Tag: Friendship

The Dice#27

Moses stared at Dunni pretending he was hearing what she was saying. Nodding at each interjection while his mind was far away. Last night was the most miserable for him and Dunni coming today was the final thrust onto his bruised heart.

Completely lost in thoughts, he was brought back to the present when he felt Dunni tapping him or the electrifying sensation from her touch.  ” You were not listening”, she reprimanded. He tried a small smile with the lame excuse of his body telling him to call it a day. He had thought she was here to let him know she had changed her mind and was ready for a relationship with him but she was still stuck in the best friend status bla bla that he was not prepared to hear.

Moses smiled at  Dunni’s cute pout that always disarmed him. “You can stay and let yourself out. I have to go upstairs.”  He could see the drop on her shoulders but was impressed with the front she put up, a brave smile and forced excitement. “Sure, I will let myself out. You go and have the much-needed rest.”

Dunni watched him go sadly and wondered if this was the beginning of the end of their friendship. She shuddered and willed that it was not real, and she would just wake up and find that she was in a dream and all the thoughts about the death of the beautiful friendship they had shared were simply what it was, just a dream.

The sound of a text coming through her phone was enough to convince her this was happening and not a dream. She could tell it was from Tade from the ringtone. She sighed she’d told him she was dealing with an emergency and would not be available this weekend. She liked that he was so understanding and did not pressure her into the details, which she was not ready to give at this stage.  What good will come out of sharing the details when the problem persists.

Dunni let herself out, realising that this problem might eventually destroy her relationship with Moses. All previous optimism was lost.  And with that realisation, she became angry with Moses for not understanding and for letting himself get carried away with feelings and complicating their relationship.  By the time she got home, she was no better than before she left, and this made her sadder. She was angry that she could not be there for her friend at a time he needed her the most like he had always been for her.

She played about with the thought of breaking her engagement with Tade.  Her engagement to Tade barely 48 hours ago was the best thing that had happened to her, she was still processing it and now Moses springs this on her. He was unfair and thoughtless to have pulled this stunt. How could he have done this to her just when Tade asked her to marry him? She knew she was not being rational but her thoughts were all over the place and nothing was making sense the way she wanted it to.

Tade was okay. He was easy on the eyes, a perfect gentleman who loved her. Maybe Moses and she would have had a chance, but she could not hurt Tade for something that could fail. If Moses and her were to happen they had 16 years to have done so. She had always compared most guys that came to her to Moses, he was the pedestal to which all men in her world had to live up to, even if she did not know it at the time, and they had always fallen short but with Tade, this was different. Moses was out of the country and there was no need to bounce things off him, to have carried him through the process of her relationship and not blindside him. Still, she was also the one who had guarded the relationship away from Ola and Moses, in the days he was known as, “Mr Flowers”. Her relationship with Tade was something real and she was not going to trade it for a whim, being away from her this long had clouded Moses’s judgment. If he was with her, he never would have pulled the stunt of proposing to her. Yes, she applauded herself for discovering the root of the problem, being away from her made Moses lose his senses. She would have reset it should he have been around like she had always done.

Dunni let herself into her house, exhausted. Her mind was a cacophony of what ifs, what shoulds, and should nots. She tumbled up the stairs crashing into her bed, curling into a ball and wept her heart out.

                                                 ***                     ***

Dunni’s eyes fluttered open, and she immediately felt puzzled, realizing she was still wearing yesterday’s clothes. Her head throbbed as memories from the previous day came flooding back. Staggering into the bathroom, she could barely recognise the face with the bloodshot eyes, smudged mascara, and dishevelled hair staring back at her through the bathroom mirror, hardly recognising. “What do you really want?” She questioned the face staring back in the mirror trying to come to terms with the harsh reality of her life but was only rewarded with silence.

The thought of calling in sick and staying home from work crossed her mind. But she knew that if she did, her partners, Moses, and Ola, would come to her like Navy SEALs on a mission, worried about her well-being. Despite struggling to get ready for work, she decided she would go in late after calling her mother. Her mind was in turmoil, and no solution seemed to bring her peace.

On her way to work, Dunni made an impromptu decision to take a detour, leading her on a four-hour drive to her mother’s house in Ibadan.

She poured out her heart, seeking guidance. Her mother’s advice was straightforward and wise. Marriage was about love, respect, and a shared future. When the initial romance and butterflies faded away, the friendship between the couple would sustain the marriage. Dunni had to make the decision, as she would be the one living with her chosen partner.

Her mother shared her perspective on both Tade and Moses. While she didn’t know much about Tade, she emphasised that Moses had loved Dunni for a long time, and she had witnessed his dedication and affection. Dunni was surprised to learn that Moses had been visiting her mother regularly, even before he left for China and had asked her mum permission to ask Dunni to marry him when he returned from the trip.

Her mother cautioned Dunni against sacrificing herself for the sake of Tade’s daughter, as love for the child alone wouldn’t be enough to sustain the marriage. She reminded Dunni that she wasn’t marrying the child, but rather Tade, and if her feelings for someone else surpassed those for her chosen partner, she might regret her decision.

Dunni listened carefully to her mother’s words, her mind churning with thoughts and emotions. It was a difficult choice to make, and she knew that whatever decision she reached would shape her life and future happiness and some people would be hurt in the process. The road ahead was uncertain, but she understood that she needed to be honest with herself and choose a path that aligned with her heart and aspirations. Discovering that Moses had already resolved to propose before his departure for China left her in a state of emotional turmoil. Her initial belief that his prolonged absence was clouding his judgment faded away like a puff into the thin air.

The Dice #26a

Experiencing love and being loved in return is nothing short of a miracle.

