Lagos – Page 3 – 21stcenturybelle

The Dice #24

Time will always tell, but it is the patience we all lack.

Moses was growing anxious. He had attempted to contact Dunni multiple times but was consistently unsuccessful. He decided he would have to drop by her house unexpectedly to retrieve his keys. Though exhausted from his long flight and craving the comfort of his bed, the anticipation of seeing Dunni outweighed his fatigue. The route from the mainland to the island was surprisingly clear on this Saturday morning, a relief after spending hours confined to an airplane.

As he felt the ring in his pocket, a smile tugged at his lips. Regardless of the odds and Dunni’s seeming obliviousness to their mutual attraction, he was determined to propose to her today. He no longer wished to postpone this moment. His prolonged absence had affirmed his deep-seated feelings for her, and he couldn’t imagine life without her. Their dance of ambiguous relationship status spanning over the years would end today. Moses planned to make his love known, breaking free from the “best friend” label that had concealed his true emotions.

Settling back into the cab seat, he closed his eyes, a vision of Dunni’s warm smile filling his mind. Today would mark the beginning of the rest of his life with the only woman he could ever truly love, the woman for whom he would willingly sacrifice everything. In this life and any others to come, he would do anything for Dunni.

The cab pulled up in front of Dunni’s gate, and he stepped out, paying the fare and dialing Dunni’s number one more time. The gatekeeper was already outside, ready to assist with his luggage. “Oga welcome, e don tey we see you for here. I bin think say you and madam don fight, I no know say you travel fa” Meaning it had been long he saw Moses and thought Dunni and he had a fall out.

Moses chuckled quietly to himself, keeping his thoughts private. He could always rely on Musa to say the most outrageous things while still managing to be amusing. He never ceased to be amazed by the man’s unfiltered audacity and wondered how Dunni, known for her short patience, managed to put up with him.

**************

Dunni awoke, her vision blurred, struggling to discern whether the relentless throb in her head was a symptom of a migraine or the persistent knocking at her door. For a fleeting moment, her surroundings were unfamiliar. But soon, the memories of the previous night engulfed her. The dinner, the proposal, camera flashes, and Tade hurriedly leaving her at her doorstep with a promise to see her the following day.

Reflecting on the proposal gone awry, Dunni found herself with a barrage of unanswered questions. Tade, as always, had adeptly sidestepped her inquiries. The mystery that now shrouded her engagement seemed to cast a larger shadow than her initial excitement. She had believed she knew Tade well, but the enormity of her acceptance of his proposal has raised a lot of questions, perhaps she had been misled. Maybe she only knew as much as Tade had permitted.

She was in the dark about his friends, had never met his family, and the closest connection was a family friend she had encountered at the restaurant the previous night. With a goal to research the woman online, she tried to remember the name. It seemed it was time for her to seek out answers on the internet if they were not forthcoming from Tade himself.

Still half-asleep, Dunni fumbled under her pillow for her phone. The cold metal against her skin caused her to wince. The weather was still mild for the time of year, yet her air conditioner had the room feeling like mid-winter, requiring her to slip deeper under her warm duvet.

Blinking her eyes open, she gasped at the time displayed on her phone. It was 10:36 AM on Saturday and she had 22 missed calls! The constant banging was not in her head but from the door downstairs. She grumbled, reaching for her housecoat draped over the edge of the bed. Slipping into her house slippers, she shuffled her way downstairs. Moses was the only one audacious enough to barge into her home so early on a Saturday, but he was in China. Or was he due back this week? she pondered.

Peering through the peephole, Dunni squealed, realising who was at the door. She swung it open and launched herself at Moses with the force of a cannonball.

“Wow!” Moses chuckled. “Had I known I would receive such a welcome, I would’ve donned full body armor.” He pulled away to look at her. She appeared to have lost weight and seemed utterly exhausted. He could tell she was still overworking herself in her typical fashion, and he felt a pang of guilt for his extended absence and lack of support on their ongoing projects.

“You’ve been working yourself to the bone, haven’t you?” he observed.

“Says who?” Dunni retorted. “I’ve been slacking off and falling behind on all my deadlines.”

“You mean your self-imposed deadlines that are always a month ahead of the actual ones.”

“They’re still deadlines,” she argued.

“Can I sit down? I just got back from the airport and dropped by to pick up my keys,” Moses requested.

“I am so sorry,” she apologised leading the way to her living room.

“Why didn’t you tell me when you were coming? I could have had someone clean your place before your arrival. It was tidied up about two weeks ago and I sure the dust has built up again and not to mention the stale air.”

“That should be fine,” Moses responded nonchalantly, sinking into the sofa while Dunni looked on at him, realizing how much she had missed him and excited to share her engagement news.

“Why are you looking at me that way?” he asked Dunni.

“What way?” Dunni countered, grappling with whether to disclose her engagement news now. She would have preferred to, but he had just returned from a long journey and had numerous things to sort out after being away for six months.

“You have that look, when you’re about to burst with information and struggling to contain it. Your twitching right eye and pursed lips always give you away,” he pointed out.

Dunni chuckled. “You know me too well, but whatever I have to say can wait. I’ll call the cleaner to pick up the keys for your place while I whip up a quick breakfast for you. You still have some clothes in the guest room. You don’t need to go to your place yet, rest here and I’ll drop you off later.” She rattled in one breath.

Moses smiled, wondering how long it would take for Dunni to realize that they were meant for each other.

