OBLIVIOUS REDEMPTION

CHAPTER 41: The Pink Rose

~Life is like a coin. You can spend it any way you wish, but you only spend it once~

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Saleem

We received an invitation for our attendance at a charity gala in the post a few days ago. The elegant invitation had Mr/Alhaji Daneji scrawled across the front in gold cursive writing.

My father in-law asked me to attend the gala as his representative, My bright brown eyes shone with excitement, and a slightly crooked smile played across my lips.

He signed a Cheque with a huge amount of money and handed it to me to present at the gala as his donation.

As we chose outfits for the event with my wife, I spoke excitedly about who may be attending later that evening, who I might meet. Maybe bill gates even, I was thriller by the thought

On reaching the venue, I stepped out of the car and walked up to the large front doors. I adjusted my bow tie before tapping the impressive bronze knocker.

I could hear footsteps echoing along the floor towards the door. Finally, it opened, revealing a strict-looking man dressed in a black suit with tails.

He bowed to me and stepped aside to allow me entry. I walked into the imposing entrance hall and felt the heat from four fireplaces. The flames threw a flickering light on the tall statues towering over me.

An usher beckoned me to follow her as soon as she saw my card. "This way please" she said in a stern voice.

I followed as she led the way down a wide corridor, to heavy-looking doors. They swung open to reveal a grand ballroom. As we moved inside, two men slammed the doors shut behind us

She took me to my designated sitting spot, and they served me a welcome drink and some caviar. The caviar left a bitter taste on my tongue, which I thought was horrendously overrated and tasted like shit I have to confess.

From above, I heard someone clear their throat. A woman with a powerful look about her was standing on a large balcony overlooking the entrance hall holding a mic, She looked like a pink rose among a thousand white daisies, she stands out.

She made her way down the staircase slowly as she spoke, welcoming all the guests. She Introduced herself as "Aaliyah", one of the organizers of the event.

It was her smile that took me captive when I saw her, and never once let me go. There was an authentic quality to her smile that made people stop and look, a basic human truth that seemed to emanate from deep within her and naturally find it's way upward and out. Like the magma flow from Vesuvius, there was simply no stopping her smile. It could freeze people where they stood and hold them there, maybe forever.

Although she looked so familiar, I couldn't remember where I have seen her before

When it was time for the donations, I made sure I made myself noticed while I presented the cheque with the large sum of cash. I got Aaliyah to notice me

Afterwards, I waited impatiently for her to move to a less crowded area so that it'd be easier for me to approach her. When I saw her seated at the bar, I knew it's my lucky day.

She was seated next to a man, whom I didn't pay much attention to. She talked to him for a little while before he got busy with his girlfriend. And I thought, who is this woman?

It's her general air of being some one in particular that strikes me. Who is this rare creature, and what is she like? Where did you find her, and how did you make her acquaintance? The voice inside my head kept asking as I quietly watched her talking to the guy