.
Also rekindle dt heat of passion wey u pause so. I dey wait u.
*winks*

avicky: Wo, u dis Efe gal, don't let my hardness jam ur softness oh, because u no go fit place me gently on top sofa.
To avoid dt scenario, bring dis story to an halt.
Also rekindle dt heat of passion wey u pause so. I dey wait u.
*winks*

Whoa, whoa, whoa!!

Slow down abeg!

Avicky, you are one serious nutcase!

As per rekindling the heat of passion, you nor see say small pikin (Sandra) dey the scene? And even if Sandra nor dey there, you want make madam Cuddles carry this story go s/e/x/uality section?

Bikonu, nor tempt me abeg

Lol! Ok. I don hear.
I dey wait for d conclusion of dt part. Na dt one consign me nw biko.

avicky: Lol! Ok. I don hear.
I dey wait for d conclusion of dt part. Na dt one consign me nw biko.

Which part again na?