"Where are you taking us?" Desdemona asked, looking out of the car window like Scooby-Doo. The car had taken so many turns from NaaStudios and honestly, I was beginning to share in Mona's curiosity. Rahim looked at us and only smirked, shrugging.
"I'm not telling." He swiped his lips across his lips and looked ahead. I rolled my eyes, trying to busy myself with my cellphone. In my pocket was still the business card Nadia has literally shoved in my face, but I did not know what to do with it. She did say I could call her anytime, but what was I going to talk about with her? These thoughts swarmed through my mind but I had no reasonable answers to them.
I was jolted back to reality when the car came to a sudden halt. I looked out of the window and we had parked in front of a restaurant. There was a neon sign that read 'Hassana's Eatery.'
"This is my mother's restaurant," Rahim announced, stepping out of the car. We followed suit and were immediately hit by the heat in the afternoon. I checked my watch and it was 1:00 p.m. I guess we had spent more time for the photo shoot than I thought. A doorman bowed and opened the glass door.
I had never been to this eatery, but Rahim's mother sure had exquisite taste. The marble floors and classy jazz music playing in the background as well as the wooden furniture littered around the large building gave the eatery a vintage, yet classy look.
Rahim led us to a three seater booth by a window which was wide open. I picked up the menu, browsing through the numerous options. My eyes widened when I realized every item cost an arm and a leg. Rahim's mother was probably cashing out a lot! Soon, a waitress in a pencil burgundy skirt and a white button-up shirt walked up to our table, a notepad and pen in hand.
"Welcome to Hassana's Eatery. What can I get you?" she asked, smiling at us.
"I'd like your waakye with all the protein you have." Desdemona was the first to make her order. I dropped the menu and stared at her in horror. She only shrugged,"What? Nadia made us fast for whole days. I've been surviving on bananas and water."
"Whatever floats your boat," I muttered, picking the menu back up. I wasn't really hungry so I chose, "Ice cream, a scoop of vanilla and a scoop of strawberry and a bowl of potato chips." The waitress nodded, diligently jotting everything down.
"The same thing she's having," Rahim said.
"Great minds think alike." Mona muttered, rolling her eyes. I stared at her with a lopsided grin. There. She was at it again, trying to play matchmaker between Rahim and I. She was like the human version of Tinder.
"Whatever," Rahim retorted, smirking at her.
Soon, our orders were placed in front of us and Mona was the first to begin. Her plate had eggs, assorted meat and some fish. She really wasn't kidding when she said she wanted all the protein they had.
"Can you please tell my mom I'm here?" Rahim asked the waitress as she placed his bowl of potato chips in front of him. She nodded and disappeared behind a glass door. Soon, a short light-skinned woman with a small tribal mark on her right cheek appeared, walking towards us. She opened her arms wide, enveloping Rahim in a hug when she reached our table.
"So you finally decided to bring along your friends to the eatery," she said, pulling away from the hug. Rahim sat back down and she dragged a chair from an unoccupied table to sit with us. Rahim's mother was gorgeous. Her hair was in a maroon scarf. Her floral kimono looked good on her and she was glowing. Just like her son.
"How are you girls?" she asked. Mona and I muttered we were fine. "So which one of you is the Salma Rahim has been broadcasting around the house." I dropped my spoon at the mention of my name. Rahim mentioned me at his house? What the actual heck?
"I'm the one," I managed to say, shooting Rahim daggers with my eyes, but he looked out the window. I was sure he was as embarrassed as I was.
"You're so pretty. And your friend is also a real beauty," she said, turning to Desdemona who had a whole egg in her mouth. She managed to smile, looking like a puckered fish in the process. "Do you happen to be a model?"
"Mm-hmm," Mona hummed, finally swallowing the egg. "In fact, I just came back from a photo shoot with Bliss Magazine."
"Do you mean the magazine that has Nadia Williams?" Desdemona nodded.
"I heard she's so mean, but efficient in her work."
"She can be extreme, but I believe everything she does is for the benefit of the magazine."
We spent some more time chatting with Hassana, Rahim's mother. She was a nice woman who had ambitious plans and a warm aura. Throughout the conversation, I tried to make eye contact with Rahim, but he only looked out of the window or down at his melted ice cream. Soon, Hassana left for her office and we were alone again.
"Broadcasting around the house huh?" Mona said, looking at Rahim who was finally able to look up from his ice cream. He scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously.
"My mom's just exaggerating."
"Mm. Since when did you get into broadcast journalism?" Rahim didn't answer Mona's question and I noticed his cheeks warm up, turning pink. Did he just blush? We spent a few more minutes in silence, the only being Mona's fork and the crackling of my chips. Rahim barely touched his food. To break the silence, I took out Nadia's card and placed it in the middle of the table.
"What's that?" Mona said, picking the card up with knitted eyebrows.
"Nadia Williams' contact," I answered, popping the last of my chips in my mouth.
"But she rarely gives out her card. She usually gives out the mag's email," Desdemona said, still examining the card.
"You remember the time she sent for me?" Rahim and Mona nodded, waiting for my information. "She gave me her card and told me to call her anytime."
