From Africa Ch. 08

London, 1951

‘Olusegun Adebayo.’

‘O-who?’

‘His name,’ I sighed with impatience, ‘is Olusegun. Has he been here?’

‘Ah, yes! I remember now. Tall African chap, right? Black as the ace of spades! Yeah, he was here...’

I held my breath, hoping that I would finally manage to unearth some real information as to where he’d gone. Henriette had finally convinced me to look for him, but I hadn’t told her that I had started my search. I was too proud to let anyone know that I wanted to see him again, just to know if he was alive and well. I’d hired a private detective to begin the search, and he’d come back to me with the address of this questionable hostel. I stood staring at my surroundings, still shocked to discover that Olu had been in London for all this time.

‘Why would a pretty girl like you be looking for him? He owe you money or something?’ The salty old man raised an eyebrow.

‘No. He worked for my father. My father has a word to send to him, and I wanted to find him to deliver it.’

‘That bloke thought the world of himself… he was here for about five months, doing odd jobs during the day, reading all night… quite cheeky, if you ask me…’

I tried not to smile, remembering Olu’s low tolerance for rudeness.

‘Do you know where he went?’

‘No, no… but I do know that he left in a hurry; left most of his things here…’

‘Do you still have them?’ I perked up.

‘Yes. You want to take them? Just a bunch of old books and papers, taking up space. I put them all back here…’

He led me through the dilapidated house to a small area in the back. The place was very dark, and I was wary of tripping over the worn carpet. The old man grumbled as we made our way down a narrow hall, telling me that the other tenants in his hostel had complained because he’d allowed Olu to stay.

‘I lost more than a few tenants by letting him stay… but he paid me more than what I’d asked… I don’t know where he got the money. And he always paid on time, which is more than I could say for some of the others…’

We stopped in front of a small room off the kitchen. The man opened the door and pulled a string that flooded the space with light. He pointed to a corner filled with waist-high stack of books and papers, leaning precariously over an old pail.

‘That’s all of it there… you’ll want to have your driver take it out for you.’

‘Thank you, sir…’

I’d finally found something! I couldn’t wait to get back to my flat, to pour over all of the notes, papers, and books that Olu had left. I just wanted to run my fingers over the scrawl of his small neat handwriting, to touch the pages that his fingers had turned in the dusty old books, to look at his drawings. The old man found a box for me, and had my driver carry it out to the taxi.

I spent nights looking through it all, the nights that I didn’t spend with Raymond. I’d never told him about Olu, but I think that he suspected something. He would often say that he could tell that I was thinking of someone else when we made love, or that he would catch me daydreaming more often than not.

I kept my find a secret from everyone, even Henriette. I hid the box on a shelf in my bedroom closet, behind a few hatboxes. When Anna had gone to bed, I’d rummage through the box, organizing everything. Olu had kept some of his notes from the digs he’d been on with my father, as well as quite a few drawings. When I flipped through the books, I found money tucked between the pages, along with a few sketches of a girl. I locked the money away in my jewelry box, and I stared at the sketches, wondering why they seemed so familiar to me.

At first, my jealousy got the best of me, and I spent hours trying to figure out who this girl was, but as I looked further, I noticed that she bore a striking resemblance to someone... me! I held my hand to my mouth, amazed at the extreme likeness, and rushed to the mirror, holding the sketches to the glass, looking back and forth from each drawing to my reflection. It seemed as though Olu was trying to remember my face. Each sketch was dated, and the more recent the date, the more faded the likeness seemed to be.

The last few drawings were dated from five months before, around the time that the old man had said that Olu disappeared. This made me even more curious. Why did he leave so quickly, again? Where did he go, was he still in London? I sat on my bed, aching to know these things, and at the same time, trying to find a way to keep searching for him.

My search for Olu had begun to distract me; Anna noticed that I was practicing less and wandering about the city streets more. She accused me of being quiet and secretive, and I worried that she would soon find out about my dalliances with Raymond. I guessed that she would scold me, or threaten to have me followed, but I never imagined that she would tell Mr. Stanley about it.

‘Liv, my dear, has something been troubling you?’ he asked me one day over tea.

‘No. Why do you ask?’

‘I was just wondering… Anna says that you’ve been unusually quiet and aloof.’

‘When am I not “quiet and aloof” with her?’

