BETROTHAL

CHAPTER 2

Fola on her way home the next day saw Olamide in his car looking sideways. She had a hunch that he saw her but choose to ignore her.

She also tried shunning him but couldn't as the guilt was eating her up.

She then decided within herself to go apologize to him for being rude and harsh.

The next morning, she saw him drive past the bus she boarded and began to wonder why their path seems to always cross. She then remembered he said he works at Governor's road which was more like a stone throw from she junction where she usually alight from.

Through out the week, Fola was not opportuned to approach him like she intended.

On the first day of the following week, luck was on her side. She saw his car parked at the junction where she was supposed to alight from but noticed he wasn't inside the car. She then decided to wait for him.

After 2 minutes of waiting, she heard his voice from behind and almost jumped up out of fright.

"Hello, how can I help you?", he asked in a polite manner.

Fola was dumbfounded at his behaviour. 'Is this not the same man I chatted with a week ago?', she asked no one in particular.

He was looking at her as if they were meeting for the first time.

'Is he trying to put up an act or what?', she asked herself again. She couldn't utter a word as she kept looking at him.

"Hello, how can I help you?", he asked again

"Are you an actor?", Fola finally asked unable to contain the rage within her.

Olamide smilled and questioned, "Why did you ask?"

"Just answer me", she almost yelled.

"No I am not", he said coolly.

"Good, why then did you behave like one just now?"

'Who the hell is this girl that thinks she can intimidate me', Olamide thought to himself. Fola on the other was looking him straight in eye while he smilled mischievously without uttering a word.

"Do you know me?", she questioned again

"Yes I do and no I don't", he replied sharply seemingly ready for the question.

Fola smilled to herself and put her arm across her chest. 'This man doesn't seems to know who he is dealing with', she muttered to herself.

"I know your name is Zahara, an aspirant and nothing more", he concluded.

"So?", she said screwing up her face.

"I wanted to know you more and if possible become your friend but your behaviour was not encouraging. You were acting as if I was asking for something more than that. With your mode of dressing, I thought you were religious, kind and well behaved but I am beginning to have my doubts. That is why I concluded within myself never to budge you again. Afterall, it won't cost you anything but rather for you to benefit from me. I was not............"

"Stop it there", Fola interrupted him in fury and this startled Olamide. "I think I now know the kind of person you are. For your information, giving someone my friendship costs a lot so you are wrong by saying it won't cost a thing. Its obvious that you have no idea what friendship really is. You can insult and shun me all you want, I really don't care. Initially, I wanted to apologise for the other day but now I think it is no longer necessary. I can't afford to give my friendship to someone this pompous because I don't take friendship for granted. I don't need anything from you so get lost", she said in one breath and walked away.

Olamide was speechless. "This little girl just called me pompous? Who does she think she is, I am so going to deal with her", he said getting into his car.

Fola kept fuming all the way to work. "How dare him say those trash to me? Who does he think he is? He is such an arrogant man."

She was still battling with the anger within her when she got to work and greeted the cleaners at the entrance before proceeding to enter the inner office. Just a few distance away from her little cubicle, she heard whispers and giggles behind her.

Fola was always minding her business and doesn't associate with any of the girls at work because of their indecency and bad behaviour. The other girls call her all sort of names because of that.

Fola knew immediately that the laughter was directed at her but like every other day, she wasn't ready to ignore them.

She turned back and saw Rachel standing with a mischievous smile on her face. Behind Rachel was Bisola and Jummy who takes orders from Rachel.

Out of anger, Fola kept her bag behind the partition dividing her own cubicle from others and approached the three girls.

When Bisola and Jummy saw Fola coming towards them, they stopped laughing and became agitated.

Fola came face to face with Rachel and ignored the other two. "Were you by chance referring to me?", she asked her.

"No I was talking to your shadow", Rachel answered with hands akimbo and a sly smile.

"That's better", replied Fola while nodding her head and folding her arms across her bosom.

She continued: "Rachel, you know so well that I have always let you have your way with me. Just because I don't respond to any of your silly and childish comment towards me doesn't mean I am daft or stupid."

She dropped her arms from her bosom. "Now let me make things clearer, don't you ever call me names again from today onwards till I leave this place or else I will show you the real Fola. It is better you let me continue being  the good girl that I have always been", she completed and gave a fake smile, then turned to go when Rachel pulled her back grazing Fola's shoulder with her long manicured fingers.

"Where do you think you are going, you foolish girl? You think you can come here and talk trash with the aim of intimidating me abi", Rachel said pulling her back.

With rage, Fola gave her a resounding slap on the cheek which made her fall to her side. The other two girls gasped out of surprise. Fola pulled Rachel back up from the floor and gave her another slap on the left cheek. Rachel whimpered as she fell to the ground once again.

One of the cleaner at the entrance of the building hurriedly rushed in to separate the girls.

The woman whom Fola usually calls grandma was surprised at Fola's action and she quickly lead her back to her cubicle.

Rachel on the other hand bursted into tears. "You foolish girl, I will deal with you. You think you can slap me and go scot free abi? You will surely suffer for what you have done", she ranted.

Bisola and Jummy who were more of a spectator during the fight rushed to Rachel's side to help her up but she pushed them away.

"Let go of me stupid girls. You let her slap me without standing up for me yet you are asking if I am ok. You two are nothing but cowards, foolish girls", she said them to them and ran to the washroom.

The cleaner asked Fola for the full details when they were inside the office and Fola narrated everything to her. The cleaner told Fola that Rachel got what she deserved which made Fola smilled.

The woman spent another 30 minutes with Fola so as to cheer her up before going back to her own duty post.

Rachel and her clique avoided Fola and  kept to their corner through out the day.

"The arrogant bastard has helped me to earn the respect I deserved from these stupid girls", she said to herself with a satisfied smile.

Fola became the hero of the day.

*.......….............*
Fola became the hero of the day indeed!!!.

Thanks for the support so far. Show me more love by voting and commenting, it will inspire and motivate me more. I will drop the chapter 3 tomorrow In Sha Allah...

We really have a long way to go. I hope you all follow me till the end of the journey of BETROTHAL. God bless you all and much love.

NOTE: I beg you in the name of Allah, do not plagiarize o. Jazakumullahu khayran.