Pelumi's Memoirs - 7

Yaaaay, its Good Friday!!! If you are of the Christian faith, you know how significant today is. Unfortunately, those of us in the US don't get today and Monday off work. * Sad Face*

Anywho, I hope we all have a Happy Easter. 

Today’s post….

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The week was going by so fast. Pelumi thought. Her first days at Ferguson and Fletcher had gone on pretty well. She was so thankful that she didn't need to worry about bringing lunch to work. The cafeteria was the bomb! The food was also free. She couldn't believe it. She saw the way some people heaped food on their plates. 

"Hi, can I sit with you guys?" Pelumi and her colleagues turned to look at the lady who wanted to sit at their table. I'm Enitan. Enitan Howell. Howell? The name rang a bell. "Sorry, did you have family members who went to Federal Government Girls College Asaba?" Pelumi asked Enitan who had just got seated on the chair across from her. "My cousins actually went there." "Don’t say their names. Let me think." Enitan looked at Pelumi, clearly amused.

"Banke and Solape Howell right"? Enitan nodded. "You got that right"! "Such a small, small world! Pelumi exclaimed.

Pascal cleared his throat and eyed Enitan. “Funny how I've always seen you around but our paths never really crossed until today”. Enitan smiled. Her mouth was full and she really didn't like talking when her mouth was full. The porridge and croaker fish she had opted for tasted great.

Pascal was a copy writer and he seemed to have all these great ideas that he had told them about in the two days she had gone to lunch with him and Zainab. 

"Let me be on my way. Been away from my desk for forty minutes now". “Pelumi, you know we are all entitled to an hour lunch right"? "Yeah, I was told during orientation. But, you know I'm the newbie around here. I don't want Dale looking for me and getting the wrong impression". "I just started here on Monday". Pelumi explained to Enitan. 

"Wow, would not have figured if you hadn't mentioned". "Off you go". Enitan gesticulated with her hands. "It was nice meeting you". "Same here. Hope to see you around." Pelumi replied. "Pascal, see ya later". "I'll be right there in case anyone asks after me”.  “Sure, Zainab”. Pelumi nodded and walked towards the elevators.

Ferguson and Fletcher was a ten floor building and the chances of running into people were slim or maybe she thought that because she was new. Still, she felt like the building was huge and confusing. 

On getting to her desk, she pulled her phone from her handbag. Ahh, three missed calls from Aunt Kema. Three missed calls from her aunt in one row meant she needed to call her ASAP.

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Tare went into the closet where she had hung her clothes and settled for the black knee length Bardot dress she had bought at Selfridges the day before. She was a petite size and didn't have the height of her other siblings. She walked into the bathroom and threw some water on her face.

Her phone rang. "Babe, Ivy and I are heading out now. Koko is already on her way to LeMonde". 

"Wow, you ladies don't play! I'll be right with you all soon, Salewa". Tare said, spraying deodorant under her armpits.  "Aight, see you soon". Salewa hung up the call.

Happy people by R Kelly was playing on TV. R Kelly, she couldn't help liking his songs even though his personal life was shitty. She turned on the volume of the TV and danced to the song. 

Perhaps, that was her cue. To be happy, thank God for life and live it to the full. Maybe she'd run into one cutie tonight. Her life had been about work, work and more work in the last few years. Even her parents had started getting worried and asking whether all was well with her. She herself had begun wondering at her non-dating status. 

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Liyel shifted in his seat again and checked his time. Ivan looked at him and stifled the laughter threatening to erupt from his inside. 

"The Bible is simply Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. It is the eternal word of God which never returns to him void. It always accomplishes what the father wills." Liyel yawned. 

"I don’t know about you, but if you don't have God in your life, you are like the man playing Ludo and Scramble with his destiny." The preacher carried on with his message. 

Ivan sighed. This was one of the things he hated about church. All these condemning messages. Conform or go to hell fire! "Bro, are you ready to dash out of here?" Liyel asked fiddling with the var key in his hand.

 "Liyel, you know we can't do that! Mum will be super pissed at us." Ivan tried to caution his brother against walking out of the church. 

Their mum had been complaining about their non-attendance at church for a while now. At first, they had told her they went to another church close to their house in Ikoyi, but their mum had found out somehow that they didn't go to church at all. "If you both don't show up at the church on Sunday, I'll be very mad at you. Reverend Nnamani has been asking after you both. Tare at least shows up every now and then. Nkoyo never misses a service. I didn't give birth to heathens o!"  So, they had shown up today. They knew when their mum meant business.

St Jude's Methodist was their family church. Their parents were dedicated members and that had been the case for so long. As children, it hadn't been hard to get them to church. Now, they were grown folks who did things their own way. 

"Mum needs to understand we are too old to be dancing to her tune now." Liyel murmured. Again, Ivan wanted to laugh. Liyel was like a wounded bull when angry.

