Of Valentine And Politics

Dear Reader,

I know it’s coming one day later than the fourteenth, but who says Valentine can only be celebrated in one day?

So, dear reader, happy Love-Day. I hope you spent enough  time with that special someone yesterday? I hope you whispered love notes in his/ her ears? I hope you called your Mama and Daddy up and told them how much they mean to you?

And most of all, I hope you showed love to those street kids, those orphans who have nobody?

Here’s my Valentine gift to you, a story I entered in for an ongoing  Valentine  competition. Please do read and follow the link below to comment on the story and give me a chance at winning.

I love you, dear trusted reader. And thank you in advance.

 

Remember, the rest of the story can be read when you click the link below, and don’t leave without dropping a comment, it is very important. Gracias.

 

********

 

He gripped the worn out chair that stood between them, his chest heaving from the explosive words he had just let loose.
‘What did you just say Bode?’ His girlfriend asked.
He debated whether to repeat his words, had he meant them? Was he ready to go down that road?
‘Bode, what did you say?’ Her voice was low, a dangerous sign and a stark contrast to the screaming girl she had been a few minutes ago.
‘You heard me,’ he said.
‘So, you’re saying if I don’t vote Buhari, we’re done? You really mean that?’
He was stoic, unblinking, belying the pounding in his heart. How had a simple political argument turned this sour?
‘So, cat got your tongue now? You know what; I’ll make it easy on you. We’re done right now. Why wait till tomorrow? This…is over.’
‘Nancy…’ he began, unsure of what to say.
‘Don’t. You just proved something to me. Our relationship isn’t worth anything to you.’
He watched her pick her bag from the seat and march towards the door, he wanted to reach out to her, to apologize and tell her that nothing mattered except her but he didn’t. He had already crossed the line and as the door banged behind her, he felt his heart rip to pieces.
What had he just done?
Why hadn’t he let sleeping dogs lie? The election had always been a sore topic between them especially since Nan had aligned herself with PDP, using her status as a journalist to plant herself behind the President even when Bode had told her he didn’t agree with it.
He had told her clearly that he didn’t support the President’s re-election and she had laughed about it, telling him she was just doing her job. And then she had gotten her PVC and it had moved from just-a-job to I-vote-Goodluck.
‘Why?’ He had asked consistently.
‘Why not?’ Had been her rejoinder. ‘He’s a candidate and I have a right to my vote.’
‘But, you are my girlfriend and I don’t support Jonathan,’ he said, kissing her. He knew how selfish and silly that sounded but he didn’t care.
She had thrown him a look of despair that ended the conversation.
And now this. He should have known when to leave things alone. He shouldn’t have pushed her.
Now, they had broken up one day to the election. Happy now, Bode?
**********************

She would not cry. She must not. She could not admit that he had hurt her that much. Absolutely not.
She blinked back tears as she lay in bed that night, a coldness enveloped her. She missed the warmth of his body. They were supposed to be together right now, cuddling and eating popcorn most likely.
Over.
She couldn’t believe it. Bode, had been her life for the two years they’d been together. Somehow, he had come to be a part of her; that extra limb she hadn’t known she needed and that she now couldn’t do without.
Maybe she should have backed out from this politics thing when he asked her to.

Read more here http://www.elsieisy.com/valentine-politics/

Lookout For Miss Right – 11

Dear readers, I searched for the Episodes 1-3 of the series and found them on my former blog site that was on Blogger. Here are the links:
http://mimiadebayo.blogspot.com/2013/12/lookout-for-miss-right-1.html?m=1
http://mimiadebayo.blogspot.com/2013/12/lookout-for-miss-right-2.html?m=1
http://mimiadebayo.blogspot.com/2013/12/lookout-for-miss-right-3.html?m=1
Your comments are welcome as always.

