Continued from here
There’s something about new love it just makes your face glow, you smile more, there’s a particular love song on repeat on your phone, even when the really annoying colleagues at the office snicker behind your back, there’s this humph you have in your attitude, you don’t even care that your boss has piled up work for you. And that was the state Emmanuella found herself, she found herself smiling for no reason, and been extra sweet to Mrs Adeyemi, the oldest staff in the office, who took it upon herself to inspect Emmanuella’s look for the day, sometimes it’s ‘this your hair sha, is it not too shouty for office?, or this you skirt is very fine but is too short now, or hmm madam your makeup is fine today oh but your lipstick is too shouty for office’ of course in the day’s Emmanuella doesn’t feel up to dressing up she gets the thumbs up from Mrs Adeyemi who tells her to keep it up!. But these days she indulges the woman, and even her friend in the office Tracey noticed it. You see it’s been five wonderful weeks with Femi and she was still stuck on the clouds,her new favorite song on replay was Know by Lami and MI, the song explained the love she had stored up for a long time and now she had enough to give to Femi, he had made her change her views on how she saw Abuja ‘maybe not all guys here see girls as runs girls’ she had gone to fancy restaurants and shows her Corper allowance could not afford her. She was even considering looking for a job in Abuja! She had met his sister Tope who came from Atlanta for a wedding and they had gotten along well enough, she was so in love!. She was on her desk with a far away look and the office computer looked back at her waiting for her to continue her typing, Ping! A text message from Femi brought her back to her mind back to the present, she opened it with a love struck smile on her face, he loves me.
I have an idea, I’m going to Lagos on Friday for a meeting, lets take our love to Lagos this weekend, what do you say?
She had to hold her scream, when the message finally registered in her brain, Lagos? She stood up and did a little tap dance then sat down back, Way to go Femi! She thought, it’s sealed I have gotten the best Yoruba demon ever for a boyfriend! How long has it been since I went to Lag?
Oh wow! That’s wonderful Femi! I don’t know what to say? You just keep coming up with ways to surprise me. See you tonight?
“Ehennn… I go love oh” that was Tracey “from the way you’re smiling what has Femi done this time” she said as she approached the receptionist desk, placed her bag on it and put one of her hands under her chin, a sign that she was ready to hear gist.
“Well… This time around he’s taking us to Lagos for the weekend” she smiled as she pretended to type even though she was giddy with excitement. “He said ‘let’s take our love to Lagos'” they both sighed
“You say you can’t find me one of his friend or something? Or maybe you will leave him for me when you’re going back to Lagos”
“For where? Abeg remove your eyes, after all Tolani is in the picture, don’t be a hoe”
” right! I wish! That one keeps annoying me on the regular, can you imagine that the bafoon told me to tell one of my friends that he thinks she’s cute? Imagine the rubbish, because he’s parents are rich and his dad keeps giving him contracts he feels he is the deal! I swear I don’t know why I’m still with him, he is a big baby!” There was an awkward silence, Emmanuella didn’t know what to say to someone in this situation when she was still enjoying the benefits of a new relationship, and she wasn’t that close to Tracey they became friends only because they were the only young ladies in the company that were not married but Tracey was still her senior in rank.
“I’m sure it will get better” was all she could say to avoid the awkwardness
“Abeg don’t let me deflate your joy with that sorry ass, it’s just that when I hear about relationships like this I wonder how I enter my own”
“Don’t worry, don’t forget Femi and I are still new, we will soon start having normal couple squabbles ” she rejected it over and over in her mind has she said it
“I’m off for that meeting with Mr Bidemi, I know your head is not here again but Oga said he needs the letter now, I’m off”
“Bye”. She looked at the hand written letter to see how far she had gone with typing it, sigh please let this day end already, she was already looking forward to Friday.
