Inseparable – Chapter 19 and 20

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Amarachi’s alarm went off by 5am, she did set the alarm when she decided to go to work that day and forgot to turn it off after Kelvin told her office wouldn’t be opened. She couldn’t sleep back so she got up at ten minutes to six after hesitating for a while to do some domestic jobs.

She recalled the last night incident where Ini had refused to eat the meal she took time to prepare. She got to the dining table and met the plate of food still covered the way she left it. She picked up the plate but was surprised that the weight of had reduced.

On opening it, she found out that someone had changed her mind and decided to take her dinner in the midnight. A portion of the food was neatly taken and the rest in the small cooler was covered and kept neatly probably to discard any suspicions of someone eating from it.

Ama had finished with the washing and was already preparing breakfast when Ini walked into the kitchen to take a cup of water wearing a bony face. As she finished drinking and dropped the cup, she noticed Ama was staring at her.

“Yes, what is it?”

Ama replied with a smile and placed her hand on the cooler which was on the slab.

Seeing the cooler made Ini remember how she had crawled out of her bedroom at midnight to eat part of the food. She felt like a seven year old kid who has just been caught by her mother stealing meat from the pot of soup. She wanted to come up with a lie that she didn’t touch the food but shr advised herself against it since she would only be deceiving herself.

“Ehn, ehn?” She asked trying to put up a serious face.

“Good morning Ini” Ama greeted and turned back to continue with her work.

“Good morning”, she replied with a forced smile and left the kitchen in a hurry like a kid who just bed wetted and was running from her friends to avoid disgrace.

The friends didn’t say anything else to each other that morning again, Ini drove to work silently, wondering if Ama was trying to intimidate her in her own house.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“Bola, what have you come to do again?” Frank asked Bola who just walked into his office.

“You didn’t even greet me. Ain’t you happy to see me here?” She asked after sitting on the visitor’s seat.

“Just state your mission here”

“Alright, since you want to be cold, let’s go straight to the point. I’ve come for us to discuss our wedding date.”

“What wedding date?”

“Stop asking me dumb questions. My Dad called yesterday and he only gave us a week to pick a date and then we’ll need to wed before the end of next month”

“A week to pick a date? And we’ll marry next month? That can’t be possible, even if I wanted to marry you.Today is 22nd of February already, how will I prepare for the wedding in the next one month?”

“Don’t worry, my Dad will get people to make all the preparation. All he wants is that the wedding IVs should be out before it becomes noticeable to everyone that I’m pregnant”

“Oh sh*t! How can I quickly plan my escape within this short time” Frank thought to himself

“See, the fact is that I don’t want to marry you” he spoke out.

“Why ? You’re still insisting on this?”

“Yes, because I’m in love with someone else”

“With Amarachi, I guess”

“Who it is does not concern you”

“Hahaha, Mr. loverboy” she laughed. “Do you think Amarachi would ever love you back? Never!”

“Never say so”

“She can’t love you back with everything she’s heard heard about you”

“Damn” Frank was infuriated, he banged it hands on the table. “What did you tell her about me?”

“Hahaha, don’t be angry at me. You should be angry with your Friend Kelvin. He’s the one who has been feeding her with stories, he was even caught kissing her when she was sick”

“Liar, you’re insane, that’s impossible”

“Ask him when you get home and see if he will be able to deny it. You can also ask from Ini”

“If I find out that you’re lying”

“I’m not lying, that’s what Ini came to sort out with him yesterday. You’ll notice she didn’t stay long, she left angrily”

“Oh Damn!” Frank stood up and paced the floor angrily.

“Take it easy, that’s life for you. Well, that’s not what I came here for. Just sit down and let’s talk about our wedding”

“I’m not in the mood to discuss anything now. Just get out and I’ll call you later”

“But we have to …”

“Shut up and get out” Frank shouted at her.

“Okay, Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow then”, Bola replied and hurriedly got out of the office.

Frank continued to pace the floor angrily; he began to understand why Kelvin couldn’t give him Amarachi’s address. He understood why Kelvin said it could cause a little problem if the address was given.

He also remembered he overhead Ini and Kelvin talking silently about a forced kiss when Ini came to their home.

His anger welled up, if he had a gun at that moment, he would have gone straight to Kelvin’s office and sh00t him dead instantly. He could now clearly see reasons why Kelvin had always been advising him to forget about Amarachi, he used to think Kelvin cared, not knowing Kelvin was backstabbing him.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“Pedro, longtime o. Ahn ahn, you and your son possess the same character, you didn’t know you were supposed to come see me before?” Chief Olatunbosun questioned Pedro Fayemi

“No, it’s not like that Chief. It’s just that I have been busy running around”

“Okay o”

“Chief” Pedro continued, “don’t mind this your son o. Children of nowadays, they can’t do without fighting. He says he already sorting out things with Bola”

“Oh! That matter? I’ve forgotten about that already, the girl says she’s already pregnant for somebody she loves and I’ve given them the go ahead to marry”

“Ah! so Ken won’t marry Bola anymore?”

“What can I do na? The girl says she’s not happy with Ken like she is with the other guy and there’s nothing I can do about it, what I want is my daughter’s happiness”

“Hmmm, there should be something we can still do o. Why don’t you try to convince Bola to stay with Ken?”

“Didn’t you hear what I said? I said she’s pregnant for someone else”

“Ehn, but we can still…”

“Just forget the matter please” Chief cut in. “I gave your son the chance already and he missed it”

“Okay sir”

“Ehn ehn, so what about the boy you wanted to bring to me? You know I must see him and ask him some questions to know if he is worthy of my support”

“Yes, he will be coming to see you next week Monday”

“Okay, but how well do you know this boy? Do you think he can do the job if we put him there?”

“Yes, you know him too. He’s the serving Governor of Logi State”

“Oh! That boy? Femi Fadeyi?”

“Yes sir”

“I hear he’s a good boy. He has been doing well in Logi”

“Yes. Infact sir, his administration has caused a lot of development in the state”

“Ehen” Chief Olatunbosun lowered his voice, “but are you sure he will be able to supply us our own share when he gets there?”

“Yes sir, he’s a good boy. He always listens to elders”

“Okay, but why are you not interested in the position?”

“Hehehe sir, it’s not that I’m not interested, but you know a lot of people are still talking about the millions of naira that were missing during my tenure as a governor”

“But no one can boldly accuse you of that with me by your side not even the EFCC”

“I know sir, but I want the matter to fizzle out a little before I contest for any office”

“Ehn ehn? Okay, that’s good then”

“Yes sir”

“Did you remember that funny lawyer that tried to sue me sometime ago?”

“Oh! That Igbo man who was later killed by his wife?”

