BIBI - CHAPTER 7

“Good morning, Sir.” Tope, the department secretary greeted Bade when he got to the elevators on Monday morning.

“Tope. How are you? Did you have a great weekend?”

“Yes, I did.” She replied smiling.

“Splendid”. He answered. Tope usually had a great smile for everyone. She was one of those vivacious people whom you could hardly catch having a bad day.

“How’s the family Sir?” She questioned.

“Very well. Thank you for asking.” Bade turned to the side to look at her. They were both waiting for the elevator to the upper floors.

The elevator arrived and they got in along with some other colleagues.

“Good morning Mr. Fernandez.” Kade the new intern greeted him when he got to the tenth floor where his office was.

“Kade, how are you? What time did you arrive this morning?"

“Normal time Sir.” The intern responded.

“7:30 am?” Bade asked, raising his brows.

“Yes, Sir.” The intern replied.

Kade was usually the first person to arrive on the floor every morning. He said he lived far away, and it was better he left the house early so he could get to work in time. Bade admired his attitude to work. He doubted if Kade was more than twenty years old, yet he took his work seriously.

“Wow!” Bade uttered before placing his bag on his desk. They had an open floor plan at Stripes Investments where he worked as a Wealth Management advisor. He removed his jacket and hung it on the chair. Next, he turned on the computer and walked to the window to gaze outside while his system was booting.

“Shall we go up for coffee?” Ade his colleague tapped him on the shoulder.

Bade turned to look at her. “Good morning to you too, Ade.”

“Good morning Bade. Pardon my lack of manners." Ade stated with a look of mock horror on her face.

Bade laughed. Ade looked stunning as usual. She didn’t wear heavy makeup and dressed elegantly. He’d often seen some of the males in the office gawk at her, even the married ones. His eyes swept over her frame in a light pink silk shirt work over navy blue trousers.

“Are those Louboutin’s?” he asked on seeing her shoes.

“Loubou what?” Ade said sarcastically. “Please I don’t have money for those. I’m looking and waiting for the sugar daddy that’ll buy me that and more.”

Bade tittered. Ade had a way of turning everything into a joke. He knew her well. She was a hard worker, independent and pursued her goals relentlessly. Ade was in her late twenties, and she had more grit than many other ladies around her age that he knew.

"Joker." Bade said. He’d mentored her when she just joined the company. Now she was great at what she did, but they’d somehow maintained their cordial working relationship.

She was beautiful and he wondered why some cool dude hadn’t yet claimed her hand in marriage. Were guys daft these days or what? He knew many millennials were unserious about things like settling down which was very unlike the previous generations. He chuckled in his mind since he was also a millennial.

“Do you want to grab breakfast?” Ade’s voice penetrated his thoughts. The cafeteria was on the 12^th floor, and they ate breakfast there from time to time.

“One minute. I need to log in.” Bade answered.

“Okay, I’ll wait.”

“Thanks.” He said to her while he logged in and quickly checked his calendar for the day. “Yep!” He said to himself. Many meetings just as he’d anticipated.

He glanced briefly at his wristwatch. It was 8:30 am. His first meeting was in an hour and a half, so he had some time to quickly catch up with Ade. These days work had gotten so busy that they seldom had time to catch up.

“Look who we have here,” Ade said.

“Who? Bade asked.

“Don’t turn around. It’s Nneka Njoku."
“I see,” Bade said munching on a piece of Chicken Sandwich.

“Good morning Nneka.” Bade greeted when she walked by their table and glanced in his direction.

“Hello, Bade.” Nneka waved.

“Good morning.” Ade voiced.  

Nneka nodded at Ade’s greeting. She looked as though she wanted to say something. She hesitated and went to order breakfast instead.

“I don’t know why I always feel like she’s interested in you, Bade. She looks at you with these googly eyes.”

“You see why I always call you a joker?” Bade reached for his cup of French vanilla coffee and took a sip.

“C’mon Bade! You always act as though you are oblivious to the fact that she likes you. Can you not see it?”

“I’m not sure about that, Ade. You know I work closely with her sometimes. We are both working on Project Intelus.”

“The new telecommunications company right?”

“Yep,” Bade replied.

“Hmm, well she always takes her time to look at you each time she sees you. I noticed that before you two started working closely.”

“Better don’t let folks hear you, Ade. Walls have ears you know.” Bade stated. He quickly dismissed Ade’s insinuations.