Hours later, they sat comfortably, engrossed in conversation. “I have something to say, and I think you do too. So, you go first,” Moses proposed, a serious expression shadowing his face that made Dunni raise her eyebrows in curiosity. “If you have something to say, you better go ahead. I’m sure your news will overshadow whatever I have to share.” She had a suspicion that Moses was going to announce that he had met someone and was thrilled that they both had good news to share.

“I think you should go first,” he insisted.

“Nope, you go first. Let’s give the man who just returned from the moon the honors,” Dunni joked. “You mean China?”

“It might as well have been the moon. We barely communicated while you were there. It felt like you were swallowed up by their world.”

“The word ‘busy’ doesn’t even begin to describe the work out there. We complain about work in Naija, but those guys are like slave drivers, putting in 14 hours and more like it’s nothing. Being a proud Nigerian, I had to show them that we’re up to the task. It nearly killed me, but my pride wouldn’t let me back down.”

“You were about to work yourself to death for nothing. Can you drop this national pride? After all, we’re all realizing that we’ve been scammed, and our dreams shattered by each new leadership.”

“Naija for life, and Naija to the world,” Moses chanted.

Dunni flung a pillow at him. “Says the man who’s been out of the country for nearly half the year.”

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#22

Molade’s digging into Dunni’s background leads her on a journey of her past.

Jamiu had been her driver since she turned sixteen and stayed with her all through the years; He was more like family to her. She had built a house for him and sent all his children to school. They were all graduates of the prestigious University of Lagos.

She also helped secure jobs in their different disciplines across her companies. Jamiu was more than a driver. He was a father to her too. And while he was her driver for the world, she held him in high esteem and accorded him the respect of an elder. Her friends’ marvelled that he’s been with her for over three decades and think he is lucky to still have a job. Molade considered herself the lucky one that he was still with her; she could not trust anyone like the way she trusted Jamiu. The man will take a bullet for her, which was no exaggeration.

“No, thank you. I will do this on my own.”

Molade came down from the car and walked towards the hospital entrance to join the long queue of patients waiting to see the Doctor.

“Madam, seti gba card? A woman with a toddler resting on her hips asked and began directing her where she had to get the card, explaining that she won’t be attended to without one. Molade saw her personal physician every month by appointment and was not familiar with such protocols. She graciously accepted the kind woman’s direction and went to register for a card.

When asked for her address, Molade had to rattle her brain to give an Ibadan address as she did not want to give her actual address. She also registered under a pseudonym, Bimpe Jimoh, which sounded like a regular enough name.

The young lady at the registration looked at her and asked what she wanted to see the Doctor for. She stated that she did not look like someone was sick, and the Doctor was very busy and only attended to sick people. Molade grimaced and swallowed the nasty comment she wanted to belt out. They do have a lot of people with unsolicited opinions in this place. She nodded in understanding, not trusting herself enough not to say something that would make the girl decline to issue her card or stop her from seeing the Doctor. After all, she had no idea who was standing before her. Lagos shook at Molade’s presence, and this mouthy little know-it-all ordered her like she was her errand girl.

Molade sat in the waiting room for over four hours until it was finally her turn to see Dr Braithwaite.

Coming here was not the best of ideas, but she needed his immediate family to know he had left behind two children. The question they would be asking is, why now? It was finally time to let her kids know who their father’s family was; if she was accepted by the family, she would let the children meet their uncle. Lekan was the sensible one of the lot. Thirty-four years was too long, but it was better late than never. She recalled the last time she saw her three-month-old husband, Lanre when he walked out on her.

It was no news that Molade’s family had not approved of Lanre and even accused him of being a gold digger. So when Lanre requested a loan to build a hospital, she panicked and blatantly refused to loan Lanre the money. It was her way of protecting him and preventing her family from saying, ‘I told you so.‘

It was her way of pushing him to succeed on his own merit without assistance from her or her family. Molade needed him to do that so she could return to her father and be the one to say, ‘I told you so.‘

She did, but she lost him in the end. She lost him before she finally lost him forever, and death was faster than her forgiveness.

Bimpe Jimoh! Bimpe Jimoh!! Bimpe Jimoh!!! It took her a fraction of a minute to realise she was the Bimpe Jimoh being called. She picked up her bag and stood up to go into the Doctor’s office. It was now or never. It was not that she had not tried to reach the Lanre before. The first was when she realised she was pregnant after he left. She was told he had travelled out of the country, the next time was over 25 years ago, but she was told he was dead. Yes, that was what her father told her when she insisted they reach out to him to let him know of the children. He had the right to know he had two kids; she argued until her dad gave in and returned with the news that shattered her completely. She picked the pieces of her life and faced her business and her children.

Molade convinced herself she was doing the right thing. She owed her children the opportunity of meeting and get to know their father’s family. Dr Lekan will be the bridge to making that happen. She let herself in, and nothing prepared her for the sight she encountered on entering the office. Molade stared in shock and disbelief, unable to utter any word.

The flow of questions fluttered in her head, she could hear the screams in her head, but silence in the space she shared with this stranger who looked so familiar. Was she hallucinating? Was she going mad, or was she dead? Molade felt suddenly tired as she succumbed to the darkness that enveloped her.