“What about Becca?” Dunni asked, her voice filled with uncertainty.

“What about Becca?” Moses responded, more confused than ever.

“I thought you were into her. I thought she was the one you were proposing to,” Dunni replied, attempting a small laugh as she wiped away the tears streaming down her face. Moses sighed with relief, finally feeling like he was getting through to her.

However, his relief was short-lived when Dunni asked brokenly, “Why now?”

“It’s not now; it has been forever,” Moses said, taking her hands in his, never breaking eye contact. He felt at a loss, unsure of how to convince her. “I have been telling you all my life, but you never took me seriously. Our story should be written into a book and made into a film. I bet it could win the Oscars.”

“Because you were not,” she screamed, hitting his chest with her small fists, crying uncontrollably.

Moses gazed at her with increasing worry. Dunni was becoming more distressed by the moment.

“Tade proposed last night, and I said yes,” she said, lifting her left hand to show him the sparkling solitaire diamond engagement ring adorning her index finger. However, she realised that the ring was not there. She left it on her dressing table. “The ring is upstairs,” she said lamely, not accustomed to wearing it.

Moses felt a pain in his heart unlike anything he had ever experienced. His heart momentarily stopped as he struggled to breathe. “The guy you met about six months ago?” Moses asked, disbelief evident in his voice. “Please tell me this is a joke,” he pleaded.

Dunni shook her head, tears falling involuntarily.

“Is that what you want?” he croaked, tears welling up in his eyes, his voice breaking with emotion as he swallowed hard. How had they reached this point? Was the universe playing tricks on him? Dunni was his world from the moment she entered his life. It had always been her and no one else. He had tried two other relationships, but they couldn’t compare to Dunni. And now, what? He ran his hands over his head and across his face. This couldn’t be happening. He needed to do something. He stared at her, unaware that the tears on her face mirrored his own.

Pulling her into a fierce embrace, he felt her offer little resistance. “If Tade will make you happy…” he began but couldn’t bring himself to finish his sentence. He wasn’t ready to let her go. How could he ever survive without her? She was his breath, his oxygen, and this was not just a cliché or words from a romance book. This was his reality. He had no life outside of her. The house he built had her input because he had always envisioned their future together. He had insisted on bringing her on as a partner in their firm to ensure she wouldn’t be lured away by another company.

Dunni is an exceptionally gifted architect, and while her hard work had earned her a leadership position in the firm they had built together, it was her beauty, personality, drive and sense of humor that had captured and won his heart. It had always been Dunni, his entire life. His heart felt torn apart. The thought of her marrying someone else was unbearable. There had to be something he could do. He had to convince her to give them a chance. She couldn’t simply jump into a relationship with a guy she had only recently met and discard someone she had known almost her entire life. There must be something in her heart for him.

Moses stepped back, lifting her chin with his fingers, looking deeply into her eyes, silently willing her to give their love a chance. He was devastated when she looked away. That was the answer he needed. If she couldn’t meet his gaze, she wasn’t ready to fight for them. He kissed her forehead, defeated, stood up and let himself out. His heart hurt so badly, and he struggled to breathe.

The Dice#23

“Why is such a beautiful, accomplished woman like yourself still single?Don’t tell me all the eligible guys in Lagos are blind.” Tade teased.
Dunni had always detested people who referred to her looks. She often argued that people rarely refereed to a guy’s looks in discussions but more to their accomplishments. She was vocal in pointing that out to whoever cared to listen. Tonight, this was not the case, she strangely latched onto his every word and turned mushy all inside.

The last couple of months had been all that she could dream of. Tade was attentive and kind, and they found time amidst their busy schedules to be together. It was customary to wake up on weekends and drive to his place, where they met without Toni. He rarely talked about himself, and that was one aspect that bothered her a lot. She would talk her head off about her family. Still, when she asked about his family, he grunted intelligible words or found a way to talk about something else. She knew he had a twin sister who was married and lived in the states.


“I could say the same, why a handsome, incredibly wealthy medical doctor, despite being a widower, has not to be snapped up by the Abuja sharks and Lagos cougars.”
She loved the sound of his laughter, deep like the waves of the ocean, a low sound building up to a crescendo and filling the space between them.


“You make me sound like a slice of meat on the market.”
“Unfortunately, I think that’s the truth. Take a slow turn to your left, my right. There is this woman about your age sitting with a guy in a white kaftan whose been stealing looks at you since we came in. I feel so sorry for her companion.”


Tade snapped for a waiter and discreetly looked in the direction Dunni had pointed.
“That’s Made Brown, the chairman of the board of directors at Lekki Consultant Hospital.”
Your hospital? She asked, eyebrow raised in question. “She looks young.”
“Being born into a pool of trust funds from your great-grandparents has perks.” Tade laughed, but it was a little bit tight this time, “please excuse me. I need to say hi.”


Dunni sipped on her glass of wine while she looked around. The Oceanview was one of the highbrow restaurants on Victoria Island, and a meal here could probably buy her house. How does someone in the medical profession afford such a lifestyle? She should be asking those questions, but she’d never broached the subject for some reason. Maybe because she also had money that she worked for and was not handed down to her, so why should someone else’s source of wealth be scrutinised by her. She rationalised, and Tade’s could have been handed down to him.


She had to know. It’s not like she was a social climber or gold digger; after all, she could afford a reasonable lifestyle on her own. It is not like Tade moved in this circle. However, his clients appear to waltz in and out of the corridors of power, the creme de la cream of Lagos and Abuja society, old money, new money, and the political and ruling elite.


