Pelumi's Memoirs - 39

Liyel watched Celeste as she threw her head back, laughing at a joke he had just made.

“Do I have something on my face?”

“No, you don't,” Liyel answered, clearing his throat. “So, how have you been? How are your folks? How's work?”

Celeste had a lot on her mind that she wanted to say to him. He had treated her shabbily and she had a few things to say about that. For now, she’d let the matter rest. She had been seeking closure and this moment was a prayer answered.

“Mum and dad are fine.” She replied, letting out an exasperated sigh. “They are enjoying their lives in Port Harcourt. I haven't seen them since I moved back to Lagos but I talk to them regularly over the phone every now and then.”

“Cool,” Liyel replied, smiling.

“Work’s been great. Chevron is a great company to work at.”

“See, you are practically balling. You are enjoying the good life, Celeste.”

Celeste smiled and sipped on her sweet tea. She held the straw in her hand and stirred mindlessly. “So, what about you? What have you been up to?”

“Uhmm... Nothing much... I leave for Canada next week. My twin friends are getting married and I also need to exhale. It's been a whole year of working hard and not taking any vacations. I feel burnt out.”

“You don't look stressed but I understand completely,” Celeste responded.

“Well, I hope you enjoy your time in Canada.”

“Thankfully, it's not cold there now so I'm sure I will.”

The server arrived with their food.

“Thank you,” Liyel said loudly.

“My pleasure, Sir. Enjoy your meal.” The server said, bowing curtly before exiting their table.

“How did you find this place? I know quite a number of cool places on the Island but I’ve never been here.”

“Top secret!” Liyel replied, popping a piece of crab cake in his mouth.

Celeste dug into her seafood fried rice, biting on calamari. “So what made you decide to meet with me? I tried for so long to get your attention and you wouldn’t budge.”

Liyel could sense the hurt in her voice. He squinted at her. “I had a change of heart.”

“Just like that?” Celeste questioned.

“When I saw you at Pavilion Bank the other day, I realized how much I’d missed you. How much I’d missed your friendship and everything else about you.”

Liyel’s words had an effect on her. “Hmm...” She nodded. “So if you hadn’t bumped into me, then what?”

“Celeste, can you please not interrogate me over this very delicious food I’m eating now?”

She looked at him and saw the glint in his eyes. She realized that he was teasing her.

“Yes, sir!” She replied mockingly and continued eating, taking in her environment and the people who sat across from them.

“I was a jerk! I’m sorry. I couldn’t fathom why on earth you never mentioned the pregnancy to me. I was hurt. I felt betrayed. I felt emotions that I never thought I was capable of!”

Celeste dropped her fork suddenly. She was lost for words. She didn’t expect that Liyel would be apologetic.

“I’m sorry too.” She said slowly while her brain tried to process what Liyel had just said. “I should have told you. I should have let you know how I was feeling about the pregnancy. Should have let you know what I intended doing……” Her voice trembled.

“It’s okay, Celeste. It’s all water under the bridge now. Let’s enjoy this food and this moment. We have time on our hands. We can talk about the past later….”

“Right…” Celeste chimed. They had time on their hands. They would revisit the past later.

****

Pelumi combed her hair to the side and dabbed some powder on her face. Ivan was feeling better and she was ready to go home.

Walking out of the guest room, she went down the stairs and into the sitting room where Ivan was watching a soccer match.

“Babe,” she said. “I’m all set.”

“Okay, let me call the driver.”

“Meanwhile, we missed the appointment with the real estate agents yesterday.”

“Yeah, I know. So, I have an idea. There’s this house that I just got renovated in Victoria Island. It’s a three-bedroom apartment and I was thinking that you and Itoro can move in.”

“What?” Pelumi said surprised. “Just like that? What about rent?”

Ivan shrugged. “You can live there rent-free.”

Pelumi shook her head. “I would feel like a charity case if that was the case.”

“Pelumi Jacobs, you are too proud. Like you really think that I’d collect rent from you?”

Pelumi sighed. “Ivan, this is really thoughtful and I appreciate it”. She paced around the sitting room in her dress from the previous day. She had worn one of Ivan’s shirts at night.

