Uniquechild:
Life is sweet when you fall in love with the right person. Kudos. More inspiration

hmmmmm, u are correct,

but

Sista it takes d grace of God now oooo,, camouflage is what we see now a days

the boss the OP, I sight u oooo
tanks a lot for the update. jah bless

Haaa Boss mi

U no be small pikin na

U no see as dis love story make brain ni?

skubido:



haaa sista, shey u won dey put us ni,

wetin u won we small pikin con do

wow wow am fall in love

Awwwwn love wantintin.. ehen, abeg what's the name of Tomiwa's perfume??

...an interesting read. When shall we be treated the next update? Eagerly waiting!

boss boss


We don enter Front Page ooooooooooooo

oya con sama us update..

carry go road clear wella

Godwindanielboy:
This love story dey sweet ooo.

Pa James, I love your creativity. I don't want an end to it. Just keep updating till Christ returns.

Keep the good work up. Thanks a lot. God bless.

Godwindanielboy, thanks a lot. Expect updates today.

Ann2012:
I go love ooooo
This story dey sweet me die pass Chicken,
Oga Jameskudooski, you too much. Double tuale for u sir.....

Thanks for the compliment.

Uniquechild:
Life is sweet when you fall in love with the right person. Kudos. More inspiration

Uniquechild, true talk. I agree with you.

skubido:
the boss the OP, I sight u oooo

tanks a lot for the update. jah bless

Skubido baba, I see you.

devilmaycry1:
wow wow am fall in love

becca2017:
Awwwwn love wantintin.. ehen, abeg what's the name of Tomiwa's perfume??

Abi ooooo. Love wantintin things, becca2017.

Tomiwa's perfume? Tomisky 212.

odurombi:
...an interesting read. When shall we be treated the next update? Eagerly waiting!

Odurombi, glad you are enjoying this piece.

Please expect updates today.

skubido:
boss boss



We don enter Front Page ooooooooooooo


oya con sama us update..


carry go road clear wella

Skubido Wow!!!! That's a good one. Happy about that.

Thanks so much for watching out for me, bro.

Hello my wonderful people,

Trust you are all doing great. I'm sorry for the delay in posting updates these past few days. I was actually off the grid. I needed to attend to some pressing issues.

But, I'm back now. You will definitely get some updates today.

Thank you guy and please enjoy your day.

Qudus.

JamesKudooski:
Hello my wonderful people,

Trust you are all doing great. I'm sorry for the delay in posting updates these past few days. I was actually off the grid. I needed to attend to some pressing issues.

But, I'm back now. You will definitely get some updates today.

Thank you guy and please enjoy your day.

Qudus.

Gbam

Chapter 10 (Episode 10)

THE FOLLOWING MONDAY WAS a special one for Mrs Roseline Ikechukwu and her team. The account they won the previous Friday was big and full of potentials for the branch. The Weekly Performance Review meeting for that morning was going to be a smooth one for them. At exactly 7.00 am, the team members comprising Mrs Ikechukwu, Tomiwa, Adijat, and Dare walked tall as they took their seats in the Conference Hall that had been dubbed Slaughter Room because of the hot pressure usually dished out at such meetings taking place in it. The team was the pride of the branch that morning.

The Weekly Performance Review meeting was normally chaired by the Branch Manager, Mr Popoola, a stout glasses-wearing man in his forties. The meeting used to be intensely hot and charged with nerve-racking pressure. It was a forum where teams and individuals were criticized and shredded into pieces for poor performance. Well, on the other hand, it was also a place of commendation for those that performed well or met their targets. The truth, however, was that the targets were often outrageous and more often than not, one saw teams performing below par even after doing reasonably well. Hence, the meeting was usually more of criticism than commendation!

It was a meeting no one, especially the marketers looked forward to. It was one that people came out from and most times felt like resigning immediately. Mondays used to be the days when many people called in sick suddenly developing all sorts of complications overnight simply to avoid the meetings. In time, the Branch Manager saw through such gimmicks and put in place measures that made avoiding the meetings based on such trumped-up excuses practically impossible. Therefore, they had to accept their fates and attend the meeting that had become a pain in their asses.