The Dice#21

Clad in a simple leaf-patterned navy blue and white kaftan made with the traditional adire fabric. Molade appeared to be watching the cars that sped by as they drove along the Ibadan – Lagos expressway. She was lost in thoughts to another time when she made a similar trip. The road was not this terrible. Those were the days when it took you just a little over an hour to get to Ibadan from Lagos. Like this journey, she was driven by the same driver, Jamiu, who has been her personal driver from her teenage years to her adult life. Her brows creased in deep thoughts as they made their way to the ancient city. She could count the number of times she had a reason to come this way despite its proximity to Lagos.
Molade was jolted from her reverie as the car turned off the main road onto a muddy road meandering around deep potholes that laced the road. She jerked forward but for the seat belt that held her from hitting her face against the headrest of the front passenger seat.
“Sorry, madam,” Jamiu apologised.
She waved him off, knowing that it was not his fault.
It probably will cost the government little or nothing to get the road adequately fixed. Molade looked around, taking in her surroundings. At the same time, she wondered if her findings today will reveal her fears ever since she saw the document this morning.
The driver slowed the jeep down beside a woman roasting fresh corn for sale to ask for direction. He was about to drive off when Molade passed him a few thousand naira notes to give to the woman. She was beside herself with joy and rushed to wrap a few of the already roasted corn in newspaper to give to them. Jamiu declined and drove off, watching the room in his rearview mirror as she swirled and moved from side to side, dancing with joy. The money would cover her sale for the day and, if not more.
Jamiu brought the car came to a halt in front of what looked like a hospital. Molade gazed at the small-sized building with its white paint turned grey peeling off, a few broken glass windows replaced with wood. She could see the queue of people spilling to the hospital entrance, leaving her wondering what a weekday would be like if the weekend was this busy.
“Do you want me to go in for you?” Jamiu asked.
Molade managed a small smile. Jamiu uncannily knew her so well, but why wouldn’t he|? He’d known her all her life.

The Dice#20b

It was a rainy Saturday morning. The rich smell of Arabian coffee filled Molade’s study as she momentarily gazed at the rain pelting down the glass windows and enjoying the rhythm of the sound of each drop on the roof.

She loved the rainy season, the smell of the earth filling her senses, the promise of newness that came with it as the plants sprouted from the soil.

While others looked for safety and scurried for shelter from the rains, she loved the feel of its drops on her face. It reminded her of her childhood. One of her favourite past times was playing in the rain.

Molade remembered getting into trouble more times than she could count during the rainy season as she could not help but succumb to the temptation of dancing in the rain. The sheer joy and feeling of abandonment always brought a smile to her face. Indeed she was too old to do so now but always could not help the feelings of nostalgia the season brought with it.

The days of being wild and free, eagerly embracing the consequences of her disobedience. Sometimes she caught a cold from her careless act, but this never deterred her the next time the heavens opened and poured down its tears to the earth. She liked to think of the rains as heaven pouring out its blessings on the earth.

Drinking the hot coffee that would scald the tongues of others but was just right for her, she read the dossier containing information about Adunni Adesida.

She stared at the picture and could see why her son would fall for the drop-dead gorgeous beauty and talented architect. She was not surprised to find that the girl finished top of her class although at a local university within the country’s middle belt. Adjusting her glasses, she read through papers of information. Information about people was easily collected in this part of the country. Still, if asked by the individuals for their personal use, this same information would be an arduous task to gather.

Adunni grew up in Ibadan. She attended one of the country’s unity colleges, served in Lagos and worked in a top architecture firm before joining two other classmates to set up their own firm. The girl had taken on some laudable projects; she must say, Molade thought to herself.

Her father was late, her mother was still lived in Ibadan. She was the last of five children and had a sibling in the senate. They were not from old or new money but appeared to be doing well in their fields.

As she worked down the report, a name caught her attention, Dr Lanre Braithwaite. The family doctor and the doctor that took delivery of the child. Goshen Medical Centre, Mokola, Ibadan.

Her mug, half full of coffee, fell from her hand, spilling its black liquid on the paper. She grabbed some tissue at the far end of the desk to clean off the liquid and spread the papers across the desk.

She scrutinised the document, checking and rechecking the dates, wondering if she was going crazy. Alas! It appears that somebody had been lying to her for over three decades. She had to know the truth.

She rang her driver, “prepare the Range Rover. We leave for Ibadan in an hour”.

The Dice#19

Sometimes love does not always have to have it’s own way. Sometimes love is letting go!

Dunni stood by the aisle, reading through the composition of the coconut shampoo and conditioner available. Unfortunately, they no longer supplied her favourite brand. She was wary of changing hair and body products and wished she was among the lucky few who switched products at will with no adverse impacts on their skin or hair. She could not say the same for hers as there was a visible difference when she changed. She stuck to what she knew and devised a creative means by looking for products with a similar composition to the one she used.

Dunni was so engrossed that she failed to notice the young girl who bounced and threw herself at her. They both landed on the ground. The little girl cocooned in the safety of Dunni’s arms whose feet were sprawled at odd angles. Dunni was more than glad of her choice of clothing today. A skirt would have been disastrous.

The fiasco was a sight to watch as items came tumbling down with a loud noise. I grimace at each item calculating the estimate of the cost and the final bill. Someone had to pay, and the supermarket won’t be the one paying the bills.

Dunni heaved a sigh of relief. Glad she had saved the girl but was further surprised when she saw who it was.

“Toni are you okay?” She fussed over the child, feeling every part of her body to check she was not hurt.

That was the scene Tade met upon his arrival. He was aghast to see Dunni kneeling over Toni frantically checking her face and hands. He felt the tight contraction in his heart again. Dunni could easily pass for his daughter’s mother.

He cleared his throat to attract her attention.

