A Friend in Deed

I gave the ultimate sacrifice to a friend this weekend - my entire Saturday. Bola moved to Nigeria 2 years ago with her sons (one of whom is my godson) to join her husband who had relocated there earlier. They rented their house in Stevange while they were in Nigeria. Now Bola is pregnant with their 3rd child and called me from Nigeria to let me know she was arriving on Friday to my house and could I please give her my Saturday to take her to Stevenage, shop for the now vacant house and generally help her settle in. She was going to be living in the UK until shortly after she had her baby in May.

She's a good friend and I could not refuse. I got into London from Leicester on Friday in just over an hour and a half. My baby was on excitement overload... showing me everything he had done during the week at dizzying pace. He can tumble, he can jump from the second step, he can get in the bath himself (demonstrated while fully clothed), he can jump from his tricycle, he can cycle and pedal himself... and lots lots more. Bola arrived in a taxi from Heathrow 2 hours after me. We were gisting in the kitchen when Tunji came back. I don't know what it was but I had to do a double take. He was looking especially cute in cream chinos, a cream shirt and a black cashmere vest-thing. I was on my period so nothing was going to be happening that night but 'checking out' my husband like I would that cute guy on Prison Break was not something I'd done recently.

Bola and I set out about 11am on Saturday, she was worried the house would be a mess but it was actually very clean and well cared for. We then went to Tesco and 3 full-to-the brim trolleys later we were back in the house. We'd bought everything from cutlery, to beddings, to bleach... everything! By the time we finished unpacking, it was 4pm and we were starving. We still had to go out and get a TV after which we went for a meal at a Chinese buffet restaurant called Aroma. Quite nice actually.

When we went back to her house, another friend of her's joined us with her nanny and 2 year old son. We quickly put the nanny to task making stew, fried chicken and jollof rice, while we lounged in the living room watching Naija movies. It was not until midnight before I was finally able to leave. I had not seen Kitan or Tunji the whole day and felt guilty. Even though I was helping a friend, it was also helping me re-connect with another part of me. Ofcourse Tunji was cross with me for being out the whole day and returning so late, but he was also proud of me for being a good friend and giving her so much of the precious little time I had at home.

Sunday was good, the reknowned Pastor Kalejaiye was a guest minister at church and as always his sermons were rib-cracking humourous as well sharp and to the point. He preached on the 12 representatives of the tribe of Judah sent to scout out Canaan for invasion. The 10 who 'saw' giants and 'said' it was too hard a challenge to undertake, did not enter into Canaan. Pastor Kalejaiye said "When you look for the worst and confess negatively, failure is inevitable". We have to focus on the positive and confess victory to succeed.

After church, Tunji offered to take us all out to lunch, but I was tired and just wanted to chill, so we went home and I made fried rice and beef stew for lunch. I also made authentic Naija meat pie for Tunji to snack on during the week. I told Dominique to pack 2 everyday for him to take to the office. I packed 4 for Leicester.

He was still looking quite scrummy to me and I found myself glancing at him from the corner of my eye when he wasn't looking - trying to figure out what had changed. The problems I had with his family after I had Kitan definitely affected the way I felt about him. I could have done with more of his support and he seemed to sit on the fence over several issues that came up. We have prayed alot about our marriage, especially him, and the way I was feeling about him this weekend was God putting love back in my heart towards my husband. It felt good!

p.s. I almost forgot to mention I had a car collision with someone on Saturday. I was on a round-about, reversing whilst on the phone - not very clever. It was a lady with a baby in the car and she was quite rightly very agitated. There was no car damage, I just clipped her driver mirror but we exchanged insurance details all the same. I also took a picture so I don't get slammed with her car refurbishment bill when I didn't cause the damage.