Chapter 9
“That was a close one back there”, Isadora commended Mr. James on our way back.
“Close one? I don’t quite understand you Isadora”, Mr. James narrowed his gaze from the back seat where he was sited quietly like a mouse.
“I mean the way you haggled with Mr. Tonubari back in the office, it was superb”, Isadora elaborated more so Mr. James could understand her point.
“I’m glad I didn’t say anything, if not I would have under charged him”, I chirped in while Isadora and Mr. James threw me a look of scorn at the same time.
“Why that look?”, I asked fixing my eyes on Mr. James who was trying hard to stifle some laugh.
“You were a dumb ass back in there”, Isadora and Mr. James both chorused at the same.
“Why are you both attacking me now?”, I asked them with confusion written all over my face.
“Well…according to you, you didn’t say anything back in there…”, Isadora began.
“I know what I said”, I rolled my eyes at her.
“Good thing you didn’t say a word”, Mr. James smiled mischievously.
“The most important thing is…the deal has been sealed”, Isadora cut in.
“Yeah…that’s very true”, I smiled.
“This calls for some celebration”, Mr. James sang out happily like an over fed kid.
“To the nearest cozy joint”, I joined Mr. James.
“No, our favorite eatery”, Isadora chirped in and immediately changed direction towards Woji following a U-turn area while Mr. James screamed wildly due to the rate at which Isadora
“Why are you screaming like a pregnant woman in the labor room?”, Isadora asked Mr. James who was already sweating profusely despite that the car’s air condition was on.
“Mr. James have phobia for high speed, especially with such a stunt you just performed backed there”, I replied while Isadora slowed downed and finally parked at the side of the road.
“I never knew this Mr. James, neither you nor Thompson informed me about your phobia. I am very sorry for the way I drove back there, I promise it wouldn’t repeat itself again sir”, Isadora apologized to Mr. James who was still shaking like a frighten lamb facing a wolf.
“Don’t worry dear, he’ll come around. Let him be for the time being, he’ll be fine by the time we arrive at the eatery…trust me”, I placed a reassuring hand on Isadora’s shoulder while she nodded soberly still feeling very guilty for hurting Mr. James.
“Okay, I hope to make it up to him later…I just hope he forgives me”, Isadora murmured as she turn on the car ignition and drove on.
We arrived at the eatery, Mr. James to our surprise alighted from the vehicle with all smiles as though nothing did happened on our way to the eatery, Isadora was the most confused. She kept on throwing me a questioning look while Mr. James went into the eatery.
“What is actually going on?”, Isadora finally asked the question on her mind.
‘Like what?”, I asked replied her ignorantly with a question.
“I mean Mr. James…didn’t you see what happened?”, Isadora asked me with a more confused look.
“You seem not to get the memo sweetheart”, I teased her.
“What memo?”, Isadora was becoming impatient.
“Who works here that Mr. James is really into?”, I asked Isadora with a raised eye brow.
“Jimmy Christmas…it almost skipped my mind, Agnes”, Isadora held her forehead as she shook her head in a funny way.
“That was why he rushed in…perhaps, to share with her the good news”, I explained while Isadora walked into the eatery, I followed behind without wasting much time.
“There’s your lover boy…”, Isadora nodded towards the counter the moment we walked into the eatery, Mr. James was excitedly chatting with Agnes who was all smiles.
“I hope he doesn’t get her into trouble with her employer one of these days”, I hit my forehead imitating what Isadora did outside the eatery.
“Observe him well, he is being much coded with act”, Isadora nudged me to be very observant at the way they were communicating with each other.
“He is placing orders…”, I grinned understanding his tactics, “…such a clever little rascal”.
“More clever than you dummy”, Isadora shot me back.
“I didn’t argue, did i?”, I raised my hands up in the air as we settled down on our seats.
“Mission accomplished, your dude is on his way back from conquest”, Isadora called my attention to Mr. who was returning back from the counter all smiles.
“Seems like someone that just won a jackpot”, I angled my head slightly to catch a glimpse at Mr. James’ smiling face before he get closer.
“It’s more than jackpot”, Isadora smiled as Mr. James finally arrived at our table.
“Alright, I’ve placed our orders”, Mr. James grinned widely as he took a seat.
“So the first thing you do na to run commot go chase woman bah?”, I bashed Mr. James.
“I sense jealousy in the air”, Isadora rolled her eyes.
“Big one at that”, Mr. Jams joined her.
“Ona two no serious”, I adjusted in my seat.
“So where the orders you placed on behalf of us all?”, Isadora asked Mr. James who nodded towards the counter.