Who is Tade Braithwaite? She shrugged. With time she’ll get to know all she needs to know. You never approached your client without digging into who they were. The voice in her head chastised her.
It sounded too intrusive doing that to someone close. Where is trust? She argued. In business, you want to know all the possibilities that could come up. You were prepared not to be blindsided. Matters of the heart were vastly different from the cold calculation of money and service-changing hands.

Dunni had no idea. Tade had been sitting before her for a couple of minutes until he snapped a finger in her face.
“Where’ve you been. Dunni managed a small laugh.
“Nowhere. No idea I had zoned out. How is Made?”
“She should be okay as long as she keeps out of my affairs.”
Dunni could see the rigid set of his jaw. He looked displeased but tried to hide it. She wanted to know more about this Made that seemed to upset him and his background.


The food came, and they delved into the sumptuous meal of mashed yam with spicy fish sauce and grilled lamb chops. All her questions were pushed to the back seat of her priorities.
“This is exquisite. I did not know what to expect. Dunni closed her eyes, savouring the mashed yam’s softness and the spicy sauce’s sweetness.
Tade inhaled sharply, and he wanted to kiss those lips. No human should look this sexy over a simple meal.
Dunni opened her eyes like a daffodil in the morning sun. “What, she asked, mouth opened, oblivious to what she was doing to Tade?”
Tade let out a soft growl. Did she have any idea what she was doing to him?
“Nothing. I am not sure how long I can keep away from you.”
“Are you travelling somewhere?”
“No. I am not thinking of it, but would you mind a weekend trip to Idara Resort in Calabar?”
“Too tempting, but I have got so much work this weekend.”
“You work so hard. Do your partners ever consider a lighter load for a woman?”
“Is work about gender or capability?” Dunni asked, mustering all the self-control she could. One thing she could not stand was a reference to her gender when it came to working. Working with Ola and Moses must have blinded her to the sexism out there.


“I am sorry, Dunni. I did not mean it that way, and I was looking for more time to spend with you.” He took her hands over the table, looking into the depths of her liquid brown eyes.
“You do so much to me, and I never thought I could feel this way again.”
Dunni smiled. It felt good to be desired, but she wanted more. She wanted him to fall head over heels in love with her. She wanted him to ask her to marry him. Dunni knew she said she’d go with the flow, but she wanted to become Mrs Braithwaite.
“I love you, Dunni.”
Before she could respond, Tade was on one knee, just like how he was the day she fell in the superstore a few months ago.
He had this beautiful ring with a diamond solitaire in a blue ring box. She knew it was a diamond with many colours reflecting in the light.


Was this man telepathic? How could he know the two questions in her heart just now? She loved Tade and had questions that needed answers but could wait.
Dunni hated Tade’s Tarzan and the damsel in distress moves but also liked how he looked out for her and how she’d become the centre of his universe along with his daughter. Here was a man who had suffered so much loss and was still willing to put out his heart, and it only made her melt for him.


“Yes, yes, I will marry you.” She imagined Moses’s disapproving look and dismissed it immediately.
Tade slipped the ring into her left middle finger. He cupped her perfectly sculptured round face in his hands. “I promise always to make you happy.” Dunni could not be happier as she gazed into his eyes and lips, wondering if there would be any magic if he decided to kiss her. Dunni had never been kissed, and Benji’s sloppy kisses in university days indeed cannot be counted. She still gagged from the horror of swapping saliva.


“Promise me you won’t hurt us – Toni and me.”


“I promise,” Dunni assured solemnly like she was taking a vow. She was not someone who took promises lightly, and she knew she would stand by her words through rain or sunshine.


Tonight was her night. She could read the question and hesitance in his eyes. She moved closer to him, bidding him kiss her, oblivious to all the others in the restaurant. They were just in their world. The fire sparks and tingles on her feet were none like she had imagined. The kiss was slow yet demanding, simultaneously sensual and chaste but with promise. They probably would not have stopped without the flash of a camera.


“What was that?” Dunni asked, more shaken from the emotions she felt than from the surge of flashes from the camera.
Tade swore, “let’s get out of here.”
Dunni did not fail to see the death glare Tade directed at Made on their way out.
How could such a beautiful moment be abruptly broken?
She knew enough body language that all was not well, and her 15 minutes of romance was just a commercial interlude on reality highway.


Dunni loved the feel of Tade’s hand around hers as he marched out of the restaurant like a man on a deadly mission. They were intercepted by the restaurant manager rushing out to apologise. At the same time, two huge 6 feet 3 inches men led the cameramen out of the premises.
“We will credit your account with us as compensation for the unfortunate disturbance,” the distressed man offered.

Who is Tade? Too many questions were racing through her head and now did not seem the appropriate time to ask. He was like a totally different person after the flashes of the camera. Suddenly there was this air of someone accustomed to wealth and influence around him. Had this always been there, or was Dunni only noticing it.

