Pelumi's Memoirs - 33

"Chief, Migwo!" Pelumi greeted aunt Kema's husband, Chief Edewor on entering their sitting room.

"Pelumi. How have you been? Long time no see." Chief replied in a deep baritone voice.

"How was your trip Sir?" Pelumi inquired, smiling.

"It wasn't bad, but you know your aunt likes to cover as many countries as possible when we travel. I have told her that I'm getting old and can no longer keep up with her."

Pelumi laughed. "I can imagine Sir."

"Is that not Pelumi's voice I hear?" Aunt Kema questioned walking down the stairs into the sitting room.

"Ehen! I said it!" Aunt Kema exclaimed when she saw Pelumi.

"My dear, I have missed you oh! Did you pack your overnight bag? Just so you know, I'm not letting you go back home tonight." Aunt Kema reached forward and hugged Pelumi. "Your hair smells nice. What did you put in it?"

"Ah, aunty! Just Jojoba oil, coconut oil and tea tree oil!"

"What brand?"  Aunt Kema asked, picking up the newspaper which laid on the seat she wanted to sit on.

"The Jojoba and Tea tree oil are Avalon, but the coconut was supplied by a friend whose mum has a farm."

"Wow, can you get me some?"

"Sure, aunty." Pelumi answered, adjusting her dress where she sat.

"That'll be wonderful. Let me know how much it costs and I'll transfer the fund to your account."

"Aunty, no o! Haba! It's not expensive at all. I'll get the oils for you."

"Thank you dear. By the way, I got you something from London. Just a couple of Hawes and Curtis shirts. You'll love them."

"Aww, aunty, thank you. You are such an angel."

"I know....." Aunt Kema replied, winking. "So tell me, when are you coming to spend the weekend?"

Pelumi hesitated.

"Really? You have to think so deeply before coming to spend the weekend here?" Aunt Kema looked like she was offended.

"Aunty, no. It's not like that..... Okay, I'll come next weekend."

"That's my girl!" Her aunt stood and patted her on the shoulder. “Let me go get your food. By the way, Naetochukwu is in his room upstairs. He's probably playing his video games as usual or spending time on his phones with his numerous girlfriends."

Pelumi laughed. "Let me go and bother him! But first, I'll be helping you out in the kitchen."

Her aunt waved her off. "Don't worry about it. The Cook prepared the food this afternoon. All I'm doing is warming it up in the microwave for you."

"Okay, aunty." Pelumi ran up the stairs and headed for Naetochukwu's room.

Fifteen minutes later, Naetochukwu joined his mum and Pelumi at the dining table.

“Mum, can you believe Pelumi now has a boyfriend?”

Pelumi became wide-eyed with her fork held mid-way. Naetochukwu sounded like he was telling on her for committing some hideous crime. She was a certified adult for crying out loud!

"Dear, is this true?"

Pelumi nodded slowly. "Yes, aunty."

"Hmm. Who is he? What does he do? What's his name? Do you like him?"

Aunt Kema fired questions her way.

Pelumi swallowed the food in her mouth and drank some water from the glass on the table.

She slowly nodded. "Yes, aunty. His name is Ivan Akenzua. We work at the same company...."

"Mum, point of correction, he is CEO where she works." Naetochukwu chimed in.

Aunt Kema raised her brows. "Help me here you two. Pelumi, I know the Akenzua family. They are quite popular in this Lagos. You are dating Ndifreke and Nengi's son?"

"Yes, aunty."

"Wow! Wow! They are a great family. Nengi and I both attended Federal Government Girls College, Ibusa. She went by the name Nengi Ubani. She was two years ahead of me. Her friend, Doubra, was my school mother. Eventually, Nengi took a liking to me. She became like a second school mother. We kept in touch after she graduated until she traveled to the UK and then she got married. The rest is history."

Pelumi giggled. "Really, aunty? What a small world! How come you never really mentioned her all these years?"

Aunt Kema shrugged. "I haven't seen her in a while, except in the media. She became quite popular after her marriage to Ndifreke, who comes from old Benin money."

"Benin?" Pelumi questioned wiping her mouth with a napkin on the table. She had been munching on samosas and a spring roll.

"Yes, the Akenzuas are originally from Benin, although Ndifreke claims they are from Cross River.”

“That’s correct.” Pelumi said, before digging into the yam and plantain pottage with ugwu leaves and nkwobi in her plate.

****

Tare drove into the covered parking garage at home and parked her BMW 3 Series. She took off her Warby Parker Sunglasses and kept them in the compartment made for glasses in her car.

She needed to resume her sessions at the gym. She could feel the added weight around her waistline.

She heard voices laughing loudly on getting into the house.

