?ENDLESS
TEARS?
SEASON 2
EPISODE 9
Lisa rolled on her stomach on the mattress, dialing a number on her apple phone. She placed her phone against her ear, listening as the ‘beep beep’ sound echoed against her ear drums. She tapped her fingers gently on the soft bed as she waited.
She had spent the past few days enjoying Lagos and shopping her heart out, despite her resolve to focus solely on Alex. She had enjoyed the night clubs and the attention she had received from men, telling her that she was still on her game where her physical appeal was concerned.
She had met men who made her think divorcing Alex was a good idea but she had destroyed that thought at the last minute. Those men might be wealthy but they did not have Alex’s kind of social status and recognition.
“Hello madam” she heard from the other end.
“Yes, hello Simon. How is the house keeping up?” she asked their driver – the one who took Alex to the airport.
“The house is fine madam, there is no problem at all” Simon said.
“Good. I need a favor from you” she said authoritatively.
“Erm… madam…” he stammered hesitantly.
“I need the name of the hotel my husband is lodging in Lagos” she said.
“B… but madam, I don’t know-”
“Don’t think I am a fool” Lisa cut in sharply. “You always know almost everything about my husband. It is in your interest to tell me Simon. I would add 50, 000 to your salary this month if you tell me, but if not, you might just find yourself fired. Which is it?” she ranted impatiently.
There was a brief silence on the other end, then Simon said. “Pristique Hotel” he breathed quietly. “I heard him make a reservation on the phone. Please don’t tell him I told you madam”
Lisa smiled. “You don’t have to worry, thank you. You would be rewarded” she said and hung up. She tapped the phone playfully with her index finger. I would definitely turn this situation to my advantage.
**********
**********
Amara stared at the sleeping girl on her couch and played with her hair gently, careful not to wake her. She wondered where Nadia’s mother could be. How could she leave the poor girl all alone like that, just because of work.
Amara could not even begin to think of what might have happened if she hadn’t come early. Nadia had obviously been so hungry and tired, she had fallen asleep ba-rely minutes after eating.
But remembering the fact that Nadia said her mother always comes late, Amara thought bitterly that this would not be the first time such a thing was happening. The mother probably relied on the neighbors to take care of the girl till she arrived, unfortunately, the third family in the compound seemed to be absent today.
She hadn’t heard the voices of any of them. However, Amara couldn’t be so sorry because she would love to have this time with Nadia all over again if she could. Actually, Amara knew that time with any child at all would always lift her spirit. She bent and placed a small ki-ss on the head of the sleeping child.
She stood up to go in to get a blanket for the sleeping child but the sound of a car stopped her in her tracks. She registered, with hu-ge disappointment that the car definitely belonged to Nadia’s mother since the other family had no car yet.
She fought back the tears of disappointment at the thought of being alone again. She swallowed ha-rd and tried to gain composure and instead of going to the room, she walked to the door.
She watched as Nadia’s mother flung the door of her car open looking terribly worried as she rushed off to her apartment, seeing no sign of her daughter.
“She is with me” Amara said without preamble, not bothering to greet her. Relief washed over the worried mother.
“Oh, I am so grateful. I almost fainted when Mrs. Banjo told me that they had all gone out to attend a function” she ranted, referring to the other tenant and Amara tried to take note of the name. “I was so worried, I rushed off but that terrible traffic held me up and I kept wondering what was going on with my baby since I knew you always come in late and-”
“It is fine” Amara cut in, tired of listening to the woman. “I got home about more than an hour ago and met her sleeping there. I took her in and fed her. She is asleep now. You should take better care of her; she is too small to be that exp-osed” Amara said angrily.
“I am so sorry” the woman apologized. “Thanks a lot”
She followed Amara inside and lifted the small girl into her arms. Nadia stirred and went back to sleep again with a soft sleepy smile on her face. “Thanks so much” her mother said again and left.
Amara closed the door behind them with a heavy heart, returning inside to sleep in her cold lifeless apartment all alone.
**********
**********
Kelvin walked behind Maxwell back into his sitting room as they chatted on, just like old times. “So what on earth made you drive yourself here? Did all your drivers contact Ebola?” he said smiling. This was definitely the first time he was seeing Max without a driver. He did not even want to think of what inspired the jeans and Tee shirt Max was also wearing. He had never seen Maxwell dress so simple.
