I do and I do

24| The new twist in our story

Thank God for Friday. Adedayo prepped himself to leave and before he could, Rose called his attention from where she stood by the door. "Mr. Michael, John is still in class."

He raised his brows, "John?"

"Yes." A sigh left her lips. "I think his mum is late, again."

He nodded to her words. John was a young boy of eight years of age and part of the class he was in charge of.

"Okay, bye. Tell Joy I'm greeting." She said with a smile and he nodded. "Good night." He told her and she was on her way.

Adedayo carried his briefcase and walked to the class the little boy was seated within. For a moment, he watched him play with the pencil in his hand.

"John." He called and the boy's eyes were on him right away. Adedayo walked up to him and took his seat on the chair in front of him.

"Did your mum say anything about coming by late?"

The boy shook his head. "She said she would pick me." He replied and continued with his play. Adedayo stared at him for a while before he looked around. Everyone had gone home. He couldn't leave him by himself.

"John, do you know your mum's phone number?"

He nodded his head and Dayo was grateful for that. Quickly, he took out his phone which belonged to the Tecno brand. John called the number and Dayo inputted them. Soon, it was ringing and he held it close to his ear.

"Hello." She picked it.

"Hello, good afternoon, madam. This is Mr. Adedayo Michael, your son's class teacher."

"Oh, Mr. Michael. Good afternoon."

"I was wondering if you're aware of the school's time out. John has been waiting for some time now."

He heard her mutter something on her other end but was unable to hear the exact words. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry about this, Mr. Michael. His father was supposed to pick him up. I'll send someone to come pick him up." She explained and thanked him once more before disconnecting the call.

Adedayo looked at John one more time before relaxing into his seat. He was going to wait till someone comes and takes this child home. He worried something might happen if he left him on his own.

An hour later and no one had shown up to claim the child with him. Adedayo stretched his neck to the view of the gate and shook his head at it all. Was it a lie when his mother said someone would be here to pick him? Perhaps it was and perhaps it wasn't. This wasn't the first time the kid beside him had been stood up. During those times, he'd stayed behind and watched over him without feeling too troubled about it. Now, everything was different. He worried about his wife at home and how he had no way of reaching her. He worried that she might be worried for him.

Dayo looked at the boy who'd fallen asleep with his head on the table. He had pity for him. He was thrust back into one of his childhood memories where he attended a school with no teacher tiers, no school uniforms and only a small chalkboard in his hands. For this boy, it was different and yet, his parents prioritize other things before him.

Three hours later, Adedayo unlocked the door into his home and stepped in. He locked it after himself. His eyes searched for her but there was no sign of her. He took his shoes off by the door and left his briefcase on the couch.

"Joy," he called after he went into the bedroom and she wasn't there. He wondered if she was yet to leave the shop with Mrs. Aderigbe. The thought of that made him a bit unhappy after he saw the clock on the wall read 6:30.

"Dayo?" She called from within the bathroom. A smile appeared on his face at the sound of her voice.

"Yes."