Yoke Of Love

Unconditional Love

Temitope Alarape, the Branch Accountant in National Bank of Nigeria fell in love with Kolawole, it was love at first sight for her. Temitope was not the easy virtue type of woman who can just fall in love with a total stranger.

Her last boyfriend was a lazy bum who was only interested in collecting money from her just to enjoy his easy lifestyle of drinking beer with his lazy friends; her decision to end their unprogressive relationship came when he simply refused to do any business, even when she had promised to get a business loan from the Bank for him; he was just a good for nothing loafer.

Kolawole on the other hand was a promising and enthusiastic business man; Temitope decided to invest her money and time on him because she was in love with him, and she named it, ‘my investment in love for my man.’

Kolawole was not qualified to get a helpful business loan from the National Bank of Nigeria because he was running a small scale enterprise of producing laundry Bar-soaps; but Temitope made up her mind to loan Kolawole his needed start-up capital for his cement supply business from her own money pending the time when Kolawole would be officially qualify to obtain a business loan from the National Bank.

Kolawole was not a fool, he had noticed Temitope’s keen interest in his business, but because of his past experiences with women; he decided to hide his own interest in her and watch how she would reveal her reason for helping him, because he had come to the understanding that most women generally would not invest their personal time and money on any man who would not be of any benefit to them; unless the woman is a generous philanthropist.

Kolawole decided not to rush things with Temitope who was very attractive, he liked her open mindedness and her personality suited him fine; she was his type of woman, she was kindhearted, gentle, with a physical appearance of a model; and she was the kind of woman he could proudly present to his mother as his wife.

Four months after Kolawole opened his business Bank account with National Bank of Nigeria, he came one Monday morning into Temitope’s office and asked if he could get the business loan; “Kolawole, officially you are not yet qualify for a business loan because the amount in your account is too low, and you have not run the account long enough; but don’t worry, I can loan you the money from my personal account with the Bank because I trust you.”

Kolawole opened his mouth in disbelieve, how can a young lady in her twenties possessed such huge amount of money? He wondered in his mind. Temitope knew what was in his mind about the money, and she added; “I am from a rich family, and my father, chief Alarape is the Chairman of this Bank.”

Kolawole was lost for words, he looked at her fine face and asked; “Temitope, please be honest with me, why are you helping me? You don’t even know me well enough and you are risking and trusting me with such a huge amount of money; it is incredible and unbelievable!”

Temitope looked at his handsome face and she calmly said; “I am investing in my love and trust for you because I noticed your honesty and your sincere interest in business is genuine.” Kolawole looked at her speculatively, and said; “Alright, but before you invest your money on me let me tell you few things about my life.

Four years ago, a woman used love potion on me and I foolishly fell for it; she packed into my house and gave me two children; but after I lost my job as a purchasing Manager, she packed out of my house with my son. I later found out what she did to get me after I gave my life to Christ, and she confirmed it when I confronted her with the fact.

Few months ago, the mother of my children got pregnant for a tax officer in Sango; and she became embarrassed with the pregnancy when the income tax man also lost his job because of fraud he had committed in his position; and the mother of my children used dangerous drugs to abort the baby which was against her doctor’s advice; and she died as a result of excessive bleeding and from other complications. No one can say for sure if Mojisayo purposely committed suicide or she foolishly tried to abort the embarrassing baby.

My first born, a girl is with my mother, and my second born, a son is with the late Mojisayo’s mother; do you still wish to help me?” There were tears flowing down from the eyes of Temitope; she was very sorry for the dead woman for killing herself because of pregnancy, and she also fell sorry for Kolawole’s suffering. “Kolawole, I am truly sorry for the dead woman and what you had suffered in a forced love relationship; we thank God for your two kids,” Temitope said as she wiped away her tears.

Kolawole wrongly thought the young lady would back out from the financial help she had promised to give him, and he stood up, and said; “I am sure a young lady like you would not want to end up with a man with two kids; thanks all the same Temitope, I would have love to marry a beautiful and kindhearted woman like you if the situation was different,” and he tried to walk out of her office.

Temitope stood up and grabbed one of his hands; “Please don’t go, I will adopt your two children as my own children; the arrangement for the loan still stand, can you seat down now?” Kolawole looked at her searchingly and asked; “Are you sure?”

Temitope nodded her head and gave him her charming dimple smile, and responded happily; “What you told me about yourself is one of the qualities that actually attracted me to you, your honesty stands out like a road map, and I love you for many other things I have discovered about you; we will go into partnership in this business.”

Both of them sat down and discussed their partnership business together, Kolawole promised to share the profits from the cement business equally with Temitope, and they kissed passionately for the first time. Temitope transferred the huge amount as discussed into Kolawole’s account before he left her office that very day.

Two weeks later, Kolawole and Temitope Enterprises was registered as a company with the Federal Government of Nigeria; and with the Certificate of Registration, Temitope opened a business account in that name; and both of them signed as co-signatories to the new business account.

Few days later, Kolawole paid for a full load of six hundred bags of cement at the head office of Blue Elephant Cement PLC; and a paper of allocation was issued to him to collect his cements at their Ewekoro factory.

That same day, Gbolahan Odulade, the Managing Director of the construction company came to look for a cement supplier at the cement headquarters, and the MD saw Kolawole as he came out of the Reception office; Kolawole also sighted the MD as he stepped out of his car; Kolawole tried to avoid meeting the MD because of the way he was sacked without any reason from the construction company. “Kolawole please wait.”

The MD walked quickly to meet Kolawole where he was still standing. “My wife told me recently of how I just woke up in the morning one day and sacked you without any reason two days after we returned from Spain; I was bewitched by Lati Olowolagba to sack you in order for him to take your job; he is in jail right now, Kolawole, come back and work for me again, please?”