Maxwell laughed. “Life is all about change Kelvin Thompson Babs” he said. “Don’t be so sarcastic.”
“Hmmm… now you are talking about change!” Kelvin said grinning. “Something is really at work in your life. Are you born again now?”
Maxwell grinned as he sat down. “I have always been”
Kelvin nodded as he pulled out a bottle of wine, filling two gla-sses. “Then, since it is not salvation, it must be something else” he smiled with a knowing look on his face as he pa-ssed Maxwell a gla-ss, sitting down on another chair.
Maxwell smiled sheepishly. “Well……” Max cooed. He never had been able to hide a thing from his cousin. “There is this woman…”
Kelvin laughed. “I knew a woman had to be involved. So, a woman has you so ensnared that you decide to change? That is a first! She must be really special to hook a playboy like you uhn…” he said grinning widely. This is definitely something you don’t see every day!
Maxwell nodded, his face bringing on a slightly sober look. “Yes! She is really special. She is not impressed by what I own, she snubbed me and called me… egotistic”
Kelvin raised his brow for some seconds then burst out laughing. “Oh, now I see the reasons for the change. I like her already” he teased.
Maxwell glared softly at Kelvin, then smiled, deciding to turn the table. “You have been in Lagos for one straight week also; that is pretty high”
Kelvin swallowed the wine in his throat gently as his smile waned. He hadn’t spoken or seen Amara for days now and it had been intentional. But she had constantly stuck to his mind, driving him crazy. “I just have some things to sort out here before I return to Abuja” he said.
Maxwell grinned. “I don’t doubt that; I just wonder what exactly you want to ‘sort out’” he said.
Kelvin sighed. He had never mentioned Amara to Maxwell, because frankly, he did not even know what to ‘tell’ about her. “The only thing I can tell you for now is that I found what I have been searching for for six years” he said, with a thoughtful faraway look in his face.
“Halleluiah!” Maxwell exclaimed. “It so happens that I am not the only Babs who is being manipulated by a woman” he said and raised his flute in salute. “Cheers to them” he said and drank de-eperly.
?ENDLESS
TEARS ?
SEASON 2
EPISODE 10
Amara browsed throu-ghher collection of clothes looking for something nice to wear to the office. It was a Monday and a rather unusual Monday it seemed because Amara, who did not always care about how she appeared, was really searching for something to wear.
She discarded one gown after another, wondering if she would ever find a ‘fitted’ cloth. ‘It must be the aftermath of enjoying Nadia’s company’ Amara thought. She had been in a good mood since she had hosted that child in her house even though she had been gravely disappointed when she had been taken away.
Another thought though, suggested something different. She was probably not dressing up because of happiness. It probably had to do with anticipation. She shook her head, discarding the thought as foul.
It had been a week now and yet, she hadn’t heard anything from Kelvin. It was almost as if he hadn’t appeared at all; but how could she even believe that when he had stood so close to her; so close that she had perceived the scent of the same perfume he used years back.
He had been so close, yet so far. She had literarily pushed him away, yet he had promised not to let her go, but then, why wasn’t he coming back? She had expected him to come and try to get her on her feet again like he always did, but he hadn’t shown up.
Every day, she had expected the next client coming to her office in Ara P to turn out to be Kelvin but time and time again, she had been sorely disappointed. Although, of course, she would never admit it; not even to herself.
She lifted a gown before her eyes. It was a dark shade of purple and looked perfect. She had abandoned it when she bought it because it fitted her body perfectly but weirdly, that was what she wanted today.
The thought that Kelvin hadn’t returned because he found her appearance lacking had plagued her mind over and over again. Amara drew the material over her head until it came to a final stop, slightly above her knees. She took out a white smart suit jacket and pushed her two hands into it.
Her heart beat steadily as she walked to the mirror. She could not believe the beauty that stared back at her. For the first time, she wasn’t wearing the slightly oversized clothes she always wore to keep men off, even if they still came nonetheless. Right now, she actually felt beautiful.
“My staff would think I contacted an incurable disease” she said to herself, wondering if she really hadn’t.
But the de-sire to remove the clothes never came up. She wondered if she should let down her hair and let it fall past her shoulders, but she instantly quenched that thought. Her staff would really think something was wrong if she did that. She packed her hair very neatly and put a very scanty gloss on her usually dry li-ps.
