The Blackbirds (8 page)

Indigo and Kwanzaa went to the crowd, made sure everyone was comfortable. Already, Indigo's father had started a political conversation. Indigo playfully put her hands over her dad's mouth and reminded him it was a birthday party, not a gathering at the United Nations. Chimamandanata hurried over, laughing, and joined her daughter, putting her hands over her husband's mouth too.

Indigo's parents were constantly touching each other, always kissing and engaging in PDA. If ever there was a power couple, that flirtatious, naughty, handholding couple was one.

When Indigo and her parents were together, their accents were full Nigerian, and the attitude that came with it, the histrionics, the hissing, the exaggerated sighing, the addition of Yorùbá phrases and words to emphasize a point. They emphasized their culture without shame to separate themselves from the black American. Indigo always practiced her mother and father's tongue so when she returned to Nigeria she wouldn't be teased for sounding like an American woman. If she returned home and sounded too American, even as they stamped her Nigerian passport, they would poke fun at her, and her close family would criticize her parents for making a perfectly good Nigerian child into an American brat, and never let up once they started the pejoratives and jokes. They teased her for eating American food the same way Americans would tease her for eating oxtails, pepper stew, and goat. Everyone's family had so many layers, so many challenges, and so many stories.

Even Indigo's parents were seeing other people when they met each other. They had had an affair, and then abandoned their lovers to be with each other. The path to love wasn't a smooth road. Love would show up while you were busy with another love, leaving you to decide.

Indigo looked away from her parents and noticed Ericka glance toward Mr. Jones, whom she was still avoiding as if his cancer were contagious, and touch her ear where her prized earring was missing, but it didn't stick to Indigo's mind. She was too busy wondering if Olamilekan Babangida was going to come to the celebration.

Or if she would be humiliated in front of her friends and family.

*   *   *

Indigo called Olamilekan's cellular. No answer. Two seconds later her cellular rang back. It was Olamilekan's number. Indigo answered. A girl was on the other end.

In the accent of Accra, maybe Nairobi, a girl who barely sounded twenty and had just as many pounds of attitude asked, “Did you just call this number for Lekan and for what purpose?”

“Who are you and why did you dare call my number if I do not know you?”

“Who are you and why did you just call this number for Lekan?”

“May I speak with
Olamilekan?
His name is
Olamilekan.”

“Who the hell is this?”

“Did my number, beautiful photo, and name not show on his caller ID, stupid girl?”

“Who are you calling stupid?”

“You know who this is. Put Olamilekan on
his
phone. This is
his
girlfriend.”

“I am his girlfriend. Be glad that you are not near me. I would beat you senseless.”

“If you want to meet me right now, tell me where you are, and I will come to you.”

“Bitch, never call this number again,
stupid girl.”

Indigo cursed the girl in Yorùbá, and as the girl spat profanities at her, Indigo hung up.

She smiled at guests, gave hugs, maintained a big smile, her phone buzzing over and over in her hand. The stupid girl was showing the wrong woman how stupid a stupid girl could be.

Ten minutes later Olamilekan sent Indigo a text. She went upstairs to her apartment, closed the door, went in the bathroom, slammed the door, and then responded.

Who dafuq was the stupid bitch who answered your phone?

I lost my phone, so someone found it and was probably playing a trick.

You are lying to me.

I'm serious. I lost my phone. I had to go to the Apple store to get a new one.

So you bought a new phone that fast?

What's the issue?

Some goat called me from your phone and said she was your girlfriend, Olamilekan.

You are my girlfriend, so that is not possible. Were you having a bad dream?

I told you that I want more. I need more than to be a time-to-time girlfriend.

Eventually I want the same.

What does eventually mean?

I want you to be my wife one day.

When will you take the proper steps with my family?

You are young with many ambitions and we both need to be patient.

I can be very patient with a ring on my finger.

That will happen.

When will that be? Perhaps today?

Indigo, please, do not pressure me with another ultimatum.

When they are the same age, a woman is more mature, but not as young as a man.

I understand how nature works. I know about your biological clock.

Let's remain focused on this issue. Some girl called me from your phone.

I lost my phone. How many times must I say that?

I will not let you make a fool out of me, Olamilekan.

I love you, Indigo, and you know I love you. Have I not told you that many times?

Who was the girl who called me from your phone? I need her name and address. I need to go meet her properly.

How many times do I have to tell you I lost my phone and just purchased a new one?

Explain to me how dafuq you were able to lose a phone and purchase a new one in ten minutes?

Let's not spend all our time arguing on your birthday.

I do not need this nonsense from you. I dealt with this foolishness with Yaba and you promised that you were nothing like him, yet some goat is answering your damn phone.

I miss you so much, Indigo. I have not seen you in what feels like forever.

Miss you too, Olamilekan. I miss you the way I am starting to miss hearing the truth.

What do you miss the most about me? What do you miss the most about my tongue?

You know how I feel about you, Olamilekan. You know this day is very important to me.

I will try to come to your party.

You said you were coming. There was no contemplation. It was definite.

Something has come up.

What has come up since yesterday? What is more important than this day?

You know I have many obligations.

Is that girl there with you? Are you unable to get free from her, is that the issue?

There is no girl. I only have other obligations.

And being available on my birthday should be one of those obligations.

Sponsors want to meet. We are talking millions of dollars in endorsements.

I am sure they all have girlfriends and boyfriends and family and children. They are human beings and understand humanity. If I do not see you today, lose my number.

I will see what I can do.

Is this because of that bitch? Did she check your phone, read our text messages like a book, and now she knows about me, about my birthday, and now you have to change your agenda? How did she get your phone? I demand to know who she is so I can meet her.

Don't be paranoid.

