I pulled the creased yellow flower patterned shirt off my pillow and placed my nose on it. After taking a deep and slow breath, I threw it across the room. It landed on my work table where my laptop lay open, a little effigy tottered from side to side, threatening to fall from the disturbance. The shirt had lost its purpose. It would not make me dream of her anymore.
It slid to the floor, it no longer had that intoxicating fragrance. My room was always stuffy. I hardly opened the windows because I wanted to trap her scent as much as I could. As I walked towards the bathroom, I grabbed the shirt from the floor, bundled it together and threw it back on the bed. I had to return it back to her apartment. I walked into the bathroom to prepare for work.
The traffic was bad. it seemed to be growing worse. Everything seemed worse these days. Black exhaust belched by trucks and cars polluted the air. Noise from blaring horns filtered into the car. I tried to drown it by turning on some music from the car stereo. Everything soon turned into a buzz as Tomi’s laugher began to fill my ears. I wondered if she noticed a piece of clothing disappeared every time I visited her, all five times. Maybe she just allowed me get away with it.
***********
Tomi was a young intern at work, I had seen her around a couple of times. I picked her up on one Friday evening while she stood waiting for a bus as it rained heavily and the pathetic gutters overflowed . She was drenched and the sight of her entering my car with wet clothes turned on something in my head.
A sharp scent hit my nose and filled the car even before she sat down. It reminded me of old clothes stuffed at the bottom of a box for months but instead of their strong musty smell, it was something like lavender or rose oil, I couldn’t exactly tell. It was not too flowery, it was just perfect.
She thanked me over and over again. If only she knew I did not need it, I could take her wherever she wanted as long as she remained beside me. I dropped her off at an apartment building just a few streets away from mine. I was almost home when I saw a scarf lying on the floor. It matched the design of the gown she had worn.
I grabbed it and drew it to my nose. Her scent was woven into it like the very pattern of the Ankara material. I did it again and again. I placed it on my pillow before going to bed that night as I tried to coerce the image of her dripping body to fill my sleepy eyes.
The next day when I met her to return her scarf she was apologetic for making me go through the trouble. “Can I keep it?” I asked as her hands grazed mine. I stared at her beautiful face. She laughed at the question and a dimple showed as her top lip quivered. I did not laugh because I meant it. I really wanted to keep her scarf. I let out a stifled sound to acknowledge her laugher. She invited me over to her house for a little birthday party with her friends.
I agreed and that night, I stole a purple linen top that laid on my bed for a week. I wonder if she liked me, I couldn’t tell with women. That was one thing I always failed at.
************
When I arrived at work, I texted her with the hope of getting another visit to her house but I got no reply. I made a detour to the legal department where she interned to check if I could see her but I told she would not be around for the week. It seemed like a family emergency they said. That was when it clicked in my head that I had not seen her in four days. Her shirt had filled the void. I tried calling her phone.
Somebody picked up but dropped the call before I could say anything. I really needed to get another piece of clothing from her. I gave a subtle thought to breaking into her apartment. I felt a slight headache, I just wanted to get off work at that moment. I hoped she returned soon.
At night, I picked up the yellow shirt from my bag and stared hard at it. I folded the shirt and placed it in my closet. I knew I wouldn’t sleep well. I turned on some music and did little dance moves as Wizkid’s Ojuelegba simmered softly. I walked towards the curtains casting a dull glow into the dark room. I drew them apart and for the first time in a long while, I opened the windows.