The Dice#17

“Let your hopes, not your hurts, shape your future.” Robert H. Schuller

Two months went by, and Dunni did not hear from Tade much to her disappointment. He had sent flowers and a thank you card to her office the following Monday after lunch at his place.
Dunni dug into her bag frantically searching for her phone that was ringing somewhere from the depth of her bag. In frustration, she emptied the contents of her bag on the table just as the ringing phone stopped ringing.
There you are she spoke to her phone and grimaced at her lack of social interaction that she was now talking to her phone. She needed to do better, start going out and meeting people rather than spending her weekends behind her drawing board and back to the office again. Moses was still away in China, and Tade had totally ghosted her.
The call had not ended, it was the battery to her phone that died—another rummaging on the table in search of her charger. Dunni was organised in everything but the contents of her bag. Receipts from months before used and new tissues with ideas and drawings barely readable were part of the items on the table. A cosmetic bag with items enough to fit a suitcase yet never used was all part of the contents spread on her table.
She had attempted housekeeping many times, but it only took a couple of days, and all the discarded items were back. Her designer bags were to die for on the outside, but the inside was a no go area.
Ola walked in, with his eyebrow twitched to the side in question.
“Looking for something?”
“Don’t go there.” She warned him with the scariest of looks that she could muster.
Ola guffawed. “Here, you can have mine.”
“Are you stalking me now?” She took the charger from him gratefully, swirling her seat around to plug the charger into the socket behind her.
“Thank you, that’s what I missed while you were away.”
“Moses was trying to reach you. He was the one on the phone.”
“Now it makes sense you walking in with a charger.”
The guys knew her like they knew themselves, and that was one of the joys of working together. They had a synergy that worked and could even tell what the other was thinking.
This had worked for several deals and negotiation they had to make. So, when Dunni had to handle the company in Ola and Moses absence, she was filled with pride at the fantastic job, despite her lack of faith in her abilities.
“How is Mr Flowers doing?”
“Fishing for the information you won’t get?” Dunni replied, masking the pain of rejection that haunted her. She has been regularly checking her phone from any message from Tade but none. It was not like they planned any after her visit, but she just assumed texts and calls will follow just as it had been before their lunch date. Not that it was a date anyway.
She wondered if she was so out of the dating game that she missed the signs. It was all there, or so she thought that Tade was into her, but she must have been wrong.
Its hurts. Dunni wondered if she was desperate? If there was just a parent-teacher relationship. Why had he sent the flowers to her office?
Thankfully he’d been smart to sign the card with his initials, TB and that she was grateful.
Rubbing her temple with her fingers in a cyclical motion, which she did whenever her migraine started.
“I am eager to unmask the mystery guy. You know he has to pay respect to us and gain our approval before…”
Dunni did not let him finish when she replied too sharply than she intended.
“So you can scare him away like you all did to the guys on campus.”
“We did not scare anyone away. I guess the guys coming did not have good intentions and did not want to get into trouble for nothing.”
“My point, they did not have to think of you guys to come to me,” Dunni argued.
“You never complained before why now?” Ola asked bewildered at Dunni’s outburst.
“I am doing some soul searching. I think guys stayed away because they were afraid of you guys while it was cool on campus. It’s not cool anymore.”
“Hey! You don’t need to get worked up. We did nothing to scare anyone then and obviously we are not doing any of that now. But since when did you start bothering. I got the impression you were happy with your life the way it was.”
Toni kept mum. She had shared too much.
“Does this have to do with the mystery, Mr Flowers?”
“That’s not open for discussion.”
“You sure?”
“Yes, boss.” Dunni did that whenever she wanted to get rid of Moses or Ola or get them off her case. They both hated that term. They were all partners, and no one was a boss.

The Dice#13

“Women fall in love in a man’s presence. Men tend to realise they are in love in a woman’s absence.” Unknown.
Todays’ write up if for Omoyemi. Thanks for your comment. That was enough to ginger the next post.

Moses called Dunni’s mobile phone for the umpteenth time. He was exasperated that he could not reach her as her phone was switched off for the last two hours. A boarding call was made for his flight, he picked his bags, checking his surrounding that he had not left anything and joined the other passengers as they made their way to the final check-in.

Moses journey was not scheduled until a fortnight away. However, bidding for the project had come earlier. He saw the email that afternoon about their apologies to reschedule to an earlier date as the project time had moved. It was a good thing for the overall project from a business perspective, even though he had to drop everything and hop on the next flight.

This is one contract they desperately wanted. Architex Designs was not the only one bidding, there were architecture firms from London, US, and Dubai. They knew they could do this and would get the contract. This was one shot they were willing to take.

He could have waited until the next day. However, they were not ready to take any chances. Beijing was about seventeen hours away by direct flight. Unfortunately, there was no direct flight available, and he had to settle with connecting flights at two stops. The bid, according to the email, was in five days’ time. Ola who could not up, and leave would join him in a couple of days.

They had decided when planning the bid earlier in the year that Ola and Moses will handle the Beijing project.

Dunni had another project, she was handling up north of the country which was clashing with the dates for the bid. Hence, they agreed that while Moses and Ola will handle the Beijing project, Dunni could face the Kakawa housing project in Kaduna located along the Kaduna – Zaria road.

The project was a 3-4 housing units for a Stone milling factory that opened up about four years ago. They had employees moving from all over the country and where having problems with accommodation.

The company opted to build houses and rent to their employees through a subsidised scheme. This they found was cheaper compared to the annual housing bonus they paid.

Dunni was excited to get started with this project, it was a block of twelve flats each, and they had twenty of these blocks to design.

It was a hectic time for their firm, and everyone was pulling their weight.

*******

Placing her pillow over her head to block the bright daylight that streamed through her half-closed Venetian blind. Dunni reached out for her alarm to stop the shrilling noise that filled the room shattering every dream of any extra minutes of sleep she desperately needed. She groaned as she hesitantly dragged her sleep-deprived self from the comfort of her bed and trudged to the bathroom to brush her teeth. Staring at a pimple on the left corner of her cheek, she took out her face mask and rubbed it on her face. She grimaced at the additional minutes she needed to add to her morning ritual today. If she failed to attack the pimple today, she would be paying dearly by tomorrow.

She went downstairs to get a glass of warm water to drink and settled for a quick fifteen minutes yoga routine. That was all she could spare this morning or else she will not be able to beat the early morning traffic.

Forty-five minutes later, she dashed into her car, throwing her lunch and handbag to the passenger seat. Turning on the radio, she drove off towards Victoria Island, joining the already building traffic on the Lekki – Epe express road.

