The Prodigal Daughter (Episode 3)

Kate spent the first few hours of her bus journey from Lagos to Akwa-Ibom State lost in thought. Her phone vibrated a few times before she noticed she had an incoming call.
“Hello? Kate, you didn’t give me an update since. How’s the journey so far? Are you okay?”
Kate smiled, feeling better at the sound of the familiar voice. The phone call was from her long-term friend Deji Adekoya. They had both been close since their teenage years, and had attended the University of Lagos together. He was her closest friend and confidante, and their friendship had blossomed as the years went on. He currently lived a few blocks away from where her family resided, and was also her business partner.
“I’m fine, Deji. It’s not my first bus journey, you know.” Kate said teasingly, trying to reassure her friend.
“Well, I can’t help being worried Kate. You know you have my mumu button.”
They both laughed at that, but Kate’s brow wrinkled in worry. She had always suspected that Deji liked her and wanted more than just a platonic friendship, but she could not bring herself to see him as more than just a close friend. He had recently started dropping little hints about his feelings, but she had chosen to pretend not to notice. She dreaded the day he would finally confess his feelings. It would be awkward to tell him the obvious- that he was like a brother to her.
“You don’t need to spend the whole day worrying, Deji. I’m fine.” Kate said firmly. “I’m sure the journey will go smoothly, but I’ll keep you updated on our progress.” She craned her neck and peered at a passing signboard as the bus sped on. “We haven’t gone too far. We’re just at Ore.”
“Alright then,” Deji sounded reluctant to go. “I’ll leave you to it. Stay in touch o.”
Kate smiled, touched by his concern. “I will.”
Sometimes she had toyed with the idea of letting their friendship develop into something else, just out of curiousity. Deji was tall and handsome, and his well-built physique was enough to make any girl swoon. He had soft curly hair and unusually brown eyes, courtesy of a Caucasian grandmother. There was no doubt he was a head-turner and over the years a few jealous girls had grown resentful toward Kate, because he was so devoted to her. But their friendship had never gone beyond the platonic and Kate had avoided any temptation so far. They had pooled their resources together business-wise, and Deji ran the male half of their clothing business. It would be unwise to mix business with pleasure. Besides, other than a faint physical attraction, she knew what she felt for him was fondness, and not anything approaching romantic affection.
A few minutes after she ended the call, her thoughts returned to their former state. She could not get her siblings and mother off her mind. The mother of her late stepfather stayed with them and would help around the house, while Deji and a few neighbours would also pop in occasionally to offer assistance, but she was still worried about leaving them alone, given her mother’s condition.
Her seatmate roused her from her thoughts. He was a middle-aged man and was smiling at her as he offered her a bunch of bananas. “My dear, do you care for some?”
Kate smiled and shook her head. “No thank you sir.”
She was still smiling as she turned away. The man’s thoughtfulness was nice, but she wondered why anyone would eat bananas during a long road trip. She decided his stomach must be lined with iron, for him to take the risk. If she dared to indulge, she would have to plead with the driver for a toilet break within less than an hour.
Her gaze settled on a Ford truck moving smoothly beside their bus and she had to hold back a whistle of admiration. The vehicle was dark, a shimmering black that glinted under the hot sunlight that bounced off it. The tires were all brand new-evidence of the vehicle’s newness or good maintenance- and the rims glittered as they rolled, a thing of beauty. Her eyes slid along the length of the truck, which had gold trim on its sides. She shook her head in admiration; she absolutely loved trucks and although she could drive, she had never had the chance to be behind the wheels of one of such beauties. It was high on her bucket list however.
As the truck began to pull away, her eyes moved to the driver of the car, and then widened in surprise as she gasped. First, she noticed he was male and was staring back at her, but she gasped because of what happened when their eyes met. There was a feeling of electricity that ran through her the instant their gazes collided. The man had some grey in his hair, but it did nothing to detract from his breath-taking magnetism. His nose was sculpted to perfection, and overshadowed a small moustache and the most beautiful lips she had ever seen on a man. His eyes bore into her, through long luscious eyelashes, dark and mysterious. Kate realized she was not breathing.
The shared look barely lasted a few seconds, but to Kate it felt like a long minute. The man’s lips finally curved into a small smile before he nodded at her and sped up his vehicle, leaving Kate shaken and flustered. She hugged herself, shaking her head to clear it as she watched the truck purr smoothly, putting more distance between itself and the bus.
Kate tried to catch her breath. She had never experienced that type of instant connection with a stranger before. At that moment, he had seemed familiar. But she was almost certain she had never met him before. She could still feel the butterflies fluttering in her stomach.
What the heck had just happened?

Click here for episode 4