*****
I began playing along, plastering a horrified look on my face to convince Sonia.
“Is she okay?” I asked Femi
“We are not sure. We think she had a heart attack. She needs you” He said
I turned to Sonia, a pleading look in my eyes. It was then I noticed she was still dressed in her half naked attire.
“I’m sorry, dear. But you understand how important this is, don’t you?” I asked in the most sincere voice I could muster.
From the look on her face, I could tell she wasn’t happy with the new development, but at the same time she didn’t want to look like a witch. She folded her arms across her chest.
“I’ll go with you. If she’s that sick, you’ll need all the help you can get,” she said
I held her shoulders and looked into her eyes. “I’m sorry… but I have to do this alone. I don’t want you to meet my mother like this.”
“But…but…” she stuttered
“We don’t have much time, please. We have to go now,” Femi interrupted
“I’m sorry” I said again. I didn’t know what I was apologising for, that I had to go? Or for lying to her?
I felt a small pang of guilt as I left her standing forlorn in the doorway.
Femi and I didn’t say a word to each other until we were out of her line of sight, then Femi started talking;
“Guy, you get lots of explaining to do. You know abi?” He was back to his less- serious self.
I nodded. “There’ll be time for that later. Now I just want to get out of here.”
“Who’s the babe? She’s hot! Did you see those boobs? So succulent…abeg wetin happen dere?” He was rambling on as we got to the parking lot.
“That was Odeniran’s daughter.” I replied. “Sonia”
“Serious?!” he exclaimed. “Guy, we have to talk. You must tell me what happened there.”
“I will see you guys this weekend and tell you everything. For now, I need to get home. I came with my car.”
“Okay. See you later then.” He patted my back lightly
“Femi…” I began. “Thanks for today. I really appreciate,” I said quietly.
He winked at me. “Don’t mention. What are friends for? Besides, it’s not every time I get to see you in scruples. It was fun watching you do like pikin under her eyes. That babe must be something,” he laughed as he saw the look on my face. “Go home, pal. See you tomorrow.”
We bade each other goodbye, and went our separate ways.
The drive home was risky because apart from being tired to the bones, I was damn sleepy. My eyelids were heavy. My brain refused to compute the events that had taken place that day, I just needed to shut down and get some quality rest.
By the time I got home, it was well past nine pm. I fell into bed after locking up.
The next thing I heard was my alarm ringing rudely. I almost flung my phone away, it seemed as though I had been asleep only a few minutes. I slowly dragged myself out of bed, did all the necessary things and got ready for work.
Ever since this Sonia saga began, I woke up expecting to have an eventful and unexpected day. Normal was no longer part of my routine. Today was no different, I went to work, wondering what awaited me, maybe another visit from Chief Odeniran .
Surprisingly, there were no strange occurrences at work. Everything seemed normal, and by the time I was closing from work, I was sure that my good karma was back. Maybe, just maybe Sonia was finally out of my life for good.
My friends and I were spending the weekend at Oscar’s. It felt good to be away from the tension of the Odenirans and just spend time with my favourite people.
Abigail opened the door for me when I got to Oscar’s house. She looked great in jeans and t- shirt. Her slim body fit well into the jeans. She smiled at me as I entered.
“You’re early” She said, ushering me inside. “I was just about leaving”
“Don’t mind me, just couldn’t wait to leave my house. Oscar is still at work?” I asked
“Yes. He’ll be back soon, hopefully,” she replied
For the first time, I noticed she looked a bit pale. Make- up had done a good job of hiding the paleness, though.
“Are you okay?” I asked. “You look a bit pale.”
She gave me a smile which resembled a real one, but somehow I knew it wasn’t. This wasn’t the same bubbling woman Oscar had introduced us to.
“I’m fine, don’t worry about me.” She said finally, “You must be hungry. Come into the kitchen while I fix something to eat”
I declined politely, although she was right about me being hungry.
“Oh…please. This is your home too. Stop forming for me jare. You think I don’t know how close y’all are? I actually like it.”
I didn’t need any more persuasion; I followed her to the kitchen. We talked as we fixed the meal. Everything seemed to be going well, until I suddenly heard her gasp in pain.
“Are you okay?” I asked, worry creeping into my voice
She nodded. “I’ll be fine; I just need to sit down a bit”
This time I didn’t believe her, I could see the pain which she tried to hide, etched in her face.
“Abbey, what’s wrong? I know everything isn’t fine,” I went over to her. “Do you want me to call Oscar?”
Her answer was instanteous, a vigorous shake of the head.
“You sure?” I asked
This time, I got no answer, because the next thing I knew she was lying on the floor in a dead faint.
To Be Continued…

