Copyright

Ms ReineViolet
Macaulay Blues

© 2013, MsReineViolet
Self publishing
(Send me a PM on NL if you want to contact me)

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher. A product of my own imagination, my intellectual property. Names, characters, places and incidents are the results of said imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business organization, events or locales is purely coincidental.

By the time the clock struck 10 on a Monday morning, four young women who were around their middle 20s were still in a sitting room in an apartment located at Anthony Village, Lagos.There was a black squared coffee table in which one of the 4 women, who was sitting at the end of a long arm chair backing the dining had rested her crossed bare feet upon. Next to her leg was a glass vase, with plastic red roses and yellow daffodils. 3 of them seemed to have the same posture, legs crossed, hands on knees and slightly resting on the brown chair pillows behind their backs. The three of them all wore black pinstriped trousers suits but were unbuttoned at that very moment.


None of the four wore ties on their white shirts. All three seemed to be talking at the same time, it was hard to hear one distinctively, you could probably pick up a few words like 'the police' and 'jail term' and 'evil' but you could not guess what they were really talking about from those words all three of them were saying, all three apart from one of the women who sat on a single chair.


Her black weave was unkempt, at that moment she looked like a wild lion who had just been woken up from slumber. She had baggy and bloody red eyes that looked like they would fall off any moment if you accidentally poked it. She clutched on to her the brown chair pillow resting her head on it, hoping, wishing, praying this discussion will be over, as it was just 9am in the morning and she needed to have her beauty sleep. She had slept late last night, and that was around 4 am because she was watching a movie- Fantasia. She adjusted her faded lace fuchsia top on her jean shorts with one of her lanky fair arms and her other arm supporting her head.


She then began to stare at the picture on the cream painted wall opposite her to stop herself from dozing off, a brown painted room with three tall book shelves reaching the roof filed with different colours of books. There was a bald dark skinned man in a blue and gold-lined robe and a brown smoke pipe which was resting on his mouth, resting on a chair behind a black desk which was crowded with more books and also newspapers, and this man was staring at another picture on his wall,a brown painted room with three tall book shelves reaching the roof filed with different colours of books and what seemed to look like another bald dark skinned man with a smoke pipe in a blue and gold-lined robe resting on a chair behind a black desk which was crowded with more books and also newspapers, staring at another picture on his wall which seemed to be the same thing over and over again. It was an inception- themed picture, it was her idea to make the picture that way, to have no end to the bald dark skinned men in blue and gold-lined robes with smoke pipes looking at pictures of themselves. It was her best friend from secondary school, Adedayo Bello, who painted it for her to pay her back for helping him to complete his school fees for his final year so he would be able to graduate.


She asked for an inception-themed picture and all the options that he gave her were not convincing, so she decided to tell him about this one, if he could do it. At first he was reluctant to do such, and even more reluctant when she couldnt draw it out so he could have an idea of what she was talking about. After a lot of convincing and a lot of arguing, he finally got what she was asking for and wasted no time in painting it. He delivered it last week, after four months of waiting for it and she was more than glad when she found out he got exactly what she wanted him to do. She also apologized for the stress she put him through and he told her it was nothing worth apologizing for and that is what friends are for. She felt relieved afterwards and then treated him to a nice meal that she made at home.


Adjacent to the inception-themed picture was her wall clock, an aqua oval clock which she got from her mothers house, her mother was just moving out of their house in their hometown to a new house which her elder brother made for her. The house was not actually new, it was their one of their fathers abandoned old houses which Rotimi, her elder brother renovated. Her mum had to move out the house because of a wild fire that happened at the house at the back of hers and she was asthmatic which made everyone scared that anything horrid could happen to her. The wild fire was caused by a woman who had a fight with her late husbands family. He died in his sleep, so the rumour said and then his brothers came to claim all properties of the man. She bluntly refused and even threatened them not to come near her or woe would betide them. No one knew that the brothers would take it too serious and go so far as to setting her house ablaze in the middle of the night, killing her and her 7 year old son. Unfortunately, the fire became uncontrollable and it spread to other surrounding houses, including their mothers house. Luckily for her, she was not around when it happened, she was in Lagos for the sharing of the will of her husband and she got to her the story from one of her neighbours.


The village heads couldnt report the boys to the police because hardly anyone saw their faces and they were not of that village or any nearby village. It took almost a whole evening and morning to put out the fire, and even though, a lot of people had lost their properties, a few people got burnt and the area now looked desolate. It was extremely drastic, what Rotimi decided to do but it had to be done, so he defended. Rotimi and Her then went to pack the necessary things out of the house to the new house. The clock was one of them, this clock that always told the time was 2:15. She needed to replace the batteries, she always kept forgetting about changing the batteries but it would be unfair to blame her, she had been ever so busy ever since she got a job as an assistant cook at a guest house.


It was a month ago, and she was spending the weekend at her aunt's place. By that time, she had not yet gotten an apartment yet and was still 'squatting' for the mean time. She hated every minute that she spent there. She had to stay in the abandoned guest room- abandoned because, her aunt and her husband refused to complete furnishing the room and all you could see in the room was a grey mattress on the floor with a worn out polka-dot bed sheet, a light brown bed side table with unequal legs; the forth leg to the right facing the wall had a quarter part broken due to termites, a wide window (thank goodness) with a red burglary proof because the main window had little or no glass covering, and a dark green bucket to capture the water leaking from the roof anytime it rained, and it always rained almost every two weeks.


The only moments she treasured at that home was when she was left to baby sit their seven month old son, Peter. Peter was a chubby dark boy with only two milk teeth at his lower gum who was still learning how to walk and enjoyed babbling and screaming any time he spotted someone around him. He was highly attracted to windows and could look outside one for hours on end. No one knew what caught his eye, but they all suspected that he wanted to have a view of the outside world, since his mother hardly, if not never lets him out of the house. She would carry Peter and then snap a lot of pictures of him and anytime she wanted to get a good one of him, He always either cried or would open his mouth and then drool all over his onesies.