Nneka was an Executive Director of Capital Markets. She joined Stripes Investments two years ago and her contributions to the firm had been phenomenal so far. She was unmarried. Some people said that her husband died after only a year of marriage. He didn't know what to believe.

“I apologize,” Ade said, pouting and looked away.

“No worries. I need to head back to my desk. Have a meeting soon.”

“Yeah, let’s go.” Ade chimed, rising from her seat.

“Bade Fernandez!” A deep baritone voice called out when he’d almost reached his desk. He turned around.

“Kojo Asante! Man, I’ve missed you!”

“Same here! How have things been around here?”

“Busy as always,” Bade replied. “Your paternity leave took like forever.”

“I know right.  It was only supposed to be a month of paternity leave, but things went south and I couldn’t head back to the country on time. Akosua had a difficult delivery.”

“Wow! I’m sorry to hear. How’s Akosua now?”

 “She’s doing great,” Kojo responded fiddling with his tie.

“And the twins?” Bade asked.

“Those boys are a handful.” Kojo laughed.

“Well, I’m sure you’re happy they’re here now.”

“Extremely. Bade, let’s catch up later. I have to see the M.D. now.”

“Sure,” Bade replied.

“Can we do lunch?” He read the chat from Nneka which she'd sent five minutes ago once he was seated at his desk. “I need to catch up on Project Intelus and I’d like to do it over lunch.”

“Yes ma’am. “He replied.

“What do you think about the new restaurant on Moloney Street?”

“Ralia’s Grill?” He typed.

“Yeah. That one. I heard it’s pretty good.” Nneka replied.

“Same here,” Bade replied.

“Okay, cool. Do you want to ride with me or meet at the restaurant instead?”

“We can go together,” Bade replied.  “We can go in my car if you don’t mind.”

“I don’t,” Nneka responded. “See you later…”

“Okay.” He typed.

Nneka was MIT trained and he heard she'd worked in several financial companies in America before moving back to Nigeria a few years ago. Her American accent always gave away the fact that she had lived abroad. 

****

“Iremide’s birthday is this weekend.” Her colleague Osaretin said.

Bibi was hunched over typing furiously on her laptop. She had been pulled into more social initiatives at work. At this point, she was becoming a pro at grant writing and non-profit-related work.

“Bibi?” Osaretin called out for the second time and Bibi spun around sharply.

“Did you call my name?" Bibi asked?

“I did. Been trying to get your attention for the past ten minutes.”

“Really?” Bibi had a horrified look on her face.

“I was just kidding but it’s the second time I called your name.”

“Oh! Sorry, I was engrossed in this new project the boss pulled me into.”

“I know and I don’t envy you. Although I will when the big promotion comes.”

Bibi smiled. “What’s up?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. You know how I get chatty sometimes. I was just saying that Iremide’s birthday is this weekend and you’re cordially invited”.

Bibi glanced at Osaretin. “First-year birthday?”

“Yes,” Osaretin answered.

“Already? I remember when you just gave birth to her.” Bibi smiled and reached for her cup of ice cream. She was exhausted and there was no better time for a sugar rush.

“Will you be able to make it?”

“I need to check with my husband. You know the Fernandez family There is always something to do every weekend. Perks of marrying into a large family.” Bibi had her hands in quotes.

“I understand. It’ll be a pleasure to have you and Bade over.” Osaretin smiled.

“Thanks for the invite. I’ll try and make it there. I need to see baby Iremide. It’s been a while since I last saw her cute face.”

Osaretin giggled and walked away. Bibi turned back to her computer screen to address the large pile of work that was before her.

Bibi wondered how it would feel to be pregnant. She had been married for almost a year and was looking forward to having children. It was no secret that she loved kids. She’d almost opted to be a schoolteacher until she changed her mind.

Minutes later, she saw her colleague Kayode walk in with a huge cake. Other coworkers behind him also carried different trays of food. It was someone’s birthday, but she didn’t know who because she had been engrossed in work all day. She watched Kayode pull a table in the centre of the room and place the cake there. The other trays were also placed on the table.

“Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed colleagues, can I have your attention, please? As is our practice here on this floor, we throw a party when it’s someone’s birthday. Well, today is our dear Lande’s birthday. Lande has been a production manager here at  The Croft’s Agency for the past five years and we all know how well he works.”

“Lande, come forward,” Kayode said, and everyone clapped. They proceeded to sing him a happy birthday song.

