'Echoes of the past' - Chapter One



     The early autumn wind was cool against her cheeks as Teni walked briskly down the street. The trees that dotted the street had already shorn most of their leaves and some of the burnt orange coloured leaves lay around the base of the tree trunks while others, skitted lazily around and seemed to be enjoying their game with the mild wind.      There were several terraced buildings along the street, all standing regal and proud in their victorian design. Teni loved this part of London. To her, each of the buildings told a story and she could almost imagine how the street must have looked like about two hundred years ago, with carts and horses prancing through cobbled streets instead of the sleek chauffeur driven cars that glided along them now.      She rounded the corner and walked down the next street where she was meeting up with her friend, Feyi and her dad for lunch. The buildings along this street were not as old as the one before but no less imposing nevertheless. She noticed a red mail box as she looked across the road and remembered she had a couple of mail in her bag that she needed to post. She glanced at her wristwatch, wondering if she had enough time to dash across the fairly busy traffic to drop them off  before her lunch date. She was still keeping steps as she looked across the road and the next thing she knew was that she had walked into a guy who was coming from the opposite side.      "Are you okay?" The man asked as he steadied her, a concerned frown furrowing his brows.     She straightened up and looked apologetically at him. The man appeared dazed as their eyes met. She didn't know her five foot seven inches slight frame could have that much impact on a guy, and certainly not one as tall and solidly built as this one but he was still looking somewhat non plussed at the impact.
     "I 'm awfully sorry. It's all my fault, I was not looking where I was going."     "That's okay." He replied with a faint smile "No harm done." He swept a quick glance over her before looking back at her face again.     Teni apologised again as she moved off. She felt a litle embarrassed. Her mum had often warned her about being lost in thought whilst walking. She grimaced, habits obviuosly died hard. She felt the familial ache welling up within her as thoughts of her precious mum came to her mind. She would never have imagined that she would celebrate her graduation from the London School of Economics without her mum.     She pushed the thoughts away. Her mum had been very clear on her wishes. "Don't mourn for me. Focus on all our fun times and build on them." had been her firm instructions once they got the news that had changed their lives six months earlier. The 'C' word that brought fright not just to the ears of those that were afflicted by it but also to the ears of all their loved ones.       She walked into the lobby of the Savolla hotel a few minutes later and the ornate lobby of the five star hotel almost made her catch her breath. The lobby was illuminated by huge crystal chandeliers that hung from the tall ceilings and the light reflected off the beautifully polished mosaic floor. Golden brown marble columns stood gracefully at strategic positions in the huge lobby which also had elegant armchairs dotting it.     She gave her name at the reception and was led to the restaurant of the hotel where she immediately spotted her friend. She looked around with appreciation at the decor in the restaurant. It was just as elegant as the lobby but looked more cosy because of the muted lights.
     "Hey girl! Was just about to call you." Feyi smiled as she got to the table.     "So sorry I 'm late." Teni apologised as she sat down. Her eyes swept over the table which was done up beautifully in burgundy and pearl grey. "Whoa, is this place nice or what!"
      Feyi grinned. "I know what you mean. Now I see why my dad chose it."      Teni raised a questioning brow at Feyi. She had been expecting to see her dad here as well. Feyi had told her he would be arriving England that morning and was supposed to be the one treating them to this dinner.      "Dad will be here in a few minutes." Feyi said, rightly interpreting her unasked question "He just popped over to the cash point....." She paused as a waiter approached them and took their orders for drinks.      They chatted over drinks. The last year had appeared to fly and it seemed just like yesterday that they had started the Michaelmas term at the London School of Economics or LSE as it was popularly known. Teni had enjoyed her time there but now that it was over she seemed to be at a cross roads in her life. On the one hand she wanted to get very busy, pick the job offer she already had and hope the passage of time would gradually dull the pain of losing her mum three months earlier. That would have been her typical reaction in dealing with issues in the past but she still hadn't quite gotten over the shock of her mum's death and felt quite lethargic about future plans.      "Hello ladies." Teni heard a voice behind her, saw Feyi's smiling face and turned round. She was more than a little taken aback to see herself looking into the face of the man she had bumped into earlier on.      "Hi dad." Feyi smiled as the man sat down. She turned to Teni "Meet the main guy in my life." She grinned cheekily "At least for the moment."     The man smiled ruefully "Thanks for the reminder that I'd have to take a back seat soon."       Feyi giggled "Didn't quite mean it like that."      Teni smiled as she clasped Feyi's dad's extended hand. He didn't appear surprised at seeing her again which meant he must have already seen her as he approached their table. She took a good look at him this time, noting his latte coloured attractive skin, like that of someone who was blessed naturally with good skin or lived the kind of life that had helped retain the youthful glowing skin. He had a strong angular face and nice smiling eyes that immediately made Teni feel at ease. He was dressed in a light blue sweater with little brown specks, navy blue dress pants and black leather shoes. He had been wearing a black leather jacket earlier but must have given it to the porter at the door.