“By his wife ke? It was my boys who finished him off, we just did it in a way that implicated”

“Wow! Hahaha”, Pedro laughed. “You’re a genius Chief”

“Hehehe”

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Amarachi peeped through the door hole to check who was knocking at the door. They barely had people visit them and those who visited them visited at evening time and not an odd time like 1pm.

“Who is it?” She asked being unable to see the visitors face as the person didn’t face the door.

“Its Dennis”

“Oooh! Dennis” Amarachi flew the door opened amazed to have Dennis visit at that time. “What are you doing here?”

“I’ve come to see you” he smiled as he walked into the house. “I’ve missed you a lot in the office”

“Yeah, I’ve missed you too.” She took his hand in hers and led him to a seat. “What can I get for you? I’ve got some snacks I prepared, would you like to have some?”

“Yeah sure, thanks”

After some seconds, Amarachi replied with a plate of meat pie and a fruit juice pack.

“Here, you have it” She served him and sat beside him

“Thanks”, he took a bite of the meat pie and looked at Amarachi who was smiling at him, he took another bite and looked at her .

“Did you say you made this yourself?”

“Yes” She let out a chuckle,

“why?”

“Because it’s the best I’ve ever tasted. Better than the overrated ones they sell at Erinsic”

“Oh! Do you mean it?”

“Yeah, where did you learn to bake so well?”

“My aunt bakes so I learnt if from her”

“Hmmm, that’s cool. So you were just baking for fun today?”

“Yep, was also baking for Ini. I know she loves meat pie”

“Oh! How’s your relationship with her now?”

“I don’t know, still the same”

“Hmmm”

“Lets talk about something else. How did you leave work? You’re supposed to still be on duty”

“Hehehe, I told them I needed to visit the hospital”

“Huh? Are you feeling sick?”

“Yep. That’s why I’ve come to meet my doctor here”

“You’re not serious, who’s the doctor? So you lied to come here abi?”

“No, I didn’t lie. I’ve been sick since you’ve been absent from the office”

“Hmmm”

“Amarachi”he called calmly, holding her two hands and looking straight into her eyes. “I want us to go beyond friendship. Since the day you walked into my office for the interview, you’ve always occupied my mind. I love you Amarachi”

There was silence for some seconds, Amarachi stared into his eyes and tightened her grip on his palms.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“Where do you want us to go this evening?” Kelvin asked ini as they stood together outside the Videx company gate.

“I’m sorry, I don’t think I’ll be going anywhere. I brought my car today and Amarachi is not here to drive it home”

“Oh! I see. That means you didn’t plan for our outing today?”

“I did, it’s just that I was running late for work this morning and I had to use my car.”

“Okay, just go in and get your car. I’ll drive after you and maybe we could talk a little a your place before I leave”

“Will that be necessary?”

“You don’t want me to come with you?”

“No, its okay. Didn’t just want to stress you, I’ll go get my car immediately”

In thirty minutes time, they were already at Ini’s house, Kelvin parked his car at the space outside the gate for easy departure since he wasn’t planning to stay long.

They got in and settled into the sofa, Ini sitting on his laps. “What drink can I offer you before I prepare a meal?”

“Anything will be okay”

“Alright” She stood up and walked towards the kitchen.

Amarachi came out from the kitchen that moment.

“Welcome” Ama greeted Ini with smiles.

“Thank you” Ini replied with a stern look

“Good evening” Amarachi greeted Kelvin without looking much at him.

As Ini walked into the kitchen she perceived an aroma of something nice but she couldn’t tell what it was, she ignored the aroma and opened the fridge and noticed it had been stocked with several drinks of different kinds, she choose the five alive juice and placed it on the slab, she rinsed two glass cups and placed it on a tray with the juice.

If Ama thought she was going to forgive her because she filled the fridge with drinks, then she was joking” she said to herself as she carried the tray and started to move out of the kitchen.

Her eyes met something as she looked back, she rushed and dropped the tray on the slab again. Yes, her eyes wasn’t deceiving her, there was meat pie in the oven. She opened the oven and selected two pies, she placed it on a plate and added it to the tray.

Her eyes shone brightly as she carried the tray to the sitting room. “Wow! Amarachi is a darling indeed” she thought to herself.

She recalled their secondary school days when Amarachi woud bring her meat pie prepared by her aunt, the meat pie was always different from others as it was richly prepared.

“You’re looking happier”Kelvin commented as she dropped the tray on a stool beside him.

“Yeah, I’ve got meat pie here. Was baked by Amarachi” She said as she sat in between his laps placing a kiss on his lips.

“Hmmm, are you guys doing well now”

“Not yet”
“Well, I don’t think there’s…”

“Shhhh…” She interrupted him, “I believe you now, Amarachi does not give someone a meat pie if she really did offend that person. If she had tried anything, it would have been openly”

“Hmmm… So why did it take you sometime to figure that out?”

“I was just being careful and also, the position I met you guys that day was suspicious”

“Next time, always learn to trust..”

“I trust her, but I was scared. Take a bite first” , she sat on a different place and watched Kelvin as he took a bite of the meat pie and a sip of the juice.

“Hmm, it’s delicious”

“Yeah, it is. You know what? I was scared” Ini continued, “On several occasions, Ama had robbed me of things that were supposed to be mine”

She went ahead to narrate some of the past events where she thought Ama had robbed her and also the recent one in the office where her boss reprimanded her.

“You know, I think the problem is with you”

“Me?”

“Yep, your mindset”

“How?” Ini sat up to listen properly.

“With what you told me, it shows something. Both of you are intelligent, but there’s something extra that Ama puts in that makes her more outstanding”

“Hmmm”

“Yeah, you need to put in more effort. Probably she worked all day to get that job done quickly and you said you didn’t quickly attend to it”

“Hmm. That’s true”

“So change your mindset, always put more work, but don’t do it because you are competing with someone. Do it because you just want to give your best to what you do.”

“Hmmm, thanks. I love you.”

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“Good evening bro, how was work today?” Bode greeted Frank who just walked into the house.

“Where’s Kelvin? ” Frank asked ignoring Bode’s greetings

“He’s not back yet, what’s the matter? Why are you looking furious?”

“It doesn’t concern you, it’s between I and Kelvin “, Frank said and walked into his room immediately.

Bode was puzzled by the response, he wondered what had happened again. Until recently, the trio lived in peace and barely had any quarrel. But within the last one month, it had been from one quarrel to another.

Twenty minutes later, Kelvin walked into the house.

“Yea bro, what’s up?”

“I’m good man, how was work?”

“Fine jare” Kelvin proceeded to his room.

“Kelvin” Bode called

“Yep” Kelvin waited and turned back.