Glorious, shout it out

And Glorious, make it louder

Jesus, we shout your name

Jesus, we make your praise

Glorious, you are glorious

The choir was singing now and Ivan couldn't help swinging his head from side to side. St Jude's choir was one of the best around. Even Liyel began tapping his feet on the floor. "Maybe church isn't so bad after all". Ivan whispered in his brother's ear. Liyel smirked. 

****

The sound of the doorbell woke Ivan from his sleep. He had slept off in his boxer shorts and tank top while watching Thor Ragnarok for the third time. There was something about Chris Hemsworth that made him watch Thor over and over again. They had lunch at their parents' after church. Their mum prepared a feast. She fed them fat and if not that he and his siblings worked out, they'd probably be obese or overweight by now. He had gone to sleep as soon as his body hit the sofa. His friends back in the states called it the 'ITIS' which was a short form of 'Niggeritis'. Call it the art of falling asleep after stuffing your face with too much carbs and fat. 

Kunle Aderinokun had called him earlier to say that he was coming to visit with his fiancée, Ibhade Aikhomu. Ibhade was beautiful in and out. She was one of those women who had a calm spirit about her. A calm spirit that could soothe just about anything. He had known that she was good for Kunle the first time he'd met her. 

"So, what can I offer you lovely people?" Ibhade smiled. "Actually, this awesome woman here fed me a whole lot shortly before we left the house. I am still stuffed and can barely eat anything else." Kunle told Ivan while standing to admire the collection of artwork in a corner of the room. 

“Ibhade, would you like anything to eat?"

"Nah, but a drink would be fine." 

"Okay, then, I've got red wine and white wine." "Splendid, what type of white wine do you have?" "Well, I've got Riesling, Moscato, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc."

"Riesling will do." she told Ivan. 

"Kunle, same for you?" Ivan asked. "I actually don't want alcohol because I'll be driving"."

"C’mon man, one glass won't make you tipsy." 

"I know jor!" Kunle laughed. "A glass of Sauvignon Blanc for me please." 

"Oya, follow me to the bar. I'm only serving the charming damsel we've got here." "Chai, see life!" Kunle got up to get his glass of wine. 

"So, Ivan, when are you crowning this castle with a queen? You've accomplished a lot and still have lots going on for you."

"Ibhade, must you ask these hard questions?" Ivan exclaimed, feigning anger.  "Of course,"  Kunle chipped in. "I mean, you'll be thirty-four next month. You are all set for marriage. What's holding you back?"

"Kunle o, women are a dime a dozen. No offence to Ibhade. They are always available. I can have anyone I so choose right now. These women basically flaunt themselves at me and all they want is money. With the exception of only a few, the rest are just out to get something for themselves!"

Ibhade had a sad look on her face. "Ivan, it's not every woman."

"I know, that's why I said with the exception of a few." Kunle looked at his friend. He couldn't really blame him for his state of mind. He had had his fair share of disappointment over the years. 

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Pelumi screamed. "Naetochukwu!! Naetochukwu! Oh my goodness! Look at you! When did you arrive? See my cousin o. You have turned into a complete bloke. Did you grow taller ni?" 

"Yoruba girl!" Naetochukwu laughed.

She touched his chest. “See muscled chest! You will scatter the heads of Lagos girls o". Naetochukwu laughed harder. "Pelumi, stop being dramatic jor. You better go and report at the National Theater with all these your theatrics".

She hadn't seen her cousin in four years. He had gone abroad for his undergrad soon after writing the Jamb examination. They had studied together and he had helped her a lot. All the calculus that seemed like Mount Kilimanjaro were broken down by Naetochukwu into pieces that became very easy to comprehend. Her cousin was a brainy and she had to give it to him. 

Aunty Kema walked in just then. "Pelumi, how are you?"

"Good evening aunty." They hugged each other. Aunty Kema gave her a peck on the cheek. "I spoke with Ada yesterday. They are all doing well." "Yes o!" Pelumi nodded. "We thank God for his mercies."

"Uncle, Migwo!" Pelumi curtsied to greet her aunt's husband who had just walked in. Aunty Kema had married Chief Roger Edewor after the death of her first husband. Naetochukwu was a product of that first marriage. When aunt Kema met Chief Edewor, he was a widower with three children. He had been overwhelmed but she had worked with what lay before her. He loved aunty Kema to a fault and cherished the very grounds on which she walked. Aunty Kema in turn treated him like a King. What was that thing they said about if a man loved a woman right, submission on the part of the woman came easily? Aunty Kema and Chief Edewor lived it. She prayed for a marriage like theirs if she ever got down to walking the aisle. 

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“No, leave me alone. No, go away!" The shadow moved closer and closer until it felt like it was going to strangle her. She kicked and punched but her cries fell on deaf ears. "No, no,no!" She screamed out loud. 

She tried to say a word but the words wouldn't come out. She felt a presence around her. It was not one but it felt like two. No, three. Maybe more. She mustered the courage to get up and run. Her legs felt like lead. She didn't know where she was headed because she couldn't see. Everywhere was dark. 

Then she fell. At that instant, she knew she was raw meat for these people who were after her.