     "Teni and I have already met." He said to his daughter.
     Feyi looked surprised and Teni recounted the incidence of her bumping into him earlier on.       "No introductions needed then!" Feyi grinned.     "Pleasure finally meeting you,Teni." He smiled warmly at her. "I 've heard so much about you from Feyi."       Teni smiled back at him. He had a genuine smile that seemed to light up his face and she found herself warming up to him and talking easily with him during the dinner. She could see where Teni got her good looks from. Her dad must be somewhere around fifty but was still such a very attractive man.
     "I'm really sorry to hear about your mum." He told her at some point during the dinner "That must have been devastating."     "It was. Sometimes I still expect to see her to walk through the door." She managed a small smile. "But my mum was very insistent in her instructions to us that we should make every effort to remain happy."
     "She sounds like she was a great lady."    "Beautiful too." Feyi added "Pity I never really got the opportunity to meet her but from her pictures, she looked so lovely."
     Teni would never forget that fateful day that had started her friendship with Feyi. The doctors had told her dad and her that morning that her mum could pass away within the next few days. She was already slipping in and out of consciousness at that time. Teni had sat by her mum's bedside, looking at the beautiful woman that meant so much to her and her heart had felt like it was breaking into a thousand pieces. She had left the hospital back to school to tie up some loose ends because she wanted to spend those last days by her mother's bedside but had found herself dissolving in tears as she walked through the park close to the school and that was how Feyi had found her.      Feyi's dad's eyes were sympathetic "I lost my twin sister some years back so I know how it feels to lose a loved one." He smiled gently at her "But hey, this is your celebration dinner. Scaling the luminous heights of LSE is no small feat, so let's celebrate!"      Teni smiled back at him. She didn't want to talk about her mum anymore either. Because even though she had promised not to be sad, it was still so raw and she didn't want to tear up and embarrass herself. 



     "Hey dad, I 'm home!" Teni sang as she let herself into the house with her own key. She locked the door and tossed the key on the mantel piece. She smelt a lovely aroma coming from the kitchen and made her way towards it.
     "Hello munchkin." Her dad smiled as he straightened up and closed the oven door. He wiped his hands on a kitchen towel. "How was your day?"     "Nice. Hung out with Teni and a few friends and then we saw her dad off to the airport together. Is that jerk chicken I' m smelling or what?"
     He grinned "You tell me."      "Then yes, it is! Dad, you 're absolutely super! Just what I 've been longing for!"      "Well, thought I'd give you a treat since I know I won't be around for a while."
     "Don't remind me" Teni said then smiled ruefully as she saw his face "And that's not an invite to worry either. I'll be just fine."
     "I'm trying to remember that with all my heart." He said, as he checked the sweet plantains in the air fryer. He saw Teni savouring the smell and smiled at the look on her face "Why not go change? Dinner will be ready by then."
     "Will do just that." She dropped a kiss on his cheek as she went out of the kitchen.      "By the way, Brendan will be joining us for dinner." Her dad called out after her "He called just a few minutes ago, he will be staying over till Sunday when I fly out."
     "Oh, cool, it will be nice to see that rascal again."      She smiled as she went upstairs. Her dad cooking her favourite meal, her darling younger brother around for the weekend, it was almost like old times! Just that her mum was not around, that would have mad it perfect. Her mum would have been in the kitchen with her dad but as a supervisor or sweet dictator as her dad loved to call her as he rustled his native Caribbean meals for the family. Her mum could make a mean jollof rice and those cool Nigerian vegetable soups but the general consensus in the house was to let her dad do the cooking when it came to meals from the Caribean. That arrangement suited Brendan and her just fine, they had enjoyed the best from both worlds, her dad's native Caribean dishes and her mum's spicy Nigerian meals.      She thought about Feyi's invite as she took a shower. She had asked Teni to come over with her to Nigeria for an extended holiday for about twelve months. She had made the invite during their ride to the airport to drop off her dad. Teni had had glanced involuntarily towards Feyi's dad but he had smiled at her in a way that made her know he was aware of the whole thing.      "Feyi said you 're not exactly thrilled with the job offer you have at the moment and a break from the environment may just be the thing you need to relax before you get back into the swing of things."  He said gently.      It sounded good but all the way to Nigeria? Her mum was Nigerian but Teni had last visited the country when her grandma passed away almost fifteen years ealier. Her grandad had died much ealier and Teni could barely remember him. Her mum had been an only child and had lived in England from the age of sixteen and she had lost touch with most of her relatives in Nigeria after their grandma's death. But even before that time, Teni and Brendan had somehow known that she was never really that keen on visiting the country of her birth and they had stopped asking her about her relatives over there.      "And just imagine the fun we could have together" Feyi had continued as she saw the indecision on Teni's face "And besides your dad is going to be away for a while at St Lucia so you won't need to bother about him."      "And you could also work during this period if you want to." Her father added. "I could easily fix that up for you." 