Dunni turned to look at him suddenly becoming conscious of her sorry state. “It was a minor accident, but I think we will be okay.” She managed a small laugh. Dunni was not sure if it was a good thing seeing Tade. She was beginning to accept that whatever she thought of the chemistry between them must have been a figment of her imagination. Welcome to the reality highway where life happens.

Tade looked at the bruise on her forehead. “I think that thing on your head says otherwise. I’ll take you into the hospital just to check.”

Dunni tried to convince him she was fine. The earlier she found her way home, the better for her before she made a fool of herself, but he won’t hear any of it.

“Okay, let’s go,” she gave in reluctantly not without realising that was the same thing Moses would have done. Why did she always have to bring Moses up? she thought to herself. Shaking herself from her self-induced Moses trance.

She suddenly let out a yelp of pain like a wounded dog, and gingerly took her right foot off the floor.

“I think I am hurt,” she stated the obviously meekly.

Tade got down to one knee to observe the leg. “We will need to take you into the hospital. Please keep the feet still.” Turning to check his daughter, “Buttercup,” he could not get a word in as the girl was chirping away how Dunni saved her from hitting her head on the floor and asking him how cool that was?

Tade looked back and mouthed “a thank you,” while Dunni’s grin was punctuated by a grimace from the pain on her now swollen ankle.

Tade came over and asked, “May I?” Not waiting before lifting and gingerly carrying her like she weighed nothing. She was so embarrassed being carried out of the store like a toddler.

Sensing her discomfort, he talked her through soothingly, asking questions to keep her talking and focusing on him.

They were almost at the door when one of the store attendants made his way to them to ask for a refund for the broken items.

Tade closed his eyes, and anyone could see he was visibly calming himself. “Can I see your manager? And if you could make a chair available, I will put the injured lady down whose medical bill should be paid by your store.”

The battle on the store attendant face was comical, but no one found it funny. The fear in his eyes turned to confusion, replaced with uncertainty and the gradual sag in his shoulders. Eventually, he said they could leave and settle when next they came.

Tade was irritated yet gritted, “thank you and went out of the store looking out for Toni.

He placed Dunni in the backseat of his lamborghini, so her feet rested on the seat while her back to the door.

“What is your car’s registration number and where did you park? I will arrange for your car to be taken to your house.”

Dunni reeled out her car details while Tade spoke to someone on the phone to meet him at the hospital to pick up her car keys.

They drove in silence joining the light traffic leading to Adetokunbo Ademola street.

“If you don’t mind, I will get the nurses to bring out a wheelchair, so you don’t put pressure on the feet.”

“Thank you, was all she could think to say. Dunni was so used to being strong gratefully that being the recipient of such care and devotion was doing a number to her brains and heart. She was grateful not to have been carried into the hospital in the same undignified manner as she was taken out of the store.

After a couple of hours at the hospital, Dunni was more than glad when it was time to leave. She had undergone so many tests she was beginning to think maybe she had contracted a disease and was not aware.

She did not see Tade until it was time to leave. Toni was already fast asleep at the nurses’ station.

“Has she been checked,” she inquired.

“Toni is with no bruises or broken bones. I think you took it all.”

This elucidated a small smile from Dunni.

“I am more exhausted from the tests and checks than the actual fall itself.”

Tade chuckled. “You sure? It is better to be safe than sorry. You may feel differently tomorrow when you begin to feel the aches and pains from the fall.”

“I hope not,” Duni stifled a yawn that Tade did not miss.

“I need to get you girls home.” He liked the ring of it. The girls he thought to himself.

********

Fifth evening in a role Tade spent with Dunni. He first went on a neighbourly mission, at least that’s what he convinced himself he was doing.

Tade loved the look of shock and awe on Dunni’s face when he told her he made the amala and ewedu soup with goat meat himself. The awe will be etched in his memory for an awfully long time. The way her lovely eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open gave a new meaning to sexiness. He thought of doing things to her that will mark her as his which had nothing to do with obtaining a license certificate to take on his last name. He was going to need a cold shower as an anecdote tonight. This girl was doing things to heart, he thought was no longer possible.

The look of wonder as she savoured the dish was priceless, but he knew it was time he took his leave as all the restraint he had been holding was departing with the speed of lighting.

“Being an invalid suck but you’ve made it something to look forward to,” she joked smacking her lips with satisfaction.

He stared at her lips…. and jumped out of his seat like one stung by a bee.

“I have to go now,”

“You only just came, she whined obviously wanting him to stay.

“I have a patient to check,” he fibbed. It was for a good cause.

He cleared the dishes and let himself out.

What do you think you are doing? The voice of guilt in Tade’s head spoke. Your wife is barely cold in her grave, and you are thinking of another woman. Get a grip on yourself and leave her alone. You will hurt this woman just like you’ve done to every woman that has crossed your path.

Not knowing why, he was in a hurry to leave when he just came. Dunni watched him through her window, noticing the droop in his shoulders and how he hung his head in defeat.

She wondered if he really had a patient to see or was wary of her presence that he could not wait to be far from her.

“You will get hurt girl,” she told herself, but nothing she said could make her heart not beat for him. Infatuation or love, she could not get him out of her head.

Tade had not planned to go back to Dunni’s place, but he did the next and the next day. And each day he came with a dish he prepared and left like a man being chased by a thousand demons leaving Dunni confused and heartbroken. She wanted more with Tade, and no amount of reason and guilt trip she tried could exorcise Tade from her head or heart.