‘Well, I am just concerned about your well-being; I’m sure that she feels the same.’

‘I’ve just been thinking about Dad, that’s all…’

‘Ah… maybe we should arrange a visit for him.’

‘He won’t come to London. It’s too cold now. He wouldn’t come here until summer.’

‘You never know, with Leonard. I always like to say that that man is full of surprises.’

I worried that if my father did decide to make an impromptu visit, I wouldn’t be able to see Raymond before he left for New York.

I realized that I was depressed. Raymond would be leaving in a few days, and I knew that I would miss him terribly. He made me laugh, and he helped me to forget my sadness. On the days that I managed to get away from Anna long enough, we would share a piano, discussing technique, and trading performance tips with each other. And at night, we had incredible sex; I loved the way that Raymond touched me.

‘Hey there, Kiddo!’ he nudged me when I met him in our love nest for the last time. ‘Hey… what’s wrong?’

‘I’m sorry,’ I frowned, all teary-eyed. ‘I’ll miss you…’

‘I’m not gone, yet; don’t be sad, now.’

‘I can’t help it…’

‘Aw, I’ll just be another notch on your bedpost,’ he winked at me.

‘If that is the case, then you’ll only be one of two,’ I smiled.

‘Hmm… I feel especially honored, then.’ He pulled me close to him and kissed me.

‘I’ll never see you again…’

‘You don’t know that. Hey, if you ever make it back to America, just look me up.’

‘You’re always traveling; you’re never home.’

‘Just look me up, find my place in Harlem… send me a postcard from there, and stay there until I get back.’

‘I bet you say that to all the girls…’

‘No, just you, Sweetcakes.’

‘Why do I get the feeling that you move around a lot?’ I smiled again, letting him dance me around the room.

‘Because it’s true,’ he dipped me, ‘I do.’

‘Well, how am I supposed to find you then?’

‘You’re really worried, aren’t you?’

I shrugged my shoulders.

‘Here,’ he turned around and wrote a name and a number on a slip of paper. ‘This is my mother’s number. If you ever want to look me up, call her, and tell her that you want to see me. She always knows where to reach me.’

‘Thank you, Raymond.’

‘But I don’t think that you’ll actually use that.’

‘Why do you say that?’

‘I’m sure you’ll forget all about me once you find him again.’

‘Find him? Who are you talking about?’

‘That African cat you’ve been looking for… he was your first, wasn’t he?’

I blushed, wondering how he’d found out about Olu.

‘How did you know…’

‘I accidentally knocked your purse off the table one night, and when I started picking everything up, I saw your notes.’

‘I’m sorry…’

‘Nothing to be sorry about… I think it’s sweet, that you’re stuck on your first. My first was an old hag that my mother knew… nothing spectacular there.’

‘I’ve been trying not to think of him.’

‘You can’t control what your heart feels; love is pretty tricky.’

‘Raymond… if you ever need anything… if there is anything that I can ever do for you…’

‘Aw, I’m pretty self-sufficient. I like living the aimless life.’

I stroked the line of his jaw. ‘I will miss you.’

‘You’ll miss me and my sweet lovin’, won’t you?’

‘Yes, I will.’

‘Hmm… maybe, if I’m lucky enough, you’ll come searching for me in a few years,’ he winked.

‘I don’t know, maybe I will…’ I sighed, wrapping my arms around him. ‘You’ve made my life bearable for these last few months.’

‘I’m glad; I’m glad I could help…’

He squeezed me tightly for a few minutes, letting me rest my head in his chest.

‘Will you remember me?’ I whispered into his ribcage.

‘Yes. How could anybody forget you?’

He lifted my face to his, kissing me long and slow.

‘You’re a knockout, Kiddo, believe me. My band mates are all jealous of me,’ he winked at me, cradling my head in his hands.

‘You’re only saying that to get up my skirt,’ I smiled at him.

‘No… all I have to do to get up your skirt… is to show you this…’ He released his cock from his trousers, letting it bounce in the chill air.

‘I think you’re right…’ I smiled again, sliding down his body to kneel in front of him.