Mimi .A ©2012

Lookout For Miss Right – Episode 9

So, this was the scenario; I was being held hostage by an unarmed woman, and the key to my freedom was in her bra. If I
wasn’t in the situation myself, I honestly would have laughed. How on earth had I gotten myself into such a situation?
     I glanced at Sonia, obviously she wasn’t giving up; she had struck a seductive pose on the bed, the smile on her face was an odd mixture of feral and frightening.
     Another thought began to fill my head, what if she had AIDS? Or some kind of STD?
“Jake…I’m horny,” She cooed, batting her lashes at me, “Stop thinking for a moment and come here.”
I didn’t look at her, couldn’t look at her. I had never been this disgusted by a lady before and I wondered where my earlier attraction to her had gone.
“Your dad came to my office this morning. He was looking for you,” I said, making a last effort to change her mind, “he warned
me to stay away from you.”
“Leave my dad out of this, darh…ling.” She stressed the word. “He thinks he knows what’s best for me, but he doesn’t.”
“Maybe he does.” I said lamely. “Sonia, this is madness. You can’t force me to…”
“Are you gay?” She interrupted.
   I stared at her incredulously, not saying a word.
“I know you’re not.” She said. “There’s nothing crazy about this. I love you and I want to be with you. And you feel the same way too, you’re just denying it.”
“Why do you assume I feel the same way?” I asked, stalling. I needed time to figure out a way out of there.
She stood up and walked towards me. “I see it in your eyes. I see the way you look at me, Jake. I know.”
What you see is disgust not desire. I wanted to say.
She placed her hands on the side of my face and looked into my eyes. “I know you feel the same way. I know it! I know it! So
don’t tell me you don’t!” She was screaming now.
I was perplexed at the sudden mood change. One moment she had been calm and collected, the next, she was hysterical.
  I took her hands away from my face gently, they were shaking.
“Sonia… calm down.” I spoke gently, wondering how to convince her to give me the key.
“No! I’ve been calm! You keep rejecting me!” She pulled away from me and began hitting my chest. “Why won’t you love me? Why?!… Why?! Aren’t I good enough for you?!” She was yelling now, tears
streaming down her face.
I pitied her. She was like a hysterical child throwing a tantrum. I seized her hands again, momentarily stopping her tantrum.
She collapsed against me, sobbing. I held her, trying to sooth her.     
    Obviously the girl had emotional issues. Her tears subsided and she clung to me of her own volition.
“Please don’t leave me.” she pleaded in a
tiny voice.
How could I tell her that no matter how much I pitied her, I didn’t want to be there? That I had promised her father to stay away from her?

“I have to go, Sonia. Please. Your father would kill me if he knows I’m here.” I tried to rationalize with her.
  Instantly, another mood swing. She pulled away from me like she had been stung. Her anger had returned.
“You’re not leaving me.” she said. “Not until I’m satisfied.”
Oh God. I prayed. Save me from this woman. Why couldn’t I reason with her?

