You've refused to come visit ever since you left, Kini ọrọ naa( what's the matter). Your father has been asking of you" My mother said through the phone. This past week had been a crazy one for me. I hadn't gone to visit my parents because I did not want anything to ruin my mood, I only sent them money a few times.
My parents' marriage had never been the most peaceful. Mom and Dad were always at each others throats; watching them say hurtful things to one another always made my mood bitter. Yet , it didn't change the fact that I loved them dearly.
I could do anything to get them out of the bondage of poverty and I had promised myself years ago that I would avenge them, no matter how long it took.
"Mummy it's not that I don't want to come around-"
"I know you hate seeing us fight, but you can't just ignore your parents and be sending us
money as bribe" she cut me short and I burst out laughing.
"Ah mummy! Ṣe o sọ bribe (did you say bribe)?"
"Of course na" my mother said in her thick Yoruba accent. We chatted for about ten minutes.
"Mummy Jọwọ Jẹ ki n pe ọ pada( please let me call you back)" I said as I noticed Mr Bayo
approaching with his bag. "Bye guys" he said and left the building.
"Thank you Lord Jesus! I bin wan think say this man no go close today ( I thought this man won't close today)" Lanre said after he left.
"Asin ehh" Tobi, another co-worker of mine said. We were all about the same age; Tobi, Lanre, Josephine, Lilian and me.
"I don japa o( I've left). Bye guys" I said and also left.
Collins and I had been speaking over the weekand I discovered he was actually not that bad.
He had agreed to pick me up by 5pm for our date. I rushed home to meet Onyinye who did not go to work today as it was her day-off.
"Welcome back lover girl" Onyinye said as I made entrance into the house.
"I don't know if I should still go. Am I even really interested in this guy?" I asked myself plopping on the couch.
"Ain't no way you're not going for this date, just when I finally thought you were embracing womanhood. You must go for that date o!" Onyinye said in a warning tone and I laughed at her unnecessary drama.
"Is it your date? If I'm being really honest I'm only going to catch cruise and chop, not because I like him"
"Taaa! Don't even deny that you like him. Even if it's a tiny bit."
"Whatever girl!" I hollered going to the kitchen.
"Let's get ready. It's almost 5 pm"
"Calm down mama. It's just 3:54pm"
"Are you alright, do you know how long it takes to prepare for a date with such a handsome guy like Collins!" She yelled and I rolled my eyes. Onyinye was always taking pills for other people's headaches.
***************************************
"You see why I told you to prepare for this date days before. I just don't know why you take serious things for granted!" Onyinye complained throwing the black jeans at my face.
I pulled it down and said "It's just a date. It's not that deep. I can even wear jeans and crocs to go"
"Okay, I can see where the problem is coming from. You've never been on a date before. No
wahala I understand" She replied.
"Who told you that?"
"It's showing on your forehead"
"Just help me find something suitable to where before he gets here please" I begged.
"Oh! What about the dress you wore for our graduation" she suggested
"Do I even know where that thing is and will it still fit?" I asked.
"Of course it will. Check your box quickly" she ordered and I scrambled my box in search of the jungle green midi dress I wore to my university graduation a few years ago.
How Onyinye remembered it baffled me. "Is it not this one?" I asked raising the rumpled dress to her face.
"Ehen! This is perfect. Just your style"
I wore the dress and she packe my braids into a ponytail, leaving two strands in the front. I put on light makeup, wore a pair of black 3 inch strappy heels and I was set to go.
"Ohhh! See fine babe na. When I say I don't live with ugly people I mean it!" Onyinye said as she took pictures and videos of me outside.
"Collins go drool today! See my bae na! Drop dead gorgeous!" She continued to hype me.
"Pim!" We heard a car honk and my heart skipped a beat.
"Remember, just be cool and calm. Be yourself okay. Let me open the gate" Onyinye said while I stood there nervous-very unusual of me.
"In-law! Welcome Sir. Your wife has been waiting" Onyinye said and I wished to pull her wig off at that moment.
"Good evening Onyinye" Collins greeted, then he eyes trailed from the ground to my face.
His jaw dropped on seeing me. He was stunned. He was clad in a simple white dress shirt and
black trousers with his jacket hanging on his arms. A casual yet formal outfit.
"Hey Princess! You look amazing"
"Thanks" I replied.
"Styled by her one and only o" Onyinye muttered audibly and I eyed her.