However, this particular Monday was different. Mr Popoola was in a very good mood. The new account won by Roseline and her team was enough to get him in such an ecstatic mood. He could walk shoulder high into the Regional Manager’s office to present the branch’s performance during the Branch Managers’ meeting come Thursday. The meeting was uncharacteristically short and went smoothly—just a few words of encouragement here and there for teams that performed below par instead of the usual venomous critique of their performance.

When it got to Tomiwa’s team to present their report, Mr Popoola was full of smiles and his eyes beamed with satisfaction behind his lenses. After they read out the report, he clapped his hands thunderously and gave his comment, “Em … em …” He began by clearing his throat. “I must sincerely commend Roseline and her team for their outstanding performance last week.” And turning to Roseline and her team, he continued, “You guys have done wonderfully well but at the same time, I challenge you to do more. You know that the reward for hard work, they say, is more work. So, I don’t expect you to rest on your oars. For others, let’s learn from Roseline and her team. Perseverance is the key! So, Roseline, for you and your team, lunch’s on me today … A round of applause for Rosie and team, please.”

With that, he rounded up the meeting and dispersed everyone. It had been a long time since the Monday meeting was that short, smooth, and interesting. Shortly thereafter, everyone settled down to write out their call plans for the day getting ready to set out for the day’s marketing calls.

Henry, next in line to Madam Rosie and a team head himself, approached Tomiwa.

“Tommy, I have a call at Surulere and I was wondering if you could accompany me for the call. I already discussed with Rosie and she said you could come with me.”

“Surulere you said?” Tomiwa asked for a reconfirmation.

“Yeah … Surulere, Eric Moore to be precise.”

Wow! Eric Moore Road? Where else would he want to be if not Eric Moore Road in Surulere? That was a golden opportunity he wouldn’t allow to slip by. He had an unfinished business in Surulere that he must attend to!

“You mean Alhaji Garba’s place?”

“Exactly!”

“Hmmm … Okay, I’m in.” The excited Tomiwa who was trying to conceal the excitement responded. Soon they were in the car on their way to Surulere. As they got close to Surulere, Tomiwa started adjusting his suit and tie to ensure they fitted well on him. He simply had to look his best; that was not negotiable right now. When he finished, he turned to Henry and asked, “Chief Henrio …” as he fondly called him, “…How do I look? I catch babe?”

“Oh, boy, what’s it with this your look this morning? Is it more than this marketing call we are going for? Is there something you are not telling me?” Henry asked surprised at the amount of effort Tomiwa put into ensuring he was looking good.

“Chief Henrio, don’t worry. You will soon understand.” Tomiwa replied exposing his set of white teeth as his lips parted into a soft laugher.

‘What is Tommy up to? Could he be eyeing Alhaji’s receptionist, Sharon? She is definitely a cute girl and the way both of them were exchanging glances the last time we were there together looked suspicious. Well, let’s wait and see.’ Henry thought. Everything started to make sense to Henry now. The encounter between Tomiwa and Sharon began with simple exchanges of glances but before they left that day, the two of them struck a connection between them.

Before Henry could say, Jack Robinson, the two were all over each other chatting away and giggling in between the conversation as if they had known each other for ages. At a point, Henry spotted them exchanging phone numbers. As providence would have it, Alhaji Garba was having a short meeting so Henry and Tomiwa had to wait for some time at the reception giving Tomiwa ample time to spend with Sharon. More so, Tomiwa had always asked Henry when he was going to Eric Moore from time to time ever since.

‘Well, I think this junk boy must have been caught in the web of Sharon’s charms.’ Henry continued in his thoughts. Really, any man could easily fall for Sharon. She was a petite young lady with an appealing look and a little gap between her front teeth. One thing going for her was that she knew how to use mild make up to magnify her beauty. She had qualities perfect for her job as a receptionist. Henry had to engage in a serious battle with himself to resist the urge to throw passes at her the first time he saw her. In fact, he would have if not that he was married. Maybe Tomiwa was not strong enough to resist her subtle attraction like Henry did!