Apart from that, She always prayed that she would get a job from one of guest houses she sent her applications to that her friends recommended for her. She had gone for the interviews and believed that she had done amazingly well, but none of them called her back. Her Uncle was already tired of her back and forth movement and He always had a subtle way of showing it to her, awkward stares when he sees her passing, his insisting that his wife only cooks his food and the most recent and annoying of all, his sudden urge to display affection for his wife anytime she was around them. She noticed it all, and he knew she noticed it all and deep inside, she wished should could handcuff him to a tree for the weekends she came so she had no to worry about any of his drama.


But on one not so faithful weekend with Her Uncle and His wife, she got a call from an unknown number. At first, she refused to pick it up because she thought it was Tunji's using one of his friends phone to say that his battery has died and phone has spoilt so he could give an excuse for not calling her for the past 3 weeks. They had a fight before that 3 week, and if she said it was her fault, it would be extremely nice on her path. Tunji had insisted that he make her 'his own', as He behaved that Friday night in his room, but Tunji was always oblivious to a lot of things that related to her, especially when she was down and having problems. Sometimes he would laugh it off, other times he would ignore her story and tart to talk about his even going as far as trying to seek sympathy from a ten year old story or more, depending on what popped into his head at that moment from Her, who needed sympathy instead.That night was not different from their usual quarrels only that this time, it turned into a three week fight. Tola came to spend the night at his place at Ikorodu, after spending the week at Rotimis place. She was downcast, her mother had a severe attack and was just admitted into the hospital. She had been going back and forth, running the doctors errands, from painfully bringing out ten thousand naira out of her savings for her mums treatment to getting the prescribed drugs from designated pharmacists. Her mum, was already looking like a vegetable as she was mute for that moment she was in the hospital. Whether it was because she hated hospitals, she did not know or because of the sickness. That evening, anyone who noticed her, before she got to his house, from the nurses to the okada driver who dropped her at his gate, asked her if she was alright and she all told them the same thing: she was tired and needed to rest. On getting there she was expecting Tunji to ask the same thing so she could pour out her heart to him, and even breakdown as she was over emotional, but instead she got a shocking response from him.


"You promised to come before 5" He scolded her like he was her father. She was taken aback. Maybe He is not seeing her worn out face, she thought as it was around 7:30 and the sun has retired from exposing people and pissing everyone off for the day, as she stylishly brought her phone to the space between their faces as if she wanted to see his face, tilting it more to her side and she said :

"I've been very busy" She tried to sound very weak and sick so at least he could notice that, if he doesn't notice her tired face.


"Why kin busy? You don't even have a job. You just didn't want to come right? I knew it"

"My mum is sick and I've been running errands for the doctors" She didn't know why she was explaining to him, he hardly ever listens to her side, always talking about trust and more trust. She hoped he doesn't start his trust speech, especially not at the front of the gate where the ashewo mosquitoes decided to survey land on her bosoms and under her black skirt.

"Okay" He surprisingly said and started to head for his house and to which, she followed him.

It was like He was trying not to let her catch up because he increased his pace and then refused to leave the door open for her as he entered. He headed straight for the kitchen which was by the right, as she turned straight to the bathroom to take a shower. When they were both done and were lying down in a spoon position on his queen sized bed, he started to draw himself closer to her. When he was close enough to touch, he stealthily slid his arm to the end of her transparent lacy dress and began to drag it upwards.


She pushed his hands away to his dismay and he placed his arm back on his side. Some seconds later, he began to wave his hand on top of her face to check if she was asleep. She did not flinch. He decided to try this mission again but this time from a different location. He went straight to the arms of the dress and began to drag it downwards to reveal her right bosom. It was very cold in his room, he had opened his window because he had been complaining of heat and so her nips were perked up. He then placed his index finger and his thumb on her nips and unfortunately she jolted.


"What's your own nah?" She complained with eyes still closed as she sat up from the bed. "I told you I have been busy and I am really tired just let me sleep jor" Tunji drew his face closer to kiss her and she drew back within seconds immediately his lips touched hers. She hissed loudly saying: "Why are you like this?"


Tunji then says "What is wrong with you? It's not like you carried blocks sef, I don't even know why you are complaining"

"I'm complaining because I told you th-"


"It's not like I want to sleep with you even, and you are making it look like its an abomination to touch you this night" He cuts in as he too was sitting up looking at her in pitch darkness.


"But I'm tired nah. Please lemme sleep...Please." why dont you want to listen? She groans inside as she slaps the back of her hand on her laps in frustration.


"I've heard. Oya sleep" He lays back down and faces the other side of the room, frustrating her the more, trying to guilt trip her like she was the one at fault. She gave up and lay down back to bed.


The following morning he refused to talk to her. At first she thought it was a joke until when she asked him what was for breakfast at his dining table and he refused to answer only sipping his tea and reading a novel by Dan Brown Angels and Demons, she knew what she had to do. She immediately went to shower and dress up in the same clothes she wore the previous day and rushed out of the house very early in the morning around 9am. She felt bad when she was almost as his streets junction, she wanted to turn back and then apologize but when his behavior towards her flashed in her face, she heaved a sigh and then called on the okada driver heading towards her way.


Now he was calling her, or at least she thought he was the one calling her, and she began to feel guilty about not picking up the call. Maybe this time he was very sincere, and it would be mean of her to not pick up the call, afterall she has been told time and time again to always be the better person in their relationship.


"Hello" She tried to sound serious so at least he would think that she didn't miss him.


"Is this Ibitola Macaulay?"

Jekyll & Hyde:
Reine,

I'm enjoying it. Narration much o.

Thanks

Sorry about the narration, it's for a particular purpose though. I would soon reduce it

Jekyll & Hyde:
The cliffhanger worked (na cliffhanger, abi something else ni). Lol

I don't understand what you mean!

Nice write up, but the epistle is a little too long. Anyways u are a great writer.

Obinnau: Nice write up, but the epistle is a little too long. Anyways u are a great writer.