She thrust her tits at me, I couldn’t help noticing how they danced voluntarily…like her own personal cheerleaders. I think my
disgust overrode my desire because I found I wasn’t aroused.
“I know you want me. Stop fighting it.” She trailed a finger down my chest.
   I stepped away from her. “I have to go to the bathroom.” I said and without waiting for a reply, I made a beeline for the
bathroom. On getting there, I locked the door behind me.
Now I had to think of how to get out from this situation unscathed; without awakening the demon in her or alerting Chief Odeniran.
  The bathroom was fairly big and comfortable,most importantly it was clean.
I began brainstorming…I knew I could overpower her with little stress but I also thought of the consequences.
    She might make the allegation of assault or rape, and no one would believe my story.
“Jakey… don’t keep a lady waiting.” I heard her say.
“I’m taking a bath.” I lied and immediately
turned on the tap.
“Aaaaw… you don’t have to do all that for me,” she said. “Know what? Why don’t I join you? It’ll be fun.”
I groaned inwardly. Didn’t she know when to quit?
“No need. I’ll…uh…we’ll do that later.” I said, increasing the tempo of the faucet to block out her voice.

I sat on the edge of the bathtub, trying to figure out what to do. Guys help me out here. If you were in my shoes, what would you do?

And then I remembered I had my phone! Why hadn’t I thought about it before?
     Immediately an idea began to form in my head…
       I took out my phone and began typing.

To be continued.

Lookout For Miss Right – 8

Immediately I wished I hadn’t picked the call. Sleep disappeared from my eyes.
“Jake, where are you?” She asked without any preamble.
I hesitated. “Why are you asking?”
“You were a naughty boy last night, you know.”
Almost immediately I remembered Chief Odeniran’s threat and my promise to avoid Sonia at all costs.
“You there, Jake?”
“I’m a bit busy right now Sonia. Sorry about last night but I had to go to work this morning.”
“Well I’ve forgiven you already but I need your help.”
I groaned inwardly. What could she want this time?
“I’m sorry but I didn’t know who else to call.” She continued.
“What is it?” I let the impatience show in my voice.
“I’m stuck somewhere right now and kinda need your help. I just realised I don’t have any money on me and I need to get home. Can you come pick me up please?” She cooed.
I knew she was lying. This was another ploy to get me to see her and I wanted no part in it.
“Call your father.” I said curtly.
“Oh my. Has he come to see you? Is that why you’re being so harsh? Jake please come pick me up, I can’t call my dad; he’ll kill me.”
And what about me? I wanted to ask.
“Then call someone else, I’m busy.”
“I’ll call my father,” the tone of her voice changed. “I’ll tell him you tried to rape me yesterday.”
“What!” I couldn’t believe my ears. What exactly was this girl up to?
“I’m sorry Jake. Don’t make me do this. I just need you to pick me up.”
“Why me? What do you want from me? Why are you doing this?” Frustration echoed in my voice.
“Jake darling,” the words rolled off her tongue. “I don’t want anything from you. Don’t you understand? I just want you.”
Her words resounded in my ears. I want you, I want you…

