Chapter 7
I sat down with Mr. James at the same spot Isadora and I sat the day we went on our first date. It was a day after we resigned from the press house we were working with, I put a call across to Mr. James to come over for us to discuss some important issue and sort out the way forward for ourselves. He arrived on time, we ordered some snacks and bottles of soft drinks as we settle down to discuss.
“So tell me…Jamie, how do you plan on your next move?”, I asked Mr. James who only smiled childishly.
“I’ve sort myself out”, He replied back amid his childish smile.
“Hmmm…you are unpredictable sir”, I joked.
“Well…all the while we were there working for the goddamn press house, I was already working on moving out. The opportunity came at the right time”, Mr. James grinned widely.
“I don’t understand you mate”, I pressed further with a confuse look while James smiled the more.
“I mean all the while I was working there, I was already building myself. I already own a news site, it’s doing very well now, even though it’s still growing. I’ve monetized my Facebook page, same as my YouTube channel. I’m also doing free lancing and independent investigation for anyone that hires my service especially from law firms”, Mr. James carried his bottle of water triumphantly to his lips leaving me still in awe.
“Wow! This is great news man, but you didn’t let me know”, I accused him.
“Wanted to let you know at the right time, I wanted to surprise you sir”, Mr. James replied my accusation with an honest answer.
“Looks like you boys normally come here to hang out for some air”, a lady’s voice I recognized very well teased.
I turned towards the direction of the voice to see Isadora walking towards our table, all beautiful and elegant, holding some ice cream and chicken packs in a bag.
“Looks like a lady went on a side date behind her boyfriend’s back”, I teased her as she arrived our table and took a seat.
“Yeah…went on a date with some grilled chicken and ice cream”, Isadora teased back then turned to Mr. James with her right hand stretched out for a shake, “Good evening detective James”.
“Good evening Isadora, I hope you had a very and pleasant day?”, Mr. James enquired as he accepted her handshake while Isadora smiled broadly.
“Thinking about this big head here almost ruined my day”, Isadora pointed at me.
“Why? How? What happened?”, Mr. James asked the three questions on my mind at the same time.
“I went to your office today on an official visit that has to do with a report collaboration with your press house and the television station I work with. After almost sealing the deal with your Editor-In-Chief, I asked to see the both of you since you’re the ones representing your press house in the collaboration. That was when I was informed that you’ve both resigned a day before, I tried to reach out to you but your lines were switched off. Worst, I don’t even know where you live. In order not to drown myself thinking about you, decided to branch here and grab those stuffs in that bag only to see you guys seated and conversing like two coup plotters”, Isadora kept a straight face.
“I am sorry dear, I switched off my phone when that crazy Editor-In-Chief called my lines and I wanted nothing to do him again. I was angry, seriously angry with him”, I apologized while Isadora still kept a straight face.
“I guess when he called, he was trying to inform us about the latest development…I also switched off my phone when I noticed his calls”, Mr. James Chirped in.
“What happened? What made the both of you resigned the same day, same time and in same manner?”, Isadora queried us.
I threw Mr. James a look which made him lower his head in sadness.
“They want me to continue being a puppet for them”, Mr. James replied before I could say a word.
“I don’t get it, puppet? How?”, Isadora fired more questions.
I adjusted my chair as I began to narrate everything that happened to Isadora without leaving out any slight detail. All these while, Mr. James was just tapping on the table and gazing directly at the counter. I didn’t pay much attention to his gaze but continued detailing Isadora on what led to our resigning and our current state.
“So you mean…someone can be so selfish to the point of exploiting the freedom of a fellow human being for their person benefit?”, Isadora asked as soon as I stopped talking while I nodded.
We both turned to Mr. James simultaneously as we noticed his gazed directed to a particular waitress.
“That’s Agnes”, I whispered to Isadora who nodded.
“Looks like your friend’s heart has been shot by cupid…he has fallen in love”, Isadora chuckled.
“That’s impossible”, I retorted.
“Very possible”, Isadora countered.
“Giving the situation, this is the very first time he is setting his eyes on her…so it’s not possible”, I pointed out.
“Oh really?”, Isadora asked with a mock smile.
“Yes”, I answered her sarcastically.
“Have we met before?”, Isadora threw me a question.
“I just don’t understand”, I replied her with a confusing look.
“Remember the first day and time we met…”, Isadora began.
“In a vehicle”, I cut in while Isadora nodded with a smile.
“I fell in love with you the moment I set my eyes on you”, Isadora winked.
“I see…”, I muttered.
“So it’s very possible with your friend here”, Isadora pointed to Mr. James’ seat, but surprisingly; his seat was vacant.
We both exchanged glance as if programmed to do so, then turn our head slowly toward the counter only to see Mr. James having some discussion with Agnes. Agnes on her part, was busy blushing like a teenage girl.
“You’ve got a very sharp guy as friend, unlike the olodo I’m dating here”, Isadora teased while I rolled my eyes.
“So na me don turn olodo now bah?”, I asked Isadora in pidgin while she laughed out a bit hard.
“Before nkor? Despite all the green light I was giving you, you were busy running away. Who does that? If not an olodo”, Isadora laughed more.