In no time, there were at Alhaji Garba’s office. Alhaji Garba was one of Henry’s top customers. He was a business mogul with a consortium of businesses. When they arrived at the reception, they were greeted by the ever charming Sharon beaming with a contagious smile. “Good Morning Mr Henry. You are welcome sir.” And turning to Tomiwa, the smile extended further and was warmer. “Good Morning Tommy. Hope you are good and trust your night was fine too.”

“Good Morning Sharon.” Both Henry and Tomiwa answered at the same time and Tomiwa added, “You are not looking bad, you know?” Sharon’s ear tickled and she let out a broad smile.

“Ehn-ehn, Tommy, you know …” Sharon was saying when Alhaji Garba’s secretary walked into the reception.

“Oh, Mr Henry, you are around. Good morning. Alhaji has been waiting for you and I think he will soon go out.” She said on sighting Henry and Tomiwa.

“Good Morning Madam Bukky. Thank you. How are the kids doing?” Henry responded.

“We thank God. They are doing fine. Alhaji is in his office. You can go and see him.”

It was glaring that Henry had a very cordial relationship not only with Alhaji Garba but also with his staff. He related well with them and he wasn’t usually subjected to the bureaucratic protocol those seeing Alhaji Garba normally had to pass through.

Henry signalled to Tomiwa as he walked towards Alhaji’s office. Not being able to talk more with Sharon, Tomiwa quickly slipped a folded piece of paper under Sharon’s keyboard and quickened his steps to catch up with Henry who was few steps ahead of him. Sharon picked up the paper and opened it. She grinned happily as she read the content. “Oh-oh, Tommy, you are a darling.” She said to herself.

“Come in … come in, Henry.” Alhaji Garba called out to Henry immediately they got to the door.

“Good Morning sir, Alhaji.” Both Henry and Tomiwa greeted immediately they entered his office.

“Good morning, gentlemen. Please have your seats and make yourselves comfortable.” Alhaji responded in his typical Hausa intonation beckoning them to sit down. Although his speech was heavily laden with his Hausa tongue, he could perfectly differentiate between his ‘P’ and ‘F’ unlike many of his counterparts who used both interchangeable. “You are welcome, my friend … what is that your name again?” He said turning to Tomiwa.

“Tomiwa, sir.” Tomiwa responded.

“Ya’wa! Tomiwa … I now remember.”

Henry and Tomiwa were really comfortable in Alhaji Garba’s cosy office—a well-air-conditioned office with eye-catching decoration and every other thing to made work and life pleasurable.

“Alhaji, I tried calling you several times on Friday but I couldn’t reach you.” Henry hinted.

“Ya’wa! That is actually true. I was with the Governor and his team. We were finalizing the terms of that contract I told you about. So, my phone was switched off throughout.”

“Wow! That's great, Alhaji. Congratulations sir.” Henry felicitated with him. After talking about other matters ranging from business to social and personal matters, Henry asked Alhaji Garba for the cheques he promised him.

“Oh, no, Henry. I can’t give you cheques …”

At that instance, Henry and Tomiwa looked at each other, highly disappointed. Henry had reported at their meeting earlier in the morning that he was going to collect cheques totalling fifty million Naira. How could he face Mr Popoola, his Branch Manager, and tell him he couldn’t get the cheques as promised? That was going to be bad! Tomiwa could feel the pain in Henry’s heart.

“Yes, I can’t give you cheques for a hundred million Naira. That will mean me issuing ten cheques of ten million Naira each. Why go through that stress if I could actually do an electronic transfer?”

Henry’s eyes grew wide-opened as he paid attention to Alhaji Garba’s next words. “I have sent an instruction to my other bank to effect the transfer through … hmmm … what do you people normally call it sef? Ehn-ehn, Real Time Gross Settlement … RTGS platform. So, it should hit your bank by noon.”

Henry couldn’t have wished for anything better. He actually promised to get fifty million Naira and when he thought he was getting nothing, he would be getting a whooping hundred million Naira!

“Wow! Thank you so much, Alhaji. Lemme quickly go back to the branch to follow up on the transaction. I’ll give you a call immediately it hits your account, sir.” Henry responded not able to hide the excitement swimming through his system. Without wasting any more time, Henry and Tomiwa took their leave.