I am awful sorry about that, but I needed to do it now so it could help me later in the story

Not to say I don't love long updates o

Hmmm

Obinnau: Not to say I don't love long updates o

Mynd_44: Hmmm

It was a deeper male voice. She had no idea who this could be, Her Dad had passed away 3 years ago and She had broken all contacts with her uncles after the land issue with her mum versus them, her uncles from her mothers side. The uncles from her dad side, She had no idea about their well being after the funeral at their village. She also thought this could be a 419 call, someone trying to act familiar with her so he can collect money. She became angry because that was the only logical explanation she could think of. She decided to act more stern


"Yes, you are speaking with her and who is this?"


"I am calling from The Oriental Hotel that you applied for, are you free on Monday?"


She screamed "Oh, I am so sorry- I mean yes, yes I am free on Monday, by what time if I mi-"


"Okay Good. Please come by the office by 9:30am. Head to the reception and ask to speak with Brenda. Introduce yourself."


"Okay Ma, I will"


The caller at the other end hung up.


Tola couldnt contain herself for the moment, she held her chest, hoping it would calm her rapidly beating heart as she sat down on the blue uphostered dining chair. She placed her head on the table saying to herself "Thank you God" for about five times smiling, with right hand still on her chest, she placed her left hand on her forehead. Finally, she can earn enough money to buy an apartment and then not worry about her uncle or her aunty anymore. Although she would miss Peter so much, she made a promise to herself to try and see Peter one weekend in three months. She told Peter when he was in her arms too but he just stared at her with a drooling mouth but seconds after he started crying because he needed to sleep.



"Are you even listening to us?" One of the women, Dayo who sat opposite her on a dining chair called out to her.

She gets startled but manages to regain her composure just in time and then says "You are talking about Funmi's neighbour who beat up his wife." She yawned and rested her head back on the pillow


"That's not where we are on now" Funke, who then using her toes, carried one of the roses and started to twist it round, with a deep female voice which almost resembled a males cut in. "We want to report him to the police"


Tola bursts into laughter.


"What's funny?" Dayo asks


"Do you even know the man at all?"Tola asks rhetorically "Who the hell do you want to report to, The president? Thereis a reason why he is called the DPO you know" Tola laughs again.


"But what he did was evil"


"Who said it wasnt?" Tola replies Dayo


Dayo frowns "This is why I do not like talking to you. Do you sef even know the man at all," She leans foward now with arms on her thighs "This man has been embarassing his wife since-"


"But it aint your business hun" Tola fakes an accent "It really isnt. You guys already got some serious problems and you wanna add this to it."She stretches her arm to Dayo "Your boss aint paid you your salary since August- this is October now"


"But he might kill her" Dayo was still defensive.


Tola sighs "Do what ever you want men. I'm outta this. Is that why you guys are here sef?"


Funke hisses "We have been telling you since 7 to go and bathe so we can go to ICM but you are just lazying there, like a fat cow-"


"I slept late!" Tola groans like an offfended 5 year old.


"Well no one cares", replied Dayo. She then stands up, walks to Tola, grabs both arms and then forcibly pulls her up. "leave me alone" Tola still groans then kneels and tries to struggle free. Dayo sucessifully drags her up to a standing position and then again with force, turns her to face the bathroom which was at the other side of the room.


"You need to loose some weight mehn, I could feel my joints unhinge for a moment there"


"Shut up"





ICM 2:30


The parking lot was extremely scanty. You could actually count the number of cars present there, the colors and their makes, and if you were in a good mood to learn about cars, this would have been the best time to do so. The cars were also shinning on the scorching sun, and you could hardly find any soul outside apart from a dark-skinned pot bellied man in blue native at the extreme left around the main building under a huge billboard, his also fat wife and his four skinny children who looked like they were about to leave ICM. It would have been a miracle to find a bird, but it might not be surprising if you had found that bird half or fully roasted or to be on the safe side, some boiled eggs. Funmi found it very easy to find a parking spot, Immediately she drove in after being delayed at the toll gate because none of them wanted to bring out gate fee of two huundred naira until after almost ten minutes, her impatient self finally brought out five hundred only to find out there was no change to Tola's amusement. It took almost twenty minutes for the man to come with change and he didn't even apologize for the delay.She parked her Toyota camry in front of a wall and when she switched off the engine, with arms still on the sterring whell, she took a deep breath and then hissed outto everyones hearing"Poverty"


Tola snickered from the back seat.


"Tola has lost it this morning," said Dayo, "and Funmi I have already budgeted my money for something else." Dayo said to her defense, like she was being accosted by Funmi as she dropped her phone in her bag.


"Poverty"Tola coughed out making sure it would be loud enough for Dayo to hear which she did and then hissed which made Her to laugh again.


They all came down from their different seats, adjusting their pinstriped trousers.Dayo had borrowed a v-necked blue top from Tola and so was the only one out of the three women not wearing a white shirt. Tola on the other hand wore a three quartered jean and a floral top with a black flat shoe. She had multicolored bracelets on her left hand and a red watch on the other. Her weave was packed and she kept on scratching and slapping her head.


"When are you changing this weave?" Dayo asks as she strolls side by side with Tola, with Funke and Funmi at their front, saying nothing.


Tola keeps on banging her head "I don't.." She bangs some more "...have the..." and again she bangs "...money to..." She then starts to scratch her hair "...pay for it." She pauses and takes a deep breath "I mean, I my hair is due for relaxing and I want to wait for at most 6 months before I relax"


Dayo laughs revealing her space between her top canine tooth, "You want to kill yourself, you won't be able to maintain that new growth before then, I'd just advice you to relax it now, I have a hairdresser and she charges a fair price"


"How much?" She squeezes her fist trying to restrain herself from scratching her hair. No avail. She starts to scratch again.


"Two hundred naira"


"Is that fair?" Tola raises a brow and then slaps her hands together showing her amusement.


"Are you looking for someone who would relax your hair for five naira?" Dayo raises her voice


Tola draws back still smiling "It's not fight now, easy babe" She tries to rub her arm on the middle of Dayo chest to which Dayo slaps her arm away.


Tola held her tummy as she burst out laughing, "Barbarian"


As they all entered through the front door they were slapped by a cool breeze which made Tola shiver. "Omo See AC" She exclaimed as she dragged both arms of her shirt closer to her chilly hands.


