“So where were you?” Funmi bit out striding angrily out of Ayo’s office. I left
a file on your desk earlier this morning and now I cannot find it!”
After the discovery of Funmi and Bisi’s alliance this morning, it was easy to
guess how the missing file and all the other ones in the past including other
different things that should have gotten her into trouble happened.
“I did not see any file on my desk,” Iphey replied as she fell into step behind.
“How will you? Going out for lunch and staying two hours!” Funmi turned
around and glared at her. She felt like throttling the other girl’s neck. Bisi had
given her the lowdown on their confrontation and she was mad as hell. Imagine
the small girl, after displacing her friend, she had the guts to stand up to her!
Well Bisi could blame herself for trying to befriend her in the first place. See
where that had gotten her.
“It wasn’t like…” Iphey began.
“Pschewwwww,” Funmi hissed. By now they were standing in front of her
office. “Just find that file!” She snapped testily and then left Iphey standing there.
She stalked in and slammed the door behind her.
Iphey walked to the water dispenser and pressed out some water in a white
plastic cup and headed to her desk. She walked gingerly since it seemed even her
steps annoyed some people to no end. Iphey laughed inside, her time in the
ladies before searching for Funmi showed that she was still looking great. But
more than that she felt great inside. After the last few hours, she was in no mood
for more drama today.
It was like the day had flown by, so many things had happened, one
revelation after another. After Bisi, she had shrugged it off to focus on better
things and something beautiful had really come her way. She sashayed as behind
her mind‟s eye she could see Chinedu, tall, dark and handsome. Such men were
a dime a dozen, but Chinedu stood out from the rest, his features were imprinted
in her head so even if she closed her eyes, she could still see him and it was weird
but it seemed like they were connected.
Iphey smiled. She was working alright, but only just managing to concentrate.
Half of her mind was on Chinedu. She could not even remember what the
reasons for her not wanting to go out with him in the first place were. Yes, he
had a shady history but he had showed himself to be an honorable man so far
and those were the qualities that really mattered to her.
“A penny for your thoughts,” Tunde from marketing teased her, you are
grinning like the cat that got the cream.”
Iphey laughed. Tunde thought it a contagious laughter that demanded for all
who heard it to laugh also. He grinned widely at her.
“Are you sure you are not getting it somewhere?” he finally asked a quizzical
look on his face.
“I don‟t do premarital sex if that‟s what you are asking?” Iphey laughed
again, “I just don‟t see why you can‟t be happy and in love in a relationship
without premarital sex?”
“You look like someone has given you some good loving,” he insisted with a
wink.
“Actually I am just happy o, no particular reason, God‟s been good.”
“Uh hmm…tell me…”
Funmi was passing by and gave them a dirty look. “Tunde, Ayo wants you,
now!”
Tunde stood to attention, blinked at Iphey and marched off.
Funmi did not pause in her tracks. She was walking with Bisi, who kept her
face strictly ahead. A few paces behind them, Tola for Master Card section gave
Iphey a smile and a wave. Iphey smiled back and went back to the files before
her.
Iphey smiled to herself as she relived the kiss with Chinedu in the car. Her
toes curled in her pumps and began to tingle. She considered whether to call him
or wait for him to call first. She didn’t want to make any hasty decision but it was
not as if she was planning to marry him in the next month, she was just going to
give him a chance to see if they could make it work between themselves.
She remembered what she discussed with Aisha a couple of weeks ago. After
they had discussed finding Bisi in his apartment, the conversation had diverged
to general talk.
“Aisha, most girls are hasty to get into serious or permanent relationships.
For me, I have now decided that I’ll give the guy a test-drive…”
Aisha‟s eyes went wide, “Do you mean…?”
Iphey grinned mischievously, “No, not the way people usually mean a testdrive. I mean a time frame in which I check out the guy and see if I like him on
all levels and can check if we are on the same levels when it comes to values and
compatibility of personalities.”
Aisha smiled and said, “That‟s what most people do but they define it with
different terms.” They both laughed before Aisha continued. “As long as you
don’t end up in a marriage of convenience.”
Iphey sighed and said, “I could never do a marriage of convenience, I would
drive someone crazy.”
She smiled again and set her pen down. If she did end up with Chinedu, it
would be nothing like that. She was already halfway in love with him.