“Morning, she greeted the security guard cheerfully as she drove through the gates and stopped to have a brief chat with Dupe the receptionist.

“That’s such a lovely hairdo you have,” Dunni complimented her beautiful weave and was rewarded with a broad smile from Dupe.

“Thank you,” said Dupe. “You should try braiding yours one of these days. Come to think of it, she said with a crease across her forehead, “I don’t think I have seen braids on you before.”

“A look of terror flashed through Dunni’s face.

“Is it that bad,” Dupe asked with a chuckle.

“You have no idea. I can’t stand the tension on my head. You guys that can are lucky. I tried many times but failed. The farthest I got was spending 6 hours to braid and loosening it all the next day. The pain was just unbearable.

Moses and Ola would attest to it. Imagining engaging two clueless men to lose braids. Nah! Braids are not for me.”

This was news to Dupe, she recently joined the firm and loved the relationship among the partners. She found it hard to believe they were just friends. Nonetheless, there was nothing to show if they had been romantically involved.

“Was this recently?” she asked, curious as she tried to wrap her head around the other two bosses struggling with a woman’s hair. The thought was too hilarious that she could not help but release the pent-up laughter.

I know! Smiled Dunni, that was many years ago during our undergraduate days.

“Wow!

And you are still together,” Dupe gushed who had a secret crush for Moses, even though he never had as much as treated her in any way but professional. However, this did not stop her from daydreaming of a possible romance brewing with one of the Bosses. The picture of Moses loosening braids was not only hilarious, but it was also getting her all mushy.

“Any idea if Moses or Ola is in yet? I did not see any of their cars in the parking lot.”

“Ola arrived a few minutes ago, but Moses is yet to come in this morning.”

“Thanks. I have run along.  I have a couple of skype meetings this morning.  Please hold off all my calls till 11:00am.

She popped her head through Ola’s office on the way to hers. He was in a meeting on the phone, so she waved and gestured ‘talk to you later’.

Dunni set up her laptop for her skype meeting and presentation to Emesem, a housing development firm in Calabar. She had met with them last month and scheduled a skype meeting with their MD who was away in Italy but did not want to delay the start of the project. The outcome of the skype meeting would determine the next course of action and when she had to fly down to meet the Engineering and Project Management team.

Although she found the skype meeting strange at first, she was able to adapt quickly. This was not without some hitches.  An instance was when, for a weird reason, the image coming from the other end was upside down on her screen. It was halfway through the meeting she blurted out her problem. Only to discover, it was just a button she needed to click, rotate and it was fine.

Apparently, Emesem is a tech-savvy company, so using technology to work for them in 2013 was a no brainer. Dunni was still getting used to using the computer for her drawings and scaling. She preferred her drawings by hand. Although the tech world was not a comfort zone, she was ready to stretch herself to get this contract.

Dunni was all done with her meetings when Ola walked into Dunni’s office just as she concluded the skype meeting.

“All good?” he inquired.

“Perfect! I just sealed the Emesem deal,” squealed Dunni with the delight of a child.

“Fantastic! Great job, Dunni. Let me know where we can pitch in if you need help,” Ola offered with a smile of genuine pleasure lightening up his face and showing off his 5 o’ clock shadow.

“I have got this one. The MD loved all, but one of the designs sent and wanted two or more adjustments, and they are good. I will be flying to Calabar in ten days’ time,” Dunni replied, smiling with self- satisfaction.

“Where’s Moses, I have not seen him this morning?” she asked, changing the subject.

“I think he tried to reach you on the phone. He is on his way to Beijing.”

“Beijing! Dunni asked a look of surprise filling her round face. “Have I lost track of time? I thought Beijing was scheduled for three weeks or so away.”

“Two actually. Moses received an email yesterday scheduling an earlier date with apologies that the project was ahead of their schedule, which is a good thing business-wise. I don’t know how many projects happen that way. Still, the little experience we have, we know how projects are usually delayed. He got the first available flight last night. I would be going tomorrow.”

“Hmm, it would be nice if our competitors are not able to respond as quickly as we did.”

Dunni was excited at the prospect of clinching that contract but not sure why she felt so despondent at the thought that she missed Moses call before he left.

Swivelling her chair around to take her handbag from the side table by her right. She dug frantically into her handbag for her phone. Not successful in locating the phone, she started bringing out items from her handbag, a transparent cosmetic bag, pens, small notebook, sticky notes, face wipes, a novel, a bottle of water and a black poker dot neck staff.

Ola watched bemused. “Why don’t you just go for a suitcase? With the number of stuffs, you women carry in your handbags, it’s a wonder you don’t suffer from back and neck pain.”

Dunni ignored his comment. This was not the first of such discussions, and it won’t be the last. “There you are! Oh no, it is switched off.” She laughed, showing the screen to Ola.

“I wonder why you have a mobile phone when you cannot be reached at all times.”

 “You want to join Moses on that bandwagon?” she gave him the stinky eye. Moses always complained that with a mobile phone, you were always meant to be reached. “I will improve, it’s not something I do deliberately but maybe my subconscious rebels against this thing. No respite from the world.”

She switched in her phone, and several messages started popping in.

“You see! She said triumphantly how a sane person can keep up with all these distractions.”

“Welcome to the new world. You may be the only one living in the 16th century,”

“Whatever, she rolled her eyes.”

Dunni eagerly searched for Moses message on her phone. A smile spreading across her lovely face.

“Moses should be here to see this smile on your face.  If I did not know better. I will think you have fallen for him.

“In both your dreams,” She replied, typing out a message.

“Really Dunni. What is so repulsive about Moses?”

“You guys have become family. It just does not happen.”

 “It does not happen, or you won’t happen?”