Dayo took a whiff of the atmosphere,looking sideways and then at Tola, she said "Smells like Dubai airport"


Tola quickly replied back saying "Well no one asked for your asheee...."Her voice trailed off "...escapades". Dayo tried to hit Tola but she quickly dodged it by sliding to the side. Tola has always been playfully mocking Dayo for a long time now about her open relationships with men, amongst the four of them it was only Tola that knew about the detail extensively. Funke and Funmi were the first two to know that she was dating a married man who was a lawyer, but she later lied that the relationship has been called off after the both of them kept on preaching to Dayo to change her ways, inviting her for vigils and at one point they even went extreme by not including her in a lot of their outings. When Dayo could no longer handle their behaviour towards her, She then called them to her house at Anthony Village one afternoon with Tola included to tell them the 'good news'.


Dayo thought it would end there, and they would no longer stop disturbing her, she had already imagined how it would go, first they would be a lot of doubt, then she would show them the forged messages of break up and the forged missed and recieved calls and then they would be smiles, petty adivces here and there, playful banters and they would all go home,but she was wrong. They actually did follow Dayos imaginary script at first, the doubts, the forged messages but surprisingly, they told her to join the ushering department in their church, actually they had already registered her without her own consent and as she was about to spit flames on their faces, they guilt tripped her into saying nothing so that she would please God by working in His house. Dayo was broken. She was so angry that day that all she could do was to fake a smile and then tell them it was getting late and they needed to go home. All apart from Tola.


Around the time Funke and Funmi had already left Dayos place because the sun was setting, Tola was in Dayo's kitchen, fueling her gluttony habits. She already had a plate on the kitchen counter filled with jollfo rice, two pieces of fried chicken thighs and two fried fish tails. On a smaller plate she had chips and ketchup. She was about looking for salad in the fridge when Dayo tapped her and said :


"Who owns this fridge?"


Tola, who didnt even budge when she was hit, she continued searching with her head almost in the fridge and replied saying "Where is the salad? I've been looking for it since..." She paused as she sqautted to check the lower compartment of the fridge "...and the salad cream. Are you out of salad cream?"


Dayo rolled her eyes "You this skinny girl, do you ever listen to people at all?"



Tola sighed. She then rose up and then faced Dayo with pityful eyes with her head titled sideways. Placing her left arm on her right shoulder, she said to her: "You are a terrible liar. Are you aware of that?"


Dayo stepped back with her hands on her chest and her face contorted. "Are you okay this evening?"


"Apparently it seems that you want me to give you a critical analysis of your poor acting." Tola cleared her throat "You did not break up with anybody. You renamed your numbers on each of your phones as their names and sent yourself those pathetic messages, and made those pathetic calls. You were fidgeting when I asked for the phone, which was funny because, I didn't even know why you called, Funmi and Funke didn't say kpeme to me. Then you changed your sugar daddies names to French words, something you might have gotten from Google Translate which meant fish, dog and bird- another pathetic attempt aaand" She stretched the 'and' then continued "I know this because when you finally gave me your phone, I checked. Now tell me," She placed another hand on her shoulder and rose her legs up to be at the same eye level with her, "Where is the gaddem salad?"


Dayo took her arms off her shoulders and went to lean on the counter. With folded arms and a very long face, she said:"I hate you. I thought it would work. Guess that's why they punished me with this 'already planned ushering job'," She made an air quote "I'm sure there was nothing planned. They just wanted to mock me"


Tola rose up again from her squatting position and adjusted her three-quarter jeans "Funke and Funmi are as naive as dry leaves on the ground. They wouldn't even know even if you called that man in their faces. And no, the usher thing was actually planned out and done without your consent. Like," She starts narrate to Dayo the story, "Funke called me and told me she had a surprise. She had already registered me with the choir department in her church. I told her it wasn't necessary," Tola giggled, "She thought that was a complement but it really wasn't necessary. I had to lie that I already am with the technical department in my own branch. Then I asked of you, she said you had AGREED for the usher thingy"


"WHAT THE-?"


"Let me finish and stop cutting in!" Tola wailed as she stamped her left foot on the floor. "Okay so I was like, 'thats weird, Dayo would never do that', and then she was like, She had been begging you for over a week now and you agreed but for only one Sunday. So yeah, I was so surprised when she said something different, but you know chicken-hearted me, I couldn't say anything then and also, you need to see the eyes she gave me ehn, that was enough to know that I'm to shut my pie hole"


"But you should have said something!"


"Not in this world!" Tola exclaimed sharply as she went back to her ultimate search.


Dayo hissed out loud. "I cannot belive this."


"Me neither" She had a strong hint of sacarsm in her voice"You should know Commander Funke by now. Always trying to boss people into doing things her way. You should have lied like me, said that immediately after the break up you went to cry in church and quickly registered for anything, the sweepers, chair arrangers- anything! Them go chop am na, but oh well, with your fish brain, I wasn't expecting something outstanding, just as your fish brain produced this poor script of you being a changed person now," She giggled once more.


Dayo raised a brow, "Theres no salad. I just wanted you to amuse me with your blindness." She then left the kitchen as Tola stomped her feet, steaming all over .


"I hope you are not staying over!" She screamed from the kitchen.


"Too late!" Tola screamed back laughing as she took her plate to the microwave.

Lmao following thread.nice story.

That night, Tola and Dayo decided to watch a movie- Shrek two. Dayo still feeling disturbed about the trick Funke played on her decided to tell Tola the whole story. She told her about the time she went to the village to visit her mum and her aunt and then her aunt who she was very close to introduced her to her boyfriend by the name of Ebenezer Adeyemi. Anytime He came to their house, and Her Aunt, Aunty Dupe, a short plump woman with eyes that looks like two unripe agbalumos as she was always mocked and lips that screamed murder especially when she wore red lipstick, was out of sight, He would start flirting with her. At first she payed no heed to his advances not because He was her aunt's boyfriend but because He was a married man with children which her Aunty told her. Her Aunty notorious for dating married men and even though it seemed the whole village hated her, that didn't stop her from being close to Dupe. She never for once even tried to preach to her, but how could she, when he Aunty always spoils her with the gifts and cash received from her various Sugar Daddies.


