Sweetest Taboo

Dumebi was out to dinner with her fiancé, Boma, as they discussed her uncle’s upcoming party in the next two days.

Boma had made reservations for the night, and she had visited her favourite beauty parlour beforehand to get all dolled up. When it came to her looks, Dumebi was always on point. She was one of those hair-on-fleek, nails perfectly manicured, heel-wearing ladies who effortlessly attracted the attention of men and the admiration of women; she spared no expense keeping things that way.

Sitting in the newly opened restaurant that overlooked the sea, Dumebi couldn’t help feeling lucky in love. Boma was in love with her and he never failed to show her. Frequently, he wowed her with his pick of restaurant and exclusive gifts, and today was no different.

The restaurant, with its ambience and graceful chandeliers which hung from the ceiling, made her feel cared for, like she was with a man who wanted to give her the best of the world.

As they discussed Uncle Ralph’s upcoming party, Dumebi wondered aloud, “I wonder who will be there this year.”

“More unknown relatives, I guess.” Boma replied, following it with a chuckle.

“I know, right?” Dumebi said, “Last year was crazy. I still can’t believe how many relatives were actual second cousins.”

“You never go to the east nau, Lagos girl.” Boma teased. “You need to go home more.”

Dumebi who at this point had just taken a gulp of water offered, “The only thing I am looking forward to is the food and drinks, Aunty Adaeze, and her daughter Nkem.” Aunty Adaeze was her dad’s younger sister and best aunty, and Uncle Ralph’s yearly party was where they reconnected.

Uncle Ralph’s party finally came and Dumebi was excited, especially because it was an opportunity for her to slay.

When she and Boma arrived at the event, everywhere was packed full. There were more people than the year before. This year, she was sure, she would be meeting even more cousins!

“Uncle Ralph has increased the number of his guests, odiegwu,” Dumebi exclaimed. “This man and party, ehn.”

They walked into Uncle Ralph’s stately compound and started greeting known faces. Just before they got to the seat that had been reserved for them, Boma spotted a friend of his who stood backing them. He tapped him and hollered, “My gee! Eeeeeh. Baba how far nau? Guy, e don tey o!”

As the two exchanged pleasantries, Dumebi excused herself to go hug Nkem whom she had spotted from a distance. She was rushing off when she heard a familiar voice call her name from behind her, “Dumebi.”

The soft base of his voice was unmistakable even in a party as crowded as this. She hadn’t heard the voice in so long, yet she knew who it was. She turned around to acknowledge him and instantly lost her voice.

“It’s so good to see you,” he said. It was Ifeanyi, her cousin whom she’d once had a crush on.

Before Dumebi could fully process his presence, Ifeanyi swept her into a tight embrace.

As the two untangled their arms from around each other, Dumebi managed an awkward “Ifeanyi, is that you?”

He pulled her into another hug as if he could not believe that she stood in front of him. Dumebi gently pulled herself away but Ifeanyi didn’t completely loosen his grip on her. 

“My goodness, where have you been?” She asked him.

“I’ve been here in Lagos.”

“Oh wow, you live in Lagos? How long have you been around for?”

“I moved to Lagos about three years back.”

“Really?” She asked, surprised. “Where do you stay?”

“Banana Island.”

“Ah-ahn, you stay on the Island? I live in VI, and I’m surprised I haven’t bumped into you all this while.”

“Yeah, I travel for work most times.”

As they caught up with each other, Ifeanyi’s grip still on Dumebi, she noticed the lustful look he gave her. Ifeanyi, on his part, couldn’t believe that right in front of him was the same Dumebi he had a crush on when he was much younger. The last time he saw her, she was 17 and he was 20. Years had gone by so fast yet she had the same beautiful baby face, pink lips and dazzling smile that had made him fall for her then. He couldn’t take his eyes off her, and in an instant moment of recognition, he realised that he felt butterflies looking at her.

“Answer me jor,” Dumebi said, interrupting his thoughts.

“Oh!” He voiced and chuckled. “What was it you said again?”

“I asked if you were married?”

“Oh, oh yes. I am.”

“Hmmn… who is the lucky woman?

Ifeanyi laughed. “She’s not with me tonight. We couldn’t get anyone to look after the kids.”