She looked at him suspiciously. “What are you up to Ola, Did Moses put you up to this?”

“Nothing,” he raised his hands in mock surrender. “Just thinking it will be nice to keep you in the family and not lose you to someone crazy dude out there.”

“There are no crazy guys out there. Enough talk about the little or no romance in my life. Maybe, just maybe there I would have time to meet the right guy with you and Moses off my back.”

“Are you saying we are responsible for chasing guys away? I am hurt.”

“No, I am saying you guys keep me working so hard that I have no social life.” She giggled, knowing that was not true.

“That’s is something to work on when we get back. I will get Moses on it.”

“Grr, what did you say you wanted.  And when do you leave?” Dunni changed the subject from her to business. She never liked it when the guys zeroed in on her case.

She was a little petrified to be left to handle the company alone. It was not something she had done. She had always had the guys with her. They all made the decisions but sought each other’s input.

As if reading her thoughts, Ola said ‘you’ll be fine while we are gone and ramp up our profit margin.

“Will you be good for the period we are away?” He asked, looking out for her welfare.

“Would you have asked Moses this question, if he was the one seating here?”

“Dunni don’t bring up the sexist card, please.  I am only looking out for you on the honour of our friendship.

“I will be fine,” she said, putting on her big girl hat even when she felt far from it.

“No worries. I have this covered. All should be fine with the rest of the team we can handle any of the projects that can’t wait while you are both gone.”

She checked her phone to see if Moses had received her message, but it was still showing undelivered.

“What time does Moses flight arrive in Beijing?” Dunni asked scrolling through her phone hoping by some magic she’ll receive a message from Moses. He’d barely left for twenty four hours, and her world had become so small and empty. She sighed, taking her eyes from the phone to Ola.

“I don’t have the details, although I think it’s a fifteen hour flight. Moses is on a connecting flight which may take longer.”

“I will be on the lookout for his messages and keep my phone close by,” she said with a laugh at her lame joke.

Ola stood up to leave with a knowing smile on his face.

“What’s that smile about?”

“What smile, he asked innocently. He was not about to let Dunni know what she was yet to realise herself.

 “You have this mischievous look in your face,”

 “I think I just had an ‘eureka’ moment?”

“What’s that – a design?”

“Nope – but nothing to worry about.”

Dunni shrugged and went back to her work as he left her office. She had to energy to siphon any information Ola was not willing to give.  It was always a failed mission. She could hand tie Moses and blackmail him into telling her. It was a different ball game with Ola.

“See you later and we’ll keep our meetings via skype,” he said, closing the door after him.

Ola thought to himself. Dunni was in love with Moses, and she did not even know it. He may be wrong, but time will tell.

The Dice#11

Moses smoothened his sky blue bold check Charles Tyrwhitt shirt over his black jeans. Picking up his wallet and car keys, he stepped out of his house and about to get into his car when he heard the blare of a horn at his gate. A frown creased his handsome face as he wondered who could be visiting without first giving a call. He hoped he could disperse whoever it was quickly. He could not afford to be late for his appointment.

Moses was meeting up with Becca Williams, the new interior designer, he hoped to add to the team they currently used on their projects.

He chuckled at how riled Dunni was with the idea he was considering a relationship with Becca. However,

Moses found it an irony that Dunni could be worried about him getting heartbroken.  On the contrary, she was daily breaking his heart with her constant rejection by not taking him seriously.

Moses stood swinging his keys while waiting for Audu, the gateman to open the gate. His eyebrows arched with surprise when he saw Dunni’s black Honda CRV 2013 model drive-in. He still remembered how he and Ola spent a day convincing Dunni to go for a range rover similar to theirs only for her to opt for the same Honda CRV they had tried convincing her to stay away from.

Dunni was like that, once her mind was made up on something. It took a lot to sway her. She was never hasty in making decisions, but when she did, you could be sure she had all the angles covered, nothing and no one could and would stop her. He smiled, always happy to see her, even though she never considered him more than a partner and friend.

Moses walked over to where she parked, but Dunni was already out of the car. Moses let out a low whistle. The girl will not be the death of him. He thought her skirt was rather short and the top too fitting sculpturing her body and showing all her curves. He swallowed hard, reigning his thoughts to order.

“Dunni, what brings you here?” She stopped in front of him a little surprise to see him all dressed and unsure as to why she came here in the first place. It was easy to talk to Moses about anything.

“What’s going on? You look upset” Moses had not seen this look on her face ever since she broke off her relationship with Benji when they were still at the University.

Dunni opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out only a torrential fall of tears pouring down her eyes.

“Did someone die?” he asked alarmed. Kemi was back at home to the best of his knowledge and doing fine too.

She shook her head vehemently, tears flowing down her face like the release of water from Kainji dam.

Something was definitely off. Moses glanced at his watch, discreetly. He had to leave now if he intends to make his appointment. He had no intention of standing up Becca. Taking Dunni by the hands, he led her inside while she followed docilely. Something was definitely wrong. The Dunni he knew would have snatched her hands from his grip and match into the house with words worse than a whip. He was becoming more worried.

“Please talk to me, you are getting me scared. Should I call Emma?”

The tears increased, but she shook her head.

“Is it about Emma?” she nodded.

“Is she okay?” Dunni nodded again

Moses was getting a little exasperated. He did not have the time to pull every syllable out of her as he was running late for his appointment, yet he did not want to leave her alone in this state.

“Can you tell me what Emma did or did not do or should I call her and ask why you are so upset?” He prodded as one will do to a child.

Sitting on the high stool in his kitchen, he offered her a cup of cold water.

Dunni took the glass cup not without taking in his dressed look.