On their way out, at the reception, Sharon still buried her head into the paper Tomiwa gave her and was still full of smiles. When she noticed Henry’s and Tomiwa’s presence, she raised her head. “Hey Tommy, you people are set to go. Oh, thank you so much … you are a darling. I’ll call you later” She said blowing Tomiwa a kiss.

Both Henry and Tomiwa bade her goodbye and left. This seemed to confirm Henry’s suspicion. ‘Did Sharon just call Tomiwa a darling and blew him a kiss? Didn’t she even say she would call him later? More so, she called him Tommy and not Tomiwa, which sounds more official. There is surely more than meets the eyes between Tommy and Sharon … Anyways, let’s just wait and see.’ Henry analysed in his thoughts.

To be continued...

JamesKudooski:



Abi ooooo. Love wantintin things, becca2017.
Tomiwa's perfume? Tomisky 212.

Lol i laugh in spanish oh!!.. okay na

Episode 11 (Chapter 10)


They were soon in the car getting set to return to the branch when Tomiwa made a request of Henry. “Chief Henrio, please can we stop over at Surulere branch?”

“Surulere branch? What’s happening at Surulere branch? Do you have a pending transaction with them?” Henry requested to know.

“Pending transaction, yes! That’s my fiancée’s branch and if you don’t mind, I can introduce you to her.”

Henry was completely lost. “Your fiancée in Surulere branch?!”

The unfinished business? No, it wasn’t Sharon! It was the love of his life, his one and only. Rachael’s branch was a street away and he had to see her before getting out of Surulere. She was the pending transaction Henry unknowingly asked of. By the way, what other transaction could be more important than seeing Rachael.

“What … of … I mean … what of Sharon?” Henry muttered in his confused state.

“Oh, Sharon?” Tomiwa asked laughingly. Well, Tomiwa had found out the first time he met Sharon that she was a friend of Rachael’s who was trying to reactivate an abandoned account she had with Hero Bank Plc, and Tomiwa volunteered to help. She needed more information about the account which was what Tomiwa had written in the paper he slid under her keyboard because there was no time to explain; they had to see Alhaji Garba immediately. Henry only allowed his imagination to run unnecessarily wild. Sharon was simply a friend of his fiancée and nothing more!

“Oh, I see.” Henry said laughing at himself as he shook his head in pity for nearly making a fool of himself. “Well, junk boy, Surulere branch we go. I’m right behind you, lover boy.”

Soon, their driver found his way into Surulere branch’s parking lot. Tomiwa made one last move at ensuring he was looking good and well-arranged before alighting from the car. The duo walked side by side as they approached the entrance of the branch. They looked dashingly brilliant in their well-fitted black suits just like the popular American Men in Black movie characters. Immediately Tomiwa stepped into the man-trap-door, Rachael raised her head and scanned round the banking hall—she could feel his presence but could not find him. “Tommy? Around here? It can’t be! But I can feel his presence and perceive his perfume.” She muttered to herself.

The next minute, Tomiwa stepped out of the man-trap-door into the banking hall with Henry stepping out of the second door almost at the same time and they stood side by side. The banking hall was spacious. In front of them, a few meters ahead was the counter with six tellers attending to customers. Rachael was the second from the left. Just then, Rachael felt his presence become stronger. She looked straight towards the man-trap-door with an accurate precision. She knew exactly what direction to look this time around and there he was looking astonishingly distinguished like a groom on his wedding day! Her mouth instantly reshaped itself into an appealing smile and her eyes shone with what looked like a mixture of excitement and surprise. “I said it! I knew he must be around somewhere.” The smile was contagious and he caught the fever immediately. He smiled back and walked briskly towards her.

Henry who was still scanning across the counter trying to figure out who likely amongst the ladies was Tomiwa’s fiancée, saw the direction Tomiwa was headed and he was struck with awe. Was Tomiwa going towards the angel in counter number two? Wow! She was by far the most beautiful teller he had ever come across in the entire bank since he joined the bank. Not even Sharon, Alhaji Garba’s beautiful receptionist, whom he earlier thought had caught Tomiwa’s attention could compare. And that was the direction Tomiwa was going. Could she be the one? These were the thoughts playing the game of chess in Henry’s head as he stood and followed every step Tomiwa took with his eyes. He knew that Tomiwa had a good taste but he never, in his wildest imagination, believed that his taste could be so tasteful. He quickly put himself together and hastened his steps to catch up with Tomiwa who was few steps from Rachael. Fortunately, she just finished attending to the last customer on the queue.