“What’s happening with you and Frank? It looks the dude is angry with you”

“Angry with me? Hehehe, nothing happened. Except for yesterday’s simple argument”

“He should have forgotten that by now. I don’t know why he’s still angry”

“I don’t know too, but I …”Kelvin was unable to complete his statement as an heavy blow landed on his left cheek that moment, he fell to the fall holding his head. Frank rushed towards him to continue his attack but he was quick to dodge that and send a kick to Frank’s belly.

Before the fighters recovered enough to continue with their attacks on each other, Bode was already there to stop the fight. Kelvin retreated easily, touching his mouth and face to check the injuries but Frank was still struggling with Bode to allow them continue.

“Can’t you behave matured? Must you start attacking each other physically?” Bode said as he pushed Frank on the chest preventing him from going closer to Kelvin.

“Stay away Bode, this doesn’t concern you”

“If you want to continue, then you’ll have to fight both of us”

Frank on seeing that Bode wouldn’t give way backed out and proceeded to his room. “Tell Kelvin not to come close to me again. We are enemies, I can’t be friends with a bloody betrayal”

Bode turned to Kelvin as soon as Frank was in his room. He looked at Kelvin with a questioning look.

Kelvin said nothing but picked up his bag and walked into his own room.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“Nawa o, Sandra. You just abandoned me for a long time, no calls, no flash”

“Don’t be annoyed my Friend, it’s just that work is taking most of my time and you know people like us who haven’t got rich parents like yours needs to work hard” she laughed and she replied to Bola who was occupied with her tablet.

“Ehn ehn! Love in Tokyo” Bola said smiling at something she saw on the tab.

“What’s that?” Sandra asked and stood up to where Bola was to see what Bola commented on

“It’s my friend and her boyfriend jare” Bola scrolled up to show Sandra a picture of Ini and Kelvin wrapped in each other’s arm. “Have I told you about Ini before”

Sandra didn’t respond but continued to stare at the picture.

Bola looked her, “have you met her before?”

“No, but I know the guy. He’s my boss I told you about”

“Oh!” Bola dropped the tab and faced her friend, ” the one you told me has not been paying attention to you?”

“Yea” Sandra continued, ” I never knew he had a girlfriend because I’ve never seen him with one , I almost concluded he is gay since he doesn’t get moved no matter what I show him”

“Hahaha, someone’s got his heart already”

“Na wa o, so this guy’s gonna slip from my hand like that?”

“Huh ho, maybe you need to show him more of what you’ve got, he might give in” Bola winked at her. “Well, let’s forget about that for now. I’ve got some new clothes I wanna show you”. She held Sandra by the hand and led her into the room

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“Hello” Ini received a call

“Hi Ini, how are you?”

“I’m fine. Please who am I speaking with?”

“It’s Sandra, the Lady from Devi international that took your phone number today?”

“Oh! Sandra, how are you doing?”

“Fine, I just wanted to say hi and wish you a goodnight rest”

“Okay, thanks. I wish you the same”

“Alright, goodnight” the call ended.

“Who’s that?” Amarachi who just walked in and dropped her bag on the table asked as she settled into a chair.

“A new friend of mine, her name is Sandra”

“Oh! Okay. So how was your day?”

“It was good o, not too stressful” Ini replied, ” so where did Boss take you to this night?”

“We went to Erinsic”

“Okay, I don’t need to ask you anything. I can already see that you had a great time”

“Yeah, sure” Ama smiled, “its just that Dennis said he’ll be travelling for two weeks”

“To where? Is he taking a leave from work?”

“No, it’s an official trip, a training program actually”

“Okay, I thought as much. Videx is used to sending people for training all the time, they’re good at that” Ini chuckled.

“Hmmn, I’ll be missing him o”

“Eeyah, he’s going just for two weeks na”, Ini paused and stared at her friend’s face. “I wonder why you’ve not said yes to him already”

“I need to be sure Ini, I don’t want to jump into anything”

“But you love him already”

“I’m not sure of that?”

“Huh ho” Ini smiled and moved close to her. “I can see it in your eyes already, don’t be scared, just give it a trial”

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I tried everything to convince Frank that you could not back stab him, he wouldn’t just agree. He says he has been suspecting you before” Bode chattes with Kelvin as they sat down together on the rug.

“That dude needs serious help, I don’t know if he doesn’t have his brain with him anymore. He knows how desperate Bola is, how could he believe such a lie from her?”

“It’s Okay, don’t make it worse than it is already” Frank cut in, “but how are you sure it us Bola that told him?”

“No one else could have done that. That’s the same lie she told Ini”

“She told Ini the same thing?”, Bode paused and thought deeply for a while, biting his lips.

“Yes, she did”

Bode looked at Kelvin with suspicion in his eyes, “but you never told us anything about it, when did we start hiding things from each other?”

“You see, I thought it wasn’t necessary especially because I didn’t want something like this. Frank might have taken it in a bad way”

“You would have still told us, that would have been better than the information coming from an external source. He would find it difficult to believe you now since you hid it from us at first”

“Didn’t know it would turn out this way ” Kelvin sighed.

“Let’s go meet him in his room and sort this out” Bode stood up,

“he’s been indoor since, I know the reason he doesn’t want to come into the living room is because of you”

“I know that too, I’m sure he won’t even be patient enough when he sees me in his room?”

“Let’s try first”, Bode said and proceeded to Frank’s room with Kelvin following him closely.

“You know what?” He turned back and signaled for Kelvin to halt. “You wait outside his room while I go in first”

Bode walked into the room without knocking and met Frank who raised his head as he saw him walk into the room.

“How far Bode?” He greeted in Pidgin

“I’m fine o, what’s that you are doing?” Bode asked observing the different papers on Frank’s desk and a biro in his hand.
“I thought you don’t calculate office income at home”

“I’m not calculating office income” Frank smiled at him, “I’ve gotten a buyer for my three salons and I’m just trying to draft out some documents”

“Nooooo” A voice was heard from outside the door.

“Who is that?” Frank asked with disgust all over his face seeing Kelvin’s shadow at the entrance. He made his way to the entrance.

It’s me Frank” Kelvin replied and opened the curtain to walk in,

“There should be other ways to solve this, not selling your salons, we know how hard you worked to make those salons stand” Kelvin continued with concern in his voice

“Tell Kelvin to leave here, I don’t want to see him” Frank said to Bode who was obstructing him from moving close to Kelvin.

“Calm down Frank” Bode replied

“No, tell Kelvin to get away from here first. He should stay away from anything that concerns me”

“Don’t sell of your business, don’t run away. You’re a man, you should be able to think of something else” Kelvin said and walked away from the room.

“Get lost bas***d” Frank yelled

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“Is that her?” Sandra looked at Bola as she dropped her phone.