Bibi stood and joined them in celebrating Lande. He was truly a remarkable person. He was much more than a coworker though. He was her friend. They’d attended the same University and maintained a close friendship since then. She chided herself for forgetting that it was his birthday. She would make it up to him.

Hours later, her phone rang. It was Bade.

“Babe, I’m downstairs.”

“I’ll be right there. Give me a few minutes, let me pack up.” Bibi shut down her laptop and placed it in the bag. She had no intention of working when she got home though. Not tonight.

The sun was shining brightly when she got downstairs. She took her sunglasses out of her bag and wore them. These days, her eyes were sensitive to the sun. They got easily irritated.

Bade was leaning against their BMW SUV and typing on his phone when she spotted him. At almost six feet tall, Bade had a well-toned body and great physique. “Hmm, great genes.” She thought. When they first met, she hadn’t been attracted to him. He had an attitude in her opinion and was too slim for her liking. She didn’t particularly like slim guys back in the day. Look at him now. He was all she could have ever asked for in a man and more.

“Bae.” She said when she reached him.

Bade pulled her into an embrace and kissed her. “How is my strawberry munchkin doing?”

“As tired as a worn-out shoe.” She replied, slipping into his embrace.

“Oh, that’s not good. Let’s be on our way and I can fix that.” Bade said with a sly grin on his face.

“Oh really?” She said seductively, biting her lips.

“Yes.” He answered winking and her insides churned with excitement.

****

Adesua woke to the sounds of birds chirping outside their bedroom window. She glanced at the clock in the room. It was almost 7:30 am. Pere wasn’t on his side of the bed. She stood and gazed at herself in the mirror. Strands of white hair littered her head in the front. She ran her hands through her hair and smoothed it down. At thirty-three, she thought herself too young for white hair to be dancing on her head. Must be the recent stress she had been going through. She sighed when she remembered that the cook had asked for money to buy foodstuffs. She had mentioned it to Pere over the weekend and he had said he would give her some money. Tonye was starting school in a few weeks, and she didn’t know if Pere would be able to raise the school fees. She went to the bathroom and splashed some water on her face. This was the breaking point for her. She was going to run to her family for help. She didn’t care what Pere would say.

The object of her thoughts walked into the bathroom just then. “Good morning Adesua. Is everything okay? You’ve been slouched in the same position since I walked into the room.”

She reached for her night robe’s belt and fastened it. “Cook asked for money to buy foodstuffs. I mentioned it to you the other day.”

Pere gazed at her. She didn’t even return his greeting. She just went straight to what was on her mind.

“Yeah, I remember,” Pere stated. He walked to the dressing table and picked up his wallet. He counted fifty-thousand naira and gave it to her. “This should cover it right?”

“You know we usually give the cook more than fifty thousand to stock up!” Adesua countered irritatedly.

“Well, my dear wife. She’ll just have to make do with this one. Meanwhile, Adesua, I have been meaning to say this, but I think it’s time to let the cook go.” Pere said almost regrettably.

“Why? Because we can no longer afford to pay her?” Adesua retorted.

“Exactly. Plus, we have Agnes who also happens to be a great cook. So, why do we need Cook again? Granted, she makes the best dishes, but we can’t afford the luxury of paying her anymore.”

Adesua wanted to say something, but she knew that Pere was making sense. “Okay.” She said, clearly defeated. "What about Tonye’s school fees? We need to pay it next week at the latest.”

“I am still working on it.”

“Pere, my son won’t go to a ramshackle school o! Let me just put that out there!” Adesua said.

“And you think I don’t want what’s best for Tonye either?”

Adesua shrugged. “I’m just letting you know.”

Her phone suddenly vibrated where it laid on the bed. She picked it up and glanced at the screen. It was a text message from Wole.

"Can I pick you up for an art gallery exhibition this afternoon? I remember your love for arts."  When she gazed up, Pere was looking at her with curiosity. She would reply Wole later. She didn’t know what he wanted from her yet, so she wasn’t going to give him her house address.

“I’m heading out now. I’ll see you later.” Pere said.

“Bye,” Adesua replied.

Pere turned around and walked out of their bedroom. Adesua didn’t ask if he had eaten breakfast or where he was headed. She didn’t seem to care about what he was up to these days. He wondered what the future held for their marriage. He could feel Adesua’s resentment every time. He knew it wasn’t a figment of his imagination.  

“Oga, I packed your food.” Agnes handed him a food flask.

“Oh, thank you Agnes. What did you make?”