“Hey Tommy, what are you doing here?” She asked surprisingly.

“Well, let’s just say I was missing my angel and I couldn’t take it anymore, so I decided to stop by.” Tomiwa answered.

“Mm-Hmmm?”

“Okay, we actually came on a call to Eric Moore and I felt I couldn’t leave Surulere without stopping to see how my beautiful one is doing?”

“That’s so thoughtful of you, Handsome. You were at Sharon’s office?”

“Yes. She sent her greetings … Oh, Rachael, please meet Henry …”

“You mean Chief Henrio?”

“Absolutely.” He responded and on turning to Henry, he introduced Rachael, “Chief Henrio, this is Rachael, my one and only.”

“Wow! You already know me?” Henry responded to Rachael, stretching out his to shake Rachael and a bit puzzled.

“There’s hardly anyone in your office Tommy hasn’t told me about. I’ve heard so much about you. I’m pleased to meet you.”

“The pleasure is mine too, Rachael.” Henry replied and quickly added, “I can now understand why this junk boy wouldn’t allow us to have peace in the branch. Wow! You are really an epitome of beauty, the very definition of adorable. Rachael, sorry for asking this question: Are you from this earth? Well, if you asked me, I wouldn’t think so because I’m sure that by the time God counts the angels in heaven, he will discover that one of them is missing and is standing here right before me.

“Ah! This is serious flattering ooo.” Rachael responded adding, “Anyways, thank you for the compliment, Mr Henry. And thank you also for taking care of my Tommy. He keeps telling me about everyone of you in the office and how good and helpful you all are to him.”

“Really, Tommy is a great guy. Forget that I call him junk boy. Believe me, you are very blessed to have him as I’m sure he is too.” Turning to Tomiwa, he advised, “The two of you should hold on tight to each other. I see a wonderful combination in front of me and I pray that someday, we will come and eat rice at your wedding.”

Both Tomiwa and Rachael laughed and appreciated him for the advice. “Sweetheart, have you eaten today at all?” Tomiwa asked his heartthrob.

“Not really. I’ve been very busy since morning. It’s been difficult to find a little time to eat. The customer traffic today is very high. You know today is Monday.” Rachael explained.

That was typical of banking halls on Mondays, especially, in the mornings. People who had exhausted their cash and traders who made sales over the weekend trooped to the banks the following Monday to make withdrawals and deposits respectively.

“Okay. I thought as much, so I bought you this.” He handed over to her a pack of food, ice-cream, Pepsi Cola and chocolate bars.

“Hmmm … yummy, yummy. Just what I need at this moment. I’m famished. Thanks a lot, Sweetheart.” She said, drooling over the package.

Soon, customers started coming in again and she had to start attending to them; the short recess, as it were, was over. Before Tomiwa and Henry left, she quickly introduced them to her Head Teller and few of her colleagues.

“Hey, make sure you eat ooo.” Tomiwa chipped in just before leaving.

“I will, Sweetheart.” She replied as she waved them goodbye.

As soon as they left, Eniola, the teller next to Rachael teased, “Rachael babe, I now see why you are glowing these days…. Nobody will lay her hands on such a cutie and not glow, plus he is loving and caring.” She added a wink to the comment.

“Na you know ooo.” Rachael replied as a blush of happiness crept up her face.

“But seriously, he is cute …” Eniola continued, “You made a good choice, jokes apart.”

“Thank you, Enny.” She thanked her, laughing softly.

Meanwhile, Tomiwa and Henry were back in the car on their way to the branch. Henry, having still not gotten over the awe that struck him at the sight of Rachael, spoke up, “Gosh! Tommy, where in heaven did you dig out that astonishing beauty? Or should I say, how were you able to break into heaven to steal one of God’s angels? By now, you must be a wanted man in heaven!”