At that moment, Dayo was revolted with the fact that Mr. Adeyemi was making advances at her. At one point, when she could no longer bear it, she decided to tell her aunt about her plight, to which she laughed. Her Aunt encouraged her to go for it, she's a grown woman and she needs to take care of herself. She didn't agree immediately, she even went back to Lagos to recover from the shock but after three weeks of contemplating, she finally agreed. She told Tola of times they spent together and how stingy he was to only take her to Dubai only and not UK or North Korea as He promised her to. He was always making excuses; his wife is following him for that trip, one of his daughters stays there and she might spot them together and a whole truckload of other excuses. Still, that did not stop him from showering her with money and things he brings back from his trips in exchange for companionship and obviously intercourse.


Sometimes, She would feel extremely guilty about what she was doing, and then she would pick his phone and try to dial is number to tell him that it was over, but then at the last minute, she would change her mind. She would then enjoy the ride and then promise herself that it would soon be over that the day is coming when she would say 'NO MORE!' but that day doesn’t seem interested in coming soon. At least she was better than her aunty, who had numerous men, changed them like a baby would change diapers and even the questionable things that rumors said she did with the men gave a weird type of peace in her heart. She might not be the holiest like Funke or Funmi but she was at least holier than someone.


When she felt she had told Tola all of it, she left out the things that went on the bedroom and the things they say on phone and send to their selves to avoid being judged, all Tola could say was "So you couldn't offer anything to me?" - It made Dayo laugh hysterically. It was more of a forced laughter, one that shows that you were expecting something terrible but instead you got a 'on the fence' answer and you just want to laugh to ease your mind. She hoped Tola didn’t not notice how fake the laughter was, since she seemed to notice anything 'pathetic' she did.


"Why do you want to hurt me today?" Tola asked as she moved away from being close to Dayo but was still at hearing distance.

"Because you need to be beaten up," Dayo raised her fat arms and pointed at Tola who slightly jumped thinking she was about to get beaten again. "Calm down jor, no one is hurting you"

"You guys come!" Funke called out to them as they entered Mr. Pricy. Tola and Dayo paced in and then went to the Jeans section. Funke and Funmi went to the tops and jackets section but Funmi left Funke to make a call.


Meanwhile, Dayo was browsing through the folded jeans, and the ones which were on hangers, from the dark navy blue to the colored’s, she picked a black jean and then checked for the size - '32' . "Come Tola, do you think this would be my size?" She placed the jeans on her legs for an assumed fitting as she called out to Tola who already had two black jeans on her arms to fit on.


Tola rose her head up, "What size is that?"


"Size 32" Dayo replied still waiting for an approval from Tola


With a serious look, Tola said "Try size 50, then buy ropes"


It happened in seconds as a nose-flared fire-breathing Dayo threw the trousers at Tola as one would throw a javelin at their enemy .She was lucky this time- Tola was hit despite her trying to shield herself from the 'weapon'. "Babe it’s not our clothes oh! Behave yourself"


Dayo was still fuming at her “You are a very silly child" Dayo searches for another 32 black and then for a skinny dark blue jean. "I am going to join Funmi at the shirts section."


"Come and pick your weapon," Tola beckoned on Dayo who was already long gone. She hissed as she picked it up and continue searching the racks and the tables for a size 28- she was extremely skinny and no matter what she ate, she never seemed to put on weight. One time Dayo decided to give her an 'all fat diet'- She ate nothing but carbohydrates and fatty foods for a whole week- still no change. The amusing part was that no one in her family who was currently alive at this moment was either plump or next to obese, from both her maternal and paternal side. Even Dayo enjoyed mocking her. She has made it part of her bucket list to be either plump like Dayo or Obese. She slapped the size 28 on top of the stack of jeans as she muttered vague words to herself


"Tola" A tall slender figure stood beside her who was already in a kneeling posture searching for more jeans to try on


Tola rose her head up, then faced down again and continued looking at the jeans "Hey wasn't Dayo going to meet you guys?"


Funke leaned on the board where the racks were on as she folded her arms. "She's with Funmi." She narrowed her eyes and she yawned. Then she continued saying “You know why I am here" Funke sounded like a commander from the tone of her voice.


Tola heart skipped a beat. OMG, did Dayo tell her my lie, just to spite me? God knows, I will deal with this girl by the time she comes to visit. "Uhmm...I dunno...care to share?"


Funke sighed. "I met Tunji on Sunday". Tola hissed. "Why are you hissing? You hurt the guy and yet you are not even sorry" Funke began to accost her.


Tola’s eyed widened so much that she was afraid it would cover her own face and turn her into a monster. By the gods, what on earth did
Tunji tell her? Why are these people torturing me? "What did He tell you?"


"That's not the issue here. Why haven't you at least called since?"


"But I didn't do anything wrong Na"


"Do you have to do anything wrong before you make a call?"


Funke was really trying to make Tola feel bad, as she always loved to do to her. Funke always defended Tunji in everything he did to her, whether good or bad. Tunji and Funke came from the same village in Oyo state, and they both studied the same course in the same University, Accounting in UI. Tunji was more of a baby brother to her, He was 22 year old, a year older than Tola and Funke was 24 and so Funke felt the need to defend him in every possible way even to the detriment of her friendship with Tola, to which she was oblivious to. To her, Tola was trying to be his ‘Lord’, his ‘boss’ because of age and she is very insensitive and heartless. She tells Tola, what to do, what to say, how to behave around him and if Tola tried to object, she would make her realize the fact that she knows Tunji more than her, and since they are from the same village, they would have similar traits and similar interests (something that Tola cannot make sense of) and so she should see things in her perspective always. There were even times when she would say that because she is the first daughter of her family, and is the first female child out of 5 males and two other females, she has had more experience in dealing with boys unlike Tola who only has a brother.