“Going somewhere?” she croaked her voice still laden with tears.

“Yes, got to meet Becca at the Expo 2013.

“Oh, she murmured, but that drew a reaction he saw in her eyes for a fleeting moment and then it was gone. He wondered if she was beginning to feel something for him. It was selfish of him to think of his feelings when she appeared to be in one of the lowest moments of her life.

“I had better be going. I should not keep you. Dunni struggled to come down from the high stool leaving the glass of water untouched.

“Not sure I am comfortable with you driving in the state that you are. You can stay here, and I will drive you when I am back.  Putting his both hands over her shoulders, I don’t know what happened today, but I know you will be fine. Whatever it is may not be as bad as you think. A problem shared is half solved.” He teased, trying to elucidate a smile from here.

“You have to go, or you will be late for your date.”

“It is not a date, he retorted a little miffed angry that she wanted to discharge him so quickly.

 “She may be the one who will take you off my hands,” Dunni teased.

“You should have told me long ago you were tired of me and can’t wait to get me out of your hair. And here I am waiting for you to make an honest man out of me.”

He was rewarded with a small smile that tugged her lips.

“Moses, off you go. Your date is waiting. One of us should at least get married soon, and since it does not look like it is going to be me, we should at least give yours a try.”

He mumbled some words, not worth repeating out loud before giving her a hug. He loved the feel of her and how she fitted into him perfectly. Her head directly under his chin, the smell of coconut in her hair intoxicating his senses. He kissed her hair.

Dunni felt things in her heart by his show of affection, but she reprimanded herself not to give any meaning to such a gesture. Moses will never see her beyond a friend and partner. They joked about their marital state. It was just that endless teasing that started from the use of his dice.

Moses hesitated at the door, “Are you sure you’ll be okay? I can cancel the appointment.”

A little part of her wanted him to stay, but she could not tell him so instead, she commanded him to go convincing him she would be fine and waiting for him.

“Don’t go driving about in this your state. Lagos is full of mad drivers, and you need to be more than alert when driving on Lagos road.”

“Oh,” Dunni groaned. “Not again. I am not a baby.”

“I am a grown woman,” Moses finished the sentence and rushed out of the door narrowly missing being hit by Dunni’s sandals.

Dunni heaved deeply as she sank into the posh black leather sofa. She picked up the remote control and to put on the TV switching between stations and not finding any exciting program. She finally decided to watch CNN .

Fear to Fall

Parts of this work first appeared on this blog under the title, Omowashe Omorishe.

Fear to Fall is set in the sights and sounds of the boisterous city of Lagos chronicling the life of a career-driven Nigerian lady in the banking sector.

The twist and turns of life’s curveballs are thrown unexpectedly; the intertwining of romance, friendship, loyalty and family drama leaves you captivated and wanting more. To what length would you go for the one you love? This is a book to tuck away and lose yourself in the wonder of contemporary Nigerian romance told in a first-person narrative. You would love, laugh and cry with the characters.

Available only in ebook format on  #okadabooks #applebooks #amazon#rakutenkobobooks #tolino #vivlio #barnes&noble #scribd #baker&taylor #overdrive #24symbols #bibliotheca

The Dice#10

Some friends are worse than enemies. If you find a good one, keep them close, for they are diamonds.

The weekend came faster than she expected. Good thing she had a date with Emma. Dunni did not know how much she had missed their time together until Emma showed up with their favourite wine, Barefoot Bubbly Pink Moscato. Dunni had ordered the ice cream and masa, and some grilled spiced meat popularly called suya.

Wearing a mini jeans skirt and a yellow fitted tee-shirt, Dunni slotted the USB drive into the Samsung TV and settled to watch the Matrix.

It was an intense two and a half hours film. Anyone seeing them would have thought they had exams to write after the movie.

“Gosh! That was so my movie!” exclaimed Emma. There should be a sequel.

“Yours truly is a Nigerian. If the film does not have part 2 or 3, then it is not complete. The film is okay as a standalone.” Dunni argued.

“Well, I still feel there should be more.”

 “You could write to the producers,” Dunni teased.

“I just might,” Emma replied, seriously thinking of it.

“Wow! Now I have to face the not so nice part of driving home when all I want to do is go straight to bed. “You could sleepover but don’t know how many husbands will let their wives do that.”

“Definitely not Greg.”

“I am surprised that he has not called you all this time.

Emma laughed. I warned him not to monitor my time out. He had the kids to himself and will see me when he sees me.

“Hmm, is that the boss lady speaking or Emma, the docile wife,” Dunni teased.

“Boss lady, sometimes we mothers and wives need the time to let down our hairs and be girls again. We get too bogged down with our roles as wives and mothers and forget who we are, what our dreams were and who we wanted to be. Then the kids are out, hubby has made a good career. In contrast, we have either gotten stuck in a flexible career or remain sit-at-home mums feeling defeated, and that the world is our enemy.”

Dunni looks on thoughtfully.

“Aww, should not have said that,” Emma apologised.

“None of what you said is wrong. It makes a whole lot of sense and useful information for the future when I fulfil my mother’s wish of taking on the MRS title,” replied Dunni.

Emma looked at Dunni with remorse. “I have to ask you for forgiveness before I share this with you and I don’t want you to be offended. The last time you called me, I was a little bit off because I had allowed someone to mess with my head. Don’t ask me who but I was told to be careful of you being a single lady and all…. The possibility that you may have something to do with my husband. An affair or a love child whatever.  I was stupid to let that get to me,” she grimaced.

Dunni sat stunned at Emma. “You believed that crap about me?” asked Dunni, disappointment was written all over her face.