“I mean, what if somehow, things went sour between us? What if we had a misunderstanding?

Would you send us packing?”

Ivan stood and faced her. “Why do you always have to be so pessimistic every time?” He had a scowl on his face.

“And really, do you not trust my love for you?”

Pelumi shrugged. “Have I ever given you a reason to distrust me?”

Pelumi averted her gaze and looked at the clock.

“Look at me, Pelumi. Have I ever given you a reason to distrust me?”

“No.” She said feebly. The problem was that while her head said one thing, her heart said another.

“The driver will take you home now. He’s waiting outside.” Ivan said while taking his seat on the sofa. He still didn’t feel like he was a hundred percent yet.

“I’m sorry...” Pelumi said.

“For what?” He quizzed, not looking at her.

“Go home, Pelumi. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Okay…Bye”

“Bye,” Ivan replied. He clenched and unclenched his jaw while watching Pelumi leave. Why did she always have to be so untrusting, so pessimistic about their relationship? Almost like she expected things to fall apart anytime. Was she so insecure?

He walked into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of water. He had a headache and wanted to take some paracetamol.

On the other hand, another part of him empathized with Pelumi’s feelings. Their families were from two different worlds. Their backgrounds were also different but all that didn’t matter to him. The connection he felt with Pelumi was something he hadn’t experienced with his other girlfriends. Well, other than Alero.

His mind wandered back to the conversation about paying or not paying rent. He’d leave that up to Pelumi and Itoro. He was fine with whatever decision they both made.

Once Pelumi was seated in the car, she thought about how close she had been to asking Ivan about Alero. He had talked generally about some failed relationships in the past but had never mentioned her name. She was curious to know the details of that relationship for whatever it was worth. Remi had brought it up the last time and she’d hidden the surprise she had felt when he brought up Alero’s name. She wondered why Ivan hadn’t mentioned her. Did he still have feelings for her or was he over her?

Itoro was playing with their neighbor’s children when Mr. Garba dropped her off at home.

She alighted from the car and watched the children throwing balls around and having fun in the compound.

Mrs. Benson greeted her. “Sisi mi, how una dey? Long time no see o?”

“Good evening Mrs. Benson, it’s not me o. You know work is far far away. The hustle and bustle in this Lagos is very real.”

“I know Jare. Pele. Well done.”

“Thanks, aunty.”

Two little boys came forward and hugged Pelumi at her knee. “Hello boys, how are you?”

She suddenly remembered that she bought a pack of Choco Milo the day before and it was sitting in her bag.

“Yaay!” The boys screamed when they saw the packet of Choco Milo and the other children abandoned what they were doing and gathered around Pelumi. She peeled the Choco Milo packet open and handed the contents to the children one at a time. They screamed excitedly.

“Aunty Pelumi, next time, please also buy us Fan Yoghurt.” A little girl among them said to her.

“Strawberry or Vanilla?” She asked them.

“Strawberry!” The majority of them shouted.

“See your mouths like Strawberry,” Pelumi said to the children in a sharp tone. “Have you said thank you for the Choco Milo I just gave you?”

“Thank you!” All the children chorused.

“Better,” Pelumi replied.

“Ore, how are you?” Itoro asked. “How’s Ivan?”

“Oh, he feels a lot better. There’s something I’d like us to discuss but we can do that later.”

“Is something the matter?” Itoro asked with a frown starting to mask her features.

“Oh, nothing major. I wanted us to talk about the housing issue on the Island.”

“Oh, okay,” Itoro said. “I’ll come in when I’m done with these children. Nyorome and her sister need some help with their homework.”

“You are so gifted with caring for children!” Pelumi remarked smiling.

“I know right!” Itoro replied, grinning.

****

When Celeste got home later that evening, she saw Bode standing beside his car. His hands were in his pockets as he watched her walking towards him.

“Hi stranger….” Celeste said to him.

“Me, stranger?” 

“Yes, you. Every time I try to get you to go for lunch with me, you always give me one excuse or the other! Anyway, how have you been and what brings you here today?” Celeste asked, crossing her arms.

