Mrs Ekuban had a dream that I was getting married in a beautiful white dress with a long flowing train and that has been weighing heavily on my mind since she delivered her vision. I sat behind the self serve bar pouring my second glass of whiskey when Kwashie walked up. She hasn't left my side since Christmas Day and Mrs Ekuban occupied the guest room. She allowed me and Kwashie sleeping in the same bed after much convincing that we weren't having sex.

"Two shots, please." Kwashie said taking a seat on one of the bar stools.

"What would you like, handsome?" I asked.

"If you don't have a 9 millimeter I'll take tequila instead," I stared at her with a gaping mouth and wide eyes.

I finally turned around to take the tequila off the shelf and took up two shot glasses resting them in front of her. I took out a mini dish and placed two lime wedges on it while I searched for the salt shaker. I found it and placed it in front of her then went to pour the tequila into the shot glasses. I watched her bit into the lime, licked the salt from the back of her hand and then threw the shot back.

"It's lick, drink, suck." I said to her.

"You've never complained when I sucked and licked then drunk you up." She winked at me.

"Focus on what's happening right now, son." I snapped my fingers at her.

"Isn't it funny we got each other time pieces for Christmas?" She asked me looking at the Zenith El Primero pendulum watch that I gave her as a gift.

"You got me a clock," I laughed.

"Isn't it a time piece?" She raised her eyebrow.

"I guess it is. Thanks for replacing the clock you broke," I smiled at her.

"It wasn't my hand that hit the clock from the wall," she said.

"Well... if you weren't doing what you were doing then my hand wouldn't have been there to hit the clock off the wall in the first place," I rolled my eyes.

She got up from the bar stool and made her way around to me behind the bar. She had my back against the bar while her body was firmly pressed against mines with her hands on my hips. She leaned her head close to my ear and I could feel her breath tickling my ear.

"Do you need some more act right?" She pressed her strap against my leg and I tensed up at the memory of what she calls act right.

"Nah bruh, I'm good." I coughed trying to clear my throat.

"Are you sure? Because I remembered telling you to not roll your eyes at me." She held my jaw firmly between her fingers.

"Watchyu gon do?" I asked.

"I think you already know," she slapped my thigh and I let out a small moan from the impact.

This girl has something over me man, I've never acted like this before. I squirmed every time she touched me and my body responded just to the intense looks she gives me. I've been acting out just so I can get some "act right" dick. She's gonna send me over the edge one of these days.

"What is happening here?" I heard Mrs Ekuban call from the entryway. The room to the bar didn't have a door.

"I was getting something from behind her mama," Kwashie said taking up a scotch glass.

"Who is the bartender on duty? I would like a glass of white wine," Mrs Ekuban said.

"McGlashan, at your service." I bowed and pushed Kwashie from behind the bar.

I took a second to recollect myself to stop my shaking fingers and took the wine glass from its hanger. I took the already opened bottle of white wine from the wine cooler and poured it into the glass. I placed a napkin on the bar top as I set the glass on top of it and pushed it closer to Mrs Ekuban.

"Thank you, sweet heart." She smiled at me and sat on the stool beside Kwashie.

"May I have a dry gin martini, please." Kwashie had a grin on her face. Was she really testing my bartending skills?

I took the cocktail glass from its spot on the hanger and shoveled some ice into it to chill the glass. I grabbed the shaker and shoveled ice into it as well then took the Vermouth from the shelf pouring some into it. I stirred the Vermouth in with the ice and then used the strainer to strain off the excess. I winked at Kwashie as I turned around for the Beefeater Dry Gin and poured it into the shaker and covered it up giving it a good thirty seconds shake. I emptied the ice from the cocktail glass and put a dry green olive on a toothpick in before I poured the mixture into the glass. I placed a napkin on the bar top in front of her and rested the cocktail glass on top.

"A dry gin martini for the husband to be," I said.

"Who taught you bartending?" Mrs Ekuban asked.

"I took a course with Richard." I answered.

"Or, you learned just to satisfy your alcoholism." Kwashie said with a bitter tone:

"Do not speak of her in such dim light, young man." Mrs Ekuban pinched her ears and I stuck my tongue out at her.

"Thank you, mama Ekuban," I said.

"You are welcome, my child. I went to visit your father today." She directed her last statement to Kwashie.

"Wetin dey happen?" Kwashie asked.

"He will be released tomorrow, apparently the report made did not have any evidence to back it up because the voice recording did not sound like your father." She explained.

"Why did you threaten the young lady? Is she not Zim's best friend?" She asked.

"She threatened Zim and they are not friends mama, friends don't go out of their way to ruin their friend's lives." Kwashie said.

"Is this true, Zim?" Mama Ekuban looked at me.

"Yes. Ever since I told her that I planned on upholding my end of the marriage, she has been plotting against us. She even told my mother..." I was cut short.

"Even told your mother what?" My mother walked into the bar room with her back straight and red bottom heels clicking on the tile.

"Even told my mother a lie that I didn't want to be with Kwashie," I switched up my words.

"Oh? If you heard that conversation, it means you heard what other accusations were made." She sat at the bar tapping on the bar top. That meant she wanted her regular drink.

I turned around and got started on the dirty martini that she always drank, I was almost tempted to poison it.

"Yes, I heard and I believe it is ludicrous." I said.

"Mhm, I thought so too until Mr Ekuban got himself arrested in the place of Kwashie." She said.

I got finished shaking the drink and poured it into the chilled cocktail glass placing it on a napkin in front of her.

"Why was that? If you don't mind me asking..." she took a sip of her drink and then looked over at Kwashie.

"We both have the same name, there was no clear diction on who was to be arrested." She explained this to me the same night, that it was a plan long in the making in case Kwashie was to run in with the law.

"Ah, I see. I knew that it would happen, you see because Carter Jones confided in me prior." She smiled.

"I was to make sure that the right Ekuban got locked up but Richard whisked me away before I could say anything." She gave a humorless laugh.

"Why do you hate me?" I asked the question that has long been burning holes in my mind since I was younger.

"I don't hate you, I'm your mother. I know best." She said.

"You will not have happiness and you will not find peace. Your days are numbered Sophia McGlashan and the path you are taking will end up in nothing but destruction and misery." Mama Ekuban said.

"They don't say the devil wears Prada for nothing," She winked and got up from the stool walking away. Her heels leaving behind the hollow noise it made once it hit the dark tiles of the bar room.

I looked at Kwashie, her fingers were fiddling with the stem of the cocktail glass and under her eyes darkened from the stress she was feeling. I took the glass away from her and took up a scotch glass dropping two ice cubes in it and pouring whiskey into it. I passed it over to her and she immediately turned the glass to her head emptying the contents.

"I think I'd like those two shots now," she said with a grim expression.

Mrs Ekuban had already walked away mumbling words about praying away the evil.

"Tequila?" I asked even though I knew that wasn't what she meant.

"No, the 9 millimeter." She said in her thick accent.