Desdemona snorted, "Says the woman who fired her photographer for calling her 5 in the morning."
"Maybe she knows Salma or she knew her father," Rahim chipped in for the first time.
"He could be right," I replied as Mona handed me the card. "And she also asked me to greet my mother on her behalf."
"That sounds strange. Maybe Rahim's right – she knows your family."
I only looked at the card, wondering who Nadia Williams actually was and the ties she had with me and my family.
Rahim later dropped me at my house. I got home at 3 and Mom was already munching on a medium-sized box of Digestive biscuits.
"How did the photo shoot go?" she asked, sipping on a bottle of juice.
"It went well. Desdemona got a deal with the magazine and Rahim later took us to his mother's restaurant to celebrate."
"His mother has a restaurant?" I nodded, slumping into the seat beside her.
"She's called Hassana. She's a nice woman; ambitious, kind and a great person to talk to."
"Let's go to her place sometime. I'm tired of shuttling between the house and the hospital," she complained, taking the remote from the coffee table.
"Yeah, Mona enjoyed her food very much."
After a few moments of silence, I remembered the card Nadia gave me and the conversation I had with Rahim and Mona. Maybe she was a family friend or even a relative!
"Mom, do you know any Nadia Williams?" I asked, flipping the card in my hand. Mom choked on her biscuit and looked at me, bewildered.
"How did you get to know her?" she asked, dropping her food, giving me her undivided attention. She noticed the card in my hand and snatched it, reading it.
"I just met her at Mona's photo shoot. She gave me her card and asked me to extend her greetings to you," I explained, shocked at her reaction.
"Salma, I don't want you seeing that woman ever in your life. She's a bad person and she's definitely not a friend of mine." And with that, she tore the card with all the force she had. She dropped the shreds on the coffee table and stood up.
I did same, still shocked at how she was behaving. This was so out of character for Mom. She was usually calm and collected, but this side of her was rarely put on display. "Why?"
"Just listen to me. Nadia's a snake and I don't want you or me to have anything to do with her," she explained through clenched teeth. She then climbed the stairs and I heard her bedroom door slam shut. I shuddered at the sound.
"Wow," I whispered, slumping into the sofa. I stared at the shreds of the card and wondered who Nadia was to Mom and what she had done to earn such hatred. I knew Nadia did not seem to be the most likable person on earth, but Mom always said there was at least an iota of good in a person, but she was not following her own advice.
Later in the evening, during dinner, Mom was silent. She cleared her throat, looking at me with sad eyes. "Salma, I'm sorry for my outburst this afternoon. I was just stressed out and Nadia is one of the last people I expected to hear of."
"I understand you're stressed out because of the pregnancy, but what I don't get is that you were so angry at the mention of her name. Why mom?" I asked, dropping my fork of spaghetti. I propped my elbows on the dining table, using them to support my chin.
"I... I... I don't know Salma, I just don't want to talk about that woman. Please don't bring her up an don't contact her for my sake. Please?"
I rolled my eyes, nodding. "Fine."
ENTER: SALMA
DATE: 25th October, 2019
I think Mom's hiding something from me about this Nadia. I barely know the woman and what she has to do with my family, but it seems Mom is bugged by the very mention of her name. What are they hiding from me?
I closed my journal, dropping my pen in its compartment. I changed into sweatpants and a tank top, getting ready for bed when my phone buzzed.
Inbox(3)
Rahim: About what my mom said - (20 minutes ago)
Rahim: She was just kidding, I hope you aren't mad at me. - (19 minutes ago)
Rahim: Salma!! - (5 minutes ago)
I laughed at the last message. Was this guy even serious?
Salma: I understand. In fact, I'm flattered that you've found your calling as a broadcast journalist. My next Kwadwo Sheldon.
Rahim: It's not funny.
Salma: Sure it is.
Rahim: But I hope you enjoyed the food. My mom said it's on the house.
Salma: It's not like we would've paid for it anyway.
Salma: How much was Mona's food?
Rahim:150 cedis. Plus the takeaway, her total would've been 350 cedis.
Salma: I love Mona, but she eats too much.
Rahim: How does she manage to stay so thin?
I don't know how, but chatting with Rahim made me forget about my earlier thoughts. We chatted deep into the night and I thanked God tomorrow was Sunday. At least I would not worry about sleeping in class.
_____
Kwadwo Sheldon is a hilarious content creator on YouTube who is known for his hairline and cutting remarks.
And that's a wrap for today's chapter. I know things are moving a bit slow, but it's all part of the story and I'm trying to stay regular with updates. I'm also updating my outline and the plot of the novel, so I'm still experimenting with some ideas. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.
Recently, I've started writing the chapters at night when no one can disturb me. Please vote, comment and share this story with your friends and family.
-What do you think of Janet's reaction?
-Conspiracy theories on Nadia and Janet.
-What do you think about Desdemona's eating habits? How does she manage to stay thin?
-Do you keep a diary or journal where you just scribble random thoughts or write your secrets?
I appreciate the support you guys have shown me since Chapter 1 and I'll see you later. Until the next chapter, it's bye for now.