“There, it is coming”, simultaneously, Isadora and I turned towards the counter direction to see Agnes coming with our orders, trailed by two other waitress.
“Chairman of order agency”, I hailed Mr. James who smiled clumsily.
“Here are your orders sirs”, Agnes called our attention as she dropped what she came with. Turned around, one at a time collecting from the two waiters behind her what they came with while they both left almost immediately.
“Congratulations Mr. Thompson, Mr. James told me everything, I am so happy for you guys…seriously”, Then turning to Isadora she continued “…Thank you so much Isadora for giving them this opportunity”.
“Never mention, why am I this big head’s woman if I can’t be of help to him and his friend?”, Isadora threw me a sarcastic gaze as she responded to Agnes.
“So big head don turn my name bah? No wahala”, I faked a frown.
“She no mean that kind big head, she mean better big head”, Agnes tried buttressing Isadora’s point.
“I don hear ona, partners in crime”, I shrug as Agnes made to go away.
“I’ll catch up with you guys later this evening after work”, Agnes beckon with a smile.
“Don’t worry, I’ll come pick you up, and where are we going to meet?”, Isadora responded to Agnes and threw me a questioning look.
“At my place”, Mr. James came to my rescue.
“Alright then”, Agnes nodded as she walked away slowly with a smile.
“That’s it boys, let’s celebrate…some toast to your success”, Isadora raised a toast.
“No, a toast to start playing the shylock Holmes again”, Mr. James corrected as we all laughed.
“To success”, Isadora called out with a thrill.
“To success”, Mr. James and I replied as we began clinking our glasses with drinks against each other.
That evening, I was at Mr. James’ house early as early as possible for us to keep the house in order before the arrival of the ladies that was slated for 9pm for that was when Agnes would close from work. We kept some things that needed arrangements in order and cooked dinner for the night, filled the generator tank to the brim should incase our wonderful power holding company start their usual games.
“Baba we forget something oh”, Mr. James called my attention.
“Wetin come be that?”, I asked M. James who pointed toward the empty bottle of bottle water on the table.
“Water…bottle water remain only two and we need more water”, Mr. James replied.
“Oya take add money on top go buy one packet of bottle water come”, I threw Mr. James three thousand naira in five hundred naira domination.
“No wahala, keep this television area well, and check the generator to be sure e no go worry us later”, Mr. James reminded me before exited the sitting room.
“No wahala”, I cried after him.
I was soon done and took a seat close to the television to watch some football highlights when Mr. James returned back with water and a black cellophane bag.
“You don show?”, I hailed him.
“No, na my ghost show back…idiot. Better come carry this water go put for fridge instead of sitting there dey ask me mumu question up and down”, Mr. James teased me while I rolled my eyes at him.
“Na small question I ask nai make you kill me like that, no wahala”, I answered Mr. James as I stood up to get the water to the fridge.
“Ehn…mumu, you forget to carry this banana join”, Mr. James cried after me.
“Your papa! Na me give you belle ni?”. I shot back at Mr. James who laughed and walked into the kitchen to drop the banana.
“Abeg shift mai pass jor”, Mr. James teased me more as he dropped the banana and other fruits he bought into the fridge.
We both left the kitchen to the sitting room, cross checking everything to be sure they were in proper order.
“Hope you have put the guest room in order?”, Mr. James asked me.
“Yes sir, I’ve done that since”, I gave Mr. James a mock salute which drew a hiss from him.
“Okay then, its remaining this”, Mr. James said as he dipped his hand into the cellophane bag and brought out packets of condoms.
“James!”, I screamed his name.
“What?”, Mr. James asked me ignorantly.
“”Na small meet up we dey do and you don run go buy packs of condoms”, I frown.
“Before nkor”, Mr. James smiled.
“Why?”, I enquired.
“In case things get out of hand”, Mr. James grimace.
“Things like what? Baba you still get far place to go before you fit make this heaven everybody dey chase so oh”, I teased Mr. James..
Just then, we heard Isadora’s car honk twice outside.
“They are here”, Mr. James murmured as we began scampering to and fro with Mr. James holding the packet of condoms like a national symbol.
Finally, he scampered into his bedroom and returned back almost immediately, zooming past me direct to the guest bedroom, returned back with same speed and alacrity and dragged me to a couch making the scenario looking as though we were both sited already watching sport highlights.
“So you see bro, this kind of match them play no sweet me at all”, Mr. James began as though we have been having the conversation for long.
“But them try na, I responded to Mr. James’ critic on the match when I figured out his gimmick.
“Yes, that’s why I said it’s not sweet sef”, Mr. James formed seriousness.
