Chapter 12: Chapter 12
Sleeping early in the morning while the rain is falling can be another form of paradise on earth.
I tossed around the wide perimeter of my bed enjoying the soft relaxation my mattress provided, while the cool breeze from the rain, sang a sweet lullaby to me. I hugged my duvet a little tighter and rolled so it enclosed me in its warmth.
Sploosh!
That could pass for an alarm, but from the painful splash across my face. My eyes flew open from the impact of the water that knocked every wisp of air from my lungs. I sat upright immediately, struggling to inhale and exhale simultaneously. The water was so cold that it stung and snatched every atom of warmth and heat within my grasp.
My eyes narrowed at my smirking baptist who stood arm akimbo and tapped her feet constantly on the floor, enjoying my reaction.
"Harriet!!" I hollered with clenched fists, eyes shut firmly, and furrowed brows before throwing a headrest at her.
"You should be thanking me for waking your lazy ass up." She clicked her tongue and walked towards the curtain to lift them.
Sun illuminated my room in it lustrous soft diffuse rays, conveying the temporary stop of the rain.
"And why should I do that?" I yawned and stretched tiredly.
"It seems your brain is yet to fully boot but let me do you the favour of reminding you." She paced around my room in her skimpy pink pyjamas with peach feather socks.
"Can you just spill already?" I snapped and began packing up my moisture soaked bedsheets.
"You, my friend, have a flight to catch in two hours, and you are here sleeping away your destiny. I doubt if you have even packed your luggage for Abuja." She cocked a brow, folded her arms to her chest and sat on my black sofa.
"OMG!" I grasped my ashen face and stared at Harriet in shock.
"Now sing my glories baby. I'm the best friend you can ever ask for." She pointed a long acrylic nail at me and chuckled.
"You demon," I spat with a glare.
"What?" Her smile was replaced with a confused look.
"Why the hell didn't you wake me up since morning." I cried and began peeling off my wet pyjamas so I can change into a dry undies.
"Wow, so much for getting a thank you praise." She bit her lip and nodded her head severally.
"Oyah please I am sorry." My tone became softer as I thought of how to pacify her to pack my luggage.
"Hell no," she screamed and stood up immediately. "I know where the hell this is heading to so I'm not packing for you, Tife." She exhaled heavily and began exiting the room.
"Please baby." I made a puppy face and grasped her arm while she glared at me.
"Leave me alone. Help someone wants to kidnap me." She began screaming and slapping my hands that held her.
"Please Harriet, I don't have time to waste." I pleaded and covered her mouth with my palm when she wouldn't stop screaming. She continued struggling to run away while I held her down making it a mission impossible.
She made a murmuring sound so I released her mouth. "On one condition." She raised a brow and her index finger.
"What?"
"The offer of me doing the dishes for one more week expires immediately." She pouted and whistled.
I grinned. "You know you are a witch." I pointed an accusing finger at her.
"Yes, you initiated me, remember?" She said making us both chuckle.
"Fine, deal." I raised my hands as if to surrender.
"Good. Now, which box am I packing you stuffs into?" She tapped her chin, looking around my room.
"Over here." I led her towards an empty travelling box and told her what to pack while I ran into the bathroom to have a quick bath.
"Where are the sleazy, see-through, sexy lingeries, can't seem to find any?" She hollered from the room, making me choke on the toothpaste I was using to brush my teeth.
"What the hell, I have none of those."
"You are so boring." She muttered.
"Where are the stretchy condoms?" She shouted again.
I opened the bathroom door and glared at her delicate frame that sat on the floor, packing my clothes.
"And why the hell would I take them on a business meeting and party?" I groaned feeling frustrated already.
"Because you have a hot, eligible, sexy looking bachelor as a boss and you both are going on a trip." She blinked repeatedly at me.
"Harriet!" I gasped. "What do you take me for? I have a boyfriend and you know it." I retied my towel that was almost slipping.
