It was about 10:45 pm as Simba and Pokua, hand-in-hand, walked through the hotel lobby in the classy Canary Wharf hotel Nana Esi and Pokua were staying. It had been a pretty good evening with Mickey, Carola and Donald, with laughs, jollof and chicken adobo. Now it was time for Pokua to get back to the room and rest.
And for Simba to try and talk things out with Nana Esi.
The more he thought about it, the more he realized they were right. As scary as it felt, he owed it to himself and to his daughter to try and make things work with Nana Esi.
As they made their way up to the fourth floor in the elevator, they stepped out to find Nana Esi standing in the lobby. Dressed in a big T-shirt and leggings, her face was composed but distant. Spotting them, she immediately approached, a big smile on her face as she knelt to face Pokua.
“Hey, my love, did you have fun with Daddy and his people?” she asked softly as she brushed a braid from Pokua’s face, taking her hand.
“Yes, Mummy!” the little one gushed excitedly. “Uncle Mickey and Tita Carola were so much fun! And Uncle Donnie, too! We ate jollof and chicken adobo, specially made by Tita Carola, and it was so good!”
Simba, a hesitant smile on his face, nodded. “Yeah, it was a pretty good time. Had to leave once it was dark, though. Carola needed to sleep early or something like that.”
Nana Esi nodded softly. “That’s nice. Well, here’s the key, baby girl. Go inside and take a shower, okay?”
Pokua nodded, taking the key before waving at Simba. “Good night, Daddy!” she called before rushing down the hallway.
“Good night, my princess!” Simba called back, smiling before turning to Nana Esi, who looked ready to walk away as quickly as possible. He paused for a moment, before opening his mouth.
“Um, Neesi, can we talk for a minute? Just you and me?”
Nana Esi turned to face him, her tone clipped and her eyes narrowing. “Simba, I’m really not in the mood right now. What is it?”
“Please, Neesi,” Simba pleaded. “Just a quick chat. It’s important.”
Nana Esi exhaled sharply, exasperation flashing across her face. She looked back at the door to their hotel room, then nodded reluctantly. “Fine.”
Simba’s heart thumped furiously in his chest as she followed him downstairs to a quiet sitting area with plush armchairs. Somehow, this was not looking very encouraging, with her reaction. But he could not afford to back down now; he had to get it done.
Nana Esi took a seat and crossed her arms, her expression bordering on hostile. Simba sat across from her, his hands clasped as he scrambled to remember the direction of his speech.
“Okay. What do you want, Simba? Let’s make this quick. It’s late, and I need to sleep,” she barked.
Simba blinked, clearly hurt by her demeanour.
It was as though that moment she let her guard down had led to her getting rather feisty with him. And he didn’t like it at all.
“Neesi, why are you talking to me like that?” he demanded, his voice breaking. “Why are you talking like I’m some annoying stranger you met a few hours ago? I know things are a bit someway between us, but… but do you dislike me that much? What did I do to make you this hostile to me? What have I done?”
Nana Esi looked away. She obviously had no answer to those questions.
He leaned forward, his eyes earnest. “I know things changed between us, but look, it hurts me when you act so cold towards me. It’s almost like I’m some deadbeat dad or some dumbass fuckboy, but… Neesi, as far as I can tell, my only crime was loving you so deeply. Yeah, I know, we were reckless, having sex without protection, and I own that. It was my fault, and I take full responsibility. But I don’t regret us having Pokua, not for one second. I love being her dad, watching her grow, hearing her laugh, being present in her life. I love it; it’s a beautiful gift I don’t take for granted at all. And… I don’t regret it because… I… I always wanted you to be the mother of my kids. I loved you so much back then, Neesi. And… the truth is… I still do.”
Nana Esi was speechless. She simply stared at Simba as he went on.
“Neesi, that moment in the car, when we were singing Black Sherif’s songs together… it was such a magical moment for me. It took me right back to the good old times, how we used to be: laughing together, happy to be present with each other, just us against the world. I know it’s been years, I know there are issues in the way, but… I want that back, more than anything. I wanna share more of those moments with you: singing along to our favourite songs, travelling to different places together, teasing each other, talking about the most random of things. Those were incredible times, and I don’t care how long it’s been, it’s all I want. To have you back in my life.
“It’s not just about Pokua. I love our daughter with my whole heart, but more than that, I love her mother. Her mother is the only woman I’ve ever loved, and will ever love. It’s not just about her, it’s about you. I love you, Neesi. I know it’s been years, and you probably thought I didn’t feel this way still, but I do. I still love you, and I still want to be with you, to build that life we dreamed of. So please, stop pushing me away and treating me some enemy. My only crime is loving you. And I’ll always love you.”
Nana Esi’s breath caught, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. She bit her lip, clearly struck by his words. It was impossible for her to deny the emotion in his words; she could see he meant every word he said.
She sniffed, wiped away the tears standing in her eyes.
Simba sat stiffly in his seat, waiting to hear what her response would be.
Please, please, say something good to me…
She looked up at him, then shook her head, her voice trembling but firm. And almost pained.
“Simba… I hear you. And that moment in the car, it was… it reminded me too. Of the love we had. It… it was beautiful. What we had was amazing, Simba, I can never deny that. We were so in love, and it felt like the world was our oyster. It was incredible, and I also wanted nothing else but to spend my life with you. But… things can’t be the way they used to be. Too much has changed—us, our lives, everything. You know how my old man feels about you; that hasn’t changed. We have to get used to this new reality. For Pokua’s sake, and for ours.”