“Wow, kids. Ifeanyi is a dad, lovely.” Dumebi said and smiled. “How many?”

“Two girls.”

“Oh wow. You’re a girl dad.”

“Yes I am. How is that even a thing?” He said and they both laughed.

“And you? Are you married?”

“Not yet, but almost.”

“Meaning?” Ifeanyi inquired.

“Meaning I will be getting married soon.”

Ifeanyi raised his brows in a wry smile and asked, “Is your fiancé here with you?”

“Yes, he is.” Dumebi looked around but couldn’t spot Boma. “He’s around somewhere.”

Ifeanyi stirred Dumebi away from where they were standing and directed, “Walk with me.”

They took a stroll in Uncle Ralph’s Estate and chatted about all the naughty things they got up to as teenagers. Ifeanyi also brought up his age-long crush on her, telling her how he wished he had been the one to end up with her.

As they got to the corner of a lonely street path in the estate, Ifeanyi stopped and looked intently at Dumebi who was now a few steps ahead of him.

Surprised, she asked him, “why are you stopping?”

Ifeanyi sighed and rubbed his brows as if he didn’t know how to tell Dumebi what was on his mind.

“What?” She asked with concern in her voice.

“I am still into you, Dumebi. I never stopped thinking about you. You’re the woman I’ve always wanted.”

Dumebi’s eyes popped and she looked at him with disbelief. “But…” she started to say as Ifeanyi closed the gap between them and planted a kiss on her lips. Dumebi wanted to stop him, knew that she should stop him, but there was something about the soft way he pressed his lips to hers that made her nostalgic for their first kiss together many years ago.

As she leaned in closer to enjoying the delicious sensuousness of Ifeanyi’s kiss, an image flashed across her mind and she pushed Ifeanyi away.

Boma. She couldn’t possibly cheat on a man like him. 

Dumebi and Ifeanyi walked quietly back to Uncle Ralph’s house, and just by the gate was Boma who looked relieved when he saw Dumebi. 

“Where have you been?” Boma asked, ignoring Ifeanyi. 

Dumebi felt flustered but gathered herself quickly so Boma wouldn’t suspect a thing. Awkwardly, she shimmied towards Boma and placed her hand on his back.

“I was with my…” she began.

“Cousin,” Ifeanyi interjected playfully. “Abeg no vex, I was the one who carried her away. We haven’t seen in years and we got caught up chatting. I just went to drop some documents in my car and dragged her along.” He stretched his hand towards Boma. “By the way, I am Ifeanyi.”

“Boma.” Boma said and shook hands with him.

Uncle Ralph’s party was now over and everyone had gone back to their homes. Those who came from the village told tales of how beautiful it was and how tasty the food had been. Boma and Dumebi had done same, comparing the previous year’s party to the most recent one, while wondering what Uncle would do the next year. 

Ifeanyi, on the other hand, had only one person in mind. He couldn’t stop thinking about Dumebi; her smile, her beauty, and the kiss they had shared. So, he did the only thing he could think of. He went on her social media pages, followed her, and liked as many pictures as he could, never minding that it made him seem like a stalker.

When he was at work, he couldn’t get thoughts of her out of his mind. He kept thinking about what they had shared as teenagers and what life could have been for them had they ended up together.

Compared to the troubles he suffered at the hands of his temperamental wife, he fantasised about the perfect life that he could have built with Dumebi.

Quickly, Ifeanyi’s obsessive monitoring of Dumebi’s social media activities turned to day-long DM conversations that eventually became a long string of WhatsApp chats. One day, he called her.

“I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind oh, I have been thinking about you all week.” He said.

For a while Dumebi wanted to dismiss him, but she reconsidered because she suspected that like before, Ifeanyi could tell what she was thinking.

She admitted that she had been thinking about him too, but let him know how bad she felt to have cheated on her fiancée. When Ifeanyi protested and said it wasn’t cheating, Dumebi asked if he would be okay knowing his wife had kissed another man.

“Haba. That’s different now. She’s my wife,” came his response. “But why are you my cousin, I would have married you now”. He said

Soon enough, Ifeanyi and Dumebi started seeing each other, at first tentatively but later with the intensity of two people who were reveling in a lost love restored.

