I left the office and went out to eat at the canteen while Funmi gave me money to buy food for her from the eatery. I received chat messages from Segun and we started chating.
SEGE: how far Onihaxy, how is work going?
ME: everything is going fine my guy.
SEGE: how is Adeola and Funmi?, have you later discovered what went wrong between the two of them?,
ME: yeah I did. I forgot to tell you. After mounting lots of pressure on her, she confided in me that she caught her mummy red – handed sleeping with a guy whom she introduced to her mum as her friend.
SEGE: chaiiii, I thought as much too. I was just wondering what could be happening that a child would want to make her mother feel pains. How did it happen?
ME: she said she came home unannounced and she caught them and that was why she was using me to play a game of love with her mother.
SEGE: but why is she using you?
ME: I wondered too oooo, she said her mum didn’t want us to be close or have anything to do together. I think its an issue of not mixing business with pleasure.
SEGE: hmmm, hope this girl has not been suspecting you with her mother sha?
ME: I doubt it. Because if she did, she wouldn’t have decided to use me
SEGE: was Funmi aware that it was a game?
ME: no ooo, Adeola begged me not to disclose it to her mum until further notice
SEGE: no problem anyways, just be careful in this game you are playing and don’t let it become a reality. And also, thread with caution anyday you are visiting Funmi, make sure all paths are cleared so that she won’t catch you too.
ME: yes boss, it’s just for a while anyways, I will soon be out of the country.
SEGE: really?, where are you going to?
ME: it’s a new development between Betty’s family and I. we deliberated and resolved that it will be safer for me to join her over there than for her to come to Nigeria. Betty wanted to secure a job for me over there before coming to Nigeria for us to have a registry wedding and then depart together.
SEGE: wooooh, sounded nice. Since when have you been planning this and you didn’t tell me?
ME: not too long anyways, I will give you more gists when I reach home.
SEGE: no problem. what about Benita?
ME: that girl?, I told you that we don’t talk again now. I don’t know why she suddenly began to behave funny.
SEGE: abeg let her be jaree. She can go to hell. Let’s talk later in the night.
I finished up with my food, suspended the chat and returned to the bank. I stopped by at Funmi’s office to drop her food for her before returning bank to my own office. At the close of business for the day, Funmi called me and begged me to give her 30 to 45 minutes to finish her report and I waited on my seat, watching all my team members as they were departing one after the other. Only Benita was left in the office seated on her chair, pressing her phone and smiling to herself. she was stealing a side glance at me but I ignored her completely by plugging my earphone into my ears and moving my head in the rhythm of the songs as I was browsing on the system. 25 minutes later, she stood up from her seat and came to meet me, rest her butts on my desk and looking into my eyes. I was surprised and removed my earphones to hear what she has to say.
BENITA: I have been calling you since morning and you aren’t responding.
ME: calling me?, well, as you can see, I was on earphone . And why are you calling me if I may ask?,
BENITA: ***smile*** Haba. can’t I call on my boss again?, or is it now against the rule of the bank?. Anyways, I just want to remind you that next week Tuesday is my birthday in case you have forgotten, I am expecting my gift.
ME: gift?, from me?, I am surprised anyways.
BENITA: **smiled*** surprised that I am asking you for birthday gift?, well. You must give me my gift either you like it or not. or else, I will let the whole office know that you impregnate me and you aren’t willing to take responsibility of the pregnancy.
ME: ***burst into laughter*** Benita, please start going home.
Benita was forcing herself on me until she left. I was alone in the office, chatting with Betty on BBM until few minutes past 8pm when Funmi called me to inform me that she was set to go. I had to call Adeola on phone before leaving the office to stylishly tease her about her present location and from the background voices and the information I deduced, she was in her room as the voice I heard was that of her neighbours which she introduced to me during my visit to her school in Ibadan. To be very sure, I requested to speak with them and she passed her phone to the two ladies one after the other and this gave me a perfect assurance that the coast was clear. I stepped out of my office and went to meet her in her office before we both walked out to the park together, we entered into the car and I drove out of the bank.
While are on the road, Funmi requested that we should hang out at the previous spot we used the other night we went out together. I refused but after several pleas and pressure from her, I accepted to go out with her with a condition that she won’t drink more two bottles and that we are going to leave on time, she laughed out loudly saying I was feeling like a boss. We arrived at the spot, located empty seats and we ordered for drinks and pepper-soup. I was sipping my Energy drink while she was taking her bottles of Guinness stout. I keep on checking the time because I didn’t want to go home late and when it was few 9:30pm, Funmi was already on the third bottle and I hurried her to finish up and let’s start going home. To my greatest surprise, Funmi wasn’t intoxicated and drunk unlike the last time and this made me to believe that everything that happened that day was a scripted play. Before we left the venue, a young man saw her from afar and waved at her before coming over. As he came closer, Funmi stood up and excuse herself from me to meet the guy and they hugged so passionately.
“ that guy was too young to be in same level with Funmi”
“ he even called her sweet mama”
“ no doubt, the guy must be one of her sugar boys”
“ but why is this woman behaving like this now?”
“ why can’t she just re-marry instead of hopping from one young guy to the other?”
I was still lost in my thoughts when she came back to meet me and told me to let us go, she paid the waitress and we left. We were delayed by heavy traffic and before we could reach her house, it was already nine minutes after 11pm. I wanted to go back home that night but she teased me to sleep over since the next day was Saturday and it wasn’t a working day.