“Yes, that’s her voice. I guess the number she gave you isn’t the one I have”

“Okay” Sandra replied and rested her head on the wall.

“So what do you want to do with the number now that you have it”

“Oh! Nothing”, she faked a smile. “I’m just eager to know the girl who’s got the heart of the man I love”

“So you won’t do anything?”

“What should I do” she continued spreading her arms in a questioning manner. “Should I go and start fighting her?”

“Hmmm, No . But I know you Sandra, you wouldn’t just leave your man like that without a fight” Bola smiled slightly, “or you don’t want to tell me your plans because you think I’m her friend?”

“No o, I don’t have any of plans”

“Hahaha, you?” Bola laughed.

“Don’t worry, that girl’s been messing up of late. I’m looking for a way to deal with her before. “

“Ehen” Sandra looked more interested now, “so what were you thinking of before?”

“You know, I already laid a foundation of Kelvin cheating on her with a friend of hers”

“Who is this her friend?”

“Ama, she stays with Ini and also works in Videx but in the accounts department”

“Oh! I also have a friend in their accounts department”

“Good. You know this her friend is the one who’s contending with me, she’s trying to snatch my boyfriend. So I think we can do something with that, we can separate them. Then I’ll have Frank to myself and you Kelvin”

“Hmmm, sounds nice. So what’s the plan now?”

“Ermm, I don’t know yet. But I will come up with something very soon”

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The days rolled out quickly and it was Saturday already, Ini and Ama journeyed to Ama’s hometown to visit her family and to check her just recovering father. They left the city as early as possible to avoid the Saturday’s traffic congestion.

“Heyyy! Aunty Toyin” Sophia who was watching their car as it parked outside the house shouted for joy as Amarachi came out of the car.

“Mummy, Daddy, aunty Toyin has come o” Sophia ran to the window and beckoned on the rest of the family members.

“Welcome Aunty” She hugged her sister.

“How are you Sophie”

“Fine” she replied,

“Ooh! You came with Aunty Ini” Sophia asked surprised as Ini walked out from the driver’s seat. She ran to the other side to greet Ini too.

“How are you?”

“Fine ma”

“What of Mummy and Daddy?”

“They are inside, let’s go in”

“Lets take what we have in the boot first”

They took the gifts they brought and walked into the living room of the Old building. They were welcomed warmly by Ama’s mum and her Dad who were very glad to see them.

“Mummy Toyin, please get some food for them na” Mr Kolawole said to his wife and turned to Ini who sat on a stood beside him and held his hands.

“Thank you Ini for taking care of my daughter, she’s looking fresher now. Thank you”

“Haba! Daddy, Toyin is my sister, whatever I do for her, I do for myself” Ini replied and looked at Ama who was sitting at the front and smiling at her.

“Thank you my daughter” the man continued as he sat up. “Toyin also said you gave her the money for the hospital bill, may God bless you richly and give you long life”

“Amen Daddy” Ini replied full of smiles, she looked around the house for some seconds and turned back to Mr. Kolawole.

“What happened to your business sir? How come you people now live here?”

“It’s a long story my dear” the man started, “Amarachi, come closer. Let me tell you what really happened, I’ve not been opportuned to tell you this before”

He paused and coughed, he sat up and began. “Listen my children, my business did not go down naturally. It was brought down by someone who I met through a very close friend, Olatunbosun. Chief Olatunbosun ,he is now known as a powerful politician, I’m sure you know him too” The man paused and looked at them for confirmation.

“We met each other after I finished my service as a youth corper and started my business. We were not really friends because our lifestyles were totally different. He was a son of a rich man so he spent extravagantly and I couldn’t act like him. So we

knew each other but stayed apart since we had no business together.

After sometime when I met your mother, he began to show hatred towards me. I found out that he wanted to marry your mother who wasn’t interested in him but seemed to get along with me even though I wasn’t dating her then, I wasn’t even in love with her yet.

After we started dating, he got mad at us. He fought our relationship but couldn’t stop it as we got married even with all his threats. He had to leave us in peace when he saw there was nothing he could do anymore.

But we met again seventeen years later, he had become a prominent politician then and was even like Godfather to the President of our nation then. When he found out about my company, he decided to punish me. Through the influence of the President, my licence to run the company was withdrawn and the goods I distributed were labelled as illegal products. I was also made to pay heavy fines to escape jail. Thank God he didn’t ki*ll me because he ended up killing my friend who opposed his actions”

The man wiped his face as tears was already dropping off .

“That’s how I became who I am today, he sent me packing from the city”

CHAPTER TWENTY

Femi Fadeyi patiently waited for Chief Olatunbosun in the Living room watching a Tv show and sipping wine. After about twenty minutes, Chief Olatunbosun finally showed up.

“Governor Femi Fadeyi” he hailed, smiling cheerfully as he walked into the living room.
” How are you?” He asked, extending his hand to Femi for a handshake.

“I’m fine sir, thank you” Femi replied happily, standing up to receive the handshake and greet the man properly.

“You can have your seat” Chief Olatunbosun said as he settled into a sofa facing femi directly. “So, how is Logi and your people?”

“Logi is fine sir, the people send their greetings”

“Oh! Say me well to them”

“Sure sir”

“Okay, so let’s go straight to business. So tell me Femi. What is your plan for the country? How do you intend to move it forward? I already heard about a lot of things you did in your state already, so I’m expecting so much from you”

“Yes sir, thank you so much for this opportunity” Femi started speaking extensively on his plans for the country.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“Bola, I’m not ready to married, don’t you get it?”

“See stop all this rubbish, it’s either we pick a date for the wedding today or you call my Dad and tell him that you are not ready yet”

“Okay, just give me some more time . I’ll get back to you”

“No, no more time to waste” Bola slammed, “let’s pick a date now or I’ll be forced to tell my Dad that you don’t want to get married to me after impregnating me”

“No Bola, don’t do that. I will get back to you as soon as possible”

“Oh! Never mind, you don’t need to get back to me, you’ll explain to my Dad when you are ready” she said and picked her bag.

Frank grabbed her by the arm, “Okay, when are you coming to see my parents?” He pleaded, “please we have to see them first”

Bola paused for a while and spoke, “when are you taking me there? I’m ready even if you want to go now”

“I have to call them first”

“Then call them now”

“But ermm…”, Frank scratched his head. “I don’t have credit on my phone”

“Take, there’s enough credit on my phone” she said handing him a phone from her bag.

“Okay” he took it reluctantly and dialed a number. After a short conversation with the caller in his dialect, he dropped the call. “My mum says we should come on Wednesday”

“Are you sure?” She looked at him suspiciously

“Yes” he replied, “we’ll pick the date that same day too”

“Okay, just remember that it must be this March” She said and walked out of his office immediately.