Simba’s eyes searched hers, pleading for another chance. Begging her to say yes to them starting afresh. Imploring her to push back against the age-old blockages to their love.
She took a deep breath, her gaze dropping to the floor before meeting his again.
“Besides, there’s no chance of us being together now,” she continued, her voice heavy. “Because… I’ve been seeing someone else. Back in Ghana. He’s… he’s asked me to marry him, and when we go back, I’m going to say yes.”
Simba froze.
“W-w-what?” he whispered.
She nodded. “Yes. It’s been on the down-low, but there’s another guy in my life. Pokua doesn’t know about this, but, yeah, I’m gonna introduce him to her once I say yes. My father likes him a lot, so obviously, this will have his blessing.”
His face crumpled as the words hit him like a physical blow. Suddenly, the air in the hotel felt thicker and more humid than a hot summer day, and the distant hum of the hotel lobby was barely audible.
He could not believe it. While he was hoping for a comeback, she had moved on and found someone else.
And was even ready to walk down the aisle to him, take his last name and spend forever with him.
He was lost for words at this point. He had nothing to say.
She rose to her feet, her voice softer but resolute. “Look, I’m sorry, but you need to move on, Simba. The past is dead and gone. For Pokua’s sake, we’ll always be connected, and I know you’ll always be a great father to her, but… you need to let us go. What we had is dead, and it’s never coming back. It’s over. I’m sorry.”
She hesitated, her hand twitching as if to reach out to him, but she decided to pull back and walked away, her steps quick and deliberate toward the lobby stairs.
Simba simply remained seated, staring at the empty space where she stood. His hands fell limp in his lap, his expression shattered as the reality sank in.
There was no hope for them to get back together. He had lost her forever.
Whether he liked it or not, he had to move on.
***
“Whoo! Babe, you smashed that walk, innit? Look at you, out here gettin’ fit! I’m proper proud, y’know—few weeks ago, you were barely movin’, and now you’re keepin’ up with me.”
A glowing Carola, grinning as she walked through the front door in her maternity tracksuit, beamed at Mickey. For the past two weeks, she had gotten out of her couch potato funk and started taking walks to raise her fitness levels, and she was pretty pleased with how she was performing.
“I’m proud of myself too, Mickey! Feels good to move again, even with this bump. Doctor said it’s great for me and the baby,” she gushed. As she wiped her forehead with her towel, a mischievous glint twinkled in her eye. “Now that we’re done, you know what would help me out? A nice, refreshing shower… with you.”
“Oh, say less, love!” Mickey chuckled as he drew closer to her. “You know I’m all in–”
Pulling him closer, she silenced him with a kiss, melting into him as he grabbed her gently and deepened the smooch.
Mickey’s phone suddenly buzzed loudly on the counter, vibrating against a glass. They ignored it, too lost in the moment to pay attention to the outside world. The phone stopped after a while, then buzzed again.
Carola pulled back slightly, smirking. “Go answer that, before I drag you to the shower and have my way with you right now.”
Mickey snickered, stealing one more kiss. “You’re threatening me with a good time, my delicious pinay. Give me a moment, and I’m all yours.”
He winked at her as he grabbed the phone. Seeing Simba’s name on the screen, he answered quickly.
“Yo, Simba, you good, bruv?”
On the other end, Simba’s voice was heavy. “Mickey… last night was bad, man. I spoke to Neesi and… she said she’s seeing someone else. In fact, he’s asked her to marry him, and she’s planning to say yes when they go back to Ghana. Chale. She told me to move on. It’s over, my guy. It’s over.”
Mickey froze, speechless, his hand tightening on the phone. The joy from moments ago was now replaced by shock.
“Fucking hell, bruv… I’m so sorry. That’s… that’s heavy. Just… take it easy, yeah? I’m here for you, Simba. We’ll talk soon, aight?”
“Sure, sure. Later.”
As the call ended, Carola stepped closer, concern in her eyes. “Babe, what happened? Is Simba okay?”
Mickey sighed, shaking his head. “Nah, love, unfortunately, he’s not. Turns out Nana Esi dropped a bomb on him last night. She’s seeing another guy, planning to marry him back in Ghana. Told Simba it’s done, to move on. Man’s shattered.”
Carola gasped, hand on her chest. “Oh no, poor Simba. That’s heartbreaking… that’s so tough. But what’s gonna happen with little Poki and the whole co-parenting thing and…”
Mickey rubbed his face and shrugged. “Not a clue in the world, babes. But I swear down, it’s messed up, Carola. Why are both my cousins getting hit hard like this? First, Donald’s girl dumps him outta nowhere. Now Simba’s lost Nana Esi for good to some other dude. Like, what is going on here? Here I am, living this perfect life with the finest babe on the planet, yet my boys are struggling. Feels so fucking unfair, y’know? I just want them to have what we’ve got. Is that too much to ask for?”
Carola sighed, then hugged him. “I know, babe. I know. It’s not fair, but there’s little you can do. The girls have made their decisions, and the best you can do is to be there for them, which you always do. Just support them, and give it time, okay? They’ll find their happiness, eventually.”
Mickey nodded, his arms around his wife. “Hmmm, yeah, you’re right. That’s all I can do, be there for them.”
“Yep, that’s the best you can do. Everything will work itself out with time. Now come on, let’s hit that shower. We need it, and I’m not letting you mope all morning.”
Damn! That was a heavy, heavy bomb to drop on Simba. Poor guy held on to hope for nothing. Let’s see how this starting season ends…