"Aunty, welcome." Fimisade, their housekeeper greeted her.

"Hello, Fimisade. I hear voices upstairs…."

"Oh, it's Uncle Ineye, Nkoyo and your parents."

"Really?" Tare said.

She was curious to know why Ineye was in her home, chit-chatting with her parents. They hadn't spoken to each other in a while. She slowly walked up the stairs leading to the sitting room on the upper level of the house.

"Ah, here comes the fine lady," Ndifreke remarked on seeing Tare. "How was work dear?" He asked her, smiling.

"Fine dad." She greeted, before throwing a quizzical look at Ineye.

"Hey, sis!" Nkoyo waved.

"Hey!" Tare responded.

Tare shifted her gaze to her mum. "Hi, darling." Nengi smiled at her daughter. Tare recognized that coy smile on her mum's face which meant that she was up to something.

"Hi, mum."

She turned to look at Ineye again.

"Can I see you?" She said to him.

“Hi, Tare.” Ineye rose and walked towards her.

There was a glint in his eye and Tare wondered what he was up to.

They went down the stairs and walked into one of the sitting rooms on the lower level.

“So I don't even get a greeting after all this time, Tare? That's how it is? I’m your enemy now?” Ineye asked in a hurtful voice.

Tare lowered her lashes and looked at the floor.

"Am I your enemy?" Ineye asked again.

Tare heaved. "What do you want, Ineye?"

"What do I want?" Ineye could feel himself getting heated as he tried to suppress his anger.

He grabbed Tare by the arm and led her out of the house.

"I've been praying for you these past weeks. I've prayed so intensely like I haven't done in recent times. You want to know why? Because I love you! Because I cannot imagine a future without you! Because I care for you like no other! But I am human and I can't take your rejection much longer. You were raped. So what? We can work through whatever you are feeling. I don't have a list that states that I must marry a virgin! It doesn't matter to me, Tare. You gave your life to God the other day, didn't you? Guess what is written in the word; if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature! Old things are passed away. All things have become new. God doesn't see you as unworthy. You are His prized possession. He made you in His image.

Tare, I've been to your office. Everyone respects you around there. They even have a special name for you. Your parents and siblings adore you. Open your eyes and see how blessed you are. Leave the past behind! Let it go! You can't continue to carry it around like a piece of baggage!”

“I love you, Tare. Let me work with you. I know a Counsellor. She is a certified mental health counsellor. She is also very versed in the word. You will be in great hands."

Ineye scanned Tare's face for clues that she wouldn't rebuff his offer. Then she did the unexpected. She ran into his arms and hung her arms around his neck. "I love you too, Ineye. You are all I could ever ask for in a man and a lot more. I'm willing to go for counseling. I'm ready to let go of the past. I want to be healed on the inside... to be ridden of the pain in my past."

"Glory...Hallelujah!" Ineye sighed and hugged Tare closer, smoothing her hair with his right hand.

"I still have your ring but I didn't do things right the first time. I need to ask for your parents’ permission this time around."

"What's stopping you?"

Ineye noted the teasing in Tare's voice. He laughed excitedly.

"I won a contract while you were away, darling. It's a 500m Naira architectural contract with the Ministry of Interior."

"Say what?" Tare snickered loudly.

"Baby, we are in big business..." Ineye said, before planting a kiss on Tare's forehead.

****

Pelumi heard the doorbell ring an hour after she arrived home.

"I'll get it!" Itoro yelled. She wiped her hand with a napkin before walking to the door. She had been eating the kebab she bought after church. She smoothed her hair before peeping through the peek hole.

"Hi, Ivan... To what do we owe this courtesy call?" She flashed him a beaming smile.

Ivan laughed. "Hey Itoro, how are you?”

“Pretty good…” Itoro replied.

“Is Pelumi home?"

"Yeah...Didn't you call her before coming?" Itoro asked, stepping aside and ushering Ivan into the living room area.

"I didn't. I wanted to surprise her. I also felt like she'll be home today."

"You got lucky. She just returned from her aunt's."

"My, oh my!" Ivan responded.

“Please sit. Let me go get Pelumi.”

"Pelumi! Ivan is here!" Itoro yelled.

"I'll be right there." Pelumi answered.

Minutes later, Pelumi walked out of her room, wearing a pair of blue jeans and a pink graphic tee-shirt. She had a book in her hand.

"Hi Ivan." She smiled on seeing him.

"Hi yourself...” Ivan returned her smile. He rose to give her a hug. They had patched things up between them the week before. He just wanted to get back to Pelumi’s good graces and let her know that she could trust him. He had a lot of work to do.