Frank cursed under his breath as he walked back slowly to his seat.

Things were not working rightly as he planned, he was already processing his international passport and his Visa but the money he was expecting for the sale of the salon had not come and he needed enough money to take with him.

He sat down frustrated and began to remember how he got into the mess. He remembered how they met Amarachi, how he met Bola andhow he fell into her trap. He began to think if it was really worth it to leave the city, if he was trying to escape from getting married to Bola because he didn’t love her, how was he sure he would find love where he was running to? And was he going to ever love someone else like he loved Amarachi?

He picked up his phone and after some seconds of scrolling through indecisively. He dialed Amarachi’s phone number.

“Hello Amarachi, its Frank… Yeah… How is your health now?… Please would you give me a chance? I need to see you… Please, I just need to clear some issues with you…

Oh! Please, don’t refuse me, just give me this chance… Please…” The call was ended at the other side.

He redialed the number, “Please Amarachi, just a chance… It’s really important… Okay, I’ll meet you there by four thirty… Thanks”

He heaved a sigh of relief as he ended the call. He couldn’t just run away like that, he decided to try again if he could find favor with Amarachi.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Amarachi sat quietly in her office busy with the computer set on her table. Her Boss had gone that morning on the official training trip. She was left with a lot of work to do which was not necessarily her duty.

Before Dennis left, he came into her office to say goodbye planting a kiss on her forehead before he left. He had just gone few hours and she was feeling like he had gone for years.

A knock sounded on her door interrupting her work. “Yes, come in please”

Dennis’ secretary walked into her office full of smiles as she curtsied, “Good morning ma”

“Good morning” Amarachi replied, surprised at seeing the Secretary smile at her for the first time.

“Are you busy?” She asked gently

“No, what can I do for you?” Amarachi answered, eager to know her mission.

“I brought this for you, you need to check it and add to it from your research before I print out the final copy”

“Okay” Amarachi collected the document and scanned through it.

“Alright, thanks, you may leave ” she said, dismissing the secretary who didn’t move away .

“You can go” Amarachi repeated looking up at the secretary who was standing like a small kid being corrected for doing something wrong.

“Sorry ma, I just wanted to apologize to you for the other day I insulted you. I’m sorry, I was being misled by envy. Please forgive me ma” the Secretary finally said.

“Ermmm…” Amarachi was unsure of what to say. “It’s okay,I hold nothing against you”

“Thank you ma” she curtsied once again and turned to leave.

“Wait” Amarachi stopped her. “Please, stop the ma. It’s making me uncomfortable, just call me Amarachi”

“Okay Amarachi” She said smiling sheepishly

“I don’t know your name”

“My name is Cynthia”

“Alright Cynthia”

Amarachi watched her as she left the office still wondering what could make the secretary who had insulted her a week ago become so meek and gentle to her.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“Hi ” Ini got a WhatsApp message from an unknown number. She clicked on the profile to check the display picture and recognized the person at once. It was Sandra Benjamin, she didn’t remember to save the number when Sandra had called her.

“Hi Sandra”

“How are you? Are you on break now cos I’m on break here”

“I’m Fine, you? I’m on break too”

“Okay :) “

“Yeah, how has work been today?”

“Great, thanks Ini. You know what?”

“What?”

“I like your personality, that’s why I want to be your friend. I barely keep friends but I saw the way you talked and composed yourself, I concluded you must be someone great to be friends with”

“Wow, thanks. Nice words”

“You’re welcome, I’m just being truthful though”

“Thanks all the same. It’s nice to meet you too, it takes a great personality to know another”

“Hmmm”

“Yeah, so how are you coping with work there?”

“I’m managing, just managing. I really don’t like working under a man”

“Why? That’s strange. Most times, Men are the Bosses in the offices”

“Yeah, I know. It’s just that most of them reminds me of my ex boyfriend”

“Was your ex boyfriend that bad”

“Yes, he was a notorious cheat and a violent person”

“Eeyah! That’s bad, I’m wondering how badly he would have treated you”

“Oh! I just thank God most of the scars I got on my body from the relationship are cleared now”

“Awww! That’s really bad. How did you get into such a relationship?”

“Just let’s forget about it. What brought it fresh to my mind was seeing my Boss’ girl friend come visit him in the office last week”

“Oh! Which of your Bosses?”

“Same one you know, Mr. Kelvin”

“Mr. Kelvin? Are you sure she’s his girlfriend?”

“I believe she is, he hardly entertains unofficial visits so I strongly believe she is. I just pray he’s not abusive and does not spoil her pretty face “

“Are you sure of what you are telling me?” Ini replied, her hands shaking as she typed.

“Lol, why are you acting so concerned? I’m sure about what I’m saying, the Lady’s name is even Amarachi, she’s fair, has dimples, well she’s really pretty”,Sandra perfectly decribed Amarachi facial features.

“Please let’s talk about something else jor. Lets talk about you and your work”

“Wait, is this the Lady you’re talking about?” Ini attached a picture of Amarachi to the message.

“Yeah, wow! So you even know her”

Ini’s phone dropped from her hand as she read the message, her eyes filled up with tears. Amarachi and Kelvin had deceived her, Amarachi must have been visiting Kelvin during her stay at home. Bola was saying the truth after all.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Amarachi walked down the stairs hurriedly, she was sure Ini would be waiting for her in the car as she didn’t get any response when she told her on the phone that she would be coming home on her own.

She looked straight to the parking lot as she got outside the building. She couldn’t spot the car. By the time she walked closer, she was sure that Ini had left already as there were no signs of the car.

Her phone rang that moment, the caller was Frank.

“Hello, I’m outside the company now”

“Okay, I’ll meet you”

She cleaned her sweaty face with a handkerchief and walked out of the gate. She looked around to find Frank and saw him walking towards her.

“Good afternoon Amarachi” Frank greeted kindly

“Good afternoon Frank, what is it you want to see me for” she replied sternly and started to walk slowly to the road.

Frank followed her, “why don’t you let us go to somewhere quiet and discuss?”

“Go to somewhere quiet?” Ama paused and turned to him, giving him a questioning look. “You think I’ll go anywhere with you? Just say whatever you want to say as we walk down to the bus stop. That’s our agreement and I’m not about to spend more time with you”

“Please” he ran after and knelt before her.”Please just give me a chance”

“Come on, what’s all this? Don’t create a scene here, Please get up” Amarachi pleaded already feeling embarrassed.

“Please, let’s go somewhere so we can talk better”

“I don’t want to go anywhere with you” She replied sternky, folding her arms.