"Shall we?" Collins said proferring his arm to me and I took them. "Caio Caio guys! . Collins make sure she doesn't eat eba o" Onyinye yelled as we left. I turned to her and gave her the "I will kill you" sign.
"Chai! Single life wan kill me" Onyinye said as she went inside.
***
"You know for a minute I couldn't recognize you in there Precious. You're so pretty" He said when we got to the car.
"Thank you. You don't look bad as well" I said and cleared my throat.
"Speaking of Precious, remember what I said I wanted to tell you?" I asked
"Yeah. Go on" He said refraining from starting the car.
"Okay. Umm my name is not Precious. I lied that day I told you my name was Precious Balogun" I told the truth.
"Say what now?" He exclaimed.
"I hope you're not mad"
"No I'm not. That's the reason we're going on a date; to know ourselves better. So wait, what's your real name?" He quizzed, puzzled.
I took a deep breath and replied"My name is Abimbola Emanuella Ajayi. Bimbo for short"
"Woah! Today has just been full of so many surprises. Your name is beautiful by the way. I'll try not to call you Precious, even though you are"
"I was actually beginning to like that name o" I said and he let out his famous cheery laughter. I was glad he wasn't angry; truly a gentleman.
"Where are we going?" I asked
"You'll see" He said.
The ride to our date venue was a peaceful and silent one. He drove us a very fancy restaurant. It was called "The Royal Food House". The interior was magnificently decorated; brown was the theme with mahogany tables covered with white linen and silver cutlery on them. The colour of the light emanating from the round bulbs hanged on the wooden ceiling matched the room perfectly.
"Haha! Prepare to spend money Collins" I said looking in awe of the place which was odly empty to my surprise. "Did you get this place cleared for us?" I asked
"I don't understand" He said, bemused.
"I mean did you ask them not to accept any customers because of us?"
"Oh no, I did not. The place is new that's why it's empty" He replied and we took our seats.
A waiter came to us and served us two glasses of complimentary champagne and handed us the menu.
"Talk about VIP treatment" I said within myself.
"Hmm. I'm not used to this soft girl life" I commented, sipping from my glass.
"It's okay. Me neither"
"Liar!. I'm sure you've been swimming in money all your life" I said and he burst into fits of laughter.
"Why do you like being in restaurants so much? You seem to really love the vibe it gives"
"My mother owns different restaurants so I always went there to stay with her after school hours when I was younger. I would do my homework there and even make some friends there" Collins replied.
"Ehen, so your mother owns restaurants and see as you lekpa like stick!( so your mother owns a restaurant and you're this skinny!) If na me I for don robust ( if it were me I would have been fat)" I said and he chortled.
"Its my father's genes that makes me look this skinny. That's the only thing I inherited from him" He said. I looked through the menu and the prices had my eyes coming out of their sockets.
I was hesitant to order. I looked through for the cheapest food-Jollof rice with moimoi and fried pieces of plantain.
The rest of the food on the menu had names I did not know how to pronounce.
"Have you decided what you want to order?" Collins asked, "yup!" I replied.
The waiter came back a minute later and took our orders. Some cool music played in the background as we sipped our drinks.
"What is your favourite food?" He quizzed and I chuckled. "Any food that Onyinye did not cook". He laughed in response asking me "why?".
"She no sabi cook better food"
"What about you? What's your favourite food?"
"Grilled chicken sandwich with a side of fries and orange juice"
"Ehn!? Did you grow up in Nigeria? Because that's not what we eat here. I thought you were an Igbo boy, I was expecting you say something like eba and ofe nsala or oha soup" I said in wonder. Was Collins from the abroad?
"No, I didn't really grow up in Nigeria, though I came here often. I was actually raised in the United States"
"Woow! Omo, no wonder your ajebo behavior. As for me, I'm a typical Lagosian. Born and bred in lagos" I replied and he chuckled.
"But you don't talk like an American, you talk like a normal civilized Nigerian, even though you do have an accent" I added.
"People tell me that a lot. I think it's because I've always been surrounded by typical Nigerians like you" He said and I laughed this time.
The waiter came with our food and dropped it gently on the table. It tasted heavenly.
"Do like it?" He asked
"Like bawo? I love it!" I replied excitedly.
"You're a mixture of both" He said out of the blues. "Both what?" I asked. "Both posh Nigerian and the typical one" he explained
"So you're basically saying I give off ajebutter and ajekpako vibes" I said and he roared in laughter.
"You're too funny"
"I'm aware"
"Something like that" He said nodding.
