Valerie's Contractor ||Completed||

En route

"Ah! Madam! I no get change oh..." She was saying, when I smiled and cut her off mid-sentence. "You can keep the change."

"Mimo eledumare! Thank you ooo madam... Na this kine customer I dey like!" She said with boundless joy, as she wrapped the bole in an old newspaper and packaged it with the groundnut in a black nylon, then handed it over to me.

"Madam, God go bless you oh!" She kept saying.

"Thank God. Do you know what you would do for me again? Just help me call that boy selling bottle water." She ran off and called the boy for me, and I purchased a chilled Eva bottle water from him.

The joy in my heart was really profound. I had finally gotten an antidote to this dreadful hunger. I pounced on the meal like a panther attacking its prey and devoured it to the very last bit. Luckily for me, the traffic did not ease until after I finished eating.

When the traffic rested and vehicles began to move, I quickly turned on the ignition and set the jeep on motion. The engine of this road monster boomed as I drove at top speed.

I smoothly rolled into the Mall's parking lot. Then I sat down for like two minutes, rearranging my hair. Thereafter, I came down from the vehicle.

The parking lot was flooded with so many cars. Ikoyi mall hadn't changed that much though, the wall paint was now a different color, but the structure was exactly the same. Inside the mall was filled with persons doing one thing or the other, some playing games, most eating food at the small diners in the mall.

Ring!!!

I could hear the sound of my phone ringing. I sat down on one of those fancy wooden chairs, that were commonly stationed in malls. Then I reached for my bag and rummaged through it for my phone. When I found it, It was no longer ringing, I had missed the call. Shit! 3 other missed calls from the same number and a message too. "Who could this be?" I thought.

Ring!!!

The caller ID popped up, but this time it was Pamela. I picked the call immediately. "Hey babe."

"Hello Sweetheart. Ehen! You didn't even bother to call me yesterday to give me a situation report on your outing with Alan. Ha! Na wa for you oh." She said. I glanced at my phone screen, this girl was really taking this her project revive the love between Alan and Valerie serious oo.

"I am fine and you?" I asked, with a touch of sarcasm in my tone.

"Hahaha. Oya calm down now. I am sorry I didn't ask how you were doing... Wait o. Where are you? Your background sounds pretty noisy."

"My dear. I just rushed down to the mall to get some groceries. That house is so empty!"

"Hahaha. After 10 whole years, what do you expect?"

"For once, I won't argue with you."

"Berra for you. Ehen... I called you for a reason. What is it again?..." She said. Sounding like as though she was struggling to recollect her purpose of dialing my number.

"How will you not forget? When you would not stop asking for situation report on #team_alval." I said, chortling.

"Awwwwwn #team_alval?! Wahoo! Sounds so fire! You sneaky Lil fox, since when did you guys become #team_alval??" She said sounding all glee, like some nine-year-old who was just given a ticket to Disneyland.

I snorted. "Since my friend suddenly became a voluntary matchmaker. Oh please, I am simply saying kinds of stuff that would be pleasuring to those your big ears."

"Haha. Now that's a lie. I don't have big ears and I would never ever have big ears... Aha! I remember why I called you now. Are you aware of the upcoming reunion of the Alumni students of BTS Academy? Hmmm! It's important I bring it to your notice now ooo. The reunion is always very classy, like when I say classy I mean C-L-A-S-S-Y! I have attended 8 times now, so I know what I am saying."

"Hahaha see how she's accentuating the word classy anyhow. I have already heard about the reunion  prior to now."

"Really? Who brought it to your notice?"

"Who else? Alan of course. He even asked me to be his date..." I was saying when she caught me off mid-sentence.

"Valerie, the only child of late chief Badmus Okofu, please tell me you said yes to his proposal?"

"You should ask me if I am going at all?"

"Eh?"

"You heard me."

"Don't even think about it, unless if you want me to disown you. We are gonna do some shopping in respect to that, so be prepared... Meet me at La féminin grace boutique by 4:00 PM, on Tuesday. Since that's solved I think I should leave you to do your grocery purchase now."

"You are just a bully."
 
"Awwwwn don't you just love meh?"

"Hahaha. Get out of my phone." I said.

At the other end of the call, I could hear her burst into a clamorous laughter. Then the line went dead. Pamela could be wrong about a thousand other things. But one thing she undoubtedly wasn't wrong about, was the fact that I loved her.

A young couple and their baby sat beside me now, they really looked cute. The man was carrying the baby in a baby carrier that hung across his broad shoulders. While the woman held some snack bags in her hand. It seems they just came to have a little fun.

The lady's face looked a bit familiar. With the side of my eyes, I peeped at her. It was then it occurred to me that I know the young lady. She was no other than I TOO KNOW Runke Bamidele. Instantaneously, I stood up from the chair and walked away. I wasn't ready for one of those fake moments where one would feign happiness to see an old classmate who always bragged about being brainy, a complete irksome show-off seeking the most trivial opportunity to begin a competing contest with an innocent person.

I knew that if I ended up attending the reunion, there was every possibility that I was gonna see her there. I am sure what she would boast about this time, would be the fact that she is happily married with a cute kid. Don't get me wrong, I am not against anyone's progress in life, is just that we single ladies do not appreciate it when other young ladies flaunt their triumphant love lives in our faces. I mean, it isn't a crime to be 25 years, yet still single, is it? Hmmmn... Is it? I thought.

Dumping that thought in the trash can. I quickly went in and purchased all that I needed. Especially a new set of tumblers to replace those old hideous ones. Then I drove back home.

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I arrived home by around 3:50 PM, due to the traffic I encountered en route home, which lasted for like 3hours. Surprisingly, the gates were wide open, a thing that would have made me burst into pure fury, if not for the sight that caught my eyes. Alan and a crew of macho men he was supervising were very busy working on ripping off some parts of the mansion with big hammers and axes. But that wasn't what startled me the most. What astounded me beyond comprehension was the fact that the roof of the mansion was gone! Where on earth was I supposed to sleep tonight???

A/N

Oh Alan, Alan. Too competent for his own good.

Lol. Have you ever dodged an old classmate for some reasons best known to you? Slide into the comment box and share your experience.😂

I hope you enjoyed this chapter like I did, if you did. Please show some love ❤️  by voting  ☑️ commenting💬 and sharing. Trust me, It would mean a lot to meh🤭

Can you keep an infinitesimal secret?🤫🤐👇

I love y'all❤❤💞💕💯💯🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

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Glossary

Eko - Another name for Lagos.

Na this kine customer I dey like - Is this kind of customer I like.

Pim piiiimmmmmmm! - Sound of a vehicle's horn.

Bole - Roasted Plantain