Tola hated every time Funke came to preach to her about being the best girlfriend to Tunji, She always accosted her and told her to be more sensitive. Funke would tell her about how he can’t keep her name out of his mouth and how he has amazing plans for her but often time doubts if he could go on from the way he is being treated by her, She hoped it was not one of these talks or something worse.


“You see ehn,” Funke lowered her voice irritating Tola the more, “Whether or not you were at fault isnt the problem. Tunji misses you a lot and he’s been behaving funny for over a week now. I told him to call, but he said there was a virus on his phone” Lies, Tola thought “and he said the way you left the house, he was afraid that you would not pick or you would start screaming at his face. Last week, He even felt you finally broke up with him, he was so pained,” Do I even need to say my part of the story? Tola asked as she slightly shook her head. “Where’s your phone?”


“In my pocket”


“Please call him now”, She urged.


“I don’t know what to say to him,” Tola replied dryly. She desperately hoped Funke would leave her be or Dayo should appear and literally liven up the mood. “I’d call him when I get home”


“It’s a lie, I don’t trust you” Funke nudged her and laughed. Tola faked a laughter too so as to not feel awkward. “Just call him now na, its not fair what you are doing oh”


Tola sighed “Okay.” She brought out her Nokia N95 and then dialed his number. No response. “He’s not picking”


“Wait, maybe its network, hold on I need to see Funmi for something”, She starts to head toward the fitting room, where Dayo and Funmi were located. Tola dropped all the jeans and then went to the jewelry section and started to pick earring to possibly buy. She began to feel a strong vibration on her left leg. Is Tunji calling her back? Is he now serious with her? She brought it out of her pocket- it was Funke, the lesser evil. “Hey” She said after pressing the answer key.


“Where are you?”


“Where the jewelries are”


“Where is that?”


Tola looked up and tried to see if she could locate Funke from a distance. The boards were too high so it was highly impossible. “Around the check-out area”


“Okay” Funke hung up.


In less than two minutes, Funke was beside Tola. “Call him now”


Tola dialled his number again “Hello?” She was surprised, He picked up the call.


“So after all these weeks, I finally exist bah?” She could sense a hint of mockery in his voice.


She sighed. “How are you?”


“And you can’t even apologize” He hisses.


Tola was really sure this time that the way she has been widening her eyes would surely either turn her to a monster or possibly fall off.
Is he being serious?, she asked herself

“What does he want?” Funke asked immediately she noticed Tolas look at that moment.


“An apology” She replied as she placed her hand on the speaker.


Then apologize na!” Funke exclaimed.


Tola drew back, “I didn’t do anything wrong!”


“Do you not love him? Why are you like this?”


Tola sighed once more, “Okay”, She placed the phone back on her left ear, “I’m sorry”


“Sorry for what?” Tunji asked.


“Sorry for offending you that night” She replied dryly.


“And?”


“Aaand” She slouched “…In the moring”


Tunji laughed. “This is what I have always been talking about to you- Trust” Oh no! She became pale, not now!

ninja4life: Lmao following thread.nice story.

Thanks

“Look I’m about to hang out with the guys, so we talk when you come over”. And then he hung up.

“So what did he say?” Funke asks.

Tola paused for some seconds, then she said: “So he wants me to come today”

“That’s good”

“I got work tomorrow”

“And how’s that stopping you”

“I don’t want to go”. Tola finally said. She knows Funke would give her the usual pathetic look when someone does something that is not pleasing to her, she was expecting it and so she prepared her mind for it.

Instead, all Funke did was just sigh as she folded her arms. “Don’t ruin your relationship”

“I won’t” was Tola’s sharp reply to her. “Let’s go pay for the stuff”

“Funmi and Dayo nko?” Funke inquired as the started to head towards the checkout point.

Tola picked one more silver earring to add to the jewelry set she had on her hand then paced fast to catch up with Funke “They’re coming” she pointed to Funmi and Dayo who were far away approaching the pay point too.

*******************************************************************************************************




Tola made up her mind not to meet Tunji for that night- and that meant bringing hell fire to her house through her phone. She was prepared for this hell this time now, and she knew exactly how to deal with him even though it will cause another round of trouble for her. When it was 9 o’clock, and there was no Tola to be found, He made a call and didn't hesitate to shout at her. By that time, Tola was already home, already settled and was about to go to bed.

Funke refused to speak to her after their little fight. After they were done at Mr. Pricy, they all went to ShopRite to get food stuffs for Funke because she explained that she had ran out. Throughout the whole shopping experience, they both walked side by side, arguing because of Tunji but in a low tone. Dayo was right behind them snickering and frowning when the need arise while Funmi went to the car to wait for them.

“Are you serious with Tunji at all?” Funke asks as she picked up vanilla ice cream from the freezer.

“I am”

Funke raised a brow as she faced Tola who kept on looking at the freezer as if she was receiving instructions from the ice cream. “You are? This isn’t about going to his house. This is about how you’ve always been mean to him”

“How?” another one word reply

“You are asking me how? You are asking me how?” She raised her voice as she picked a watermelon. “So you cannot remember all that you did to him? You are funny she, just know. Better sit down and remember it”

“I can’t” Tola placed her hands into her pocket and raised her chest towards the ceiling. She yawned. “You can’t tell me I did something wrong and not tell me what I did, and how it is wrong. We do not have the same brain, and so might not have the same in-“

“Stop first Mrs. Lawyer, stop acting like you don’t know. This is not the first time not the second. Can you remember that time when you insulted his sister? Would you have liked it if he insulted Rotimi?”

“He always insults my brother and I have warned him not to!” Tola shot back “I didn’t even insult the girl, I said she looks fat, is that a bad thing?”

“Guys don’t like it when you insult their family members, it’s not good”

“But I should take it when mine is being insulted?”

They were at the oral hygiene isle, Funke just placed three Colgate toothpastes and five toothbrushes into the trolley. “You are not getting me, and stop shouting at me. Guys do not like it when you insult their sisters, what you said wasn’t right. He was joking when he insulted your brother and you were not. For once, accept the fact that you are wrong.”

Tola opened her mouth and then closed it.

