FED UP!

(…continued…)

                All the while, Ejike sat in his car pressing his phone and looking at her from his rear view mirror. When he saw Chuka leave Mabel, he came down from the car. Mabel smiled and went towards him. She brought out her hand to shake him but he moved faster than the hand and hugged both her and her handbag.

  “Ejike,” Mabel called him.

  “Mmm,” he answered still holding onto her.

  “The hug is too much na.”

                He let her go.

  “That’s for all the years I wished I could hug you in school,” he said.

  “Now people are looking, wondering whether I now sleep around with men.”

  “That’s their business. You know yourself.”

  “Ejike!”

  “Sorry. It will not happen again.”

                One of the opposite compound neighbours who was Mabel’s friend gave her a sign like ‘is he the one?’ She shook her head and smiled.

  “So what is wrong with you?” he asked her. “You said you sere not feeling well.”

  “Yes o. I fainted in the office.”

  “What! Are you serious?”

  “Yes.”

  “What happened?”

  “I think I was stressed out.”

  “Everybody is stressed out but not everyone is fainting. Something is wrong.”

  “I did not eat and take my drugs before leaving for work today?”

  “That must be the reason. What are you taking drugs for?”

  “Long story. I have been a bit ill for some days now.”

  “So which drugs are you on?” 

  “They are just stress-relieving drugs. I think one is anti-malarial.”

                Ejike folded his hand across his chest and asked, “How could you not eat and take your drug? You missed a dose.”

  “I was in a hurry. I was running late.”

  “You would have called me to come and drop you off.”

  “As what na?”

  “As a friend.”

  “You are a busy person. Besides we just met, like met.”

  “I don’t like my friends going through things like this, especially those close to my heart.”

  “Eiyaa. That’s nice of you.”

  “My dad’s health issue developed this strange concern for people in ill health in me. I can suspend anything just to make sure someone is taken care of.”

                Chukka came back with the drink and biscuit and walked past them without saying a word.

  “Tell Cynthia I am around,” Mabel told him as he went in.

  “Ok,” he replied without looking at her.

  “Let me not keep you standing for so long,” Ejike said to her.

  “Yes. I really need to lie down and rest my banging head.”

                She turned a bit towards the compound in readiness to go in.

  “I really planned a nice TGIF outing for me and you today,” Ejike said.

  “Aww. We will have to reschedule.”

  “I will be traveling next week. That will be when I come back.”

  “Importer Exporter!”

  “We are just hustling o. Survival of the fittest.”

  “Remember me in your paradise o.”

  “Once things are set, I will come.”

  “Come for?”

                Ejike pretended he didn’t hear her question.

  “Let me get what I got for you,” he said, opening the back seat of his car. He brought out two nylon bags filled with provision and stuff. “For you.”

  “Wow, you wouldn’t have bothered yourself,” Mabel said to him.

  “It is nothing at all.”

  “It is too much for one person na.”

  “You have a sister and a mother to share with?”

  “If not for one thing, I would have rejected this gift.”

  “What?”

  “It is looking like a Trojan horse.”

                Ejike burst into laughter.

  “Trojan what? There are no strings attached biko. It is for old times sake.”

  “With the price tags I am seeing here, I hope you did not empty your account to get them?” 

  “Like I said before, this is nothing. If I had taken you out, we would have gone to somewhere expensive and I would have spent much more than I spend on this. Just accept my gift of love.”

  “Gift of..?”

  “Friendship.”

                Mabel tried carrying the Nylon bags but her hands were occupied already.

  “You will have to help me bring them in,” she told him.

  “Really? Your mother will not mind?”

  “She will mind but I will take care of that.”

  “If you say so. I fear protective mothers o.”

  “She is not harmful at all.”

                Ejike made sure his car was locked. Then he walked behind her into the compound, carrying the nylon bags.

  “Chei!” he said. “You go wound person o.”

                Mabel laughed and said, “Yeye man like you.”

  “Easy o.”

                When they got to the house, they met Cynthia and Chuka sitting on a bench in front of the house, with the biscuit and soft drink in her hands. When she saw them, she sat up and tried to hide the ‘cheap’ biscuit she was holding.

  “Welcome,” Cynthia said to Mabel.

  “Is mummy around?”

  “Yes. She is in the backyard.”

                Cynthia greeted Ejike.

  “How are you my dear?”

  “I am fine,” Cynthia replied smiling. “You brought my sister back?”

  “Kinda. Yea.”

  “That’s kind of you.”

                Mabel just watched them exchange pleasantries. Chuka didn’t know whether to offer his hand to him for a handshake or not. He just looked away so he would not be embarrassed. Ejike looked at him from time to time to give him the eye contact greeting but he did not look up.

  “I will be going,” he said to Mabel.

  “Just like that?” Cynthia asked him. “You don’t want to stay a while?”

                Ejike looked at Mabel who shrugged.

  “As long as your mum is around…”

  “Mabel is that you?” their mother asked from inside the house.

(…to be continued…)

-©2015.Chinedu Isaac