Tomiwa burst into laughter. “Chief Henrio, let’s just say na Baba God. Baba God noni.”

“True be said, you’ve got eyes for good stuff. I give that to you.” Henry commended him.

“Thank you, oga mi.”

Gradually, the conversation drifted to the issue of the one hundred Naira inflow they were expecting into Alhaji Garba’s account. The rest of the ride was marked by constant calls by Henry to the Treasury Unit at their Head Office and the branch. But what was it with Nigerian banks that you had to follow up with every transaction, especially huge ones, to get results? After several calls and aggressive follow up, the inflow dropped into Alhaji Garba’s account, and there was a celebration like no other.

Mr Popoola, the Branch Manager, was extremely happy at the news especially when Alhaji Garba assured them that he wasn’t going to touch the money anytime soon. That was a big boost to the branch’s balance sheet. Not only that, Mr Popoola would be celebrated for the recent winning streak of his branch at the next Branch Managers’ meeting with the Regional Manager. He relaxed into his chair and smile of joy enveloped his round face.

To be continued...

Thanks for the update boss!!
Why do I have a feeling something bad is about to happen.. ..any way following like kilode

oya, dem go collect..
dey gbadun boss mi,
nothing do you, your head issss there mehnnnn

tanks a lot for the update, jah bless your hustle.

How can story be captivating, yet so educative? And still, the author claims it is "below his standard".

We disagree sir!
This is a nice piece...

Thanks for the update boss

thank god i h.ave nt eat since morining nice 3nn fm wow food is good walahi i will nt eat
2moro just serve me wat i need

jesvic91:
Thanks for the update boss!!
Why do I have a feeling something bad is about to happen.. ..any way following like kilode

Jesvic91, you are welcome and thank you for following the story.

I pray nothing bad happens oooo.

skubido:
oya, dem go collect..

dey gbadun boss mi,

nothing do you, your head issss there mehnnnn


tanks a lot for the update, jah bless your hustle.

Skubido, I feel you, baba.

Printriteng:
How can story be captivating, yet so educative? And still, the author claims it is "below his standard".

We disagree sir!
This is a nice piece...

Woooooow!!! I'm seriously honoured, Printriteng. Thanks.

Uniquechild:
Thanks for the update boss

You are welcome, sis.

devilmaycry1:
thank god i h.ave nt eat since morining nice 3nn fm wow food is good walahi i will nt eat
2moro just serve me wat i need

Hmmmmmm...

Episode 12 (Chapter 11)


FINALLY, SATURDAY, MAY 24 was here. It was Fatima’s wedding and for the staff of Ikeja Branch of Hero Bank Plc, it was an ‘all-roads-lead-to-Ilesha’ affair. Fatima was very loved by many in the branch, so almost all the staff of the branch were prepared to make the long journey to grace the occasion. It was a bright morning and the weather looked like it was going to cooperate fully with the celebrants. All her colleagues who showed interest in the journey, with the exception of Tomiwa, assembled at the branch very early to join the vehicles organised by the branch to convey the attendees to the venue. Tomiwa didn’t join the branch’s arrangement because he had to pick Rachael first.

That day was one of the occasions that put Tomiwa’s patience to the test. Rachael was far behind schedule which kept Tomiwa waiting for her for almost an hour. She didn’t get ready in time. She wanted to be sure she looked good enough. One would not blame her though; she was only being a woman. Taking an inordinate amount of time dressing and making up was simply their second nature. A little touch of makeup here and there. Adjustments to the head gear which at times lead to untying and retying all together simply to get the right fit were all part of the definition of the word, lady.
However, this was the part that usually pissed off the men the way Tomiwa was now.

By the time Rachael finished and came to meet Tomiwa, he was already fuming with anger but it evaporated away in a jiffy when his eyes settled on the figure that greeted him. Words could hardly describe the splendour of the beauty standing in front of him. They had been going out for some time now and he had been swept off his feet by her gorgeousness countless times but what he was seeing that morning was completely different—it was jaw-dropping! He had not seen her beautifully cladded in a native attire for a party such as this before. The dress with matching native accessories affirmed her charms in a way he couldn’t comprehend. It was like he was just meeting her for the first time. In fact, this product of the delay was enough to excuse and forgive the delay as well as dismiss any anger that was brewing.