Funke continued “That’s just one of it though, and all those numerous times He’d call you and you won’t answer, like that Sunday you refused to come to his church”

“It was rain-“

“Let me finish please,” She picked up two loaves of bread, “He called me that day, and then told me that he wanted you to see his Mum then”

What a bloody lie, Tola thought to herself as she contorted her face.

“And his mum waited and waited but you were a no-show. You don’t know the impression you have placed in the mothers mind now”

Tola rolled her eyes and luckily, Funke didn’t notice, “We have settled everything you mentioned, why you are still bringing it up…?”

Funke started to head towards the payout point, and Tola followed suit. Dayo was still with them but at a safe distance this time. She
didn’t want any or both of them to forget they were angry with each other and start to attack her for not helping to settle the fight, and that’s something she would never do as it went against her character; she loved fights. “Because you need to be reminded how Tunji really loves you but you act like you don’t care. For god’s sake sweetheart, you have been dating for almost six years now, and one would think that by now you should know how to handle things by now but you still don’t. You should here the things he tells me, and I sure you would feel silly for all that you did. For once ehn, just stop being aggressive and defensive, you are in this together.”

Tola squeezed her mouth. They had already paid and they were on their way to the car. Tola was still walking side by side with Funke, but she began to reduce her speed to walk with Dayo instead.

“I heard everything” Dayo started.

Tola hissed. “Lord knows I am tired”

“So why don’t you leave?” asked Dayo. She faced a sober Tola, “This is really not a big deal, and I don’t know why Funke is taking it ‘P’ though. And you sef, love is scattering your head bah? I would have left in less than 10 seconds when I smell the bullshit talk less of seeing it”

Tola lowered her voice and then moved closer to Dayo’s ear. “Let’s get to the car on time, I don’t feel like sitting beside Funke”

“Stop being a baby” Dayo still followed Tola and in less than twenty minutes, they were on their way to their different homes with Dayo and Tola at the back seat, Funke on the passenger seat and Funmi as the one driving them home.
Now she knew that both Funke and Tunji were angry with her, but Tunji was the first person to attack her first.

“So when do you feel like coming, since I have to be begging my girlfriend to do things for me now, I will beg you to come to my house, beg you to come to church beg you for everything”

“I will check my schedule”

“Check it now”

“I will check it when I get up, it’s getting-“she hung up to make it look like it was a network problem. She didn’t care if he noticed or not, she just wanted his to go away, to a very far place and never return. She then removed her battery from her phone and then threw herself on her bed as a teardrop fell from her left eye.

The following morning, she woke up at 2pm. She still felt sleepy but she had work that day and her shift started by four pm. Fortunately for her, her work place was just around her house, at Mile 12 and so it would take only one bus for her to make it there. She lazily stood up from the bed with one eye closed and another opened. The sun was harsh this morning, slapping her everywhere possible. She forgot to draw the curtains to shield her from the sun and now for that moment, she had to pay for it. Then she remembered her phone.
She quickly assemble it up and pressed the power button to turn it off. What came over her last night to commit such foolish act? Tunji? Why is she still with him? Why can’t she take Dayo’s advice and breakup with him? Does she still think he wants to marry him? Can she even manage his character?

A lot of questions roamed through her head as she went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and bathe since she had less than two hours to get ready and she knew how much of a snail she was. She made up her mind that this would be the time to be quick for once in her life. Throughout the time she was in the bathroom, her phone kept ringing and she kept receiving messages on her phone. She was pissed at herself, pissed at her phone and pissed at whoever the fellow was frustrating her. Why must it be that every time she is in the bathroom that’s when everyone would realize that that’s the perfect time to talk to her?
When she was done, she came out with her blue towel round her chest, a dripping body and then she picked up her phone and her face grew pale.

Hi rein! Can you pls clarify the exact time that tayo woke up? Is it 2am or pm? Is it 4am or pm that she have her shift? And you stated that the sun was already shining.

Mehn am so so lovin d story,like so much,,,,wow

D.Ella.luv:
Mehn am so so lovin d story,like so much,,,,wow

Thanks

Obinnau: Hi rein! Can you pls clarify the exact time that tayo woke up? Is it 2am or pm? Is it 4am or pm that she have her shift? And you stated that the sun was already shining.

Modified, sounds good?

She had 16 missed calls and 3 unread messages. She scrolled through the missed calls list. None from Tunji, then through the unread messages. None again. He probably must have been pissed off with her because of the stunt last night. She needed to speak to Dayo about him, maybe after work. She scrolled through the missed calls again. Three from Rotimi, he never calls anyone more than three times, after the third time and he gets no response, its left to you to call him back. Then she got a missed call from her boss the Kitchen head ‘Sister Bisi’ as she chose to be called. Any time Sister Bisi calls you and you refuse to pick up, any evil thing that pops up in her mind is what she would do to you. But she’s innocent this time, why is she being called, her shift starts by four and it’s just three o’clock. She has an hour left and it would not take her more than twenty minutes to get to work. She whispered a little prayer and then continued checking. Twelve from Ruby. She hissed.


What could Ruby be up to this time? It definitely couldn’t be Ruby’s boyfriend, she had warned her never to talk about what they do. Ruby had no limits when she was talking about her boyfriend, she could say anything and everything they did including what they did in the bedroom and that was when Tola realized she had it up to here. So what could Ruby be up to this time? She brushed it off her mind and she proceeded to checking the unread messages as she started dressing up starting from wearing her bra.


The first message was from Rotimi and he wrote:

Tola, I know you are free tomorrow, unless things have changed, I need you to take care of Uju for me. Her mother has gone to the village for a family meeting and won’t be back till Sunday. Thanks.


She sighed as she put on her black trousers. Another baby she needs to take care of, her brother’s daughter Obianuju Macaulay. Rotimi was always busy travelling here and there ever since his office was charged with tax evasion. He was a company lawyer and so as he described, hung out mostly with his team of lawyers till the case was settled. His wife, on the other hand Amaka, was formerly a teacher until she had Uju, her first child just a year and some months ago and then decided to stop teaching for a while and concentrate solely on her daughter. She might have gone to her village in Delta state to settle some family issues about her not agreeing to bring one of her Half Brothers Micah to Lagos so she could sponsor him. Rotimi couldn’t go into so much detail but she assumes that is why she went to the village. She checked the second message, from Ruby. Finally, maybe she might mention her motive for being called twelve times.