“Imagine the rubbish they played in the last match, Chelsea will not cease to amaze me with their poor performance”, I eyed Mr. James.
Just then, the ladies came in with Isadora taking the lead. Agnes was behind her holding a black polythene bag.
“Looks like you boys have been busy with these quack match of yours with unnecessary banters since”, Isadora teased as she dropped her bag on the table.
“Welcome back girls, anything for the boys?”, Mr. James threw Agnes a funny look while I rolled my eyes.
“As a matter of fact, definitely”, Agnes grinned as she walked over to where Mr. James was siting and gave him a bear hug.
“See wetin your mate dey do, your own na to stand there dey look me like olodo fowl”, I teased Isadora who rolled her eyes.
“No be your mate dey act romantic so? Your own na to sit down for there dey eye me like goat wey lick excess salt”, Isadora teased back.
“Make ona two stay there dey drag words like pregnant market women”, Agnes teased us.
“You dey mind them?”, Mr. James joined Agnes.
Isadora and I burst into a short laugh as we both embraced each other and carried what they came with to the kitchen while gisting and laughing.
We were done eating but sat at the dining table for some discussion.
“Can we know about our new friend and companion?”, Isadora directed her gaze at Agnes who smiled shyly.
“Well…my name is Agnes Musa, schooled at the prestigious UNILAG, a divorcee and mother of a late child. I am a caterer by profession”, Agnes narrowed her eyes at Mr. James who sat upright as though struck by lighten.
“Did I hear you say divorce?”, Mr. James asked to be sure he heard her right.
“Yes”, Agnes answered Mr. James who sat still staring at her.
“What happened?”, Isadora threw Agnes a question.
“As in…what led to the divorce?”, I managed to elaborate on Isadora’s question.
“It’s a very long story but I’ll make it brief as possible”, Agnes began.
“Okay, we are all listening to you”, Mr. James spoke for the first time after a long silence as though coming back from ‘shock-land’.
“”I met him few years after graduating from UNILAG, we became friends. We flowed smoothly and one thing led to another and we began dating”, Agnes took a short break as she threw Mr. James a smile.
“Go on”, Mr. James responded with a frown which probed Isadora to stroking his shoulder probing him to calm down while Agnes speaks.
“We later got married, you know how it is in the east when a woman gets married to one of their sons. Three years after getting married, I couldn’t conceive and that was when pressure began. I was always under threats of being thrown out of my matrimonial home by my in-laws, led by my mother in-law. The only person who stood by me was my sister in-law; because at some point, my husband began acting funny and started supporting his people. He always called me names and accused me of carrying out multiple abortions while in school…”, Agnes was interrupted by Mr. James.
“Be honest, did you actually commit any abortion while schooling in UNILAG? Because I always hear of the odoriferous lifestyle of UNILAG and UNIPORT girls on campus”, I threw Isadora a suspicious look the moment Mr. James mentioned ‘UNIPORT’.
“Thompson, please can you stop looking at me like that, I was never such a loose type and besides…I never indulged in such a lifestyle talk more of committing anything called abortion…I am being very honest with you, you can ask around”, Isadora spoke up looking at me eye ball to eye ball without blinking, but I only shrug my shoulders. One can never be so sure about the ladies of this generation.
“No…I never did involve in any relationship or did such, talk more of taking in and committing abortion”, Agnes replied Mr. James with all sincerity.
“Continue with your story Agnes, we are following you”, I nodded at Agnes with an understanding glance while she nodded back and continued.
“The persecution was at its peak and physical abuse was soon employed by my husband. He always beats me up at the slightest mistake. As God would have it, I became pregnant but wanted to be sure before revealing it to him. That day, his mom came to our home to carry out her usual tormenting drama; but to my surprise, she came along with a young girl whom she said was her new choice of wife for her son. I tried protesting and prevented her from carrying the girl’s bag to my matrimonial room. After few tussle, my mother in-law loosed her gripe on the bag and fell down. She began ranting that I beat her up. Later that evening when my husband returned back from work, she told him what happened and without waiting to hear my part of the story descended on me. I fell down and that was how my first miscarriage occurred…”.
“Jesus Christ”, Isadora shouted as Agnes took a pause to wipe her tears before resuming.