As she moved closer to him, she noticed he had been smitten by the sight of her magnificence and she smiled because she knew she wouldn’t have many ‘queries’ to answer. He was yet to fully recover when she spoke up still smiling, “Hey, Handsome, why are you looking like you’ve just seen a ghost? Aren’t we late already?”

“Jeeeez! I must truly be a wanted man in heaven like Henry suggested.” He mumbled.

“You say what?” Rachael quizzed.

“Nothing really … I was only admiring your beauty. By the way, you kept me waiting for too long. I was almost leaving without you.” He complained.

“Oh-oh, I’m so sorry, Sweetheart.” She apologized and immediately feigned a look of annoyance, “And you were going to leave without me?”

He laughed and replied, “Jeeeez! How for heaven’s sake would I leave this astonishingly dressed damsel with all her gorgeousness behind? God forbid!”

“Hmmm … better!” She said laughing as she hugged him.

“Baby, we should start moving. We are already running late courtesy of your beauty.” Tomiwa said as they hastened up hand-in-hand to board the bus. They looked like a perfect couple in their matching aso-ebi.

When they got to the party, the programme had already started. The venue was very colourful with eye-catching decorations. Adding more colour to the scenery was the different colours and styles of all sorts of head gears and wonderfully-crafted dresses gracing the occasion. There was a live band churning out beauty music at one corner of the venue and people could be seen nodding their heads and shaking their bodies rhythmically to the music. Some who were not contented with simply nodding and shaking their heads and bodies from the confines of their seats stood up and boogied down to the music as if it was their last dance.

Tomiwa and Rachael soon located the table were his colleagues were seated and made their way to join them. Immediately they got close, cheers of ‘Tommiski’ filled the air. Tomiwa responded by shaking hands with them while hailing them in return as they sat down. He was about introducing Rachael to the house when Folake spoke up, “This must be Rachael.”

“Yes, this is Rachael.… Rachael, please meet…” But before Tomiwa could finish the introduction, everyone cheered loudly and sang with one accord, “Ebute-Metta laiye wa … se ti ri bi ose nlo.” They mimicked the way he usually sang that favourite line of his favourite song.

Rachael burst out laughing and asked innocently, “What’s the Ebute-Metta song all about?”

“Oh, he hasn’t told you? Well, ever since he met you, that’s the song Tommy has deafened our ears with in the office. He told us you live in Ebute-Metta and boasts that that’s where it’s happening.” Lanre explained to Rachael who appeared lost.

“Really?” Rachael asked and continued laughing heartily.
After the laughter died down, Tomiwa introduced everyone stating their names and nicknames most of which were given to them by him. Most of the names were familiar to her because there was hardly anyone of them that Tomiwa had not mentioned to her before but now she could put faces to the names.

“It’s my pleasure meeting you all and I’m happy to be in the midst of these lovely people.” Rachael commented, unleashing her disarming smile that anyone could hardly resist.

As the party continued, a wide variety of assorted dishes and lots of all kinds of drinks—water, soft drinks, malts, beers, and wines—were served. These went round and all were more than satisfied. The Hero Bank staff’s table was especially fun to watch as Tomiwa and his colleagues kept cracking jokes and displaying stunts that made the circle lively. Rachael was in constant amusement and deeply impressed by the cordial relationship that existed amongst them and how easily they got along with each other. She so much enjoyed herself that she wouldn’t have ever forgiven Tomiwa if he had left her behind and she missed out on all the fun that happened at the party.

The time came for the invitees to join the couple on the dance floor. That was the fun part. Rachael was smiling and laughing as she was dragged to the dance floor. One couldn’t help but be caught in the groove as people exhibited their superb dancing steps. Adrenaline pumped energetically as sweaty faces and dresses soaked in sweat were everywhere on the dance floor as much as loud choruses rented the air as they sang along with the musician. Such occasions were usually opportunities to see how well Nigerians could dance! Nonetheless, there were some displays of funny dance steps that got people laughing. In whole, all the colourful contradictions added glamour and fun to the occasion.
Fatima was full of smiles, joy, and satisfaction. The honour her colleagues bestowed on her by adoring her occasion with their massive turnout was impressive and she appreciated it a great deal.