“You didn’t tell me you’ll be coming around today I just got back from Aunt Kema’s. She really wanted me to stay the night at hers, but I didn’t pack an overnight bag and need to be at work tomorrow.

"Folks, I'll be right back. Pelumi, I need to go see Kevwe. I'll be back soon." Itoro announced.

Pelumi rolled her eyes. Itoro had deliberately left the house for her and Ivan.

"Can I see your book?"

"Sure." Pelumi handed it to him.

"Rich dad... Poor dad?”

"Yes, I've had the book with me for a very long time. It caught my attention this week..."

"I see." Ivan responded.

Pelumi leaned back on the sofa and looked at him.

"Thank you for giving me a second chance, Pelumi."

"Ivan, just so you know, I'm not sure I can cope with the news about some other woman getting entangled with you. If it happens again, we are toast!"

Ivan giggled. "Miss Spitfire, take it easy now... I am not some Casanova who likes to create scandals. "

Pelumi kept quiet and bit her lips. "I didn't say you were. I just wanted to let you know my thoughts."

“Fair enough,” Ivan answered.

“So, how are your aunt and her family? How soon can I meet them?”

“Uhhmm...My aunt just got back from her trip. I promised her that I'll come around next weekend. Guess you can come along with me next weekend...”

Ivan scratched his beard. “Okay. Sounds perfect.”

“So when are you planning on coming to visit my home? You know you've never stepped into where I live.”

Pelumi folded her arms. “I know.” She said slowly. “It has crossed my mind.”

“So why didn't you ever say anything about wanting to know where I live?”

Pelumi shrugged. “I knew it was only a matter of time.”

“Hmm...Okay. On a side note, Liyel will be traveling in a few weeks. It sounds like he’s going to have a great time and I’m so jealous. I can’t remember the last time I went on vacation.”

“Mr. Workaholic!” Pelumi teased.

“We should plan a trip. Just you and me.”

Pelumi snorted. “Like I can afford those expensive trips at the moment?”

“C’mon you’ve been working at the company for well over six months now. I’m sure you can afford it.”

“Oh, dear!” Ivan chortled when he saw a horrifying look on Pelumi’s face.

“I mean, on my level, I can probably go on vacation and be fine. With you, I’ll probably be overshooting. What? Will you rather fly economy?” Pelumi countered.

“And what makes you think that I’ll allow you to spend your money on plane tickets or the likes? The expense will be solely on me!” Ivan explained.

“No, I possibly cannot let you do that. I would feel like some charity case.” Pelumi said, shaking her head.

Ivan kept quiet and gazed at her. “I see the way you struggle to accept my gifts whenever I offer them to you. What’s the deal? You are my girlfriend. I want to spend on you.”

Pelumi shifted in her seat. The truth was she wasn’t raised to accept expensive things from the opposite sex and neither was she used to it. In her mind, life was pretty much ‘quid pro quo’!

“I’m not out to get anything from you, Pelumi darling. I give people things without expecting anything in return. If I can splurge on strangers, why can’t I do that for you?” Ivan stated, like he could read her mind.

“Anyway, so back to the conversation, we had way back about moving to the Island…. Are you still game?”

Pelumi thought for a second. “Errm, yes. But that’s contingent on if we can find a reasonably priced accommodation.”

“I can guarantee that.” Ivan stated. “There is this new block of flats around Ozumba Mbadiwe. I hear they are quite affordable. The apartments are also serviced which means you won’t be experiencing any blackouts.”

“Wow! Pelumi uttered Itoro will be so pleased. The only bummer is she’ll need to drive to Gbagada until she gets a job on the Island.”

“What does Itoro do?” Ivan asked.

“Itoro is a Trauma Specialist at Montefiore Hospital in Gbagada.”

“Oh wow! I know the Head of Medical Practice at Reddington. I can give him a call and ask him if they need a Trauma Specialist to join their team at the hospital.”

“Please. Itoro will be extremely thrilled.” She gave Ivan a puppy-like look.

“Mehn! When you at me like that, it does something to my heart.”

Pelumi grinned. “Is that so?”

Ivan winked at her. “I’m famished.” He remarked, dryly.

“Oh, I didn’t know coming over, else I’d have prepared something. I can quickly whip up something in the kitchen.” Pelumi articulated.

“No, don’t worry about it. I’ll grab something on my way home.”

“Where are my manners? I didn’t even offer you a drink or something.”

“Water is fine.” Ivan replied.

Pelumi stood up and walked into the kitchen. Luckily they had a jar of freshly squeezed orange juice in the fridge. She took it out and placed it on a tray.

She usually did her meal prep during the weekends. For some reason, laziness had stolen the better of the two day weekend this time around. She picked up a glass cup and rinsed before placing it on the tray and walking out of the kitchen.

