Chief Adejare surveyed his son from where he sat opposite him, trying unsuccessfully to hide his unease from his father's ever watchful eyes.Chief Adejare had sent for his son, Dapo that day, using the opportunity of his wife's short absence to have a heart-to-heart talk with his only child, who, sadly, was not following in his father's legacy.He had instructed their chef to make one of Dapo's favourite dishes of spaghetti risotto served with succulently spiced goat meat, just like Dapo liked it. He had topped it up with a chilled bottle of non-alcoholic wine.Dapo had been pleasantly surprised when he sat at table with his father. Only his mother could have taken such great troubles to put a smile on his face like this but she was far away in Ilesa, their hometown, making preparations with the members of their families for his forthcoming wedding ceremony.Dapo's tongue had been loosened by the hearty meal and he had chatted on rather unguardedly with his father in the course of the

Osaro and his daughter were in the Kaodiliyes' well-lit garden. His wife had made sure that he made the second visit in a single day, and at night too, not giving in to his 'flimsy excuse' of not liking the idea of driving in the night. "Let one of the drivers take you then! When Ame sees you again tonight, she'll know that the case on hand is a serious one." Rosa had knocked out his excuse with her retort. Osaro had had no choice than to tell Bello, one of his seasoned drivers, to drive him, in an unmarked car, to the Kaodiliyes'. Osaro was rather thankful that neither Ego, nor her mother, the matron, was at home when he made his nocturnal visit to their house. And, the Colonel was

Osahon stood defiantly before his father. He was in his father's study and his father, now playing judge, sat at his desk, presiding. His cousin-cum-brother, Segun, on a visit with the family, stood at a respectable distance from the desk where Osaro sat. Rosa Obasogie was noticeably absent. Osaro was tapping the top of his desk as he addressed his younger son. "I will have no child of mine exhibit any trait of hooliganism, Osahon! You were not so taught!" "But dad, he-" Osahon began to protest defiantly but his father's roar startled him into silence. "No more meddlin

There was a mild shower in the morning on Ame's wedding day. Ame had turned down the beauticians her mother had sent to her, choosing only to be attended to by her best friend, Nwakaego Kaodiliye. For her wedding dress, since her mother-in-law, Mrs Abiola Adejare had insisted on providing it, she had chosen a silver, ankle-length gown which enhanced her curves to an advantage. The shimmering ankle-length cape attached to the dress added to the beauty of the dress and made Ame look like a dazzling nymph. For her adornment, Ame wore the diamond necklace which Philip had given her, her mother had given her a pair of diamond earrings and diamond bracelet to accentuate her necklace. She wore the silver Swiss wrist watch which her father had given her on her twenty-third birthday. The only makeup she wore was the pale peach lipstick that Philip liked. And, she had also insisted on wearing her hair in the style Philip had preferred. Her dressing on her wedding day was all for her dead love,

Sweat trickled down Philip's face but the attendant nurse quickly dabbed at it with a sterile cotton swab. His eyes lit up in appreciation but he quickly turned to the patient on the operating bed. He was with a team of neurosurgeons in the theatre where they had been for the previous five hours, battling to save the life of a man who had been involved in an accident. His helicopter had crashed immediately after take off and though he had miraculously escaped death, he was in a very bad shape. He had been rushed into the emergency section of the hospital in the early hours of the morning and the senior surgeons had risen to the challenge. Philip had been surprised when he saw his name on the schedule but the Chief Medical Director had quipped that having understudied their best hands for over six months, Philip was over qualified to be part of the team. The operation had been long and hard and Philip, knowing