She wished she had someone to talk to about her feelings. She was going crazy thinking of Tade who she thought did not feel the same way about her. Dunni would have called Emma, but she was still miffed at her and did not take any calls from her. Moses was far away in China. They rarely spoke. There were missed calls and chats on the phone, but the time difference did not help. He was having some issues with the project and has been a bit stressed of late. She did not want to add her heart problems to his buffet of other problems.

Amanda would have a field day with her predicament, being she was the one who first suggested she dated the widower. Dunni tried a small smile. How time flies.

She had totally forgotten that episode. Hmm, someone needs to eat humble pie. She was not going to Amanda with her heart troubles.

She wondered how pathetic her life was—a minimal number of friends in her inner circle. Moses and Ola made up for more than a hundred friends, but she could see the tunnel she dug herself in by not expanding her circle of friends.

Dunni picked her phone against her better judgement to buzz Moses and decided against it. She had not told him of her ankle in a cast. She had warned Ola not to mention her sprained ankle to Moses. He would bombard her with calls she needed to avoid, and her head was in a mess not to blurt out her silly heart problems.

The Dice#18

“Here’s my phone, Moses is on the line.”
Dunni looked at him quizzically, “has he been on the line all this while?”
“Yes, and please can I have my phone when you are done?”
Toni rolled her eyes at him, “Of course you’ll have your phone back, or maybe I should have it?” she asked mischievously. Ola wagged his finger at her, and he was out of her office.
“Hello, stranger,” the sound of Moses’s voice made her almost want to cry. Dunni closed her eyes, letting the sound of his voice wash over her.
Taking in the sound of his breath over the phone. She smiled at his silence. He always did that thing – greet and wait for her to speak first. It was a game they played, and she was always the one to give in and break the silence.
This time around, she was taken aback by the power in the sound of his voice and how she could literally feel him standing in her office.
“How are you?” she asked, forgetting she was waiting for him to speak.
“Ahhhh! Are we not too old for this game?” Dunni queried, miffed that he had beaten her to it as always.
Moses held his phone tightly, allowing the softness of her voice cut deep into his soul. He was not sure how long he could stay away from her. He wanted to see her, gaze into her eyes and feel the connection they had. The project was taking longer than expected. He’d been tempted so many times to take a week off, but he knew what that would do to the project, and he was not ready to take that risk. This was a massive project, and not only did he need to do a perfect job, but he also had a reputation to maintain for future projects. He heaved. Savouring the sweetness of Dunni’s voice and the smile he could imagine on her face would do for now.
Ignoring her question, he asked, “How are you?”
“Fine as can be. So much work to do here but we got it under control. And yourself?”
“These guys here are slave drivers. I don’t think they ever rest. Trying hard to keep up.”
“I think you are the chief slave driver. They must be rushing to finish the project to get rid of you.”
His peals of laughter could be heard over the phone, which brought a smile to Dunni’s face.
“I don’t mind getting rid of me too if it would bring me to you.”
“Is that a line engineered by the toss of your dice?”
Moses groaned in frustration.
Dunni laughed. “I am not the one who makes critical decisions from the toss of a dice.”
“You should try it sometime,” he retorted drily.
“Yeah yeah!”
He wanted to ask of Mr Flowers, he heard Ola alluding to over the phone but was not sure if he really wanted to know. Ignorance they say is bliss.
The jealousy he felt was suffocating him. For all, he knew this could be one of Dunni’s many admirers that would fade away with time. The thought of anything else was too scary. Losing Dunni would make life not worth living. This was no cliché. It was his reality.
“It’s been so hard to keep in touch. Your phone is either dead or just ringing.”
“Guilty as charged. It’s the timing. I have called you a couple of times and gave up. On other occasions, it’s the wrong time. Your midnight over there is morning the next day here. It would be nice once you are back.”
“That should make me feel better, but something tells me, the work you have for me will be worse than the slave drivers here.”
“You could not be more right,” Dunni concurred.
Moses wanted to spend more time talking with her, but he knew he had to let them go, she had work to do.
“You sure you are good?” he asked Dunni again.
She wanted to tell him of her heart troubles but changed her mind. He was facing a challenging project, and she was insensitive by wanting to dump her personal problems on him.
“Nothing I can’t handle,” she replied.
They chatted for a few more minutes before Ola came back for his phone.
Dunni rounded up with Moses and passed the phone to Ola.
“Guy, I need my phone,” Ola spoke into the phone now on video.”
“Dunni, your phone should be charged by now, but I don’t think you should be using the business time to chat.”
“What!” she grabbed his phone back while he objected throwing his hands up in resignation.
“That’s precisely what I have been suffering since you left. Please wrap that project up, or you may not find me in Designtex upon your return.”

” Why did I not think of a video call, Moses you look like a stone age man. I could walk past you and not recognise you.” Dunni teased him going around her table to Ola so Moses could view the two of them at the same time.

Moses swallowed with no come back for her as he drank in her beauty like a thirsty soul. If her voice was making a mess of him, seeing her was breaking every resolve to be patient. He had to find a way to make Dunni begin to see him in more than the capacity of a friend and business partner.
“Now I think you need to leave. You are using business time for frivolities.” Dunni smirked, happy to have the last word as she ended the video and handed Ola’s phone to him, pushing him out of her office.

The Dice#16

My heart bleeds for Moses but hey! Life is filled with twists and turns. The story continues. Happy Friday guys!!

Dunni smiled at Tade’s text message, feeling warm all over. “Looking forward to this weekend.”

She was more excited about falling in love than the concept of being in love?