“Okay, why don’t we just have a drink at the restaurant over there?” He pointed to a place across the road.
“Okay” she replied after giving it a thought. “But I’ll only spend a maximum of twenty minutes with you”

“Thank you” he smiled.

They sat on the table, directly opposite each other.

“What would you like to take?” Frank asked

“Frank!” She snapped, “I don’t have time for all these. Go straight to your point if you have any”

“But you have to order for something, the waiter is waiting for your orders”

“Let him serve water and you better start immediately or I stand up and leave this place now”

“Okay, just get soft drinks for us” he said to the waiter who stood by his side and turned back to face Ama.

“Start”, She snapped.

“Ama, why do you hate me so much” Frank started with a calm voice and looked straight into her yes. “You never want to see me or even give me a chance”

She took her gaze off his eyes, his eyes showed deep and pain and suffering inside, he looked like someone who had been maltreated. “I don’t hate you. Just say whatever you want to say now”

“If you don’t hate me, why are you always acting harsh towards me?”

“Why won’t I?” She looked back to him. “You have a girlfriend who is dangerous and doesn’t want to see me with you”

“I don’t have a girlfriend” he replied sharply. “If you are talking about Bola, she is not my girlfriend, what happened between us was all a mistake”

“She’s pregnant for you by mistake”

“Listen, I was drunk that day it happened. You were at the party and saw me drunk. I didn’t know what I was doing, I swear.”

“Okay, you didn’t know what you were doing, sorry about that, you shouldn’t have taken alcohol at first. But tell me exactly what you want me to do for you now”

“I love you Ama, I’ve loved you since the day i saw you and since then, I’ve not been myself”

She stared at him deeply and swallowed before she replied.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“She didn’t reply when you told her it was Amarachi you saw ?” Bola asked Sandra.

“Yes, she didn’t reply anymore. Maybe she didn’t believe”

“No, she might have actually believed you.” Bola continued, “I know her, she gets to believe things easily”

“Hmmm”

“Yeah, that’s a nice trial. I should applaud you” Bola smiled and clapped her hands together

“Come on, stop teasing me. I’m not even sure it worked yet, I think it was too early. That was our first chat”

“No, you didn’t make any mistake. I’m sure she must have believed you. Even if she didn’t, it would have an impact on her and she would start to doubt Ama and her boyfriend more”

“Are you sure of this?”

“Yeah, I’m sure”

“What if she asks for proof? You know I’ve got non”

“Yes, I was coming to that already.” Bola replied and sat up. “We’ll find a proof for her if she wants one, we have to go and think out something”

“Hmm, okay”

“Yeah babe” Bola stood up taking her drink with her. “I’ll frustrate that Amarachi girl out of this city, if she does not leave this city, I’ll send her out of this world” She said and faced Sandra with a mean look.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“Hi sweetheart” Ini got a chat message from Kelvin

“Kelvin, is there any other girl apart from me in your life?” She replied him without regarding his greeting.

“Lol, Yes. I’ve got my mother too” Kelvin replied jokingly.

“I’m serious Kelvin, are you dating any other person?”

“No, why are you asking this kind of question?”

“Nothing, I just want to know”

“Nothing? But I think I’ve answered you this question before, haven’t I? “

“Yes”

“So why are you asking again?”

“I just want to be sure”

“Just want to be sure?”
” See Ini, I don’t like all this. Why do you keep doubting me?”

“Why won’t I doubt you? What about the girl that frequently visits your office unofficial matters?”

“OMG! Ini. Have you been monitoring my movement?”

“Just answer my question, which girl comes to visit you?”

“Damn! No girl comes here Ini”

“Okay, I hear you”

“What’s wrong Ini, what’s the matter? I hate this kind of interrogation”

“Don’t bother” she closed the chat and silenced her phone dropping it by her side.

Not too long after, Amarachi walked in.

“Hi Ini” Ama greeted as she spotted her in the living room. She went closer as she got no reply.

“Dear Lord, Ini. You’ve been crying, what’s the matter?” She dropped her bag and squatted at Ini’s front trying to hold Ini’s hands.

“Come on, leave me alone” Ini replied harshly, pushing Ama’s hand away violently and standing up from her seat. She walked towards her room before she turned and looked at Ama who was on the floor looking shocked by her response.

“Where did you go last week when you were at home alone?”

“I didn’t go anywhere” Amarachi replied, getting up from the ground. “I don’t know anywhere in this city. I only went out once with Kelvin and you are aware of that”

“Okay” She replied and walked into her room.

Ama stood there shocked, wondering what could have caused the drama which was being played out.

Ini lay on the bed and picked up her phone, she was almost regretting her actions, she wondered why she believed what Sandra said.

Kelvin had denied seeing any lady in his office and Ama denied going out to anywhere during her stay at home. With the look on Ama’s face, she didn’t go anywhere. The Ama she knew wasn’t even someone who loved to move around places she wasn’t yet used to it, so it was possible that she was saying the truth.

But why would Sandra lie to her? They barely knew each other nor do Sandra know Ama. So what would Sandra gain from lying? And how did Sandra get a perfect description of Ama?

Ini checked her phone and saw five missed calls from Kelvin, she ignored it and opened her WhatsApp application. She ignored the messages from Kelvin, she opened the previous conversation with Sandra and read through again.

She sent a message to Sandra after discovering her to be online. “Sandra”

“Hi Ini” Sandra replied after about thirty seconds”

“Who really are you?”

“Who am I? So you don’t know whom you’ve been chatting with?”

“I know, but I’m confused”

“Confused about what?”

“About what you told me”

“What’s that exactly?”

“About Kelvin, the Lady you said visits him always”

“Are you sure she’s the one in the picture I sent?”

“They look alike, maybe if I see some other pictures. I will be able to confirm” Sandra replied

“But are you concerned about that? I think we should just forget it please”

“No, I can’t forget it. Kelvin is my boyfriend”

“Oh!”

“Yes, so I want to know if he’s really cheating on me”

“Oh please, you have to leave me out of this. I don’t want any problems with my boss”

“No, you won’t get into any problem. You just have to help me”

“No, I can’t help you. I don’t want any trouble. I made a mistake in telling you. Please just disregard this discussion.”

“No, I can’t. You have to help me find out if he’s really cheating on me. I’ll make sure he doesn’t get to know you helped me”

“But there’s no way I can help”

“You can by helping me confirm if he is dating that Lady and find out who the Lady really is”

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

When Amarachi got into her room, she couldn’t think about anything else except the drama that just ensued in the living room.

As she pulled off her suit and hung it, her phone rang. It was Frank calling, she picked the call after it rang three times.