Ifeanyi had told Dumebi that he would be having a meeting at Four Points by Sheraton so they could meet up afterward. When she walked in, he wore a wide grin and walked up to her, stretching out his arms to hug her. 

“My sweetest taboo” he whispered into her ear.

“Leave me jor,” she chuckled, enjoying every bit of the attention.

“I have something for you in my room,” Ifeanyi told her, and she furrowed her brows. “I promise,” he said quickly, assuaging her fears, “I just want to give you what I bought.”

They took a lift to the fourth floor and walked towards a room that Ifeanyi opened with his key card. He ushered Dumebi in and she saw gift bags on the bed. She opened the gift bags and saw an expensive wristwatch, perfumes, and designer bags. She took a deep breath, threw a questioning look at Ifeanyi and said, “You didn’t have to do this.”

“I know but I wanted to.”

Dumebi put the gifts aside and they spent time talking about their jobs; Dumebi about her work as a compliance officer for Zenith Bank and Ifeanyi as an engineer at Chevron. They talked about their interests, much of which were the same. They talked about Ifeanyi’s marriage and Dumebi’s impending one. Four hours had gone by when they realised how long they had spent talking.

“Oh my, I have to leave now.” Dumebi said as she stood up.

“Do you really have to?” Ifeanyi asked lazily, making no move to stand.

“Yes.” Dumebi replied.

Ifeanyi stood and walked towards her.

“Please stay with me one more hour,” he pleaded, holding her waist gently. As he said this, he looked into her eyes and smiled softly before kissing her neck once. He looked at her again, his eyes willing her to stay with him a little longer.

Dumebi could feel his firm body on hers. “No, I can’t do this Ifeanyi. Please, I…”

He kissed her on the lips this time, leaving her speechless. Ifeanyi was now covering her neck, chest, jawline, and lips with heady kisses, and as he did so, her body weakened, responding to him. He lifted her gently and put her on the bed, occasionally looking at her for approval before going further. She gave no resistance and in no time, he took her clothes off. 

Recognising what they were about to do, Dumebi momentarily felt guilt and managed to say, “Ifeanyi… I can’t.”

He looked intently at her, his breathing now heavy with desire, and closed her mouth with a passionate kiss. Overpowered by her lust, Dumebi moaned and they made sweet love.

On her drive home, Dumebi was unsettled. She kept replaying the day’s event in her head. 

What just happened? She thought. Ifeanyi has destroyed my life. How could I have done this? She slapped the steering wheel of the car she was driving.

I just slept with my cousin. And I cheated on Boma. What am I going to do? 

Her mind raced at the thought of what Boma would do if he found out. I have to tell Ifeanyi this can never happen again.

But as thoughts of what to do kept running through her head, flashes of the passionate moment she had shared with Ifeanyi made her excited.

She hated that she wanted more, that she loved the way he held her, and the hardness of his body pressed against her, that she couldn’t get enough of his passionate kiss and that she hadn’t really wanted him to stop.

“I am such a fool.” She muttered.

When she got home, she found Boma standing outside her house, no doubt waiting for her.

She parked the car, plastered a smile on her face and walked towards him.

“Babe, what are you doing here?” She inquired.

“I have been trying to reach you for hours but your phone was switched off. I was worried sick. Why didn’t you charge your phone?”

“Aaaw sweetie,” she said as she hugged him; her face pressed to his arm, then she kissed him.

“I am so sorry. I was so tired after the meeting that I didn’t think about my phone.” She continued.

They walked into her flat, warmed some left-over barbeque rice and chicken and ate as they watched TV. It was a Friday so he decided to spend the night. 

They made love and slept off.

A week went by and things began to get back to normal. Dumebi hadn’t heard from Ifeanyi and she didn’t try to contact him either. She was happy to focus on her job and fiancé. But one day while at work, her phone began to ring. Her heart skipped when she saw Ifeanyi’s name as the caller ID. She wasn’t sure if she should answer it, so she ignored it until it stopped ringing.

A few moments later, Ifeanyi called again. This time, she took a deep breath and accepted the call. 

“Hello?”