“And na the olodo you dey die head over heel for?”, I countered Isadora.
Just then, we sighted Mr. James coming back to our table all smiles as if he just won a lottery.
“Be like person slip don enter oh”, Isadora whispered as Mr. James drew closer.
Mr. James sat down smiling like a new born baby, giving us little or no attention. All those while, he was busy smiling and glancing at the counter.
“Never knew I had a mumu as a friend”, I joked while Isadora laughed softly.
“A friend to a mumu is also a mumu”, Isadora defended Mr. James, while he smiled and grinned the more.
“Bros, swears I have never felt this way about anyone before. The moment I set my eyes on her, my breath ceased coming out. My heart stopped beating for a moment, and when it began beating again; it beat so fast that I could hear its beat with my own ears”. Mr. James muttered like a nursery poem while Isadora and I just stared at him speechless.
“I see…cupid finally got you”, I finally found my voice and laughed out sarcastically, but the look Isadora shot me forced me to shut the hell up.
“Was it not same cupid that shot you?, Isadora scolded while I lowered my gaze to the floor like a kid caught stealing from the pot. Mr. James saw my dilemma and burst out laughing, Isadora followed his lead while I sat still, a bit embarrassed to say a word.
“Oboy…na so you fear reach?”, Mr. James cracked a joke while I hissed at him.
“Darlene, are you angry with momma? I was only joking na”, Isadora smiled as she walked over to my side of the table and began stroking my beards, her action made me smile and then burst out laughing.
“Because she don dey touch your beards, see as you just dey smile and laugh like mumu”, Mr. James teased while Isadora eyed him.
“That’s okay for now boys, please can we go back to the business we wanted to discuss before Mr. James excused us?”, Isadora cut in urgently.
“You were talking about collaborating with the press house we were working with only to realize that we have resigned”, Mr. James opened the floor for discussion.
“Yes, I remember now”, Isadora acknowledged Mr. James’ contribution as she went ahead to furnish us the details of the collaboration and what we stand to benefit as well as the role we are expected to play.
“So now that we’ve both resigned from the press house we used to work with, how do we carry out such delicate task?”, Mr. James asked Isadora.
“The ideal plan was for you guys to actually work on your own using the press house as a proxy, now that you have both resigned, it’d be more convenient to work with you guys. Let’s say, working with independent journalists…that was why we decided to contact your press house so it wouldn’t look like we are snatching away their staff”, Isadora winked at Mr. James who smiled.
“Oh…I get the whole picture now”, I smiled evilly as I patted Mr. James on the shoulder.
“That sounds like an intellectual coup”, Mr. James joked while Isadora and I laughed.
“So how do you guys plan to start now?”, Isadora dropped the big question I’ve been waiting for. I threw a glanced at Mr. James who only shrugged his shoulders.
“I guess…we are in”, I answered Isadora who smiled at me lovingly.
Isadora and I walked hand in hand into my apartment, she drove to my place after dropping Mr. James off his residence.
“A very nice and cool place befitting a charming prince like you”, Isadora complimented my place as I smiled shyly.
“That sounds like you’re teasing me”, I joked and Isadora laughed hard.
Getting to the door, I brought out my keys to open the door.
“Ladies first”, I gestured towards the door way with a slight bow.
“What a sweet romantic gentleman I’ve got”, Isadora blushed as she blew me a kiss before going inside.
I followed behind without wasting much time, switched on the light. Isadora exclaimed with profound joy the moment light flooded the sitting room.
“Really, you guys in this part of PH dey enjoy oh, see as light dey. If na my side now, the moment I enter house na to start to fight with generator be that”, Isadora giggled out of excitement after saying those words.
“Talking as if we no dey pay ni?”, I rolled my eyes.
“In my area, we no dey pay?”, Isadora laughed out like a happy kid.
“Not till NEPA people bring you their monthly bill, na you go tear race commot for house”, I frown while Isadora laughed more.
“Your own better say ona dey see the light ona dey pay for. In my area, there’s nothing like that. Two birds will fight on high tension and NEPA will cease light for almost a week and come with excuse of ‘transformer blow’ to cover up. If small rain fall, them go cease light for days claiming cable pole turn ice block, that it needs time to melt. Worst, small breeze sef go blow them go cease light for almost half a month claiming that the poles that held some important grid, the breeze wey blow don carry am from PH to Warri. The most painful, at the end of the moth, they will come with thirty days outrageous bills for light that was only supplied for ten days”, Isadora lamented.
We all pay such bill dear, in this area we pay 60k per month. Many a time, I’ve requested for prepaid meter but always one excuse after the other. This country just tire me sha, I no go lie”, I laughed as I noticed the look on Isadora’s face.
“60k per month you say?”, Isadora asked with disbelief.
“Yes oh…”, I answered her with a straight face.
“I pay 80k yet no light, more reason I angrily purchased a generator set, I won’t spend up to that amount using generator. Plus, I’ll be having power supply at will. Not their yeye ten days on and twenty days off light; and I go still come dey pay them thirty days light when I’m not mad? Who does that?, Isadora twisted her face which made her more cute.
“We go survive”, I assured Isadora as I showed her the bathroom, then made towards the kitchen to drop what we came with.