“Hello Frank… Yeah, I got home well, thanks… Okay, Goodnight” she ended the call and heaved a sigh of relief, he only called to find out if she got home safely and not for unnecessary talks.

Her thoughts were about drifting to Ini before her phone rang again. She hissed, thinking it was Frank calling back but she was surprised to find out the call was from an international number.

“Hello Ama” the caller greeted.

She recognized the voice at once, she was surprised that the events of the day had made her forget him so easily.

“Hello Dennis” she replied, a smile appearing on her face.

“How are you Ama? I just got this sim card now and you’re the first person I’m calling”

“Oh! That’s sweet of you. Hope the flight wasn’t tiring?”

“No, the flight wasn’t tiring. It was only some things we had to do immediately we got off that made the day tiring”

“Eeyah”

“Well, it’s okay. You know, I’m missing you already. It feels like I’ve been gone for months already”

“Yeah, same here too. I miss you so much, the office is really boring without you”

“Hmm, just few days and I’ll be back” he replied with a playful tone

“Oh! You call thirteen days few days?”

“Don’t worry, it’ll end soon. How about your friend Ini?”

“She’s fine” Ama hissed slightly before she replied.

“Are you sure?” He asked noticing a change in her tone

“Yes”

“No, you don’t sound so”

“Ermm.. I don’t know what’s wrong really, I met her crying when I got home today and when I tried to ask what the matter was, she flared up and started asking me some questions”

“What kind of questions?”

“Don’t bother, I’ll tell you when I’m sure what the matter really is”

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“So what did she say?” Bode questioned Frank.

“Nothing, she said she can only be friends with me and nothing else. I think she’s only saying that because she does not want trouble with Bola”

“Hmmm, maybe you should give her sometime then. Since she agreed to be friends with you, I think she may still get to love you”

“I believe so too”

“Yeah, but what do you intend to do with Bola”

“I’m still thinking about that, but I don’t think I’ll leave this place already”

“Wow! Better, you’re just talking” Bode cheered. “You can just accept the baby and not marry her. No marriage will work if its a forced one”

“Yeah, the only problem is how to relate this to her father”

“Hmmm” Bode sighed. “You just have to do it, I believe he is a man and he’ll understand. He’ll understand that you can’t live under that kind of marriage”

“I’ll try that”

“Good” Bode smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

After some minutes of silence, Bode spoke up again.

“Bro, there’s still one thing I’m not happy about. You have to settle your rift with Kelvin. You should know Kelvin, I don’t think he’ll ever betray you or even me”

Frank was silent for a moment before he replied.

“I know, I’m ashamed of myself really” he answered, a tone of guilt in his voice. “Amarachi told me about how Bola had also tried to destroy her relationship with her friend Ini, she told me Frank never spoke to her about me”

“Hmm, you see”

“I don’t just know how to even face Kelvin, I’ve been acting crazy to him although he tried to give me the right advice.”

“You just have to face him, I’m sure he’s ready to make up with you too”

“Yes, I am” Kelvin said with a slight smile as he appeared in the living room that moment. He stood still and stared at his Friends in silence.

There was silence for about one minute.

“I’m sorry Kelvin” Frank said as he stood up from where he was seated and walked towards Kelvin. “I should have trusted you, please forgive me”

He extended a handshake to Kelvin who was just watching in silence.

Kelvin took his hand in his and hugged him, “It’s Okay bro, we should not let anything come in between us”

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“Good morning Pedro” Chief Olatunbosun shook hands with Pedro Fayemi, welcoming him into his office.

“Good morning sir” Pedro replied bending a little as he took his hands in his as a sign of respect.

“Welcome, sit down” the Chief motioned him to a seat in front of his table and went to the other side of the table to take his seat. “Thanks for answering my call immediately”

“Okay sir, hope there is no problem. I was surprised when I got your call this morning”

“Yeah, hopefully there’ll be no problem if we do the right thing” the Chief continued, clearing his throat. “I don’t think I’ll be able to provide support for that your boy Femi, he’s not a good choice”

“What happened sir? Did anything go wrong in your meeting yesterday?”

“No, nothing went wrong. But I believe that guy is going to fight against us if he gets there. He’s too focus on doing the right thing, he won’t favour us there”

“But I think we can give him our terms and conditions”

“No Pedro, you don’t do things like that. From the conversation we had yesterday, the guy’s gonna block some loopholes in the system that favours us. He was talking about installing another crimes commission chairman, and the person he suggested is an enemy of ours.” The man paused and stared intently at Pedro.

“Hmmm”

“So you see, if he does not share the same ideologies with us now, he might turn against us when he gets there”

“But what If we tell him what to do?”

“Come on Pedro, stop fighting a lost cause. I can’t support that boy”, the Chief paused and checked his wristwatch.

“Sorry Pedro, I have a meeting with some state elders to attend this morning” the man stood up and adjusted his Agbada, a yoruba native wear.

“Okay sir”

They both walked out of the Chief’s office and Pedro saw the Chief off to his car with guards around them. He watched them leave before he returned to his own car.

He had barely settled into the back seat before he shouted on his driver.

“Come on, drive off dunce. What are you waiting for?” He shouted

The driver who was unsure of the cause for the transferred aggression ignited the car engine at once to prevent worse actions being taken on him.

Mr. Pedro dialled a number on his phone as soon as the car moved.

“Ken, meet me at my office right now”

They arrived at his office after anout twenty minutes drive, he walked straight into the office ignoring the greetings of his staffs. He met Ken who was already flirting with the secretary outside the office, he ignored him and walked into the office.

Ken needed no one to tell him to join Mr. Pedro in the office at once as the manner at which the man glanced at him and stormed into the office was already very instructive.

“Good morning sir” Ken greeted as he closed the office’s door.

“What’s good about the morning?” Mr. Pedro slammed. “Everything is working against us and you are there flirting with a young girl outside, is that what you did to loose Bola to a riff Raff?”

Ken looked at him without answering.

“What are you doing to get Bola back?” Mr. Pedro asked

“Ermm… I’m trying my best sir”

“You’re trying your best? You’ve been trying your best for how long now?”

“Listen carefully” Pedro sat on hod office seat and motioned Ken to sit in front of him. “Femi Fadeyi has spoilt our plans already. I think we should have prepared him well before allowing him to meet Chief Olatunbosun. Now he told the man that he intends to stop some corrupt practices and you know what that means”

“Wow! That’s bad”

“Really bad, I’m just regretting why I chose Femi at first. I should have picked some other person who knows the game better”

“Why don’t we just let Femi contest without the man’s support? Since he is already loved by the people for his good works”

“Dunce!” Pedro cursed. “How do you expect him to win? He won’t even win the primaries”

“I’m sorry sir” Ken replied, feeling bad. “So what are we going to do now?”