Who is she? Her accent is African, but not Nigerian.

I have no idea what you're talking about because there is no other girl.

I am faithful to you, Olamilekan. I am faithful by choice. My mind can change.

What about your relationship with Yaba? Has your mind already changed?

Yaba and I are done and you know we were done before I engaged with you.

He messages you often. You still communicate with him on social media.

As a friend. I have nothing to hide. I let you read the messages. I do not hide my phone when I come to see you. I leave it on the table face up, not upside down. My phone is never locked and never hidden. I don't freak out when you reach for my
phone. If Yaba messages me, it is during business hours and never during booty call hours.

So you can have friends of the opposite sex, but I cannot?

Yaba has never answered my phone. Who answered your phone, Olamilekan?

I do not want to argue with you again regarding this matter.

What time shall I expect you to arrive?

Let me see what I can do.

I have many guests waiting for you to arrive. They expect to see you here. I don't have time to argue, but all I ask is that you honor your promise and don't let me down on my birthday. My father is here and I told him you were coming. If you do not come, I will never hear the end of it from him or my mother.

Indigo, I will try.

What if I make it special for you? Is that what it will take, Olamilekan?

How would that happen if your parents are there and you have so many guests?

I always make it special for you, do I not?

You do.

Do you not enjoy the things we do when we are alone?

It has been too long.

Come to my party.

And if I come?

Then maybe you will come.

Phone gripped in hand, Indigo lowered her head, wiped away tears.

She wondered if she was vulnerable because she was optimistic.

Or if she was optimistic because she was vulnerable.

She wondered if men were opportunistic because women were vulnerable.

Or if women were vulnerable because men were opportunistic.

Indigo heard her living room door open, and her mother's voice call for her.

She answered, “I'm in the bathroom. I'm coming. Give me a second.”

“Do you feel okay?”

“I feel fine.” She flushed the toilet. “I feel great. I've never felt better.”

Her mother turned the handle on the bathroom door, eased the door open.

Standing in the mirror, busying herself with her eyelashes, Indigo avoided eye contact with her mother and repeated, “I'm fine. Just touching up my face a little.”

“No, you're not okay. Lie to others, lie to your father, but never to your mother.”

“Mother.”

“So what is going on with you and Olamilekan Babangida?”

Indigo swallowed, took a breath, tried to smile. “Something came up.”

“It's your birthday.”

“Mom. He will try to make it. He's a busy man. Money never sleeps,
you know how it goes. He sent the jumping tent, and he paid for all of the Nigerian food as well as the deejay.”

“That is not the same as him being here.”

“He will do his best to come.”

“Olamilekan Babangida touches you like you are his wife, and you touch him like he is your husband, but I do not see a ring on your finger as of yet. And there should not be one, not without a proper introduction and approval. Is there some legal arrangement of which I have not been made aware? Don't dare do like Western girls and show up engaged to a man who has not been presented to the family in the proper way. Women here meet a man in a club on Friday, then go away for the rest of the weekend and come back home married. Marriage has no value here; it's just something to do when Americans are drunk. Marriage is a sober decision.”

“He and I are not eloping. There has not been a secret marriage.”

“I know who he is, and so does your father, but Olamilekan's father or an uncle still needs to arrange a formal meeting so there can be a proper introduction between two families.”

“His family is not in America.”

“Even if they have to fly here from Lagos to do so, that is how it should be done.”

“Why do the old still feel like they have to plan the lives of the young?”

“Because the young are foolish and will sacrifice culture for thirty pieces of silver.”

“Leave it alone today. Let's just say we're dating and feeling each other out.”

“Dating is not for fun. Dating should have a purpose. It should have a direction.”

“Are we there yet? How long will this guilt trip last?”

“We have a few exits to go before this conversation ends. Keep your seat belt on.”

“This is a lecture, not a conversation. And could you speed up, please?”

“I am at the proper speed limit for this talk. The things that you do with your American friends, the clubbing, the partying, the drinking, we know that is the American way, but all of that is indecent for a Nigerian wife. Do those things now so you can be done with those things. And if a Nigerian man is looking for a wife and sees that is your current behavior, then he will not see you as a wife. Nigerian men come to this country and allow American women and American ways to be their getaway. These things are your getaway as well. The friends you have now, they are your getaway friends. One day you will mature beyond them and you will move on from them all.”

“Mom, stop it. I have a headache and loud words keep coming out of your mouth. I can see each word in bold, capitalized, italicized, and you're using a font larger than our house.”

“I can tell you things, but you must listen; and those things I teach, you must practice. You will marry an African man, and he will love and lavish things on you in ways you have never dreamed. Your world will be like my world. That's why of all the women in the world, your father came back to Nigeria for me. He flew back to Nigeria to bring me to England. After he had had many trial-and-errors with the white London girls and the black American girls who lived in London, women who were enthralled by African men, he came back home and I became his wife, not them.”

“We are getting to know each other. I have known him two years, but it has only been three months since we decided to take this to another level, to become an official couple.”

“A man knows if he loves a woman in three months, if not three days, but what he desires in three hours, if that is all he desires, he should never get from you in three hundred years.”

They sat still a moment. They sat as mother and daughter, the music outside not resonating, only the emotions within.

Indigo asked, “How did I get so lucky to have you for my mother?”

“The same way I am so lucky to have you for my child.”

“I forgot to ask you how you are doing.”

“I am fine.”

“No, you're not. You have dark rings around your eyes.”

“Did I not just say that I am fine?”

“How is my father?”

“Today is your birthday. We focus on you. You are the princess.”

“What's going on, Mother?”

“Let's not be rude and leave your guests waiting. Be the perfect host.”

Then they put on smiles, prepared to go back outside.