She shrugged off the look of disapproval she could literally see on Moses’ face like he was standing before her. That was a phase in her life she had to close and move on. If a relationship could have happened between them, it should have long ago, or so she liked to think. She did not need his approval on who she could date.

Dunni replied to the text, “same here.”

I better get back to work, she muttered to herself, putting her phone away. She had just finished her Skype meeting with Ola and Moses. Ola was due back next week, but Moses had to stay back.

She hated the feeling of emptiness that his absence triggered. She could not explain the reason for the feelings than allude to the close relationship they shared. However, she reached the conclusion that things had to change.

She could not wait for Ola to come back. She smiled as she remembered the grief in her mother’s voice when she was told Moses would be away longer than expected. Dunni loved to tease her mom of Moses being her acquired sixth child.

“He will come before you, dear. You will still remain the last,” was her mum’ swift response.

It was a sore point for Dunni, growing up she hated the fact that she was the last and had often begged her mum to have another child so that she would have a younger one.

“Not to worry mum, Moses will find a way to come to home at least twice before the end of the project,” she encouraged her mum who in turn teased back that Dunni needed it more.

Mother and daughter laughed about it as they caught up over the phone. Dunni had been very busy lately to make the trip to visit her mother in Ibadan.

She could not wait for Moses and Ola to come back and get her life back not that she had any before now.

*****

Dunni did not have any difficulty locating the house. She meandered the muddy dirt road grimacing with every roll of her tyres at the need to go straight to the car war wash. She heaved a sigh of relief when she turned into a well-tarred road, a look of wonder on her face when she saw the edifice of a house situated on a cul de sac. She blared her horn as the electronically controlled gate smoothly slid into the left side. At the same time, the security guard stood by the right in his sharp blue shirt and black trousers. Did anyone need a security guard with an electronic gate she wondered? If the house looked gigantic from the outside, it was humongous when you drove in. The house was a masterpiece design. She fell more in love with the architecture the moment she stepped out of her car. Tade was already out walking down the mini road that led to the car park filled with exotic cars that Moses will hate to know he missed when she told him.

“Wow! What a piece. This is a beauty. Did you say you want to sell it or rent it out?

“Tade smiled. She is doing a number of you. I should be jealous because it would be nice to get half the look in your eyes for me than a house.”

“I can’t help it. Houses are my dream and passion. That’s why I am an Architect.”

“What about a tour when you settle down?”

“Oh, I would be delighted. Thank you,” Dunni gushed with the excitement of a little child.

“Where is Toni?” Dunni asked, a frown forming on her forehead, afraid she had not noticed the girl in her moment of ecstasy drooling over a house?

“She is inside -suddenly remembered that her room had to look perfect. She wants to show you her room and all the drawings pasted on every available wall space in the room.”

“I think you have a budding Michael Angelo. You just don’t know it yet.”

“Ha! I can’t wait, and it better translate into money during my lifetime,” Tade joked. One could not miss the pride in his voice.

“Would you mind if I took a tour of the house? She is beautiful.”

“Is the house now a she?” Tade asked with raised eyebrows and a tinge of amusement spreading over his lips.

“I like to think of houses as women, and it has nothing to do with feminism,” Dunni warned.

“I know,” Tade answered drily which earned him a laugh from Dunni.

“What was that?” She asked getting more intrigued with her attraction to this man and excited that it was the same, and he was not hiding it.

She would not think what next and would simply enjoy the moment. Relationships don’t have to always end in marriage; maybe that’s why ladies burden themselves with too much pressure looking for Mr Right rather than enjoying the relationship. She was going to go with the flow for the first time. Just let’s see where it would lead her. No demands, no expectation just out of having a good time and being a friend.

“Do you want to share?”

She turned aghast that she had tuned out.

“I am so sorry.”

“That’s fine. It’s just funny the way you’ve turned all excited like Toni when she’s offered a new toy.”

“Did you just call me a little girl?” Dunni asked with a frown and her hands akimbo mustering every effort to look stern amidst the laughter building up and twitching at the sides of her mouth.

“I think you need some excellent grandma spanking, she tried in the voice of Big Momma.

Dunni wowed and ahhed around the house as Tade gave her the tour.

“What’s the name of the architect?” Not sure but it was some Arab guy, Solape met while doing her masters.

“Does he live in Nigeria?”

“Oh no, he lives in Abu Dhabi- they met in the UK.

“He is very creative.”

“I think so too, but hey! That’s not my department. It is just sad she could not have lived long in the house she was so passionate about.”

Dunni turned her gaze away from the view to Tade. The pain in his voice mirroring the anguish on his face.

“You miss her?” Dunni asked which sounded lame even to her ears.

But if Tade felt so too. He did not say but answered her question without missing a bit.

“Every day and in every way. Buttercup is the spitting image of her.”

“Talking about Toni, I have not seen her.”

Dunni glanced at her watch and gasped! “I can’t believe we’ve spent over one hour touring the house. I think I should go and check for her.”

She turned around to go in search of Toni but not sure which direction.

“This way Tade propelled her forward, holding her hands as he led her through the maze of walkways and doors to the living room.

Toni was propped in one of the setees watching a cartoon that had just finished. Dunni recognised as Beauty and the Beast. The little girl’s face brightened with a broad smile that tugged at the strings of Dunni’s heart.

“Do you want to see my room?” Toni asked with excitement that rubbed off quickly on Dunni.

“Yes, I will be more than happy to, and she tickled Toni who squealed with delight running off in the opposite direction.

“I’ll leave you two and finish the cooking.”

Dunni smiled, she had momentarily forgotten Tade was with them.

