With no fixed destination in mind, and no one to turn to for help, I decided to find a place to relax myself. That was when the idea of going to the pub Ola took me to, crossed my mind.
After that first day he took me there, I had hoped we could relive the experience of going there a second time. But it never happened.
Now here I was, going there on my own. It was going to be hard sitting all alone without him beside me. I would be lonely, but nevertheless, it didn't bother me. All I wanted was a place to relax and think of what to do next.
I got there and parked my car and went in. It wasn't crowded and so I was able to find a quiet place in the corner, to sit down. When the waiter saw me, he came up to me and asked me what I wanted to drink. I told him what I wanted, and he brought it to me. I relaxed myself and started to drink.
The music playing at that hour of the day was quite soothing. I looked at the time, it was close to 7 pm. Soon dinner will be ready, I told myself. I had told my parents I would be back by dinner time, but I felt a little reluctant to go home.
Sitting down drinking and listening to the music that was playing. It made me think back at the last time I came here with Ola. We sat down and he had placed his hands around my shoulders. I closed my eyes and tried to reconnect with that moment. It felt good and for once, I felt like he was truly with me. Then I suddenly opened my eyes and looked around.
He wasn't there. Instead, I saw a man dressed in a white suit smiling down at me. I looked into his eyes and saw a glitter. It felt like a blinding light. I quickly sat up straight and adjusted myself.
"May I sit?" He asked me. I frowned at this unusual request from the strange man. But before I could say anything, he had already sat down.
"I haven't told you I need company." I replied looking at him.
"I know."
"So why are you sitting?"
"I just felt I could keep you company." He said, smiling at me.
"Excuse me, sir, but I do have a right to my own privacy."
"I know that. But it's not what you want."
"What?"
"You don't want to be alone." He said, shaking his head. I could only laugh.
"And besides, such a beautiful woman as you are, could attract uninvited attention." I looked at him in amazement and laughed.
" Mr? Do you have a name, sir?"
"My name is not important."
"Okay fine, then in that case, I'll tell the staff here to call the Police and have you arrested." I threatened.
"I'm surprised you are mentioning the police when you ought to be running away from them."
"Me run away from the Police? What for?"
"Are you asking me?"
"Yes, since you know I don't want to be alone, you should also know why I am supposed to be running away from the Police." He smiled at me making me a little nervous.
"And stop smiling at me. You make me nervous."
"This is always the problem with you people. You desperately seek answers, but are not ready to receive them when they are available." He looked straight into my eyes making me blink several times. True I was looking for answers, but i wasn't getting them. The man's word struck a cord in me and I adjusted my attitude towards him.
"Look, I am a happily married woman, whose husband went on a trip. I'm just here to relax myself, that's all."
"I'm sure you could tell me a better lie." He replied.
"And what makes you think I am lying to you?"
"Because you don't know how to tell a lie. Neither with words, nor with character." I blinked
"Okay, look Mr. whatever you call yourself, I think you've bothered me long enough. It's best you leave and try your pickup lines with some other woman." I thought he would get up and leave, but he sat still watching me as I sipped my drink. Seeing he didn't leave I decided to offer him a drink.
"Waiter, come?" The waiter came and I told him to get a drink for the man. The waiter looked at me in surprise.
"Madame, you mean I should get you another drink?"
"You want answers, right? This is just one answer." Said the man. I looked at the waiter and then looked at the man sitting beside me.
"Don't worry, I will tell you when to bring it, okay?" The waiter nodded, "Sorry to disturb you."
"No problem, madam." The waiter left. I looked at the man sitting beside me.
"The waiter didn't see you, did he?" I asked baffled. He kept quiet. I was about to shiver and panic, but he came to my rescue.
"No need to panic, you've had this ability since you were a child." He said.
"What are you talking about?" I asked almost shivering.
"The ability to see events before they happen. You saw your husband's death, and it happened exactly as you saw it." I was hard of words even to say anything. All I could do was keep staring at this strange individual.
"And you saw it even before you got married to him, remember?" I kept staring at him, while he kept smiling at me. "The ring he gave you on the day he proposed to you?" I slowly nodded my head.
"Your parents knew about your abilities and did some rituals to block it."
"Wait, who gave you this information?" I finally asked him.
"If you can see me and the waiter can't, then surely you know I didn't come here on purpose."
"So you came for me right?" he nodded
"I came because you have been looking for answers no one is giving you. Not even your parents."
"So you knew I was lying?" I asked him.
"You thought I was some guy ready to show off to some lonely woman. You had to tell me everything was okay." I laughed. "But I knew everything was wrong."
"So why not tell me what you know?" I asked after I stopped laughing. He adjusted himself and the began to speak.
"You possess the abilities your grandmother, Shola, possessed. It's why your father named you after her. The only thing is, he dropped the first two letters of the name Shola and added a T. It's why you are called Tola."
"Interesting. So what happened to her?"
"She was poisoned."
"What?" I almost shouted. He quickly hushed me up.
"Remember no one can see me. So try not to be agitated."
"Sorry, but my dad never told me she was poisoned."
"He was always told she died a natural death. It was much later he found out."
"And how did it happen?"
"She saved a man's life because he was supposed to be executed by the king in your father's home town."
"I guess the truth was revealed to her and she didn't keep her mouth shut." I said. He nodded.
"It lead to the man being freed from execution. Your grandmother was poisoned when she sent your father to buy her her favorite food. The moment she ate it, she started having stomach upsets. She knew she had sent your father to buy the food. And it was not the first time she had sent him."
I listened attentively while trying to understand how all of this was connected to what happened to Ola.
"When you saw the dream in which your husband was shot, you told your mother." I sighed as I knew after telling her the dream, my parents started behaving mysteriously.
"She heard you shout out his name right from the dream. She asked you, but you only told her a man was shot. You didn't tell her the name. But she already knew and told your father. Without you knowing, they went to the village."
"And I saw it and asked them."
"They never told you why they went to the village. And don't think they will ever tell you."
"And I'm not supposed to ask them, right?" He nodded.
"But the truth is, your father didn't want you to end up like your grandmother."
"How? I mean..."
"You were going to save a man's life. If you had succeeded, it was believed, the same would have happened to you". He said interrupting me. I couldn't believe it! Then I remembered the conversation I had with my mother in which she said I couldn't have prevented what had happened.
"So my mother was right to say that I couldn't have prevented my husband from being killed, right?" He nodded.
"You could have, but your husband never took your words seriously. He never listened to you." I was shocked at hearing so much being revealed to me. I beckoned the waiter to serve me with another drink and he promptly came.
"You should try and stop drinking." He said
"This is a little pastime I want to keep to myself. You shouldn't interfere with this part of my life."
"Your are as stubborn as your grandmother was." I looked at him wishing to be left alone again. But, his revelation was more important than what I needed for myself.
"Remember I am still in pain for my young age. But I am struggling to remain strong."
"You tried to do your best. But your husband never listened to you."
I was confused because, it seemed I had no way of saving Ola at all. Saving him meant I risked losing my own life. But what was his fault and why was he marked for death? Just then my phone rang, and I picked it up. It was my mother. Dinner was ready and that meant I had to go home. But I wasn't ready yet.