Kaima rolled on her bed from side to side like a worried mother. She couldn’t sleep because she was trying to understand why Damilares’ answer was a sure footed ‘NO!’.
He had seen the rich rewards he would get if he took the deal, so why did he turn it down? She pondered. ‘Maybe he doesn’t trust me, maybe he thinks it’s a scam, or maybe he is just scared of taking a leap of faith and changing his fortunes,’ she thought. He had mentioned something when he called, about her not stating the time and energy he was going to commit to make the business work. Suddenly she smiled, she knew what to do. She turned off her bedside lamp and decided that she would consult with Cynthia the next day to see if she shared the same notion with her.
Damilare was in the kitchen preparing a meal order that he received 15 minutes ago, when his cell phone rang; he checked the caller identity; his lips parted into a smile. What do you want this time? He said to himself.
‘Hello Kaima, you know my answer already, why are you still calling me?’,he asked
‘Hi’, Kaima replied, ‘I know your answer is no, but I’ve done a re-think and I have something to show you regarding the proposal’
‘Really’, Damilare said, as he walked away slowly from his work space, with his free hand fitting into one of the pockets of his black trouser.
‘And where would you like to show me your new discovery?’, he asked, later suggesting the restaurant
‘No’, Kaima replied, ‘I’ll text the address to you, let’s meet on Saturday, hope that’s convenient for you?’
‘Yes,what time?’, he asked.
‘I guess 10am or 11am would be fine’
‘Okay, I’ll be there’
‘Looking forward to seeing you, you won’t regret this’
‘I hope I won’t’, he replied with a heavy sigh
‘Trust me you won’t,’ she said confidently. ‘Thanks for taking the call’ she added, ‘see you on Saturday, bye’
‘Bye,’
The line went dead. He had succeeded in walking from his work space to the kitchen door without intending to, surprised, he turned around and headed to the direction of his work space, his face still lit up by a smile.
‘Why are you smiling?’, Ikenna asked
‘Remember when you asked me if I had lost a million Naira?’
‘Yes I do, and?’
‘The person I just got off the phone with has found it, she was calling to give me the pick-up address’, he said with a grin.
‘Hmmm! Heaven I need a hug too’, Ikenna replied raising his head to the ceiling with his arms outstretched.
On Saturday Damilare skipped his usual football game; and was busy getting set to meet Kaima at the designated address she sent to him within the week. The address was somewhere in Victoria Island, he lived on the mainland in Isolo. If he wanted to make it to the Island on time he would have to leave home early.
At 8am he was out of his house. He scouted the area for a commercial bus that would take him to the nearest bus-stop.
The distance between the mainland and the Island was pretty far and if there was one thing that was a norm in Lagos, it was traffic. Today being a weekend, he prayed silently that the traffic would be light and transport would be available.
By 10.55 am he was on the island, but he had one problem, the address was in Victoria Garden city. He wasn’t very familiar with that area, so he asked for directions. 30 minutes later, he was at the address Kaima sent to him. At first he wasn’t sure if he was at the right place, but he thought the address would lead him to an eatery or a bar, but it lead to neither, instead it led him to a residence.
Cynthia was in Kaima’s living room, when her friend’s cell phone rang.
‘Sweetheart’, she called out to Kaima.
‘Yes love,’ came her reply.
‘You’ve got a call’
‘From who?’, Kaima asked.
‘Chef 26’, she replied.
Kaima dashed out of the bathroom but her phone had stopped ringing before she got to the living room.
‘He’ll call back,’ she said
Seconds later, her phone rang
‘Hello!’, she said ‘where are you now?’
She listened as Damilare told her where he was.
‘You’re at the right place’ she said, ‘the security guard will direct you to my flat’
She dropped her cell phone on the couch and hurried back to her room to get dry and wear some clothes.
Cynthia watched her intently. She returned her attention to the television. Some minutes later there was a knock at the door, ‘who is it?’, Cynthia inquired with a British accent.
‘Damilare’, came the reply. She opened the door and ushered him in with a smile.
Welcome’, she said. ‘you’re here to see Ada?’ I guess.
‘Ada?’ Damilare looked puzzled and confused. ‘No, I am here to see Kaima, I must have knocked on the wrong door, so sorry’ he said. ‘The guard led me here, will have to check with him again, sorry to bother you,’ he apologized again. When he turned to leave, Cynthia called him back, laughing hysterically at her prank.
‘Am just messing with you’ she said. ‘You’re at the right place, please come in, Kaima will be with you in a minute’ she said still laughing. Damilare smiled and stepped in, he took a seat on an isolated piece of furniture in Kaima’s living room. Kaima’s place was breath taking, everything about the place was elegant, even the temperature in her living room was cool, better than the scorching heat that had made his journey from the mainland to the Island feel like a flight from Africa to Asia.
Some minutes later, Kaima joined them in the living room; she winked at Cynthia and stretched out her hand to welcome Damilare with a handshake and a warm smile. ‘Glad you could make it’ she said. Damilare gave her a nod. ‘I assume you’ve met my friend, her name is Cynthia.’
‘Nice to meet you he said.
‘Same here Cynthia replied with a half smile and hurriedly turned her attention back to the television.
‘What can I offer you’ she asked him.
‘I am open to anything you offer’ he said.
She went to the kitchen to retrieve a bottle of yoghurt and banana flavored biscuit from the fridge, she set them on a tray and traced her way back to the living room. She placed them on a stool and set it in front of Damilare. He crunched on the biscuits and washed them down with the yoghurt, both were very filling and refreshing, the yoghurt especially, because it was really chilled. ‘When you’re ready, we can discuss business’ she said, as she took a seat opposite him and crossed her legs revealing her smooth and soft skin which he could see because she was wearing a blue bum short that matched with the white sleeves top she was draped in.
.……..to be continued
Genre: Romance/fiction
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