     Teni had just looked bemusedly from father to daughter, not knowing what to say.
     Feyi's dad smiled as he saw the look on her face "Have a think about it, Teni, but know that it will be a pleasure to have you with us."      Well, she was thinking about it and the idea was appearing more attractive by the minute. She really could do with a break from the environment.      She heard her younger brother's voice as she descended the stairs a few minutes later. Her dad and him were already seated at the kitchen table when she got there.
     "Hey." Brendan looked up with a smile as she sat beside him "Tried your line earlier. Kept going to voicemail"      "So sorry, didn't realise it was off. I 've just only put it on again."     Her dad looked over at her "Try to make sure it's always on otherwise I'll worry if I can't reach you."     Teni smiled ruefully. She was notorious with forgetting to leave her phone on. "I'll do that but remember I'm a big girl now." She served herself some of the rice and peas and a generous helping of the jerk chicken.
     "You 'll always be my little girl." He said to her as he and Brendan served themselves some of the food too.       "Not to worry, dad, I 'll look after her."       Teni arched her brows as she added some gravy by the side of her chicken.  "You mean the other way round, don't you? How many times have I saved you from going to work late because you didn't hear the alarm go off?"
     "That was ages ago, I 'm always punctual to work now and I don't live here anymore."      "Thanks to Steve" Teni retorted referring to his friend with whom he shared a flat.      Their dad smiled at their ribbing "Shall we say grace?" He asked holding out his hands to them.
     Teni exchanged a glance with Brendan before placing her hand in their dad's outstretched hand and the other in Brendan's. Her parents had gotten quite religious in the past one year and it was still all strange to Brendan and her. Teni had never been a religious person but it had seemed to help her parents during the challenging period when her mum took ill and she could not begrudge them that.     Their dad prayed and they chatted as they tucked into the food. That was one thing they had always been able to do, talk and laugh. Teni was grateful for those moments with her family  and all the moments past, especially the ones when her mum had still been alive.
     "What do you think about it?" Her dad asked when she brought up Feyi's invite.      Teni was a little surprised at the calmness with which he asked her. He had always been somewhat protective towards her and she had thought he might not fancy the idea of her going so far away but maybe their recent loss that was making him see things in a different perspective.
     "I really wouldn't mind a break from the environment." She began, then grimaced slightly "And honestly I can't seem to stir up any excitement about starting work right now.
     "I believe a break would be good for you." Brendan chipped in as he chomped on a drum stick.
     "But have you heard anything yet from Goldman Sachs?"      Teni shook her head. Her dad and him knew how much she wanted to work at the blue chip company. "Last I heard was that my CV looked good but they were putting recruiting new staff on hold for now."      "Allen is not a bad place to begin a career and you were not that averse to working with them some months ago when you applied."  Her dad said thoughtfully "I think it still all bores down to you and what we just went through as a family."
     "I know." Teni admitted putting down her fork "Maybe I just need something to kickstart me again. That's why I think I should accept Feyi's invite and have myself a holiday."
     Her dad also put down his piece of cutlery "But you need to carefully consider the fact that you 've not known Feyi that long and have only just met her dad too. A year is a long time to spend in any household."
     Teni sighed "I know....but her dad is really sweet and easy to talk to. I know her parents are divorced but on good terms and her mum sounded really nice when I spoke to her on the phone. I met her twin brother, Deji when he came over to the UK a couple of months ago and he seems a very likeable guy too." She shrugged "All in all, they all seem quite nice."
     Brendan scrunched up his face thoughtfully "Lagos is only six hours away anyway and you can always hop on a plane if you don't like it over there."
     Teni nodded "Defo. But I think I just may enjoy my time there and it will be cool to see the country where mum lived for a while."
     "Have a good think about it." Her father's eyes appeared to shadow a little as his eyes met hers. "But this may just what you need now so you can move forward."  
 








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