She turned away from the mirror in order to get her beautiful form out of her eyes, but the image stayed locked in her head. No matter how much she tried to deny it, she still had her old self in her – the Amara who craved to be de-sire d and loved. She lifted her bag and left the room.
As she walked to her car, she wondered if she had started growing soft. She had never been found thinking of her own personal beauty and appeal, until now. I cannot be thinking of having a man in my life now, am I?
She swallowed and pushed that thought away as ‘completely ridiculous’. There is nothing wrong in wanting to look beautiful once in a while, she thought firmly as she pulled out of the compound.
**********
Reliance was bubbling with life as usual as Kelvin walked confidently into the company. The busy staff paused immediately they saw him, murmuring their greetings, which he answered coolly with a small moderate smile.
He had never been one to fancy ties so the top of his shirt had a few loose bu-ttons beneath his dark grey suit, showing off a bit of his muscled che-st. The ladies had on their brightest smiles as he walked on, not really noticing them as he moved to his office.
“You are welcome Sir” Shalom said standing up to greet her boss.
Kelvin turned a firm smile to his secretary. “Hope you enjoyed your weekend?” he asked.
“Yes, I did sir; I am sure you did also sir” Shalom said, looking at her boss who looked just too handsome. She wondered why most men sque-ezed their ne-cks to breaking point with their ties when another man looked simply delicious without it. She had never seen her boss with a tie, and Shalom could not imagine him with it even though she knew that he would still look perfect with it.
“Of course” Kelvin answered as started into his office. “Come in for a minute Shalom” he said and she hastily followed him in. as always,
“I need you to pa-ss a memo across to my a-ssistant and heads of departments.” Kelvin said as he turned on his laptop.
There would be a meeting today so we can effect some changes in order to improve our standard. The meeting would last for one hour and it would commence immediately after lunch break. Apart from those I mentioned, two other people would join us; you and John”
Shalom blinked, startled. “Me sir?” she asked, bewildered.
Kelvin smiled. “Yes, there is a reason why you should be there” he said simply. “That should be all” he said, dismissing her gently.
Shalom nodded and scuffled out of the office. Kelvin watched her leave with a vague smile on his face. He had been monitoring his secretary and had decided that she would do better in a more dignified position.
Reliance, just as the name implies, is the most reliable Estate Management Firm you can find. They boast of impeccable services, helping house and estate owners to manage their properties, seeing to running of these properties on behalf of their respective owners.
They had grown steadily over the years, buying up the minds of people with their exceptional performance and reliability. Kelvin had used his continuous Abuja trips to set up another branch there in Abuja, expanding the coast of ‘Reliance’ beyond the confines of Lagos and gaining national popularity.
Because of the nature of his job and the quality of his staff, he could afford to move from one state to the other, without worrying about the state of his company in his absence.
Kelvin went throu-ghthe information on his laptop carefully although his mind was a bit unfocused and sluggish. Something that hadn’t happened for years. How easily a woman could cloud a man’s senses and prevent him from doing what he usually did with ease.
He needed to see Amara. It had been days without seeing Amara and it had seemed even longer than the six years of long unbearable wait. But Kelvin knew the wait was necessary. She needed to make her de-sire his presence; awaken the feminine feeling in her that he knew she had locked up so firmly. Kelvin had never been in the habit of imposing himself where he wasn’t welcome and he definitely would not start now.
**********
Alex walked down the stairs, deciding that his body would fully alive with the little effort of taking the stairs instead of the comfort the elevator provided. He pressed his IPhone as he went, not paying full attention to his progress down the stairs.
He collided with something, or someone and stumbled slightly, raising his eyes from the phone which nearly sli-pped off his fingers to glare at the frail looking woman which stood before him. She let out a startled gasp, staring at him as if he were a ghost.
The mop he saw in the woman’s firm grip and the flimsy cloth she had on told Alex exactly what the slightly elderly woman was. “Are you blind woman?” Alex asked angrily.
The woman did not seem to even hear him as she gaped continuously at him. The mopping stick in her arms shook slightly as she gazed at him, upsetting him the more. “Alex” she gasped.
Alex wasn’t the least bit surprised. He was after all the son of Senator Bello. “Mr. Alex Bello.” Alex corrected sternly. “You have no right to call me by my first name woman if you want to keep your meagre job in this hotel, I don’t care how old you are.” He continued down the stairs without looking back while the woman continued to gawk breathlessly at his departing back.
“Oh God” she breathed.
TBC…