Andrew fixated his gaze down at the front sole of one of his black shoes, messy with a little mud stain. On one hand, he held his phone to his ear.
"Andrew, Andrew, are you still there?" His mother on the other end of the line called out.
He sucked in a deep breath and lifted his eyes. "Yes. Yes, I am here."
"Then, say something. I don't understand. Ever since you left for Lagos, it's like... you seem like a different person. I don't think you even worry about me at all."
He rubbed his forehead lightly. "That's not true. I care about you."
"Yet you didn't tell me about Jennifer and her son's visitation. I've been waiting for your call. Finally, I had to be the one to call you."
A soft sigh left his lips. "There was nothing to say. My brother showed up and I let him stay with me. She wasn't happy because he left without letting her know. That's all."
"Andrew, that's not all and you know it." Her loud sigh was clear on the phone. "We're at war. We've always been at war and I know it's exhausting but it's the truth."
Andrew rubbed the back of his neck a bit irritated with the topic. Frustration played across his facial expression. He didn't like talking about any of this. Especially because of the mood it put him in.
"Mum, I'm not at war with anyone. They're my brothers and she's my stepmother. Maybe, they dislike me a bit. Not everyone has to like me... I'm okay with that." Andrew told his mother. He hadn't felt that way before. But living away from them had shown him that there is and can be a bigger and better picture for him. He was learning to accept that.
She was silent. All he could hear was the slight sounds of her soft breathing. He wondered if he'd upset her.
"Andrew, I wish it was so. I really wish the case was as simple as that." She spoke up soon. "You have no idea the length Jennifer can go to."
"We'll be fine. I'll be fine. Isn't that the most important thing?"
She was silent again and he knew her reply was heavy for her. For a moment, he shut his eyes and ran his hand over his face.
"If it's too much, my door will always be open for you. Come anytime."
"I can't leave my husband. He needs me." She replied after a few moments of hesitation, her tone lower.
Andrew hung his head low. It was an expected reply but also a disappointing one. In terms of his father being a husband to his mother, Andrew couldn't say he was amongst the best in the game. After all, his family wasn't like any normal one. Polygamous families worked for some people and then, there were others like his that it didn't work for. As a child, he wished his dad paid more attention to him and his mother or at least acknowledged the mental strain this division in the family was causing them. But as an adult, he wished his mother would just accept a holiday, some time away from everything.
"Um, okay. I have to go back inside. I—I'll speak to you some other time."
"Mmm. Okay. Eat and rest properly."
Andrew nodded his head. "Yes." He spoke out on realisation that she couldn't see him. "Bye." Then, he disconnected the call.
For a minute, he stood there trying to gather his thoughts and push himself out of the foul mood the talk about home always put him in. Finally, he turned and walked back into the building.
#
Ijeawele felt quite uncomfortable throughout the meeting. She did her very best not to let it show. Yet whenever her eyes met with Isaac and he flashes her a weak smile, how quick she was to look away somehow gave away her discomfort.
What a small world. Why this man? Why did it have to be the one man she went on a date with? Ijeawele couldn't quite wrap her head around that fact. She was definitely looking forward to the end of this meeting.
"Are you okay, Miss Obialom?" Isaac asked, leaning forward, interrupting another's speech. Everyone's attention was directed to her.
Ijeawele's eyes had slightly widened in surprise at the mention of her name. She looked left and right, realising all eyes were on her. She hated that he did that.
"I'm fine." Her reply was stern and her gaze matched his, this time, enough to perish any wandering thoughts about her. She didn't want to believe that he might result in some kind of revenge plan.
"Okay." He leaned back into his seat and displayed another of his faint smiles.
Ijeawele rolled her eyes away from him. At this point, she was grateful she didn't stick through their date.
"Alright, thank you very much for coming." The marketing manager said and shook each of their hands. Ijeawele did the same with the first guest and when it came to Isaac, she tried to be quick in withdrawing her hand. Surprisingly, he held it a few seconds longer. She burned her gaze into him before he let her go, a smile clearly painted across his face.
"You'll hear from us soon." Adam said and we nodded in gladness.
They took the lead in walking out of the room. Ijeawele stepped out and went straight to her office.
A sigh escaped her lips after she slumped into her chair. While her left arm rested on the armrest, she buried her head in her palm. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in." She replied and went ahead to straighten herself and her desk in order to be presentable enough. Ijeawele didn't look up when her guest took the first steps in, until he was gently closing the door behind him.
Her eyes widened on first look at his face.
Isaac raised his hands, taking a few steps closer to her desk. "I'm sorry. I meant no harm." He apologised and yet, he had a faint smirk.
She softened her gaze and shifted her eyes away from him. At this point, she wondered why he was here. He should've left.
"Can I sit down?"
Reluctantly, she nodded just as she shifted her gaze back on him.
He pulled out one of the chairs in front of him and sat down. Ijeawele leaned back into her seat and watched him while his gaze wandered around.
"You have a beautiful office." Isaac said in the end.
"Thank you. Mr. Eke, can I help you with something?" For her, it was enough with the chit chatting.