“You look good together. Solape will have been pleased to meet you.”

“The pleasure would have been mine to see the lady who raised such an impressionable young lady.”

“Are you saying I had no hand in the job?”

“No, Dr Braithwaite, You must have done a fantastic job too. Just that we were talking about the mother. You did not come across as one with a jealous streak in him.”

“You women think that we are all wood and stones without emotions. I know a lot of men who do as much as raising the child as the women, but all you hear is society singing the women’s praises. It is not encouraging at all. I think we the men should revolt at society’s injustice.”

I can just imagine you, men, with clothes stripped and rubbed in ashes like the Aba women’s riot of 1966.

This is 2012, we wear African designed attire looking like men stepping off an edition of the GQ magazine. All strutting the streets of Victoria Island, beautiful specimen of the male species. No noise. No words, just a single placard with words Dads contribute too.”

“Really,” Dunni laughed hysterically. “I got to go to Toni, I will be right back if I don’t lose my way.”

“You can’t miss it. Turn left, right and left—the door with the picture of a pink teddy.”

Tade smiled pleased with the way they connected. Dunni made him laugh and forget his pain. He missed Solape every day, regretted the role he played at her last moments, the guilt eating at him. But with Dunni, he felt so alive again. It was like a breath of fresh air, and he wanted to keep taking it in for the rest of his life.

Slowly Tade before you scare her off. He cautioned himself.

Food ready and table set. Tade set out to look for his daughter and their guest. He could hear Dunni’s soft voice through the partially closed door. He stood outside the door listening, not wanting to interrupt.

Dunni was reading one of Toni’s books, he read to her before going to bed, and it appeared she was doing a better job than he’d done.

His heart contracted. Was it possible to fall in love so quickly with someone? He wanted her, and at the same time, the timing did not feel right.

He knocked and waited for an answer. Toni answered, knowing he was the one.

Tade swallowed his breath, completely taken with the sight before him. Toni cuddled in Dunni’s arm which held the book for her to see as she read.

He knew he was totally lost to this woman, and there was no going back. He only prayed for time to mark his dead wife’s first anniversary before making any move.

The evening went incredibly well, and it was time for Dunni to leave. Toni cried, not wanting her to go. What Dunni did not know was Toni was not the only one who was reluctant to let her go. Tade wanted her to stay not just for a single day, but forever. A forever he had no right to ask of her.

The Dice#15

Moses sighed in frustration as he tried Dunni’s line. It was engaged. For the past thirty minutes, he has been trying to call her. He dropped a chat hoping she would respond. “Hey! Buddy, hope you are fine. Just checking. Please call me when you can.”

Dunni responded immediately by placing her call on speaker and typed away. “Hey, you! Feels like a lifetime ago we really talked. Anyways can’t talk right now- in a middle of a call, heard your chat come in and still on the phone but had to reply. Talk to you in our catch-up meeting later in the week.

Moses frustration rose a notch higher. Was Dunni his curse or nemesis? Why could he not get her out of his system? There were many girls out there. Why can’t he get attached to one of them and save him from this misery? How long would she begin to see that he loved her beyond their friendship and work partnership?

“Calm down, man,” he chided himself. He needed to try harder and make her see what they could have together. With Dunni, it was mixed signals. Sometimes, he could feel she cared for him as much as he did, and other times she had this strong wall built around her heart.

He could recollect the first time, he saw her. She was walking down to the lecture centre for the general studies class. GST 001 but looking lost as she wandered from one lecture room to another one. Moses and Ola were sitting outside, waiting for the rest of the other students.

She walked up to them with a shy hello, asking if they were waiting for the GST 001 class. Ola answered while Moses stared at this gangly teenager with beautiful light brown eyes. She had her braids falling everywhere but her face all the way to her hips. The softness of her voice felt like the taste of butter in his mouth. One look at her and he was smitten. He knew without a doubt she would be in his future but what he did not know was the pain she would bring him.

Dunni as she introduced herself, got talking with Ola while he pretended to be too busy reading his notes with an occasional nod here and there but stealing glances at her. The caramel-skinned girl was getting under his skin, and his hormones were going overdrive. He was not looking for a girlfriend at this point. He had his academics to focus and could not afford any distraction.

Just when he was about to join the conversation, a guy who he had not seen walked about to them.

“Hi, Dunni,” his deep-voiced boomed from such a small frame as he greeted them.

She smiled up to him shyly, Moses’s heart stirred, and all he could feel was jealousy for this guy.

Dunni walked away with him, not before dumping her books on Moses lap.

“I will be back. Please save a seat for me,” and skipped away without a backward glance. The excitement in Dunni’s eyes dulled any hope in his heart, but he quickly shrugged it off.

Ola called him out when she left. “Do you dislike her?”

“No, there was nothing to say, so I left the chit chat to you.”

“When have you ever left the chit chat to me?” Ola inquired with a raised eyebrow. His curiosity peaked.

“There can always be a first time,” Moses argued. How could he explain, in just the first five minutes of their meeting what the mere sight of her was doing to his heart? He felt pain and excitement together and was as confused as can be. Was this love at first sight?

Dunni came back and sat by him this time, taking her books from him, he could feel the electric shock when their fingers touched. He knew Dunni felt it too with the way she opened eyes and grabbed her books quickly as she stood up.” I think I have to go now,” she stuttered. Moses smiled; he was not the only one. Campus life suddenly looked attractive. He was not going to do anything about his feelings. He had a 2.1 to leave school with that he owed himself and whatever his heart was feeling now, had to go with what his head was saying.