Wordless, I hung up; not to spite her but because I was confused. I didn’t know how to respond to that confession. It was weird. I had met this girl once last week and since then my life had become a nightmare.
My phone rang again, this time I checked the caller ID, it was a different number from the one she’d used  to call me. After debating whether or not to pick the call, I decided to ignore it.
When the ringing finally stopped; my phone beeped signalling an incoming text message. By the time I read it I was convinced the girl was crazy.
The text said:
“Jake, I have the Commissioner of Police on speed dial and I won’t hesitate to use it. I don’t think you want to sleep in a cell this night. Baby, please don’t make this difficult for me. If you don’t call me for the address within five minutes, I’ll be forced to use this number. I’ll be waiting.”
I’m going to admit I was nervous. I had never encountered such a lady before and somehow I believed that her threats were not empty. As I pondered on what to do, I was very conscious of the time. She’d said five minutes. Only five damn minutes to decide whether to risk spending the night in a cell for a fabricated crime or to pick up a wacko girl from wherever she was.
I made a decision. She was the one calling the shots here, I couldn’t deny that. I dialled her number and took down the address.
When I arrived at the hotel, I said a small prayer as I got to  the door of her hotel room. I hoped to put an end to this nonsense.
“Who is it?” She asked when I knocked
When I identified myself, the door opened immediately and she stood there with a big smile on her face.
She looked every inch the woman she was. She’d overdone it a bit, though. Everything about her reeked sensuality. She was dressed in a sinfully short black gown that hugged her body and showed off her contours. The first thought that came to mind on seeing her was the book titled ‘The devil wears Prada’
“You came!” She looked delighted to see me.
“I didn’t have a choice, did I?” I snapped.
“Oh, don’t be like that darling. Come in.”
Just seeing her, I knew what her mission was already. This wasn’t going to be a rescue mission. In fact if anyone needed rescuing it was going to be me.
I found my eyes straying to her exposed chest and I berated myself.
“Sorry I had to do it that way, darling.” She slipped her hand in mine and pulled me fully into the room.
So here’s the thing; I’d never had a woman have designs on me like this one did. She’d created a very romantic and tempting setting and if I hadn’t been suspicious already, I won’t have minded one bit.
The room was dimly lit with scented candles, the blinds were drawn. There were red rose petals sprayed on the pathway leading to the bed. The bed itself was clothed in white linen sheets with rose petals decorating it. A bottle of wine stood on the bedside table.
“You like it?” She asked.
“It’s okay,” I replied, unenthusiastic. “What exactly is all this?”
“Don’t be like that, my darling. I wanted our first time to be special.” She placed a hand on my chest.
Blood of Jesus! I wanted to scream.
What on earth had I gotten myself into?
“Sonia, let’s get something straight here…” I began. “The truth is I don’t know what I’m doing here but get this; there is no ‘us’.”
Her expression underwent a change rapidly. She took a step back and stood with arms akimbo. A woman scorned…
“What the hell are you saying?” She demanded.
“I’m saying you’ve got it all wrong. There’s nothing between us and there never will be. I don’t even want to be here.”
“But…I love you Jake.” She was pleading now. “I love you and I know you love me too.”
“Sonia that’s….”
“Shut up Jake. Listen to me, I’m in love with you and I know you feel the same way too.” She pressed herself against me. “I will go to any length to have you. Read my lips.”
I suddenly had the intense need to run as far away from her as possible. Everything was getting out of hand.
“I’m sorry Sonia but I have to go.”
She stared at me for a second and just when I thought I’d finally gotten through, she stepped away from me, went to the door and locked it. And then did something strange.
She tucked the key into her bra. There was a mischievous glint in her eye.
“You wanna leave?” She asked. “Then come get it.”

At that moment I knew was screwed…

TO BE CONTINUED.