Ilesha was one of the towns in Nigeria that was blessed with rock masses, some of which were tourist attractions. The venue of Fatima’s ceremony was at the foot of one of such rocks. Therefore, Tomiwa and Rachael decided to take a short tour of the rocks. That would be an added fun to the trip. Little did they know that it was going to be one of the most dangerous expeditions they would ever engage in!

They climbed some of the low ones at first, but the more they became entrenched in the fascination of these marvels of nature, the more they decided to explore higher and higher. On top, they could get an aerial view of the picturesque environ as the soothing breeze of the rock top blew across their faces. They took several pictures of the inviting scenery and of themselves on the rock with different postures from different angles. It was like a romantic getaway for the two lovebirds. They sat down on the rock cuddled in each other’s arms as they recounted the activities of the day—the thrills of the long trip, the delicious food and drinks, the fun at the table, the gaiety on the dance floor and now the utopia on the rock top. They couldn’t agree less that the day had been fun-filled and wished it never ended but it had to. It was getting late so it was time to re-join the others and they made their way down the rock. On the way down, the rock looked steeper than it was when they were climbing up and it was then they realised they had climbed higher than they ever thought!

“Be careful Rachael. Watch your steps. Descending at times may be more difficult than one thinks” Tomiwa warned Rachael as she descended the slope slowly.

“Okay, Sweetheart. There is nothing to worry ab …” She was still saying when the unexpected happened! She missed a step, lost her balance and slipped. She began to fall down the slope. Just then, she saw a short thick stalk growing out of one of the crevices in the rock and she quickly grabbed hold of it. Tomiwa hurried pronto to her rescue but he couldn’t go as fast as the situation demanded. It was a steep slope and he had to move slowing and gently, otherwise, he would lose his balance and fall too. He cried out to Rachael, “Sweetheart, please hang on … I am coming!”

But, his pace was too slow. Rachael’s weight was becoming too much for what the tiny stalk could handle and she began to slip gradually. She looked down and the height frightened her. Immediately, panic set in and her heartbeat began to rise rapidly. Her palms became sweaty thus weakening her grip on the stalk even more. Her life hanged in the balance. Actually, it hanged on that tiny stalk that was now making a creaking sound—a sign that it was going to give way in the next few seconds. It was either Tomiwa got there on time or she would fall down to her death! By now, the palm with which she held on to the stalk was getting reddish and bruised, and sweats ran down her temple like a damaged tap.

“Tooooomiwa, please hurry or I’m going to die any second from now!” She cried out at the top of her voice.

Tomiwa intensified his rescue effort. He saw a pointed edge and held on to it with one hand while stretching the other hand frantically to grab her. Unfortunately, the stretch was not long enough to reach Rachael’s hand. He stretched some more, loosening his grip on the pointed edge a little more to get few additional inches. That was dangerous because if he loosened the grip too much, it might not be strong enough to support their weights if he eventually grabbed hold of Rachael’s hand. His eyes oscillated between his grip on the pointed edge, Rachael and the tiny stalk holding her life in quick successions. Frustration was setting in but he was determined. He needed to act fast because he couldn’t stand losing her to the grip of death that was beckoning on her viciously. And to witness that happened under his watchful eyes was a no, no! He looked at Rachael and realised she couldn’t hold on any longer. She closed her eyes in what seemed like she was saying her last prayer. Tears trickled down her cheeks slowly and she said softly, “Tommy, I love you. Please tell mum I love her too.” It sounded like it was going to be her last words. All hope was lost!

On seeing that, Tomiwa made one more desperate effort. He stretched some more with all the strength and determination he could muster, and when he was just about a centimetre away from grabbing her hand, ‘snap!’ a sharp sound was heard.… The tiny stalk gave way!
“Oooooooh!!!” She screamed at the top of her voice as she began to fall down to her death…. The echo was deafening!


To be continued...