The year was 2011 and I had just turned 27. I was doing quite well as a bachelor, I had a very stable job…if that’s what you call working in a bank. I had my own apartment and could afford three meals a day. One could say I had everything I wanted…except, I hated my job. Banking had never been my dream job, it had been something my family wanted for me and I eventually found myself doing.
The pay was fairly good, and sometimes I got bonuses. At least I got to work in an air-conditioned room. Okay…so I had more than some people could boast of but I felt like there was something missing. Something that made me feel unfulfilled, yet I couldn’t place my finger on it.
I lived my life virtually like every young bachelor would, spent Mondays to Fridays working and spent the weekend chilling with my pals. These friends were what made my world go round, they gave me a break from the real world and from my hectic job.
Femi, Florence and Oscar were what I would call the worlds best friends, we had known each other since our University days and had remained thick as thieves even after graduation. We had all met in funny circumstances, Florence was the only lady in our group, she was twenty-five and a dark beauty, Oscar had actually wanted to date her once but they had ended up as pals. She was a jovial person and knew how to blend with our guy jokes, she had grown up with five boys and so, was quite used to spending time with guys.
Femi was the boss, he loved cars and was the big-spender among us. He was also the one with the least common-sense having been born into money. Oscar was the brain among us, he was also the tallest and possibly the most good-looking, although Femi liked to pride himself as the best-looking. These were my friends, we had known each other for close to eight years, we had had our sour times and also the wonderful times, but through it all, they were the best.
Oscar was getting married later in the year, something that Femi had dissuaded him from doing. Florence, on the other hand had encouraged him all the way. I had nothing to say except wish for the happiness of my good friend, I could testify to the fact that ever since Oscar had met Abigail, he had transformed completely, he was no longer the brooding guy we were used to, he actually made jokes and laughed.
It was obvious he was happy. He had fallen in love. Something I had been unable to do for a long while. I had had numerous relationships, none of which had given me true satisfaction or fulfillment. There had to be something more, something that Oscar had found that made him want to marry Abigail. And up till now, that thing had eluded me. Yes, I was successful, but I had no one to share it with.
It was Friday, and I must tell you, I was one person who was a huge advocate of the ” Thank God its Friday” slogan. No one could be happier than I when Fridays arrived. To me, it meant freedom from my hellish job, an opportunity to spend time with my friends and a time to be lazy. Funny, huh? Believe me, from Monday to Thursday I never got a chance to just laze around,I always had to be responsible while working to please unpleasant customers at work. So, Friday was here again and Femi was to pick me up from work, my car was at the mechanic, besides we were all hanging out at his place that day. I hummed to myself as I cleared up my desk and got ready to leave for the day.
“You seem unusually happy today, Jake” Jennifer, my office mate said.
I smiled at her, “Why not? it’s Friday, remember?
“Oh…you’ve got plans?” she asked
No, not really. Just happy its the end of another week.”
She sighed as she buried her head behind her small mirror. at that moment, my phone rang. I picked on the second ring. It was Femi:
“Guy, watsup?” I asked
He told me he was outside waiting for me. I hung up and slid my laptop into into its bag. I said goodbye to Jennifer and exited the office.
Sure enough, he was outside waiting in his latest Lexus jeep.
I opened the car door and entered the back seat, Florence sat in the front beside Femi.
“Hey guys.” I greeted
“How far? You closed late today?” Florence asked.
“No. I think you closed too early,” I replied. Florence was a teacher in a primary school, it was something she loved doing and was good at it.
“Abeg, who’s that chick?” It was Femi and he was staring out of his window
I looked in the direction he was pointing, it was Jennifer my co-worker.
“Forget it, man,” I said.
“Why? She’s hot” he replied.
“She’s married” I retorted.
“Can’t you stay one moment without drooling over a woman?” Florence asked, slapping the back of his head
“Drive, joor” I said “She’s off limits.”
With a sigh, he started the car and drove off. We were not new to Femi’s addiction to women, well, maybe addiction was too strong a word, but he certainly liked the ladies, and funny thing was, they liked him too. He always knew the right thing to say that got them blushing or smiling sheepishly. And maybe the fact that he was quite wealthy added to the lure. Everything about him was flashy; cars, clothes, house even his haircut. He was also an airhead and he knew it, he had barely managed to scale through university with poor grades.
“When does Oscar finish from the hospital today?” Florence asked
“He’s got night shift ooh” I replied.
“How does that guy do it?” Femi asked “Seriously, he works so much and he still managed to bag a very beautiful woman and he’s marrying her.”
“Maybe when you decide to settle down, you’ll find a pretty woman too,” Florence replied. “Besides Oscar is handsome”
Femi threw her a sharp look. “And I’m what? Wowo?”
“Abeg, Florence no vex Femi before he pack us under trailer.” I said with a laugh.
Florence laughed.
We got to Femi’s house where we were to hangout, he lived in a duplex that had at least seven rooms and still counting. I couldn’t imagine living the extravagant life Femi lived. Seven rooms? For what now? when I’m not raising a football team. Seriously, some people have grace for some kind of things, I wondered what I would do if I had the kind of money Femi had. I guess I would find someone to share it with, not all those cheap girls that Femi always found…someone special, a decent girl like Oscar had found.
I guess in life, we are always looking for that special someone to share our dreams and laughter with, until we do, we never actually find fulfillment. Lately, I had been thinking of my special someone. When would I meet her? What would she look like?
We were in Femi’s second parlour, watching a movie and drinking juice when she walked in…
There are different kinds of beauty, there are some that you could do without taking a second look, there were those that their faces remained imprinted in your memory, and there were those that could be called blinding beauty, the type that both the ladies and guys stare at.
This woman fell under the third category, because I found even Florence staring at her. At that moment I lost my voice.
