The house was awfully quiet and this got Mo worried. Where was everyone? He had spoken to Rasheeda; his wife, few minutes ago and she didn’t sound sleepy at all so at 9pm, he wondered if she had decided to have an early night. All the lights were out too but there was electricity as he could feel the coolness of the living room even through his long sleeved senator material.

His phones were vibrating in his trouser pocket. He removed first the Iphone X and saw over twenty missed calls then he checked the Samsung s9 and he saw more missed calls. All were from the same caller but he wasn’t in the mood for a business call so he put the phones back in his pocket. He went to the kitchen calling out again,”Rasheeda!” but he got no response then he went up the stairs to his kids’ bedroom to see if she was there but she wasn’t. He checked her beauty room where she had her unnecessarily extravagant closet but she still, she wasn’t there.

“Where could she have gone?” he wondered aloud.

He went up to his bedroom still calling out

“Rasheeda!”

But still he got no response. He switched on the lights and his heart skipped a beat when he heard a deafening shout of

“Happy Birthday Mo!”

He was shocked, confused, relieved and pissed at the same time. There was Rasheeda his beautiful forty year old wife looking as young as ever, his boys; Ibrahim twelve and Kabir fifteen. Then he saw his long time friends; Ralph and Dike, about ten of his office staff and his cook, Ebere. It was a small but excited crowd of the people he loved yet he was pissed.

He still stood at the door speechless as he wondered how he had forgotten his own birthday. His phone started vibrating in his pocket again but he ignored it. Then he felt strong lean arms holding him tight and he couldn’t help but laugh out loud as his sons started punching him playfully. He was overwhelmed with joy at seeing these grown up monsters. He hadn’t seen them since January when they went back to school in the US and seeing them now, he knew Rasheeda had secretly planned their home coming. He sighed with contentment as he watched them chatter excitedly about their trip and when they gave him his birthday presents, he held himself back from hugging them again. They had gotten him a complete set of nature’s portraits for his office. He was touched. These boys truly knew what their father liked he thought to himself. He went around hugging his family and his friends whilst ignoring the phone. “Not now”, he thought to himself “Not now” as the phone’s vibration continued relentlessly.

………………………………………

“Happy Birthday old man!” Ralph boomed as he patted Mo on the back.

“Look at you! This small boy of yesterday has finally grown some balls. How old are you again?” Dike chipped in playfully as he strolled towards them with a glass of champagne in his beautifully manicured hands.

“20!” Ralph boomed again and they all laughed at the familiar joke.

“45 man! 45! Don’t forget” Mo insisted amused

“Nope! I beg to differ man, you’re still a boy and we’re sure that’s why Rasheeda’s still putting up with your weirdness” Ralph said before he downed the remaining contents of his champagne. Then as if recalling something, he shouted across the living room where everyone had moved, to Ebere the cook.

“Bring the damn wine here woman! The boys are still drinking”

Ebere, Mo’s fifty year old cook hurried over with a bucket of Champagne, apologizing profusely.

“Apologies Mr. Bankole… apologies Sirs…may I fill up your glasses please?”

Ralph smiled fondly at her as he collected the bucket. He liked the woman; she was very professional with her job and very efficient. So he chided her playfully.

“Not to worry Ebere. We only want to get your Boss extremely drunk tonight. He’s too serious for our liking. Now hurry along. We do not need you here anymore. Let the grown boys have fun”

Ebere smiled in her usual calm and elderly way and then left while the men laughed at Ralph’s typically dramatic way of dismissing people who hovered.

Mo shook his head fondly at these two men he had grown to admire. Their friendship has come a long way from when they were students at Kings College Lagos and whenever he remembered how they met, his smile never ceased to broaden on his well chiseled face. And he didn’t blame them; he had given up on their endless teasing anyways cos he knew they won’t stop; not anytime soon.

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