She sighed; she had missed him dearly.

“You haven’t missed me,” Ifeanyi accused her and she chuckled.

“Baby m,” but she didn’t want him to get too comfortable with what had happened between them.

“Ifeanyi, I would rather you don’t call me that, okay,”

“Someone sounds serious.” Ifeanyi teased.

Ignoring him, Dumebi went on as if he had said nothing, “so what’s up?”

“Nothing much o. I was just calling to check up on you.”

“Ok cool.”

“Yeah, how’s work?”

“Fine.”

“So, when are we seeing again?” He asked her.

“For what?” She blurted.

“Dumebi, is everything okay? You seem a little hostile.”

She was indeed. Nothing she felt for him could justify the gravity of what they’d done.

“Please Ifeanyi, I’m your cousin, not your side chic. If you think you can just…”

Ifeanyi cut her off, “But, I love you. How can you compare yourself to a side chic? Do you know what you mean to me? How I cannot sleep because you’re on my mind? Or how I’ve cried because you’re my cousin?”

The two of them went silent until Ifeanyi spoke again, “I will call you some other time. Have a good day.”

But Dumebi didn’t respond. Tears had already started rolling down her face.

Dumebi began to plan her wedding, and even though she and Boma argued over their vision for the day, she was excited about it.

One day, she went shopping for her wedding gown with her friend, Remi. As they walked out of the bridal store, she saw Ifeanyi and her pulse rate increased instantly. She wanted to turn away and pretend that she hadn’t seen him, but it was too late. 

“Hey cuz,” he said, taking her aback with his unusually laidback response.

She managed a matching response, mindful that Remi was there and didn’t want her to pick up on the tension between her and Ifeanyi. “Hi Ifeanyi, what a surprise.”

After exchanging brief pleasantries, Ifeanyi ran off on the excuse that he was meeting someone for a meeting. 

“Ah ahn,” Remi exclaimed as he walked away, “this your cousin is a hunk oh. Is he married?” Dumebi laughed and shrugged.

The next day at work, Dumebi got a call from Ifeanyi.

“I need to see you oh, Dumebi,” Ifeanyi said.

She was reluctant to see him again but soon agreed to see him on the condition that it would happen in a restaurant or bar. Not a hotel this time. 

“Anything you want my love,” he responded. 

The two began to meet up at bars and restaurants, enjoying every minute spent with each other. Ifeanyi didn’t try to make any advances, but it was only for a short while because he started having a lot of meetings at the hotel, leaving Dumebi with no other option but to visit him in his hotel room.

On one of those evenings after his meeting, she came to see him and they went up to his room, ending the night naked in Ifeanyi’s bed. They soon fell into a routine. She would visit him and after his meeting they would make love.

Dumebi had gone too deep that she didn’t know what to do. As the affair went on, her lies to Boma increased. It was always one work meeting for an ongoing project or a friend who needed her company. She hated herself for what she was doing but couldn’t stop.

It was a Friday evening, Ifeanyi had just finished one of his meetings. He was preparing for a swim when he got a call from Dumebi. 

“My baby, how…”

“Ifeanyi, I need to see you now. Where are you?” Dumebi interrupted, her voice was full of panic.

“What is the matter dear? Is everything okay?”

“Where are you?” Dumebi asked forcefully.

“I’m at the George Hotel in Ikoyi. 

“I’m on my way.”

Ifeanyi panicked, wondering what had gotten her so worked up. Did Boma find out and leave her? Was she frustrated about their love and didn’t know how to end it?

Despite his questions, he tried to keep his composure till she arrived.

When Dumebi arrived, Ifeanyi was waiting by the door. He didn’t want her to knock at all. He hadn’t heard her speak this way and knew it was urgent for her to sound the way she did.

Immediately he heard her footsteps approaching the door, he opened and let her in. 

“Dumebi, what is the matter?” He asked, cutting straight to the chase.

Dumebi fell on her knees, crying inconsolably as Ifeanyi watched in shock. Had someone died? He wondered.

He knelt beside her and held her, “Nne, please tell me what happened,”

She lifted her head and looked him in the eyes, “I am pregnant.”

Whose baby is it? Would she keep the baby? To be continued…