“…My husband was shocked to realize what just happened. I was rushed to the hospital but the deed had already been done and the innocent baby that was forming gone for good. For the first time, my husband felt really remorseful and asked his mother not to visit his home again. I had to dissuade him from such a decision; after all, he was her son and blood. I was just a stranger under his roof in the name of wife tied to him by matrimonial oath, a wife who was barren waiting for the right time to be kicked out of his house by him and his family. I got myself engaged in economic activities and affiliate marketing. As fate would have it, I began doing well in affiliate marketing but my instinct never let me open up to my husband. I was doing what was fetching me money. I saved up and few months later, I discovered I was pregnant again. I decided to open up early to avoid a repetition of the previous incident since my husband had resumed using me as a punching bag. I finally put to birth, the baby was okay that night I gave birth to her but the following morning, I woke up to a dead baby beside me and that was that. My mother in-law accused me of me of being a witch, I was finally thrown out of my matrimonial home. My husband gave me a divorce letter and married the girl that his mother brought for him”, Agnes looked at Mr. James who sat still looking at her expressionless like a statue.
“Well, I realized there’s more to life than that…so I picked up my broken piece and forged ahead, the car I bought was sized from me and given to my husband’s new wife. Thanks to all my savings from my affiliated marketing business; I took a loan adding to my life savings, I bought a building and converted it into a high standard eatery, employed capable hands and continued thriving on despite all the huddles of life”, Agnes sneezed as she cleared her face.
“You mean, you are the owner of that eatery?”, I asked Agnes with shock written all over my face.
“Yes, I also own two branches in two different commercial locations”, Agnes smiled for the first time.
“How old are you?”, Mr. James asked Agnes.
“I will be 33 next month”, Agnes answered Mr. James.
“I see…and you said you woke up the following morning with a dead child?”, Mr. James pressed.
“Yes”, Agnes answered Mr. James.
“Was the baby kind of sick or showed any kind of abnormality after you gave birth to her?”, Isadora looked at Mr. James as he continued questioning Agnes.
“No, the baby was healthy and bouncing”, Agnes answered Mr. James with a puzzle look.
“Did you feel anything like weakness or dizziness when you woke up the following morning?”, Mr. James threw more questions. At this point, I was already getting a mental picture of where Mr. James was going.
“”Yes, very weak. It was as if I took sleeping pills on an empty stomach”, Agnes responded while Mr. James nodded his head in satisfaction.
“All right”, Mr. James sat up looking at me.
“So tell me Mr. James, why did you react the way you did back then when I took a sharp U-turn on our way back from my office?”, Isadora faced Mr. James who sat quietly for some minutes before clearing his throat to speak.
“It’s a long story, a very sad one at that. But it’s worth sharing though”, Mr. James shrugged as though he was some kind of ancient sorcerer who foretold the coming of an unavoidable doom which came to pass.
“All right…we are all ears”, Isadora sat up staring at Mr. James.
“It happened years back…”, Mr. James began, “…We were returning back from church…Me, my mom, dad and two siblings. It was at a U-turn while my dad was trying to make a U-turn that an incoming trailer failed break and rammed into our car. That was it, I woke up later in the hospital. I searched the room for my family but saw none of them. I was later taken to another ward where my mum was. She was asleep when I arrived, the Nurse advised I let her be, to which I obliged and asked about the rest of my family. The Nurse only shook her head and led the way out of the room while I followed her to the doctor’s office. That was where I found out that my mum and I were the only survivors. My dad and siblings died on the spot. Weeks later, I lost my mom. She died; not after telling me, ‘Be the best where ever you find yourself son…’. Those were the last words she spoke to me before crossing over to the other side”, Mr. James sniffed as he concluded his story.
“What a tale!”, I exclaimed to the amazement of everyone.
“Meaning what?”, Isadora shot me a question.
“You see, Mr. James have never opened up to me on that part of his life. It’s really sardonic and unpleasant for a young child to experience such”, I murmured.
“We all have passed through sad parts of life, and some is hard to run away from. I now understand why you reacted the way you did in the car when I took a U-turn without your prior notice and at a fast pace”. Isadora faced Mr. James who nodded, “…I am sorry, I realize now that it’s a kind of childhood trauma”, Isadora continued while Agnes moved a bit closer to Mr. James.
“See James, I know what you might be thinking, but believe me… I never did commit any abortion while in school, my conscience is clear”, Isadora threw me a look.
“It’s okay Agnes, I never did accused you of such and besides…”, Mr. James was cut short with a kiss from Agnes.
“I can feel the love burning like a candle”, Isadora intoned while I looked at her sarcastically.
“Continue feeling it, because it is now air”, I teased Isadora as I faced the other direction.
We all later settled down in the living room, each one of us cuddled up in the arms of our partner. I held Isadora close staring at her beautiful face rather than looking at the screen. She noticed and smiled at me, as I smiled back.
I wished the night never ended. Good thing for us was that the following day was weekend, we all stayed up late watching movies and left Mr. James’ house the following day; towards the evening.