"Yeah, a very irresponsible and useless boyfriend. Talking about wise decisions in life." She rolled her eyes.
"Say all you want to say but love overpowers everything which is something beautiful that you have never experienced." I shot back.
She laughed for some seconds with tears spilling out of her eyes. "You must be jinxed if you think what you share with Marcus is love." She smiled brightly. "He is only using you." She snapped suddenly.
"Says the girl who uses old men. It takes a player to identify one." I shrugged my shoulders while she stared at me in amusement.
"Very funny, at least my bills get sorted out and it is called hustling. I will really love to see where you so-called blind love is leading to." She hissed and packed my toiletries in another small bag.
"Whatever." I rolled my eyes. "I'm going on a business trip and it is strictly going to be business."
"You are no fun. You are still young and you need to learn to live life like a youth." Her tone became softer.
"And who said I live like an old woman, Harriet?"
"Nobody needs to comment on it. It is obvious and you need to liven up. That silly boyfriend of yours keeps making you act like a saint and it doesn't sit well with me." She zipped the huge box as soon as she rounded up.
"Enough about my boyfriend okay." I slammed my fists on my dressing mirror.
"Just ensure you have fun. All work and no play makes Tife a dull girl." She winked and stood up from the floor.
"You are such a bad influence." I shook my head and watched her place my box next to the wall.
"Just in case you need more lessons on how to be a bad little girl," she whispered. "You can always count on me." She chuckled loudly and walked out of my room.
Why do people always find themselves webbed into a friendship with bad girls?
___
After an hour of double-checking and packing more necessary things, including my laptop charger, I am pretty sure that I am ready to go. Harriet on the other hand now has the whole apartment to herself for the week and she swore already that she has a date coming over. A new sugar daddy perhaps.
After getting a text message from Alex that he is currently waiting outside my house, I began manoeuvring my way out with my heavy suitcase. I hope the airport officials don't tell me to reduce my luggage as a result of overload because God knows I don't have a dime to pay for extra luggage.
I am beginning to feel a tad bit excited to be accompanying my boss on this trip. Okay, scratch that! I'm over-excited to be travelling again after spending most of my lifetime in Lagos. The only time I left Lagos was when I applied to the University of Ibadan and had to go a thousand miles from home just to write an entrance examination. Despite the fact I aced the post utme, I still wasn't offered an admission. It was painful and I was my first time of trying to gain admission into a college after high school.
It is my first time of visiting Abuja and I definitely can't wait to write on my diary about their culture, way of life, their city and indigenes, where I can finally compare and contrast between Abuja, the capital territory and the jagaban metropolitan Lagos.
Pulling up outside the curb, Louis parked a 2020 black limousine and got out to attend to my travelling box.
"Bonjour African goddess." Louis waved excitedly.
"Good morning Louis, how are you doing on a fine Sunday morning?" I grinned excitedly, his excited vibe was contagious.
"Fine." He opened the back seat door for me to step in.
"Thank you," I said politely and settled beside a frowning Alex.
My heart started doing all sorts of backflips when I locked eyes on him. He is clad in a black tuxedo as usual and a black sunshade glass to shield his eyes from the scorching sun.
"Miss Coker?" He called authoritatively without sparing a glance.
I swallowed hard and wondered if it wasn't the same Alex that was nice and polite the previous day. It apparently sheds more light on the bipolar suspicion.
"I hope you are looking forward to this trip?" He typed away on his iPhone 12.
"Uhm!" I cleared my throat. "Absolutely sir?" I answered in a questioning tone.
"We will be meeting with the over the traditional rulers over there to poach them and their people to register an account with us." He informed, looking outside the window.
"Alright." I sighed.
"I hope you have your laptop and your necessary documents to work?" He asked calmly, placing his hands on his lap.
"I do, sir."
"Good." He stared at my direction for some time before looking away.
The drive to the local airport road, Ikeja was swift with no feeling of bumps on the road due to the efficiency and effectiveness of the Limousine.