****

Monday came calling with a bang. Celeste walked into the ID room at Chevron and could immediately feel the change of vibe. The Lead Photographer appeared to be friendly since many people in the room were laughing.

“Bonjour Mademoiselle...” He greeted her. “Come with me Ms….”

“Braithwaite.” She chimed in. “Yes, Ms. Braithwaite. Please follow me this way.”

“Errm…Please smile a little. This is your company ID we are talking about. You should smile. It’s also going to be on the company website in case anyone feels like looking up your name.”

“Ah! I see.” Celeste responded, wearing a subtle smile.

“That’s better.” He remarked.

“Tilt your head to the side, ma’am. No, not that way. This way please.”

Celeste inwardly rolled her eyes. The man was something else.

She breathed a sigh of relief once she was done.

Getting up from the stool she had been told to sit on, she walked into the orientation room at Chevron, taking in all the various materials that the instructor had walked them through.

She was dressed in a white and black striped trouser suit and black camisole. She had on black Michael Kors pumps and black patent shoes to give her a solid look. Shoes she had bought on her last trip to Boston. She wanted to make a good impression on her first day at work.

“Folks, its lunchtime! We have a superb cafeteria here that serves really delicious food. It’s on the 7^th floor of the building. We have volunteers outside, waiting to lead you to the cafeteria.”

“Great!” Celeste thought. She called Bode’s cell number and he picked up on her third dial.

“How’s your first day at Chevron coming along?”

“Pretty good...” She replied to him.

“Just pretty good?” Bode probed. “How about fabulously well?”

Celeste laughed.  “I love it here.”

“That’s what I was hoping to hear.”

“I’ll be with you in a bit. I just gotta read through an email and send it. I take it you are on lunch break?”

“Yap,” Celeste replied.

“Okay, I’ll see you in a bit,” Bode reassured.

Celeste walked back and forth along the hallway outside the orientation room. She stood to examine a piece of art. It was the picture of a Northern Nigeria mother and child. She traced the painting with her fingers, taking in the beauty of the artwork. So lost was she in thought that she didn’t know when Bode tapped her on her shoulder.

“Celeste!” Bode’s voice jolted her from her train of thoughts.

She spun around sharply to see Bode grinning at her.

“Are you okay? I called your name twice. You didn’t hear me.”

“The third time is always a charm.” Celeste answered, making light the situation. “I’m somewhat hungry. Does the cafeteria serve good food?”

“Hello! This is Chevron! Excellence is our watchword.”

“I know. Don’t mind me. Is there a menu of what the cafeteria serves week after week?”

“There is.” Bode held the door leading to the cafeteria open for her. His eyes perused her features, taking in her powerful dressing. She was a beauty, no doubt!

“Wow! The cafeteria here is huge!” Celeste’s eyes took in the whole cafeteria. She figured that there were no less than a thousand people dinning.

“So many people... Will there be any food left at this point?”

Bode sniggered. “Of course. Again this is Chevron.”

‘I suppose that’s the winning phrase for the day, Bode? This is Chevron...”

The two of them burst into laughter.

“Mr. Buddy... How goes it? A male voice interrupted their camaraderie.

“Olly Johnson! How far now?” Celeste stood to the side watching the interplay between the two men who were now shaking hands in the typical male fashion.

“Where are my manners? Olly, meet my friend, Celeste. It’s her first day at Chevron.”

Celeste’s stomach churned in that instant. She was truly hungry.

“Hi, Celeste.” Olly extended his arm to shake her.

She reciprocated. “Hi, Olly.”

“A lady with a beautiful smile is always a charmer, any day.”

 Bode shook his head. “Oh, get away Olly. I can see your philandering ways are starting to bubble up again. Celeste, don’t mind this guy o! He’s a charmer and a smooth talker.”

“Mehn! Bode Pepple…See how you just reduced my value like that. Cold, bro! Really cold!”

Bode wrinkled his nose.

“See Celeste, don’t mind him. I’m a very nice guy. Bode is just out to defame me due to his uncontrollable jealousy. He knows I’m the man around here!”

Celeste burst into laughter. “Okay, okay….”

She turned to Bode and made a face at him.

“Olly, I’ll see you around. The lady needs to eat.”

“Sure, see you around guys. All the best at Chevron, Celeste.” Olly said, wearing a serious expression. It was hard to tell that he had been a clown two minutes ago.”

Once seated, Celeste said grace before proceeding with eating her meal. She was super thankful for all the good things that had come her way in recent times. Her life had been transformed. She had gone from being unemployed to being employed. From lacking confidence to being strong and bold. From feeling rejected to knowing that she was truly loved and that her life had purpose and meaning.