₦airaland Forum

15

She took a sip from her drink, a non-alcoholic beverage, and looked at the watch on her hand for the umpteenth time.

Why hasn't Curtis showed up yet?

She kept pressing her phone, going through status updates of all her friends on Facebook and WhatsApp
Still, her anxiety didn't fizzle out. It was getting late and she'd promised her mum to be back before 8 pm. The time now was 7:28 pm and Curtis had not arrived. She wished she hadn't believed Mr Dumebi. This, obviously, was time wasted, the time she would have used decoding more of her dad's writings.

She watched as a couple in a nearby table leaned towards each other for a kiss. They looked like they just got married and the love still giving them the high spirited vibes.

Tasmine wondered how it must feel to get married. She had really been in any relationship too serious. It was partly her fault, though. She could hardly bring herself to trust people. It always felt like there was something underneath everyone's skin, at least, everyone who wanted to go out with her. It was perhaps due to the very first relationship she had gotten herself into when she was still young, in school, and naïve. She pushed the thought out of her mind to the dark bottom part of her heart where she had kept it locked, for years. She could find the idiot and kill him if she focused too much on it.

She checked again. Four minutes were gone. It was all she could take.

Tasmine beckoned on the waiter and paid for her drink. She stood to go, rearranging her dress. She could barely contain her anger. With one angry swipe, she took her handbag from the table and headed out.

Tasmine wondered how long she'd have to stay by the roadside before getting a cab. There was this curfew in town and commercial vehicles were supposed to be off the road by 7 pm. Still, she suspected-- knew even-- that many would break the law. This was Nigeria after all.

The roadside was dark as the streetlights were either not working or had not been installed, yet. Just this morning, she had heard a newscaster say the governor just commissioned new streetlights at Immaculate Road. She wondered if it was this Immaculate or another street with the same name.

The night was getting colder. Still, she hadn't seen any cab. She was getting worried. She'd answered her mum's call three times already, telling the older woman she was on her way back.

Tasmine wrapped her arms around herself, looking sideways, anticipating a cab. Each time a car passed, they zoomed past the way a commercial driver won't.

"Hello, Tas."
She must have stood frozen for close to five seconds before she turned around. She could make out a fair face with neatly carved beards but she couldn't make out who it was.

"It's Henry. I saw you leaving some minutes ago. I'm surprised you're still here"

She didn't know what to answer. She could feel his eyes on sloping down from her face towards her cleavage. She hoped he couldn't sense her unease.

Henry wasn't the most handsome of guys, but even with his mouth oozing of alcohol, he still managed to exude a charm few men possessed.

"I can walk you down if you don't mind. This isn't the best place to get a cab. The junction is better."

She heaved her bag unto h right shoulder. "Alright then."

They walked leisurely down the road. The whole time, Henry kept talking about her dad and how he had influenced him in many positive ways. She wondered if he said all those things so she would like him. He sounded convincing though. He told her how her late father had saved him from being sacked once when he had mistakenly omitted two important documents when they were bidding for a state contract. Her father, he said, had come to his rescue by twisting the conversation until they had a break. He said he felt indebted to him.

They reached the end of the junction in ten minutes. Truthfully, she got a cab less than five minutes standing there. He bade her farewell and watched as the car took off. Tasmine allowed her head to rest on the seat. She cursed at the air for making her waste her evening for nothing. She was in that mood when she got to the house.
The first person she saw was her mother facing upwards and looking staring at the ceiling. Something definitely wasn't right. Next to her was Curtis who didn't even look up as she entered.

"What's happening, mum?"

Her mum looked at her and dragged her feet the slowest she'd seen someone do so.

"Cherry... She's gone!"

14

She set down her bag as she took her seat in the cab. Beads of sweat rolled down her face, evidence of the brutality of the early morning sun.

Tasmine wished Curtis hadn't taken the car with him. He could have rented a truck for crying out loud. How did he expect them, her mum, to go about now? She cringed and winged her nose as they passed an area with an open gutter. She would have asked the driver to wind up the glass but for the unbearable heat.

When will things change in this country?

A message came by way of notification. From the sound, she could tell it was a Facebook notification. She quickly drew her pattern on the screen and unlocked her phone. It was from one of her friends from the US asking how she was doing that morning. She quickly replied. "I'm fine."