Lookout For Miss Right – 7

I couldn’t believe my ears. I blinked, looking from one man to the other.
“I don’t understand,” I said. “Who are you?”
Both men looked threatening enough but I found I wasn’t really bothered. Instead I was irritated.
“Let me repeat my question. Where’s Sonia Odeniran?” The taller one asked a hint of menace in his voice.
I was becoming irritated with this Sonia drama; I hadn’t finished wrapping my head around the incident of last night and here were these strangers showing up on my doorstep early this morning.
Besides, the same question kept plaguing me. How had they found out where I live?
“You know what? I can’t do this now. I have to be at work in ten minutes, so please come back some other time, ok?” I turned to go back into the house.
“Sorry Mister. But we have to do this now. We have information that you saw her last night.” The other one spoke this time. His voice came out in a grunt.
“Information from who?” I asked. It was making me uncomfortable to know that my every move was being monitored.  “You’re stalking me?”
They didn’t answer me and suddenly I was infuriated. I walked into the house without a second thought and slammed the door behind me. For a moment I thought they would come after me and try to force the door open.
They didn’t.
I finished dressing and got ready for work. I took a deep breath and opened my door; praying that they’d left.
Yes, they had. But someone else stood there. A woman who’d been showing up at odd times. Barbara.
I groaned inwardly. What was this about now?
“What are you doing here?” I demanded.
“Easy man.” She sidled up to me.
“Anyway, I can’t talk now. I’m off to work and I’m late. So later.” My mood was suddenly sour. I brushed past her and headed towards my car.
“Wait. I need to talk to you.” She said, following me.
“Wow. It seems everyone wants to talk to me today. I’ve suddenly become a celebrity.” My voice dipped with sarcasm.
“Please.”
I was already at my car, I opened it and threw my suitcase inside. Then I turned to face her.
“Answer this first.” I asked.
“Okay.”
“How did you find out where I live?”
She paused.
Shaking my head, I climbed into my car. It was then I noticed the black jeep parked across the road. From where I sat, I could make out the faces of the men that had been on my doorstep a few minutes ago. What in God’s name was going on here?
“I want to talk about Sonia.” She said finally.
If I was interested before, I was curious now. What connection did Sonia have with Barbara? What Pandora box had I opened by meeting Sonia Odeniran?
“Do you know where she is?” She didn’t mince words.
“I think I’m the one who needs answers here.” I said, anger welling up in me. Yesterday had been no coincidence after all.
“There’s no time for that now. Just tell me where she is.”
Now, I stepped out of the car and towered over her. “You have some nerve lady. Walking up to me, in my own house and demanding answers. Do I look stupid to you?” I was almost raving mad.
She instantly looked apologetic. “Please, it’s urgent.”
I sighed and glanced at my wrist watch. “I dropped her off at home last night.”
I  didn’t wait for her to answer before I got into my car and drove off.
I played back everything that had happened the previous night and the pieces began to fall into place. Meeting Barbara at the restaurant last night had been no coincidence.
I arrived at work late and had to hurry to my cubicle. My colleague, Jennifer sat tense behind her desk.
“You’re late. What’s up?” She asked.
I sighed. “Got held up. Why the face?”
“Someone big showed up. He’s been in with the manager for a while.”
“Who?”
“Chief Odeniran.”
“Chief Odeniran?” Now I was worried.
“Mmhhmmm. He’s been there for a few minutes now.”
I sat down with a thump. What was going on now?
“You okay? You seem disturbed.” Jennifer asked, breaking into my reverie.
I shrugged. “I’m okay. Just a bit tired. Didn’t get enough sleep last night.”
“Eeeya kpele,” She said. “Anyway, you should know…the manager asked that you come to his office as soon as you arrive.”
I perked up instantly. “He wants to see me?”
“Yes,” she was staring at me. “Are you in trouble?”
“I’m not sure what I did exactly. Let me go find out.”
As I made my way to the manager’s office, I braced myself for whatever confrontation I was going to face. I determined that I wasn’t going to let Chief Odeniran intimidate me.