Bode smiled and observed her before averting his gaze. She was beautiful and he could stare into her oval shaped eyes all day long.

“I was passing by this area and I thought to check on you.”

“You should have called.” Celeste answered.

“I know. I was about to do that when I saw your car pull in.”

“You got lucky.” Celeste said to him. “Would you like to come in? I’m tired. Long day.”

“I’m fine. I’ll be quick.”

“Celeste, I have stayed away because I couldn’t seem to be able to handle my feelings for you. I love being your friend and I didn’t want anything to get in the way of that. But, I’ve tried to stay away these past months and it’s not working for me anymore. Celeste, I don’t want to be just your friend. I have grown to love you. Your beautiful spirit, your warm smile…. I admire the good head you have on your shoulder….”

“Bode…Bode...” Celeste raised her hand, trying to cut the conversation.

“It’s okay if you don’t feel the same way. I couldn’t continue with the thoughts of what if plaguing my mind. So, at the risk of losing the gift of your beautiful friendship and everything else, I’m here asking you to consider us being more than just friends. The first time I saw you at the party, I was driven towards you like moth to a flame. You were seated at the extreme end of the room, but the instant I saw you, it felt like there was a magnet that kept pulling me towards you until I ended right beside you at that party.”

Celeste looked at him, lost for words. She liked this bearded guy with the clean shaved head clad in a black shirt on black jeans. But what she felt for him was tons of affection. The kind a friend felt for another. She didn’t have romantic feelings for him. She felt something but it was more rational. A more rational kind of love. She tried to find a name for it. It was Phileo. She cared about him a great deal. He had been her endorser, her gatekeeper, paving a way for her at Chevron.

But Bode didn’t make her heart flutter like Liyel. He didn’t give her palpitations.

“It’s okay if you want to take some time to think about the cards I just laid on the table. I’ll wait for whenever you are ready.” Bode said to her.

“Bode….Bode….” She stuttered but couldn’t find the right words. She didn’t want to say something that would hurt him. She didn’t want to say the wrong things and break his heart in the process. “Lord, help me.” She muttered under her breath.

****

Tare, her mother and Aunty Tamuno were in the sitting room discussing details of Tare’s upcoming wedding. Aunty Tamuno had been showing them different fabric samples online.

“I like the Fuchsia French lace,” Tare told her aunt.

“Oh, French lace is not really in vogue now. We can do the net lace or Organza. Those are in vogue.”

Tare sighed. What did she know about laces? Aunty Tamuno was the pro at things like this.

“Ah, just wait till I return from Austria with all your wedding fabrics. All those Nengi’s friends that act like they are fashionistas will hear well! Dem go take!” Aunty Tamuno said, gesticulating with her hands.

Tare burst into laughter. Aunty Tamuno could be so animated. She was the real queen of Theatrics.

“Eh, Tamuno o! We are not competing with Lagos society women. Tare doesn’t want a big wedding. If not for me and her dad who convinced her that as our first daughter, we want her to have a great wedding, Tare would have probably settled for a court wedding and a small wedding reception.

“I know now.” Aunty Tamuno said. “But with those your high society friends, my dear sister, everything has to be on point. Have you gotten a caterer yet?”

“Yes, my friend, Alexis and her daughter will be taking care of that. They have a huge catering business.”

Aunty Tamuno squinted. “They own Forks and Plates right?”

“Yep,” Tare replied.

“We are in good hands in that case.” Aunty Tamuno chimed. “But wait o! Isn’t it Oyinbo foods they specialize in? Can they make Ekpang Nkukwo? What of Ofe Nsala, Abacha and Banga soup? Can they cook Edikaikong?”

Tare couldn’t help bursting into laughter. She laughed until tears began to roll from her eyes.

“Look at this one! What is so funny?” Aunty Tamuno quizzed, wrinkling her nose!”

Nengi joined in the laughter. She couldn’t help it. “Tamuno, Tamuno! At this rate, do we even need an event planner for the wedding?”