"That's what makes you YOU. You're different and very simple. Nothing too crazy about you, and it's a beautiful trait" He said and I blushed. I didn't deny it within myself that I blushed. Maybe Onyinye was right, I was falling for this handsome guy I met on one of my down days.
"Thank you. You're such a gentleman" I replied smiling.
^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^
"I beat the girl ehh" I said while he laughed more.
"Damn, now I see why Onyinye said I shouldn't allow you to fight" He said after his laughter had subsided.
"I have a surprise for you" He said.
"Really? You really didn't have to" I said thrilled about the surprise he had for me. By now, we had finished our food and were just talking.
"I had to. I hope you like it" He replied and I cocked my brows waiting for him to bring out some form of jewelry from his pocket and give it to me.
Instead, he stood up and took my hands softly, leading us to a private room in the restaurant. There were LED lights all over the place and a big grey sofa in the middle.
"What's going on?" I asked puzzled.
He lifted a sheet covering something that stood at the edge of the room and it revealed two canvases, paint brushes, pencils and paints.
My mouth and eyes widened in shock.
"How did?... How?" I asked almost in tears. Yes, in tears because no one had ever done such a thoughtful thing for me. Not many people knew that I loved painting and drawing, it was my childhood dream to be an artist. I used to paint silly potraits of my parents when I was little until our house was demolished and all my paintings gone.
"Onyinye vaguely mentioned it one time when I dropped her at her shop in the morning. I was asking her about you and.." He stopped noticing my mood. "Are you okay?" He asked.
"Yes I'm fine. It's just that I haven't painted or drawn in many many years. This brings back so many memories. Thank you so much Collins, I thought you were going to give me one useless jewelry that I'd probably never wear but this... This is lovely" I said and he gently took my hands and massaged them softly.
"Me and my iron hands. I know they're not as soft as yours" I said
"They're perfect" he replied.
I picked up a brush and dabbed it into the black water paint. "What should I paint?" I asked.
"Anything from your heart " he answered and I began to draw a simple potrait of his face, watching him closely as I did.
"Can I see it now?"
"No it's not done yet" I said adding some finishing touches.
"And voila!" Was what I said and turned it for him to see.
"Woah! When Onyinye said that you were the best artist she knew she wasn't joking" he said admiring it.
"I can't believe you just drew me in a short while! Bimbo You're so talented!"
"For someone who hasn't drawn since SS3, it's not bad" I said, proud of myself.
"Now you draw something" I urged him, handing him the paint brush. "Okay but what do I draw?"
"Anything you wish" I replied. He wrote my named and added some designs to it. A bit amateur but nice anyways.
I checked my phone and saw that it was already 7:56 pm. "My God! We've spent time today. I had a really nice time today, thank you Collins"
"Me too princess. You're welcome. Thank you so much for coming." He said and we began to exit the restaurant while someone helped us bring the canvases into the car.
The ride home was silent. All that filled my thoughts was Collins. Was I in love? How was one supposed to know when they were truly in love and not after lust?
We got to my house and he honked for Onyinye to come and get the door. "Thanks for going out with me today. Will I see you again?" He asked and I nodded. "Only because I enjoyed today a lot. Thank you for spending money on me. I had a fun time today. Bye" I said and alighted his car.
He still stayed in the same spot, watching me as I walked to the gate and knocked.
Onyinye opened the gate and I ran in immediately then he finally drove off.
"Abimbs! How was it? Gist me! Gist me!" She urged me. "It was...." I stalled placing my bag on the couch and faking off my shoes.
"It was amazing. He took me to one nice restaurant like that, they gave us complimentary champagne. Then the one that now burst my brain was when he surprised me with canvases,paint brushes and paints" I narrated
"Awwwwn that's really sweet. Bimbo I'm so happy and proud of the woman you're becoming, I always used to think you wiuld be a man forever" she said and I threw my shoes at her. She dodged them, laughing in the process.
"For the record, I'm still single" I stated.
"What do you think of him now?" She asked and I smiled and answered "I think he's okay".
"Okay? Just okay?" Onyinye questioned.
"Fine! He's amazing"
"Yayyy! My babe has fallen in love o" she screamed as she followed me to the kitchen.
"Ah ah! Bimbo after chopping in the restaurant you still go chop for house!" She complained and I ignored her. Food was bae afterall.
************
Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Chapter V loading..... see y'all later💙
*Kisses*💋. I love you and Jesus loves you way more. Byyee✨💙