Enjoy this piece for your Sunday Evening Delight:

A Trip to Paradise…

Sometime around summer, Rita was on board a flight to Johannesburg on a supposed official trip for some Training to aid her COBIT 5 IT Governance Certification. She was now moving very fast up the career ladder at work and had made it to the rank of a Supervisor within two years of post-NYSC employment. That was no small feat in a company like Richard Robinson- a place where staffs were appraised purely on merit; especially at a time in the company’s history when there was an obvious but silent embargo on recruitment; a time when getting promoted was more difficult than pushing the proverbial camel through the needle’s eye.

In any case, only people like Rita, Richard, Angela and a few other extremely conscientious staffs scaled through despite all odds.

So here she was on a trip to the HQ for this all-important mid-summer training. As it turned out however, there actually was no such training on that particular occasion. Richard it was who had meticulously cooked it all up, for he had something up his sleeves.

Rita smelt a rat when he had unexpectedly showed up on board, but had regained her composure when he had feigned a surprise at the coincidence - for according to him, he too was on one of his impromptu business trips to hook up a potential client for Richard Robinsons.

“That heck of a company where we are all thoroughly overworked…”
“…and also thoroughly over-rewarded” Rita had promptly replied and they had both laughed.

Richard wasn't booked to seat next to her. However, he was able to manoeuvre his way to occupy the sit beside his ‘sweetheart’ somehow.
About the third hour mid-air after much ‘gist’ about work and their respective official trips, the Public Address system suddenly came alive with Rita's favourite love song- Brian Mcknight’s “For the Rest of My Life” (Definitely not Richard’s though)

Star light, star bright,
Have you ever felt the way I feel tonight?
Sparkle in your eyes, as the diamond shines,
Guaranteeing that you'll always be mine.
Let me tell you, for the rest of my life I'll be true.
Here to tell you this evening,
And the rest of my days and nights belong to you.
You can believe that there ain't nothing in this world that I'd rather do.
Now and forever my heart belongs to you.
Now and forever, for the rest of my life I love you.

Afterwards, the pilot's voice had broken in and requested everyone's attention as though to announce some kind of a technical hitch or approaching turbulence; he had then gone on to seek their permission to “deliver a short message on behalf of a certain man to the woman he has chosen to tag his 'goddess' tonight... and to whom he is dedicating the lyrics of the background song” he had announced.

“These Oyinbos can be weird sha...” Rita had exclaimed, taking in the entire drama, for there were many whites on board the same flight.
“Why should a man's message to his whatever be our headache? Can't they talk to each other at home? Interesting...” she had gone on wondering aloud.

“Like rainbow across the grey cloud after a stormy rain…
“Like blue heavens o'er enchanted isles
“Like the full moon brightening up a dark starless night
“You light up my world girl and loving you is paradise…
Will you marry me?”

Everyone had clapped then suddenly, the entire Cabin Crew had appeared in smiles with a bouquet of flowers and a small platter on which was a diamond studded 24-carat gold ring. Rita sat startled and bewildered as they walked straight towards where she was seated with Richard. She felt faint in the head and tried hard to catch her breath, for everything was happening at a dizzying pace…

The entire crew curtsied, handed the ring over to Richard who took it gallantly and knelt down before Rita on the aisles. The Stewardesses then formed as it were, a guard of honour while everyone looked on ... Want more?

This story was culled from my novel The Sweet Temptation. Please. Follow this link to get your free copy now...http://okadabooks.com/book/about/9978