Aunty Tamuno shrugged. “I just want this wedding to be a big success.”

“It will be,” Nengi replied, patting her sister on the back. “Tare, you guys need to appreciate your aunt who goes above and beyond for the family at every point in time.”

“Back to your question, Tamuno. We have another caterer who’ll be attending to just delicacies like you just mentioned.”

“Now you are talking!” Aunty Tamuno clapped her hands. “Forks and Plates can take care of the Chinese rice, salad, chicken and all that stuff. Our tribe’s men will want to eat correct food and not just English food!”

Tare’s phone suddenly vibrated where it sat on the table. It was Ineye.

“Hi dear,” Tare said on picking the call.

“I’m right outside your house.”

“Okay, I’ll have them open the gate for you,” Tare responded.

“Cool, thanks,” Ineye said.

“Mummy, Aunty Tamuno, Ineye is here. Please excuse me.”

“That’s fantastic! Let me take another look at our son’s face.” Aunty Tamuno said, loudly.

“So that what will happen?” Nengi asked her. “Tamuno, you play too much.”

“My sister, isn’t that the best way to live? Do you know how many people I know in this Lagos who have died from a cardiac arrest in recent times? I don’t worry about anything again, my sister. Life is too short. Live, love and laugh.”

“You are right though,” Nengi said, rising from where she sat. “Let me go and check on my husband. He’s been sleeping for a while now. I’ll be right back.”

“Of course.” Aunty Tamuno answered, taking a look at her sister as she walked away. Nengi was dressed in an orange tie and dye dress that made her look regal. Her long braids were well packed atop her head.

****

It was Monday afternoon and Nkoyo was livid with rage. She had spent the past weeks working on prototypes and a CAD drawing for a software product which Daugherty Engineering was currently building.

She and her team had presented it to her manager, Toye Keshinro and he had called it ‘low-quality work’! What did that even mean? They were just prototypes! Blueprints of what was to come. Everyone else had thought that the drawing and prototypes were great except him.

Nothing she did was ever good in his sight. She fought back a tear. She worked hard on this job! No, slaved was the word. How else could she possibly prove herself to him? She was not a slacker by any means. She loved excellence and let it reflect in the work that she did. Why couldn’t her manager see it? Her performance appraisal for the previous year had been just okay. Her remuneration was also below what she’d been expecting. She was ready to quit anytime from now. She just needed to let her family know that she was ready to join the family business and bam! Daugherty Engineering would be toast.

She sniffed and fought back a tear again. She wanted to prove to herself and anyone who cared that she could succeed anywhere she found herself. Working at Daugherty Engineering was a personal challenge for her. All her life, her family had doted on her. She’d never lacked and never really gone through challenging times in her life. Working outside of the Family business meant everything to her. It gave her a sense of purpose and fulfillment.

“Hey Nkoyo.” her colleague walked up to her and pulled a seat beside her. “I thought you did a great job with the presentation and the prototypes.”

Nkoyo huffed. “But why can’t he recognize it?”

“Toye is a jackass! He can’t recognize talent if it was being dangled before his very eyes!”

Chinyere chimed.

“I’m getting ready to quit! At least, I gave things my best shot!”

“Nah! Don’t quit on his account. Don’t give him the satisfaction! You love Daugherty Engineering! I know it, Nkoyo.”

“Have you heard the phrase that sometimes, love is not enough?”

“Nkoyo, please don’t quit! Quitters don’t win. Please promise me that you won’t give up.”

“For how much longer?” Nkoyo asked, suddenly tired. Her head suddenly felt heavy. She had a migraine from not eating all day. It was almost 3pm and she was ready to dash out for the day. She’d wait till 5 pm. She wasn’t ready to get into another session of her manager’s interrogation.

“How’s Keren doing? “

“She’s fine. She’s growing so fast. Going on five months next week.”

“Five months already?” Nkoyo asked, bewildered. Keren was Chinyere’s first child. She had gotten married two years ago and gotten pregnant almost immediately.

“She puts everything she sees around in her mouth.”

“Oh!” Nkoyo uttered, alarmed. “That’s dangerous isn’t it?”