Something moved beside her and when she focused her vision, she watched her
boss, Ayo seeing off a slinky lady. On his way back, he caught her eye and
leered. When he saw that he had got her full attention, he stopped, rubbed his
hands and licked his lips. Iphey turned away quickly. Did he think she found
those gestures attractive? They were a disgusting turn-off. She hissed quietly.
Out of the corner of her eye, Iphey spied Funmi striding towards him. Let
them sort themselves out and leave her out of it, she prayed. At least her
adversaries will be reduced at the office when Bisi got sent forth on Friday. Now
that she knew Funmi was out to get her sacked, she just had to be more careful
with her work, keep her head down.
She worked steadily, yet before long her mind was on Chinedu again. She was
tired of doing the battle of not thinking about Chinedu, so she let her mind linger
on him, she had better do something about this. She day dreamed about the kiss
all over again. His lips on hers, their tongues meshing, his hands on her waist,
holding her tightly. Iphey sighed.
And to think she had been dreaming about him without knowing until this
morning. That should have told her she would meet him. It was a course-mate in
college who said that “when you start dreaming about a guy, love is either setting
the wheels rolling or about to blot him from your horizon”. The first was
possible, the first had proved impossible so far. It looked like Chinedu had come
to stay. She was happy it was no more all in her mind, where he‟d been loitering
all day and night for the past couple of weeks. She looked forward to seeing him
later in the evening when he came to pick her up.
She asked herself whether she had time to call and tell Aisha about Chinedu,
and that they were finally going to give it a go. She also wanted them to talk so
she would have all the back ground information she needed. She needed advice
about the way to proceed with this guy since she believed he was something
special. Her mom was going to be so happy but she herself had to be sure that
was not making a mistake. The case of James was still pending.
“Here you go.”
Iphey snapped out of her reverie and looked up. Jane stood before her, hand
outstretched. She was holding a file.
“The shark didn’t know that I saw her hiding it in the bulk counter room. No
mind her, you hear?” Jane smiled as she handed the file over.
“Thank you so much.” Iphey clapped quietly as the receptionist walked away.
God was on her side sha, all her enemies will be scattered for sure! He had
guided her every step so definitely. His hand was evident on every part of her life.
It would all work out fine with Chinedu too, all she needed to do was put one
step in front of the other and commit it into His hands…
Ngozi whisked the eggs steadily, slowly adding butter and sugar, swiftly
turning them in, it was a very calming process, her mind wandered…
Since Iphey told her about James she hadn’t been able to sleep well, had
become easily distracted, even though she had also felt a bit relieved , a sense of
closure because not knowing what happened to James had been tearing her
apart. She had barely managed to fight off his relatives who had been adamant
about declaring him dead.
Ngozi sighed again, she really needed someone to confide in. Iphey had been
so busy lately, since she had gotten back with Chinedu two weeks ago so there
really wasn’t a good time to talk to her about it. She couldn’t speak to her mum
because she knew it would just escalate things, her mum was still with her
throwing a spanner in the works for Otunba. But the truth was that who she
really needed to speak to was James, to ask him why he left, explain to her why
she didn’t have a choice in the matter, how he could just walk out and leave hs
son without a father. It had been a quick knee-jerk reaction to draw closer to
Otunba but she had changed her mind since then. His proposal had clouded her
mind coupled with James’s continued aloofness.
She remembered the way they had met, back in Port Harcourt. Then her
baking was truly a hobby. She baked for her mother’s friends usually and only
charged money if the job was really big to earn some spare cash. That day she
had been baking a cake for a customer who she had never met. He had called
three days before, said he’d gotten a referral from one of her usual customers and
he wanted a cake for his mums birthday. Usually she didn’t take orders without
at least a weeks’s notice, but there had been something about that voice, so warm
and friendly, the way he gently pleaded and nudged her to do his will, she
wondered what type of face would go with that voice.
The birthday was later that day and as she completed the icing on the cake,
she smiled in anticipation of finally meeting him. They had spoken twice more
on the phone after his first call and he had confirmed that he would pick it up
himself.She was expecting him in four hours so she had just about enough time
to finish with the cake and get herself ready.