He was backing me when I entered the office. It wasn’t until Mr Bello, my boss acknowledged my presence that Chief turned to face me.
I may have seen him previously on one or two occasions but none had ever been this up close. I was looking in the face of a very influential man, everything about his demeanour was imposing; from his outfit to the look on his bearded face. He was on the large side, sporting a pot-belly, I could see the resemblance between him and Sonia.
He was dressed in a flowing agbada and the look on his face was less than welcoming.
I greeted both men as warmly as possible.
“Aaah… Jacob. Come on in and make yourself comfortable.” Mr Bello waved me towards a sofa.
I took a seat and waited.
“I’m sure you know Chief here. He’s one of our major clients.” Mr Bello began. “You know our job is to make our clients happy.”
I nodded, wondering where this was going.
“Chief here, has a…er… complaint.”
“Complaint? About my job?”
My boss looked uncomfortable. He shifted in his seat. “Er…not about your job per se. It’s a personal complaint.”
I stiffened. Chief Odeniran really had the nerve to show up at my workplace to make a personal complaint about me? I couldn’t believe it. Didn’t he have better things to do than traipse around all day trying to keep his daughter away from men?
I glanced at him. He sat, stoic; looking every inch the powerful man he was.
“He seems to think you have something to hide” Mr Bello was saying. “I think it’s about his daughter. It seems you’ve been making…er…unusual advances towards her. And he wants them to stop.”
I almost laughed out loud. That was his complaint? How pathetic.
“Sir,” I began, addressing my boss. “His fears are unfounded. I have nothing to do with his daughter; in fact she stood me up on a planned date. I wouldn’t exactly call that a relationship.”
From the look on my boss’ face I could tell he didn’t like the part he was playing in this. It wasn’t often that he was called to interfere in matters like this involving his employees.
It sounded strange to me that a man like Chief Odeniran will make such a trip just to warn me off his daughter.
“Sir you know me. When it comes to my job, I take it very serious but I think whatever has to do with my personal life should be left alone.” I turned to Chief Odeniran. “Sir I assure you, nothing is going on between me and your daughter. You have my word that I won’t touch her with a ten-foot pole.”
I added the last phrase for effect; a slight insult for him to go home with.
His nostrils flared as he looked at me. “She was at your place last night.”
“Indeed sir. Although, how she found my place, I have no idea. I don’t recall inviting or giving her descriptions.” I snorted.
He humphed, glaring at me. Then he stood up.
“I don’t want you to see, smell or even breathe the same air with my daughter.” He delivered one final warning then faced my boss. “Learn to keep your employees in check. I don’t want to have to make this trip again.”
With that he stormed out.
As soon as he left, I stood to leave…
“And where do you think you’re going?” My boss asked in a growl. “Sit down and explain to me exactly what’s going on.”
“It’s nothing serious sir. He’s just being overprotective.” I replied, still standing.
“Overprotective is what made a man like Chief Odeniran come to my office as early as this?”
“Frankly, even I am surprised.”
My boss frowned at me. “Don’t let this happen again. I don’t like being told what to do in my own office, especially not in the morning.”
“I’m sorry sir. It won’t happen again.” I apologised.
“Good. Better keep your pants zipped and be careful who you dally with.”
“Yes sir.”
“You may go back to work.”
As I walked back to my office, I wondered whether this was the last I’d heard from the Odenirans.
I worked earnestly the rest of the day and soon I forgot the meeting that had taken place that morning. When I finally closed work I was exhausted.
Thankfully there were no strange visitors waiting for me, I sighed in relief.
As soon as I had eaten, I dozed off. The sound of my phone ringing woke me up. I rolled over and picked the phone.
“Hello.”
“Hi Jake. It’s me.”
Instantly I knew who it was, how could I forget?
I sat up immediately.
“Jake? You there?”
“Sonia?” I managed to say…

