Page 61 of The Marriage Agreement (Agreement)

“Good evening.”

“Come, my dear. I’m so happy to see you.” He puts his arms out, which surprises me. I go to hug him.

“How are you?” I ask.

“Fighting like hell,” he jokes. I nod. “Sit, dear.” I pull the only chair in the room and sit close to him.

“I hope it’s okay that I came to see you. I just thought I should visit you, since Luke isn’t home.” He smiles.

“Thank you, dear. I like that you’re here.” We fall into silence, not much to say, but it feels somewhat palpable.

“Dele, where are your parents?” he asks.

“They’re in Lagos, Nigeria. My dad was in a car accident and is in a wheelchair; he also had a mild stroke recently. My mom is with him.” I’m not sure why I had to tell him that, but I do anyway. No need to expect to meet any in-laws anytime soon.

“Sorry to hear that, but I’m glad your mother is with him.”

“Yes, he’s got her by his side. I miss them,” I quietly say. People don’t understand the power of getting to hug or see their parents often. I only see mine on the phone. I guess I should be grateful they’re still alive.

“I’m sure you do. What do you miss most?” he asks.

“I miss watching and discussing football with my dad.”

“Nice, he likes football, that’s great.” I realize right away that he’s probably thinking about football in the U.S., and I’m talking about soccer.

“I meant soccer. I do sometimes forget that football in America is different.”

“I don’t know much about soccer, though I’ve heard about it, but can’t say I know anything about the rules of the game.”

“I’m a huge soccer fan. Would you like to know about soccer?”

“Sure, I’ve got nowhere to go and nothing to do. Luke won’t let me review any documents. He has threatened to stop visiting me if I try to dabble in the day-to-day of the company, so let’s talk soccer.” He smiles, and I smile back. I reach for the remote and turn on the TV.

“So, there’s a lot to know in soccer, and call me biased, but it’s the world’s greatest sport.” He laughs.

“Yes, you are biased,” he says through laughter as I search through the channels to find the recent World Cup games.

“We’re going to start with the basics—the rules of the game, the penalty cards, red and yellow, the offside rule, free kicks, and then we’ll get into the team rivalries.” He’s all smiles.

“Okay.” he says, ready with all ears. I turn the game on and begin explaining the rules to him. We talk and laugh at some of the highlights. By the time the first game begins, he’s enjoying the sport. The nurse brings his dinner, he insists that I eat with him as we watch the game, screaming at the screen like fans at the stadium. We talk all evening until the nurse comes to give him his meds, and I check my watch, realizing how late it is.

“I better head home.”

“Okay, dear. I won’t watch the next game until you return.” My heart smiles, we had fun together.

“My schedule is tight tomorrow. How about the day after?”

“That sounds good. But if you don’t show, I can’t promise I’ll wait,” he teases.

“I will, I promise.” I give him a hug.

“Dele, is it okay if we don’t tell Luke you were here?” It surprises me, but I nod.

“That’s fine with me, Mr. Blythe.”

“Call me Simon, not Mr. Blythe. It makes me sound old.”

“My dad will whoop my behind if I call my father-in-law by his first name. How about I call you Baba? It means father.” He nods with a big smile.

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