Louis pulled out our pieces of luggage together, he looked tired and old for a minute so I rushed to him to help out.
"Give me that." I collected a box from him.
"No ma'am, it's my job." He argued and tried to get it back from me.
"Well, it's my suitcase so as the owner, I want to deal with it myself." I winked at a grinning Louis and rushed to catch up with Alex.
"Why are we heading to the back of the airport instead of inside?" I stopped to catch my breath in front of Alex.
"That is because we are travelling." He continued walking.
"I don't understand." I hollered and wiped the stream of sweat off my forehead.
"Oh no." He slapped his forehead. "Poor people will always find ways to not only embarrass themselves but others as well." He snapped.
"So now we are back to this right?" I stared at him disgust.
"Back to what? Tife." He pulled his glasses.
"Why are we going to the back of the airport when we are supposed to catch the last flight to Abuja." I wiggled my two fingers in his face.
"Because apparently, we are going with my private jet." He glared at me with his nostrils flared.
Embarrassment seeped through me immediately. "I'm so sorry, I had no idea." I rubbed my hands and pleaded.
"You should be sorry." He pointed an accusing finger. "I know I have invited you over to my house, but you should show some restrain." He hissed and walked out on me, leaving me to myself.
Every time I get a new wound, a new scar to add to the collection of emotional turbulence. I bit my lips hard and stared at the blue sky in pain. A tear slipped like a thin piece of fabric, representing the uncountable pain I feel on the inside. Alex should have taken a knife and plunge it to my skin rather than spit out those cold words to me. The hurt I feel right now is likened to a spider web, intricate, yet quite strong. Alex is a stupid jerk.
Louis walked towards me. He paused and sighed, "he has been like that all day, you need to be careful around him to avoid backlash." He patted my back and moved on.
With determination and tiredness, I decided to move into the plane fast so I can check into my hotel room. Any fast way of getting away from the moody jerk will make me feel sane.
The private jet is aristocratic and huge with beautiful black and white furniture, television, and soon. I'm really beginning to think that black, white, and grey are Alex's favourite colours.
From the windows of the plane, the wing engine is semi illuminated, the lower half shining around the rim, the upper half is several shades darker. As the plane dips, the line between the shadow and light moves. I can see the clearer view of the sky and it looks like heaven. The clouds are like soft cotton woops and the background, a blue pool held together by gravity.
An air hostess in a short blue skirt and suit served us wine and cake. Alex kept on staring out the window leaving my thoughts to keep me company. Everything seems fine and is going well till the jet hits a rock and began spiralling down towards the surface of the earth.
My heart is heaved up with fear as I began saying my last prayers. Death is one of the things I fear and I have so much I still want to achieve in life. So many goals that will be left unreached just because of a business trip. Alex is firing the air hostess questions upon question and she looks like she is about to pee on herself.
"Easy Victor." The pilot announced making me panic the more as I shut my eyes tight, ready to embrace death with all fierceness.
"I hate you, Alex, I hate you for putting me in this nefarious situation." I sniffled and wondered how many more seconds we have before the plane crashes.
"I know I have been a jerk towards you but please forgive me before I die." Alex bust into tears with me.
"Everything is going to be under control soon, no one is dying." The air hostess pacified.
"Don't you have a damn parachute?" Alex slammed his fists on the table and stared at the air hostess in disgust. His shirt is drenched in sweat and stuck to his body.
"All passengers should fasten their seatbelt, there is an emergency." The pilot declared while the plane jerked forward, backward, and sideways, thrashing us around as well held onto something tight.
"All passengers should fasten their seatbelt, there is an emergency, I repeat. There is a slight malfunction but I will do my best to land this plane." The pilot hollered more authoritatively.
And just like that, I watched my life flash around me. I can feel the cold grasp of death tugging at legs and yanking me to another universe, only that I can't tell if it is heaven or hell.