“The success of this depends on you, if you are able to marry his daughter, then we can defeat him. His mind is made up to give fifty percent of his investments and properties to his daughter’s husband since he has already settled his son who is overseas”

“Hmmm”

“So you see, get married to his daughter, we need his money first. Once we get the money, then we’ll use his daughter against him. So get to work Ken, get to work”

“Okay sir, I promise to get her back by all means”

“Please act fast, the man is getting more powerful and dangerous every day. Let’s stop him fast”

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“Over here” Ini called to Sandra who was trying to locate her.

“How are you doing?” She asked as Sandra opened the car door and sat beside her.

“I’m fine, thank you” Sandra replied as she settled into the seat.

“Thank you for coming. I’m really sorry for troubling you”

“It’s okay, but I don’t want us to keep on seeing on this matter again. I’m afraid of what would happen if my Boss finds out that I’m talking to you about his personal life” Ini said with a pleading voice.

“It’s okay” Ini replied, patting her gently and drawing her close for an embrace. “He won’t find out, you just have to help me. I want to be sure if…”

“Wait!” Ini paused and looked and pointed at someone walking outside, ” do you know that Lady?”

“Which one?” Sandra asked and also peeped through the car window.

“That one on white suit”

“Ermm…” She stammered, “I don’t think I know her”

“You don’t?”

“Yes” she answered more confidently and looked at Ini who was staring at her suspiciously.
“Ermm… I’m not sure I saw her face well, it was only her side view that was clear”

“Okay” Ini said unconvincingly, “That was Amarachi, is that the girl you saw with Kelvin?”

“I’m not sure, I didn’t see her well”

“Hmmm” Ini sighed, “Okay. I want you to do something for me”

“Okay”

“I need you to inform me whenever she comes to your office again or whenever you notice that Kelvin wants to meet her”

“Okay, I’ll try my best”

“Thank you very much” Ini smiled. “So where’s your place so I can give you a ride home?”

“No, don’t bother. I still have something to get in town”

“Oh okay, we’ll see later then. Thank you”

“Okay” Sandra smiled and got out of the car.

Ini watched her as she walked to the bus stop and got a cab before she started the car engine and drove off.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“I’ve been expecting your call since yesterday, what happened?”

“Nothing, I was just thinking of calling you before you showed up” Frank replied, faking a smile.

“Oh okay” Bola continued, “So when did your parent ask us to come?”

“My mum said we should come next week Saturday”

“Haba! Next week Saturday? That’s too far na”

“No, it’s not. Next week Saturday is just around the corner”

“Oooh! I can’t wait o. The pregnancy is already becoming visible na”

“We just have to wait. You know Aba is a long distance from here and my Mum won’t want to just receive us anyhow. She wants to prepare well”

“Okay” Bola replied unhappily, ” but I think we should just choose the date so that preparations can begin at once”

“Okay, if that’s what you want. I think you should pick a date and tell me, I’m not really good at picking dates”

“Okay, hmmm” Bola paused and thought for a while. “Let’s make it on the twenty eight of march. That’s enough time for your parents to come for the introduction”

“Yeah, that’s enough time for me to decide what to do” Frank said to himself and smiled.

“Yeah” he spoke aloud, “I think it’s cool but let me contact my parents first and get back to you before we start making plans”

“Ooooh!” Bola lamented, “haven’t you told them you were getting married before?”

“I have, but you know they have to approve of my wife first”

“Are you saying they won’t approve of me?”

“No o, of course, they will”

At that moment, someone knocked on his office door.

“Come in” Frank replied the knock.

“One of his employees walked in briskly, ” Sir, we need extra hand, the waiting clients are too much and one of them is specifically asking for you”

“Okay, I’ll join you in a second” he answered her and turned back to Bola, “please I have to get to work now before things get out of hand”

“But we are not through yet”

“Yes, we’ll continue later” he said and walked out of his office to join his workers.

Bola sighed as she watched him walk out , she wasn’t enjoying the way he treated her; without giving her much attention but she thanked God for he had even agreed to married to her.

She picked up her bag and was about standing up when her eyes met his phone on the table. He did not take it to the workroom with him. She picked it and touched the power button, her face lit up as she discovered that the phone wasn’t passworded.

The first icon she clicked on was the call register, she scrolled down and met Amarachi’s number in the fourth position in the dialled numbers. She navigated to his messages, the last message he sent was to Amarachi.

After reading through the conversation, she smiled wickedly to herself and muttered under her breath. “Amarachi, you’ll be so sorry after I deal with you”

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Ini got home distressed, she wasn’t sure of what to believe. Sandra claimed that another girl was seeing Kelvin, she even described the girl as Amarachi but how come she couldn’t recognize Amarachi when she saw her? Or what is really because she couldn’t see her front view properly?

All these questions raced through her mind, as she settled into one of the sofas without even bothering to go into her room to take off her clothes.

A short giggle disrupted her thoughts, reminding her that there was someone else at home.

“Okay, I’ll be expecting your call, don’t forget o” Amarachi’s voice sounded louder as she opened the door to her room.

Ini stood up and set out for her room but almost collided into Amarachi.

“Oh Ini” Amarachi spoke, “welcome home”

“Thank you” Ini replied without paying much attention.

“I didn’t know you were going somewhere after work today”

“Yes, I had to meet a friend urgently”

“Alright, how was work? We’ve been talking less often these days”

“Yes, I’m busy with better things” She replied and gave Ama a look, already getting pissed by the questioning.

“May you excuse me? I have to get into my room now” She added quickly.

“Oh! Sorry” Ama replied, leaving the doorway quickly and walked into the living room.

Ini dropped her bag on the bed and started taking off her clothes at once. She was very tired and was feeling slight pains all over her body.

She wrapped herself with her towel and headed for the bathroom when her phine rang. She took a glance at the screen from the bed where it was and hesitatingly walked back and sat on the bed to answer the call.

“Hello Kelvin”

“Hello dear, how are you?”

“I’m fine, you?”

“I’m fine too. Hope work wasn’t stressful today?”

“Not really jare”

“Alright, I called to find out what are your plans for Sunday?”

“Plans for Sunday?”

“Yeah, ain’t you celebrating?”

“Oh! My birthday?” She giggled, “not planning any celebration this year, maybe next year”

“Why?”

“Nothing, I just feel like it should be that way”

“Okay, if you say so”

“Yeah, I say so”

“Alright” he replied, ” but do you know I’ve missed you a lot already? I feel like having you here now”

“Yeah” she replied in a low tone, ” I feel the same way too”

“So, can we see tomorrow evening?”

“Yeah, if you want us to”

“Alright, I’ll pick you after work tomorrow”

“Okay, till then”