TO BE CONTINUED.

Lookout For Miss Right – 5

“Hello.” She sounded unusually cheery.
“Um…hi.”
“May I join you?” Without waiting for an answer she slid into the chair opposite.
She looked…breath taking as usual even in her casual outfit of a blue sleeveless top and bum shorts that did justice to her legs.
“So, this is a pleasant surprise.” I observed.
She flashed me a smile. “A coincidence. I just stopped by to get food. I haven’t had time to cook lately.”
“Really?” I was wondering why she as all friendly, especially after our first meeting.
“Yes. What about you? Who’s the lucky girl?”
“Must there be a girl?” I dodged the question. “Can’t a gentleman eat out alone again?”
“Not when that gentleman is dressed like a prince,” She laughed at her own joke. “seriously, you’re meeting someone, right?”
I laughed too. “You got me. She hasn’t shown up yet.”
Our conversation went uphill from there. She was actually fun to converse with. But I noticed that the way I looked at her had changed a bit. After knowing what I knew about her and Femi, I just wasn’t interested in messing with her.
We finally rounded up our conversation by 9:30pm, I’d had no idea that time had flown by so quickly. We parted ways.
It wasn’t until I was in my car on my way home did the reality of this evening hit me. Sonia had stood me up.

Needless to say I was disappointed. Not just in Sonia but in myself too. I’d expected too much and had gotten nothing in return.
I’d indeed dressed like ‘a prince’ to impress this girl but she’d not only not shown up, she’d not even bothered to call or text to explain. I was more hurt than angry.
Perhaps there was a good reason she stood me up. Maybe she’d fallen sick or something. Or worse, she’d dropped dead. Hehehe.
I allowed myself a smile at my own crazy joke. Dead ko, alive ni.
During my drive home, I beat myself up about the incident. Ladies are just so unpredictable and too much trouble. I wished one could do without them.
Perhaps Sonia hadn’t been worth it after all. Everything about her had been wrong from the start. Yet that was what had intrigued me and pushed me to go on.
By the time I got to my doorstep, I was feeling much better. I noticed the lights were on in my in apartment. It could only mean one thing- Flores hadn’t left yet.
I knocked softly. “It’s Jake, open up.”
I heard the keys jangle in the lock and seconds later, the door fell open.
“Mmmm….someone’s home early,” She said as I walked in. “what happened? Date go awry?”
“Madam, stop teasing. I should ask you the same.” I settled on the couch. “Where’s your Prince Charming? Thought you both had a date tonight?”
“Don’t turn this around. I asked first. Tell me. What was she like?”
“Absent.” I replied.
“What?
“She didn’t show up.”
“What?”
“You heard me. I got stood up. Now, guess who I ran into instead.”
“Who?”
“Femi’s sister. Barbara what’s-her name-again?”
“Bode-Johnson, fish head.” She tapped me playfully on my head.
“Yes. We actually talked. She didn’t form for me like she did the first day.”
“And?”
“And what?”
“What else happened?”
“Nothing. What did you expect to happen? We talked. Simple.”
“Hmmm. If you say so.”
“What’s on your mind, Madam?”
“Don’t call me that, Oga.”
I smiled. “What are you thinking?”
“You still like her, don’t you?”
I shrugged. “Not in the way you think. I think she’s cool but I’m not going after her, if that’s what you’re thinking.” I massaged my temple. “Now, why are you still here?”
“Fred called and cancelled. Something about work.” She sighed. “You men, so unpredictable.”
“Oh really? Coming from someone whom one of her species stood me up.”
“Ehen, tell me about it. What exactly  happened?”
“I waited three hours, her majesty didn’t show up. No calls or texts to explain why.”
“That’s strange ooh.”
“Yes, very.”
“So what happens now?”
“Now, I just want to get into bed and sleep. I have work tomorrow. She can go to hell for all I care; she was too fat for me sef.”
Flores chuckled. “The thing pain you sha. Sometimes it’s good for you guys to face this kind of thing, una go humble sharply.”
“Femi no go take something like this.”
“Girls don’t stand Femi up. He womanises for a living.”
I smiled at the idea. But I knew there was some truth in it. “How does he do it?”
She eyed me. “The moment you want to switch business to womanising, please tell me so I will find my way. Isn’t one womaniser in this crew enough for you?”
I found myself laughing. Flores had always been able to do that.
“Anyway, if you’re hungry…there’s rice. Me, I’m on my way home. It’s quite late.”
I had almost forgotten she had to go home.
“I’ll drop you off. Thank you for the rice.  And for yabbing me till I laughed.”
She punched my shoulder lightly. “Don’t let this women-ish bother you. That’s why we’re called wo-men. To cause men some troubles. You’ll find your woman soon enough if you keep looking.  You’re handsome my friend, I’m sure ladies would be falling over themselves to have you. Sonia just missed out.”
“And you, my darling, are the best friend a guy could ask for. Now let’s get you home before you go all mushy on me.” I joked lightly to cover up the effect her words had on me.
The drive to Lugbe was short because the road was almost empty. We said our goodbyes and hugged.
Somehow I felt closer to her than I had in a long time. Our conversation made me realise how we’d all grown up. So different from when we’d first met.
I drove home with one thing on my mind- Sleep.

I parked my car in my usual spot and mounted my threshold. As I made to unlock the front door, my eyes fell on the shadow in the corner.
It was dark so I couldn’t quite make out the shape. Until the figure stepped out into the light.
I gasped.
It was Sonia.

TO BE CONTINUED…