*****************************
Her phone rang just as she was entering her apartment
“My sweetheart! How far” she answered with a little bit of over excitement
“Erhmm….number one I’m fine, number two what’s going on, this your sweetheart is unusual” Tinuke replied
“Ahn ahn but you are my sweetheart na”
“I hear you, what’s up”
“Femi and I are going to Lagos for the weekend!” She squealed with delight “we are going on Friday” she reported
“Awww, that’s so nice, here I was about to invite you for Franklins company dinner party but I guess that won’t happen”
“No, I’m sorry, we can always do something next week right?”
“Na so, babe since you and Femi started dating, when last did we hang out, you and Femi are always going one place or the other, or you are tired because you went out”
” haba now, I’m sorry, you’re right, we should go to the movies on Thursday after work hmm? Sweetheart mi!” Emmanuella said trying to butter up her friend
” I don hear you, be there doing lovey lovey like you’re the first, give Femi my regards, bye”
**************************
It was finally Friday and Emmanuella was completely excited, she kept looking at the time, she had changed into her work outfit after coming back from her CDS and since there wasn’t much to do in the office, she decided to read her book of the month ‘the dark witch’ by Nora Roberts. She had to admit to herself she wasn’t reading anything as she was still stuck on the same page for the last twenty minutes, she dropped her iPad finally and decided to play spider solitaire on the desktop to kill time, Femi was suppose to come pick her from the office and they’ll both go to the airport since she was already packed.
5:30pm
The security man came to tell her the Femi was around, sigh finally let the fun begin, she thought as she shut down her system and cleared up her space.
“Hey you” she greeted him with a smile as she got into the car, she still wasn’t sure if calling him ‘babe’ now at this early stage of their relationship was appropraite, he leaned in to kiss her
“How was your day” he said as he took her small bag from her and threw it to the back seat and started the car.
“It was good, spent most of the day dreaming of the trip”she admitted
“Are you more interested in seeing Lagos or spending it with ne?” He teased her
“Oh come on!” Laughter ” I have missed Lagos and I love being with you so it’s a weekend to look forward to”
“I’m just messing with you” he laughed “by the way I have to stop by the house, my dad has the document I need for the meeting tonight”
“It’s ok, why is the meeting in the night though, by the time we get into Lagos it should be like ten”
” the man in question is a senator trying to open a new company, this is basically the only time he has to eat and talk well”
“Oh makes sense, but that means you’ll be gone till midnight?”
” yeah sorry, but tomorrow is for us and Sunday so don’t worry we still have time” he said just as he entered Sasha crescent in maitama.
“Should I wait in the car?”
“Why, come in, although I’ll just be a minute, just to collect the file from my dad and we’ll be gone” they had gotten to the house
“Ok”
She hadn’t been to his house before going to the house meant taking it a step further which she was still skeptical about plus it was a family house, that meant she would meet the family and she wasn’t up for that closeness yet. She entered the living room with him, admiring the the parlour, it was like whoever decorated the room took it right out of a decorating magazine, it had the ancient yet classy feel to it, with the walls painted black and art displayed in a scattered yet calculated way, and the cushions in brownish gold, the chandelier so big it……..her eye caught the family picture and she moved closer to the wall, studying the mum her easy smile,close to the mum was Tope, then the last born twins and then Femi smiling close to his dad. Her smile quickly wiped off. Huh? I don’t understand this is Femi’s dad?. As she was still trying to understand what was happening she heard Femi and his dad coming downstairs, in a confused state she quickly opened the door and ran out.
It really can’t be, of all the people him? Oh God, why now? Why this man? She thought as she stayed in the car waiting, She was about to call Tinuke when Femi entered the car.
“Babe what happened I wanted to introduce you to my dad, and I didn’t find you in the sitting room”
“So sorry I didn’t feel like hanging around, maybe I will see him next time” she said as she opted to text Tinuke instead
“It’s fine, there wouldn’t have been time for further discussions anyway, we are running ” he said as they drove out. She never wanted to have a discussion with that old pathetic, disgusting old idiot anyways, she looked at Femi and wondered how such a beautiful person could be a son to that sort of human being.
Babe, Mr Rotimi is Femi’s father.
She sent the text to Tinuke just as they entered the expressway leading to the airport.