“I am sorry, Dunni.  She had shared the story of two friends we knew who used to be really close, and the other friend had her children for the friend’s husband. Every time her friend asked her who the father was, she never said, and they were tight friends. All the while, the two women had kids for the same man only that one was married and the other was outside. They were tighter friends than we are. I don’t think it was the intention of the friend to go after her friend’s husband. Just that stuff happens, and I shudder to think such should happen to us.”

“It is depressing that you could think that of me. I would protect what we have with my blood, Emma if it means me going out of your life for good I will do it before such evil befalls us. How can you even think about it? That I will go after your husband. This is crazy. You have messed up with my head too. Gosh, good for you to share but bad for us to still be close friends.”

“What do you mean?” Emma stuttered, seeing the angry look on her friends face.

“I mean, our friendship is over. I can’t come near you or your husband without me thinking that somewhere you may have thought I could cause a rift in your home. I am not that friend and trust has been broken the moment you believed I could betray you.”

“You are joking, right?” Emma asked, shocked at Dunni’s reaction.

“No, I am not, I can’t be friends with someone who finds it so easy to think the worst of me. If you don’t mind, I think I need to be somewhere now.”

“I am sorry, Dunni.”

“Apology accepted. We can be acquaintances, but we can no longer be close friends.”

Emma felt Dunni was taking this out of proportion, but nothing she could say or do at this moment will change her mind, so she grabbed her bag and car key and left.

Dunni did the same as soon as Emma was out. She drove around aimlessly until she found herself in front of Moses house. What was wrong with all her friends?  Her mother stopped mounting pressure on her while her friends had picked the baton even her gate man appeared not to be left out!

The Dice#9

Dunni stood up from the sofa to get to her desk when she caught sight of a gorgeous caramel skinned lady dressed in a knee-length navy blue suit. She was about 5 feet, 8 inches tall with long box braids cascading down all the way to her waist.

The fact that the lady was with Moses piqued her interest. She wondered if there something beyond work as she watched their interaction. The way Moses’s eyes lighted up and the grin across his face like he was practically eating from her hands increased her curiosity. Suddenly she remembered an idea to run by Ola.

Moses stopped holding the mystery lady by her arms as he introduced her.

“Becca Williams meet Dunni Adesida, one of the principal partners. Dunni, Becca Williams, MD La Forte Designs. She is the interior designer who handled the Lekki Horizons Estate. I met her yesterday at Akin and Anu’s function. I think it would be nice if she handled the Awoyaya Gardens Project.”

Dunni stretched out her hand to shake Becca warmly and smiled at Moses neither agreeing nor disagreeing with his proposal. She excused herself to Ola’s office, leaving Moses with his guest. There was no way Becca or whatever she was called would handle her project. She already had a reliable designer. Moses could use her for his project but not hers. She fumed still in that state when she got to Ola’s office.

Ola looked up and could not hide his smile when Dunni walked in. He had wondered how long it would take her to barge into his office complaining of the new designer Moses had just recommended.

“I did not know we were shopping for new designers. I thought we were happy with the works of Exquisite Interiors and Bubbles Interior designs.”

“You will have to ask Moses. I don’t think there is any harm in introducing one more designer considering the number of projects we have to execute. He was introduced to her and requested she bring her portfolio.  Who knows we may need her soon.”

“She won’t handle any of my projects,” Dunni announced Ola to disagree.

Moses strolled in whistling the song baby, now that I’ve found you by Alison Kraus. She knew the song as it was one of the soundtracks in the list of songs in his car.

Dunni rolled her eyes, shaking her head. “Moses be serious. What have you found, a good designer for our projects or what?”

“She is the one,” Moses replied dreamily clasping his hands together.

Both Ola and Dunni turned to look at Moses like he had grown a horn or something.

“What do you mean she is the one,” Dunni tried to keep her voice regular, she could barely breathe as she waited for Moses to say something.

“I have finally found her. The one I have been looking for,” Moses answered.

Dunni busted out with a peal of forced laughter that sounded strange even to her ears. “See you when you get back from La la land.” She turned to Ola, “talk to him. I will not be there when it all falls like a pack of cards.”

Moses kept whistling with this look on his face Dunni had not seen since he dated Sophie Adams in his third year at university. That was the only serious relationship Moses had been in. She was not privy to why they broke up. His other relationships have been less intense. Moses breaking up with Sophie had led to her break up with Benji. She was spending more time with Moses knowing he was shaken from the break-up and wanted to help.

It was one of the worst moments of his life since they had become friends. Her heart ached for him in that period, and she felt she owed it as a friend to be with him. Benji, for some reason, had always seen Moses as a threat even when he knew Moses was involved with Sophie. She had to keep telling him then that Moses was only a friend and nothing more. Dunni called off the relationship when she could no longer take the badgering. Benji has trust issues, and Dunni could not deal with it.  He was one of the few guys that got on with Moses and Ola, but somewhere along the line, he had let jealousy ruin what they had.

Moses and Dunni got closer during that season of their lives. She had not had any relationship after Benji, she still felt stung by his betrayal. It was barely a month after Dunni broke off with Benji he started dating another girl in her dorm. There has been no one after Benji. She just could not find anyone she connected with.

For a weird reason, she found herself comparing all the men that came to Moses. None of them measured to him. She wanted someone who understood her like Moses.

Dunni sat behind her desk, lost in thoughts. She was not sure how she got there. She worried that Moses may get hurt with this new relationship. At a time, she had to reprimand herself not to take Panadol for someone else’s headache as was commonly said. Who knows it may not work out like all his other relationships?  Moses was a grown man she could not be worrying for him like she was his mother.

Searching for a drawing pen, she got busy on her project with a little frown on her face. Not sure why she was bothering her head over Moses relationship.