She didn't quite believe it herself. Her few weeks in Nigeria hadn't exactly been the definition of fine, but she couldn't say so to Scarlet. The rumor monger was renowned for her loose tongue. It would only take Tasmine minutes to get people flocking her inbox, wanting to know what was wrong.
Quickly, she exited the messenger to check her timeline. She screwed down and saw a picture of Cherry taken with her brother in an amusement park. She didn't know whether to be angry or sad.

Cherry may or may not be the reason her brother was acting strange. For all she knew, this could be the new him. She would just have to learn to move on.

She got to the office just in time before the early morning briefing. She could barely make out what Mr. Dumebi was saying, and truthfully, she cared less as it was mostly the usual 'be up and doing', 'be vigilant' stuffs. She didn't really have ears for much of his mindless pontifications. She had hardly slept through the night as she perused through her father's journal.


She had read the mention of her dad's bandana going missing. He had said it was the symbol of their unity in a certain meeting. She wasn’t exactly sure what it was and she had spent the better part of the night thinking about it. Tasmine searched the trunk if she could find anything like it but couldn't. She found something else; a piece of cloth with some Latin inscription. After much brain cracking, she translated it. It had meant 'We all die someday.' She still wondered what it meant to her dad.

Tasmine didn't hear Mr. Dumebi call her name. The second time he did, she was shocked to see that everyone was leaving and she'd been standing, asleep.

"Are you okay, Tasmine?"

She was embarrassed beyond words and managed to mutter "I am fine."

"You don't look it, the least. Let's go to my office."

He took her in his hands like she was a three-year old and led her. She watched as some workers were eyeing them as they passed but she didn't give it much care. What she had her mind focused on was what she'd tell Mr. Dumebi was happening to her.

When they got to his office, he sat her down on the visitor's chair opposite his before taking his seat. Tasmine took time to drink in the office. She hadn't had much time to see the office in its true beauty as the few times she'd been here, she'd just come to submit one document or the other and just left. This time she allowed her eyes to admire the wooden carvings hung on the wall, the picture of the Duke of Edinburgh, the picture of him with her father. Her eyes lingered on the last one.

"Your dad would be really upset if he saw you like this were he alive."

She brought her eye to stare at her shoes. They were dusty from the morning scuffle and she hadn't remembered to clean them.

"What's wrong Tas,” he enquired.

He had no right to call her that. That name was for those she had love for, those who we family or felt like it. Not one who'd been accessory to her father's murder. For all she knew, he could have done it himself.

She could see the anger was reflecting on her face as Mr. Dumebi's gaze stayed on her face. She took a deep breath and reassumed her bashful expression.

"I'm not sure what's happening," she said, handling with a strand of her hair which was hanging down her shoulders. "Curtis left the house and has refused to pick my calls ever since. I don't know what's wrong."

She had suddenly realized she could get information about her brother's whereabouts from Mr. Dumebi. He had been the last person she'd seen him with.

"I'm sorry about that." He pulled back in his seat. "Your brother has been having some...trying times at his workplace. You know, getting money for the wedding, taking care of his pregnant fiancée, all that."

Tasmine looked blown away at once. "Cherry is having a baby? Why won't he, they, let us know? What's happening?"

She had gotten up from her seat and was shouting. Mr. Dumebi came to her side immediately to calm her down.

"Please, take it easy." He gently settled her back to her seat and sat on the table, facing her.

"I think your brother needs some time to think and sort things out."

"But mum is worried. He should at least let her know that things are okay with him."

"I'll let him know..." Mr. Dumebi said, getting up and moving to his own seat. “You know what? I'll give you the address to the bar he usually goes to drink in the evenings. Maybe you could sort things out with him."

"Oh, thank you so much," Tasmine said.
"It's at Freeborn Bar at Immaculate Road. He's usually there from seven."

Just then a call came in and required Mr. Dumebi to meet with the Managing director. He excused himself and promised to get back in few minutes.

This is my chance Tasmine thought to herself.

onlyfacts:
Hello, I have been busy, would have contacted you sooner. I'll do that tomorrow morning.

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