He lowered his head and lightly scratched the space between his brows. An amusing slash apologetic expression played on his face. "I've upset you." He sighed lightly. "It... that wasn't my intention. I was teasing you."
A frown appeared between her brows which she was also quick to get rid of. "Teasing?"
"Yes. You didn't think I knew you were going to be here, did you? I was surprised when I saw you from the entrance. You didn't recognise me at first until I said my name. I know we went on a date once and I thought I left a better impression on you, although you did leave early." He put on a broader smile.
Ijeawele tried very hard not to let her emotions radiate through her facial expressions. After all, she could be working with him in the future.
"It's fine. It's all in the past." She brushed everything aside.
Isaac's brows creased for a moment. He was a bit disappointed and somewhat taken aback.
"Ijeawele, I still think you're great. Any chance we can have lunch or dinner sometime?"
She stared at him for some time. "Believe me, I'm flattered you have even an ounce of interest in me. Unfortunately, my answer remains the same. I can't."
Isaac leaned forward. His expression was a little more serious.
"I'm not asking you to marry me or meet my parents. Let's share a meal, get to know each other, see if we can be friends and maybe, who knows, something good might come out of it."
"Why do you keep insisting?"
"I told you before. You're interesting."
Ijeawele furrowed her brows. "You've said that. What do you mean when you say I'm interesting?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "I just meant I've never been with someone like you."
"Someone like me." She relaxed her brows. "Oh, I think I finally understand what you meant. You've never dated a divorcee. You want to see how emotionally unstable and desperate I can be. Maybe I'll tolerate anything since I'm needy, right?"
"No, no. That's... that's not what I meant." He defended himself.
"I think that's exactly what you meant whether you know it or not." She leaned forward, both her arms on her desk. "Mr. Eke, it's better we strictly stick to being professional whenever we do meet from now on. Nothing more. Have a nice day."
She retracted to attending to her laptop in front of her and hoped he would walk out on his own.
"I know that I sometimes come off as being a jerk. But I really have interest in you because... because of how strong-willed you seem even after getting heartbroken." Isaac stood up. "I hope you don't hate me too much." He told her before he turned away. Ijeawele lifted her eyes and watched until he was out of her office.
She leaned back into her seat as a wave of relief washed over her. What followed was a strange wave of guilt. Had she been too quick to judge him? Ijeawele shook her head. She didn't want to think about that. Right away, she went back to working.
#
Andrew carried a tray of food in his hands. On looking around, there were a lot of empty tables. It didn't bother him much. He knew that would be the case when he chose to first finish the work he was handling and allowed his usual lunch partners to go on without him. For no reason in particular, Andrew made himself comfortable at one of the empty tables faced towards the direction of the entrance. He went ahead and began enjoying the jollof rice and coleslaw on his plate. Then, he took out his phone and entertained himself by scrolling through Instagram.
Ijeawele pushed open the transparent glass door and went straight to the serving area. There weren't many varieties of food left for her to choose. In the end, she was served some jollof rice and a fried fish, rejecting the coleslaw. She looked from her left and to her right in search of where to sit. Her gaze fell on Andrew whose eyes seemed glued to her phone. A thought crossed her mind and so, Ijeawele looked around once more. There were just about eight people in the cafeteria with them. But it was enough to start a gossip.
Andrew lifted his eyes from his phone and saw her. There was an obvious glimmer in his eyes and he casually straightened his posture believing she would head in his direction. Ijeawele hesitated. One more time, she looked at the few employees. Finally, Ijeawele was on the move and Andrew felt his bubble of happiness elevating only to pop when she settled for a separate table not entirely far from his. His shoulders slouched and he lowered his eyes just as disappointment engulfed him.
She didn't want to look at him. Didn't want to see the disappointment on his face. Ijeawele was aware of how cowardice her act might seem. In honesty, she wasn't ready to have the whole office talking about a romance that she was yet to be sure if it would lead to anything long term or permanent. After her divorce, it had taken a while for her to stop feeling like everyone was whispering or gossiping about her behind her back.
Softly, she bit her lower lip and stared at him. But he wasn't looking at her. Ijeawele wished he would understand where she was coming from. Then Andrew lifted his eyes and met hers. Their matching gazes barely lasted and Ijeawele was first to look away. She could only hope that he wouldn't run with whatever narrative the situation might seem like.
Andrew stood up on his feet having finished his meal. After leaving his tray on top of the pile of used ones like his, he walked over to the water dispenser and filled one of the paper cups with water. He drank it then threw the cup in the trash can next to it. He picked up another cup, filled it with water and was on his way. Carefully, without drawing attention to himself, he left it on the table Ijeawele was at and he kept on walking without making eye contact with her or looking back.
Ijeawele watched him while he went further and further away from her until he was out of the cafeteria. She looked at the small cup of water and a simple smile appeared on her face. He did understand her, after all. The rest of her meal was enjoyed in a bask of happiness.
Hi guys! Thank you for your patience. Pls vote if you liked the chapter and comment so I can know what your thoughts are in regards to the story. See you next chapter.