“Yeah, but you know children will be children. Isa and I try to keep her away from things we know she can easily put in her mouth. Being a mother is thrilling, but it’s also very demanding. I no longer think about just myself. I have one other little person I have to think of.” Chinyere said laughing.

“Soon, you’ll be thinking about an army of little ones and not just Keren.”

Chinyere laughed. “My, oh my! Please don’t remind me yet. Keren is like three children combined into one.”

Nkoyo burst into laughter and Chinyere smiled, glad that she was in a better mood.

“Let me go attend to my work, Nkoyo. I’ll see you later.”

“Thanks for stopping by, Chinyere.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” Chinyere said, grinning.

Nkoyo pulled up Microsoft Visio on her computer. Chinyere was a fun person who genuinely cared. She was grateful for the likes of her at work.

Two hours later, she packed her bag and was on her way to the stairs leading down when she saw her boss.

“Miss Akenzua, are you leaving for the day?” Her boss, Toye Keshinro asked.

“Yes, sir.” She said to him.

Toye looked at his watch. “But it’s only after 5 pm and closing time here is at 6 pm.”

Nkoyo looked to the side, rolling her eyes in the process. Did she really have to deal with this today of all days?

“I’m aware but we are allowed to head out an hour earlier. I have a headache. I do not feel well.”

“Can you step into my office for a quick conversation?”

Nkoyo wanted to cry all of a sudden. This man was from hell. He had been sent to personally ensure that happiness was far away from her at work.

She sighed loudly before she could control herself.

“Miss Akenzua, is there a problem?” Her boss asked.

“No, Sir.” She said, furrowing her brows.

She followed him into his office and stood while Toye sat on his chair behind a large coffee brown desk.

“Miss Akenzua, do you value your job at all?”

“Excuse me?” Nkoyo said to him.

“You heard me! I have watched you these past months and tolerated your lackadaisical attitude towards work. But I will no longer take it! What time do you get into work every day, Miss Akenzua?”

Nkoyo squinted at her boss. It felt like he had just poured cold water over her. Did he call her lackadaisical? Really? Her of all people?” She took a deep breath, trying desperately to remain calm. Had he gone mad?

“I come in a little after 9 am.”

“Did you hear yourself? A little after 9 am.  Is that the time that your colleagues come into work?”

“Mr. Keshinro, I really do not feel well and would like to head home. What time would you prefer I start coming in going forward?”

“8 am!” He barked, tapping his pen on the table.

“Why?” Nkoyo asked before she could stop the words from leaving her mouth.

“Everyone else comes in around the same time that I do.”

“Miss Akenzua, are you questioning my authority?”

Nkoyo took another deep breath. “No.”

“That’ll be all for now. You may leave.”

“Thank you,” Nkoyo said before walking out of his office.

She shook her head. It seemed that her boss was out to victimize and intimidate her. She would stand up to him. She had been working at the company before he joined nearly a year ago. She would not run with her tails between her legs. She would stand up to him with everything in her.

She couldn’t deny the fact that his words had hurt her. How else could she be more excellent at what she did? Sometimes, she got home and continued working. She hated that work was creeping into her personal life but it was what it was and she gave her work her very best.

Nkoyo fumed while walking out of her boss’s office. Who the hell did this guy think he was? He seemed to be around Ivan’s age of thirty-four. Yet, he carried himself as though the whole world belonged to him. "Pompous creature!" She said loudly when she was far away from his office. She had never been picked on before and she didn’t know how to deal with this kind of a mess.

She saw the way that people seemed to fear him at work. There were others who tried their best to ensure that their path didn’t cross Toye Keshinro’s. How could someone just decide that all he wanted to be was a tormentor of people at work? Perhaps, he was a sadist.

She swung the gear of her BMW X4 into reverse and drove away from Daugherty Engineering Premises.

She stopped by Stop Center to get herself a cup of ice-cream before driving home. She had a Pilates class slated for that evening but Mr. Boss from hell had succeeded in ruining her mood. She just wanted to go home and head straight for her bed.