FED UP!

(…continued…)

                Coker looked. Segun was seated with Margret. He was busy with his tab so he did not see Mabel.

  “What should I do?” Mabel asked Coker, visibly shaken.

                He thought for a while.

  “Are you ready to face him?”

  “I don’t know if I am.”

                Mabel made to turn around and leave but Coker stopped her.

  “Go and see Margret,” he said. “She is the one who asked you to come.”

  “It is definitely a set up.”

  “Yes I think she set this up but we are here already. Let us go through with this, pretending it is a coincidence.”

  “I don’t know if I can do that. I don’t want to create a scene here.”

  “That will not happen.”

                Mabel went on with Coker and his brother towards the counter which was close to where Margret and Segun were. As she got close, she pretended she just saw Margret suddenly and called her name, feigning surprise.

  “Maggi what are you doing here?” she said.

Segun looked up and was taken aback. His tab almost fell off his hand. He did not know whether to stand up or to remain sited. He looked at Margret for an explanation of what was going on. Mabel went towards Margret and hugged her.

  “What is this about?” she asked Margret, whispering into her ears.

  “Please sit,” Margret said and drew out a seat for her.

  “Let me get what I came for.”

                Mabel made to move towards the counter.

  “I will get it for you,” Coker said. “What will you want to take?”

  “Ice cream will do.”

                Segun was visibly uncomfortable.

  “Did you arrange this?” he asked Margret.

  “No. It is a coincidence.”

                Mabel wanted to talk against it being a coincidence but Margret pinched her and she kept quiet, looking at her. Coker shook Segun and went to get the ice cream for Mabel while his brother brought two bottles of drinks. He gave the ice cream to Mabel who was still standing, looking around and then went to sit on a different table with his brother.

  “Where are you going?” Mabel asked him.

  “I am here.”

  “I don’t plan sitting down.” She turned to Margret and said, “I see you are ok. Now let me go and attend to more pressing needs.”

  “Please don’t spoil this na,” Margret pleaded with her.

                After long pleading, Mabel sat as far away from Segun as she could. Segun looked at her, their eyes met and she looked away.

  “Now I know why you have been going to the restroom every minute,” Segun said to Margret. “You invited her here to embarrass me.”

  “I did not”

  “Why did you choose to bring me here and keep me here? I was supposed to leave like fifteen minutes ago but you kept me here. Now she walks in and you say it is a coincidence.”

                Mabel eyed him angrily, wanting to spew vocal venom on him but Margret kept pinching and nudging her. So she kept her cool. Segun kept talking about how he didn’t want to be there. At a point, Mabel could not take it again.

  “Is this what you brought me here for?” she asked Margret.

  “Ehe the truth is now coming out,” Segun said. “You brought her here.”

  “Oluwasegun will you behave yourself,” Margret told him, her voice a bit raised. “I just met her and asked her to stay, hoping you will have something meaningful to say.”

  “Whatever needs to be said has been said since na.”

  “You have been bewitched.”

  “No. I have moved on. Is it not clear? Mabel should do the same.”

                Mabel let loose and verbally washed him. He just sat there and took them. People around saw what was going on and just went on with their business. Margret nudged and pinched her till she was tired. When Mabel was done talking, she exhaled.

  “Are you done?” Segun asked her sarcastically.

  “I am not. I will tell you more.”

  “It is enough,” Margret said. “I think it was a bad idea making you sit down. This was not what I expected.”

  “Couples break up and make up,” Coker said from his table. “Life goes on.”

  “Coca cola I thought we have talked about this before,” Segun said, turning to Coker.

  “You are yet to give any tangible reason why you left her.”

  “Honestly, Mabel is a nice person but I have moved on with my life.”

  “Is it something she did?”

  “No. It is a personal decision. Why is it difficult to understand?”

  “I have moved on since,” Mabel said. “I don’t know why Margret made me stay here. If I knew you were here, I wouldn’t have come in the first place.”

  “Suit yourselves. I need to be somewhere now.”

                Segun made to leave.

  “You don’t leave until I say so,” Margret told him.

  “As what na?”

  “Just try me.”

 “Thank God we are just cousins.”

                While they were still talking back and forth, Kemi entered.

(…to be continued…)

-Chinedu Isaac ©2015