At exactly 5pm her doorbell rang, an hour earlier than planned, the icing was
all on but not ready to go but she was in even worse shape. She caught a glance
at herself at the mirror on the corridor, she looked a mess, she always looked
scattered when baking. Her heart hammered in her chest but she didn’t want to
keep him waiting.
James was at the door, he hoped she had been able to bake the cake in three
days. He had been really desperate and had pulled out all his charms in getting
her to assist him. She had sounded stern on the phone but at the end of the phone
call, she was laughing really hard. He remembered her laugh now, it had
sounded like a happy song, it made him smile thinking about it.
Ngozi opened the door to a striking face, he looked just as he had sounded -a
charmer- he was tall dark and handsome -a cliché- but that was all that came to
mind looking at him, his smile completed the whole look and she felt her heart
skip a beat.
Wow, she thought, that hadn’t happened in a while.
“Hi,” he said, “I am James, we’ve spoken on the phone, about the cake?”
“Yes, yes” Ngozi replied, “please come in.”
“I am so sorry for the inconvenience, it was a last minute thought,” James
said.
“Oh no worries, you are definitely paying for it,” she replied jokingly. “The
cake is just about finished. I’ll put it in a box for you soon as I return to the
kitchen. I am sure your mum will be pleasantly surprised, wish I could see her
face when you give her, I love surprises.”
“You could, you know, she is having a small get-together, you could come if
you wanted to.”
Ngozi smiled, “it‟s so nice of you to offer, but I couldn’t possibly go. I am not
even dressed and I have to clean up, I can’t impose.”
James insisted “You wouldn’t be, and I could help clean up while you dress.
After all it’s my fault, I gave an order on short notice and now I’m here earlier
then we scheduled.” He smiled at this point sending her heart to skipping, “Also
you would find that I’m a domesticated man.”
Ngozi refused, “thanks for the offer but I wouldn’t want to crash your
mother’s party.”
“I insist, she wouldn’t mind. In fact I am sure she would want to meet you
after tasting this cake, and it’d be great for your business.” James added.
“OK, but this is just a hobby.” Ngozi had smiled, admitting defeat, “I’d go, let
me just freshen up,” she had left him in the kitchen after showing him where the
utensils are kept.
**********************************
James washed up after his simple meal, a scowl staining his face. He forced
himself to smile by thinking of Ngozi and his son Obi. His hope of seeing them
again soon was being boosted by his new friend Habib. He had confided in him
about his woes of the past and the young man had promised to help. He said he
had friends in the police who would soon be on the case. James rinsed his plate
reminded of the day he met Ngozi. He smiled to himself, just like that day, he
had a feeling that something was about to change in his life.
He couldn’t remember all he had said that day seven years ago but there had
something about the lady he’d first seen at the door that appealed to him, she
looked so adorable in her stained apron and tussled hair. With the facade of a
cake, their mothers had schemed for them to meet each other and he had fallen
for it without knowing. By the time they both found out about the matchmaking, it had been a moot point. They were in love with each other. They got
married six months after that day and it had been bliss all the way till he had
spoiled it with his own hands. He cursed the day he decided to try his hand at
gambling. Thank God he had learnt his lesson before it was too late. Or was it?
His family was still out there…
A knock broke through his consciousness.
“Oga James,” the little boy that lived in the room opposite said, “one man say
make I give you this.” The prepubescent chap handed him a thin envelope and
scampered off.
James closed the door and opened the enveloped. Dread washed over him
even before he knew what was inside. He had never received parcels since he
moved into this area of Ajegunle. Did this mean they had found him again? Just
as he was about to hope again?
The five pictures sliding out of their cage, missed his waiting hands and
scattered across the floor. There were pictures of him in his borrowed taxi, him
and Iphey in the taxi, him and Iphey at the entrance to her house and then a
couple of just Iphey, at work and at home.
James staggered back till he collapsed on the only furniture in the room apart
from the thin mattress on the floor. The chair creaked underneath his slight
weight as he leaned his head between his knees. The envelope was now also on
the floor. It was only then he noticed the writing paper peeping out. He pulled at
it quickly. Scrawled in pencil were the following words.
YOU AND YOUR NEW GIRLFRIEND WILL BE IN TROUBLE IF
YOU DON’T GET OUR MONEY IMMEDIATELY!
