Romola held the camera stand while the light from the bulb directly above her shone on the rings below. Two rings lay on a black cardboard, one atop the other and the golden frame was inscribed with the names of the bride and groom.
The cold air from the big air conditioner behind her reached her skin but she was thankful for the peach turtle neck she wore.
“I’m done.” Benjamin said..
“Finally.”
She let the camera stand fall to the table and collapsed on the red soft sofa. It was the only other non-neutral coloured permanent fixture in the room. Everything else was white like Benjamin’s wristwatch.
He brought the camera photo viewer closer to his face and pressed some buttons before dropping the camera on the desk. “I don’t like these shoots. We might need to take a new set.”
“Can we take a break fist?”
Romola threw her head back against the couch. Her limbs hurt from holding the camera stand up all day. And her feet were starting to feel bigger than her stomach. She had to tell Miss Oyama that they needed a longer camera stand.
“In a moment. We—”
A small twitchy sound, like a baby bird, cut him short as her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out and stared at the screen.
A message from her mother.
She frowned.
This was the second time her mother was sending her a message in two weeks. From no contact at all to this.
“Please, excuse me.”
She got on her feet and walked to the toilet. She pushed open the wooden door and locked it behind her, leaning against the white tiles beside the sink.
She clicked on the message, crossing her fingers and hoping it was not something of dire emergency. The only person who could grant her time off was Miss Oyama and the woman was not on seat.
Please, help me send some money like 15k. We need to balance the house rent and baba Jide is not helping. He even took some of the money you gave me. Please send some to this acc. 009368733394 Freedom Life Bank, Micheal Ajayi So that he will not collect the money.
Romola frowned, stamping her feet “Ooohhh. Which one is all this one now? Every time send money, send money.”
She eyed the phone screen as she punched in her bank’s USSD code to check her account balance, sighing as she knew the salary she would receive today was about to be depleted before she even had the chance to save some of it.
She returned to the small cubicle where she worked with the head accountant and grabbed a pen, scribbling the account number on a notepad before she sent the money to her mother. Then she texted
DONE. Please don’t let him take this one. I’m tight on cash right now.
Her mother’s reply came in immediately. Her eyes almost popped. Had her mother been sitting by the phone with these words already typed in before she sent them?
Thank you my child. May you eat the fruit of your labour in Jesus name.
Romola held back a snort as she returned to Benjamin’s White Room. Now, her mother called on Jesus to bless the very work she said she hated and wanted to know nothing about. Romola shook her head. Were things that bad at home that her mother needed this much cash?
Two fingers snapped in front of her face and she jerked, coming back to terms with her surroundings. She had walked past the White Room.
Benjamin folded his thick muscular arms and stood against the door post staring at her with his beady probing dark eyes.
YOU ARE READING
Scars (Romola 2)
Romance"Then maybe you should have stayed in schoool. Instead of trying to be an elevated secretary and teaching me my Job." - - - - - Beyond managing Iya Tobi's store and pursing a shadow of an education, Romola's plate is full. It's been two years since...