Ruby wrote:

Babe, you don enter gbese! I sent you a message last night that you have been move to twelve o’clock in the morning and Shade is now by four, and that was after calling you for close to twenty times-


She was not surprised that it was ‘almost’ twenty. If anything it could reach fifty even. Ruby never gets tired of calling people. A pest at her finest. She continued

Were you dead? Anywaiz sha, you are now working in the evening and on Sunday like around ten or so. Not sure, I did not hear it well when Bisi was telling Madam. But you are in trouble sha.


Tola slouched as her phone slipped from her hand and then fell to the floor. Thanks a lot Tunji, she hissed to herself as she reached for her blue polo shirt. She felt the last message would be from Bisi, maybe telling her to call back, since Bisi hardly ever shouts at anyone, or gives instructions through text. She’d check it when she gets to work, it was almost three thirty and she didn’t want to be late to annoy Bisi a second time. She quickly grabbed her brown shoulder bag, wore her sandals and then ran off to the bus stop.



She arrived at work just in time 4:58 and just in time to face Bisi’s wrath. Bisi was at the backdoor, where all workers were meant to pass through at afternoons. She stood there with her faded green shorts and a spaghetti top, resting her backside on the table beside the check in book. When she saw Tola rush in, she shook her head slowly and hissed.


“Sister Bisi, I can explain” Tola said to her defense.


“Good afternoon” Bisi replied her. “I am very sure your amebo friend has already delivered my message, bah?”



Tola’s heart sunk. In as much as she dislike Ruby’s character at times, she felt sad that Bisi would insult her that way. If she acted ignorant to who she was referring to as an amebo friend, it would annoy Bisi the more and she might probably blow up, as she has a short temper. But if she says yes, later on she can wrongly say she agree to the fact that she is an amebo and Ruby is very sensitive to matters like this. Tola stared at her for what looked like an hour saying nothing.


“Well…?” Bisi called out to her.


Tola squeezed her mouth then said, “My battery spoilt last night and I couldn’t find the-“


“Save me the stories” Bisi rose her palm to Tola’s face “You are now on evening shift. Indefinitely. Sundays too. I’d move Nonye to afternoon shifts and Tuesdays.” Bisi hissed and then walked out into the compound. Tola felt maybe she was going out to buy something or meet someone, either way, Bisi just spoilt her mood this afternoon. So what will she be doing before seven, her starting time? She signed in on their log book which was on the table where Bisi rested as she walked in.


She started to head for the workers room where the workers loads from their different rooms were located to drop her bag as it was prohibited to keep your bags in your work stations, except phones. She held her nose immediately to shield it from the horrible stench that filled the whole room. The stench was so horrible, she was afraid it would knock her out; for over three weeks now, it smelt of spoilt food and dead animals. She quickly opened her personal cupboard and took her work shirt, a deep blue polo shirt that had the guest house name at the right chest region and her position at the back in huge font.


As she rushed out of the room to wear it in the bathroom of any free room not given out to any guest yet, she was stopped by Ruby. “The place smell no be small”


Ruby laughed. “I knew you would be here sha, we all heard when Sister Bisi was shouting at you” She paused, “It’s good for you sha”
Tola hissed as she grabbed Ruby by the arm and dragged her along in search for a free room, “Shut it jare. The mad man was disturbing me last night and I was just not in the mood to listen speech so I removed the battery from my phone.”


Ruby tried to pull her arm away and when Tola noticed how uncomfortable she was, she let her arm go and said “Follow me na” to which


Ruby did follow. Ruby continued “Oh gal you miss oh, Bisi and Princess fought today”


Tola smiled as she covered her mouth in shock “Damn! I’m always missing the good stuffs” The found room 105 opened and they walked in and shut the door. “Wait first what kind of fight, I hope it’s not verbal fight because I don see that one taya”


Ruby rose a brow as she hissed with all fingers pointing at Tola, “See you!” She exclaimed as she shook her head slowly “Mortal Combat mehn! Tables and chair flying all over the place”


Tola was wearing the work shirt now as she threw her blue polo shirt to the laid queen sized bed, beside Ruby who helped her to fold it and then placed it on her lap. “Babe give me scoop”


“Okay, so you know how erm Princess has always been warning Bisi not to enter the Bar as she doesn’t enter the Kitchen after that time when Bisi encouraged that girl that ran away, Chidinma to be rude to a whole giant!” Ruby stood up and followed Tola had already opened the door to return her shirt to the workers room “So sha, today, like around eleven or so, not sure sef, Bisi went to look for trouble sha, gisting with everyone, and Princess was just watching her like that”.


Ruby stopped talking as they approached the room, in less than ten seconds, Tola rushed in to drop her shirt and rushed out immediately and then said “Oya continue, she went to look for trouble”


“Shh!” Ruby warned, “Me I no want her trouble today oh. She has just been vexing with everybody here, apart from me, I don’t want it to change” Tola rolled her eyes to which Ruby laughed at, “Anyways, so she one of the boys at the bar, Femi I think now turned on music so they could dance”


“What did Princess do?”


“Nothing oh!” They entered the kitchen, no one was inside. Not even Amaka who hardly ever left the kitchen, always cooking one thing or another. She was always mocked to be ‘Miss Busy Hands’ but she didn’t care, she’d just nudge it off and continue cooking. Ruby continued “Okay Na so, Princess was still watching from one of the bar couches from afar, wait first I even forgot one important part sef. She slapped her forehead “Bisi bought some drinks sha, coke and Guinness, her usual combo so she left in on the chair when she was done. So sha, Femi and her were dancing sha, having a good time and then Madam Bottle’s roll of and break. Both of them, and then the beast woke up.”


Tola laughed as she brought out frozen fish from the freezer to start chopping to fry “Let her catch you first”


“I’ve already done all the cooking Tola, just help me serve. That’s all. Please take that food in the tray to room 309”