Page 57 of Cursed Daughters
Funsho’s observation was an understatement. She hadn’t realised Zubby was so tall and lean. He was at least six foot three, and his skin was golden brown, the light to her dark. He had a smattering of faint freckles, and his head was crowned with small loose curls, not long enough to hide his large pointy ears. He wore a plain black tee with Spider-Man emblazoned across it, and an ill-fitting pair of jeans. She remembered that beneath his shirt he was sculpted. But why was she thinking about his chest?
“Are you okay?” he asked her.
“I feel a little faint…Funsho, do you mind getting me some water?”
Funsho hesitated, but when he looked her way, she gave him a brief smile and nodded. He walked away from them, glancing back twice.
“Your boyfriend?”
“No. No. We are just good friends.”
“Does he know that?” Zubby was quite close to her; too close. He smelt delicious. She needed to reboot her system. She tried to take a step back, but as if he sensed her thoughts, he smiled at her. “I am really grateful, Eniiyi.” Her name was like honey on his lips—his voice was deep and smooth. “You saved my life. I would like the opportunity to thank you properly.”
“In some cultures, you would now owe me your life.” She was embarrassed as soon as the words came out of her mouth. But it won her a smile from him.
“Let me take you to dinner first, and then you can decide if you want my life.”
“Here’s your water.” Funsho shoved the bottle between the two ofthem. He was much faster than she had expected. Had he held the bartender at gunpoint? She took it and mumbled her thanks.
“Let me give you my number,” Zubby said, and she handed him her phone. He typed his number in and handed it back—she’d thought he would drop-call his own phone so he had her number too, but he hadn’t. It would be up to her to call him. “See you soon,” he said, and then he was gone. She could breathe again, even though the room had become significantly more crowded. She opened the bottle and gulped the water.
“It was a really good thing you did, Eniiyi, saving someone’s life like that; but you shouldn’t feel under pressure to, like…maintain a relationship with the guy. You’ve already done your good deed for the year.”
“Mmm.”
“Do you think you’ll contact him?”
“I…I doubt it.” She couldn’t tell him that the truth was, Zubby terrified her. Her body was still humming, her senses were still tingling. She was famously level-headed when it came to the opposite sex; and yet she knew that if she were to continue speaking with Zubby, her life would change, and not necessarily for the good. After all, hadn’t her mother always warned her it was better to be alone, but if you ever decided to pair with someone, choose with your head and not your heart? No, she should stay well away from the man she had pulled from the sea.
II
“Hello.”
“Two weeks, four days and…twelve hours,” he replied.
“What?”
“Two weeks, four days and twelve hours is how long I’ve been waiting for you to call.”
“You can’t know who this is yet.”
“I don’t often give out my number, Eniiyi.”
There it was again, the tingle in her spine when he said her name. She held her phone tighter and closed her eyes.
“I’m glad you called,” he added.
They agreed to meet at the boat club. She brushed her hair into a high bun, lined her lips and slipped out of the house. She didn’t need her mother or grandmothers asking her a thousand and one questions. The weather was kind; there was a light breeze and just the right amount of sunshine. She tried not to take it as a good omen, but it was hard not to. When she arrived, Zubby was already at a table. He looked a little smarter in a pale-blue polo shirt and jeans. He had cut his curly hair quite low. He had made an effort.
“No Spider-Man today?”
He laughed. “Don’t worry. I have a bunch of Marvel tees. You’ll eventually see them all.” She pretended she didn’t notice how easily he assumed her presence in his life would go beyond this date. He pulled out her chair for her, and didn’t sit till she did; and then she noticed that behind his sunglasses were his rectangular glasses. She burst out laughing.
“What the hell? You know they do prescription sunglasses, right? Or those glasses that change colour.”
He shrugged. “I’ll get round to it one of these days.”
While they were waiting for their drinks, Zubby sat back in his chair. “Okay. Ask me.”