If the feeling was mutual, then they had years ahead of them. Moses was just 18 years old, although he still could not tell her age, he could guess that she was younger than them.

“Was that your boyfriend?” Ola asked matter of fact.

“Just a friend,” she replied and wanted to know why he asked. Moses pretended still busy reading the book opened before him although he could not make sense of what he was reading, he was all ears on their conversation.

“Nothing,” Ola shrugged his shoulder nonchalantly. “We need to know your friends and special friends so we can treat them nicely.”

Moses was not sure what Ola was working at, but he had a feeling the guy must know something. These were questions he was dying to ask. For some reason, Dunni changed her mind from leaving and hung out with them, waiting for the lecture hall to be opened.

They chatted while they waited for the lecture that was later cancelled. The best thing that came out of that day was the friendship Moses, Ola and Dunni forged, and how inseparable the threesome became. Having Dunni around him was good enough. He could monitor and counter any other guy that came. Between Ola and him, guys stayed away thinking she was a girlfriend to one of them and he was contented with that.

Their boats were rocked when Benji began dating Dunni. He’d never seen her that excited.

“Finally,” she beamed with a full smile lightening her face, as she stepped into the room Moses shared with Ola on campus.

“Finally, what?” Ola asked

Dunni twirled around. “Benji asked me out, and I said yes. I was beginning to think there was a problem with me. You know how no guy was hitting on me like my other roommates. It appeared they had something on me shouting, she’s taken. Stay away from her!”

Moses drawing pencil fell from his hands in shock. He grimaced with pain, engulfing his heart like none he had felt before—a feeling of emptiness, loss and despair.

Dunni sashayed over to Moses workstation, with her chin resting in her palms, staring into his eyes from the opposite end of the table. “Are you not happy for me?” It sounded more like an accusation than a question.

He shrugged. “Don’t know what the fuss is about. It’s not like you are getting married. The relationship could fail, especially when the guy wants something that you are not able to give.

He smirked. He knew Dunni’s virginity pact, and Benji did not look like the guy who would help her keep it.

“Oh thank you, friend,” she stressed the word with a distaste he could feel in his mouth, “for your vote of no confidence. Killing my relationship before it even started.”

She left him angry and went to Ola.

“Congratulations!” He celebrated with her and twirled her around. Raising his glass cup of water and passing another to her. He gave a toast, “To the boyfriend.” May this be the perfect one and lead to marriage.”

“Thank you. Good to know one person is happy for me, unlike some people,” she pointed her chin in Moses direction.

“I have a meeting with the departmental head,” Moses grabbed his sandals and rushed out of the room like one being chased by a thousand demons.

“What’s wrong with Moses?”

“Nothing, it’s his big brother instinct at work as you always say.”

Dunni giggled. “You guys are both my curse and nemesis. I left my brothers at home and met you guys in school.”

“You sure Moses will be alright?” She worried.

“Don’t worry that intelligent head of yours. He will be fine. His paranoia of someone taking advantage of you will wear out when he sees how Benji cares for you. You know we’ve taken you as our sister, and we have to protect you, but your happiness is more important.

Dunni walked up to Ola, dropping her glass cup on the table and hugged him.

“Thanks, Ola. I desperately needed you guys to approve Benji. You are my friends, and I want you all to get along well.

Seeing Dunni with Benji was a constant pain, Moses learnt to live with. The problem was his feeling for Dunni did not just disappear. It increased like an inferno that threatened to consume him.

Not too long, he started going out with a girl in another department but the same faculty.

Joke was petite like Dunni, but that was where the similarity ended. She was fair-skinned, mixed-race as her grandmother was American. She had the long Caucasian hair mixed with a little of the African texture which she most often than not braided without the extension. She was not the beautiful, drop-dead gorgeous type, but she was pretty and lovely in a way that got people drawn to her.

Her eyes were grey with a mouth always coated in pink lip gloss. She could be loud and brash and in one instance and display the finesse of her American heritage at another. Still, all that would disappear when she spoke the Yoruba language with the air of one who grew up on the streets of Idumota market.

Moses and Joke had too many fights bordering around Dunni. Joke was obsessed with his relationship with Dunni that was becoming draining. Dunni was a name he rarely mentioned in their discussion as it always ended up in a fight. The girls were good together, but it was when they were alone that Joke seemed to find everything and anything wrong with Dunni. She had the most outrageous idea that Dunni was interested in snatching her boyfriend from her. Moses would not have minded if it was true. Joke was good for him, and she was his reality. What she did not know was that being with her was helping him get Dunni out of his head. He has even started avoiding her as much as he could, although that was difficult considering they attended the same classes and were in the same study group.

Moses had been with Joke for almost a year when she broke up with him. He was devastated as Joke had become less the anchor against the pain, he felt for losing Dunni and someone he could fall in love with. Joke walking out of his life really shook him, but that brought Dunni back into his life as she practically nursed him out of his heartache and not too long Benji broke up with her.

Dunni hid the pain of her breakup by pouring herself into her studies and her friendship with the boys. But he did note that she built a strong wall around her heart and was weary of having any relationships after that.

Sixteen years down the line, they were not anywhere nearer to dating than they were when they first met. Moses wondered if he had been wrong in not making his feelings known when they first met. Was he wrong to think that chemistry will withstand the years till when they were ready? This was an unfinished business that Moses had to sort out upon his return to Lagos. It was time to lay the cards plain on the table, and if it did not work, he had to move on with his life no matter how hard that sounded.

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.