Pelumi's Memoirs - 3

"Badt guys!" Kene yelled on seeing Ivan and Liyel.

"Waiter!" Kene signaled to the slim mixed race guy who had been assigned to their table. The guy walked over and took their orders. "A bottle of Budweiser for me please!" Ivan said. "Same.." Liyel told the waiter. He looked at his name badge. It read 'Khan'. 

"Tequila and vodka for the three of us!" The waiter looked confused for a little bit. "Go!" Kene waved him off smiling. “Forget the Budweiser..."

Ivan shook his head. "Kene, you know you can never change right? I just wanted something light so I can drive home in one piece."

"Omo, calm down jor! You can like to para anyhow. This is not America where some bloody cop will arrest you for DUI. How many years have you been back now and you'll still be getting anxious over a few glasses of alcohol?"

"It's just not about DUI or no DUI you know. I think everyone should have a clear head and in fact clear eyes while driving. You never want to be responsible for sending some innocent people to their untimely deaths."

"Ehnn, makes sense, but a few glasses tonight won't cause you to send anyone to their graves jare." Kene stopped in mid speech clearly fixated on some ladies who had just entered the lounge. He double whistled. "Just negodu!"

"Who da chick?" Liyel asked Kene shifting in his seat. Kene laughed hysterically.  "Ha! Liyel, you can't change o!"

"Makes two of us jor. See you gawking at those ladies who just walked in and now you are forming judge and jury over me?"

“Omo, chill down na! Someone cannot play with you? Okay, on a serious note, I dunno her from Adam. Do you think I know everyone who walks in here?"

Ivan raised a brow. "Kene, you are a regular customer here at Gidi Lounge. How come you don't know her?"

Liyel stood up. He was 6'4 and the gym was his best friend. His body was super toned and fit from the rigorous work outs and weight training he usually did. "Be right back." He winked at them.

"Bad guy!" Kene exclaimed again. "You are not serious." Liyel replied his friend laughing. 

"What did you say?" Ivan turned to face Kene who had begun waving his fingers in his face. "Do you see what I see?"  Mehn, these babes are fine!"


"You should go talk to one of them you know. Especially that one in the shimmering bronze dress. She looks like your type." 

"And what is my type?"  
Kene clapped and cleared his throat stifling a laugh. "I know your type, Ivan and we both know her looks fall into the range." 

Ivan squinted and looked at the lady in the shimmering dress. She was very light skinned. She had on a red lipstick. Too red in fact. She was pouting and clearly oblivious of the fact that she was doing so. She was engrossed in the conversation going on around her.  Ivan took in her features again. She wasn't slim and you couldn't call her fat. Her physique looked right. Trim was the word!  And oh, she was very beautiful. Kene was right. She was his type!

Kene was saying something again but he was lost. Lost in the lady's curves. He watched her rise and hit the dance floor. His thoughts were not pure at that point. 

Kene tapped him. "Dude, you probably should go talk to her you know?"   
"Yeah...." His voice sounded husky in his ears. Blame it on the alcohol. 

Ivan emptied his glass of tequila and vodka. For some reason, he wanted to let down his hair tonight. Serious minded CEOs needed some down time too. He was human for crying out loud.  “Go talk to her!" Kene told him winking.

"Okay, okay!" Ivan looked in the lady’s direction again. While he wasn't as tall as Liyel, he couldn't be called short at 5'11. He was good looking. He didn't go to the gym religiously but keeping fit was top priority for him. He ran on weekends and used the elliptical in his home on week days.

Boo, do you mind if I take this seat right here?

Cause you're sittin' alone

If you're sippin' on cris, girl, I'm buyin', yeah

And if you got a nigga, don't lie

Ain't got to front for me

I can give these digits that you can call

You can hit me on the cell if I'm not home

Are you down to swing enough with me?

Or could you be blinded by all this ice you see?

I'm willing to give you all this love I got

No relationships involved

Gotta keep it strictly physical

The song playing echoed Ivan's thoughts. There were two voices in his head right now. One told him to get out and head home. The other told him to stay, relax and have a good time. 