Raymond reached down to run his fingers through my hair as I handled his hardening cock gingerly. I wrapped my hands around it, feeling every inch of it, trying to memorize every detail. I loved the look of his skin; it reminded me of the wet soil after a hard rain, back in Africa. I thought that he would press on my head, signaling me to put it in my mouth, but he just stood, moaning softly as I caressed it with my fingers. When he was completely hard, I pulled my tongue up and around his throbbing cock, leaving a trail of slick, shiny wetness behind, working slowly until I had him dripping, then, taking him into my mouth. I pushed until my nose was against his pelvis, and I touched his hips, letting him know that I was ready for him.

‘Ahh…’ Raymond moaned, slowly moving his hips back and forth, sending his delicious cock down my throat.

‘Mmm…’ I hummed at the end of each stroke, tickling the tip of his cock with the tip of my tongue.

‘Oh, shit… how am I gonna give this up?’ Raymond chuckled, holding onto my head for balance.

I started sucking in earnest, then, sinking my fingers into his ass cheeks. I closed my eyes, solely focused on savoring the taste of him. It didn’t take long for me to become a wet mess.

‘Ahh… ah…’ He was moaning louder now, having fallen prey to his arousal.

He gripped my hair as if it were a length of rope, and pulled, oblivious to everything but his approaching climax. He drove his cock in and held my head, groaning as he pumped his sticky seed down my throat. Even as he pulled out, I grabbed his cock, still stroking it with my tongue.

I looked up at him, witnessing the look of sheer delight on his face.

‘Ooh!’ he pulled himself away. ‘Come here… let me fuck you,’ He gave me a light kiss on my brow.

I let him lead me to the bed. He sat on the edge as he slowly undressed me, pulling me onto his lap as he attached his mouth to one of my nipples.

‘I’ll miss your tits, Girl,’ he breathed between nibbles. ‘…so soft and bouncy… fat!’

I giggled with a blush.

He slid a finger across my clit, and pushed a second up inside my pussy.

‘I’ll miss your pussy, too… so tight and wet… nice…’

‘Ah…’ I moaned as his moved his finger around inside me, and sawed another back and forth over my clit the same time.

‘But, most of all…’ he breathed into my ear, letting his teeth graze my earlobe, ‘I’ll miss your smile… you know… the one you get after you cum…’

By this time, I was riding up and down on his finger, rotating my hips to his rhythm, spreading my wetness all over his hand.

‘You are so wet, Baby…’ he muttered. ‘You’re ready for me… I know you are…’

‘Yes…’ I breathed. ‘I’m very ready…’

I closed my eyes, gyrating on his lap, listening to the sounds of our breathing, and the sound of my squishing pussy, soaking his fingers.

‘Ahh…’ I gripped his shoulders, bracing myself for an orgasm.

But he surprised me, pulling his fingers out just as I was on the edge of climax, and lifting me up, so that I could impale myself on his bouncing cock.

‘Ohh…’ my eyes rolled back into my head at the pleasant sensation.

He was hot and hard, throbbing, pushing deep faster than I could work to take him in. I was moaning already, senselessly pumping my hips as he stabbed into me with his angry cock. Raymond gripped the cheeks of my ass, flipping me over to my back, and wrapping my ankles around his neck. He began to pummel my body, thrusting like crazy, shaking the bed and making my breasts bounce all over the place.

‘Oohhh, Raymond…’ I moaned, digging my nails into his back.

‘Are you gonna cum for me now, Baby?’

‘Oohh, yes!’

‘Are you gonna cum really hard for me?’

‘Ahh… don’t stop…’

He slowed his thrusting and started a sensual stroking, plunging deeper into my eager pussy, making my body twinge each time he pulled back.

‘Ah, you’re so deep, Raymond… it feels so nice…’ I started to grind my teeth.

‘You’re so wet and tight, Baby… I don’t think I can take much more…’ he breathed.

He kissed me, hungrily sucking my tongue, teasing me. I was more than ready for him to let loose, but as I remembered that this would be our last time together, I poured all of my concentration into kissing him. We enjoyed playing with each other’s tongues for a long time, slowly grinding against each other. Raymond worked his stiff cock back into the depths of my sensitive pussy, moaning with each stroke. I pulled him in deeper, squeezing his hot cock, grinding my teeth again as my arousal built up once more.

‘Oh!’ My eyes crossed when it hit me, my body spasming as he continued to fuck me.

‘Aw, shit!’ Raymond finally exploded inside me. He arched his back and gripped me with his heavy hands, plunging deeply with each burst of his seed.

‘I’ll miss you so much,’ I whispered to him, with tears in my eyes.