“Yam and eggs, Sir. Just the way you like it.” Agnes smiled at him.

He returned her smile. “Thanks, ehn. What would we do here without you?”

“It’s my job, Sir.” Agnes twiddled her thumb.

“Okay, see you later. Tell Tonye we’ll play football when I get back.”

“Okay, Sir.”

He walked out and Agnes went into the kitchen to continue her chores.

****

Adesua walked into Eddie’s Gallery later that afternoon. She saw Wole talking to a group of men and one lady. They seemed to be in deep discussion. Wole had called her after Pere left the house and managed to convince her to attend the art exhibition.

He was dressed in a crisp white shirt and fitted navy blue slacks. He had on brown shoes. Adesua smiled. The guy was fine. She couldn’t deny her attraction to him at all. She brushed her thoughts aside and headed in his direction.

Wole spotted her immediately. “Hi, Adesua. Hope the traffic getting here wasn’t too crazy?” He held her hand while he introduced her to the people around him.

"Hi, Adesua. I’m Bawo Adenekan. Sorry, but has anyone told you that you’ve got nice eyes? Are those contact lenses?” Bawo gesticulated.

Adesua chuckled. “No, they are mine and no worries, I get that same comment from people now and then.”

“Oh, lovely,” Bawo replied. “I work at the Federal Inland Revenue Service. You know what, let me give you my card.” She reached for the wallet in her bag and handed her card to Adesua. “What do you do?”

Adesua noticed the eyes of the three other men around were on her. “I’m a stay-at-home mom.”

“Oh!” Bawo coughed. “I didn’t realize. Why? You don’t like a day job, or you know, being an entrepreneur?”

“Err… Bawo. We’ll be right back.” Wole said, grabbing Adesua’s hands and leading her in a different direction. “Sorry about that. Bawo talks a lot.”

“It’s okay. There’s no big deal about being a stay-at-home mom.”

“Yeah.” Wole responded although he thought otherwise. “Look at this painting. Isn’t it beautiful?”

“I love it.” Adesua ran her fingers around the painting. She would have purchased one if it were in the past when she could afford almost anything.

“Do you want it?” Wole asked.

“I have more pressing needs.” Adesua blurted before she realized her blunder. She didn’t want Wole knowing that she was broke.

“I insist on buying you this painting today. Let me know if any other one catches your fancy.” Wole affirmed.

Adesua looked around the gallery. It was beautiful and felt relaxing. She was sure that considerable money had been put into setting up a place like this. She remembered her dream of becoming an artist. This used to be her dream. It suddenly made sense why Wole invited her here. She hadn’t painted in years. She was sure that she had lost that gifting.

“Why do you have that far way look in your eyes?” Wole asked her minutes later. “Thinking about the good old days?”

“Yes.” She replied sighing. “This was why you invited me here. To joggle up my memory.”

Wole smiled. Adesua had figured it out. “You wanted to become a renowned artist and you know I always encouraged you.”

“It’s too late now anyway. I haven’t painted in donkey years.”

“It’s never too late. You’re what? 33 years old?” Wole retorted. “That’s young and you know it.”

“Okay, okay..” Adesua chortled. “Enough with the reminiscing.”

“Do you want to do lunch? I’m famished.”

Her stomach chose to growl in that instant. “Just perfect!” She said loudly.

Wole laughed. “Okay, there we go!”

Adesua identified two paintings that she loved and Wole bought them for her before they headed out for lunch. She thanked him for his generosity. 

“Eddie told me about this restaurant close by. You can ride in my car. Your car is safe here.”

“Okay.” Adesua reached for her seat belt once she was seated in the passenger’s seat. “Sleek car. I like it.” 

"Thanks." He answered.

Wole’s car was a black Porsche Cayenne Coup with brown interiors. Everything about him spelt money. The paintings were expensive, but he had insisted on buying them for her. As he drove, his manly essence filled the car. She hadn’t noticed his powerful smelling cologne until now. She glanced at his strong arms which held the steering wheel. Her mind drifted to places where it shouldn’t.

They drove in silence until Wole broke the ice. “What’s on your mind?”

“Nothing.” She replied.

“How’s your son?”

“Tonye is fine. He was playing with a neighbour’s son when I left the house.”

“Cool.” Wole said and slipped a CD into the CD player. Water Runs Dry by Boyz to men played loudly in the car. 

They were both silent and lost in thoughts as Wole maneuvered the car carefully on the streets of Surulere.