Maybe this was what he needed. Throw caution to the wind and have fun! He looked around and Liyel was nowhere in sight. 

Shoulders raised, chest puffed, he headed towards the object of his attraction with purposeful strides. Some people said he strutted. He called it swag. He had a load of swag and a whole lot more. 

Pelumi lay in bed squirming. Why did being a woman have to come with so much pain like the one she was having? It was the first day of her period and as usual she had to deal with so much pain. She felt like throwing up. The pain spread to her lower back, it coursed through her middle back and then it went into her groin and back to her abdomen. And some people said they never had menstrual pain?? Heck, yeah!

Itoro had left for work so she had to get up and make herself a cup of hot tea. Dragging herself into the kitchen, she filled the electric kettle with water. There was electricity. NEPA, PHCN, call it whatever hadn't yet done their thing. She could hear the fridge humming.  She turned on the switch on the kettle. Opening the cupboard above her head, she took out the Box of Lipton tea. Her stomach cramped again. She had taken two tablets of Nurofen two hours earlier. "Stomach, behave yourself o!! Abi what is it now"? 

It had been two weeks and the interview people still hadn't gotten in touch with her. Chai! She had interviewed with two other companies and one had turned her down recently. When she felt better, she would put a call across to her mother. They said the prayers of mothers over their children worked wonders. She was already dreaming about working at Ferguson and Fletcher. It was her first choice of a place to work. The others were backups just in case.

Placing the cup of hot tea in her hands, she went into her room and sat on the bed. She could hear the sound of various cars honking. Lagos! Was it Lagos or the fact that she lived in a very busy area? One day she would be able to afford living in one of those estates. Maybe like Amen estate. She laughed loud. She thought about Jenifa's Diaries; a comedy that aired on TV on Sunday nights. Though she hadn't been to Amen Estate physically, she felt like a certified occupant of the estate.

Wait, maybe she could even end up marrying a rich man who would sweep her off her feet, make her forget her sorrows and take care of her forever. "Knight in shining armor". Pelumi laughed at herself. Those ones were meant for the movies or cartoons like Cinderella. Real life didn't work like that!

Leaving the half empty cup of tea on her bedside table, she laid flat on her stomach. That usually helped to ease her pain. She thought about home and the events that had made her relocate to Lagos.

****

Asaba - 7 years ago

"Oh mummy, it hurts!" "Lay still. Let me dress these wounds." Pelumi jumped when what smelled like Iodine touched her back.

"Oh mummy, why do you let him keep doing this to me? He doesn't beat Uloma and Uche like this. Why me? Did I do something? Does he hate me so much? Mummy, won't you answer?"

"Pelumi, one day you'll understand better. And no, your father doesn't hate you. He's just... he is...." her voice trailed off.

Pelumi shook her head. She was tired of hearing the excuses from her mother every time she questioned her step father's actions. She wasn't going to ask any more questions. She wanted to leave.

Her mother had married Emeka Opara when she was six years old. She was nineteen years old now and had recently written her West African Leaving School Certificate Examination, popularly called 'WAEC'. She had done well with 4As, 3Bs and one C. She wanted to major in Finance at the University of Lagos.  She was left with the toughest of examinations - JAMB. She prayed for a high score so she could make it to the University of Lagos.

"Mummy, I want to go to Lagos."

"Esi gini"? Her mother exclaimed, removing her hand from where it rested on her daughter's back. "I want to go to Aunty Kema's place. Naetochukwu and I can study for Jamb together. He can teach me what I don't really understand. You know he's a very brilliant somebody." She tried to smile so she could put her mummy's heart to rest.

"Uhhm, biko, let us talk about this in the morning. Ndo. Do you want me to bring you some pepper soup and goat meat or you want the ofe nsala and small poundo?"

"I want everything."

"See ya face. Longer throat girl. Let me quickly go and make the poundo yam."

 "Thanks, mummy, you are the best!"

She watched her mum walk out of the room.  Her hips swayed from side to side. Her mum was 5’6. She had hips for days. She was forty six years old but she had good looks. Pelumi smiled despite her pain.